LukenDC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2004
- Messages
- 4,938
I had three great nights at Portofino Bay Resort. I arrived in Orlando on Sunday, September 24 at 2:30 PM. A driver from Tiffany Towncar met me in the bagge claim area and we arrived at Portofino Bay just before 3:30 PM. I had never been to Portofino Bay or Universal before, so I was very excited to get my first glimpses of the complex. Check in was swift and the resort had my Loew's card number on file. I had booked a standard bay view room, but received a complimentary upgrade to a deluxe room in the villa's section.
The room was located on the same floor as the lobby. It had two beds, a small sitting area, large bathroom with separate bathtub and shower, TV, DVD player, and stereo. The lights were on and the radio was playing when I entered the room, which was a nice touch. Overall, I was delighted with the room.
Since the parks closed at 6:00 PM, I decided to spend the remainder of the day relaxing at the resort. I went to the Villa's pool and swam for an hour and then had a fantastic roast beef panini sandwich at Sal's deli. Dinner was followed by gelatto at the Gelateria. As the evening progressed, it soon became apparant that the resort's occupancy was low and it felt a bit like a ghost town. I turned in for the night at around 11:00 PM and slept well.
I started the next day with coffee and pastry from the Gelateria and then went to Islands of Adventure. The park was as empty as the hotel and most of the people who were there appeared to be from the UK. I was able to explore most of Islands of Adventure in little over an hour and then proceeded to Universal Studios.
Like Islands of Adventure, Universal felt deserted. I was able to explore most of the attractions in that park in just over an hour. I covered most attractions in BOTH parks in three hours. That's how dead it was.
I left Universal for lunch at Mythos. The cedar plank roasted salmon was delicious and the service was excellent. That said, I regard Disney Studio's Brown Derby as the better theme park restaurant. After lunch, I proceeded to get absolutely soaked on the water rides at Islands of Adventure and then headed to the hotel for the night.
The next day was very much like it's predecessor. I went to both parks, covering some attractions that I had not yet seen as well as some favorites from the day before. I developed a preference for Universal Studios over Islands of Adventure. The Mummy is the best theme park ride ever created! I purchased the two park meal deal wristband and was satisfied with the savings.
In the late afternoon a thunderstorm struck just as people were getting ready to leave the park for the day. The water taxis to the hotels were not operating due to the weather and they advised guests to take the hotel shuttle buses located adjacent to the Universal Studios entrance. Shuttle bus service was woefully inadequate I waited with a group of people for several minutes before a small shuttle bus arrived. As we waited, a bolt of lightening struck not far from where we were standing and terrified all of us. The bus that arrived was headed to Portofino, but some people staying at Royal Pacific pleaded for the driver to take them to their hotel. He did so, grumbling all the while.
The next day, I checked out of Portofino and headed to Disney's Boardwalk Inn for six nights.
Overall, I was very impressed with Portofino Bay Resort and it is probably the best hotel that I have stayed at. I look forward to returning. That said, I still prefer Disney to Universal. The Disney resorts are filled with interesting features and the parks are much more to my liking.
The room was located on the same floor as the lobby. It had two beds, a small sitting area, large bathroom with separate bathtub and shower, TV, DVD player, and stereo. The lights were on and the radio was playing when I entered the room, which was a nice touch. Overall, I was delighted with the room.
Since the parks closed at 6:00 PM, I decided to spend the remainder of the day relaxing at the resort. I went to the Villa's pool and swam for an hour and then had a fantastic roast beef panini sandwich at Sal's deli. Dinner was followed by gelatto at the Gelateria. As the evening progressed, it soon became apparant that the resort's occupancy was low and it felt a bit like a ghost town. I turned in for the night at around 11:00 PM and slept well.
I started the next day with coffee and pastry from the Gelateria and then went to Islands of Adventure. The park was as empty as the hotel and most of the people who were there appeared to be from the UK. I was able to explore most of Islands of Adventure in little over an hour and then proceeded to Universal Studios.
Like Islands of Adventure, Universal felt deserted. I was able to explore most of the attractions in that park in just over an hour. I covered most attractions in BOTH parks in three hours. That's how dead it was.
I left Universal for lunch at Mythos. The cedar plank roasted salmon was delicious and the service was excellent. That said, I regard Disney Studio's Brown Derby as the better theme park restaurant. After lunch, I proceeded to get absolutely soaked on the water rides at Islands of Adventure and then headed to the hotel for the night.
The next day was very much like it's predecessor. I went to both parks, covering some attractions that I had not yet seen as well as some favorites from the day before. I developed a preference for Universal Studios over Islands of Adventure. The Mummy is the best theme park ride ever created! I purchased the two park meal deal wristband and was satisfied with the savings.
In the late afternoon a thunderstorm struck just as people were getting ready to leave the park for the day. The water taxis to the hotels were not operating due to the weather and they advised guests to take the hotel shuttle buses located adjacent to the Universal Studios entrance. Shuttle bus service was woefully inadequate I waited with a group of people for several minutes before a small shuttle bus arrived. As we waited, a bolt of lightening struck not far from where we were standing and terrified all of us. The bus that arrived was headed to Portofino, but some people staying at Royal Pacific pleaded for the driver to take them to their hotel. He did so, grumbling all the while.
The next day, I checked out of Portofino and headed to Disney's Boardwalk Inn for six nights.
Overall, I was very impressed with Portofino Bay Resort and it is probably the best hotel that I have stayed at. I look forward to returning. That said, I still prefer Disney to Universal. The Disney resorts are filled with interesting features and the parks are much more to my liking.
