WebmasterBarry
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 20, 1999
March 9, 2001
The cast:
Me (the 29 year old)
The Portifino was right across from the Hard Rock Hotel, which made it easier to find than I thought. I parked in the parking garage and headed to the elevator to the lobby.
When I got out of the elevator, I was pretty impressed by the lobby, although I felt kind of imitated. People were walking around with swanky clothes. I even saw people in tuxedos! Classical music was blasted over the loudspeakers. Who broke the volume control? This sounds like the Hard Rock Hotel!
I checked in, but I had some problem hearing the front desk clerk. ItâÂÂs those kids and their loud classical music! She was very friendly though. I got my keys for room 1171. I headed to my bay room. On my way, I passed by more tuxedo-clad people. Here I was, in a DIS shirt and cheap jeans and I was passing by swanky-dressed people!
I opened the door and on first sight, the room amazed me. It was very nice and roomy! I went and checked out my bay view. I did see the bay, but I also saw a big rock, the sidewalk, and the fire hydrant. I donâÂÂt think it was worth an extra $20 (I paid $209 a night for the room), but I stared out the window for a while to get my $20 worth!
The beds were nice and comfy. I sat on the bed and my feet did not touch the ground. ThatâÂÂs the first time that happened to me! There was space between the mattress and floor, so you could stick stuff under your bed.
The bathroom was pretty roomy. Usually at other hotels, the bathroom has a toilet, the shower, and a tiny space that you could barely stand in and turn yourself around. The bathroom was about the size of a walk-in closet. The bathroom also had a scale (I was scared to step on it since it only went up to 300 lbs.) and a huge, round mirror for close-ups. The fluffy towels were all neatly stacked.
The thing that was most surprising was the telephone by the toilet. I wondered why you would need a phone there. I imagined people calling housekeeping because for toilet paper emergencies. They were using the bathroom and ran out of toilet paper midway. I canâÂÂt imagine someone doing business over the phone. I would not be happy hearing sounds of someone going to the bathroom while I close the big business deal! One thing I will say is that the room had a lot of phones. One was by the toilet, one was on the nightstand, and one was on the table.
I took a shower and it was nice. I usually only take one shower a day, but I could have taken three! After the shower, I was watching the hotel TV. On channel 22, they had a 10-minute video of Universal Orlando. The narrator was the VIP person from the vacation planning video (I recognized the voice). It had some good information. There is a shuttle that runs between Sea World and Wet N Wild. It also gave some good park tips, like empty your pockets before riding the coasters and start at the back of the park. I wouldnâÂÂt necessary do that with Islands of Adventure, but I can see what theyâÂÂre talking about.
I then remembered that a visitor on the Universal board wanted to know who made the beds in the Portifino. Since I was only using one bed, I pulled up the sheets on the other bed and looked for information.
On the bottom mattress, I found a tag with this information:
Sealy Mattress
11220 Space Blvd.
Orlando
I could not find the tag on the top mattress, but âÂÂMondor 266â was imprinted on top of the mattress.
I worked on my trip report for about 45 minutes and headed out for food. I walked down the shops and entered the Universal Store. The store was empty and I did not see the counter person. She then popped out from behind the counter and said that I should not sneak up on her! I should have brought a bell! I asked her for the video, âÂÂKing Kong vs. Godzilla.â I was looking for this for Molokai GramâÂÂs grandson. He really likes the old Godzilla movies and they were having trouble finding the movie. The counter person could not find the video. She was very nice and helpful. I thought about coming back later and asking for weird things, but it was closed by the time I came back.
It was raining, so my plans for swimming were out. The pool looked very nice, though. I walked around, looking for food. I stopped by SalâÂÂs Deli. I thought about eating there, but I had sticker shock and looked for other places. I decided to drive out and find food.
I went back to my car and I had trouble finding the exit to the parking roof. The arrows kept on pointing up and before I knew it, I was on the parking garage roof! I drove and kept on driving down until I found the exit. I tried to get out with my key, but it took multiple swipes for the gate to open. I guess I need to pay for parking, but I forgot to bring my ticket and show it to the parking cashier.
It was around 9:00 pm, so I was planning on eating and then either going to the Sak Comedy Lab show at 10:00 pm or going to Wonderworks. I went down International Drive in search of food. That turned out to be a mistake. Traffic got backed up around the Rodeway Inn. I could see Burger King in the distance, but it took about 10 minutes to get to Burger King. By the time I arrived, it was around 9:30. I didnâÂÂt think I could make it to Sak and I didnâÂÂt feel like going down International Drive any further because of the terrible traffic. I had my Whopper combo while some kids sang along to their jukebox selections.
I headed to 7-Eleven next door to pick up some donuts for breakfast. I did not feel like eating the breakfast buffet at the Portifino. I was planning on riding at least one coaster tomorrow and I did not want to fill my stomach. I wanted to eat light. 7-Eleven was not that quick either. The line moved really slowly.
I drove the other way on International Drive. Traffic was quick and not backed up. I resolved not to stay on I-Drive during my next visit. I went back to my hotel room and tossed the donuts into the honor bar refrigerator. I watched âÂÂLaw and Order: SVUâ and fell asleep.
Barry Hom
Moderator, Universal and Sea World Boards
Click HERE for interesting Universal Orlando information!
The cast:
Me (the 29 year old)
The Portifino was right across from the Hard Rock Hotel, which made it easier to find than I thought. I parked in the parking garage and headed to the elevator to the lobby.
When I got out of the elevator, I was pretty impressed by the lobby, although I felt kind of imitated. People were walking around with swanky clothes. I even saw people in tuxedos! Classical music was blasted over the loudspeakers. Who broke the volume control? This sounds like the Hard Rock Hotel!
I checked in, but I had some problem hearing the front desk clerk. ItâÂÂs those kids and their loud classical music! She was very friendly though. I got my keys for room 1171. I headed to my bay room. On my way, I passed by more tuxedo-clad people. Here I was, in a DIS shirt and cheap jeans and I was passing by swanky-dressed people!
I opened the door and on first sight, the room amazed me. It was very nice and roomy! I went and checked out my bay view. I did see the bay, but I also saw a big rock, the sidewalk, and the fire hydrant. I donâÂÂt think it was worth an extra $20 (I paid $209 a night for the room), but I stared out the window for a while to get my $20 worth!
The beds were nice and comfy. I sat on the bed and my feet did not touch the ground. ThatâÂÂs the first time that happened to me! There was space between the mattress and floor, so you could stick stuff under your bed.
The bathroom was pretty roomy. Usually at other hotels, the bathroom has a toilet, the shower, and a tiny space that you could barely stand in and turn yourself around. The bathroom was about the size of a walk-in closet. The bathroom also had a scale (I was scared to step on it since it only went up to 300 lbs.) and a huge, round mirror for close-ups. The fluffy towels were all neatly stacked.
The thing that was most surprising was the telephone by the toilet. I wondered why you would need a phone there. I imagined people calling housekeeping because for toilet paper emergencies. They were using the bathroom and ran out of toilet paper midway. I canâÂÂt imagine someone doing business over the phone. I would not be happy hearing sounds of someone going to the bathroom while I close the big business deal! One thing I will say is that the room had a lot of phones. One was by the toilet, one was on the nightstand, and one was on the table.
I took a shower and it was nice. I usually only take one shower a day, but I could have taken three! After the shower, I was watching the hotel TV. On channel 22, they had a 10-minute video of Universal Orlando. The narrator was the VIP person from the vacation planning video (I recognized the voice). It had some good information. There is a shuttle that runs between Sea World and Wet N Wild. It also gave some good park tips, like empty your pockets before riding the coasters and start at the back of the park. I wouldnâÂÂt necessary do that with Islands of Adventure, but I can see what theyâÂÂre talking about.
I then remembered that a visitor on the Universal board wanted to know who made the beds in the Portifino. Since I was only using one bed, I pulled up the sheets on the other bed and looked for information.
On the bottom mattress, I found a tag with this information:
Sealy Mattress
11220 Space Blvd.
Orlando
I could not find the tag on the top mattress, but âÂÂMondor 266â was imprinted on top of the mattress.
I worked on my trip report for about 45 minutes and headed out for food. I walked down the shops and entered the Universal Store. The store was empty and I did not see the counter person. She then popped out from behind the counter and said that I should not sneak up on her! I should have brought a bell! I asked her for the video, âÂÂKing Kong vs. Godzilla.â I was looking for this for Molokai GramâÂÂs grandson. He really likes the old Godzilla movies and they were having trouble finding the movie. The counter person could not find the video. She was very nice and helpful. I thought about coming back later and asking for weird things, but it was closed by the time I came back.
It was raining, so my plans for swimming were out. The pool looked very nice, though. I walked around, looking for food. I stopped by SalâÂÂs Deli. I thought about eating there, but I had sticker shock and looked for other places. I decided to drive out and find food.
I went back to my car and I had trouble finding the exit to the parking roof. The arrows kept on pointing up and before I knew it, I was on the parking garage roof! I drove and kept on driving down until I found the exit. I tried to get out with my key, but it took multiple swipes for the gate to open. I guess I need to pay for parking, but I forgot to bring my ticket and show it to the parking cashier.
It was around 9:00 pm, so I was planning on eating and then either going to the Sak Comedy Lab show at 10:00 pm or going to Wonderworks. I went down International Drive in search of food. That turned out to be a mistake. Traffic got backed up around the Rodeway Inn. I could see Burger King in the distance, but it took about 10 minutes to get to Burger King. By the time I arrived, it was around 9:30. I didnâÂÂt think I could make it to Sak and I didnâÂÂt feel like going down International Drive any further because of the terrible traffic. I had my Whopper combo while some kids sang along to their jukebox selections.
I headed to 7-Eleven next door to pick up some donuts for breakfast. I did not feel like eating the breakfast buffet at the Portifino. I was planning on riding at least one coaster tomorrow and I did not want to fill my stomach. I wanted to eat light. 7-Eleven was not that quick either. The line moved really slowly.
I drove the other way on International Drive. Traffic was quick and not backed up. I resolved not to stay on I-Drive during my next visit. I went back to my hotel room and tossed the donuts into the honor bar refrigerator. I watched âÂÂLaw and Order: SVUâ and fell asleep.
Barry Hom
Moderator, Universal and Sea World Boards
Click HERE for interesting Universal Orlando information!
