Universal Resorts for U

I love to take long weekends to getaway with my family. With high school fast approaching for my daughter, I'm starting to feel the crunch of trying to fit in a lifetime of family vacations. Being a Certified Universal Orlando Resort Specialist I took full advantage of this past long weekend to experience all that Universal Studios Orlando had to offer with my family. I decided to check out 3 different Universal Resorts during our stay.

After landing at Orlando International Airport we took a Uber XL to Universals Endless Summer Surside Resort. We opted for a 2 bedroom suite. We arrived around 11am and our room wasn't quite ready. They took my number to text when the room was ready and stored our luggage for us. We had a 3 day 2 Park to Park ticket for this trip. The Park to Park part is important if you want to ride the Hogwarts Express between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. More on that at a later date. We took the complimentary shuttle to the park. This resort shuttle takes you to City Walk where you go through security and then enter the Parks. Just as promised I received a text when our room was ready. We didn't rush back and enjoyed a hot but enjoyable first day to our trip.

We took the shuttle back to Universals Endless Summer resort stoped at luggage services and went up to our room. It was updated and huge. It was the perfect room for a family. I loved the separate dinning area. After a long day at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure we were ready for a dip in the pool, while almost all of us. Teenagers! We headed down to the large pool and relaxed. The poolside bar was the perfect place for Mom and Dad to grab a cocktail while the kids swim. Lifeguards are on duty when the pool is open. It's wonderful to have extra set of eyes on your loved ones. The staff around the pool was handing out beach balls to play with and making sure towels were picked up. After our swim we stopped in the cafeteria style restaurant to pick up some ice cream to enjoy in our room. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Day two of our Universal Studios Resort adventure was a stay a Loews Portofino Bay. This resort is a Universal Studios Orlando priemuim resort and comes with a Ultimate Express pass for all guests staying in the room. I highly recommend getting the Ultimate Express Pass. Watch for my next blog on advice for Universal Orlando Parks. We got up and over to Portofino Bay by 7am. We Ubered over with our luggage. When staying at any Universal Orlando Resort you receive early park admission to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter we did not want to miss out! Staying at any of Universal Orlando Resorts Premium Resorts- Loews Royal Pacific, Hard Rock and Loews Portofino Bay you receive the Ultimate Express pass for the day you check in and the day you check out. One night equals 2 full days of Ultimate Express Passes! Loews Portofino Bay is a amazing upscale resort. They offer a boat to the parks. Security checks are taken care of right at the boat entrance so you're free to enjoy the parks right when you arrive at City Walk. We were again texted when our room was ready. We came back a little earlier to enjoy all the amenities that Portofino Bay has to offer. We had a Club Level 2 Queen Deluxe Villa room. Having the Club access was great as we received a breakfast each morning, complimentary water and soda, and beer, wine and horsdevours( these are only available in the evening.) Portofino Bay has 3 pools all with cocktail severs. The Beach Pool has a full service restaurant, water slide, a sandy beach area and a hot tub. At night the plaza area has opera singers. This resort is a real treat.

The next day we were again up early to hit the parks. Staying at Premium Resort luggage services had our luggage delivered right to our next hotel Loews Adventura. We didn't check into Adventura until we arrived back from our day at the parks. Our Deluxe 2 Queen was ready right away. WOW what a view. Adventure is tech lovers dream. The room is controlled by a I pad and they even had a robot named Relay that delivers extra amenities to you. The kids even the teenager was amused that somehow when in the elevator with Relay it knew what floor to get off of! Sooo cool. Adventura offers the best views we slept with the curtains open. Universals Adventura has a roof top bar to take in all the views of Orlando. The pool was small but relaxing and they offered a hot tub to soak your aching feet from walking all day. The poolside bar, restaurant and game area isa beautiful area to avoid the loud parks.

Universal Orlando was the perfect weekend for our family. We absolutely loved staying at Universals Endless Summer Surfside Resort, Loews Portofino Bay, and Loews Adventura resorts. We're already planning our next trip back. The hubby said next time we need to choose just one resort. Universal Orlando has so many resort options I'm not sure how we will be able to decide.