Universal Newbie - is this too much resort movement?

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

Calling on savvy Universal pros to help with my upcoming itinerary. I booked a cruise last weekend for DD (19) and I - sailing on the Disney Dream May 27-30. After the cruise I wanted to spend a few nights (May 30-June 3) at Universal since we've never been. My daughter is into classic rock and anything retro so I wanted to do a split stay between Hard Rock and Cabana Bay. Unfortunately have so far been unsuccessful to get Hard Rock for the first night of our trip, but understand it's a holiday weekend and not very far in advance. Right now our nightly reservations look like this:

May 30: Portofino Bay (partial park day - arrive after leaving Port Canaveral)
May 31-June 1: [2 nights] Hard Rock Club Level - because only room available besides Graceland suite (park days)
June 2: Cabana Bay (park day)
June 3: drive home (no park)

If we live out of our suitcases is this doable? I've only done a split stay at Disney and only for 2 hotels, not 3 and definitely not in that short of a window - usually stay 8-10 nights at Disney. Does Universal transfer luggage or will it be easier for me to store in my car after checking out of PB and then check in to HR later?
I am excited that we will have express pass for all of our park days and also the ability to experience the different resorts. I don't know in my excitement if I'm underestimating any inconvenience switching resorts.

Please let me know your thoughts and any advice or tips you have for transferring between the resorts. Also any tips for the parks are welcome! Thank you for your input!

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Anything’s doable but you’ll be without a room for a portion of each day if that matters.

 

[G719]

Calling on savvy Universal pros to help with my upcoming itinerary. I booked a cruise last weekend for DD (19) and I - sailing on the Disney Dream May 27-30. After the cruise I wanted to spend a few nights (May 30-June 3) at Universal since we've never been. My daughter is into classic rock and anything retro so I wanted to do a split stay between Hard Rock and Cabana Bay. Unfortunately have so far been unsuccessful to get Hard Rock for the first night of our trip, but understand it's a holiday weekend and not very far in advance. Right now our nightly reservations look like this:

May 30: Portofino Bay (partial park day - arrive after leaving Port Canaveral)
May 31-June 1: [2 nights] Hard Rock Club Level - because only room available besides Graceland suite (park days)
June 2: Cabana Bay (park day)
June 3: drive home (no park)

If we live out of our suitcases is this doable? I've only done a split stay at Disney and only for 2 hotels, not 3 and definitely not in that short of a window - usually stay 8-10 nights at Disney. Does Universal transfer luggage or will it be easier for me to store in my car after checking out of PB and then check in to HR later?
I am excited that we will have express pass for all of our park days and also the ability to experience the different resorts. I don't know in my excitement if I'm underestimating any inconvenience switching resorts.

Please let me know your thoughts and any advice or tips you have for transferring between the resorts. Also any tips for the parks are welcome! Thank you for your input!

Universal hotels will not transfer your luggage but you have a car. It's so much easier to move hotels if you have a car. If you didn't want to keep the luggage in the car, you could go the hard rock before the park and leave your luggage with bell services. They will allow you to do a pre check in and you'll get your room number later.

 

[mamamelody2]

It doesn't sound like a ton of fun to me, but it is doable. I wouldn't do it with a bigger group, but just you and a teen daughter for a few days shouldn't be too much stuff to pack up/transfer, and having your own car helps a lot. Would you be able to maybe pack your cruise clothes in a separate suitcase so you can just leave that stuff in the car after the cruise?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I think it's quite doable, and especially since you have a car. Portofino & Hard Rock are right next to each other anyways, you could even just walk between.

Keep checking, HRH may open for your first night too. If not, Portofino is beautiful and I don't think you will be disappointed...

 

[Skippyboo]

When would you be getting to universal on your arrival day? I would probably book cabana bay for a lot less than Portofino and explore Citywalk and hotel and not have the express for first day especially if you are getting there mid day.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

I would just stay at Portofino if they have a room for the length of your stay. We loved our week there, and all that movement sounds stressful to me. You could always book a dinner at the Hard Rock to check it out.

 

[CynBeth]

I would just stay at Portofino if they have a room for the length of your stay. We loved our week there, and all that movement sounds stressful to me. You could always book a dinner at the Hard Rock to check it out.

I agree.

 

[zillayen]

I agree.

I would just stay at Portofino if they have a room for the length of your stay. We loved our week there, and all that movement sounds stressful to me. You could always book a dinner at the Hard Rock to check it out.

Also agree. You can also easily pool hop to HRH from PB so at that point all you’re really missing is the room. We did a split stay over spring break and said never again.

 

[Robo56]

It’s doable, but it will not be fun. With such a short stay making multiple moves like that will eat up plenty of time on the days you move between Resorts.

If you want the best experience in your short stay pick either Portofino or Hard Rock and plant yourself for your stay.

Watch the prices to see If Portofino or Hard Rock become easier on your wallet for the full length of your time at Universal. That would be a better use of your time.

There is some construction going on at Hard Rock.

Leaving your luggage to cook in your car in the very hot Florida sun is not good.

There is bell service at Portofino and Hard Rock and you can leave your luggage at luggage service/Bell service in the resort then pick it up or have it delivered to your room. Both are another addition to time wasting waiting for it to be delivered to your room or picking it up yourself after a long day at the parks.

Portofino has underground garage and would not be bad to have luggage in your car there, but Hardrock and Cabana Bay is outdoor parking.

Portofino has great pools to choose from and is one of my favorite Resorts. You can’t go wrong there.

No matter what you choose have a wonderful time at Universal

 

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

Thank you for the opinions and suggestions posted so far. I will keep checking to see if Hard Rock opens up for the first night. I've been checking daily for that first night and also for entire stay at a premiere but no luck with availability, which is another reason I had to piece the hotel itinerary together. I can get Cabana Bay for the entire stay but if we want Express Pass it is $575 for both of us for one day (5/31) which is more than the rates I have reserved for 1-night at either PB or HR.

Would you rather stay at Cabana Bay for all 4 nights with no Express Passes or resort hop to have them? I'm not sure the "value" of having Express Passes since I haven't been to Universal but it seems like it would be a nice benefit to have to make the trip more carefree?

I'll keep checking availability and let you know if I have any luck, but in the meantime please continue to share your thoughts.

 

[zillayen]

Thank you for the opinions and suggestions posted so far. I will keep checking to see if Hard Rock opens up for the first night. I've been checking daily for that first night and also for entire stay at a premiere but no luck with availability, which is another reason I had to piece the hotel itinerary together. I can get Cabana Bay for the entire stay but if we want Express Pass it is $575 for both of us for one day (5/31) which is more than the rates I have reserved for 1-night at either PB or HR.

Would you rather stay at Cabana Bay for all 4 nights with no Express Passes or resort hop to have them? I'm not sure the "value" of having Express Passes since I haven't been to Universal but it seems like it would be a nice benefit to have to make the trip more carefree?

I'll keep checking availability and let you know if I have any luck, but in the meantime please continue to share your thoughts.

You can also just stay at cabana bay the whole time and book a throwaway night at either of the premier resorts. That saves you having to move your stuff but would give you 2 days of express passes for the price of the room. You’d just have to go to the premier resort to pick them up on your check in day.

 

[DoryGirl1963]

Agree with zillayen - we did exactly this last May & it worked out great !

 

[CAPSLOCK]

For 2 people, I would move resorts rather than paying for 2 hotel rooms at once. But that's partly due to my budget (or lack thereof). Also though, why stay at Cabana Bay when you are paying for a night at a nicer resort?

With the club level, you can also take advantage of the breakfasts & snacks daily, and stock up on drinks for your last day at Cabana Bay.

 

[ClapYourHands]

I like EP and I’m too cheap to pay for two rooms at once. So our trips always feature some hotel movement. It’s really not a big deal. Even without a car, it’s easy enough to move our bags ourselves on the garden path or get an Uber. Luggage services stores our bags, and as we can store them at either our first hotel or our second, we can switch at any point. I book directly with Universal so I can do mobile check in, which reduces our time at check in. While there’s no guarantee, our rooms are always ready before the official 4pm check in (I request early check in on my reservation).

If you are used to WDW, you will be pleasantly surprised at how close the resorts are to each other, making transfers and pool hopping (officially allowed) quite easy.

That said, I think your current plan is more expensive and/or complicated than it needs to be. Portofino is quite pricey for a partial park day of EP, so you might want to consider Cabana Bay if you are moving to HRH the next day. Additionally, Hard Rock is great, but not so great I’d stretch my budget to club level if there were regular rooms available at Portofino or Royal Pacific. We’ve stayed there, and while the Rock music theme is well done, it’s subtle to the point that it’s not really an experience in itself. You can visit for the ambiance of the lobby and have a meal or hop to the pool (which is shallow and not that exciting), but once you’re in the room, it’s just a room (though having the heights of various musicians etched into the mirror was a cool touch). You might look to see if any of the premier hotels has three or four days in a row, and stick with that, while visiting any hotel with a theme that interests you.

 

[pearljammer]

Calling on savvy Universal pros to help with my upcoming itinerary. I booked a cruise last weekend for DD (19) and I - sailing on the Disney Dream May 27-30. After the cruise I wanted to spend a few nights (May 30-June 3) at Universal since we've never been. My daughter is into classic rock and anything retro so I wanted to do a split stay between Hard Rock and Cabana Bay. Unfortunately have so far been unsuccessful to get Hard Rock for the first night of our trip, but understand it's a holiday weekend and not very far in advance. Right now our nightly reservations look like this:

May 30: Portofino Bay (partial park day - arrive after leaving Port Canaveral)
May 31-June 1: [2 nights] Hard Rock Club Level - because only room available besides Graceland suite (park days)
June 2: Cabana Bay (park day)
June 3: drive home (no park)

If we live out of our suitcases is this doable? I've only done a split stay at Disney and only for 2 hotels, not 3 and definitely not in that short of a window - usually stay 8-10 nights at Disney. Does Universal transfer luggage or will it be easier for me to store in my car after checking out of PB and then check in to HR later?
I am excited that we will have express pass for all of our park days and also the ability to experience the different resorts. I don't know in my excitement if I'm underestimating any inconvenience switching resorts.

Please let me know your thoughts and any advice or tips you have for transferring between the resorts. Also any tips for the parks are welcome! Thank you for your input!

Holy smackers Cowgirl, that made my head hurt. As the planner in my family, I try to minimize stress on vacation as much as possible. Now we obviously don’t need the reasons for all this movement but that seems like a lot of unnecessary movement. Have you been to HardRock? I didn’t find it to be THAT retro but we’ve not stayed, just did a walk through and wasn’t that impressed to be honest, not for the cost. You’re spending so much time, packing, unpacking, car movement, etc., why not cut it down to 1 resort or at the max 2. You’re going to have to cut so much time out of your “park” time doing all the switching, perhaps ask yourself if it’s worth it?? K, I’m exhausted, good luck with that one. We have an upcoming trip with 5 park days and 1 off day and we’re at Portofino.

 

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

Holy smackers Cowgirl, that made my head hurt. As the planner in my family, I try to minimize stress on vacation as much as possible. Now we obviously don’t need the reasons for all this movement but that seems like a lot of unnecessary movement. Have you been to HardRock? I didn’t find it to be THAT retro but we’ve not stayed, just did a walk through and wasn’t that impressed to be honest, not for the cost. You’re spending so much time, packing, unpacking, car movement, etc., why not cut it down to 1 resort or at the max 2. You’re going to have to cut so much time out of your “park” time doing all the switching, perhaps ask yourself if it’s worth it?? K, I’m exhausted, good luck with that one. We have an upcoming trip with 5 park days and 1 off day and we’re at Portofino.

LOL! It made my head hurt too - so much so that I have been stalking the UO website multiple times a day to see if anything has opened up. I still have been unsuccessful booking all 4 nights at a Premiere Resort under 1 reservation. I have been able to piece together the following so far:
May 30: HRH Club Level Queen room
May 31 - Jun 1: HRH Club Level King room
Jun 2: HRH Club Level Queen room

I hope we can somehow bridge the ressies together so we don’t have to move rooms since they aren’t the same bed type

Should I call the hotel and ask them to note the additional reservations in advance and ask if possible to keep the same room (I don’t care if it’s King or Queen)? Or will I need to wait to check in to ask or perhaps I do both?

Of course I will keep stalking…

Edited to ask - is there a particular time of day that’s best to check the UO website for room availability or is it random? I only have WDW experience

 

[cfoxga]

Should I call the hotel and ask them to note the additional reservations in advance and ask if possible to keep the same room (I don’t care if it’s King or Queen)? Or will I need to wait to check in to ask or perhaps I do both?

Of course I will keep stalking…

Edited to ask - is there a particular time of day that’s best to check the UO website for room availability or is it random? I only have WDW experience

I would call to ask. If you are lucky, they will be able to combine them all into one reservation, but at least have them note that you would like to stay in the same room for all 4 nights.

I don't know if there is a particular time of day, but would try to at least check once early in the morning.

 

[JessietheNCCowgirl]

I would call to ask. If you are lucky, they will be able to combine them all into one reservation, but at least have them note that you would like to stay in the same room for all 4 nights.

I don't know if there is a particular time of day, but would try to at least check once early in the morning.

Thank you. I just called and the agent had me provide her with all 3 reservation numbers. She said she made a note that we would like to stay in the same room if possible but of course no guarantees. Keeping my fingers crossed and eyes on the website until then.

 

[ClapYourHands]

Instead of stalking the website, have you considered getting a travel agent and seeing if s/he can do the stalking for you?