Holiday Inn Family Suites or Portofino?

[holcomb-mania]

I'm inclined to lean to PBH due to ease of access and FOTL.

However, out of the blue my 8yo son said he wanted to stay at the Nick-themed Holiday Inn. I was stunned, cuz I'd never heard of it. I've done countless hours and suffered many headaches planning two past WDW trips (and a USO trip that didn't pan out).

After researching, the Holiday Inn would save us about 22% (booking thru AAA). In addition, we are planning on going to MNSSHP at the MK (I don't think Universal's Halloween would work with my 10yo daughter and 8yo son), and H-Inn is in Lake Buena Vista, with free transportation to the parks.

But FOTL sure looks good, and I'm inclined to pay the extra for it. Can anyone give an opinion on the Holiday Inn in question?

Many thanks. Sorry for the length, but I'm overly thorough when it comes to planning for these trips.

 

[Luv2Travel]

There is no comparison between the two hotels. The Portofino is a beautiful and luxurious hotel, the Nick Hotel is a glorified kids' dream of a hotel. The atmosphere of the Portofino is quiet and refined, the atmosphere of the Nick Hotel is loud and very kid oriented.

Our first three trips to Orlando were spent at the Nick hotel (then called HIFS) and my kids loved the place. On our last four trips to Orlando we have stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel or the Royal Pacific Resort and of course they love those also. I know my children would still enjoy the Nick hotel because of it's cool pool, and my husband and I would enjoy it because of the seperate bedrooms, but I'd still have to choose on property over staying at the Nick hotel.

The Nick is down at the WDW maingate, so it's about a 15 minute drive to US/IOA. The Nick's prices have also gone up since we last stayed there. We used to could stay for under $100/night and get a free breakfast buffet. Now the prices look to be over $150 a night and the buffet may no longer be free. Finally, I don't think I could do US/IOA without staying onsite and having front of the line priveleges. It's worth it.

We haven't stayed at the Portofino yet (but we've visited) because it's the only onsite hotel not within walking distance of the parks. We enjoy the Hard Rock the most and it's the closest to US. The Royal Pacific is the least expensive of the three (and the closest to IOA), the Hard Rock is in the middle, with the Portofino usually being the most expensive.

Hope this helps, sorry to be so long!

 

[preb]

I'd split my stay between the two hotels and enjoy the best of both worlds!

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

That's what i'm hoping to do. Split between Nick and HRH though in August.
Nick for kids, character breakfast(Dora) and suite(DHrequirement) and then HRH onsite for FOTL and easy access. DH and DS(12) can sleep late and i'll be at the park with DD (4) a couple hours before they wake up.
Then they can join us easily when they do wake up.

 

[holcomb-mania]

That's a good suggestion, and I had thought of that. But I couldn't decide how to split it up. We're planning on being there Wed/Thurs/Fri/Sat nights, so should I stay at NS Wed/Thurs and PBH Fri/Sat, or vice-versa? I'm planning on MNSSHP on Thurs, so NS the first two nights will probably be the best. Also, because the parks will pick up on the weekend, and FOTL will be more valuable then.

On the other hand, if we have 4 days to enjoy the two parks, is FOTL completely necessary? That should be enough time to leisurely enjoy the parks (kinda weary of "attacking" parks like at WDW, which is my choice, but there's so much to do!!!!). And we could always use Express or Express Plus.

Big question: if I split my stay, how should I do my tickets? If I get ressies at PBH, won't I get tix for the length of stay? But what about the other two days we want to spend at UO (and ONLY UO)? What is the best ticket option in this instance?

Again, thank you for your help.

 

[devotedchristian]

We haven't stayed at the Portofino yet (but we've visited) because it's the only onsite hotel not within walking distance of the parks.

Really? It isn't? Okay, now I'm confused

 

[antmaril]

Portofino Bay certainly is within walking distance of the parks. All three of the onsite hotels are within walking distance. It's about a 10/12 minute walk on a very nice landscaped path from PBH to Citywalk and the parks.

 

[holcomb-mania]

If I split my stay, what tickets should I get?

And is FOTL linked to the ticket or to your room key?

 

[Michelle2]

We stayed at RPR in Oct. 2003, and whenever we used the FOTL, they scanned our room keys.

 

[jonemick]

Stay at the Hard Rock, it's cool and luxurious !

 

[Luv2Travel]

Portofino Bay certainly is within walking distance of the parks. All three of the onsite hotels are within walking distance. It's about a 10/12 minute walk on a very nice landscaped path from PBH to Citywalk and the parks.

Okay, sorry, let me reword that. Portofino Bay is the fartherest resort from the parks and is too long of a walk for me after a long day at the parks. I would have to be jogging to make it in 10/12 minutes from PBR to one of the parks. It can take me 10 minutes from the HRH to US. Maybe there's a shorter path that I've yet to find from PBR.

FOTL is "linked" to your room key. You have FOTL priveleges for the dates of your stay which are on your room key. Good on both check-in day and check-out day.

As far as tickets are concerned, go to www.universalorlando.com and click on tickets to see their bonus pass. Currently, you can buy 2 days and receive 3 days free (for a total of 5 days) for $99.95. This is less expensive than a normal 2 day ticket.