Can they compare!?!

[Goofy'sFriend]

We have stayed at the Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, Dixie Landings and Caribbean Beach and we are seriously considering staying at the new Royal Pacific at Universal this summer. We have never done anything off Disney property. We haven't even been to Universal or Sea World yet.

Will we be disappointed after staying so many years at Disney Resorts? We have 3 boys....15, 11 and 5. Thanks!!

 

[catdog]

Having just left yesterday morning, I got a clear sense of Universal and Sea World in relation to DW. Our children are young now, but I thought to myself that once they are older and we want to visit other parks and places of interest in and around Orlando I would stay in DW for a few days and then rent a car and continue on our vacation.
If you are planning to visit DW why not split your time.
That way you can enjoy the convenience of the DW resorts and then stay at a hotel closer to the other parks you are interested in visiting.
Just a thought...or two.

 

[Planogirl]

I'm getting to this point too. My son is almost 9 and is real eager to see the Universal Parks. I think that we will likely split our stay too with a few nights in (hopefully) a WDW resort and then the rest offsite somewhere convenient. Where is the question. The Royal Pacific, eh? Hmmmmm....

 

[Dancind]

Of course, we haven't stayed at the Royal Pacific, though I hear they're going to have a great pool area. We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel for two nights in Sept. My daughter liked it better than the Grand Floridian, which we also stayed in on that trip. It's a very nice hotel, walking distance to Universal, and you can't beat the Front of Line perk! Yes, try it if you've already "done Disney". Diana

 

[Mercy]

Hi Goofy'sFriend and fellow Marylander! I think your older boys would really enjoy Universal/Islands of Adventure, there are some pretty cool rides there. There are also things for your younger son. I have 2 sons and they like it there. Sea World is also a great park.

I don't know how long you are going for, but you might want to consider splitting your vacation... half at US/IOA and half at Disney. That is what we did last time. I've also heard of some people getting pretty good rates for the Universal hotels.

 

[Bstanley]

First - If the Royal Pacific is anything like HRH or PB you will not be dissapointed. I found the HRH to be every bit as nice as the Poly (if not nicer to be honest) with one exception - the beds were not Queen size (we had a pool view room, not deluxe). Also the price at HRH was very good ($127.50 using the Entertainment rate). While we didn't stay at the PB (so I can't comment on the rooms) it was very nice inside and I have no doubts that the rooms were every bit as nice as any of the Disney hotels.

Second - IoA is a great park, and USF is very good - your kids will love them.

This past trip we stayed for a couple of nights at HRH and then moved to AKL and really found that it worked well. I expect to do it that way from now on. I have to admit though that I will always start my trips at Universal and finish at WDW 'just because'

Seaworld is kind of a question mark. We visited a couple of years ago and did enjoy (Journey to Atlantis will get you SOAKED - beware), but not enough to want to 'give up' one of our days at Disney/Universal to go there in general...especially since we tend to visit Orlando at Christmas time for a single week and there are so many special events it just seems like Seaworld gets overlooked. If we were there for 10 days (or longer) I'm sure we would visit.

 

[Robinrs]

Since the Royal Pacific will be the "value" of the three Universal resorts I don't believe it would be fair to compare it to the luxury Disney resorts. Entertainment rates at $99 a night cannot be compared to the rates anything over the All Stars offers.

On the other hand the Hard Rock and the Portofino cannot only compare to the midrange and luxury resorts in Disney, they offer a perk that is above and beyond anything Disney offers, Universal Express. It used to be called Front of the Line access. You show your room key and you walk right up to the express line, which surpasses the regular line. It's usually another entrance and the wait is 0 to 10 minutes. It is the ONLY way to visit a theme park! No more running to the park early to surpass lines, you can take your time and go on your favorite ride when YOU want to!

I am keeping my fingers crossed that this perk doesn't go away soon!

The Hard Rock is now a short walk from Universal. The Royal Pacific will also be very close to the parks. The location is awesome.

My son is now 9 and prefers the Universal parks because they do offer more rides he is into. Since he measured the covetted 54", he can get on everything!

I don't think you'll be disappointed. If you are you will be along with me because I'm going in August!