Universal/Royal Pacific Resort
Day 1
Arrived early and checked in. Room was not ready, so I checked in my bags with Baggage Service while I ran errands. The main errand I wanted to accomplish was to upgrade my tickets from 1 park to 2 parks. I assumed that Guest Services, where I could also purchase tickets, could do so. They told me they could not, but advised me to call the number listed on my reservation paperwork to do so. I called, where I was told that because I had purchased the reservation at AAA, I had to call AAA to do so. I called AAA, who contacted Universal Guest Services, who told AAA I could do it at Guest Services. Again I went to Guest Services, who said I could only do it in the parks. Of course, while I spent all this time on the phone, my battery was getting dangerously low and I was still expecting calls from both my grandchildren telling me they were here and from the desk telling me our room was ready. I gave up for the day and went to have lunch.
No sooner than I had ordered a salad at Islands, than I received a call telling me the children would be here shortly. I told the waiter, and he moved me to a larger table. When the call came that they were at the main entrance, I had to run and leave my lunch, but the waiter watched over it until I came back with them. They werent hungry, but had something to drink while I finished my delicious salad.
It had now been more than two hours since I had checked in, and I had not yet been notified that my room was ready. We went back to the desk, and there were told that the room was ready, but oddly we had to be issued all new key cards. My guess is that there was some kind of snafu with the room. I asked that holes be punched in our cards so that we could hang them on our lanyards, which they did gladly.
Our room is in tower 2, on the 6th floor. It is nice, but nothing special. The sink is outside of the toilet/shower area. There is no hair dryer. The only place that has any privacy for dressing is the toilet room.
The kids changed into bathing suits after we unpacked and went swimming for a couple of hours. The pool has a small water park area, a volley ball net, a bar, a towel station, and an ice cream stand. There is no water slide. They let you take the towels back to your room.
We changed and attended the luau. We got into two lines. The kids went to the right, while I went to the left to register and pay for it. We were given leis to match our outfits, and entertained by a man playing a ukulele and singing. We were shortly issued into the covered area to our assigned tables. The food was very good. My grandson went to the separate childrens food table and found plenty that he liked there. There were unlimited drinks served to us including punch, lemonade, and alcoholic drinks for the adults. The show started an hour after the dinner started. It was entertaining, with lovely hula dancers, a fire dancer, and guests being pulled up onto the stage for funny stints. However, as someone who cruises often, I would compare it to one of the free shows offered on cruise ships.
It had started to rain by the time we got out, and I dont think they had the scheduled torch lighting ceremony. We headed back to the room. The wake up call service allowed us to select one of several different characters to make our call.
Day 2
Up at six, and down on the bottom floor near the restaurants before 7. I had not planned to eat before going to the park, but they had a small area where you could buy coffee, juice, and pastries to go, so we grabbed some on the way out. We went to the boat dock, but the boat pulled away before we got on it and we did not see another coming yet, so we decided to walk. The walking path is clearly marked and next to the boat dock. It only took a few minutes.
We arrived at the gates before 7:30 to discover that they were open already. We walked in and encountered a long line waiting for HP. The HP gates were not open yet. We got into the line near the Seuss carrousel. After a few minutes , the gates opened and we went with the crowd into HP.
There was only a 10 minute wait for the Forbidden Journey ride, so we headed there first. I did not think it was that great, after all that hype. As a matter of fact, it made me a little motion sick. Next we did the smaller roller coaster, and then my grandson got on the Dragons Challenge. There were no real waits for either. We then ordered 3 butter beers. I liked mine, my grandson drank a little more than half of his, and my granddaughter did not like hers at all. I ended up drinking hers too. We did not get the $6 souvenir cups. They were just plastic cups with a Harry Potter logo slapped on them. Tomorrow we will try the pumpkin juice. A little after nine, we left HP. The regular crowds were definitely making their way in.
We next went to Jurassic Park, and noticed that the line to enter into the HP park extended all the way there. People were being given yellow tickets for entry. It looked like it would take hours to just enter the park, never mind actually get on a ride.
We put our Express Pass room keys to good use and zoomed by the long lines to ride as many rides as we could. The 2nd time we exited Rip Saw Falls, we saw the line was 90 minutes. Later it was 120 minutes. My grandson went on the Incredible Hulk. The first time we went to Islands of Adventure, he was two years old and point to the Hulk saying Want dat!. He is now nine, and for the first time can actually ride it. We then ate at the restaurant in Seuss Landing that participated in the Meal Deal, and rode a few rides in Seuss Landing before exiting.
On the way out, we stopped by Guest Services. No lines. We were the only customers. There I finally exchanged our tickets for 2 parkers, and it cost less than $30 to upgrade all 3 of us for the 4 days. I also cashed in the $50 ticket I had been given by AAA for 5 $10 bills with Spiderman on them. This funny money can be spent anywhere in the park or hotels. I also got a refund for the 10% AAA discount that I forgot to ask for when I made a purchase.
My grandson and I chose to take naps while my 14-year-old granddaughter joined some new friends in the pool. When I woke, I showered and changed and tried to wake my grandson. Oh, no! Another migraine. So, instead of going back to the park, he stayed in bed. I did a load of laundry and ate at the restaurant by the pool while I waited for it. So much for purchasing the Meal Deal!
He woke after I came back to the room. He felt much better and wanted some ice cream, so I got him some. Hopefully he will be fine in the morning.
Day 3
Up early again. This time we arrived at the outer gates to IOA before 7:30. They opened at 7:25, and HP was open when we entered so there was no wait to get in. Instead of riding FJ, we chose to stand in line to Ollivanders. The wait was about a half hour. My grandson was the youngest person in the room, and his sister and I positioned him at the front. We were so sure he was going to be picked! However, an older girl from the center of the crowd was picked. The show was fun, though. The kids selected their wands after the show and after adding a Monster Book, I opted to have our purchases sent to our room so we did not need to carry them. We were told they would arrive by the next morning. They were apparently delivered in the morning after we left, perhaps at the same time our room was cleaned.
We chose to go to US after HP. The crowds were almost nonexistent there in the morning. They did pick up later in the day. The kids rode the new ride called RockIt. I did not.
So here is what I now think of the Meal Deal. It sounded like a good idea, but unless you have male teenagers who eat massive quantities of hamburgers, it is not worth it. Not a single one of us has eaten enough food to pay for what the Meal Deal cost yet. Choices are extremely limited. No, you cannot eat everything on the menu. Children are especially limited. They cant even have hamburgers or deserts. Drinks are not covered. There are only 3 restaurants in each park that participate. No restaurants in either City Place or the resorts are covered. The standard Meal Deal is only good in the park in which you get the bracelet, so if you park hop, you have to go back to the first park in which you got it to eat. The restaurants which participate also tend to offer many of the same foods.
My grandson and I went back to the room for naps while his sister went with a couple of girls she had met at the pool. Since the first day, my grandson has chosen not to swim. The weather has severely hampered his sisters ability to swim. Thunder storms have closed the pools each day.
In the evening, the kids went back to the park while I joined friends at Emerils Tchoup Chop. The food and service were fantastic, but very expensive. I then joined the kids at HP. I purchased several items in the shops while the kids rode rides, including chocolate items such as chocolate frogs and fudge flies since they would not melt in the cooler evening.
After the park closed, we briefly walked through City Walk. It looked like a lot of fun, especially near a stage where a DJ was leading people in group dances like the Electric Slide. The kids were exhausted, so we did not stay long. I am not sure what I am going to do with those 3 party passes I have. What good are they to kids who younger than 15? There is a teen night for teens 15 and older on Wednesdays, but my granddaughter is still only 14.
While watching the news earlier in the day, I heard that there was a Harry Potter convention happening this weekend and that they had exclusive access to HP Friday evening. I called the concierge to find out if HP was going to still be accessible to the general public Friday, and I was told the convention access was after normal hours. The convention goers are also staying at this hotel. We are already seeing groups of people dressed as if it was Halloween.
Day 4
Cant get the kids out of bed. No early access for us today. Oh, well. Instead of naps this afternoon we can go pool hopping. The chance of thunder storms is supposed to be much less today, but it will be hot.
After getting turned down a second time when attempting to use my room card to charge, I visited the front desk. Turns out that they pre-authorize a set amount that has nothing to do with the credit card limit on the card that you hand them when you sign in. I had hit my limit. It would be nice if they told you this. If I had not had my credit card with me last night, I would not have been able to make my purchases in HP. I had them add more credit to my card.
We were at US when it opened instead. The kids wanted to ride the RockIt, which does not yet have an Express line since it is so new, but it was out of service. We attempted to eat lunch at an indoor seafood restaurant, Lombard's, shortly after 11, but were told it did not open until 12. We had some ice cream instead and decided to go back to the hotel since it was so hot.
My grandson and I chose to go to the Portofino Bay Hotel pool which had a water slide. We had a leisurely couple of hours in the pool. Frozen grapes on small skewers and sample of smoothies were passed out to anyone who wanted them. My granddaughter decided to meet her friends at the movie theater in City Walk to see Eclipse. Afterwards, we went back to the Lombards, and were told it was now closing (about 5:30). So we went to Finnegans instead. Great Irish food at reasonable prices.
After dinner, the kids decided to ride RockIt, which was now operational. I sat on a bench nearby waiting for almost an hour. Suddenly, several extremely strong gusts of wind blew through bending the palm trees over. Then it started to rain. I noticed that the ride had stopped. The kids were some of the last people to finally come out. The had almost reached the beginning of the line and my grandson had not wanted to leave. It was a good thing that they did leave, because it did not start up again until shortly before the park was closing. By that time we were on the other side and about to enjoy the evening laser show.
The Harry Potter convention had their big event after hours in HP. As our boat approached the hotel, we heard singing and chanting. The outgoing boat was filled with convention goers on their way.
Day 5
Checked all our bags into Baggage Service first thing in the morning. A copy of my bill had been sent to my email in PDF format, and after reviewing it, I did not need to go to the desk to change anything. This day we spent entirely at IOA. We ate breakfast at the Three Broomsticks, which reminded me a bit of a McDonalds with strange stairways above our heads. I had the continental breakfast, which contain beans and a small slice of broiled tomato, in addition to eggs, potatoes, and sausage. The kids both had the pancake breakfast. Another choice was porridge, which included fruit in addition to oatmeal. All the breakfasts ran between $10 and $15.
Later in the day, I decided to see if it was possible to get into HP without standing in line. At about 11:30, we walked right back in. The lines to the attractions were horrible, but access into the park was easy. I had not yet seen the Frog Choir. At noon, they finally came out. Wouldnt you know it! They were not working correctly and would not be singing. This was a picture taking session only.
After one last ride on the Hulk, we left the park to eat a quick lunch in City Walk. We then made our way back to the hotel, retrieved our luggage, and waited for our transportation home.
Over all, while there were a few glitches, I absolutely loved staying on site. Unlike Disney, everything is very close and there are multiple ways to get around. Because of the close proximity, it felt more like a cruise than an amusement park vacation. My teen granddaughter was able to transport herself to activities leaving my grandson and me to do something else if we preferred. Outside of the awful Meal Deal food, most meal choices were excellent and reasonably priced. The Express access using our room keys is so much better than the Disney FastPass, which makes you waste time zigzagging around the park picking up FastPasses and coming back again during the allowed time window. We were not limited by time or frequency of access. We just walked in whenever we wanted to.
Day 1
Arrived early and checked in. Room was not ready, so I checked in my bags with Baggage Service while I ran errands. The main errand I wanted to accomplish was to upgrade my tickets from 1 park to 2 parks. I assumed that Guest Services, where I could also purchase tickets, could do so. They told me they could not, but advised me to call the number listed on my reservation paperwork to do so. I called, where I was told that because I had purchased the reservation at AAA, I had to call AAA to do so. I called AAA, who contacted Universal Guest Services, who told AAA I could do it at Guest Services. Again I went to Guest Services, who said I could only do it in the parks. Of course, while I spent all this time on the phone, my battery was getting dangerously low and I was still expecting calls from both my grandchildren telling me they were here and from the desk telling me our room was ready. I gave up for the day and went to have lunch.
No sooner than I had ordered a salad at Islands, than I received a call telling me the children would be here shortly. I told the waiter, and he moved me to a larger table. When the call came that they were at the main entrance, I had to run and leave my lunch, but the waiter watched over it until I came back with them. They werent hungry, but had something to drink while I finished my delicious salad.
It had now been more than two hours since I had checked in, and I had not yet been notified that my room was ready. We went back to the desk, and there were told that the room was ready, but oddly we had to be issued all new key cards. My guess is that there was some kind of snafu with the room. I asked that holes be punched in our cards so that we could hang them on our lanyards, which they did gladly.
Our room is in tower 2, on the 6th floor. It is nice, but nothing special. The sink is outside of the toilet/shower area. There is no hair dryer. The only place that has any privacy for dressing is the toilet room.
The kids changed into bathing suits after we unpacked and went swimming for a couple of hours. The pool has a small water park area, a volley ball net, a bar, a towel station, and an ice cream stand. There is no water slide. They let you take the towels back to your room.
We changed and attended the luau. We got into two lines. The kids went to the right, while I went to the left to register and pay for it. We were given leis to match our outfits, and entertained by a man playing a ukulele and singing. We were shortly issued into the covered area to our assigned tables. The food was very good. My grandson went to the separate childrens food table and found plenty that he liked there. There were unlimited drinks served to us including punch, lemonade, and alcoholic drinks for the adults. The show started an hour after the dinner started. It was entertaining, with lovely hula dancers, a fire dancer, and guests being pulled up onto the stage for funny stints. However, as someone who cruises often, I would compare it to one of the free shows offered on cruise ships.
It had started to rain by the time we got out, and I dont think they had the scheduled torch lighting ceremony. We headed back to the room. The wake up call service allowed us to select one of several different characters to make our call.
Day 2
Up at six, and down on the bottom floor near the restaurants before 7. I had not planned to eat before going to the park, but they had a small area where you could buy coffee, juice, and pastries to go, so we grabbed some on the way out. We went to the boat dock, but the boat pulled away before we got on it and we did not see another coming yet, so we decided to walk. The walking path is clearly marked and next to the boat dock. It only took a few minutes.
We arrived at the gates before 7:30 to discover that they were open already. We walked in and encountered a long line waiting for HP. The HP gates were not open yet. We got into the line near the Seuss carrousel. After a few minutes , the gates opened and we went with the crowd into HP.
There was only a 10 minute wait for the Forbidden Journey ride, so we headed there first. I did not think it was that great, after all that hype. As a matter of fact, it made me a little motion sick. Next we did the smaller roller coaster, and then my grandson got on the Dragons Challenge. There were no real waits for either. We then ordered 3 butter beers. I liked mine, my grandson drank a little more than half of his, and my granddaughter did not like hers at all. I ended up drinking hers too. We did not get the $6 souvenir cups. They were just plastic cups with a Harry Potter logo slapped on them. Tomorrow we will try the pumpkin juice. A little after nine, we left HP. The regular crowds were definitely making their way in.
We next went to Jurassic Park, and noticed that the line to enter into the HP park extended all the way there. People were being given yellow tickets for entry. It looked like it would take hours to just enter the park, never mind actually get on a ride.
We put our Express Pass room keys to good use and zoomed by the long lines to ride as many rides as we could. The 2nd time we exited Rip Saw Falls, we saw the line was 90 minutes. Later it was 120 minutes. My grandson went on the Incredible Hulk. The first time we went to Islands of Adventure, he was two years old and point to the Hulk saying Want dat!. He is now nine, and for the first time can actually ride it. We then ate at the restaurant in Seuss Landing that participated in the Meal Deal, and rode a few rides in Seuss Landing before exiting.
On the way out, we stopped by Guest Services. No lines. We were the only customers. There I finally exchanged our tickets for 2 parkers, and it cost less than $30 to upgrade all 3 of us for the 4 days. I also cashed in the $50 ticket I had been given by AAA for 5 $10 bills with Spiderman on them. This funny money can be spent anywhere in the park or hotels. I also got a refund for the 10% AAA discount that I forgot to ask for when I made a purchase.
My grandson and I chose to take naps while my 14-year-old granddaughter joined some new friends in the pool. When I woke, I showered and changed and tried to wake my grandson. Oh, no! Another migraine. So, instead of going back to the park, he stayed in bed. I did a load of laundry and ate at the restaurant by the pool while I waited for it. So much for purchasing the Meal Deal!
He woke after I came back to the room. He felt much better and wanted some ice cream, so I got him some. Hopefully he will be fine in the morning.
Day 3
Up early again. This time we arrived at the outer gates to IOA before 7:30. They opened at 7:25, and HP was open when we entered so there was no wait to get in. Instead of riding FJ, we chose to stand in line to Ollivanders. The wait was about a half hour. My grandson was the youngest person in the room, and his sister and I positioned him at the front. We were so sure he was going to be picked! However, an older girl from the center of the crowd was picked. The show was fun, though. The kids selected their wands after the show and after adding a Monster Book, I opted to have our purchases sent to our room so we did not need to carry them. We were told they would arrive by the next morning. They were apparently delivered in the morning after we left, perhaps at the same time our room was cleaned.
We chose to go to US after HP. The crowds were almost nonexistent there in the morning. They did pick up later in the day. The kids rode the new ride called RockIt. I did not.
So here is what I now think of the Meal Deal. It sounded like a good idea, but unless you have male teenagers who eat massive quantities of hamburgers, it is not worth it. Not a single one of us has eaten enough food to pay for what the Meal Deal cost yet. Choices are extremely limited. No, you cannot eat everything on the menu. Children are especially limited. They cant even have hamburgers or deserts. Drinks are not covered. There are only 3 restaurants in each park that participate. No restaurants in either City Place or the resorts are covered. The standard Meal Deal is only good in the park in which you get the bracelet, so if you park hop, you have to go back to the first park in which you got it to eat. The restaurants which participate also tend to offer many of the same foods.
My grandson and I went back to the room for naps while his sister went with a couple of girls she had met at the pool. Since the first day, my grandson has chosen not to swim. The weather has severely hampered his sisters ability to swim. Thunder storms have closed the pools each day.
In the evening, the kids went back to the park while I joined friends at Emerils Tchoup Chop. The food and service were fantastic, but very expensive. I then joined the kids at HP. I purchased several items in the shops while the kids rode rides, including chocolate items such as chocolate frogs and fudge flies since they would not melt in the cooler evening.
After the park closed, we briefly walked through City Walk. It looked like a lot of fun, especially near a stage where a DJ was leading people in group dances like the Electric Slide. The kids were exhausted, so we did not stay long. I am not sure what I am going to do with those 3 party passes I have. What good are they to kids who younger than 15? There is a teen night for teens 15 and older on Wednesdays, but my granddaughter is still only 14.
While watching the news earlier in the day, I heard that there was a Harry Potter convention happening this weekend and that they had exclusive access to HP Friday evening. I called the concierge to find out if HP was going to still be accessible to the general public Friday, and I was told the convention access was after normal hours. The convention goers are also staying at this hotel. We are already seeing groups of people dressed as if it was Halloween.
Day 4
Cant get the kids out of bed. No early access for us today. Oh, well. Instead of naps this afternoon we can go pool hopping. The chance of thunder storms is supposed to be much less today, but it will be hot.
After getting turned down a second time when attempting to use my room card to charge, I visited the front desk. Turns out that they pre-authorize a set amount that has nothing to do with the credit card limit on the card that you hand them when you sign in. I had hit my limit. It would be nice if they told you this. If I had not had my credit card with me last night, I would not have been able to make my purchases in HP. I had them add more credit to my card.
We were at US when it opened instead. The kids wanted to ride the RockIt, which does not yet have an Express line since it is so new, but it was out of service. We attempted to eat lunch at an indoor seafood restaurant, Lombard's, shortly after 11, but were told it did not open until 12. We had some ice cream instead and decided to go back to the hotel since it was so hot.
My grandson and I chose to go to the Portofino Bay Hotel pool which had a water slide. We had a leisurely couple of hours in the pool. Frozen grapes on small skewers and sample of smoothies were passed out to anyone who wanted them. My granddaughter decided to meet her friends at the movie theater in City Walk to see Eclipse. Afterwards, we went back to the Lombards, and were told it was now closing (about 5:30). So we went to Finnegans instead. Great Irish food at reasonable prices.
After dinner, the kids decided to ride RockIt, which was now operational. I sat on a bench nearby waiting for almost an hour. Suddenly, several extremely strong gusts of wind blew through bending the palm trees over. Then it started to rain. I noticed that the ride had stopped. The kids were some of the last people to finally come out. The had almost reached the beginning of the line and my grandson had not wanted to leave. It was a good thing that they did leave, because it did not start up again until shortly before the park was closing. By that time we were on the other side and about to enjoy the evening laser show.
The Harry Potter convention had their big event after hours in HP. As our boat approached the hotel, we heard singing and chanting. The outgoing boat was filled with convention goers on their way.
Day 5
Checked all our bags into Baggage Service first thing in the morning. A copy of my bill had been sent to my email in PDF format, and after reviewing it, I did not need to go to the desk to change anything. This day we spent entirely at IOA. We ate breakfast at the Three Broomsticks, which reminded me a bit of a McDonalds with strange stairways above our heads. I had the continental breakfast, which contain beans and a small slice of broiled tomato, in addition to eggs, potatoes, and sausage. The kids both had the pancake breakfast. Another choice was porridge, which included fruit in addition to oatmeal. All the breakfasts ran between $10 and $15.
Later in the day, I decided to see if it was possible to get into HP without standing in line. At about 11:30, we walked right back in. The lines to the attractions were horrible, but access into the park was easy. I had not yet seen the Frog Choir. At noon, they finally came out. Wouldnt you know it! They were not working correctly and would not be singing. This was a picture taking session only.
After one last ride on the Hulk, we left the park to eat a quick lunch in City Walk. We then made our way back to the hotel, retrieved our luggage, and waited for our transportation home.
Over all, while there were a few glitches, I absolutely loved staying on site. Unlike Disney, everything is very close and there are multiple ways to get around. Because of the close proximity, it felt more like a cruise than an amusement park vacation. My teen granddaughter was able to transport herself to activities leaving my grandson and me to do something else if we preferred. Outside of the awful Meal Deal food, most meal choices were excellent and reasonably priced. The Express access using our room keys is so much better than the Disney FastPass, which makes you waste time zigzagging around the park picking up FastPasses and coming back again during the allowed time window. We were not limited by time or frequency of access. We just walked in whenever we wanted to.
Glad you had such a great trip and thanks for sharing!!
