The DarkSide's not so Dark after all....

[clsteve]

Great pics again...........love the concentration on most men's faces on MIB

Glad the queue jumper was dealt with on RRR.........we find the TM's do a great job with that, we had Brazilians the previous July causing or trying to cause mayhem in the queue for The Hulk........they claimed not to understand but they got the message whether they wanted to or not.

Those artists are really good aren't they!! We get a caricature every year and they are fun. Also had them done by a guy at RPR........his are amazing too.

Glad you enjoyed the horror make up show.........it's so much fun

Hey! I was just protecting the family....!

 

[crepemyrtle]

You had me at "moose out front should've told you". Really good stuff.

 

[clsteve]

You had me at "moose out front should've told you". Really good stuff.

I think Clark Griswold's TR would have been a must read......

 

[LuvEeyore]

Joining the fun only to find you are almost done I am enjoying your report so far and finding it very useful.
I too like RDU airport although I have only flown out of there once. Was a great experience.

 

[Pegasus928]

Thank you for a brilliant trip report. A thoroughly good read that helped me through a long and tedious night shift.
So many of the things you have done will be firsts for us on our next trip (staying in a universal hotel, Harry potter, transformers etc) so it was good to get a perspective on those.
And even though we have done BMG before we really want to go back now

 

[clsteve]

Thank you for a brilliant trip report. A thoroughly good read that helped me through a long and tedious night shift.
So many of the things you have done will be firsts for us on our next trip (staying in a universal hotel, Harry potter, transformers etc) so it was good to get a perspective on those.
And even though we have done BMG before we really want to go back now

So glad the TR helped on such a long night! That, plus the anticipation of your upcoming trip

I hope to have the final leg of this up by this evening, btw- in case you have another long night forthcoming....

 

[clsteve]

Day Four: Sleeping in, Breakfast at RPH, and Closing Thoughts on Our Trip…!!!

There was absolutely no way DW wasn't going to get in at least one “ I’m not getting out of this Loews bed with all these pillows…!!!” morning. Day Four was perfect since we had no Park time scheduled, it was check-out day, and we had to get the rental car for the drive to Sarasota Springs. She and the kids slept in while I did my normal routine- Sal’s for fuel, and a wander-around to talk to guests and the TM’s. The night before, we had decided catch the 9:30am boat over to CityWalk, transfer to the RPH boat, and get breakfast Jake’s. We hadn't had an opportunity to check out RPH, yet. We had heard great things about it on this Board and wanted to have as much info as possible on all three on-site properties before we made our decision for the next stay.

It was a beautiful morning; sunny, no breeze, but about 40 degrees (but felt at least 42!). The transfer at CityWalk was incredibly easy with an RPH boat just waiting there after dropping its guests. We arrive at RPH and I immediately see we have a major problem --- it’s very nice --- in that “I know the kids are going to want to stay here next time” kind of way. I think the dead give-away was the number of times the rest of the family kept saying: “it’s so pretty..!!”, “it’s so close to the Parks..!”, “it looks like a Disney hotel..!!” It is and it does. The landscaping is beautiful, I love the openness of the common areas, and the architecture is a more subdued “Polynesian Resort” (and I mean that as a compliment- love the Poly, but just think of Loews doing the Poly and you’ll know what I mean ). I love the moat - the landscaping, and how it gives a “grand entrance” to the Resort. Check-out/check-in for the holiday weekend was happening, so we got a feel for who was staying and the vibe. It was right in-between PBH and HRH.

Breakfast at Jake’s was very good. It was a buffet, with the omelet station the highlight. The gentleman making omelets is, without a doubt, a professional. I just wish I could remember his name- he deserves quite a “shout-out!” All of the items on the buffet were fresh, there was a good selection, and the bill (3 adults, one child) came to $54.00. We thought it was a very good value for a resort breakfast buffet, and would go back without any hesitation. We walked back to CityWalk along the path for the boat to PBH. RPH is definitely very close to the Parks, with several different paths from the wings linking into the main one. I can see how the closeness is a big plus.

Check-out was a breeze and Enterprise Rental had their shuttle waiting for us out front. A very important financial note here: PBH has an Hertz Rental Car counter. We were originally reserved through them for our rental car since, how more convenient can that be!? DW did some research and found that the Enterprise Rental Facility is only 1 mile away, with their usual, no-charge, shuttle service. We saved $147.16 on our 4 day rental by switching to them, and it was a larger class of vehicle.

With that we were off to Nana’s- my MiL, so I could solidify my place as favorite son-in-law by getting her all moved in to her new place.



Before I wrap this up, I want to pass on some of our thoughts and observations. Hopefully, they’ll be of some help to a few . And, I’ll be as objective as possible. But first:

Disclaimer: These are our observations and conclusions, based on this one trip but compared to other experiences we've had. I assume no liability and your mileage may vary! I've had the “pleasure?” of staying at, literally, hundreds of hotels on more than a few continents during my previous life and have logged millions of air miles (no joke- I once had 2.5 million miles with just one airline on the books). So, I tend to grade trips and travel experiences in levels of pain. This trip registered none….

The Resorts:
Really good planning on UO’s part, since each has a specific feel and seems to cater to a different crowd. Pool hopping and resource sharing were especially nice:

PBH
I’m pretty sure it was obvious throughout the TR that we had an outstanding experience with this property. I have not one bad thing to say, which is unusual, since I’m tough on hotels. It was as I expected from a Loews Hotel and very much deserves a Deluxe Rating for a Theme Park property. The staff were professional, proactive, and pleasant from the very first encounter. Well themed and beautifully landscaped, all of the grounds and common areas were well maintained. The rooms were quite large- especially the bathrooms; with the beds, pillows and linens of very high quality. We stayed in rooms 2334/2336 and found them convenient to the lobby, concierge, elevator, and restaurants. The only 2 slight negatives I can think of for PBH- the layout is a bit confusing and the pool towels were of higher quality than those in the room.

I highly recommend PBH- especially to those looking for some quiet and separation from the “go,go” of a theme park vacation, but still wanting to have that themed, immersive feel along with the closeness and convenience.

HRH
It’s really a fun place. The theme, the vibe, the pool, all work to give that “Hard Rock” feel without the adult edge of other Hard Rock Properties. The location is so close to the parks and CityWalk that you hardly need the boats. The pool was the best of the three (and the pool bar). If I had teens and tweens, or we were a young, traveling couple (the Velvet Lounge looked like a lot of fun!)- this would be our spot. For where we are as a family,it's just a bit too up tempo for us. We tend to go hard during the day, but like quiet around us when the day is done, so to speak. That’s not a knock, it’s much more of a reflection on how much older and boring I’m getting….


RPH
Our opinion, but it seemed to us the most “Disney-esque” of the on-site properties. The kids noticed it right away. It’s also really close to the Parks and CityWalk. The pool doesn’t have a slide, however, but pool-hopping makes it less of an issue. I almost wish we hadn’t stopped by for breakfast since this is now the kids’ unanimous choice for our next stay. DW and I have a lot of work to do in order to get back to PBH. If the boys can make enough lemonade money between now and then, more power to them!

Cabana Bay
We drove around it as much as we could once we had the car. It’s very easy to see Universal is embracing the fact that many of it’s guests want to do other things in FLA. So, instead of trying to force them to stay on property, they seem to be providing a value resort that makes it easy to do the opposite while still providing some on-site perks. It’s almost as close to SeaWorld as it is to the UO parks. With its price point, what sounds like a great pool complex, and the family suites with kitchens: this looks like a great option if you plan on a lot of touring beyond IOA and US. It’s not a bad business model for UO and makes up for the no ExpressPass- a very smart move on their part. I do think that room location may be important, however, since some of the rooms do look close to the road.

The Parks:
I hope the previous posts in this TR did a good job of showing how much fun we had. We found both to be very well-themed, each were easy to navigate, and had an excellent mix of rides that appealed to us -individually and as a family. We all felt at least one more day would have been perfect. Especially since I didn’t point out how much we did not do in 3 full days. It seems we left a lot for the next trip: Dr Doom, Twister, Storm Force, Disaster, ET, BeetleJuice, Ripsaw Falls, Terminator, Animal Actors, Sinbad, Pteranodon Flyers, most of JP Discovery Center, and Daigon Alley (of course!). I was very surprised when I looked at that list. Oh, and some of the other things that pleasantly surprised us?:

• The roaming characters- really fun and great photo ops. The kids had a blast with them
• How different the 2 Parks felt from each other
• PhotoConnect- great value for the price
• Park cleanliness
• The closeness of the Parks, and to CityWalk and the Resorts
• The queues-fun and very well themed
• Transportation- the walking paths and their landscaping, boats for each resort- and how well they stayed on schedule, and how late they ran (even though we didn’t take advantage of that)
• The TM’s- more in a bit

Maintenance
We only experienced the morning issue with DM, one 15 minute outage for MiB, and one outage of unknown duration for Transformers for the whole of our 3 day stay. Unknown because we left the EP queue before they brought the ride back up. It seems Darwin “was in the house” since someone had dropped an IPad on the tracks while trying to film the experience. I know, ‘nuff said: and said many other times in many other threads… I was just about to launch into the whole "What the heck were they thinking" thing.... We may just have gotten lucky, but I found that very manageable with how many times we rode on this trip.

One quick thought on WWoHP and the whole Harry Potter thing before leaving this Parks section- it was worth every single penny they paid and whatever oversight they gave to JK Rowling. Now, I’d done the research and understood what it had meant to them from a profitability and attendance perspective, but had no understanding of the legs this has for them. It really hit home when I saw just how many mixed groups of 20 to 50+ year old’s were wandering around both Parks in full HP regalia- robes, wands, scarves, wire rimmed glasses, the whole nine yards. This isn’t just a kid thing, or a boy thing, or a girl thing: it’s a multi-generational thing for both genders. I can’t think of another franchise in the past 40 years, except maybe one, that would come close to that appeal across such a demographic. Good books before good movies seem to anchor things a bit for the long term, it would seem.

ExpressPass
It’s very easy to see how you can go without if you have a solid touring plan- especially during this time of year. However, we’re not going back without it. It would be like going to Vegas without gambling- I know you can have a great time seeing shows and eating at the restaurants, but it’s just not the same once you’ve done Vegas while gambling. EP is the number one reason why it was such a relaxing vacation for us. If we wanted to do something, we did it. If someone dropped an IPad on the tracks, we left and rode an hour later when the SB line was at 50 minutes but we only waited 10. If we wanted to do MiB 4 times in a row, we did it. If DW and DS10 wanted to shop while DS8 and I picked a coaster to ride, we did it and met in the shop 20 minutes later. We never planned anything, ride-wise, for the whole trip beyond early entry to WWoHP and DM first thing in the morning at US. And, it greatly minimized any family separation when only a couple of us did want to ride something. That’s really EP for us in a nutshell.

TM’s
What’s the best way to put this…? Well, they’re pumped up- no doubt about it. I spent a lot of time speaking with them and was very impressed with how positive they are about UO’s direction. Why? Two things came up over and over- Daigon Alley and the long term plan beyond it. Things are happening, happening on time, and they can see it. You cannot discount how important that is to a staff and its morale, and it reflected in how they approached their work. This bodes well for UO for the near future, at least. I was also surprised about how much they knew about MM+ and were openly talking about it with me - not at all in a Disney-bashing way, but more in a “I really feel sorry for what my friend/spouse/neighbor is going through down there” kind of way. All I can say is, the overall satisfaction level of the TM’s seemed quite high.

Finances
Bottom line (with no pun intended), we got our money’s worth. We were able to get 2 adjoining PBH rooms for just at $100.00 per night over what one deluxe room with 2 queens cost per night for our canceled nights at YC . Add in the ExpressPass, this was a good deal. We were there during the “Buy 2 Park to Park Days and get the 3rd Day Free” promotion, so I’m not sure it’s fair to compare ticket prices- so I won’t. Needless to say, it was a great promotion. We found many AAA discounts and AmEx discounts of 10% in the restaurants and shops. Plus, the meal prices were 5 to 14% cheaper across the board from what we experienced at WDW (IMHO, I think many of Disney’s Sig and TS prices are over-inflated just so those on the DP’s feel they’re getting value and great savings- looking at you Narcoossees’ -- again! I mean the size and quality of that lobster at that price has to carry a mandatory jail sentence in Maine….). Adult beverage prices seemed slightly higher than WDW, but the pours were much better and the souvenir glass deal at the pools brings it back in line at the resorts. I have no idea how the DA opening might change all of this, but it was our first trip where we spent less than we had budgeted and expected.

One Last Thought

Okay, until that very last part, I’ve tried so hard to keep the WDW/UO comparisons to a minimum. And, I’m very glad I have- each of the six Parks can really stand on its own, have so much to offer, and we’ve greatly enjoyed them all. Plus, WDW has been an iconic part of my life- from that first time in March of ’72 driving all the way from New Jersey in the back of a dodge station wagon, through multiple visits as a kid living in FLA, to visiting as a college kid jammed 8 to a room in a HoJo’s, to many visits as an adult- both as a visitor, at corporate events, and from the back (think: slightly uncomfortable non-Disney business-types in matching polo’s and a blazer being ushered out of a side door to get on a ride or holding clipboards off somewhere in the distance trying to look interested….), to taking the kids for their very first time. Disney is very, very special to me. So instead, I’ll give you an analogy- one that we parents can all understand:

I view UO and WDW as siblings. WDW is the teen: over-enamored with technology, sleeping in too much, not doing enough around the house, thinks he’s way smarter than his parents, and focused way too much on his priorities and not his grades- maybe because we gave him too much praise early on. UO is the younger one: getting good grades in school, doing his chores around the house, still enjoys throwing the ball around outside with Dad, and making his parents smile is still priority number one. Now, can the older also get wiser and remember that his parents will always be a major part of his life and begin to re-set his priorities? Absolutely. Also, can the younger sibling grow and go through the same stage as his older brother? Absolutely. As a parent, do you still love them both? Of course. But right now, that’s where they seem to be--- to this parent, anyway.

Well, that’s our trip. It was great fun and we’ll be going back, hopefully sooner rather than later. It might be as early as November or the same time next year. We’re hooked, but we’ll just have to wait and see………

And thanks so much for the kind words about the family and the TR- I've enjoyed the heck out of this and can’t wait for those first reports coming in once DA opens!

Take care, from all of us......

 

[schumigirl]

Fantastic trip report.....sorry to see it come to an end!

Great observations about Universal. We adore the parks and RPR and haven't ever found anything negative to say. We find the TM's to be amazing and the parks are fantastic, we love spending time in them and never get bored.

Glad you and your family had such a wonderful trip, thanks for taking the time to do it

 

[mcbailey]

That was a fabulous trip report! It makes me so excited for my trip in October! You really put everything into perspective and did a great job telling the whole story.

Thank you!

 

[mesaboy2]

I enjoyed reading the whole thing!

 

[quest4dl]

Excellent trip report! So glad we took two of our nights from Disney and moved them to Universal - we did visit in 2011 (again a split stay) but feeling really pumped after your report.

Your sibling characterization of WDW and UO was spot on too!

 

[ArwenMarie]

Great summary, enjoyed reading your thoughts, and the entire trip report! Sorry to see it come to an end...you'll just have to go back so you can write another one for us!

 

[clsteve]

Fantastic trip report.....sorry to see it come to an end!

Great observations about Universal. We adore the parks and RPR and haven't ever found anything negative to say. We find the TM's to be amazing and the parks are fantastic, we love spending time in them and never get bored.

Glad you and your family had such a wonderful trip, thanks for taking the time to do it

Thanks so much- I have a new appreciation for all the work you've put in yours, no doubt!

That was a fabulous trip report! It makes me so excited for my trip in October! You really put everything into perspective and did a great job telling the whole story.

Thank you!

October will be so great for you with DA open! It really looks like the new direction in theme park experiences with the HE moving between both parks. Take lots of pictures for all of us!

 

[clsteve]

I enjoyed reading the whole thing!

Labor Day.....DA......US.....Manly Minion Espresso Cup........ Pictures......Validation (for me)....

But seriously, thanks much

 

[cmaee]

Great trip report! I enjoyed reading the whole thing! I am pretty excited about our trip in December. I was worried that I picked the wrong resort at first, but reading your kids take on RPR, I am glad I chose that resort. Now if I could just decide how many days to spend at Universal and WDW. We want to do both, but I'm thinking we might end up doing 4 days at Universal/4 days at WDW instead of the 2 days at Universal/6 days at WDW that I have planned right now.

 

[clsteve]

Excellent trip report! So glad we took two of our nights from Disney and moved them to Universal - we did visit in 2011 (again a split stay) but feeling really pumped after your report.

Your sibling characterization of WDW and UO was spot on too!

Yes, two siblings - with one driving us a bit crazy right now. I'm glad a lot of us (like you) can see it's ok to care for both of them and enjoy both of them, yet still provide a little constructive criticism to one when it's necessary.....

 

[clsteve]

Great trip report! I enjoyed reading the whole thing! I am pretty excited about our trip in December. I was worried that I picked the wrong resort at first, but reading your kids take on RPR, I am glad I chose that resort. Now if I could just decide how many days to spend at Universal and WDW. We want to do both, but I'm thinking we might end up doing 4 days at Universal/4 days at WDW instead of the 2 days at Universal/6 days at WDW that I have planned right now.

If you're going in December, DA will be open. Think of it as adding on a brand new Land, so just plan enough time to get everything in your family really wants. I wouldn't worry a bit about picking RPH- we may end up there ourselves next time....

Great summary, enjoyed reading your thoughts, and the entire trip report! Sorry to see it come to an end...you'll just have to go back so you can write another one for us!

I can't wait to go back! And I can't wait to do another TR -----right after I finish reading yours..!!!!

Just kidding- I'm kinda sorry to see it come to an end myself, but the Tax Man cometh, and I'm running out of excuses to get all of that together!

 

[Pegasus928]

A great end to your trip report. It finished it all off nicely with some good conclusions. I will show it to DW so she can see what we are in for.
Thanks again
Kenny

 

[zebsterama]

Thank you very much for this awesome report. It's our first trip to Universal for eight nights this summer (Myself , DW, DS 12, DD 10). Being the traditional Disney planning nut -- I have this strange underlying need to leave nothing to chance .... yes it is a strange obsessive sickness.

We've gone from originally thinking PBH made the most sense, to booking RPH, to cancelling RPH and booking Club at HRH.

After reading your final instalment .... this info and insight has now made me lean again towards RPH and question our choice --- thank you for once again inflicting this torment upon my being! LOL!

I'm sure any choice will be great --- but this reach for vacation accommodation perfection is truly a DIS board disorder that I seem to share with many. Being a Universal newbie only exasperates things.

For HRH we love the slide & pool for the kids ... and they love Rock n' Roll (we're all going to see American Idiot and Rain [Tribute to the Beatles] this month) --- I'm great with the whole Hard Rock culture as well (used to be a touring musician) --- but I also really like my quiet, calm, non-chaotic time -- and who doesn't like the theme and feel of the Polynesian? OH the horror!! Really worried that I might be missing out by not staying at RPH.

Any thoughts or additional insight into this first world tragic dilemma?

Cheers,
Zebsterama

 

[clsteve]

Thank you very much for this awesome report. It's our first trip to Universal for eight nights this summer (Myself , DW, DS 12, DD 10). Being the traditional Disney planning nut -- I have this strange underlying need to leave nothing to chance .... yes it is a strange obsessive sickness.

We've gone from originally thinking PBH made the most sense, to booking RPH, to cancelling RPH and booking Club at HRH.

After reading your final instalment .... this info and insight has now made me lean again towards RPH and question our choice --- thank you for once again inflicting this torment upon my being! LOL!

I'm sure any choice will be great --- but this reach for vacation accommodation perfection is truly a DIS board disorder that I seem to share with many. Being a Universal newbie only exasperates things.

For HRH we love the slide & pool for the kids ... and they love Rock n' Roll (we're all going to see American Idiot and Rain [Tribute to the Beatles] this month) --- I'm great with the whole Hard Rock culture as well (used to be a touring musician) --- but I also really like my quiet, calm, non-chaotic time -- and who doesn't like the theme and feel of the Polynesian? OH the horror!! Really worried that I might be missing out by not staying at RPH.

Any thoughts or additional insight into this first world tragic dilemma?

Cheers,
Zebsterama

Ha...! I feel your pain! I think we "Planners" need our own support group- or maybe a special wing in the Betty Ford Clinic

We went back and forth on this, as well. I'd just remember that all three Resorts are going to be rockin' this summer with DA opening. If you've never been, the kids won't know what they've missed between the 2 and the ability to pool hop and resource share really makes a lot of it a non-issue. If it wasn't for that, we'd be more tempted to stay at HRH next time, even if it didn't quite fit what DW and I enjoy as much, just for the pool- since the pool is number one or 1a for the kids when it comes to accommodations.

Oh, and you're really going to love the no plan part once you're there. Although, I did catch myself reaching for my laminated touring plan a couple of times during the trip......