Zefel

Hi, all

We're considering a first time trip to Universal (not Disney) and are wondering the pros and cons of staying at the Universal hotels vs the locals.

We were wondering if anyone has had experience with the hotel key vs the Uni Express ride system at the parks? Is it that much of a benefit to stay at the Uni resorts?

Any info or pointers welcome.

Thanks

KMB

GoTravel

Stay on property. I think with the express you can only use it once per ride.

It is so great staying on property. It is worth whatever extra the cost.

TOMZ

Stay on site. My family stayed at The Hard Rock and we had a great time. The access to the front of line at the parks was priceless.

AnnaR

Stay on property. We did,I agree the access to the front of the line was worth it. You can almost double your time there because you're not waiting in line.

MFNYC

The express ride is almost useless. You have to wait a certain amount of time between uses. The very popular rides have huge waits for the express, sometime several hours later in the day. We barely used it because we barely could. We were there Christmas week so it was very busy. The hotel key seemd much better.

We ended up going to the park at opening and hitting the popular rides first thing. We used the express maybe 1 time a day. We also took the singles line on occasion, and that also puts you in front of the line.

We chose the WOrld Center Marriott primarily because we got a good deal there, and did not plan on spending long days at the parks (maybe 3 hrs at most per day). If you plan on spending lots of time at Universal, I think staying in their hotels may be the way to go.

mikesmom

Stay on property. FOTL is the best perk ever. You will not be disappointed. All of the three Universal hotels are great - you can't make mistake.

schmerl

Nothing can beat staying on site at Universal. Just showing your room key and going right in the express entrance is the best perk ever. Also, The Hard Rock Hotel and the Royal Pacific Resort are a short walk from the parks. It is so convenient to go back and forth from the parks and City Walk to your hotel. We usually go to the parks when they open. Then enjoy the hotel pool in the afternoon and walk back to the parks for the evening. Go to www.disboards.com and scroll down to the Universal Discussion Forums.