split stay at WDW/Univ.

[disneynewbeemom]

We are planning on doing a 3 day/3 day split between WDW and Universal. We have 3 days left on our passes for WDW and plan on doing 3 days at Universal. Should we stay in WDW when we are going to their parks and then move to Universal for our Universal days? Is this usually what people do?

 

[damo]

It all depends on what time of year. Since when you stay onsite your hotel key serves as unlimited express pass access, lots of people prefer to stay at one of the three hotels. They are fabulous.

 

[tink1957]

I agree with damo, it's much nicer to stay onsite at Universal & with the new Harry Potter opening it will be so much more crowded than usual. The travel time everyday, parking fees etc. is just too much trouble. We have done a split stay twice, once at a Universal Partner hotel (Doubletree Universal) and once onsite at HRH. It was much more expensive at HRH but if that's not a concern, I would go for an onsite hotel. That being said, we are going in May and staying at Doubletree Universal as this is a budget trip, they have a shuttle to the park & it's much cheaper than staying onsite, we are paying $681 for a 5 night stay, this includes tickets for 3 adults.

Have a great time, whatever you decide.

 

[suzu]

It all depends on whether you'll be taking advantage of the EMH at Disney. Our family has done splits before, but we always seem to "loose" a day with the check out/check in drill. We travel extremely light for a family of 4--just 1 large duffle and a few back packs, but with the delay in check in times...we still miss a good chunk of a touring day with the transition between hotels.

That being said, we now stay at Univeral HRH or RPR for our whole stay in Orlando and enjoy front of line access while we are Universal and then venture to Disney for an exhausting day or two on our 10 day no expiration passes....we've got 4 days left.

The drive from Universal to Disney is not bad and traffic has never been an issue.

 

[ky07]

Only if your dead set on staying close to disney for that part of your trip and if you plan on that first I would do disney first and then move to one of the Universal onsite hotels cause universal makes for a more relaxing part of your vacation

 

[amshowers]

2 nights at Universal hotel gets you 3 days of front of the line at the parks. It is well worth it, we love fotl. We also are going to a split stay doing disney first then switching to the RPH.

 

[momof4kid]

We will be doing the split stay, also. First Disney then to RPR!! Can't wait!

 

[seadd67]

we plan on doing this very same thing,6 days at WDW(POFQ) and three nights at HRH.we can not wait!!

 

[diskids2]

We're doing a split stay this year as well....Four nights at RPR (Universal IOA, SW) and then five nights at the Dolphin for WDW.

Honestly I priced this out a million ways to tomorrow and for what my family wanted....splitting the stay was the best option. We really needed onsite transportation options....because with teen/young adults in our travel party it would have been impossible to all move around together in one rental car and the cost of two cars...plus the cost of parking was actually more than the cost of the town car service. We also wanted to be onsite for FOTL access. I considered an offsite hotel...I also considered a vacation home...but we all decided we wanted to do it this way.

We're being picked up by Tiffany Town Cars on our transition day at 10:30 am, so we can sleep in a bit...then we will travel in pool attire in case our rooms at the Dolphin are not ready....relax by the pool....get into the room and go to dinner at either DTD or one of the parks as we have 5 day hoppers...the cost between 4 day and 5 day was insignificant.

I can not wait to go and I have six months to sit and plan!

 

[look1angel]

We're doing both WDW & US/IOA but will stay on Disney property. We have the Vacation club & will be in the Animal Kingdom Grand Villa with about 8-10 of us. I don't think it's that far of a drive to Universal.

 

[DecaturDad]

For those who have stayed at one of the Universal hotels, how long does it take from the hotel to MK? This would be with a car. I am interested in the total time: Hotel parking lot to being on Main St. (During Spring break.)

 

[Planogirl]

The Loew's hotels are outstanding and I would definitely stay there. You can pool hop and the amenities are great.

As for time from resort to MK, I would allow a lot of time! I'm not sure how much and hope that someone will come along who knows. But you have to count on possible traffic on the highway, then driving through WDW, parking, riding the tram, riding the monorail or ferry, getting through the turnstyles and then walking to Main Street. That seems like a lot.

 

[Coach81]

I would also recommend -if you can afford it- to stay onsight at one of the "on site" hotels. We have stayed at both RPR & HRH and loved both of them..

For our upcoming trip next month we plan to re-visit RPR club level!!! We can't wait!!!

Have a great time!

 

[BWV2001]

We, too, are doing the split stay. However, we are doing Universal first, Disney second. The reason for this order is that I am thinking with Columbus Day weekend being our first days, the fotl pass we get from HRH will come in most handy. Hopefully the crowds will be a little lighter by the end of the week while we are at Disney having to use regular fastpasses. For a week without a holiday, though, I definitely agree that Disney first would be the way to go. We are dvc owners, but still have to admit that the compact size and fotl passes at Universal can spoil you! 9 months til we go, but it's always on my mind!!!

 

[Scrubba2]

That is what we are doing. Our upcoming trip is a split stay too! We have done WDW many times, and have visited Universal only once for one day. We really liked it. What prompted me to do a split stay this vacation, was the Univeral pricing over WDW pricing. We are staying at POFQ for 3 nights, and then RPR for 6 nights. They had a deal at Universal's website 5 for 3 that I couldn't resist. Also, since we are going for spring break, I thought that Universal sounds less stressful with the FOTL, as the crowds will increase during our vacation.
We plan on going only to the MK, and if we get a car (still looking for a great rental price since I'll have to pay for parking at RPR), we will do Epcot one day from RPR so I can see the flower & garden show. If I don't get a car, or we don't end up volunteering, we won't do Epcot. (Gasp!) This is the first time we will be in Orlando and not see AK & HS.
If we don't end up with a good car deal, we will take ME to POFQ then get Mears to get us to RPR and back to the airport.

That's my thinking. Does that help you?

Good luck & have fun!!