RPH Room Rates? Am I Seeing This Right???

[gardenrooms]

I am thinking (but not so much now - I can't believe the rates!) of staying at the RPH in July (unfortunately, I can't control the dates). I tentatively set up a package but when I ran the numbers the hotel was going to be about $800 per night per room - just a 2Q standard view room!!! So based on some other threads here, I tried to see what the cost would be booking directly with the hotel - but apparently for all the Loews properties at Orlando all bookings are made through Universal, confirmed by the Loews reservation system for non-Orlando hotels, so I would not really be booking with the hotel. Anyway, even there the cost is $775/night (starts at $689 then you add in taxes). Yikes.

I realize if I take out the cost of Express Passes if I purchased them separately, the hotel basically costs nothing, but still a very hard pill to swallow ($240 day for express Passes -whew! I think the first time I bought them they were $35!). I am going to keep an eye out for any possible AP rates though my reservationist said they are unlikely in July. Any other thoughts? I'm ancient so not comfortable playing around with unfamiliar vendors/apps/web sites.

I think my family (who refuse to consider Genie/LL at WDW) is going to have to learn to live without EP!

 

[iona]

What dates are you looking at? Prices for the on-site hotels have been going up but that is surprisingly high!

 

[gardenrooms]

Arrive 7/9, leave 7/12.

 

[gardenrooms]

lol I did confirm from old emails that back in 2012 I paid $32 for Express Pass. Wow! I think it was 1 time per ride but still...

 

[Magical2017]

Yes, the rates have really increased. In 2021, we paid an APH rate in the mid two hundreds at PB. Then for January 2023 we found mid week at HR for mid three hundreds/weekends mid four hundreds. With EPs, that is still a great deal, imo. However, the $700-800 rates I am seeing for 2023 are definitely putting me off. We were thinking about doing a Labor Day weekend trip.

I am not sure if I can get June OI meetup tickets. If we did get those, we could book a hotel offsite and just go during the evening meetup dates. I have never been to a meetup and understand it can be very difficult to get tickets. I am in the FB group and have been wanting to try a meetup--looks fun!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Keep an eye out for a single day AP rate, especially midweek, and at any EP hotel. One of the biggest benefits for an AP rate is that it doesn't matter how many days you are there to get the deeper discount, so a single night isn't so crazy expensive. As opposed to the Savvy Traveler rate where the biggest discounts are for longer stays.

 

[gardenrooms]

Thanks.

 

[shh]

Then for January 2023 we found mid week at HR for mid three hundreds/weekends mid four hundreds. With EPs, that is still a great deal, imo.

For families, definitely. For a single or couple, not so much anymore.

 

[gardenrooms]

I just find it hard to convince myself these are $800 hotel rooms, EP or no. I wish maybe they could let me choose to have EP on just some days and modify the price for the non-EP days. I know I could accomplish that by moving from say SF to RPH, but we're already moving from Universal to AKL then to BCV.

 

[greg9x]

Yeah....kicking around summer trip... Had RPH for $212/night back in 2019. Definitely not paying $6-800/night, so guess will just keep kicking around somewhere else.

 

[musika]

I booked 11 months out and got PB for $360/nt and thought that was atrocious. Now I'm thanking my lucky stars given current pricing!

 

[Lynne G]

I booked Royal at 235 a night for two weeks at end of September, 11 months too.

Seems book when you see a great rate, then can cancel if you see a better one. Room only is fully cancelled up to 5 days before check in. I stalk the rates, as got my end of January into beginning of this month, like 3 weeks before. Grabbed an AP rate of 225 at Hard Rock for the week. Literally, after I booked that rate, it immediately bumped up to 400 a night.

Last year, I tried and tried to get lower rate at Royal, but never did that summer, when I usually book for the fall. Ended up with a stay more rate, with three nights at even lower AP rate. But tried and tried and could not get AP rate while stay, but any other combination, did not get me lower.

I know Spring is break time for many, plus Easter in there, then the there are the summer crowds, like in June to the muddle of August. Rates tend to be high. Late summer, like last week of August, tends to be much cheaper, as many kids back to school, and it’s hotter that ever that time of year.

I feel ya, hard to want to stay when 800 for a basic 2 bed room. But as any, the even one time express is high priced during busy time, like Spring thru late Summer, then around the Winter holidays.

 

[tony67]

Yeah - you have to check pretty much every day - maybe even multiple times a day.

As the PP said there were some great rates 11 months out for HHN time - and I regret not booking.

Even after you have gotten a good AP rate - keep checking - for whatever reason my AP rate for the same exact same room dropped 30 dollars a night for mid week - basically 180 to 150 at Aventura - that one is a head scratcher to me - but now I just keep checking.

400-450 seems to be the going rate for the hotels with express pass in March/April with AP when you are lucky enough to find a room - and they come and go constantly so you have top keep checking

 

[Mom2Anna&Elsa]

You honestly need to book the premier resorts at UO a minimum of 12 months ahead of your trip to get them in that 200-300/nt range on their "Savvy Traveler" rates for bookings over 5 nights. Otherwise, they're asking (and getting) $700-$800 a night now.

Revenge travel is happening and they are capitalizing on it.

I booked our June 2023 trip to RPR for $395/nt back in January 2022. No way I could get that rate at this point.

For what it's worth, we've had an AP since June 2022 and I haven't been able to take advantage of AP discounts at the resorts on our trips. I frequently see discounts for the non-premier resorts but seldom the premier resorts during busy travel times.

 

[jdrum3]

Keep an eye out for a single day AP rate, especially midweek, and at any EP hotel. One of the biggest benefits for an AP rate is that it doesn't matter how many days you are there to get the deeper discount, so a single night isn't so crazy expensive. As opposed to the Savvy Traveler rate where the biggest discounts are for longer stays.

Definitely this
I just booked a RPR Jurassic Suite for $550 for a night next week. Cancellation window is a gamble for sure, but this far out, I would just keep checking back weekly for AP rates.

 

[Dawn Peterson]

Definitely this
I just booked a RPR Jurassic Suite for $550 for a night next week. Cancellation window is a gamble for sure, but this far out, I would just keep checking back weekly for AP rates.

I also booked that suite for the 1 night at that price and then let it go because I could get 3 nights at PB Club for $514 a night and we love that hotel. All within the past 2-3 weeks, so checking daily is a good strategy. I booked a savvy traveler rate for Columbus Day week at Adventura but I will look for AP rates as well.

 

[saskdw]

I booked a room for 14 nights for December 2023 in Nov 2022.

Water view King room for $299/night.

Those rates are long gone for those dates now. Pre pandemic you could usually get those rates 4-5 months out, but not anymore.

 

[kevtlas]

Even with a military discount we payed $700 per night. But like OP said, after I figure in the cost of the EP for the four of us, we still came out ahead than staying somewhere for less and buying EP.

 

[BethanyMouse]

We looked a few weeks ago for a few nights in August. We stayed years ago and the prices have drastically increased. I went back and reviewed my emails and we had paid around 330 a night. Now it is over 700. That prices me completely out. We decided to bypass universal altogether at those prices.

 

[glocon]

Just got HRH for $302/night mid September!
Garden view APH rate.
So excited- it’s been 4 years since we’ve been to UO.