You really need to read this review before considering this hotel and Universal. We were traveling and wanted to treat our teenagers with a nice trip to Universal, so we thought we would buy a package where we could easily get to Universal. Of course cost is a consideration, but it really came down to what they offer.

So we called and we were told about Sapphire Falls. We were told its a casual hotel. We were told we would get early access to the park and the rooms were nice and there were multiple ways to get to the parks early.

My wife checked us in and they told us the room keys would get us in the parks early. There is an immediate influx of little "gratuities", but I have been to Vegas and understand how it works: You pay more but you get a better experience. So I was used to it.

Anyway, the wheels came off the bus pretty quickly. First, they keep an additional $100 and say based on what you use, they will deduct from it. They were very vague about what was included and what was not. Again, we don't mind paying if we know what's included and what's not.

Well, the room was not quite as good as a nice Holiday Inn Express. Granted we like Holiday Inn Express (when they are managed well), but for about $400 bucks a night, we figured we were paying for early access and being able to hit the "easy button."

Before I move on, I want to let you know a few things about me. First, if I buy something based on information I receive, I expect what I was sold. Secondly, I can't stand the word "misinformation." This is modern term to replace the word "lie" by some people and the managers at Sapphire Falls definitely use the word "misinformation" a lot.

The room key card didn't work. They pushed us to another line and completely embarrassed us. Once in, most of the park was not functioning, but conveniently the stores we 100% up and running, The good rides didn't start until 10am and you ended up being in the same long lines fighting people that stayed a little further out, paid a fraction of what we paid and got the same experience.

To top it all off, the park is really looking bad and kind of silly. Oh, and one of the Harry Potter rides broke down after we waited about an hour and no one bothered telling us. My youngest daughter who has some health challenges got really overheated and the temperature in the room slowly increased like a frog in boiling water.

So what we were told:

1. Nice hotel
2. One keycard for everything
3. Park early access - with the indication, we can ride before it gets busy

What we got:

1. An average Holiday Inn & Suites Room
2. Fighting multiple lines to get access
3. Only one park was open
4. Once inside hardly anything was functioning except for stores.
5. We got stuck with management, smiles and no help. Oh, and a phone number and case number that didn't work.

This is a bait and switch scam.

If you want to go to Universal, here is what to do:

1. Stay offsite and avoid hotels like this.
2. Buy normal tickets or look for discounts.
3. Get there about 10am unless you want to be stuck in stores with nothing to do but buy stuff.
4. Avoid anything Jurassic Park and most of the Harry Potter rides (HP rides are really jerky)
5. Be prepared, the park is looking bad. It was pretty comical at times...

Okay, so I issued my complaint and they refuse to refund our money. They tried to comp us a little at the hotel (its not a resort). They do this because they have huge markups and its costs them nothing. I told them I was lied to. Ultimately they refunded one night and $50 in parking fees (yes, $50 for parking). When we discussed adding the comp fees to the refund, I got "misinformation" with the "misinformation" to coerce us into buying the package.

I plan on filing a complaint with the State of Florida. These big company scams have to stop.

Update: We have been bombarded with calls from the hotel after they refused help and this review was posted. and they claim we were told only one part of that park was available. They also claimed we accepted comped tickets as a settlement but we did not.