How to vacation at Universal Studios Orlando

We are back from Universal Studios Orlando.  We stayed at all the Universal Studios hotels and have played in all the parks.

Please listen to this weeks Mouse Chat podcast.  We all headed down to Universal Studios Orlando and stayed at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel.  We also toured all the other hotels on property at Universal Studios Resort and this weeks podcast will help you decide which Universal Studios hotel to book on your Florida vacation.

Why stay at a Universal Studios Orlando at an onsite hotel?  We really like to stay onsite at Universal Studios instead of just doing a day trip from Walt Disney World.  One main reason is that you get the Universal Express Pass when you stay at the Hard Rock Hotel, Portofino Bay Hotel, or the Royal Pacific Resort.  The Universal Studios Express Pass is like a Disney World FastPass and gets you a special access line for most of the key rides at Universal Studios.  This Express Pass is $90 a person.  So if you bought the Universal Studios Express Pass for four people for two days that’s a bunch of money.  By staying at one of these listed Universal Studios Orlando hotels for just one night, you get an Express Pass for your check in and check out days.  That’s worth the cost of the hotel.

Universal Studios Park to Park ticket – If you want to experience all of the Harry Potter attractions Universal Studios Orlando has to offer, you have to get the Park to Park pass.  This allows you to  board the Hogwart Express from King’s Cross Station in London, located inside Universal Studios Florida theme park, and travel to Hogsmeade Station, located inside Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park.  You can ride the train in the other direction for a totally different experience also!

Universal Studios Florida is a nice park that is very easy to get around.  Unlike Walt Disney World, you can walk from park to park at Universal Studios which makes it more like Disneyland in CA.  This makes it easy to head out to City Walk for nightlife and back to your hotel room for a pool swim break or meal if you want.

Show correction and great news.  You CAN eat at City Walk with the Universal Studios meal plan.  There are two Universal Studios Dining Plans

UNIVERSAL DINING PLAN

Reserved for Guests Pre-Booking a Universal Studios Orlando Vacation Package

Exclusively available for pre-purchase with a Universal Orlando® vacation package or at the Universal Orlando®
Ticket Desk for our on-site resort guests.

This is the only Plan that includes:

FULL SERVICE RESTAURANTS
QUICK SERVICE LOCATIONS
SNACKS
UNIVERSAL  CITYWALK®
Full Service Locations on the Universal Studios Dining Plan:

Antojito’s Authentic Mexican Food LD
Bob Marley – A Tribute to FreedomSM LD
Jimmy Buffet’s® Margaritaville® LD
Pat O’Briens® D
Red Oven Pizza BakerySM LD
Vivo Italian Kitchen LD
The Cowfish® (Coming Soon) LD

EACH DAY, YOU CAN ENJOY:

•One Full-Service Meal entrée, chef-selected Dining Plan dessert, & non-alcoholic beverage.
•One Quick Service Meal consisting of one of each:
entrée and non-alcoholic beverage.
•One Snack (such as popcorn, ice cream or a frozen beverage) from food carts or quick service locations.
•One Beverage (non-alcoholic) from food carts or quick service locations.

Quick Service Locations at City Walk on the Universal Studios Dining Plan:

Bread Box Handcrafted Sandwiches LD
Hot Dog Hall of Fame® LD

UNIVERSAL DINING PLAN–QUICK SERVICE

This is the quick service plan that anyone coming to Universal Studios can purchase.

Purchase this plan at the parks anytime during your visit. It can SAVE YOU UP TO 30% on select entrée, snack and beverage combinations.

EACH DAY, TREAT YOURSELF TO:

•One Quick Service Meal consisting of one of each: entrée and non-alcoholic beverage.
•One Snack (such as popcorn, ice cream or a frozen beverage) from food carts or quick service locations.
•One Beverage (non-alcoholic) from food carts or quick service locations.

Upgrade your drink to a Coca-Cola freestyle® Souvenir Cup for unlimited^ FREE refills at participating Coca-Cola freestyle® locations in both parks.

There are restrictions and clarifications to these dining plans so please contact your travel agent for the full details on how each plan works so they can help you get the best plan for your vacation.

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