CBBR vs. Royal Pacific

[disneyjr77]

We will be at Universal the last week of August and already have a family suite booked at CBBR. I was looking at Royal Pacific this morning and it would only be $200 more for a queen room.

I feel like it would be totally worth the $200 to upgrade, but am wondering about the not obvious differences in the resorts...how does the food compare? Do they have they have a quick service area like the Bayliner Diner? is it as kid friendly as CBBR? How are the pools?

I'm also thinking since it's the last week of august, the express passes won't be necessary, just an extra added bonus.

So many questions, i know but you guys always give me such great advice

 

[TommyJK]

Looking at last years historical wait times for UO and IOA for the last week of August, I'd rate the crowd levels as "moderate" so you'd be looking at ~30 minute wait times give or take for most of the key attractions (that accept express pass).

In terms of differences, RPR doesn't really have a quick-service restaurant like CBBR. Pretty much all table service restaurants with the exception of Islands Dining Room that has a Breakfast Buffet.

RPR is definitely kid friendly, the boat-like splash area at one end of the pool is great. That being said, CBBR is way more kid friendly IMO and has better pools. Two HUGE pools, one with a water slide and the other with the lazy river, beach-like sand areas with fun games to play. Plus there is a Bowling Alley that I always go to with the kids when they have mid-week lower bowling rates.

My advice would be this:

If you feel you need Express Pass for the visit, take RPR. If not, take CBBR

 

[schumigirl]

They're all kid friendly no matter where you stay.

We hate queueing so will always go for EP. Late August can still be busy especially with VB drawing people to Universal this year and 30 minutes sounds a long wait to me and August is hot!!!

Don't choose a hotel with the pool being your focus. You can pool hop and try any of them. We love RP pool......it's fun and lively without being boisterous and rowdy. Bula Bar has some of the best pool food of any of them.

It's so quick to walk to the parks or you have the boats.......

RP has a quick service for breakfast in Orchids lounge, it's cheap and cheerful.

$200 seems decent to me to go from CB to RPR.........you wouldn't regret it.

 

[wookiebeck]

You are getting a lot more square footage in your room at CB than you would have at RPR. We did 10 days at CB in the suite, the last week of August last year. It was great! The Bayliner food choices were tasty and saved us a ton of $$ over having to do restaurants every meal. The kitchenette in the suite also took the edge off when we bought a bunch of food at the supermarket.

We did not really need the EP, though for a few of the days at peak times, it would have been nice. We just relaxed (pool hop) or took in a show when lines were at 30 minutes.

 

[TommyJK]

Another consideration/factor I would take into account is how many park days do you have planned?

Lines are longest mid-day, say that 11:00 am - 4:00 pm.

When we went last, I'd say crowds were also moderate in the 25-35 minute range throughout the mid-day portion. But since we had 4 park days (it was buy 2, get 2 free promo) not having EP was ok because as wookiebeck noted, we'd Hit the parks from EE to about noon, headed back to CB for a rest, swim, food, then went back to the parks from around 4:30 until closing time.

Having 4 park days and doing mid-day breaks like that made things fine with no EP, allowed us to enjoy the resort more, but still do everything and then some in the parks since we spread out over 4 days instead of crammed through in say 2 days.

 

[disneyjr77]

We have the 3 park explorer ticket, so we can come and go the whole week.

I'm still really torn, it may wind up a coin toss lol is it sad that my one main thing is that we get to take the water taxis?

ETA: i also like the idea of the kitchenette, since we had planned on running to walmart to pick up some breakfast stuff and snacks.

 

[TommyJK]

Put it this way.

Each one has some unique benefits that the other one doesn't, but regardless of what decision you make, you will have an incredible time!

 

[disneyjr77]

CBBR it is...i was just reading the RPR thread and saw they charge $15 plus tax a day for a microwave!! The waits won't be too bad, so EP isn't a necessity. I think with 6ish days in the parks, mid day breaks won't be a problem.

The resort is beautiful and if we were staying during peak times, we def would pick RPR.

As always, thanks for all your input

 

[schumigirl]

Have fun. I'm sure you'll still have a great time.

 

[disneyjr77]

Thanks!

 

[jeffbeardreams]

I bet you'll love it. If you enjoy the look of the resort, and it sounds like you do, then I think you're in for a treat.

 

[JaxDad]

Oh man, now I have to make this decision. I was perfectly happy with my CB Tower Pool View Family Suite for 9-11 June. We're not doing VB this trip, just IOA and US. I knew crowds would be busy, but we only have one hard-core rider, and it was still worth it to just buy him a single EP than to pay the extra for a deluxe. Plus we were at CB in February and loved it!

Now there is an APR rate at RPR that is exactly $90 more than the CB rate I have! We would have EPs for all of us to make our touring much easier. We would be much closer, so transportation would be better. BUT it is just a standard room without a view and is a big downgrade in size, and we really enjoyed the pools, lazy river, quick service food, game room, and general "laid-backness" of CB.

I guess I need to read through these threads...or flip a coin!

 

[jeffbeardreams]

How big is your group JaxDad? The standard rooms at RPR are pretty big and for that difference in price it's absolutely worth doing some mental math on the return on investment. Express makes a huge difference in the experience ... especially in the summer.

 

[quandrea]

We are booked at Cabana Bay right now and I am hopeful Jung and praying for an annual pass discount for my stay so I can afford to move to Royal Pacific. Express pass is so worth it. A thirty minute wait seems long to me too. Everyone's wait tolerance is different and I admit that mine is very low.

 

[JaxDad]

How big is your group JaxDad? The standard rooms at RPR are pretty big and for that difference in price it's absolutely worth doing some mental math on the return on investment. Express makes a huge difference in the experience ... especially in the summer.

It's just three of us--me and son, 13, and daughter, 10. And only two nights. I generally let the kids have their own beds, even if I'm on the floor (I'm retired military and can sleep anywhere). CB was nice with the pull-out couch, but again it's only two nights...

I'm definitely leaning RPR. We've never been, and I always like trying new things!

 

[TommyJK]

It's just three of us--me and son, 13, and daughter, 10. And only two nights. I generally let the kids have their own beds, even if I'm on the floor (I'm retired military and can sleep anywhere). CB was nice with the pull-out couch, but again it's only two nights...

I'm definitely leaning RPR. We've never been, and I always like trying new things!

With only 3 of you, and at only $90 more, I'd change to RPR. Since you've never been it's worth trying something new. Rooms are definitely more upscale compared to CB, and their standard room is indeed bigger than a CB standard room (albeit smaller than a CB family suite).

Plus having EP's for everyone is a huge bonus.

 

[parkesyau]

What are the crowds like last weekend of April 2018. Sat 28 to 1 may
Are weekends usually busy? We are in the same scenario I don't know whether it's worth spending the extra on Royal pacific just to get the express passss. Kids aged 7 and 9 and not exactly the most patient queuers

 

[markkelly]

How much are you paying - I haven't visited universal before but CB is about half the cost of RPR from 24march and very expensive $355+tax per night

 

[disneyjr77]

I don't know how much it is a night, but we have a poolside tower family suite at CBBR compared to a standard queen at RP.