You may have visited the Universal Orlando Resort. You may have even stayed on property. But did you know there are three levels of resort hotels at Universal, Orlando, and they all come with their own levels of perks?
When you stay at the signature resorts, you get the most perks – and the most value for your vacation dollars!
To begin, let’s look at the various levels of Universal Resorts:
Signature Collection: Universal Helios Grand Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, and Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort
Prime Value Hotels: Universal Aventura Hotel, Universal Terra Luna Resort, Universal Stella Nova Resort
Value Inns & Suites: Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Universal Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn & Suites, Universal Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn & Suites
Perks of Staying at Universal Resorts
Let’s take a look at the perks when you stay at ANY Universal Orlando resort.
1.Early entrance to the parks for your entire visit:
When you stay at ANY Universal Orlando hotel, you are granted access to the parks an hour before anyone else. This means you have a chance to ride some of the heavy hitter attractions early in the day to save yourself valuable time later. Plus, you can pick up your park tickets in your hotel lobby when you check-in, meaning you are ready to hit the parks first thing in the morning to make the most of your time!
2. Room charging privileges/package delivery:
When you stay at any Universal Orlando hotel, you have the privilege of charging to your room, which means you don’t have to worry about carrying cash in the parks or digging out credit cards. You can also have any purchases made in the parks sent back to your resort, so you don’t have to carry things around in the parks. Universal requests a 24-hour turnaround for package delivery, so make sure your packages will have ample time to make it back to your resort.
3. Complimentary Universal transportation:
Universal offers complimentary buses and water taxis to all three parks and City Walk. This means you never have to worry about parking (or parking fees), once you check into your hotel. And if you choose to fly in, you don’t need to worry about renting a car. Your travel agent can also arrange round-trip transportation from the MCO airport, making your trip smooth and seamless.
So you get a lot no matter what level of hotel you choose to stay in, right? But now, let’s talk about a HUGE perk of staying at a premier-level hotel! In my opinion, it’s the only way to visit!
Perks of Premier Resorts
FREE UNIVERSAL EXPRESS PASSES UNLIMITED
When you stay in one of these three Signature Collection Hotels, unlimited express passes are included for your ENTIRE visit – Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, and the Hard Rock Hotel.
If you’re not familiar with express passes, there are two levels available for purchase at Universal.
- Express passes allow you to skip the lines on each attraction in the park once per day.
- Unlimited express passes (which are what you get when staying at a one of the above hotels) allow you to skip the lines on most attractions as many times as you want! This means you don’t have to wait in any of the standby lines at the participating attractions and you can make the most of your time in the parks.
You might be asking yourself “Is the hotel upgrade really worth it, when I could just buy express passes for each day of my visit, and stay in a cheaper hotel?”
Well…let’s talk. Express pass unlimited can cost on average $150 – $200 per person, per day. Sometimes it even costs more than that. The price for express passes goes up based on demand, meaning if you buy them closer to your trip, they are going to cost even more.
So, to have them included for free is DEFINITELY worth the upgrade. You could end up saving yourself money, and a HUGE amount of time that you would have spent in attraction lines.
It is important to note that right now, express pass unlimited is not included for Epic Universe with any of the hotels and that must be booked separately.
All of us at Love of the Magic Vacations can’t wait to help you plan your next Universal Orlando vacation. And when you book, we will help you get the most value for your money by helping you select the right resort for your family.
Pin this for your next Universal Studios Vacation.
