staying on disney property vs universal property

DH's father has decided he'd like to do a large family vacation. After bouncing around many destinations Disney was suggested.

However my idea of doing Disney and theirs are a bit different. They are talking about staying at universals hard rock and also doing the universal parks. I've only been to universal once many moons ago. While I'd like to do the universal parks this trip in addition to Disney it still seems like we get more perks and convenience staying on Disney property.

So am I wrong, right or just blinded by Disney?:mickey:

Oh and I've already tried suggesting staying at both resorts but FIL is convinced it will be a hassle to move mid vacation.

So will you be staying at Universal but still going to Disney on certain days?

I am with you, I would do it the other way around staying at Disney and take day trips to Universal, or do a multi destination trip. I also think you get more staying at Disney.

Which hotel is cheaper to stay at Universal or Disney?

We are doing 8 days at Disney and 3 days at Universal this trip. This is our first time staying on site at Universal though, in the past we would just day trip if we went.

We'll likely do 4 days in Disney parks and 2 at universal.

Honestly it really turned me off when I saw that the hard rock will charge me a daily parking fee and don't provide complimentary air port pick up.

The hard rock rates Appear comparable to a moderate Disney hotel.

.....having only stayed ad Disney ....and then doing off-site days to Universal ....I'm curious to know if Universal has "perks" for those that stay at their hotel?

.....as much as I have enjoyed several of the attractions at Universal (the Revenge of The Mummy Ride is fabulous ....and the Harry Potter "park" is great ...but pricey) .....I just don't see it as a place that lends itself to providing the same experience to those who stay "on-site" at WDW.

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Originally Posted by JerseyDad

.....having only stayed ad Disney ....and then doing off-site days to Universal ....I'm curious to know if Universal has "perks" for those that stay at their hotel?

.....as much as I have enjoyed several of the attractions at Universal (the Revenge of The Mummy Ride is fabulous ....and the Harry Potter "park" is great ...but pricey) .....I just don't see it as a place that lends itself to providing the same experience to those who stay "on-site" at WDW.

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Universal hotel perks (from the Universal Orlando website)

Stay in the Heart of the Excitement at ANY of our On-site Hotels, including our newest hotel scheduled to open in 2014, Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort, and enjoy:

•SKIP THE REGULAR LINES with Universal Express SM Unlimited ride access* in both theme parks all day - a FREE benefit worth up to $89 per person, per day** (valid theme park admission required).

•Take the complimentary water taxis along picturesque waterways directly to both theme parks and Universal CityWalk ®.

•Priority seating at select restaurants throughout the resort


•Enjoy Early Park Admission† to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ at Universal's Islands of Adventure® one hour before the theme park opens (valid theme park admission required). This is your opportunity to experience some of our most popular attractions before nearly all other guests. Plus, July 1 - September 2, 2013, you can also enjoy Early Park Admission to the NEW TRANSFORMERS: The Ride - 3D and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem at Universal Studios Florida®.

•Complimentary shuttle busses to and from both theme parks and CityWalk®, plus walking paths to make getting around the resort fast and easy so you can make the most of your time

•Complimentary delivery of merchandise purchased throughout the resort to your hotel

•Resort-wide charging privileges with your room key card

•Complimentary scheduled transportation◊ to nearby Wet ‘n Wild® water park, SeaWorld®, and Aquatica™

•Golf Universal Orlando® program, providing preferred tee times and complimentary transportation‡ to select area golf courses:

◦Windermere Country Club

◦Grand Cypress Golf Club

•Start your day with a wake-up call from one of your favorite Universal Orlando characters

(*Paid theme park admission required. Not valid at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™ and other select attractions. On-site hotel privileges good for hotel stay as indicated on the Universal Express Unlimited pass. Only valid for the number of guests staying in the room. Ride access available during normal theme park operating hours only. Not valid for separately ticketed special events. Additional restrictions may apply and benefits are subject to change without notice.

**Based on seasonal peak pricing for the Universal ExpressSM Unlimited pass

†Paid theme park admission required. Early Park Admission begins one (1) hour prior to Universal’s Islands of Adventure regular scheduled park opening for on-site hotel guests and is valid 7 days a week for travel through 12/31/14; valid only at select Islands of Adventure attractions: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™, Flight of the Hippogriff™, Dragon Challenge™ and Caro-Seuss-el™. Early Park Admission begins (1) hour prior to Universal Studios Florida regular scheduled park opening for on-site guests and is valid 7 days a week for travel 7/1-9/2/13; valid only at select Universal Studios Florida attractions: TRANSFORMERS: The Ride - 3D, and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. Attractions may vary.)

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Originally Posted by Dulcee

We'll likely do 4 days in Disney parks and 2 at universal.

Honestly it really turned me off when I saw that the hard rock will charge me a daily parking fee and don't provide complimentary air port pick up.

The hard rock rates Appear comparable to a moderate Disney hotel.

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While the rates may be like a moderate Disney hotel, the hotels have the amenities of the WDW deluxes. Comcast/NBC Universal does not run their hotels; the are managed by Loews Hotels.

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Originally Posted by Hammer

July 1 - September 2, 2013, you can also enjoy Early Park Admission to the NEW TRANSFORMERS: The Ride - 3D and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem at Universal Studios Florida®.

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Thanks for the info, we are staying onsite in Aug, I knew you got in early for WWoHP, not sure how I missed this!

Just my opinion after doing it both ways many times...I prefer staying at Universal.

All three of their hotels are deluxe in my opinion and are nicer than the Disney deluxe. We have stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge & the Poly.

Transportation is not needed to get from your hotel to any of the parks or City Walk. The walks are short and easy. Also transportation is not needed to get from park to park. All of that transportation back and forth at Disney eats up so much time that is wasted and could have been used on attractions.

Staying at a Universal Hotel gives you unlimited front of the line access to all the rides in both parks except for HP FJ.

You can enter IOA everyday an hour before opening to ride FJ.

We switched to staying at Universal instead of Disney about 8 years and feel we get much more for our money.

We stayed at Coronado last Oct for ICOT 15. It was a nice hotel but nothing in comparison to Universal Hotels.

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Originally Posted by Dulcee

We'll likely do 4 days in Disney parks and 2 at universal.

Honestly it really turned me off when I saw that the hard rock will charge me a daily parking fee and don't provide complimentary air port pick up.

The hard rock rates Appear comparable to a moderate Disney hotel.

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Disney gives you transportation so you wont rent a car and explore the other attractions in Orlando. Which is a good business move on their part, but not too many hotels do that. I agree with you on the parking fee,,,,that stinks.

What really caught my eye was your price comparision. I think you will find that all three Universal Hotel are deluxe not moderate.

for me id stay at WDW. I spend most time there. a few trips I went to Universal for a day, which was sufficient for me. Those times I used either a rental car or Mears shuttle which worked fine. The prices of the Universal resorts seem high also. I like the theming at WDW, esp WL.

If I could swing it money wise, I would put up with the minimal (in my opinion) hassle of moving over just for the front of the line access and early WWoHP entry alone. For me, this is a very budget conscious trip so we are staying entirely at WDW and driving to Universal for two days (probably more like 1 1/2).

FWIW, budget aside, if I were to choose only one to be my "home base", it would be WDW.

I'd do the split stay, and take advantage of what both have to offer.
Can't you do this even though the others won't?

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but unless you have actually stayed on site in a Universal hotel and are only used to the way it is done at Disney, it is hard to realize how much more enjoyable your stay is. No traveling to the parks...no traveling to eat at a restaurant, and no traveling back to your room to swim or sleep.

We visit the parks three days each stay and never run out of things to do.

I'm going to keep fighting for a split stay. While my in laws are a few hours in the parks then back to the pool kind of travelers DH and I really like getting going early, breaking mid day then back out most of the evening.

Staying onsite for both resorts seems to make the most sense to me.

NJGIRL do you prefer one universal resort above the others?

That's a hard question because all three are so nice, but I favor the Hard Rock. I can't tell you exactly why. It might be because it was the first one we stayed in or because it is the closet to the Studio, which is the park I enjoy more.

Make your decision by looking at the map of the entire resort. Royal Pacific is the closest to IOA. Also take a look at the theming and pricing. You can't go wrong with any of them.

We enjoy the Universal theme parks as much as Disneys. I think if you can stop your self from expecting Universal to mirror Disney, which it doesn't even try to, you will be able to enjoy Universal as much as we do.

I wouldn't say that Universal resorts are priced like moderates - holy cow! They're priced like deluxe resorts at WDW. They're nice, but the rooms are small. And they nickle and dime you to death at Universal. They charge for parking, charge for internet access, charge for health club access, charge for an empty arcade card to load with money; they charge extra for EVERY LITTLE THING. We hated that. The last time we did Universal, we did ONE night only there, to get FOTL access to Harry Potter. The rest of our vacation we spent at a DVC resort at Disney. We had very little interest in the rides/attractions at Universal other than WWoHP, because we're not teenagers and don't like roller coasters and "thrill" rides. Epcot is much more our speed. I would do a split stay if I were you, with as little time at the Universal resort as possible.

We just returned from our first ever stay at a Universal hotel (Portofino).
The good:
It was a beautiful hotel.
The cost of the room itself was not as much as what we normally pay at the Poly.
The hotels (and Portofino was the farthest away) are all located much closer to the parks. The boats ran efficiently and got us there quickly.
The Express Pass was great!
The room itself was very clean and pretty.

The "not as good":
Everything does seem to cost more as others have mentioned - parking fees, food, drinks. The places to eat were CRAZY expensive!
In our case, there was LOTS of construction going on. Tarps were up for painting in several places.
Our room, while very pretty, had really odd windows. They started about "chest high" and went up from there. So, my son really could not see out! And they don't open - they were fixed position. All of the rooms (on the top floor anyway) had varying window layouts. We just happened to get that one. Strange!
Probably the biggest thing I noticed was the energy - if that makes sense. When we stay at the Poly, there are always lots of people milling about in the lobby. Pool area has lots of families. It just has a more active feel. At the Portofino, it just seemed "colder". We ate at one of the restaurants at the hotel. At 5:30, we were the ABSOLUTELY ONLY ONES in the restaurant!! It was so strange. Everything just echoed! Can you imagine that at the Poly? Or any of the Disney restaurants actually? And, we did the "movie by the pool" one night. There were perhaps 3 families. They start at 8:00 (when it's still semi-light and hard to see), so that the movie will be done by 10 when the pool closes up tight. I'm used to the Poly movies, where there are lots of folks watching, lots of playing in the pool, pauses for the Water Pageant and Wishes. Just so different.

That is just my 2 cents... but, I still lean Disney's way.

Portofino is a more low key resort. I see more couples and families with older children there. That is one of the things I like about Universal, there does seem to be less commotion in their resorts, which I find more relaxing.

Movie nights at the Royal Pacific & Hard Rock have always been packed when we have been there. I like that a waiter comes around the beach to take food and drink orders.

I do not find the food prices at the hotels to be any higher than at Disney Resorts, if you compare apples to apples. Disney's signature restaurants are just as pricey as Universals. Breakfast buffets aren't anymore expensive either.

We've never done Universal, so I'll be really interested in hearing how your trip goes! A split stay seems to make the most sense, but if you stay at only one place then Disney makes sense if you're spending more of your time there.

The Hotels are close. It is all about feel and what you enjoy. Neither property is "cheap" but the Hard Rock or PB is definitely quieter than most of the properties at DW.

The food is much better on Disney property simply because of the greater variety and more opportunity for successes.

Downtown Disney has a better vibe than City Walk for sure.

The "Studios" as they have both dramatically changed since inception. Are really on par, and if you are talking about sheer attraction/ride appeal Universal Studios probably wins by a hair for anyone over the age of 10 and can enjoy all of the rides at US.

Rip Ride Rocket and The Mummy are two of the better attractions in all of Orlando

Now IOA is a bit of a tougher comparison. It is fairly spread out and it seems like youre just going from ride to ride. One headliner every quarter mile in a big circle.

Hulk/Spiderman/Jurassic Park/Forbidden Journey and the old Dueling Dragons...the end. There are no really enjoyable non E-ticket attractions. The two water rides there besides Jurassic Park are fun, but you get COMPLETELY drenched on both, unlike Splash which seems to be the perfect amount depending on the time of year.

If Harry Potter World continues it's expansion and adds another E-ticket it will definitely make it still worth attending.

With the proposed Cars and Star Wars expansion at Studios hopefully DW can keep up.

I don't either party is "wrong". Since you all have different ideas about what the better parks are you could stay off property. You could rent a big house or a few small condos near each other. That is what we plan to do for our family reunion. That way each person can decide what ticket packages to purchase.

You could decide on a few key events to do together and what to do on your own.

On our last two vacations we visited Universal parks in addition to our Disney vacation. Last time we stayed at the Royal Pacific for the front-of-line and early entry perks and LOVED the hotel. We were so impressed with its beauty and pools, and the service was top-notch. If the Hard Rock is the same quality, you won't be disappointed staying there.

We were pleasantly surprised the first time we visited Universal parks. We felt the theming and service was on par with Disney. However, we did almost everything we wanted to in one day at both Universal parks. If you're staying onsite, you could easily do everything in two days.

Also, as you're paying for parking at the Hard Rock per day, you'll also have to pay for parking when you visit Disney parks. That will cost you $18 per night at the Hard Rock and $15 per day at Disney. If you split your vacation and stay at a Disney hotel for Disney park days, you won't have to pay for hotel parking or Disney theme park parking either. If you stay at the Hard Rock the whole time, added up, parking fees may tack on over a hundred dollars to your vacation.

Glad to hear you enjoyed Royal Pacific so much Aurora, that is where we are staying on our Universal portion of our trip in a couple of weeks.

We have spent days at Universal on past trips but have never stayed on site. Really looking forward to it.

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Originally Posted by mgmnut

Glad to hear you enjoyed Royal Pacific so much Aurora, that is where we are staying on our Universal portion of our trip in a couple of weeks.

We have spent days at Universal on past trips but have never stayed on site. Really looking forward to it.

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You will love it. It was easily one of the nicest hotels we've ever stayed at! Don't miss the pool -- it's gorgeous, with beach chairs in the sand and palm trees, poolside bar, so relaxing!

The restaurants are great too, and it's a leisurely walk to IOA.

I haven't stayed at universal so won't comment on the hotels. However, I did price the rooms plus the extra charges for a 3 night 4 day stay. Just to give a little perspective, staying at WDW I would be getting 2 rooms at a mod (so DD and fiance could have a little privacy and for 2 bathrooms). At universal I looked at getting 2 rooms, way to costly, then 1 bedroom with sofa sleeper, then 1 room with 2 bedrooms. While I don't have the figures in front of me I do remember noting that with all the extra charges I could stay in a dulex at WDW or spend a week at a mod at WDW. The prices at universal only look better if you don't pay for parking, also if you want to park hop at universal that isn't included in the tickets that come with the room so that is another charge. So after all this I looked at staying offsite near universal, still have to pay to park at their theme parks or be at the mercy of hotel shuttles. Just another consideration you have to pay to park at the hotels near universal. After considering my options decided to just stay at WDW and drive to universal.
Back to OP's question if you can afford it and it will keep peace in the family do the universal as I am sure they are very nice hotels. Maybe you could make a deal to stay at WDW next trip.

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Originally Posted by Mrs Bus Driver

I haven't stayed at universal so won't comment on the hotels. However, I did price the rooms plus the extra charges for a 3 night 4 day stay. Just to give a little perspective, staying at WDW I would be getting 2 rooms at a mod (so DD and fiance could have a little privacy and for 2 bathrooms). At universal I looked at getting 2 rooms, way to costly, then 1 bedroom with sofa sleeper, then 1 room with 2 bedrooms. While I don't have the figures in front of me I do remember noting that with all the extra charges I could stay in a dulex at WDW or spend a week at a mod at WDW. The prices at universal only look better if you don't pay for parking, also if you want to park hop at universal that isn't included in the tickets that come with the room so that is another charge. So after all this I looked at staying offsite near universal, still have to pay to park at their theme parks or be at the mercy of hotel shuttles. Just another consideration you have to pay to park at the hotels near universal. After considering my options decided to just stay at WDW and drive to universal.
Back to OP's question if you can afford it and it will keep peace in the family do the universal as I am sure they are very nice hotels. Maybe you could make a deal to stay at WDW next trip.

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You can sometimes get a AAA rate on the room, and Loews offers discounts on some dates and packages as well (usually with a three-night stay). Check out the Mousesavers.com website for details on Universal hotel discounts.

You are better off staying on Disney property and using a shuttle or car service or renting a car to drive to Universal. Universal hotels charge for parking your car while you are a guest at their hotel. Something about that rubs me the wrong way, especially when Disney provides complimentary bus service from the airport and delivers your bags to your room for you. That's just my opinion.

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Originally Posted by Mrs Bus Driver

I haven't stayed at universal so won't comment on the hotels. However, I did price the rooms plus the extra charges for a 3 night 4 day stay. Just to give a little perspective, staying at WDW I would be getting 2 rooms at a mod (so DD and fiance could have a little privacy and for 2 bathrooms). At universal I looked at getting 2 rooms, way to costly, then 1 bedroom with sofa sleeper, then 1 room with 2 bedrooms. While I don't have the figures in front of me I do remember noting that with all the extra charges I could stay in a dulex at WDW or spend a week at a mod at WDW. The prices at universal only look better if you don't pay for parking, also if you want to park hop at universal that isn't included in the tickets that come with the room so that is another charge. So after all this I looked at staying offsite near universal, still have to pay to park at their theme parks or be at the mercy of hotel shuttles. Just another consideration you have to pay to park at the hotels near universal. After considering my options decided to just stay at WDW and drive to universal.
Back to OP's question if you can afford it and it will keep peace in the family do the universal as I am sure they are very nice hotels. Maybe you could make a deal to stay at WDW next trip.

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Park Hopping is not included when staying at Disney Hotels either. You have to pay extra for that also.

What people who have not stayed on Universal property are missing is that all three of Universal Hotels are deluxe not moderate. So if you want to compare Disney prices to Universal prices you must look at the Poly & Grand to be looking at apples to apples. Anything else is not an accurate comparision.

Also, FOTL access all day long is a huge perk as is not having to take transportation to get to a park. That alone saves you at least an hour to two hours everyday if you park hop.

The only thing that does bother me at Universal is paying for parking, but we travel a lot and most of the better hotels charge for parking.

For people who are bothered by the parking charge.....here is what we do.....we don't get our rental car until we are checking out of the hotel.....while at Universal you do not need a car at all....everything is a very easy and short walk. We never pay for parking and the hotels have a Hertz counter right in their lobbies. Plus other rental car companies will pick you up from the Universal Hotels and bring you to their cars.

Your right I should have said in my post that I always included parkhopping in the cost of a Disney trip. Also I should have mentioned that in 2014 Universal will have a value/moderate. So once again I will be pricing a vacation there. You are also right that Universal hotels are not the only ones to charge for parking, years ago when I took my first trip to WDW I did a comparison onsite vs offsite the little extras like parking costs got me to try staying onsite. I have also looked into renting a villa or condo offsite for a large group if I were taking 7 or 8 that would be a way to go. 3/4 bedrooms 2/3 bathrooms a full kitchen and usually a pool. However DD feels differently she has always stayed onsite and really enjoys it. So now I have decided to go with DVC which will keep everyone in my group happy and help keep costs reasonable, at least for me. I know everyone has their opinions about DVC. And I will say to OP do what makes since to you and yours. What will make you happy, and relax its a vacation :mickey:

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Originally Posted by NJGIRL

Also, FOTL access all day long is a huge perk as is not having to take transportation to get to a park. That alone saves you at least an hour to two hours everyday if you park hop.

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This is true, and if you're staying at Disney and plan to purchase a FOTL pass at Universal, that is a big additional cost per person. Plus, if you're buying the pass, you only get one FOTL privilege for each attraction that offers it, as opposed to unlimited FOTL privileges if you stay at a Univeral hotel. So yet another thing to consider.

IMHO, if you're planning to visit Universal and Disney, split stays are the most cost-effective!

We have stayed at both Disney and Universal and although we thought the Universal was very nice my husband and I both agreed it's missing the Disney Magic:mickey:

I actually think we got a pretty good deal for our package at Royal Pacific, it didn't really break the bank to add it on to the end of our trip. There are 4 of us and each got 2 day passes, no hopper. We kept it basic, a standard room, no special views. FOTL access was the key factor! As others have said, if you stay offsite you have to buy express pass with only 1 FOTL access each ride, or buy the VIP pass which gives offsite guests unlimited access at a heafty cost. We did VIP 2 years ago, but considering how busy it was and wait times we avoided, still glad I did.

I think we will enjoy the convienience of visiting and staying onsite, being within walking distance of the parks. We have done the drive back and forth before, getting a rental mid week for a couple of days. At the end of the day you still have to drive. This way we either just walk or hop on the shuttle boat.

We are avoiding parking fees by using Quicksilver Towncar Service to go from Disney to Universal, and then Universal to MCO a few days later. Using DME to OKW on arrival.
Between the cost of a rental car and daily parking, Towncar Service is still cheaper.