Book AP Portofino Bay rate or wait for Royal Pacific?

[TorontoGirl]

Just noticed that Portofino and HR are on AP discount right now for my dates (Sep 27 - 29, 2021). Should I just book PB or wait to see if a lower AP rate comes out for RP? Do they offer AP rates for RP?
We are not HR type of people and so that is out of the equation. TIA

 

[hhoope01]

Since most reservations can be cancelled with no penalties up to 5 days before your stay, I'd go ahead and make the PBR reservation. Who knows how long the APH rate will hold out there. If you wait too long, it might not be an option any longer. And if APH rates open up for RPR for your dates, then grab a reservation there and cancel your PBR reservation.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

I would book PB now and wait to see what happens with RP. They do offer AP rates for RP so definitely keep checking.

 

[TorontoGirl]

Thank you! I booked PB and will keep an eye out for RP

 

[macraven]

Just noticed that Portofino and HR are on AP discount right now for my dates (Sep 27 - 29, 2021). Should I just book PB or wait to see if a lower AP rate comes out for RP? Do they offer AP rates for RP?
We are not HR type of people and so that is out of the equation. TIA

I’m late to the party here but would have said......

grab it !!

 

[NUHuskies#1]

I booked PBH APH rate a few months ago hoping RPR would become available for next week but never materialized. Happy that I grabbed that reservation though, can’t touch $279 now and nothing is available. You can cancel or modify your reservation very easily if you need to make any changes. Good luck!

 

[MarcIsMe]

Agree with book and keep checking. Needed an express pass hotel with 2 queen beds for July. I missed out on a standard Royal Pacific and had to go with a Portifino Club room for substantially more (enough of a price difference to say ‘sorry son, you are using an air mattress on the floor’ ). RP only had kings at that time. I am a Loews member so I found 2 queens at RP on their site, no deposit required so I booked that. Checked the Universal site again after another 3 days and they had standard 2 queen open at $113 less than the Loews member price so snagged that and cancelled the Portifino reservation.

 

[Elle :)]

I booked at PB with the “savvy traveler“ discount and when a RP room became available on the new APH discount I grabbed that. I’m keeping both rooms for now, in case the AP rate comes up for my PB room.

 

[mamapenguin]

I booked at PB with the “savvy traveler“ discount and when a RP room became available on the new APH discount I grabbed that. I’m keeping both rooms for now, in case the AP rate comes up for my PB room.

Which hotel would you prefer and why?

 

[Elle :)]

Which hotel would you prefer and why?

I don't know. We've always stayed at HR so either one will be a new experience for us. We booked rooms that have more space and also have bathtubs (my only criteria).
- PB: king suite with a living room
- RP: 1-bedroom hospitality suite
Both have 2 bathrooms. RP's room is a little bigger. Both cost about the same right now (with the discount types I currently have).

 

[cfoxga]

We've stayed at all of the deluxe resorts, as well as CB and ESS. PBH was the only one we've been two twice and is the family favorite. There is something about the boat ride back to the resort that makes it feel special. A close second would be HRH. I prefer the walk from HRH over RPR, as it is a little closer and much greener without all of the bridges. We liked the feel of The Kitchen at HRH over Islands at RPR. But you really can't go wrong at any of the deluxe resorts, and there are plenty of others who like each.

 

[mamapenguin]

We've stayed at all of the deluxe resorts, as well as CB and ESS. PBH was the only one we've been two twice and is the family favorite. There is something about the boat ride back to the resort that makes it feel special. A close second would be HRH. I prefer the walk from HRH over RPR, as it is a little closer and much greener without all of the bridges. We liked the feel of The Kitchen at HRH over Islands at RPR. But you really can't go wrong at any of the deluxe resorts, and there are plenty of others who like each.

Would you care to expand on why PBH is your family favorite? We have never stayed there and are considering it for late July.

 

[cfoxga]

Would you care to expand on why PBH is your family favorite? We have never stayed there and are considering it for late July.

IMO, PBH did the best job implementing its theme. From the Bay side, it really does feel like you are coming in to an Italian city. The regular rooms are huge at 450 sq feet, vs 375 for HRH and 335 at RPR. While we spend a ton of time at the parks, having the extra space for the 4 of us is nice. We had a dinner pre-Covid at Bice that was fantastic. We sat on the balcony at sunset and listened to the Opera singer while we ate. We don't spend much time at the pools, but the multiple pools at PBH seemed a bit better than the others. The only downside was that we liked the room theme better before the renovation, even if it was dated. It actually fit in with the theme better.

The "con" which surprisingly ended up being a "pro" is the extra distance from the parks. PBH is just far enough away that it is usually faster to take the boat, which is a very relaxing way to travel. At HRH, we almost always walked because it was so close. Then again, there were a couple times where the line was a bit too long and we had to walk back to PBH; passing by HRH halfway through reminded us how close it was.

The island theme at RPR was nice but a bit more generic. It was our second trip and were still figuring out UO, so perhaps it is not a fair comparison. The other other forum members who swear by RPR (that stay multiple weeks per year there), so perhaps we need to give it another shot.

We had a great time at HRH, but the rock theme is a bit hard to pull off other than playing rock musing in the hallways and having posters/art of music everywhere. The short walk was great, so you don't have to twist my arm to stay there.

 

[Magical2017]

We loved PB. The walk from the hotel to US was a bit further than HR. It did not bother us at all, but if someone has young children or mobility issues, they might want to take the water taxi back to PB rather than walk. We loved the main pool, the staff, the large rooms, and the theming. We are considering trying another premiere resort for our next trip but may book PB again.

 

[Starwarsfan2]

We consider the boat ride to be like an attraction itself especially at night.

 

[AuroraluvsPhillip]

Even though we usually stay at HRH, we frequently take a night time boat ride to PBH because it's so pretty.

 

[n2mm]

Also trying to book a room a HRH. Is it normal for the rate to be available for a longer reservation? Monday & Tuesday is higher, but if I add Wednesday the daily rate is lower. But if I drop to one night it’s lower. Only need 2 nights. Should I call?