We are a family of 9, spanning 3 generations that will be spending 5 nights at the Portofino Bay Hotel in January of 2020. We fly in on Monday and fly out on Saturday.
(not pictured include my mom and niece)
Ages range from 15 to 69. My mom, hubs, myself, and 6 young adult children.
OR you could say 4 Hufflepuffs, 3 Ravenclaws, 1 Slytherin, and 1 Gryffindor!
Other Stats:
1 last visited IOA in 2019 on a school trip; the rest of us haven’t been since at least 2008.
3 have never been to Universal at all.
3 visited Universal Hollywood in 2016.
2 have never flown on a plane.
5 last stayed at PBH in 2003 (the rate back then was $129/nt in Sept through an Expedia deal!)
9 have never been to Diagon Alley at USO!
(some of us circa 2008 from our last Universal vacation!)
We found a great airfare deal. DFW to MCO RT on American for $109 per person. We were able to choose our seats at no cost and we used my mom’s AA credit card. This allows us up to 5 checked bags for free. We will save about $300 in baggage fees! Yay Grammy!
We are spending our entire vacation at UO so decided not to rent a car, or actually, a van as that would be the only option to hold all 9 of us! We have hired Tony Hinds to provide RT transportation from the airport which includes a grocery/liquor store stop.
We have booked a 1 bedroom (2 queen) Villa Suite with club access plus a garden view 2 queen room. Unfortunately, the suite does not have the option of 2 connecting queen rooms so we are hoping to have the extra room as close to the suite as possible. Due to Covid, we wanted a room with a dining room table that we could eat meals if needed.
An interesting note about the club access villa suites. The AP price for a 1 bedroom villa suite with club access for 8 was only $60ish per day more than a villa suite without club access. This seems like quite the deal if you ask me! Also, one of us will not be able to use the club access. I figured it was cheaper to just give one of my picky kids a couple of hundred dollars for breakfast and snacks than to pay an extra $650+to add club access to the extra room. ($204 vs $338 per night).
Things I plan to document that I can’t find information and that might be useful for others.
Normally, I’m all about finding the deals, but since we rarely go on vacations with the entire family, we are splurging a bit. We are not normally suite people but do like to stay at the premier hotels for the express pass benefit. We’ve stayed at all 3 but our last stay was in 2008 at RPH. I remember thinking I like Royal Pacific the best of the three but can’t quite remember why! Our only stay at PBH was back in 2003. I mainly remember the long walk from the east wing to the boat launch with a 4, 5, and 6 year old!
Places we hope will be able to seat a party of 9 or worse case, split us into a party of 4 and 5.
*Mythos (lunch)
*Mama Dellas (closed for now)or Bice for our birthday dinner. I’m hoping Bice has their 30% off discount at the time we go or else we will likely need to try something else. Currently, they’ve dropped the discount to 20%. Likely anticipating higher holiday crowds, I assume.
*Three Broomsticks (lunch)
*Big Fire or Toothsome (dinner)
Some issues and questions we have:
That's all I've got for now! Any advice or suggestions are always appreciated!
(not pictured include my mom and niece)
Ages range from 15 to 69. My mom, hubs, myself, and 6 young adult children.
OR you could say 4 Hufflepuffs, 3 Ravenclaws, 1 Slytherin, and 1 Gryffindor!
Other Stats:
1 last visited IOA in 2019 on a school trip; the rest of us haven’t been since at least 2008.
3 have never been to Universal at all.
3 visited Universal Hollywood in 2016.
2 have never flown on a plane.
5 last stayed at PBH in 2003 (the rate back then was $129/nt in Sept through an Expedia deal!)
9 have never been to Diagon Alley at USO!
(some of us circa 2008 from our last Universal vacation!)
We found a great airfare deal. DFW to MCO RT on American for $109 per person. We were able to choose our seats at no cost and we used my mom’s AA credit card. This allows us up to 5 checked bags for free. We will save about $300 in baggage fees! Yay Grammy!
We are spending our entire vacation at UO so decided not to rent a car, or actually, a van as that would be the only option to hold all 9 of us! We have hired Tony Hinds to provide RT transportation from the airport which includes a grocery/liquor store stop.
We have booked a 1 bedroom (2 queen) Villa Suite with club access plus a garden view 2 queen room. Unfortunately, the suite does not have the option of 2 connecting queen rooms so we are hoping to have the extra room as close to the suite as possible. Due to Covid, we wanted a room with a dining room table that we could eat meals if needed.
An interesting note about the club access villa suites. The AP price for a 1 bedroom villa suite with club access for 8 was only $60ish per day more than a villa suite without club access. This seems like quite the deal if you ask me! Also, one of us will not be able to use the club access. I figured it was cheaper to just give one of my picky kids a couple of hundred dollars for breakfast and snacks than to pay an extra $650+to add club access to the extra room. ($204 vs $338 per night).
Things I plan to document that I can’t find information and that might be useful for others.
- Are the suites remodeled like the rest of the rooms? If so, what has changed.
- What exactly is in that kitchenette! Plates, utensils, how many coffee mugs, glasses, napkins, wine opener, etc. I’ll open up the cabinets and take some pics. How much room is in that upgraded mini-fridge vs the regular ones in the rooms?
- What exactly is offered at the club level during the pandemic.
- What floor and how far to the club lounge are the villa suites with club access (that are available at booking and not just an add-on at check-in)
- Where are good places to put a rollaway in the villa suite? I’m wondering if one will fit in that powder room off to the side of the suite bathroom. Or will one fit in the kitchenette which would offer some privacy?
- View out the window. Is there a Juliet balcony, regular balcony, no balcony?
Normally, I’m all about finding the deals, but since we rarely go on vacations with the entire family, we are splurging a bit. We are not normally suite people but do like to stay at the premier hotels for the express pass benefit. We’ve stayed at all 3 but our last stay was in 2008 at RPH. I remember thinking I like Royal Pacific the best of the three but can’t quite remember why! Our only stay at PBH was back in 2003. I mainly remember the long walk from the east wing to the boat launch with a 4, 5, and 6 year old!
Places we hope will be able to seat a party of 9 or worse case, split us into a party of 4 and 5.
*Mythos (lunch)
*Mama Dellas (closed for now)or Bice for our birthday dinner. I’m hoping Bice has their 30% off discount at the time we go or else we will likely need to try something else. Currently, they’ve dropped the discount to 20%. Likely anticipating higher holiday crowds, I assume.
*Three Broomsticks (lunch)
*Big Fire or Toothsome (dinner)
Some issues and questions we have:
- Seems like many of the CityWalk restaurants are not open Mon-Wed so we need to be aware of places we can have dinner those nights.
- Parks close early during this time of year, so thinking about bowling at Cabana Bay or mini-golf at CW as options in the evening.
- The app and the website for park hours is different. Not sure which is accurate?
- Weather: Is a pool day even possible in January? Are the hot tub/plunge pools open? Is there one in the spa open?
- Do all 9 of us REALLY need wands? How many is enough for 9 people that are grown?
- If we buy the discounted promotional tickets, can we easily upgrade those to APs. Is this price based on what we paid or the retail price of the ticket?
- We arrive on Jan 4th. Will there still be holiday decorations? Holiday Tribute store? Or do they literally take them all down overnight?
- Will one photo package cover all of us? How many cards do they give for one package?
That's all I've got for now! Any advice or suggestions are always appreciated!
