Going in May where would you stay?

Poohbear03

Mouseketeer
Joined
Feb 8, 2009
We are going May 13-20, here are the prices I received and wondering if it is work it to stay at HR? RP was not available for the stay more rate.
Hard Rock - 1823
Sapphire Falls - 1201
Cabana Bay - 938.
If we changed dates to April 22-29 RP would be 1618 but airfare is high.
We are two adults in our 40's no children.
 
I LOVED Cabana Bay, but I like cute-themed hotels. It helps make the experience for me. I would do Sapphire Falls if you want something a little more adult and upscale.
 
Have you looked at AP rates? We go the week after you do and it wound up being cheaper for us to get 1 AP (no blackout dates in May so I got lowest level) which brought our RP rate down to 199 a night. We come in on Tuesday and check out that Friday.
 
Hi I think the first thing you need to ask is if you want the express pass for the parks. If you do then you will have to go to HRH out of your choices. If you don't care about the express pass then one of the other two are good. We have stayed at CBBR and really enjoy this resort. I have heard good things about SFR. I think the prices look good for all of them.

The AP as mentioned by pp is another way you could try and get a lower rate room. A lot of times Portofino could be an option because sometimes their AP rates are lower.

That is a hard decision to change to April with higher airfare. The difference between HRH in May and RPR in April is not much. I would keep the May dates and try for an AP if you decide too. By the way we have stayed at HRH three times and love it there. We were in our 40's when we did.
 


Sapphire Falls or choose the Hard Rock if you need the EP.

Sapphire is gorgeous and feels like a well put together resort and more upscale than Cabana Bay. But it doesn’t have EP. We are staying in May for 10 nights but don’t plan to do any park time, or very little.

For 2 adults I’d go for a nicer resort.
 
I agree with schumigirl - Sapphire Falls or Hard Rock if you want EP.

I also agree to check on AP rates. We saved quite a bit on our last Hard Rock stay. If you weren't planning on getting APs, price out the cost of an AP and the hotel savings versus the cost of your current options and ticket prices. Could be a savings.
 
Would you be willing to do a split stay- maybe 2 days HRH so you get unlimited express pass and then either Sapphire Falls or Cabana Bay for the remainder?
 


Between Cabana Bay and Sapphire Falls, and no kids - Sapphire Falls. You get the water taxi (without having to play chicken to cross the street! lol), plus the vibe is just "ahhhhhh".

We're going the same time as you - just booked for the 12-19th at Portofino Bay. I wasn't even supposed to go (boys grad trip), but sometimes the agent rate is too good to pass up. Under $300/night for 5 of us at club level - 3 are teenage boys; one of whom I SWEAR has a tapeworm??? Good deal, and now mom gets to go too! Plus, my You First is showing that we "should" get an upgrade, so fingers crossed... :)

I do like Patty's idea - that's what we did for our last 2 trips.

We will get an overnight flight and land at like 6am.
We check into RPR for our first night = 2 days of express.
Next couple of days at Cabana Bay - we'll usually do waterparks or just shopping/people-watching when we don't have express.
Then the 2nd to last night at another deluxe = 2 more days of express.
And we'll usually head to a cheapo airport hotel after supper on the last night, and grab an early morning flight home.

That felt complicated to write out. lol It's really not that bad, but we DO only ever travel carry-on, so not a ton of luggage to pack and tote around.
 
I agree with schumigirl - Sapphire Falls or Hard Rock if you want EP.

I also agree to check on AP rates. We saved quite a bit on our last Hard Rock stay. If you weren't planning on getting APs, price out the cost of an AP and the hotel savings versus the cost of your current options and ticket prices. Could be a savings.

Yep.....I think folks forget sometimes to check if they can get an AP rate........
 
Yep.....I think folks forget sometimes to check if they can get an AP rate........


Yep - a 2-park 4-day park to park pass is the same as the 2-park seasonal AP. It might even be more now with the price increase. So unless you're wanting to go in the summer, Easter or Christmas breaks, it's a really good deal.
 
Yep - a 2-park 4-day park to park pass is the same as the 2-park seasonal AP. It might even be more now with the price increase. So unless you're wanting to go in the summer, Easter or Christmas breaks, it's a really good deal.
The only caveat I'd add with a Seasonal Pass is to check concert dates which unfortunately aren't posted years in advance. You won't be able to get into the US park with a Seasonal Pass on those dates but if you are flexible, you can plan around it by focusing on IOA that day.
 
The only caveat I'd add with a Seasonal Pass is to check concert dates which unfortunately aren't posted years in advance. You won't be able to get into the US park with a Seasonal Pass on those dates but if you are flexible, you can plan around it by focusing on IOA that day.

Good point here, but I think the concert dates are just during Mardi Gras. If you know you won't be traveling during Mardi Gras season, which is like late Feb through March, then you could still get away with the seasonal pass. It also blacks out peak times like Christmas week and Spring break. We did the seasonal pass this year and were able to go first weekend of April, Labor Day weekend and the last week of January during HP Celebration.
 
Actually, that has not been my experience. During our trip last December, we couldn't hit US on the Saturday as there was a concert that night (well before any Mardi Gras festivity start-ups.) Concerts can occur just about any time during the year. So it is a good idea a month or so before your actual trip to verify if there are any concerts during your stay and then plan accordingly.
 
Actually, that has not been my experience. During our trip last December, we couldn't hit US on the Saturday as there was a concert that night (well before any Mardi Gras festivity start-ups.) Concerts can occur just about any time during the year. So it is a good idea a month or so before your actual trip to verify if there are any concerts during your stay and then plan accordingly.

I stand corrected. I'm seeing now that there are concerts in early summer as well, which I may have just ignored before because we wouldn't travel in June. So, the seasonal pass is probably best suited for those who can be flexible about when they travel.
 

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