Will anyone stay on site any longer?

[dreday3]

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

Read that and then tell me why you would ever stay on WDW property again?

Cheaper, nicer, better theme, express pass, etc., etc., etc.


No Magical Express, no free magic bands, no FP+ booking at 60 days, no free parking.......

Joke

Just personal opinion and I can only speak from videos - Portofino looks very dated (the rooms need some work) and nothing about it really says deluxe to me, compared to any deluxe hotel anywhere. It's got good theming, but so does AKL for example. And I disagree with your article - Yacht/Beach don't lose to Portofino.

Hard Rock- yikes, the entire concept is dated at this point. Ooh Taylor Swift's microphone...Axl Rose's guitar pick!

But now Royal Pacific...that's a hotel I really want to stay at.

So if we do a Universal Trip, we will definitely stay at Royal Pacific.

Also, I think Universal's moderate category wins against Disney - Cabana Bay looks like a lot of fun! They did an excellent job with the theme.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I definitely want to.

 

[Disstevefan1]

With the new genie+, lightening lane and paid fastpass, what is the incentive to stay on property for the premium they charge?

you can get a HUGE incentive to stay at Hard Rock universal by getting express pass and paying $300 per night vs contemporary $900 per night.

you don’t miss out on anything at wdw by doing that (other than 2 hours at night twice per week which is almost nothing) and you save a TON of money while skipping EVERY line at universal without paying for it. Then get a 2-3 day park hopper and buy the 2 FPs at Disney.

There are tons of folks they will still elect to stay in the bubble no matter what the reality is.

Are there better, higher quality, lower priced accommodations off site?

ABSOLUTELY YES.

Folks know this and will stay on site anyway. That's just the way it is.

 

[aliceismad]

Just personal opinion and I can only speak from videos - Portofino looks very dated (the rooms need some work) and nothing about it really says deluxe to me, compared to any deluxe hotel anywhere. It's got good theming, but so does AKL for example. And I disagree with your article - Yacht/Beach don't lose to Portofino.

Hard Rock- yikes, the entire concept is dated at this point. Ooh Taylor Swift's microphone...Axl Rose's guitar pick!

But now Royal Pacific...that's a hotel I really want to stay at.

So if we do a Universal Trip, we will definitely stay at Royal Pacific.

Also, I think Universal's moderate category wins against Disney - Cabana Bay looks like a lot of fun! They did an excellent job with the theme.

I feel the same about Hard Rock. I remember staying at Hard Rock Vegas when I thought it was kinda cool, but that was 20 years ago. The pool area at Hard Rock Orlando looks nice. We looked at staying at all-inclusives in Mexico, and the Hard Rocks were on the list of good reviews, but the look and feel of the resorts were not what we would prefer compared with other options. To each their own.

Portofino itself looks interesting. The painted facades are a choice that I don't think I would be a big fan of, but it's hard to tell without seeing it in person. (See below from the previous link). But the rooms feel very dated to me. (Not that some Disney places aren't also dated.)

Nothing against Universal either. I am happy that there are a lot of options and competition in Orlando. It makes it much more available to a wider range of tastes and interests and price levels. For the right person/family, I think Universal's offerings are fantastic.

P.S. I thought the blog that was linked is one that was frowned upon by the WDWMagic moderators? (Nothing against it personally. I've read quite a bit of that blog, but I have read elsewhere that reliability is questionable.)

 

[Tink76]

With the new genie+, lightening lane and paid fastpass, what is the incentive to stay on property for the premium they charge?

you can get a HUGE incentive to stay at Hard Rock universal by getting express pass and paying $300 per night vs contemporary $900 per night.

you don’t miss out on anything at wdw by doing that (other than 2 hours at night twice per week which is almost nothing) and you save a TON of money while skipping EVERY line at universal without paying for it. Then get a 2-3 day park hopper and buy the

With the new genie+, lightening lane and paid fastpass, what is the incentive to stay on property for the premium they charge?

you can get a HUGE incentive to stay at Hard Rock universal by getting express pass and paying $300 per night vs contemporary $900 per night.

you don’t miss out on anything at wdw by doing that (other than 2 hours at night twice per week which is almost nothing) and you save a TON of money while skipping EVERY line at universal without paying for it. Then get a 2-3 day park hopper and buy the 2 FPs at Disney.

I did read that Disney Hotel Guest will have first pick at Genie reservations. Which means if your outside the world you are in line behind everyone else staying inside. But that information real or not will be revealed when Genie is open for purchase.
We have not stayed inside for over 20 years now. It just became too expansive for a family of 7. There was not a lot of perks back then, your perk was being close to the parks. They did have what we called a Food and Fun card. It included all water activities including boat rentals, and all the restaurants. There was no calculating up what you ate daily. You could eat wherever or whenever you wanted. I remember our server encouraging us to get dessert to go since it increased their tip which was included in the card.

With or without perks, I think staying inside is a great experience for anyone who has not been to WDW. Especially someone with young children it gives them more of a magical experience.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Read that and then tell me why you would ever stay on WDW property again?

Cheaper, nicer, better theme, express pass, etc., etc., etc.

No Magical Express, no free magic bands, no FP+ booking at 60 days, no free parking.......

Joke

It's a common refrain that people are basically fools if they stay onsite given the loss of certain perks.

I would argue that it was no less foolish of people to stay on site because of those perks.

We know now from the Mears pricing model that the value of Magical Express was around $32 per person round trip. Magic bands aren't expensive and cost Disney even less to provide.

I bet that if you did the math, the value of the perks made staying on Disney property "worth it" if you only stayed one or two nights. Any longer than that and you'd be better off with a cheaper offsite hotel and paying for those extras on your own. Just in terms of pure dollar value.

Disney has done a good job making it feel like staying on property is more valuable than it actually is, so aren't we all fools?

No, not really, because many people enjoy the experience of being in the Disney bubble on its own, regardless of extras.

It's not great that they've taken things away but kept prices the same, but this notion that it's a tipping point where people should unequivocally stay elsewhere is an argument I'm not buying.

 

[Jeff4272]

It's a common refrain that people are basically fools if they stay onsite given the loss of certain perks.

I would argue that it was no less foolish of people to stay on site because of those perks.

We know now from the Mears pricing model that the value of Magical Express was around $32 per person round trip. Magic bands aren't expensive and cost Disney even less to provide.

I bet that if you did the math, the value of the perks made staying on Disney property "worth it" if you only stayed one or two nights. Any longer than that and you'd be better off with a cheaper offsite hotel and paying for those extras on your own. Just in terms of pure dollar value.

Disney has done a good job making it feel like staying on property is more valuable than it actually is, so aren't we all fools?

No, not really, because many people enjoy the experience of being in the Disney bubble on its own, regardless of extras.

It's not great that they've taken things away but kept prices the same, but this notion that it's a tipping point where people should unequivocally stay elsewhere is an argument I'm not buying.

Um, you forgot about 60 FP+ booking and dining reservations

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Um, you forgot about 60 FP+ booking and dining reservations

I wasn't offering a complete list, and the value of those perks is harder to quantify. Just as the value of perks can vary by person, so can the value of being immersed in the "magic" of staying onsite.

The notion that Universal is the better choice based on dollar value and perks is very subjective.

I would add that Universal's free Fastpass wouldn't have been a selling point for me. When I was there in early February the standby lines were fine and in fact cleared out by the end of the day. Disney was consistently busier from open to close. I think I'd get better value paying for Genie+ than paying a premium for a higher end Universal resort.

 

[Jeff4272]

I wasn't offering a complete list, and the value of those perks is harder to quantify. Just as the value of perks can vary by person, so can the value of being immersed in the "magic" of staying onsite.

The notion that Universal is the better choice based on dollar value and perks is very subjective.

I would add that Universal's free Fastpass wouldn't have been a selling point for me. When I was there in early February the standby lines were fine and in fact cleared out by the end of the day. Disney was consistently busier from open to close. I think I'd get better value paying for Genie+ than paying a premium for a higher end Universal resort.

huh? what? First off, Universal didnt restrict occupancy as much as WDW did...........and the most expensive UO hotel is half the price of Disney......i think you are confused

 

[Mickey5150]

How to save money on a Disney vacation? Just go to Disneyland instead. Only 2 parks and everything is in walking distance so you can do just as much in half the time.

 

[flynnibus]

But now Royal Pacific...that's a hotel I really want to stay at.

Royal Pacific is nice, but it's pretty much a setup to be a convention hotel. It's nothing special and feels weak compared to peers in the area. It's all about the express pass baby.

 

[flynnibus]

Not interested in Minions.
Not interested in Mummy.
Not interested in Woody Woodpecker.
Not interested in ET.
Not interested in Fast and Furious.
Not interested in Transformers.
Not interested in Shrek.
Not Interested in Jimmy Fallon.
Not interested in the Simpsons.
Not interested in Rip Ride Rockit.
Not interested in Jurassic Park.
Not interested in Dr. Seuss.
Not interested in Kong.
Not interested in Harry Potter.

So I would do Spider-Man, Hulk, and Ripsaw Falls.

Pass.

People complain about Disney IP, but at least it's IP that I like. Universal is 100% IP and it's IP that I don't care about in the slightest.

I would DEFINITELY enjoy Volcano Bay, but not so much more than Blizzard Beach that I'd bother splitting my vacation up to see it.

You sound like the people that hated on Avatar for years... but now would cut their mother to skip the line for FoP

So much is enjoyable without having to be a fan of the IP. You didn't have to be a Yeti nut to like everest either... or westerns to like BTMRR... etc

Mummy, tranformers, spiderman, harry potter, haggrids, gringots, hulk velosicoaster, dudleys, blutos, posidens, are all attractions any fan of theme parks should want to experience... even if only academically. But you'll still have a great time on nearly all of them. And that's without trying any of the B-tier stuff.

 

[sullyinMT]

I wasn't offering a complete list, and the value of those perks is harder to quantify. Just as the value of perks can vary by person, so can the value of being immersed in the "magic" of staying onsite.

The notion that Universal is the better choice based on dollar value and perks is very subjective.

I would add that Universal's free Fastpass wouldn't have been a selling point for me. When I was there in early February the standby lines were fine and in fact cleared out by the end of the day. Disney was consistently busier from open to close. I think I'd get better value paying for Genie+ than paying a premium for a higher end Universal resort.

The express pass is nice, but the real value of the premier hotels at UOR is the walkability of the parks. Like the Epcot/DHS “neighborhood” or monorail resorts for some people.

For us, though, it really isn’t about the “extra” perks so much as the experience of the vacation. It seems silly to some, and I can logically see their argument. But if I’m going somewhere every 24 months or so, it’s a branded experience we’re after. I stay on plenty of Hilton brand hotels up and down the line for CME conferences, youth swim meets, and other reasons. So I don’t want flamingo crossings or even Bonnet Creek. I want POFQ, Sassagoula river tours to DS, and mediocre beignets shaped like Mickey. It’s illogical, but it’s vacation. It’s not the only abnormal choice we make for that 7-10 nights.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Royal Pacific is nice, but it's pretty much a setup to be a convention hotel. It's nothing special and feels weak compared to peers in the area. It's all about the express pass baby.

Agreed. I would say the cheaper Uni hotels are actually more interesting and fun to stay at than Royal Pacific. It just doesn't have a lot of on site services, some areas are really pretty but not a ton to do on-site.

 

[SteveAZee]

You sound like the people that hated on Avatar for years... but now would cut their mother to skip the line for FoP

So much is enjoyable without having to be a fan of the IP. You didn't have to be a Yeti nut to like everest either... or westerns to like BTMRR... etc

Mummy, tranformers, spiderman, harry potter, haggrids, gringots, hulk velosicoaster, dudleys, blutos, posidens, are all attractions any fan of theme parks should want to experience... even if only academically. But you'll still have a great time on nearly all of them. And that's without trying any of the B-tier stuff.

Do you (or anyone reading this) have a suggestion for a guidebook or website for Uni beginners? I'm considering going over there for a day, possible two, on my next trip to Orlando.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

You sound like the people that hated on Avatar for years... but now would cut their mother to skip the line for FoP

So much is enjoyable without having to be a fan of the IP. You didn't have to be a Yeti nut to like everest either... or westerns to like BTMRR... etc

Mummy, tranformers, spiderman, harry potter, haggrids, gringots, hulk velosicoaster, dudleys, blutos, posidens, are all attractions any fan of theme parks should want to experience... even if only academically. But you'll still have a great time on nearly all of them. And that's without trying any of the B-tier stuff.

The vast majority of what you listed aren't family friendly, either, which is another part of the problem.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

You sound like the people that hated on Avatar for years... but now would cut their mother to skip the line for FoP

So much is enjoyable without having to be a fan of the IP. You didn't have to be a Yeti nut to like everest either... or westerns to like BTMRR... etc

Mummy, tranformers, spiderman, harry potter, haggrids, gringots, hulk velosicoaster, dudleys, blutos, posidens, are all attractions any fan of theme parks should want to experience... even if only academically. But you'll still have a great time on nearly all of them. And that's without trying any of the B-tier stuff.

True confession, never cared much about Harry Potter when the movies and books were being released. We planned a trip to Uni years ago and had a ball, and enjoyed the Harry Potter land so much when we went back a few years later with my daughter, and Gringrotts was now part of it too we spent a few months watching the movies leading up to our visit. It does help to have some background, but like you say, not absolutely necessary. My son has never seen the Mummy movies but still loved the ride.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Do you (or anyone reading this) have a suggestion for a guidebook or website for Uni beginners? I'm considering going over there for a day, possible two, on my next trip to Orlando.

"The Unofficial Guide To Universal Studios" is great. I think 2 days are warranted due to the hours not being the longest.

 

[sullyinMT]

Do you (or anyone reading this) have a suggestion for a guidebook or website for Uni beginners? I'm considering going over there for a day, possible two, on my next trip to Orlando.

Orlando Informer has some decent touring guides for beginners, as well as restaurant and attraction reviews.

 

[flynnibus]

The vast majority of what you listed aren't family friendly, either, which is another part of the problem.

That’s where I thought you’d go first given your family- and that is a lot more justifiable. Uni is not great for the small kids.

I don’t try to tell anyone you need to goto uni every trip or need to be there a week, etc. heck, I don’t understand the desire to goto wdw three times a year or even every year… it is just not that repeatable to me. But when people take theme parks as a hobby, even ‘just disney’… they really owe it to themselves to try uni.

it’s like never trying anything besides yellow cake… you gotta explore some… you might see something you like. There are some killer things that make uni worth it… even if one doesn’t like the whole.

haggrids motorbike is worth visiting ioa alone. And then riding spiderman and realizing how old it is and how much is actually going on there.