DVC members and universal

[Mickey of the Villages]

Cabana bay is a cheaper hotel and does not get FOTL access. Poster probably books rooms at the cheaper resort to actually sleep in and one room at a deluxe for the FOTL access.

I've done this. For my family of 4 it is a significant savings.

 

[Skywalker3]

We love Universal, and hope to get back soon. Last trip there was 2018. We can't quite swing the cost of both universal and Disney tickets in the same year, so do them separately. We often do a year of Disney and get APs, and then take off a year, During that off Disney year, we try to do Universal if possible. We always stay on site, hubby prefers Royal Pacific, and I kinda like Hard Rock better. The express pass is a must for our trips. Arrival night is often spent at a nearby hotel, there are several across the street that work well, or near the convention center. We check into the Universal hotel as early as possible, often in the 7 AM hour, and can get express pass starting that morning, and do 2-3 nights.
As far as going if the kids are too short.....I'd wait, unless you know you can go back soon, or if you just want to check it out first. Dr Seuss land is fun, the splash areas are fun (not sure if they're open) , etc. but the 2 main HP rides have that height requirement. But if you know they'll be ok w missing out on them, there is lots to do in Diagon Alley/Hogsmeade. Plus the train, and Hippogriff. The interactive wands look SO much fun (we haven't done it yet, but hope to,) and they can take a bit of time. I dont' know where rider swap is at Gringotts, but if there's any chance they can at least go through the bank area, that would be cool. I think you can go through some of FJ before you have to branch off for rider swap. Not sure if you can see the inside of the castle..... But missing the 2 main rides might be a bummer. we enjoyed having 3-4 days at Universal. We didn't feel rushed, and we LOVE multiple rides. Common for us to do MIB like 5 times in a row, etc. Also gives us a chance to work in ice cream from Florian's, meals on City Walk, or at a HP restaurant and just not stressing over time. and enjoy the pool. Pools at RP and HR were fun.
Universal rides are much more intense than Disney. Darker, and much faster. We do love them. I'm personally very, very glad they did Harry Potter instead of Disney, and we love Disney. I also wish they'd done more with Marvel, and not lost it to Disney. SpiderMan is still one of my favorites at IoA. Needs refreshing, but it's fun.
Good luck with the planning. and congrats on the DVC purchase. we bought in 2011, and have loved it. One more trip this year at thanksgiving to finish our 'year,' and APs, we just came back from a BCV stay, and will be at AKL-Kidani, and BWV in a few weeks. BUT also hoping to get back to Universal sooner than later, maybe late 2021....

 

[AllisonLB1994]

I went with my family in Dec of 2019 and did 2 days (1 day per park) at Universal. We sandwiched it in the middle of our Disney days, which I liked because then we went back to MK and I didn't feel like that part of my vacation was over. We were adults so we got up early and did all the rides. It didn't take us too long to do all we wanted to do, since the parks are smaller. We normally got done with what we wanted in mid-afternoon then went back and just relaxed at OKW til we went out for dinner. We also didn't have a car so we ubered and it was a super easy process.

The most frustrating thing to us was how Universal makes you get lockers every time you go on a ride. That was something we forgot and we traveled with less the next day to avoid the headache.

 

[Thumper99]

HI All. I haven't been to Universal since my honeymoon 28 years ago! A while back my son was due to go on a trip with school choir to Orlando and we bought him a two day - one park from Undercover Tourist. He ended up not going so I still have that ticket. Hubby and I are doing OKW on our points in December and are thinking of using that ticket (I know ill have to buy one for myself) to see what Universal is like now. I'm not a Harry Potter fan so I don't think I'll care if I miss the train ride but is the FOTL really important now with COVID? Do they still have that (as I know Disney stopped Fastpasses). Would we be better off just booking a night at one of the FOTL hotels for a night at the end of our trip? I could save points I guess by dropping the last night at OKW. Or should we just uber over for the day? Any idea how much a Uber would cost from OKW? If I can only do one park which one would you suggest? thanks for any help!

 

[AllisonLB1994]

HI All. I haven't been to Universal since my honeymoon 28 years ago! A while back my son was due to go on a trip with school choir to Orlando and we bought him a two day - one park from Undercover Tourist. He ended up not going so I still have that ticket. Hubby and I are doing OKW on our points in December and are thinking of using that ticket (I know ill have to buy one for myself) to see what Universal is like now. I'm not a Harry Potter fan so I don't think I'll care if I miss the train ride but is the FOTL really important now with COVID? Do they still have that (as I know Disney stopped Fastpasses). Would we be better off just booking a night at one of the FOTL hotels for a night at the end of our trip? I could save points I guess by dropping the last night at OKW. Or should we just uber over for the day? Any idea how much a Uber would cost from OKW? If I can only do one park which one would you suggest? thanks for any help!

I stayed at OKW and we ubered back and forth. Just checked receipts and they varied from $18-25. We typically left around 8:00 am to get there and came back around 1-2 pm. Honestly, it was just my husband and I so we could get up early. We got everything done (including all HP rides) during that time. I don't think you need to do the FOTL hotels. We went to other areas of the park first, since everyone goes to HP lands, then made our way over there after the first morning rush.

 

[Thumper99]

I stayed at OKW and we ubered back and forth. Just checked receipts and they varied from $18-25. We typically left around 8:00 am to get there and came back around 1-2 pm. Honestly, it was just my husband and I so we could get up early. We got everything done (including all HP rides) during that time. I don't think you need to do the FOTL hotels. We went to other areas of the park first, since everyone goes to HP lands, then made our way over there after the first morning rush.

THANK YOU! Sounds like a good plan! Appreciate the information!

 

[limace]

I would stay there if you can-it’s just such a relaxing experience to wander over. And even if you don’t like HP, you might appreciate the land-the theming and details are amazing. I don’t like the Cars movie but Carsland in Disneyland is amazing and I love it-nothing like feeling like you’re walking through a movie

 

[VLee]

Several times we have booked US in the middle of our trip and have not even checked out at the DVC resort. We take an overnight bag and head to US by 6:30 am, check in, and get FOTL access for that day, plus the next....then head back to DVC resort by 5pm and go directly to our room. That way, we don't have to bother with check out and changing rooms when we return to DVC.