UNIVERSAL GRAND HELIOS info & FAQ

[Minnie1222]

Tonight's appetizers included wayu beef sliders, Mediterranean chicken, arugula tomato salad, pita and hummus.

 

[Minnie1222]

Regarding the private entrance to the park, there is a huge sign saying that it's only for Helios guests and you must show the room keys to enter. There were two groups infront of us that were turned away during the early entry.

 

[tony67]

Regarding the private entrance to the park, there is a huge sign saying that it's only for Helios guests and you must show the room keys to enter. There were two groups infront of us that were turned away during the early entry.

Hmm that seems a bit ridiculous to me. If I was in Epic and went to Bar Helios how would I get back into Epic?

 

[schumigirl]

Hmm that seems a bit ridiculous to me. If I was in Epic and went to Bar Helios how would I get back into Epic?

Once you have entered the park through the main entrance your face has been recognised, this was explained to us the other night.

So you can go into Helios for a drink or a meal and then go back through the guest entrance back into the park, you just can’t go through that way first if you’re not a hotel guest.

We’re doing that today at some point from the park, but we will be entering first through the main park entrance.

Hope that makes sense

 

[tony67]

Once you have entered the park through the main entrance your face has been recognised, this was explained to us the other night.

So you can go into Helios for a drink or a meal and then go back through the guest entrance back into the park, you just can’t go through that way first if you’re not a hotel guest.

We’re doing that today at some point from the park, but we will be entering first through the main park entrance.

Hope that makes sense

Yes it does - thanks.

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Tonight's appetizers included wayu beef sliders, Mediterranean chicken, arugula tomato salad, pita and hummus.
View attachment 961741

Did the food taste good? I just want the quality to be better than the RPR club.

 

[Minnie1222]

Did the food taste good? I just want the quality to be better than the RPR club.

Overall, we think the quality is better than RPR and is on par with Portofino. I think some of the desserts are even better than Portofino. The quantity is lower than Portofino though.

 

[Minnie1222]

Breakfast offer was exactly the same this morning, with the addition of Greek Yogurt (although I'm not sure if this was new or just ran out yesterday).

 

[Minnie1222]

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is laundry . I was so delighted to hear that Helios has, not one, but three laundry rooms. Please enjoy the pictures from one of these rooms.

 

[Minnie1222]

The fitness center has a nice view of Epic Universe.

 

[schumigirl]

Yes it does - thanks.

And yes, it worked just fine, we left Epic twice to pop to Helios for a drink then dinner later and getting back out was easy, they do use facial recognition and it was simple and well worth it as it is such a close walk.

Can thoroughly recommend Bar Helios and Flora Taverna.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I had to live without my washer for 3 days waiting for delivery…
I am so glad I love my new washer . I did the happy dance when it arrived and hooked up,
I will be checking out Helios laundry .

 

[AustinTink]

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is laundry . I was so delighted to hear that Helios has, not one, but three laundry rooms. Please enjoy the pictures from one of these rooms.
View attachment 962010
View attachment 962011

This post is so helpful. I always do a couple of loads midway through our trip to avoid over-packing.

 

[AustinTink]

Our late fall trip is booked for Helios. We always used to stay at RPH, but haven’t been back since 2016. How does Helios compare to RP? My husband wants to try Helios for something new, but my son and I really like the boat to Citywalk and the parks. It’s part of the experience for us.

 

[Minnie1222]

Our late fall trip is booked for Helios. We always used to stay at RPH, but haven’t been back since 2016. How does Helios compare to RP? My husband wants to try Helios for something new, but my son and I really like the boat to Citywalk and the parks. It’s part of the experience for us.

The standard rooms at Helios are about the same size as RP's. The hotel is easier to navigate since it's only one building, no towers. The interior theming is not as strong as RP.

You may want to do a split stay if you plan to visit all 3 parks. Helios is very convenient for Epic, but it doesn't provide unlimited express like RP.

 

[AustinTink]

The standard rooms at Helios are about the same size as RP's. The hotel is easier to navigate since it's only one building, no towers. The interior theming is not as strong as RP.

You may want to do a split stay if you plan to visit all 3 parks. Helios is very convenient for Epic, but it doesn't provide unlimited express like RP.

I went ahead and purchased express passes with our package but they are not the unlimited ones. That will be a major change for us. We’ve only ever done Universal with the unlimited passes.

Glad you mentioned that about the theming. RP is really hard to beat. Wish we could do a split stay but my guys don’t like moving halfway through a trip.

 

[AustinTink]

Any feedback about the shuttle from Helios to the other parks? Is it better to Uber?We have never used the Universal shuttles before.

 

[Minnie1222]

Any feedback about the shuttle from Helios to the other parks? Is it better to Uber?We have never used the Universal shuttles before.

We actually switched to Portofino for the proximity and EP. The Uber from Helios to Portofino took about 20 minutes due to traffic. Not sure if Universal has their own routes or use the same public roads.

 

[AustinTink]

We actually switched to Portofino for the proximity and EP. The Uber from Helios to Portofino took about 20 minutes due to traffic. Not sure if Universal has their own routes or use the same public roads.

Yikes. 20 minutes. A split stay really seems like the way to go.

 

[Lewisc]

Universal was supposed to have 2 dedicated lanes. I don't know if they're open