This is a very good overview of Uni's hotels -- informative but concise. It was smart to make a fresh trip to each location instead of just relying on old footage or descriptions of past visits. It makes the content seem current.
@@kevinserling6541 I don't think either is better, they are both great. Hard Rock has the music, hip vibe. The walking path is closest to Studios park. Royal Pacific has the laid back island feel. The walking path empties into city walk right next to Margaritaville and is close to Islands of Adventure. They both have very nice pool areas with hot tubs and cabanas for rent. Hard Rock has a pool slide and Royal Pacific doesn't, if you happen to be traveling with kiddos.
We have stayed at Royal Pacific (my fav) and Portofino (3 times) which is my daughters favorite. We always go premier for the express passes 🤷🏻♀️ just makes sense to me to pay more (sometimes it’s only slightly more) to have those included so we can get more rides in during our stay. Plus we book through Costco Travel (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) and its always a good deal!
Me and my wife got married at the hard rock we absolutely loved the experience we just booked our trip for December this year on our anniversary hope to run in to u sir lol
I stayed at Royal Pacific last year (my first time going to Universal) and absolutely loved it. I've booked again for 2024 and have chosen Sapphire Falls as I couldn't justify the difference in price as a single person.
@@cliodhnamalone7493 it's only useful if you stayed at a certain resort that is next to one another ( art of animation and pop century, Caribbean beach and Riveria)
Thanks for the video. We stayed at Portofino and loved it. Also thanks for the Rickomendation from a past video.. I tried the Wellington burger at Wimpy’s and it was delicious 😋
I stayed at sapphire falls last year and had a blast. This year I booked a special trip for my mom and myself to portofino bay. Would have probably preferred hard rock or royal pacific, but for some reason portofino bay was cheapest on the dates I chose.
I stayed in royal pacific in September yes the express passes were a massive bonus however the hotel itself was not up to standard, in fact it was dirty and housekeeping was not good plus the pools were dirty
Agreed we stayed in October and felt our room was run down. The express pass was nice but not sure until they renovate the rooms we'd stay again. Stayed at a discount Disney hotel off site and it was so much nicer and had free breakfast too
We stayed twice at royal pacific, once at hard rock and last time we splurged for Portofino Bay….that one is the absolute best in terms of room and room amenities, restaurants, ambience (free opera every night on balcony). Worth every penny!
I've only stayed at cabana bay ,my daughter loves it .we've stayed 3 times and we are thinking about booking a trip in August. We like the volcano bay views
My family and I have always preferred Royal Pacific, we splurge on the concierge levels and loved it every time except once when they were renovating. With all the amenities and express passes it is hard to beat.
most people go over with little and come back with more clothes lol , good to know that they can post home for u , the universal hotels are very appealing now
I’ve stayed at all of them but I keep running back to Cabana Bay for nostalgia. If you’re taking kids or other family members I recommend Dockside or Surfside family room because they have a full size picnic table and a separate bedroom away from other guests. Depending on when you go reflects their pricing. They will have last minute cancellation therefore, reduced rates but that’s playing Russian roulette. Spring break blocks is their highest rates so keep that in mind when booking. Don’t forget they charge for parking on their property per night. Tip: consider how much time you do plan to stay in your room. If you’re at the park all day you don’t need a fancy room unless it’s for making memories for the family via room IMO
Orlando is such a wonderful place and I bet you will be back there in no time! What's your favorite place to eat there? And have you tried using a duffle bag for your travel? I recommend using the Bento Bag from Nomad Lane. It’s my personal item bag with no checked bag fees and no lost luggage. It’s the best!
We do want to try the other hotels. So far we have done 1 stay at Hard Rock and 6 stays at Cabana Bay. Usually, walk to the theme parks from Cabana bay or get a water taxi.
Planning a trip to universal or Vegas for end of next month I’m so bad at making choices lol can’t chose witch to do I love universal but never been to Vegas also first trip some with my wife with no parents lol should be fun either way
He said on his bday livestream yesterday that he probably won't be there today :( But you can for sure find him there on Saturday when he does his next livestream.
Portofino is the worst of the hotels hands down. It's not fun. It's twice as far as Hard Rock and the Kitchen is a much better restaurant than overpriced Bice. I canceled our Dec trip because we had Portofino booked. If Royal Pacific and Hard Rock are booked, then I'll stay home. Stay at Royal Pacific and you can walk to Sapphire Falls, Aventura, and Cabana Bay if you want to.
So for the premier hotels I’m assuming why they are expensive cause of all the stuff you get? Like express pass is added if you wouldn’t buy it separate?
i got such swolen feet for wearing the wrong shoes! had to visit the outlets , it would be hard to book food 10 days in advance, my appetite changes lol
Not to be a problem, but as a deaf/ hard of hearing person, I really wish you could put closed captions on more videos. It's hard for me to hear all you've got to say without it. I love watching your videos and understand why live streams would not be, but, just a wish. ❤
Bice Restaurant at Portofino bay is Excellent! I also agree with Rick about the Kitchen.The steak there is every bit as good as The Palm and you save a few bucks!Bice and The Palm though are not cheap but the service and food are just worth every Dollar.
We left our charging cable for our iphones in the hotel room, and we thought we could buy one inside the park. We couldn’t find any at the shops, and when we asked, we were told that Universal does not sell cables for iphones because Apple doesn’t allow it. Just keep that in mind.
@@texasscifi3431 I’ve never used fuel rods, so I don’t know about that. We had a power bank, but not the cable. The cable is the one that Universal doesn’t sell.
You must have Universal Confused with Disney… as a solo traveler for I can do a 4-day trip, staying on-site, for about $1000. And that includes my Annual Pass cost. Typically is it significantly less.
For fun I just went to Universal Orlando's website and got a quote of $4,908.89 under the Canada Resident Vacation Package. It includes: Loews Royal Pacific Resort March 19-24 (Complimentary Unlimited Express Passes) 2-Park 5-Day Park-to-Park tickets for 4 Adults Switch hotels to Cabana Bay (no Express Passes) and the price goes down to $2,855.40 If including flights and/or having more than 4 people in your family pushes the cost over your budget of $6k, then I can't see how Universal can be the blame for that.
If you have a Costco membership then use Costco travel! They have some amazing deals for universal that include the park tickets. I have stayed plenty of times for anywhere from 7-10 days and paid under $3k for 3 people.. you just have to look at different times of the year.
I just rebooted my trip with Universal by phone & got the same deal I located on their website! The Vacation Package of saving 25%, for 2 people, 3-Park, 5-Day at Aventura with Photo Pass(5-Day) & it was just under $1,700.... It's do-able with research & going at specific times or getting certain deals! If you need plane tickets or drive money, it shouldn't be more than $2,500 total & then just need in the park money! There are also offsite places you can stay for cheap & just buy tickets & pay for parking when visiting the parks!!! Just look into it, I'm not sure if you mean for the full trip, Inc. food, Souvenirs, etc., but for booking our stays, we've not needed more than $2,500! Good Luck with future travel plans!👍
This is a very good overview of Uni's hotels -- informative but concise. It was smart to make a fresh trip to each location instead of just relying on old footage or descriptions of past visits. It makes the content seem current.
agreed
Sapphire would be perfect if they offered some version of Express Pass! Maybe a Limited pass!
I only stay at Hard Rock Hotel or Royal Pacific Resort. I love having unlimited express pass and walking to/from the parks.
Which one is better?
@@kevinserling6541 I don't think either is better, they are both great. Hard Rock has the music, hip vibe. The walking path is closest to Studios park. Royal Pacific has the laid back island feel. The walking path empties into city walk right next to Margaritaville and is close to Islands of Adventure. They both have very nice pool areas with hot tubs and cabanas for rent. Hard Rock has a pool slide and Royal Pacific doesn't, if you happen to be traveling with kiddos.
@@lorienders1017 thank you!
We have stayed at Royal Pacific (my fav) and Portofino (3 times) which is my daughters favorite. We always go premier for the express passes 🤷🏻♀️ just makes sense to me to pay more (sometimes it’s only slightly more) to have those included so we can get more rides in during our stay. Plus we book through Costco Travel (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) and its always a good deal!
Me and my wife got married at the hard rock we absolutely loved the experience we just booked our trip for December this year on our anniversary hope to run in to u sir lol
We loved dockside!
me too x
Thanks for this overview! We’ve stayed at Cabana Bay a few times and love it! Next month we’ll be staying at Surfside for the first time.
I stayed at Royal Pacific last year (my first time going to Universal) and absolutely loved it. I've booked again for 2024 and have chosen Sapphire Falls as I couldn't justify the difference in price as a single person.
I had no idea that they allowed pool hopping between hotels; thanks for the insight Rick! Great video!
same
I heard Disney is doing that as well. Was there in December and a cast member told me they don't check magic bands
@@remyd8767 i would never think to pool hop lol
@@cliodhnamalone7493 it's only useful if you stayed at a certain resort that is next to one another ( art of animation and pop century, Caribbean beach and Riveria)
@@remyd8767 thanks
Thanks for the video. We stayed at Portofino and loved it. Also thanks for the Rickomendation from a past video.. I tried the Wellington burger at Wimpy’s and it was delicious 😋
I stayed at sapphire falls last year and had a blast. This year I booked a special trip for my mom and myself to portofino bay. Would have probably preferred hard rock or royal pacific, but for some reason portofino bay was cheapest on the dates I chose.
We stayed at Dockside last month and it was fantastic! Love the transportation and the 2 bedroom suite was the perfect size!
I love endless summer resort. Stayed there for HHN and it is very nice. I forgot it was a value resort
I stayed in royal pacific in September yes the express passes were a massive bonus however the hotel itself was not up to standard, in fact it was dirty and housekeeping was not good plus the pools were dirty
Agreed we stayed in October and felt our room was run down. The express pass was nice but not sure until they renovate the rooms we'd stay again. Stayed at a discount Disney hotel off site and it was so much nicer and had free breakfast too
We stayed twice at royal pacific, once at hard rock and last time we splurged for Portofino Bay….that one is the absolute best in terms of room and room amenities, restaurants, ambience (free opera every night on balcony). Worth every penny!
We stayed at Aventura and had a view of the volcano. It was really cool. Room 1135 was ours.
Nice! What kind of room category was that?
Skyline view room. Which just means a higher floor. We stayed again and had a view of the parks.
I've only stayed at cabana bay ,my daughter loves it .we've stayed 3 times and we are thinking about booking a trip in August. We like the volcano bay views
We are currently staying at Sapphire Falls for the first time and are loving it!
We stayed at Dockside it was lovely, great pool area. Food was great and there was a free bus to and from the parks
My family and I have always preferred Royal Pacific, we splurge on the concierge levels and loved it every time except once when they were renovating. With all the amenities and express passes it is hard to beat.
Congratulations on the Disney Vlog Awards! ❤
brilliant review
most people go over with little and come back with more clothes lol , good to know that they can post home for u , the universal hotels are very appealing now
Great overview Rick - I really enjoy these “refreshers” at the beginning of each year
Happy birthday Rix!
I’ve stayed at all of them but I keep running back to Cabana Bay for nostalgia. If you’re taking kids or other family members I recommend Dockside or Surfside family room because they have a full size picnic table and a separate bedroom away from other guests. Depending on when you go reflects their pricing. They will have last minute cancellation therefore, reduced rates but that’s playing Russian roulette. Spring break blocks is their highest rates so keep that in mind when booking. Don’t forget they charge for parking on their property per night. Tip: consider how much time you do plan to stay in your room. If you’re at the park all day you don’t need a fancy room unless it’s for making memories for the family via room IMO
love the idea of water taxi
Great overview Rick! Only done Cabana Bay a couple of times but would love to try Portofino Bay.
Yay! I was waiting for this video, we are staying at the Portofino at the beginning of February
Great Overview of the Hotels Rick !
I have always stayed at cabana bay I would like to try some of the others aventura, sapphire falls, and endless summer/ dock side
Orlando is such a wonderful place and I bet you will be back there in no time! What's your favorite place to eat there? And have you tried using a duffle bag for your travel? I recommend using the Bento Bag from Nomad Lane. It’s my personal item bag with no checked bag fees and no lost luggage. It’s the best!
We do want to try the other hotels. So far we have done 1 stay at Hard Rock and 6 stays at Cabana Bay. Usually, walk to the theme parks from Cabana bay or get a water taxi.
Portofino Bay is awesome!
Planning a trip to universal or Vegas for end of next month I’m so bad at making choices lol can’t chose witch to do I love universal but never been to Vegas also first trip some with my wife with no parents lol should be fun either way
My wife's and my favorite hotel is Royal Pacific.
Are you coming to Universal Orlando today? We came all the way from Chicago to Universal Orlando. Wanted to meet you very badly now I’m a fan of you!
He said on his bday livestream yesterday that he probably won't be there today :(
But you can for sure find him there on Saturday when he does his next livestream.
Very good video.
Portofino is the worst of the hotels hands down. It's not fun. It's twice as far as Hard Rock and the Kitchen is a much better restaurant than overpriced Bice. I canceled our Dec trip because we had Portofino booked. If Royal Pacific and Hard Rock are booked, then I'll stay home. Stay at Royal Pacific and you can walk to Sapphire Falls, Aventura, and Cabana Bay if you want to.
Thanks!
You bet!
I saw you video taping yesterday at Dr Seuss I was a custodian there blonde hair girl 👧
Is it easy to visit other Universal hotels from the park?
shops to hotel transport was sooooo good
8:09 subscriiiiibbbbeeee…..
Figured I would dub that in with my comment lol
So for the premier hotels I’m assuming why they are expensive cause of all the stuff you get? Like express pass is added if you wouldn’t buy it separate?
Thank you Rick for the information this was very good 👍
i got such swolen feet for wearing the wrong shoes! had to visit the outlets , it would be hard to book food 10 days in advance, my appetite changes lol
thank u for linking us to other videos
What do you recommend. How do I get a room close to the pool?
Not to be a problem, but as a deaf/ hard of hearing person, I really wish you could put closed captions on more videos. It's hard for me to hear all you've got to say without it. I love watching your videos and understand why live streams would not be, but, just a wish. ❤
Bice Restaurant at Portofino bay is Excellent! I also agree with Rick about the Kitchen.The steak there is every bit as good as The Palm and you save a few bucks!Bice and The Palm though are not cheap but the service and food are just worth every Dollar.
Is it cheaper for premier hotel for 4 people or go a cheaper hotel and get Express for 2 parks 2 days 4 people?
Happy birthday
I was coming to stay in your guest room. But no perks has me leaning to an on property resort
express passes are soo important lol x
different but interesting video !
early check in so good
Hey rik....when you are walking there at the end of the video...where is the trail you ate walking on?
From hard rock back to studios
It’s the walkway from the hotels (Portafino & Hard Rock) to Citywalk & the Parks
Thanks..love the vegetation and all green
at least the buses are free !
the pet friendly hotel is so pretty
We left our charging cable for our iphones in the hotel room, and we thought we could buy one inside the park. We couldn’t find any at the shops, and when we asked, we were told that Universal does not sell cables for iphones because Apple doesn’t allow it. Just keep that in mind.
So the fuel rods don't come with apple adapter at the kiosk? Glad I bought my fuel rods ahead of time.
@@texasscifi3431 I’ve never used fuel rods, so I don’t know about that. We had a power bank, but not the cable. The cable is the one that Universal doesn’t sell.
are universal based hotels generally dearer?
They are generally more expensive, but you need to run the numbers because depending on when you go, it could make more sense to stay on-site. hth
rick ur very lucky to live there
you have a guest house? we stayed at cabana bay
how many have u stayed in rick ?
for some reason, i thought the more expesnivve hotels would be less child friendly
Where to stay in 2023....staying at home ...unless you have over 6k this is not the place for you
You must have Universal Confused with Disney… as a solo traveler for I can do a 4-day trip, staying on-site, for about $1000. And that includes my Annual Pass cost. Typically is it significantly less.
For fun I just went to Universal Orlando's website and got a quote of $4,908.89
under the Canada Resident Vacation Package.
It includes:
Loews Royal Pacific Resort March 19-24 (Complimentary Unlimited Express Passes)
2-Park 5-Day Park-to-Park tickets for 4 Adults
Switch hotels to Cabana Bay (no Express Passes) and the price goes down to $2,855.40
If including flights and/or having more than 4 people in your family pushes the cost over your budget of $6k, then I can't see how Universal can be the blame for that.
If you have a Costco membership then use Costco travel! They have some amazing deals for universal that include the park tickets. I have stayed plenty of times for anywhere from 7-10 days and paid under $3k for 3 people.. you just have to look at different times of the year.
I just rebooted my trip with Universal by phone & got the same deal I located on their website! The Vacation Package of saving 25%, for 2 people, 3-Park, 5-Day at Aventura with Photo Pass(5-Day) & it was just under $1,700.... It's do-able with research & going at specific times or getting certain deals! If you need plane tickets or drive money, it shouldn't be more than $2,500 total & then just need in the park money! There are also offsite places you can stay for cheap & just buy tickets & pay for parking when visiting the parks!!! Just look into it, I'm not sure if you mean for the full trip, Inc. food, Souvenirs, etc., but for booking our stays, we've not needed more than $2,500! Good Luck with future travel plans!👍
Hey rix happy birthday