Universal Satisfaction: 10 Nights Onsite

[Cheesehead9]

My DS 10 and I just returned from 10 days onsite at Universal 8/21 - 8/31. We spent 7 nights at Hard Rock, then moved to Royal Pacific for 3 nights. It was our first time staying onsite and our first visit in almost 3 years.

I have been following the construction of Diagon Alley since the news first broke on NYE of 2011. I knew this expansion would be exciting, but it exceeded my expectations. Here are many of my (spoiler-free) observations and suggestions regarding a trip to Universal - let me know if you have any questions:

Early Park Access (EPA): We did EPA 3 times with good results. EPA guests are actually let in 30 minutes prior to the stated EPA start time (although front desk staff doesn't tell you this). We arrived 1 hour prior to the stated EPA start time, and were the first group at one of approx. 12 turnstiles. We were about 10th in line upon arriving at Gringotts, but before entering the bank, everyone in front of us had to scurry to the lockers and we ended up being the first people of the day to enter the bank/ride. Once completed, we then did single rider 2 times, with 0-5 minute waits.

Other days we arrived 45 minutes prior to stated entry, and had a 10 minute wait for Gringotts one day, and another day there was a problem with the turnstile scanner, and we skipped Gringotts altogether that morning. EPA is a great time for touring Diagon with very light crowds. Also, there is no wait for breakfast at Leaky Cauldron during EPA.

Gringotts was closed during EPA on 1 of 10 days we were there. Luckily, we didn't do EPA that day.

Interactive Wands: This is one of many great ideas implemented by Universal Creative. There are about 20 interactive locations in DA, and about 10 in Hogsmeade. My son took his wand with us every day and never tired of casting spells. Don't use large motions, but instead make smaller motions using only your wrists. Also, locate the sensors and point your wand directly at them.

The sensor tip broke off my son's wand one day, so we took it to Olivander's and they installed a new sensor free of charge.

My Review of Gringotts: We rode this 10 times and it is my new favorite theme park ride. Your enjoyment of it will depend greatly on whether or not you are a fan of the Potter books/movies, and how long you wait in line. The queue is an attraction by itself. It moves briskly, but expect at least one 5-20 minute breakdown as you wait. You can take your favorite drink in line with you, and/or purchase something from the fruit/drink stand that is found within the queue!

I struggle with motion, but this ride isn't bad at all. I think very few people will get motion sickness on Gringotts.

We never waited more than 1 hour in line, although the posted wait was 75 a couple of times. The best time to visit Gringotts is between 245 - 415 in the afternoon. Waits at this time are half of what they are during the rest of the day. EPA can also work well for EPA, as stated above, but make sure to arrive early, and/or use the EPA single rider line. The daytime single rider line is not recommended as it bypasses the fun elements of the queue, moves slowly, and takes nearly as long as the regular queue. Ride queue closes 1 hour prior to park close.

Hogwarts Express: Incredibly themed, fun, and a great mode of transportation between the two parks. Again, non-Potter fans may be underwhelmed, but fans will love it. In the mornings and evenings there are no lines, and we got a cabin to ourselves several times. Peak wait times seem to be 12-3 P.M., which for us was often a 30 minute wait. The ride from Hogsmeade to London is often a longer wait than the ride from London.

Diagon Alley / London: The best themed area in the world. 4 alleys to explore. Regular shows and entertainment on the Carkitt Market stage. Dragon breathes fire every 15 minutes or so. Interactive Goblin at the money exchange was a hit for us. Crowd levels low during last 30 minutes of park hours. You can continue to explore 15 minutes after closing until security gently forces everyone out. Entire area is amazing. Well done Universal!

Hard Rock Hotel: 7 floors at this hotel. Floors 6 and 7 were recently renovated, but 7th floor is the club floor. I called the day before arrival and requested a renovated room, which I received (6th floor) despite arriving at 10 P.M. The room was excellent; 2 sinks, 4 large drawers for clothing, rock n roll themed, empty refrigerator in room.

The breakfast buffet at "The Kitchen" rivals what I have seen at fancy Vegas hotels. Fruit galore, made-to-order pancakes/waffles/omelettes, etc. Inside was cold, but we enjoyed eating outside each day. Shoes are required. Kids 9 and under eat free or at a discounted price, otherwise they pay the adult price of $20. Kids can order cereal for $5 if they don't want the buffet.


Royal Pacific Hotel: Rooms are noticeably smaller than the Hard Rock and could use remodeling. Bathroom tiles look like they're from the 80's. No usable refrigerator (mini-bar only), limited drawer space, and only 1 sink. There are 7 floors, request a high floor for an unobstructed view.

Breakfast is located near the lobby in an open area. Options are a la carte and limited. No eggs other than hard-boiled. Have to (wait) to use a pancake making machine. $5 for 2 small machine-made pancakes. Donuts, cereal, fruits, also available.

HRH/RPR/PBH Pools Compared:: We visited all 3 deluxe hotel pools. We preferred the Royal Pacific pool. It has the most tropical surroundings, 2 hot tubs (I could only find 1 small one at HRH), and my favorite restaurant of the 3 hotels (although the smoking section should be hidden better). My son loved the water play area, which is well-suited for ages 6-12. There is no slide at RPR, but fun slides at HRH and PBH.

The hard-rock pool didn't seem any more "rockin" than the RPR pool. Often you couldn't hear any music at all. There was live music at HRH hotel some days though. The under-water speakers didn't seem to work. The Portofino pool seemed the quietest of all. The HRH pool is the shallowest of the 3 - maybe 4 feet at the deepest point. Portofino is the deepest (I think 5 feet), and Royal Pacific seems deeper than HRH.

Deluxe hotel locations and transportion: HRH has the best location of the resorts. HRH is .35 miles from Universal Studios (using the shortcut opposite the pool restaurant), and .65 miles from Islands of Adventure. Portofino Bay is farthest from the parks, beyond HRH .35 miles (use a shortcut from the PBH road entrance to the HRH road entrance when pool hoping or walking to parks). Royal Pacific is .45 miles to IOA, and .75 miles to the Studios (use the shortcut out of the lobby entrance).

We used the water taxi service a few times, but the wait can be a hassle. Taxis depart every 20 minutes, and go between Citiwalk (not a park entrance), to each corresponding hotel. They do not travel from one hotel to another.

Rickshaws (bicycle taxis) and readily available on the walking paths. We used them a few times, and tipped between $5-7. Note that you can take a rickshaw across Citiwalk, for example, from RPR to Universal Studios.

American Express Lounge: We used this several times. Technically, it's for people who purchased park tickets using an Amex, but they seem to let anyone with an Amex use it. It's hidden on the West side of Shrek (Mummy side). Ask a worker where it is if you can't find it. It's only open from 12-5 P.M. You get free bottled water (not very cold), granola bars, and chips. They encourage you to take some with you when you leave too. There is also a bathroom in the lounge.

Universal Photo Connect: I highly recommend this program, and buying the annual pass star package if you have an annual pass. It was only $50 for us. You scan your card at the end of each ride and it downloads ride photos into your account. There are also photographers in select locations throughout the resorts who will take your picture and they get added to your account. Photographers are far fewer than you will find a Disney. Don't miss the Simpson's green screen photo op, the ET photo ops, and many other character meet and greet ops if you're using this package. We ended up with around 80 photo connect pictures in our online account.

Internet / Wifi speed: The resorts offer free wifi (good for browsing), and premium wifi (for $15/ day). We used free wifi -- I ran a speed test which showed only 1 mb/s download, but 2 mb/s upload. It doesn't really work with youtube videos, etc. but is fine for browsing. There is in-park wifi, but we never endeavored to figure out how to use it... it seemed to ask for a password which we didn't know.

Weather: We went on the hottest days of the year. It was high 90's for a few days. We didn't struggle with the heat. Many rides are indoors and air conditioned. We enjoyed doing water rides in the evening and not getting cold.

I do not recommend renting a convertible in the summer. We rented a yellow camaro, but it's too hot to put the top down anytime the sun is out.


Other tips:

- Don't forget that deluxe onsite hotels charge $20/ day for parking

- Express pass is invaluable and included for deluxe hotel guests

- Fresh fruit cups are available throughout the parks for $4!

- Crowds during the last 2 weeks of August are not too bad.

- Purchase bottled waters offsite and take them to your room. You can even take them in the parks with you.

- Be prepared to buy your kids an interactive wand.

- Cheaptickets and Orbitz tend to have the best rates (using their promo codes) - often better than the annual passholder rates.

- Get lanyards to hold your express passes and admission (they're available in every shop within Universal Resort). Tuck them into your shirt while on rides.

- Don't expect your kids to be grateful angels on vacation. They will likely need to do a little venting from time to time. Just be happy to be with them!

 

[macraven]

planning to return for more fun again?........

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Hi, I loved your very helpful report! Thanks for sharing!
We went to Universal for the first time ever in mid-August, but we only stayed two nights. We plan on going back (looooved Potter) and stay longer next time.
We stayed at RPR and enjoyed our stay there, but might consider HRH some time, for a more spacious room.

You mentioned not having a working fridge at RPR (ditto for us) and I wondered if it was different at HRH. Does HRH have a fridge you can use? I really missed not having one at RPR, but didn't think it was worth it to pay for one for only two nights.

When you are in your room at HRH can you hear the rock music or the bass all the time? One reason I didn't want to stay there was that I thought maybe the rooms weren't peaceful because of the music.

You mentioned your favorite restaurant of the three hotels... which one was it?

Oh, and loved the grateful angels comment.... yep... I totally understand.

Thanks!

 

[huey duey & luey]

I was at the HRH during the same time frame 20-25. It was hot lol
The rickshaws were great, we sent my husband on them a few times as his heat tolerance is really much lower than the rest of them.

I loved the HRH, really loved everything about it, I was on the 5th floor in an un-renovated room but it was still great. The location honestly couldn't be beat. I also loved the music at the pool.

Tinkerbellmagic, I believe all rooms at the HRH come with a fridge We went to publix bought a few cases of water and milk. We would then buy the individual cereal bowls from the marketplace (2.50, so very reasonable)and the kids would eat them in the morning. I usually have oatmeal for breakfast and used the keurig to make it. This really worked for us since we were aiming for EA and I hate to stop for breakfast lol.
Inside the rooms are quiet, We didn't hear any music at all. Occasionally kids running in the halls, but since at times I'm sure someone was listening to my kids it was all good.

Our trip was wonderful, the only thing that was a little bit of a negative was the humidity. I wasn't surprised it is August in central Fla. I just felt badly for my husband, thankfully he also really enjoyed the Hard Rock, since he spent a lot of time there. We went to the parks early morning and again after dinner. Even the pool wasn't refreshing.

And I agree the crowds weren't bad at all!! Even without the express pass most lines didn't look so bad. The majority of visitors seemed to be from England, talk about the most pleasant group of people I have ever encountered.

 

[Cheesehead9]

planning to return for more fun again?........

You bet! We're heading back next August for another 10 nights. We'll probably split our time between HRH and RPR again. 10 nights seems the perfect length for us. We're rested up and ready to go home by the end.

Does HRH have a fridge you can use?

When you are in your room at HRH can you hear the rock music or the bass all the time? One reason I didn't want to stay there was that I thought maybe the rooms weren't peaceful because of the music.

You mentioned your favorite restaurant of the three hotels... which one was it?

Thanks!

Hi Tinkerbell. Yes, the HRH has refrigerators in every room. I think this began recently (it used to be used for a mini bar). Hopefully the other hotels follow suit.

We didn't have a pool view room at HRH, but we heard very little hallway/neighbor noise at both the HRH and RPR. I was actually a little disappointed by the lack of music at Hard Rock. I don't recall the music being loud anywhere. At the pool, there were times I couldn't hear any. I doubt even the pool view rooms can hear anything - especially in the evening.

--- which reminds me - when I checked in, I did rent a guitar for a week. They delivered it to my room and it was great. Deluxe Fender Strat... with a headphones amplifier.

Regarding restaurants, of the 3 pool restaurants, the Hard Rock was my least favorite. I thought the food at the RPR was a little better than the other two. They were all pretty good though. The Palm restaurant at the HRH looked fancy, so we passed on that. My son isn't into Asian or Sushi, so we also didn't eat at the RPR dining areas (only the pool).

The majority of visitors seemed to be from England, talk about the most pleasant group of people I have ever encountered.

Yes, we noticed the same things. I remember hearing the Brits were upset the Wizarding World was in Orlando and not London. It seemed half of the hotel guests were from England - and everyone was very friendly. My son met and played with a boy from London named Harry... he thought that was pretty cool.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

I was at the HRH during the same time frame 20-25. It was hot lol
The rickshaws were great, we sent my husband on them a few times as his heat tolerance is really much lower than the rest of them.

Tinkerbellmagic, I believe all rooms at the HRH come with a fridge.

Inside the rooms are quiet, We didn't hear any music at all. Occasionally kids running in the halls, but since at times I'm sure someone was listening to my kids it was all good.

Our trip was wonderful, the only thing that was a little bit of a negative was the humidity. I wasn't surprised it is August in central Fla. I just felt badly for my husband, thankfully he also really enjoyed the Hard Rock, since he spent a lot of time there. We went to the parks early morning and again after dinner. Even the pool wasn't refreshing.

And I agree the crowds weren't bad at all!! Even without the express pass most lines didn't look so bad. The majority of visitors seemed to be from England, talk about the most pleasant group of people I have ever encountered.

*post shortened by me*
Hi huey, Duey, and luey,
I have a low heat tolerance too, just like your hubby. I stared longingly at those rickshaws, (had blister problems, even with the moleskin) and I am definitely going to try them out next time. In fact, I will include that with my notes for the next trip.

I know what you mean about non-refreshing pools in the summer... like bath water.. not fun.

Hi Tinkerbell. Yes, the HRH has refrigerators in every room. I think this began recently (it used to be used for a mini bar). Hopefully the other hotels follow suit.

We didn't have a pool view room at HRH, but we heard very little hallway/neighbor noise at both the HRH and RPR. I was actually a little disappointed by the lack of music at Hard Rock. I don't recall the music being loud anywhere. At the pool, there were times I couldn't hear any. I doubt even the pool view rooms can hear anything - especially in the evening.

--- which reminds me - when I checked in, I did rent a guitar for a week. They delivered it to my room and it was great. Deluxe Fender Strat... with a headphones amplifier.

Regarding restaurants, of the 3 pool restaurants, the Hard Rock was my least favorite. I thought the food at the RPR was a little better than the other two. They were all pretty good though. The Palm restaurant at the HRH looked fancy, so we passed on that. My son isn't into Asian or Sushi, so we also didn't eat at the RPR dining areas (only the pool).

Yes, we noticed the same things. I remember hearing the Brits were upset the Wizarding World was in Orlando and not London. It seemed half of the hotel guests were from England - and everyone was very friendly. My son met and played with a boy from London named Harry... he thought that was pretty cool.

Hi Cheesehead9,
I'm glad HRH has the fridge you can use. I hope RPR gets the empty ones too. While we really enjoyed RPR, I know someone in my family that would love to stay at HRH some time.

So cool about the guitar! We also enjoyed the pool bar at RPR. We're not into fancy or sushi either.

Hmmmm... so it looks like what I read about being able to hear music from other guests' rooms and from the hotel (which is why I didn't want to stay at HRH) isn't exactly true.

Yes, love the Brits. Listening to them and how much they love being on vacation, always bring smiles to our faces.

Can't wait to go back to Universal and we just got back a few weeks ago.

I still feel like a Uni newbie and am enjoying all the hints and tips.