So, we started talking about going to Universal for DD13’s bday in January 2027 again but I really don’t want to go in the cold again. So I started looking at an early Bday/Christmas (including me) excuse and was thinking about this. I’ve never been to Orlando during the end of August. Read some things that make it sound ok including lower crowds since kids go back to school and the evenings can be nice. Also would let us do some water rides and pools (no water park). My main bummer is that because of the ticket deals right now and my work schedule I don’t think we will actually take advantage of a full 5 days of tickets but the math is better this way. I have two EPIC return days from being there on a monumental fail day when stardust valleyed this year. Feedback?
Dates August 27-31 (take Friday and Monday off work)
Tickets
Seasonal pass $425 (does not include epic so would need to use my 2 free epic days here) for me
3 day plus 2 free all parks $396 for daughter
Express passes $129-150 per day so will NOT do
Hotels
AP discount:
3 nights at Stella $492
Sunday at Royal Pacific $290 (2 days of express pass unlimited)
Total - $782
Non-AP
4 nights all same place (terra luna) $977
Plans
Thurs - fly in, stay at Stella
Frid - go to Epic +/- IOA, stay at Stella
Sat - go to Epic +/- IOA, stay at Stella
Sun - sleep in, move to Royal Pacific and get express pass unlimited for IOA and USF
Mon - express pass unlimited with IOA and USF and then fly out in the evening (leave park by 5:30)
It is true that end of August is really quite similar to September in terms of crowds now, so you should be experiencing some of the lowest crowd levels at that time.
The big issues are weather related. The heat and humidity are unbearable at times, so plan your days to have frequent time periods inside to stay cool. The other issue (apart from the unpredictable possibility of hurricanes at that time) will be that later afternoons into evenings could see significant rain storms pass through. So you need to plan accordingly. With so much of Universal being outdoor (as compared to WDW), you have to be prepared for the implications. I think it is likely only 4 attractions operate at Epic in severe weather, so that funnels everyone to the same rides.
Is this just for comparison? I like your plan. My only feedback would be that without express I would only focus on Epic those days unless your IOA plan would be mid day. Epic would be most reasonable first thing and end of day. I love Stella Nova, I hope you like it as much as I do.
Thanks for the feedback. We ran into this in January with some occasional rain and winds. We were the day that the random wind storm came in and valleyed Stardust. Guest services was handing out EPIC revisit tickets like candy that day.
The 3 day plus 2 ticket deal right now makes my DD13 ticket $396. Im avoiding buying her an AP because it wouldn’t cover epic. So this way we can use my two free epic days and go there twice.
When we went in January earlier this year we didn’t rope drop Epic on the day that Stardust Valleyed so we never got to go. Lessons were learned and we will rope drop Epic now those two days. I’m hoping that staying at Stella Luna lets us take nice mid day breaks. How was the pool there?
Yes but I am questioning if two mornings are enough without express pass plus you will want to see the new fireworks show?
The pool was a good size, with a massive amount of seating. You can mobile order and then pick up your food while sitting at the pool. There is a pool bar and a hot tub.
I really like the QS there. You also get a 10% discount with your AP.
I’m local and just want you to be aware that late August/September are peak hurricane season. The storms will not be like anything you experienced in January. There could be park closures and flight issues. If you are okay with that chance then it’s a great lower crowd time to visit!
Yeah was going to mention this part too for the end of August! For a variety of reasons the last week in August was our only chance for a family trip this summer and we’re planning on a couple Epic days, a cruise and then possibly one Disney day at the end of the trip! Fingers are massively crossed for the weather that week for sure (yes, yes, we have insurance on the cruise and when we had a hurricane knock a couple days off our trip in 2017 Disney was really great about helping change our tickets and hotel, so hopefully that would be similar if that’s an issue this trip)
Bring the Family. Need to buy Multi-Day theme park tickets for your friends or family? Seasonal Passholders get 10 percent off, and all other Passholders save 15 percent!
Has anyone used this prior to activating their passes? Also, would it work with a special deal already?
I was planning on buying it from the universal website so that in case there are any issues with weather I’ll have more of an opportunity to maybe change them?
We get it, sometimes plans change. That’s why we offer a generous return window: If you request a refund within 365 days of purchase, we’ll return 96% of your order amount. The 4% retained helps cover processing, handling, and transaction costs. To qualify, your tickets must still be valid, not past their selected start date, and must not have been activated or modified in any way.
Please note: Tickets that are expired, have already been used, or are no longer sold on our site are not eligible for a refund. Just reach out to our customer support team, and we’ll guide you through the process to ensure everything goes smoothly.
