Universal Hollywood HELP!

Hey!

I’m planning a trip to DLR in May. From the start I was always trying to find a way to go to USH. The logistics of moving between Anaheim & Los Angeles along with the high prices of LA hotels made the idea unfeasible.

However, USH announced Universal FanFest Nights yesterday. This event will last from 7pm - 2am. It’s only like $80 a ticket! Also, it looks AMAZING!

Here’s my dilemma / “idea”…

Instead of staying in Anaheim on Saturday and then leaving from SNA airport Sunday morning I go to USH on Saturday. (I get a “free” regular admission ticket to USH for being a Universal Visa card member.) I’ll still have to buy a FanFest ticket - no big deal

I can sleep-in and wake up at my own pace Saturday, go to LA and arrive at USH around Noon or so. Then go to USF all day & night until the event is over at 2am. There are multiple flights out of LAX at 5am - 6am or so. I don’t need a place to sleep. I do need to find a place that will let me do an early check-in - if possible. While I could wait until mid-afternoon to arrive, getting to be at USH early in the day until late night is what makes this trip appealing.

I’m not concerned about the long day. I’ve done 15 - 18 hours at WDW multiple times in the last few months with no issues

My dilemma is I’ll need someplace to leave my luggage the whole day.

I’m looking at the very cheap hotels in the area, not to sleep, but to be a luggage storage room. I’d drop my bag off in the hotel room, go to USH until 2am, pick-up my bag and head directly to LAX.

Sadly, there are no “luggage lockers” at UHS or in the area where I can store the large bag(s).

However, some of these cheap places look to be in areas that I’m not sure I want to be in at 2am- 3am!! Either that or they look to be more like hostels or Airbnb’s “disguised” as a hotel on Expedia. :rofl:

Any “name brand” hotel is $300 - $400 for the night

Anyone have suggestions about what to do with my bag(s) or know of a decent hotel/motel close to USH that isn’t too “sketchy” looking or priced too high! :rofl: :rofl: :shark: :shark:

Tagging my LA / Anaheim experts! :laughing: :star_struck: :star_struck:

@lolabear_la
@93111tink

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Ship them home?

This should be interesting to follow! Hope you do a TR at some point.

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It’s definitely going to happen!

Interesting! I think there’s a FedEx store in OC… I wonder how to do it??

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Not sure–they may offer packaging services so perhaps they could take care of that part for you. Worth checking into I think–could be pricey.

It looks like UPS will do it for $100 for next day delivery. There’s not much of a discount for 2 -3 days. However, if I can wait four days before I get it UPS Ground will ship it for $40!

Even $100 is cheaper than the hotel. I don’t think they’re be much I would need that I couldn’t fit in my Sling Bag that I always take to UOR and the airport anyway!

It looks like the Ubers to LA and then to LAX are going to be $75 - $100 each…

My expenses are $200 for rides, $100 for luggage, $150 for FanFest with food…

If I remove the extra night from my DLR trip I am “saving” about $325…

It would mean my “costs” would be around $125 to go…

That’s not unreasonable! Especially, if I may never get back to California again.

I have a lot to think about. At least I can wait a few weeks before I commit!

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I could tell you in a heartbeat about cheap digs in decent locations in Anaheim, but I am woefilly ignorant on LA and the last time we set foot in LA was March 2021 and before that sometime in 2018?? I hate the Hollywood area right around the El Capitan/Chinese Theater. It’s grimy, gross, hustling & pushy street vendors all around and I do my best to get in & get out whenever we find ourselves visiting and that’s right by Universal so I wouldn’t recommend anything priced very low around that area for sure. The Grove Mall/LA Farmer’s Market (which is the only thing we’ve been to in LA since 2020) was in a much nicer area (but not as close to Univeral), but we also didn’t walk around outside of the (outdoor) mall and Farmer’s Market so it could very well be sketchy.

Shipping your lugaggge home might not be such a bad idea. I would also consider the cost of a rental to use as your luggage transportation/storage. There is a car rental in easy walking distance of DLR, I think it’s an Alamo?? I think @Wahoohokie has rented from there and driven up to LA or down to San Diego so she might be able to give any more advice on that.

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OMG!! Another great idea!!!

I’d have to pay to park, but then I don’t have to worry about getting an Uber at 2am… Plus, I keep all my stuff with me.

I’ll have to pay to park, but the convenience of all this would be nice. I could even duck back there if I need something or want to lay down in the back seat. (I am 5’ 2" after all!! :rofl: :rofl: :shark:)

EDIT - It’s only $71 for a car!! I think I know what I’m doing!! :star_struck: :star_struck:

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Yes I have quite a few times. Most recently I booked Enterprise as they are now back at Pixar Place Hotel so easier for me when staying onsite. If staying on Harbor, I would use Alamo which is close to the corner of Harbor and Katella.

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I have found having a car in LA is soooooo much easier than anything. It is not an (enjoyable) walkable city.

Oh we’ve slept in our car parked next to Hollywood High behind the El Capitan Theater while waiting for a 5am Disney Pin release at the Hollywood Studio Store when they used to do in person events, so I know allllll about this.

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I knew you would know!! We have yet to switch from our crazy 10-11 hr drives to DLR to using those new-fangled flying machines so we’ve never needed to rent in SoCal but I knew that it was possible and seemed to be not at all inconvenient.

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Alamo is who Expedia wants me to use as well. I’m really getting excited about it!

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You have no idea how much I want to go to this right now.

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I had totally written off going to USH. Then I saw this line-up. It’s ALL my favorite IPs!!!

I haven’t booked anything yet, but I’m feeling pretty certain I will.

I can’t wait too long as I don’t want the flight to sell out! I’ll sleep on it tonight!

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From https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/refunds

Cancelling a Ticket Reservation or Purchase within 24 hours of Booking

  • For airline tickets that are purchased at least seven days before a flight’s scheduled departure date and time, airlines are required to either:

    • allow consumers to cancel their reservation and receive a full refund without a penalty for 24 hours, or
    • allow consumers to reserve a ticket (place it on hold) at the quoted prices without paying for the ticket for 24 hours.
  • Airlines are not required to offer both a hold and a refund option. Check your airline’s policy before purchasing a ticket. However, if an airline accepts a reservation without payment, it must allow the consumer to cancel the reservation within 24 hours without penalty. If an airline requires payment with a reservation, it must allow the consumer to cancel the payment and reservation within 24 hours and receive a full refund.

  • Although airlines must hold a reservation for 24 hours or provide a refund to consumers at their request within 24 hours of making a reservation, airlines are not required to make changes to a ticket free of charge (for example - change your ticket to a different date or correct a misspelled name on the reservation).

    • In some cases, instead of paying for a change fee and a potential difference between the original ticket price and the current ticket price, it may be cheaper to request a refund for the ticket and rebook. However, please keep in mind that ticket prices can change quickly.
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I’d just be changing my existing flight. I actually save $6! :rofl:

It’s just deciding if I want to do an “all-nighter”. I would have to drive at 3am to the airport after being up all day on the last night of a week-long trip! Sometimes I have to remind myself I am 50!! :rofl: :rofl: :crazy_face:

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Travel plans like this are the reason why caffeine is my bestie.

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:heart::heart: I am so glad this could be figured out!! I was at Disneyland when you asked and talked about it with my daughter. Got home and totally forgot to reply! :roll_eyes: We’ve stayed at the Motel 6 right off Hollywood Blvd when we went to see Hamilton. It was actually nice for the area. But like Lorraine said the area is bad. We still cant help but go to the Funko store there though :rofl: and I want to say I hope this won’t be your last trip to California!

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I have the rental car booked, but haven’t officially changed my hotel dates / package…

I’m still trying to see how comfortable I am with doing 3 days at DLR rather than 4…

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We used the FedEx store last year to ship home the ridiculous amount of Marvel stuff my DS bought… It cost a small fortune to ship- granted he bought a lot but it was over $900 to ship back to TN…

I’m pretty settled on geting a rental car. It’s going to solve a LOT of logistical issues. Plus. It’s less than $100!!

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