Overwhelmed 1st trip

[DonaldnDaisy5]

Considering a trip at Christmas or spring break next year (teacher limited on travel dates). We are a family of 5. I am completely overwhelmed, could plan Disney in my sleep but the tiered tickets have totally turned me off.

I am thinking 5 to 6 days. 3 park days with either wet and wild or sea world possibly as another days worth of activities. We are usually camando style in the parks. Kids are
/will be 13, 11, and 6. Youngest is adventurous and tall. Rode all the rides at Disney except rocking roller coaster as she wasn't tall enough but she will be well over 48 inches by December.

Hotel I am leaning towards Cabana Cay for price and utilizing extra hour rather than front of line passes. Dining plans? Are they worth it? Do likes having Disney all paid in advance and not worrying about price of food. He requires meals rest of us could roll with pbj

What do I need to know? Book online or call? Couldn't find where to add dining online...

 

[PantherPete]

The extra hour isn't exactly the same as early admission to Disney. Unless they have changed it, only Harry Potter and maybe a couple other attractions will be open. Plus, I don't believe they offer early admission to both parks all the time. There are some weeks where the early admission days are limited to one park.

I'd go on their website and get a price. Then I'd call AAA if you are a member and get a price. I believe Costco Travel also does packages. Then I'd go to expedia or somewhere like that and get the hotel price and Undercover Tourist for ticket prices. That will give you some cost comparisons. I did it via AAA. They gave me the same price as booking online, but I got a their benefits as well, which include a free round of mini golf and a discount card to use at some of the City Walk places. Plus AAA doesn't require payment upfront. Just a deposit and with the balance due 60 days before traveling. So I get to keep my money for a few more months.

I'm not sure the dining plan is worth it. I didn't do the math myself, but it just seemed more expensive than paying as you go. If you like the convenience of prepaying, just buy a bunch of Universal gift cards, charge the meals to your room and pay at the hotel using the gift cards. I don't recall the dining plan being accepted at all the City Walk places either. Maybe it is now though.

 

[macraven]

i don't see the dining plan to be worth it at all.
you don't come out ahead most of the time.

the counter service dining can be beneficial as you can use the beverage or snack coupon on another day.
if you buy this plan for a high end entree, you could save about $4.50-6.00 during your stay.
butterbeer is a snack, use the snack coupon on that and not on the bag of popcorn.
beverage coupon for drinks.

i get the chicken/ribs entree at the 3 B's.
beverage comes with it.

the two coupons to use later are part of my savings.

at Louie's, get the special pizza set up and buy the counterservice plan.
also works to my advantage with the coupons i use later.

coupons expire 14 days after purchase of the counter plan.

if you stay onsite during a high holiday period, you will worship having the ep for all in your family if you stay at one of the 3 deluxe hotels.
all in a deluxe hotel, get the free perk of unlimited usage of the express lines.
Christmas time period thru new years have very high costs if you buy the ep's

you do have the option of paying for your room in advance at the darkside hotels.
when you book, you only pay the one night deposit on the room.

after that, you can contact the hotel and pay in increments or all of the remaining amount owed before you arrive at the hotel.
if you need that info, we can tell you how to do that.

i look at the online site to see the prices and availability.
once i know it is there, i call and book over the phone.
i do put a room request in at that time and it is noted.

within 24 hours, i wll get a confirmation email of my reservation.
(usually i get that email within an hour or two.)

many are not like me and are fine booking on the site.

When i check into the hotel, i put many gift cards down on my account.
when in the parks, i carry very little money as i sign to have my meals/purchases charged by to my room.
i plan my budget out in advance so i have very little to pay when i do check out.
(my long stays are for two weeks in october each year and i budget that trip's needs in advance)

 

[RMulieri]

I would spring for one of the deluxe that offer express passes..I dont find early entry to be that big of a perk. The only things open are the Harry Potter attractions and you have all the onsite resorts plus some of the offsite with package privelages also participate in early entry

 

[macraven]

Harry Potter fans live for that early entry time period....
for many, one hour with less peeps in it is not enough

 

[VacaPlanner2012]

The Express Pass for the time frames you are considering is an absolute necessity (my wife is a teacher, so I get it). No dining plan and no dining plans, but spend some time on the menu sticky at the top of the Uni Forum Page, it is awesome for budgeting!!! You don't have to worry about the price of food, because you will already know!!!

Welcome to the Darkside...where you don't have to commando and plan ADRs and you can balance some rest and relaxation into the week as well. Pool hopping is encouraged, and the pools are awesome!!!

 

[DonaldnDaisy5]

Thanks for the advice and help! I definitely like the idea of paying a deposit and making payments so it's paid off.

I am struggling with the difference between hotels and justifying the difference. Grew up going to Cedar Point pre front of the line passes...but definitely will not be paying for the passes if we don't stay at a resort that includes them because of the cost the times of year we can go. I get its peak time but resent the higher costs....i know supply and demand and all that good stuff but i dont make the big bucks as a teacher

 

[imprint]

Go to https://uo.loewshotels.com and select "All Properties" and enter your dates. That will show you the current rate for each of the four on-site resorts. In general, price increases from Cabana Bay < Sapphire Falls < Royal Pacific (includes express passes for everybody) < Hard Rock Hotel (includes express passes for everybody) < Portofino Bay (includes express passes for everybody). Prices fluctuate. Although annual pass rates are not available yet for those dates, you might be able to get a better rate with a Power Pass. When checking rates, enter "Promotion" and a code of "APH". Cheaptickets.com and Orbitz.com might have better rates than reserving directly. They have sales periodically too.

 

[kohlby]

Due to the time of year, I would book one of the hotels that have EP that comes with it. We usually stay at RPR for our family of 5. (There is an extra charge for a roll away bed, but we bring a camping mattress to get around it). Pre-kids, we did go over Christmas break. (I'm a former teacher). I realize crowds were lower in those days but we still had days when they wouldn't let anyone else in due to being filled to capacity. We were able to use single rider line and navigated through crowds with just the two of us wasn't a huge deal. But I can't imagine doing it with a family. There is no way I'd go during that time without having EP now.

The early extra hour does help - but it's only an hour and mainly for the HP sections which don't have EP. You still have the rest of the day to deal with. Also, I'd imagine that more hotel guests think it's important to get up for that early hour during that time of year than many other times, due to the high crowds.

I wouldn't do the dining plan ahead of time. In the past, we've bought the plan you can buy in the parks on the day we plan on eating at Three Broomsticks and getting Butterbeer, as it has saved us money. But it would cost us extra money on other days. Look at the prices and you'll figure out if it's worth it or not.

*If you are having trouble rationalizing the cost of a hotel that comes with express pass, another idea would be to do a split stay. For both Disney and Universal, we usually do split stays in order to save money. You could start at a hotel like RPR and then switch to either CB or off-site. Keep in mind you get EP for both your check-in and check-out days as well. I'd recommend starting with the hotel with EP as it's easier to not stress out with crowds once you've already done quite a bit.

 

[VacaPlanner2012]

Ahhh, another Cedar Point person. We are annual passholders, and it explains the commando style of touring as well! My feet still hurt from a childhood of standing on concrete waiting in lines. It is exactly why we do Cedar Point on normal weekends and VACATION at Universal. But, it is not cheap. You are right about that.

But, here are 2 options (summarized from the others above) - bite the bullet and stay at RPR (you can make payments) and definitely visit the menu sticky and other threads on how to save a little on food. Again, there are great deals to be had (on par with Earl of Sandwich type deals - a good meal for $8ish), and many portions can be shared (Volcano nachos at Margaritaville). Pick your battle, trust a long time Cedar Point guy, Express Pass is one necessary luxury.

Or, take the less expensive way out and stay at Cabana, but book one night at RPR, it will get you 2 days worth of Express Passes unlimited. You stated in your original post that you were thinking 3 park days - this covers 2. Use the 3rd day for HP and shows. Now, when i say book one night at RPR, do that on top of your stay at Cabana, no need to pack up. I know "paying" for 2 rooms hundreds of yards apart for the same night seems nuts, but look at it like a cheaper way of buying Express Passes.

Spend a little time comparing the prices, with a 5-6 night stay at RPR, you will get the Stay More Save More discount, which might make the first option (the better option imo) seem like the way to go.

Again...keep in mind that Universal is a bit different than the others (Disney, Cedar Point, etc.). When I am at the other destinations, there just seems to be a "need" to go commando and do as much as you can open to close. For us, a week at Disney completely exhausted us, and a weekend at Cedar Point plays havoc on my head as I grow older (we watch the kids ride a lot as we people watch). A week at Universal is soooo relaxing, we never wait in lines, the theming is top notch, and the hotels/pools are incredible.

 

[AndreaDBfan]

I'm a Universal Orlando virgin, too. Can I say that?? Anyway, our trip is coming up soon, the week after Easter. Just staying for 2 nights, staying at RPR. I opted to stay on site so we can get the EP. They were going to cost us $145/per person otherwise. We are a family of 4.

I just want to clarify a couple things. So, you CAN pool hop at Universal resorts? What is the easiest way to go between the resorts? Food portions are fairly large to split, correct? I do need to go back and read the food/menu thread, so I won't ask too many questions about that here.

 

[macraven]

i stay at rpr and love their pool.
only time i pool hop now is to visit friends at another resort pool.
and then i just sit around on the chairs to visit with them.

from rpr, take the water taxi to citywalk and catch the boat to hrhr or pbh.
easier to walk to hrh from where you get off in city walk water taxi station.

take your room key so you can get towels from the pool attendant.
rick shaw drivers can be at the edge of the hotel property when they drop off guests.
that is as far as they can go, edge of property. flag one down if you want a ride to another park.
they work for tips.

going for only 2 nights and pool hopping will cut into your park time if you hop.

some places have large food portions, some do not.
do go back and read up on the menu sticky.
start from the end as go backwards so you are keeping with current info.

 

[VacaPlanner2012]

Yes, pool hopping is encouraged, just have your valid room key. All of the poolside food has been better than expected. As for food portions, they vary as with anywhere, but I will give examples (keep in mind that in my earlier years I did a 5 pound steak challenge with all the fixins and finished it, so I can put a fair amount of food down...)

I don't think I could finish the volcano nachos at Margaritaville, if something like that catches your fancy. At Confisco, the bread that comes with the hummus is to die for - my wife and I order that and split a meal, it is enough for a hearty snack. As for snacks, my family of four order 1 Big Pink and 2 chocolate milks (we have no problem sharing) for around 10 bucks. Again, because we share, we have no problem eating 4-5 times per day, but just ordering 2 items per location to keep us going. Same thing at Louies, one order of Alfredo and a slice of Pizza is enough to get us through.

Every family tours differently. For us, we absolutely LOVE the breakfast buffets at the resorts and we probably go way overboard, but at $20+ per, we are gonna eat! Therefore, snacks and lots of water throughout the daytime (in the parks or at the pools, counter service or table service) and a few signature dinners are how it works for us. I have stated it many times, I can easily come within $50 of a food/snack budget by planning on the food sticky that damo has been so nice to provide. Universal allows for minimal planning and no ADRs, but we know that how we tour, our bill at Confisco/Finnegans/Springfield/Louies/etc will be roughly the same, so whatever floats our boat that day doesn't ruin our budget for events/souvenirs.

 

[AndreaDBfan]

Thanks guys! Very helpful!

 

[kohlby]

Agree that food portions vary quite a bit. My family of 5 was able to share two chicken and ribs platters from Three Broomsticks on our last trip. But, at the kabob place, we had to get 5 meals. One meal was the perfect size for me but two needed more food and two needed less so it worked out well. We drive down and bring food from home for breakfast, so that saves us money - and time! It makes the mornings much more relaxing that way.

 

[mousecrazy]

Are you open to considering a condo? You can get a 3 bed/3 bath condo at Windsor Hills (about 20 mins to Universal - closer to Disney) for about $85 per night. Couple this with a one night stay at RPH to take advantage of Express Pass for two full days. It's up to you whether or not you stay at the hotel for the night...might be easier to just drive back to the condo. The space of the condo is another definite positive...all that space and with a family of five...you will like it A LOT! Windsor Hills has a nice pool and some resort like amenities. Just another option to consider. Good Luck.

 

[Fuhnuh]

I also would check to see what the best rate for RPR that you can get is. EP are really great when the park is busy, but we all have to make $s vs. return judgments on our trips. Either way, I'd make sure that you take advantage of Universals discounts if available. I don't know if they have "stay more, save more" during the times you might go, but we usually take advantage of that and stay 5-6 nights at RPR. They fiddle with the discount rates a bit, but you can find general info here. https://www.universalorlando.com/Hotels/Onsite-Hotel-Rates-and-Offers/The-Best-Days-To-Vacation.aspx It looks like during Holiday and Peak times you can get the 25% for 7 nights (15% for 6), it might be worth staying an extra day regardless of which onsite property you go to.

Also, even if a deal isn't available, we book a room at rack prices and hope to change it if a deal comes up. We find it a loss less hassle and easier to change without penalties if we don't add tickets until we are sure our deal is set.

 

[DonaldnDaisy5]

Like the condo idea (and one night rpr) but dh isnt huge on driving around Orlando. He is Disney bubble convert! I may have to work on him!!

Thanks for all the advice so far!!!

 

[Skiton]

We stayed at Cabana Bay over New Years this year, and that's supposed to be the busiest time there is. We were totally winging it. We did the parks on NYE/NYD as an appetizer before our Disney cruise. We did not buy express passes for NYE, but we did pony up for them on NYD. My logic was that it was going to be wall-to-wall people on NYE and we weren't going to want to stay at that point, anyway. And, sure enough, we were there from 7:00 a.m until around 1:00 p.m and then we headed back to the hotel to swim. During that time, though, the lines really weren't bad at all. I think we waited 35 minutes for Spider-Man, but that was the worst. Forbidden Journey took maybe 15 minutes first thing in the morning be we were there by 6:45 to take advantage of EE. We got six solid hours in IOA and got a lot done.

NYD, we got EP's because we wanted to make a longer day of it and my kids are horrible with lines. For some rides, it was totally worth it. (Minions had a 90 min wait mid morning, we were on in 15). Others I don't think it would have made much difference. We were glad to have them, but I don't think they were essential. Of course, we also knock out the parks in the morning/afternoon and don't tend to be there at night, and I think evenings were a whole other ballgame. NYD we were there from 6:45 - 4:00 and the we were done.

I would have loved complimentary EP's but I think EE is definitely worth it (especially since you get to stay at Cabana Bay, which is so much fun!). There is so much to see in Harry Potter that the first hour flies by, and then you're just leaving to check out other parts of the park when others are stampeding in.

 

[hopemax]

We just did 2 days at Universal over Christmas this year. The 21st (my birthday) and the 27th, I think. After 10AM the park gets CRAZY. I was watching the app and the lines were pretty steady 15 min before 10, and between 10-10:30 they kept jumping up until the most popular rides were all 45 min or longer. Single Rider for MIB was 40 min, and regular line like 90. I read somewhere that ride handles 2500 people per hour, and they were hustling to dispatch cars every 15 seconds, so that tells you how many people were there. We could still get a lot done between park opening and 10, but we were experienced enough to know which attractions to hit in which order.

So if you can get your family to the park at opening, and just knock stuff out for the first couple hours, and then know that in the middle of the day, you are going to be more laid back, catch some of the lesser attractions, watch the Harry Potter entertainment, enjoy some Butterbeer, hang out the resort, and then come back after dinner and knock things out again, you can have an enjoyable day. If you know your family is going to lazy on out of bed, get to the park at 10 and it's like herding cats to get people to move from ride to ride, it is well worth investigating the price of at least one night at a Deluxe hotel to get 2 days worth of Express Pass.

I've probably spent 20 days now at Universal, and only had the Express for one 2-night, 3 day stay. It is soooo nice, but I don't feel like it's a necessity. I think we are going to stay on-site again for one night, just to have a little fun. My Dad lives in the area, so it's hard to justify a hotel night anywhere, but Universal is a blast, Kong will be new, and we're thinking about doing Halloween Horror Nights and it would be nice to not have a 45 min drive at the end of the night.