New to Universal...questions...

[Kate and Pete]

I'll stop asking what I can imagine are silly questions after this weekend - I plan on buying some books on Universal. But I want to get a head start:

1.) where do I find all the incredible deals to stay onsite? We're going in Feb. (president's week - I know, a busy time, but we did WDW this past president's week and had a blast!). The best I can find on hotels.com is $324 or so. I keep seeing people with rates as low as $124...


2.) if we stay onsite are tickets included in the price of the room?

3.) if we stay offsite - do you recommend buying their express passes? It's just DH and I - and we did WDW "commando style" - first ones at the turnstiles, hitting all the big rides before 11, lunch, and then outta there to lay by the pool at the hotel until the evening!


Thanks for everyone's support!

 

[kenban]

1.) where do I find all the incredible deals to stay onsite? We're going in Feb. (president's week - I know, a busy time, but we did WDW this past president's week and had a blast!). The best I can find on hotels.com is $324 or so. I keep seeing people with rates as low as $124...

Some of the best deals I have ever seen is from using a Universal Annual Pass during slow times of the year. The problem is you can't book this far out to get the best deal and someone in your party would need to purchase an annual pass. The current deal is rooms at RPR during April 15 – June 6 start at $124.

2.) if we stay onsite are tickets included in the price of the room?

There is a package deal for staying several nights where you can get the tickets free but you have to pay rack rate to do so. Normally its cheaper to just purchase them separately.

3.) if we stay offsite - do you recommend buying their express passes? It's just DH and I - and we did WDW "commando style" - first ones at the turnstiles, hitting all the big rides before 11, lunch, and then outta there to lay by the pool at the hotel until the evening!

This is up to you. Your commando style would work in IoA but USH has several attractions that take a half hour or more even without a line. With a good plan and two days I believe its possible to get by without an express pass almost any time of the year. You can purchase the passes at the park as well so you don't have to really worry about it unless its a day where the passes might sell out.

 

[Kate and Pete]

Thanks! We're going for four days - so three at US and IoA and one at SW...or however we work it!