Updates:
- 2025-09-05 – Another price drop added…
As I often point out, my first theme park visits where in the 1970s, including a big family trip to both Disneyland in California and The Magic Kingdom in Florida. Suffice it to say … I’m old and I’ve seen lots of stuff.
I have also become very good at procrastinating. Doing things early often means wasting effort as plans change.
Pack weeks in advance, and if something comes up and cancels the trip? Wasted time.
Get some work task done a month early, then the project gets cancelled? Wasted effort.
Book your Universal Orlando Resort hotels a month or more in advance, then the prices drop? Wasted … money?
A bird in the hand…
I understand why folks want to reserve in advance. That guarantees your seat on the airplane, and the room at the hotel, and the ticket into the new Epic Universe theme park.
If you are anti-procrastination, here are some tips that could save you hundreds of dollars.
Suppose on June 22, 2025, you booked a two-night stay at the new Universal Stella Nova Resort. The cost at that time would have been $358.88.
If you also booked five nights at Universal Aventura Hotel it would have cost you $1167.75.
Your $1526.63 hotel stay is now secured and you can sit back and wait for your vacation… unless you would like hundreds of extra dollars (potentially) back which you could spend to enhance your vacation (or just make it cheaper).
A bit of work can save some bucks…
Don’t stop there. Keep checking your dates at the hotel(s) and if the price drops, call in and request the new rate. For example, as I write this, the same two nights at Stella Nova have dropped to $283.50 – that is $75.38 cheaper!
And Aventura is now $673.89 for the same stay – that is $493.86 cheaper!
This means by just checking the website every so often, and rebooking when rates drop, this trip would cost you $569.24 less than when you booked early.
Let me say that again… $569.24 less!
That savings is more than enough for a $475 one-year Power Pass or come up with a bit extra or so and get the better $630 Preferred Pass.
Or maybe you just use the savings to add some extra days to the trip, or buy more beer.
But … Please note that I do not suggest procrastinating. That is gambling on the price going down, which is not always the case. As we monitor hotel prices, sometimes they go up. I suggest book early if it is a price you are willing to pay, then keep checking and call in each time you see a drop — even if it is just reduced by $10. That may seem small, but that buys you a churro or a soda or two.
Timeline of price drops.
Here is a timeline of the times these two hotel prices changed (we did not check every day so there could have been more):
Aventura price drops
- 6/22/2025 – $1167.75
- 7/10/2025 – $1150.88
- 8/19/2025 – $1121.63
- 8/21/2025 – $1075.50
- 8/22/2025 – $1037.25
- 8/24/2025 – $931.50
- 8/25/2025 – $916.88
- 8/26/2025 – $892.13
- 9/2/2025 – $776.25
- 9/4/2025 – $700.88
- 9/5/2025 – $673.89
Stella Nova price drops
- 6/22/2025 – $358.88
- 7/10/2/2025 – $329.63
- 9/2/2025 – $318.38
- 9/4/2025 – $283.50
…and there may even be some more drops. If so, I will update this page.
And as you can see, those who don’t procrastinate and book early, but do not follow up and check for price drops, may be paying alot more than those of us that wait until the last minute 😉
Unless things are really busy and selling out, in which case the prices are very unlikely to do anything but increase.
Your milage may vary.
Until next time…