Universal Questions

[crispy]

We are considering doing a Universal trip in mid-October for 5 nights. My girls are 5 and 7, and I think they would enjoy it. We want to do a budget trip so I am now weighing my options.

Looking at the UO website, I can do 5 nights at a partner hotel with tickets and two days of free dining for around $1100. This is definitely budget friendly because the hotel has free breakfast so many of our meals would already be covered.

I also received an email that gave me a 40% discount off one of the on-site hotels. Royal Pacific is not available during the week we are looking at, but I can get Hard Rock for $174 a night or Portofino Bay for $185 per night. I know these are phenomenal rates so I am very tempted to do this.

Here are my questions:

What type of resort fees am I looking at?

The biggest perk would be front of the line access, but do you think this will be necessary in mid-October? We will also plan for two days in each park.

Which hotel would you choose between Hard Rock and Portofino Bay? I am leaning towards Hard Rock right now because it looks more kid-friendly, but I have obviously never stayed at either so feedback would be appreciated.

 

[danpam1024]

We are considering doing a Universal trip in mid-October for 5 nights. My girls are 5 and 7, and I think they would enjoy it. We want to do a budget trip so I am now weighing my options.

Looking at the UO website, I can do 5 nights at a partner hotel with tickets and two days of free dining for around $1100. This is definitely budget friendly because the hotel has free breakfast so many of our meals would already be covered.

I also received an email that gave me a 40% discount off one of the on-site hotels. Royal Pacific is not available during the week we are looking at, but I can get Hard Rock for $174 a night or Portofino Bay for $185 per night. I know these are phenomenal rates so I am very tempted to do this.

Here are my questions:

What type of resort fees am I looking at?

The biggest perk would be front of the line access, but do you think this will be necessary in mid-October? We will also plan for two days in each park.

Which hotel would you choose between Hard Rock and Portofino Bay? I am leaning towards Hard Rock right now because it looks more kid-friendly, but I have obviously never stayed at either so feedback would be appreciated.

I am a die hard HRH fan and HIGHLY recommend it
Resort fees- just taxes and parking
Mid October tends to be slower, but remember US closes early on certain dates for HHN. EP is always nice to have

 

[HTF]

Figure 30-45 dollars a day for included taxes and fees at the Universal Resorts but remember free express lol.

 

[crispy]

Thanks for the input! Any recommendations for UOR with a 5 and 7 year old?

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

A bit young, to get the best of the parks. But our youngest was 2 when we first went and it was still enjoyable. That was a long time ago and they are all Uni mad now. We have stayed at the HRH on every trip since it opened and feel that the Uni hotels are all equal or better than de luxe resort hotels at WDW, though theyre not too shabby either.
The character breakfast was good any time we did it and the location of the hotels to the parks means you can get drenched at IOA in the morning walk back to the hotel and change and go to the studios in the pm, not missing anything because of your Express privileges.

 

[JillC LI]

We did Uni in October and crowds were not a factor requiring an EP, but the early entry to the WWOHP is another nice perk of staying onsite. Either way, get there early and make the most of your day before the parks close for HHN. With 2 days in each park, the EP is somewhat irrelevant anyway - you'll get to everything and more than once.

 

[luv]

I do not like HRH. Service is good, I just do not like the theme at ALL.

Adore RPH and PBH, but there is just nothing about HRH that I like. Maybe that colors my opinion, but I think that RPH is best for kids, followed by PBH.

If you can swing it, the hotel hotel is worth it. Your whole trip will be 100x better. IMO.

 

[crispy]

I do not like HRH. Service is good, I just do not like the theme at ALL.

Adore RPH and PBH, but there is just nothing about HRH that I like. Maybe that colors my opinion, but I think that RPH is best for kids, followed by PBH.

If you can swing it, the hotel hotel is worth it. Your whole trip will be 100x better. IMO.

Royal Pacific was our first choice, but they have nothing available that week. I figure there must be a convention or something. Thanks for the input! I m going to have my family look at pictures and see what is more appealing. I personally am partial to Portofino, but I was thinking that Hard Rock was more kid-friendly and a bit closer to the parks.

 

[lilclerk]

I stayed one night at HRH last year. The location was amazing, and the pool is pretty cool, but I wonder if your kids will be a little too young to appreciate the "rock n' roll" theme.
Here's some pictures of my room. The bathroom was the coolest part. The view was pretty sweet, too.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/siriusthinking/sets/72157629278305059/

 

[danpam1024]

Royal Pacific was our first choice, but they have nothing available that week. I figure there must be a convention or something. Thanks for the input! I m going to have my family look at pictures and see what is more appealing. I personally am partial to Portofino, but I was thinking that Hard Rock was more kid-friendly and a bit closer to the parks.

The Emcee at the pool is fantastic- tons of kid games at the pool mid afternoon. We started going when our son was 7. He LOVES the pool and would rather stay there than go to the parks! Tons of other kids to make fast friends with while you relax for a bit. Great slide, Volleyball, Beach Club, game room, pool table- all right there. The walk (or rickshaw ride) to the parks is peaceful and beautiful. The Kitchen is also VERY kid friendly and on the weekends they have entertainment - once we had a magician go from table to table (DS was in heaven). Personally I found the atmosphere FAR more relaxing at HRH compared to PB (a bit "stuffy" for me), but like I said- I'm partial

 

[crispy]

Well, after showing my family pictures and videos, they all voted for Portofino Bay so I just booked 5 days there. From what the lady told me on the phone, we will be able to use any of the pools at all three hotels so I am sure we will end up visiting HRH at some point during the week.

I now have to figure out the ticket and restaurant options. I am getting very excited!

 

[Scuttle]

Well, after showing my family pictures and videos, they all voted for Portofino Bay so I just booked 5 days there. From what the lady told me on the phone, we will be able to use any of the pools at all three hotels so I am sure we will end up visiting HRH at some point during the week.

I now have to figure out the ticket and restaurant options. I am getting very excited!

Don't forget that at the three hotels on property you can take complimentary town car rides back and forth between the hotels. The doorman will give you a voucher. Remember free ride but the guys work on tips.

 

[kittybubbles]

Our daughter is 7 and she loves Potofino. We have only stayed there twice, stayed at RP once and have not yet tried the Hard Rock. Any, she really enjoys PB. I think it is mainly that she enjoys seeing the ducks by the water in the morning.

She also loves the parks at UOR, she is a thrill seeker though, so I think that helps, but the rides she is tall enough for are not too over the top, I was just a little surprised at how much she loves Revenge of the Mummy...then again, she really wants to ride the Hulk coaster.