Portofino or Royal Pacific

[disneymom1]

I've never stayed in either hotel and I'm making a reservation for June. The difference per night for a standard room is about $50 and I'm trying to decide which hotel to book - (whether the additional $50 is worth spending)

Can someone describe the differences in the rooms (other than size and general theme which I'm familiar with) and the rest of the hotels - pools, restaurants, and other amenities?

 

[rpbert1]

PBH has 3 pools, Beach Pool with slide, Villa pool and east wing has a small pool. Resort is nice , but was to quiet for DD in July past. If you had no kids i would have no problems staying again.Bit futher if you want to walk to parks or Citywalk,restaurants there is 2 at PBH but never ate in them,Sals deli, and a .
Pizzeria at the Beach Pool entrance
RPR has 1 large pool with kids play area, always plenty going on for DD, and our fav.7 min walk to Citywalk,2 restaurants The Islands , Choup Chop and Jakes bar, Sushi bar in Orchid Court ,also Bula grille at the pool does excellent food as well.
rooms are much the same although at RPR the sink vanity area is outside the bathroom, while at PBH its all one and usually 2 sinks at the vanity area.
Someone i am sure will be along with more info

 

[Loudbmw]

We have stayed multiple times at both hotels. Portofino's is more upscale with larger rooms, covered parking but both are very nice. RPR consists of three seven story wings. The elevators for each wing drop you off very close to the hotel lobby and pool. Portofino is not as tall but very spread out - more of resort feel but longer walks to the lobby.

We like to walk to the parks as opposed to the boat ride (which shut down during thunderstorms - which occurs each day like clockwork in Florida at 4:00 pm). The walk from RPR to IOA/Citywalk is fairly short. The Portofino walk to US/Citywalk is quite a hike.

Both hotels have nice restaurants that we enjoy. If you have kids, I'd go with the RPR. Adults may like the upscale resort feel of Portofino.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

I have never stayed at RPR but have stayed at PBH 2x. We love it there. It is somewhat upscale but not stuffy and very kid friendly. Our girls love it there. The pool is really fun with a nice slide and waterfalls. The lifeguards play games with the kids all day. There is a poolside bar where you can also oder from Slendido Pizzaria or waitresses walking around the pool taking orders. We had lunch poolside and it was delish. There are several eateries. Splendido Pizzaria, Sal's, a gelato shop, Trattoria, Mama Della's, and Bice. Room service food is awesome. Rooms are beautiful and I love having the high beds to allow for storage of suitcases and shoes under the bed. Gigantic bathroom with nice toiletries. Service at the hotel is super friendly and very quick. Hotel is very relaxing and not hurried.

 

[disneyfan67]

I have stayed at both and while the RPR is a beautiful resort, the smaller room size can make a difference. The rooms there except for the suites are all the same and about the size of a Disney moderate. The bathrooms are nice, but tiny.

The PBH on the other hand is a pretty big room and the bathroom, even in the standard size rooms, are enormous. The toilet, tub, and twin vanity are in the same room and I swear, it's one of the biggest hotel bathrooms I have ever seen. I joked with my wife that the bathroom is the size of the entire room at Disney's All Star resorts.

The extra room at the PBH is a nice feature and the deluxe rooms are even a little bigger and those bathrooms come with a separate shower and tub. The PBH has the best pools on property and their beach pool beats the heck out of just about anything Disney's Deluxe resorts has, with the exception of Storm Along Bay pool at the Y&B club. The Villa pool at the PBH is unreal and looks like a pool from a mega movie star home of the 1940's or something. Pure luxury. You just can't go wrong with staying at the PBH and it's one of my favorite hotels in all of Orlando. A truly awesome resort and IMO, worth the extra money over the RPR.

 

[mjohnson96]

I have stayed at both and while the RPR is a beautiful resort, the smaller room size can make a difference. The rooms there except for the suites are all the same and about the size of a Disney moderate. The bathrooms are nice, but tiny.

The PBH on the other hand is a pretty big room and the bathroom, even in the standard size rooms, are enormous. The toilet, tub, and twin vanity are in the same room and I swear, it's one of the biggest hotel bathrooms I have ever seen. I joked with my wife that the bathroom is the size of the entire room at Disney's All Star resorts.

The extra room at the PBH is a nice feature and the deluxe rooms are even a little bigger and those bathrooms come with a separate shower and tub. The PBH has the best pools on property and their beach pool beats the heck out of just about anything Disney's Deluxe resorts has, with the exception of Storm Along Bay pool at the Y&B club. The Villa pool at the PBH is unreal and looks like a pool from a mega movie star home of the 1940's or something. Pure luxury. You just can't go wrong with staying at the PBH and it's one of my favorite hotels in all of Orlando. A truly awesome resort and IMO, worth the extra money over the RPR.

Dang after that review if the hotels weren't already sold out I would think about upgrading our rooms

We have always stayed at the RPR because of the theme and the closeness to the IOA park. We also love how it pops out right at Citywalk next to Margarittaville

Our next trip I had thought to try one of the other hotels so we have a comparison, since we are going the week WWOHP opens it is a tad bit too late to change now.

 

[rpbert1]

Agree with PBh and there rooms being bigger, we had a uite last July , 2 bathrooms and the space was huge, but we do not spend much time in the rooms so not really an issue, we have a suite at RPR as well, and while the rooms are smaller in comparison to PBH, the atmosphere around PBH for kids was a bit dull and DD was bored , and there was very little entertainmeent going on at the beach pool for kids, which is why we stay at RPR.
If we where on our own it would be PBH everytime.

 

[Skuba2]

We have only stayed at PB and my kids are never bored. They usually make friends with some kids and make playdates to meet up each day at the pool. And, funny how sometimes you can even see the kids at the parks. You'd think the parks would be too big for that.

They love the slide, they love the waterfall and they love the food.

DG

 

[Worfiedoodles]

We've stayed at both with ds12. We were very surprised that he preferred RPR. Don't get me wrong -- we have a great time at both! We just decided that as a family we prefer the atmosphere of RPR. PBH is very nice, we even stayed Club level, and we could not get enough of the gelato...we just liked the "tropical feel" better than the Italian feel, and we liked the quick walk to IOA.

I think you can't go wrong with whichever hotel you choose -- and be sure to pool hop while you are there so you can experience the best of all 3 hotels!

Maria

 

[bkfree]

We will be going on our first visit to US in Sept with our two children, ages 9 and 11. We are WDW veterans and wanted a change this year.

We also had a hard time deciding on which onsite hotel. In the end it came down to which one would be a new setting. While RPR is beautiful, its theme is very much like many Florida resorts we have stayed at, so we went the Portofino because it was so different. One of our favorite resorts at WDW is Yacht Club, which many consider a more adult atmosphere but our children and us adore it,so I think that type of setting will be fine with us.
My son, 11, has ASD and really if it is a little quieter and maybe less kids, then it will perfect for him.
We love that US encourages pool hopping and have planned a day to skip the parks and just pool hop, which will be a new adventure for us. My son, who is a music enthusiasist is looking forward to the music pool at HR. My daughter, 9, is all about the slides and socializing.
I am happy to read about the larger rooms at PBR and larger bathrooms.
SO excited, we will be there on my 50th birthday and plan spending the week resurrecting the kid still in me!!

 

[glocon]

I will say that last time we were in FL, friends of ours stayed at RPR. Gorgeous resort, very impressive, very top of the line. But they were a family of four, and it did seem like very tight quarters, and a second sink would have made a world of difference for them (and their kids are boys who don't even care so much about appearance). I'd go for more space if price wasn't an issue.

 

[Princessmom2]

We stayed at PBH for the first time last spring, and are heading back in June (yes, we will be there for the grand opening of WWoHP, but not intentionally!). My dd-11 was ready to move in, she liked the resort so much! We do prefer more laid back resorts, and feel like this is the best resort in Orlando. My husband would rather skip Disney this year (but we aren't) and just stay at PBH. Be sure and get one of those "balls on a string" that you can buy at the Universal parks, as so many kids run around the Piazza playing with them and they do not sell them at the hotel (so then you have to go to City Walk to get one).

 

[glocon]

We are staying at HRH this time, but I am thinking that PBH will be our next hotel to stay at. Though RPR is beautiful, it is a lot more hectic with little kids, and not as relaxing as PBH appears to be, especially the pool area. But the RPR has more restaurants that my family would like. Eventually we will stay at all of them is my thought...

 

[disneyfan67]

We are staying at HRH this time, but I am thinking that PBH will be our next hotel to stay at. Though RPR is beautiful, it is a lot more hectic with little kids, and not as relaxing as PBH appears to be, especially the pool area. But the RPR has more restaurants that my family would like. Eventually we will stay at all of them is my thought...

I didn't care for the HRH pool that much. It's looks so cool in the photos and videos that float around the web, but I found the pool to be lacking in a lot of areas once you swim in it. The pools at the Portofino are so great because they offer so much variety. The beach pool with the water slide is very impressive and has something for everyone. You got the zero entry from the beach that's perfect for smaller kids and those who want to gradually get wet. Then you have the slide area and the deep end of the pool which the teens and adults alike can enjoy.

If it gets a little too noisy for you then the villa pool which not only is beautiful has a totally different vibe/atmosphere to it. What really sets both pool areas apart from a majority of resorts in Orlando, is the theming and the whole atmosphere that surrounds the PBH. The designers/architects of the PBH really did a great job in creating the hotel. You can't go wrong at the PBH. I stand by my previous statement that the Portofino Bay is one of the nicest, well themed resorts in all of Orlando. I feel staying there is the best way to experience a on site Universal vacation. This coming from a die hard Disney fan who has stayed at just about every deluxe hotel on WDW property.

 

[PatsGirl]

No comparison IMHO. Rpr = mod and pbh = deluxe +. Like both but pbh has the luxury. My kids love it there and for $50 no contest.