HRH Club level or PBH club level?

mumzie2three

DIS Veteran
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
We are a family of five and I want to book one room in a deluxe hotel for our first night in order to get 2 days of Express. I just can't decide between Hard Rock or Portofino club level. I haven't stayed at either one, usually stay at Royal Pacific. I am not sure if the room size or the amenities are significantly different enough for it to really matter.
Then the plan is to move over to Cabana Bay, Aventura, or Sapphire Falls (2 connecting rooms) for the remainder of trip. Also still deciding between those. Lol.
 
If you read thru the two hotel stickies, you will get info on room size and layout

Both are larger than RP

Hotel amenities are the same for the 3 premier hotels

Club food offerings are different at each of the 3
 
If you read thru the two hotel stickies, you will get info on room size and layout

Both are larger than RP

Hotel amenities are the same for the 3 premier hotels

Club food offerings are different at each of the 3

I guess what I am looking for is a family who has stayed club level at both and whether or not they preferred one over the other and why.

I have already looked at the "stats" and I am leaning towards PBH because of room size and because breakfast is offered for an hour longer. But I notice that PBH club room is located on the first floor, did people find this convenient or in convenient? I guess I will continue to use the search feature and see if I can find the answers I am looking for.
 


I guess what I am looking for is a family who has stayed club level at both and whether or not they preferred one over the other and why.

I have already looked at the "stats" and I am leaning towards PBH because of room size and because breakfast is offered for an hour longer. But I notice that PBH club room is located on the first floor, did people find this convenient or in convenient? I guess I will continue to use the search feature and see if I can find the answers I am looking for.

I haven't stayed at both, but have been in both lounges as a guest.

PBH CL is far superior. It`s much bigger and they do have an extra space if it is busy. Food is superior too.

HRH CL can be full to bursting and many times have seen reports from people not being able to get a seat. They have the drinks for evening appetisers set up outside the lounge due to lack of room.

If you put in a request for having your room close to the lounge that might be an idea. Yes, PB is a little more spread out, but most people are put close to the lounge where possible. If you weren't it`s not a huge walk to get there. It wouldn't put me off PB CL.
 
I haven't stayed at both, but have been in both lounges as a guest.

PBH CL is far superior. It`s much bigger and they do have an extra space if it is busy. Food is superior too.

HRH CL can be full to bursting and many times have seen reports from people not being able to get a seat. They have the drinks for evening appetisers set up outside the lounge due to lack of room.

If you put in a request for having your room close to the lounge that might be an idea. Yes, PB is a little more spread out, but most people are put close to the lounge where possible. If you weren't it`s not a huge walk to get there. It wouldn't put me off PB CL.
Thank you! That is just the kind of info I was looking for. :)
 
Family of five here- stayed at all three deluxes.

The room size at PBH cannot be beat- they feel SO much larger than HRH and RPH.

The layout of the hotel was not a problem for us. We do prefer the convenience of having the club lounge on the same floor as the room, but the fact that PBH was in a separate level for us was not a problem. (Our kids have been tweens/teens when we stayed there, so we could send them ahead, or go ahead of them if they were lazybones.)

We do take advantage of the breakfast and evening appetizers every day. (Breakfast- lunch at parks or City Walk- evening service at hotel- then back to the parks- usually didn't make dessert.) We found the breakfasts and evening service at PBH to be much more substantial, varied, and filling.

The service at all three club lounges was exemplary, but the actual size of the PBH lounge seemd to be much larger (we always found a place to sit)>

We have split our stay between PBH and Cabana Bay the past two trips- that's been great!

Happy to answer any other questions.
 


Family of four, kids are teens. Stayed PBH club in July and HRH club last December.

Room size at PBH wins every time. I have a boy and a girl so I need a rollaway, which fit much better in the ginormous PBH deluxe room you get when booking club.

I also prefer the food offerings at PBH, especially the hot breakfast items.

HRH wins for convenience of being on same floor as club. At PBH we were on the 5th floor (I think?) but I didn't find the distance to club to be the issue I thought it would be.

We are booked for HRH this December but I'm hoping to switch to PBH if I can get an ap rate on a regular club room.
 
I guess what I am looking for is a family who has stayed club level at both and whether or not they preferred one over the other and why.

I have already looked at the "stats" and I am leaning towards PBH because of room size and because breakfast is offered for an hour longer. But I notice that PBH club room is located on the first floor, did people find this convenient or in convenient? I guess I will continue to use the search feature and see if I can find the answers I am looking for.

We love the PBH Club, but I can't speak about HRH for comparison.

...and it is on the Lobby floor, which is actually the 3rd floor. Plenty of elevators make it quick and easy to get to. The convenience issue would be if you had a Villa room in the West Wing, then you're trading Club convenience for Boat dock convenience.
 
We are a family of five and I want to book one room in a deluxe hotel for our first night in order to get 2 days of Express. I just can't decide between Hard Rock or Portofino club level.

Well wait.

If you’re booking deluxe for express, why go club level? I try to look at my trips as a whole thing, and frankly one night at PBH (not a fan of HRH, though I didn’t stay club level there) would make the move to cabana/sapphire painful enough, but adding club would make me unhappy to a certain extent during the rest of the stay.

And club is really good with a stay that is NOT parks-intensive. Club benefits mean you have to be at the hotel for them. If you’re seriously using EP then you’re not at the hotel. Or you’re going back and forth. If I know I’ll be at the parks earlyearly, without an urge to come back early for dinner/drinks, I don’t do club.

So I’d look at normal rooms at deluxe, not club, personally.
 
Well wait.

If you’re booking deluxe for express, why go club level? I try to look at my trips as a whole thing, and frankly one night at PBH (not a fan of HRH, though I didn’t stay club level there) would make the move to cabana/sapphire painful enough, but adding club would make me unhappy to a certain extent during the rest of the stay.

And club is really good with a stay that is NOT parks-intensive. Club benefits mean you have to be at the hotel for them. If you’re seriously using EP then you’re not at the hotel. Or you’re going back and forth. If I know I’ll be at the parks earlyearly, without an urge to come back early for dinner/drinks, I don’t do club.

So I’d look at normal rooms at deluxe, not club, personally.

First and foremost, club level is the least expensive room option available for the day we arrive.
Secondly, we arrive at 9 am. That means if we get to PBH before 11 am, we can all grab breakfast in the lounge then load up on water/drinks before heading into the parks.
Lastly, for my trip in Jan we arrived at 9 am, but we had been up since 3 am to catch our flight and my son and I both needed a nap by 3pm. So I imagine that this trip we will also need a break, and can nap before eating at the lounge again and heading back into the park for night time stuff. The next morning there is no pressure to get up early because we have the express pass again and will do what we did the morning before, breakfast and drinks.

Additionally, I wouldn't even consider Express if I didn't see that the crowd estimates are high that Sat we arrive, the rest of the week the levels drop significantly. :)
 
We have been fortunate to stay at both Portofino Bay and Hard Rock’s club level. The plus points for PBH - much larger rooms than HRH. Another point at PBH the lounge is much bigger whereas at times (quite frequently for us staying at the end of August) at HRH there were no available chairs or tables in the club lounge. The PBH has a large sofa with board games that we would sit at - it also showed live football fixtures that interested my husband. The rooms for HRH are allocated on the same floor as the lounge which is really useful so lack of seating not such a big issue. When we stayed at PBH we had to get a lift/elevator to our bedroom which was slightly frustrating carrying a glass of wine or plate of snacks (although there was plenty of tables and chairs so not as much need to go back to the room). It also meant that I always had to accompany my younger children to the lounge. The staff at PBH are awesome, not so awesom at HRH. The music at HRH lounge can be too loud (although that is a personal preference). A plus point for the HRH is that it’s closer to the parks. My kids preferred the ambience of HRH. My kids preferred the food at HRH whereas the adults in the party preferred the PBH. The alcholic drinks flowed freely in both lounges :). Both are great hotels and lounges - personally I’d book whatever option was cheapest.
 
The last time I was at HRH club was a few years ago, and PBH club was this past July. I am going to say that I liked HRH slightly more. Although, the PB club wins for breakfast hands down. They had hot items every day. I don't remember HRH having scrambled eggs, bacon (nice and crispy too), and hash browns like PB did. We mostly filled up on hard boiled eggs, toast, and cold cereal at the HRH breakfast.
The PB club lounge had a nice supply of afternoon snacks such as granola bars, goldfish, popcorn and chips. I don't remember much about the HRH afternoon snack except that once I picked up a can of coke and Doritos.
The PB club room had more seating which was nice. But the dinner appetizers, lets just say that "sweet and sour fish nuggets" at PB were the tie breaker giving the "win" to HRH. Big yuck! LOL.
The night desserts were better at HRH. It seemed like it was cookies and cold-ish tarts every night at PB, while HRH switched it up with sundaes, strawberry shortcakes, and ice cream nights (not sundaes).
So while I do think the breakfast at PB is way better, the appetizers in the evening were not worth the time. The veggies, cheese and crackers were the best part. But, neither of them are bad and I like them both. This was just for comparison.
 

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