FManke Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 Thinking about a RC cruise and Universal Orlando combo next summer with the kids. Anybody ever had experience with this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLA Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 No but it sounds like fun!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FManke Posted May 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 23 minutes ago, klaconqueso said: No but it sounds like fun!! I saw it on the Universal site. Same kind of concept like the Disney Parks and Cruise combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLA Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 Just now, fmanke said: I saw it on the Universal site. Same kind of concept like the Disney Parks and Cruise combo. Oh wait so it's a package? Neat! What ship would you be looking to sail on? A quick one on Majesty or Oasis? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FManke Posted May 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 2 minutes ago, klaconqueso said: Oh wait so it's a package? Neat! What ship would you be looking to sail on? A quick one on Majesty or Oasis? Correction, it was actually on the RC site. Choose from 3/4 night Bahamas or 4/5/7 night eastern/western Caribbean and then 2/3/4 night at Universal. Yes and you get to choose Majesty or Oasis, based on when you want to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLA Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 18 minutes ago, fmanke said: Correction, it was actually on the RC site. Choose from 3/4 night Bahamas or 4/5/7 night eastern/western Caribbean and then 2/3/4 night at Universal. Yes and you get to choose Majesty or Oasis, based on when you want to go. Hmm.. If you're travelling with younger kids, I'd definitely be leaning towards Oasis instead of Majesty. I love love love Majesty, just doesn't seem like much for kids to do outside of the new splash area on the pool deck, and the Adventure Ocean areas are much smaller. Kind of an odd two extremes to offer for that package.. haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 1 hour ago, fmanke said: Thinking about a RC cruise and Universal Orlando combo next summer with the kids. Anybody ever had experience with this? I have been to Orlando in the Summer....hot, hot and hot. Plan on sweating a lot, cold drinks are expensive (water & Coke products) and it is a lot more humid than you can think. Cruising in the Summer, haven't done that yet, but I imagine it would be hot also in the Caribbean.But, at least you will have a pool or ocean to jump in. And you can cool off inside the ship. That's hard to do in Orlando, they usually charge you to go inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FManke Posted May 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 1 minute ago, rjac said: I have been to Orlando in the Summer....hot, hot and hot. Plan on sweating a lot, cold drinks are expensive (water & Coke products) and it is a lot more humid than you can think. Cruising in the Summer, haven't done that yet, but I imagine it would be hot also in the Caribbean.But, at least you will have a pool or ocean to jump in. And you can cool off inside the ship. That's hard to do in Orlando, they usually charge you to go inside. Been to Disney in July, so we know what we are getting ourselves into. mom2mybugs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FManke Posted May 2, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 11 minutes ago, klaconqueso said: Hmm.. If you're travelling with younger kids, I'd definitely be leaning towards Oasis instead of Majesty. I love love love Majesty, just doesn't seem like much for kids to do outside of the new splash area on the pool deck, and the Adventure Ocean areas are much smaller. Kind of an odd two extremes to offer for that package.. haha. I say kids, and they are my kids. But they will also be 16 and 23 then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLA Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 4 minutes ago, fmanke said: I say kids, and they are my kids. But they will also be 16 and 23 then. AH! Than I shall shush and stop making assumptions. :) Majesty will be perfectly sufficient! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunkelBierJay Posted May 2, 2017 Report Share Posted May 2, 2017 2 hours ago, fmanke said: Thinking about a RC cruise and Universal Orlando combo next summer with the kids. Anybody ever had experience with this? Yes! Last June, we did an Eastern itinerary on Freedom from Port Canaveral and did Universal afterward. We disembarked, rented a car from the nearby Hertz and drove directly to Cabana Bay Beach Resort at Universal because a Hertz desk is in the lobby there. We were in one of the parks by 11 am that day. It worked out extremely well. It also helped tremendously with my post cruise depression. We stayed at Universal four nights and bought 3-day park-to-park passes. I recommend the park-to-park so you can ride Hogwart's Express. There was a decent discount bundling it that way when I bought the tix in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FManke Posted May 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 4 hours ago, Spiegeje said: Yes! Last June, we did an Eastern itinerary on Freedom from Port Canaveral and did Universal afterward. We disembarked, rented a car from the nearby Hertz and drove directly to Cabana Bay Beach Resort at Universal because a Hertz desk is in the lobby there. We were in one of the parks by 11 am that day. It worked out extremely well. It also helped tremendously with my post cruise depression. We stayed at Universal four nights and bought 3-day park-to-park passes. I recommend the park-to-park so you can ride Hogwart's Express. There was a decent discount bundling it that way when I bought the tix in advance. Did you book this "combo" through RC or did you book each one separately? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeK Posted May 3, 2017 Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 I was born and raised in Florida so I'm quite familiar with the heat. We would get year round passes for Disney and Busch Gardens just about every year while the kids were growing up. Watching the kids faces light up every time we went and seeing them having the time of their lives made the heat seem like nothing. Just go and have a good time with the kids no matter what time of the year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunkelBierJay Posted May 3, 2017 Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 13 hours ago, fmanke said: Did you book this "combo" through RC or did you book each one separately? I booked it separately. I don't think RC offered the combo at the time. I may be wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted May 3, 2017 Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 I'd compare booking it separately (cruise and Universal) just for pricing. The combo packages may not be the best value, especially if you consider staying at a non-Universal hotel. KLA 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbk999 Posted May 3, 2017 Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 Did this a few years back and it was great. We started with two days at Universal and than followed up with a 7 day eastern out of Canaveral, booked separately. I liked doing the parks first then following it up with the cruise. If you're staying at Universal double check to see which hotels offer the Universal Express pass, generally well worth the extra $. I know the newer hotels don't offer that perk. We have stayed at Royal Pacific and Hard Rock and both are great. The walk from Hard Rock Hotel to the entrance to Universal Studios is < 10 min. To get from Orlando to Port Canaveral and back, we did two one-way car rentals via Avis and that worked fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFLcruiser Posted May 3, 2017 Report Share Posted May 3, 2017 another thing just to keep in mind is that it rains in Florida almost every day during the summer around 3pm until about 7pm and its usually pretty substantial rain. Hope it works out for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocalarnd Posted May 4, 2017 Report Share Posted May 4, 2017 I agree with mbk999, about the express passes. We live fairly close to Universal, and we frequently get the annual passes. But we still ALWAYS stay and either the Royal Pacific, Portafino, or Hard Rock on-site hotels, because with your room key you get free express passes which make 300% difference in the Universal & Islands of Adventure experience in the summer. The parks are full and yes VERY hot, and outside lines for rides (even though mostly shaded) can often be 45-60min for a single ride. The express passes reduce that by AT LEAST half on most rides (No express pass allowed for 2 of the Harry Potter rides). The other onsite hotels get you in an hour early (as do the 3 above), but you would have to pay extra to buy express passes (so the higher hotel cost at the 3 above is easily offset with passes if you have 3 or more people in a room). In the fall & winter the heat and lines are not as bad, so express passes may not be as big a deal (but we always get them). But spring is busy with "breakers" and school trips. I am not sure what the RCCL package offer includes. Universal & Islands are both GREAT especially kids 9-(adult). Coaster junkies prefer Islands, as well as "get wet/cool-off" rides, whereas moderate coasters and simulator rides and shows are more the Universal benefit. Both parks have Harry Potter themed areas, but Islands' Potter area has more actual rides than Universal's. Also be aware if there is lightning in the area, all coaster & water rides (including the boat transports to the hotels) shutdown until it moves on. Still highly recommend Universal parks if you have the time and you're coming to Florida already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbk999 Posted May 5, 2017 Report Share Posted May 5, 2017 Ocalarnd referenced a key point about the age for kids (9+) Universal parks are fantastic but they are geared more towards the older kids. For pre-school and early elementary school age kids, other than Seussland (which is great BTW), there's a just a few other things geared towards little ones. If you've got teenagers or adrenaline junkie kids, you can't go wrong with Universal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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