Trip planning early feb help

[Tiggeroo]

Going early Feb, myself, dh, dd and her husband and my 8yo grandson. We are disney folks and have not been to Universal in maybe 8 years. I have never stayed on site. Doing 4 days there and then a couple disney days. I need help planning. Grandson is on the spectrum and stimulation can be a problem. Trying to make the most of our money. We can get 1 room or two. Considering getting one AP to lower hotel costs. Because it is February I don't think pools will matter much. We tend to spend most of our time in the parks. Looking for hotel suggestions. Tips on helping the autistic grandson. He wears ear plugs but not always enough. He just started conquering his fear of rides and lives them but if he gets overwhelmed in a line he will end up not doing them. If I am going to buy an ap but not activate til the trip should I buy soon in case the price goes up? Any advice on trip planning and how to maximize our dollars would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.