PORTOFINO BAY HOTEL Information

[nytimez]

It is crazy and it would not be the first time! It usually works out well as 2 of the occupants of the room pass out pretty quickly and sleep really deep .

If it were longer than 2 nights I would not do it. My girls want to see Harry Potter so this trip preceeds our DVC vacation (2 bedroom).

Thanks!




Thanks for the heads up. We are getting there early so will definitely request one with the pullout.

Mary

There is one big "pro" to your plan: If you're the first one to get ready in the morning, you can take off and explore the hotel while everyone else takes their turn in the bathroom/shower. It's a fantastic place to just wander around... even if you just head out to the courtyard area and get a cup of coffee while you wait for your family to join you. They'll have to come out there anyway to get to the boat/walking path, so you won't lose any time looking for each other.

 

[camsmomE]

Hi All!

I'm booked for a King Deluxe Club Level room at Portofino in about 3 weeks... Can anyone tell me if the King Deluxe rooms have the pull-out love seat?

Last time we were there, we booked a King, and were assigned to a 2-Queen Deluxe with the pull-out. That's a whole-lot of bedding spaces for us, so we really insist on begging for the King. I just want to make sure we get the little pull-out sofa- my DD slept like a princess on that thing!!

 

[Disneyhappy]

Hi,

I just booked a concierge room at the Portofino (2 queen beds) for 3 adults and 2 children ages 16 and 7. We normally don't squeeze into 1 room but really wanted to try concierge this trip and don't want the expense of a second room. Am I crazy or will we be ok? We are only there 2 nights after our cruise.

Thanks so much!
Mary

PBH deulxe rooms are larger than the other onsite rooms but 5 people may still be a little tight. Only you know your family's ability to handle it. We had 5 in my family growing up and always stayed in one room. No biggie for me. DH was one of 11 who grew up in a row home and he definitely needs his space. Go figure! The bathrooms are very large with two sinks tub and a shower. Also, club guests get free access to the fitness center and they have great showers/locker rooms there. My husband and I have both used them. Personally, if personalities are patient, I would stay in one room and enjoy the club lounge if that is what your budget allows. While there may be a little stress, I think it will end up making the trip more memorable for the kids!

 

[jacksg@l]

Does PBH have feather pillows and comforters in their rooms like the HRH? Both of my children are allergic to feathers, and the last time we stayed at HRH it was all feathers. I Literally had to put all of it out in the hallway!! Just want to find out so I can call the hotel ahead of time.

 

[damo]

Does PBH have feather pillows and comforters in their rooms like the HRH? Both of my children are allergic to feathers, and the last time we stayed at HRH it was all feathers. I Literally had to put all of it out in the hallway!! Just want to find out so I can call the hotel ahead of time.

Yes they do. Definitely call ahead and get some non-allergenic stuff put in there.

 

[jacksg@l]

Yes they do. Definitely call ahead and get some non-allergenic stuff put in there.

Thank you for the answer. I will call them ASAP so the room will be feather-free.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I just got back from a Florida vacation and thought I'd tell you about the one night we stayed at Portofino Bay. So here's my review:

Check-in: This took forever. They have a very small check-in station and only two people were working it. They take a long time to check you in because they ask you a ton of questions and tell you a lot of stuff. While I appreciated some of the information, it could have been much quicker to email most of this ahead of time or just ask if I even wanted to know about it (I already knew about the hour early entry to WWOHP and all of that). After a long time, the man showed me where my room was (in the East Wing). I knew from this thread to ask for the West Wing. He said he'd have to call the room scheduler to make a change (WHAT?) I didn't understand why he couldn't do it but oh well. I was so tired by this time, I just said it was fine.

Pool: FABULOUS! The slide was fun, the pool was fun, there were places to sit, lounge, grab a spot in the shade and there was some seriously yummy drinks and snacks - not too mention a waiter that came around This was the best part of the hotel!

Rooms: This gets tricky. The rooms themselves are nice. The beds are high off the ground (I didn't like it because I'm not tall), the furnishings are nice, the bathroom is huge (but that cuts into the size of the bedroom), and you can listen to the TV in the bathroom on speakers (cool). So the rooms are great, right? Well...they put us in the dog wing. Let me repeat - they put me who is HIGHLY ALLERGIC TO DOGS in a kennel... The place stunk and there were barking dogs everywhere. We didn't realize it at first because we put on our suits and went directly to the pool. We realized it very quickly upon our return. I called to ask why there were dogs everywhere only to find out their hotels are pet friendly and that it wasn't noted on my reservation that I was allergic. WHO lets PETS in hotels without telling you when you check in that you will be put in the kennel??? I was furious (and sneezing with very red puffy eyes). They wouldn't MOVE US. I had it. I told my husband, got in the shower to get the dander off of me and packed my bags. My husband came back as I'm getting my bags out the door and he found us a new room (amazing, huh?). And even though I was completely livid with the hotel, my husband took care of it all and they credited back the entire night's stay. So, they earn a from me. They eventually rectified the situation and I didn't have to deal with it since my husband did.

Transportation - There are not enough boats for the early morning IOA rush but they are nice modes of transportation. The pedi-cab was our favorite but it costs money. But I would budget for that because it was worth it - fun, quick, and immediate.

Overall - It was eerily empty except for the pool. I didn't like that feeling but my DH did. I like the Disney hustle and bustle feeling. But the resort was nice, the rooms were nice (minus the dogs) and the pool was fabulous. I would stay there again if I wanted that front of the line pass for Universal.

 

[jacksg@l]

I just got back from a Florida vacation and thought I'd tell you about the one night we stayed at Portofino Bay. So here's my review:

Check-in: This took forever. They have a very small check-in station and only two people were working it. They take a long time to check you in because they ask you a ton of questions and tell you a lot of stuff. While I appreciated some of the information, it could have been much quicker to email most of this ahead of time or just ask if I even wanted to know about it (I already knew about the hour early entry to WWOHP and all of that). After a long time, the man showed me where my room was (in the East Wing). I knew from this thread to ask for the West Wing. He said he'd have to call the room scheduler to make a change (WHAT?) I didn't understand why he couldn't do it but oh well. I was so tired by this time, I just said it was fine.

Pool: FABULOUS! The slide was fun, the pool was fun, there were places to sit, lounge, grab a spot in the shade and there was some seriously yummy drinks and snacks - not too mention a waiter that came around This was the best part of the hotel!

Rooms: This gets tricky. The rooms themselves are nice. The beds are high off the ground (I didn't like it because I'm not tall), the furnishings are nice, the bathroom is huge (but that cuts into the size of the bedroom), and you can listen to the TV in the bathroom on speakers (cool). So the rooms are great, right? Well...they put us in the dog wing. Let me repeat - they put me who is HIGHLY ALLERGIC TO DOGS in a kennel... The place stunk and there were barking dogs everywhere. We didn't realize it at first because we put on our suits and went directly to the pool. We realized it very quickly upon our return. I called to ask why there were dogs everywhere only to find out their hotels are pet friendly and that it wasn't noted on my reservation that I was allergic. WHO lets PETS in hotels without telling you when you check in that you will be put in the kennel??? I was furious (and sneezing with very red puffy eyes). They wouldn't MOVE US. I had it. I told my husband, got in the shower to get the dander off of me and packed my bags. My husband came back as I'm getting my bags out the door and he found us a new room (amazing, huh?). And even though I was completely livid with the hotel, my husband took care of it all and they credited back the entire night's stay. So, they earn a from me. They eventually rectified the situation and I didn't have to deal with it since my husband did.

Transportation - There are not enough boats for the early morning IOA rush but they are nice modes of transportation. The pedi-cab was our favorite but it costs money. But I would budget for that because it was worth it - fun, quick, and immediate.

Overall - It was eerily empty except for the pool. I didn't like that feeling but my DH did. I like the Disney hustle and bustle feeling. But the resort was nice, the rooms were nice (minus the dogs) and the pool was fabulous. I would stay there again if I wanted that front of the line pass for Universal.

I called PBH this week and got the Preferred Center and had them put on our reservation that (1) NO Feathers whatsoever in the room, and (2) No room near the pet friendly rooms. My children are highly allergic to both
Do You think they will pay attention to these special requests? I am thinking about faxing them the day before we leave so they have it in hand and so do I....
P.S. - Why the West Wing???

 

[bumbershoot]

P.S. - Why the West Wing???

It's closer to the walkway to the parks.

I found a site that says that PBR allows pets on the first floor of each wing. At least at Royal Pacific it's one specific wing, out of 3, that you have to worry about.

So, OP...I'm allergic to lots of things myself, so I really empathize with you...but...on the one hand you didn't want to listen to all the stuff the TM wanted to tell you, but on the other you wanted them to tell you something that it seems they didn't tell you.

I don't know how you booked, but if you go to the PBR site, halfway down the page is a picture of a person with a dog, with Loews Loves Pets under it. I know not everyone reads everything about things, but when you're very allergic, you do *need to* protect yourself making sure you've familiarized yourself with hotel policies.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

It's closer to the walkway to the parks.

I found a site that says that PBR allows pets on the first floor of each wing. At least at Royal Pacific it's one specific wing, out of 3, that you have to worry about.

So, OP...I'm allergic to lots of things myself, so I really empathize with you...but...on the one hand you didn't want to listen to all the stuff the TM wanted to tell you, but on the other you wanted them to tell you something that it seems they didn't tell you.

I don't know how you booked, but if you go to the PBR site, halfway down the page is a picture of a person with a dog, with Loews Loves Pets under it. I know not everyone reads everything about things, but when you're very allergic, you do *need to* protect yourself making sure you've familiarized yourself with hotel policies.

You are right, I didn't want to listen to the guy at the Front Desk tell me things I already knew but I did not tell him to stop and it was all about Universal, the parks, and WWOHP. He did not tell me anything about being put in a room that allowed dogs though. So I listened to his spiel but no mention of dogs.

And I did not book online at their website, I did it through AAA. It is odd that someone like me who is so detailed did not peruse everything about the hotel but I just didn't. I do think they should have asked if it was ok to put us in a wing that allowed dogs (and had dogs in the room previously). Even my DH who is so laid back could not believe they had done that. And so did the manager. While they immediately gave us a credit on our account for $100, the manager was so aghast that he credited the rest of the nights' stay and offered to pay for our meals and a future stay (which we declined but we did appreciate the free night). I'll tell you what is more interesting, my husband did not even tell the manager I was allergic (I did tell the front desk that once I found out where they put us so they possibly told the manager but my DH said the manager never mentioned it). My husband was more offended by the barking dogs and the smell and not being given a choice in the matter. DH was calm and cool and I'm glad he handled it.

But I need to let everyone know that my husband was incredibly impressed with how the hotel handled the situation and so was I! That is why I said I would stay here again. The pool alone was fabulous. We lounged on comfy chairs under an umbrella and the kids enjoyed the beautiful pool and slide. We had some really good food and drinks too! My favorite was the honey drizzled fruit with yogurt and banana bread but I think my husband's was the nachos!

The rooms were nicely decorated and the pedi-cabs to the parks were the highlight of my daughter's trip! So the hotel itself was nice and we will go back.

As a courtesy on these threads, I like to give my honest reviews and opinions so others are better informed. We all come to the boards for information and hopefully my experience will prepare someone else so they don't end up in the East Wing, Ground floor when they do not want to be around dogs.

While you are giving your opinion, you weren't in the situation either. What is important though is that the manager realized their error (not informing us at check in the type of room we would be placed in) and he rectified it. So again, kudos to the staff at Portofino Bay and I would welcome a chance to stay there again.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I called PBH this week and got the Preferred Center and had them put on our reservation that (1) NO Feathers whatsoever in the room, and (2) No room near the pet friendly rooms. My children are highly allergic to both
Do You think they will pay attention to these special requests? I am thinking about faxing them the day before we leave so they have it in hand and so do I....
P.S. - Why the West Wing???

I'm glad I posted my experience so others who read it know to request a room away from the pet friendly rooms if needed. As long as you have it listed on your reservation, you should be fine. Definitely mention it at check in as well! The hotel did say the East Wing Ground Floor was the pet floor so I suppose you could be on the higher floors without the pets but I'm not 100% sure about that. The West Wing is closer to the pool and the boat launch so that is probably why everyone recommended it to me before I left and it is why I would recommend it to others.

 

[llb]

We (family of 4) will be at PB July 8, departing on the 9th. If I do early entry on the 9th from PB, not having been there before, is it best to take the path, the shortcut path (I read one person got lost!) or the boat.
If I want to do HP, once I get to Citywalk from the boat, where do I go? If I do the path, where does it lead me? Al I have read states "and your right there", but I don't know where that is.

 

[dimimi]

We (family of 4) will be at PB July 8, departing on the 9th. If I do early entry on the 9th from PB, not having been there before, is it best to take the path, the shortcut path (I read one person got lost!) or the boat.
If I want to do HP, once I get to Citywalk from the boat, where do I go? If I do the path, where does it lead me? Al I have read states "and your right there", but I don't know where that is.

I'd like to know this too. I'll be there in August and with the heat...I know we won't want to get lost...and we get lost easy!

 

[damo]

Take the shortcut. That will spit you out at Universal Studios. Do not try to line up there. Continue along to Islands of Adventure. Show them your room key and line up on the left. Once they let you in follow the crowd. EVERYONE will be going to the same place.

However...if the boat is there...take the boat.

 

[dimimi]

Take the shortcut. That will spit you out at Universal Studios. Do not try to line up there. Continue along to Islands of Adventure. Show them your room key and line up on the left. Once they let you in follow the crowd. EVERYONE will be going to the same place.

However...if the boat is there...take the boat.

I know this will sound dumb...it's our first time to Universal/IOA. Are there 2 boats, one to Universal and One to IOA?

Do the boats run the 1 hour early....and will we be able to use the pedal bike men/women to get us there?

We are used to Disney mania so we will be there before IOA(geez I hope that's the right park!) open for Harry Potter. We'll try for at least one morning.

Thanks for all of your help.

 

[macraven]

I know this will sound dumb...it's our first time to Universal/IOA. Are there 2 boats, one to Universal and One to IOA?

Do the boats run the 1 hour early....and will we be able to use the pedal bike men/women to get us there?

We are used to Disney mania so we will be there before IOA(geez I hope that's the right park!) open for Harry Potter. We'll try for at least one morning.

Thanks for all of your help.

the boats that leave your hotel go to city walk.
all the boats for the 3 hotels will dock there.

you then walk up a ramp or stairs and decide which park you wish to enter first.
the studios or ioa.

it is about equal distance from the boat dock in city walk.


ask any question you want.
that is they way you will figure things out and be more prepared for your vacation at the darkside.

 

[macraven]

boats do leave early.
they run about every 20 minutes.
they leave your boat dock at the hotel and go straight to the city walk dock.
they wait at city walk for a short time, then depart back to the hotel.

at city walk, the lines for the boats are marked for each hotel.


you can use the pedicabs.
they work on tips.

 

[damo]

If you are going for early entry, every other person heading to the parks is going for that too. Just join along in the parade. There is only one park with early entry. No one will be trying to go to Universal Studios.

 

[Rip]

Take the shortcut. That will spit you out at Universal Studios. Do not try to line up there. Continue along to Islands of Adventure. Show them your room key and line up on the left. Once they let you in follow the crowd. EVERYONE will be going to the same place.

However...if the boat is there...take the boat.

Stupid question, but I've always stayed at either the RPR or HRH. However, I booked an impromptu weekend trip this weekend with my 5 year old at PBH, and I have no idea where either the regular path or the shortcut is. Do you have a picture or anything?

Thanks.

 

[damo]

Here is my map...The regular trail goes along the waterway.

Bubba's Mom has clearer photos and instructions: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36946846&postcount=7