Need help - newbies!

Ariel853

Earning My Ears
Joined
Mar 16, 2013
We have been to Disney about 10 times and are planning our first Universal and Sea World trio for early June so forgive me for the numerous questions. We are surprising our kids DS 15 and DD 12 with this vacation and are planning on staying at Hard Rock.
-when is the best time to book a June package? The current discount is only $50 off which is not much compared to the free dining we are used to getting.
- we are thinking staying Saturday to Saturday and doing Universal, island of adventures, discovery cove, sea world, and one of the water parks. Is a week enough time to get all of this in?
- do you recommend the meal plan for at least one day?

Thanks so much!!
 
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1. Don't buy a package. You are better off buying a la carte. Packages are rarely a deal and the change fees are higher with packages than with hotel only. Remember the hotels aren't run by Universal- take your Disney mindset and put it aside. Think of it as traveling to any other non-Disney destination when planning.
Sign up for Loews emails and see if there are any promos running on Black Friday/ Cyber Monday for the hotel room.
2. That should be ok. Another day would be nice but I'm sure you could make it work.
3. Nope. But, you can buy it at the cash register if it turns out you do eat in a way that it would be beneficial. The cashier can let you know. I loathe carrying extra stuff around so refillable cups aren't my thing. Free cups of water are my thing. :)
 
1. Don't buy a package. You are better off buying a la carte. Packages are rarely a deal and the change fees are higher with packages than with hotel only. Remember the hotels aren't run by Universal- take your Disney mindset and put it aside. Think of it as traveling to any other non-Disney destination when planning.
Sign up for Loews emails and see if there are any promos running on Black Friday/ Cyber Monday for the hotel room.
2. That should be ok. Another day would be nice but I'm sure you could make it work.
3. Nope. But, you can buy it at the cash register if it turns out you do eat in a way that it would be beneficial. The cashier can let you know. I loathe carrying extra stuff around so refillable cups aren't my thing. Free cups of water are my thing. :)

Oh my this is so helpful!! I’m signing up now for Lowe’s emails! So if we stay at hard rock we get the express pass free how is it linked to our tickets if I buy them separate?
 
Glad it helped. :) Express Passes don’t need to be linked like fast passes. When you check into the hotel (as early as 7am so you could hit early entry), your key becomes your Express Pass. Your tickets are separate.
 


You will love a week onsite at Hard Rock. Remember that, unlike WDW, you are allowed to pool hop to the other resorts onsite. My teens love going over to Portofino, Royal Pacific, even Cabana Bay to swim. We have stayed this way many times without even going off property to do Sea World (just get the Uni AP and the whole week is kick-back and relax time). HRH is so close, the kids can even jump into the park after dinner by themselves and ride a bunch rides with the EP's. It really is a different kind of nice!
 
You will want lanyards. The Express Pass and the park tickets are still paper and you have to show them several times, so having a lanyard is a huge help.
 
A lot of us get tickets at Undercover Tourist. They have great deals periodically. Get your park tickets from them, book your hotel directly at Loews, and you’re all set. Also check out the annual pass rates for your trip. Once you get to 3 days an annual pass is usually only a few more dollars. HRH is so close that you can pop into the parks for an hour or two with an AP.

The meal plan isn’t worth it for us, but it’s really flexible. Buy it day of, don’t have to get it for everyone in the family, so compare ala cartel to the meal plan when you’re there.

With the hotel you can also book when you see a price you could live with, then keep checking the prices, and you can change up into 3-6 days in advance (double check the cutoff) to get the lower prices. There are also APH rates that show up if you go the annual pass route.
 


We have been to Disney about 10 times and are planning our first Universal and Sea World trio for early June so forgive me for the numerous questions. We are surprising our kids DS 15 and DD 12 with this vacation and are planning on staying at Hard Rock.
-when is the best time to book a June package? The current discount is only $50 off which is not much compared to the free dining we are used to getting.
- we are thinking staying Saturday to Saturday and doing Universal, island of adventures, discovery cove, sea world, and one of the water parks. Is a week enough time to get all of this in?
- do you recommend the meal plan for at least one day?

Thanks so much!!

@bchbetha is correct about Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals for Universal @kaytieeldr has just added TRAVEL to the 2018 Black Friday thread, it's on Post #1. Here's the link: 2018 Black Friday - With TRAVEL deals
 
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I agree with buy everything separately.

As for the dining package, my general rule is, if the entree I am getting is $14 or more, the dining package will save you a few dollars.

You can use the extra snack credit for a butterbeer for the most bang.

You do not need to buy the dining package ahead of time. You can buy it when you pay for your meal if you want it. No limit to how many times you can buy it and everyone in your party does not need to buy one.
 

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