Here's my review of RPR. We just stayed there 3/13-17.
We had a water view/2 queen bed room in Tower 1, #1625. We were looking right at the Hulk Coaster, and we could see Hogwarts too. We were amazed at how close the hotels are to the parks. It was nice but different from WDW.
It was a refurbed room. The big purple flowers are not as bad as they seem in pictures. The big orange flowers in the hallway are pretty atrocious. Our room had a bathtub/shower combo, so they are available in some of the refurbed room. We liked the hotel, but the decor and color scheme are not very tropical or Polynesian, at least in the rooms and hallways. I like the look of WDW Poly better, except their new lobby. Since our room had a fridge, we wanted to get milk for DS's cereal that we brought with us, but the gift shop was already closed.
The drinks from the Bula Bar/pool bar were very good but very expensive. They had a deal where the first one was $15, but the subsequent ones were $10. Well, I had to get my moneys worth, so I had to have 2 or maybe 3
They were so tasty, it was hard to remember. DS loved the pool, and it was very pretty.
As a special surprise, I got reservations, probably not needed, at Islands at the hotel for the character dinner. It was Homer and Bart Simpson, who DS really likes. It used to be Scooby Doo and Homer. DS loves Scooby Doo, but I guess they replaced him. DH and I split some huge drink from a bowl that was lit on fire. It was pretty good but a little expensive. We also split the pork dumplings, which were pretty good. The order only had 3 or 4, so it wasn't very big for the price. That night they had the Wok Experience. I really didn't want to eat a ton of food, and it was all you can eat. So I decided to order the tempura shrimp off the menu. It was okay, but nothing very special. It was more like fried shrimp than tempura. It was disappointing for the price. DH had the salmon, which was pretty good. I regret not getting the Wok Experience. It smelled good, and I had heard good things about it.
Before our main entrees came out, Bart and Homer Simpson came out. They were supposed to start coming out at 6:45pm, and it was probably about that, maybe 7pm. The dining room was not full at all, so they made it around pretty quick. They didn't really spend that much time with each kid before they took a break. In fact, we never got a picture with Homer. I think they were out maybe 15 minutes before they went back.They never came back out the entire time we were there, and we didn't leave until close to 8pm. Service was a little slow. I was a bit disappointed with the meal and the character experience. It was like what I was used to at Disney character meals. I don't think we would bother going there again, unless it was for the Wok Experience, because there are so many better places to eat in Citywalk. Luckily, you don't pay extra for the characters, like you do at Disney. It's just food from the menu at the same price they charge with or w/o characters.
Pros: We loved the Royal Pacific. Great hotel and service. We loved the proximity to the parks and seeing them from our room. The hotel was a good value compared to Disney, especially considering the Early Entry and Express Pass. The outside and lobby decor is nice. Great pool and pool bar. They even had some neat activities for the kids.
Cons: I prefer the Polynesian's room and hallway decor. I wish there was a bigger gift/snack shop with more variety. No free WI-FI! A huge pet peeve of mine. The valet price is outrageous and was not explained very clearly, at least to DH. I told him that the valet price was the daily rate ($27) plus another $27, but he didn't believe or understand me. That bill came as a big shock
Hotel room bathroom only had one sink and not much counter space.