Thought Universal would be cheaper

[dani12]

We went to WDW last year and were thinking about trying Universal this year. Checked out all their specials and it still more than Disney. Am I doing something wrong? I was including the flight, hotel and tickets but it doesn't seem like much of a deal even with the "specials" they showed.

 

[TiffJ]

Try pricing separately. Their hotels are very expensive. They have a special on tickets right now, buy 2 adult 2 day passes get 3 more days free & a kids ticket free. So for a little over $200 you get 5 days of tickets for a family of 4. That is an awesome deal. We dont have a trip planned & am planning on buying these tickets.

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

Do not book the package!

Go to expeidia or orbitz to price airfare. Does Southwest, AirTran or JetBlue fly from your airport? Look at their sites for airfare. Airfare wiil be the same as Disney since you are going to the same airport. Ditto on car rental. Car service is slightly cheaper.

If you want to stay on-site, call Universal directly to book hotels--be sure to ask for the AAA discount. If you want to stay off-site, post questions on these boards and you will get advice on where to stay for a decent price. You can also look at HotelKingdom.

Look at the ticket special going on now--you can buy a 2 day ticket for $99 and get three days tacked on for free! That means, 5 consecutive days at the two parks for about $106 including tax. If you have kids under 10, you can get their tickets free. I have not seen Disney come close to beating that!

If you want to PM me with your particulars--travel dates, home airport, hotel preferences, ground transportation preferences, etc. I would be happy to look a few things up for you.

 

[damo]

Hotels can be quite cheap if you go at a non peak time. Do you have AAA? Try using that as your promotion code when you click on reservations at any of the three hotels in www.loewshotels.com

There is a family special where you get your room plus 2 adult tickets and 2 children's tickets through the loews website a well.

 

[lindalinda]

Also , price airlines tickets now, but dont buy yet. airlines reduce prices 60 days out, wait and book then and it will be cheaper.

 

[dani12]

Thanks for all the great tips. When we went to Disney we just booked a package b/c we wanted the dining plan. It sounds like it would be better to book Universal separately.

 

[phamton]

Watch the website for some great vacation packages coming out tomorrow.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Oh phamton...do tell !!! Am I going to be sorry I bought the tickets separately instead of waiting for a package deal? We currently have ressies at a WDW hotel for nine nights but really wanted to stay in the US area for four nights, then WDW five. Hmmm -- we'll see what tomorrow brings!

 

[dani12]

Should I try and buy the 2 day get three free tickets tonight or will they still be available tomorrow?

 

[Foladar]

(edit) times are wrong

 

[robvia]

How old are your kids?

They just announced a new deal, buy a 2 park, 2 day adult ticket, and kids under 9 get in for free. It was on the local news down here in South Florida.

 

[reallyBIGfish]

You get one kid per ticket purchased. So if you have a family of five, two adults and three kids, you'll have to buy a third ticket.

 

[dani12]

My kids are 5 and 6. I also just checked their website and they are now offering free tickets with a 4 night stay. That's even better!

 

[WillCAD]

Thanks for all the great tips. When we went to Disney we just booked a package b/c we wanted the dining plan. It sounds like it would be better to book Universal separately.

Most of the time it's better to book Disney separately, too, unless there are great package deals like the free dining plan they offered last year.

 

[RUDisney]

Phamton, where can the kids eat for free with the latest offering? I can't seem to find information on this on the Universal website.

 

[macraven]

i read about the kids eat free on one of the packages that has been out for awhile.

it was on the website the other day. haven't checked to see if there are any changes at this point.

are you talking about the stay and play promo?