Will we regret it if we DON'T book a night on site?

[Anal Annie]

OK, I booked our air last night so no driving to FL. Now I am trying to also see how much taking a taxi would run us to go from WDW to the hotel at Universal. Then of course back to WDW the next evening. I am assuming we could store a day bag / small suitcase with the Bell Services at Universal while we hit the parks that 2nd day. I had orig. thought we could just leave it in the car but if a taxi would cost less than $100 for the round trip that might be an option too. To be honest we're not really familiar with using taxis. We used them a couple of times when we were on vacation in other countries but don't typically use them in the US!! I am assuming that the Universal hotels provide some form of transportation to their parks (bus or shuttle)?! I am planning to book the cheapest option for the hotel (Royal Pacific it looks like). Now I need to figure out WHICH DAYS we will want to go so I can do that.

 

[bumbershoot]

You can walk to the parks, take the boat to the parks, or there's a small shuttle van that can take you there.

From RPR, we walked and took the boat, and liked both methods. (we took the shuttle one rainy rainy afternoon, back to Portofino, and it felt like it took a year...but it was better than walking through lightning!)

 

[macraven]

great news.

you are going to the darkside now..........


if you have any questions, feel free to pm me anytime.



btw, new avatar pic ......kewl....

 

[Alby]

$225 is not a bad price for a deluxe hotel.
no way you could stay at the motherland deluxe at that price.

macraven's right, that's not a bad rate, and with Universal's resorts, the price is much easier to justify as worth it than many of Disney's resorts.

I am going to give a slightly different opinion here, but (read to the end! ) only slightly.

I have booked a Disney/ Universal split stay twice (Beach Club and RPR): the first time I paid exactly the same amount for 3 nights each, the second time (May 2012) RPR is more expensive.
And I found RPR, and particularly the service level, definitely not on par with Beach Club. I can give more details if anybody is interested.

But I would like to say that, nevertheless, I found it absolutely worth it, due to the Express Pass. Even in January, it is a wonderful perk and I am never going to Universal staying offsite again!
I consider the Express Pass a very good compensation (room price being equal) for a less deluxe experience, and that's why I booked RPR again. OP, you won't regret it!

 

[wendyt_ca]

We never book a hotel through Universal. We always just rent a car on those days and drive there and have never found it to be an issue. We haven't even ever gotten express tickets and with doing 2 days would have more then enough time to do both parks as we often only go to Universal for one day and never miss anything we want to see. You can purchase the express pass option for much less. I wouldn't want to waste a night in my DVC either. Mind you if you do book a night at Universal could you not just take off one night from your DVC booking as I know you can book per day.

 

[ElizabethB]

We always stay on-site. We like the hotels (especially PBH) and we think Express Pass is well worth it. We sometimes book 1/2 our trip at Universal. Other times, we just go over for a night. We leave our Disney room unused that night. Yes, it's expensive, since we have an unused deluxe room at Disney that goes unused while we stay at PBH.

Is it worth it?

Yes.

 

[Anal Annie]

We never book a hotel through Universal. We always just rent a car on those days and drive there and have never found it to be an issue. We haven't even ever gotten express tickets and with doing 2 days would have more then enough time to do both parks as we often only go to Universal for one day and never miss anything we want to see. You can purchase the express pass option for much less. I wouldn't want to waste a night in my DVC either. Mind you if you do book a night at Universal could you not just take off one night from your DVC booking as I know you can book per day.

Have you done this in a busy season like August? Looking at your past trips in your siggie it kinda looks like you tend to visit in the off-peak seasons where this may be an easier feat to accomplish.

While I DO hate the idea of "wasting" a night of our DVC we're just going to be in a studio & our trip is going to be split between "Magic" and "Dream" seasons so if we wait for Aug. 16th when the seasons change we'll only be "wasting" 17 points. That's worth it IMO to not have to pack up & move units. We have an Owners Locker that allows us to be pretty comfy while we're there & it takes awhile to pack up. We're going down on Aug. 12 so I don't want to spend 3 days there then pack up, then store the stuff, then move to UT for 1 night with no TIME to unpack then go back & check in again, then unpack for 4 nights. THAT just sounds like too much WORK to me!!! When we went to Europe last summer we had a hectic start to our schedule and I had to pack so carefully so that most of what we needed was accessible in our carry-ons. That was a necessary evil of traveling through Europe like that until we got to the cruise. I know I can DO IT but not really a fan of the idea.

We always stay on-site. We like the hotels (especially PBH) and we think Express Pass is well worth it. We sometimes book 1/2 our trip at Universal. Other times, we just go over for a night. We leave our Disney room unused that night. Yes, it's expensive, since we have an unused deluxe room at Disney that goes unused while we stay at PBH.

Is it worth it?

Yes.

I am having more trouble with the idea of forking over $225 or whatever for the UT room than I am with the idea of leaving our DVC studio empty for a night but it sounds like the better plan according to most. I like the idea of the early entry into the Harry Potter stuff on day #2. We love our early entries into AK so we can hit EE several times before the park opens so I am imagining it will be a similar benefit.


NEXT - The Mousesavers newsletter says there s/b some discounts at the UT hotels thru Expedia and it tells you how to look for them but nothing is coming up as available for our dates. I am wondering if I'm looking too early or too late? It's just over 6 months out now. Does anybody think that this may be something that will pop up after we hit the 6 month mark or do you think the hotels could book up if I wait too long??

 

[pixeegrl]

I am guessing the discounts they are describing are the SMSM rates for the longer stays. Looking at AAA website you can get a standard room for $190 on August 16 (wasn't sure of your exact date). If your not a member it could be worth signing up due to all the discounts you can receive. After staying onsite, we will never do it another way again....

 

[Anal Annie]

I am guessing the discounts they are describing are the SMSM rates for the longer stays. Looking at AAA website you can get a standard room for $190 on August 16 (wasn't sure of your exact date). If your not a member it could be worth signing up due to all the discounts you can receive. After staying onsite, we will never do it another way again....

No, we don't have AAA but Aug. 16 would be the likely date for us to cross over. The annual AAA memberships for our area run over $100 for 2 ppl. and we have Roadside Assistance on our car insurance so I never considered it a good value to join. Sounds like it would only save about $35 in this case. I was just curious about the Expedia deal that's mentioned on Mousesavers. Mousesavers didn't mention any minimum stay so maybe I'll play around with some other dates & see if it will pop up. Maybe Mousesavers is wrong & the deal is no longer valid.

 

[pixeegrl]

No, we don't have AAA but Aug. 16 would be the likely date for us to cross over. The annual AAA memberships for our area run over $100 for 2 ppl. and we have Roadside Assistance on our car insurance so I never considered it a good value to join. Sounds like it would only save about $35 in this case. I was just curious about the Expedia deal that's mentioned on Mousesavers. Mousesavers didn't mention any minimum stay so maybe I'll play around with some other dates & see if it will pop up. Maybe Mousesavers is wrong & the deal is no longer valid.

Yikes! I'll check my newsletter and such from Mouse savers. You can always book a room now and if the rate lowers call and let them know and they can change it for you. You have up until 5 days or 10 days before your trip to cancel with no penalty. Just checked....no discounts left for your day which probably means the rooms Expedia blocked out at a discount are all gone. I will tell you though that I personally have never seen a cheaper rate on Expedia than I can get from the Universal or Lowes website. You can also call the hotel directly and see what deals they can offer you (not sure if this was mentioned yet.) I think I have even heard mentioned to use the direct line not the reservation line. Again, I really recommend one night onsite, you can walk back and forth from the hotel to the parks if it starts to get hot. With the UNLIMITED express pass you have virtually no wait times. You can ride your favorite rides multiple times!! What ever you decide make sure you come back and tell us about your trip!

 

[Sandy321]

Once again - THANK YOU

asking the questions, taking the time to answer, and offer suggestions is also helping me in my planning!

My favorite cousin called last night, her sister, her mom, and her 7yr old nephew are now going to Orlando! So they call me the "expert".... My poor dear sweet cousin thought she could get a 3 or 4 day ticket to WDW - 1 day MK, 1 day AK, 1 Day UNIVERSAL, 1 Day Seaworld.

It took an hour of over and over again telling her Seaworld and Universal are COMPETING companies of Disneyworld. Its different. They are not the same. They are not that close. It cost extra. Different company, different tickets.

I was ready to tear out my hair!

But this info will help me explain things too! Thanks!
(and thanks for letting me vent! lol)

 

[pixeegrl]

. I can not even imagine planning a trip without researching....I love it!

 

[macraven]

annie, my aaa costs me $40 for one person.
it is the basic, lowest membership available.
with it i get perks for hotels everywhere i travel, not just for orlando stays.


if you book the room at the $225 price and the rate drops, all you do is call and have the rate modified to reflect the new lower rate.


from what i have been reading from your threads, you are very hesitant to stay one night onsite at the darkside.


if you are fretting over the money for the extra hotel night, quite possibly you won't be enjoying the darkside parks while you are there.

if you don't have the excitement for doing the park, think twice before you plan any more for this side trip.


maybe just skip UO this trip and stay with the motherland plans to simplify your vacation.

 

[macraven]

Once again - THANK YOU

asking the questions, taking the time to answer, and offer suggestions is also helping me in my planning!

My favorite cousin called last night, her sister, her mom, and her 7yr old nephew are now going to Orlando! So they call me the "expert".... My poor dear sweet cousin thought she could get a 3 or 4 day ticket to WDW - 1 day MK, 1 day AK, 1 Day UNIVERSAL, 1 Day Seaworld.

It took an hour of over and over again telling her Seaworld and Universal are COMPETING companies of Disneyworld. Its different. They are not the same. They are not that close. It cost extra. Different company, different tickets.

I was ready to tear out my hair!

But this info will help me explain things too! Thanks!
(and thanks for letting me vent! lol)

sandy, make a new thread where we can help you, help the cuz......

 

[Sandy321]

sandy, make a new thread where we can help you, help the cuz......

Mac - I have given her the websites - I told her to call Disney, that as a first time to WDW its fun to get info from a CM about prices - then let me help her see if I can give her other information!

and since I gave her this website I debated about deleting my post - someone remembered the rule and quoted me!!

I've gone to WDW 4 or 5 times and my mom brags to her mom how I save so much money. I had to explain to my cousin that I go when there are "deals" not when its convenient to save money -

however - this trip to Universal, our hotel is expensive (my mom told them we're staying at RPR for $50 a night! ) but I told her how I justify the expense (we're going at Spring Break - HUGE crowds, if we were going at a slower time I'd debate it - but, its DD, 15, this is for her, and I think when will we EVER go again? DD, my mom, and me? I just dont want to put a price on that, nor do I want to "cheapen" it... esp if I have a glass of wine now and again, or if we indulge in going out to dinner, etc... ok and the BIG one is DH and I went to Disney for 6 days without her granted she chose to stay home, but that was with the HP trip in her future - and she got straight A's!!)

I'll let you know if there are any good developments

 

[macraven]

if you want your original post deleted, ask pixie and i'm sure she will understand and do that.

and you can delete yours.
just put a simple question in your original thread.

and i can modify this post too.

 

[wendyt_ca]

Have you done this in a busy season like August? Looking at your past trips in your siggie it kinda looks like you tend to visit in the off-peak seasons where this may be an easier feat to accomplish.
QUOTE]

Our first time to Universal was late June and we didn't have any issues we just did 2 days and we left early both days.

 

[pixeegrl]

if you want your original post deleted, ask pixie and i'm sure she will understand and do that.

and you can delete yours.
just put a simple question in your original thread.

and i can modify this post too.

I got your back

 

[Anal Annie]

annie, my aaa costs me $40 for one person.
it is the basic, lowest membership available.
with it i get perks for hotels everywhere i travel, not just for orlando stays.


if you book the room at the $225 price and the rate drops, all you do is call and have the rate modified to reflect the new lower rate.


from what i have been reading from your threads, you are very hesitant to stay one night onsite at the darkside.

if you are fretting over the money for the extra hotel night, quite possibly you won't be enjoying the darkside parks while you are there.

if you don't have the excitement for doing the park, think twice before you plan any more for this side trip.

maybe just skip UO this trip and stay with the motherland plans to simplify your vacation.

Oh AAA is much more expensive in the DC market area so lucky you!! (I have looked at it.) But then EVERYTHING is more expensive here I think. I mean corned beef on SALE at my grocery store deli is still just pennies under $12 / Lb!!

ANYWAY....You're misinterpreting me a little bit I think. I am sure we'll enjoy the parks...DS loves rides so these will all be new for us...it is the $225 hotel room that we won't have time to enjoy that is grinding on me!! I guess I have to look at it that what we're really paying for is the express pass thing & 1 hour early admission to the HP stuff. I thought when we bought DVC we'd never have to pay to stay in Orlando again. At this point with only 2 days for the 2 parks I was assuming that we'd hit them commando style and not take any time to actually BE at the resort. Maybe if it's 95 degrees & we're boiling hot I'll change my mind about taking a break in the afternoon for a swim. (I was also trying to pack super light for this 1 night & wasn't going to bring bathing suits.) Do you think the express pass thing will give us enough extra time to do everything AND have a couple of hours to chill by the pool??

I had sorta started thinking that we would just use taxis to go back & forth and that we could come in a backpack for 1 night & then just stash it in a locker at the parks for the day. Do you know if we decided to park hop if we rent a locker at one park can we then get a deal on a locker at the other park? Disney allows you to show your receipt at the 2nd park so that you don't have to pay to re-rent.

Universal is this trip or it's never. I already built the 2 extra days into our trip when I booked the airfare and when I booked 9 nights at the Boardwalk. We usually try to plan 2 - 3 trips a year to Disney so we can get AP's and get our money's worth out of them & we always say NEXT TIME we should go to Universal but we never want to give up our time at Disney. So this is IT. I planned 2 extra days so we wouldn't feel jipped on our Disney time. We'll have 6 nights, 6 days over spring break then this trip in August will give us another 9 nights with 8 days at Disney (I've planned for evening flights home so we have that last day too). I figure with our DVC discount on the AP's we break even at around 8 park days so I feel we'll be good with getting our money's worth on these AP's.

 

[macraven]

ok gotcha that the trip is still on.

i was thinking that your hesitation was due to the cost of the room costs and it was not going to be affordable on this vacation.


the family lockers up front at the studios side, is yours for the day you rent it.
you can enter it any amount of times you wish.

the lockers by the water rides are not.
they are time limited.

those lockers are pay as you use them each time.

same goes for IOA.
pay as you go on locker usage.

your reciepts on one paid locker will not carry over to another.

i think once you are at RPH, you will enjoy it.

one of my sons is in Alexandria.
yup, expensive out that way.........
he gripes about it to me.