The REAL Cost of a Universal Orlando Vacation Isn’t What You Think!

Added: 2026-05-08

[00:00:00]I found the real money trap at Universal Orlando and you are going to be shocked because I know I was. I did the research, I crunched the numbers, and I planned out different scenarios. And it all leads back to one big problem when visiting Universal Orlando today, and it's really not what you would expect.

[00:00:20]When I started planning this video, it was going to be a video about if the free Universal Express Pass that comes with staying at one of the three hotels is actually worth it still. But when I was doing my research and crunching the numbers, I found something even more surprising that I felt like I had to share with you because this just might be the ultimate hack to saving money at Universal Orlando. So today, I'm going to be breaking down what's actually eating at your vacation budget, and it's not going to be what you expect. Let's start off with how I even discovered this, the premise of the video, and then we'll get into the ultimate money-saving hack that I found. The free Express Pass. Now, you might be saying, "What even is that?" So, the free Express Pass is when you stay at the Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific, or Loews Portofino Bay at Universal Orlando Resort, you get the Universal Unlimited Express Pass included in your stay, including check-in and check-out days. So, say you're coming into town on a Tuesday and you're leaving on a Friday, you'll get the Universal Express Pass for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. That could help save money if you plan to buy the Express Pass on your Universal Orlando visit. Now, it's important to note that this Express Pass does not include Epic Universe or Volcano Bay.

[00:01:43]You would have to purchase that separately. So, is this free Express Pass still worth it at Universal? Let's crunch the numbers. And stay tuned till the end of the video where I will reveal the real big cost of a Universal vacation and how there might be a better way to save money. And be sure to give this video a big thumbs up. We're going to start off with a little sample scenario of planning a Universal vacation to see if this free Express Pass is still a money-saving hack when visiting Universal Orlando. So, let's do it together. We'll do the first one together just so you can see exactly how what it's like to plan a Universal vacation because it could be a little tricky on the website. Okay, so let's do September 22nd through the 25th, and we're just going to do a two-adult vacation package. Now, there are a few options. The Harry Potter vacation package is great if you're a big Harry Potter fan. During this September, it'll be Halloween Horror Nights, of course, so you could book that. But we're just going to go with the create-your-own vacation package. And of course, we're going to be visiting Epic Universe during this hypothetical vacation because obviously, Epic Universe is amazing.

[00:02:49]First, let's start with an Express Pass hotel. So, let's do one of the least expensive for this trip, and that is going to be Royal Pacific.

[00:03:02]Okay, so now you could see right here, this package is super easy. It comes with a three-day park-to-park ticket with Volcano Bay. I'm going to change it to just the three-day park-to-park ticket without Volcano Bay. Now, this was pretty easy because we have the hotel, we have the tickets, and of course, the Express Passes are already included.

[00:03:27]Now, we're not going to get the Express Pass for Epic Universe just because that complicates it a little bit. But this Express Pass included will just be for Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. And that's your Royal Pacific vacation package. And that comes out to $3,246.88.

[00:03:44]Now, let's go back and switch to a value resort like Cabana Bay. So, for this one, we're going to add the Express Passes. So, for this one, we are going to add just two days' worth of Express Passes during our trip. And you could see the prices do change. So, let's just say we want it for Wednesday and Thursday because those are the days that we'll be in Universal or Islands of Adventure. And our total for a Cabana Bay vacation will be $2,597.

[00:04:18]Now, that is a $649 difference between staying at staying at Royal Pacific and Cabana Bay and having the Express Pass for Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. But the biggest thing that you need to understand here is that there is a difference because the vacation package that I booked with Cabana Bay only has the Express Pass for two days. The vacation package that I booked with Royal Pacific has the Express Pass for four days. It has it for four days because you're staying there for three nights. So, technically, if you added another two days of the Express Pass, it would of course would be more to stay at Cabana Bay than Royal Pacific. But here's where things really, really change because this vacation package, first of all, has a three-day park ticket. So, you really aren't even going to need that fourth day of Express Pass.

[00:05:14]Also, things just totally changed now in 2026 because of, of course, Epic Universe and the fact that the Express Unlimited Pass does not include Epic Universe in it. So, what does that mean?

[00:05:27]Why did I only add two days of the Express Pass with the Cabana Bay package? Because if you're spending that last day at Epic Universe, you're not even going to need the Express Pass anyway. So then you're just like you don't need it. Why would Why would I add it onto the vacation package? You know what I mean? So, you are spending $649 more if you do stay at Royal Pacific. It gives you more flexibility if you want to do another day in the parks. If you want to do maybe four days in the parks, you'll get another day of Express Pass.

[00:05:48]But if you stay at Cabana Bay, you're saving $649, still getting two days of the Express Pass. Right now, it's cheaper, of course, to stay at Cabana Bay, add two days of the Express Pass, than it is to stay at Royal Pacific for these dates. Now, I did do some other options. I'll just just say them quickly so you get an idea. And if you have any questions, let me know in the comments because it does get a little confusing with all the different ticket options and the way that they word them. But option two, I did November 9th through the 12th, two adults at Cabana Bay, comes out to $2,444. And then Portofino Bay comes out to $4,022.70. Now, that's a huge difference. That of course is adding the Express Pass to the Cabana Bay package and your three-day park ticket. Third option is Now, this is a weekend. This is where things get a little closer because weekends are more expensive. So, December 10th through the 13th at Royal Pacific with the three-day park-to-park ticket, Express Pass included, is $4,284.84. If you stay at Endless Summer Surfside those same dates plus adding the Express Pass for two days is $2,941. cheaper than staying at Royal Pacific. Back in the day, when I was planning a Universal Orlando trip in 2021 before I had an annual pass, I priced out a vacation staying at Surfside with the Express Pass and staying at Royal Pacific with the Express Pass included, of course, and tickets. And Royal Pacific ended up being maybe a little tiny bit more expensive, if not even cheaper, than it was to stay at Surfside with the Express Pass. It gets interesting because Helios Grand Hotel and Sapphire Falls are both a part of the Signature Collection hotels, but they don't include the Express Pass with your stay. So now, I priced those out, too, for the same dates, December 10th through the 13th. And Helios, adding the two days of the Universal Express Pass, is $4,687.

[00:07:07]So, in this instance, you're actually spending more staying at Helios and adding two days of the Express than you were to be just staying at Royal Pacific. But I want you to keep in mind, too, that if you are staying at Royal Pacific, Hard Rock, Portofino Bay, you do get those extra Express days. So, if you are an annual pass holder and you want to go into the parks, say your check-out day or check-in day, that Express Pass will come in handy on those days versus having just for two days or one day.

[00:07:37]Nice lemon water. Of course, this isn't a video for me trying to deter you from staying at any of these hotels because these are If you haven't seen my hotel ranking video, these are in the top of the best of the best Universal hotels. I love getting that Express Pass included in your stay. I think it is an amazing value still, even though the pricing on these three scenarios might not seem like it, you still get amazing benefits like the location of these hotels. They are walking distance to the parks. You get the water taxi.

[00:08:07]You get that luxury experience. You get amazing pools, amazing food options, great location. So, if that's worth it for you, then absolutely, you should totally stay here. This is going to give you the best Universal Orlando experience, seamless experience because these hotels are so amazing. But I just wanted to do the math to see because, you know, one of the biggest Universal tips that even myself promotes is that, "Oh, you know, if you stay at one of these hotels, you get the Express Pass included." And that definitely used to be the case of it might end up being cheaper, but it might not anymore. So, that's why I was looking. I was like, "Okay, the last time I stayed at Royal Pacific was in 2022. So, I went back through the archives of the Crystal Palace booking reservations, and I found that in 2022, I paid $2,763 for at Royal Pacific with three people in the room because that increases the price by $50 if you add more than two people. On June 5th through >> raises the price by $50 if you add more than two people. On June 5th through the 8th. So, this was a Sunday to a Wednesday. Now, I did the same scenario for 2026. And in 2026, that Sunday to Wednesday in June would be $2,697.

[00:10:12]So, actually a little cheaper than what I paid in 2022. Okay, right? So, now I'm here thinking, "Hmm, so it's actually not the price of the hotel that has gone up. Just the hotel, not including the tickets." But, what the heck is making it so expensive? Why isn't the math adding up for this free Express Pass deal? Because it used to be so clear, so worth it.

[00:10:36]And it hit me. This is when I realized the real cost of your Universal Orlando vacation. And it is not the Universal hotels. It is not the hotels. Because look at this. Look, the proof is in the pudding here. In 2022, I paid more for my room my Royal Pacific than I did if I were to stay the same exact dates in 2026. So, the the price of the the room is not really going up.

[00:11:03]Of course, it depends on the time of the year, you know. Sometimes this might be triple the price if it's a very busy time of the year, like spring break.

[00:11:11]But, what is this high cost? And it is one thing that is driving up the cost of your Universal vacation. It's the tickets.

[00:11:23]It's the tickets. The ticket prices.

[00:11:26]Ticket prices have gone up.

[00:11:28]Because when I stayed in 2022, I now had my annual pass. So, I didn't need to buy the tickets included in the vacation package. If you break out the vacation package and look at just the ticket prices, the price of a 3-day ticket is $541 each for 3 days.

[00:11:46]Times two times however many people are in your party. That's very costly. So, what do you do? What do you do about this? Right?

[00:11:56]I have a solution. Become a Universal Orlando annual pass holder. Now, you may say, "I No, I'm only going once this year." But, look at the prices of the annual pass. Okay. So, now you get the two-park power pass is $475.

[00:12:13]The two-park seasonal pass is $425.

[00:12:16]And the preferred is $630. Now, if you're a Florida resident, this will be even cheaper for you. But, I'm just doing out of state just to give you the overall overview of the prices. Now, each pass type some have blockout days, some have different restrictions. So, just be sure to look through all of those little fine details on the pass types. But, most importantly, these annual passes give you discounts on Epic Universe tickets as well. So, yes, you will have to buy that Epic Universe ticket in addition to your annual pass. But, you will get 15% off your Epic Universe ticket if you do that. An example of Epic Universe ticket prices with an annual pass. September 24th is a Thursday. An Epic Universe ticket is $127.

[00:13:04]Plus, if you buy that power pass, you're spending $602 on tickets compared to the $541 you would be spending if you buy that 3-day ticket. But, don't forget, if you buy that 3-day ticket, of course, you can only enter the parks for 3 days. If you get the annual pass, you get any amount of days that your heart desires during the year. So, you can visit the parks, Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, on your check-in and your check-out day. The annual pass gives you more flexibility of if you want to just pop into the park in the morning before your flight. November 11th, it's a Wednesday. Epic Universe ticket is on $148, which would come out to $60 more than that power pass. But, once again, you get that extra day. December 12th, Epic Universe ticket would be $161. June 7th would be $148. My takeaway from this was the best money-saving hack that I could probably tell you for Universal isn't necessarily to oh, check the room rates at these hotels to give you the Express Pass.

[00:14:08]Because [gasps] I think the new best money-saving tip is to get yourself an annual pass. With the annual pass, then now, linking back to the Express Pass and the hotels, you can get the annual pass holder hotel rates.

[00:14:25]So, you could stay at these hotels like Royal Pacific, Portofino Portofino Portofino Portofino Bay and Hard Rock Hotel for a discounted price. Usually, it's like 30% off hotel rooms. All you do is you go to the Universal Orlando annual pass holder site and go to hotel deals. So, I did it for September 22nd through the 24th. Staying at the Hard Rock, $1,566.82.

[00:14:49]First, if you were to buy the Express for 4 days is $1,359.

[00:14:57]So, all in all, I my big takeaway that I felt like I had to share with you was how worth it it is to get yourself a Universal Orlando annual pass. Because no matter what tier you're you're getting to, you know, say you're staying Maybe you're staying more than 3 days.

[00:15:14]Maybe you're staying 5 days or 6 days.

[00:15:18]However long you're staying, an annual pass might be worth it for you rather than getting these 3-day tickets, which can run you almost $600 each. You might as well just get an annual pass at that point. So, yeah, that's my video for today.

[00:15:32]Those darn allergies, y'all. One day One day I'll I'll snap out of it. I still think it's worth it to take a look at the Universal hotels, um Royal Pacific, Portofino Bay, because it is nice to be able to have that Express Pass, especially if you get an annual pass. Because then you really get more flexibility. The best part, too, is that the annual passes have different perks. Like, of course, we mentioned the 15% off of Epic Universe tickets. But, also, if you get the preferred pass or higher, you get discounts in the parks like 10% off food and merchandise. You get access to the annual pass holder lounge. Sometimes they have free giveaways. It's just a really nice being a Universal annual pass holder. They treat their pass holders well. So, I recommend looking into it. If you need any help with your vacation planning or if you want to decide, you know, will this tickets be worth it or an annual pass, you could get a free quote with the Park Prodigy. And make sure you say Crystal sent you. And you can use the code the Crystal Palace10 at checkout or the Crystal Palace30 on orders over $800. I hope you enjoyed my little finding. I just thought this was like kind of crazy to realize, you know, because I'm an annual pass holder and I'm not really looking at like the ticket prices that much. So, to come to the realization that, "Okay, the real big price here is isn't so much the hotels. Rather, it's the tickets, especially for bigger families. So, might want to take a look at that annual pass. Might be worth it for you. Hope you enjoyed today's video. Stay tuned.

[00:17:03]We have a lot of more fun ones coming out in the coming days. Be sure to give this video a thumbs up. I'll see you guys in the next one. Peace.