ehagerty
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2001
- Messages
- 2,099
I know, this technically belongs on the US boards and once I am better organized, perhaps I will move it there. In the meantime, this will help me keep my numbering and momentum going
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I wont go into the thought process behind venturing off Disney grounds for the first time since 1987 in this particular thread, but it had to do with information gleaned from these boards.
That said, we approached RPR mid-day, Friday, 6/25. From the outside, it looks rather plain and boxy no special shape or decoration. The landscaping / plants were well done, but not elaborate. The lobby / check-in was pleasant. There were a couple of (teak?) carvings on either side of the entrance. The elephant fountains were attractive.
Check-in was quick / smooth, thanks in part to the Loews Club special checkin line. The front desk person was outstanding totally pleasant, efficient, clear. She noted that we did not qualify for Loews gift because of the FAN rate. OK. No big deal to me. I noted that I needed 5 room keys so that we would have FOTL pass identification for each member in our party. She didnt blink when I said I wasnt planning to pay $10/night for a cot and that the 5th person was planning to sleep on the floor. Each person has a room key with their name on it. She very nicely hole-punched each key so that we could attached them to a pull-stringy-thingy clip that I brought from home for each person. Our room #1527 was ready, so off we went to unload our luggage.
A note on the Room ID / FOTL (front of the line) pull-stringy-thingy . DS14 hates to have anything dangling off of him and wasnt not keen on the idea that I had arranged to have us all wear our ID clipped to clothing. It didnt take more than 2-3 times of having to show the ID (sometimes 2 or 3 times per ride) and not having to worry about putting it away or having to remove it for a ride (like a lanyard) for him to not only NOT complain, but to actually turn to me and remark what a great idea they were. They worked extremely well and I recommend them for anyone going to Universal. (4 for $10 at Office Max)
Room adequate. You could see that there was some thought / attempt to theme the room to some sort of Polynesian motif, but there wasnt much to it. For pictures, you can view them on the Loews site. I didnt think there was any more significant (usable) room space than the POFQ. There was a little more room when you first walk in, but it was dead space for any use we might have.
Room Request - Anyway, I paid $164/night (before taxes, parking) with a FAN discount, which didnt qualify me for a view. My requests were to be near the fitness center and have the nicest view possible within the room range. When we walked in the room, we had a great view of Dr. Doom and the Hulk (Islands of Adventure). Score one for RPR.
Room with a View
The pool was nice enough, but we never went in. We were busy in the parks and the one time we thought about swimming there was a thunderstorm. The walkway to Hard Rock Hotel and the theme parks was very pleasant, as was the boat ride (although not air conditioned like some places we know ).
Other, random thoughts:
Orchid Lounge I did find the lounge, adjacent to the lobby, very beautiful; notably for the orchids growing there. I like taking pictures of flowers and this was a new subject.
White Orchid
Orchid Cluster
Hard Rock Hotel staff (front desk anyway) wore black tee shirt with a black suit. It was a notable, sophisticated, hip look amid a couple of weeks of polyester costumes.
Music like Disney, there is music everywhere. I like music and I think it adds a lot of sensory data to the experience. However, all of US and surroundings (resorts, theme parks, restaurants) were notable because, much as I like rock music, I dont like it everywhere, all the time. Whether hard rock, country rock, rock-n-roll, rock-whatever, you couldnt hear anything written before 1955. It made me realize that, if you arent fond of a particular style of music at Disney, you can always get away from it, whether from one country to another (Epcot), one era to another (Magic Kingdom), etc. It wasnt awful, it was just that I realized the only place to get away from it was in my room and I hardly ever go there, except to sleep!
I walked over to HRH to see what it was like. Im sure I didnt explore it well enough to provide a report, but it was fun. I wanted to check out the Kitchen before we ate there the next day. Never did make it over to Portofino Bay.
More attractions and restaurant review to come!!
I wont go into the thought process behind venturing off Disney grounds for the first time since 1987 in this particular thread, but it had to do with information gleaned from these boards.
That said, we approached RPR mid-day, Friday, 6/25. From the outside, it looks rather plain and boxy no special shape or decoration. The landscaping / plants were well done, but not elaborate. The lobby / check-in was pleasant. There were a couple of (teak?) carvings on either side of the entrance. The elephant fountains were attractive.
Check-in was quick / smooth, thanks in part to the Loews Club special checkin line. The front desk person was outstanding totally pleasant, efficient, clear. She noted that we did not qualify for Loews gift because of the FAN rate. OK. No big deal to me. I noted that I needed 5 room keys so that we would have FOTL pass identification for each member in our party. She didnt blink when I said I wasnt planning to pay $10/night for a cot and that the 5th person was planning to sleep on the floor. Each person has a room key with their name on it. She very nicely hole-punched each key so that we could attached them to a pull-stringy-thingy clip that I brought from home for each person. Our room #1527 was ready, so off we went to unload our luggage.
A note on the Room ID / FOTL (front of the line) pull-stringy-thingy . DS14 hates to have anything dangling off of him and wasnt not keen on the idea that I had arranged to have us all wear our ID clipped to clothing. It didnt take more than 2-3 times of having to show the ID (sometimes 2 or 3 times per ride) and not having to worry about putting it away or having to remove it for a ride (like a lanyard) for him to not only NOT complain, but to actually turn to me and remark what a great idea they were. They worked extremely well and I recommend them for anyone going to Universal. (4 for $10 at Office Max)
Room adequate. You could see that there was some thought / attempt to theme the room to some sort of Polynesian motif, but there wasnt much to it. For pictures, you can view them on the Loews site. I didnt think there was any more significant (usable) room space than the POFQ. There was a little more room when you first walk in, but it was dead space for any use we might have.
Room Request - Anyway, I paid $164/night (before taxes, parking) with a FAN discount, which didnt qualify me for a view. My requests were to be near the fitness center and have the nicest view possible within the room range. When we walked in the room, we had a great view of Dr. Doom and the Hulk (Islands of Adventure). Score one for RPR.
Room with a View
The pool was nice enough, but we never went in. We were busy in the parks and the one time we thought about swimming there was a thunderstorm. The walkway to Hard Rock Hotel and the theme parks was very pleasant, as was the boat ride (although not air conditioned like some places we know ).
Other, random thoughts:
Orchid Lounge I did find the lounge, adjacent to the lobby, very beautiful; notably for the orchids growing there. I like taking pictures of flowers and this was a new subject.
White Orchid
Orchid Cluster
Hard Rock Hotel staff (front desk anyway) wore black tee shirt with a black suit. It was a notable, sophisticated, hip look amid a couple of weeks of polyester costumes.
Music like Disney, there is music everywhere. I like music and I think it adds a lot of sensory data to the experience. However, all of US and surroundings (resorts, theme parks, restaurants) were notable because, much as I like rock music, I dont like it everywhere, all the time. Whether hard rock, country rock, rock-n-roll, rock-whatever, you couldnt hear anything written before 1955. It made me realize that, if you arent fond of a particular style of music at Disney, you can always get away from it, whether from one country to another (Epcot), one era to another (Magic Kingdom), etc. It wasnt awful, it was just that I realized the only place to get away from it was in my room and I hardly ever go there, except to sleep!
I walked over to HRH to see what it was like. Im sure I didnt explore it well enough to provide a report, but it was fun. I wanted to check out the Kitchen before we ate there the next day. Never did make it over to Portofino Bay.
More attractions and restaurant review to come!!
