Skip the Lines at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter by Staying at a Universal Resort
Are we in Italy right now? Nope, but this hotel is pretty convincing in its Italian-ness, if only it could decide exactly what part of Italy it wants to be. We're talking about the Loews Portofino Bay Resort at Universal Studios Orlando, aka our base camp during the opening days of the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park at Universal's Islands of Adventure.
Although Steven Spielberg initially conceived of making this hotel in the spirit of the Italian Riviera town of Portofino after spending his honeymoon there, a wander around the grounds reveals that it's smushed a bit of Venice, a dash of Tuscany, a dollop of Sicily and a pinch of Naples together to form a complex that exudes more La Dolce Vita than actual hotels in Italy. And if you guessed that last night, the plaza was serenaded by an opera singer performing "O Sole Mio" from a terrace, then you'd be correct.
Whether or not you're enchanted by all the generic Italian stereotypes of the resort—the staff all say "Ciao" and stuff, too—the Loews Portofino Bay does have two very big pluses relating to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter:
First, if you stay at one of the three Universal Studios Resorts (the others being Loews Royal Pacific and Hard Rock Hotel), then you get to enter the park one hour early and use your room keycard to skip to the front of the lines on most rides.
Finally, when you stay at a Universal Resort, any purchases you make in the park can be delivered later to your room. No carrying wand boxes around or those giant souvenir sipper cups! But then this is also dangerous, since you might then be tempted to splurge on a WIzard's Chess set.
Disclosure: We're at The Wizarding World as a guest of Universal Studios, but all views expressed here are completely our own.
[Photo: HotelChatter]
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