Trying to decide if early entry better with our situation

[Tinks]

We will be in FL for a beach vacation in July. My 3 teen boys have decided a day at Universal would be fun. They have not seen Gringotts yet so this would be the big draw for them. We are planning park-to-park tickets.

The date we are looking at is July 6th (wednesday). We could book a hotel room (that we wouldn't use) in order to get early entry and unlimited express, but the rub is that early entry is 7 am. That would mean we would need to be checking in by 6 am in order to be at the gates on time!

The other option is to purchase tickets with unlimited express. We would be sacrificing early entry though. And really only saving an hour of sleep time, I guess.


So do I bite the bullet and deal with the cranky kids getting up super early in order to check in to a hotel we won't be using so we can have early entry for HP? What would you do??? Our beach is about an hour away from the parks.

I don't see us staying until closing time, just fyi.

 

[damo]

That is probably the best option.

I would actually go there the night before and use the room. It's a lot easier to get to early admission from onsite than offsite.

 

[macraven]

I would do what damo stated
Be there stay onsite the night before

 

[schumigirl]

Me three..........stay there the night before.......much easier!

 

[kohlby]

Me four. Use that room for one night so you don't have to get up as early. Gringotts doesn't have express so Early Entry is the best way. Also, make sure you're early for early entry. I went during moderate crowds and there was well over a 30 minutes wait at Gringotts when we got to the park right at opening time. We walked in the gate at the opening time but I think they must have opened slightly before. The next day, we were at the gate waiting to open and Gringotts was 10 minutes as we weren't booking it over there. I would think the very high crowds of summer would make the wait differences even more drastic.

 

[cschaaf]

Two years ago, we drove to Orlando on a Friday night and got there around 11pm. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn adjacent to Universal. We were staying at Royal Pacific Sat - Tues.

In the morning, we got up early (probably 5am), went to breakfast at McDonalds, then drove to check in at RP. Checked in, got our bags held at baggage check, got our tickets, and got on one of the first boats over to the parks.

We're thinking about another trip this year, and if we go, we're likely to do the same thing. It saved us about $250 for a night in a hotel that we wouldn't have enjoyed any more than over at the Fairfield.

That all said, we didn't have 3 teenaged boys with us, it was just me and my wife. She's a morning person, I'm not; but for $250, I can be bought.

With you staying an hour from the parks, I'm not sure I'd try it that way.

I agree with the others. Check in the night before and sleep there. You'll get Early Entry with much less hassle. July 6 will be a very busy day, any advantage you can get will be beneficial.

 

[Tinks]

wow- thanks for all the advice! I will see if i can talk them in to staying the night. It will be a crowded night, but it might be better than such an early morning (earlier, I should say. It will be early still!)

 

[bumbershoot]

Of course doing that means you're looking to rent the room for the 5th, with checkout on the 6th. Rather than reserve it for the 6th checkout on the 7th.

And I bet several of us are thinking "ah, just go in early on the 5th, play all day, sleep, wake up, do EE and play all day on the 6th, too!"

Because that's what we would do. Then suddenly it's not a beach vacation all all.