DisnutDave
DIS Semi-veteran
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2002
- Messages
- 327
We're just back from a trip that included 2 nights at RPH and HHN on Saturday, 10/18. We had a great time.
The RPH is really beautiful. The architecture, landscaping and decor all combine to create a really transported feeling. The staff (with one glitch we'll get to later) did a very good job.
The parks were not crowded when we were there (10/18-10/20), but FOL still saved us at least an hour or two a day of waiting in line. And everything changed for HHN, which had been sold out for days before we arrived (we had thankfully bought our tix in advance). It was stuffed to the gills with people! If you are going, the admittedly-overpriced "Caretakers Express" is invaluable. At $35.00 per person, it is steep, but the hours it saved were, for us, worth it.
DW and I are split over HHN being moved to IOA. She prefers the way they were at the Studios. I really liked the atmoshere that was created at IOA. There were times that the dark and the fog, mixed with the hordes of people, were really disorienting and creepy. While that feeling may not be for everyone, I think that what the middle "H" in HHN is all about! Both of us, though, enjoyed it and were happy we went.
Without a doubt, our best culinary experience at Universal was lunch at Mythos. A close second was the Latin Quarter, where the banana crepes for dessert are to die for!
Our only negative experience during the Universal trip was related to resort package delivery. While at Suess Landing, we purchased a large ceramic Grinch Christmas house. We were checking out the following day, but the girl at the store assured us it would delivered to our front desk if we were not in the room. As we thought about this later, it did not seem right; I remembered several times reading that packages were delivered directly to your room. So we called the "Star Service" desk that night, and were told the same thing- that the package would be held at the desk.
The following morning, we got an early start. We checked out, had breakfast (at Islands restaurant, the Tahitian French Toast was fantastic!), and went to the Studios. We returned at about 2:30 in the afternoon, went to the Concierge desk and asked about our package. The man was totally shocked, and said they never held packages from the parks, they are always delivered to guest rooms in the morning. Since we had already check out, he did not know was the status would be. So he contacted an assistant Star Service manager to assist us. I went up to the room in case my key would still work there. When I arrived, the assistant manager was speaking with a couple of housekeepers. As I approached, the manager greeted me, and together we saw an IOA bag on her cart. It did not look big enough to have our item in it, but as we looked in the bag I saw to our surprise that it did. She had removed it from the box, and had placed it and all the accessories in the bag. She told the manager that she had already thrown out the box. This seemed really weird to us; why throw out just the box? The manager asked if it was okay to take it as is. I was worried about this, and when we went downstairs my DW agreed. Packaging is really important for these kinds of items. The original packing is the only effective protection for delicate ceramic. Additionally, any value it would have as a collectible is affected.
So the manager decided to call the store at IOA to see if they had another. He was on the phone for over 15 minutes; he kept getting switched around, left on hold, etc. Finally, he got to someone who confirmed what we had feared; we had gotten the last one they had in stock.
The manager, who was at this point as frustrated about the whole thing as we were, arranged for a refund. Even this, though, was not easy or smooth, since the purchase was made at the park and he would have to make special arrangements to have it done at the hotel. Because we had dinner ressies at WDW and had to go, we left it in his hands.
The happy ending? When we returned yesterday there was a letter from him in the mail. He confirmed the credit to our account and even was kind enough to give us a phone number where we can re-order the item and have it shipped (he even gave us the necessary item number!).
All in all, a great time in a great place. Our only advice: if buying a big item, have it shipped, especially if you are checking out the next day!
PS- I'll post a report about our WDW portion of our trip later today on the DVC board.
The RPH is really beautiful. The architecture, landscaping and decor all combine to create a really transported feeling. The staff (with one glitch we'll get to later) did a very good job.
The parks were not crowded when we were there (10/18-10/20), but FOL still saved us at least an hour or two a day of waiting in line. And everything changed for HHN, which had been sold out for days before we arrived (we had thankfully bought our tix in advance). It was stuffed to the gills with people! If you are going, the admittedly-overpriced "Caretakers Express" is invaluable. At $35.00 per person, it is steep, but the hours it saved were, for us, worth it.
DW and I are split over HHN being moved to IOA. She prefers the way they were at the Studios. I really liked the atmoshere that was created at IOA. There were times that the dark and the fog, mixed with the hordes of people, were really disorienting and creepy. While that feeling may not be for everyone, I think that what the middle "H" in HHN is all about! Both of us, though, enjoyed it and were happy we went.
Without a doubt, our best culinary experience at Universal was lunch at Mythos. A close second was the Latin Quarter, where the banana crepes for dessert are to die for!
Our only negative experience during the Universal trip was related to resort package delivery. While at Suess Landing, we purchased a large ceramic Grinch Christmas house. We were checking out the following day, but the girl at the store assured us it would delivered to our front desk if we were not in the room. As we thought about this later, it did not seem right; I remembered several times reading that packages were delivered directly to your room. So we called the "Star Service" desk that night, and were told the same thing- that the package would be held at the desk.
The following morning, we got an early start. We checked out, had breakfast (at Islands restaurant, the Tahitian French Toast was fantastic!), and went to the Studios. We returned at about 2:30 in the afternoon, went to the Concierge desk and asked about our package. The man was totally shocked, and said they never held packages from the parks, they are always delivered to guest rooms in the morning. Since we had already check out, he did not know was the status would be. So he contacted an assistant Star Service manager to assist us. I went up to the room in case my key would still work there. When I arrived, the assistant manager was speaking with a couple of housekeepers. As I approached, the manager greeted me, and together we saw an IOA bag on her cart. It did not look big enough to have our item in it, but as we looked in the bag I saw to our surprise that it did. She had removed it from the box, and had placed it and all the accessories in the bag. She told the manager that she had already thrown out the box. This seemed really weird to us; why throw out just the box? The manager asked if it was okay to take it as is. I was worried about this, and when we went downstairs my DW agreed. Packaging is really important for these kinds of items. The original packing is the only effective protection for delicate ceramic. Additionally, any value it would have as a collectible is affected.
So the manager decided to call the store at IOA to see if they had another. He was on the phone for over 15 minutes; he kept getting switched around, left on hold, etc. Finally, he got to someone who confirmed what we had feared; we had gotten the last one they had in stock.
The manager, who was at this point as frustrated about the whole thing as we were, arranged for a refund. Even this, though, was not easy or smooth, since the purchase was made at the park and he would have to make special arrangements to have it done at the hotel. Because we had dinner ressies at WDW and had to go, we left it in his hands.
The happy ending? When we returned yesterday there was a letter from him in the mail. He confirmed the credit to our account and even was kind enough to give us a phone number where we can re-order the item and have it shipped (he even gave us the necessary item number!).
All in all, a great time in a great place. Our only advice: if buying a big item, have it shipped, especially if you are checking out the next day!
PS- I'll post a report about our WDW portion of our trip later today on the DVC board.
We're really excited about our trip, but full of questions, since neither of us have stayed on site at Universal before. 
