If you've read our Resort Guide Basic Overview, and think a Value Resort might be right for you, but you're still undecided, this guide post is a must read. If you have no idea where to even start with booking a room, read our Basic Guide to Universal Orlando Resort before reading this. If you are ready to book your Universal Orlando Vacation, reach out to Jillian at Destination Dreaming Travels for a FREE travel agent to handle all of the details for you.
Every single Universal Resort guest will have access to enter one of the theme parks 1-hour before official park opening. The specific park will change throughout the year, so make sure you check the app or official Universal Orlando website for you dates. If driving, there is a parking fee at every resort. Free EV charging is available with your paid nightly parking fee. I should point out that they are J1772 only at this level of resort, so make sure you bring your adaptor if you have a Tesla. Free shuttle bus transportation is offered at all resorts to and from the parks and City Walk. If flying, you must make your own arraignments to get from the airport to the resort.
The Basics
The most budget friendly option when staying at Universal Orlando Resort is a Value Resorts. Value Resorts are located right about a mile away from the parks and are not in the "Universal Bubble". There is no possible way to walk to the parks from these resorts as they are located on the other side of I-4. I mean, I guess technically you "could" walk, but I wouldn't recommend it for safety reasons.
Universal has two resorts in this category. These are sister resorts called Universal's Endless Summer Resorts. They are sub-divided into two resorts called Surfside Inn and Suites and Dockside Inn and Suites. These two resorts are the newest resorts on property, having just opened in 2019 and 2020, respectively. We stayed on the Surfside side over spring break for the first time ever. We initially had reservations at Dockside booked a few weeks after it's (planned) grand opening in April 2020, but the world shut down instead and the parks closed.
Surfside is a smaller resort with only about 750 total rooms compared to Dockside's 2000+ rooms. With Dockside being a significantly larger resort, it has two pools compared to Surfside's one pool. The only transportation options to get to the parks is free shuttle bus, paying for ride share, or drive. I'm not a fan of the location. We stayed at Surfside and it was right across from a Walgreens and KFC. I didn't feel like I was actually staying at Universal. If I was just driving down the road and saw these, I would not have specifically thought of these as being part of the Universal Resort system. However, if "being in the bubble" is not important to you, then these resorts are amazing budget friendly options.
The Rooms
The rooms at both resorts are laid out the same. They are standard hotel room layouts. They have the same furnishings, just slightly different color schemes. I did like that, even at a value resort, the toilet and shower are behind a separate door and the vanity is outside of it. I hate resorts that have the vanity in with the toilet. We're just not that close in our family. As with all Universal resorts, there are no balconies. Being new resorts, we found plenty of places to plug in all of our electronics.
The room is beautiful. We loved the little finishings and details of the room. There are reading lights above the bed that are nautical themed (honestly, I've never seen a cuter wall mount reading light before). The colors are soft and calming. We loved all of the light wood floors and beautiful tile in the bathroom. My only complaint with the room is the lack of storage space. We were only there for one night, so we didn't unpack our bags. There are only three drawers for clothing in the dresser. Three. If you are a family of four staying for several days, I honestly do not know where you would put all of your clothes. There is a little pull out seating bench under the table top that holds the dresser and mini fridge. I would have much rather seen more drawers than a pull out bench, especially since there is already a chair in the room.
Did you notice the "And Suites" part of the name? Yep, this Value Resort has 2-bedroom suites also! These suites can sleep up to 6 people. They are just two rooms with a total of three beds and have one bathroom (no living room as the main room contains 2 beds). There is a kitchenette with small table and chairs. These are an affordable option to sleep a larger party without having to book two separate rooms. It's really nice to see affordable options available for larger parties. These suites also allow for privacy for the parents since there is a designated master bedroom. There is only one bathroom to share between, potentially, six people. However, that's what you get at a "value" pricing. I can't imagine having six people fighting for one toilet, so I think I would personally just book two standard adjoining rooms to have a second bathroom.
The Cost
Since these rooms are pretty far away from everything, they are priced accordingly. The lowest prices I could find for these standard rooms with a standard view was $104 during the middle of the school year (lowest priced=lowest crowds). In contrast, the same room is going for almost $200 per night during summer break, in the fall around fall breaks, and around Christmas (highest priced=highest crowds). You can pay extra for a pool view if you like. If you are a Universal Orlando Annual Passholder (UOAP) or Florida state resident, I've seen prices for these resorts (standard room, not suites) as low as $77 per night. The cost of the 2-bedroom suites with be an extra $60-$100 over a standard room.
Around the Resort
Food options are limited to quick service food court style meals. There are not any sit down, table service style meals. The food is geared to kids focusing on burger/fries, chicken tenders, pizza, sandwiches, quesadillas, etc. We did find several salad choices. Pre-made grab-and-go options are available too. There is a Starbucks at both. The pools have bars for cocktails, beer, and wine. Pizza delivery is available to your room during specified hours. I guess if you don't like their food options, you can walk over to the KFC that's right across the road, lol.
The pool areas have giant Connect Four boards, ping pong tables, and hula hoops. I'm not sure if they do Team Member lead activities such as games and trivia because it was in the 60s and raining when we stayed there and we didn't venture out to the pool.
Both resorts have an arcade and gift shop. If you haven't gotten enough exercising walking miles a day in the parks, you will find a fitness center at both resorts.
In Summary
Overall, these resorts are much more upscale than what you would imagine at a Value Resort. The finishings are beautiful and thoughtful. The rooms were quiet and we did not have any hall noise disturbing our sleep. I appreciate that even at a Value Resort, there is EV charging available for free with your nightly parking fee. I also love a good zero-entry pool (I'm that person who is laying just where the water will hit me but still able to lay out in the sun). I do like to have more food options, as food court dining is not our favorite. If you are on a tight budget and want to have access to the perks of staying on property vs a generic Holiday Inn, I definitely recommend staying at the Endless Summer Resorts.
I hope this helps to give you a starting point when trying to plan your Universal Orlando Vacation. For help booking a room and park tickets check out Jillian with Destination Dreaming Travels. She's a FREE travel agent waiting to help you book your most magical vacation ever.
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