Universal Hotels

We stayed at the Lowe's Royal Pacific Hotel at Universal a few years ago; I would absolutely go back in a heartbeat. The theming is tropical Asian - lush, serene, exotic, just really lovely. I've never stayed at a Deluxe Disney property so I can't compare rooms, but the public spaces at the Royal Pacific are easily comparable to the Polynesian. One of the nicest perks of staying at a Universal hotel is the Front of the Line pass. Basically, this is Universal's version of the Fast Pass but if you're not staying at a hotel you have to buy it. Front of the Line basically lets you skip the line on most rides - it's a lifesaver in the summer heat and it's free for hotel guests. The pool at the Royal Pacific is a lot of fun. There is a water area for the smaller kids (water guns, dumping buckets, etc), the main pool is free-form and curvy with lots of greenery. I want to say there is a zero-depth entry area on one side. It's pretty shallow throughout, maybe 5 feet at the deepest point. There is a DJ who runs games and activities and keeps the atmosphere lively. There are several areas with beach sand, lounge chairs and umbrellas as well as an ice cream stand and pool bar. I can't comment on the dining options at the Royal Pacific but I will say that the meal we had at Mythos at Islands of Adventure was phenomenal and easily as good as Disney's Signature restaurants.

Sounds very interesting Becks534.

I stayed at the Lowe's Royal Pacific a couple years ago also and it was WONDERFUL! Can't really compare to Disney resorts as the only one I've stayed in was over at Euro Disney and it was a old western town theme so totally different. Loved the Royal Pacific, loved the theme, the decor, the rooms and most of all the fast passes! The only rides I can think of that we couldn't use them on were the Harry Potter ride in Hogwarts (best ride EVER!!!! just so you know) and in the other park, the big roller coaster attraction. And it doesn't limit you to how many times you can ride particular attractions either and I think the fast passes that you buy, limit you on how many times per attraction you can use it. So staying on site was not only a wonderful stay, it also paid for itself in the fast passes alone! If I was going to Universal, I would never stay off site. EVER. lol

This is true...the ones you buy give you only one fastpass per ride, so I couldn't use it multiple times on Forbidden Journey, for example.

I've stayed at the Pacific twice & the Portofino once & would agree with everything mentioned so far, with a couple additions.

Positive: Location, location, location! All 3 hotels are technically walkable to the parks/CityWalk if the boats aren't running or have long queues. BTW many of the boat captains have no idea how to handle scooters. After almost tipping over backwards while having incorrect instructions yelled at me I gave up & just drove from the Portofino. On the plus side it was a lovely drive (Lots of wildlife!) & I'd usually beat my companions who waited for the boat.
Also, when staying at the Pacific ask for a room in Tower 3 - that's the one closest to the boat dock. For Portofino closest is the West Wing. (Avoid the East Wing at all costs - the only thing it's close to is a quiet pool. You have to go completely around the bay to get to anything.)

Negative: Getting there. No free shuttle from the airport. And the nightly parking charge is on par with Swan/Dolphin.

Negative: Hotel Breakfast. Especially at the Pacific, there really isn't a lower cost food alternative. (I was trying to avoid the character buffet.) They do set up an ala carte continental breakfast in the lobby, but it seemed like was over $10 for juice & a bagel. So take advantage of guest early entrance & go to the Three Broomsticks for breakfast.

I did the Islands Dining Room's lunch buffet, ok food for a ok (for a resort) price. And if you have an Universal annual pass, there's a discount. The Trattoria & Jake's were also decent. Also had a good burger at the Pacific pool bar.

But really the plus of being at the Loews hotels is the easy access to CityWalk (Pastamore!) & Mythos. (It was better than the lunch I had at Le Cellier.)

Comparing the Portofino to the Beach Club.
- Pool. OK Stormalong Bay has more water features. But when one has mobility issues, all those stairs & limited access can be a pain. And having to wear a wristband to keep out crashers is irritating. On a rank: 1. SAB 2.Pacific 3. Portofino 4. CBR's Dig Site (Although Dig has the best hottub - ankle jets!)
- Bathroom. The Portofino bathrooms are HUGE. Double sinks & tons of floor space. I was there for a convention & had brought a rolling garment rack for all the costumes we had - it fit *IN* the bathroom & there was still room to set up the ironing board. & there is a speaker w/volume control from the TV.
I was kinda disappointed with the BC toilet area. The size & fan were better in my AoA Little Mermaid room. Although the toiletries, towels & double sinks were better at BC vrs AoA (They better be. ) and about equal with Portofino. (BTW the tub area was a bit bigger at Pacific than BC, but only had a single sink in the alcove beside it.)
- In room coffee. Loews beats Disney hands down. Loews has Keurig machines w/ coffee, hot chocolate & a couple teas. I ended up bringing a hotpot & a travel french press rather than try to drink the pods swill at WDW.
- gelato vrs Beaches & Cream take-away counter, um this is a dead tie... gelato is better than ice cream but B&C is right there at the pool.

Because of the cost I probably wouldn't stay at the Beach Club again, but as soon as Diagon Alley opens in Studios I'll be looking for deals at the Loews hotels. (Liked Portofino a bit better than Pacific, but Pacific is cheaper & still very nice.)

All great points! Thanks for the review, rhul! I haven't heard much about the Universal hotels before so that was an interesting read.