Universal Harry Potter conundrum!

[Feistybelle1414]

Hello friends, my question will be short and sweet. In advance, thank you for reading this and taking the time to reply.

Dates to visit Univ. : Nov 26-30 of 2014. (We have no family and are tired of being at home alone on Thanksgiving, this is triggering a new family tradition for us. A trip!) Traveling two adults, 10 and 12 year old.

I have priced out a lovely gettaway package through Universal. The cost difference with Costco was about $200 dollars or less, this - I assume- is the 2 mornings of breakfast for the four of us and the little plushie package.

Our real conundrum and basically our DEAL breaker is this:

Its about 800 or a little more for us to get the express passes. IS IT WORTH IT. If you tell me 'Don't go if you don't have the express pass, you'll be miserable, it's thanksgiving, don't waste your money', I absolutely will heed your advice.

It truly is our go or NOT go breaker. Thank you so much for your help.

 

[FargoBear]

For starters, where would you be staying?

 

[Feistybelle1414]

Thank you for replying.

I was quoted at Lowes Royal Pacific or Cabana Bay both about @2400 - harry potter package, early admission, express pass.

However, if we just do something like a cheapie hotel they offer it would be $1290 without the express pass and $2159 with the express pass.

As you can see about a thousand dollars is the difference between going with an express pass and not . It is also the difference in us going or not.

 

[macraven]

I stay away from packages due to the penalties they have.
It is $50 for every change you make to it and it has to be prepaid prior to arrival

Compare a package to booking everything separately.

Park tickets can be bought with a discount at various places.
you can book your room with a public code/SMSM, AAA, etc

 

[damo]

During Thanksgiving week, if you can swing it, stay onsite at a deluxe. It will make a huge difference. The unlimited express is well worth it.

Try pricing your tickets from undercovertourist.com and your rooms through http://www.loewshotels.com/en/booking/uo?hotel=UEPBH,UEHRH,UERPR

I get $1413 for a hotel room at RPR in a standard room. You need tickets on top of that which would be about $800 for four 4 day park to park tickets.

You can get the rooms a bit cheaper with a AAA discount. Unfortunately all of the AP rates are gone for those dates for the cheap rooms. An AP would have cost you about the same amount as a 4 day ticket.

 

[Feistybelle1414]

So even with the numbers you quoted, it's about the same except that i would get two days of breakfast for four and early harry potter access, as well as a welcome gift if I go through the universal package.

 

[damo]

So even with the numbers you quoted, it's about the same except that i would get two days of breakfast for four and early harry potter access, as well as a welcome gift if I go through the universal package.

You get early access anyways. Breakfast will be worth about $120. If you know for sure that you aren't going to be making any changes to the package and it is cheaper, then go with it. Like Mac said, penalties are expensive with the package. Check to make sure that you are getting the number of days you want with the package as well. Often, they just quote you for a two or three day ticket.

 

[Feistybelle1414]

Yes, I was super particular about my days, etc, I made sure we were on the same page.

I hate to tell the kids we aren't going but honestly, a grand just to go through line faster isn't feasable right now but also going and being miserable is just a waste of money. I think we might be looking for alternative mini vacay ideas. Thank you for your help.

 

[damo]

Yes, I was super particular about my days, etc, I made sure we were on the same page.

I hate to tell the kids we aren't going but honestly, a grand just to go through line faster isn't feasable right now but also going and being miserable is just a waste of money. I think we might be looking for alternative mini vacay ideas. Thank you for your help.

Probably very wise.

Some tips for next time....book really early for the vacation times and then watch for the annual pass rates to come out since they are generally considerably cheaper. You can then call and they will change your rate. Also, you can get the onsite hotels for under $200 very often using the annual pass or the stay more save more rates.

 

[FargoBear]

I haven't studied the room rates individually, but what are the costs if you stay at a deluxe hotel one night and the rest at Cabana? You get express pass on both the check-in day and check-out day at the deluxe. Not sure if that helps or not but mentioning it in any case.

 

[Feistybelle1414]

Fargo Bear - by that theory is there anything keeping us from buying our tickets from someplace just your normal park to park, for three days.

deluxe hotel for one day - gives us 2 days of express.

Then maybe two nights at regular - just anywhere hotel? Which we'd have one day of normal passes - and that fourth we'd hit up lego land.

All four of us would get express for those two days by booking one hotel night at the Lowes lets say?

 

[Feistybelle1414]

Fargo Bear

A big hug from my family to you.

This was the solution. We were able to pay for one night of deluxe hotel and get TWO days of express pass. That third day we'll just enjoy it and take it slow and night worry about express pass. This saved us a HUGE amount of money as the one night of hotel was only 199.

 

[bumbershoot]

Fargo Bear - by that theory is there anything keeping us from buying our tickets from someplace just your normal park to park, for three days.

deluxe hotel for one day - gives us 2 days of express.

Then maybe two nights at regular - just anywhere hotel? Which we'd have one day of normal passes - and that fourth we'd hit up lego land.

All four of us would get express for those two days by booking one hotel night at the Lowes lets say?

Go to loewshotels.com, and to the specific Hotel Overview/FAQs page for Royal Pacific, Hard Rock, or Portofino Bay.

Q: I realize check-in does not begin until 4:00 PM, but I wanted to use the Universal ExpressSM Unlimited pass to skip the regular lines before that.

A: Please arrive as early as you like the day of check-in and our front desk agent will be happy to pre-register you and assist you with your Universal ExpressSM Unlimited pass. The bellman will hold your luggage while you enjoy the parks.



Q: What days is the FREE Universal ExpressSM Unlimited pass that serve as Express Access to skip the regular lines valid throughout my stay?

A: Your Universal ExpressSM Unlimited pass is valid for Express Access (at participating attractions) from the time issued by the front desk until the Universal Orlando theme parks close, the day of your departure.

 

[FargoBear]

Awesome. And also know you can check in super early when your room isn't ready and bell services will watch your luggage until later in the day. Last October, we showed up at 8 am and hit the parks during early entry on day one.

Have a great trip!

 

[canadiankim]

Awesome. And also know you can check in super early when your room isn't ready and bell services will watch your luggage until later in the day. Last October, we showed up at 8 am and hit the parks during early entry on day one.

Have a great trip!

Just a thought but maybe you should go down and stay at the more budget hotel the day before your US hotel and then you will be up and at them early like FargoBear said and be at the gates for rope drop.

 

[sharona]

$199 for one night over Thanksgiving sounds too cheap to be a deluxe during a prime vacation weekend. Seems more like the rate for a suite at Cabana Bay which does NOT have front of the line privileges. What on-site hotel are you referring to?

 

[johde]

I was doing some looking online. With the buy 2 days get the 3rd day free, you could get 3 days combined with Unlimited express for 4 people for $1,240 if you start on the 27th. Compared with $704 for the regular buy 2 get the 3rd day free. That drops express express for 3 days down to $536. But, it also shortens your trip a little.

 

[Asnell]

We just got 2-day park-to-park tickets through Undercover Tourist with a third day free. If you haven't bought your tickets yet, that would save you some additional money.

Good luck and I hope the trip works out for you!