toomanybooks

Beckles (or anyone):

What is the best deal you have ever seen at one of those Loews hotels?

I, like you, am HH and Hyatt Diamond (and we have Universal APs), and my son and I usually hotel hop among the $39-45 Hamptons scattered around there, to get stay credits.

Thanks.

stockmanjr

I was just at USO two weeks ago and the lines were super short midweek. Longest we waited was for Jimmy Neutron and that was about 20 minutes. Towards the end of the day we got on MIB with no wait which was awesome! It really does depend on the day though.
Cheers
Howie

Zeke09

Just an FYI that annual pass and AAA rates are eligible for You First (new name for Loews First pogram). I am Platinum but it is very hard to maintain due to limited locations.

OP - I would be at the gate at least 15 minutes before opening. It will take at least 15 minutes to get from the parking lot to the gate at IOA. Harry Potter is still very new and very popular. The area is small so it becomes crowded quickly. When we there last summer, this past fall and earlier this month, it was very crowded.There were lines to get into some of the shops. It was crazy but if you are a Harry Potter fan, it is worth it. Get in line first for Forbidden Journey as that will have the longest wait. Mythos is a dining must for my family in Island of Adventure. Keep in mind that they close around 2-3 PM on days with shorter park hours. You may be able to call ahead and get reservations. Food and atmosphere are excellent at very decent prices. Margaritaville and Bubba Gump are family choices in Citiwalk. We stay away from Pastabilities, Nascar, and NBA City. The Kitchen at the Hard Rock Hotel and Mama Della's at Portofino Bay are two other favorites. Staying on site is preferable with front of the line access but I think you will be OK without it in January. The biggest advantage would be the hour early entry for Harry Potter. I have been to Universal in January for the last 3 years following the Disney Marathon weekend. It is much cooler so waiting in line is not nearly as bad as it is during the heat of summer. Check AAA for discounted tickets as well as online brokers. Discounts have been limited since Harry Potter opened. I'm glad I have annual pass as the renewal is less than a 4 day pass. Enjoy your trip.

WillCAD

Since OP is going at the end of January, one of the least crowded times of the year, you won't save hours per day with FOTL access. Wait times this time of year are typically 15 mins or less for most attractions, except the Harry Potter ones (which aren't valid for FOTL access anyway); and most attractions are walk-ons.

For the summer season, when the parks are full, FOTL is a great help and can save you hours of waiting.

Of course, if you have the coin to stay at one of the Uni resorts without straining your budget too much, it goes without saying that the experience is superior in every way to staying off site. It's just not necessary for a great Uni visit.

Ancien Maestro

I would definitely get to the park early and line up for Harry Potter. The line sometimes during high season gets up to 2 and 3 hours long.. While it may be worth it to some to line up for that long, it can be clearly avoided by arriving early before opening or enjoying the attraction late at night.

CherylD

Hi, I joined the Loews First program and tried to select AAA rate - but I don't see any discount applied. I am looking at Portofino Bay. I would be happy with any discount no matter how small. :-)

MoreMilesPlease

Have you tried seeing what the rate is through the AAA site? Or just call Lowes and ask for the various rates you qualify for. Sometimes the rates are what they are with no discount for AAA or ect.

Ancien Maestro

I would call Loews.. and get the Loew down.

Zeke09

AAA rates do not show up on line. Call Loews or Universal Orlando hotel reservations direct to find out if AAA rates are available.

WillCAD

Even in the low seasons, the line for Forbidden Journey can be up to an hour. My last trip was at the end of September 2010 (Sept is typically the least crowded time of year in Orlando), and my wait for Forbidden Journey was about 45 minutes. And the crowd in the whole WWHP section of the park was shoulder to shoulder. Looked like Times Square on NYE.

MoreMilesPlease

If you book directly through the Loews site then AAA, AARP, ect will show up if they are available. You simply pick the rate type from the drop down box. Often the seasonal rate is the best one going.

CherylD

I did call Loew's directly. They offered the AAA rate - a 10% discount. I booked it, but am not a AAA member - yet. They said I will need to show the card upon check-in. I'm booking 2 rooms - but not sure this will be a good deal based on the AAA membership price.

stravels

Thanks for all the helpful comments. We ended up hitting the Premium outlets (both of them) on Saturday (only spent $30 despite shopping for 6 hrs--outlets are just not what they used to be in terms of quality and selection) and doing Universal Studios on Sunday and Universal's Islands of Adventure on Monday. Majority of the waits were 10 minutes or less. Went to Harry Potter as soon as we entered (arrived at the entrance a few minutes after opening), and the wait for the Forbidden Journey was about 30 minutes. However, the time went quickly as we were constantly moving, and there were displays and vignettes on the TV screens almost the length of the line. By the time we exited the wait time was 60 minutes.We did not do the Dragon Challenge or Flight of the Hippogriff.

Talked to one of the wizards while waiting in the Ollivanders line, and he said that on Sunday they were busy until about 2:00 pm then busy at night. He said that it was a relatively quiet day and that on a busy day it takes him about 30 minutes to walk from one end of the Harry Potter section to the other--it isn't very big.

The walk from the parking garage ($15 to park) to the entrance of Islands of Adventure is quite far; plan accordingly. Breakfast options on both sides are lacking. There was nothing healthy to eat at the bakery shop in Universal Studios. We ate before we went the next day.

As suggested we ate a late lunch/early dinner at Margaritaville. The food was quite good, and if you are a dill pickle fan, the fried pickles are a must. The hostess sent David who will be opening a similar restaurant at Don the Beachcombers in Honolulu to visit with us. He was there training and said the Honolulu location will be open in a few weeks.

Called for reservations at Mythos at about 1:00 pm and was told the earliest available was 2:00 pm, but they took walk ins. We got seated immediately; about a third of the restaurant was empty. It was good, but the pizza was only so-so.

We stayed the last two nights at the Hampton Inn South of Universal Studios. They are a partner hotel, and upon check-in I was given a card that provided discounts at most of the restaurants and at the main shops. Except for a noisy exhaust fan, the hotel was a nice Hampton Inn. There was a washer/dryer on the top floor. The breakfast area was a zoo the first morning, but I think it was because folks were rushing to eat before the shuttle left. The shuttle goes to Universal twice in the morning and returns twice in the afternoon/evening.

A AAA card is good for a 10% discount at most of the restaurants and shops. The Hampton card's discount was 15% for most places.

We stayed the first two nights at the Airport Marriott, which was a very nice hotel, with very helpful staff. We arrived close to midnight and didn't want to deal with driving. The hotel shuttle came quickly, and for $25 we had Internet access for a day and two breakfast buffets (okay for what we paid but not worth the $17 if bought separately).

concretebru

Does anyone know of discount codes on rooms for the Orlando hotels?

Mary2e

Which Orlando hotels? Do you mean those at universal? if so, they're part of the Loew's chain.

I'm not aware of any discounts, but you could try www.mousesavers.com and check their hotel discount area. They mostly post about disney, but I have seen offers for Universal in there as well.