Couple of questions about the Hard Rock - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
PassPorter.com
Award-winning travel guidebooks

   guidebooks   |   news   |   podcasts   |   boards   |   blog   |   worksheets   |   photos   |   articles   |   updates   |   register   |   follow us on


Forums Closed
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.

So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.

Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.

And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.

We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm​. You made it all happen.

There are other changes as well.

Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:

We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.

It's time to move on and move forward.

PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.

But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.

So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.

And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.

That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!

If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.

So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!

Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!

Go Back   PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums > PassPorter's Florida Destinations Beyond Walt Disney World > Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure
Register


Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.

To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.

If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 11-11-2009, 02:17 PM   #1
jhoshowski
Community Rank: Navigator
 
jhoshowski's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Woodhaven, MI
Posts: 6,101

Post Thanks / Like
Couple of questions about the Hard Rock

We will be leaving in a few weeks and I just thought of a few questions:
1. Does the hotel have guest laundry rooms? Are they busy? How much does it cost to do a load?
2. How are the in-room amenities (soap, shampoo, etc)? What is there? How is the quality?
Thanks all - we are getting really excited now!
__________________



Jennifer
My Countdown Counting down to: Remembering LizardCop
I'm on my way!
My Previous Trips1977 to 1990 - Multiple WDW trips; 1980 - Disneyland; 6/95 - WDW, All Star Music; 3/00 - WDW, Fort Wilderness; 4/02 - WDW, Fort Wilderness; 5/04 - WDW, offsite; 12/05 - WDW, offsite; 9/07 - WDW, Port Orleans French Quarter; 8/08 - WDW, Beach Club; 11/09 - DCL, Disney Wonder, 8/13 - Disneyland, Grand Californian
jhoshowski is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-11-2009, 03:15 PM   #2
GoofyMom
Wannabe Snowbird
PassPorter's Club Passholder


What's this?

Community Rank:
Legend Extraordinaire
 
GoofyMom's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 34,137

Post Thanks / Like
I can't really answer your questions because I was there a few years ago and I think what I know is outdated. But I just wanted to tell you I loved staying at the Hard Rock, I would say that it is my favourite Orlando area resort. I felt that it was quite lux and everything about it is high quality.

Being a Loews hotel, they honour the YouFirst card, so if you are a member you can get some nice perks. Luxury Hotels, Luxury Resorts & Hotel Reservations | Loews

Last edited by GoofyMom; 11-11-2009 at 03:28 PM..
GoofyMom is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2009, 07:29 PM   #3
Shell_of_the_South
Yeti Chaser
 
Shell_of_the_South's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Way down south
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 20,411

Post Thanks / Like
Yes - they have guest laundry areas, but I don't remember the cost.

They have a good selection of toiletries; shampoo, conditioner, lotion, cotton balls, qtips. I can't say much about them because I usually bring my own. I think they're pretty good - I always bring them home for my guest bath or for the kids to pack on short trips.
__________________
http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=56033&d=1459510965Michelle - with my step sisters!
My Countdown Counting down to: Going to be a kid again
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips9/00 - ASM, 11/01 - AS Sp/OKW, 7/02 - RPH, 4/03 - HRH, 7/03 - HRH, 10/04 - PC, 10/05 - POR, 5/06 - HRH, 12/06 - AKL, 4/07 - WL/CBR, 9/07 - POR, 4/08 - USF offsite, 7/09 - AKL, 9/11 - AKL, 8/12 - Cont., 12/13 - WL, 9/14- WL, 12/15 - Poly, 5/16 - AKL, 8/16 - WL, 11/16 - POFQ, 4/17 - Cont., 5/17 - WL, 6/17 - AKL
Shell_of_the_South is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-13-2009, 10:58 PM   #4
jhoshowski
Community Rank: Navigator
 
jhoshowski's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Woodhaven, MI
Posts: 6,101

Post Thanks / Like
Thanks. I don't know why I am so worried - probably because Fred has been grumbling about luggage. I am trying not to bring more than I have to!
__________________



Jennifer
My Countdown Counting down to: Remembering LizardCop
I'm on my way!
My Previous Trips1977 to 1990 - Multiple WDW trips; 1980 - Disneyland; 6/95 - WDW, All Star Music; 3/00 - WDW, Fort Wilderness; 4/02 - WDW, Fort Wilderness; 5/04 - WDW, offsite; 12/05 - WDW, offsite; 9/07 - WDW, Port Orleans French Quarter; 8/08 - WDW, Beach Club; 11/09 - DCL, Disney Wonder, 8/13 - Disneyland, Grand Californian
jhoshowski is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-14-2009, 03:26 PM   #5
jovigirlnj
Community Rank: Trekker
 
jovigirlnj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Jersey
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 1,508

Post Thanks / Like
We stayed at the Hard Rock in Aug - we loved it!! Plan on staying there again next time we go!!
__________________

My Countdown Counting down to: Our next Disney trip!!
Finally our trip has come!!! Woo hoo!!!
My Previous TripsWilderness Lodge Dec 2012 MNSSHP & MVMCP in the same trip!! ,Wilderness Lodge and First MVMCP Dec 2011, Saratoga Springs July 2011,Wilderness Lodge Oct 2010(first MNSSHP),ASMovies May 2010, AK Villas Aug 2009 - Universal/Hard Rock Aug 2009, Poly a long long time ago when I was about 10!!
jovigirlnj is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2009, 12:14 AM   #6
Sue M.
Community Rank: Legend
 
Sue M.'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Concierge Level: 2
Posts: 15,667

Post Thanks / Like
Don't know about laundry, but they have lots of toiletries, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soaps, cotton balls, Q tips, body lotion, and they are good quality.
The only thing I found with HR is the halls were loud, they echoed and amplified sound. We were woken up by people walking down the hall late at night and don't think they really were over loud, everything just echoes. Next time I would ask for a quiet location.
__________________
My Countdown Counting down to: WDW WL
back to the lodge
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWDW Aug 2003 LBV Marriott Courtyard, Universal/Sea World/Busch Gardens Aug 2005 Hilton Garden Inn SeaWorld, WDW Aug. 2007 CBR, WDW Jan. 2008 POP & WL, Universal/SeaWorld/Aquatica Aug 2008 Hyatt Place,Sheraton 4 Points, Hard Rock Hotel & Doubletree Universal., St. Pete Beach Aug 2008, WDW Jan 2009 AKL, WDW Aug 2009 POR & WL, WDW Jan 2010 Poly, WDW Jan 2011 POR, WDW Aug 2011 POR & BC CL, WDW Jan 2012 WL, WDW Aug 2012 AKL CL, WDW Jan 2013 POFQ, WDW Aug 2013 Pop, GF, YC: WDW Jan 2014 POR, WDW & Universal August 2014 GF & Portofino Bay, WDW Jan 2015 POR, Aug 2015 Poly, Aug 2016 GF, Sept 2017 DL, Dec 2017 PoP, May 2018 DL, Sept 2018 WL, Nov. 2018 DL And too many trips to count to DL in the 80's.
Sue M. is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-20-2009, 07:45 AM   #7
Peter1958
Community Rank: Wayfarer
 
Peter1958's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: WESTERLY,R.I.
Posts: 173

Post Thanks / Like
Ditto on what everyone said about the supplies.We just asked housekeeping if we needed extras and it was no problem.We just returned a week ago and I have to say that Disney could learn an awful lot from the resort staff at the Hard Rock and Universal staff in general.Happy,shiny people who went out of their way to help you.We actually liked the HRH better than the Poly for a whole lot less money and we felt very relaxed at this resort.We never heard a whistle around the pool because kids were starting to have to much fun.It was my wife and I and it just seemed like there weren't a bunch of rules,just have fun.Sometimes at Disney it gets a little too much like a cattle shute instead of a vacation.Make sure you eat at Momma Dellas at the Portofino.Overall we loved this place and will be back again many times.Disney is still my happy place but this place really is wonderful.Have fun!
__________________
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsPolynesian OCT 1975, Wilderness Cabins MARCH 1993, Polynesian NOV 2001, Caribbean Beach Resort APRIL 2005, Port Orleans Riverside/Y&B Club FEB 2006, Pop Century NOV 2006, Marriott Grande Vista MAY 2007, Caribbean Beach Resort SEPT 2007, Pop Century Jan 2008, Port Orleans French Quarter MAY 2008 Coronado Springs Sept. 2008 POFQ May 2009 CBR Sept 2009 Hard Rock Hotel Nov.2009 POFQ /POLYMay 2010 WL Dec 2010 AllStar Music Jan 2011 POFQ May 2011
Peter1958 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-20-2009, 08:59 PM   #8
ShellingConnie
Community Rank: Jetsetter
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Georgia
Concierge Level: 5
Posts: 2,065

Post Thanks / Like
When you get there, ask them about the All Access card. It's free and gives you a discount on stuff bought at the HRH souvenier store, I believe.

Have fun!
__________________
Me, DH, DS19 and DD15



My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips6 Trips Offsite, Jun05 ASMo, July 07 RPR for SW and US, Sept08 CR, Nov08 Pop, Mar09 CSR,Apr09 CBR, May09 POR Solo Trip, Jun09 WL, May10 POFQ and HRH, Dec10 BWI Solo Trip, Feb11 WL, May11 AKL Solo, Sep11 POFQ Solo Trip, May12 POR solo, Jun13 ASMu, May14 AoA and AKL, Disneyland Jun11
ShellingConnie is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 12-21-2009, 11:39 AM   #9
RosieCT
Community Rank: Sightseer
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 55

Post Thanks / Like
Staying at the HRH as well. Should I request a specific room location? Are there views of the park?
RosieCT is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 12-24-2009, 10:31 AM   #10
Huntermom
Community Rank: Explorer
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Northern New England
Posts: 12,249

Post Thanks / Like
As far as toiletries are concerned, I've never stayed at Hard Rock but have stayed at Portofino Bay and Royal Pacific. My DD really liked the lotion they had in the rooms, so I went to the desk and asked if you could purchase it in the gift shop. The next thing I know, housekeeping is at the door with a large zip lock bag of the lotion.

I have had a similar experience Peter, in that we have always had exceptional service at the Universal resorts. Service at Disney has varied, but we've stayed at Disney many more times than Universal, so we may have just hit it right.

Diane
__________________

Charlie
Huntermom is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Reply



Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump














Please login or register to hide these ads -- it's free and easy!

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:06 AM.

-->

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like v3.4.0 Patch Level 1 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
(c) 1998-2017 PassPorter Travel Press/MediaMarx, Inc.
Celebrating 19 Years of Making Dreams Come True
Ad Management plugin by RedTyger