I need your opinion on switching from HRH to the RPR

[disneyfan67]

I have a deluxe room booked at the HRH for my upcoming vacation and I'm thinking of making a change to the RPR for a couple of reasons.

The more I look at the RPR, the more it grows on me. One of the reasons why I like to stay at Disney's Polynesian resort is the tropical feeling and theming of the resort. The RPR also has a great looking tropical theme to me and I think I would enjoy that resort more than I would the HRH. Also the price is a factor too. As with every vacation I plan it seems that the vacation grows from a quick, cheap get away to a 7 day excursion.:lmao:

So any money I would save, would be more I could spend on meals and at the parks. As my wife told me yesterday, we're not in the room that much so the smaller room size at the RPR shouldn't bother us. Plus I like the looks of the pool at the RPR better than the one at the HRH. I just keep getting the feeling I'll be happier at the RPR than the Hard Rock

I would like the input from some of you who have stayed at both.

[ky07]

I have a deluxe room booked at the HRH for my upcoming vacation and I'm thinking of making a change to the RPR for a couple of reasons.

The more I look at the RPR, the more it grows on me. One of the reasons why I like to stay at Disney's Polynesian resort is the tropical feeling and theming of the resort. The RPR also has a great looking tropical theme to me and I think I would enjoy that resort more than I would the HRH. Also the price is a factor too. As with every vacation I plan it seems that the vacation grows from a quick, cheap get away to a 7 day excursion.:lmao:

So any money I would save, would be more I could spend on meals and at the parks. As my wife told me yesterday, we're not in the room that much so the smaller room size at the RPR shouldn't bother us. Plus I like the looks of the pool at the RPR better than the one at the HRH. I just keep getting the feeling I'll be happier at the RPR than the Hard Rock

I would like the input from some of you who have stayed at both.
I have never stayed at any of the other onsite hotels but I have at the RPR But other posters say the rooms are smaller.
I stayed last year with my DW and 2 DS's and it was fine for us and we loved the tropical theme and found the hotel to be great and me and DW just loved walking around the grounds and are going this year without our boys for a anniversary get away .
Hope this helps :thumbsup2

[disneyfan67]

Thanks for the reply and I got some thinking to do, but as I said before, my gut feeling tells me the RPR will suit my needs better.

[ADP]

I've stayed at both and I love the Polynesian resort.
These are just my personal feelings. Please feel free to agree or disagree. :)

- The pool at the HRH is better. There is an underwater sound system plus I like the pool bar much better. Also, the HRH has a nice long water slide if you are so inclined to use it. Keep in mind though you can pool hop between the onsite resorts. So, if you wanted to you could take a boat from RPR to the HRH to use their pool.

- The tropical theme of the RPR is much different than the theme at the Poly. don't go into your tirp thinking the RPR and Poly are somewhat similar. they are, in fact, quite different.

- Although you may not spend a lot of time in your room you will probably spend a decent amount of time at your resort. Both resorts offer similar amenities. There are obviously some differences like pool features and theme.

I'd also add, if you are bringing children with you, depending on their age, you may want to go with the RPR. I found my 9 year old daughter preferred the theme and feel of the RPR.

Also keep in mind the resorts are fairly close to each other. You can easily visit one by taking the water taxi.

Hope this helps. :)

[frisco]

We stayed at the HRH last year, and chose to stay at RPR this year. I wasn't blown away by the pool at the HRH. The underwater sound system wasn't working, and it was so shallow, I kept scratching my knees.

[disneyfan67]

We stayed at the HRH last year, and chose to stay at RPR this year. I wasn't blown away by the pool at the HRH. The underwater sound system wasn't working, and it was so shallow, I kept scratching my knees.


I keep hearing about how shallow the pool is at the HRH from online reviews.

[nerdboyrockstar]

I've stayed at all three numerous times, including sometimes Club Level and suites. Here's how I rank 'em:

1. Royal Pacific Resort
2. Portofino Bay Hotel
3. Hard Rock Hotel

Hope it helps. ;)

[disneyfan67]

I've stayed at all three numerous times, including sometimes Club Level and suites. Here's how I rank 'em:

1. Royal Pacific Resort
2. Portofino Bay Hotel
3. Hard Rock Hotel

Hope it helps. ;)



It does and thank you. I just made the switch to a standard view at the RPR and it's saving me a fair amount of money. I will ask if there's any upgrades available upon check in, so I might get lucky.

[rpbert1]

You will love the RPR, have not stayed at HRH but apparently it is an excellent resort as well.
Like yourself i love the pacific themeing of the resort, plenty of room around the pool area as well, this year will be my 4th time staying there, first year i had a week and loved it so much have stayed for 3 weeks each of the next 2 years, staying 2 weeks this year, along with a week at PBH, basically because they had a supersaver rate for our last week and RPR did not.

[Disneyhappy]

It does and thank you. I just made the switch to a standard view at the RPR and it's saving me a fair amount of money. I will ask if there's any upgrades available upon check in, so I might get lucky.

I think you will be happy with your choice. We have stayed at all three numerous times and perfer RPR over HRH and not because of the price. (Our favorite is PBH.) As a PP stated, while both Poly and RPR are South Pacific themed, they are themed differently but I imagine you already figured that out from the photos. We also love the Poly even though it reminds us of the Brady Bunch goes to Hawaii episode!:rotfl: If you are familiar with WDW resorts, I would place RPR on the caliber of the lower WDW deluxe resorts - Animal Kingdom and Wilderness Lodge. The room sizes and amenities are basically the same. We love the pool, the pool bar and food served poolside. Nice quick walk to CW as well. Enjoy!

[macraven]

i have over 20 stays at hrh and one at rph. (also been to pbh)

i booked at rph for this year's vacation.

rph is kewl..............

i have found the service at rph to be excellent on the one prior stay i had there.


although the rooms are smaller, the resort itself is fabulous.



you won't regret switching from hrh to rph.

if you want to check out hrh, visit there during the day, have lunch or breakfast at the Kitchen, walk thru the lobby, etc.
hrh is smaller than the other hotels with only 650 rooms.

[disneyfan67]

I think you will be happy with your choice. We have stayed at all three numerous times and perfer RPR over HRH and not because of the price. (Our favorite is PBH.) As a PP stated, while both Poly and RPR are South Pacific themed, they are themed differently but I imagine you already figured that out from the photos. We also love the Poly even though it reminds us of the Brady Bunch goes to Hawaii episode!:rotfl: If you are familiar with WDW resorts, I would place RPR on the caliber of the lower WDW deluxe resorts - Animal Kingdom and Wilderness Lodge. The room sizes and amenities are basically the same. We love the pool, the pool bar and food served poolside. Nice quick walk to CW as well. Enjoy!



Thanks for your help and what tower do you think I should request? I did request that I want a room on a higher floor, so if you can give me any tips it would be appreciated. :thumbsup2

[ATAfamily]

For our family we prefer Tower 1 because we like to walk to the parks in the morning. We have been lucky that every time we have stayed we have been able to get a view of IOA/Hulk on an upper floor. If you plan on taking the boat alot then Tower 3 would be a good location.

[Disneyhappy]

Thanks for your help and what tower do you think I should request? I did request that I want a room on a higher floor, so if you can give me any tips it would be appreciated. :thumbsup2

We have always stayed Club level and that is on the 7th floor in Tower three. I believe it is the clest tower to the boat launch. Tower one is closest to the walkway to CW - a 7-10 minute walk. I would definitely request a park view although it is not guaranteed. Have fun!

[schumigirl]

I have seen now a few times people saying how much smaller the rooms at RPR are.

Getting a little worried now, just how small are the rooms??

I know we won`t be in the room a great deal, but we don`t want to be falling over one another when we are in it.

We have on our booking requested a high floor, park view and well away from pets allowed rooms!

I know requests are not guaranteed but should I have asked for Tower 1 as we would love a park view? Not bothered about distance to boats or paths really.

I can still call them a few days before we arrive and ask again for specific requests, but I think I`m confusing myself with what to ask for :upsidedow

[macraven]

pets are only in tower 2 on the lower floors.
smoking rooms are also only allowed in tower 2, lower floors.


i stayed in tower 1 when i was at rph.
i originally listed tower 3 as my preference but changed it to T1 after talking to the front end manager at check in.

he stated T1 is a quieter building than T3.

i think he was correct.
my stay in T1 was extremely quiet.



The rooms at RPH aren't that small.
here are the dimensions

RPH:
standard rooms are 335 sq ft
suites are 670 sq ft.

HRH:
standard rooms are 375 sq ft
deluxe rooms are 400 sq ft
double deluxe queen rooms are 500 sq ft
all standard club rooms are 375 sq ft

[Laurabearz]

Former die hard HRH fans, this family of 5, now prefers RPR hands down.

The room is a bit smaller than HRH, but we really dont take up much space.. I mean the kids are always on the one bed watching TV if we are in the room... so we dont feel like it's a tight squeeze. And we are used to the DVC Villas, so we like big rooms, we were not bothered by the rooms at RPR.

IMO the views at RPR are much better that HRH, although I will admit to always booking obstructed views at the HRH to save some money. ;)

There is nothing wrong with saving money! lol

And the posters that mentioned that while both the Poly and RPR are both tropical, both have a very different feel to them. I kinda think RPR has a lot of Japanese influences where things are in order, and clean-crisp tropical splendor, while the Poly is more laid back barefooted tropical. If that makes any sense lol

Go ahead, switch, give it a whirl :thumbsup2

[quentina]

I have a deluxe room booked at the HRH for my upcoming vacation and I'm thinking of making a change to the RPR for a couple of reasons.

The more I look at the RPR, the more it grows on me. One of the reasons why I like to stay at Disney's Polynesian resort is the tropical feeling and theming of the resort. The RPR also has a great looking tropical theme to me and I think I would enjoy that resort more than I would the HRH. Also the price is a factor too. As with every vacation I plan it seems that the vacation grows from a quick, cheap get away to a 7 day excursion.:lmao:

So any money I would save, would be more I could spend on meals and at the parks. As my wife told me yesterday, we're not in the room that much so the smaller room size at the RPR shouldn't bother us. Plus I like the looks of the pool at the RPR better than the one at the HRH. I just keep getting the feeling I'll be happier at the RPR than the Hard Rock

I would like the input from some of you who have stayed at both.

I have stayed at both....the RPH is beautiful however, it does not come anywhere near the HRH for me. HRH is my favorite hotel that I have ever stayed in (and we have traveled alot).

I would vote for HRH. The only thing I like better at the RP is the buffet breakfast.

I do not think you will be disappointed in either choice.

[mayesq]

We've stayed at HRH twice and prefer RPH. Ask for a standard view room in Tower 1 and you get a great view of IOA. My husband loved seeing Hulk running first thing in the morning.

[amystevekai&bump]

I have stayed at both....the RPH is beautiful however, it does not come anywhere near the HRH for me. HRH is my favorite hotel that I have ever stayed in (and we have traveled alot).

I would vote for HRH. The only thing I like better at the RP is the buffet breakfast.

I do not think you will be disappointed in either choice.

We stayed at HRH last year and LOVED LOVED LOVED it!!! :cloud9: I automatically thought I'd go back (especially for the Kitchen buffet breakfast:lovestruc) - is the breakfast REALLY better at RPH??!!:banana:

I also like the idea of watching the IOA rides from the room - so now i'm wondering whether we should opt for a kids suite at RPH rather than a deluxe room at HRH??

any thoughts??!!

[macraven]

i have over 20 different stays at hrh but going back to rph this year.
i have stayed at all 3 hotels before.

the service at hrh was not to my satisfaction at all on my last 3 stays there.

the atmosphere at rph is a calm, serene one.
staff are very helpful.

i went to rph last year to meet a friend.
sat around the pool.

wasn't there for but a short time period of 2 minutes and wait staff come to me asking if i needed to order food, drink, etc.
very attentive....


you have a 3-4 minute walk from hrh to the studio side and then another couple of minutes to get to ioa. hrh to cw if you walk it, would be close to 9 minutes, maybe 10.

the water taxis run every 20 minutes. it would be shorter time period to walk than wait for the boat at hrh then.


coming from rph for ioa, the walkway would take you about 7 minutes to reach ioa and then another couple of minutes to reach the studio side.

but, the walkway from rph empties out at cw and feet from ioa.

when i stayed at rph before, i always took the water taxi except to time the walk one morning.

i save my feet for walking in the parks...:laughing:


what i really like about rph is they have more restaurants than hrh does.
and much much closer to city walk.

if i want a snack in the morning and not the breakfast buffet at the hotel, i go to pastamore and to the side window for a take out breakfast. only about $5 and tables are provided for morning diners there.
or cinnabon and coffee is another plus for me that early in city walk.

cw opens at 8am, but last year they did let me get items at 7:45 as it was only a pastry and coffee.


i guess it depends on the atmosphere you are seeking.
you have to ask yourself, will 5 minutes more of walking make a difference on which hotel i select.

about that view, i have had a room at rph in the past where my view of the hulk was in my face type of view.

i could hear the whooshing sound when they tested it each morning.
what a thrill that was.....

not a loud sound, but detectable, you could lay in the bed, look out the window and watch it.

i loved hrh greatly.
but, service is very important to me when i stay in a hotel.

i have found staff and service at rph to meet my standards of what i expect as a guest.

the lobby at rph is much different from the other 2 hotels.
i really enjoy the middle of that lobby .........


rooms are a tad larger at hrh and even larger at pbh.
rooms are above average in size at rph.

i'm staying at a suite this year again and those king suites are 650 sq ft at rph. more than enough room for me.

[amystevekai&bump]

thanks Macraven for that really good reply - it's made it a lot clearer for me (especially to appreciate the distance of RPH in relation to HRH):thumbsup2:thumbsup2

Can I just ask when your last 3 visits to HRH were?? (We were there in May 2008 and we didn't have a problem, but I know that you travel there a lot;) and wondered if the standards had slipped more recently or if I just 'got lucky' and that it has been going down for a while??):thumbsup2:thumbsup2

[macraven]

my last visit was mid october o8 last year.
one earlier in that year and in mid october 07.

[kevin harrison]

I have found the servce fine on the whole at the HRH, biggest issue was the hit and miss nature of the turndown service, they kept forgetting or delivering the wrong morning paper and valet a couple of times hadn't bought my car around.

Minor issues, and pleased to be revisiting in September. Had a meal at RPR and a walk around and didn't seem to be in the same league as HRH in my opinion.

[kevin harrison]

my last visit was mid october o8 last year.
one earlier in that year and in mid october 07.

What happened?

[euclid2323]

I have stayed at both and can tell you the Royal Pacific beats the Hard Rock hands down!! RPR's grounds are beautiful and the staff is superfriendly, as opposed to HRH's small albeit attractive grounds and off-putting staff. I don't know if it is supposed to be part of the "cool" Hard Rock feel or not but from the minute we walked up to the counter to check in to the minute we left the hotel the staff was downright rude!! They all wear black and act like they don't care if you are there or not. In contrast RPR is one of the most hospitable hotels I've ever been to, if you like the Poly, you will loooove RPR.

[kevin harrison]

the hotel the staff was downright rude!! They all wear black and act like they don't care if you are there or not.

They all wear black??? Roadies wear black - it's the Hard Rock Hotel.

Most ridiculous criticism I've ever read on these boards.

[daisymae]

We just returned from seven nights at HRH and found all of the staff to be very friendly and helpful. We loved the pool activities and the people working there were our favorites. There is a laid back atmospherein the hotel. Our only complaint was housekeeping. It was inconsistent and most times not well done. We discovered there was nightly turn down service half way into the week - never received it until the last two nights. The last night, they were knocking at our door at 10 pm. Housekeeping was always friendly - just not always there!

[La2kw]

I have a deluxe room booked at the HRH for my upcoming vacation and I'm thinking of making a change to the RPR for a couple of reasons.

The more I look at the RPR, the more it grows on me. One of the reasons why I like to stay at Disney's Polynesian resort is the tropical feeling and theming of the resort. The RPR also has a great looking tropical theme to me and I think I would enjoy that resort more than I would the HRH. Also the price is a factor too. As with every vacation I plan it seems that the vacation grows from a quick, cheap get away to a 7 day excursion.:lmao:

So any money I would save, would be more I could spend on meals and at the parks. As my wife told me yesterday, we're not in the room that much so the smaller room size at the RPR shouldn't bother us. Plus I like the looks of the pool at the RPR better than the one at the HRH. I just keep getting the feeling I'll be happier at the RPR than the Hard Rock

I would like the input from some of you who have stayed at both.

We love the RPR, it's our favorite of the 3. In fact, we just switched our ressies from Portofino to the Royal Pacific because we couldn't stand the idea of not going back there this summer. Hard Rock is nice and the walk to Universal is fantastic, but the Royal Pacific just appeals to us more. We like the restaurants better, we like the themeing better, and we like the pool better.