Now that the stranglehold of the pandemic has eased up enough to allow for things like family vacations, many people are looking forward to enjoying the types of summer getaways they had to sit out for several years.
And when it comes to vacation, parents are always looking to make kids happy.
Of course, Disney (DIS) is the first thing to come to mind when it comes to keeping your brood amused for days on end.
And although its brought back many of the attractions it suspended due to Covid, another soon-to-come price hike is making the experience more expensive than ever (which some people don't seem to mind).
If you're not quite ready to shell out thousands for Disney right now, there are other options to consider. Many try Universal CMCSA's theme parks, which can also be somewhat costly, but not on the Mouse House level.
Universal is aware that it is in a prime position to gain some of the tourists that Disney is losing, and in kind, it's working on new attractions to pull them in.
One that's coming soon seems especially delightful for young fans of the movie franchise "Despicable Me."
Hotel Universal Port
What is Universal's Newest Attraction?
If your kids are more into Minions than Mickey, Universal's got a new hotel coming in July that will likely send them into paroxysms of joy.
The 10 new rooms are based on the Super Silly Funland amusement park from the original film and are every but as cheerful and bright as you'd expect, bringing the total "Despicable Me"-themed room options to 12 total (there were already two).
You can look forward to sleeping in a giant caterpillar bunk bed, watching TV in a stand that looks like the Space Killer game from the movies, and a funhouse mirror in the bathroom.
Hotel Universal Port
These rooms are at the Hotel Universal Port location in Osaka, Japan and will be open for reservation starting June 14.
The rooms can hold four guests and start at 21,000 yen ($161.38 U.S.) per night, which is so much less than even the cheapest of Disney hotels.
Hotel Universal Port
While Universal's U.S. locations don't have these exact hotel rooms, you can stay in a similarly-themed one at the Loews Portofino Bay hotel at Universal Orlando.
However, it's worth noting that the current price to stay in one of these rooms is even more expensive than many Disney suites, which cost $1,154 a night as of this writing.
If the hotels are not the ideal choice for you, Universal Studios does have multiple "Despicable Me" attractions, including the Super Silly Fun Land play zone and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, which you can go to at both the Hollywood and Florida-based Universal parks.
If you do plan to head to Japan to check out these rooms, it may be worth it to schedule your stay sometime in November to also hit up the opening of its long-awaited Studio Ghibli park, which will feature places in its award-winning films "Spirited Away," "My Neighbor Totoro," and "Howl's Moving Castle."
