Never been to Universal---I need some advice

[frankiemom]

Ok my dh, 6 year old ds, and I want to go to Universal and Disney in May. I have done Disney a few times but this would be our first trip to Universal and I have a few questions:

1. We want to stay on site. Which hotel do you like and would be good for a newbie?

2. Since we will splitting our stay how many days do you think we could use at Universal----would 3 be enough?

3. I know how to get deals for Disney hotels, but how do you get them for Universal? Is a FAN discount better than a discount from the Entertainment book or are there even better deals then that?

4. How can I get a FAN card?

Thanks for your help. I look forward to our first time at Universal but don't know where to start!

 

[gschmerl]

You can't miss with any of the on-site hotels, but the Hard Rock and the Royal Pacific are a bit more convenient for getting to the parks and also more child oriented.
If you are staying on site, three days should be enough, but you might love the hotel pools so much you'll want more time!
Entertainment is usually better than FAN rate, but the annual pass rate seems to be good too. Call 1-800-BeAStar and ask what discount rates are available for your dates. The discount rates can be added at any time. You may also want to check out Hotelkingdom.com They sometimes offer great rates for the Universal hotels.
Tinkerbarb on these boards has been kind enough to send people Fan club cards. Check where you work to see if they have them also.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I think that 3 days would be a perfect amount of time. Like gschmerl said, if you want lots of time to hang around the hotel pool you might want more days. How many days do you usually spend at WDW? If it's 4 or 5 I'd say 3 would be a good # for Universal, but if you like to spend 9 or 10 days at WDW I'd guess that you like to take it easy and go at a slow pace and I'd spend 4-5 at Universal.

T&B

 

[No11's Mom]

My only suggestion would be to do Disney first and move to Universal for the last part of the trip. The front of the line access at Universal will spoil you, and make it easy to end the vacation in a more relaxed mode.

 

[frankiemom]

How far in advance can you get an Entertainment discount? If I go in Oct can I call now?

 

[No11's Mom]

I would go ahead and reserve your room now at the best rate currently available for the dates you want. Then you can keep checking to see if additional discount rates become available. If they do, you can switch to the lower rate. We once reserved rooms at rack, then switched to AAA when those became available, then switched to Entertainment when those became available.

 

[frankiemom]

No11'smom,

Thank you I didn't know you can work it like that!

 

[mom_rules]

New here too! What are Fan, entertainment etc?

I have the Orlando Entertainment coupon book and also AAA.

What do I need to know?