universal studios and hotel hotel

[wideeyes]

hi I am still in planning mode for booking a holiday to Orlando. I was thinking of combining AKL and the Poly however I have now come up with the Idea for 7 nights at AKL at wdw and 3 nights at US. I was wondering what your ideas are on this, and which hotel at US you would recommend.

I have a 5 year old dd so wondering is they enough to do at US for 3 nights for her to do there as I have been advised by a relative that they is not much to do there for younger children.
Also what characters are there?

I really don't know much about US as I have never consdeired it before as I assumed it was for older children.

 

[mushumadness]

theres things for you to do at universal, but you may not be able to do quiet a feW rides depending on how tall your dd is and what kind of rides your willing to let her on. I mean no offence by that just that you may not want her to go on rollar coaster style rides,

universal studios will have things she can go on like et etc,

your looking at characters like shrek, scooby doo, woddy wood pecker, betty boo, yogi bea. etc

we do both the universal parks in two days but then theres only two of us.

We are taking a 7 year old this year, and dont plan to take her to islands of adventure because theres no way shes going on rollar coasters yet even if shes tall enough, so we will spend most of the time in wdw.

 

[Frances999]

We have stayed at both Hard Rock Hotel and Portofino Bay Hotel. Whilst I liked both, HRH is definitely our favourite.

The HRH is the closest of all three of the resorts. Using the short-cut around the swimming pool, you can be inside Universal Studios within 5 minutes flat. The rooms are spacious (although not particularly large) and the service has always been good. "The Kitchen" is a great place to go for breakfast - it isn't cheap, but the food is wonderful and it is served buffet-style.

The pool at the HRH is truly one of the most amazing complexes. There is music piped in underwater and a slide and sand beach which my DS and DD enjoy. The pool bar is great too - and there is lounger service available. I would recommend hiring a pool-side cabana as well - a great way to spend an afternoon relaxing.

The Portofino Bay is more luxurious, with much nicer rooms. However, on both of our trips here we found the service to be appaling - with the staff having very poor customer service skills. Also, transportation is an issue. Portofino is the furthest hotel from the parks - and there are usually long lines for the bus service and water taxi. After walking around one of the parks, our three children were in no mood to walk the 10/15 minute walk back to Portofino. So, this meant queueing for the water taxi - and often the line took up to 30 minutes+

Having said all that, we do like the theming of the resort. The restaurants (again) are great, and the waterside is really beautiful. The theming is very authentic and once again the pool complex is wonderful. The villa pool is especially nice.

Our three children were 3, 5 and 7 on our trip last year. I certainly don't think that Universal is only for older children. There is definitely lots to keep older children happy, but there are still numerous attractions for little children as well. One of the best things about Universal Orlando is how compact the resort is - I love that you can easily walk between the two parks and citywalk, and back to the hotels if you wish.

There are quite a lot of characters at Universal, but my three only really enjoy seeing Disney characters! I remember seeing Shrek and the Cat in the Hat on our last trip. There were others too, but I don't remember their names! I personally think you will be able to keep your DD occupied for three nights. I don't know about your DD, but my three enjoy just swimming in the pool as much as visiting the parks - so that's a good way to spend some time. We usually find that we visit one of the parks in the morning, return back for a swim early afternoon, then head back to the other park (or citywalk) in the evening.

I have a trip report for our HRH stay here , and also one for our latest stay at Portofino (the link for this one is in my signature). HTH.

 

[Claire L]

I would suggest the Royal Pacific as it has got a water area for kids at the pool. As for things to do Citywalk has some restaurants and also the huge cinema complex so maybe catch an early evening movie. There are loads of characters about in the Kids Zone area of Universal Studios for a 5 year old to enjoy. At Islands Of Adventure there is the large Seuss area with Cat in the Hat etc.

Claire

 

[Miffy2003]

Don't miss Suess Landings at IOA - I'm looking forward to that more than my DDs I think

We are staying at the HRH for 4 nights and are looking forward to it very much!!

 

[magicmouse2]

I second the recommendation for the royal pacific resort. It a stunning hotel and cheaper than the others. it is very close to IOA and walking distance to. Wehave been taking our 3 kids to US since 2002 when DD was only 4.

 

[wideeyes]

I thanks for your replys, my dd actually loves being in the swimming pools more than the parks. She will like seeing Shrek and scooby doo however she would pefer minnie mouse and the disney princesses to them as she is very girly.

I think that if they is less to do and it is more compact will be able to have a slower few days and not rush around as much trying to get every done.

I will have a look in more detail at the hotels, I like the sound of HRH being close to the park, I was not sure how suitable it was for younger children though. I have also had a look at the the Royal Pacific and it does look lovely..

 

[wideeyes]

I have a trip report for our HRH stay here , and also one for our latest stay at Portofino (the link for this one is in my signature). HTH.

Thanks you for the link. Your pictures are excellent and really useful. Both the rooms look gorgeous.

 

[UKDEB]

We've stayed at all three Universal hotels. I go along with everything Frances says about HRH and PBH. RPR is a little further from CityWalk than HRH, but still easily walkable (when we were there in January, dh and I often walked whilst my brother and his wife waited for the water-taxi - we beat it every time).

If you were considering the Poly, then RPR might be a good bet for you given the similar Polynesian theming. All three hotels would be in the deluxe category if they were at WDW. I suppose PBH would be the equivalent to Grand Floridan (i.e. the flagship resort).

There really is plenty to keep small children occupied at both parks. The proximity of the hotels, parks and CityWalk makes for a very enjoyable, stress-free stay.

Not sure how we've managed a Universal thread without mention of FOTL! A fantastic benefit, especially given that Express Pass is no longer available to the general public.