Onsite in September

[Alli1988]

My husband and I have two kids - 7yo and 3yo and we do one 7-14 day Disney vacation each year. We are NOT Star Wars fans and with the opening moving up are thinking it's a great time to try Universal this year, along with Sea World again and maybe another place or two.

Historically at Disney we have NOT valued staying at nicer resorts - we always end up back at value resorts standard rooms. We are looking at Universal options and the main motivation for the Universal Resorts are the Express Passes at the top tier resorts.

My question is - for a mid-September trip is an express pass really that needed? My 3yo can't ride the bigger stuff, my 7yo won't want to ride it, and my husband is 6'4" 280lb husband might not fit some of them. I am willing to single rider line (we will if my husband can fit anyway).

I do like the idea of walking on or nearly walking on rides, but I've also read that the ride lines are nice anyway. I'm concerned about travel time (we never stay offsite at Disney because driving and parking scares me) but feel like maybe Universal won't be the grand scale Disney is..? Also, we have yet to successfully take a mid-day break at Disney for kid naps, so being close for that isn't necessary.

I've found where we can stay at Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Suites - Waterpark for $59 a night. Should I try this route or just stay onsite and get the express passes?

BTW - we HATE moving rooms - so onsite for a few days then offsite is NOT an option.

 

[Sue M]

I’d stay on site. You can come and go as you please and not be stuck with the limited off site shuttles. There are some very affordable value resorts at Universal. Check out the new endless summer resorts. Also Cabana Bay is a low cost hotel too. Also Aventura.
When we go during the hot months we always leave the parks for an afternoon pool break to cool down and get out of the heat. And Sept is hot!

 

[bobbie68]

Hi I agree with Sue M I would stay on site. We always do and have enjoyed it very much. We have stayed at the value resort Cabana Bay and love it there. Now there is early entry but no express pass. If you wanted to stay at one with the express pass without an AP Royal Pacific is usually a little cheaper. You would get the express pass there.

The resorts are pretty close to the parks (unlike Disney) and it is very doable to go back for a break if you want too. We do and enjoy it a lot.

The transportation for on site guests is great. You have the bus for the value resorts. ( this bus system blows Disney away) or the three deluxe have a boat to the parks. You go through security either before loading the boat or at city walk after the bus. It is really nice not to have to worry about parking and paying to stay off site.

As far as express pass it probably is not needed at that time of year. It sounds like your family might not use it that much. You could do without it. However, we are a family who loves the express pass and the freedom it gives us, so we always would get it no matter when. It really is a personal choice.

Good luck!

 

[iluvet58]

I would stay onsite. We always stay PB but fell in love with Sapphire Falls last trip. They have some affordable rooms but no express pass. Don’t think you’ll really need it the time you are going.
Also, just an aside, my husband is also 6’4”and 280. He fit on every ride fine.

 

[macraven]

If you stayed onsite, you could do the extra hour entry for the designated park

Not crowded that first hour which is a good thing

Hhn will be open on select days and weekends will have an increase of crowds

Don’t wait until August to book your hotel stay
Some hotels could fill up, especially for the weekends

 

[nkereina]

We always stay onsite with EP, no matter the time of year. Nothing beats being able to wake up when you want (no alarm!), leisurely stroll over to the park, and ride whatever you want in whatever order you want. It really makes for a relaxing and enjoyable experience overall.

How many park days will you have? Financially, it makes sense to consider an annual pass if doing longer than 3 park days. One of the perks of an annual pass is AP room rates which can provide significant savings. I would think they'd be offered in mid-September, but with HHN starting earlier, its hard to say. But these rates can make the deluxe resorts much more affordable, and sometimes it even makes sense to buy the AP when you don't really need one, just for the resort savings. In that case, only one of the adults would need the AP and it can be the basic one.

 

[Wild4Walt]

If it were me, I'd stay onsite. I love the location of RPH but it does run deluxe pricing. I haven't tried Cabana Bay yet but it's lower cost and still on UO property with transportation. I also like that CityWalk is attached to the UO area ( no extra buses if you're walking from RPH or the parks ).

We were just there this past September ( September 9th ) and no express passes were needed. I think our longest wait was for the Despicable Me ride which was about 15 minutes.

If you do find that you want to look for something offsite that may be a bit lower than staying onsite - I recommend Doubletree Guest Suites as they are across the street from UO and say you can walk across the street to the properties.