Which Hotel to stay at , and length of stay (Christmas)

[CaptinEO]

Hello,

Wife and I were thinking of going to Universal
Orlando for the first time. How many days would you recommend and what hotels are recommended?

We were thinking of a 4 or 5 night stay, 2 days in the parks, one day of rest, and another 2 days in the parks.

We are leaning towards Portafino Bay, has anyone stayed there?

Would this be enough time to do everything?

Is 2021 a bad year to visit?

 

[Weather_Lady]

Hello,

Wife and I were thinking of going to Universal
Orlando for the first time. How many days would you recommend and what hotels are recommended?

We were thinking of a 4 or 5 night stay, 2 days in the parks, one day of rest, and another 2 days in the parks.

We are leaning towards Portafino Bay, has anyone stayed there?

Would this be enough time to do everything?

Is 2021 a bad year to visit?

I haven't stayed at Portofino Bay, but I've heard good things. (We've traditionally done Hard Rock - my kids' favorite, or Royal Pacific - DH's and my favorite. All fantastic, they just each have their own vibe.) Whatever you do, if visiting during a time that might be busy, I recommend staying at one of the Premier Hotels (Portofino, Royal Pacific, or Hard Rock) so you'll all have Unlimited Express Pass, which takes almost all the stress out of park touring. Also, they're all walking distance to the parks (and also offer quick, convenient boat transportation).

1-1.5 days per park is all you need for Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, particularly with Express Pass. Our first time at Universal, we were only there 3 nights and 2.5 days and we still got to do just about everything. On subsequent visits, we've found 4 days and 4 nights to be perfect, and to allow us plenty of time to tour the parks at our leisure, relax around the hotel pool, enjoy some dinners at CityWalk, and do some other things in the area (e.g., try out a couple of escape rooms, play some mini-golf, or visit a water park).

I don't think 2021 is a bad year to visit, especially if you're all vaccinated -- if anything, crowds might be lower than usual, which is always a good thing. Note that Universal's masking policy is pretty liberal, so it might also depend on your personal level of comfort with being around unmasked people.

We visited Universal in August and had an absolute ball, with the lowest crowds and most cheerful fellow guests we've ever seen. We have Seasonal Annual Passes, so we're looking forward to coming back again over President's Day week in February. (FWIW, when you go to buy tickets, you should look into and compare the cost of seasonal annual passes with the price of a multi-day ticket. If the blockout dates won't be an issue for you, the annual passes will probably be cheaper, AND they can save you about 30% on your hotel stay with a passholder discount. I usually book our room a few months ahead, keep a passholder rate search bookmarked on my browser to check daily, and then modify it or cancel/rebook as necessary to apply the discount if and when the passholder rates get released for our dates).

 

[lebeau]

All of the deluxes are very nice. You really can't go wrong. As Parents pointed out, Hard Rock is the closest to the parks and Portofino Bay is the farthest away.

The decision points are small. For example, Portofino has the most immersive theming. You won't feel like you're in Italy, but you will feel like you're staying in the Italy Pavilion at Epcot. Hard Rock and Royal Pacific are more like traditional hotels with decorations that adhere to a theme (the Hard Rock brand or Pacific islands).

Foodwise I think Portofino has a slight edge thanks to Sal's. Having said that, there's a heavy emphasis on Italian cuisine. So your mileage will vary. Royal Pacific has a lot of Asian-inspired food. There's something for picky eaters everywhere. On site restaurants tend to be on the pricey side and affordable options are limited.

One year our decision was based largely on the hotel pools. When I read how shallow the pool was at Hard Rock, it was a deal breaker for my kids. Other people love the Hard Rock pool. Or maybe you won't care at all.

If you stay at the club level, Portofino has the most extensive food offerings. However, the rooms are spread out all over the hotel and you may have a hike to the club. Conversely, Hard Rock has a level specifically for the club and club rooms but the trade off is that the club itself is small and the menu is limited.

Portofino is my family's favorite Orlando hotel full stop, but I don't think you can go wrong. Since you're leaning towards Portofino Bay anyway, let me know if you have any specific questions.

As others have pointed out, you will have more than ample time. Having said that, we have a very relaxed touring style and always seem to be racing on the last day to squeeze in a couple things before we go home. But with EP, you shouldn't have any issues.

For me, personally, I'm avoiding crowds until all this mess is over. Lots of people are still going this year with no issues, so it's going to be a personal decision.

 

[Weather_Lady]

FWIW, this came out today re: Portofino Bay. I can't confirm or debunk any of it as I've never stayed there, however...

Review: Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando

Loews Portofino Bay Hotel is a premier resort within walking or boat distance of Universal Studios Florida & Islands of Adventure, with unlimited front-of-line Express Pass at rides in both theme parks. This review features

www.disneytouristblog.com

 

[lebeau]

FWIW, this came out today re: Portofino Bay. I can't confirm or debunk any of it as I've never stayed there, however...

Review: Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando

Loews Portofino Bay Hotel is a premier resort within walking or boat distance of Universal Studios Florida & Islands of Adventure, with unlimited front-of-line Express Pass at rides in both theme parks. This review features

www.disneytouristblog.com

It's a fair review. I do think Tom is selling the bathrooms short though. They are HUGE!

 

[GuyFawkes]

Portafino is my favorite. Stayed there at least 4 times. I looks like Italy, food is good, rooms are big. The bathrooms are huge for a hotel.

Add to that the included Express pass and you can't go wrong.

Get an AP, possible room discount and it will be the cheapest option for a 3 or longer days in the parks. Seasonal pass is probably all you need, the AP doubles as a park hopper/2 park ticket which if bought alone is fairly expensive. Express pass is expensive as well.

As far as the walk or boats. The boats run quickly, it's much faster then Disney if you have been there. The only time I have any sort of a wait was at park close. There are also buses from the Portafino but I have never used them. The walk it's self isn't long if you are medium age and in some sort of shape. If you weigh 350 pounds then the walk is probably not for you.

PS......SpaceX has been launching a bunch of rockets lately might want to check out their launch schedule for when you would be there. The Cape is only an hour away from Orlando, if I remember right? You can literally head down there and stand on a beach to watch the launch. The Kennedy Space Launch center is about $60 a day per person and I think there is an added launch day fee? I haven't done that but I have seen a launch there from the beach. It's not something you need to be right next to. https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/info/tickets

 

[Todd H]

I'm booked for a week at Portofino next summer in the Club Level. It's the only deluxe at Universal I haven't stayed in so I'm excited. Price-wise it was less than half the price of a deluxe at WDW and includes Express Pass to boot. We're using the money we saved to stay at the beach for a few days after Universal.

 

[monykalyn]

Don't forget to take time for the shows as well! Yes you can run through all the rides in 2 days with Express, but you will miss some neat things. Grinchmas show, photos with grinch, the extensive Christmas theming (Seussland at Christmas is my favorite), the Horror make up show, Bourne Stuntacular, pet show, Christmas parade, Blues Brothers Christmas show etc. UO does some great atmosphere things that Disney lacks now-yes even with pandemic (*shocked gasp). We did Thanksgiving 2020 and while Grinchmas nor parade were running, just about everything else was-and the Parade floats were in a soundstage so you could walk around and see them. We did Christmas 2019-while crowds were crazy it was still fun!
Portofino is gorgeous and I'll bet you will love it!

 

[lebeau]

Thank you so much everyone! I read each and every one of your posts and it sounds like its a great place to stay. Thanks for sending that URL for the professional website review as well.

We are going to try and make it happen for this holiday, based on everyone's recommendation. Guess 3-4 days is about the sweetspot it seems from what people have mentioned.

The AP sounds super tempting, I can get a good deal on staying there through a travel site but will need to calculate if the AP is a better deal.

Bathrooms won't be an issue as it's just the two of us and no children or other family. I love how there are water taxis, reminds me of when we stayed in New Orleans French Quarter at Disney World.

The water taxis are so much better than the ones at French Quarter. Once we went Universal, we gave up on Disney. It's just a completely different experience. Have a great trip and let us know how it went!

Oh, for the AP. If you are planning two trips in one calendar year the discounts can pay for themselves. Something to consider if you become a Universal convert.