Newbie here with LOTS of questions...

[01Sweetpea]

My Dh, kids (11 & 8), and I are were planning to head back to WDW for our 10/12 - 10/17 trip (we were just there 2/27 - 3/6), but are now thinking to skip Disney and do Universal. So I need LOTS of help.

1. Hotels - are there discounts available like there are at Disney, and is there a website to find them?

2. Hotels - we stayed at POR and loved it. Are there resorts like this at Universal?

3. Tickets - best place to get the best price?

4. ANY and ALL information is greatly appreciated. If we were going back to Disney, I could probably plan the trip in my sleep, but we think we would like to try something new, and I'd really like to do DC.

Thanks for all your help... I'm sure I'll havelots more questions!!!

 

[01Sweetpea]

I have AAA and the Entertainment Card, and Disney Visa (but guess that won't help me on this trip!!)

 

[damo]

There are three on site hotels. You can get great deals on the www.loewshotels.com website. You can use the codes FAN for fan club discount, AAA for their discount, and APH for annual pass discounts. You should also check out www.uescape.com to find out about the types of tickets and passes you can get. They are CHEAP!!! If you call the hotels reservation line you can also ask for entertainment discounts. I have found these to usually be the best discount.

Read through this board to get tons of info.

 

[RyGuy]

The main discounts on Universal hotels are AAA, fan club (FAN), annual pass (APH), Florida resident (FLO), and entertainment book. You can check for the availability of these disounts on universalorlando.com or loewshotels.com. Just type the three letter code in the promotional code box.

POR is a large resort with many different buildings. All of the universal hotels consist of one main building. The cheapest is Royal Pacific followed by Hardrock then Portofino. They are all great!

I don't know much about Universal tickets because I am an annual passholder but you can check their website or AAA for discounts.

 

[shpedly]

Bear in mind, you can go ahead and make a reservation for your dates, and keep an eye on the discounts. They pop up occasionally. You can always amend your reservation to the cheaper rate. People have been getting ent rates for fall, hopefully they're not all gone yet. Call 1800BEASTAR and ask if they have ent rates for your dates, take what you can get now, and amend later if you find it cheaper.

 

[webray]

If you are used to POR..then you will love the Universal resorts..as they are all as nice, if not nicer than Disney Deluxe resorts for around 1/2 the price. Also, staying at a Universal resort Portofino Bay, Hard Rock Hotel or Royal Pacific Resort...you get front of the line access with your room key. Make sure and list everyone in your party on your reservation..because everyone must have a room key to get front of the line access.

Universal always has discounts/specials going on..so check often.

As far as passes...check that often also. Our local burger king and wendy's always have some type of discount. The uescape.com website has all the specials listed. Also, check your local AAA office...you usually can even save a few more $$$ on passes there.

Enjoy!