Never stepped foot onto Universal Property....need insight

[TheLittles]

We have been to WDW 3 times in 3 yrs and I myself have been about 20. We want to try Universal. I am looking at where to stay. I know all there is to know about WDW resorts and the differences in categories but I have no idea if it is the same for Universal Resorts. As far as photos go it seems like Universal resorts may be a little nicer but I am not sure. We cannot decide what resort to stay at. It is just my 5 yr old daughter, my boyfriend, and I. We were looking at either Sapphire Falls or Portofino. Wondering if Portofino is worth the extra money or is Sapphire falls nicer, that kind of stuff. Also, how many days would you say we need park passes for Universal to see it all? (Going in Feb so, won't be doing water park).

 

[TheLittles]

Also wondering if anyone ever stays at a Universal Resort and goes to WDW. Best way to travel back and forth?

 

[macraven]

I start my vacation and then use private car service to transfer to universal

I do both parks each time I go to Orlando

Some use private car service or taxi or uber/Lyft


If you go early feb and not around Presidents' Day, 3 days would be a nice stay

Sfalls does not give free ep but pbh does

If you do antwo night stay, the ep will be beneficial in order to do a lot more in the parks
It cuts out a lot of the wait time

You could do the first night st pbh then transfer to SF as you can receive the ep perk for the day you check in and day you check out

 

[bumbershoot]

Also wondering if anyone ever stays at a Universal Resort and goes to WDW. Best way to travel back and forth?

I have, for rundisney events and sometimes food. I have a rental car for that.

 

[chmurf]

If you rent a car to go back and forth, be advised that you'll be charged a nighly parking fee of $20 at your hotel

that's one of the main differences between the 2 resorts. At WDW staying at an onsite hotel gets you free parking. At UOR it doesn't.

Taking a taxi will cost around $80 round trip, and significantly less if you use Uber.

 

[Felicis]

I haven't been, but we are going when we go to DW in October. We are doing 3 nights at Loews Royal Pacific Resort. The reason we are doing this, is that staying onsite gives you both early entry, and express passes for rides. We are doing 2 park days, and from what I can see, that should be plenty to do both parks because of the bonus of early entry and express passes. We are massive Harry Potter fans, so that is where we want to spend a fair bit of our time, and while they don't have express, they are part of early entry.

 

[macraven]

Last month rpr parking was close to $23.xx which included taxes

Think Cbay parking before taxes was $12

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

I haven't been, but we are going when we go to DW in October. We are doing 3 nights at Loews Royal Pacific Resort. The reason we are doing this, is that staying onsite gives you both early entry, and express passes for rides. We are doing 2 park days, and from what I can see, that should be plenty to do both parks because of the bonus of early entry and express passes. We are massive Harry Potter fans, so that is where we want to spend a fair bit of our time, and while they don't have express, they are part of early entry.

This is exactly how we did our February trip, three nights at Royal Pacific then moved to Disney for three nights. Perfect amount of time and the express pass was great!

 

[Felicis]

This is exactly how we did our February trip, three nights at Royal Pacific then moved to Disney for three nights. Perfect amount of time and the express pass was great!

Oh that is what I like to hear! Because this is a one and done for us, we are doing much longer at DW and doing there first. Any tips and tricks for Royal Pacific? Can you walk to the parks from there?

 

[PHXscuba]

Oh that is what I like to hear! Because this is a one and done for us, we are doing much longer at DW and doing there first. Any tips and tricks for Royal Pacific? Can you walk to the parks from there?

Yes, you can walk from RPR to the parks (IoA is slightly closer) via a lovely walking path or take the boat. Either way it is a quick trip. The boats from the various hotels drop you at CityWalk right between the two parks.

PHXscuba

 

[Felicis]

Thanks!

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

It is a beautiful ten minute walk or a nice boat ride. So easy to come back and forth!! You will be very happy staying at RPR! Three nights was perfect for us at each, we treated son, daughter in law and 11 year old granddaughter who had been to WDW several times over the years so our wallet could only handle so much time at the parks! And with the express pass for Universal two full days was perfect.

 

[cleopenn]

My background - one trip each to WDW and Universal but a frequent business and pleasure traveler (I see a lot of hotels and resorts).

At WDW, we stayed at the Polynesian and visited the Grand Floridian, the Contemporary and Animal Kingdom.

At Universal, we stayed at Portofino Bay.

My opinion, Portofino Bay is a nicer resort with better services than what we experienced at Disney. Its a Loews property that happens to be at a theme park. It compares favorably to other resorts in that market/price range where Disney resorts are a different animal, so to speak. Disney resorts are operated for a very specific market.

Transportation to the parks from Portofino Bay was so easy, we went back and forth several times a day. At Disney, it was a commute.

 

[Keenolive]

We just got back from our first stay at Universal. We stayed at both RPR and Portofino, and my general feedback is that they are not as nice as the 2 Disney deluxe properties I have stayed at. (Animal Kingdom and Beach Club). HOWEVER, we paid Disney moderate prices for hotels that were much nicer than the moderates, and got the express pass which were awesome during a busy time. The Portofino to me was showing more wear than the RPR in my opinion.

Service level: Service was great at both resorts. From front desk to bell staff they were very professional

Lobbies and main areas: the lobbies and main areas were lovely. At Portofino I was disappointed that the architectural details of the buildings were painted on. Once you get up close it looks very fake. It kind of broke the illusion for me. (though pcstang has pointed out that this is accurate to the original Portofino in Italy. learn something new every day!) The Portofino elevator was pretty worn out - worn carpet and banister stain worn through.

Pools: Of course neither pool could touch the Beach Club pool, and I don't think either was quite as nice as Animal Kingdom. But they were nice, the sandy beach at Portofino was fun (though messy!!) and we could always get a lounger right at or near the pool which never happened at AK (people came out at 6:00am to throw their stuff on loungers to reserve all day). Staff was also great at the pools. In the Portino hot tub area the tiles on the waterfall side had a lot of lime scale build up, which made them look pretty scummy.

Rooms: The rooms is where I knocked Portofino down from Disney deluxe. We stayed in the east wing of the Portofino (I've since heard the west wing is nicer). baseboards and the door to the adjoining room were scuffed and dirty. The paint looked dingy. The bed linens were worn, especially the bed skirts. The bathroom was rough around the edges. The beds were quite comfortable and the toiletries provided at both hotels were nicer than the Disney H2O products.

Proximity to parks: This was a huge bonus. Easy to walk to from RPR, and the water taxis ran all the time and were a nice way to start and end days at the park. Loved them.

 

[pcstang]

We just got back from our first stay at Universal. We stayed at both RPR and Portofino, and my general feedback is that they are not as nice as the 2 Disney deluxe properties I have stayed at. (Animal Kingdom and Beach Club). HOWEVER, we paid Disney moderate prices for hotels that were much nicer than the moderates, and got the express pass which were awesome during a busy time. The Portofino to me was showing more wear than the RPR in my opinion.

Service level: Service was great at both resorts. From front desk to bell staff they were very professional

Lobbies and main areas: the lobbies and main areas were lovely. At Portofino I was disappointed that the architectural details of the buildings were painted on. Once you get up close it looks very fake. It kind of broke the illusion for me. The Portofino elevator was pretty worn out - worn carpet and banister stain worn through.

Pools: Of course neither pool could touch the Beach Club pool, and I don't think either was quite as nice as Animal Kingdom. But they were nice, the sandy beach at Portofino was fun (though messy!!) and we could always get a lounger right at or near the pool which never happened at AK (people came out at 6:00am to throw their stuff on loungers to reserve all day). Staff was also great at the pools. In the Portino hot tub area the tiles on the waterfall side had a lot of lime scale build up, which made them look pretty scummy.

Rooms: The rooms is where I knocked Portofino down from Disney deluxe. We stayed in the east wing of the Portofino (I've since heard the west wing is nicer). baseboards and the door to the adjoining room were scuffed and dirty. The paint looked dingy. The bed linens were worn, especially the bed skirts. The bathroom was rough around the edges. The beds were quite comfortable and the toiletries provided at both hotels were nicer than the Disney H2O products.

Proximity to parks: This was a huge bonus. Easy to walk to from RPR, and the water taxis ran all the time and were a nice way to start and end days at the park. Loved them.

That's how a lot of the buildings in Portofino Italy are. Painted on facades. It's actually a pretty accurate rendering.

 

[Keenolive]

That's how a lot of the buildings in Portofino Italy are. Painted on facades. It's actually a pretty accurate rendering.

ok, that's hilarious! I kept looking at it like "why is it all painted on???" I still didn't love that though. I kept staring at it, trying to imagine it with real materials. distracting! But I guess they are keeping it real.

 

[macraven]

When the hotel opened, the mayor from Italy came over for the opening event

It is a replica of the buildings of that town in Italy

 

[Keenolive]

When the hotel opened, the mayor from Italy came over for the opening event

It is a replica of the buildings of that town in Italy

Yes so take my opinion on that with a grain of salt. I'm a rube who has never seen the original.

 

[macraven]

Well I had the same thought as you did when I was there for the hotel opening

Lol

 

[schumigirl]

When the hotel opened, the mayor from Italy came over for the opening event

It is a replica of the buildings of that town in Italy

It is identical.

We have been to the real Portofino.......beautiful.

But, Portofino Bay in Orlando smells a lot nicer than the time we went to Portofino in Italy..........they had some drainage issues.........

We didn't hang around long.........