Review: Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando
Loews Royal Pacific Resort is a premier hotel within walking or boat distance of Universal Studios Florida & Islands of Adventure, with unlimited front-of-line Express Pass at rides in both theme parks. This review features room photos, amenities info, pros & cons, and how these luxury accommodations compare to Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts.
Themed to the South Seas, Royal Pacific has a sense of adventure, and is another transportive resort at Universal Orlando. It evokes a bygone era, and feels like an luxurious resort you’d find in the South Pacific catering to affluent world travelers. Ironically enough, the kind of place where Lillian and Walt Disney might’ve stayed during their globe-trotting adventures.
Loews Royal Pacific Resort has a lot of selling points, but this grand and beautifully-executed theme is one thing that makes it particularly appealing to theme park fans. The hotel toes the line between rugged exploration and refined opulence, with lush and overgrown grounds fitting perfectly beside the sophisticated Orchid Court Lounge and its reflection pool lined with statues of imperial elephants.
This being a Disney blog, it makes sense to start with a comparison, and the obvious one is between Royal Pacific and Polynesian Village Resort at Walt Disney World. Fans often draw parallels between the two, which makes sense given that Royal Pacific’s own site calls it a “Polynesian paradise” and both offer takes on a tropical oasis that celebrate the spirit of the South Pacific.
Not to be contrarian, but I think the similarities are mostly marketing descriptions. At its core, Disney’s Polynesian Resort is a love letter to mid-century tiki culture, a tribute to Americana more than the locales listed on its longhouse signs. It might’ve been the type of flagship hotel an American company would’ve built in Waikiki in the 1950s. It’s a richly-themed and fun caricature, but it’s not striving for authenticity. It’s its own thing at this point.
Loews Royal Pacific Resort strikes a different tone. It takes itself more seriously, and comes across as more authentic. There are rich woods, ornate carvings, and art that would feel at home in Bali or Malaysia. There’s an inherent contrast between the sense of exploration and sophistication that provides tension and intrigue–how did this hotel acquire all of these priceless artifacts? Is there an ancient curse of which I should be aware before going on a late night stroll?
Consequently, Royal Pacific feels a bit like “S.E.A. The Resort.” When Disney acquires it in the inevitable deal for the Marvel rights (it is right behind Super Hero Island, which is obviously not a coincidence–I’m just connecting the dots), don’t be surprised if they add a portrait of Harrison Hightower to the lobby. Joking aside, the point is that Royal Pacific feels more exotic, adventurous, and luxurious than the Poly. It’s a similar idea, but executed in such a different way that it achieves a totally different vibe–like the contrast between Yacht Club and Beach Club at Walt Disney World.
Beyond different interpretations of the South Pacific, the Polynesian and Royal Pacific have a couple things in common. The first is that both have been modernized in recent years. Both have seen their themes diluted to varying degrees as their respective operators have attempted to make them more appealing to contemporary audiences.
In the case of Royal Pacific, this means a lot of timelessness has been replaced by on-trend carpet, wall coverings, light fixtures, and more. It all strikes me as unnecessary and counterproductive, but this is also happening at numerous Walt Disney World hotels, so clearly there’s a market for it. Personally, I think the execution of most of this is ham-fisted, sloppy, and at odds with the underlying theme. But hey, at least it looks more modern and fancier?
Both Royal Pacific and the Poly also have great locations. Loews Royal Pacific Resort is located within a short walk of Universal’s two theme parks. It’s essentially “across the street” from Islands of Adventure on one side and Sapphire Falls on the other, making for an easy walk to that resort and CityWalk.
Yet somehow, Loews Royal Pacific Resort feels fairly isolated from the rest of Universal Orlando (all three of the premier hotels accomplish this). This is despite it being surrounded by roads on all sides, and is accomplished via the layout and thick vegetation. This tranquility is quite impressive, as I can’t think of a hotel at Universal that’s more in the heart of the action.
Also unlike the Poly at Walt Disney World, Loews Royal Pacific Resort is a tower hotel complex, with several large wings flanked by the pool, lagoon, entrance, and convention space. Even though it’s technically smaller than Portofino Bay, the layout of Royal Pacific is less overwhelming. Everything aside from the event space is relatively compact and easily accessible regardless of your room location.
The walk from Royal Pacific to CityWalk is easy and pleasant. It helps that the path is lush and gorgeous–with mature trees, bamboo and palms–all along the waterfront. It’s pretty short–a tad longer than that between Hard Rock Hotel and Universal Studios Florida, but closer than any other hotel at Universal Orlando.
If you’d prefer not to walk, Universal Orlando also provides complimentary water taxis to CityWalk from Royal Pacific. The boats are abundant–you’ll rarely wait more than 10 minutes for one. Whether walking or the water taxi works out to be faster depends on timing and your walking speed.
There’s also free bus transportation that services Volcano Bay water park. In general, we’ve found the bus and boat service significantly better at Universal Orlando than Walt Disney World. Whether it’s by foot, boat, or bus, transportation is typically a breeze at Universal.
Another key perk of Loews Royal Pacific Resort is Unlimited Express Pass in Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida with valid theme park admission. Express Pass is Universal’s front-of-line pass, and the unlimited version is exactly what the name suggests–infinite line skipping! This on-site perk is available every day of your stay, including on check-in and check-out days.
Unlimited Express Pass is included with your stay at Premier Hotels is an incredible deal that allows you to skip the lines at most popular Universal attractions. By contrast, Walt Disney World’s paid Genie+ and Lightning Lanes are not included with Deluxe Resorts–everyone has to pay extra for it.
Unlimited Express Pass has a value of over $100 per person each day, meaning its value could come close to “paying for” the cost of the upgrade. This is especially true at Royal Pacific, which is Universal’s least expensive premier hotel.
Even though Royal Pacific is more expensive than several other on-site hotels at Universal Orlando, it’s arguably the best value for money. If you’d otherwise stay at Sapphire Falls–a hotel we otherwise love–it might make sense to pay the ~$100/night and upgrade to Royal Pacific for the superior hotel, slightly better location, and unlimited Express Pass. If you would otherwise buy Express Pass during your stay, you’ll come out ahead with the upgrade–even before accounting for Royal Pacific’s other advantages.
The next major amenity at Royal Pacific is the pool. This has an array of features: bar & grill, two hot tubs, zero-entry white sand beach, Royal Bali Sea play area, cabanas for rent, poolside activities by day, and dive-in movies by night.
Of the pools at Universal’s premier hotels–Hard Rock Hotel, Portofino Bay, and here–Royal Pacific’s does the least for me. It’s lush and large, but it just strikes me as bland. Perhaps it’d be different if I could play in the Royal Bali Sea area without catching sid-eye from other guests, but I just don’t see anything special about this pool.
Royal Pacific also offers private cabanas for rental. These come completely equipped with a phone, ceiling fan, HD plasma TV, refrigerator with sodas and waters, wireless internet, and more.
On an unrelated note, guests of Royal Pacific also receive Early Park Admission. This is more beneficial at Volcano Bay given the Unlimited Express Pass in the theme parks, but we still took advantage. Getting a head start is nice if you’re up early anyway.
Loews Royal Pacific Resort boasts a formidable restaurant lineup. For table service, there’s Islands Dining Room, a large Indonesian-style dining room. Near that is Jake’s American Bar, which is a casual table service restaurant and bar; this feels like a cross between Indiana Jones and Casablanca. (That might be the best way to describe the resort as a whole–not just this bar.)
There’s also the Tuk Tuk Market in the lobby, which serves Starbucks coffee, sandwiches, sushi, and ice cream. Then there’s the new Orchid Court Lounge & Sushi Bar, serving sushi, sashimi, appetizers and drinks. Finally, the poolside Bula Bar & Grille, which means “Welcome [Bar & Grill]” in Fijian. (Who knew you’d learn something new when you clicked on this blog post?!)
Loews Royal Pacific Resort boasts that its guest rooms are “equal parts Pacific and terrific” with a style that’s island chic–as contemporary as it is laid back. The hotel has 1,000 stylish guestrooms and 51 spacious suites.
Rooms start at 335 square feet each, which is significantly smaller than the other premier hotels at Universal, and also most Deluxe Resorts at Walt Disney World. (It’s slightly larger than most Moderate Resorts, except for Gran Destino Tower.)
Guest rooms at Loews Royal Pacific Resort feature 100% cotton sheets and plenty of pillows. Comfort-wise, the bedding was plush and fantastic. Both Universal and Disney have improved their mattresses in the last several years, so absolutely no complaints there.
Other in-room amenities include a Keurig coffee maker, mini-fridge, free Wi-Fi, work space, dresser, flat screen television, and more.
That that missing from that list is “chair.”
Judging by the stock photos on the Loews website, our room was supposed to have a sitting chair in the corner. The presence of an orphaned side table that was appropriate chair height reinforces this.
Even if we weren’t denied a chair, our favorite feature of any hotel, this room review for Royal Pacific would be fairly middling. In terms of style and spaciousness, these rooms just didn’t do a ton for us. Despite being ~10 feet smaller, I prefer the rooms at Sapphire Falls.
To each their own, but the attempts at trendiness fall flat for me, and there are a lot of discordant elements in this room. The layout and use of space is pretty similar to Sapphire Falls (where our room DID have a side chair) and those newer rooms also feel fresher and have a more cohesive and comfortable style. As with anything, your mileage may vary.
The bathroom is serviceable, but nothing special.
I wrote something similar about Portofino Bay, which is sentiment I now retract after doing subsequent stays at every other Universal resort. Portofino Bay has the best bathrooms of the Universal hotels. It’s not even close.
Sarah shoot a video tour of the room to give you a better sense of its layout.
In short, the guest rooms at Loews Royal Pacific Resort aren’t going to win any awards for style or substance. In fact, they’re my least favorite of the premier hotel rooms at Universal Orlando and arguably not any better than lower tier resorts. Still, they are passable and perfectly comfortable. Your perspective may differ depending upon how much time you’ll spend in the room, your tastes, etc.
Ultimately, our perspective on Loews Royal Pacific Resort mostly comes down to numbers. If you’d take advantage of unlimited Express Pass, the math almost certainly works out in your favor to upgrade to one of the premier hotels from the lower tier hotels. Royal Pacific is typically the least expensive of the premier properties, making it a very attractive option for anyone wanting to focus on Universal’s parks while getting the most bang for their buck.
If you don’t really care about Express Pass or have determined you won’t need that line-skipping service, you can most likely book a stay at Sapphire Falls or Cabana Bay and enjoy amenities and a resort that’s almost on-par with Royal Pacific for significantly less money. I’d argue that the attention to detail and overall opulence is higher at Royal Pacific, but subjectively, I prefer both Sapphire Falls and Cabana Bay. They’re both a decade-plus newer, and Universal/Loews have refined and modernized their hotel product in the intervening years.
At the other end of the spectrum, a strong case can be made for upgrading from Royal Pacific if your budget allows and you’re planning on spending a decent amount of time at the resort. While I think Royal Pacific doesn’t get its due when considered a “Polynesian knock-off” (as discussed above, they’re totally different), I also don’t think it’s nearly as good of a hotel as Portofino Bay.
Loews Royal Pacific is a nice hotel where the Indiana Jones and Rick Blaine might meet up for drinks, but Portofino Bay is so much more. It’s our favorite resort at Universal Orlando and one of our top 10 theme park hotels anywhere in the world. While there are a handful of hotels we really like at Universal, Portofino Bay is far and away our favorite–nothing else comes close. Loews Royal Pacific Resort is a good-to-great hotel offering exceptional value for money, but it’s not elite tier.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you stayed at Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando? What do you think of it? Interested in staying here? What do you think of Universal’s v. Walt Disney World’s Deluxe Resorts? What about on-site perks? Does Unlimited Express Pass alone make the Premier Hotels at Universal worth it? Do you agree or disagree with our hotel review? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Aaron–I also noticed the bed shoved against the wall, and it had me concerned that the area doesn’t get vacuumed thoroughly. Also, it is so difficult to make a bed when you can’t access both sides. It struck me that the room is just too small for the furniture they put in it.
We stayed at Royal Pacific in November, split stay between Disney (Port Orleans Riverside) and Universal. I will agree with the sentiment that Universal felt so much more relaxed. I am a planner, and the lack of planning required with the Express Passes is worth the extra cost 1,000%. No waking up at 7:00 to book virtual queues, get Genie+, plan attractions, etc. No waiting in line for buses. Rolling out of bed, grabbing a coffee and walking to the park was serene. The early park admission for Wizarding World of Harry Potter was a big plus. I thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance of the hotel, but I agree about the bathrooms. The lack of a double sink was a pain for our family of four. I also agree about the comparison to Yacht / Beach vs. Poly as far as ambiance, location, amenities. We ate at the Island Dining Room and felt it was a good value for the money. The vibe of the Orchid Lounge is very adult and great for a nighttime snack and cocktail. We sat at the bar at Jake’s to watch football and it’s a perfect sports bar vibe.
I was waiting for this review – thank you Tom for posting it! We stayed at Royal Pacific for the first time this last summer and we loved it! The benefit of the included Express Pass and that short walk to the parks was soooo worth it! There were days we went back and forth from park to City Walk to our room, something we never found practical or even doable at Disney. The room is a little bland and tight, especially for a family of 4 but we didn’t mind it at all. We stayed at Portofino Bay in 2017 and also really enjoyed it. You are right, the bathrooms were huge (almost unnecessarily so) and the room had a table with chairs, something you almost never find in standard hotels these days. The pool at PB was so much nicer as well, especially with kids. The RP pool was a bit of a let down after staying at PB but it didn’t ruin the trip for us. For us, the walking distance at RP won out over the nicer hotel at PB – you pretty much had to take the water taxi at PB! The flexibility and cost do it for us. We would probably book RP again for our next Universal vacation. I too agree that all these Universal reviews are sharing our secret about how great Universal and their hotels are! We’ve decided to skip Disney entirely on our next trip. The value and experience is just not as good anymore. Especially when you can do Universal instead and they show that they care.
We stayed here on our September Universal trip and liked it a lot. If we’re comparing it to the Poly, stylistically I like the Poly better but that’s a matter of personal preference. I didn’t think the room felt cramped even at its relatively smaller size. Loved taking advantage of Express Pass and the walk was quick and easy (this was probably the number one reason we booked there). Your review of Portofino made me wish we had stayed there, but I don’t have any regrets about Royal Pacific.
I want to comment about the theming in the bedroom being bland/nonexistent in some aspects and inspired in others (is that a luggage themed stool?), but I can’t wrap my brain around the fact that there is a bed shoved against the wall.
Is that unique to this hotel or have I ignored that in other locations? That’s a negative for me that I was not aware of previously. I still agree with the cost analysis, but it’s something that I need to consider, especially when staying with more than two people.
We just returned from our 4th visit to the RP in the past 5 years or so and we’ve loved it every time. Tom, you almost turned me onto Portofino with your glowing review, but at the end of the day I couldnt justify the $100+ Per night additional cost when Royal Pacific checks all our boxes: quick and beautiful walk to the parks, lush and serene feel, enough luxurious trappings to feel slightly elevated, good and convenient grab n go breakfast and room service, and of course the unbeatable unlimited express pass. We find the rooms plenty spacious for the 2 of us, and the pool, while not mind blowing, is big and does what we need it to do. We’re usually Poly and AKL people at Disney, so the tropical/adventurous aesthetic appeals more to us than a faux Italian village or a “hard rock,” which I have trouble believing still exists in 2021. And at 1/3 to 1/2 the price of those Disney deluxe with the inclusion of the express pass plus early entry, and we always leave RP with that rarest of Orlando theme park feelings: like we actually came out ahead!
p.S. Hagrid and Velocicoaster are both amazing!
We were there this summer. As DVC members who are quite comfortable in the DVC studios, we thought our at the Royal Pacific felt quite cramped and the lobby not as nice as a Westin.
The benefits to staying there were the Express Pass and walking distance to the parks.
Great read!
I find the way Universal does pricing quite interesting. We just stayed at Portofino because it was the least expensive deluxe when we booked last year (I think this was some sort of anomaly because of covid uncertainty). We had a blast on our Universal trip, and I wanted to book something for next year. The least expensive option? Hard Rock. Check again this week, that Hard Rock price is gone and now Royal Pacific is least expensive. It seems worth looking around throughout the year if you are interested in going to Universal and staying on property as there seems to be more changes in the prices than what I saw when planning our Disney trips.
Just saw the comment about Emeril’s Tchoup Chop. I couldn’t think of the name. Our first trip to Universal saying at RP we got back and the kids were exhausted. We put them to bed and went and ate at Emeril’s Tchoup Chop. It was so good. Then it was closed. We were so sad!
Stayed here my first trip to universal and liked this hotel a lot. The walk to the parks is beautiful. Our one sour note was the pool. It was packed solid with people without a slide, and our feet burned something fierce on the concrete pavement climbing over poolside chairs and bodies everywhere.
We have stayed at Royal Pacific many times. We love the express pass and we spend very little time in our room so we don’t care. We take a break from the park, put on our swim suits and hit the pool. Get dried off and back to the parks, dinner, etc and then come back and crash. The rooms there are fine for that and we are now adicted to the express pass.
Is it correct that rooms at Royal Pacific generally have a desk with single chair, while Portofino Bay’s rooms have a table and two chairs? (asking because we try to eat in the room as much as possible, and desks are not very helpful in that regard)
We booked our stay for February. It looks good and the price is the same as if we stayed at Pop. We are looking forward to our first of many stays on Universals side.
We stayed at Royal Pacific in August of 2019 for our only family universal trip to date. We are a family of 7, used to staying in 2br DVC villas at Disney and we stayed in connecting rooms. One room had a King and a sofa and the other had two Queens. We really wanted Express Pass and this was our least expensive option. We did not spend very much time in the rooms.
We loved it! The rooms were fine but the staff was great and the location was amazing! What a gorgeous walk to the parks. Even pleasant in mid-August! We took the water taxi a couple of times, or some members of our family did when they could not walk anymore. And yes, the walkers did beat the floaters back.
I’d love to try Portofino Bay one day, but we’d be happy to stay at Royal Pacific again.
We did Disney and stayed at the Polynesian our previous 3 trips. Stayed at Royal Pacific and did a split between Universal and Disney parks this year. Royal Pacific was at least equal to the Poly in our opinion and at a much more reasonable price.
Universal was also much more enjoyable than Disney this time around. Universal was less crowded, offered more to do (way more character interactions), and was a lot more laid back with Covid restrictions. My kids have no desire to go back to Disney and only talk about our days at Universal this trip. I would like to try out Portofino Bay, but would be more than happy to stay at Royal Pacific again. Workers we encountered at Royal Pacific were awesome! Reminded me of our Disney experiences from a few years ago before Disney went downhill.
The ultra-modern trendy additions are really discordant here. That bar area and chandelier don’t fit the space at all. It’s an ugly clash.
Other areas look very nice and the Unlimited Express Pass is huge, but I like the look of Portofino Bay so much more.
I picked it for my big, 8 friend trip for many of the reasons listed above…we want Express passes, and it was the cheapest way to get them. Also the dining scene seemed a little more interesting than Portofino, and it was a lot closer to the parks. I’m glad to hear we won’t be disappointed!
Agree that the pool isn’t anything super special, but I’ve always found the vibe is much more relaxed and not a “party” atmosphere that you’ll find at the other resort pools. We’ve always appreciated the laid-back, “adult” vibe this resort has as adults traveling without kids, and the footprint of the resort is so nice to navigate. It’s upscale without being stuffy, and I like that.
Also, I like that you’re reviewing universal things now, but I also hate it because now the secret is REALLY out about this being such a great destination 😉 There’s a reason our family has solely been vacationing here over the last five years. Can’t beat the value and relaxed atmosphere.
This has long been my favorite resort at Universal, although I’ve never made it to Portofino Bay. I would agree that the room refresh muddled the theme and took away from what was a very calming room experience in favor of some trendy-looking elements That are a little more garish. I also miss the outstanding Emeril’s Tchoup Chop restaurant that used to be here. Regardless, I would absolutely stay here again.
We are booked here in January, and have the Jurassic suite! Can’t wait! Have you ever seen these rooms?