Yeah, you may not believe me when I say this. I had a hard time believing it myself. I really got a room upgrade to Club Level for just $16 more.
Here’s how.
In this household, I am in charge of making reservations. I get to do all the planning, and I love it! For me, planning is part of the fun of vacation.
We are headed to Florida for Marathon Weekend in January. We already have all our resort reservations, but we wanted to go to Universal Orlando as well.
Hubby says, “Call and see how much, and then we’ll talk about it.”
Now, we like the top-tier resorts at Universal. They’re within walking distance of the parks, and Universal Express Unlimited is included with your stay. For three people, we’ve priced it out before, and it makes sense for our family.
So I jumped on the phone to find out how much Hard Rock Hotel and Royal Pacific would be. I already knew this was the week after Marathon Weekend, so I expected it to be crowded.
The very nice woman on the phone gave me the quote for a room at Hard Rock.
Man, it was expensive.
I’m sitting there doing mental math.
One thing you should know about me is that I am a woman with questions. I love to find out more. It helps me make better decisions, ya know?
So, off the top of my head, I asked her:
“How much is Club Level at Hard Rock for those dates?”
When she gave me the total, I nearly fell over.
I told her—and I kid you not—
“Stop. Wait. Back that truck up. What did you say? You’re telling me that Club Level is only $16 more for the whole stay for all three of us?”
She said, “Yes, ma’am. That is a great deal.”
Now, originally, the plan was for me to get the numbers, talk to Hubby about them, and then we’d make a decision.
But I’ve been at this long enough to know that if a deal like that is there right now, it might not be there for very long.
And I could already hear Hubby when he got home:
“You didn’t book it WHY?”
So out came my credit card.
I booked it.
Why Was $16 More Such a Big Deal?
Club Level at Hard Rock isn’t just about staying in a different part of the hotel. Club guests also have access to the Rock Royalty Lounge and the extra amenities that come with it.
That includes food throughout the day.
There’s breakfast in the morning, snacks during the day, and evening hors d’oeuvres. I wouldn’t necessarily promise that the evening offerings will replace dinner for everyone, but have you seen what it costs to feed three adults inside a theme park?
Yes. I will happily take the food.
There are beverages available throughout the day, too, including bottled water and soft drinks. And there are snacks like chips.
In the evening, you can get an adult beverage, and later there’s dessert.
Oh, and the desserts are yummy!
There’s also concierge service available to help with reservations or other things you might need during your stay.
All of that cost us just $16 more for three adults for our four-night stay.
It Never Hurts to Ask
Now, I want to be very clear about something.
I am not saying you can upgrade your Universal Orlando hotel room to Club Level for $16.
This was the price difference for our particular reservation, for our dates, when I happened to call. Your price could be completely different.
There wasn’t a secret code. I didn’t find some hidden Club Level sale.
I simply asked one more question.
And why did I ask?
Because I like to ask questions.
If you’re already pricing a Universal Orlando hotel, don’t automatically assume Club Level is going to be too expensive. Ask what it would cost for your dates. Compare the difference with what you’d receive and decide whether it makes sense for your family.
You never know what the answer might be.
In our case, the answer was $16.
Goes to show—it never hurts to ask!