Where would you stay if you were us?

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Hey all,

I want to take hubby to Universal Orlando for his 40th birthday (December 2009) and can't decide which on-site hotel to stay at. Please help.

It would just be the two of us.

I am mainly interested in the transportation to and from the parks. How do we get there? How long does it take? Is it possible to walk from any of the hotels? How often does the transportation run?

Any additional information would be helpful. THANKS!

[goofy!]

All three hotels are within walking distance to the parks.

The Hard Rock is the closest and is about a 4-5 minute walk to Universal. Add a few extra minutes to get to the other side of City Walk for IOA.

The Portofino is a bit farther down the path from the Hard Rock, so it takes about 10 - 15 minutes to get to Universal if you use the path. There is a shortcut through the Hard Rock's parking lot that shaves off several minutes.

On the other side of City Walk is the Royal Pacific. It is about a 7 minute walk to IOA with a couple of minutes added to get to the other side of City Walk for Universal.

As for other transportation, there are pedi cabs available for a tip. Then there is free boat transportation from all the hotels. The boats run about every 10 minutes. There will be a longer wait during the busier times such as when the parks close and everybody is trying to board the boats.

There is also a bus that runs every 20 - 30 minutes.

Transportation from the hotels to the parks is actually very, very good. I don't think there has ever been a time when it has been more than half an hour from our hotel room to standing in the queue of our first ride. And that usually includes walking to the very back of the parks to get to Dragons or MIB.

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

I am thinking Portofino. It sounds more elegant and we are leaving the kids home. And I can get a king bed room at a decent price.

What do you think of Portofino?

[damo]

Portofino is about a fifteen minute walk. Transportation runs around every 15 minutes or so. We love the Portofino but everyone has different tastes.

[IMGONNABE40!]

I love the Portofino. My husband on the other hand would vote for Hard Rock.

[NashvilleTrio]

What do you think of Portofino?

We think the Portofino is great and I bet you will too.

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Yeah, I think I am going to go with Portofino. I just don't think Hard Rock is for me.

Any tips for staying there?

THANKS!

[Bluer101]

We always stay at RPR with or without the kids. When we stay without we get a king room and we love the atmospere there.:thumbsup2

[kirbsam]

we love the portofino. i dont know about any tips, but just take the time to walk around the resort and soak it all in.

[MissionMouse]

We enjoyed our stay at the Portofino. We stayed Deluxe Room-Club which was a pleasant experience when compared to Disney's club. Transportation at Universal is very easy as others have mentioned. One day we missed the boat by a minute or two...but we looked at the sidewalk next to the dock and there were Rickshaws...you pay a small fee but it was a new and fun experience. It was also very easy to dine at table service restaurants within the resort and park. We didn't have to plan our meals 6 months out or even 90 days...to know we could dine at a table restaurant.