Disney Needs to Take Notes from Universal’s Hotel Perks

Is Universal Orlando doing the hotel game better than Disney?

Hotel perks are a major reason why theme park guests will stay on property at Universal or Disney World, despite usually higher nightly rates versus non-property hotels. Both companies offer enticing reasons to stay on property — but is Universal doing a better job than Disney when it comes to perks?

We don’t make the claim that Universal might be doing perks better lightly. So let’s look at the data, starting with Disney World’s hotel perks.

Disney World hotel perks are as follows:

• Early Entry allows those staying at Disney World hotels to enter the four parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios — up to 30 minutes before they officially open. Of note, only certain attractions are open during Early Entry.
• Extended Evening Hours are similar to Early Entry, allowing hotel guests additional time in the parks after they close. Extended Evening Hours are only available to Deluxe Resort or Deluxe Villa guests. This perk is not available every day at every park and changes throughout the week.
• Free transportation is available for hotel guests (and everyone) to the Disney World parks, water parks, Disney Springs, and other hotels.
• Free parking applies to overnight parking at your hotel AND free parking if you drive your own car to the parks. Just show the attendant your hotel reservation, and you’ll be good to go.
• Early access to Advanced Dining Reservations is offered to guests 60 days ahead of their trip, and hotel guests can book for the entirety of their trip (up to 10 days) at the 60-day mark.
• Early access to Lightning Lane purchases and selections is offered to hotel guests seven days prior to their trip.
• Free Disney World water park access is also offered to hotel guests on the day of check-in. Guests receive a free water park ticket to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon per guest on the reservation.

Alright, with that down, let’s take a close look at Universal’s hotel perks.

Universal’s hotel perks are as follows:

• Guests of select Signature Collection hotels get FREE Universal Express Unlimited passes, which grant unlimited skips of the line at participating rides.
• Hotel guests get up to an hour early with Early Park Admission at select theme parks and access to select attractions, depending on the day (you can check the Universal calendar).
• Complimentary shuttle buses and water taxis are offered.
• Guests of Universal hotels get free delivery of purchases made at Universal’s theme parks and Universal CityWalk directly to their hotel.
• Universal hotel guests can use their key cards to charge purchases everywhere at Universal Orlando.
• Guests of select Signature Collection hotels get Priority Seating at many restaurants throughout Universal Orlando.

When comparing Disney and Universal, you’ll notice both resorts offer plenty of unique hotel perks to their guests that make staying worthwhile.

However, it is noticeable that Universal offers more free perks that have some pretty high values.

For example, Universal’s Express Unlimited passes can be hundreds of dollars PER PERSON PER DAY, but staying at a Signature (more expensive) hotel gets you these expensive passes complimentary passes each day of your visit — which helps justify the higher costs of the hotel.

Room delivery and the ability to charge purchases via your room card are also unique to Universal. At Universal, you get bigger bonuses for spending more to stay at the fancier hotels. It also has to be noted that, since these hotels are run by Loews, even the cheapest hotels in the Universal Orlando collection are still fairly nice.

Hotel perks for both Disney and Universal are ALWAYS subject to change, and it’s possible Disney sweetens the pot with perks like free dining plans, etc. We’re always keeping up with the latest perk announcements and will let you know if and when they are made!

If you’re looking for a travel agent to help with your vacation, we recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you!

Where do you stand on the Disney vs. Universal hotel perks debate? Let us know in the comments, and continue to follow us here at AllEars for more Universal and Disney hotel updates!

Disney, I’m Not Falling For It. I Know These Perks Used To Be Better.

Which hotel perks (either at Disney or Universal) are your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

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