Staying at ES vs off site hotel

[ellypres]

Hello! We are a family of 5 going to Universal for the first time in November after six trips to Disney. In the past, we’ve gone during Disney’s free dining.

We have been torn about the decision to stay at Endless Summer vs an off site hotel. The biggest attraction to us with staying off site is the free breakfast that the hotel offers. How do you decide?! Lol. Here is the pro/con I’ve come up with:

Endless Summer
PRO:
-Can use shuttle to get to parks (husband hates to drive)
-An hour early access to WWHP (but not really a big deal to us, we usually don’t leave the hotel until later in the day)
-No pets allowed (we are allergic)

CONS:
-No free breakfast
-Room is smaller
-Have to pay for parking at hotel
-No full kitchen

Off-Site Hotel
PRO:
-Free parking
-Free breakfast
-Full kitchen
-Roomier and more space

CONS:
-Have to pay for parking once we get to the parks
-Husband hates to drive
-15-20 min drive to get to Universal
-Hotel is pet friendly, we are allergic, we called & ask — there is no pet designated room, they do a deep cleaning after a pet guest checks out

Price is roughly the same, less than $50 difference. But if factoring parking for 7 nights, ES ends up being slightly more.

Could anyone help us? Thank you

 

[DL1WDW2]

We just made reservations for one night Embassy Suites Icon Park (near Universal on International Drive.) There are 2 ES within a few blocks of each other !
Then one night for Endless Summer Dockside ( the newer one) .
First time , and then one night at Cabana Bay Family Suite poolside.
Thiswill be Aug 11-14 .
I will try to remember to report back.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Price is roughly the same, less than $50 difference. But if factoring parking for 7 nights, ES ends up being slightly more.

Presumably that excludes parking fees at the parks then? Since it's more to park at City Walk than Endless Summer.

Have you looked at getting one Prefferred AP for the free CityWalk parking & the other discounts?

Breakfast for 5 & a kitchen (if you'll use it) are definite money savers.

 

[tony67]

As someone who hates to drive when on vacation I'd pick ES
Parking at Universal can be time consuming and once you are there you are sort of stuck, with the bus you can always go back to the hotel for a break and then return to Universal.
The free breakfast is a plus no doubt, I usually just bring breakfast bars to make it simple or get a breakfast sandwich at Starbucks for about 5 a person - of course that is 25 a day for 5 so it adds up. Another option is a donut at Voodoo donut about the same price.

 

[cfoxga]

I love parking my car at the beginning of a UO visit and not seeing it again until we leave. If you can swing a 2-BR at ESS/ESD, then you get a third bed and a separate bedroom

 

[wdwrule]

We’ve stayed at both ES and offsite within the last year and that’s a tough decision. We never have a car there though. The 2 bedroom suites at ES are very suitable for a family of 5. Bright rooms with 3 separate beds and a door closing off the one bed. Bus service is great and frequent (even at park close); way better than Disney from our experience.

Last month we tried out an offsite hotel for a weekend trip and it had its pros and cons. We found it was convenient to choose an offsite Universal partner hotel which typically includes a shuttle (limited though). Better yet, the one we chose was walkable to the parks. It took about 20 minutes which is comparable to walking from Portofino. There were some offsites that would be slightly shorter of a walk. The end of the walk leads you to valet security at Citywalk which is a bonus of not having to go though the main hub security.

Due to current renovations I would not recommend Hyatt Place where we stayed though at this time. It was in a bit of a mess and the included breakfast was redirected at the hotel next door (Hyatt House) although the hot breakfast was lovely. Hyatt House seemed much better and Doubletree was even closer to the parks so that may be an idea if you’d like to walk (not sure if Doubletree includes breakfast). As someone mentioned, you could also look into getting at least one AP for parking discounts and/or hotel discounts.

 

[ClapYourHands]

Given your late arrival preferences, I’d go with offsite. The primary benefit to onsite is the early admission. If you’re not using that, then save the money and stay elsewhere.

There are SO MANY offsite hotels that I’m pretty sure you can find something that is not pet friendly and not 20 minutes away. For example, Fairfield Inn and Suites is like a 5 minute drive, has free breakfast and parking, and does not allow pets. I’m sure you can find other options. You can also use Lyft/Uber from a nearby hotel, and save both the drive and the parking fee. I’d expect to pay around $10 each way from a local hotel like the Fairfield Inn.

 

[ClapYourHands]

As someone who hates to drive when on vacation I'd pick ES
Parking at Universal can be time consuming and once you are there you are sort of stuck, with the bus you can always go back to the hotel for a break and then return to Universal.

Interesting perspective because I feel like having a car gives me more freedom rather than less. Unless I’m at Hard Rock or Royal Pacific where I can easily walk, getting to a car is as easy (or easier than) Universal buses or water taxis (water taxis always seem to have a wait). Especially midday the taxis and buses run less frequently, so getting back can be a hassle. With a car, I can zip back to the hotel for a break and go to an offsite restaurant. I hate being a captive audience for UO’s food offerings.

 

[Skywalker3]

That's hard. We love staying in the Universal bubble, but do have to sacrifice a kitchen for that. We approach parks differently, and do take advantage or early entry/rope drop, huge plus for us. We almost always take a break during the day, and go back to the room for a break, and back at night. Staying offsite and driving in would make that too much of a hassle. I can't even remember the last time we parked in the garage there, early 2000s maybe. Neither of us want to drive in/out, deal w the parking hassles, etc. We also like to park the car, and generally not get in it again until we leave the hotel, even at Disney.
We utilize the full kitchens when we stay at DVC/Disney, and they are GREATLY missed at Universal. I hate not having a microwave in the room, but I know it can be requested, for a fee. But because we value convenience more, and the ability to either walk,bus, use the boats to come/go when we want during the vacation, we pick on site over off site.
We have done offsite, across the street, on arrival day sometimes, so not sure if a split stay is an option, or if too much hassle?

 

[DL1WDW2]

November ? Weekend or holiday ? Don’t forget Veterans Day and Thanksgiving plus start of Holiday theming & decorations!
Traffic will be terrible … you should stay as close as possible
Onsite!