Switch Hotels??

[southjerseymom]

Honest opinions only please. I am booked the the HRH September 25-29. Heard the pool was great and DH is an old rock and roll boy from way back so I thought he would get a kick out of the memorabilia. After reading the thread that it stinks I am in a real dilemna. Decided not to do RPH because we have stayed at the Poly 2x in the past year and we are kind of over the tropical theme. Portofino sound nice...and the chance for a balcony would be good...but it looks kind of spread out. Looking on the map it seemed like HRH was close enough to US/IOA and Citywalk to walk so we wouldn't have to wait for boats. (The only way I got DH to any theme park...let alone one in FL was the bonus of the FOTL pass for onsite hotels LOL!) I am picky about my rooms. I thought the Beach Club was very beat up the last time I stayed there. Had a renovated room the last time in the Poly and it was great. I know Florida has humidity and there can be some mold. How do the onsite hotels compare to Disney?? Frankly, I think Disney get a whole lot of money for average rooms (even the deluxes) - are the onsite hotel rooms comparable/nicer/worse than what I am uses to. TIA for any replies!

2003 Wilderness Lodge
2004 Polynesian
2005 Beach Club
2005 Polynesian
2006 Wonder Cruise / Poly

 

[tarheelmjfan]

All 3 Universal resorts are Deluxe. Portofino Bay is the nicest, IMHO. That said, we stayed at HRH week before last, & have booked it again for Thanksgiving. You can't beat the location. Our room did have problems, but not enough to keep us from staying there again. I'm very picky about hotel rooms too. The bathroom was spotless, which is very important to me. The carpet needed cleaning, but my family wears flops or socks in hotel rooms anyway. Did I mention I was picky? The biggest problem we had was we were in a room beside smokers. The smell would come through the wall. Don't ask me how that happens. The resort was sold out, so we couldn't move. Make sure you arrive early to assure the room type you booked, & I think you'll be pleased with HRH.

 

[DonnaLeah]

Our family just returned from HRH this past Saturday. I can't compare it to Disney deluxes, because we have never stayed onsite at Disney. The carpet in our room had a few small stains. Like the PP stated, bathrooms were spotless. The staff everywhere greeted us in the hallways, asked how we were enjoying our stay, etc. PLEASE don't let a negative review discourage you from staying here. We had a super time and can't wait to go back!!!

 

[disneyfreakk]

Keep your ressies, your DH will totally dig it! The HRH has velvet party on the last thursday of each month, be sure to check it out! We always go to the one in October, and there are always has been rock stars there every year!

I have only stayed at the AKL and wasnt really impressed because it doesnt even compare to the HRH. The beds are and our rooms have always been clean.

 

[joalexajeff]

We stayed at the HRH in late June. You can't beat the convenience of walking to the parks and Citywalk in less than 5 minutes. The pool is terrific, the service was great, we would definitely go back again. We did see Foghat at Velvet Sessions, had a great time there as well. Our room at club level had rug stains, bathroom was very clean, housekeeping did a good job every day. We had one problem with the shower that was fixed quickly.

We read on the board that rooms will undergo renovations this fall and winter. We stayed at the Grand Floridian last summer, you can't compare the resorts IMHO. Totally different feel at each one, paid more for standard at the GF than club at HRH. The monorail was cool (the kids "drove" it more than once, but overall, we prefer the convenience of a 5 minute walk to the parks (it took at least that long to walk to the monorail station at the GF). The best perk of all...FOTL. Disney can't match that! Kids are totally spoiled now and don't want to wait on line anymore.

Plenty for the kids to do and see. Besides the parks, the Citywalk restaurants have good food and good entertainment. My kids loved the HRC, Margaritaville and NBA City. The HRH pool had plenty of kid's activities going on, they loved the pool slide, the lifeguards were great! We spent the first 3 days of our vacation at the parks (including Seaworld...there is a free shuttle but we took a cab back), then the rest at the pool during the day and the parks at night.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Fan2CSkr]

We visit these three resorts often and our last HRH stay was in May. It was the best trip there so far and it was all due to HRH's staff, meals, service and the incredible room. Dont let a couple negatives worry you nobody has a perfect track record! Go and have fun.

 

[aztecgoods]

I have a feeling any negative reviews are mainly from people that could find something wrong with the Sistine Chapel paintings, whiny complainers that aren't happy unless they have something to whine and complain about, I happen to know a lot of these types of people unfortunately.

All 3 hotels on Universal property are the bomb, I can't wait to go back they are awesome, so don't listen to any negative reviews. "Oh my gosh, there was a spec of dust on the window sill, my whole trip is ruined now, I am going to sit and sulk the whole trip rather than enjoy myself." These types of people are incapable of having fun anywhere. They would rather be at the office BI%$#ing to their subordinates.

 

[damo]

If I was to summarize the room complaints from the last few years, it boils down to stains on the carpet. So, go expecting some stains on the carpet and you should be fine!