Staying off site

[julie-o]

We are pretty hard core WDW fans, planning a first trip to Universal. We've stayed off site for Disney many times, and on-site many times too. Pros and cons to both.

For our first Universal trip, we will very likely stay off site because we can stay at my parents' timeshare for free. (hard to pass up free.)

I'd love to hear any good experiences and tips about staying off-site.

Thanks!

 

[Lynne G]

I’d get at least one person a preferred or higher AP for the free parking in the garages. Plus, the preferred gets 10 percent off most food and merchandise. And I’d keep track of when the parks open for the day, and try to be there before that opening time. Almost at any time of year, the first hour of open is the least crowded. And see when the hotels have early entry, then go to the other park, or know there will be those who go to early entry mostly in the Potter area.

And give yourself time to park, take the moving walking paths to through security and then from exit into City Walk head left to go to Islands, right to go to the Studios.

If you don’t want to spring for express passes, checkout booking a throw away room at one of the three hotels that include the unlimited express pass for all those in the room. They sometimes offer AP rates, so another reason to have at least one person with an AP. To check for that date, see the AP rate stickie in the Universal Hotel forum. The hotel’s card keys are your express passes and good the day you check in through the day you checkout. So 2 days of unlimited express for a one night stay, even if you never set foot in the room that you booked for the night. Or if all have the premiere pass, with that pass, you get a one per ride express after 4pm and 15 percent off food and merchandise.

Many do stay offsite, so you are not they only ones.

Can also use the single rider lines, where available, to cut down on line wait times.

Enjoy, as no matter where you stay, the parks are fun to visit.

 

[julie-o]

Thank you so much for this thoughtful and thorough reply!
Would it be better to Uber to one of the hotels in the morning, rather than parking?

 

[Lynne G]

Yes, you can Uber to and from the Hard Rock, as it is a short walk to the Studios and City Walk. Boat ride too. Would save you from the parking and walking from the huge City Walk garages. And, if you walk, you go through security at the entrance to City Walk, if you catch the boat, they do security before you board the boat.

If you park, there is a large security area you enter from the garages.

As, as long as you don’t leave City Walk, don’t need any security to go through at the parks.

Bags are scanned and you walk though the scanner. They will also wand if you’d rather, or they need to check more from a beep as you go through the scanner. Easy no matter which security you go through.

Hope that helps.

 

[cfoxga]

Yes, you can Uber to and from the Hard Rock, as it is a short walk to the Studios and City Walk. Boat ride too. Would save you from the parking and walking from the huge City Walk garages. And, if you walk, you go through security at the entrance to City Walk, if you catch the boat, they do security before you board the boat.

There is an alley way at HRH (I believe the road is named Celebrity Cir) that drops you right off at the security gate, which cuts the walk down to almost nothing. I'm not sure if there any rules for using it (my wife picked us up there on our departure day last trip), but it saves about 5 minutes walking. That said, it might be nice to walk through HRH (or eat a meal there) at least once...

 

[nkereina]

How long are you going for and how many people in your party? As PP mentioned, if you're interested in express passes, it often makes the most financial sense to book an on-site premier hotel room since they include EPs for everyone on the reservation for both your check-in day and check-out day. We are traveling with people in October who also have free lodging they can stay at. When they priced out the cost of unlimited EPs for our 3 park days versus the cost of staying at RPR for 2 nights (which gets 3 days of unlimited EP), it was virtually the same. They opted to stay at RPR for this reason, since it was the same cost but they're also getting the early entry advantage and a hotel in walking distance. There are other options (i.e. one-time use EPs or buying EP for one day), so it just depends on what's most important to you.

 

[Pooh's World]

We are pretty hard core WDW fans, planning a first trip to Universal. We've stayed off site for Disney many times, and on-site many times too. Pros and cons to both.

For our first Universal trip, we will very likely stay off site because we can stay at my parents' timeshare for free. (hard to pass up free.)

I'd love to hear any good experiences and tips about staying off-site.

Thanks!

I would get the annual pass. I think it's between $350-$550 a year depending on the level.
That gives you free park hopper which you will need to ride the Harry Potter train.

And it seems like the timeshare is close by so you would be coming back in the future.

Universal isn't Disney, but the Harry Potter area is really Disneyish and has really added to both parks.
The Bourne Supremacy stunt show is probably better than anything Dinsey has right now.
Fast and the Furious ride is awful.

In general the roller coaster are real roller coasters unlike Disney. (with exception of Hagri'd rollercoaster is tame but great)

And water rides you will get soaked unlike Disney.

 

[Robo56]

In general the roller coaster are real roller coasters unlike Disney. (with exception of Hagri'd rollercoaster is tame but great)

There are two coasters in Hogsmeade at IOA. The one next to Forbidden Journey “Flight of the Hippogriff” is a small tame coaster, but Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike coaster is not tame it’s wicked fast and fun.