Split Trip - Dec 07 (Please help a newbie!)

[Minnie]

We are planning our first ever split stay with WDW & Universal. We are total Universal newbies but I have a (14 at trip time) DS and he wants to try Universal. With the current deal on the tickets it seems like a great time to give it a try.

Here's the plan:

Dec 8th-Dec 10th (Sat-Mon) at Universal

Dec 11th-Dec 15th (Tues-Sat) at WDW

Any ideas on what would be our best bet for the Universal portion? Should we stay on-site (is it really needed during that time or is it slow enough not to need FOTL?) If we should what is the best deal and how do we get it?

If we don't need to stay on-site is there a good off-site place to try? Or should we just stay at WDW for the week and drive over to Universal?

We have APs for WDW if that makes a difference Also we may try to go to SeaWorld as well. Not sure yet.

Oh and does Universal decorate for the holidays like WDW? Are there any special ticket events or anything we should know about????

Thanks for helping this newbie!!!!

 

[G8r4evr]

I would definitely recommend staying onsite. We staed onsite at US for the first time a few months ago and absolutely loved it. We booked a pool view/theme park view at Royal Pacific and it was one of my favorite hotels ever. Dont get me wrong, I am a HUGE Disney fan, but for much less money, you will get a much better resort onsite at US! Oh and front of the line cant be beat! =) You can book any of the onsite hotels at UniversalOrlando.com

 

[keishashadow]

I cannot describe FOTL , priceless

we made the mistake our 1st trip of visiting U 1st (HRH); then off to Disney AllStar Movies for 5 days over twirling competition/Daytona/Presidents day the final push i needed to get DH to sign on the palm tress for DVC lol.

My point, it is REALLY difficult to segue back to FP mentality after FOTL; if at all possible rethink the order

AAA has great rates for Loews.

Where did you book @ Disney?

 

[goofyfordisney]

The first time we went to WDW/USF Nov. '01 we started at Hard Rock then on to AKL and Beach Club...the FOTP spoiled us...when we got to WDW we were pretty frustrated with having to strategize using the Fastpass system. There is no comparison. FOTL is a must! Stay on-site at US/IOA!!

The HR was much nicer than BC--our kids still rave about it! AKL was a close second...

We are planning a return trip for this Thanksgiving...we are starting at WDW this time for sure! We will be trying the RHR this time--must have FOTL!

We are getting a quote from DU to see if they can help us coordinate our plans and get us the best rates possible.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[AlexandNessa]

The first time we went to WDW/USF Nov. '01 we started at Hard Rock then on to AKL and Beach Club...the FOTP spoiled us...when we got to WDW we were pretty frustrated with having to strategize using the Fastpass system. There is no comparison. FOTL is a must! Stay on-site at US/IOA!!

The HR was much nicer than BC--our kids still rave about it! AKL was a close second...

We are planning a return trip for this Thanksgiving...we are starting at WDW this time for sure! We will be trying the RHR this time--must have FOTL!

We are getting a quote from DU to see if they can help us coordinate our plans and get us the best rates possible.

Enjoy your trip!

ITA! Although you are going during a relatively slow time of the year:

1) FOTL (which really means "unlimited express") is priceless. There is no touring plan required. No having to get up at "rope drop." It is extremely leisurely.

2) You'd be surprised how much staying onsite adds to your experience. Every blessed thing on Universal property is within walking distance. There is no waiting for a bus or a boat if you don't want to. If you're healthy enough, everything is a beautiful walk. One of my very favorite parts of Universal is the walk between any of the 3 hotels and the parks and/or City Walk. They have taken great care to manicure beautiful walking paths.

3) Sorry, a WDW AP would make no difference as to the Universal portion of your visit. Check the date/rate thread to find the rates others are paying for your dates.

4) Universal does decorate for the holidays. The resorts are decorated. The parks are decorated. They have a parade similar to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, and you will find many of their balloons there. Is it the equivalent of a WDW parade? No, but if you're an adult, you can participate in the parade if you want, and there is a section set up with the balloons and their history. Seuss Landing is one of my favorite parts of the park at Christmas. Sometimes they have Grinchmas. Sometimes they don't. We'll have to wait till after Halloween to find out.

5) Politics aside, the NRA is offering SW tickets at $30 each for a donation. See the SW board for more information. I bought the tickets when they were $25 each. A bargain. Still a bargain at $30.

 

[morningstar]

I would have to agree with the posters on the order in which you are traveling. We did WDW world first, then moved over to Universal. We also did our trip around Christmas time and stayed at Wilderness Lodge first, then moved to Royal Pacific. You are going before the "big rush" so the parks won't be as crowded, but I still recommend on-site at Universal. As everyone mentioned, you will be completely spoiled by the FOTL access and will be frustrated when you get to Disney and can not walk on to the rides.

 

[Minnie]

Okay thanks to all the wonderful posts here I've done some research.

I called Universal this morning to check on rates and the Royal Pacific has a standard view that doesn't sound too bad. However, are the views awful???

Also, are there any rooms that have a daybed? My DS kicks like a mule so we like to have a room with a 3rd bed.

We have not booked the WDW part of the trip yet. Waiting to see what the AP rates are. Hopefully soon

For the days of the trip it really needs to stay Universal 1st, WDW last:

We want to attend MVMCP on Dec 11th (Tuesday) because it is supposed to be low attendance and its an AP discount party.

So if we do Universal and Islands of Adventure from Sat-Mon and then make Tuesday the transfer and relax day until the party that night it sounds okay.

Then we’d have Tues (party) and Wed-Sat to enjoy WDW. We don’t want to commando this trip as we just did that in July. I think if we do Universal first we will have more energy to do the parks then if we wait until the end. My mom get’s parked out by the end of the trip.

I do want to book a tour of some kind at WDW (I did the Backyard Segway at Fort Wilderness in July and loved it).

We also want to do the Osborne Lights at MGM,Candlelight Processional in Epcot, ICE at Gaylord Palms, and resort hop to see all the decorations. Oh and we also want to Xmas shop at DTD so we have quite a bit to do at WDW.

Oh we are also NOT thrill ride fans. We DON’T do roller coasters. Is there much at Univerasal/IOA for us????? Thanks everyone for your advise!!

 

[bubba's mom]

Okay thanks to all the wonderful posts here I've done some research.

I called Universal this morning to check on rates and the Royal Pacific has a standard view that doesn't sound too bad. However, are the views awful???

If you get Tower 1 in a certain area, you can have a view of IOA...excellent view! (There is a sticky about room assignments above)

Also, are there any rooms that have a daybed? My DS kicks like a mule so we like to have a room with a 3rd bed.

you can reserve a queen deluxe (2 queens + pullout sofa) OR get a rollaway for extra $25 (?) per nite ...sorry, no daybeds!

We don’t want to commando this trip as we just did that in July. I think if we do Universal first we will have more energy to do the parks then if we wait until the end. My mom get’s parked out by the end of the trip.

I do want to book a tour of some kind at WDW (I did the Backyard Segway at Fort Wilderness in July and loved it).

We also want to do the Osborne Lights at MGM,Candlelight Processional in Epcot, ICE at Gaylord Palms, and resort hop to see all the decorations. Oh and we also want to Xmas shop at DTD so we have quite a bit to do at WDW.

this sounds quite "busy" to me....

Oh we are also NOT thrill ride fans. We DON’T do roller coasters. Is there much at Univerasal/IOA for us????? Thanks everyone for your advise!!

there are 2 coasters at IOA and one "kid" coaster and at the Studios, there is one adult coaster and one kid coaster....if that's all UO was, hardly anyone would go. There is a HUGE misconception that Universal is a thrill-coaster park... it has shows, tons of kid stuff, a whole LAND of Dr. Suess stuff.....there will be plenty to do...don't worry!

 

[stwyatt]

you don't need fotl that time of year--we stayed at the crowne plaza universal for some of our trip. it's very nice and we got a great rate on hotwire(57.00 in 2005) we also stayed onsite and i agree with the other posters that onsite is great, and even though it's much more than the crowne plaza, we will always stay onsite in the future. we drove to sw, wdw, and uo from different parts of orlando, and we never experienced any traffic problems during that time of year. the first time we went to orlando, we basically did the same trip you are planning, and even though we thought uo was our favorite, wdw and mvmcp was a lot of fun(how can you go wrong at any of those places?) at the end of our trip we cut a half day off our wdw time and hit uo as the last hurrah of our trip. by going that time of the year, you have that flexibility

 

[dsmom]

We were at RPR last Dec. the same time you are going this year. It was not busy at all. We had standard view and were upgraded after we checked in to Conc. room with pool and park view so it would not hurt to ask for upgrade when you check in.
If you have annual passes I would get to the MVMCP early if I were you. We did this for years and it is always busy. We would arrive before Six and head to the back. The park is closed from 6 to 7 and you have the place to yourself for an hour. When the park re-opened at 7 we headed back to the front to see mainstreet and the snow. The only resort that is really done up is the Gf- they have a beautiful tree and life-size gingerbread house. The rest of the resorts have a tree and garland and some kind of chocolate display. The Yacht and beach club were pretty also.

We do not do coasters either but there is so much more to do at Universal than coasters. It is beautiful at Christmas time! We did the Macy's parade last year - it is a lot of fun and my husband had a blast being a balloon handler. We are headed back again this December!

 

[goofy!]

Oh and does Universal decorate for the holidays like WDW? Are there any special ticket events or anything we should know about????

Thanks for helping this newbie!!!!

Your dates are right on the edge of when Universal starts their Christmas stuff. The Macy's parade and other stuff usually starts around the 8th - 10th depending on the year. So, you may be able to catch it.

However, the decorations will be up. It looks very nice.

Also, are there any rooms that have a daybed? My DS kicks like a mule so we like to have a room with a 3rd bed.

Both the Hard Rock and the Portofino have deluxe rooms that have pull-out sofas or chairs. I haven't been to the Royal Pacific for a few years, but I do not believe that they have any kind of deluxe rooms. If I remember correctly, all the rooms are the same size and same accomodations - the only differences are the views, ie: garden or pool. I believe even the concierge rooms (not including suites) are the same rooms. AlexandNessa can correct me on that one as she is the resident Royal Pacific expert .

You can order a rollaway for any of the rooms ($25.00 per night) or you can do what we used to do when we used to stay at RPR and bring an air mattress.

 

[AlexandNessa]

I haven't been to the Royal Pacific for a few years, but I do not believe that they have any kind of deluxe rooms. If I remember correctly, all the rooms are the same size and same accomodations - the only differences are the views, ie: garden or pool. I believe even the concierge rooms (not including suites) are the same rooms. AlexandNessa can correct me on that one as she is the resident Royal Pacific expert .

You can order a rollaway for any of the rooms ($25.00 per night) or you can do what we used to do when we used to stay at RPR and bring an air mattress.

Who needs me? You summed it up perfectly. One definite downside of RPR -- no deluxe rooms. Goofy! is right ... if you need 2 beds + another bed, a PBH deluxe or HRH deluxe is a better option for you. Just make sure you reserve the deluxe with 2 Queens (the PBH and HRH also have King Bed Deluxes, which would defeat your purpose). If you order the rollaway for the RPR, that is going to be one tight fit. It will be depend on how much time you plan on spending in the room. If you want to be comfortable in a RPR room with a pull-out, you'll have to make sure you fold up the rollaway every morning.

 

[keishashadow]

FYI, we went to MVMCP in '05 a weekday 1st week of month...

it was VERY crowded. Although, we'd return in a flash, unfortunately they don't have it scheduled for 12/1; our only day in MCO.

believe many buy the discounted tix & get in early (4:00 ish) inlieu of purchasing a single day tix; skipping most of the festivities and concentrating on the rides - quite a money saver.

We did the show 1st (def. recommend getting there early-saw long lines for the next one)

then the free pic (don't think they offer anymore)

then parade - awesome!

it was soooo cold, wore gloves & winter coats...be prepared. Natives said it was a fluke

thank goodness for the hot choc & snickerdoodles; kept us rolling along.

FYI, the Wilderness Lodge is absolutely stunning @ Xmas ; Osbourn lights are amazing.

 

[Minnie]

You guys are soooo nice to a Universal newbie!!!!!! Thanks so much for sharing all the advice!

Bubba’s mom – Thank you for the info on the parks! I admit I was concerned by DS wants to try something new so we’re going to give it a try.

Stwyatt – Thanks for posting about your trip! Sounds like a good combination!

Dsmom – Did you ask for the upgrade or did they just surprise you with it? What a fabulous upgrade!!!! Thanks for posting that it’s not just coasters. That makes me feel a lot better!

Goofy & alexnessa – Thank you for the room info. I priced out Royal Pacific as it is the least expensive. Since we haven’t even seen Universal it seemed the best to go with the lower priced resort and go from there. Any reason other than the bed situation that we shouldn’t????? Plan on splurging during the WDW part of our stay on the resort.

Keisha – The WL is our fave!!!!!! I can’t wait to see it all dressed up for the holidays. Hoping the rates come out soon so that we can make a decision on that part of our stay.

Right now it looks like the tickets for $86 is the best bet. Anyone know of a better deal??

Looked at the rates on RPR and it seems like the AAA rate is the way to go. We’d need to join but the discount is really nice. Need to do some more research about which resort and which rate but we’re getting closer.

Thanks everyone!

 

[bubba's mom]

Right now it looks like the tickets for $86 is the best bet. Anyone know of a better deal??

Looked at the rates on RPR and it seems like the AAA rate is the way to go. We’d need to join but the discount is really nice. Need to do some more research about which resort and which rate but we’re getting closer.

Thanks everyone!

I don't think there is a better deal out there right now. Buy them soon, as we never know when it won't be available anymore.

Don't forget when you belong to AAA, you also show your card to get discounts on dining and shopping too....not just the hotel room (If you don't belong, you should join. You'll save the membership cost on the hotel alone!) For now, the AAA rate will probably be best....closer to your date they may announce "specials" (ie: supersaver, APH) that might work better. Just call and switch it to that rate if you find something better!

 

[dsmom]

The upgrade was offered- I was in a cast at the time for broken ankle so I think they felt sorry for me. I would definately ask for upgrade- it can't hurt to ask. It sounds like you have a wonderful trip planned! For me planning is half of the fun.