I'm Sooooo Excited!!!!

[dsmom]

My husband called and said we are going to Portifino Bay May28th through
June 2nd! We have a Deluxe Club room. This is only our 2nd trip to Universal (1st trip RPR- last Dec) so anyone have any useful info/tips for us? We have an 8 year old autistic son- any tips on room location, etc?
I thought we weren't going until October so I can't believe we will be there so soon!!!
Thanks for any help!

 

[macraven]

congrats for the moved up vacation trip.

but sadly i say, i will miss you in october......
i was hoping to be able to meet up with you.



i hear the west wing is best.

 

[dsmom]

Hey Macraven! We are still going in Oct.- will stay at HRH so we will have tried all three!- so I hope to meet you then.

What makes the West wing the best? Any chance of us getting a balcony or a patio with a club deluxe? What would be best to ask for - we need to be close to boat dock and elevator- we will have my mom with us and walking long distances is an issue with her.

Will they let you pay for an upgrade if available at check-in? We will be arriving that morning about 8 or 9 a.m. We are so new that we are only Loews blue at the moment!

Thanks for all your help!

 

[macraven]

send a pm to damo.
tell her mac sent you.

she has very good 411 on pbh. she was there recently and going back in a week of so.

so many have said the west wing is the best.

think motherfletcher also enjoyed pbh.


you bet i'll see you in october!

 

[Fan2CSkr]

Hey Macraven! We are still going in Oct.- will stay at HRH so we will have tried all three!- so I hope to meet you then.

What makes the West wing the best? Any chance of us getting a balcony or a patio with a club deluxe? What would be best to ask for - we need to be close to boat dock and elevator- we will have my mom with us and walking long distances is an issue with her.

Will they let you pay for an upgrade if available at check-in? We will be arriving that morning about 8 or 9 a.m. We are so new that we are only Loews blue at the moment!

Thanks for all your help!

I would definitely call the front desk and explain your party that is traveling. They will go out of their way to advise and choose the best room and location for you. You can also ask for a patio or balcony on request. The West Wing is closest to the boat. Ground level may be best for you. Some rooms are located so far from an elevator so you should really call to make your requests.

What type of upgrade were you looking for? You are already in a club deluxe. You could ask about a suite when you check in, I would. If its isn't too busy your chances are best. They are very nice and accommodating at Portofino. Hope you have a wonderful vacation.

 

[dsmom]

Thanks for all the quick replies! You guys are the best! I am SOOO glad I have come over to the dark side! This will be my moms first stay at Universal- not sure if anyone remembers my old posts but she is the 77 year old Disney FANATIC who has stayed on disney property over 100 times. I am trying to "convert" her to Universal. After our first stay at RPR my husband says he will not go back to disney(to say he hates it is an understatement) soooo...between him and my mom it should make for an interesting trip. The more room between them the better
I fell in love with Universal and my son did wonderful there so I am so looking forward to bringing him back! Thanks again for all the info.

 

[macraven]

dsmom, i sent damo a pm to help out with this conversation.
she knows more about the pbh set up than i do.

i only stayed there for a night and day back in 05. she has been there more recently.

also, lindalinda just came back from a long stay at pbh.

go to the trip reports forums and read her report of "can a single mom....."

she included pictures of pbh.




i remember mom.......

 

[damo]

I would email the manager pleclerc@loewshotels.com and tell him your circumstances. I would hope that since you have club they would put you in the area where club is and that is not the east side. Anything in the west side would be best but since you have some special circumstances, it sounds like closest you can get to the lounge would be best. That is also right by the pool which is a lovely place to relax. The hotel should be pretty empty, so I would imagine you can get a room wherever you like. The other good thing about being in the west wing with bay view is that you can see when the boat is there and that will save you time waiting on the dock. That may be important to you.

Let me know if you have any specific questions. Paul LeClerc is a great help. Just let him know what you need and I'm sure he will do his best for you.

 

[dsmom]

Thanks for the info Damo - I knew I could count on you! I had a long reply typed out yesterday and lost my internet connection before I could post it- turns out our neighbor was digging a pool and cut some lines! sooo...I will try again!

I will e-mail the manager with our requests- thanks for that. Traveling with our son is a bit of a challange- he has autism but also has epilepsy, allergies and food allergies so it helps to be prepared.

Thanks to you and Macraven my husband decided to give Universal a chance. After another disaster trip last Oct. to WDW my husband said never again but after some encouragement he decided to give Universal a chance. Our trip last December was perfect- it was scary how perfect it was-we were waiting for the other shoe to drop! When we came home we made reservations at HRH for this Oct and PB for this December but he actually wanted to go earlier so we are off the first week of school vacation!
I know it will be busy Memorial day but how bad will the week following it be?

We have hadicapped parking - is it close to the resort or should we just do valet parking? Are there any places to eat-in the parks or the resorts that have outdoor seating? Our son does better eating outside. Where exactly is the club lounge at PB? I don't think I have ever seen a picture of it- and by the way thank you for all the pictures you have posted, they are incredible!

Sorry for all the questions and thanks for all your help!

 

[macraven]

for the question of handicap parking: last time i parked in handicap space was over 8 years ago. (this was at hrh) i quit renting cars at that point and started using car service. the handicap parking at that time was to the left of the front entrance on the side.

let the hotel PBH know you need the room thoroughly cleaned due to the allergies. and if your son has particular allergies to cleansing supplies, let them know that also. club concierge should be able to handle the requests.

for IOA, we find the back pation of enchanted oak tavern quiet. you do not see the front walk area where people pass by though.
captain america, basically burger, chicken place, has outdoor side seating. so does thunder falls terrace

tell us what type of counter food you want and we can let you know about the outside seating places. there are quite a few places that would work for you and the family. just don't know if i should list all not knowing your food choices.

 

[dsmom]

Thanks Macraven! I did not think to ask to have the room cleaned before we got there- will they really do that for you? I am used to "that other" theme park- when I complain of a dirty or smoke smelling room-they usually come in with a can of aerosol spray and think that does the job

My son's allergies are mostly environmental- for food he has to stay away from soy and corn syrup. He does allright now on wheat and we limit the dairy. The outdoor seating sounds great- he has sensory issues and loud indoor places usually inspire a meltdown. If my husband has his way we will be eating dagwoods all day long- he fell in love with the sandwiches at Blondies

Thanks again- can't wait for this trip! You will have to give me pointers for HRH in October too.

 

[macraven]

Thanks Macraven! I did not think to ask to have the room cleaned before we got there- will they really do that for you? I am used to "that other" theme park- when I complain of a dirty or smoke smelling room-they usually come in with a can of aerosol spray and think that does the job

My son's allergies are mostly environmental- for food he has to stay away from soy and corn syrup. He does allright now on wheat and we limit the dairy. The outdoor seating sounds great- he has sensory issues and loud indoor places usually inspire a meltdown. If my husband has his way we will be eating dagwoods all day long- he fell in love with the sandwiches at Blondies

Thanks again- can't wait for this trip! You will have to give me pointers for HRH in October too.

yes, by all means hrh will do a special non chemical cleaning for you at your request.
and for the daily cleaning, make sure you contact housekeeping supervisor once you check in to let them know what can or not have done with the room. you punch the star key on the phone or dial them directly.

i have a friend who's child is autistic and uses a wheel chair. he can not have any cotton next to his body. hrh did fine fine with them for the linen situation.

you can email the hotel before you go. if you don't get an answer right back, call the hotel. i think you said you are staying concierge, talk to them.

also, they can help you with food/menus due to food allergies.

 

[disneyfan67]

I would email the manager pleclerc@loewshotels.com and tell him your circumstances. I would hope that since you have club they would put you in the area where club is and that is not the east side. Anything in the west side would be best but since you have some special circumstances, it sounds like closest you can get to the lounge would be best. That is also right by the pool which is a lovely place to relax. The hotel should be pretty empty, so I would imagine you can get a room wherever you like. The other good thing about being in the west wing with bay view is that you can see when the boat is there and that will save you time waiting on the dock. That may be important to you.

Let me know if you have any specific questions. Paul LeClerc is a great help. Just let him know what you need and I'm sure he will do his best for you.

This is some good information to have. My son is autistic as well and it good to so many people willing to help out. I'll use the email address when requesting room location as well.
I've heard the west wing is my best choice and is that the section close to the beach pool?

 

[dsmom]

Hi Disneyfan67- how old is your son? Mine is 8(almost9).
I have another strange question- are there any big stairways at Portifino? I know we had a long discussion about the stairs at HRH and that will come in handy in October but are there any grand stairs - like the Grand Fla. at Disney? My son has a fixation on stairs like that and it is hard to get him away once he sees them. I'm getting too old to run up and down stairs all day! Thanks again.

 

[disneyfan67]

Hi Disneyfan67- how old is your son? Mine is 8(almost9).
I have another strange question- are there any big stairways at Portifino? I know we had a long discussion about the stairs at HRH and that will come in handy in October but are there any grand stairs - like the Grand Fla. at Disney? My son has a fixation on stairs like that and it is hard to get him away once he sees them. I'm getting too old to run up and down stairs all day! Thanks again.

Hello yourself. My son will be turning 10 just as we go on vacation in July. My son is the opposite of yours when it comes to stairs. He gets uncomfortable on certain flights of stairs or anything to do with heights. The suspension bridge inside the lobby at AKL resort made him very nervous and I had to help him across by holding his hand.

 

[goofy!]

Hi Disneyfan67- how old is your son? Mine is 8(almost9).
I have another strange question- are there any big stairways at Portifino? I know we had a long discussion about the stairs at HRH and that will come in handy in October but are there any grand stairs - like the Grand Fla. at Disney? My son has a fixation on stairs like that and it is hard to get him away once he sees them. I'm getting too old to run up and down stairs all day! Thanks again.

When you walk into the front lobby, there is a staircase to the left that goes down to the Piazza. However, it is way off to the side, so, you should be able to keep your son's attention away from it.

If you go in the doors that lead to the convention area, there is a huge curved staircase. But as long as you don't go in those doors, you never have to see it. It is the set of doors that is between the main lobby doors and the elevator going down to the garages.

Outside, in the piazza area, there are stairs by the west wing that go up to Bice and stairs that go up and and then back down again to the Beach pool.

At the very end of the Piazza, there is a set of stairs, (not very visible) that leads back up to the drop off area in front of the lobby.

That is all I can think of right now. Anybody else?

 

[dsmom]

Disneyfan67- our son will be 9 in August. Where are you staying in July? We are very familar with the suspension bridge at AKL. Our son thought it was a jumping off spot for the nice water down below That was our last stay there. He has no comcept of danger so going anywhere is like a chess match with him- we have to be two or three moves ahead of him and all is well.

Goofy! Thanks for all the info! We will definately be steering clear of the huge curved stairway!! The one at Bice sounds manageable. If it is self-contained we just have my husband at one end and me at the other and let him run up and down a few times till he get bored with it.
I have heard there are three pools at PB? Our son loves the water but has a problem keeping swimtrunks on- in his mind if your pants are wet they should be changed to dry ones- so if anyone sees a large 8 year old running around naked next month - that will be us!