PORTOFINO BAY HOTEL INFO...FAQ`s and more.......

[cc1013]

I have heard you can add club level on when you check in? is this a thing,,what is the cost? 1st time this march so seeing the food and drink available wondering if its worth it if it can be done.
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We added it to our minion suite for our trip last week. We were told it is not always available at check-in if they are at capacity so we emailed when we made our reservation and asked to add the club lounge. It was all coordinated when we checked in. It was $150/night.

I should add - because we were at the parks at 7am with early entry and my son is a picky eater, we don't feel like we got $150/night of value out of it. I don't think we would do it again unless we planned to go at a different time and have breakfast there daily.

 

[Susan2771]

We added it to our minion suite for our trip last week. We were told it is not always available at check-in if they are at capacity so we emailed when we made our reservation and asked to add the club lounge. It was all coordinated when we checked in. It was $150/night.

I should add - because we were at the parks at 7am with early entry and my son is a picky eater, we don't feel like we got $150/night of value out of it. I don't think we would do it again unless we planned to go at a different time and have breakfast there daily.

I’m going to agree with the above. We are here now and have club lounge access. We aren’t getting $150 worth a day in food and drinks.

 

[georgina]

In typical UO fashion, they just announced another Harbor Nights at PB for Feb 17. I went once on a previous trip and really enjoyed it, but they announce so late that I can't plan around the date.

Loews Portofino Bay presents Harbor Nights Romantico, a lively event on the Harbor Piazza featuring wines, chef-inspired food stations and a live band. It’s a truly authentic Italian evening set beside a picturesque harbor that’s perfect for a date night or a fun night out with friends. The glow of twinkling lights, the aroma of Italian cuisine, the sounds of music in the air. It's not the Mediterranean coast, but it is la dolce vita - the sweet life - at its finest right here at Universal Orlando.

Tickets​

$79* Standing Harbor: Experience our signature food and wine event on the hotel's scenic Harbor Piazza. Visit each food and wine station as often as you like throughout the evening. Listen and dance to live music, plus enjoy a special performance by Portofino's very own opera singers. Complimentary self-parking or discounted valet parking also included with ticket**. NOTE: The standing harbor section does not include seating – individually or at tables.

$109* VIP: Includes all the benefits of a standing harbor ticket. Plus, enjoy reserved seating in a special area with additional hors d’oeuvres and exclusive food and wine stations.

$850* Table: Includes all the benefits of a standing harbor ticket plus reserved seating for up to 10 people at a private table for your entire party.

 

[musika]

Darn it, we leave Feb 17!

 

[patster734]

In typical UO fashion, they just announced another Harbor Nights at PB for Feb 17. I went once on a previous trip and really enjoyed it, but they announce so late that I can't plan around the date.

Loews Portofino Bay presents Harbor Nights Romantico, a lively event on the Harbor Piazza featuring wines, chef-inspired food stations and a live band. It’s a truly authentic Italian evening set beside a picturesque harbor that’s perfect for a date night or a fun night out with friends. The glow of twinkling lights, the aroma of Italian cuisine, the sounds of music in the air. It's not the Mediterranean coast, but it is la dolce vita - the sweet life - at its finest right here at Universal Orlando.

Tickets​

$79* Standing Harbor: Experience our signature food and wine event on the hotel's scenic Harbor Piazza. Visit each food and wine station as often as you like throughout the evening. Listen and dance to live music, plus enjoy a special performance by Portofino's very own opera singers. Complimentary self-parking or discounted valet parking also included with ticket**. NOTE: The standing harbor section does not include seating – individually or at tables.

$109* VIP: Includes all the benefits of a standing harbor ticket. Plus, enjoy reserved seating in a special area with additional hors d’oeuvres and exclusive food and wine stations.

$850* Table: Includes all the benefits of a standing harbor ticket plus reserved seating for up to 10 people at a private table for your entire party.

FYI. The Holiday Harbor Nights is always the Friday after Thanksgiving Day. The only year it wasn’t was 2020 because of Covid when all Harbor Nights were canceled.

I’ve never done Harbor Nights Romantico, but I wonder if it is always the Friday after Valentines Day.

 

[georgina]

FYI. The Holiday Harbor Nights is always the Friday after Thanksgiving Day. The only year it wasn’t was 2020 because of Covid when all Harbor Nights were canceled.

I’ve never done Harbor Nights Romantico, but I wonder if it is always the Friday after Valentines Day.

Did some googling. Apparently Romantico is the Friday before or after Valentine's day. You are correct about Holiday, but I'm not usually there then.

My one time was April 20, 2018 (Primavera). There was one April 8, 2022. Info I found said 'sometime between May & April'

There was one Oct 21, 2022 (La Dolce Vita) info said 'mid-to-late October'

Coming from a distance, those descriptions are a bit vague for planning.

 

[StarCruzer]

I'm sure this subject has been discussed before, but I dug through 10 ish pages of posts before I gave up (sorry! )

We have a King Garden room booked at Portofino in a few weeks. We've never been so we're excited, but I'm struggling with if w should request a certain area of the hotel since it's so big. Does anyone have thoughts about getting a nice view vs being closer to the boat? East Wing vs West Wing? We were thinking of requesting West because it looks like it may be closers to the boats. But it's really hard to get a sense of the hotel's scale when just looking at the provided maps online!

 

[macraven]

Hopefully some one in this thread will guide you and be able to answer your questions

PB I have visited many times for meals with friends but have never booked their hotel.

 

[barb969]

If you want to be near the boat ask for the west building.

 

[StarCruzer]

If you want to be near the boat ask for the west building.

Thanks! Maybe one day TouringPlans will do a roomfinder for Universal Resorts

 

[Brandilla]

I'm sure this subject has been discussed before, but I dug through 10 ish pages of posts before I gave up (sorry! )

We have a King Garden room booked at Portofino in a few weeks. We've never been so we're excited, but I'm struggling with if w should request a certain area of the hotel since it's so big. Does anyone have thoughts about getting a nice view vs being closer to the boat? East Wing vs West Wing? We were thinking of requesting West because it looks like it may be closers to the boats. But it's really hard to get a sense of the hotel's scale when just looking at the provided maps online!

We requested (and got) the west wing in November and it was part of what made us love our stay so much! It was great being able to watch the boats come and go to be able to time our departures. And then getting off the boat and walking right in to our elevator at the end of a long day was magical! lol we were in a minion suite and we're lucky enough to have a balcony. But I would 100% request this area in the future!

So sorry, I just realized you said you have a garden room. I imagine you would be facing the opposite side (not the lake) but the location is still so nice for getting off the boat and getting to your room quickly!

 

[StarCruzer]

We requested (and got) the west wing in November and it was part of what made us love our stay so much! It was great being able to watch the boats come and go to be able to time our departures. And then getting off the boat and walking right in to our elevator at the end of a long day was magical! lol we were in a minion suite and we're lucky enough to have a balcony. But I would 100% request this area in the future!

So sorry, I just realized you said you have a garden room. I imagine you would be facing the opposite side (not the lake) but the location is still so nice for getting off the boat and getting to your room quickly!

Oof, would have been nice to get the lake but when I booked, Garden View was the only room type with a King bed available (it's just the two of us traveling and we figured a king would be nicer than two queens).

Sounds like it was lovely though! Something we'll consider for next time.

 

[Araminta18]

We booked a Bay view King room via Priceline; can we still submit room requests? How would we do that? Sorry if this is a dumb question; it’s my first time at Universal. .

Is requesting the West wing the way to get a room closest to the park boat transportation?

 

[wdwrule]

We booked a Bay view King room via Priceline; can we still submit room requests? How would we do that? Sorry if this is a dumb question; it’s my first time at Universal. .

Is requesting the West wing the way to get a room closest to the park boat transportation?

You could call Loews Portofino direct at 407-503-1000 and make a request or email them. Of course requests aren’t guaranteed but always worth a shot. Yes, west wing is closest to boat transportation.

 

[wdwrule]

Not everyone’s into videos but here is a very recent one that gives a nice overview of PBH if interested.

 

[joshua4]

While we are on the topic of room location, we will be there in a few weeks and I haven’t requested any specific location yet. We have kids with us though so trying to minimize walking. We have club access. Do we will want to request west wing? Does anyone know where they generally assign the club rooms? I know from this thread that the club rooms generally have the upgraded bathrooms with the separate toilet area - I just dont know where those are. Thanks

 

[schumigirl]

We booked a Bay view King room via Priceline; can we still submit room requests? How would we do that? Sorry if this is a dumb question; it’s my first time at Universal. .

Is requesting the West wing the way to get a room closest to the park boat transportation?

Call or email them with your request as soon as you have your reservation, then call again about 5/6 days out from your trip to reconfirm your requests. Rooms are allocated around 5 days out.

If they can offer you what you requested they will.

Yes, West Wing is closest to the boats.

 

[SCSabresfan]

We check in on Sunday. I called today. Is that enough? Or should I also email? If so, what email address?

 

[StarCruzer]

FYI: I booked using CC points and the PBH rep had to transfer to a separate line that deals with 3rd party bookings. Much harder to get room location/update requests. It's probably been mentioned in this thread before but in case someone wanted a more recent update.

 

[Mabel67]

We just returned from a 7-night club level stay. I had requested via email about a week prior, and provided three different desired options. When we checked-in I enquired if any of them were able to be met. To my delight one of my choices was accommodated and we ended up in a lovely room with a patio facing the Villa pool in the Villa wing.
I think if you can have a few options, they will try meet one of them. Otherwise if you only have one request and they can’t meet that, then you may just end up wherever.