Universal Loews Royal Pacific Resort - anyone stayed there?

[JulieSharp]

Hello

Just wondered if anyone on the forum had stayed at Universal Loews Royal Pacific Resort and what you thought about it? rooms...food...pool
Does anyone know if you can request a fridge and microwave?

We are wanting to stay for 3 nights, 2 adults and 1 child in August. Originally wanted to stay at the Disney Poly, but the price is £687 as opposed to RPR £408 using the same dates.

Any info or personal experiences would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance

 

[DISWolves]

Hello

Just wondered if anyone on the forum had stayed at Universal Loews Royal Pacific Resort and what you thought about it? rooms...food...pool
Does anyone know if you can request a fridge and microwave?

We are wanting to stay for 3 nights, 2 adults and 1 child in August. Originally wanted to stay at the Disney Poly, but the price is £687 as opposed to RPR £408 using the same dates.

Any info or personal experiences would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance

Hi Julie
Like you, we will be first timers in August, so I am also interested in peoples thoughts. Like a few other DIS'ers, I managed to bag a couple of nights in the 7 for 4 offer that was available before Christmas.
FOTL pass will also come in useful with the opening of Harry Potter.

 

[kevin harrison]

Hello

Just wondered if anyone on the forum had stayed at Universal Loews Royal Pacific Resort and what you thought about it? rooms...food...pool
Does anyone know if you can request a fridge and microwave?

We are wanting to stay for 3 nights, 2 adults and 1 child in August. Originally wanted to stay at the Disney Poly, but the price is £687 as opposed to RPR £408 using the same dates.

Any info or personal experiences would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance

If Joshua needs medicine, then you can get a fridge for no charge. If you have a disability badge and are driving, then you can get free parking also.

I stay at the Hard Rock Hotel always. Try there, you'll love it.

 

[rpbert1]

Like PP said you get the fridge free if you have medication that needs to be kept cool, no microwaves allowed in the rooms.
there is NO FREE PARKING if you have a Disabled badge, they stopped this last year , prior to this it was free, but everyone pays, unless you are lucky enough to not get charged ,as this does happen.
have been staying onsite for 5 years now, love RPR pool , its big and plenty of loungers around the pool, rooms are nice, we are lucky to get free upgrade to Suites as i am YouFirst Platinum card holder.We usually stay 3 weeks and travel to the other parks we want to visit, as its really only about 15 mins to DTD
food is good at RPR, the Bula grille at the pool is excellent , Jakes is ok, but we prefer The Islands for food, and you should be ok for character dinner there.
You can also walk to Citywalk for food its a 7min walk from the pool area to CW, or take the water taxi, and you can also use the other resort pools, but you probably know this.

 

[coastergirls]

We have stayed in all three and if money were no object we would pick Hard rock. However if we had no kids we would chose PB. RPR was a lovely hotel but was spoilt a bit for us as we had been to other two before trying RPR. Also had issues with staff and drunks at pool and beer bottles etc lying about. I know that was a one off thing and it wouldn't stop us going back. We always go club and eat at citywalk for our evening meal . Never eaten at RPR but have eaten at other two. Rooms are smaller at RPr which was an issue for us as we are 5. Girls preferred pools at HRH as they had a slide and music played underwater . Portofino have good kids pool as well.You can pool hop. You will really enjoy it . We like all 3 hotels for different reasons.

 

[UKDEB]

Hey there, Julie. We've stayed multiple times at all three Universal resorts and find it difficult to pick a favourite. Based on value for money, though, RPR wins. We totally buy into the whole island living vibe (we're big fans of both Jimmy Buffett and the Tommy Bahama brand), so it suits us down to the ground.

The lobby lounge is a beautiful oasis and now has a sushi bar in the corner. The Islands Dining Room is surprisingly good for what it is - the hotel's all-purpose dining option - but the resort also boasts Emeril's Tchoup Chop. We loved it the first time we ate there when it was still very new, but we had a less than stellar experience a few years back. We decided to give it another chance during our most recent stay at RPR and I'm pleased to be able to say I can thoroughly recommend it once more.

It's an easy and pleasant walk to CityWalk, or you have the water taxi option.

Check out my trip reports for further detail and photos.

This one has photos of the room and lobby lounge.

This one has a review of Tchoup Chop, together with photos.

 

[kevin harrison]

Like PP said you get the fridge free if you have medication that needs to be kept cool, no microwaves allowed in the rooms.
there is NO FREE PARKING if you have a Disabled badge, they stopped this last year , prior to this it was free, but everyone pays, unless you are lucky enough to not get charged ,as this does happen.

Three visits and we have had free valet parking each time, due to having a disabled pass, last time was September. Robert - we have discussed this before !!

 

[rpbert1]

yeah i know, but they stopped offering the free parking, [paid last year for the first time in 5 years, but this was not with a disabled badge], i even had a chat with vice president of Youfirst about it, but they do not offer free parking with disabled badge. This stopped when the Loews progaramme changed to You First, and anyone who gets it free good luck to them, but hotel policy is everyone pays.

Point is, they do not offer free parking to everyone, and because someone got it does not mean everyone will. I paid last year at 50% off does not mean i tell everyone you will 50%off parking , or i have never paid in all my previous visits , so everyone is entitled to it free. Loews policy is everyone pays for parking irrelevant weather you have a badge or not.

 

[JulieSharp]

Thanks for the replies.

To be honest we are still undecided, we really want a few nights at a theme park located resort, and would ideally prefer to be MK or EPCOT based, but it's finding a balance between cost and what we need. As we fly PE the flights are already through the roof, but my husband in particular doesn't really fancy the whole holiday in a villa and likes at least for some nights being able to go out without taking the car.

Just with our son we feel we need at the minimum a fridge and a microwave, John phoned up RPR and they don't rent them out - whereas the Dolphin hotel do.
Just finding value as well as what we need, walking or monorail access to a park is a big bonus for us, but GF, Poly, Boardwalk villa prices we don't want to pay.

Thanks a lot for replying to my thread anyway.

 

[wilma-bride]

Thanks for the replies.

To be honest we are still undecided, we really want a few nights at a theme park located resort, and would ideally prefer to be MK or EPCOT based, but it's finding a balance between cost and what we need. As we fly PE the flights are already through the roof, but my husband in particular doesn't really fancy the whole holiday in a villa and likes at least for some nights being able to go out without taking the car.

Just with our son we feel we need at the minimum a fridge and a microwave, John phoned up RPR and they don't rent them out - whereas the Dolphin hotel do.
Just finding value as well as what we need, walking or monorail access to a park is a big bonus for us, but GF, Poly, Boardwalk villa prices we don't want to pay.

Thanks a lot for replying to my thread anyway.

Have you considered renting DVC points again Julie?

 

[JulieSharp]

Have you considered renting DVC points again Julie?

Yes Joh, we have considered every possible option I think, and gone round in circles on most of them.
We did rent points for our only ever on-site stay at the Boardwalk, but I understand that you can no longer post a thread on the DVC rent section on here?
In addition the dollar rate is poor and it's rare we see anyone advertising anything at less than $10 a point, and you get the impression to get a good deal you need to spend hours watching the DVC forum, I rarely post to be honest though I browse regularly, and it just seems hard work doing it this way now.
Also whilst BWV is I believe 26 per point, ideally the Bay Lake resort is our first choice, that though I think is 31, so more points at a poor $ rate.

We did have a look round GF and Poly, but cannot justify the cost, at the moment Dolphin/Swan is probably the favourite as I am AAA member and the cost isn't that bad. It is just finding something closer to the villa cost for the extra 3 nights, we have 13 already booked at villa, and the option is there to add the first 3 too as I think there is a 5 or 6 day gap between the previous renters leaving. Hubby says no chance anyone will book them, so that is our stand by plan.
Dunno whether John has ever mentioned it, but our boy doesn't really always like going out later in the day, he is up v.early most days, so it suits John better to have somewhere for at least a few nights where he/we can go out without driving...it's just finding balance between, cost, where we want to stay location wise and Joshua's needs. Very difficult to explain but we have to always think about him all the time, it is difficult to put it into words.

wow this is my longest post ever!!

 

[JulieSharp]

Sorry I probably should have added to my above but we do not want to stay at the Old Key West and Saratoga resorts, although they are cheap I know.

Unless we get a pin code or an offer from the mousesavers.com, I think Dolphin is the favourite at the moment.

 

[wilma-bride]

Firstly, congratulations on your longest ever DISboards post

Secondly, although you can no longer post on the UK boards, there is nothing to stop you asking/posting on the US DVC rent/trade board with your requirements and how much you are willing to pay. You never know, an owner may be willing to work with you on your terms.

As far as understanding your circumstances, obviously I can't even begin to imagine but I do understand why John (and you) would want a bit of a break from the driving to/from the villa and there's no denying that onsite is convenient to say the least.

I had a quick look at the DVC points charts and the points amounts you quoted above didn't seem to equate to anything as far as I could see. What dates are you looking at?

Don't lose hope, although I have heard that the Swan/Dolphin is nice and they have got an offer on at the moment (although I wasn't able to get the rate advertised when I checked for our dates).

As far as RPR goes, you definitely can get a fridge there ($10 per day charge) although if you needed a microwave too that still wouldn't work as I'm fairly sure you can't get them.

 

[disney_princess_85]

I can't believe they charge $10 a day for a fridge. The hotels are supposed to be Universal's equivalent to WDW's deluxe resorts!

 

[JulieSharp]

Firstly, congratulations on your longest ever DISboards post

Secondly, although you can no longer post on the UK boards, there is nothing to stop you asking/posting on the US DVC rent/trade board with your requirements and how much you are willing to pay. You never know, an owner may be willing to work with you on your terms.

As far as understanding your circumstances, obviously I can't even begin to imagine but I do understand why John (and you) would want a bit of a break from the driving to/from the villa and there's no denying that onsite is convenient to say the least.

I had a quick look at the DVC points charts and the points amounts you quoted above didn't seem to equate to anything as far as I could see. What dates are you looking at?

Don't lose hope, although I have heard that the Swan/Dolphin is nice and they have got an offer on at the moment (although I wasn't able to get the rate advertised when I checked for our dates).

As far as RPR goes, you definitely can get a fridge there ($10 per day charge) although if you needed a microwave too that still wouldn't work as I'm fairly sure you can't get them.

The points prices are correct for late August, 26 and 31.

You cannot start a thread on the DVC rent trade boards anymore, you can only respond to someone saying they have points available.
Definitely cannot get a microwave at RPR, we have phoned them up.
We haven't lost hope - just thinking it through, if we have to stay at the villa so be it. Thanks for replying to the thread.

 

[wilma-bride]

The points prices are correct for late August, 26 and 31.

For BWV (late Aug) for BW/Pref view (Fri/Sat night) is 24 points not 26.

You are correct in that BLT is 31 (for MK view).

You are only looking at 2 weekend nights though, presumably, so it won't be 24 or 31 points for all 3 nights. I don't know how much it would cost you to get the extra 3 nights at the villa but, once you factor that cost in, it may seem a bit more reasonable.

Another option to keep the costs down is to consider standard view for BWV - far less points - or lake (or even standard) for BLT. Whilst I appreciate it's not necessarily going to give you the best views, I thought it was more the location you were looking for anyway Just a thought

You cannot start a thread on the DVC rent trade boards anymore, you can only respond to someone saying they have points available.

I did not know that - I obviously need to brush up on my DIS boards knowledge.

 

[JulieSharp]

Hey there, Julie. We've stayed multiple times at all three Universal resorts and find it difficult to pick a favourite. Based on value for money, though, RPR wins. We totally buy into the whole island living vibe (we're big fans of both Jimmy Buffett and the Tommy Bahama brand), so it suits us down to the ground.

The lobby lounge is a beautiful oasis and now has a sushi bar in the corner. The Islands Dining Room is surprisingly good for what it is - the hotel's all-purpose dining option - but the resort also boasts Emeril's Tchoup Chop. We loved it the first time we ate there when it was still very new, but we had a less than stellar experience a few years back. We decided to give it another chance during our most recent stay at RPR and I'm pleased to be able to say I can thoroughly recommend it once more.

It's an easy and pleasant walk to CityWalk, or you have the water taxi option.

Check out my trip reports for further detail and photos.

This one has photos of the room and lobby lounge.

This one has a review of Tchoup Chop, together with photos.

Thanks for posting these Debbie.

 

[JulieSharp]

For BWV (late Aug) for BW/Pref view (Fri/Sat night) is 24 points not 26.

You are correct in that BLT is 31 (for MK view).

You are only looking at 2 weekend nights though, presumably, so it won't be 24 or 31 points for all 3 nights. I don't know how much it would cost you to get the extra 3 nights at the villa but, once you factor that cost in, it may seem a bit more reasonable.

Another option to keep the costs down is to consider standard view for BWV - far less points - or lake (or even standard) for BLT. Whilst I appreciate it's not necessarily going to give you the best views, I thought it was more the location you were looking for anyway Just a thought



I did not know that - I obviously need to brush up on my DIS boards knowledge.

It's 'dream season' and DVC points charts Sun/Thu shows BWV Standard as 26 points.
We arrive Sunday Aug 22nd.

 

[sandshal]

Stayed at all 3 .... Portofino ... classiest but furthest out, HRH ... fab fun but maybe more for teens and adults, RPR ... I thought was sub-standard of the other 3 (but only my opinion) Pool in particular was quite dirty.

I'd have thought Josh would be best at the Portofino, he'll enjoy the peace and theres a slide in the pool too ... little far out, but the boat trips very relaxing and the FOLP is worth it's weight in gold!!!

Hope this helps

Sharon

 

[luke]

Really gonna have to book this ASAP!
No rooms left on Expedia (HRH has gone up to £250!!) or many other places.

Still got rooms from Universal direct (well, Loews) so will have to finally make my decision I think and bite the bullet!