Orlando vacation planning is so much fun. I do tend to call it my ‘Disney’ vacation, and an enormous amount of time does go towards planning the Disney part of the vacation, but all in all, it is an Orlando vacation. 22 days trip (this time), of which 11 are to be spent at Disney. My basic Disney planning is done (number of nights, resorts, restaurants and special events). Now it’s time to tackle the remaining 11 days of our trip.
So, Universal Studios is a must for us. We’re crazy about everything Harry Potter, and as a whole, we really loved Universal Studios Resort last time we stayed. We also made a conscious decision that this time we want to end our trip at Universal, based on our last trip experience.
Our last stay was for 4 nights at Hard Rock Hotel club level. That was the first time we stayed on site at Universal. It was outstanding.
Hard Rock Hotel is an amazing hotel, and their club level is wow. This type of set up really worked for us. You get a nice breakfast spread, water and soft drinks as much as you want. In the afternoon, you’re served afternoon tea with assortment of hot and cold snacks, beer, wine etc., and in the evening, a night snack is up for grabs (they have amazing cookies, especially the white choc. Cookies 😉 ).
Staying on site, at Universal Studios Resort, has its advantages too. Depending on the on-site hotel you choose to stay at, you will enjoy different perks.
Hard Rock Hotel and Portofino Bay Hotel are the top end hotels (the Premier). Royal Pacific and Sapphire Falls are the Preferred hotels. And Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort and Universal’s Aventura Hotel are the Prime Value range for Universal.
Staying at all on-site hotels you will enjoy:
- Early park admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Universal’s Volcano Bay one hour before park opening;
- Complimentary transportation to the parks and City Walk;
- Resort-wide charging privileges with the room key;
- Complimentary delivery of merchandise bought throughout the Resort to the hotel (very useful);
- Complimentary club-to-club access to select Universal CityWalk venues for the length of the stay. Just show the room key to get into the clubs.
When staying at the Premier hotels (Hard Rock and Portofino Bay), and also when staying at Royal Pacific Resort, you get two extra perks, that to me, are the bomb:
- Free Universal Express Unlimited; and
- Priority seating at select restaurants throughout the Resort.
When going during school holidays, or any time the park is crowded, having the Unlimited Express pass is worth its weight in gold. If buying the pass separately, it will cost you, as of today, 89$ per day per person.
I can tell you that we took full advantage of our Unlimited Express pass. We did go during a slow season, but even on the weekend, when the park was full, our longest wait for a ride was less than 10 minutes, and that was on the really packed rides.
So, if you ask me, staying on site at one of the hotels/resorts that reward you with the express pass, is truly worth it. And that is the reason we decided to return to Hard Rock Hotel on our upcoming trip. As I said, it’s a great hotel, you get all the special perks, and it’s within walking distance from all the parks and CityWalk.
You can enjoy the complimentary transportation from the hotel to the parks, but for us, we just enjoyed walking everywhere.
For those not interested in staying on-site, price-wise or otherwise, there are plenty of hotels in the vicinity to choose from.
How long do we stay?
Good question 🙂 . Are a couple of days enough for the two Theme Parks? Well, It can definitely be done in two days. Just how much you will actually fully enjoy it depends on time of year and just how busy the parks are when visiting.
I do recommend that, if possible, you take at least three days for the two parks. This allows you to do both of the parks fully and even get to visit your favourite rides and lands again. And if you have more time on your hands, well, stay longer, enjoy the hotel and resorts, take a day at Volcano Bay, Universal’s new water park, stroll through the Theme Parks, enjoy shopping and great dining at CityWalk, and just have a wonderful time.
For our upcoming trip we decided to take it easy at Universal. At first, I was looking at a 6 night stay, giving us 3-4 days spread out in the Theme Parks, a day at Volcano Bay and some free time.
After checking out the pricing, I found that an additional day at Hard Rock Hotel, club level, will cost us an extra 50$. Yes guys, 50$ for one more night, for a family of 5, including club level. Well, what would you do? I don’t think it’s hard to guess what we plan to do…🤑
Where to eat?
Universal Studios Resort has an array of worthwhile restaurants. At CityWalk you will find FishCow, Bubba Gump, Hard Rock Café, Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, Emeril’s, The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen and many more. There are great restaurants at the hotels and resorts, such as The Kitchen, The Palm, and Wine Riffs at Hard Rock, Mama Della’s Ristorante at Portofino Bay, Emeril’s Tchoup chop and more.
There are Character dining options , although the reviews aren’t great, and they seem not to justify their cost. Most, if not all characters attending the meals can be met at the parks.
Mythos at Islands of Adventure is a no-miss, for atmosphere as well as food quality.
There are plenty of dining possibilities in the parks too, most of them are quick service dining options, and most of them are themed according to their location. Leaky Cauldron or The Three Broomsticks at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Duff brewery and Moe’s Tavern, and Krusty Burger at The Simpson’s, The Circus McGurkus Café at Dr. Seuss and so so much more.
Our choice of dining for this time, considering breakfast is covered by club level, are:
- Emeril’s in Orlando (at CityWalk) –for a late lunch (dinner is slightly too expensive for my liking) – I just have to try the Banana cream pie.
- Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen – Freakshakes and chocolate, who needs anything else?
- Leaky Cauldron – we ate at the Three Broomsticks last trip, and this time it will be the Leaky Cauldron.
- Mythos – for the atmosphere and good food.
- Hard Rock Café – just cause we feel like it ☺️ .
- The CowFish – sushi and burgers, how can you go wrong?
This time, we’re going to take it easy. Revisit our favourite rides and lands (everything Harry Potter, for example). Enjoy CityWalk more. Enjoy the Hotel more, and as a general rule, just have a good time, not rushing ourselves.
I recommend that, if possible, you do that during your vacation too. People tend to take their time at Disney World resorts, but rush through Universal Studios. My advice is, when possible, give yourself time at Universal Studios too.
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