Universal hotel suggestions for family of 5

[goofy4wdw2]

What are the best options at Universal that accommodate a family of 5? We'll have two adults, a 9 year old, 7 year old, and almost 4 year old. Is staying in one of the Universal hotels worth it to get the Universal Express (shorter lines?) and early entry? We haven't done Universal since before kids and really forget so this is all new to us. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[tarheel618]

I think Express is worth it. I think all the deluxe hotels fit 5- I think they give you a roll away bed. With the extra bed the room will be tight but we are only in the room to sleep so that wouldn't matter to us.

The time saved with Express is wonderful- especially with kids who want to ride a certain ride over and over again. It allows them to do so.

We were there last night without express and as we were leaving my youngest DD asked when we could stay onsite again to get the express passes.

 

[damo]

The three deluxe hotels all have standard two queen bed rooms that will work for you. You can bring along a blow up air mattress or pay $25 extra a night for a cot.

You can also get the deluxe room at Hard Rock which has two queens and a full pullout couch.

Personally, I would go for one of the three deluxe hotels with express. You won't regret it.

 

[goofy4wdw2]

Thank you! Which deluxe hotel do you prefer?

 

[goofy4wdw2]

Thank you! Which deluxe hotel do you prefer?

 

[ps17]

We like HRH and here is why: Short walk to the parks. Rock and roll theme - we like the pool, the restaurants. Typical day at UO: Over to HP for early entry to beat the crowds - then use express to see the rides we like. Back to the pool by noon - hang out there either in cabana or lounger. Listen to the music (there often is a solo guitar performer at the pool), have a cocktail, watch sports at the pool bar or in the cabana, sleep, sun while the kids play in the pool, or ping pong, or shuffle board, or volleyball.

Nice rooms and like the rock and roll vibe of the whole place. I am sure that the other hotels have their pluses, but we like HRH for said reasons..

 

[tarheel618]

We have only stayed at Royal Pacific because I always can get a cheaper price for it. Short walk but the standard rooms are the smallest of the three deluxe resorts. We've always had a good stay there. If/when I book again, I am hoping to stay at HRH because my girls want to stay there.

I think the Portofino standard room are actually have the most room of all the standard rooms. It is a little further away but with 5 people you might want the extra square footage.

For us- I love being able to walk to the park and not have to wait on transportation there.

 

[wookiebeck]

Goofy, I grew up near Valley Forge, so we're neighbors!

Fitting 5 in one room, we did Portofino. It has the largest rooms for a little more money. And still lots cheaper than two rooms.

Also, the pool at PBR is the best for the kids. You can pool hop, but realistically, you probably won't do that with your kids ages. And they will love the slide and zero-entry beach and waterfalls and hot tubs

 

[goofy4wdw2]

Thanks everyone! How far is the walk from the hotels to the parks?

 

[ps17]

Shorter than the walk from Contemporary to MK or Beach Club to World Showcase lagoon. 5-10 minutes.

Also another reason we like the HRH - newly remodeled rooms.

HRH could use a better excerise Gym but there are nice running/walking paths along that little river....

 

[wookiebeck]

Walking times are:

HRH is about 5 minutes to USO, 10 to IOA.

PBR is 10-15 to USO and another 5 to IOA.

RPR is 10 min. to IOA and another 5 to USO.

For PBR, we took the boat for every trip. We figured to save our feet for the parks. For RPR, we took definitely the boat when we were going to USO.

Everything is still better than getting to MK at WDW (trams included).

 

[ps17]

Walking times are:

HRH is about 5 minutes to USO, 10 to IOA.

PBR is 10-15 to USO and another 5 to IOA.

RPR is 10 min. to IOA and another 5 to USO.

For PBR, we took the boat for every trip. We figured to save our feet for the parks. For RPR, we took definitely the boat when we were going to USO.

Everything is still better than getting to MK at WDW (trams included).

There is also an unofficial path from HRH to UO. It is not the preferred way but it is quick: Go out the front door or by the Palm, go downstairs to the Parking lot and angle left and then find an opening to the road - take a left and you are there. Much faster than the pool or lawn routes...

 

[anorman]

Definitely stay on site. The express pass is so worth it. We have done US and IOA both offsite and onsite.....I cannot stress enough how much of a difference it makes to stay onsite. We will never do Universal without an onsite stay ever again. It is such a pleasure to have the express pass perk.

We prefer the RPR over the HRH. The theming at RPR is warm with south pacific decor. Our kids loved the gigantic pool with the kids activities and pool side movies. They don't have a slide but they have a wonderful play area for kids and two hot tubs for the adults. There is greenery everywhere giving the resort a cozy feel. Every night they have a torch lighting ceremony next to the poolside bar/restaurant so if you time your meal right you will have ringside seats .

To be fair, we haven't stayed at HRH but we did visit and took advantage of the opportunity to use their pool. I found the decor to be too white and it seemed cold and unwelcoming to me. The pool was okay and had underwater speakers (which I found to be a underwhelming feature) but I still prefer the RPR pool area and overall the RPR definitely wins out for me by a long margin.

 

[2girlsmom]

We've stayed at all 4 of the onsite hotels now, and I would say whether the express is worth it would depend on when you are there, though it is great any time, if you are there when it is busy, it is a life saver. Of the 3 deluxes, we love Royal Pacific for theming, but like the deluxe rooms at Hard Rock for space. We only have 4 but my teens are insistent that they will not sleep together in the same bed, so for us it ends up either 2 rooms at RPR or the deluxe at Hard Rock, way cheaper to do Hard Rock at that point. If we are going in the slower times, though, we really do like Cabana Bay as well, the family suites have 2 queens in the bedroom area plus a pull out couch in the living room area, and the theming (50-60's motor lodge) appeals to my kids, as do the pools and lazy river. The only downside here is that it does not include the express (you could always buy it, but might not be cost effective), but you do still get early entry, which is great.

 

[disneysnob]

I have 2 reservations booked for our family of 5. I need to cancel one of them but I just cannot decide. Its for 3 nights at either the HRH or PBH in June. Both are standard rooms, dbl queens. I keep going back and forth on which reservation to keep.
My Pros for HRH: closer to walk to parks (although, how much difference is it really?) Theme: 3 kids, late teens, pool with speakers (though, I guess not really a pro, just something different.
Pros for PBH: Bigger room size (does 25 squ ft really make that much of a difference?) Like the double sinks in the bathroom. Seems more quieter, and its the Portofino!
We never stayed onsight before, and have only been to Universal twice, years ago, each time as a daytrip from WDW.
Any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[damo]

I have 2 reservations booked for our family of 5. I need to cancel one of them but I just cannot decide. Its for 3 nights at either the HRH or PBH in June. Both are standard rooms, dbl queens. I keep going back and forth on which reservation to keep.
My Pros for HRH: closer to walk to parks (although, how much difference is it really?) Theme: 3 kids, late teens, pool with speakers (though, I guess not really a pro, just something different.
Pros for PBH: Bigger room size (does 25 squ ft really make that much of a difference?) Like the double sinks in the bathroom. Seems more quieter, and its the Portofino!
We never stayed onsight before, and have only been to Universal twice, years ago, each time as a daytrip from WDW.
Any advice is greatly appreciated

HRH has two sinks as well.

It basically boils down to style. I would just look at photos of each resort and the rooms and go with which one you like the best.

 

[hpriamson]

HRH has two sinks as well.

It basically boils down to style. I would just look at photos of each resort and the rooms and go with which one you like the best.

HRH has a second sink outside the bathroom, which is superior IMHO. If someone's using the toilet, someone else can still be using the sink. Can't do that at PBH unless your family is a lot closer than mine is.

 

[goofy4wdw2]

Do rooms in Royal Pacific Resort have two sinks? Thanks!

 

[disneysnob]

HRH has a second sink outside the bathroom, which is superior IMHO. If someone's using the toilet, someone else can still be using the sink. Can't do that at PBH unless your family is a lot closer than mine is.

Too funny! I did notice that difference, and I think that sealed the deal on HRH It's nice to have the extra "get ready, brush teeth, wash, hair,make-up..." area, while not taking up the shower/toilet area . Now I'm on a mission to find a discount so I can upgrade to the HRH deluxe

 

[mdsd8700]

Too funny! I did notice that difference, and I think that sealed the deal on HRH It's nice to have the extra "get ready, brush teeth, wash, hair,make-up..." area, while not taking up the shower/toilet area . Now I'm on a mission to find a discount so I can upgrade to the HRH deluxe

Just returned last night from a stay at the HRH in a deluxe queen. There were 4 of us. Myself, my husband and our kids 18 and 21. Since they are the opposite sex the ability to each have their own bed was important. At 500 square feet there was plenty of room and the bathroom set up with one sink outside the bathroom and another inside was great. The small area where the closet is with the fridge and a large counter was great. We stopped at Publix and had plenty of room for our breakfast foods and snacks/water.

We also were on the first floor near the end of the hallway close to the exit and the walk to the parks was even quicker given our room location.

We really like the HRH it was our second stay and for our family this our hotel/room of choice. I got a promo code from Orbitz and they often run 20% and sometimes 25% off the rates. Cheap Tickets also does the same.