Universal/Cruise combo

[glassslipper2004]

Has anyone ever done the Universal / Royal Caribbean cruise combo? I asked over on the Universal thread but didn't hear back, thought maybe I'd have better luck here. We are tried and true Disney fans, but my daughter really wants to visit the new HP park when it opens so I'm considering our options.

 

[AlexandNessa]

I hate Royal Caribbean, so I can't answer you about the package, sorry. But we when we do our quickie Wonder 4-night cruises, we follow them up with a few days onsite at Universal for FOTL access. We are annual passholders. If you have any Qs about Universal or the hotels, I'd be happy to help you that way.

 

[remlap]

Do Disney Cruise and book Universal Hotel before/after on your own. The Disney land and sea package can 99% of the time be booked cheaper as separate reservations. I would assume the same for Universal and RCCL, since they aren't even the same company.

Islands of Adventures is a fantastic park. If you stay at one of the three Universal hotels, you get unlimited of their fast passes.

If you were worried about the transportation, remember DCL buses are just Mears buses with a different paint job. Call Mears directly and I'm sure they will take care of you.

 

[glassslipper2004]

It's true, I didn't really think about doing the Disney cruise/Universal hotel, even though we have done a Disney cruise/Disney land trip on our own (not the package) in the past. We like to have a rental car, so it isn't the transportation that does the trick. I just thought it might be cheaper than Disney, and also a change from the Disney 4-day, which we enjoyed very much but I have done it twice, and it might be fun to try something different.

With regard to Universal hotels, it looks like the Hard Rock Hotel would be a lot of fun for our family (DD10 and DD12 and DH and me). Any suggestions on how/when to book? Any need to book early? Can you get a full refund if you book and cancel?

Also - can you really walk from the hotels to the Universal parks, or do you take a shuttle?

Thanks.

 

[unionville]

We love the Universal hotels and the perks that come with it. Going to the front of the line on rides is probably the best feature. The hotels are super nice and it is a short walk (or boat ride) from any of the three hotels to the parks.

 

[AlexandNessa]

It's true, I didn't really think about doing the Disney cruise/Universal hotel, even though we have done a Disney cruise/Disney land trip on our own (not the package) in the past. We like to have a rental car, so it isn't the transportation that does the trick. I just thought it might be cheaper than Disney, and also a change from the Disney 4-day, which we enjoyed very much but I have done it twice, and it might be fun to try something different.

With regard to Universal hotels, it looks like the Hard Rock Hotel would be a lot of fun for our family (DD10 and DD12 and DH and me). Any suggestions on how/when to book? Any need to book early? Can you get a full refund if you book and cancel?

Also - can you really walk from the hotels to the Universal parks, or do you take a shuttle?

Thanks.

If you stay at the Hard Rock Hotel, you can walk to the parks and be there in 3 minutes.

No need to book the Universal hotels so early. Book at your leisure. You have until 5 days before your arrival to cancel with a full refund.

The hotels usually have a Super Saver rate, which means the longer you stay, the more you save. It's available off the Universal Site and it's for everyone. No code to plug in, etc. So play around with your dates to see what's cheapest.

Hard Rock Hotel also has obstructed view rooms which are cheaper than standard view rooms. I have never stayed in them, but that's an option to look into.

Buy your tickets separately. More often than not a much better deal.