Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando reviews
16649 TripAdvisor reviews
High price tag without the value; cleanliness issues
eltravelnotations on Dec 14, 2024
The disappointment is real, guys. Out of the different stays I had during this trip, I was looking forward to this one the most - I wanted to end with a relaxing stay in an upscale, peaceful setting. I found this hotel almost outrageously expensive in return for value received. Let's start with the positives! - The location to Universal is very nice and in my opinion the main selling point. It's a 10-minute walk to City Walk. You can also take a hotel boat there, but I think that takes longer than walking. - The person who checked me in was competent and thorough. The concierge we spoke with was also very professional. Thank you! The not-so-greats: - at $500 a pop, the rooms are a little dated. But for me, the worse part is they don't feel very clean. When I arrived, I found some food bit on my sheets and a dark, easily visible stain on one of the pillowcases. It made me uneasy and wonder if these have actually been washed...? See pics! - Maintenance/housekeeping needs work as evidenced by the above and the conditioner bottle that ran empty by Day 2 (wasn't checked or filled by staff). The bathroom sliding door handle was askew and very loose on its hinges - easy fix that indicates that not a lot of effort is put into the rooms. The little table by the window had dried food stuck to the surface. - I called a couple times prior to my stay because I had a question on my reservation. They seemed disinterested and gave me inconsistent/not really answers to my questions responses. As you probably know, the majority of people stay here because it offers early admission (note: during the time here, it was only applicable to IoA) and unlimited express passes to the Universal parks. This could be nice except the express passes can't be used on rides you really need it most, like Hagrid's Magical Creatures ride. Unfortunately if there's any delay in the ride at all (which is very common) it could be like us where the delay ate into our ENTIRE early admission hour and wasn't operating until 9AM (regular admission time). And from there it was STILL over an hour wait. By the time we got done waiting and off the ride, it was 10:15 AM. Early admission was 8AM. Anyway, the express pass is still why many stay here, which is likely why so little effort is put into the rooms despite the high price tag. I would not recommend staying here. It may be better to book elsewhere and determine the day of whether you'd like to buy express passes separately. Last minor point: I don't know why other reviews mentioned leis because we weren't offered any at check-in. I don't know if this is still a practice.
OK, but rooms starting to show their age
beeaed (Boston, Massachusetts) on Dec 13, 2024
Overall, the Loews Royal Pacific is an adequate hotel for a Universal trip. The rooms are clean and functional, and the value proposition (free express pass for all registered guests) is hard to beat. Two dings to the rating: 1. Rooms are not adequately soundproofed. We could hear loud screaming children on all sides (including, surprising, above and below). We are no strangers to Orlando hotels, but it was nonetheless surprising to us just how poorly the rooms were insulated from sound. 2. The rooms are starting to show their age. The furnishings are rather basic for a hotel at this price point, and you could be forgiven for walking into the room and thinking that this was a run-of-the-mill, $150/night three-star hotel. The location is great, and paired with more modern furnishings the hotel could be even better.
Comfort and style
t_niagara86 (Welland, Canada) on Nov 30, 2024
We had a wonderful, relaxing stay at Royal Pacific! We’ve stayed at most of the on site hotels, and RP has taken first place in my heart. Check in was delightful. We were asked what room location we preferred, and we were given a quiet room up on the 6th floor. Really appreciated being able to choose my own destiny on that front. Pool (and pool bar) were excellent. Highly recommend the mahi fish sandwich. Bartenders were delightful, even making a custom drink on request. Walk to the park was less than 10 minutes. We were consistently the first people let through security beside Margaritaville, and as a result some of the first in line for early park admission. This was crucial during the busy Thanksgiving week. Express passes aren’t always required if you plan your days right, but man, was it a LUXURY to have them this week! We also spent one evening at Orchid lounge, which was lovely and relaxing. Sushi here was very good, as was the Japanese whiskey selection. I LOVE aventura and sapphire falls, but trust me when I say it wil be very hard to return to those hotels after experiencing what RP has to offer. For comparison, we’ve also stayed at Hard Rock, and I would choose RP every time.
Pure luxury and comfort!
Tracy B (Stafford, United Kingdom) on Nov 28, 2024
Spacious modern room with the most comfortable bed and pillows ever! Nice bathroom with powerful shower and nice toiletries. Great hairdryer too. We ate at the on site restaurant and have to say the food was just fabulous, can definately recommend.
Good hotel, close to Universal parks
tgalis (New York City, New York) on Nov 19, 2024
It is a very nice, clean hotel. The rooms are comfortable and it is very close to the Universal parks. The design of the rooms is nice and clean. The only downside is that housekeeping skipped our room one day. Even though we did not get to use it, the pool looked great.