Universal more $$ than DW?

[minniejack]

Comparing the beautiful onsite hotels at Universal Orlando to the Disney values is like comparing a Lexus to a Honda Civic While they may be both good cars and transport you from one place to another, that's where the comparison ends. You can't compare the Disney values to what Universal offers onsite. I don't think you can compare them to the Disney moderates either. Also the free dining plan at Disney is a special promotion and shouldn't be used as your decision to go with Disney over Universal.

I discount. There's several good discounts available as well.

My DH thought maybe a Yugo would be more like it!

 

[macraven]

one thing that makes me feel good at the universal hotels, besides all that the others have said, is you can pick up the phone at any time of day or night and push star service on the phone.

they greet you with your name, mrs. xxxxx, what can i do to help you ?

sometimes they even call you back to make sure you received what you requested.


hopefully some of the newbies to those hotels used the musician wake up calls.
i would request that a couple of times a day so i could hear the singers and characters for wake up calls.


i am glad that those who have stayed on site for the first time enjoyed the hotels.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

don't agree w/your assessment of the HRH being comp to the Disney deluxes you mention, cool, yet not my favof the three onsite . The great thing about having different choices @ both parks, is u can pick the theming that fits ur needs/desires. PS im quite fond of my home the VWL think it's one of the best hotels Disney has in overall amenities (bay lake marina, proximity to MK) & theming...course it's just my personal opin.


disney has raised their hotel rates dramatically, especially on the weekends . Cost aside, some peeps just use their room to sleep, spending all their time in the parks; so value resorts work out fine for them. However, the value rooms are very "cozy" 260 sq ft, compared to standards @ U: 335 @ Royal Pacific, 375 @ HRH & 460 @ PBH; so if personal space is important to u that is a consideration.

fyi, just for comparison's sake, sample of deluxe resort standard room's sq ft @ WL 340; BW 380; CR 436; GF 440

I do think that most 1st time guests don't factor in what FOTL perc would cost them "ala carte" when factoring in the nightly room rate too; especially when u can stay just 1 night & have the privledge day of arrival & departure.

When I do my comparison, I do it in space and amenitites.. not if I "like" the hotel..I personally do not like the Contemporary. I stayed there and felt it had a very cold feeling to it. I loved the HRH. Would I say that the CR is not a deluxe because it isn't one of my "favorites", no.. it is still a deluxe hotel and so is it the HRH.... and when doing the comparison.. the HRH is comp to the other Disney deluxe..especially in space.. look at your numbers...

"However, the value rooms are very "cozy" 260 sq ft, compared to standards @ U: 335 @ Royal Pacific, 375 @ HRH & 460 @ PBH; so if personal space is important to u that is a consideration.

WL 340; BW 380; CR 436; GF 440"

I have stayed at the Poly, the CR, BW, BC, all the mods & all the values in addition to the Swan and Dolphin. I have not stayed at the WL or AKL but have been in the rooms and do know how they are. Can you compare the Universal hotels to Disney's hotels.. yes, but only to the Deluxe.. not the mods or the values. All of Universal's hotels are on the deluxe side...

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Got to throw in my 2 cents here. We are Disney lovers through and through, but just got back from an awsome vacation at Universal.

Two things that I love more about Universal.

1. Front of the line! We are spoiled, spoiled, spoiled. It will be very hard to go back to Fast Pass.

2. Loved the fact that I didn't have to make dinner reservations 5 months in advance to eat where I wanted. We were able to walk into ANY restaurant and have a great meal. (Ate at Margaritaville at 7pm and NBA at 6:30pm with no wait!) I truly don't know now what I want for dinner tomorrow much less 5 months from now. Therefore the idea of having to make reservations so far in advance is a big turn off.

We also liked that Universal seemd to have a few more snacking deals than Disney. You can buy the refillable drink mugs and the refillable popcorn. Both are very economical, especially in July when it's hot!

I think you could spend hours trying to figure out the best deal. We were all prepared to go to Disney again until my DD mentioned that there was nothing really new this year and that Universal had several new rides since our last visit 4 years ago.

Enjoy!

I hear you loud and clear on this.. you can eat when and where you want. You do not have to decide months ahead of time what day, what time and what place you want. Heaven forbid if you forget, then you are stuck eating fast food.. since you cannot get in anywhere. Universal is much better when it comes to eating. Also, I think their prices are lower than Disney's as well. I still love Disney, but Universal is making more economical sence to me lately.. and my kids are grown and like it better over at Universal now too... but I am still a-Mickey fan (can't ya tell by my name )

 

[Tinker-tude]

I guess we are just bargain basement DWers I will have to research the hotels a bit more- I wasn't really aware the hotels were as nice as the deluxes at DW. That's something to consider. We'll probably just book a quick 3 night trip to do both parks and just deal with the added cost. DW is great but it would be nice to go to Universal- we haven't been in about 15 years! LOL!

Actually, the hotels at Universal are BETTER than the deluxe hotels at Disney. We stayed at the Grand Floridian on our last trip to WDW and thought the room was really nice, but it was small. We also had to pay $10 everytime we needed to get online. Not $10 a day, but $10 every hookup. For less money than we paid for our room at the GF, we got a suite at the Hard Rock Hotel. It was HUGE!!!!!!!!!! Very nice floor plan, too. Unlike the GF, internet was free and the kids had a video game console and DVD player. And I can't say enough about the FOTL pass and priority seating. That by itsself has spoiled us forever. Disney's version of deluxe just seems mediocre by comparison. As for food, you can save quite a bit if you choose to use the Universal meal deal $20 apiece, all you can eat all day, if you don't mind fast food counter service. You really get perks for staying onsite at Universal, and the hotels themselves are a great get-away. With the numbers you gave, it's not a big price difference. But it's a HUGE difference in what you get for your money.

 

[Tinker-tude]

And I see I should have read the whole thread before restating what everyone else already said....

 

[Metro West]

And I see I should have read the whole thread before restating what everyone else already said....

 

[goofy!]

Maybe I'm just not comparing apples to apples- but by my calculations- DW is less $$ than Universal for the same time frame. To clarify- we booked DW during the free DDP promotion. We are going for 4 nights this year and staying at a value resort. Our 3 day hoppers were 260pp. For 4 nights, 3 day hoppers and basic DDP for 2adults we are paying about $907.

I was under the impression that Universal was less $$. We are considering doing a universal trip for Sept 2009 instead of DW. I looked up 4 nights at an onsite universal hotel in September, tacked on the 89.99 ticket deal per person and transport from the airport to universal (we don't rent cars), and the cost was 980 bucks or so, however this does not include any food at all. For 4 days we are likely to spend 300-400 in food.

Maybe I'm not comparing apples to apples. Universal tickets are less $$, but the hotels are nicer than a value at DW, and you get the FOTL passes for each ride- this alone is worth a lot of $$ to us.

I just don't know if I can justify spending 400 more dollars for a trip at universal over the 'same' trip to DW. (we are presuming they will be offering some type of similar DW discount as a bounceback this sept. for next sept. This is why we are looking at universal now- we would be booking sept. 2009 on our visit to DW in sept. 2008 which is coming up fast)

There is a reason all three of the Universal Resorts were awarded the AAA 4 Diamond rating.

This would compare to the five 4 Diamond properties at Disney World:

Grand Floridian
Poly
Beach Club
Yacht Club
Contemporary

Note that the Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Resort were not awarded 4 diamonds for 2008, so according to AAA (which is supposed to be the premier rating system), they are not comparable and lack in service and amenities to the Universal resorts.

Also remember, that the rates you are seeing for September 2009 are most likely not the lowest they will go. History tells us that Loews releases the promo rates, such as AAA, Supersaver and APH rates about 6 months in advance. For 2008, depending on when you are going, the rates for September are fluctuating between $132 for late September to $171 for beginning of September at the Royal Pacific. Doing the $132 per night for 4 nights and 2 of the $90.00 passes is only $708.00 - less than the Disney price. So, don't compare rates quite yet

 

[keishashadow]

When I do my comparison, I do it in space and amenitites.. not if I "like" the hotel..I personally do not like the Contemporary. I stayed there and felt it had a very cold feeling to it. I loved the HRH. Would I say that the CR is not a deluxe because it isn't one of my "favorites", no.. it is still a deluxe hotel and so is it the HRH.... and when doing the comparison.. the HRH is comp to the other Disney deluxe..especially in space.. look at your numbers...

"However, the value rooms are very "cozy" 260 sq ft, compared to standards @ U: 335 @ Royal Pacific, 375 @ HRH & 460 @ PBH; so if personal space is important to u that is a consideration.

WL 340; BW 380; CR 436; GF 440"

I have stayed at the Poly, the CR, BW, BC, all the mods & all the values in addition to the Swan and Dolphin. I have not stayed at the WL or AKL but have been in the rooms and do know how they are. Can you compare the Universal hotels to Disney's hotels.. yes, but only to the Deluxe.. not the mods or the values. All of Universal's hotels are on the deluxe side...

how nice that you've gotten to visit most of the onsite properties @ WDW! btw, i posted the sq ft to illustrate that the U hotels were certainly equal to if not exceeding Disney's offerings as to standard rooms' sq footage (not to disparage them).

i respect ur opinions & ur selections yet agree to disagree especially as to the CR MK view...cannot underestimate the perc of being able to sit on your balcony in yr jammies & watch wishes, then being able to dive into bed in lieu of fighting the crowd

i do prefer the zagat ratings over AAA (again, my personal preference)

fyi, they give great marks to the onsite U hotels (naturally )

their most recent rankings for WDW as to top hotels: #1 GF, 3 way tie for 2nd (AK, YC & BW), followed by WL.

Interestingly, the popular vote is: AKL, WL, Poly, GF, Pop, POR-Riverside, CR, BC, BWVillas, SSR

it's all good

 

[donaldduck352]

It seems everytime I do the # crunch US allways comes out cheaper..

 

[A Mickeyfan]

how nice that you've gotten to visit most of the onsite properties @ WDW! btw, i posted the sq ft to illustrate that the U hotels were certainly equal to if not exceeding Disney's offerings as to standard rooms' sq footage (not to disparage them).

i respect ur opinions & ur selections yet agree to disagree especially as to the CR MK view...cannot underestimate the perc of being able to sit on your balcony in yr jammies & watch wishes, then being able to dive into bed in lieu of fighting the crowd

i do prefer the zagat ratings over AAA (again, my personal preference)

fyi, they give great marks to the onsite U hotels (naturally )

their most recent rankings for WDW as to top hotels: #1 GF, 3 way tie for 2nd (AK, YC & BW), followed by WL.

Interestingly, the popular vote is: AKL, WL, Poly, GF, Pop, POR-Riverside, CR, BC, BWVillas, SSR

it's all good

All I was saying with your post was that even if you do not happen to like a hotel, it still can be a deluxe. That is all. I used your sf to show size wise they are comp. You and I do not rate them as deluxe.... we just state if we like them or not.
This was your comment...
"don't agree w/your assessment of the HRH being comp to the Disney deluxes you mention"
It is not my assessement that the HRH is comp to the Disney deluxes, it is a fact, they are all deluxes.... you are doing the assesment because you do not care for the hotel... Like I said, I do not care for the CR, but it is still a deluxe hotel.