Universal Orlando: Is On-site worth the $$$ in May?

My daughter and I are spending May 11-18 at Disney%26#39;s Yacht Club. Now I%26#39;m thinking about staying a few extra nights in Orlando to take advantage of my free Universal ticket, I%26#39;ll buy one for my daughter. We were at Universal Orlando in September and it was really not crowded at all. How is it in mid-May?

I%26#39;m trying to decide whether or not to book a Universal resort for the proximity and the front of the line perk. Will we need FOTL in May?

Also, we%26#39;ve never stayed at Portofino Bay ($292/nt). Is it really worth $80 more per night than Royal Pacific ($212/nt)? My daughter has stayed at the Hard Rock and wants to try a different one.

Lastly, if you chose an off-site hotel for Universal which would it be. I%26#39;m pretty cheap and flexible but my daughter can be picky. She%26#39;s had a hard year with school and I want to make this trip really nice for her without breaking the bank! ($292 is a bit much for me!) The only thing I%26#39;ve found so far is the Crowne Plaza which is the same price as the Royal Pacific. If we stay off site we%26#39;d like a nice pool w/a pool bar and easy access by foot to International Drive.

Thanks,

Jennifer

Universal Orlando: Is On-site worth the $$$ in May?

BEACH CLUB, we%26#39;re staying at the Beach Club. I should not try to type and listen to Scott%26#39;s day at the same time! I have no idea where Yacht Club came from.

J

Universal Orlando: Is On-site worth the $$$ in May?

Hello Jennifer,

The Yacht and Beach Club is at the same location, they are connected, perhaps that is why you said Yacht Club. May isn%26#39;t considered peak period however it will be a bit more crowded than your September visit. Personally I don%26#39;t think the Portofino is worth the extra $80.00 a night and would go with the Royal Pacific for the savings. My favorite Universal hotel is the Hard Rock. I%26#39;ve never stayed off-site so I can%26#39;t help you there.

I know I have looked into the Royal Pacific and it makes sense for us but we would have 4 to a room getting the front of the line pass.

Not sure on just two of you.

That being said, you are magical with finding a good resort cheap. I am sure you can find something great without staying onsite.

Jennifer,

I really don%26#39;t think you%26#39;ll need those room key Express Passes in mid May, especially if you go to the parks on weekdays. I doubt the local schools kids will be out that early, and worst case, you may find some local ';field trips'; going on, but that%26#39;s probably all.

I like Doubletree in general. How close is the Doubletree up at Universal to Idrive? Seems you have to go down Kirkman, and underneath I4.

That would be a good pick if close enough for you. Is Kirkman RD safe to walk down?

Hi Jennifer

I don麓t think it was worth it.

It was very good with the express fast pass , but You are pretty good to find a bargain for the other hotels, and if You know when and where You will go there buy the express fast pass from the universal web site for the dates You want.

That would be a bargain.

I would think it would be better to find a nice hotel in the area where You pay half price of what You get at the universal.

Good Luck with it what ever You do !

Mutter

Personally, I like staying on property at Universal and Disney. I do not think the extra price for Portofino is worth it. (If you have AAA, call and ask what is available--both Disney and Universal give discounts). You can always ';visit'; Portofino via boat for spa services, dinner, etc. I%26#39;ve stayed at both and I do prefer Portofino; but, only when affordable! But, these are all personal preferences! Enjoy your trip!!

Thanks!

So far Lowes (and Universal Orlando) aren%26#39;t listing AAA rates and they%26#39;re not showing up on Hotwire. Those are the cheapest on-site rates I can find. It%26#39;s still early I guess.

I was thinking about on-site because of City Walk. It would be nice to just walk home after dinner in the evening. We will have a car though.

I%26#39;m just not at all familiar with the hotels in this area. I%26#39;m going to look at the Doubletree.

Jennifer

I had the same issue with AAA rates for the dates I was looking at. Call the reservation number and ask. For some reason they don%26#39;t show up online but you can get them through the toll-free number. The only discount codes I%26#39;ve found that work online are FLO for Florida residents and APH for annual pass holders. They both get a pretty good discount (much better than AAA), but you need to get the middle season pass to get the APH discount.

procrastinate:

Thanks for the heads up on the annual pass. If I buy one for my daughter ($135 more than a 7 day ticket) I can save $170 per night on the Hard Rock! That%26#39;s around $375 total savings. This is something I%26#39;m going to consider.

Thanks again!

Jennifer