October visit

[LTSantoro]

Hi friends hoping you can help. This may turn into multiple questions. We are first time Universal visitors. 2 Adults 1- 10 yr old.
My family will be at Universal October 21-26 Sunday-Friday. We will be have the Canadian resident package which is 5 day park to park. I’m just really having a hard time picking a resort.
We will not be attending HHN. So my question is..... are we ok to stay at the new Aventura without express pass? I love the look of the hotel. Much more then Cabana Bay. I also like Sapphire falls but it’s $200.00 more. Not sure of the worth it factor.
We will definitely visit volcano bay 1 full daymaybe 2, leaving us 3 or 4 days at the parks. Not sure how busy October is as we have never been. Portofino Bay is the cheapest express pass hotel for us and it would cost us $1000.00 more with the Canadian exchange. Is October crazy? Or will we be able to do most things at a leisurely pace.
Thanks in advance!!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

With that amount of time, you should be fine to bypass express passes.

 

[prairiesarah]

It looks like moderate crowds then so with the amount of time you have and a reasonable plan to hit the more popular rides early in the day you should be able to minimize wait times.

Before you book the package have you priced things out individually - i.e., how much the hotel costs on its own and tickets on their own? I've always found Undercover Tourist to have competitive prices on tickets and are very reputable. I am not sure what rates get picked up when booking a package, but it would be worth checking out this way too. Room reservations only require a one night deposit then the rest paid at checkout. The Stay More Save More rates are usually the best price I think and are on stays of 3 to 5 or more days (minimum days depends on time of year).

When we went in March I bought tickets through Undercover Tourist then upgraded to Seasonal Passes (Annual Passes) which then allowed me to book Annual Pass Holder Rates at the hotels which can be much better than regular rates albeit can't be booked until much closer to your dates.

Hope this helps a bit - I know the pain of the exchange rate - fellow Canadian here.

 

[macraven]

Read up on past threads about hhn and parks

October has had busy weekends for years
Weekdays can be busy if hhn happens then

Read the sticky’s and trip report forum to get an idea of uO parks