The NEW Hotel Problem You Need To Know When You Visit Epic Universe

Okay, so we know a lot of y’all are planning trips to Universal Orlando to see Epic Universe — and we don’t blame you.

Gate at Epic Universe

Universal has KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK (pun intended) with its new theme park, and we’ve enjoyed visiting it multiple times to check out all five lands, including all the rides, entertainment, and (OF COURSE) dining spots. However, if you’re visiting Universal Orlando from out of town, you might be wondering what hotel is the best to stay in if you’re visiting Epic Universe. We’ve got an answer…but it’s complicated.

So, you’ve got pros and cons for staying at the Epic Universe-area hotels and the regular Universal Orlando hotels. But what we recommend is a split stay…and we’re going to tell you why.

First, you’re probably going to Universal Orlando for Epic Universe, and honestly, we think it’s the best thing there, so we’d totally book two days’ worth of tickets at Epic and stay within walking distance of the park. Your first choice might be Universal Helios Grand Hotel, but it’s pricey. HOWEVER, staying there means you get a dedicated entrance into Epic Universe, so you’re less than five minutes from the park. If you need to run a souvenir back to your room or just take a short break, it’s SO easy when you’re RIGHT THERE.

Universal Helios Grand Hotel

However, the Universal Stella Nova Hotel is a little less expensive and even has a dedicated walking path to the park. The walk is a LITTLE longer (about 5–10 minutes), but you’re still close enough to the park to be able to take little breaks in your hotel room in the middle of the day.

Universal Stella Nova

However, if you’re also visiting Universal Orlando’s other theme parks, staying at these hotels could be a problem. Because they’re close to Epic Universe, they’re further away from Universal’s other parks. If you’re visiting the whole of Universal Orlando, you’ll have to travel 15–20 minutes via bus each day and night (plus you’ll need to add on the time you have to wait for that bus). That means midday breaks or running something back to your hotel room isn’t quite as convenient. If you’re driving, then you have to drive back and forth from the Epic Universe hotels AND pay for parking.

Stella Nova Resort parking

However, the other Universal Orlando hotels are much closer to Universal’s other parks and CityWalk, meaning they’re more convenient if you’re visiting Universal Volcano Bay, Universal Studios Florida, and Universal Islands of Adventure. If you stay at a signature hotel in that area, you get one thing you don’t get at any of the Epic Universe hotels: a FREE Unlimited Express Pass. This pass lets you skip the standby lines at many rides in Universal’s parks EXCEPT Epic Universe. This pass generally costs between $89.99 and $299.99 per day if paid for separately.

Hogwarts Express Line

So if you’re ONLY visiting Epic Universe, it makes sense to stay at one of the hotels nearest to the park. However, if you want to visit all of Universal Orlando, we recommend a split-stay: spend two nights at an older signature hotel (Loews Royal Pacific Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel Orlando, or Loews Portofino Bay hotel) and use the walking paths to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure to visit those two parks. Then we’d move over to Helios Grand and spend two days in Epic Universe. That’s four days of Universal epic-ness and could be the key to the perfect Universal Orlando vacation.

Don’t want to go through all of the stress of booking your Universal trip alone? Reach out to our friends at Small World Vacations! Their experienced agents monitor your reservation for possible future savings, compare discounts and figure out which one works best for your travel party, dates, resort, and touring plans. And, they share expert tips and first-hand advice with you about your magical vacation.