Why we always stay at a Premier Resort at Universal Studios, Orlando

We are annual pass holders, and while we live within reasonable driving distance to Orlando (2.5hrs), we ALWAYS plan to stay the night at one of the top 3 Premier Resorts.

The convenience of staying on property at a resort is absolutely worth it. We literally drive to Orlando, park our car in the parking lot, and don’t see it again until we leave. We can WALK EVERYWHERE.

Aboard the Water Taxi!

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What is a Premier Hotel?

There are three Premier Hotel Resorts at Universal, Orlando. While they are pricey, they offer some serious park benefits. If you stay at one of the following hotels, you can grab Early Park Entry and the coveted Unlimited Express Pass (more on that later). Here are the three:

1. Lowes Portofino Bay Hotel

2. Lowes Royal Pacific Resort

3. Universal's Hard Rock Hotel

Other Categories:

1. Preferred – Lowes Sapphire Falls Resort

2. Prime Value – Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Aventura Hotel

3. Value – Endless Summer Resort – Surfside/Dockside Inn and Suites

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Is it worth it to book a Premier Hotel?

Now, why pay the extra money for the Premier Hotels? I’ll make my case here and then I’ll tell you which one we always try to stay at (and its not even close).

EXPRESS PASS!!!!! Case made.

Yes! If you stay at a Premier resort, you get an UNLIMITED Universal Express Pass for each person staying, for every day you’re staying, including check in and check out days.

So if you only stay one night, you get TWO full days of express passes. You can even get the express pass before your room is ready (great for early arrivers). The UNLIMITED kind – have I mentioned that already?

Did you know to purchase an Unlimited Express Pass at Universal that you can use across parks, its STARTS at $119 per person, per day?

What is an Express Pass?

Express Pass is the priority status boarding system to most* rides and attractions at the Universal parks.

*Express Pass currently not valid at

VelociCoaster or Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

Get front of the line privilege and cut your wait times to a fraction of the regular line. With the Express Pass you get to take the extra speedy line and cut your way right to the front. While others stand in line for an hour or more, you basically walk right on in 5 minutes.

Let’s do a quick case study:

Take a Family of 4, staying one night, to enjoy two park days. In all these options, we reduced the variables by not including tax, assuming a Florida resident rate, and using the same date.

Option 1:

The Hard Rock Hotel (Express Pass Included)

Standard Queen Room

Transportation – Water Taxi, Easy Walk

$350.35/night

Total: $350.35 + tax

Option 2:

Sapphire Falls

Standard Queen Room

Transportation – Water Taxi, Long Walk (but doable)

$174.20/night

+ Express Pass ($119 * 4 People) = $476. $476 * 2 days = $952

Total: $1,126.20 + tax

Option 3:

Dockside Inn and Suites

Standard Queen Room

Transportation: Bus or car

$87.10/night

+ Express Pass ($119 * 4 People) = $476. $476 * 2 days = $952

Total: $1,039.10 + tax

Whoa! I think it’s pretty easy to see that if you want that Express Pass (and we can’t imagine being in the park without it), it’s way better to stay at a resort that includes it. Plus, those resorts tend to be closer, offer better transportation, have great amenities and rooms, and more!

What is our favorite Premier Resort?

We’ve stayed in all three premier resorts and we have a definite favorite.

Lowes Royal Pacific Resort.

Why do we love it? Beyond getting the Express Pass, we love it here for it’s proximity to the park. It’s an easy walk for us and it lets out right near the Porch of Indecision (Margaritaville Restaurant) on Islands of Adventure Side.

Hard Rock has a great location too, and honestly I probably like the walk better at Hard Rock, BUT it’s on the Universal Studios side. And when it’s morning and we’re rushing to get to the entrance kiosks at Islands of Adventure, being near there makes a difference!

Second reason, for some crazy reason, this resort tends to be cheaper than the other two. That’s a win!

Other miscellaneous reasons – Sushi restaurant in the lobby, family fun pool, really relaxing vibes, and honestly the friendliest staff we’ve encountered.

Portofino, isn’t even close. It felt a little dated to me and it’s waaaaayyy far away. You can ride the Water Taxi, but walking is pretty much out of the question. And Portofino is typically the MOST expensive! Someone make it make sense!

Have I convinced you? Do you like a different resort? Do you stay off property? Tell us in the comments!

Reach for the Sky!