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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.

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There are other changes as well.

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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.

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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!

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Old 01-03-2011, 06:06 PM   #1
tigersprinkles
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hotels

which hotel is good at universal
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Old 01-03-2011, 06:41 PM   #2
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Royal Pacific

I love the on-site Royal Pacific. Staying on-site has definite perks above and beyond what WDW does for guests. Because of staying on site, we were able to get into HP early on opening weekend...ride everything we wanted and shop in the stores before the park even opened to the general public...which most people waited in line all day just to get into HP. Plus we were able to ride every ride in both parks in less than a day, and go back to our favorites the second day because of the express line! So worth it! The Royal Pacific is the closest to Islands of Adventure, about a 10 minute walk. The rooms were nice (even better then the Gaylord where I stayed the last part of my trip) and the staff friendly and helpful. I can't wait to go back next Christmas...
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Old 01-03-2011, 07:12 PM   #3
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We liked Royal Pacific, but our favorite is the Hard Rock, because it's so close to the parks.
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Old 01-03-2011, 10:33 PM   #4
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Our favorite is the Hard Rock. It is well worth the money-they have us spoiled- Evan our 6 year old is spoiled by the Hard Rock Staff.
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Old 01-04-2011, 12:39 PM   #5
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I've stayed at the Royal Pacific and Portofino Bay. I don't think you can go wrong at any of the Universal hotels. They are beautiful and I have found service to go above and beyond.
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Old 01-04-2011, 07:22 PM   #6
MBUS
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We've stayed at the Royal Pacific 3 or 4 times now. It's a gorgeous hotel with a great staff. The boat to the park is great, as are the perks of being on site. Getting to the park early was a must this summer to see the Harry Potter stuff. And the Express Pass, even in the off season, is an amazing perk. I love being able to skip the lines and ride Men in Black over and over...

We've never tried the other hotels, but I prefer the theming of the Royal Pacific and we enjoy it so much I have no interest in trying the other hotels. The food is good, too.

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Old 01-06-2011, 09:44 AM   #7
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The Universal hotels are very nice hotels! Definitely deluxe quality hotels. I like Royal Pacific (stayed there once), but my favourite is Hard Rock (stayed there twice, once in Club Level, once in a regular room). Both are beautiful and of course, close to the parks - Royal Pacific is closer to Islands of Adventure and Hard Rock is closer to Universal Studios. I personally prefer the rock n roll theming at HRH with the lighter contemporary colours, and I love the walk to the parks from there. RPR is beautiful but I found it too dark for my tastes. You are allowed to pool hop although we never found time to do that. The pool at RPR is awesome for young children because of the splash pool. Teens seem to prefer HRH's pool, and it has a waterslide and underwater music. If cost is an issue check the prices carefully because usually the RP is cheaper, but sometimes HRH is. I've stayed in a Club level room at HRH (like Disney's concierge level rooms) but I personally wouldn't recommend spending the money on it, if you are considering that. For comparison's sake, I prefer Disney's Concierge level to Universal's Club level. The rooms were nicer but the Club level area seemed very disorganized, wasn't kept well stocked and the staff weren't eager to help (the difference between Loew's employees vs Disney employees perhaps?)

I've never stayed at Portofino Bay.

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