Universal / Disneyworld Split Stay

[soniam]

I'm loving your TR. I agree with others that now I wonder if I need more time on my first trip to WWOHP! Question- just how much of a discount do you get from the APs at the Universal resorts?

If you go to the hotel website and put APH in the promo field, you can see if one is available and how much. They haven't released very far in advance though, so it may become available for your dates later. I don't remember how much it is.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Fun report! Great pictures. That first picture of PBH is really neat with the reflections of the buildings in the water.

 

[HairyChest]

Thanks!

Sdomino- i saved 100$ a night

 

[clsteve]

Good stuff - keep it coming

I can already tell that our boys will probably spend a full day in Jan with those interactive wands!

 

[glocon]

Switch to portofino. Bigger rooms and its more of a resort vs royal pacific which to my brief impressions was just a hotel. Worst comes to worst you can hang out at the royal pacific while enjoying the bigger rooms at portofino. Protip: buy discounted 3 day tix to universal (i got mine from undercover tourist buy 2 days get 1 free) then take it inside universal and upgrade to annual passes. You will get credit for the FULL TICKET PRICE not the discounted rate. My annual pass ended up costing me $190 total! Which i was then able to get the annual passholder rate for the hotel! Jevs, do 3 nights at least. Especially since canana is alil further away. If you enjoy harry potter, you willwant to spend all your time just sitting and staring at gringotts!!

Question- is there an expiration or blackout date on the buy 2 get 3rd day free tix? I didn't see one when I looked, but I'm on a phone not laptop so not sure if I missed anything.

Thanks!

 

[Dutchie Guy]

Thanks for writing, glad you had a blast.

 

[Gabriel&Nana]

Nice review, great pictures

 

[PBN]

Loving your Trip Report! My husband and I are staying at the Grand Floridian for 2 nights and Portofino Bay for 4 nights in a month and a half, so I'm really excited to see how much you loved PBR! I've been a HUGE Harry Potter fan for 17 years, so if you got so much out of it when you had just been a casual fan, I know I'm going to go nuts!!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Great report, so excited to see Diagonal Alley in November. Huge HP fan and love FJ and Hogsmeade. We are also doing WDW, we are do the Xmas party at MK. Hope it is walk on for rides when we are there. Crowd levels are suppose to be a 2 so hopefully. We only have one day at Universal. We are concentrating mostly on DA since we have been to Universal many times. We love it.

 

[Lisa0620]

Wonderful report, love all the photos. "I want to go to there."

Protip: buy discounted 3 day tix to universal (i got mine from undercover tourist buy 2 days get 1 free) then take it inside universal and upgrade to annual passes. You will get credit for the FULL TICKET PRICE not the discounted rate. My annual pass ended up costing me $190 total! Which i was then able to get the annual passholder rate for the hotel!

So curious about this. Both here and *************** everyone insists that there is absolutely no price bridging for tickets, even if you buy them from Universal directly. I wonder if they are changing policy or you got lucky? (I know at Disney you have to watch the price pretty carefully when bridging b/c the guest service CMs don't always do it right the first time...)

 

[ksack]

So keeping this information handy!!! We are doing a split stay next year!!

 

[BurleyGirl]

Loved reading your TR!! Makes me even more ready for our November split stay (ending with PBR). (How much are the wands? Can you get a good experience from just a basic wand, or is all the other schwag necessary too?)

 

[HairyChest]

Loved reading your TR!! Makes me even more ready for our November split stay (ending with PBR). (How much are the wands? Can you get a good experience from just a basic wand, or is all the other schwag necessary too?)

If there is 1 thing you buy, it should be the interactive wand. It also comes with a very nice map. Everything else is nice but the wand is something that even at home i still wave around and everyone loves to see it. Has the most sentimental value for me.

 

[BurleyGirl]

If there is 1 thing you buy, it should be the interactive wand. It also comes with a very nice map. Everything else is nice but the wand is something that even at home i still wave around and everyone loves to see it. Has the most sentimental value for me.

Thanks!

 

[sydneysmom]

If there is 1 thing you buy, it should be the interactive wand. It also comes with a very nice map. Everything else is nice but the wand is something that even at home i still wave around and everyone loves to see it. Has the most sentimental value for me.

I am so excited to get one of these!! for my child.... no, really.....

 

[lazer]

Loved reading your TR!! Makes me even more ready for our November split stay (ending with PBR). (How much are the wands? Can you get a good experience from just a basic wand, or is all the other schwag necessary too?)

Non interactive ones were $37 I believe. Interactive were $47. We got two non-interactive ones and my kids have had some epic wand battles in our hotel rooms this trip.

 

[BurleyGirl]

Thanks for that info, lazer!

 

[ksack]

Non interactive ones were $37 I believe. Interactive were $47. We got two non-interactive ones and my kids have had some epic wand battles in our hotel rooms this trip.

Definitely going to have to remember this idea!!

 

[francie]

thanks for the trip report, hairychest. can you give me your opinion on the forbidden journey and gringotts lockers? (assuming you used them). were they a pain to use? easy to get back into line? i understand you use a thumbprint to open and close, but then what? do they give you a receipt with the number of the locker on it? do you have to backtrack a long way to pick up your things? tia

 

[HairyChest]

thanks for the trip report, hairychest. can you give me your opinion on the forbidden journey and gringotts lockers? (assuming you used them). were they a pain to use? easy to get back into line? i understand you use a thumbprint to open and close, but then what? do they give you a receipt with the number of the locker on it? do you have to backtrack a long way to pick up your things? tia

Yes we used the lockers everytime. It wasnt a pain at all but we were there during the time of year where the crowds are low. There is no reciept, you just memorize however if you forget there is a button you select where it reads your finger and automatically finds the locker, it just takes an extra minute. Just remember which finger you used. The lockers have usually an exit and entrance but alot of people use both ways to get in and out. There was never a line long enough for me to wait for the lockers, i just went to the lockers first then the ride line. Gringotts and mib lockers were both easy and open, the forbidden journey locker halls were the tightest but still easy to get to.
You put your finger on the scanner it then gives u a locker, you open and put everything in, close the door and push a green button and it locks.