Goodbye Delphi, Hello Portofino Bay Hotel

I checked out of the Dolphin today as we are making our way to the Portofino Bay Hotel for the Universal part of our holiday.

Before I left the Dolphin I went back to Hollywood Studios as I wanted the final Starbucks location mug for my collection and I took the opportunity to go to the Indiana Jones show making full use of the fastpass for this as it was standing room only when I tried to go last time. The show was fantastic which excellent stunts and special effects. A show that is definitely recommended.

I drove over to the Portofino Bay hotel and had my bags taken off me by the bellhop so they could store them for me until my room was ready (I got there about 1pm). I then parked the car ($22 per day) and checked in. I was given my room card so I could get my Express Pass (this enables you to jump the regular line for rides and attractions) and I gave them my mobile number so they could text me when the room was ready. They said it would be about 4pm but it was a little earlier than this.

I took the opportunity to go and have a nose around this and the other hotels.

I went to get some lunch in the bay and all we can say is wow! It is an amazing place, so serene. I went to Sal’s Marketplace Deli and ordered a couple of wraps and sat out overlooking the bay. They were huge with a large piece of steak in each and homemade crisps.

Cabana Bay looks quite a fun hotel but you need to make sure you know which room you are requesting at the moment as there is a lot of building work going on for Sapphire Falls and the new Cabana Bay extension. The Bayside Diner looked a good place to eat and reasonably priced. Transport was very easy with buses constantly arriving to take guests to Citywalk.

I then went to Royal Pacific. The lobby area was gorgeous especially the bar where they served sushi. The construction affected the view from the beach but you couldn’t hear or see much from the pool area.

Finally I made my way to the Hard Rock Hotel. This looked really cool with various costumes from different stars with a funky bar with live entertainment and Homer going around the tables in The Kitchen.

I got a text at 3.50pm to say my room was ready so I walked (ran) back to Portofino Bay Hotel. I like the fact that you don’t have to go back to reception to get your room details as the room number was in the text. I went up to my room and, wow, it is amazing! It is a huge room compared to the Dolphin with a massive bathroom and 2 sinks. I pulled back the curtains to see that I hadn’t only got the Bay View room which I had paid for but I got a balcony that I had requested! This is a fab bonus as you can only request these at check-in. I didn’t even have to go and collect my bags. One call to “star service” and they were delivered within 15 minutes.

I wandered down to the bay at about 7.30pm and sat with a glass of wine and watched the show “Musica Della Notte” where opera singers sang popular classics from the balcony. Truly amazing. It happens every night around sunset.

After a bit of a relax I took the complimentary water taxi to Citywalk. It was so easy, I was there in literally 5 minutes and you clear security before you go on the boat and avoid the queues.

I timed Citywalk very badly as the park had just kicked out. I decided to go to the NBC brew and grill as it looked like it had a good atmosphere. The wait was 20-30 minutes but on production of our hotel card this was reduced to 10-20 minutes so I decided to go for a walk. Big mistake as I got a text 5 minutes later to say our table was ready. I need to remember this for next time.

In NBC I had a couple of beers and with mac n cheese and ribs. Both were amazing and the food was fantastic. I would definitely recommend this place.

Tired and full I decided to go back to my room and sink into the lovely comfortable bed for a lovely nights sleep.