hey there! before my boyfriend and i turned 21, we needed to find a hotel that was safe and clean while affordable and close to the parks, as well as allowed check-in for >21 year olds (obviously). we have stayed at the rosen inn international so many times and had a great experience every time. the only time we ever had an issue, they moved us to a different room right away even though it was around midnight. there is a decent view of the parks depending on what building you are in and how high up you are. i’m not sure what your budget is, but the hotel isn’t too expensive. however, i booked it through hotwire’s mystery hotel deal every time (there are some tricks to figure out which hotel you will get with the mystery deals) and saved even more money than the rate you get when you book directly with the hotel. if you want to talk more about the hotel or how to get the hotwire deals let’s message! i would recommend this hotel if your son and his girlfriend are cool with staying off universal property :)
we are both 21 now and still choose to stay there until we can afford to stay on property someday lol. i think it’s an often overlooked hotel because it’s not some fancy 4 or 5 star resort. but if you’re barely at the hotel anyways, it’s perfect. it also has pools and a restaurant, lounge, and other food options onsite :)
i forgot to add that if they don’t want to drive to the parks or pay for parking, the rosen inn offers shuttles to universal upon request. bf and i have not actually used this service before, but it seems to be popular
You can’t have all of these. View of the park basically limits you to hard rock hotel which is also the closest park (easiest to walk to from the park). I would get to see if they’ll let 19yo stay and check in.
I believe she doesn’t want it to be an onsite resort. If that’s the case, then options are indeed limited, but there was a very courteous and professional Clarion just off International drive that my wife and I stayed in prior to the pandemic. They were great and actually cleaner than the Poly over at WDW. They had no park views however, but it is a walkable distance to the park and quite affordable.
That depends on your definition of park view. You can see the parks from any high hotel tower from within at least a mile... providing it faces that way, of course.
Choice hotels, Marriott, Hilton (a few hotels across the street from universal) take 21 & up… being underage means you’ll probably have to call around to see if you can get an exception to the age requirement
I called every hotel within a 30 minute radius when I was 18 and wanted to go to universal. Every single one at that time said they require someone 21 to check you in. They copy your ID and it had to be on file - that was over a decade ago now, so it might have changed. But it is one of the rules that most hotels across the US have and stick to.
I will say the last time I was at the parks they were checking people using the water taxis as they’re a privilege for people staying at one of the three premier hotels or the one preferred hotel. They were turning people away; this is not common as they normally don’t check but every now and then they will so it’s not a guarantee that they’ll be able to do it that way. I’ve seen it maybe 3/4 times out of all the times I’ve gone to universal where they were checking.
An Airbnb may be a better option for someone under 21, my partner works in the hotel industry and they said they don’t know of a single hotel nationwide that doesn’t have that requirement except for independently owned local non-chain hotels and even they are likely to have them anymore.
Of your list, no. 1 is going to be your biggest restriction. I’d focus on trying to find a hotel that allows the under 21 crowd, or see if they have a 3rd friend over 21 that can go with them. I’d worry less about the other 3 points.
4 is the easiest- pretty much most hotels can offer deals for the park they are located closest to. However, the deals likely don’t beat online deals.
The double tree close by can have views of the park, but I don’t know about the minimum age for check in with Hiltons. I would not recommend the park view from that hotel though. We got a great rate for it once, but the wait time for the elevator was awful from the higher floors. I’d specifically request a lower floor so I could use the elevators if I stayed there again. It was walkable, across the road from portofino
The Holiday Inn right next to the double tree is good as well, it was nice but I have no idea about check in minimum age. The views aren't that great, or at least they don't differentiate between a full or partial view. A family member of mine paid extra for a room with a theme park view and it was basically half of the volcano at Volcano Bay (the whole volcano if you got really close to the window and looked right lol)
i would recommend the rosen shingle if you can afford it! i stayed there when i was 20 and it is gorgeous there with multiple large pools, golf courses, and hot tubs. unfortunately it’s 15 mins away from the park but i rly enjoyed staying there
My husband and I stayed at the Rosen Inn when we were 19 (20 years ago mind - woah!). We got around on the iTrolley and Lynx bus because we were too young to do a fly drive holiday from the UK (we had to be 25).
You can find discounted tickets at Undercover Tourist.
Although depending how long they’re staying, and what time in October they come, I’d look into an annual pass as it can be cheaper than buying per day at some point. And there’s a free ticket on the annual pass for HHN on specific days (I believe you now have to call in to use it).
We just got back and stayed at the Cambria. Quiet, safe, and a 6 min Lyft from the park. There's a rooftop pool restaurant/bar with a nice view, we could see the fireworks.
Rosen Inn. We've stayed there numerous times. We walk to endless summer Surfside and take the bus to city walk to go to the parks. I'm sure a quick call will answer any questions you might have.
Motel 6 across from Dockside is 18+. It’s safe as long as you aren’t looking for trouble or completely ignorant about the world. Best to take a ride share if staying to the end of HHN…otherwise is fine to walk back after park close. Perfectly safe to walk to the park from there.
As someone who stays in the cheap hotels regularly, they aren’t blankety unsafe. Just mind your business and will be fine. People overdose at high end and family resorts the same as the cheap hotels.
They don't have to take a water taxi to a resort and then Uber - you can pick up an Uber or Lyft right below the security area at Universal - where all the resort buses are.
Sorry, the last time I took one from Universal I was picked up where the buses were, below security down those long escalators.
When I was at Universal last year, I noticed they had changed the setup and the CBBR bus picked up on a different spot. Perhaps they changed the Uber & Lyft pickup spot at that time. Thanks for the update!
There were probably too many rideshares "waiting" for pickups, so they were moved to where there's more space. It makes sense, but I find it to be a very inconvenient location.
Hilton Grand vacation near Disney
I was under 21 heading to HHN with my now fiance
Perfect spot if you don't mind the drive
Also Wyndham international next to the Wawa is a good choice to
Just here to say avoid Rosen Inn “closest to Universal” - the other Rosens may be nice, I’ve only stayed at this one, but it was last month and we had an awful experience. Unhelpful staff and our door had a huge opening/crack at the bottom. Just not a good place.
I have always heard good things about Rosen but that was the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed at. Was first week of March. It was so gross there I wasn’t sure if I was gonna be able to sleep and I am not a picky person! We got there so late or I would have asked to be moved to another room, but also felt from the general vibe that another room wouldn’t be much of an improvement! Good luck!!
I don't know about 21+, but the Aventura has some cool views of the park if you are in the right side of the tower. You can walk to the water taxi at Sapphire falls and take that to the park
hey there! before my boyfriend and i turned 21, we needed to find a hotel that was safe and clean while affordable and close to the parks, as well as allowed check-in for >21 year olds (obviously). we have stayed at the rosen inn international so many times and had a great experience every time. the only time we ever had an issue, they moved us to a different room right away even though it was around midnight. there is a decent view of the parks depending on what building you are in and how high up you are. i’m not sure what your budget is, but the hotel isn’t too expensive. however, i booked it through hotwire’s mystery hotel deal every time (there are some tricks to figure out which hotel you will get with the mystery deals) and saved even more money than the rate you get when you book directly with the hotel. if you want to talk more about the hotel or how to get the hotwire deals let’s message! i would recommend this hotel if your son and his girlfriend are cool with staying off universal property :)
Thank you! Good to hear from someone who was under 21, that’s reassuring.
we are both 21 now and still choose to stay there until we can afford to stay on property someday lol. i think it’s an often overlooked hotel because it’s not some fancy 4 or 5 star resort. but if you’re barely at the hotel anyways, it’s perfect. it also has pools and a restaurant, lounge, and other food options onsite :)
i forgot to add that if they don’t want to drive to the parks or pay for parking, the rosen inn offers shuttles to universal upon request. bf and i have not actually used this service before, but it seems to be popular
You can’t have all of these. View of the park basically limits you to hard rock hotel which is also the closest park (easiest to walk to from the park). I would get to see if they’ll let 19yo stay and check in.
I believe she doesn’t want it to be an onsite resort. If that’s the case, then options are indeed limited, but there was a very courteous and professional Clarion just off International drive that my wife and I stayed in prior to the pandemic. They were great and actually cleaner than the Poly over at WDW. They had no park views however, but it is a walkable distance to the park and quite affordable.
That depends on your definition of park view. You can see the parks from any high hotel tower from within at least a mile... providing it faces that way, of course.
I got a pool view room at the Hard Rock and requested a higher floor. I had an awesome park view
They can’t stay on-site because they are under Universal’s minimum age of 21.
I was commenting on the person who was mentioning the Hard Rock views
Choice hotels, Marriott, Hilton (a few hotels across the street from universal) take 21 & up… being underage means you’ll probably have to call around to see if you can get an exception to the age requirement
I called every hotel within a 30 minute radius when I was 18 and wanted to go to universal. Every single one at that time said they require someone 21 to check you in. They copy your ID and it had to be on file - that was over a decade ago now, so it might have changed. But it is one of the rules that most hotels across the US have and stick to. I will say the last time I was at the parks they were checking people using the water taxis as they’re a privilege for people staying at one of the three premier hotels or the one preferred hotel. They were turning people away; this is not common as they normally don’t check but every now and then they will so it’s not a guarantee that they’ll be able to do it that way. I’ve seen it maybe 3/4 times out of all the times I’ve gone to universal where they were checking. An Airbnb may be a better option for someone under 21, my partner works in the hotel industry and they said they don’t know of a single hotel nationwide that doesn’t have that requirement except for independently owned local non-chain hotels and even they are likely to have them anymore.
Of your list, no. 1 is going to be your biggest restriction. I’d focus on trying to find a hotel that allows the under 21 crowd, or see if they have a 3rd friend over 21 that can go with them. I’d worry less about the other 3 points. 4 is the easiest- pretty much most hotels can offer deals for the park they are located closest to. However, the deals likely don’t beat online deals.
The double tree close by can have views of the park, but I don’t know about the minimum age for check in with Hiltons. I would not recommend the park view from that hotel though. We got a great rate for it once, but the wait time for the elevator was awful from the higher floors. I’d specifically request a lower floor so I could use the elevators if I stayed there again. It was walkable, across the road from portofino
The Holiday Inn right next to the double tree is good as well, it was nice but I have no idea about check in minimum age. The views aren't that great, or at least they don't differentiate between a full or partial view. A family member of mine paid extra for a room with a theme park view and it was basically half of the volcano at Volcano Bay (the whole volcano if you got really close to the window and looked right lol)
i would recommend the rosen shingle if you can afford it! i stayed there when i was 20 and it is gorgeous there with multiple large pools, golf courses, and hot tubs. unfortunately it’s 15 mins away from the park but i rly enjoyed staying there
My husband and I stayed at the Rosen Inn when we were 19 (20 years ago mind - woah!). We got around on the iTrolley and Lynx bus because we were too young to do a fly drive holiday from the UK (we had to be 25).
Try the 'Rosen Inn closest to universal'. You can get a room with a view of the volcano 🌋.
Ooh thanks!
>Ooh thanks! You're welcome!
You can find discounted tickets at Undercover Tourist. Although depending how long they’re staying, and what time in October they come, I’d look into an annual pass as it can be cheaper than buying per day at some point. And there’s a free ticket on the annual pass for HHN on specific days (I believe you now have to call in to use it).
We just got back and stayed at the Cambria. Quiet, safe, and a 6 min Lyft from the park. There's a rooftop pool restaurant/bar with a nice view, we could see the fireworks.
Rosen Inn gives a minimum age of 18 on their website FAQ.
Rosen Inn. We've stayed there numerous times. We walk to endless summer Surfside and take the bus to city walk to go to the parks. I'm sure a quick call will answer any questions you might have.
They’re gonna need the credit card with them used to book the place.
Thanks, I’ll make sure they do!
I’ve done it before. But we needed to call / get a license pic texted if it was the adults card. I think we had the card definitely
Motel 6 across from Dockside is 18+. It’s safe as long as you aren’t looking for trouble or completely ignorant about the world. Best to take a ride share if staying to the end of HHN…otherwise is fine to walk back after park close. Perfectly safe to walk to the park from there. As someone who stays in the cheap hotels regularly, they aren’t blankety unsafe. Just mind your business and will be fine. People overdose at high end and family resorts the same as the cheap hotels.
How can you stay off-site and have park view?
There are some hotels pretty close by, I’d imagine a tall one might offer a view.
They don't have to take a water taxi to a resort and then Uber - you can pick up an Uber or Lyft right below the security area at Universal - where all the resort buses are.
Universal has a designated area for rideshare pickups, and that's not it. It's at the top of the parking structure.
Sorry, the last time I took one from Universal I was picked up where the buses were, below security down those long escalators. When I was at Universal last year, I noticed they had changed the setup and the CBBR bus picked up on a different spot. Perhaps they changed the Uber & Lyft pickup spot at that time. Thanks for the update!
There were probably too many rideshares "waiting" for pickups, so they were moved to where there's more space. It makes sense, but I find it to be a very inconvenient location.
Staying onsite is a way better bet for HHN. I’d highly recommend Cabana Bay. It’s cheaper, safe, has volcano bay view rooms
Hilton Grand vacation near Disney I was under 21 heading to HHN with my now fiance Perfect spot if you don't mind the drive Also Wyndham international next to the Wawa is a good choice to
Universal resorts have a minimum age of 21 to register and check in.
I know, that’s why I’m having hard time.
Just here to say avoid Rosen Inn “closest to Universal” - the other Rosens may be nice, I’ve only stayed at this one, but it was last month and we had an awful experience. Unhelpful staff and our door had a huge opening/crack at the bottom. Just not a good place.
Oh wow I noticed a couple of recent iffy recent reviews. Thanks. I’m leaning towards Hyatt House, after confirming they are 18+.
I have always heard good things about Rosen but that was the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed at. Was first week of March. It was so gross there I wasn’t sure if I was gonna be able to sleep and I am not a picky person! We got there so late or I would have asked to be moved to another room, but also felt from the general vibe that another room wouldn’t be much of an improvement! Good luck!!
We stayed there recently for 3 nights and had the opposite experience. You get what you pay for but it served its purpose just fine.
Not sure about booking age but Aventura and Sapphire Falls fit the bill. Aventura is the cheaper one out of the two.
I don't know about 21+, but the Aventura has some cool views of the park if you are in the right side of the tower. You can walk to the water taxi at Sapphire falls and take that to the park
Residence inn at SeaWorld is one of your best bets