Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando
I love hotels. I love resorts. I love traveling and sleeping in clean white sheets and chocolates on my pillows. I love leaving my room a mess in the morning, and when I return, a fairy has been there and made the world right again.
The Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando was everything I love.
My room was a great size, with views over the lagoon, and the new furnishings were top notch. So many times, in properties that are themed (The Royal Pacific is, um, South Pacific themed) the décor gets cheesy. Not so here. My bed looked like a leather steamer trunk, the dresser looked like something you would find on an old boat carrying a year of luggage, the wallpaper was a blown out series of purple flowers. The lighting was contemporary and great to look at, casting fine light. The bath was well lit and perfectly functional. And that’s just my ROOM. The rest of the property was equally well done. In fact, I kept forgetting I was in Florida, and not on an island. It happened more than once seven times.
As one of the three luxury properties on site, the Royal Pacific has a bevy of perks that come with staying there. Beyond being a wonderful hotel, and something you would expect from a luxury resort, there are bonuses. So, as a courtesy to you, I’m going to list the Top 5 Things that are GREAT about Universal Orlando’s Loews Royal Pacific. Some you may know about, some you may not. But they are ALL things I found fantastic.
Unlimited Express Passes
First Up: Unlimited Express Passes for everyone in the room. Yes, the cost of your room is higher than an off-site property, but the VALUE is incredible. A family of four, staying onsite for 3 nights, can be had for $1650 midweek in April (I just looked!). This includes hotel, tax, transportation to and from the parks, Admission to BOTH parks for 3 days, Citywalk Passes, and UNLIMITED Express Passes. The tickets alone are valued at $750, which means the hotel is running about $275ish per night. But the hotel includes the EXPRESS PASSES (which are worth up to $89 per person). TOTAL VALUE.
I know, I know…maybe you’re thinking “What’s an Express Pass?”
Well, its about the best thing to ever happen to a theme park.
It’s like being the offspring of the park owner. You don’t wait in line for over an hour. You don’t wait in line for 90 minutes. You get your own special line, and you wait just a few minutes to get on that incredible ride. As many times as you want.
Think about it!
If you have 8 hours to spend at the park, knowing your 6 year old is going to have a meltdown at 8 hours and one minute, and the wait to ride Harry Potter is 97 minutes, you’re going to get to ride, oh, about 4 rides ALL DAY. Sad Face.
Get the Express Pass, and you’ll be riding all you an handle.
Staying at Royal Pacific gets you just that.
Walk or Boat to the Parks
The Royal Pacific is located on a canal that has a boat. This boat makes trip after trip to the theme parks, all day long. Just jump on, and in about 5 minutes, you’re ready to ride E.T. or become a Minion. Don’t want to wait the 5 minutes for the next boat? Walk. It’s a quick, well lit walk that I managed to make in under 10 minutes, even after 2am. Safe and sound and just too easy.
The Ducks
Okay, now, this isn’t an advertised feature, but there are DUCKS that live and play in the Royal Pacific pool. The pool is saltwater, and those little birds just splash around like they own the place. When I was there, there were about 9 babies, all learning to swim and jump in and out of the pool. It was so precious!
Jake’s Bar Pretzels
I made a meal of these, twice. Giant, loaf shaped pretzels, buttery, garlicky. Amazing and yeasty…dear Lord I can’t take it. Little secret…you can ask your pool server to GO TO JAKE’S and fetch these for you. He totally will. Bat your eyes, Cody will skip off to Jake’s and be back with a plate of these bad boys. Get the Strawberry Pina Colada to wash them down. You’ll not be sorry.
Outlets, Outlets Everywhere
Sorry, I am a techie. I am a blogger. I have an iPad, iPhone, computer, back up battery charger, and a Ring that buzzes when I have an email or text. EVERYTHING needs to be charged. I HATE going to hotels that have one little outlet tucked way behind the nightstand that you can only use if you unplug either the lamp or the clock.
The Royal Pacific has SO MANY OUTLETS. And not just outlets – they have the USB imports in case you don’t have an adapter for all of those devices you bring. Look at this nightstand! I could keep all of my things plugged in at night, right beside my bed. But the desk was just as loaded! No searching for outlets EVER.
Gosh, I love that.
SO, maybe my list of things isn’t the same thing you’d choose, but you have to admit…I have some very valid points. Pretzels and outlets can MAKE OR BREAK a vacation.
Don’t let that happen to you.
For more information on booking the Royal Pacific or any other Universal Orlando Package, click here. You’ll love it!
Disclaimer: I was invited to Universal on a media trip. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
