clsteve
"It takes a very long time to become young..."
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2012
Well, we just returned from our 4 night 3 ½ day trip to the DarkSide. And we have to say - it beat our expectations. It was low stress and required minimal planning, while the weather (mostly) cooperated. The crowds were good and the hotel excellent. The length of stay seemed spot-on (with enough stuff left to do next time), and both Parks had something for all of us. There were enough surprises, a couple of almost disasters (like any trip), and a few unexpected sprinkles of - - what do you say for Universal -- AllSpark Dust....?
Not quite sure where to go with this, so I'm going to try to summarize our trip by each day and I'll be as objective as possible - that's a promise. I hadn't planned on adding any photos (I'm a privacy person), but have been over-ruled by the family. For some reason, they seem to think its a Democracy where I much prefer an "Oligarchy"!! Big Disclaimer: our camera decided to take a vacation while on vacation, so these are all IPhone pics, my apologies. But, we also pre-purchased PhotoConnect (which I highly recommend). I'll supplement with those and talk about our PhotoConnect experience, later on.
TR newbie, so I'll try very hard to keep the mistakes to a minimum. Therefore, please consider it in test for the forseeable future (like, forever) and forward any issues or bugs to Tech Support. I'm sure they'll get right on it...
A little background: we're a family of four with a DS10 and DS8.
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We had been planning a split stay: 4 nights WDW at YC and 2 nights Universal at PBH. Then, all of the MM+/FP+ "stuff hit". After much agonizing, we decided to go 4 nights Universal-only and spend the rest of the vacation visiting my MiL in Sarasota (and I'm not going there with any MiL jokes, no matter how much I want to....
).
Very, very glad we made that decision, since we would have been checking in to YC the night of, or just after, they decided to go MB-only and would have been there when MK went FP+ only. We had a wonderful 9 night, 8 day trip at BWV on rented points last Dec 1st, have been big fans of FP-Legacy and how fit our touring style, and did not want to take the risk of experiencing MB issues, MDE issues, FP+ limitations, etc., on a shorter trip. We're big fans of no-stress vacations, go figure. We had also kept the trip a secret from the kids (a lot harder to do than I expected, btw) until Xmas, so the switch was of no issue to them. I actually think the kids thought we were running an illegal, on-line business or something, since every time they came near us on the computer we'd yell "Get Out!" or "None of your Business!" or "Is Your Room Clean!" - we're big fans of old school parenting....
DW and I hadn't been to Universal or IOA since 99, right after IOA opened, and the kids had never been. Both are huge HP fans, with the oldest having read the books twice and the youngest on Book Five and weve seen all the movies. DS8 and I are the thrill-seekers in the family no ride is too high or too fast! Luckily, hes just at 55 inches so, can ride any ride now (which we did). DW and DS10 will try most rides once (emphasis on once), love all the simulators, but are more shows, shops, relax by the pool, and soak up the atmosphere people. We were very curious how Universal would work for each of us so, Ill try to highlight it throughout the TR (hint: it went really well).
I am also what is known as a Planner. Or, as my DW would say, a %*&%#!! Planner Who Needs Therapy. And I admit it, I did all the spreadsheets (including the DP spreadsheets) for our last trip, made all of the TS reservations, printed all of Josh's itineraries from EasyWDW, re-joined TouringPlans, and had our last WDW trip on a beautifully choreographed, printed, and laminated schedule unique in both its symmetry and imagination (insert DW eyeroll, here). Josh, your stuff is spot-on, btw. So, I promised to stay completely out of the planning and heavily self-medicate to get through...
For this trip I did nothing, yes, nothing - and, sad to say, it went perfectly (except for one snafu in the beginning with SouthWest, which I'll get to). Staying on-site, having Express Pass, the boat system, the walking paths (which are beautiful), and having so many excellent dining options so close made it unnecessary and incredibly easy. Too easy, I kept telling myself.
The Trip Down
One quick note for everyone - when we had the trip as a split stay, we decided to use SouthWest Vacations to see what they could put together. We're big fans of flying them, and as a company, so thought - why not? Well, once we had the trip finalized with Park tickets and rooms for both WDW and Uni, and then decided to drop the WDW portion...... nope, can't do that, it's a bundle. I guess the Moose out front should have told us
. Luckily, we had also purchased the Trip Insurance. After Many hours on the phone, DW (remember, I'm banned from the planning part and self-medicating..... ), it was better for us to cancel the trip, eat the Trip Insurance, and do the trip ourselves. At this point, Im really starting to enjoy the planning ban.
Luckily, it all worked out for the better: Universal started their promo of buy 2 day tickets and get the third day free. And, we got a much better rate plus room combo dealing directly with Loews. We were originally booked in a King Parlor Suite (one bath) with a couch pullout. For much less, PBH got us an adjoining king room to 2 queens (insert DW screaming "Yay, I got us two bathrooms!!"). By extending to 4 nights, letting them know what happened when we cancelled the SW package, plus the time of year, they got each of the 2 rooms down to well under $200/night. We had nothing but very positive experiences with all of the Loews/PBH staff throughout our interactions with them. Much more on that later....
The Ferry Ride, 7am
We live on the OBX of North Carolina and have about a 6 hour trip to the airport in Raleigh. 2 hours and 45 minutes of that is by ferry. Needless to say, weather watching is a big part of our daily lives. As long as the weather's good, the ferry can work out as a positive. It breaks up the trip, less mileage and wear on the car, it has a nice passenger lounge (so the boys got 2 hours of their homework done that morning), you can grab a few winks, read a good book, watch the porpoise, etc. If it's really rough (and it can be) there are plenty of bathrooms for DW spend the time in and ask God why she agreed to move here.
After that, it's about a 3 hour drive to the airport in Raleigh.
Homework on the ferry must be very tiring....
The Raleigh Airport is not bad at all, even with the construction they have going - good parking, good off-site Park and Rides for long trips, check-in and gates not too far away, etc. Raleigh also has an inner and outer loop (440 and 540) as options to get to the airport, in case there's traffic you need to account for.
We arrived in plenty of time to use Park and Ride and check-in was a breeze for our 5pm flight. I was surprised how few people seemed to be waiting for the flight. Not only did they announce the plane was only 30% full, we actually left 10 minutes early - gotta love SouthWest! You see, by this time, I'd self-medicated the whole SouthWest Vacations issue/expense/dilemma right out of my system....
Obligatory Kids on the Plane Pics!
We arrived in Orlando at 6:32pm (early) and met Tiffany Cars at baggage claim. We'd used them before and they were right there on-time. We had a quick stop at the Walgreens on the way, which is about a mile from PBH, to pick up waters (I mean, 7 bucks for the big bottle in the hotel room - we hid those from the kids), cups and snacks. Oh, and a quick run into the "adult beverage" section next to Walgreens - highly recommended since I must say, they are very proud of their drink prices at all of the Universal Resorts (shout out to Josh for posting those prices at PBH right before we left).
The Portofino
I know, horrible IPhone pic. Go ahead, you can say it - "What were you thinking - asking someone to take your family picture when they had obviously just landed in America, spoke no English, and had never touched such an amazing piece of technology before..?!!"
Such things happen when the camera is on vacation too....
Ah, but the Portofino. Two thumbs up from the whole family. And I mean that very objectively. When we arrived, you could see they'd spent some time on the sightlines and it hits you right when you drive up. The little harbor, the lighting, grounds, and overall spacing, do very much make it seem like a destination. You also get the same impression when you arrive by the boat or via the walkway. Hey, I'm a sucker for good architectural planning, I'll admit it.....
Check-in was smooth and the staff very helpful and pleasant. The bellman took us straight over to the Express Pass terminals and got us all set up with those before heading off to the rooms. Well, we open the doors to 2 rooms, both with queens but no king. Also, they were deluxe rooms on same level as the lobby and close to the elevator. The Bellman gave us a little grin and said give the Front Desk a call. Seems like the Convention that was also there had a bit of an "emergency". To compensate for no King room, they upgraded us to deluxe, put us close to the restaurants and lobby, and comp'd the fridges. All of this was done without asking. Let's just say, we were not displeased.
Rating The Portofino
I think it very much deserves its 4+ stars. The deluxe rooms are huge. We were in building 2 level 3 with a view of the quiet pool (sorry, no pictures - hadn't quite figured out the camera was on holiday, yet). We heard no ambient noise - even with 3 or 4 small to medium-sized convention groups filling the property. When DW and the kids were in the room for a mid-day break/nap, none of them heard the 6 man maintenance team pulling cable and installing new light fixtures in our hallway, either. At least, not enough to wake them up. The beds, linens and pillows were Loews standard high-quality.
Having the fridge as an extra is a drawback, however, and not just because of the extra expense. The minibar fridge takes up the traditional, in-cabinet space. And, it's one of those that automatically charges you if you move something (I had a long talk with the boys about that - to the point where they seem to not trust any small fridge). So, if you do get one, they're small (no to-go containers fit), and it has to sit sticking out in the room by the desk and in front of the TV credenza. Not a positive thing if you get up in the dark, middle of the night to hit the bathroom and forget about it.....
The bathrooms were also quite large, but the towels were average. The showers, however, were very good and the water pressure was at least 5 stars.
The PBH Staff was at or above WDW CM level in friendliness, competence, pro-activity and knowledge. Which is a good thing, because we have a few "directionally challenged" members in the family and the layout is anything but intuitive. It takes a good day or two to get the hang of it. For example, if your room number is 2337, the 2 represents the building (not the floor), the 3 is your floor number, with the 37 being the room. Sounds easy, but Ah!, not all floors connect completely to and in all buildings. Something like a restaurant (Bice) can get in the way if you're trying to cut through from the pool! Basically, PBH is built into a man-made hill and there are different levels to the plazas and pools behind the front facade. Once you get used to it, not a problem, but I'm still glad we came back with the 4 original members of the family....
Dinner Time = Mamma Della's
We couldn't find anything but positive feedback on Mamma Della's. It was the family vote for first restaurant (Democracy, and all that). Sticking with the "no planning theme" we made reservations on the way from the airport for 8:45pm. Btw, we found out that the concierge at PBH and all of the other Universal resorts use OpenTable.com to make their own reservations for all of the restaurants, including in-Park, City Walk and the resorts. Save a phone call and log in, if you already have connectivity.
We arrived about 15 minutes early to see if we could get in, but they were running on-time. So, we instead headed out to walk around the Piazza and Harbor. However, one of the small conventions had a "private" party in action that took up much of it. I put the private in quotes since it was open to everyone - except for the food (which looked a step above the usual convention "group grope" offerings, btw) and the open bar. It really was a festival atmosphere - with strolling minstrels, jugglers, opera singers, Mimes (I have a true fear of Mimes) and "Mimes on Stilts" (I now have a worse fear of Mimes - not joking - picture two 12 foot Mimes pretending to walk against the wind....). All of the conventioneers and performers invited us and any of the other families walking around to enjoy the fun (personally, I think they were just trying to get away from the Mimes). The kids had a great time but, once again, no pictures, thankfully.
Dinner was excellent - as good as anything I've had NY/NJ. We shared the Calamari Fritte (fresh, lightly breaded and pan-fried, 4 stars) and Mozzarella Caprese (3 stars - good balsamic, but the red tomatoes weren't quite fully ripe). Add in the wonderful bread with roasted garlic in oil and we should have stopped right here. Trust me, all the portions are large and covered in some sort of drug that makes it impossible to stop eating.
Instead, like good gluttonous Americans, we kept going! The Kids ordered the Spaghetti con Polpette (Spaghetti and Meatballs, both handmade, 4 1/2 stars).
I think they (and their insulin levels) enjoyed it.....
DW had the Sea Bass (3 stars for the fish, 4 1/2 stars for the lemon caper pappardelle), while I had the filet. See, it was all Josh's fault by posting his review with pictures right before we left. Forest mushrooms and a great polenta, it's a weakness for me (4 stars, btw).
The atmosphere was fun and laid back - the opera singer, with accordion accompanist, were a nice touch and not pushy. Plus, the service was excellent - our waiter (Jorge from Columbia, I think?) has been there since it first opened and was very professional. Great guy, until he talked us into the Cannoli (4 stars, btw).
All in all, highly recommended, start to finish. As good as or better (I'm looking at you, Narcoossee's) than many Sigs we've been to.
Wow, I now have an amazing appreciation for all of you TR veterans out there. Here I thought I'd just cruise through the trip down and the first night in an hour or so, get Day One knocked out after dinner - not the way it really works, it seems.....
Day One's on deck.......
Not quite sure where to go with this, so I'm going to try to summarize our trip by each day and I'll be as objective as possible - that's a promise. I hadn't planned on adding any photos (I'm a privacy person), but have been over-ruled by the family. For some reason, they seem to think its a Democracy where I much prefer an "Oligarchy"!! Big Disclaimer: our camera decided to take a vacation while on vacation, so these are all IPhone pics, my apologies. But, we also pre-purchased PhotoConnect (which I highly recommend). I'll supplement with those and talk about our PhotoConnect experience, later on.
TR newbie, so I'll try very hard to keep the mistakes to a minimum. Therefore, please consider it in test for the forseeable future (like, forever) and forward any issues or bugs to Tech Support. I'm sure they'll get right on it...
A little background: we're a family of four with a DS10 and DS8.
[/IMG] [/URL]We had been planning a split stay: 4 nights WDW at YC and 2 nights Universal at PBH. Then, all of the MM+/FP+ "stuff hit". After much agonizing, we decided to go 4 nights Universal-only and spend the rest of the vacation visiting my MiL in Sarasota (and I'm not going there with any MiL jokes, no matter how much I want to....
). Very, very glad we made that decision, since we would have been checking in to YC the night of, or just after, they decided to go MB-only and would have been there when MK went FP+ only. We had a wonderful 9 night, 8 day trip at BWV on rented points last Dec 1st, have been big fans of FP-Legacy and how fit our touring style, and did not want to take the risk of experiencing MB issues, MDE issues, FP+ limitations, etc., on a shorter trip. We're big fans of no-stress vacations, go figure. We had also kept the trip a secret from the kids (a lot harder to do than I expected, btw) until Xmas, so the switch was of no issue to them. I actually think the kids thought we were running an illegal, on-line business or something, since every time they came near us on the computer we'd yell "Get Out!" or "None of your Business!" or "Is Your Room Clean!" - we're big fans of old school parenting....
DW and I hadn't been to Universal or IOA since 99, right after IOA opened, and the kids had never been. Both are huge HP fans, with the oldest having read the books twice and the youngest on Book Five and weve seen all the movies. DS8 and I are the thrill-seekers in the family no ride is too high or too fast! Luckily, hes just at 55 inches so, can ride any ride now (which we did). DW and DS10 will try most rides once (emphasis on once), love all the simulators, but are more shows, shops, relax by the pool, and soak up the atmosphere people. We were very curious how Universal would work for each of us so, Ill try to highlight it throughout the TR (hint: it went really well).
I am also what is known as a Planner. Or, as my DW would say, a %*&%#!! Planner Who Needs Therapy. And I admit it, I did all the spreadsheets (including the DP spreadsheets) for our last trip, made all of the TS reservations, printed all of Josh's itineraries from EasyWDW, re-joined TouringPlans, and had our last WDW trip on a beautifully choreographed, printed, and laminated schedule unique in both its symmetry and imagination (insert DW eyeroll, here). Josh, your stuff is spot-on, btw. So, I promised to stay completely out of the planning and heavily self-medicate to get through...
For this trip I did nothing, yes, nothing - and, sad to say, it went perfectly (except for one snafu in the beginning with SouthWest, which I'll get to). Staying on-site, having Express Pass, the boat system, the walking paths (which are beautiful), and having so many excellent dining options so close made it unnecessary and incredibly easy. Too easy, I kept telling myself.
The Trip Down
One quick note for everyone - when we had the trip as a split stay, we decided to use SouthWest Vacations to see what they could put together. We're big fans of flying them, and as a company, so thought - why not? Well, once we had the trip finalized with Park tickets and rooms for both WDW and Uni, and then decided to drop the WDW portion...... nope, can't do that, it's a bundle. I guess the Moose out front should have told us
. Luckily, we had also purchased the Trip Insurance. After Many hours on the phone, DW (remember, I'm banned from the planning part and self-medicating..... ), it was better for us to cancel the trip, eat the Trip Insurance, and do the trip ourselves. At this point, Im really starting to enjoy the planning ban.Luckily, it all worked out for the better: Universal started their promo of buy 2 day tickets and get the third day free. And, we got a much better rate plus room combo dealing directly with Loews. We were originally booked in a King Parlor Suite (one bath) with a couch pullout. For much less, PBH got us an adjoining king room to 2 queens (insert DW screaming "Yay, I got us two bathrooms!!"). By extending to 4 nights, letting them know what happened when we cancelled the SW package, plus the time of year, they got each of the 2 rooms down to well under $200/night. We had nothing but very positive experiences with all of the Loews/PBH staff throughout our interactions with them. Much more on that later....
The Ferry Ride, 7am
We live on the OBX of North Carolina and have about a 6 hour trip to the airport in Raleigh. 2 hours and 45 minutes of that is by ferry. Needless to say, weather watching is a big part of our daily lives. As long as the weather's good, the ferry can work out as a positive. It breaks up the trip, less mileage and wear on the car, it has a nice passenger lounge (so the boys got 2 hours of their homework done that morning), you can grab a few winks, read a good book, watch the porpoise, etc. If it's really rough (and it can be) there are plenty of bathrooms for DW spend the time in and ask God why she agreed to move here.
After that, it's about a 3 hour drive to the airport in Raleigh.
Homework on the ferry must be very tiring....
The Raleigh Airport is not bad at all, even with the construction they have going - good parking, good off-site Park and Rides for long trips, check-in and gates not too far away, etc. Raleigh also has an inner and outer loop (440 and 540) as options to get to the airport, in case there's traffic you need to account for.
We arrived in plenty of time to use Park and Ride and check-in was a breeze for our 5pm flight. I was surprised how few people seemed to be waiting for the flight. Not only did they announce the plane was only 30% full, we actually left 10 minutes early - gotta love SouthWest! You see, by this time, I'd self-medicated the whole SouthWest Vacations issue/expense/dilemma right out of my system....
Obligatory Kids on the Plane Pics!
We arrived in Orlando at 6:32pm (early) and met Tiffany Cars at baggage claim. We'd used them before and they were right there on-time. We had a quick stop at the Walgreens on the way, which is about a mile from PBH, to pick up waters (I mean, 7 bucks for the big bottle in the hotel room - we hid those from the kids), cups and snacks. Oh, and a quick run into the "adult beverage" section next to Walgreens - highly recommended since I must say, they are very proud of their drink prices at all of the Universal Resorts (shout out to Josh for posting those prices at PBH right before we left).
The Portofino
I know, horrible IPhone pic. Go ahead, you can say it - "What were you thinking - asking someone to take your family picture when they had obviously just landed in America, spoke no English, and had never touched such an amazing piece of technology before..?!!"
Such things happen when the camera is on vacation too....
Ah, but the Portofino. Two thumbs up from the whole family. And I mean that very objectively. When we arrived, you could see they'd spent some time on the sightlines and it hits you right when you drive up. The little harbor, the lighting, grounds, and overall spacing, do very much make it seem like a destination. You also get the same impression when you arrive by the boat or via the walkway. Hey, I'm a sucker for good architectural planning, I'll admit it.....
Check-in was smooth and the staff very helpful and pleasant. The bellman took us straight over to the Express Pass terminals and got us all set up with those before heading off to the rooms. Well, we open the doors to 2 rooms, both with queens but no king. Also, they were deluxe rooms on same level as the lobby and close to the elevator. The Bellman gave us a little grin and said give the Front Desk a call. Seems like the Convention that was also there had a bit of an "emergency". To compensate for no King room, they upgraded us to deluxe, put us close to the restaurants and lobby, and comp'd the fridges. All of this was done without asking. Let's just say, we were not displeased.
Rating The Portofino
I think it very much deserves its 4+ stars. The deluxe rooms are huge. We were in building 2 level 3 with a view of the quiet pool (sorry, no pictures - hadn't quite figured out the camera was on holiday, yet). We heard no ambient noise - even with 3 or 4 small to medium-sized convention groups filling the property. When DW and the kids were in the room for a mid-day break/nap, none of them heard the 6 man maintenance team pulling cable and installing new light fixtures in our hallway, either. At least, not enough to wake them up. The beds, linens and pillows were Loews standard high-quality.
Having the fridge as an extra is a drawback, however, and not just because of the extra expense. The minibar fridge takes up the traditional, in-cabinet space. And, it's one of those that automatically charges you if you move something (I had a long talk with the boys about that - to the point where they seem to not trust any small fridge). So, if you do get one, they're small (no to-go containers fit), and it has to sit sticking out in the room by the desk and in front of the TV credenza. Not a positive thing if you get up in the dark, middle of the night to hit the bathroom and forget about it.....
The bathrooms were also quite large, but the towels were average. The showers, however, were very good and the water pressure was at least 5 stars.
The PBH Staff was at or above WDW CM level in friendliness, competence, pro-activity and knowledge. Which is a good thing, because we have a few "directionally challenged" members in the family and the layout is anything but intuitive. It takes a good day or two to get the hang of it. For example, if your room number is 2337, the 2 represents the building (not the floor), the 3 is your floor number, with the 37 being the room. Sounds easy, but Ah!, not all floors connect completely to and in all buildings. Something like a restaurant (Bice) can get in the way if you're trying to cut through from the pool! Basically, PBH is built into a man-made hill and there are different levels to the plazas and pools behind the front facade. Once you get used to it, not a problem, but I'm still glad we came back with the 4 original members of the family....
Dinner Time = Mamma Della's
We couldn't find anything but positive feedback on Mamma Della's. It was the family vote for first restaurant (Democracy, and all that). Sticking with the "no planning theme" we made reservations on the way from the airport for 8:45pm. Btw, we found out that the concierge at PBH and all of the other Universal resorts use OpenTable.com to make their own reservations for all of the restaurants, including in-Park, City Walk and the resorts. Save a phone call and log in, if you already have connectivity.
We arrived about 15 minutes early to see if we could get in, but they were running on-time. So, we instead headed out to walk around the Piazza and Harbor. However, one of the small conventions had a "private" party in action that took up much of it. I put the private in quotes since it was open to everyone - except for the food (which looked a step above the usual convention "group grope" offerings, btw) and the open bar. It really was a festival atmosphere - with strolling minstrels, jugglers, opera singers, Mimes (I have a true fear of Mimes) and "Mimes on Stilts" (I now have a worse fear of Mimes - not joking - picture two 12 foot Mimes pretending to walk against the wind....). All of the conventioneers and performers invited us and any of the other families walking around to enjoy the fun (personally, I think they were just trying to get away from the Mimes). The kids had a great time but, once again, no pictures, thankfully.
Dinner was excellent - as good as anything I've had NY/NJ. We shared the Calamari Fritte (fresh, lightly breaded and pan-fried, 4 stars) and Mozzarella Caprese (3 stars - good balsamic, but the red tomatoes weren't quite fully ripe). Add in the wonderful bread with roasted garlic in oil and we should have stopped right here. Trust me, all the portions are large and covered in some sort of drug that makes it impossible to stop eating.
Instead, like good gluttonous Americans, we kept going! The Kids ordered the Spaghetti con Polpette (Spaghetti and Meatballs, both handmade, 4 1/2 stars).
I think they (and their insulin levels) enjoyed it.....
DW had the Sea Bass (3 stars for the fish, 4 1/2 stars for the lemon caper pappardelle), while I had the filet. See, it was all Josh's fault by posting his review with pictures right before we left. Forest mushrooms and a great polenta, it's a weakness for me (4 stars, btw).
The atmosphere was fun and laid back - the opera singer, with accordion accompanist, were a nice touch and not pushy. Plus, the service was excellent - our waiter (Jorge from Columbia, I think?) has been there since it first opened and was very professional. Great guy, until he talked us into the Cannoli (4 stars, btw).
All in all, highly recommended, start to finish. As good as or better (I'm looking at you, Narcoossee's) than many Sigs we've been to.
Wow, I now have an amazing appreciation for all of you TR veterans out there. Here I thought I'd just cruise through the trip down and the first night in an hour or so, get Day One knocked out after dinner - not the way it really works, it seems.....
Day One's on deck.......
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I will never again complain about our 45 minute drive. 
