universal studios after a cruise

[Sarpy1]

In March 2019 we will be going on a cruise out of Port Canaveral and when we return, we were thinking of taking the kiddos to Universal Studios for a couple of days. Has anyone done this and if you could tell me if you got a hotel package deal with tickets and how you got from the pier to the hotel etc? Any advice you can send this way, we would appreciate it. There will be 13 adults in our group.

 

Thanks!

[ballonewb]

We did this couple of years ago.

 

We booked with Universal Studios direct and stayed at Lowes Royal Pacific which was a 10min walk to the parks. The hotel gave us early access to Harry Potter World, as well as un-limited Express Pass. It was a amazing hotel, and the perks staying on property were great.

 

The day we disembarked from our ship, we did the self disembarkment and booked a private shuttle direct to the hotel. We were at the gates of Universal couple minutes before it opened that day.

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

 

 

 

quote=Sarpy1;55425719]In March 2019 we will be going on a cruise out of Port Canaveral and when we return, we were thinking of taking the kiddos to Universal Studios for a couple of days. Has anyone done this and if you could tell me if you got a hotel package deal with tickets and how you got from the pier to the hotel etc? Any advice you can send this way, we would appreciate it. There will be 13 adults in our group.

 

Thanks!

[JohninDC]

I would use a one-way car rental to get from PC to Universal/your hotel; drop the car off at MCO when you fly out or at a local Orlando office if you do not need it while visiting the park.

 

UberXL is another option for up to 5 passengers and normal bags - your hotel should be happy to watch your bags if your room is not ready when you arrive.

[Reenie75]

I am doing this with my daughter in April. It appears at least on my end Costco has some good deals with entrance into the park+hotel. Some offer free breakfast or cash cards with the Costco deal. Pretty reasonable since in Canada with the exception of CAA (which isn' t deal) They ( Costco) are selling hotel + ticket at a good price. Other than Universal themselves which is costly. Have a great trip!!.

[teknoge3k]

We are doing this exact same thing in May. We have a round trip shuttle through our hotel in Cocoa Beach <-> MCO. Once we get back from our cruise, we'll take the hotel shuttle back to MCO then catch an Uber to our hotel On I-Drive. Then we'll Uber back and forth to the parks. We bought discounted tickets on Ebay like we normally do. No packages from anywhere on a combo deal or anything though.

[Capt_BJ]

ya know ... there's one answer for the average family of 3 or 4 or 5

 

and THEN there's one for 13 adults (plus kids?)

[JohninDC]

ya know ... there's one answer for the average family of 3 or 4 or 5

 

and THEN there's one for 13 adults (plus kids?)

 

WOW! I missed the 13 adults bit :o - so they'd need 3-4 rental cars or 2-3 UberXLs in addition to 4-6 hotel rooms. With that many travelling together a private shuttle or a limo may be a better option.

[jamesr3939]

Book a package directly with one of the park hotels. We also stayed at the Loew's in a club room, which was great as they had free cocktails with great appetizers in the evening and a decent breakfast in the AM, in the club lounge.

 

That many people I would either do the ship shuttle to MCO and then plan from there. However, better end to a vacation is hire a car service to pick you up at the port. We did that twice once at FLL and once at PE. If you can split the cost among the group it's cost effective. I wasn't so lucky as being the dad/granddad/host I picked up the tab. But still it wasn't all that expensive considering the other alternatives.

[KatRangoon]

Mears is a big transport company down here, maybe for that many, they might be a good idea? There isn't a ton of shuttle service from the port to the parks. For that large of a party, if you're looking to save some money, may I suggest Cabana Bay hotel. It's fun, clean, and cheap, and it's part of the Universal family so you can walk to the park or take their free shuttle. The only thing they don't have is the free express passes or hour early entry. Depending on your vacation habits/rides you like to ride/budget, it might be better to get one of the upgraded Universal hotels, but it's an option. Be wary about any sort of discount you might find on the internet that doesn't come from Universal itself, there are tons of scams down here for parks and Universal doesn't usually discount things, except when it comes to number of days in the park (like get 4 days for the price of 2 or something). It might also be worth checking out some hotels (of good reputation) on International drive, as a lot of them offer free shuttle service to Universal). I noticed your cruise was in March... be aware the park will be PACKED. I avoid March and December at all costs due to the number of people. If you and your family are "ride people" then the express passes are a must, otherwise you'll be waiting in line an hour or more for everything.