Day 1 of HRH/US/IOA trip - Arrival at HRH

[PaulAllensMom]

Who we are: Me, wonderful Mom - 40-something;
DS, active 10 y/o coaster maniac

Day 1 – 5/25/02

We arrived at MCO in Orlando about 5:45 p.m., after a long trip from OKC, through Minneappolis. (I know, OKC to Orlando through Minneapolis?, but I got a really good deal on the tickets). We flew Northwest Airlines, flight was uneventful. Ronnie from Youride met us in the baggage claim area, and helped us with our bags. Ronnie was great, he made the drive to the HRH very enjoyable. He is an interesting guy. We checked in at HRH with no problem, and I received an upgrade to a deluxe pool view room (from a standard) when I showed the desk clerk my Loews First card. The desk clerk was very nice, and gave me my choice of Welcome gifts (cookies and milk, wine, fruit), and I chose the bottle of wine. It was nice to be able to have a glass of wine every night after we got back to the room. The desk clerk did tell me I wouldn't receive the wine until the next day, which was fine. We unpacked and headed for the pool. We were really impressed with the room, it was very spacious, with 2 queen beds, a small sofa bed, and a small round table with 4 chairs. I loved having a CD player in the room, and I liked the free CD we received at check-in, but I wish I had remembered to bring some of my own CDs. The room seemed really big for just the 2 of us. It was about 8:00 by then, so we ordered dinner at the Beach Club by the pool (pizza and fruit plates). The food was expensive, but not bad. I liked the fruit, it was a fairly large serving. DS had a great time swimming and going down the slide. The pool was beautiful, and we loved the sandy beach and the slide, but the water was cold. I tried to get in the pool, but I thought it was just too cold, and ended up sitting at the Beach Club drinking a margarita while PA swam. It was a relaxing evening. We were in bed by about 10, wanting to get a good night's sleep to be ready for the next day.

 

[MERVXTC]

I enjoyed the beginning of your trip report. Thanks for taking the time to post. I have a few questions.

Did you make your reservations through Loews or through Universal? I guess my question is, was your Loews number on your reservation in advance or when you checked in did you say "oh, by the way I'm a Loews member here's my card, is an upgrade available?"

We have reservations at the Royal Pacific. I made our reservations through Universal and didn't let them know I'm a Loews member so we can get whatever comes along with it.
I'm wondering if I can just show my card at check-in or does it have to be in the system in advance.

My second question, what type of wine did they give you? Do you remember the brand? I would also pick the wine for the same reason you chose it, but we don't like dry wine.

Thanking you in advance.

Moving on to part 2.

 

[FINFAN]

Call RPH and give them your Loews card # now...I don't think I don't think I would wait 'till check in.I have read about glitches and being a new hotel I would want to leave as little to chance as I could.

 

[PaulAllensMom]

Mervxtc,
I didn't have my Loews card when I made my reservations, I just showed it when I checked in, but to be safe you should probably go ahead and notify them in advance. The wine was a Berringer Chardonnay, I believe, and you also have the choice of a merlot. I liked the chardonnay, but I do like dry wines. Hope you have a great time on your trip!

 

[MERVXTC]

Thsnks guys, I'm calling as soon as I can pull myself away from these boards.

 

[VondaP]

I'm surprised the pool was cold. When we visited last October it was quite warm. One of the employees said it was kept at "bath water" temperature. He said that the heater had just recently been fixed.

I wonder if the heat is off or out?

Vonda

 

[PaulAllensMom]

Someone in the elevator said the heat in the pool was turned off. The temp. during the day was in the mid-80's, so the water felt pretty good, but after about 6:00 when it started to cool off, that water felt really cold.