Nick Hotel vs. RPR in Sept.

[momnum1]

Hi guys....I'm really debating on what to do here....I love staying on-site, but have only been when it is crowded. I've been on the Nick Hotel site, and it looks pretty cool. Can anyone give me any advice as to which would be the best bet in Sept (since I'm not sure FOTL is really that important then). There are two adults and 4 kids, which means two rooms at RPR but tickets are included. I added everything up and it looks like we would only be saving about $500 to stay at Nick over RPR. Money isn't a huge issue because we've been saving, but $500 is quite a bit. Any thoughts???


Thanks!!

 

[zaxmom]

Can you split your stay. We are doing that this May. I don't think my kids are going to want to leave the Nick when we are there, so I just booked two nights and nothing planned for the days we are there. If I am wrong, we still have our Universal passes. I do not know what kind of ticket you are getting, but it might be nice to have a couple of days on site for FOTL and a couple of days to play at the Nick.

 

[momnum1]

Actually, I had never even thought of that, but that's a great idea! Have you ever been there? I was wondering if it's really as great as it looks, and about the choices of foods for the kids since they eat free. Thanks!!

 

[zaxmom]

We stayed there before it was the Nick Hotel. So, I can only tell you about the rooms. They are not huge and not luxurious. But they do give you an opportunity to get away from each other a little bit. My kids are very excited to stay there now. If you stay at RPH for two nights it would give you 3 days of FOTL and that should be more than plenty in September. They will let you check in as early as you want and give you your room keys so that you can use FOTL. We have checked in at 8:00 am before.

I have read that the buffet at the Nick hotel is not wonderful, but they are also saying that it is mostly kid selections. There are lots of personal pictures of the resort on tripadvisor.com.

 

[robvia]

You probably won't need FOLT in September. In the past, they would have the express pass machines turned off. In the afternoon, it may save you a few minutes.

Split stay sounds interesting. The advantages to the onsite hotels are the short walk to the parks, and the pools.

I haven't stayed there, but I've read other reports about the Nick hotel having regular sized rooms. I think it's more hype than substance, but if the kids like it, then that's what counts.

 

[goofy!]

There is a huge thread on the Nick Hotel one of the other boards - I think it is the Orlando Resorts and Attractions board. If you do a search on the Nick Hotel, you will get lots of info.

I read it shortly after they opened, and at that time, the consensus was that the eat free food was mediocre at best. However, it has now been open for awhile, and new reviews may be up on the thread.