going to PBH next week

[2princessintraining]

Okay, this is new for me. We usually go to Disney for our April trips, but this year we are going in October instead, so we are trying PBH for 5 nights starting next week.

I am a little depressed as I know what to expect from Disney, am used to Disney, etc.

Tell me what I will love about the PBH and being at Universal.

Oh...how crowded are the Grad Nights...I unfortunately booked my first two nights during this time.

Thanks for any input.

 

[goofie4goofy]

Hi! You will have a great time.

First of all Grad Nights are a separate ticketed event and you can only attend if you are a senior attending a participating highschool or a chaperone of the participating high school. We were there last year during this time and it did not affect the daytime crowd level. You will not notice a thing.

What will you love about the PBH??? Everything. When we go to WDW we stay at the GF in the main building RPC (a basis of my comparison). You will find going to USO is a relaxing vacation with a great theme park attached to it. I love that when you leave the parks you feel like you are a million miles away from a "theme park". The rooms are huge & beautifully decorated. There are 2 pools within a close distance...the beach pool with a fun slide and the quite pool. Both with bar & food service. There is a Spa, great restaurants, bars and a beautiful outdoor venue. I also love the fact htat when you leave the theme park and go back to the hotel there is no sign of a theme park...no "mickey mouse" in your face kind of theming, except in the gift shops. Also there is plenty of time to enjoy this beautiful resort hotel because of FOTL access. There is no need to get up early. You can take your time, go on your favorite attractions many times and have plenty of time to go back to the resort and enjoy the pools. We suually get to the parks at 10am and are done by 3 ish, head back to the PBH go to the pool and relax before a great dinner somewhere. The food at USO in general is much better than WDW, not at the PBH but all over USO.

I love both WDW and USO, I just find USO to a much more enjoyable vacation and truly relaxing. We will be there on the 4/22 and go the same time every year. Low crowds and beautiful weather!

 

[Motherfletcher]

The single best thing about the Universal resorts compared to WDW is the ability to skip the lines at the parks.
One of my secret pleasures at PBH is using the co-ed whirlpool in the spa/fitness center locker rooms. Loews First members get in free.

 

[AlexandNessa]

You're going to hate it. Honest. DON'T DO IT!

(Just doing my part to make the Universal Loews Hotels unpopular. The rates are just too dang high lately.)


(Just kidding!)

 

[damo]

Crowds will be low. You will have the parks to yourselves. Take the time to have a complete vacation which includes parks, hotels, restaurants and nightlife. You'll be able to do it all.

 

[robvia]

Well, at least you're going for 5 nights and not 1 day like many try to do.

You'll have a great time. Scroll down my page to see pictures of the resort and the walking path.
Portofino Bay Hotel

Before you arrive, put in a request for a West Wing room, that way you're closer to the pool and boat dock.

 

[goofy!]

We love the Portofino. It is now our hotel of choice whether we go to Disney or Universal. It is pampering and luxurious. We had diehard Disney relatives, who were staying at the Beach Club come visit us for a day when we were all there recently. After a day at Portofino, they declared they were done with staying onsite at Disney as they thought the PBH was so much nicer than anything they had stayed at at Disney, especially at the rates we were getting vs. what they were paying for their room at BC.

Make sure you sign up for LoewsFirst and that your number is on your reservation. You want to get credit for your 5 night stay. A few more of those and you will be Platinum and will be guaranteed a suite upon reservation - a nice frequent guest perk that Disney does not offer.

And don't forget that you are allowed to pool hop. If you have time and want to try something different, head down the beautiful path to the Hard Rock and spend some time at their pool. It is a totally different but wonderful experience. And their pool food is great!

 

[goofy!]

You're going to hate it. Honest. DON'T DO IT!

(Just doing my part to make the Universal Loews Hotels unpopular. The rates are just too dang high lately.)


(Just kidding!)

Ummm, yes, I agree, the rates are getting way too high. Forget my previous post. Jodie is right. You are going to HATE it!







only kidding

 

[disneyfan67]

You're going to hate it. Honest. DON'T DO IT!

(Just doing my part to make the Universal Loews Hotels unpopular. The rates are just too dang high lately.)


(Just kidding!)

Well, you have no one to blame but yourself and a few others on these boards for telling us how great the resorts are at Universal.

You folks even got me, a Die hard Disney fan, to finally come over to the dark side for a few days. I'm looking forward to it and even thinking of taking one day off my Disney vacation and adding it to my already 2 day Universal trip. I'm calling Universal sometime later and seeing if I can add one more day at the AAA rate I already have. I'm looking forward to this trip.

 

[macraven]

i blame jodie......


you will enjoy your stay at universal.
on your next trip, you might be temtped to try the hrh.