How Much Does a Trip to Universal Orlando Cost?

ByThemeParkPro Published

Are you considering visiting Universal Orlando but worried the cost might be out of reach?

I’ve been visiting Universal Orlando for over a decade. When I first started, I was at college on an extreme budget. Now, I travel with a wife and two kids, so the experience is slightly different.

In my experience, a three-day (four-night) trip to Universal Orlando costs between $956.01 and $2,041.02 per person on average. This is based on:

  • Transport to Orlando
  • Accommodation
  • Theme Park Tickets
  • Food & Drink
  • Domestic Transport
  • Souvenirs

The exact amount you spend on a trip to Universal Orlando will depend on:

Pro Tip: There are various ways you can save money on a trip to Universal Orlando. However, even with these savings, a trip to Universal Orlando isn’t always cheap.

Transport to Orlando

💵 Cost: $50 to $500 per person

The amount you spend on travelling to Orlando will depend on:

  • Where you’re travelling from
  • How you’re travelling (driving or flying)

If you’re driving, then the time and the variables won’t matter as much. However, if you’re flying, you’ll need to think about the following:

If you’re travelling from the UK, you can expect to pay around $500 (£350) for flights. Meanwhile, flights within the US typically cost between $40 and $200 round trip.

Accommodation

💵 Cost: $420 – $1,500 per room.

The amount you spend on accommodation will depend on:

  • Where in Orlando you’re staying
  • The time of year you’re visiting
  • The number of nights you’re staying for
  • The number of people travelling
  • The type of accommodation (hotel, motel, Airbnb, etc.)
  • The quality of the accommodation (three-star, four-star etc.)

If the sole focus of your trip to Orlando is to visit Universal Orlando, then I suggest staying on-site. Universal Orlando has a range of on-site hotels to suit all budgets and requirements.

The benefits of staying on-site include:

  • Free transport to and from the theme parks
  • Early entry into the theme park
  • Proximity to the theme parks

If you’re travelling with a large family or group, a vacation rental home will offer more space and potentially be cheaper.

Alternatively, if you want to visit Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, you may want to stay in a hotel located between the two.

Theme Park Tickets

💵 Cost: $296.01 to $391.02 per person

The amount you spend on Universal Orlando theme park tickets will depend on:

Where you buy your Universal Orlando theme park tickets does impact the price. You can save money at Universal Orlando by buying your tickets through a reputable third-party ticket seller.

However, there are a lot of theme park ticket scams online. If you see a price that looks too good to be true, it probably is. The third-party websites I recommend for Universal Orlando theme park tickets include:

  • Undercover Tourist
  • Klook
  • Viator
  • Tiqets
  • Costco Travel
  • Expedia

In the UK, you can buy a theme park ticket bundle. These 14-day tickets include a combination of theme parks in and around Orlando. You can purchase these tickets from:

  • Attraction Tickets
  • FloridaTix

Food & Drink

💵 Cost: $50 to $150 per person per day.

The amount of money you spend on food and drink at Universal Orlando will depend on:

  • The number of meals and snacks you have at the theme park
  • The restaurants you eat at

However, there are several ways you can save money on food at Universal. For example, where you stay can affect how much you spend on food and drink.

If you’re staying at an on-site hotel at Universal Orlando, leaving the resort for dinner might require more effort, making it easier to opt for on-site dining options.

Instead, you’ll probably eat at your hotel or at a restaurant at CityWalk. While some fast-food options exist, most restaurants here are of a premium standard.

Pro Tip: You can bring food and drink with you to Universal Orlando provided it meets certain requirements.

If you have accommodation outside of Universal, you may find it easier to get dinner on the way home. By doing so, you’ll have more choices and, subsequently, more control over your spending.

The same goes for breakfast. There are options like Starbucks and a market inside each hotel serving cereal pots. But it’s still more money than you’d spend if you were in a vacation rental and grabbed a bag of cereal from Walmart.

Domestic Transport

💵 Cost: $20 – $200

If you’ve driven from your home to Universal Orlando, you have your domestic transport with you. However, if you’ve taken a flight to Orlando, you’ll need to think about how you’re going to get around when you arrive.

There are only two options for this:

  • Rideshare (Uber, Lyft, etc.)
  • Rental Car

If you plan to spend the majority of your trip at Universal Orlando, then an Uber or Lyft is best.

However, consider the cost of travelling to and from your accommodation, as staying on-site at Universal Orlando may be cheaper than paying for an Uber or Lyft each day.

Pro Tip: If you stay on-site at Universal Orlando Resort transport to and from the theme parks is free. Alternatively several of the hotels are within walking distance.

It may be worth getting a rental car if you plan to explore more of Orlando during your trip. However, remember that a rental car costs so much more than the car itself. You’ll also need to think about the following:

For context, parking at Universal Orlando starts at $32 per day, which makes it hard to justify hiring a car over Uber and Lyft services.

Souvenirs

💵 Cost: $20 to $200 per person

Universal Orlando has some incredible souvenirs. However, unlike everything listed above, buying souvenirs is optional.

You could avoid budgeting for souvenirs at Universal Orlando and leave with nothing. However, we want to be realistic. So, even if you’re on an extreme budget, I’d still suggest allocating $20 per person for souvenirs.

On some of my early trips to Universal Orlando as a college student, $20 is all I’d spend. However, now I visit Universal Orlando often, I’ve invested in some of the most iconic souvenirs such as:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *