Royal Pacific Resort (Universal Orlando)

[starbaby0103]

We just got back from a 4 night stay at the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando. All I can say is that it was way better than I ever expected! We had a standard garden room (2 queen beds). The room was very clean, spacious and beautifully decorated (as was the rest of the hotel!) The best part was the view! We were lucky enough to score a room that overlooked Islands of Adventure! We had a great view of the Hulk, Dr. Doom's Fearfall, and Dudley Do Right! RPR is only about a 7-10 minute walk to Islands (add another 5 to get to US) and the best amenity of all is that all Universal resort guests get front of the line access! We found the resort staff to be very friendly and helpful (possibly even more so than certain CMs we've encountered)!

I was actually dissapointed when we booked the room because I had my heart set on the Hard Rock Hotel (it was all booked), but I was obviously pleasantly surprised by the quality and comfort of RPR.

The only downside here is, of course, the price. Considering we normally go priceline all the way, RPR is considerably more pricey than what we usually do. We did get a discount due to the fact we have annual passes for Universal Orlando, but it was still a nice chunk of change for a 4 night stay. But if you are looking to splurge, I highly recommend this one!

 

[May Queen]

I'm glad that you enjoyed yourself. I stayed there two summers ago. Yes, it is very pricey, but I believe that the front of the line pass makes it all worth while. then again, I went in the middle of August! I'm glad that you had a good view...we got a view of the road! But it was all good!
~May Queen

 

[java]

You know they now sell that front of the line pass! I think they limit the number per day- but you can just buy the FOTL access pass- thinking it was around $30? But that is cheaper than a hotel room! lol- we love the Royal Pacific but our family size=6 has now priced us out. They have limited connecting room options(if I recall they don't have any) and the suites are $$$$$.

 

[damo]

You know they now sell that front of the line pass! I think they limit the number per day- but you can just buy the FOTL access pass- thinking it was around $30? But that is cheaper than a hotel room! lol- we love the Royal Pacific but our family size=6 has now priced us out. They have limited connecting room options(if I recall they don't have any) and the suites are $$$$$.

Yes but the front of the line pass you buy allows you only one ride per ride. If you are the type of person who likes to ride certain rides more than once, it really isn't the way to go.

Also, if you have a family of four, $120 for passes goes a long way towards a hotel room. Especially when you can usually get the Royal Pacific for around $150/night using AAA.

 

[stargrazer]

Glad to hear you had a good experience there. I've stayed there and also Portofino (not Hard Rock yet though) and my experience with RPR was really, really bad. Portofino is one of my top 5 hotels in the US but unfortunately my experience with RPR was the exact opposite. It's a beautiful facility but check in took almost 2 hours (no joke) and checkout was just as bad. The room itself was very nice, but for us the extremely poor service throughout the resort for the price just didn't work for us. Not to mention we were supposed to have a 2 bed suite reservation but they claimed to only have king suites left so DD10 ended up on the sofabed where she got almost no sleep. We were so tired and aggravated we left the hotel without going to Universal and headed to Blizzard Beach (WDW) instead.

The upside to this is that our stay was back in October 2004 so I'm sure any service issues have been addressed by now!

 

[Ub_Iwerks]

We stayed at RPR a couple of weeks ago and loved it. I wouldn't call the Standard Room "spacious" as the original poster said, but we still would stay there again, especially if we could get a suite of some kind. The room was probably about the same size as your average Holiday Inn room, but way, way nicer. The decor was much nicer than the Disney deluxes and along the lines of a Westin, but better. I also liked the bathroom/vanity area. We also had excellent service!

The best part to me was the pool and beach! My kids wanted to stay there instead of going to the parks. I'll post more about it later, and will answer any questions.

 

[TaraPA]

Thanks for all the reviews, good & bad. I'm a die hard Disney fan but DH has a conference at RPR next month, so I thought I'd take the family down & hit Universal with DS6 & DS9. DH company will pay for the room, we have 2 free tickets with FF miles (plus DH is paid by the company) and Universal has the $85 per person per week park passes - can't beat that! How are the restaraunts at RPR? With just the kids & I we will want to eat quickly - anything good to grab & go? I might try the Universal Meal Deal, it's a bargain if you eat all 3 meals in the parks, but not sure how many places in the parks have breakfast. Any comments on that?

 

[SharonLowe]

Thanks for all the reviews, good & bad. I'm a die hard Disney fan but DH has a conference at RPR next month, so I thought I'd take the family down & hit Universal with DS6 & DS9. DH company will pay for the room, we have 2 free tickets with FF miles (plus DH is paid by the company) and Universal has the $85 per person per week park passes - can't beat that! How are the restaraunts at RPR? With just the kids & I we will want to eat quickly - anything good to grab & go? I might try the Universal Meal Deal, it's a bargain if you eat all 3 meals in the parks, but not sure how many places in the parks have breakfast. Any comments on that?

If all you want to eat is burgers, fries and pizza, the meal deal is okay. But, the number of restaurants is *very* limited, the food at those restaurants is very limited, and they are *very* picky about making sure you only get what is on the plan - no subs. It didn't work for us because we are vegetarians.

We only stayed one night at RPR when I took my DD down to Orlando for a girls weekend (stayed 2 nights at Nick Hotel and spent the night at Discovery Cove in tents one night). We stayed concierge and the food was great - ate b'fast there; great snacks and drinks in the evening. So, only meal we had was at Tchop Chop - awesome food but not fast food. RPR does a breakfast buffet and they have a "kids dining room" plus they offer a continental b'fast in the Orchid Lounge.

We loved the hotel but the pool was just "ordinary." Very easy to get to the parks and City Walk which has lots of dining choices - rode the water taxi or walked. For lunch, we went to Margartiaville in CityWalk - fun and pretty good food for a chain. The FOTL privilege is a definite plus!

 

[naominpaul]

If all you want to eat is burgers, fries and pizza, the meal deal is okay. But, the number of restaurants is *very* limited, the food at those restaurants is very limited, and they are *very* picky about making sure you only get what is on the plan - no subs. It didn't work for us because we are vegetarians.


We loved the hotel but the pool was just "ordinary." Very easy to get to the parks and City Walk which has lots of dining choices - rode the water taxi or walked. For lunch, we went to Margartiaville in CityWalk - fun and pretty good food for a chain. The FOTL privilege is a definite plus!

Just my two cents worth about the meal deal options. If you check the menu offerings carefully you can find options for ceasar salads (with or without chicken) and pasta dishes for vegetarians. We actually found the meal deal to be a value but did not get it for the kids...just adults. Just like the disney dining...it depends on your eating habits.

We LOVED the Royal Pacific and we went in August 06. We did have to ask for a change in rooms due to a long walk and a toddler with the first room assignment, but they were super accomodating. The great thing about Universal is they allow pool hopping. My boys really wanted to check out the HRH pool, so we walked over there after an afternoon at Studios. We are returning in June 2007....we cannot wait. I do wish they were not so pricey, but if you shop around for discounts you can usually make it work.

The FOTL thing is well worth it especially if you have young kids. We purchased the express pass a couple of years ago and were very disappointed as we like to ride some things multiple times. It was just one ride per pass....bummer. We won't do that again.

 

[naominpaul]

Just wondering how your trip went. We LOVE Universal.....I hope your visit and stay at the RPR went well.

 

[Vertex]

I stayed a week ago.

Yes it is very lovely place and I loved it.

But it was all good!

 

[Brandon_G_from_KC]

Universal and Loews have created great resorts, and quite frankly these three are why disney has asked the four seasons to help class up their hotel offerings. None of disneys deluxe resorts compare to these three. Loews at Universal, the Swan and dolphin (Westin & Sheraton) are much nicer offer better restaurants, better service, room service, better beds, soap, etc.

just my thoughts,

Brandon

 

[starbaby0103]

i definately agree! the swan/dolphin (and preferably the swan!) are the best hotels "on property"....i think the other disney deluxe hotels are beautiful on the outside, but the rooms are seriously lacking! i know that, for us, it's a much better deal to splurge on a Universal hotel.

 

[amery]

My wife and I stayed there 2 summers ago as I was attending a conference onsite.

Definately one of the nicest resorts I have ever stayed at albeit pricey. The restaurants were great including Emeril's new place. Loved the pool area and easy access to those 'other' parks. We had a car and were able to hit all of WDW while down there so it was definately an active week.

 

[Simbee3]

I am glad that for the most part many seem to like RPR. We are going in August and for the beginning of our trip we wanted to stay there. Still haven't booked, because I was waiting for my airfare.
Now that the airfare has been purchased I am trying to figure out if I should stay one night with a friend or a cheaper hotel for the first night. Our flight arrives kind of late, so I really can't justify staying onsite that night.
I will have to show this thread to my husband so maybe he will then have some input. Because up until now everything has been whatever you want to do hun.

 

[livie1205]

I LOVE RPR ......I am a big disney person but universal resorts are so much better....I have never paid more than 134.00 a night at RPR (fl res) ...and if i go to universal I always stay there, EXPRESS PASS is much better when you just stay onsite.If you buy the express pass you can only use it one time and if you saty at the resort you can use it for as long as your at the hotel even day of check out....IMO worth evry penny...oh also I have never had a problem with a room or check in, also walked right up and was checked in within minute...and if you do stay there spend a little extra a do the dinner show,BEST 50 BUCKS I EVER SPENT the food was top notch not to mention the show.