Royal Pacific or Portofino Bay

[lafogg]

The boats are truly lovely! Plan on the boats. If the boats aren't running, it will probably be storming and you'll want to take the buses then.

I am looking forward to the boat ride! It looks like a beautiful hotel. I'm excited for my sons to see it. We will go visit RP, so I have an idea and maybe will try on a future trip.

 

[Disney Ron]

I caved...Portofino availability opened up again with a club level queen room. I switched from RP. I hope I don't regret it. I went back and forth and thought I don't know when I would do this again and it's for my son's 14th birthday and 8th grade graduation. I don't like the idea of a longer walk, but I found a post about a shortcut walk. I will obsess about RP vs PB until we get there, lol.

PBH & RPR are our 2 favorite resorts. You can't go wrong with either one. Enjoy your trip.

 

[lafogg]

PBH & RPR are our 2 favorite resorts. You can't go wrong with either one. Enjoy your trip.

Thanks! Feeling better about the switch.

 

[sparky68]

I believe the room refurb was 5 years ago in 2016. The lobby refurb was in the last 2 years and looks great.

Ahhha. I heard refurb and didn't realize it was just the lobby.
I stayed at Hard Rock just before and right after a refurb. I kinda didn't really notice an improvement. Felt about the same.

 

[sparky68]

I caved...Portofino availability opened up again with a club level queen room. I switched from RP. I hope I don't regret it. I went back and forth and thought I don't know when I would do this again and it's for my son's 14th birthday and 8th grade graduation. I don't like the idea of a longer walk, but I found a post about a shortcut walk. I will obsess about RP vs PB until we get there, lol.

Do they still put the club rooms around the resort at PB, instead of on one or two floors?

 

[Beckyb3]

I caved...Portofino availability opened up again with a club level queen room. I switched from RP. I hope I don't regret it. I went back and forth and thought I don't know when I would do this again and it's for my son's 14th birthday and 8th grade graduation. I don't like the idea of a longer walk, but I found a post about a shortcut walk. I will obsess about RP vs PB until we get there, lol.

i am the same exact way! I have RP booked but I am still debating switching for the bigger room. I too will probably obsess over it until we get there or there is no availability. I am sure either choice is fine though so there should be no regrets.

 

[Disney Ron]

We are going to UO 8/9-8/20 and we were so torn between the 2 resorts I had an AP rate booked for RPR @ $254 per night and an AP rate at PBH @ $266 per night. We absolutely love both resorts so over the weekend we finally settled on RPR and cancelled PBH. It came down to seeing the new lobby refurb and that our last stay 3 years ago was at PBH.

 

[lafogg]

Do they still put the club rooms around the resort at PB, instead of on one or two floors?

Yes, from what I am seeing online, the club rooms are around the resort. I put in a request for a balcony room near the lounge. I know my chances are slim of getting my request, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try.

i am the same exact way! I have RP booked but I am still debating switching for the bigger room. I too will probably obsess over it until we get there or there is no availability. I am sure either choice is fine though so there should be no regrets.

Beckyb3, I'm glad I'm not the only one who obsesses over these details, lol. It's a fun obsession! It's making me excited for the trip. When I showed my son pictures of both RP and PBH, his eyes widened and he yelled out: whoa! That made it worth it either way.

We are going to UO 8/9-8/20 and we were so torn between the 2 resorts I had an AP rate booked for RPR @ $254 per night and an AP rate at PBH @ $266 per night. We absolutely love both resorts so over the weekend we finally settled on RPR and cancelled PBH. It came down to seeing the new lobby refurb and that our last stay 3 years ago was at PBH.

Have a great trip! You're arriving a couple of days after we leave.

 

[cschaaf]

We are big boat fans when staying at Royal or Portofino - we do enough walking in the parks At Hard Rock, we could go either way depending on how we feel.

 

[houseofthrees]

I caved...Portofino availability opened up again with a club level queen room. I switched from RP. I hope I don't regret it. I went back and forth and thought I don't know when I would do this again and it's for my son's 14th birthday and 8th grade graduation. I don't like the idea of a longer walk, but I found a post about a shortcut walk. I will obsess about RP vs PB until we get there, lol.

You won’t regret it. Club level is fantastic at PB and the walk really isn’t bad, especially if you take the short cut.

 

[Beckyb3]

I made the mistake of checking availability again and now there are more rooms with the AP discount at PB than before. I have a 1 bedroom hospitality suite at RP booked for about $633 a night and there is a 1 bedroom Portofino Suite for $477 a night or a 2 Bedroom for $731 a night. Now I am debating switching again! I really like the idea of being closer but PB was nice when we stayed there and more space would be nice. Decisions decisions!

 

[lafogg]

I made the mistake of checking availability again and now there are more rooms with the AP discount at PB than before. I have a 1 bedroom hospitality suite at RP booked for about $633 a night and there is a 1 bedroom Portofino Suite for $477 a night or a 2 Bedroom for $731 a night. Now I am debating switching again! I really like the idea of being closer but PB was nice when we stayed there and more space would be nice. Decisions decisions!

That's a hard choice. I definitely understand, lol. $477 for a 1 bedroom seems like a good deal. It's hard for me to try something different once I find a hotel that works. I am comfortable with my switch to PB after reading everyone's posts. I'm excited to go to PB. Let us know your decision!

 

[crazylady]

I caved...Portofino availability opened up again with a club level queen room. I switched from RP. I hope I don't regret it. I went back and forth and thought I don't know when I would do this again and it's for my son's 14th birthday and 8th grade graduation. I don't like the idea of a longer walk, but I found a post about a shortcut walk. I will obsess about RP vs PB until we get there, lol.

If your son is like mine, he'll love having the Club snacks.

 

[patster734]

Both hotels are good, so I usually go with the cheapest hotel, but DW and I like Royal Pacific better.

Hotel layouts: It’s hard to get lost at RP. It has 3 Y-shaped towers from the entrance. PB has hallways that branch off other hallways at some locations which can start to feel a little maze-like.

Food: I like RP’s restaurants better. I feel that RP’s Island Dining is better than PB’s Trattoria. Also at RP, I really like Jake’s American Bar which is also a sit down restaurant. At PB, I like Sal’s which is counter service, and Mama Della’s is decent but expensive. Never done Bice, as it is very expensive and I believe it has a dress code.

Location: RP’s location is better with a shorter walk to Citywalk (and IOA) than PB. Also, arguably the best bar on property is SF’s Strong Water Tavern, which is a short walk from RP.

Rooms: PB has bigger rooms so it wins here.

Scenery: PB wins here too. I don’t think RP has anything that can compare to PB’s Harbor Piazza. Nothing can beat the view of that harbor when returning by boat, especially at night during Christmas with the Christmas tree lit up on the piazza. Also PB has singing entertainment from a balcony each night on the piazza (I believe this has returned since Covid).
Edit: the Universal Orlando website indicates that the singers haven’t returned yet.

All in all, you can’t go wrong with either resort. Both have qualities that are make them stand out. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the resort you stay at.

 

[Beckyb3]

Both hotels are good, so I usually go with the cheapest hotel, but DW and I like Royal Pacific better.

Hotel layouts: It’s hard to get lost at RP. It has 3 Y-shaped towers from the entrance. PB has hallways that branch off other hallways at some locations which can start to feel a little maze-like.

Food: I like RP’s restaurants better. I feel that RP’s Island Dining is better than PB’s Trattoria. Also at RP, I really like Jake’s American Bar which is also a sit down restaurant. At PB, I like Sal’s which is counter service, and Mama Della’s is decent but expensive. Never done Bice, as it is very expensive and I believe it has a dress code.

Location: RP’s location is better with a shorter walk to Citywalk (and IOA) than PB. Also, arguably the best bar on property is SF’s Strong Water Tavern, which is a short walk from RP.

Rooms: PB has bigger rooms so it wins here.

Scenery: PB wins here too. I don’t think RP has anything that can compare to PB’s Harbor Piazza. Nothing can beat the view of that harbor when returning by boat, especially at night during Christmas with the Christmas tree lit up on the piazza. Also PB has singing entertainment from a balcony each night on the piazza (I believe this has returned since Covid).

All in all, you can’t go wrong with either resort. Both have qualities that are make them stand out. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the resort you stay at.

Thanks for the fantastic comparison. I am curious since you have given such a good comparison if you go to the pools and have any thought of those. I have seen both ways in terms of which is better. I know PB has a slide and RP doesn't but I have also seen that some like RP's pool better.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I always stay at RP because I love the theming but I first started staying there because it was always the cheapest of the deluxe. This thread got me thinking and during my dates PB is actually a little cheaper than RP! Only by about $10 per room per night, so at two rooms for three nights that equals about $60, which is a drop in the bucket of the thousands that we’ll spend on this trip but it’s something. Now considering switching! But I’m afraid we’ll miss RP…ugh.

 

[cfoxga]

I always stay at RP because I love the theming but I first started staying there because it was always the cheapest of the deluxe. This thread got me thinking and during my dates PB is actually a little cheaper than RP! Only by about $10 per room per night, so at two rooms for three nights that equals about $60, which is a drop in the bucket of the thousands that we’ll spend on this trip but it’s something. Now considering switching! But I’m afraid we’ll miss RP…ugh.

The thing I love about UO is the diversity of the resorts and restaurants. We didn't stay at the same resort twice until we went to all 3 deluxe resorts. We ended up with PBH as our favorite with HRH a close second, but wouldn't hesitate to stay at RPR. While we do revisit our favorite restaurants (3BR, Toothsome, Cowfish) on each trip, we try to get to places we've missed on past trips. It makes each trip a unique experience that we all look forward to...

 

[patster734]

Thanks for the fantastic comparison. I am curious since you have given such a good comparison if you go to the pools and have any thought of those. I have seen both ways in terms of which is better. I know PB has a slide and RP doesn't but I have also seen that some like RP's pool better.

Thanks. My wife and I don’t do the pools which is why I didn’t think to include it in my comparison.

 

[hhoope01]

PBR has 3 different pools to choose from. RPR has 1. The main pool at PBR has the slide mentioned above where the RPR pool has an interactive water play area. Both have their own attractions depending on whether you and your family prefer the slide or water play area. I will say that my wife and daughter (in mid-20s now) likes the "quiet" pool at PBR. It isn't technically an adults only pool, but since it doesn't have a slide or an interactive play area, kids tend to want the main pool. The 3rd pool at PBR is a bit secluded at the end of the East wing that I've seen empty of people more often than crowded. Check out: PBR Pools

 

[Rick195275]

PBR has 3 different pools to choose from. RPR has 1. The main pool at PBR has the slide mentioned above where the RPR pool has an interactive water play area. Both have their own attractions depending on whether you and your family prefer the slide or water play area. I will say that my wife and daughter (in mid-20s now) likes the "quiet" pool at PBR. It isn't technically an adults only pool, but since it doesn't have a slide or an interactive play area, kids tend to want the main pool. The 3rd pool at PBR is a bit secluded at the end of the East wing that I've seen empty of people more often than crowded. Check out: PBR Pools

Thanks for the comparison! We’ve only stayed RP and were disappointed in the pool. Were really surprised there was no slide at a deluxe resort and that it was the only pool. It was pretty crowded for a spring night, we were only there 1 night and it wasn’t particularly warm. I imagine a mid summer day wouldn’t be too enjoyable.