Will anyone stay on site any longer?

Dave B

Well-Known Member
$600 per night savings x 7 nights is enough of a savings for me. That premium is not worth it to my family for location, theming and transportation. Plus universal has that same great atmosphere that wdw hotels have, and some would argue better. When you then add that you get free express pass, it really tips it in favor of staying there over Disney.
I am not sure $600 a night cheaper is accurate, You can find deluxe hotels at Disney in the $400-$500 range
 

Jeff4272

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I am not sure $600 a night cheaper is accurate, You can find deluxe hotels at Disney in the $400-$500 range
I know that there are other options for less of a difference. Read Tom brickers article he just published on Hard Rock. That’s $300 per night. Contemporary is $900
 

aliceismad

Well-Known Member
But that is what I am saying, I just stayed at Contemporary in June at it was like $400/night not $900
I rented points for Bay Lake Tower in 2019, and it was like $320 a night or something. I'm sure "post" covid demand has pushed prices up for normal room rates. It'll be interesting to see what discounts come out compared with past years. Actually I think it might've been even cheaper, because I recall it being not much more than our POFQ nights.
 
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JohnD

Well-Known Member
Staying off-site for the 50th at Marriot Springhill Suites Flamingo Crossing. Didn't see the benefits of staying on-site. 30 minutes in the morning? Not enough time. I don't have the money for the Deluxe to get evening access. Off-site I don't have to pay for parking at the hotel and I get a free breakfast. Sure, I have to drive to the parks but I'm an AP holder so don't have to pay for parking there unless I want "preferred."

Finally, I did a spot check between where I'm staying vs. All Stars (yes All Stars). Approx $800 for 6 nights off-site vs. $1,200 at All Stars.
 

Dave B

Well-Known Member
I’m not saying you are lying. I’m just saying June 2022 cheapest is $745 per night.
I here you, but you are comparing next year and they have not released discounts yet except for in the UK, if you are comparing Rack Rates, I get it, but I think Universal Rooms are more expensive without a deal in place
 

Bastet

Active Member
Yes, I will continue to stay on site mainly for the transportation. I'm from the UK and am not confident enough to drive in the US. I did a split stay with Universal in 2019 but truth is I just prefer Disney.
I am annoyed that ME has ended, but it seems that some UK holiday companies - virgin and tui - are now offering transfers as an option to car hire.
 

Muffinpants

Well-Known Member
Find that hard to believe. The cheapest room in June 2022 is $745 per night.
Regardless, there are deluxe accomodations that are cheaper. Doing akl Jambo and rented points costing 230$ a night. Just booked dolphin at 310 a night after taxes and fees for jun 2022. Back in 2015 we did contemporary for 400$ a night I think it was the 30% off deal at the time. I don't think many if anyone is booking deluxe for 900 a night for a studio. And if they are than money is no issue.
 

brifraz

Marching along...
Premium Member
To the discussion of the 'actual' rates at the two hotels (@Jeff4272 and @Dave B ).... If I was to decide randomly today to head to either Contemporary or Hard Rock for this Monday night and I was 'joe average' would do a quick google search. On Hotels.com and reflected on a number of other general travel sites - Hard Rock Universal non-refundable, two queen beds - $432 total. Meanwhile, Contemporary for the same night on the same site also non-refundable with two queen beds - $396 total. Once you have more nights and/or include weekends, the price at Disney does increase a bit. For a week starting Monday, Hard Rock is $2177 total and Contemporary is $2919 total (mainly because Disney charges more of a premium on weekends).

As to value, that's a whole different discussion. And I totally understand (and, for the most part agree with) Tom Bricker's article. But, as with any of these discussions, we often are comparing things in a bit of a vacuum. Real world application is a bit different. $600 per night difference might be the published rates, but actual rates are certainly much closer with Contemporary only coming in at about $750 more expensive for a week.
 

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
$600 per night savings x 7 nights is enough of a savings for me. That premium is not worth it to my family for location, theming and transportation. Plus universal has that same great atmosphere that wdw hotels have, and some would argue better. When you then add that you get free express pass, it really tips it in favor of staying there over Disney.
Well thats fine. Everyones financial situation, tolerance, limitations and acceptance differs. Youve got your line you wont cross and Ive got mine which is different. Neither of us is wrong. We each do what we will do.
 

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
For me, Universal really isn't a substitute for WDW as it's the atmosphere and theming of Disney that I enjoy more so than theme parks in general. It's such a long trip for me that I either go all in and stay at a Disney hotel or go somewhere else. I'm also not a fan of approaching a theme park vacation as some kind of boot camp where everything has to be planned and calculated, and you need to be out of bed at the crack of dawn to really get the most out of it. So, at present, I'm not really interested in going back as it's too expensive and too much work. On both of those fronts, things seem to be getting worse rather than better.

If I'm honest, they also haven't opened anything in the past few years I'm really itching to see. Last time I went was after Pandora opened, but that was just coincidence as even with that I had no burning desire to step into the world of Avatar.
 

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