By Mandi Rogier
Universal Studios has three
resorts on property designed to provide guests with a complete Universal
Orlando vacation. Two hotels--Lowe's Royal Pacific
resort and the Hard Rock Hotel--are located on one side of the park with Lowe's Portofino Bay Hotel on the other. All three hotels offer comparable rooms, amenities and packages. Depending on your itinerary and goals for your Orlando vacation, there are both pros and cons to staying at a Universal Studios Resort.
Theme Park Benefits
For guests planning to spend most or all of their vacation at Universal Studios Orlando, there are some very big pros to staying at a Universal Studios Resort. Your resort room key will give you front of the line access at most of the attractions in both Universal theme parks. You can charge purchases made at the park to your hotel room, and a boat is available at each hotel to ferry guests to the park. This arrangement is ideal for guests who do not have a car with them. Those guests who do bring a car will be charged an additional fee for parking at the hotel.
Dining Options
Each of the Universal Studios resorts has dining facilities within the hotel. The hotels are also located close to City Walk which offers a wide range of restaurants including Emerill's, Margaritaville and The Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Guests staying on a club level at one of the resorts will have a buffet available to them at various times of the day. However, many guest reviews indicate that this buffet has a poor selection of foods and isn't worth the price of a club level room.
Hotel Activities
The pool areas at the Universal Orlando resorts are designed to accommodate families and children, creating an enjoyable experience for guests of all ages. Each hotel offers a nightly movie at the pool, allowing guests to swim while enjoying a free movie. The downside of these family-oriented activities is that the hotels have many children staying at them who can cause quite a bit of noise at night when left unattended. Busy seasons can be especially hectic with rambunctious children on vacation.
Location
Universal Studios hotels have an ideal location for Universal Studios and its sister park, Islands of Adventure. City Walk, situated between the two, provides ample shops, restaurants and clubs. These hotels are also located near popular local activities such as International Drive and the Wet and Wild Water Park. One of the cons to the hotels' location is that guests planning to visit parks such as Disney World or Sea World will have a good drive ahead of them. For families planning to visit more than one park on their vacation, a more centrally located hotel may better meet their needs.
About the Author:
Mandi Rogier is a freelance writer who enjoys writing about a wide range of topics. As a previous employee of Walt Disney World, she enjoys writing travel articles that make use of her extensive knowledge of Orlando theme parks.
