I got a quote from Southwest vacations for a 7 night stay at the Doubletree at the entrance to Universal, with air and tickets, along with free breakfast for the kids at the hotel for a total of $1677.40. If I price this out all 3 components will cost me $2276.00. Of all the on property universal hotels the least expensive will be $2850 without breakfast. We weren't even going to do a vacation this year as we are cruising in April of 09, however I can swing the trip off site with spending money, but can't if we stay on site. Is staying off site that bad? Is the Doubletree OK just want clean and safe nothing fancy is OK with us this is for 8-9 and returning 8-16-08. Let me know what your thoughts are maybe I'm just not pricing out the on site hotels correctly.
Thanks,
Shelby
hey shelby, i'll try to move some figures around and see how they turn out much later tonight.
does the sw package include transportation tot the double tree? are the shuttles from doubletree free to UO?
i'll check on
AAA and also sam's club travel site and see what they have.
i stayed off site many a times and still enjoyed myself.
when my boys were little/younger, we would sometimes do a split stay.
part on site, part off site. there were some trips we stayed off site the entire time.
most of those trips were in the summer and the heat was hard on us walking back and forth to the hotel on major blvd if we missed our shuttle.
if the kids can handle the heat and old enough where they don't need any down time and you can stay in the parks the entire time, then off site will work out for you.
i'll be back have to crunch numbers.
oh, did you see this? :
Stay 4 Nights, Play for FREE Offer
With this special package, guests staying at the Hard Rock Hotel, Portofino Bay Hotel or Royal Pacific Hotel for at least 4 nights can get two FREE Adult 2-Park Unlimited Admission Tickets.
Valid for travel through 12/25/08. The offer requires purchase of a vacation package including a stay of 4 nights minimum at one of the three official Universal hotels. You must book this offer by 12/12/08.
or this for price line attempt:
The official Universal Orlando hotels (Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel and Royal Pacific Resort) sometimes show up on Hotwire at bargain rates.
Hotwire allows you to get some amazing deals on hotel rooms, but you aren't told the hotel's name up front. You select the general location and then Hotwire gives you a list of prices for unnamed hotels in various star categories (i.e. a 5-star hotel will be a luxury resort, while a 1-star will be a low-end motel) and with specific amenities. At that point you can choose to accept or reject the offered price for a hotel that has a rating and amenities you want. Once you have accepted the price, you are charged in full. It is only at that point that you're told the hotel name. There are no refunds or exchanges.
Although the names of the hotels aren't listed, currently it's fairly easy to tell if it's a Universal Orlando hotel being offered in the Hotwire listing. This information is subject to change and there is never any absolute guarantee that you'll get a specific hotel, but here are some hints that have worked for many people:
Select the "Universal Orlando and SeaWorld" area.
Portofino Bay is rated 5 stars, Hard Rock Hotel is 4.5 stars and Royal Pacific is 4 stars.
On the page that displays star ratings, amenities and prices (before you purchase), all three Universal hotels will have the following distinctive icons under Amenities: Golf Course Nearby, Tennis Court Nearby, Children's Activities. (Other hotels in that area and in the same category don't carry those icons.) There will be other icons (i.e. Restaurants) listed as well, but other hotels in that category may also have those.
Portofino Bay will have the Spa icon in addition to the above.
Royal Pacific will have the Resort icon (an R in a box) in addition to the above but will NOT list "kitchenette."
These hotels aren't available through Hotwire for all dates! You may find all three, just one or two, or none of them being offered for a particular set of dates.
Remember, this information is subject to change and there is never any absolute guarantee that you'll get a specific hotel when using Hotwire!
and this:
Off-Site Hotel
If you don't want to shell out for an official on-site Universal hotel, a less expensive option is Four Points by Sheraton Orlando Studio City.
While this 3-star hotel is not in the same category as the 4-star and 5-star on-site hotels, it is perfectly decent (especially considering the low rates), offers an outdoor heated pool, and has some fun Art Deco movie studio theming that will put you in that "Universal Studios" mood. Some rooms have views of Universal. Standard rooms are spacious (about 460 sq ft) and offer two very comfy Queen-sized Sweep Sleeper beds.
The hotel is very close to Universal Orlando but is located across a busy Interstate highway, so you can't easily walk to the parks. However, there is free shuttle service to and from Universal multiple times during the day. There is also a free shuttle to SeaWorld, which is not far away, and to Disney. (To use the shuttles, be sure to collect a ticket from the front desk.) Wet 'n' Wild water park is right across the street and you can easily walk to many restaurants.
for summer specials on site:
Book your reservation online or call 1-888-273-1311 to speak with a reservationist.
Ticket Package - Stay 4, Play MORE Package with theme park tickets
Seasonal Rates
Additional Offers Super Savings Rates and Bed & Breakfast Package
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Room, Ticket & MORE
Check Availability Now
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GREAT SUMMER SAVINGS!
Select Nights NOW - Aug 16
Stay 3 nights - save 10%
Stay 4 nights or longer - save 15%, as low as $207.40 per night
Select Nights August 17 - November 8
Stay 3 nights - save 15%
Stay 4 nights save 20%
Stay 5 nights save 25%, as low as $160.05
Select Nights November 9 December 25
Stay 2 nights - save 15%
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Bed & Breakfast Package**
Kick back and relax in a tropical paradise at Loews Royal Pacific Resort. Experience the enchantment of the South Seas with room accommodations and daily buffet breakfast for two (2) at Islands Dining Room.
April 13 August 16: From $269 per night
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and if you apply or have the loews card you can do this...
http://www.loewshotels.com/en/Promo...PromoBanner-_-BaggageBuyBack-_-BaggageBuyBack
