Verrrrry Disappointed!

[Corryn]

We just got back from our trip last week. My family and our friends stayed at the Hard Rock for a "great" rate of $199.20 per night.

CHECK IN: Arrive at the gate and are given a parking ticket. We thought we'd be comped.....WRONG!!!! $6.00 per day for parking!!!!
You don't pay for parking at the resorts at Disney!!

We check in at 12:00, but rooms are not available, so we go get lunch at The Kitchen.....EXPENSIVE!!!!!
We're from New York and go out for meals very often. It cost us at the Kitchen what an excellent seafood meal on the waterfront costs us here on Long Island, and we got the basics.... Chicken nuggets for the kids and basic hamburger meals for the adults with one drink each adult...

We go to the pool, which was WONDERFUL... But not half as big as the website photos portray it to be!
Waterslide kept the kiddies entertained.....I absolutely loved the BEACH ENTRY where I can lay down and sun while in the water! However, in the scalding Florida sun, they need a lot more umbrellas!

DRINKS WERE EXPENSIVE AND THEY TACK ON AN 18% TIP, even if you're sitting at the bar.....What is the point of tipping anymore? You Tip for good service......We always tip generously, but tacking on a tip while sitting at the bar or on a lounge chair is tacky and very wrong!!!!
I think they charged me $8.50 for a watered-down Strawberry Daquiri, plus add on an 18% tip and multiply that by 4......Not the check we were expecting...

$6.50 FOR A BOTTLE OF WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Need I say more!!!!

Then I needed something to nosh on, so I went into the pantry and purchased a bagel with nothing on it, just a bagel, because I needed something to go with my watered-down daquiri. The lady at the register tells me $3.20.......Excuse me? What did you say? $3.20????? But I'm just getting a PLAIN BAGEL?!?!?!

She said, oh, but you can go over and get butter or cream cheese or jelly....I said, no, please give me the price for a plain bagel, she said, that is the price for a plain bagel......I said, up in New York it's $.75 cents for a bagel, and after 3:30 at my local bagel store they give them away for free! I gave her the money and left.

We finally get assigned rooms and we go upstairs to shower off and get ready for a night at the parks.
The rooms are very nicely decorated.
We got rooms 5110 and 5112, which were at the end of the hallway on the garden-view wing.

We went to the park and finally got a chance to ride the MUMMY!!!! Very Exciting and I'll post my/our experiences on a different post.

Get back to the room and try to get some sleep since we took the first flight out of MacArthur and woke up at 4:30 that morning......BUT THE BRATTY KIDS IN THE NEXT ROOM KEPT ME UP UNTIL 2:00 A.M.!!!!! At 1:30 I politely knocked on the wall two times. The kid had a field day banging back at me and screaming his head off....
Now just two weeks prior I had taken my Girl Scout Troop to a hotel for the night to celebrate the end of the year and I had total control over 12 10 & 11 year olds and it was lights out by 11:30.....However, the whimpy parents in the next room were continuously threatening the kids to shut up and get to sleep, but the threats went unheeded and the kids ruled the roost. I wish I would have known sooner that the Hard Rock has a policy where if you call and complain they give the people making the noise a couple of chances to quiet down before kicking them out!!

The next morning I heard the family getting ready to leave for the park, so I opened my door and waited for them, but the husband saw me and went back into his room fast. He came back out and RAN Past Me. The Wife waited by her door, waiting for me to close my door, but I waited her out and she finally chose to leave her room and pass me. I stared her down and gave her the dirtiest look. I didn't want to say a word because I didn't want her calling security on me! So I called the front desk and asked them what I should do if it happened again that night and they said to call and they will send up security to tell them to shut up. So if anyone has an experience like that, Call Security!!!!

It is late but that's not all, so I'll post some more tomorrow.

All I can say is:
I felt like I was receiving the same quality I would at a Day's Inn while staying on-site at the Hard Rock Hotel.
THE ONLY PLUS TO STAYING AT THE HRH IS THE EXPRESS PASS.....THAT'S IT!!!!!

 

[Patch'sD]

Never stayed at the Hard Rock so I can't really relate to your problems there. Stayed at the Portofino, a large coffee was $3.25. A plain bagel was only $2.00 though, Everything Bagel was the same. However Bagels in Florida and the rest of the country outside of NY are just plain bread with a hole in the middle. I to can get a bagel for $.75, but my shop is 2 for 1 after 4:00 PM. But if you ventured into the Hilton or Garden City Hotel here on the Island you would still spend over $ 3.00 for a bagel. Portofino food was expensive as was the Water and Soda, thats why I opted to go to the Wallgreens on Universal Blvd. Picked up supplies before checking in. Most meals were had at Citywalk where discounts were available and prices were a little lower. Sorry to hear about your problems, Hope the rest of the trip was better. Yeah you get free parking at Disney, but you have to walk a mile and 1/2 to get your car.

 

[gschmerl]

I feel your pain, but you can't expect resort prices to be in line with those at home. No matter where I've traveled, food prices at resorts are WAY higher than anything I see at home. I have stayed at the HRH a couple times and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I've encountered "noisy neighbors" at many hotels. That can happen anywhere. It's the luck of the draw!! Sorry you weren't able to enjoy your stay.

 

[tolhousema]

Sounds like you had a not so good time! I hope you did enjoy the express pass thing, and hopefully the rest of your stay was pleasant. I never ever buy anything unless i really need it or want it from a resort. They can be way too pricey. I dont know but if you had researched here on this board for a couple days before your trip, you would have known "parking cost a grip, and it isn't "FREE". $6 A DAY IS STEEP,HOW ABOUT YOU ALREADY PAIDED FOR THE ROOM....GEESH! You gotta know how to stock up on certain stuff ahead of time...snacks drinks etc... cant wait to hear the rest of your trip.

 

[phamton]

I am baffled why you drove to the Universal Studios parking lot. It takes 5 minutes to walk from Hard Rock to Universal but at least 20 minutes to walk from the parking lot to the parks. It is a long hike from the parking lots to the parks. Heck, I've been tempted to park at HR and walk to the park rather than parking in the parking garage. No, I've never done it but have thought how convenient it would be.

edited:
Oops, I just re read your post and see you are talking about parking at HR. Yes, it is surprising because Disney doesn't charge but many, many resorts charge for parking.

 

[Kae]

I believe it is $6 to park at the resort you are staying at. I think it was $15 to valet park when we ate at Tchop Chop. There was no self park for the resturants.

Kae

 

[jlima]

It seems like the things you don't like about the Hard Rock are all of the things hotels do to "enhance revenue". Most savvy travellers don't fall for stuff like the bottle of water in the room and the $3 bagle and like Patch'sD, they purchase these items off property. If your room wasn't ready when you checked in you could easily have driven off property for a cheaper lunch and a pit stop for snacks and beverages.

As for parking, it doesn't sound like you did any research before your trip if you "thought" parking was free. No one should assume anything is free, at Disney, Universal or anywhere else. ( I learned my lesson several years ago at a Days Inn in Chicago when I was told to park at a public garage 3 blocks away or on the street!!! Never thought to ask if the hotel had parking & now always ask if guest parking is available when I travel.) When space is at a premium parking is revenue, at any hotel.

You should always call security instead of confronting another guest. If the family in the next room was bothering you then they were bothering the room on the other side, across the hall & above & below them. I would have called after the first 5 minutes. Hard to believe no one else called them in.

I also thought The Kitchen was somewhat pricy however in 4 days we only had 2 meals there. And I had my own issues with the bar at the pool at the HRH; you could only purchase one drink at a time; I couldn't buy 2 beers, one for me & one for DH. I asked if they could ring them up separate and she said no, I had to leave the bar and come back. I thought this was silly. However, regarding the drink prices I though they were in line with what a drink should cost at a 4-star hotel. And believe me, I didn't feel guilty about not adding anything onto their 18% when I purchased my one beer instead of 2!

Looking forward to your trip report!

 

[SpideyHulk24]

Thank you for the honest report. Sorry it wasn't to your liking. I am excited to try the HRH, but will be careful with all these "charges".

Thanks again!

 

[fboy9287]

I'm sorry

 

[bratray]

If you want to complain about prices, go back to your cheep deli with free bagles, when you stay here, even at the rat house, expect to pay alot. If your that tight on budget, STARVE!

was there really any reason to be so nasty???

OP has their own experiences and opinions - thats what this board is for-

with that attitude you are begining to sound like the "others" on the "other" boards

i too thought The Kitchen was way overpriced- $14 bucks for a burger- and $10 for drinks at the hotel bar is outrageous- but i have learned to do a grocery stop and not buy all this expensive stuff-

looking forward to your trip report Corryn

 

[Back the Badge]

Corryn,

I appreciate your post, the good the bad and the ugly.

I also feel your pain in regards to prices.

Outrageous prices at resorts, concerts, movie theaters, sporting events etc... are unfortunately the norm. Our family ALWAYS brings most of our own drinks and snacks.

We just booked our flight to Orlando in February. This will be our families first trip.... Still debating if we will stay on site. I refuse to pay those kinds of prices, so I guess it will be the Bates motel for us

I hope you enjoyed the parks!

I would also say be careful in taking matters into your own hands. Their are many crazy people out their and for the "look" you gave them that could have easily turned into a punch in the mouth if not worse.

USE the front desk and the security staff. Do it the right way.

Some times it just feels good to rant....you go girl get it out of your system.

 

[Tasha+Scott]

Originally posted by fboy9287
If you want to complain about prices, go back to your cheep deli with free bagles, when you stay here, even at the rat house, expect to pay alot. If your that tight on budget, STARVE!

Wow! That's really harsh and uncalled for! Everyone is entitled to their opinions and nothing was directed at you personally, so why in the world would you attack someone? I can't help but wonder if I am replying to an adult or a 16 yr. old. BTW, since you seem to enjoy being rude, I thought I should tell you that you spelled cheep wrong. The correct spelling is cheap. Please, people, have some class when using these boards!

Thanks Corryn, for your honest report. I prefer to hear the bad details about something along w/the good. It lets others know what we might encounter. Looking forward to the rest of your report.

 

[rlduvall]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you want to complain about prices, go back to your cheep deli with free bagles, when you stay here, even at the rat house, expect to pay alot. If your that tight on budget, STARVE!


---------------

Doesn't this attitude sound suspiciously similar to the angry employees of Universal on that "other" chat board we found. OUCH. To the original OP, thanks for the great info. To the obviously disgruntled Universal employee, please don't spit in my food.

 

[Corryn]

Thanks for the support, people

Usually it is just my immediate family that travels, and we are pretty saavy travelers, but we were with another family and did not want to impose on them to leave the resort and travel up to International Drive to the Krispy Kreme or Ponderosa for breakfast. We're usually up at 6:00 and out of the hotel by 7:30 for an early breakfast, and then tackle the parks as soon as the gate opens.

But since this was one of many trips to Universal and we didn't want to rush the other family, we decided to take our time and relax and try and enjoy everything the resort had to offer. I am so used to spending but at the same time watching how much we spend, that's why we'll eat at the Ponderosa for breakfast and then splurge and eat whatever for lunch or dinner at the parks. BTW It was cheaper to buy the water in your room for $6.00 a bottle than to buy the same one at the store for $6.50.
Usually, we'll go to the store and buy a large pack of water, freeze them and tote them around the parks. But like I said, this trip, since we were with another family, we did not want to inconvenience them.

It's one thing to travel alone and have your routine, but add another four people in the mix who don't spend/live like you do and it's a shocker.

I love Universal, but personally, I think they have a chip on their shoulder when it comes to anything Disney.
There are enough people in America, let alone the whole world, who come to Orlando to enjoy Both parks, Disney and Universal. When we went back in 1998, my 4 year old daughter had a Minnie Mouse fanny pack on, and an employee of Universal started busting on her that Minnie was banned from Universal. It was ridiculous and I told him so.

Anyway,

Like I said, I would stay at the HRH just for the FOTL priviledges! That was absolutely WONDERFUL!!!

We walked on to almost every ride.

Our first night there, we went straight for the Mummy. That was probably the only line we waited on. It was about 6:00 on Monday, July 5 and we had a 15 minute wait using the hotel key card.
But it was definitely worth it!!!
When we first took our kids back in '98 and they were 4 & 5, we took them on whatever we could that they could get on, Twister, Jaws, King Kong.....
And at first they were terrified, but then they learned it's just pretend and they had fun with it....

Well the family that we went with, even though they are our best friends, they do not feel the same way when it comes to their kids and the attractions. so there was plenty of crying.

Men In Black:
I read the reports of others which included tips: My high score: 431,975!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I beat my husband and Mike by over 200,000!!!!!
Then they wondered how the heck I scored so high and they didn't, so I let them in on some of the tips.
Well, two rides after that, they both beat me
I enjoyed reading the tips and I thoroughly enjoyed actually using them!

ET: The kids still love this, and a "trick" we've been using on it: When the cast member asks us our name, we use a silly name, such as Lola, or Fifi or Koko. We've even used old fashioned names like Esther, Ethel, Bertha....The kids get such a kick out of it and then they listen hard at the end of the ride when ET calls out their names. Goofy Fun!

The Woody Woodpecker coaster was great for them, too. They liked enjoying a roller coaster that doesn't make them so apprehensive.

The Beetlejeuice (spelling) Review was Excellent! It was raining that night and it was a nice break from the rain. Beetlejuice was really funny[

I loved all the characters and they did an awesome job singing.

This was our first time riding Jimmy Neutron. My friend got sick ( she can't take all the movement) but the kids loved it.

Shrek was a good show, too. I love the 4-D shows.

I have to pick up my kids from their friends house now, but if anyone has any questions on anything, just ask!
I'll submit part 3 later.
Thanks!!!

 

[Patch'sD]

Thanx for the continuation and I am glad that your trip to the parks went better. I enjoy the Disney "Digs" from the Ops. I am no big fan of Disney and love the Universal Adventure so much more. Thanx

 

[Tasha+Scott]

Originally posted by fboy9287
I'm sorry

Thank you for being mature enough to apologize. That shows some class! I will forgive you even if no one else does!

 

[Flexan]

Originally posted by Kae
I believe it is $6 to park at the resort you are staying at. I think it was $15 to valet park when we ate at Tchop Chop. There was no self park for the resturants.

Kae

Hmmm, I wouldn't quite say there is no self-park for Tchoup Chop because the restaurant is in the Royal Pacific; there is a lot right in front of the main entrance to the resort. Perhaps you drove past the self-park lot and went to the restaurant entrance at the far end of the Royal Pacific.

Unless you wanted to drive back to the main entrance and hike a long way through the hotel -- or around -- you did the right thing by letting the valet handle the parking. Of course, I would have taken the walk because the $$ saved would go toward my purchase of another rum concoction!

Notwithstanding the health aspect, the long walk provides, inside or out, pleasant views. Or maybe I'm simply cheap

 

[Flexan]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by fboy9287
I'm sorry
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by Tasha+Scott
Thank you for being mature enough to apologize. That shows some class! I will forgive you even if no one else does!

That was a nice touch, Tasha+Scott!

I'm pretty sure most of us can understand fboy9287's initial feelings. When people make comparisons with "back home," it's easy to say, "Well, then go back there!" I know I've been guilty of both, although the latter being thought while biting my tongue.

 

[bratray]

Originally posted by fboy9287
I'm sorry

 

[patster734]

Originally posted by Kae
I believe it is $6 to park at the resort you are staying at. I think it was $15 to valet park when we ate at Tchop Chop. There was no self park for the resturants.

Kae

Hi Kae,
When we ate at Tchoup Chop this past May, valet parking was only $5 when using the Pacifica Ballroom parking entrance. I believe that reservations are required to qualify for the discounted $5 fee.