The Hard Rock is the only Central Florida Casino that looks like a Las Vegas property. The upside is that you get to enjoy all of the typical casino table games like black jack and roulette. The downside is that the poker room can be quite a walk from the parking garage. I tried to solve the distance by using the valet parking, but the signs were a bit confusing and I wound up right back in the parking garage.
The room looked a bit like a warehouse when they moved to the current area, but I have noticed a lot of subtle improvements that make the area pleasing. The walls are hung with pictures of famous musicians playing poker. It's a nice touch that combined both themes.
What's nice about the Hard Rock is that they always have a 2-5 NL game going and they also have an Omaha option of some sort. I was disappointed when I left my $2-5 game because management advertised open seating in Omaha only to find they broke a table and I was suddenly 5th on the list. Better communications would have prevented it.
I was there on a Thursday night and they were holding a survivor tournament for $130 where the top 10% all walk away with $1,000. I can see myself giving that a run in the future.
The cocktail waitresses were frequent and friendly. I had no issue with the dealers. There was a time where Hard Rock has the mentality that they were the only game in town, but they have humbled a bit and the overall experience was better than I had seen in the past.