Thinking of venturing out of Disney property for a couple of days....help needed!

[Debs Hill]

We always spend our hols at one or more WDW hotel. Next time we would like to spend a few days at one of the Universal hotels and take advantage of the no lines policy for guests! I'd love to hear from anyone who has stayed at both WDW hotels and Universal about how they compare. Which Universal resort would you recommend? Has anyone stayed at the Royal Pacfic? We usually stay at Boardwalk Villas. Thanks in advance for your help and opinions!

 

[UKDEB]

Originally posted by Debs Hill
Thinking of venturing out of Disney property for a couple of days....help needed!

Just make sure you take medication and join a support group before you leave home!

Seriously, we have stayed at the Beach Club, AKL and HRH. I was a little bit disappointed with the BC - it was our first onsite experience and it didn't really live up to expectations. We only stayed there one night, though, which I think was the main problem and maybe it wasn't a great choice of resort for us. It was great being so close to Epcot, but I preferred the theming of the Yacht Club and the BoardWalk. D'oh! Trust me to get it wrong!

Last year we spent 2 nights at AKL followed immediately by 2 at HRH. Both resorts were equally fabulous in totally different ways. The ambiance at AKL is something else and I would go back like a shot. HRH is (surprisingly) sophisticated and soooo cool! The pool area is fantastic. Nothing much to choose between the two foodwise - we loved Jiko and Boma at AKL and The Palm at HRH (in fact Jiko and The Palm are probably my 2 current favourites). Of course, you are within walking distance of all the CityWalk restaurants at HRH. I would go back there like a shot too. In fact, I am!

I've said this loads of times before, but being onsite at Universal is the only way to do it, IMHO. Everything is within walking distance of everything else and FOTL is just the icing on the cake.

 

[richard3330]

Hi There,

We are massive fans of Universal Studio's Portofino Bay Hotel. Ok, it is quite expensive but it really is such a magical and beauitful hotel - I am sure you would love your stay there. The theming is superbly carried out to a meditteranean fishing village and the amenities and facilities of the resort are great. The restaurants are superb and the staff couldn't seem any friendlier.

The rooms at Portofino are really beautifully furnished and a good size - about the same, probably even bigger, than a disney deluxe resort. The bathrooms are really huge and beautifully furnished.

Universal Express is a exclusive bonus and probably the best bit of visiting an on-site universal hotel. You can skip-the-queue of any Universal/IOA attraction - this comes in extremely handy, especially if you are visiting 'peak' time. Plus Portofino is within easy, short walking distance of both parks AND citywalk.

We have visited many WDW resorts and still keep returning, the disney resorts are great for true disney magic and fantastic theming, but I feel the rooms could be larger and better equipped.

Still, I love both WDW and UO resorts and agree with Debbie, Staying in a Universal Hotel is the ONLY way to do Universal, without the hassle of queues and parking.

I was hoping to stay at Portofino again, this Xmas but unfortunately it was fully booked.

But overall, I highly reccomend Portofino Bay and the Universal hotel concept,it doesn't have the same 'disney magic' but still sticks out as one of our firm favourites.

Richard.