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One of the three new hotels built alongside Epic Universe at Universal Orlando, the Terra Luna Resort is the latest budget option when you’re planning your visit. Previously the most affordable Universal Orlando Resort options were the Surfside and Dockside hotels, but now there’s both the Terra Luna and Stella Nova resorts to choose from. I love talking about Universal and how to plan for it because it’s both a ton of fun and a really costly vacation.
Hopefully this new, less expensive hotel option makes a trip like this more attainable for families. If you’re like us and really enjoy visiting theme parks, then the chance to experience Epic Universe at Universal Orlando is at the top of your exciting trips to plan in the future. Cost is a big consideration, so now having the Terra Luna Resort along with its sister property available, that helps with the overall budget. Read on and see if Terra Luna is a good pick for the trip you want to plan. If you have any questions about the new hotels or anything else Universal Orlando related, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help YOU plan a great vacation!
Why Choose the Terra Luna Resort at Universal Orlando
There are two big selling points to booking the Terra Luna Resort near Epic Universe: 1.) it’s RIGHT NEXT TO Epic Universe and 2.) it’s less than half the cost of staying at the new Grand Helios Hotel that’s connected to the new park.
Really, the location for visiting Epic Universe cannot be beat as it has a walking path to the new park’s entrance and shuttle buses to the other parks with their own traffic lane. Also, if you’re planning on visiting Sea World or Discovery Cove, they’re super close to Terra Luna Resort. And having Disney World days is also easy, being just 20 minutes from the parks. Terra Luna’s location is fantastic.
The other big win is the price. While the Terra Luna Resort is still more expensive than the Endless Summer Beachside and Dockside hotels, it’s still much less expensive than the top tier hotels and the new Helios Grand Hotel. While Epic Universe is still so new and visitation is going to be at its peak for a while, room rates for Terra Luna range from around $150/night to $300/night after taxes and parking. Comparing that to $500/night for the Helios or even more for the Royal Pacific, Portofino or Hard Rock hotels, it’s a deal.
Note: the Royal Pacific, Portofino and Hard Rock hotels do come with Universal Express, which is a huge benefit, but that’s ON TOP of the already higher nightly hotel rate.
Book the Terra Luna Resort here!
Rooms at the Terra Luna Resort
Something unique about the Terra Luna Resort at Universal Orlando is that all of the rooms are the same in terms of bed arrangements. Most hotels will offer rooms with two queens or a king bed with a pullout sofa, but ALL rooms at the Terra Luna Resort are Two Queen rooms. You can differentiate between the rooms by booking a pool view or if you need certain accessibility considerations. Besides that, the room experience is the same across the board. It’s the same at the sister property, the Stella Nova Resort. All Two Queen rooms.
Terra Luna Resort Amenities
With the value level properties at Universal Orlando Resort (even though this is considered a mid-level, it feels like a value level), you’re kind of limited when it comes to amenities, except at Cabana Bay Beach Resort (which will always be our favorite). The primary amenity at the Terra Luna Resort is the giant swimming pool. It really is nice, spacious and LOADED with lounge chairs. Often when we are at a hotel and hoping for some solid pool time we’re not able to get pool chairs for our family of four, but here at Terra Luna there are so many, and in different areas.
There is the whole patio surrounding the pool, the beach area with more chairs, the patio at the Moonrise Bar. Around the pool are several game stations with ping pong, corn hole, hula hoops and more. Also on property is a nice fitness center with plenty of cardio and weight lifting equipment, and a game room (arcade style, not free). If Universal is part of your spring break plans or if you’ve landed here as a hotel during a work trip, you can enjoy everything about the resort at the end of your day from the pool to the gym. The amenities are there for you.
And we cannot forget that since Terra Luna is a Universal Orlando Resort hotel, of course there is a large gift shop. There is a bit of the standard merchandise you’ll find around the parks and CityWalk, but the focus here is definitely on Epic Universe themes and characters, including monsters and How to Train Your Dragon.
Getting to and from the Universal Parks from Terra Luna
I think besides the pool at Terra Luna Resort, the other amenity that’s most important is the transportation provided between the hotel and the Universal Orlando parks. There is a walking path to Epic Universe (about a 10-15 minute walk) and shuttle bus service to the transportation hub at Universal CityWalk, which is the gateway to both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. The shuttle bus ride goes on special resort transit lanes for most of the route between Terra Luna and the hub, but then it does have a portion in regular traffic. The transfer between areas does take around 23 minutes from boarding the bus to stepping off, so plan appropriately if you want to be a part of Early Entry during your stay.
Note: other resort hotels, like Universal’s Sapphire Falls or the Hard Rock Hotel have boat service to the CityWalk area and park entrances, but for Epic Universe, these hotels will be using shuttle buses to get to the new park.
Restaurants at Terra Luna Resort
We enjoyed a few of the dining options at the Terra Luna Resort when we stayed. It’s not as big of a property as some of the other Universal hotels, but it has quite a few options for whatever you need. In the main lobby area you’ll find the Omega Cafe and Market, that’s basically set up like a cafeteria that also has grab and go food options. Then between the Omega Cafe and the pool entrance is the Luna Bar in the lobby. It’s a simple cocktail bar that leverages the lobby space for seating.
Outside by the pool there is the Moonrise Bar and Moonrise Grill. These are NOT the same thing. The Moonrise Bar has either bar seating or walk-up service for getting cocktails and drinks. The Moonrise Grill is off to the right away from the pool, and you can either walk up to the window to order (burgers and salads and such) or you can do mobile order and pay. When you place your food order you’ll be given an approximate time that your order will be ready… and then you don’t get any notification when it is actually ready. You walk to the window and wait for them to call your name.
There is no poolside service or conveniences. This is one of the tell-tale signs that the Terra Luna Resort is not at the top of the tiers when it comes to the different Universal Hotels.
Parking at Universal’s Terra Luna Resort
There is plenty of parking at the Terra Luna Resort, and if you’re visiting Epic Universe during your stay you’ll be able leave your car all day upon your check out date and just walk back to your car at the end your visit. During our stay, our check out day was spent over at the other parks, so we actually chose to drive our car over to the main Universal Orlando parking since we have parking included with our Annual Passes. This saved us time at the end of the day because we could just walk to our car instead of waiting for the shuttle, having a 23+ minute shuttle ride and then walking to our car.
Book the Terra Luna Resort here!
And because I always need to look at a resort map before I arrive so that I can plan my approach (even when it’s clear in advance) here’s the map of the Terra Luna Resort at Universal Orlando. It’s a pretty simple place with the PATH TO EPIC UNIVERSE at the RIGHT EDGE of the map. It’s not shown, but that’s where it is.
More About Universal Orlando Resort
We’ve been Universal Orlando Annual Passholders for years and really do love the parks. We’ve been in every seasons, on weekdays and weekends, for special events, and even all through the COVID pandemic. Universal is a special place (and yes, we do have opinions on Universal vs Disney World). I think the thing that I really enjoy about visiting Universal’s parks is how much more chill they are than other theme park experiences. You don’t have angry parents everywhere with schedules of what attractions to do from open to close. You might see matching t-shirts, but you’re not seeing “Most expensive day ever” sassy shirts. The vibe is just so different.
Tips for a Great Universal Orlando Trip
I can’t even count how many times we’ve been to Universal Orlando, both before we lived in Florida and since moving here. As annual passholders, we’ve really learned what works for a stress-free visit and what’s a surefire way to be miserable. Take a look at our tips and hopefully you’ll be able to have an awesome visit.
- Be early – yes, it’s worth getting up for Early Entry if you’re staying at one of the Universal Orlando Resort hotels. This is the best time to be able to ride Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure as the rest of the day you’ll have a much longer line.
- Accept your food fate – if you’re here you know you’re going to spend a stupid amount of money on food. Accept it and enjoy it. Universal Orlando actually has surprisingly good restaurants and having sit-down meals is both a recharge and a good experience here.
- Don’t bring a backpack – I know that some people must bring medical supplies with them, but if you don’t have anything that is essential to your health, DON’T bring a backpack. This will weigh you down, add to the time you spend doing anything, and be more inconvenient that helpful.
- Buy souvenirs at the end of the day – wait until the end of the day to buy anything. You’ll just have to carry things around and then put them in lockers as you move through the parks. Wait to buy things, and then that way you also aren’t making impulse purchases.
- Be okay with a short trip – Universal Orlando is both costly and tiring. 2 days at Universal is great! More than that will wear on you and cost a ton. If you’re here for longer, add a day doing nature things or head to Kennedy Space Center or something.
- Stay on property – there are some great deals to be found at the Universal Orlando Resort hotels, and in particular the Endless Summer Resort (Beachside and Surfside), Sapphire Falls, and the newest hotels, Stella Nova and Terra Luna Resorts. You’ll have shuttle service to the parks, have early entry, and you have awesome swimming pools.
Universal is a blast! Staying at Sapphire Falls is always a good call and I know you’ll enjoy it. If you have any questions about planning a trip to Universal Orlando or anything more specific about the Sapphire Falls Resort, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more!
Check out our Universal Orlando Resort articles for more ideas and help planning your visit.
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