Loews Royal Pacific Resort is the Best Resort at Universal

Wondering where to stay during your next trip to Universal Orlando? Here is why we think Loews Royal Pacific should be at the top of your list!

Universal Orlando Resorts

Universal Orlando has eight resorts for guests to choose from. Which one is right for you? If this is your first time staying onsite at Universal Orlando, it can be a little daunting. Which resort should you stay in? What are the benefits of each resort? Which one is the best value? Take a look at this guide to help you make a decision.

Each resort has its own perks and benefits for staying. Perks include Early Park Admission, free transportation, resort-wide charging privileges using your room key and free merchandise delivery to your resort. While all Universal hotels offer these perks, only Premiere hotels offer free Express Pass.

Loews Royal Pacific

On a recent trip, my (Maggie) family decided to stay onsite at Universal Orlando for the very first time. One of the key reasons we chose this resort was because it is a Premiere Hotel. Generally speaking, this resort seems to be the least expensive out of all of the Premiere hotels throughout the year. Rates do vary depending on the time of the year you visit.

Loews Royal Pacific is the “Polynesian” of the Universal Orlando hotels with its tropical theming and lush landscaping. You can even attend a luau on select nights at this resort!

Room Types

Three different room types are available to guests at Loews Royal Pacific, including Standard, Club Level and Suites. The Jurassic Kid Suite is a fun choice for families. Room rates are typically $300 – $500 per night. Suites are much more expensive than Standard Rooms, so do keep that in mind.

From our room, we were able to see other Universal Orlando resorts and Islands of Adventure. Loews Royal Pacific is closest to Islands of Adventure and is within walking distance to the park.

Rooms include plenty of amenities, a Keurig coffee maker with gourmet coffee and assorted teas, free wireless internet access, and mini refrigerator. Each room can sleep from 2-5 guests depending on the type of room you have.

Getting to the Parks

Getting to the parks is easy and free!

Guests have the option of bus transportation, taking the ferry boat or simply walking over to the park. It is about a ten minute walk to Islands of Adventure and twenty minutes to get to Universal Studios Florida. If you do decide to take either the bus or ferry boat, wait times are not long. It is pretty unusual to have to wait any more than ten minutes for another ferry boat to arrive.

Dining

There are six dining locations at this resort, including Islands Dining Room, Jake’s American Bar, Orchid Court Lounge & Sushi Bar, Tuk Tuk Market and Bula Bar and Grille. Guests can also take advantage of Priority Seating at select restaurants in Universal Orlando, Universal Islands of Adventure and Universal CityWalk.

24-Hour Room Service is also available from Monday through Sunday.

Recreation

Plenty of recreation is available to guests including a pool with an interactive play area for children and two hot tubs, gym, arcade room and walking and jogging paths all throughout the resort. Guests can enjoy poolside activities and a luau is available on Saturday nights.

Private pool cabanas are also available to rent during the day. These cabanas offer amenities like a ceiling fan, phone, TV, refrigerator with water, soda and a fruit bowl.

The Wantilan Luau is a separate event and tickets are required. It includes an all-you-can-eat buffet and live music.

How does this compare to other Premiere Hotels?

The other Premier hotels are Lowes Portofino Bay Hotel and the Hard Rock Hotel®. These resorts in my opinion seem to be a little more upscale and a bit more expensive than Loews Royal Pacific. Other than the Jurrasic Park suites at this resort, you will not find any major theming in the rooms.

In terms of location, the Hard Rock Hotel® is the closest resort to both parks and if you are looking for theming and love Rock and Roll, this resort would be an easy choice for you.

Lowes Portofino Bay Hotel is the most expensive out of all of the Premiere Hotels. Would I stay here? Absolutely! Here guests feel as if they stepped into Portofino, Italy. However, the price alone compared to Lowes Royal Pacific was enough for me to choose where we stayed over this one.

Why to Stay Here

There are a number of reasons why staying here has its benefits. For my family, it was the perks and the cost. Having Universal Express Unlimited was worth it! This pass is normally $109 per person if you want to visit on a regular day, but free if you decide to stay at one of the Premiere hotels. It is also unlimited, which means you can skip the lines all day long.

Universal Express Unlimited passes are available to each member of your party for the entire length of your stay.

Early Park Admission is also a great benefit to have and allows you to enter the theme parks one hour before the parks open. You will definitely want to take advantage of Early Park Admission to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and be one of the first guests to board Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure™.

This is important because it is one of the few rides that does not offer Express Pass.

Expect long lines during the day for this attraction if you do not catch it in the morning. Wait times for the attraction are typically an hour or even more depending on how busy the park is.

All in all, our stay at this resort was enjoyable. The resort was clean, service was courteous and always available, and you really cannot beat being able to walk to the parks. If I were to visit Universal Orlando, I would absolutely stay at this resort again.

Have you stayed at any of the Universal Orlando resort hotels? Which one was your favorite? Will you ever stay at Loews Royal Pacific? Let us know in the comments below or share this post with a friend who is planning a trip to Universal Orlando.