Official Onsite 2022 Rate Discussion Thread

[Nabas]

So if Saturdays are part of the trip, it's better to book 2 separate reservations - one for Sun-Fri and another for just the Saturday?

We have done that to get a lower overall rate but it’s best to wait and see what’s offered first.

 

[boogienights]

We have done that to get a lower overall rate but it’s best to wait and see what’s offered first.

That all sounds too complicated and annoying lol. I'm having a hard enough time dealing with 4 separate hotels for an 8 day trip. Anyway, we check out Saturday and move to ESR suite for our last two nights so that we still have EP for Saturday. Sunday is VB. Monday is flight home. Hopefully we'll get an ST rate for RPR. I'm not sure it would be worth it (savings-wise) to get an annual pass for an aph discount because I'm fairly certain we won't be back until 2025/2026. For those with recent experience, how much have you saved using aph discount (taking into account the increased cost of the annual pass) at RPR and/or ESR?

 

[georgina]

That all sounds too complicated and annoying lol. I'm having a hard enough time dealing with 4 separate hotels for an 8 day trip. Anyway, we check out Saturday and move to ESR suite for our last two nights so that we still have EP for Saturday. Sunday is VB. Monday is flight home. Hopefully we'll get an ST rate for RPR. I'm not sure it would be worth it (savings-wise) to get an annual pass for an aph discount because I'm fairly certain we won't be back until 2025/2026. For those with recent experience, how much have you saved using aph discount (taking into account the increased cost of the annual pass) at RPR and/or ESR?

Sorry to say this, but if you were going to get a ST rate for 3 nights at RPR this October I think you would already have it. The ST rates usually are available pretty early. I can see them for CB some dates in October. AP rates have been hard to predict and could yet show up.

 

[ml sumner]

I'm looking every day for an AP room discount for 10/07 - 10/09. I have a room booked ar RPR for $469 a night. Keep hoping for a price drop, but so far nothing lower. We are going either way to get one more use out of our APs.

 

[holyrita]

Are there no AP rates for September? Lowest I've found were Savvy Traveler and I've been looking for so long

 

[wdwrule]

Are there no AP rates for September? Lowest I've found were Savvy Traveler and I've been looking for so long

I don’t believe they were released yet.

 

[Nabas]

Are there no AP rates for September? Lowest I've found were Savvy Traveler and I've been looking for so long

So far, only released through the first week of August.

 

[holyrita]

I don’t believe they were released yet.

So far, only released through the first week of August.

Ah my bad, I didn't realize they wait so close to the dates to release the AP rates! I feel like I remember getting them further out into the future than that in the past. Thanks everyone!

 

[Nabas]

Ah my bad, I didn't realize they wait so close to the dates to release the AP rates! I feel like I remember getting them further out into the future than that in the past. Thanks everyone!

Universal used to not cut it this close to release AP rates.

However, sometime earlier this year, there was a rumor that Universal was not going to offer any more AP rates. Those rates eventually ended up being released only a few weeks ahead of time. There's no such rumor now but even Disney has already released AP rates through September 8.

At this point, Universal is a month behind Disney.

 

[Chumpieboy]

But how much availability will there be. I booked a Savvy Traveler rate for RP for September 17-24 last November. When I check those dates now, only availability is Cabana Bay and 2 Endless Summer resorts.

The discounts are to help fill the hotel. If the hotel is already filled, there's no reason to offer discounts. I'm in the same boat for RPR reservations for September, BTW. Glad I was able to snag a room at our favorite UO resort, but the price stings...

 

[FoxC63]

We knew early on we would be spending late October at Universal, snagged RPR 2Q Club ST $410.25 - 3 adults.

Even though I keep checking, I agree with @Chumpieboy If the hotel is already filled, there's no reason to offer discounts.

A few years ago we got an AP discount for same room type & time frame and I clearly remember the TM telling me at check-in, You'll never see another discount like that. And we haven't.

 

[Nabas]

We knew early on we would be spending late October at Universal, snagged RPR 2Q Club ST $410.25 - 3 adults.

Even though I keep checking, I agree with @Chumpieboy If the hotel is already filled, there's no reason to offer discounts.

A few years ago we got an AP discount for same room type & time frame and I clearly remember the TM telling me at check-in, You'll never see another discount like that. And we haven't.

Monday to Thursday nights, the hotels are almost never full. (The exception being when large blocks are sold for a convention or special event such as cheerleading competitions.) For Friday and Saturday, the hotels often can be full.

But this does not mean that Universal offers an AP discount just because a room is empty. It appears their algorithm is more sophisticated than that, perhaps limiting the number of rooms with AP discounts and/or Savy Traveler rates.

It's also apparent that as AP holders cancel reservations, those unused AP rates become available again for other AP holders. We've snagged a few AP rate rooms last minute by checking several times a day. Once we grab that one room that suddenly appears in the middle of the afternoon and then we check again, there are no other rooms available at that rate, indicating that there was only one room available at the AP rate.

 

[Sue M]

So far, only released through the first week of August.

I have an AP rate thru to Aug 13, so first 2 weeks of Aug. at least.

 

[holyrita]

Umm.. so you know how there's a new version of the website to book hotels on Universals site? (I always go from here, click 'check rates' and search. It always goes to the old version of the hotel booking site but 90% of the time will redirect me to the new version.

I'm seeing an AP discount rate on the *old* version, but if I search for the same date + hotel on the new version there's no AP discount rate... what's happening?!

 

[Nabas]

Umm.. so you know how there's a new version of the website to book hotels on Universals site? (I always go from here, click 'check rates' and search. It always goes to the old version of the hotel booking site but 90% of the time will redirect me to the new version.

I'm seeing an AP discount rate on the *old* version, but if I search for the same date + hotel on the new version there's no AP discount rate... what's happening?!

I see the same problem on my smart phone. I have been using this link to check for AP rates on my laptop:

Universal AP rates

 

[keishashadow]

I'm beginning to suspect there won't be any RPR discounts for my Oct 5 to 8 dates and am quite put out. I can't believe I'm about to pay over $500/night for a hotel. It's unfathomable. I remember paying $250ish/ night at RPR 10 years ago during the Christmas holidays and thinking I'd lost my mind.

my thots…

onsite Loews @ U has 3 - 4 properties I truly do consider deluxe, at least by disney standards that basically rest upon location, location in many instances

believe WDW has upped ante 10% or so a year For at least the last 10 years, if not longer

In my mind, U is just playing catchup To the local norms.

Doesn’t mean i like it, just accept they are in it to make a profit. Would be nice if they do reinvest the gains back into the properties.

I still haven’t found a single AP rate for my late September trip; I don’t think they’ve been released yet. Waiting patiently. Already have my reservations, but I want to save moneyyyyyy

As do we all . At this point with so many sold out time frames this fall, many are now in the I want to get a room, any room camp

I'm not patient at all lol. RPR is my happy place so I'll suck it up I guess.

That’s what they are banking upon. Rates will remain high as long as the market supports it

10 years ago? Heck we were able to get that rate 2-3 years ago. Crazy

Some indeed did report low rates. one of the reasons we have an annual date & rate thread here to try and predict the best case scenario

TBH, in these unsettled times with such high rates, can’t go off historical past data.

Things will normalize, the market will always bottom out

But how much availability will there be. I booked a Savvy Traveler rate for RP for September 17-24 last November. When I check those dates now, only availability is Cabana Bay and 2 Endless Summer resorts.

I had ST rate booked for 5 days the 3rd week of September, high enough I again booked SF.

we love it there, wish it did offer FOTL even if at a higher rate. Works for us as were aren’t there to really tour the parks. Will enter a few hours early, catch a ride & couple of shows then stay & scream.

caught a nice price dip the middle of June, added on another night same ballpark as original reservation

So if Saturdays are part of the trip, it's better to book 2 separate reservations - one for Sun-Fri and another for just the Saturday?

Not in my mind. Not as common as at WDW but, you could be asked to move Probably still need to check out/in the am of the last day too.

Universal used to not cut it this close to release AP rates.

However, sometime earlier this year, there was a rumor that Universal was not going to offer any more AP rates. Those rates eventually ended up being released only a few weeks ahead of time. There's no such rumor now but even Disney has already released AP rates through September 8.

At this point, Universal is a month behind Disney.

I’d have to check for last year on the rate thread. I’m thinking they’ve come out later than usual the last two years???

 

[wdhinn89]

I had to change my RPR dates from 8/22-8/24 to 8/20-8/22, these dates now include a Saturday and I am paying an additional $110 per night for 4 adults I have been checking daily to see if rates go down at any of the premier hotels but so far, no luck. Should I even bother to be checking? Have rates ever gone down the closer you got to your check in date?

 

[keishashadow]

Have rates ever gone down the closer you got to your check in date?

Yep, keep ckg. That time period is often ‘slow’ Shoulder season of sorts. many kids back in school & HHN not fired up

 

[Dawn Peterson]

I had to change my RPR dates from 8/22-8/24 to 8/20-8/22, these dates now include a Saturday and I am paying an additional $110 per night for 4 adults I have been checking daily to see if rates go down at any of the premier hotels but so far, no luck. Should I even bother to be checking? Have rates ever gone down the closer you got to your check in date?

Yes keep checking. I don’t think they have released August AP rates yet.

 

[Nabas]

Yes keep checking. I don’t think they have released August AP rates yet.

The last day I have seen with an AP rate is August 13.