compare the 3 hotels for me please

[bellebud]

we'll be going to universal this summer for the first time (myself, dh, ds6yo and dd7yo) and will stay on-site. can anyone compare the 3 resorts to each other for me? i've read the sticky's on each one, but it's not really helping me pick one.

i'd love comparison info on... general prices (value, mod, deluxe)

rooms (size or niceness, decor, etc)

location in comparison to each other and parks

pools, grounds

dining

transportation to parks

whatever else you think is important.

we've done disney many, many times, so you can use any of their resorts as a comparison if it makes it easier.

tia if anyone can help! we're doing this as a 6th bday trip for ds... we're huge disney fans, but that spiderman ride is calling us!!

also, any input on rides for my kids (6 and 7yo) would be appreciated.

Liz

 

[damo]

Cheapest with smallest rooms and Bali atmosphere, no pool slide -- Royal Pacific

Middle expensive (sometimes highest) with cool rock atmosphere, pool slide, closest to parks, recently renovated -- Hard Rock

Most expensive with largest rooms and European atmosphere, pool slide, furthest from parks -- Portofino Bay

 

[rie'smom]

The Royal pacific is the least expensive hotel and it's a deluxe on a Disney scale.

If you stay onsite anywhere, the parks are a short walk away-5-10-15 minutes tops.

Rides for your kids depends on the child. My daughter loves every ride at both Universal parks.

My daughter loves the RPR pool but we've only stayed here. We stay here every Memorial Day and any extra time we can during the year. This May is our 7th or 8th stay-I can't remember.

There are good restaurants at each hotel. TchoupTchoup,Emeril's RPR restaurant is really good. I love room service.

The parks have decent food. IOA has Mythos which is excellent.

There's a superhero character meal that your son might love for his birthday but I'm not familiar with it.


My daughter(she just turned 13 but has felt this way since our first visit) could go to Universal and not even miss Disney. We LOVE the front of the line perk you get while staying onsite. If you go to both WDW and Universal,go to Universal last because that FOTL spoils you rotten.

 

[Fan2CSkr]

A very good place to start is Universal's Comparison Chart of the three on-site resorts!

http://www.universalorlando.com/ht_comparison.html

 

[Motherfletcher]

Cheapest with smallest rooms and Bali atmosphere...

Funny you said that because "Bali" was what they called Royal Pacific through design and construction. A friend that worked for Universal back then still calls it Bali.

 

[rodkenrich]

There should be no comparisons, start of with the Royal Pacific and you will be surprised at how such a resort rivals those of Disney's deluxe resorts.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

HRH is closest and most convenient, I've seen prices very close to the Royal Pacific in price, just slightly higher, if you can get close to RP I would personally do HRH which also has a really nice pool, great rooms. RP is nice also but we prefer HRH. Have never done Portofino Bay yet, but would like to some day, price is quite higher at least from what I've seen.

 

[Melanie230]

We have stayed at RPR. That was the first hotel we stayed in at UO/IOA. We are going back this year and staying at HRH. We loved RPR. The water taxi is how you will get from each hotel to the parks.

We really enjoyed TChoup Chop at RPR. That is Emerils restuarant. Very beautiful.

You will LOVE all the rides there. My children are almost 8 and 5. They went last year when they were 4 and 6. Your kids are going to have a blast. The hotels are so beautiful and nice that will make it a great stay for you and your DH.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Obviously, rates vary by time of year. I agree the Royal Pacific is cheapest, & IMHO isn't quite as nice as the other 2. However, it is a Deluxe hotel. I usually don't recommend it, because it's our least favorite of the 3. That said, I think it would probably be a good choice for your family. Your kids are at a great age for the water feature in the pool. My DS hated that pool, but he was older. I think it's a wonderful pool for younger kids. If they miss a slide, you can pool hop to the other resorts. RPR does have the smallest rooms of the 3. From RPR to CW & IOA is about a 15 min. walk. Add 15 min. & you're at UO. You can also take the boats to the middle of CW & walk to the parks from there.

We almost always stay at Hard Rock Hotel. Our DS prefers it, & we like it too. Unlike others, I've found recently that it is more often than not the most expensive option of the 3. It's definitely the one that books up fastest. The 5 min. walk to Universal & CW makes it very desirable to the masses. Add 5 min. to that walk & you're at IOA. HRH is the most lively of the 3. If you're looking for peace & quiet, this may not be the place for you. It's not a rowdy atmosphere by any means. There just seems to always be something going on. It's very kid friendly, but they really all are. The standard rooms are a nice size. For even more room, book a deluxe room.

Portifino Bay is the hotel my DH & I would choose hands down, if it were only the 2 of us. While it's a bit far for us to walk, others do. We take the boat, which is a nice ride. PBH is far enough away to completely escape the themepark atmosphere. Although I personally haven't found it to be the most expensive recently, I do think it's the most opulent. IMO, the only thing WDW has that compares is the Grand Floridian. That said, I think the atmosphere at PBH beats that of the GF. The rooms are very nice. We especially like the beds. The bathrooms are amazing.

FYI, PBH used to always be the most expensive & rightfully so. HRH has grown in popularity to the point that they can demand more for the rooms & get it. That's the only reason I can think of for seeing the higher rates at HRH recently. At times, PBH is still a bit higher than HRH. I suppose it comes down to supply & demand at any given time. Have I confused you about the rates yet? If not, please explain it to me. I really can't figure out why I'm all of a sudden seeing HRH costing more, when it used to always be less than PBH. That stinks for us, because our DS always chooses HRH.

As for food, what do you have in mind. I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions, if you tell us what you're interested in. Do you want fine dining, fun places, unique atmosphere, counter service, etc? BTW, you're going to love your onsite experience at UO.

 

[macraven]

i have stayed at all three hotels and prefer the hrh the most. it has the shortest walk to the parks.
my second choice would be pbh. rph is ok but i am not as fond of the room layout.

don't worry about the pool on the hotel you do stay at. pool hopping is encouraged by universal. stay at one hotel and pool hop to the other two hotel pools. there is a shower/pool room that you can use at each site.


there are character dinners at each hotel on saturdays.
there is a dive in movie at the pool at hrh on saturdays also. but, check that out as it has been known to be moved to fridays at times of the year.

the hrh has the least amount of rooms of the three. rph has 1000 rooms.


each hotel has a concierge counter in the lobby besides the club level.


which hotels have you stayed at when you go to disney? just asking so i have an idea the type of hotel you might be more interested in for universal.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Changed my mind about this post. I'm afraid it may not read the way I meant it. Continue on.....

 

[macraven]

Changed my mind about this post. I'm afraid it may not read the way I meant it. Continue on.....

no, i wasn't offended. i read the post before you edited it. in fact, i thought it was a hoot...

i am a hrh junkie and have tried to tone done what i say when posters ask for opinions. makes me unbelievable if i always say hrh is the way to go for all families because it is not. ( i always say, hrh is the shortest walk to the parks and i heart hrh....)

when a family has two kids, boy and girl, i don't usually recommend rph due to room space. but then, if the mom shares a bed with the dd and the father w/ son, it could work out fine. that might have been why i didn't recommend for the op to stay at rph.

 

[LeahA]

I've stayed at RP and HRH, I think the major difference is the theming. They are both Loewes Hotels, RP is themed more tropical and HRH has the music, rock and roll theme.

I have my dh and 3 small kids, 9-6-3, and I like the RP better.

 

[chasgoose]

All three are deluxe-level. The prices for each are usually within $50-$100 for the same level of room with RPH being the cheapest and PBH being the most expensive.

RPH: Iis the cheapest of the three and as such it has the smallest and worst rooms of the Universal hotels. They are still about equivalent to a mid-range deluxe at Disney.

HRH: Has a California rock theme. By far the closest to the parks (5-10 minutes to each). Between RPH and PBH in quality. 2nd biggest rooms. Generally a little cheaper than the PBH, but can be more expensive (I rarely think the price difference is enough between the two to not justify upgrading to PBH).

PBH: By far the nicest (the best of all the onsite hotels at Universal or Disney) . Probably the most well-themed. Standard rooms are almost 100 square ft. bigger than HRH. Usually the most expensive (but never by much), but it depends on when you book. Furthest from the parks (they are still within walking distance). The $20-$30 upgrade for the bayview room is worth it in my opinion.

 

[spiceycat]

RPH is like a 5 to 7 min walk and you end up in front of IOA. yes then add around 15 to10 minutes to walk over to US. (if you want too).

It is the closest one to IOA.