Hard Rock hotel or RPH????

[Claireybear]

We are planning our holiday for next August and will be staying onsite at Universal for a week before heading down to Disney to stay at the Beach Club. We have 3 kids who will be 15, 8 and 4 by next August. The 15 year old wants to stay in RPR while the 8 year old is fixed on Hard Rock - really don't know which one to choose?? We stayed at portofino last year and loved it but thought it was a bit quiet!
Also we are thinking of maybe staying club level - what is this like at these 2 hotels - what sorts of things can you get in the club lounge?
Thanks,
Claire

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Never stayed club level but HRH is our favorite. It's such a cool atmosphere and it's the shortest walk to the parks. If you're not interested in the view from your hotel room, you can get a slight discount if you're willing to take an obstructed view room. We did this twice and not really obstructed but looked down on another building's roof. Off to the left you could see back buildings of US, Twister sign lit at night. The pool has a slide and they sold huge baton like glow sticks kids could take in the pool, like 12-18" long and couple inches thick. They loved them! They have dive in movies too.

Nice thing about RPR is that it has that tropical feel we love too and you can get rooms that offer great view of hulk and Dr. Doom. Still a beautiful hotel and cheapest of the 3 usually.

I know what you mean about PBH being quiet. The rooms are big and bathrooms are huge! Good for larger families.

 

[mjohnson96]

We like the RPH because of the atmosphere and the pool is great for younger kids (DD 7). Thr rooms are smaller so a group of 5 might be tight but the Club area is nicer than HRH with a better selection of foods.

If you are going for WWOHP then RPH will be closer to IOA and I like how the walkway pops you out at Margarittaville

You can always pool hop, we make sure to lunch over at the Hard Rock pool one day while we stay so DD can use the slides.

 

[Pink Flamingo]

We've stayed at HRH (non-club level) & RPR club level. Our family (me, DH, DS 14, DS11) liked RPR better, but would stay at either again in a heart beat.

At RPR we loved the relaxed atmosphere ~ not too quiet, not too wild, the easy walk to IOA, and the pool volleyball & kids games. We preferred the tropical room decor of RPR to the more contemporary decor of HRH & though the rooms are bigger at HRH, we didn't really notice a difference in the amount of space we had.

On our last trip we pool hopped like mjohnson suggested & this was fun for us all. It provided a nice break from park touring.

Here's a link to some photos I took of the club level offerings in June 2009
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2214294
We loved club level so much that we are staying there again this year. It was nice to grab snacks, water, soda, etc. whenever we needed them and grabbing breakfast each morning was so quick and easy. The kids loved the evening sweet treats too.

I'm sure no matter which hotel you choose, you'll have a blast.

 

[Claireybear]

We've stayed at HRH (non-club level) & RPR club level. Our family (me, DH, DS 14, DS11) liked RPR better, but would stay at either again in a heart beat.

At RPR we loved the relaxed atmosphere ~ not too quiet, not too wild, the easy walk to IOA, and the pool volleyball & kids games. We preferred the tropical room decor of RPR to the more contemporary decor of HRH & though the rooms are bigger at HRH, we didn't really notice a difference in the amount of space we had.

On our last trip we pool hopped like mjohnson suggested & this was fun for us all. It provided a nice break from park touring.

Here's a link to some photos I took of the club level offerings in June 2009
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2214294
We loved club level so much that we are staying there again this year. It was nice to grab snacks, water, soda, etc. whenever we needed them and grabbing breakfast each morning was so quick and easy. The kids loved the evening sweet treats too.

I'm sure no matter which hotel you choose, you'll have a blast.

Thanks for that - those pics are great - think our minds are set on club level now!!

Claire

 

[francie57]

We love the HRH and will be returning in Aug. The rooms are definitely big enough for 5 people since we have had 5 on previous trips. Have not done the club level.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Like both HRH and RPR but it seems like whenever we stay at HRH everything seems easier, closer, a little more up-beat, etc., etc. Also HRH has that great slide! The pool is nicer IMO. Also like that it seems closer to the parks and City-Walk, etc., etc. but both are nice.

 

[Sun Lover]

You can pool hop between the different Universal resorts? We are staying at the Royal Pacific but it would be fun to try out the pool at Hard Rock - don't they have underwater music? I never knew you could have access to the other pools. What do we need to do, just show our hotel room key?

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

You can pool hop between the different Universal resorts? We are staying at the Royal Pacific but it would be fun to try out the pool at Hard Rock - don't they have underwater music? I never knew you could have access to the other pools. What do we need to do, just show our hotel room key?

Yes!

 

[heatherwillmom]

We have stayed at both Royal Pacific & Hard Rock several times at each. We love both of them. My kids, both teenagers, seem to perfer HRH. They like the pool & the food better there. They like the atmosphere better

 

[Cyrano]

We stayed at Hard Rock Hotel last summer. For a family of 5 the room was just fine

Heading back there again in July