DisneyUniversal...Where to Stay?!
 

Hi,

I need some help planning and this board seems to be a good place to ask for it!

My husband and myself are planning to go to Disney the week of December 11th, we want to go to all the disney parks (but not Epcot) and the marketplace. We also plan on going to Universal, Islands of Adventure and Seaworld.

I was planning on staying at the Royal Pacific (universal hotel) and getting a taxi or something when we want to go to Disney...but then as I was lurking on other boards I saw that some people check out of their universal hotel and then go to a Disney property for the days they want to be there...If you do this, say you start off in a disney property, once you leave you lose that benefit disney has of taking your luggage back to the plane, correct?

What would you all suggest? I'm a huge donald fan, and I love to buy anything donald when I'm at disney (so I love how they bring your packages to your room) BUT we plan on spending more time at Universal and Seaworld.

If you think we should consider a seperate resort all together (neither disney nor universal) I'd like a place that is CLEAN and QUIET and UNDER $250 a night. When I say quiet I mean a room where you probably won't hear your neighbors next door (if you know what i mean). And it would be ideal if they have free transportation to all the parks...or at least Disney or Universal.

So any recommendations would be appreciated (even recommendations on the best clean, quiet disney hotel would be great)

We do not want to rent a car, so that's why we'll rely on our legs and hotel transportation to get where we're going.

Thanks for any advice you can give!

Amy

The Royal Pacific is wonderful and by stayibg there you will get express entryto all the attractions at Universal and Islands of adventure. They also offer a free shuttle to Sea World. During our last visit we split our stay between the Royal Pacific at Universal and the Dolphin at Disney. Go to www.disboards.com for loads of info. on both Disney and Universal.

Hi Amy,

Mileage may vary on this, but for me - I hate changing resort half way through my stay as it means I a) need to pack/unpack again b) I waste time between the resorts, checking in etc and c) it gives me another chance of getting beds/pillows/location/noise etc in a different hotel. I personally like to know that once I'm there, I'm there until I go home.

I think staying at Universal seems the best option, and the days you want to go to Disney you could use the Mears shuttle. A bus of about 11 people goes right to each park from your hotel, but you do need to reserve yourself on to a specific bus time - it's not too expensive. Their website is
http://www.mearstransportation.com but I couldn't get the prices easily. If you are interested then I would call or e-mail them with the specifics of your dates, and where you will be staying, to get times and prices.

I've always been happy with them.

Hope you enjoy your trip!
Rachel

I think it's about $12-$14 dollars per person round trip with Mears.

My family and I stayed at both Disney and Universal in July this year. We have done this trip many times and always find it beneficial to stay on property at both parks. At Disney we stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and absolultely love it. Great pool, great service and a little bit of peace and quiet surrounded by a beautiful safari park. How wonderful it is to walk outside and see giraffes and zebras every day.The lodge is a little out of the way, which is why we like it and there are buses running all day long to take you to all of the Disney properties at no cost to you.
We have also stayed at the Grand Floridian,great as it is on the monorail and it is a beautiful property but it is expensive. We like the Dolphin but I don't think you can have parcel delivery there as it is not a Disney property. The Yacht and Beach Club is also very nice but nothing tops the Lodge for us.

At Universal we have stayed at the Portofino and Royal Pacific. Portofino is spectacular, more upscale, larger rooms and great restarants. We had a terrible stay at the Royal Pacific and would not recommend it. Our room was not ready until 7pm even though we are Loews First members and they are supposed to guarantee your room for arrival. The room was the wrong catagory when we did get it and then the bellman never arrived with our luggage until we reminded him that they still had it. The room had a horrible stain on the wall that stayed there all week as did the dust bunnies in the corner of the bathroom. The club room was poorly stocked and the staff sat around the desk most of the time talking about their love lives. It was very unprofessional. And don't get me started on the pool area. It was dirty and there were empty cans of beer everywhere and plates of finished food piling up on tables. It seemed that they could not care less.My husband complained to the manager and we were compensated for one night but still, it was not a good experience. If you like quiet then the Royal Pacific is not for you. It is mainly a convention hotel and the place is often full of noisy people partying, especially around the pool.

I would highly recommend the Portofino, it is very romantic and worth every penny. The best thing about staying on property at Universal is the fact that you go to the front of the line at every ride. You can wiz around the parks very easily when you don't have to wait in line. My husband and daughters rode the rollercoasters 4 times in a row many times. This system really works.

I hope this helps and have a great trip.

I agree with staying on property in both Universal and Disney due to the added perks you get. I'd take advantage of Disney's pick up at the airport, but I think you'll lose the return to the airport portion if you leave Disney property. I'd stay at Disney first, then take a taxi and stay at Universal for the balance of your trip, and head to the airport from there. Mears works, and I used Tiffany Car Service which was good too.