and those aren't as broad based as they used to be either. Fortunately CBBR, thanks to the Dockside and Surfside resorts, seems to have enough vacancies that they usually have AP discounts.
Cabana Bay Beach Resort
- Thread starter Clive
- Start date
-
Signing up for a Premium Membership is a donation to help Inside Universal maintain costs and offers an ad-free experience on the forum. Learn more about it here.
Mad Dog beat me, I was going to say that it's become difficult to find decent AP rates nowadays. That's why I'm shocked whenever the "Universal is cheaper" argument comes on this board. Table Service is still cheaper than most WDW places... but it's getting close.
Mind you, Universal's hotels are a far better value but it's not cheaper anymore.
I miss Bill Davis as President!!!.There's definitely a different management mindset than during the past decade. ....Yes, price creep at Universal hotels has been at a higher percentage than Disney for the past few years, and they do less for the AP's at the hotels overall than they used to. And the deluxe hotels certainly don't treat the guests as well as they used to when they had the Rewards program. Especially troubling is how they limit the Stay More Save More so often from the higher tier hotels. I'm guessing that by the time Epic opens Universal hotels will be really close to WDW hotels price wise. Park wide, Universal no longer has more value than Disney. Prices are basically identical. And Disney has an edge in Operations, which are better than Universals since covid.
If it weren't for Universal's constant construction, I'd be more annoyed. Could make the argument that Universal has "justified" price increases for a while, but now it's getting Disney-level crazy. Pair that with APs probably jumping up in price next year (like the $50-100 increase this year) with APs potentially not including Epic...
Is this true? I’ve got stays booked at both Cabana Bay ($650 total for three nights) and the DoubleTree near the park ($470 for three nights) over a weekend in mid-September.
No doubt prices have increased on just about everything, but I don’t think we’re quite here yet.
Universal depends pretty heavily on AP's, way more than WDW. If they're smart they'll recall the major mistakes they made on AP treatment when they opened Hogsmeade at USH, and not make those same missteps prior to opening Epic. I'm kind of hoping Universal has a flat, or slow, 2024, like they've had in 2023 since April, so they don't stay so cocky, and get back to the old 'Universal' way of value to their customers. They seem to be in greedy mode now.
- Jul 24, 2018
- 3,414
- 7,592
Yeah, I was able to book CBBR with the AP rate I believe in February last year.
Of course, the prices could also be shown as higher because of how far out we are as well. I just can't wrap my head around an over $70/night increase actually being the case lol
I also think it would be a smart move to use AP holders to test run such a large new park before the grand opening mass crowds.
Yup - they had to lower prices and remove a few blackout dates. 2024 so far looks to be slow, so we'll see what happens.
I don't doubt they'll have AP previews for soft openings/rehearsals... but I question what happens post-public opening. Ignoring the AP issue for a second, why do they want to complicate the ticketing structure to make Epic a single-day ticket only? Lots of people value Universal for its decent deals on multi-day park-to-park tickets... why throw all of that away? I get the worry over APs running over the park, but if you want to extend the number of days someone visits the resort you need to make it convenient and not require just single-day tickets for 1 park, and then a separate pass for the others.
Back to Cabana Bay, I hope future Epic-resort area hotels are like this one. Endless and the Stella/Luna resorts are "simple" in design but don't look as unique/appealing as Cabana Bay.
I mean of course it depends on where you’re going and when (and a lot of times I’m booking business travel last minute which raises prices). But the main point I was trying to make was that high-end price points from the 2000’s/2010’s have become more “average” without a notable increase in quality. And it’s definitely not a Universal-specific trend.
ETA: and this trend seems to be outpacing regular inflation. Hotels, flights, and fast food are the three things that stand out to me as the most exponentially inflating prices since 2020.
Last edited:
I still don't understand why Loews got rid of their loyalty program especially when hotel companies that were around the same size like Omni and (circa 2018) Sonesta were leaning into it more to try to pull share from the larger companies. I remember they were promising internally to roll out something new and more personalized while I worked for the company, but I don't think it ever got off the ground.
Yes, they promised a new program, then reneged on it. Service levels at the Portofino and RP resorts have really suffered since they ended the program. They used to really take care of their repeat customers, treated us like gold. Now, nothing. They act like they couldn't care less if you come back or not. At one point we were well over 100 nights at Portofino, and about three or four dozen at RP. I've drastically cut my trips to Universal the past two years. The Universal & Loews special touch just doesn't seem so special anymore. I may as well stay at CBBR, which I like, as long as it's worth the price.
- Jul 24, 2018
- 3,414
- 7,592
I can say with full honesty, I've never had anything other than great service at CBBR. I'm sure others have had different experiences, but there's a reason we go every trip!
Yes, I agree. CBBR is a decent alternative to the Deluxe Resorts that have gotten too expensive, while their service has declined......We certainly like CBBR, but miss what we used to experience at Portofino and RP when they had the Rewards program, and more affordable prices. Hopefully they don't jump the CBBR prices way above the inflation rate like they did with the upper tier hotels.
- Jul 24, 2018
- 3,414
- 7,592
Well, the CBBR prices have certainly seemed to skyrocket!
At this rate we may end up at Endless Summer lol
This is the scenario I'm expecting for USF for 2024:..... Starting with Spring Break they'll jack up all the hotel prices.....Then they'll advertise all kinds of 'Discount Packages' because Epic opens in 2025. The rubes won't realize they're essentially fake discounts and will rush to book the 'so called' discounted rates. From what I've seen of their management moves the past couple years, so very Chapek like, that's what I'm predicting.
- Jul 24, 2018
- 3,414
- 7,592
I can certainly see the discount thing coming to fruition!This is the scenario I'm expecting for USF for 2024:..... Starting with Spring Break they'll jack up all the hotel prices.....Then they'll advertise all kinds of 'Discount Packages' because Epic opens in 2025. The rubes won't realize they're essentially fake discounts and will rush to book the 'so called' discounted rates. From what I've seen of their management moves the past couple years, so very Chapek like, that's what I'm predicting.
The Ol' Disney WayThis is the scenario I'm expecting for USF for 2024:..... Starting with Spring Break they'll jack up all the hotel prices.....Then they'll advertise all kinds of 'Discount Packages' because Epic opens in 2025. The rubes won't realize they're essentially fake discounts and will rush to book the 'so called' discounted rates. From what I've seen of their management moves the past couple years, so very Chapek like, that's what I'm predicting.
January/February is looking ridiculously soft in Orlando, and I'd imagine we're getting lots of AP-added "benefits" next year.
They already added some for January, honestly mostly lame ones. For sure not, "I need to go to Uni" benefits. SW often got me to add trips to them with their benefits and I always ended up spending more money while there.
I will get the lanyards, but only because we already plan to go in January since we just got passes and want the kids to experience everything since it was their Christmas present.
- Sep 3, 2022
- 254
- 1,157
i think the 3 months free promo is already back, or coming back soon, with the added january bonus benefits
