“I love Rock n’ Roll” might as well be the refrain at this elegant Orlando outpost of the Hard Rock dining and hotel empire. Its rockstar and kid appeal begins with reflective columns in the lobby and an Instagrammable white marble staircase which leads to framed gold records, photo murals of pop stars, a hipster kids club lounge and guitars to play in the gaming arcade. Glass cases enclose memorabilia of rockers from Elvis to Jeff Beck and many newer musicians, and comfy seating areas make it possible to just chill and celebrity watch. The balcony view from this third floor entry is of a pretty 12,000 square-foot lagoon pool with its own underwater music system and waterslide, a surrounding sand beach, cabanas, hot tubs, sand volleyball court, gardens and beyond… the Universal Orlando themepark resort.
And in the elevator and restaurants, you can’t stop the music… and that’s what makes this place rock. The Guest Services Directory in each room is riddled with classic rock lyrics that harmonize with services ranging from in-room dining to the self-serve laundromat.
Loews Has Kids Amenities for Ages 6-months to teen
The fantasy world they create, combined with the perks provided at the Universal Orlando themepark, make the Hard Rock and other Loews managed hotels such as the Portofino Bay, Royal Pacific and the three newest properties (Cabana Bay Beach, Loews Sapphire Falls and Loews Aventura), a good choice for families. Hard Rock, however, is a special treat for music lovers and also provides facilities for business travelers and conventioneers who bring their families along.
All three hotels participate in Loews family-friendly programs such as Loews Loves Kids, which means under-10s are eligible for welcome gifts, special menus, loaner toys and books. Babies get cribs and crib sheets, child-proofing kits, and even night-lights; teens have exclusive snack bars, a library of board games, and WiFi. All ages will enjoy the character breakfasts with favorite Universal figures.
Loews’ Convenience & Perk Package
The Hard Rock — always in demand — may be the most popular of the Universal Orlando on-site hotels for families. Display cases of instruments, rhinestone footwear and other memorabilia from the great and not-so-great are only part of the show-biz glamor the Hard Rock attracts and delivers. Although it costs more than chain hotels in the nearby International Drive corridor, the extra perks you get make it worth the premium, and walking around all day humming… well, that’s priceless.
The perk package includes convenient access to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay and CityWalk. (Especially important if you ‘ve come for a major concert at the enormous Hard Rock live theater within the complex.) Active families will enjoy the 15-minute walk around the landscaped lake front, but there’s also a free water taxi and shuttle bus among all the resorts and the theme parks. Shuttle transportation for a fee is also available throughout the day and evening to other Orlando destinations, with advance reservation. Special Universal Orlando theme park benefits include one-hour early admission (essential if you are going to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter or the Volcano Bay waterpark) and a free pass to use the Universal Express ride system for first in line access — even on checkout day it remains valid.
Hard Rock guests can also take advantage of facilities at the other Loews resorts. That means a variety of fun restaurants — Tahitian Luau at the Royal Pacific or fresh pizza at Portofino anyone? — a dive-in movie by the pool during summer and nightly kids clubs (open 5pm-11:30pm for movies and dinner; hourly fee).
Backstage at the Hard Rock Universal
The Hard Rock’s outgoing staff make guests feel like they’re always on. The seven-story hotel’s 650 rooms (including 29 suites) wrap around the pool and overlook the garden or pool. (Lucky ones get a view of the ghostly towers of Hogwarts at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.) Guest rooms are very spacious, with varied decor depending on theme. You might have a rock n’roll portrait, a colorful contemporary look, or autographed photos from legends in various genres. All rooms offer WiFi, a work station, minibar, TV and plenty of entertainment systems. There are also many gestures that reinforce the Hard Rock’s ca. 1968 motto, “Save The Planet.”
The Kids Suites are the most popular crash pad; their 800-square-feet capacity sleeps five very graciously, with room for a crib. Themed to the ever-present music, the two-room suites have a large king master bedroom and a twin bedroom, with plenty of play space for acoustic musicians.
What’s Happening at the Hard Rock
On-site dining is plentiful. There’s the rap-star-rich Palm Restaurant for those who love a perfect steak. However, mostly you’ll find young couples and boisterous kids at Emack & Boglio’s buying Starbuck’s and muffins, ice cream and other snacks to munch in the shade of the poolside palms. The Kitchen, the hotel’s more casual foodie restaurant that focuses on sustainable cuisine, features celebrity chefs from the music world who come to prepare meals at kids’ cooking lessons. The Kitchen is also the venue for character dining a few evenings per week, when kids can pose with popular Universal characters.
When parents want to dine in any of the restaurants or visit CityWalk on their own, Camp Lil’ Rock has supervised evening activities for ages 5-12. Private babysitting is available with advance notice. Tweens and teens can be seen chatting in the lobby, working on their tans, or cruising the rock-abilia shops on the lower level.
The don’t-miss here is the Gift Shop, a treasure trove of music memorabilia whose clerks are straight out of “High Fidelity.” They can tell you the date that Katy Perry wore her pink tutu, or which show Cat Stevens played with the guitar on display. Although the grandparents may be too old to remember the bands, and the kids may be too young to know the music, the enthusiasm for all genres is infectious and lots of fun.
Trip Planning Details for a Hard Rocking Orlando Getaway
The Loews Hard Rock Hotel At Universal Orlando (407/503-ROCK) is located at 5800 Universal Boulevard, Orlando, Florida 32819. Seasonal rates vary widely and often include good theme park admission offers; book ahead. Best perk ever: Parents are welcome to wallow in nostalgia while kids discover new tunes.
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I poured my heart and soul into this!!! Hope you people enjoy! =)
Wow, this is wonderful! You are so lucky to have gotten this opportunity. You looked absolutely gorgeous at the show and the red carpet. Thanks for sharing this, it really made me smile. I used to have the biggest crush on Joe Jonas.. hahah!
Amazing trip!
I hope that my story will inspire and enrich your lives; even if it doesn’t touch you as much as it has touched me. I hope that this will be passed on and that people will take a few minutes just to read what I had to say and try to be in the mind of these children. Try to change your day and see your house, your possessions, your income, and those many great things that you possess and find a way to share them with others. We all need a wakeup call sometimes, a message to straighten us out and look at the life we were given. I hope to go back next year to repeat the experience all over again and try to change myself even more, I love those children and I love their compassion and selflessness. Words can’t fully express what I felt or what I witnessed but my words are clear, these people see the world much differently than us, they treat possessions differently and they know how to work as a community.
This is about when my family and I took a trip down to Central Florida for our Family Vacation.
Hope you enjoy!
This was a vacation that taught me a lot about how my religion is organzied and gave me more appreciation for it.
I will never forget the time I spent in Germany.
I hope you guys enjoyed my story!
Best luck.
South Africa is this amazing country that not only is beautiful for its animals and scenery but for its people and for its ability to overcome the greatest oppression: apartheid, the discrimination of the majority. I am so glad I was given the gift of traveling to South Africa. It is an experience I will never forget!
It was a great trip!
I hope everyone who takes the time to read The Awakening enjoys learning about my bus ride to reality.
My typed essay about my vacation in Vietnam. It seem poorly written or should I say typed :\
Bryan Gray Europe Tour.
My vacation to Panama became suprisingly meaningful, contrary to what I had initially expected.
Thank you
This was a fun and yet difficult project i truely have enjoyed sharing my vaction with you.
Mahalo,
Have you ever been to Maine? What did you like best?
This is such an amazing story and essay!!
Their were many more memories from this trip that impacted me as much as the ones that were included, but I just didnt have enough room. So, I shortened it and tried to write the best description of the trip without exceeding the word limit. But the trip was, indeed, as remarkable as I said it was.
Washington is a really nice place. It has many museums and historical places. it also has very delicious foods. Chinatown was my favorite place to eat.
Thank you for this scholarship opportunity!
IB York was a great experience, and a great opportunity to explore new ideas and innovations
So now I head to college without my classmates but i will always have this wonderful experience.
🙂
This is one of my many travel adventure stories from my trip to Europe in the beginning of the summer. Besides Prague, I traveled to Berlin, Munuch, and Nuremberg in Germany, Innsbruck in Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and France. My favorite place was Switzerland, but my favorite story was the one I shared. I hope you enoy reading it as much as i enjoyed experiencing it!
I want everyone to be able to expericence something like I did.:) Everyone desevers happines!
I hope you enjoyed my travel blog and I hope you plan to take your mom to the Peaks of Otter Lodge for the best brunch you will ever eat. For more information click on this link:
http://www.peaksofotter.com/
Finished product. I love PERU!
This eye-opening opportunity has shaped my conviction toward making change and developing the community. It is a great pleasure to meet all those Leadership Award Honorees and other49 ANNpower fellows from 24 states in the U.S. I will continue to make change and build a dynamic community, excursively to ethnic, social, political gender aspects of advantage, as my milestone to become a great leader!
This eye-opening opportunity marks the culmination of my junior year. I am so glad to meet all those wonderful women leaders from all around the world and 49 other ANNpower fellows from other 24 states. I will continue to explore the world and make change with eagerness and confident, and overcoming disadvantage exclusively toward the milestone of a great leader!
I hope everyone enjoys my trip to Catalina and Ensenada!
This trip was the best trip regarding family time. It is unforgettable.
To see more photography from the trip, check out my photojournal: http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Photojournal-of-My-Grecian-Travels/213497035367351.
What a testimony!! Thanks for posting. You don't know how impactful this is. Let Jesus keep using you for His glory. 😉
I was saved in August of 2009. I was in my parents's room and we all prayed for m, becuase I was tired of not having a desire for God. There I gave my life to Him and let Him be my Lord. I already excepted Him as Savior, but though it was a license to sin. Thatt day, though I wanted to repent of my sin and let God lead me. Lord and Savior go hand-in-hand. My life is changed. Now I have convictions and am learning so much about seeking God, because He is seeking me. It's awesome to live in the security and hope of knowing I will see Him one day in heaven. I am so glad He lives in me, because my goodness outside of Him is nothing. I don't know what I would do without Him.
Jesus used that park to bring you and your dad back together. How beautiful 🙂
Each place I go, I leave a peice of myself. And everyplace I go leaves a peice of itself in me. The people I have met along the way have changed me in the deepest way. Their lives have touched mine and I can never return to life as was usual. Likewise, my life has touched many along the way. It is my hope that nobody I meet along the way may return to life as was their usual. This is how each thead pulls coth and fabric together as we the people of the world cover it like a quilt. We must double stitch each peice so not to fall apart or leave holes. We need one another.
To whoever reading this, I am the person wearing blue shirt and white shorts, sligtly leaning on the panda bear statue.
My essay that talks about my experience traveling to Lima, Peru aims toward encouraging others who are not too familiar with it to visit and appreciate the fun life changing experience they're gauranteed to get.
What a great contest! Hope to see lots of terrific teen travel stories here!
It was difficult for me to type a 600 word blog about an amazing experience I had in the month of July. It was also difficult for me to choose certain pictures from the ones that I have chosen, so I uploaded the pictures of my time at NeiHu elementary school. I really wished that I could have used more sightseeing photos, but unfortunately, those were too big to upload.
This trip was amazing and it also tested who I am becoming as a person. Seeing the woman in Central Park living out her dream, to the woman selling fruit throughout the day; New York is made of dreamers and hardworking people. I loved it. Hope I get the chance to go back.
This was an amazing experience! I am so grateful for everything it taught me!!
From research, I believe the ice cream shop was called Eisdiele Eddy. More information about the exchange program can be found at http://www.aatg.org/study-trip-faq as well as at the bottom of the page at http://www.aatg.org/NGE-awards.
These Picutures are both of my own creation (one being an acrylic painting). When I took this picture at the western wall in Israel, the man in the photo was crying his heart out wearing a tattered down bath robe, I thought it would make for an intersting picture. So it did, it also inspired to me to create a painting in which I showed the world what I believe he really is. A man who is down on his luck but seems to still find peace in his life.
My sophomore year of high school I went to Donner Pass in California with a group called The Woods Project (www.thewoodsproject.org) . I had to apply to go , I was really anxious and scared that I wasn’t going to get. When I got my acceptance letter I was excited. I was also nervous because I had never been away from home for more than a week and The Woods project was going to last for two weeks. I had chosen to go to Donner Pass because I wanted to experience something new. I was going to go backpacking for one week and hiking the other. I had never gone backpacking before. When I told my friends that I was going backpacking they started to laugh because I am the smallest girl in my whole school and they didn’t think I was going to make it. Getting that response from my friends made me super scared of going to the trip. I thought I was going to die while backpacking!
My dad went to go drop me off at the airport and then he left. I was already scared and freaking out at the fact that he had just left me there and I did not know anybody! . I got in the plane to California and I was already regretting going on the trip. I was going to be with complete strangers for two weeks! When we got to California we all got split .There were three groups going to different places, one to Yosemite, another to Marine Headlines and then mine, to Donner Pass. I got in a van and that’s where I met the people who I was going to spend two weeks with. We were in that van for hours! When we finally got to our cabin we had to go up a hill to get to the door.
The first cabin we stayed in was named Clair Tappan Lodge. It was really nice . It was made out of wood, had a pool table, personal chef, jacuzzi and hot water in the showers. I loved it there! Too bad it only lasted for two days then it was time to go backpacking. They gave us our backpacking materials. I tried on the backpack and almost fell over. My backpacking week had started. We went up and down mountains, through rivers and lakes, and I thought we were never going to set up our tents. When it started to get dark we finally started cooking. The food we had was not good at all. We couldn’t bring a lot of food because of the bears and other animals. My second day of backpacking went better than the first. Everybody in my group started to know each other better and soon we became really close. We would sing while backpacking to make time pass faster and at night we didn’t want to sleep because we would play games. While backpacking I got to experience many things I hadn’t before. Even though I was the smallest girl going backpacking I was always the leader of the line because of my stamina.
When our backpacking week ended it was time to hike. I had gotten the hardest part of the trip over with so I knew hiking was going to be a piece of cake. We would hike in the morning and hanged out at night. It was the best experience I had ever had! When it was time to go back home I didn’t want to because I knew I would miss my friends.
To watch my video go to : http://youtu.be/FLd7W71EnyU
My experience as a first time camper.
i hope i win