Wake up beside the Wizarding World

🛏 Staying on-site at Universal Orlando

Make it easy on yourself, spend the night

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Today I’d like to take you to Universal Orlando to explore the eight extraordinary on-site hotels.

While Disney World is widely known for its on-site resorts, many people aren’t aware that Universal also has thousands of on-property hotel rooms with excellent guest perks.

I’m keeping it simple today, just sharing one great reason to stay on-site at Universal Orlando. But you should know that these hotels are truly world-class, at all budget levels, and definitely deserve consideration - for lots of reasons - when you plan your Orlando vacation.

🎢 If you want to dive straight into the deep end with a full exploration of the Universal Orlando hotels, I’ve got you covered. Just head over to my website to read my complete guide here, and catch Go Informed Podcast episode 56.

You can’t beat the convenience

My top reason for staying on-site at Universal Orlando is convenience.

When you stay on-site, you can play longer and start earlier, plus you skip the hassle of driving and parking.

Unlike the Disney World hotels (you did read last week’s newsletter, right?), many of Universal’s hotels are just a short walk from the park gates. Even the most distant hotels are a quick bus or boat ride away.

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Did you miss last week’s newsletter? Here’s a second chance 😉

Take a break in the Bubble

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With its enormously popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter, plus world-class thrills like the Jurassic World Velicoaster, Universal Orlando brings in the crowds. On-site hotel guests get the chance to beat the general public with early admission every day.

All of this adds up to a less hectic theme park experience.

Walk to the parks

Here’s Universal’s complete resort map. The scale is stylized, but the parks and hotels really are all in the same small neighborhood.

Universal’s Portofino Bay Resort, Hard Rock Hotel, and Royal Pacific Resort all have walking paths connecting directly to the Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios gates. If you want to skip the 15 minute walk, water taxis run frequently between the parks and these hotels.

The other on-site resorts are about a ten-minute bus ride from the gates. As the crow flies, all are within about a mile from the park entrances.

Want to take an afternoon break? It’s easy to hop back to the hotel, then return later. You can even take a nap without suffering major FOMO.

Get an extra hour in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Would you like to walk-on to Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure or the Velocicoaster with no wait? 🙋‍♀️ yes please!

You get Diagon Alley practically all to yourself during Universal Orlando’s early admission.

Guests at every Universal Orlando hotel get an hour early admission every single morning. This means stepping into an empty Hogsmeade Village, exploring every shop window with no crowd. And walking into empty queues for some of the most popular attractions in America.

Yep, you’ll have to get up early but you won’t be using that hour driving across town or finding parking. You’ll be already in the park doing what you came here to do.

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Want to really rock your early admission? Be sure to read my park-hacker tip here:

Rope drop double-up

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Free unlimited Express Pass!

One other thing that’s a HUGE convenience at Universal Orlando is the free Unlimited Express Pass offered for all guests at the Hard Rock Hotel, Portofino Bay, and Royal Pacific Resort.

Unlimited Express is a VIP pass that lets you skip the regular line on almost every Universal attraction, whenever you want, as many times as you want, all day long.

Skip the long wait on Escape from Gringotts if you have an Express Pass.

If you sleep in one of the Express Pass hotels, you’ll get a free unlimited pass for every day of your stay. Every guest in your room gets one, and they are often worth more than the price you’ll pay for your room.

When it comes to convenience, there’s nothing better than having an Unlimited Express Pass in your pocket.

That’s the quick explanation. Here is my complete post and podcast episode (33) all about Universal Orlando Express Pass and how to get yours for free.

Something for every budget

One more thing I want to point out about the Universal Orlando hotels is that they truly meet every budget. Starting at rates comparable to a Best Western, running up to five-star resorts, there is something for everyone at Universal.

Many of the more budget-friendly options are suite-style hotels designed for families. Without exception, the pools are destinations on their own. And each hotel has its own unique immersive theming.

The Portofino Bay hotel really does look like an Italian Riviera resort town.

Check out my Universal Orlando Hotel Guide

Here’s my at-a-glance look at Universal Orlando’s Royal Pacific Resort. Get the run-down on every Universal Orlando hotel here.

On the GoInformed.net website, I’ve created a comprehensive guide to all the Universal Orlando hotels. You’ll learn about theming, perks, distances to the parks, dining, and more. Head over there now to choose the best option for your next vacation.

Next time: Disneyland’s on-site hotels

Thanks for exploring Universal Orlando with me. Next time we’ll head to California to find out why you should consider an on-site stay at Disneyland.