My first trip to Orlando was for a 3 day weekend and I only had day passes to Universal Studios and Island’s of Adventure. I ended up staying in a nice hotel that was about 5 minutes from the gates to Universal. Not bad. But at that point, I didn’t know what I was missing!
On my next trip I decided to stay on property and there is no going back. I will always stay on property from now on. Yes, it was that great! There are so many perks to staying on property that we felt like you needed to see them for yourself.
Here are your options for staying on property:
Really Really Nice: (aka deluxe with all the perks)
Really Nice:
Still Super Nice & Great Bargain:
Brand Spanking New Bargain:
Universal’s Endless Summer Resort Surfside Inn and Suites – opens July 2019, this hotel is brand new this year and offers extra affordable rates.
Not only that but they are all themed and decorated accordingly. The Cabana Bay Beach Resort has an amazing retro theme. The Loews Sapphire Falls Resort has a tropical paradise theme. Loews Royal Pacific is described asa South Seas escape filled with tropical wonders, exotic food and carefree fun. Find out more about each hotel and all of your options here.
The Loews Portofino Bay has an Italian theme, specifically, it was inspired by Portofino, Italy. This is the hotel that I stayed at and I can’t recommend it enough.
One of the biggest perks to staying on property is that you get an Unlimited Express Pass as part of your stay. Unfortunately, it is only complimentary if you are staying at Portofino Bay, Hard Rock Hotel, or Royal Pacific Resort. If you stay at one of the other hotels (or not on
Without a doubt, my favorite perk was the water taxi that took me to and from the park. Not only do you get to skip the security lines at the park entrance but you get a nice easy ride to and from the park. You will still be checked before boarding the water taxi but for someone who suffers from
That just isn’t an option unless you are staying on property. I was able to go into the parks for a few hours in the morning then head back to the hotel via a water taxi. I hung out by the pool, had a few drinks at the Thirsty Fish and just relaxed in the great atmosphere. It was awesome to be able to take
If you stay on property you get the advantage of early admission to Wizarding World of Harry Potter an hour before the parks open. Look for my post later in the week for why we didn’t really consider this a perk and I’m a HUGE Potter nerd so it’s not for lack of enthusiasm! This is nice because the Express Passes do not work on any Wizarding World rides and they generally tend to be some of the busiest with the longest lines.
These are not your typical hotels and the dining is not your typical hotel dining. Of course, the Loews Portofino Bay has a lot of Italian options. On my first day, I tried Sal’s Italian Deli and I wholeheartedly recommend the prosciutto onion pizza. You are welcome. I had drinks and appetizers at the Thirsty Fish while sitting outside with a pretty Florida sunset as my view. On a day at the
So it goes without saying that if you are at Universal you are going to be bringing home some Harry Potter wands, a Duff beer mug and tons more fun stuff. The nice thing about staying on property is that all of your purchases can be delivered to your room. So you don’t have to worry about lugging your wizarding house sweater through the park. And that’s just awesome.
I didn’t really take advantage of this perk but it’s worth mentioning. I found that I didn’t need reservations at any restaurant. But if you are staying at a deluxe Universal Orlando hotel all you need to do is flash your room key to the host or hostess. Some restaurants refer to this as priority seating; at others, it is essentially, first available seating. Each place has slightly different policies and procedures but whatever it’s called you will get seated before the masses.
