Universal Resort Benefits
Why stay at a Universal Studios Resort?
Universal Studios has 8 resorts onsite in 4 different categories. You can find a resort for every budget and family size. The premier hotels are; Loews Portofino Bay, Hard Rock Resort & Loews Royal Pacific. All three of these resort are within walking distance to the theme parks, Hard Rock being the closest. The premier resorts have my favorite benefit for those wanting to hit all the attractions; Unlimited Express Pass. This will help you skip the regular lines to most of the rides, almost all the Harry Potter ones are included too! Hagrids is the only one currently not offering any express pass. All of the premier resorts offer a variety of suites. Like at the Hard Rock you can stay in a future rockstar suite or at Portofino Bay you can stay in a Minion themed suite, so cool! Are you a Jurassic Park fan? Then Royal Pacific is for you! I love the variety of rooms here for all tastes and sizes!
There is currently one preferred resort; Loews Sapphire Falls. This resort does have a walking path, but being a little further away also offers a water taxi & shuttle bus. Although no Unlimited Express is included with this resort read on to find out the benefits to all the resorts!
The ever popular prime value resorts are; Universal’s Cabana Bay & Universal’s Aventura Resort. These two resorts also offer a walking path, but since it is a bit longer of a walk than the other resorts they also offer a shuttle bus. Cabana Bay does offer family suites and has some pretty fun onsite amenities. One of the best features, I think, is their pool area. They have a lazy river! Nothing beats relaxing after a long day in the parks like some nice pool time. Cabana Bay also has a bowling alley! Which is pretty cool if you have a day off from the parks you will also have plenty to do at this resort.
The last category is the value resorts; Universal’s Endless Summer resort, Surfside Inn & Suites, and last but not least Dockside Inn and suites. All three of these resorts will offer a standard room but do have family suites sleeping larger groups up to 6 people. What is really cool about these suites is they can have a kitchenette! This is a great way to help save some money by buying some groceries for your room.
The one big difference with the resort benefits is the premier resorts will get unlimited express pass to a majority of the rides at both theme parks. This is something you can purchase per day, and depending on the time of year, it can really add up. Making a premier resort a bit more worth it, if you’re looking to do a lot of rides! If a premier resort is not within your budget don’t worry, staying at a preferred or prime value or even value does have some nice perks. One of the best perks if you’re a Harry Potter fan is early morning access! The park will be open one hour prior to official park opening for you to explore with Wizarding World of Harry Potter! This is a huge perk for those wanting to be a wizard and go purchase their first wand. The Wizarding World gets pretty busy throughout the day having some time to take pictures and do the rides makes for a great day! With getting into the Wizarding World early you can get your magical wand and do magic throughout the land, ride Hagrids or Escape from Gignotts with little wait. Once you have had your fill of butterbeer, for the time being of course, you will be free do head to a different section of the park and be treated to lower crowds as the majority of people who arrive will go to the Harry Potter section.
What I love about visiting Universal is once you’re there you don’t have to worry about driving or parking. No matter your resort they offer free continuous transportation, included in your stay to the two theme parks and the one water park. Some resorts as mentioned above have a walking path, and others offer a shuttle or a boat. It is so relaxing to not have to worry about the parking garage or getting a taxi or ride share, they have taken care of you.
When you’re walking through the parks and your child sees that must have souvenir and you don’t want to have to get a locker for it and carry it around all day, no worries Universal has you covered there too. You can not only charge things to your room with your room card but they will also deliver your merchandise back to your hotel! Making your life just a little easier!
Have you ever stayed at a Universal resort? What was your favorite benefit?
