Thanksgiving @ Universal Orlando

[Disneyforkids]

I'm planning a UO trip this Thanksgiving and need some advice.

I priced a 3-day Park to Park tickets for the five of us with Unlimited Express Access for 1) staying at WBC and 2) staying on-site at Hard Rock. I upgraded the room at Hard Rock to a Kids Suite to give us more space and also taken into consideration about parking at Hard Rock resort as well as parking at the UO if staying at WBC. The cost difference b/t the two options is roughly $1,000 due to the room upgrade at Hard Rock (given take).

We stayed at WBC last year going to WDW. I know UO is about 20 min drive from WBC.
1) Do you guys think it's worth the $1,000 extra to stay on-site?
2) Additionally, I hear it's a long walk from UO parking area. I read the valet option is now $30 beyond 2 hours...yikes. Do you know if we valet, does it have in and out privileges? If we park, do we have in and out privileges?
3) Is the early admission to the parks really worth it?

I'm trying to nail down the specifics sometimes this month so we dont' have to stress about it. I really appreciate everyone's input. Thank you in advance.

 

[macraven]

when you stat at HRH, park in the hotel parking lot.

the walk to the park is closer to the hotels than parking in the garage and walking thru city walk to reach the parks.

when staying offsite and going to the park, valet gives you a slight edge closer so a tad less of a walk.

why spend the extra money for valet?

 

[RMulieri]

It is absolutely worth it to stay onsite.especially if you will be there over Thanksgiving

 

[SAHMKC]

I was there Thanksgiving week last year and I wouldn't go during any holiday/school break period without staying onsite at a deluxe. We often walked onto rides that had 30-45 minute waits. If you don't get the express pass be prepared to wait in lines. You will also not get early entry - hopefully early entry will be available for both parks. Right now there is not express pass for the Harry Potter rides so early entry becomes very important if you don't want to wait in lines. I suspect it will be more crowded this year than last due to Diagon Alley opening. It is probably cheaper to book two standard rooms at the RPR versus the kid's suite at HRH - and you get the bonus of two bathrooms! This is what we did last year. The HRH also has a deluxe queen that sleeps 5.

 

[Disneyforkids]

I was there Thanksgiving week last year and I wouldn't go during any holiday/school break period without staying onsite at a deluxe. We often walked onto rides that had 30-45 minute waits. If you don't get the express pass be prepared to wait in lines. You will also not get early entry - hopefully early entry will be available for both parks. Right now there is not express pass for the Harry Potter rides so early entry becomes very important if you don't want to wait in lines. I suspect it will be more crowded this year than last due to Diagon Alley opening. It is probably cheaper to book two standard rooms at the RPR versus the kid's suite at HRH - and you get the bonus of two bathrooms! This is what we did last year. The HRH also has a deluxe queen that sleeps 5.

Here is another question. If we stay offsite and get the 3 day park to park tickets, i do have the option of purchasing the "unlimited express pass". Would that be the same as your tickets if you stay on site? The difference will be the early admission and parking of course.

 

[SAHMKC]

There are two option when purchasing the express pass - there is a one time use for each ride option and the unlimited option. The unlimited one is of course more expensive. The unlimited one would be the same as you get when you stay at a Deluxe Resort or Cabana Bay. You are right that the main difference is the one hour early entry. You can only get that by staying at a Deluxe. If you are Harry Potter Fans - I would say this would make it worth the extra money in my opinion. Another thing you might want to consider is that Universal Compound is what I would refer to as a walking resort. Everything is very close - with the exception of Cabana Bay. I'm not sure if the walking path is open yet. So you can go back very easily to your hotel for a swim break or nap. Then you can always walk back to the park or city walk. The night before we left my kids were like lets go get a butterbeer - so we just walked to the park to get one. As you could probably guess I'm a huge fan of staying on-site

 

[Disneyforkids]

There are two option when purchasing the express pass - there is a one time use for each ride option and the unlimited option. The unlimited one is of course more expensive. The unlimited one would be the same as you get when you stay at a Deluxe Resort or Cabana Bay. You are right that the main difference is the one hour early entry. You can only get that by staying at a Deluxe. If you are Harry Potter Fans - I would say this would make it worth the extra money in my opinion. Another thing you might want to consider is that Universal Compound is what I would refer to as a walking resort. Everything is very close - with the exception of Cabana Bay. I'm not sure if the walking path is open yet. So you can go back very easily to your hotel for a swim break or nap. Then you can always walk back to the park or city walk. The night before we left my kids were like lets go get a butterbeer - so we just walked to the park to get one. As you could probably guess I'm a huge fan of staying on-site

Thank you for your input!!! The Kids Suite at HR is like a $1200 upgrade but a Deluxe with 2 Queen and a pull out sofa is like $500 upgrade. Do they still have the pull out sofa in the Deluxe? We have 3 kids so if end up stay on site, we may go this route. Thanks again.

 

[toystory1130]

I was there Thanksgiving week last year and I wouldn't go during any holiday/school break period without staying onsite at a deluxe. We often walked onto rides that had 30-45 minute waits. If you don't get the express pass be prepared to wait in lines. You will also not get early entry - hopefully early entry will be available for both parks. Right now there is not express pass for the Harry Potter rides so early entry becomes very important if you don't want to wait in lines. I suspect it will be more crowded this year than last due to Diagon Alley opening. It is probably cheaper to book two standard rooms at the RPR versus the kid's suite at HRH - and you get the bonus of two bathrooms! This is what we did last year. The HRH also has a deluxe queen that sleeps 5.

We are heading down this year during the holiday and wondered if you did any of the buffets and if you did would you recommend them? (they are looking quite expensive!!)

 

[Metro West]

We are heading down this year during the holiday and wondered if you did any of the buffets and if you did would you recommend them? (they are looking quite expensive!!)

I haven't been to any of the buffets around town but I can tell you most places (onsite and offsite) that advertise their buffets are very expensive. You'd really be better off going to Golden Corral or someplace like that if you are on a budget. I know it may not be the best atmosphere but the food is usually good...at least at the restaurant near my house.

 

[rcraw45425]

There are two option when purchasing the express pass - there is a one time use for each ride option and the unlimited option. The unlimited one is of course more expensive. The unlimited one would be the same as you get when you stay at a Deluxe Resort or Cabana Bay. You are right that the main difference is the one hour early entry. You can only get that by staying at a Deluxe. If you are Harry Potter Fans - I would say this would make it worth the extra money in my opinion. Another thing you might want to consider is that Universal Compound is what I would refer to as a walking resort. Everything is very close - with the exception of Cabana Bay. I'm not sure if the walking path is open yet. So you can go back very easily to your hotel for a swim break or nap. Then you can always walk back to the park or city walk. The night before we left my kids were like lets go get a butterbeer - so we just walked to the park to get one. As you could probably guess I'm a huge fan of staying on-site

Cabana Bay does not give unlimited express, you are forced to purchase the more expensive tickets with unlimited express if yo stay there. The only advantage it gives over offsite is the early entry.

We stayed CL at Portofino Bay last Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving at Universal is not a problem at all, as was mentioned above, unlimited express pass was the only way to go on rides like Despicable Me and Spiderman, and even the early entry for Harry Potter was doable, not like our last visit December '10 when IOA closed to capacity every day by noon.

We chose to forego the hotel Thanksgiving buffet offerings at the deluxe resorts, they were ridiculously priced for 4 adults and instead got a little touch of Disney by having dinner at 1900 Park Faire at Disney's Grand Floridian.

I would echo the other recommendations and stay in one of the deluxe properties onsite if you want the most bang for your buck. All three hotels are lovely.

 

[SAHMKC]

Cabana Bay does not give unlimited express, you are forced to purchase the more expensive tickets with unlimited express if yo stay there. The only advantage it gives over offsite is the early entry.

Yes! I'm so sorry I turned that around I meant to say early entry at all for Hotels and Express at Deluxe only!

 

[SAHMKC]

We are heading down this year during the holiday and wondered if you did any of the buffets and if you did would you recommend them? (they are looking quite expensive!!)

We did the buffet at RPR. My husband did not feel the price was worth it and does not want to go again. I just can't stand the thought of not having a "Thanksgiving Dinner", so I would want to go again. He really felt the food value was more in line with a $35-40 per person charge. I guess you just have to decide how important it is to you to pay the "convenience fee" of staying onsite for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I can say there were just so many food choices at the RPR buffet and it was all well prepared. My DD went back for stir fry three times. We did get to interact with some characters too. My only real complaint about the RPR set up was that the desserts were set up with the kids' food and activities. The area was a little like a scene from the Lord of the Flies. Kids were just running rampant and fighting with balloon swords. I still managed to get my desserts though!

 

[SAHMKC]

Thank you for your input!!! The Kids Suite at HR is like a $1200 upgrade but a Deluxe with 2 Queen and a pull out sofa is like $500 upgrade. Do they still have the pull out sofa in the Deluxe? We have 3 kids so if end up stay on site, we may go this route. Thanks again.

Yes, The Deluxe Double Queen does have the pull-out sofa and it is 500 sq. ft. versus the 375 sq. ft. of a standard size room. The kid suites are 800 sq. ft.

 

[Disneyforkids]

Yes, The Deluxe Double Queen does have the pull-out sofa and it is 500 sq. ft. versus the 375 sq. ft. of a standard size room. The kid suites are 800 sq. ft.

Thank you! By chance if you know the pool at HR is heated?

 

[SAHMKC]

Thank you! By chance if you know the pool at HR is heated?

According to the information on this board - the pools at all the universal resorts are heated. We did not stay at HRH last Thanksgiving, but we felt it was too cold to swim at RPR. It didn't have anything to do with the pool water temperature - it was just unseasonably cold on our trip. The hut tub would have been a good option, but unfortunately they were just jam packed.

 

[rcraw45425]

We did the buffet at RPR. My husband did not feel the price was worth it and does not want to go again. I just can't stand the thought of not having a "Thanksgiving Dinner", so I would want to go again. He really felt the food value was more in line with a $35-40 per person charge. I guess you just have to decide how important it is to you to pay the "convenience fee" of staying onsite for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I can say there were just so many food choices at the RPR buffet and it was all well prepared. My DD went back for stir fry three times. We did get to interact with some characters too. My only real complaint about the RPR set up was that the desserts were set up with the kids' food and activities. The area was a little like a scene from the Lord of the Flies. Kids were just running rampant and fighting with balloon swords. I still managed to get my desserts though!

We were pleasantly surprised to find the traditional Thanksgiving food on the 1900 Park Faire buffet, especially since there was no additional charge. We dined at the Trattoria the day after Thanksgiving for dinner. Build your own pasta, it was ok but definitely not worth the price they were charging. Hubby had a steak and it was pretty grim, we would have been better off eating pizza at Sals again!

I saw the dinner guests at the Trattoria on Thanksgiving. They were sitting outside at the little tables, had chafing dishes set up on tables.

 

[SAHMKC]

We were pleasantly surprised to find the traditional Thanksgiving food on the 1900 Park Faire buffet, especially since there was no additional charge. We dined at the Trattoria the day after Thanksgiving for dinner. Build your own pasta, it was ok but definitely not worth the price they were charging. Hubby had a steak and it was pretty grim, we would have been better off eating pizza at Sals again!

I saw the dinner guests at the Trattoria on Thanksgiving. They were sitting outside at the little tables, had chafing dishes set up on tables.

That's good to know about 1990 Park Faire Buffet! I think you just end up paying higher prices for these Holiday meals because they know a lot of guests who don't have their own transportation won't want to travel off-site for a better deal. My husband calls that the spot market! I bet we will end up eating on Universal Property for Thanksgiving again just due to the extra expense of taking a taxi somewhere else. I probably won't convince my DH to pay up for the buffet again though!

 

[Shelli_5]

We're planning our first trip to Universal during Thanksgiving break 2014. We'll be staying at one of the deluxe on-site hotels for the express pass benefit. I'm an experienced WDW planner, but this Universal stuff is all new to me! Would you mind answering a few questions?

1) Do you think there's any hope of getting an APH rate at one of the hotels during the week of Thanksgiving?

2) Where can I find information about our options for Thanksgiving dinner?

3) Is it true that we don't need to plan everything months ahead of time? For example, will we be able to make dinner reservations in the morning for later that night?

Thank you!

Shelli

 

[SAHMKC]

We're planning our first trip to Universal during Thanksgiving break 2014. We'll be staying at one of the deluxe on-site hotels for the express pass benefit. I'm an experienced WDW planner, but this Universal stuff is all new to me! Would you mind answering a few questions?

1) Do you think there's any hope of getting an APH rate at one of the hotels during the week of Thanksgiving?

2) Where can I find information about our options for Thanksgiving dinner?

3) Is it true that we don't need to plan everything months ahead of time? For example, will we be able to make dinner reservations in the morning for later that night?

Thank you!

Shelli

1) I wouldn't count on an APH rate. I haven't even heard of people receiving the individual pin codes this year.

2) This is a thread that has a lot of information about the different Thanksgiving options at Universal: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3187886&highlight=thanksgiving+dinner

3) I only made reservations for Thanksgiving Dinner in advance. We did book Mythos and Tchoup Choup the day before. I did almost no planning for this trip compared to Disney. I think that's what my family loves most about Universal - no color coded schedule to follow!

 

[Shelli_5]

Thank you very much, SAHMKC!