Hard Rock Hotel or Royal Pacific Resort

[irnman]

Hi All, trying to decide where to stay next year for universal and was hoping to get some personal experiences from people who have stayed at either.

Both have the same park benefits and seem very close to studios, though hard rock appears closer, is 5 stars over RPR 4 stars but is £20 a night more.

Looking at around 6 days on site so know we'd get good value from either.


Thanks

[Bozza]

We've stayed at both and love both - there isn't a bad choice here.

Both are relatively close to the parks - you can walk from either or catch a boat if you prefer.

As a family of 4, we prefer the rooms at the Hard Rock - it felt as though we have more space when we add a rollaway, so the kids can each have their own bed. As you are planning we stay for longer than the classic "one night for 2 days Front of Line" so this is a factor. If it was just a 1-nighter, I suspect this would be less of an issue.

We're all sushi fans and love the Orchid Lounge at the RPR. I think we ate there on 4 out of 5 nights on our last stay, and is a big draw for us. It's not like you can't eat there if staying at the Hard Rock, but it would be a bit of hassle to get there.

We prefer the Hard Rock pool to the RPR pool, but both are nice.

At a push, for 6 nights, I think we'd go for the Hard Rock.

[sha9]

We’ve only stayed at RPR as it’s always worked out cheaper. It’s a lovely resort and I wouldn’t really consider any other however we managed to get HRH cheaper for this year. Unfortunately it was a trip we didn’t take thanks to Covid so I can’t compare the two but basically what I’m saying is I’d go with whatever is cheapest.

[Geordie boy 57]

Have only ever done 1 night in each to take advantage of FOLP for 2 days
As above we prefer the pool at HRH but loved the theming at RPR which felt more relaxed and the a la carte breakfast was amazing
If I was going for 6 nights then for me it would be a toss of a coin

[letty]

I’ve stayed at both , personal preference is HRH .
Depends on the theming you prefer, as both have a short walk to the parks.

[123]

I've stayed at both. Our pref is the Royal Pacific but suspect that is nostalga (as it was the first Orlando hotel we ever stayed in) more than anything.

Neither is a bad choice, both however are nowhere near as good for the "finer things" as Portofino - but it is usually way more money

Out of HRH and Royal Pacific I would say if you have younger kids then RP is better as it is more chilled and does more "kid-entertainment" things.

Once you are travelling with teenagers then the "cooler" vibe of HR may make that the better choice

But to reiterate you won't be upset whichever choice you make!

[Dr.JumbaJookiba]

Only stayed at HRH out of the two but wouldn't go anywhere else. Love the theme and vibe of the place plus the nice stroll to the parks. Plus my favourite restaurant (The Palm) is in the lobby.

[Taffy1959]

We’ve stayed at both at prefer RPR
We find it more relaxed and laid back than HRH

[Mrs Valentine]

Love Royal Pacific, its such a beautiful hotel. Love the reception area with the refreshing water to fill you bottle up with. Really pretty pool area with great nachos and cocktails. Nice boat ride (There is a boat from the Hard Rock as well) to the parks which we also loved. Rooms are massive and beautiful. Nice toiletries.

[Jimsdadhalifax]

We have stayed at both a few times and prefer Royal Pacific slightly due to the theming. RPR is closer to Islands of Adventure and Hard Rock is closer to Universal Studios. We prefer using the boat to walking so that doesn't really make any difference for us.

The key point made by an earlier poster is that both are excellent and whichever you choose you will be happy. We prefer RPR but loved Hard Rock and would gladly stay there again.

(Also stayed at Portofino and that is better than either RPR or Hard Rock. If the price was similar I would stay there)