Is the Royal Pacific as awesome as it looks?

[bullet875]

I'm planning my first non-WDW Orlando trip and I am loooking at the RPH for the Universal portion of our stay. I orginally planned to stay totally off-site in LBV or in a vacation home, but I hear that the perks of staying at Universal far outweigh the extra cost.

How does RPH stack up agianst the Poly at WDW? .It reminds me of a more modern version of the Poly.

 

[WDW Princess]

I personally think, like you said, that RPR is more modern than WDW Poly. We've stayed at RPR many times a few years ago and then took a break from Universal and went exclusively to Disney and have stayed times and again at Poly. I think the latter is a bit overrated and outdated (IMHO of course). RPR seems a bit classier and more lushly landscaped (again, IMHO) plus it's more of a luxury resort... I am sure rooms at RPR are a lot more tired looking than when it first opened up, but I think you'll like it anyway. We are heading for a split stay at RPR and PBH in September and I am truly looking forward to it myself.

 

[bullet875]

Sounds good..it's our first choice.We'r enot Portofino or HRH fans adn we've always wanted to try the Poly atWdw (thughw esuaully end up at the Contemporary or Beach club..which we dearly love). This might be a good wayt to try out the polynesian theme.

The pictures look awesome. ..and I believe this is the hotel where they shot the Emeril portion of the newest UO ad?

 

[NLK]

We just came back from our first trip staying at RPR. We had such a great time. It's well worth it to stay on property. The hotel is very nice. It was in great shape, very clean and friendly. The resturaunts that we ate at were good. We didn't eat at the buffet but I walked around it and it looked wonderful. My kids (13,7,14 mnths) LOVED the pool. The baby loved playing in the ship area. It's like a giant car wash shaped like a ship. The older girls loved how late the pool was open and I loved how warm the water was. We took the boat everyday to the parks we walked back once. It''s kind of far when you have kids that have been in the parks all day. We loved heading to the parks early and spending the rest of the day at the pool and going back in the evening. And of course, the FOTLP is the BEST! We thought the Hotel was great and will be going back again for sure. Have a great trip.

 

[bullet875]

Thanks! I see that you own BCV..BC is our favorite Disney resort (and the onlyplace we willnow stay at WDW).

 

[rpbert1]

They have started renovating the rooms at RPR in July so probably take a few months to finish.
I love this resort ,thats why we are going back again next year

 

[bapvoeller]

IMHO, I like RPH much better than Poly. It is an easy walk to the parks, and if you are lucky enough to get an IOA view it is much better than the Magic Kingdom view at Poly. You can actually hear the rides going and screams from the riders. RPH is one big hotel, not separate long houses like Poly. The express pass for staying on property is the best way to do the parks. Hope you enjoy!!!

 

[bullet875]

RPR sounds so wonderful! I can't wait for our first non-WDW trip next July!

 

[NLK]

It's funny we own at BCV but have never stayed there. We always go with lots of family and so far we only use our points at OKW. By the way, where are you from in NJ? I lived north at the end of the Turnpike near the GWB.

 

[bullet875]

I thought about buying BCV, but my kids are older (espcet for th12 year old) and I think none of us would get the use that we should from the DVC.

I grew up 5 miles from New Brunswick (exit 9 on the pike..lol). Now I live very close to Long Beach Island.

 

[Rags]

Is there any room I should request? This is our first time staying on property!! Do they take a request that is faxed to the hotel?? I'm sorry to hijack this thread but I'm soo excited!!!!!

 

[huskies90]

Hi we just left. Actually, we are in the airport now getting ready to board. :-(

I'll have more reviews when get up tomorrow after this late flight. This was our first trip to USO. We have been to WDW several times. RPR is AWESOME. We were in tower 1 7th floor and we were the FIRST to stay in the room since it was refurbed. It was great. You are gonna love it. Can't wait to go back!! Look for my reviews later this week.

 

[rpbert1]

they had started renovating tower 1 floor 7 when we where there.
Some pictures would be nice

 

[huskies90]

they had started renovating tower 1 floor 7 when we where there.
Some pictures would be nice

I kept meaning to take pictures of the room before we messed it up and I kept forgetting. Sorry. If someone has a picture of the old room, I can try to describe what is different.

 

[Disneyhappy]

Poly is our favorite WDW resort. That said, it is hard to compare the two as one is immersed in WDW and the other is not. The Polynesian probably has a slight edge on the theming and beach area. The Polynesian concierge level beats RPR Club level hands down. The Poly rooms are bigger. (I think I would compare the RPR room sizes to about the same or slightly smaller than the YC/BC rooms.) HOWEVER, the RPR is an absolutely beautiful resort with amenities that are at least equal to the Polynesian. It has a beautiful South Pacific theme that is, umm, I guess just a bit different than the Polynesian. They both have the tiki torches around the resort. This past trip a few weeks ago, I found the RPR staff to be more pleasant, helpful, courteous... than the Polynesian and it really hurts me to say that! The RPR has a much better pool, hands, down. Great activities around the pool with Dive-In movies. Great transportation to the parks. Now add on the FOTL perk and there is just no commparison. $ for $, the RPR is also a much better bargain. The only thing I wish the RPR had that the Polynesian has is a fast food court similar to Captain Cooks but Citiwalk is only a short boatride or 10 minute ride away. Go and enjoy!!!