As more Walt Disney World fans start doing Universal Orlando trips to experience Epic Universe and the other two theme parks, we’ve heard questions and confusion about costs and how to save money on park tickets, hotels, vacation packages, and more.
For a while, it made sense to simply direct readers to two existing resources: How Much Does a Walt Disney World Vacation Cost? and Cheapest Dates to Visit Walt Disney World. Although those concern Walt Disney World, there’s overlap in terms of total costs and which dates are cheapest at Universal Orlando. Diehard planners might nitpick that statement, but it’s directionally accurate.
If you’re just starting to plan and want more comprehensive advice, we’d direct you to those two posts for Walt Disney World. Our aim with this resource is a supplement for Universal Orlando. Although there’s overlap, there are quirks and unique wrinkles to booking–and Universal has one highly notable pricing policy that is dramatically different from Disney. At least, for now!
How Much Does a Universal Orlando Trip Cost?
The fact of the matter is that pricing has an incredibly wide range. Budget trips can be incredibly cost-effective, especially for Annual Passholders or Floridians, whereas the sky’s the limit on luxury trips.
Just for the sake of illustration, I’m going to price out a couple of trips on extreme ends of the spectrum and then add thoughts about cutting or increasing costs. Let’s start with a more budget-friendly option:
Above is a 5-night stay from January 11-16, with 2 adults and 1 child (2 years of age) at a total cost of $1,615.
This is not the cheapest trip you could book to Universal Orlando. Rather, it’s the vacation package our family would actually consider booking (right down to the travel dates).
Note that this is just for hotels and park tickets, which is what’s included with regular Universal Orlando vacation packages. Airfare, ground transportation, and food are going to balloon that cost to (easily) over $2,500. For a larger party, expect to pay over $3,000.
While I could’ve cut costs by dropping down the ticket duration or skipping park to park tickets, the savings would’ve been nominal. I viewed the incremental cost as “worth it” for added days in the parks, as well as the ability to park hop to Epic Universe to visit more mornings or evenings in 2026. Had I not done this, I could’ve shaved another few hundred dollars off the total price.
I also chose Cabana Bay Beach Resort in part because we love this hotel (similar to how we feel about Pop Century, for a Walt Disney World comparison) and in part because it offers great bang for buck. While not always the case, we’re seeing Cabana Bay priced just slightly above the Endless Summer hotels more and more often. It’s often a steal, and great option if you’d prefer to be at the main campus as opposed to Epic Universe.
It’s also worth noting that Florida residents or Annual Passholders could save even more. This is far from the lowest price we’ve ever paid for Universal Orlando vacations. I’d consider it to be a pretty realistic representation of a high-quality, budget trip cost. This is a trip that I’d actually book!
At the other end of the spectrum, we have this:
Same party and same trip parameters, but we’ve moved our dates a couple of weeks earlier to spend New Year’s Eve at Universal Orlando. We’ve also switched to Helios Grand Hotel and added Express Pass. The total jumped to over $10,000.
Right off the bat, changing hotels increased the package cost by over $5,000. But I should note that Helios Grand Hotel wasn’t even the most expensive hotel, nor was this the priciest room type. If you want to see really expensive, book one of the suites or Club Level!
Express Pass was obviously another massive expense, and part of why that’s the case is because Helios Grand doesn’t include Unlimited Express Pass at Universal Studios Florida or Islands of Adventure. So even though Hard Rock Hotel and Portofino Bay had more expensive sticker prices, you’d come out ahead staying at those if you’d otherwise purchase Express Pass.
This package price might seem like an outlier due to New Year’s Eve, but honestly, it’s not that bad. I was surprised to see the Prime Value Hotels have relatively reasonable prices (especially as contrasted with Walt Disney World resorts for the same dates), and the Signature Collection was very expensive (albeit not this bad) even during our off-season travel dates.
Although $10,000 is an expensive trip, this could’ve easily end up costing a lot more. That’s obviously true if adding more adults or upgrading to fancier rooms, but I also didn’t do any add-ons. Suffice to say, the type of family that’s able to spend over $40,000 on a Walt Disney World vacation should have no troubles doing likewise at Universal Orlando.
At the other end of the spectrum, value seekers should succeed in cutting costs. Specifics will differ, but the end result is more or less the same. Between those extremes, there’s also a ton of middle ground. Although perhaps interestingly, I find there to be less middle ground at Universal. This is because more packages and resorts skew towards the lower end of the spectrum, so that’s a point in Universal’s favor.
Universal Orlando Discounts
With the above example, we already illustrated a few points that I’ll make in subsequent sections. This is a commonality between the two; both Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando have gotten more aggressive with discounts in an attempt to entice more people to visit their parks and stay in on-site hotels. We’ve mentioned repeatedly that Walt Disney World already has released several different discounts for 2026.
Universal has followed suit, shifting from discounts aimed almost exclusively at Annual Passholders and Florida residents to general public offers. There are currently resort discounts offering 15% to 30% off the Flexible Rate on a 5+ night stay at a Universal Orlando hotel. In the past, they’ve also done Free Dining and various ‘X Free Days’ with purchase special offers.
These are worth pricing out for yourself, but we should warn that many (if not most) general public special offers have length of stay requirements of 5 days. That’s longer than most people will spend at Universal Orlando, which is precisely why it’s being offered–to entice people to increase visit durations.
Our general perspective is that Universal Orlando special offers are more straightforward while also being more limited. We’ve been able to score some fantastic room-only discounts for Annual Passholders and Florida residents over the years. Meanwhile, there would’ve been no discount whatsoever for the general public on those same dates.
Walt Disney World discounts are generally more abundant, but can be intimidating for the uninitiated. There’s also the reality that availability can go fast, discounts can be limited to upgraded room types (nothing like paying extra for a king bed!) or view categories. It’s a lot to decode for a first-timer. Even some longtime Walt Disney World visitors can get confused.
In both cases, we highly recommend using a travel agent–such as Be Our Guest Vacations–to price out different packages and deals, and help you figure out the best way to save, plan your trip, etc. Critically, they’ll also monitor your booking for future deals to apply.
Stay Longer, Save More
As noted above, some of the only general public discounts that Universal Orlando offers on resorts are for 5+ night stays. So if you want to save up to 30% off the flexible rate, you need to stay longer.
It’s also worth pointing out that the per day cost of Universal tickets drops dramatically once you go above three day durations. It’s not that much extra to go from 3-day to 5-day tickets, which is why I opted for the latter with the above package (and would recommend you do the same).
There’s not that much of a difference going from 5-day tickets to 14-day tickets. The latter is serious overkill, obviously, and I cannot imagine spending even half that amount of time in Universal Orlando’s parks over a single trip.
However, if I were doing an extended stay in Central Florida and I wanted a convenient and cost-effective home base, I could see booking a package that included a stay at Endless Summer or Terra Luna and using that 14-day ticket at my leisure over the course of many partial days. Even if only using ~10 days, you’re still coming out ahead.
Dynamic Pricing on Hotels at Universal Orlando
A big reason why Universal Orlando discounts are simpler and more straightforward is because their base pricing is not. Universal Orlando and Loews Hotels use dynamic pricing for their resorts, vacation packages, and more.
This model is similar to airlines, rideshare, hotels, or other travel industry offerings. What this should mean is that prices increase or decrease as dictated by demand. Strong emphasis on should.
This differs from date-based pricing, which is what Walt Disney World utilizes for its park tickets, resort rates, and more. With date-based pricing, seasonality does come into play, but prices do not fluctuate on a day-to-day or even hour-to-hour basis due to demand. There are published price charts, and the only way those change are with discounts or price increases.
There isn’t as much of a need for marketable special offers because Universal has the latitude to quietly lower rates if demand is low. It may sound similar in practice, but it’s actually quite different. Even with more frequent discount releases, prices change far less often at Walt Disney World than Universal Orlando.
Although dynamic pricing should mean higher or lower prices as dates draw nearer, what we’ve found it typically means is that prices increase over time. That’s not always true, but we’ve seen it happen at least 75% of the time (no exaggeration–up until fairly recently, it seemed like Universal’s so-called dynamic system was only programmed to go up). The biggest exceptions are the off-season and shoulder season, and even those aren’t sure things.
This difference may not exist beyond 2026. Just last month, Disney CFO revealed to investors that Dynamic Pricing is Planned for Walt Disney World & Disneyland. In which case, this section and the next might offer a sneak peek at our advice for booking WDW trips in the not-too-distant future!
Book Early for Universal Orlando
The best practice is always booking early at Universal and rebooking later if prices do drop for some reason. We’ve heard from countless readers who were watching prices at Universal Orlando hotels, waiting to book for whatever reason, and then saw prices come close to doubling overnight. That’s an extreme example, but big jumps are not uncommon. Universal’s dynamic pricing system does not seem finely-tuned; it’s prone to big swings.
In our experience, this is worst with the Signature Collection hotels. There have been times when we’ve locked in decent rates at Portofino Bay or Hard Rock Hotel, and have seen those skyrocket in the months that followed. Sometimes they’ve then fallen after skyrocketing, but that’s not always the case–and the lower rates have often required being able to apply an Annual Passholder or Florida resident rate.
I actually had this exact experience with Helios Grand Hotel this year; I booked it immediately back when reservations first opened for off-season dates, and later wanted to modify…but didn’t, because it was roughly double the original price. Then a few weeks before my dates rolled around, a discount became available that more or less kept the price flat. (I had to drop the park view but did get a family suite, so mostly a lateral move.)
Given how frequently Universal Orlando resort hotels and vacation packages increase in price due to dynamic pricing and the lower likelihood of general public discounts for stays of 4 nights and fewer, our strong recommendation is to book early. Ideally, lock-in something as soon as you know travel dates. There’s little to no point in waiting; booking early is all upside.
Honestly, this seemingly insignificant difference in dynamic pricing at Universal vs. date-based pricing at Disney is why this post exists in the first place. The other stuff is important, but this is essential. We’ve mentioned this several times in passing elsewhere, but we keep seeing it trip up vacation planners, especially those more accustomed to Walt Disney World reservations, where it can make sense to wait for discounts to be released before booking. That’s the wrong approach with Universal.
Factor in Unlimited Express Pass
Unlimited Express Pass is available at a trio of legacy Signature Collection hotels, which is Universal Orlando’s highest-tier resorts. Guests who stay at Royal Pacific, Hard Rock Hotel, and Portofino Bay all receive Unlimited Express Pass included with their stay at no additional charge (including check-in and checkout days).
We hesitate to call Unlimited Express Pass that comes with hotel stays “free” since it’s arguably priced into the nightly rate. However, we’ve had some stays that literally cost less than Express Pass would’ve when paying out of pocket–and that’s just for a party of 2! So perhaps free is apt in this case.
As a general matter, all three of these hotels are nice and on par with Walt Disney World’s Deluxe Resorts. If your budget allows for it, we’d highly recommend one of Universal’s Premier Hotels if you want the Unlimited Express Pass perk or a good location near the parks or a cool luxury-caliber themed resort. If you’d be staying at a nice hotel anyway, this trio is definitely worthy of your consideration.
It’s also worth noting that Helios Grand Hotel and Sapphire Falls are part of the Signature Collection, but do not offer Unlimited Express Pass. Helios Grand Hotel is the ‘in-park’ resort at Epic Universe, which is its (strong) selling point.
On the other hand, Sapphire Falls doesn’t really have any unique strengths, beyond being a lovely hotel. Point being, you should factor the value of Unlimited Express Pass to you when pricing out these resorts.
See our reviews for photos, video, and comprehensive thoughts:
A family of 4 can expect to pay anywhere from around $400 per day for the basic one-time use Express Pass to over $1,000 per day during peak season for Unlimited Express Pass.
To put that into perspective, we’ve routinely booked stays at Portofino Bay, Royal Pacific, or Hard Rock Hotel for under $400 per night. Granted, most of our stays have been in the off-season and with Annual Passholder or Floridian discounts, but still.
You can routinely score one of the three for $500 or less if you book early enough. That means you’re coming out ahead with these Signature Collection hotels, assuming you want Unlimited Express Pass in the first place (we’d never buy Express Pass at its anywhere near its absurd sticker prices, but it still has some value to us).
Cheapest Dates to Visit Universal Orlando
If you want to target the least expensive dates to do Universal Orlando, we highly recommend reading our Cheapest Dates to Visit Walt Disney World. With very limited exceptions, there’s almost complete overlap.
The least expensive dates for both are during the winter months of January and February, excluding holiday weekends and mid-winter break. That’s followed closely by the stretch of August and September after school goes back into session but before fall breaks start.
Other good times to visit are the shoulder seasons before summer, as well as between Halloween Horror Nights and Christmas. Again, this excludes holiday weekends. Basically, avoid federal holidays and dates when school is out of session if you’re looking for the cheapest dates.
An added bonus of targeting the least expensive dates to visit is that these are, more often than not, also the dates that decrease under the dynamic pricing scheme. Booking far in advance is still the best practice, but I’ve lost count of how many times we booked last-minute stays in August or September because resorts had rock-bottom room rates after discounts.
Day of week trends are also similar to Walt Disney World when it comes to pricing. Unsurprisingly, weekends are going to be more expensive, and weekdays will be cheaper. This is true of both park tickets and hotel reservations; it’s also the case that these dates typically have lower crowds in the parks (excepting Epic Universe, which has its own ‘secrets’ for beating crowds).
Walt Disney World vs. Universal Pricing
If you’re pricing out single-day or even multi-day tickets, you often won’t find much of a difference between Universal Orlando and Disney. Universal has long aimed to price itself on par with Walt Disney World’s base prices to ‘signal’ that the two are competitors of comparable quality.
The biggest differences are with Annual Passes and discount tickets, which is likely why many fans contend that Universal Orlando is so much cheaper than Walt Disney World. Because the products they’re purchasing are significantly less expensive. Obviously, this doesn’t apply to the average tourist.
By and large, Walt Disney World is more expensive than Universal Orlando at every hotel tier. For off-season dates, the gap is not particularly pronounced between Endless Summer and the All Stars, but it grows larger for more popular dates.
Over the years, Universal has also added more hotels at the lower end of the spectrum, and has much more inexpensive room inventory as a result. A qualitative argument could also be made that Universal’s newer budget tier hotels are nicer than Disney’s.
Comparing Disney’s Deluxe Resorts and Universal’s Signature Collection is a tougher task. Universal Orlando’s top tier hotels are usually cheaper, but not always. We’ve seen room rates at these resorts explode in the last ~5 years, which is probably in part because the only addition has been Helios Grand Hotel, the in-park resort at Epic Universe. To the surprise of no one, that hotel has been incredibly popular.
The three legacy hotels that are part of the Signature Collection likewise remain popular thanks to Unlimited Express Pass. This is also a reason why Disney Deluxes vs. Universal Signatures is a tough task. Walt Disney World does not offer any kind of line-skipping with its resorts, let alone unlimited line-skipping. Even with this hugely advantageous perk, Universal Signatures are usually less expensive than Deluxe Resorts on the monorail loop or within walking distance of EPCOT.
Universal has built 5 new hotels and nearly tripled its number of on-site rooms in the last decade. During that same span, the complex added Volcano Bay and Epic Universe, and theme park attendance has increased, but not to a proportional degree–or anything close to it. Resort capacity has far outpaced park attendance.
This hotel expansion was overdue, satisfying demand from the first two Wizarding World of Harry Potter lands. But Universal Orlando also aggressively built out its hotel portfolio ahead of theme park expansion projects with the expectation that demand and bookings would follow suit over the coming years. They built for tomorrow, not today.
Comcast likewise invested $7 billion on Epic Universe with an eye towards the long-term, and as a game-changer for Universal Orlando’s status as a destination resort. Three theme parks and a water park will entice many more people to stay on-site. Regardless, demand has not yet caught up to development. Guests win as a result…for now. It won’t be that way forever.
This is already working to an extent, from our perspective. We priced out 5-night stays to open this post; we would’ve never recommended anyone spend that much time at Universal in the past. I still think that’s true for the average guest. But there are some people for whom it already makes sense; or guests who should make Universal their home-base as opposed to Disney.
Higher demand will result in higher hotel prices. It’s not as if Universal is purposefully charging below-market rates because the company wants to be more fair to theme park fans, or its leaders have been benevolently inspired by Walt Disney’s vision to offer affordable accommodations to the middle class. Let’s be realistic–their parent company is Comcast.
If Universal could charge Disney prices for its resorts, they would. But they cannot (yet), so they don’t. It’s not that deep. There’s likely to be a point in the not-too-distant future when Universal Orlando has considerably more drawing power, and resort prices increase. Just as has happened at Walt Disney World.
Frankly, I cannot believe how inexpensive Terra Luna and Stella Nova are for two pretty nice resorts within walking distance of Epic Universe. Those hotels would be fairly priced if located in the middle of cornfields in Iowa. They’re a downright steal next to a brand-new $7 billion theme park!
Need trip planning tips and comprehensive advice for your visit to Central Florida? Make sure to read our Universal Orlando Planning Guide for everything about Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. Also check out our Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Guide for everything about those parks, resorts, restaurants, and so much more. For regular updates, news & rumors, a heads up when discounts are released, and much more, sign up for our FREE email newsletter!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Any tips & tricks for scoring the cheapest prices on Universal Orlando vacations? Do you tend to book longer stays to save more, or shorter ones? Budget hotels for lower rates or Signature Collection for Unlimited Express Pass? On the main campus or Epic Universe? Agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? We love hearing from readers, so please share any other thoughts or questions you have in the comments below!
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