I recently booked a one week trip to Universal Studio’s Fl. I wanted to stay at Lowe’s Royal Pacific but it wasn’t listed in the Stay and Play Package deal for the dates I needed. Went with Portifino instead for more money but wanted the Express Pass and didn’t want the Hard Rock because it looked like more of a younger folks thing. About 3 weeks before our trip low and behold the Royal Pacific appears for the dates I had in mind. Call my agent who got right on it. Saved about $500. but can you believe Universal added a $50 resort change fee to the new booking, Never had that problem with WDW.
That’s weird, just did the same 3 Weeks ago, except cancelled Royal Pacific so we could stay at Portofino instead 1/2-6. I just booked a new room and cancelled the other. No extra fee. I have done this often over the years, and while you have to cancel and get reimbursed from one hotel and then use a separate deposit for the new hotel, there has never been a fee. It is different than WDW where you just modify. I wonder if a TA calls to change the resort, if Uni charges for that but doesn’t make you get a refund on however much you had paid, whereas if you do it yourself you must cancel one, get reimbursed, and pay a separate deposit on the second. That’s the only reason I can think that there would be a change fee. Hope you have a great trip, enjoy Royal Pacific.
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Thanks for the response. My travel agent told me there would be a fee of $50 to change but the price difference was so great that it easily surpassed that money. I thought of do just as you stated by booking one myself and then just canceling the other but my agent is my wife’s cousin so I just let her take care of it. I was glad to get Royal Pacific rather than Portifino though we have not stayed at either in the past. Thought it a little strange about the fee but have never dealt with Universal before. Even have the cancelation insurance to cancel for any reason but collecting this type of insurance is a real pain. Live and learn I guess. I am more of a WDW fan anyway and don’t expect to be back to Universal again anyway. Again thanks for the response. JCD
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We had WDW charge us a $50 change fee to modify our hotel dates just a few months ago because the total cost to us went down. They said they waive it if price goes up, so doesn’t appear to be a Universal v Disney thing.
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I agree.
The thing is I could understand it if the hotel had been available for booking at the times I needed. However that was not the case. Guess as stated earlier the way to do it is book and additional vacation at the hotel you want to change to and after booking cancel your previous vacation.
You may have averted a problem b/c there is construction going on at the Portofino through the first half of 2020. Now you don’t have to worry about that.