Portofino Bay vs Royal Pacific - Can't Decide

[Saad]

Going with the fam (2 kids, 2 adults) in mid April. Have never stayed at any Universal Resort before. Want something clean, modern, and relatively easy to maneuver with the kids. And express pass!

Which of these 2 is better?

 

[eticketplease]

We only have done Royal Pacific and that was just for 1 night to get Express Pass Unlimited for two days. The rooms seemed sort of on the smaller side but they were nice. We didn’t really do anything there except for the pool and walk to the boat to go to the parks. The pool isn’t anything special but it was quite large and DS enjoyed playing volleyball in the pool.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Does budget matter much? I was content at RP for a quick stay for the express pass, enjoyed the theming too, 10/10 would do it again. If budget isn’t a big consideration I would do Portofino. It had softer beds, I liked their “Italian” restaurant and the main pool had large cushions on the lounge chairs.

I found the boats to City Walk to be pretty frequent at both hotels.

 

[Minnie1222]

I prefer the more spacious rooms at Portofino.

 

[pinkxray]

We prefer the theming of Royal Pacific. The rooms are smaller but I like the decor much better than Portofino. I also like the food options a little better at Royal Pacific. I didn’t see your kids ages, but the pool is huge and fun. There is a small area for the kids to play, but no slide. I think the rooms have a more modern feeling than Portofino.

With that said, we are staying at Portofino this July because it’s a little cheaper than Royal on our dates. The kids love the pool and will go on the slide 6 million times in a row.

Any of the 3 premier resorts have been great on our stays so we usually just pick whatever is cheapest. I’m not sure how you plan on getting to the parks but Portofino has the longest walk to the parks and you’ll get to the studio side first. Royal is closer to Islands of Adventure. None of that really matters if you are taking a boat. Boat service has been great in all the resorts we have stayed.

 

[The Gatekeeper]

I thought the room at Royal Pacific was really small for my family of four, and I stayed there when they were 7 and under. We do tend to be in the room more than most people so size does matter to us. We like RP but now stay in a suite when we go there. Most people probably aren't as sensitive to room size as we are. It's just your personal preference. We like the theming and the restaurants better at PBR as well as the large rooms.

 

[Minnie1222]

Royal Pacific wasn't considered a "premier" resort in the beginning. Maybe that's why the rooms were built smaller and the ceilings lower. Overall, it still is a very pretty resort.

 

[musika]

Haven't stayed at RPR so take this with salt but I'd say go with whatever's cheaper. RPR is slightly closer, rooms slightly smaller. PB is further, bigger rooms, potentially construction depending on your dates. We loved PB during our stay a couple of years ago, but this time around are booked at RPR mainly because of price!

 

[Deb1993]

Hi - we have stayed at both - much prefer the Portofino. But it's a personal choice. Look at photos to see what appeals to you. We have stayed at RP once, Sapphire once, Hard Rock once and Portofino more than 10 times.

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Royal Pacific wasn't considered a "premier" resort in the beginning. Maybe that's why the rooms were built smaller and the ceilings lower. Overall, it still is a very pretty resort.

And now they've made the rooms at Helios "Grand" just as small because they got away with the premier designation at RPR due to it's location (and EP).
And I'm still champing at the bit to stay there!

 

[Skywalker3]

Probably just depends on preference. I much prefer Royal Pacific, even with the smaller rooms. It's closer to walk, and we like the resort. The pool was fun when the kids were young.
Portofino is nice too though, also has very nice pools, and rooms are larger, but we didn't like the bathroom layout the first time, and the last stay was not great at all. We often had to wait for a second (sometimes a third) boat, or walk. They were doing a LOT of construction, and I know that influenced my opinion, but unless the price is significantly less, Portofino is my last choice of the 3 premiers.

 

[Rory607]

We have stayed at both and prefer Portofino’s theming and vibe. It really felt like a resort escape away from the busy parks. However, it is huge and can be a lot of walking depending on where your room is. Our first day my DD and I went to do a little exploring of the resort and were supposed to meet the rest of the family at the main pool. We got very lost

RP rooms are considerably smaller than Portofino, as others have said. That would not keep me from staying there again, but Portofino’s rooms are bigger and nicer. But RP is an easy walk to CityWalk if you don’t want to rely on the water taxi.

 

[petrola]

We've stayed at both - and definitely prefer Portofino. The rooms are much smaller at Royal Pacific and the club lounge leaves much to be desired. Rooms were plush and much larger at Portfino, and we like the pool bar there as well. Kids loved getting pizza and gelato at the piazza and listening to the singers in the evening! fwiw, club level at Portofino wins hands down over RP.

 

[Rory607]

We've stayed at both - and definitely prefer Portofino. The rooms are much smaller at Royal Pacific and the club lounge leaves much to be desired. Rooms were plush and much larger at Portfino, and we like the pool bar there as well. Kids loved getting pizza and gelato at the piazza and listening to the singers in the evening! fwiw, club level at Portofino wins hands down over RP.

Agree on club level! Their lounge is beautiful and much bigger than RP.