APH Rates Are Currently Available... [UPDATED 07/27/18]

[georgina]

I have RPR booked for $251 for November 15-18. I've been checking obsessively for all my dates and other peoples... daily. Bidaily... tri-daily. Every hour sometimes.

I will be there the exact same days! Have Cabana Bay booked now (solo trip) but will consider switching to RPR if APH rates are good for those dates. I have only been checking once every morning!

 

[tinydancer09]

I will be there the exact same days! Have Cabana Bay booked now (solo trip) but will consider switching to RPR if APH rates are good for those dates. I have only been checking once every morning!

Awesome! I'm thinking it's going to be a fantastic time to be there right before the holidays. I still have you in mind to tag when the rates get posted. Also, don't get discouraged if they are not as low as you like. Check in the week prior to your vacation. I took a couple hundred bucks off of my stay in April by doing that. I did add a room so technically it was "more", but we got 2 rooms for just a couple dollars more than one room. My friends boyfriend decided to come so I was much more comfortable getting my own place. (Sorry if I've already said this or you already know. I lose track of who knows what and who I've told what )

 

[WendyisDarling]

Please help someone who is completely ignorant regarding the APH and other discounts in discussion.
We've always been strictly Disney but thought we'd give Universal 2 or 3 days with older kids before WDW. Originally booked off-site at Doubletree but now we think onsite would be a better experience. Plus after DH looked through a USO book he's super excited.
I read about APH discount here and tried it. Yes, much less expensive for Portifino. 3 nights with military 3 day tickets we were quoted both $1500 and $1300. We can buy tix on post.
SO I looked up APH for ticket price from non-universal seller (just in general). There are so many types! Does it need to be a specific type of AP? Any recommendations of reputable seller? Ticket sales on post doesn't have AP in stock or info.
I won't even ask about the cheaptickets extra %. Just would be grateful for the APH info.
TIA

 

[macraven]

All 3 levels of the AP qualify for AP room discounts
Power- preferred- premier

Power pass not valid for food and merch discount TD
Other two levels do qualify

 

[tinydancer09]

I've been checking every day and I'm still waiting and hoping for release of dates. Right now I have holiday inn across the street from Universal booked for thurs nov. 3rd and fri nov 4th. Then I have RPR booked for sat nov 5th at regular rate of 299. If the AP rates are good enough I might convince my sister to move to RPR for all 3 nights since I'm going to upgrade my ticket to a pass anyway. Fingers crossed......

Just saw this rate for the night of November 3. Meant to look earlier. Would it be an option to stay there the first night instead of the last?

When Aph rates come how they should be similar with the assumption that the basic room is available. You will need to account for weekend increase for Friday and Saturday nights. It might show "Flo" rate below but they're generally the same as APH. Only once ever have I seen them different.
The price for the below RPR room without discount is $279 to give you comprison.

 

[ruthies12]

Yeah I thought it was high too! But I wanted to have something booked you know?

right now when I look at aph rate for RPR on thurs nov 3rd it is 189. But it still says that promo code is not valid for fri the 4th and sat 5th.

Right now we fly in Thursday evening to Orlando Sanford and then are getting a rental car and driving in. We likely won't get to the hotel until 9 o'clock at night that night. We plan to go straight to bed to be up early to go to the parks Friday morning. We were going to concentrate solely on Harry Potter on Friday since we won't have express pass (unless we move of course) and because the wizarding world is the main reason we are coming.

Then on Saturday morning we check out of holiday inn and drive across the street to check in at RPR. I had planned to be there by 7 am so we could get our expresses passes made and take advantage of early entry. We will be in the parks all day Saturday and staying at RPR that night (where we get an extra hour of sleep thanks to the time change!).

Then sunday morning we will check out, throw our luggage in the car or with front desk and go to the parks with our express pass until we feel done. Once we are done with universal, we pick up our rental car from RPR and drive the 20 minutes over to pop century to check in. Then we are spending Monday at epcot/Hollywood studios (got a super cheap one day hopper from a school fundraiser) then we have tickets to the MVMCP on Tuesday night and plan to get there as soon as we can get in at 4 pm and stay until midnight. Then Wednesday morning we get up and just drive to the airport for a 3 o'clock flight in the afternoon.

So we'll have 3 days total of park days at universal, 2 of which will have express pass and early entry. I feel like switching hotels will be a pain even though they are right next to each other so I really would rather just stay at RPR the whole time. But the holiday inn was only 100 a night, is still within walking distance even though it's a bit further AND they don't charge for parking, which I'll have to factor in to the extra cost if we move to RPR.

And of course the biggest problem is that even though we've stayed at pop century before and liked it, I'm afraid that's going to be a really big let down going there right after staying at RPR lol......

 

[pcstang]

Yeah I thought it was high too! But I wanted to have something booked you know?

right now when I look at aph rate for RPR on thurs nov 3rd it is 189. But it still says that promo code is not valid for fri the 4th and sat 5th.

Right now we fly in Thursday evening to Orlando Sanford and then are getting a rental car and driving in. We likely won't get to the hotel until 9 o'clock at night that night. We plan to go straight to bed to be up early to go to the parks Friday morning. We were going to concentrate solely on Harry Potter on Friday since we won't have express pass (unless we move of course) and because the wizarding world is the main reason we are coming.

Then on Saturday morning we check out of holiday inn and drive across the street to check in at RPR. I had planned to be there by 7 am so we could get our expresses passes made and take advantage of early entry. We will be in the parks all day Saturday and staying at RPR that night (where we get an extra hour of sleep thanks to the time change!).

Then sunday morning we will check out, throw our luggage in the car or with front desk and go to the parks with our express pass until we feel done. Once we are done with universal, we pick up our rental car from RPR and drive the 20 minutes over to pop century to check in. Then we are spending Monday at epcot/Hollywood studios (got a super cheap one day hopper from a school fundraiser) then we have tickets to the MVMCP on Tuesday night and plan to get there as soon as we can get in at 4 pm and stay until midnight. Then Wednesday morning we get up and just drive to the airport for a 3 o'clock flight in the afternoon.

So we'll have 3 days total of park days at universal, 2 of which will have express pass and early entry. I feel like switching hotels will be a pain even though they are right next to each other so I really would rather just stay at RPR the whole time. But the holiday inn was only 100 a night, is still within walking distance even though it's a bit further AND they don't charge for parking, which I'll have to factor in to the extra cost if we move to RPR.

And of course the biggest problem is that even though we've stayed at pop century before and liked it, I'm afraid that's going to be a really big let down going there right after staying at RPR lol......

switching hotels is no big deal. I'm doing it in October. Sapphire Falls for a few days and then over to RPR.

 

[ruthies12]

Yeah I don't think it will be a real big deal to move and will be worth moving to get the express passes for all four of us of two whole days. Still would be nice to stay at the nicer hotel though. My biggest issue at the moment is hoping that they release the rates while I'm home to book. I leave next Friday to go to Destin for 8 nights and we are staying at a nature preserve campground that has no internet and very spotty phone service. do they usually book up right away when they release rates?

 

[PoohBears#1fan]

Still checking every day for our dates - 1st - 4th September. No AP rates yet. I'm still hoping they'll magically appear!

 

[tinydancer09]

Yeah I thought it was high too! But I wanted to have something booked you know?

right now when I look at aph rate for RPR on thurs nov 3rd it is 189. But it still says that promo code is not valid for fri the 4th and sat 5th.

Right now we fly in Thursday evening to Orlando Sanford and then are getting a rental car and driving in. We likely won't get to the hotel until 9 o'clock at night that night. We plan to go straight to bed to be up early to go to the parks Friday morning. We were going to concentrate solely on Harry Potter on Friday since we won't have express pass (unless we move of course) and because the wizarding world is the main reason we are coming.

Then on Saturday morning we check out of holiday inn and drive across the street to check in at RPR. I had planned to be there by 7 am so we could get our expresses passes made and take advantage of early entry. We will be in the parks all day Saturday and staying at RPR that night (where we get an extra hour of sleep thanks to the time change!).

Then sunday morning we will check out, throw our luggage in the car or with front desk and go to the parks with our express pass until we feel done. Once we are done with universal, we pick up our rental car from RPR and drive the 20 minutes over to pop century to check in. Then we are spending Monday at epcot/Hollywood studios (got a super cheap one day hopper from a school fundraiser) then we have tickets to the MVMCP on Tuesday night and plan to get there as soon as we can get in at 4 pm and stay until midnight. Then Wednesday morning we get up and just drive to the airport for a 3 o'clock flight in the afternoon.

So we'll have 3 days total of park days at universal, 2 of which will have express pass and early entry. I feel like switching hotels will be a pain even though they are right next to each other so I really would rather just stay at RPR the whole time. But the holiday inn was only 100 a night, is still within walking distance even though it's a bit further AND they don't charge for parking, which I'll have to factor in to the extra cost if we move to RPR.

And of course the biggest problem is that even though we've stayed at pop century before and liked it, I'm afraid that's going to be a really big let down going there right after staying at RPR lol......

GOTCHA! Well, I will keep checking your dates (when I remember) along with mine and let you know if/when I see them. I work in my home office all day and when I'm on the phone with a talker I check rates.. HA. Multi tasking.

If anyone else would like me to add dates to my check list let me know
I'm currently seeking
September late weekend dates (hhn) for a friend
September for robs. @RAPstar
October 8/9-11/12 me
November 3-5 for @ruthies12
November 15-18 for myself and @georgina
November 19-26 for @dizneefamily5
November ~19th- 1 dayer for @kittylady1972

Anything else? Maybe September 1-4 for @PoohBears#1fan ?

Just needed to make that list so I can reference it later.

 

[dizneefamily5]

We are looking for Nov 19-26. We are new to Universal as well. We are DVC members but bought UO annual passes in June so we thought it would be fun to stay on site for Thanksgiving.

 

[tinydancer09]

We are looking for Nov 19-26. We are new to Universal as well. We are DVC members but bought UO annual passes in June so we thought it would be fun to stay on site for Thanksgiving.

If you haven't already I would go ahead and book. Since you have an extended stay the SMSM rate is probably going to be just as if not better than the APH rate. If you go ahead and book at the SMSM rate and the APH ends up better they will rebook/adjust to the lower price.

Also, while early in the week it may not make much difference I think late in the week it will! You will more than likely be VERY please you stay on site. That is assuming you're going to stay at one of the top 3 that offer unlimited express pass.

 

[dizneefamily5]

We were thinking Cabana Bay because there are 5 of us and we like the family suites. Should we choose one of the other resorts?

 

[macraven]

We are looking for Nov 19-26. We are new to Universal as well. We are DVC members but bought UO annual passes in June so we thought it would be fun to stay on site for Thanksgiving.

a 7 night stay with the SMSM discount could be up to 35% off the nightly room rates.

i have that rate for a stay in october but the %age of smsm discount depends on the dates you are booked.

 

[tinydancer09]

We were thinking Cabana Bay because there are 5 of us and we like the family suites. Should we choose one of the other resorts?

That's personal choice. At Cabana Bay you will not get included unlimited express pass. With one of the higher hotels (RPR, HRH, PBH) you will get unlimited express pass included with your stay for the duration of your vacation. As I said the early part of the week will probably be tame, especially compared to disney wait times.(Have you ever seen peter pan under 50 minute wait?!) However, the later part of the week will probably be fairly busy. I personally am spoiled and nearly refuse to go without unlimited express pass
It's like having a fast pass+ for (almost) every ride whenever you care to ride however many times you care to ride. Harry Potter and Kong are the exceptions to this. They do not accept EP.

Since you will have an extended stay it's not a matter of if you'll get everything done without it. You easily will! It's just a matter of if you care to bypass the majority of the wait.

Also, HRH and RPR are within walking distance (10 minutes... maybe?) of the parks and city walk. PBH takes maybe 5-10 more. Those three plus sapphire are all connected to city walk by water taxi so no waiting for a bus like at CB. You can also walk from CB but I hear it's a nice 25 minute stroll. It is not connected by boat. I think one of our fellow veterans on here earlier said the walk from where the bus drops you off at the front of city walk to the parks is further than the distance from the parks to the upper hotels. That speaks volumes to me. When I go to universal I'm all about convenience though and I usually only stay three days.

All personal preference. I know plenty of people who love Cabana Bay and stay there religiously! They don't mind the lack of express pass or the added walk/bussing time.

 

[kittylady1972]

We are looking for Nov 19-26. We are new to Universal as well. We are DVC members but bought UO annual passes in June so we thought it would be fun to stay on site for Thanksgiving.

This is us also...well I have one AP for Universal and we were thinking of just adding ONE day at the beginning of our Thanksgiving Week trip...mostly to ride Hulk since we missed it. I was thinking of booking a room at RPR if possible for that one night before we check into our DVC resort for the rest of the week with family.

 

[tinydancer09]

Still checking every day for our dates - 1st - 4th September. No AP rates yet. I'm still hoping they'll magically appear!

Not sure what rate you're booking at, but I'm showing $240 for the most basic room at RPR. I will keep an eye out for APH rates for you too.

Nothing on the others yet. I'll check daily and report in when I get a hit on something

 

[macraven]

tinyD, you should make a thread for your september calendar.....
you'll get a lot more requests with your offer of help as others wil be able to find it quickly.

 

[tinydancer09]

tinyD, you should make a thread for your september calendar.....
you'll get a lot more requests with your offer of help as others wil be able to find it quickly.

I've thought about starting another one of these so that the top post would still be able to be updated. However, I'd hate to make a thread and make too many promises as I don't mind helping people out, but I'd hate to take on too much of an obligation. At that point I might as well call myself a travel agent and charge a fee! lol (Typed and forgot to post this earlier)

 

[PoohBears#1fan]

Not sure what rate you're booking at, but I'm showing $240 for the most basic room at RPR. I will keep an eye out for APH rates for you too.

Nothing on the others yet. I'll check daily and report in when I get a hit on something

Thank you! We've booked a 2 queen room in club at HRH and so far have the SMSM rate...

Sep 1 $397.60
Sep 2 - Sep 3 $415.60