Worth it to stay onsite?

[milachy]

I am taking my daughter to SSR in WDW for 2weeks starting July 10th. She has never been to Universal and I would like to take her there for at least a day or two.
I understand that Express line or Front of the line is free for guests of the hotel but I also see that visitors not staying at the hotel are given the option to pay an additional charge to have a similar (only one time per attraction) benefit.

I would still need to pay for parking,car rental,etc.

Is it worth the extra money to stay onsite?

Thank you,

Milachy

 

[ky07]

I am taking my daughter to SSR in WDW for 2weeks starting July 10th. She has never been to Universal and I would like to take her there for at least a day or two.
I understand that Express line or Front of the line is free for guests of the hotel but I also see that visitors not staying at the hotel are given the option to pay an additional charge to have a similar (only one time per attraction) benefit.

I would still need to pay for parking,car rental,etc.

Is it worth the extra money to stay onsite?

Thank you,

Milachy

We normally stay a week in orlando but this year we are taking a 4day 4night trip and due to a tight budget we are staying offsite but when we can afford it we stay onsite not only for the unlimited express pass but for the closeness of the hotels to the park cause you can relax way more cause you can go to the parks and then go back to the hotel to rest and then hit the parks later if you want or just hang out at the pool.
So I say yes its worth the money

 

[SmallWorld71]

I think it's worth it. You can get two days of FOTL by staying one night, which is great. My kids loved the fact that they could ride their favorites over and over again. A luxury we wish we could have at Disney.

 

[macraven]

for me, staying on site is worth it.

 

[heidijanesmith]

We toured US/IoA in July and thought staying on-site was totally worth it.
1-early entry to WWoHP If you are a HP fan, this benefit makes touring WWoHP easy. We experienced everthing we wanted to during early entry. Crowds during "public" hours were huge!
2-Unlimitted Express Pass A wonderful benefit for staying on site. We could ride any of the EP rides as many times as we wanted to, with little waits. We could tour at our leisure and enjoy the day. The regular lines were very long, EP lines were less than a 10min wait.
3-Location The heat in July was intense. We really enjoyed being able to go back to our hotel for a break during the middle of the day. It was quick and easy to get back and forth.

Totally worth staying on site for our family and will do so again!

 

[damo]

Always worth it for us too. We have annual passes and get great deals.

 

[milachy]

So not a lot of people pay extra for the ability to goto the FOTL?

Why not pay the extra for FOTL instead of spending the $300 or so a night for staying onsite?

Thank you again in advance for your replies.

 

[Harry Potter]

So not a lot of people pay extra for the ability to goto the FOTL?

Why not pay the extra for FOTL instead of spending the $300 or so a night for staying onsite?

Thank you again in advance for your replies.

There are limited numbers od Express passes each day. They will run out in the early morning during busy periods.

I believe there is a maximum amount of Express passes that can be used on a single day and this number includes ALL hotel guests that are registered onsite. So on days when the hotels are less full, there will probably be more Express passes on general sale. There are two types of customer: a park visitor, and a resort guest. And at Universal Orlando, the resort guest is king.

I can only echo what other people have said. I cannot imagine being around Universal without staying onsite. It's not cheap, but I am sure you can find a rate better than $300.

 

[damo]

So not a lot of people pay extra for the ability to goto the FOTL?

Why not pay the extra for FOTL instead of spending the $300 or so a night for staying onsite?

Thank you again in advance for your replies.

For one thing, the express pass plus that you purchase only allows you express access one time for each ride. It also does not give you early entry.

I don't think I've ever paid more than $225 for any Universal hotel even in peak times. Generally it is well under $200. Once you are used to the Disney hotel rates, the Universal hotels are cheap in comparison AND you actually get perks!!!

For example, first week of June we are doing Contemporary for two nights and Portofino for two nights. Contemporary is $100 more per night.

 

[Pembo]

We stayed at RP last month and it was very worth it. We loved the ee to HP and those express passes were wonderful. We never waited more than 10 mins for anything. I was also amazed at how close the hotel was to the park. We commented that the parking lots at a Disney park were farther away than the RP hotel. lol

Was it worth it? Absolutely!

btw - We paid $250/nt during spring break, that was AAA rate.

 

[SmallWorld71]

So not a lot of people pay extra for the ability to goto the FOTL?

Why not pay the extra for FOTL instead of spending the $300 or so a night for staying onsite?

Thank you again in advance for your replies.

Remember, you have to pay per person for the express passes. Prices range by season, with the cheapest being $20.

We payed approx. $225 a night last summer for Hard Rock Club Level. Times that $20 by 5 people in our group and now you are only looking at paying $125 for the perk of staying onsite and the Express Pass (except that the onsite FOTL is much better for the unlimited access.) Except that it was summer, so the Express Pass prices were actually higher than that. So, in reality, it cost us LESS than $100 extra a night for a great hotel, club level food and perks, easy access to the parks, early entry and of course FOTL vs. staying at an offsite hotel.

Not saying there is anything wrong with staying offsite, just that the value of staying onsite is better than it may appear at first glance.

 

[damo]

Remember, you have to pay per person for the express passes. Prices range by season, with the cheapest being $20.

We payed approx. $225 a night last summer for Hard Rock Club Level. Times that $20 by 5 people in our group and now you are only looking at paying $125 for the perk of staying onsite and the Express Pass (except that the onsite FOTL is much better for the unlimited access.) Except that it was summer, so the Express Pass prices were actually higher than that. So, in reality, it cost us LESS than $100 extra a night for a great hotel, club level food and perks, easy access to the parks, early entry and of course FOTL vs. staying at an offsite hotel.

Not saying there is anything wrong with staying offsite, just that the value of staying onsite is better than it may appear at first glance.

And you get unlimited express for two full days by staying onsite for one night. So you could be paying $250 for 5 people for two days of express.

 

[milachy]

For one thing, the express pass plus that you purchase only allows you express access one time for each ride. It also does not give you early entry.

I don't think I've ever paid more than $225 for any Universal hotel even in peak times. Generally it is well under $200. Once you are used to the Disney hotel rates, the Universal hotels are cheap in comparison AND you actually get perks!!!

For example, first week of June we are doing Contemporary for two nights and Portofino for two nights. Contemporary is $100 more per night.

I apologize for not being clear. The $300 I was stating was including tax.
I just got off the phone with Universal and was told the dates I was inquiring about , and I am a bit flexible (going to be in FL for two weeks) was $268 plus tax or $242 plus tax with AAA discount. I was told the AAA discount was the best offer for the time I'm looking to go.

I am a member of Disney Vacation Club so I haven't looked at the hotel rates for some time now.

Express access on the same ride more than once does sound pretty good especially considering how hot it can and will be around that time.

 

[milachy]

Remember, you have to pay per person for the express passes. Prices range by season, with the cheapest being $20.

We payed approx. $225 a night last summer for Hard Rock Club Level. Times that $20 by 5 people in our group and now you are only looking at paying $125 for the perk of staying onsite and the Express Pass (except that the onsite FOTL is much better for the unlimited access.) Except that it was summer, so the Express Pass prices were actually higher than that. So, in reality, it cost us LESS than $100 extra a night for a great hotel, club level food and perks, easy access to the parks, early entry and of course FOTL vs. staying at an offsite hotel.

Not saying there is anything wrong with staying offsite, just that the value of staying onsite is better than it may appear at first glance.

Im a single dad taking my only daughter on vacation.
I can see how the extra cost can add up for a group of 4 or 5. Plus it would be nice to split the costs a bit.

 

[milachy]

And you get unlimited express for two full days by staying onsite for one night. So you could be paying $250 for 5 people for two days of express.

I don't normally like going 'commando' on a vacation and feel like I have to see everything in the park in a day or two but I am making an exception this time only because my daughter asked if we could go for a day or two to Universal studios (Those damn commercials) LOL

On a side note,I haven't been to universal studios in almost 20 years and it does look very cool.

 

[Bluer101]

Im a single dad taking my only daughter on vacation.
I can see how the extra cost can add up for a group of 4 or 5. Plus it would be nice to split the costs a bit.

I'm a family of 3 and would never think of staying offsite again. We even stay onsite at Universal when visiting Disney and Seaworld. If we can't afford onsite, we stay home.

 

[milachy]

I'm a family of 3 and would never think of staying offsite again. We even stay onsite at Universal when visiting Disney and Seaworld. If we can't afford onsite, we stay home.

I guess I am going to have to bite the bullet and just do it for a night or two.

Once I stayed on Disney property I was hooked, never stayed off site again and became a member of DVC soon thereafter.

I guess my feelings will be similar once I stay on site at Universal.

Any other perks Im missing other than early admission and FOTL access?

Thanks again to all for their input and advice.

 

[Bluer101]

I guess I am going to have to bite the bullet and just do it for a night or two.

Once I stayed on Disney property I was hooked, never stayed off site again and became a member of DVC soon thereafter.

I guess my feelings will be similar once I stay on site at Universal.

Any other perks Im missing other than early admission and FOTL access?

Thanks again to all for their input and advice.

You will be hooked. Also you are so close to everything, so more time enjoying the parks and resorts, instead of traveling.

 

[damo]

I guess I am going to have to bite the bullet and just do it for a night or two.

Once I stayed on Disney property I was hooked, never stayed off site again and became a member of DVC soon thereafter.

I guess my feelings will be similar once I stay on site at Universal.

Any other perks Im missing other than early admission and FOTL access?

Thanks again to all for their input and advice.

Check out youfirst at Loews. After two stays in the year, you qualify for free internet and free upgrades. More visits will get you a food and beverage credit.

You can register for free at www.loewshotels.com

We are platinum level which gives me a suite upgrade if one is available when I book as well as a $100 food and beverage credit per stay. So if I stayed one night at the Portofino and one night at the Royal Pacific, I would get $100 food/beverage credit for each stay. Hard Rock does not participate in the program.

 

[jaminmd]

Just back after 8 days at HRH. It was worth every penny & was one of the best vacations we ever had. It was spring break & everything was packed but with the FOTL perk, it was a breeze. HRH was a hop, skip & jump from the parks. Not waiting for Disney busses & the whole Disney "hurry up & wait" routine was awesome!

I would never do US/IOA without staying on-site. Have a wonderful trip!