First time at Universal-Which Hotel?

SwanVT2

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jun 19, 2010
Crossing our fingers a vaccine will become available in the spring and we would like to bring DD, who will be 9 at the time, to Universal after school gets out. Cabana looks really fun, but I have read that the beds are uncomfortable and I am concerned about the noise level. Sapphire looks nice, but kind of themeless/bland. We have 7 day passes we purchased years back, but we don't have the express pass option, and I do know it is only at deluxe hotels that you get this. Is it worth the extra cost for a deluxe hotel? We could spread out visit to parks and afternoon at pools with a 7 day pass and maybe just stay mid range or value? However, we would like to go to Disney, too for a few nights. Thank you for any tips!
 
Royal Pacific is a gorgeous resort, and the walk over to the parks is only about 7 minutes.
The advantage of Universal Express Unlimited at the Premiere properties is huge. I didn't wait for anything except Hagrid's when I was there earlier this month.
I have also stayed at Cabana Bay and thought it was fine, but the Express Pass would make the other hotels more worth it for me.
 


We love the EP hotels and will only stay at them. Staying "on property " at UO is not like staying on property at WDW. If you aren't going to stay at an EP, then there's plenty of other really nice options very close to UO with shuttles. We really like the Drury Inn. Free shuttle, no parking fee, no resort fee, free breakfast and "dinner" with happy hour. Rates are cheaper or the same as UO values.
 
It's an impossible call. Everyone has their own favourites. If I have a choice, I will always stay at the Portofino. It is my favourite of any of the UO and WDW hotels.

My second choice would be Royal Pacific.
 
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And I'll chime with a good word for Cabana Bay, which is our confirmed home away from home at UO. Everyone is different, but I've never found the beds to be uncomfortable (well, no more uncomfortable than any hotel bed) and the only time in MANY trips that we've been bothered by the noise is when we were in first floor room by the pool. I usually ask for an upper floor, but one time we chose an early check-in versus location. If noise concerns you, steer away from a volcano view room.

If you are a Disney person, please know that the buses at UO are VERY different than Disney. At CB there is almost always a bus at the stop, waiting to take you to the park. At park close, there are 2-3 buses waiting to load to get you back to your hotel. Also, assuming that Sapphire Falls has reopened, you can always take that boat and then cross the street to CB.

Some of CB's pros - Walking distance to Volcano Bay (literally right next door); has a lazy river plus two pools (assuming that things are back to normal by your trip); very nice food court (good quality, easy to grab and go back to your room if you want to); lots of family suites, which give you more room, a kitchenette (microwave/frig) and separate sitting area with a TV

Usually, if you are going to be at UO for a longer period of time and/or are traveling at a lower crowd time, EPs aren't quite as necessary. Of course, it is impossible to know what crowd levels will looks like next year with pent up demand.
 


We’re at Universal for the first time right now and staying at Royal Pacific. Great hotel.
With Express pass we rode all the rides, while taking a 3 hour break mid day, in 2 days and still have 2 days left in the parks.

We didn’t even need early entry when we went to IOA.
 
The nice thing about unlimited EP is if your DD really loves a particular ride, you can go again and again and again with low to no wait times.
Also, you will be spoiled by this and find it hard to go away from the premier hotels on future visits!
We will only stay at Hard Rock or Royal Pacific because of this.
 
We’re at Universal for the first time right now and staying at Royal Pacific. Great hotel.
With Express pass we rode all the rides, while taking a 3 hour break mid day, in 2 days and still have 2 days left in the parks.

We didn’t even need early entry when we went to IOA.
So maybe we just stay 3 nights a deluxe hotel and hit all the rides with ease..and get pool time it sounds like
 
We bought ours in June, I do think there are deals out right now.
 
How long is your overall trip if you have a 7 day Universal pass and want to do a few days at Disney?

IMO, deluxe hotels are worth it not only for the express pass but also for the location. Being able to easily/quickly walk or take the free water taxi is a great perk. They are all beautiful, unique resorts. You could always do a split stay between a deluxe hotel and a lesser hotel, but I think that depends on how many days you plan to spend at Universal since you'll be going to Disney too. If you do a Universal split stay, Express Passes will be valid all day on your check-in day AND your check-out day.

One thing we like about having express passes for the duration is that there is no pressure. We don't set an alarm, we sleep in, we get to the park when we get there knowing we will have minimal waits (except for Hagrid's). We can tour the park in any order we want, and not have to rush back to the headliners. With 7 park days, I agree you'd have plenty of time to get everything done without EPs, but that doesn't necessarily mean you want to spend that time waiting in long lines. In addition to the social distancing aspect, some queues are also in the sun/rain.
 

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