Can't decide between Hard Rock & Portofino - help!!

[sbrost13]

This is my family's first Universal trip so I've narrowed our choices down to Hard Rock Hotel & Portofino. It's my family of 4 - daughter is 10, son is 7. We have been to Disney several times but have stayed Value the last few trips there so I'm looking for a nice overall resort. Here are my questions:

Which pool is better for kids my age that are great swimmers? (we've got a pool at home so the slide and other things around the pool are very important)

What's the travel time from Portofino to the parks - walking and water taxi?

I know Hard Rock is the closest- how much time is it to walk to the parks from the resort?

If we're booking a standard room, are there any room requests we should make?

We're getting 2 day base tickets so do we need to pick ahead of time which park we go to on each day? (I know that's probably a stupid question but thought I'd ask!)

We're staying one night in July but will definitely come back to the resort on our 2 park days, so pool is important. I know everything is closer than Disney so I'm not over concerned with travel time but thought I'd ask so I can get a feel for the place.

Please let me know if there's any other important information I should be factoring in. We plan to check in at 6:00am so we can get our Express Passes and get to the park for early entry.

 

[scoobydooby]

Sorry a question for you not any answers as my first on site trip is not till summer. Do your base tickets give you park to park access? I've got UK tickets so don't know how yours work, but without park to park access you can't ride the Hogwarts Express as I understand it. I do know they pipe music underwater into the HRH pool which I have read is shallow apart from the slide area.

 

[rackerlee92]

We too are struggling between Hard Rock and Portofino. Right now leaning toward 1st 2 nights at HRH and then moving over to Portofino for our last night. We have teenagers that really want HRH, but we usually rent a house or at least stay in a suite. We won't pay for the suite upgrade here - too costly, so I lean towards Portofino, because the rooms a somwhat bigger.

We are WDW regulars, but this is our first visit to Universal (we will be finishing off our vacation at WDW). I look forward to reading responses to your questions!

 

[sbrost13]

Base tickets - can only visit one park a day (this is what we're doing)
Park-to-park tickets- you can go between the two parks the same day. Must have this ticket to ride the train between the two Harry Potter lands

 

[lvdis]

I hope you get some opinions from people who have stayed there! I haven't been to either, but I have also been trying to decide between those 2 hotels. I'm inclined to choose Portofino Bay due to the larger room sizes though. And the fact that Portofino has 3 pools. Just my thoughts!

 

[RMulieri]

We have only stayed at Portofino, but we have stayed there 3 times now for a week each time...The walk is about 15 mins depending on how fast you walk.We did it in less than that.Each resort has its own boat so they run pretty frequently, but they DO take time to dock and then sit and wait and board people.More than once we left on foot as the boat was docking and made it to the parks before the boat.The resort is BEAUTIFUL but it is large.The rooms are the largest on property.PBH has 3 pools.The main pool( beach pool) is the pool with the light house water slide and is where all the daytime kids activites are. The Villas pool is a beautiful pool but has no slide and is generally a quieter pool.The Hillside pool is the smallest and also quiet and no slide. Out of the 3 resorts, only Portofino has balconies, but there are only a few , they cost extra and can not be booked in advance ( I think this may have changed recently).

 

[SmallWorld71]

We've stayed at each and loved both. That said, if we each got to pick - DH and the 2 boys would pick Hard Rock, DD and I would pick Portofino based strictly on the theming. The Hard Rock had a much more happening vibe - kind of like the Contemporary whereas Portofino was quiet and pretty, kind of like Yacht/ Beach club but with completely different theming.
The pools at both were great and there were plenty of pool games, but the one at HRH is loud with the music going all the time. There were also a lot more families with tweens/ teens at the HRH. There were a lot more of the 8 and under crowd at Portofino. We loved the hot tub at Portofino.
I think it just depends on what kind of vibe you are looking for.

 

[kingken]

stayed at both, PBR was fantastic, pool is great as is the poolside bar and a lot quieter than hard rock, also only a few more minutes walk than hard rock. hard rock was good 3 years ago but was ij need of renovating which i understand has now been done, it is very loud, so if your looking for a quieter more relaxed time i would go for PBR

 

[Duanerice]

Not answering your question but we recently stayed at Royal Pacific in a renovated room and it was fabulous. Pool is nice too. Walk is really short to the park. We've stayed at Portofino in the past and really liked it too. I'd never do the Hard Rock and only because the prices are not in line with the quality of the hotel. Again, just personal opinion.
enjoy,

 

[MUN]

We too are struggling between Hard Rock and Portofino. Right now leaning toward 1st 2 nights at HRH and then moving over to Portofino for our last night. We have teenagers that really want HRH, but we usually rent a house or at least stay in a suite. We won't pay for the suite upgrade here - too costly, so I lean towards Portofino, because the rooms a somwhat bigger.

We are WDW regulars, but this is our first visit to Universal (we will be finishing off our vacation at WDW). I look forward to reading responses to your questions!

IMHO, changing hotels sounds like a hassle. I wouldn't do that. If space is important for you, pick the one with more room and be done with it. I'm sure both hotels are very nice.

MUN

 

[Brenda Kim]

I have stayed at Hard Rock and visited Portofino. I was at the Hard Rock in my twenties and loved the vibe there. It is more young adult orientated then Portofino in the later evenings at least. Our room at the Hard Rock was right out a side exit and it only took us about 3-5 minutes to walk to either park. Being so close and not having to wait on a water taxi is a real plus, especially in the mornings when I am anxious to get to the parks. The pool at the Hard Rock has a sand bottom and music that can be heard while underwater. The beds were so comfortable I loved sinking into them at the end of the day. Last time I went we stayed at Royal Pacific and while it was okay, it was not as good as Hard Rock for us at least (2 adults no children.) Since your family is used to the Disney Bus system then the water taxi from Portofino will be a breeze. If given the choice with the two kiddos I would say choose Portofino, bigger rooms, more pools and quieter atmosphere. Just remember while staying at any of the on property hotels you can use any of the pools at any of the other properties. So if you stay at Portofino on your pool day, you can go to Hard Rock just down the walk way to use their pool as well.

 

[Robo56]

Base tickets - can only visit one park a day (this is what we're doing)
Park-to-park tickets- you can go between the two parks the same day. Must have this ticket to ride the train between the two Harry Potter lands

 

[Robo56]

You do need a park to park ticket to ride the Hoggwarts express is what I have seen on Universals site. They were just completing Diagon Alley when we were there last year and it had not opened yet. So we are excited to see it. You can go to Universal Orlando's site and get a base ticket or a park to park 2 day ticket with the 3rd day free. I have stayed at the Hard Rock and Portofino. I agree the the Hard Rock is a younger happening vibe. I take my grandchildren every year one is teen and other is 11 this year. They like the Portofino. What's not to love about being serenaded by Italian opera as you are enjoying a gelato every evening at the Portofino. My grandchildren enjoy the water taxi ride to the park. The rooms are larger at Portofino. When we were there last year at Portofino they had just completed renovations to their rooms and they were beautiful. As said above there are three pools. The Villa pool is very quite, a more adult pool. The other pool with the slide is fun for the kids. They have games the the kids. Remember with your Royal Pacific, Hard Rock or Portofino Bay you get your express pass included. It is not included in the Cabana Beach as it is considered the budget resort at Universal. We always check in and enjoy the first day in leisure at the pool with dinner at city walk. The next three days is nothing but fun at the parks. If you want to eat at Mytho's in Island's of Adventure make your reservations online on the Universal Orlando site. This restaurant is not easy to walk into during peak season. Reservations can be made 30 before your visit. Enjoy. As my sister says life is about making memories with the ones you love. Enjoy your vacation to Universal. It's awesome.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

We stayed at Portofino last summer. We'll be trying HR next. We enjoyed RPC very much. We'll see, but I suspect RPC will be my favorite of the three.

I second the idea of getting hopper tickets! Since you already get FotLA, being able to hop through both ends of the park makes getting around a joy. Actually - You ought to consider converting your tickets to AP's. (maybe on your last day?) Unlike WDW, low end US AP's are very reasonable! The Power Annual Pass has blackout dates 6/13-8/13, (plus a few others) but is just a little extra $, if you can return on non-blackout days.

It's funny, HRH is the only resort we've not even visited at US. We've been to several HR cafes, they are just so-so in my book.

Whereas overall, the food offerings we've tried at US have been super for price + location. Compared to WDW, well there's just no comparing! Eating at WDW has become a BIG expensive hassle! WDW buffets are assembly lines. Capacity has not kept pace with demand, now WDW punishes guests! Eating at Universal is MUCH more relaxed and reasonable. Overall food quality is excellent.

The rooms at Portofino were very nice. Of all the resorts, PB is furthest out, but the difference is minimal. It's like a 7 min walk vs. 5min. The pathways are all very nice. The boats are frequent, and there's also pedi-cabs. We mostly choose to walk.

At Portofino we did a combo of the pizza place and Club level. The pizza place has a bit limited menu, but everything was very good. In years past we tried other Italian options there and really enjoyed our food. It is mostly Italian themed, so maybe not your ideal if you need gluten free. The pool was great. Compares to WDW pools.

At RPC, we did grab-and-go breakfast. It was a tiny bit pricey, but not too bad. They had hard boiled eggs, and we had coffee in our room. In the afternoon, we had some sushi in the lounge. Portions and quality were excellent. It was also very relaxing and pretty. Truly the prices weren't bad - considering the portions. No ADR, no wait! Room was slightly smaller than PB, but still big and nice enough. Grounds and pool were both very nice.

In the parks, we really enjoy the HP eateries. The theming is just so much fun! The fizzy orange juice is very good. Also, the park has the new many flavor Coke product machines. Every flavor soft drink, AND hassle free, free water! Brilliant!

We are VERY impressed with all the HP areas! Wands are pricey, but oh, so much fun for kids! US did a great job with all the little details. Our first visit, we made a beeline for the rides. Well, that's probably a good idea, but so is taking time to explore each HP area.

We did make a reservation for Mythos, but just a few days in advance. Super food and service.

In Ctywalk, we tried very low budget. Turkey from Breadbox and frozen yogurt with toppings. Both great, excpt the cole slaw. (too sweet for me.)

 

[disnutz]

we have stayed at all three now. Taking my son back for his 16th birthday and he wanted Hard rock primarily because of location. I thought Port was kind of far while HRH is a 5 minute walk. RPR is not bad but the rooms are small. Best of boths sides, we try to get a deluxe in HRH but we could not this trip. So we are going with a regular room with a cot. you can pool hop, so I really would not change rooms. Not worth it. HRH pool is probably better for smaller ones because of the depth (shallow). You will love both, just depends on what you want to do

 

[elaine amj]

Curious - which one actually has a pool you can swim in? I like to do laps while my kids mess around. Sounds like no swimming for me at HRH. If we do get some time to pool hop, which of the other resort pools can I go for actual swimming?

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Portofino has three pools. Two are quiet pools. The Villa is best for laps. The Hillside Pool may also be quiet, but is oval shaped.

HRH and RPR each have one pool. Cabana Bay has two pools: one is lazy river, the other is main pool with waterslide.

Probably with any, early am is probably best for laps.

 

[elaine amj]

So RPR's pool is deep enough for laps? I know HRH is not deep enough to actually swim in. If we can make it work in our plans, we'll pool hop to Portofino. Sounds like even the main pool is deep enough to swim in (although I'll try to split off into the Villa Pool for a quiet swim).

Thanks so much. This trip we are staying at HRH but next trip in September we will be at RPR

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Perhaps I should clarify. I don't know for certain how deep it is. We only swam in the beach pool. Here is a number you can call:
407-503-1200. It is the office to rent cabanas, but I'm sure they can tell you more.

 

[Robo56]

The Portofino beach pool is deep enough to do laps if you get in the west end of the pool to about midway where the stone slide structure is if your swimming east. As you get closer to the slide the water is very shallow. That being said you could not do that during the busy time of day. We stay there every May and our room overlooks the beach pool. There is usually hardly anyone there between 8-9am. Last year in the evening I went to the Villa pool and I was the only one there it is only about 4 feet deep if that, and you could swim laps there comfortably if their is not but a couple people in. Hopes this helps. Have fun.