Help with Hotel choice

[stalkingmickey]

I am heading to Disney in Sept and plan on going to Universal for 2 or 3 days (know espcially with the 2nd harry potter area) so I was considering staying at one of the Universal hotels. I noticed none have any balconies. This does not appeal to me. I have stayed at Disney at the POLY, AKL, BC, YC all club level. I will be there during a hot time so a good pool is on the list. Any feedback on the hotels at Universal would be great TIA

 

[JT3000]

Portofino has some balconies. You probably have to request those rooms specifically.

You can pool hop between all three hotels.

 

[KLeigh]

Portofino is beautiful! I highly recommend it. Enjoy your trip!

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Can only vouch for the HRH, stay there every trip to Orlando, IMHO better than any of the Disney hotels. Club 7 is nice, but to be frank like most concierge perks, totally disposable. The pool is shallow, not great for swimming, but great for lounging with an adult libation. Despite the hype about the sound system, its not tht clear when you are under the water. Pool is popular with the kids, and that cabanas tend to be back from the pool quite a bit, where it is quieter.
Always found balcony's a bit pointless in Florida, air con is fine and never seem to spend any time on the damn thing anyway. I dont think the HRH has any, the windows dont open.
For me the HRH has a great relaxed atmosphere, though I knoww its not to everyones tastes.

 

[StageFrenzy]

I've stayed at Portofino and RP. I preferred Portofino by a large margin, a lot of the rooms in RP need some upgrades. While Portofino just got some beautiful new renovations in the room. The pool areas at all resorts are great. When staying at universal resorts you can use express pass on check in day AND check out day.

 

[RTeker]

and no one can vouch for the new Cabana Bay but it will be open by then according to the Uni site

 

[Disneyhead'71]

The Deluxe Rooms at Portofino Bay have balconies.

 

[StageFrenzy]

and no one can vouch for the new Cabana Bay but it will be open by then according to the Uni site

Well I have a hard time recommending a place that hasn't opened yet and a location that doesn't have EP. However depending on the opening pains/value of the resort, I may recommend it in the future.