Universal Endless Summer Resort - Surfside and Dockside Inn & Suites

[Andysol]

Yes. I was just checking out Disney hotel rates since they sent me a discount code. I haven't stayed there since 2015, though I've visited their parks while staying at Universal's way better priced resorts. Wow, I got sticker shock looking at the present Disney rates. Their moderates, that aren't really that special (they're equal or less than Universal Values in amenities & room decor ), were more than I pay for a deluxe resort Portofino with Express. Tremendous increases from just a couple of years ago. Guess I'll continue staying at Universal for the whole vacations and just do a day trip or a few to WDW, if any.

Find a Boardwalk DVC Owner and stay in a “slower” season and rent points @ $16/pt- will be $160/night for a standard view at boardwalk. Or worst case find an OKW/SSR Owner and pay $14/pt for an animal kingdom standard view at $140/night.

Outside of that- most are way overpriced. I’m so happy I bought into DVC when I did several years ago. Couldn’t fathom staying at Disney otherwise with their current rates.

 

[Mad Dog]

Find a Boardwalk DVC Owner and stay in a “slower” season and rent points @ $16/pt- will be $160/night for a standard view at boardwalk. Or worst case find an OKW/SSR Owner and pay $14/pt for an animal kingdom standard view at $140/night.

Outside of that- most are way overpriced. I’m so happy I bought into DVC when I did several years ago. Couldn’t fathom staying at Disney otherwise with their current rates.

What slower season? ......Prices weren't too bad on the moderates a few years back, but those have even gotten bad now. That 15-20 minute drive from Universal, with a ramp leading straight onto I4, to get to any of the WDW parks is insanely convenient & easy. Heck, I end up spending half that much time going from WDW hotel to the parks anyway. Guess it's easy to be spoiled by Universal. I like Disney parks but I'm not crazy about their resort set up & pricing.....

 

[Scott W.]

Uber Scott, wave of the future (til they go broke). It costs less than renting and the parking will probably be the same as CBBR. If you need a car for a day or two do that, otherwise it is a luxury that you will pay for. I'd rather they break out the fee than roll it in like WDW does.

I really enjoy driving abroad, I don't know why but I get a kick out of it. If I book far enough in advance, it works out cheap enough to justify the convenience plus if I didn't have a car, the money spent on beer would outweigh any savings. :look:

What slower season? ......Prices weren't too bad on the moderates a few years back, but those have even gotten bad now. That 15-20 minute drive from Universal, with a ramp leading straight onto I4, to get to any of the WDW parks is insanely convenient & easy. Heck, I end up spending half that much time going from WDW hotel to the parks anyway. Guess it's easy to be spoiled by Universal. I like Disney parks but I'm not crazy about their resort set up & pricing.....

I'd love Universal to introduce something similar to Disney Dining. That's really the only thing that's pushing me into staying at Disney. That and just wanting to try it. I get the impression I'll do it next year and that will be enough to say I've done it and move back to Universal for the length of my trips.

 

[Happytycho]

Beach themes are universal and non offensive which is probably the reasoning why even for a lower tier hotel they decided these themes. In addition, that area in and of itself isn't made for a higher scale luxury hotel. Its not prime real estate. I do wonder why Loews CEO is excited about mentioning their investment in this project back a few weeks ago and I think we are missing something key here. Why would Loews make this their largest investment in Orlando unless something else is planned for these rooms at the resort?

The excitement might be due to the extreme scale of this project and the expectation that they will easily be able to keep the rooms filled.
$100 x 2,800 rooms = $280,000 nightly revenue
$280,000 x 365 days = $102,200,000 annual revenue
Given that half of the rooms will be (likely higher priced) 2 bedroom suites, and the tendency of room prices to spike during peak seasons, I think the real numbers will be much higher than these.

 

[Derek R]

I really enjoy driving abroad, I don't know why but I get a kick out of it. If I book far enough in advance, it works out cheap enough to justify the convenience plus if I didn't have a car, the money spent on beer would outweigh any savings. :look:



I'd love Universal to introduce something similar to Disney Dining. That's really the only thing that's pushing me into staying at Disney. That and just wanting to try it. I get the impression I'll do it next year and that will be enough to say I've done it and move back to Universal for the length of my trips.

Universal already has dining plans, they are just very limited. For instance, they don't work at any of the on-site hotel restaurants. Their quick service plan is available for anyone online or in the park. The table service one is only available as a part of their vacation packages.

 

[Gillman]

Transportation to Universal's onsite hotels can also be booked with those same vacation packages.

 

[GoUCFKnights]

I see this resort as nothing but Universal's first step in taking over I-Drive. No wonder they were so opposed to the PolerCoaster (which I don't think is happening anymore).

To the contrar, the view of Skyplex should be really good from these resorts, and this probably makes it slightly more likely to happen as there is a bit of a lack of amenities for those staying here. Makes it a bit easier to still a few vacation $$$ from Universal for those value oriented guests who are still staying "on site"

 

[tidecat]

The problem with Poler Coaster . . . I mean Sky Plex . . . I mean Sky Plaza . . . is the developer keeps adding to it.

 

[bob albert]

I have booked disney values under $100 multiple times in the past few years, although it was single nights. The problem is that Disney is intentionally constraining supplies to refurb/cut labor right now. Much of the availability for better rates/discount packages has been abysmal for the last few years. One of the biggest factors in Disney World's expansion was the availability of value options. I guarantee the new value universal hotels will mostly just expand the market. There is a segment of visitors who will only book vacations as an easy to buy package but also don't have as big a budget.

Also I would bet on early opening definitely applying to on site guests at the new resorts. Universal could offer bot parks at a time parts of the year or offer late opening as well.

 

[JoeCamel]

I really enjoy driving abroad, I don't know why but I get a kick out of it. If I book far enough in advance, it works out cheap enough to justify the convenience plus if I didn't have a car, the money spent on beer would outweigh any savings. :look:

I understand the allure of driving on the "wrong" side of the road, the parking fee per night at CBBR and probably the DnT hotels will be about 1.5 beers. During a night I wouldn't even register that but if they added it to the base room rate no matter if I parked or not I might be a bit peeved dining plan or not.

Lots of good food around O'town and if you want to have a car it is much better than what you can get anywhere in the bubble.

 

[Ashhanbre]

I mean, I would have waited until it had official names and more details to push the theme. Seems really generic announcing it this early.

 

[graspthesun]

So here's my thoughts:

The theming is appropriate for $100 a night. You're going to get about half the theming in the lobby as you have in CBBR and I think that's perfectly fine. Check out other I-Drive hotels in the same price range and you'll see no themes in their lobbies and a lot of work to be done to compete.

I don't think parking will be free to everyone, but I could see them offering $10-12 parking for guests. They'll want to discourage people from parking at the hotel and taking the bus to the resort to avoid the parking fee. It'll have to be comparable.

Constant transportation, a fresh product and Universal benefits are really what is going to hurt I-Drive. They're going to have to push through faster on real renovations, provide more transportation and fight to keep the Universal Partner Hotel name. The first two are expensive and the last one is solely at the whim of Universal. Universal could easily gut these other hotels.

Lastly, I welcome these new hotels. I've stayed at Royal Pacific twice, Cabana Bay twice, Sapphire Falls once and the Four Points by Sheraton once. I will never stay off site again unless it's directly affiliated with Universal. Resort charging is a must as well as constant transportation. I'm looking forward to stretching my money further and really treating myself to better experiences while saving money on where I lay my head. My room is booked for Aventura and as soon as bookings open for the 750 room hotel, I'll certainly be putting my deposit down for 2019. And if the prices are around $100 a night, I'm sure I can bring a group down from New Orleans with me to see all the new attractions along with HHN 29.

 

[IAmFloridaBorn]

Reading you all's posts makes me truly glad to be a Floridian, but much more from Orlando.
That last few pages literally made my head hurt. I've never had to book a vacation, fight for a hotel room, rent points, DVC , and all this other stuff. I've always been able to check in as a Florida resident (In the right season of course) at fantastic rates for staycations throughout the state.

I genuinely hope travels are good for you people that come here often. Sounds so difficult lol

 

[Ryan]

Press release noted that the hotels will start to open in 2019, and we presume the complex will be fully finished by 2020.

 

[Nick]

Press release noted that the hotels will start to open in 2019, and we presume the complex will be fully finished by 2020.

I think it's safe to assume that the smaller hotel on the WNW plot will open first. They haven't even broken ground on the other side of the road yet for the much larger hotel. I see a solid year separating the two openings.

 

[zg44]

The interesting thing here is that Universal is finally bringing its lower budget vacationers in-house.

We're looking at a huge shift in guests towards these hotels from the other motels and such on/around Universal Blvd.

The values of those properties will probably fall dramatically, and I wonder if we'll see a lot of movement.

You can almost go up Universal Blvd. from the new land to WnW plot just touching properties that will be affected by this and could be put up for sale...

 

[IAmFloridaBorn]

There is a few interesting parcels of land along the east side of Universal Blvd north of Sand Lake Road that were supposed to be two new hotels but arent yet. Makes me wonder if those owners are waiting since everyone can clearly see Universal outselling them...may as well bank for it ..

 

[twebber55]

whats the partnership with Loews? how is the money distributed? The way i look at it is the less money i spend at the hotel the more i spend in the parks

 

[zg44]

whats the partnership with Loews? how is the money distributed? The way i look at it is the less money i spend at the hotel the more i spend in the parks

I'm pretty sure it's a 50-50 joint venture. Loews may get a management fee, but they split the dividends equally.

That excludes the Hard Rock hotels which should be 50-25-25 with Loews at 50, Universal and Seminole Tribe at 25 each.

 

[GAcoaster]

For that price, Universal will make all kinds of people who would never spend the money to stay on-site their guests. Wouldn't be surprised to see Disney drop their value resort prices between this and all the new rooms they are opening.