Universal Vacation Package Questions

[Imagineer83]

This is our 3rd Uni trip in 2yrs. The past 2 trips we had AP's so we didn't book vacation packages. This year we may not do AP's depending on pricing so are strongly considering vacation packages but not sure if there is really any advantage to a package over alacart tickets/activities.

I booked a hotel only for a HHN trip this fall to get the room we wanted reserved before it sold out (sold out on us last year pretty quick). We are traveling Thursday through Tuesday. We are on the first flight in and last flight out on our travel days so we can do half days in the parks those days. We are waiting to see what AP prices are for all three parks. We really want to do Volcano Bay but right now the 3 park tickets only go up to 5 days. We will be able to go to the parks for 6 days.

Can we change our hotel only reservation to a vacation package at a later date once all ticket prices are released? Will there be possible fees?

Is the Harry Potter package worth the price to include breakfast at Three Broom Sticks and Leaky Cauldron for 2 adults? I seam to remember breakfast at those restaurants was good but pricey.

Is the dining plan worth the price? It didn't seem like it was last year but with price increases not sure anymore. Was thinking the quick service plan. We typically eat lunch in the parks and dinner at City Walk. We usually do a light breakfast alacart or a shared meal.

Finally can I add airport transfers to my hotel only purchases? We would prefer to use Universal transportation over Mears.

Thanks in advance!

 

[GadgetGuru]

Hello! I'm not an expert at all, but I can try to answer these questions

If you call the booking line about changing to a vacation package, they can probably help you out. If you try to use some kind of AP hotel discount though, you may be out of luck. There's usually a block of AP hotel rooms that probably don't overlap with your current room (experts chime in if I'm wrong)

What's the price difference on the Harry Potter package? The other perks might make it more worth it. I don't know if breakfast alone would justify a price hike.

I've never personally done the dining plan, but I hear hit or miss thoughts on it. Looking at the prices, there's plenty of ways you could buy a quick service meal, snack and drink and get under the $23 a day you spend on the most basic plan. I always avoid the dining plans because I value flexibility over the possible couple dollar savings.

As for airport transfers, I'd be shocked if you couldn't add them to a hotel only purchase. You may have to create a package, add the hotel + airport transfers, and then ditch the rest. I'd seriously think about just grabbing an Uber / Lyft though. Price is on par (maybe a little more expensive) and way, way faster.