Universal vs Disney

[stevechase]

We stayed at the ASM for our first on site hols, and I would quite happily go back there. My wife wants to try somewhere different, what are the Universal hotels like, they do look quite smart, especially the newly opened Royal Pacific Resort.

Has anyone been there yet? and how do they compare to Disney

Thanks

Steve

 

[UKDEB]

Steve,

We stayed at HRH for 2 nights last summer and we've booked again for 2 nights during our trip this year. We loved the HRH and the whole experience of staying onsite at Universal - everything is within walking distance and FOTL is a big bonus.

I can't imagine doing Universal without staying onsite now and I can't wait to try out PBH and RPH. The only reason we're staying at HRH again is that our friends' son will be celebrating his 21st birthday whilst we're there and HRH was his choice. Not that we're complaining - it's a fabulous hotel.

Having said all that, I don't think I'd want a Universal hotel to be our base for the entire stay. Last summer we spent 2 nights at AKL, 2 at HRH and the remainder at a private villa. This October we'll be there for 3 weeks, mainly in a private villa and just the two nights at HRH. Why don't you consider splitting your stay between Universal and WDW - best of both worlds. If you book independently (which is far simpler than you might imagine) you can get some good discounts. There were some really good deals available for RPH for this year. I'm not sure what deals are about at the moment - try posting on the Universal forum.

 

[stevechase]

Thanks for the info Debbie,

have a great hols

Steve

 

[pauldents]

Steve,

I highly reccomend a stay at one of the Universal Resorts, especially the Hard Rock. There are some really good rates available ( $149 on expedia & $99 with entertainment card) and the Front of the Line Card is worth the money, alone. Check out the Universal Board.

As for Disney resorts V Universal resorts. I think each resort has their own advantages of staying on-site, but Universal swings it for me. The access to the Universal parks is great ( 5 minute walk or boat ride) and Disney cannot compete with FOTL access.

I haven't been accross to the Royal Pacific yet, but i have had a good walk around around the Portofino and it looks great. The PB is set like a mediteranean fishing village and is less livley when compared to the HR, but very romantic.

The Hard Rock has a great pool area, complete with underwater sound sytem ! The rooms are great aswell ( got to be the best beds in Orlando - just ask anyone who has stayed there), every room has a CD player ( they give you a CD when you check-in) and many stars have stayed in the Graceland/Hospitality suites at the hotel including Whitney Houston, Oasis, Robby Williams, Nelly Furtado , Elton John etc etc Apparently when the Hard Rock was celebrating it's first anniversary a few months back, they had the Beach Boys playing poolside !

My only niggles with the Hard Rock would be the $6.00 daily parking charge, the shallow (4ft pool) and no balconies, but other than that i feel the HR is perfect.

Hope this helps

Paul

 

[stevechase]

Thanks for your help Paul

It sounds great, I will look into it further

Steve

 

[daywalker]

Haven't they scrapped the front of line card or changed it? I understand tat loads of people simply kept going round & round to the front of lines but this caused alot of complaints from others who were attending the park? Best bet is go when it is quiet anyway

 

[pauldents]

Yes, the FOTL policy has changed. Apparantley you can only ride the Hulk and the Spiderman ride once per hour, which is just fine. As far as i know these are the only rides at the moment with bar code scanners to check how many times you have been through the express lines.

Paul