What’s the Difference Between All Those Resorts?

Staying on property at Universal Studios is the best way to take advantage of everything Universal has to offer. But with 8 different resorts and 4 different resort categories which one should you choose?

The resort categories guests can choose from are: Premier, Preferred, Prime Value and Value. Each resort is unique in its own way and has something to offer everyone. Is cost a concern? Don’t worry, there is a resort for every budget.

The three resorts that fall under the Premier category are: Loews Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel and Loews Royal Pacific Resort. And under the Preferred category there is just one resort; Lowes Sapphire Falls Resort.

The Premier & Preferred resort categories are fairly similar to one another. All of these resorts are supremely comfortable, offer amazing amenities and are convenient to the parks. Sapphire Falls does fall into the Preferred category because it lacks one major benefit…not including Express Pass Unlimited with each night of stay. More on that perk later.

For more information regarding Premier & Preferred Resorts please click here.

The Prime Value resorts are: Universal’s Aventura Hotel and Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort

These two hotels are located on the main property but are the furthest away from the parks and CityWalk. Volcano Bay being the exception because of its proximity to Cabana Bay. They are an upgrade from the Value Resorts but do not offer as many amenities as the Premier & Preferred Resorts. Both resorts offer affordable rates and many rooms have sweeping views of the parks depending on your room category.

Lastly, we have Universal’s Endless Summer Resort which is made up of the two Value Resorts: Surfside Inn & Suites and Dockside Inn & Suites

The value hotels are the newest additions to the Universal Orlando Resort family. They are located just slightly outside the main resort property, they are the most affordable and offer the least amount of benefits and amenities.

Detailed information about the Prime Value & Prime resorts can be found here.

On-Site Resort Benefits

Guests who choose to stay in one of these resorts will receive many exclusive on-site benefits. However, not all resorts are eligible for everything. The chart below breaks down all the on-site benefits by resort category.

Express Pass

Express Pass is a feature that can be added onto your park ticket. This feature allows you to bypass the regular standby lines for most attractions at both Universal and Islands of Adventure and will cut a considerable amount of time off of your wait. With Express Pass, you are allowed to skip-the-line once per attraction. However, there is also the Express Pass Unlimited which allows you to utilize the Express Pass Line over and over as many times as you like for all participating attractions.

This feature however, can be an expensive add-on to your park tickets. The prices of both Express Pass options vary by day with a starting cost of $69.99 per person per day for just one park or $89.99 per person per day for one park unlimited.

Guests who chose to stay at a Premier resort will be given the 2 Park Express Pass Unlimited for the length of their stay. The value of this perk starts at $119.99 per person per day.

Early Park Admission

All guests staying at one of the on-site hotels will receive access to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Volcano Bay up to one hour early every day of your stay (including check in and check out days).

Early Park Admission is a very advantageous benefit because it provides an opportunity to ride major attractions such as Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey or Harry Potter & the Escape from Gringotts with little to no wait time. You also get to see Hogsmeade & Diagon Alley fairly empty allowing you to take some pretty spectacular photos. Additionally, with early entry into Volcano Bay, you’ll be able to snag a prime seating location and ride attractions like the amazing Krakatau Aqua Coaster without long waits.

Complimentary Resort Transportation

Complimentary Busses Found at Every Resort

One of the great things about Universal Resort is the size. Winding throughout the resort are walking paths which connect most of the hotels with CityWalk. With the exception of their newest resorts, Endless Summer, you can go from park to room in about 15 minutes depending on where you are going. If you are staying at Hard Rock Hotel, you are in luck with just a 5 minute walk. At the end of the walking path, walkers will encounter a security checkpoint before entering CityWalk.

In addition to a fairly short walk, Premier or Preferred hotel guests have access to water taxis. Guests may walk down to the dock at their hotel, head through security and then take a water taxi into CityWalk and be steps away from the entrance into either park.

For guests of Prime Value & Value resorts, the complimentary mode of transportation is a bus. The bus will drop guests off at the transportation hub and from there they will go through the security checkpoint before walking into CityWalk. Please note that both Endless Summer resorts are located just slightly off the main Universal property and rely solely on bus transportation.

It is important to note that most resorts, regardless of category, must utilize a bus in order to get to Volcano Bay. Guests of Cabana Bay Beach Resort & Aventura Hotel do have access to a direct walking path to Volcano Bay if they prefer to walk.

Priority Restaurant Seating

When it comes to dining, Universal Orlando Resort has many options. Over 100 actually! While reservations are recommended for their sit down restaurants and can be made online months in advance, guests of the Premier Resorts can enjoy one extra perk called Priority Seating.

Priority Seating is found at select restaurants throughout the resort. When you arrive without a reservation, you simply show the host your room key and you will be seated with a shorter wait time. The hierarchy for seating is Reservations—>Premier Hotel Guests—>Walk-up. Therefore having a reservation secured is still best; especially during busier seasons.

I hope this helps you in deciding what category of resort you’d like to stay in during your next trip to Universal Orlando. I have loved all of my stays and cannot wait until I have stayed in each to have run the gamut.