I could use some opions on Lowes Royal Pacific - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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We just stayed there after Christmas. Overall, I'd say we liked it. I thought the rooms were nice (smallish bath/toilet area, and only one sink, though).
Cons:
The breakfast food at the lobby cafe was awful. They had these great big cinnamon rolls that looked amazing, but none of us took more than one bite before throwing them out. The other pastries weren't worth the $3 price tag.
We weren't impressed with the food at Jake's, either, and they overcharged us for the (only borderline-edible) desserts. The server acted like she was doing us a big favor when she corrected the price even though the price was clearly stated on the menu. Oh, and there was a decent singer/guitar player performing which might have been a plus if we hadn't been seated right in front of the speaker, making conversation impossible (even though we were the only people in the entire restaurant).
$10 charge/day for in-room wifi.
We were in tower 2 which was the farthest from the boat launch. It was a pleasant walk to the parks, though, if you don't have children that insist on taking the boat. I think tower 3 is closest to the boat, if that's important to you.
Pizza flyers were shoved under the door multiple times over our 2-night stay.
TL;DR - The price seemed slightly high but the express passes and proximity to the park was worth it. Look outside the hotel for food.
We stayed there once - the month it opened. We really enjoyed it, and I thought it was a beautiful resort. The pool area is great. I would agree to head to CityWalk or outside Universal for food.
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I agree. Beautiful resort, but look outside the resort for food. Its not a bad walk to Citywalk and there are fun options there to eat - Margaritaville, Bubba's ? Shrimp place and others. We thought it was totally worth it just to be near Universal and to take advantage of the express pass and early morning hours to see Harry Potter.
We've stayed there several times and are in the process of booking another 2 nights for June. I think the hotel is absolutely gorgeous - the theme is so well done. We have only had good times there, and found the staff good as well. We've eaten in several restaurants and enjoy the food there. Generally the quick serve breakfast by the bar and then at least one dinner in the main dining room (can't remember the name). Prices are high but we've had some very good meals. The pool and grounds are so tropical. And the fast pass benefit you get as a hotel guest is the icing on the cake.
I love the RPR. I have had exceptional service there and would compare it to one of the low cost deluxes at Disney-the rooms are about the same size but I think seem bigger than AKL and WL because the bathroom area is smaller.
The grounds are lovely and one time by standard room gave me a look out over IOA and I amused myself watching the Hulk.
Other than room service, I have not eaten there although I am a Loew's member and have gotten in room guest packages and I found the cookies with the cookies and milk were quite nice.
I took an depth tour of all three Universal resorts when I was a travel agent and loved Royal Pacific. I've never stayed, but I thought everything looked wonderful. My parents stayed when it was brand new and really loved the pool.
I do have experience w/ food at Portofino during that same trip. We ate at Mama Della's. It was not good. Maybe it's a Loews thing?
Last edited by Jennifer2003; 01-16-2012 at 08:39 PM..
I also did a resort tour while staying on site at US/IOA--we were staying at Portofino (which is my favorite resort in the world.) Royal Pacific was definitely nice--we arrived very early for a dinner reservation and toured the property. Pool is nice--if a bit crowded (at least in comparison to Portofino, which while I was there had two blissfully empty, gorgeous pools. But again, I love love love Portofino). Lobby/public areas are beautiful, lots of good shops, and a nice tiki bar at the lower end table service restaurant (bar american, i think it is called?) We had a meal at Tchoup Choup--an Emeril restaurant on the grounds of Royal Pacific--and really, really liked it. Best crabcake ever, and the sushi was great. Fantastic ambience to boot. Great service (I didn't like my first dish, mainly due to poor ordering; chef sent out a made just for me entree in its place. And it was SO GOOD.) Of course food is so subjective--I also ate at Mama Dellas and thought the food was fantastic.
To compare it to Disney, I'd say it is nicer than CSR but not quite as nice as POLY--but similar to both. Does that help?
We stayed there a few years ago and liked it mostly. It was just the kids and I.
If my husband had been there, we'd have gone insane. The room that was fine with 3 would have seemed very crowded with 4 in it.
The armoire was humongous and took up way too much space. Plus the teeny table and 2 chairs wouldn't have been enough for us since my husband would have hogged it up with his laptop.
The beds were amazing. They were so comfortable. And the laundry room was neat and clean. The lobby was beautiful.
The kids and I liked the breakfast but we ordered from room service on 2 mornings and the 3rd ate at Burger King in Citywalk.
Do not take the key to the minibar when you check in and hide away the snacks that are on top of the armoire. Otherwise your kids (or husband) will munch on overly expensive snacks while you are in the shower. Or at least that was my experience. Totally my fault since I didn't tell them not to touch them.
We are going back this year and I booked a Jurassic Park Suite so the kids could have their own beds. I'm hoping the extra space and extra TV will make the trip that much better.
Which reminds me - I need to knock off one day. I hope the reservationist doesn't pull the old I have to cancel and rebook at one day less. They did that last time so I had to speak to a Supvervisor to get the extra day removed without doing that.
We have also stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel which I liked better but the kids picked going back to Royal Pacific this year so that's what we are doing.
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Me, DH, DS19 and DD15
Last edited by ShellingConnie; 01-23-2012 at 06:04 PM..
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did room service come on-time? how far in advance should it be ordered?
We did it for breakfast. We actually called the morning of both times we did it since we hadn't planned on staying in the room in advance.
We booked it for 10am both times and it did arrive on time and was nice and hot. I can't remember what time I called room service. Probably around 8am or so knowing me.
Just back from a stay at Portofino Bay and a tour of Hard Rock and Royal Pacific! I loved the rooms at Portofino Bay - HUGE!! But I liked the theming of the Royal Pacific better. The rooms are smaller but the resort is more compact than Portofino which is very spread out. The pools at both are beautiful. Tchoup Chop at Emeril's menu looked delicious but we only ate at CityWalk (Bubba Gump's shrimp which was delicious) and at Portofino (Trattoria del Porto which was ok and Mamma Della's which was delicious and had opera singers! ).
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Totally my fault since I didn't tell them not to touch them.
The rooms are smaller but the resort is more compact than Portofino which is very spread out. The pools at both are beautiful. Tchoup Chop at Emeril's menu looked delicious but we only ate at CityWalk (Bubba Gump's shrimp which was delicious) and at Portofino (Trattoria del Porto which was ok and Mamma Della's which was delicious and had opera singers! 
).
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