You’re standing in the humidity of a Florida morning, watching the water taxi pull up to the dock. Most people are checking their mobile apps to see if Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure has a wait time under ninety minutes (it doesn’t). But if you’ve booked club level Royal Pacific at Universal Orlando, your morning probably started a lot differently. You weren't hunting for a $15 breakfast sandwich in the park. Instead, you were likely sitting on the seventh floor of the Loews Royal Pacific Resort, sipping a Nespresso and grab-and-go fruit while looking out over the Jurrasic Park River Adventure.
It's a vibe. But it’s an expensive vibe.
The King Kamehameha Club—which is the official name for the club level here—is often marketed as this elite, untouchable experience. Honestly? It’s basically a high-end lounge with some very specific perks that can either save you a ton of money or be a total waste of your vacation budget depending on how you actually travel. Let’s get into the weeds of what you’re actually paying for.
What You Actually Get (Beyond the Fancy Name)
Staying on the club level means your room is located on the seventh floor. That’s the "secure" floor. You need your key card just to hit the button in the elevator. It feels a bit James Bond-ish the first time you do it, but the real meat of the value is in the lounge access.
The King Kamehameha Club lounge is open from roughly 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Throughout the day, they rotate food and drink offerings.
- Breakfast (7:00 AM – 10:30 AM): Think continental-plus. Hard-boiled eggs, pastries, smoked salmon, oatmeal, and cereal.
- Midday Snacks (12:00 PM – 3:30 PM): Chips, crackers, whole fruit, and those tiny bags of pretzels. It’s not a meal. Don’t try to make it one.
- Afternoon Tea (4:00 PM – 5:00 PM): Usually some scones or cookies.
- Evening Hors d’oeuvres (5:00 PM – 7:00 PM): This is the heavy hitter. They usually have one hot "main" dish (like potstickers or sliders), some veggies, cheese, and—crucially—free beer and wine.
- Sweet Treats (8:00 PM – 9:00 PM): Desserts. Usually small cakes or brownies.
One thing people get wrong is thinking the food is "fine dining." It isn't. It’s high-quality catering. If you have picky kids, the evening spread might be a gamble, but for most adults, the ability to grab a glass of Chardonnay and some hummus after a ten-hour day at Islands of Adventure is a godsend.
The Math of the Express Pass
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. When you stay at Royal Pacific (regardless of whether you’re club level or not), you get the Unlimited Universal Express Pass.
This is the single biggest reason people book this hotel.
At a park like Universal, an Unlimited Express Pass can easily cost $150 to $200 per person, per day, during peak seasons like Spring Break or Christmas. If you have a family of four, you’re looking at $800 in "added value" just for sleeping there. Now, when you upgrade that stay to club level Royal Pacific, you’re layering the food and drink savings on top of those Express Passes.
Is the jump from a standard room to a club room worth it? Usually, the price difference is between $100 and $150 per night. If you’re a family of four and you all eat breakfast at the hotel, you’ve already saved $60. If the adults have two beers each in the evening, that’s another $40. Throw in some bottled water to take to the parks (which the lounge staff will usually give you if you ask nicely), and you’ve broken even before you even touch the evening snacks.
A Quick Reality Check on Room Size
Don't expect the rooms to be massive suites just because they’re on the club floor. A standard club level room at Royal Pacific is the same 335 square feet as a standard room on the second floor. You’re paying for the access, the service, and the location. If you want more space, you have to look into the King Suites, which sometimes have club access bundled in, but that’s a whole different price bracket.
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The Secret Perks Nobody Mentions
Everyone talks about the food, but the real luxury is the dedicated concierge. The staff in the lounge aren't just there to refill the coffee. They can print tickets, help with dining reservations at CityWalk (which can be a nightmare on Friday nights), and even help solve issues with your park passes.
There’s also the "shampoo factor." Club level rooms often feature upgraded toiletries. While the standard rooms use the (admittedly nice) Julien Farel products, the club level sometimes gets a little extra love in the vanity department.
Then there's the coffee. The coffee in the rooms is fine. The coffee in the lounge is better. If you’re a caffeine addict, being able to walk down the hall at 7:01 AM and get a decent latte without waiting in a thirty-person line at the Starbucks in the lobby is worth its weight in gold.
When It’s a Total Waste of Money
I’m going to be honest: if you are a "rope drop to park close" family, club level Royal Pacific might be a waste of your money.
If you leave the hotel at 7:30 AM and don’t come back until the fireworks are over at 10:00 PM, you are paying for a lounge you never see. You’ll miss the snacks, you’ll miss the free booze, and you’ll miss the desserts. You’re essentially paying a $150 premium for a bowl of cereal in the morning.
Also, if you have specific dietary restrictions, the lounge can be tricky. They do their best to label things, and the chefs are usually pretty accommodating if you ask in advance, but the selection is inherently limited compared to a full-service restaurant.
How to Work the System
If you decide to book it, you need to be strategic.
- Check-in Day: Your club access starts the moment you arrive, even if your room isn't ready. Show up at 10:00 AM, drop your bags with the bell hop, and head straight to the seventh floor. Have some snacks, grab some water, and then hit the parks.
- Check-out Day: Your access lasts all day on the day you leave. Even after you check out at 11:00 AM, you can still use the lounge until it closes that night. This is huge if you have a late flight. You can spend the afternoon at the pool, go back to the lounge to dry off and have some snacks, and then head to the airport.
- The "Water Bottle" Move: Buying water in the parks is a scam. It’s $5 for a bottle of Dasani. The lounge has plenty of water. Keep your backpack stocked.
The Vibe Check
Royal Pacific is themed after the South Pacific. It’s lush, it’s tropical, and it’s arguably the most "relaxing" of the three premier hotels at Universal (the others being Portofino Bay and Hard Rock). The club level reflects that. It’s quiet. Even when the parks are chaotic, the lounge feels like a sanctuary.
There’s something very specific about sitting in a leather chair, hearing the faint sound of Polynesian drums over the speakers, and knowing you don't have to wait in a 45-minute line for a beer. It changes the psychology of the vacation. You move slower. You stress less.
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Actionable Steps for Your Trip
- Compare the "Gap": Before booking, look at the price of a standard room plus the cost of four breakfasts and four drinks at CityWalk. If the "gap" is less than the cost of the club upgrade, book it.
- Request the Right View: Ask for a room overlooking the lagoon. Watching the water taxis go back and forth from your seventh-floor window is much better than looking at the parking lot.
- Use the Concierge Early: Don't wait until 6:00 PM to ask for a dinner reservation at The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium. Stop by the lounge desk in the morning.
- Time Your Returns: Plan to be back at the hotel by 5:30 PM at least once during your stay. The evening spread is the "peak" of the value proposition. If you miss it every night, you aren't getting your money's worth.
- Download the App: Use the Universal Orlando app to track wait times while you’re eating breakfast in the lounge. Since you have Express Passes, you can wait for the "big" rides (like Hagrid’s or VelociCoaster) to hit a manageable number before you even leave the hotel.
At the end of the day, club level Royal Pacific isn't about necessity—it’s about friction. It removes the friction of finding food, the friction of waiting in lines, and the friction of a crowded lobby. If your goal is to actually feel like you had a vacation while visiting a theme park, it's one of the best ways to do it. Just make sure you actually stick around long enough to eat the cookies.