The staff was exceedingly friendly. Although the hotel looks like an upscale resort, it is very kid friendly. When I made the reservation, I mentioned that two of our three girls were celebrating birthdays. At check-in, the staff confirmed which girls were celebrating and how old they were. When we returned to our room on the second day, we found birthday gift baskets with handwritten birthday cards for our two girls, plus a small goodie basket for our third, so she wouldn't feel left out. We also loved the poolside torch lighting ceremony, in which our girls learned to hula dance. You can't beat the location, with easy boat transportation to and from the Universal parks. It seems a bit pricey, but not for what you get, and especially not when you factor in the Express Pass that gives you front of the line access to all the rides in the parks. There's no other way our family could have seen everything at both parks in two days.
This hotel made me feel respected: As a family with three young kids, many nice hotels and restaurants tend to give us the brush-off. The staff at the Royal Pacific went out of their way to treat us like VIPs, even though we were staying in a standard room. Every single employee greeted us with a friendly smile, from the greeters, to the maids, to the busboy at the restaurant. Plus they talked to us, not just about hotel business, but casual conversation that made us feel like we belonged there.