Universal Orlando Resort On-Site Hotel Benefits

Universal offers perks to get theme park visitors into its hotels. All guests at any Universal Orlando Resort on-site hotel can take advantage of the following:

Universal Orlando Resort On-Site Hotel Benefits

• Early Park Admission to the Wizarding Worlds and Volcano Bay 1 hour before the public
• The ability to charge in-park purchases to the hotel room key
• Free package delivery to the hotel room for any items purchased in the theme parks
• Free parking at the main CityWalk parking garage
• Free transportation to the theme parks and CityWalk
• Pool-hopping privileges to use any hotel’s recreational facilities (excludes Endless Summer Resort)
• Free Wi-Fi Internet in all hotel rooms and public areas (faster speeds available for a fee)
• Free scheduled transportation to SeaWorld and Aquatica
• Preferred tee times and complimentary transportation (for foursomes) to participating golf courses
• Free admission to CityWalk clubs (excludes concerts and special events).

In addition, every guest staying at Portofino Bay, Hard Rock, or Royal Pacific receives the following benefits:

• Free Universal Express Unlimited passes for both parks
• Priority seating at select restaurants in the parks and CityWalk

All these benefits are available from the moment you arrive until midnight on the day you check out. Even if your room won’t be ready until the afternoon, you can register at your hotel as early in the morning as you like, leaving your bags and retrieving your Express Passes (if eligible) in time for the Early Park Admission hour. Then linger at the resort after your checkout time, taking advantage of your pool privileges until late in the evening.

The most valuable of these perks is admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Volcano Bay up to 1 hour before the general public each morning, along with the Universal Express Unlimited Passes for guests of the top three hotels. It’s hard to put a dollar value on the Early Park Admission, but two-park Universal Express Unlimited Passes are sold to the general public for $89.99–$259.99 per day, per person, plus tax, depending on the time of year you visit. Universal says the pass is “a value of $129.99 per person, per day,” which works out to $520 per day for a family of four. One night at Universal’s Royal Pacific hotel costs anywhere from $314 to $463, plus tax, depending on the season. If you were planning on staying at a comparable off-site deluxe hotel anyway, staying at the Royal Pacific gets your family two days of Universal Express Unlimited at no additional cost. During busy season, this can be a huge boon for parties of four or five, though be aware that an additional $40-per-night fee applies to each adult beyond the first two staying in the room at Premier hotels. If you are traveling solo or as a couple, or are visiting at a slow time of year, calculate the cost of staying at one of the Preferred, Prime Value, or Value hotels and buying Express Passes on arrival if they turn out to be necessary.

Some of the benefits are of questionable value. Free parking at the parks, for example, is of little use to anyone staying at the resort because it’s probably just as much walking from the resort as it is from the garages.

Having stayed at each of Universal’s hotels, we think a sometimesoverlooked benefit is the ability to walk to the parks from your hotel. And it’s not just the convenience—the walkways are pretty and almost serene at night, if you can ignore the roars from The Incredible Hulk Coaster.