Newbie to staying at Universal?

houseofmouse5

Mouseketeer
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
We are planning a trip to both Universal and Disney. We usually just do Disney but we now have some young teens who would love to check out Universal. I think we will stay at Universal for 2 nights to get the park perks then head over to stay at WDW. We are bringing our daughter's friend so we'd like to get either 2 connecting rooms or a suite. Is there an economical way to do this?
Thank you :)
 
Hi! For two rooms it’s much more economical to stay at Cabana Bay or Saphire Falls. You won’t get express passes but will get early entry and transportation.

If you are set on one of the three hotels that have EP the cheapest I’ve found is two connecting rooms at Royal Pacific.

Good Luck planning!
 
The family suite at CB fit the five of us and was not expensive at all.

Two rooms on the same floor at RPR gets you the EP and two bathrooms (great when you have teens). Getting adjoining is not as easy as it sounds.

I find that suites are not a good value. You are paying for sitting space (and only one bathroom) when you are not there so much time. - YMMV
 
Thank you.
I guess I have some research to do, I don't know what express passes are. Are they only available at certain resorts?
If you stay onsite do you still get the early pass to Harry Potter?
We will be going in July. Is there a time I should be on the lookout for deals/packages? From what I've found so far their deals seem to be for 4 nights or more.
 


Hi the Express Passes have a separate line from stand-by. It is equivalent to a Disney fast pass but the difference being you do not have to reserve a time or a day. You just go to the ride you want and go into the lane. For example on a busy day stand-by could be 90 minutes and the Express line will be 20 minutes. It works on all the rides now at both parks. This does not include Volcano Bay. Yes they are only available at Hard Rock, Portofino and Royal Pacific. Royal Pacific is the cheapest of the three. You will get the Express pass for the day you check in and the day you check out if you stayed one night. Yes you will get early entry to HP no matter which of the 5 hotels you stay in. I go in July and I would say you will need the express pass. The summer is quite busy. Actually with Universal the earlier you book the better. You can possibly get the Stay more Play more. You have to stay a minimum of 5 nights to qualify. This is booking room only and tickets separate. I don't buy packages for Universal because of the fees and deposit requested. It is much easier to do it all separate their change and refund guidelines are better. You could look at one person in your party buying one of the annual passes to get some room discounts.
Hope this helps any other questions please ask.:)
 
Thank you.
I guess I have some research to do, I don't know what express passes are. Are they only available at certain resorts?
If you stay onsite do you still get the early pass to Harry Potter?
We will be going in July. Is there a time I should be on the lookout for deals/packages? From what I've found so far their deals seem to be for 4 nights or more.
Express pass can also be purchased if not staying at one of the hotels that offers it. You'd have to do the math on your party to see which way is a better deal.
 

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