The DarkSide's not so Dark after all....

[Linda67]

We loved checking out the other resorts and the family is still really wrestling with the RPH vs PBH decision for this winter.

Deciding on BMG the day before worked out great for us! I just don't know if we got lucky or not. It's a good question to ask the BMG pros for the time of year you're going. Have a blast and I'm so glad you're getting some good use out of all my rambling...!

Thanks!

 

[sydneysmom]

What an absolutely FANTASTIC trip report! I have to tell you, as someone who hasn't ever been to Universal, you are totally getting me so excited to go. We were originally planning a split vacation and decided now to only do Universal. So I'm happy to see that your kids had a wonderful time.

I am between the hotels as well.... I keep going between Royal Pacific and Portofino....don't have a clue which to choose. But we have alot of time yet, I suppose. I'm going to have to just keep reading everyone's reviews. All I know is we are so excited to try out Universal, no planning, no waking up at 5 am for dining reservations and the 'front of the line' pass.... could it get any better?

thanks for sharing such an incredible review of your trip.... you've helped this newbie tremedously!

 

[clsteve]

What an absolutely FANTASTIC trip report! I have to tell you, as someone who hasn't ever been to Universal, you are totally getting me so excited to go. We were originally planning a split vacation and decided now to only do Universal. So I'm happy to see that your kids had a wonderful time.

I am between the hotels as well.... I keep going between Royal Pacific and Portofino....don't have a clue which to choose. But we have alot of time yet, I suppose. I'm going to have to just keep reading everyone's reviews. All I know is we are so excited to try out Universal, no planning, no waking up at 5 am for dining reservations and the 'front of the line' pass.... could it get any better?

thanks for sharing such an incredible review of your trip.... you've helped this newbie tremedously!

You and your family will love it! And yes, I'm a total convert to the no-plan, relaxing vacation, now. It doesn't get any better.

I saw your trip ticker - that's plenty of time to plan. I don't think you can go wrong with either Resort, btw. And goodness, as fast as Uni moves Kong could well be open by then!

(thanks for the kind words about the TR )

 

[RDawn]

I realize that I'm late to this trip report, but I still want to thank you for sharing your vacation and also express how helpful I have found this for my own trip planning. We have never been to Universal & I actually feel like I am cheating on Disney in thinking about it. However, the allure of Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Minion Mayhem have my children aching to go to Universal AND WDW. Now you have me wondering if 2 full days (with express passes from Royale Pacific) will give us enough time! Thanks again.

 

[clsteve]

I realize that I'm late to this trip report, but I still want to thank you for sharing your vacation and also express how helpful I have found this for my own trip planning. We have never been to Universal & I actually feel like I am cheating on Disney in thinking about it. However, the allure of Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Minion Mayhem have my children aching to go to Universal AND WDW. Now you have me wondering if 2 full days (with express passes from Royale Pacific) will give us enough time! Thanks again.

I know exactly what you mean. I was concerned we were spending too much time at UOR for this trip. But, we left wishing we had another day since there still were so many things we didn't do.

With DA now open, we're planning a 4 to 5 day Uni trip this Fall or Winter with 2 days (hopefully) at WDW. Everything I've seen about DA makes me feel it's worth most of a day all by itself. And, we really want one full day there just to Resort hop and take in all of the new things that just opened at CityWalk.

Don't worry, though.... No matter how many days you spend at Uni, you will have an absolute blast! Early Entry and Express Pass help so much. And sometimes it takes a trip to know how many days really work best for you and your family.

 

[Cielei]

I'm always late to the party, but I needed to let you know that it was a fantastic one! (and I didn't even get a hangover ) Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.

1. You helped me successfully avoid painting trim for a good portion of the day - for which I am eternally grateful.

2. I really appreciate your insights as to the quality of the beer offerings at the parks as we tend to be fans of a good beer in this house. (If you get it near you, give Bell's 2 hearted ale a try - it's fabulous!)

3. Thank you for the Photo Connect pictures and comments - I had been debating if I should add that for our trip.

4. Thank you for the thoughts and pictures from PBH as we will be staying there as well. We stayed at HRH last trip and debated between RPH and PBH before finally booking PBH. We're Poly people; so I was thinking the RPH might just be a little too much like doing the same thing.

5. I believe we will now be adding BMG and Mythos to our schedule for this trip We missed them last time, but I think we will definitely plan for that this time.

Love the Outer Banks and spent many summers there as a child. I am very familiar with that ferry ride.

 

[clsteve]

I'm always late to the party, but I needed to let you know that it was a fantastic one! (and I didn't even get a hangover ) Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.

1. You helped me successfully avoid painting trim for a good portion of the day - for which I am eternally grateful.

2. I really appreciate your insights as to the quality of the beer offerings at the parks as we tend to be fans of a good beer in this house. (If you get it near you, give Bell's 2 hearted ale a try - it's fabulous!)

3. Thank you for the Photo Connect pictures and comments - I had been debating if I should add that for our trip.

4. Thank you for the thoughts and pictures from PBH as we will be staying there as well. We stayed at HRH last trip and debated between RPH and PBH before finally booking PBH. We're Poly people; so I was thinking the RPH might just be a little too much like doing the same thing.

5. I believe we will now be adding BMG and Mythos to our schedule for this trip We missed them last time, but I think we will definitely plan for that this time.

Love the Outer Banks and spent many summers there as a child. I am very familiar with that ferry ride.

I'm here anytime you need another painting trim tag out! I'll expect the same, in a pinch

You can't go wrong with PBH. It's wonderful and BMG truly was a highlight of our trip.

And I wholeheartedly agree - Bell's is one of my favorite small breweries. And, from what I've read, the new Witches Brew being served in DA is getting a lot of kudos. I can't wait to give it a try. I've really been enjoying Duck Rabbit Milk Stout, lately - nice malt but still not too heavy for summer . They're out of FarmVille NC.....

 

[Cielei]

I'll have to see if we get them around here - we just moved to the Minneapolis are a last summer; so we are still learning what is possible.

Too much ale tonight so ignore any typos please

 

[nkereina]

Still in the process of reading your TR. So far, so good! Thanks for taking the time to post it!

Two questions I have so far, since we will be doing our first Universal trip in the Fall:

1. I love the "no planning" aspect. So much so, that I have not looked at maps or anything. I'm assuming there's some good signage at the resorts to point you in the direction of the boat launches, and where you need to go to get to the parks? I haven't even looked to see the proximity we'll be in to the parks. I know nothing about it, which is foreign to me! We'll be at RPH.

2. Are the reservations through Open Table necessary or do restaurants take walk-ups? There's not stand out TS restaurants to me, so I'd like to play it by ear, but I also don't want to get stuck with 2 hour waits or QS the whole time.

Thanks in advance!

 

[clsteve]

Still in the process of reading your TR. So far, so good! Thanks for taking the time to post it!

Two questions I have so far, since we will be doing our first Universal trip in the Fall:

1. I love the "no planning" aspect. So much so, that I have not looked at maps or anything. I'm assuming there's some good signage at the resorts to point you in the direction of the boat launches, and where you need to go to get to the parks? I haven't even looked to see the proximity we'll be in to the parks. I know nothing about it, which is foreign to me! We'll be at RPH.

2. Are the reservations through Open Table necessary or do restaurants take walk-ups? There's not stand out TS restaurants to me, so I'd like to play it by ear, but I also don't want to get stuck with 2 hour waits or QS the whole time.

Thanks in advance!

Yes, great signage for the boats and it's really intuitive. All of the Resort boats drop off at the same dockage at CityWalk with both Park entrances visible from there. It's about as easy as it gets!

As far as OpenTable and walk-ups: We really enjoyed using OpenTable and made all of our reservations same day - sometimes just an hour or so before the ressie. It really saved walking up to the restaurant and finding out what they had available, then having to potentially wait. That way, we could plan around the ressie and do something else until it was time. As far as stand-outs: Mamma Della's really shined. If you're not staying at PBH, I'd think about reservations for them, if you wanted to eat there. Most of the restaurants give priority standby for on-site guests without ressies, as well......

Hope this helps

 

[nkereina]

Yes, great signage for the boats and it's really intuitive. All of the Resort boats drop off at the same dockage at CityWalk with both Park entrances visible from there. It's about as easy as it gets!

As far as OpenTable and walk-ups: We really enjoyed using OpenTable and made all of our reservations same day - sometimes just an hour or so before the ressie. It really saved walking up to the restaurant and finding out what they had available, then having to potentially wait. That way, we could plan around the ressie and do something else until it was time. As far as stand-outs: Mamma Della's really shined. If you're not staying at PBH, I'd think about reservations for them, if you wanted to eat there. Most of the restaurants give priority standby for on-site guests without ressies, as well......

Hope this helps

Very helpful - thanks so much! Looking forward to reading the rest of your TR!

 

[choppee]

Great, great, great report! I enjoyed it soooooo much. Because of this report, you have me seriously considering an onsite stay for our next vacation, and doing Universal exclusively! You didn't mean to, but you have an awesome sales pitch.

Love Disney, and I am a planner (husband says obsesser, but whatever, semantics! ), but Disney is just getting too crazy even for me. And the continued raises in prices with decreased value??? No thank you! I believe that your assertion about the "siblings" is spot on, and this family needs a break from all the crazy planning. Thank you so much for sharing.

Beautiful boys! Lovely family. We hail from the Triangle. North Carolina is such beautiful state and we love both its mountains and beaches! Can't beat the OBX or Topsail Island for summer! We always like to get a house/condo for a week.

 

[clsteve]

Great, great, great report! I enjoyed it soooooo much. Because of this report, you have me seriously considering an onsite stay for our next vacation, and doing Universal exclusively! You didn't mean to, but you have an awesome sales pitch.

Love Disney, and I am a planner (husband says obsesser, but whatever, semantics! ), but Disney is just getting too crazy even for me. And the continued raises in prices with decreased value??? No thank you! I believe that your assertion about the "siblings" is spot on, and this family needs a break from all the crazy planning. Thank you so much for sharing.

Beautiful boys! Lovely family. We hail from the Triangle. North Carolina is such beautiful state and we love both its mountains and beaches! Can't beat the OBX or Topsail Island for summer! We always like to get a house/condo for a week.

I know exactly where you're coming from.

We just booked RPH for the week of Jan 19-25. And yes, the kids are going to be excited when we tell them this weekend because they'll think they won the Resort debate! We won't tell them it was because of a great deal...

I really was hoping to get 2 days in at Disney, as well. But, EPCOT and DHS are our 2 favorite Parks. Too much going on at both, right now.

Plus honestly, I just can't talk myself into going through all of the FP+ ressie planning as an off-siter. Just can't do it and it's unfortunate - especially for planners like us when the planning just gets to be too much....

So, I think our "Disney fix" might just be a day at Blizzard Beach - weather depending. Nobody does WaterParks like Disney. At least that hasn't changed.

I agree 100% about our great State, North Carolina. I think it's one of the most underrated when it comes to beauty, diversity of offerings, cost effectiveness, and just down-right fun things to do!

And thanks so much for your kind words about the TR.

Who knows - there may be a new one in the works at the end of Jan. That is, if I can get a decent camera to work....

 

[ArwenMarie]

I know exactly where you're coming from.

We just booked RPH for the week of Jan 19-25. And yes, the kids are going to be excited when we tell them this weekend because they'll think they won the Resort debate! We won't tell them it was because of a great deal...

I really was hoping to get 2 days in at Disney, as well. But, EPCOT and DHS are our 2 favorite Parks. Too much going on at both, right now.

Plus honestly, I just can't talk myself into going through all of the FP+ ressie planning as an off-siter. Just can't do it and it's unfortunate - especially for planners like us when the planning just gets to be too much....

Yay for a new trip! Great week to go, low crowds

 

[clsteve]

Yay for a new trip! Great week to go, low crowds

I can't wait!

We've 6 nights at RPH, but will head out on the 16th to spend time with my MiL in Sarasota Springs. The kids have MLK Day off plus the Tues and Wed that week for Teacher Planning Days. So, they only have to miss a few days of school. Perfect timing

As much as I wanted to be back at PBH, I'm looking forward to RPH. We got a great deal on 2 adjoining rooms - I think it was $165.00/night with AP.

PBH was $228.00/night for each room, if I remember correctly. So, the $126.00/night savings over 6 nights really sealed the deal.

That's a lot of Duff's, or interactive wands, or Butterbeer ice cream, if you know what I mean.....

 

[ArwenMarie]

I can't wait!

We've 6 nights at RPH, but will head out on the 16th to spend time with my MiL in Sarasota Springs. The kids have MLK Day off plus the Tues and Wed that week for Teacher Planning Days. So, they only have to miss a few days of school. Perfect timing

As much as I wanted to be back at PBH, I'm looking forward to RPH. We got a great deal on 2 adjoining rooms - I think it was $165.00/night with AP.

PBH was $228.00/night for each room, if I remember correctly. So, the $126.00/night savings over 6 nights really sealed the deal.

That's a lot of Duff's, or interactive wands, or Butterbeer ice cream, if you know what I mean.....

Very nice price! That is a big difference. Hey might just cover a day or two of tickets at Disney...just saying'

 

[LBIJim]

Belated kudos for a great trip report. Just got back from a 7 night stay at Portofino. I wish I had read your and ArwenMaries's reports before my trip, but better late than never.

This was my first time staying onsite, and I really enjoyed it. I've been to Universal several times before, but always just for a day or two. Early Entry was great, but we only used it one day. Unlimited Express Pass was even better, even at a relatively uncrowded time.

Since my last visit, they finished the expanded Springfield area, opened Transformers, and of course Gringott's, Hogsmeade Express, and Diagon Alley. And this trip was the first visit to Islands of Adventure since HP and Forbidden Journey area opened.

DW and I are already talking about going back in May 2015. Maybe to Portofino again, but maybe we'll try one of the other hotels. We enjoyed deciding what to do on the spur of the moment. No planning necessary.

Being a NC boy, it might interest you to know that on our drive to Florida, we stopped for a day and a half in Raleigh. Toured NC State U, walked downtown a bit, and went to the State Fair. I tried to talk DW into stopping there again on the way back to see a Carolina Hurricanes game, but she was too anxious to get home.

 

[clsteve]

Belated kudos for a great trip report. Just got back from a 7 night stay at Portofino. I wish I had read your and ArwenMaries's reports before my trip, but better late than never.

This was my first time staying onsite, and I really enjoyed it. I've been to Universal several times before, but always just for a day or two. Early Entry was great, but we only used it one day. Unlimited Express Pass was even better, even at a relatively uncrowded time.

Since my last visit, they finished the expanded Springfield area, opened Transformers, and of course Gringott's, Hogsmeade Express, and Diagon Alley. And this trip was the first visit to Islands of Adventure since HP and Forbidden Journey area opened.

DW and I are already talking about going back in May 2015. Maybe to Portofino again, but maybe we'll try one of the other hotels. We enjoyed deciding what to do on the spur of the moment. No planning necessary.

Being a NC boy, it might interest you to know that on our drive to Florida, we stopped for a day and a half in Raleigh. Toured NC State U, walked downtown a bit, and went to the State Fair. I tried to talk DW into stopping there again on the way back to see a Carolina Hurricanes game, but she was too anxious to get home.

It really is amazing just how much they've done in the past five years when just looking at your list of new things since you were last there, isn't it?

And it's funny how folks are amazed that some of us can spend 6 or 7 nights there. All they need to do is experience just how good a job Loew's has done with the Resorts and I don't think they would continue to feel that way for very long!

We're excited to be heading back, and it looks like there will be a little NC "flavor" there with Cowfish Sushi now open - can't wait!

 

[mousehappync]

I have devoured your TR-- we have two sons, 5&7, and are dangling the carrot of US (with a few more days in Key Largo) as a Spring Break reward to our oldest for finishing the HP series. Your report has been the push to leave the Disney Bubble (we are HARDCORE BC) people) and venture out. We hail from a few hours farther inland in NC-- I'm pretty sure I know where you are, and I wonder how you survive the winters! We spent last Spring Break in Salvo--holy cow, freezing and sandblasted! Thanks for the detailed and engaging report!

 

[clsteve]

I have devoured your TR-- we have two sons, 5&7, and are dangling the carrot of US (with a few more days in Key Largo) as a Spring Break reward to our oldest for finishing the HP series. Your report has been the push to leave the Disney Bubble (we are HARDCORE BC) people) and venture out. We hail from a few hours farther inland in NC-- I'm pretty sure I know where you are, and I wonder how you survive the winters! We spent last Spring Break in Salvo--holy cow, freezing and sandblasted! Thanks for the detailed and engaging report!

Hah!

Winters can be a mixed bag on the OBX, that's for sure. Even though we're usually 10-15 degrees warmer than the mainland, a 30 mph wind can sure make it feel the opposite!

Your sons will love it - UOR really brings the whole Potter Universe to life. You'll be truly amazed.

And we can't wait to experience DA this coming January - 50 days to go......