sonoma15
Well-Known Member
Room rates have not been announced yet.
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Universal Epic Universe (South Expansion Complex) - Opens 2025
- Thread starter Bob Harlem
- Start date
Do you have any specific information? Is this personal speculation?
bwr827
Well-Known Member
They have not yet announced rates. People are just speculating.
Also: on a Universal forum, folks are pointing out that the Unlimited Express that comes with the top three hotels is based on an old contract with Loews and unlikely to involve Epic nor Helios.
If true, that’s a major loss of a Universal hotel perk.
It makes a lot of sense. Hotel Express pass predates the extensive selling of express passes. Sapphire doesn’t offer express passes. Volcano Bay doesn’t offer any hotel express passes.
The internal charge to add hotel express passes would probably be.$$$.
tissandtully
Well-Known Member
Not really the point, if the price tier for this hotel doesn't include UE it's not really worth choosing it over the ones that still do unless there's a really good perk the others don't have, which it seems like they are just thinking it's "location location location" with this one.
Don't worry about pool slides. Your Epic Universe park ticket will automatically* include access to Volcano Bay... for the extra price of a Volcano Bay add-on.
*and inseparably
*and inseparably
WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
And complimentary Cabana. Not free...but the attendants will compliment you.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
Oooh I’ll pack 3 Speedos then!
Exactly - how many more staff member's would it take to be able to run Helios-exclusive express pass for the up to 2000 guests staying there at one time? If they were worried about capacity, just make it useable once on each ride per day.
HairyLegPirate
Active Member
It's almost certainly not about staff or pricing - I'm sure Express will get added eventually as a benefit for Helios eventually. But for the first new major theme park in Orlando in 25+ years, I'm willing to bet Universal isn't going to have Express at all for the first few years of operation. They're going to be prioritizing guest experience to try and make sure they are sending their guests and critics home preaching about how great the park is and how it is the new gold standard for theme parks. Part of that means making sure the park is running as efficiently as possible, which is going to be a lot easier for a brand new park to figure out when each attraction has just one queue before adding the capacity variable that is Express. Beyond that, keeping all guests on relatively equal footing when it comes to how they experience the park, particularly in its early days, helps minimize the sort of "pay to play" negative press that surrounds much of the Disney experience these days.
An early park entry gives Helios guests enough of a benefit to make it feel like they're getting something for their money while not at nearly the same expense to the average park guest experience that Express would have.
WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
Exactly. With the resort having it's own park entrance, those guests will get into the park quicker and get to the attractions they want the most before anybody else gets in.
trr1
Well-Known Member
looks like a new tier system for hotels at Universal ( from the website)
signature collection
Portofino Bay, Hard Rock, Royal Pacific.Sapphire Falls, and Helio's Grand Hotel
Prime Value
Adventura, Stella Nova, Terra Luna
Value inns and suites
Cabana Bay, Endless Summer Resort - Surfside Inn and Suites, Endless Summer Resort - Dockside Inn and Suites
signature collection
Portofino Bay, Hard Rock, Royal Pacific.Sapphire Falls, and Helio's Grand Hotel
Prime Value
Adventura, Stella Nova, Terra Luna
Value inns and suites
Cabana Bay, Endless Summer Resort - Surfside Inn and Suites, Endless Summer Resort - Dockside Inn and Suites
rd805
Well-Known Member
It's not a "good enough" perk for me as of yet -- i'm really hoping there is something we are missing coming along! I REALLY want to stay here and with the expected $$ value, some exclusive perks seem necessary. Here's to hoping for being able to go to Epic as many days as the hotel stay is? MAYBE!? Let's go Uni, hook us up!
DarkMetroid567
Well-Known Member
No indication that this is the case, yet. It might just be the early entry that every Resort already gets, we just know EU will now be included.
ThemeParkTraveller
Well-Known Member
Overall, the interior of Helios feels a bit too stark and minimalist for my taste, especially for a themed deluxe hotel. I was hoping for more of a gold color scheme to better align with the sun theme. The only space that truly impressed me with its theming was Bar Helios, with its ceiling painted with constellations.
csmat99
Well-Known Member
Nothing specific but wouldn't make sense to offer that perk that they have had for years and years and is huge perk on why people book top end hotels.
Posted information on Universals site says Helios guests won't get Express.
A poster cited a Universal forum, FWIW, said contractually Universal agreed with Loews to offer hotel express to the first 3 hotels. Universal is not willing to offer it to other hotels; including Sapphire and Helios.
sedati
Well-Known Member
Looks like almost the entire budget went into the bars.
Aside from it's prominence, this hotel defies any attempt to hide its real-world scale.
In fact, Helios goes even further in the opposite direction. Look at the Grand Californian, Disneyland Hotel Paris, and Mira Costa. While not at proper theme park scale, they do at least mask this by scaling down the upper floors by using smaller windows.
Compare that to Helios where the windows actually start off small and get larger and larger as you climb.
Aside from it's prominence, this hotel defies any attempt to hide its real-world scale.
In fact, Helios goes even further in the opposite direction. Look at the Grand Californian, Disneyland Hotel Paris, and Mira Costa. While not at proper theme park scale, they do at least mask this by scaling down the upper floors by using smaller windows.
Compare that to Helios where the windows actually start off small and get larger and larger as you climb.
Who wants smaller windows?