# WHO YA GONNA CALL" 29 NIGHTS OF GHOSTBUSTERS, MONSTERS & MORE - A 2019 HHN/SFR/RPR TR



## schumigirl

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*Well, I sure hope you are ready for another Trip Report...….as this is one of the two trips this year we are most excited about!!!! *





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*The other one being our trip in December when our boy comes back with us again...….*
*

But first of course in case for some reason you`ve never read one of these trip reports before and you don't know who we are...*

*(Where have you been??)*
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*Welcome along to Carole`n`Tom`s September 2019 Trip Report!! 

Yes, another trip this year......third of four visits to Orlando in 2019 and hopefully it should be fun and if you are reading along, I truly hope you enjoy it...….*

*Most of you know us and know we absolutely adore Orlando and more specifically Universal Orlando Resort and everything they have to offer there...….we are lucky to be able to visit many times and truly enjoy every second we are in Orlando. This is our 20th trip to Orlando, all were yearly until 2017 when we began to visit multiple times a year. Last year we were lucky to be able to visit 5 times and this year it`ll be four. 


This is us......in case you missed us before...….still trying to master the selfie.........we are getting better!!!! *













*My wonderful husband Tom is coming to almost 2 years since he took early retirement from the business and it is honestly the best decision ever...….we have managed to visit Florida and NY many times since he retired.....we were glad he didn't keep working when there was no need for him to do so, easy choice really, so we can completely enjoy all our time together. And we do. We get asked a lot if we ever get fed up with each other...….the answer is always no.....of course there are times I`m sure we irritate each other...…..but it`s not often and usually over something silly......like arguing over him daring to rearrange my spice cabinet  or arguing over what to give a niece for a wedding present......she wasn't even close to be getting married yet!!!! Weird things like that...…..apart from that we get on like a happily married couple should do...….


His very wonderful wife .........well, I`m a very happy housewife.....yes, I like the word housewife....maybe homemaker is a better choice...….makes no difference......I choose not to work and haven't for many years......and saves having to worry about getting time off to visit America as often as we do. My time is filled up most of the time with various things.....Tom and Kyle obviously come first, but I meet friends, or we meet friends a lot and we get involved in several things in the village and around us...….sometimes I wonder where the time goes...…..and of course when Tom retired everyone said he was too young to retire, we would need a hobby......so we did.....visiting Orlando is a full time hobby!!!! Not quite what they meant of course...….lol...….

Once again Kyle won`t be with us...….he has work which he loves and has plans of his own with a 10 day vacation of his own while we are away...….I know he`ll have a fabulous time. And yes, of course we`ll miss him but I think we`re all getting more used to it now...…..not easy to leave though......*

*So, that`s the basic introductions to who is on this trip...…..


The when is of course September...…...it`s HHN time again....and our favourite time of the year apart from Christmas...….but it`s our favourite time to visit Orlando...….it was September the first time we visited in 2007 and apart from a few exceptions, when we used to only visit once a year it would be in September we would visit...……it really is a lovely time to visit. Although it is a little weird talking and planning for Halloween when it`s still July...although only just!!! *
*
This year we arrive Tuesday Sept 3rd and stay till Wednesday October 2nd......29 nights altogether in Orlando...…….more details to follow of course...…..
*
*We do plan to spend many evenings at HHN...…a few nice dinners out...….a few days here and there around Orlando...…..and maybe some resort time!! 

There are a lot of folks there at the same time, so we hope to meet with a few if possible....*

*So...….plans and pre plans coming right up...….but wanted to get this pre trip report going as it is only 5 weeks till we leave...….and I know it`ll pass before we know it...….

Quite a brief first post, but wanted to get it up and running or before I know it, September will be here and I won`t have done anything about this report...….and being a month long, I do need a head start again!!! 

But, if you are reading along, hope you enjoy it...……let`s get going...*






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## macraven

I’m in for the  next adventure !

Pulling up a chair now ...


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## J'aime Paris

Second in line for this TR!!  Woo hoo!


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## schumigirl

*So, this trip was booked way back last year...….and caused quite a discussion for once.

Tom is 60 in August (how did that happen) and we wanted initially to do something special to mark the occasion......well, I did......Tom isn't one to want anything special or do something for him......he would prefer to celebrate my birthday again this trip...….but I had decided we should have a longer trip and we did come up with a few suggestions....*

*Our first thought was to go to California for a month.....but how could we miss September and HHN in Orlando......someone suggested we go to Universal Hollywood and Disneyland...….well, we`ve never had any desire to see Disneyland at all and so many people had told us about UH and it didn't appeal as much as Orlando does......so we discounted that fairly quickly.......

We thought of going to Vegas for 4 days before flying down to Orlando from there...….sounded good.....we like the idea of a few days in Vegas.....and we had our good friend who had recommended the Bellagio so we knew we would stay there if we went...….and we were amazed how reasonable the hotels are there!!!! Wow!!!! For suites and really large suites the cost was much lower than we thought……..but the down side for us is the time difference...….Vegas is 8 hours behind us coming from the UK, so by the time we got there and acclimatised, it would be time to leave......*

*So, again, we discounted that plan and considered taking a few days out of our Orlando trip mid stay...…..and thought no.....once we are in Orlando we don't really want to leave...…..that was when I said.....why don't we just stay in Orlando for a month.*







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*That was an easy decision..…...and one we were happy with to be honest......we do love Orlando and want to spend as much time as we can here......and who doesn't love Halloween!!Flights were our first thing after our hotels were sorted...….and this was an easy decision as it was so far out......we would fly again with Thomas Cook...….I had a range of dates as I knew we could change our hotel dates easily, so I checked dates against what Premium seats were available and booked the ones that suited us best.

We depart very conveniently around Midday and arrive around 4.30pm at MCO...….departure is around 6.30pm and we arrive back in the UK just before 8am. The flight times were good and it meant we could take our time in the morning and not rush. Our flight was originally due to take off at 10.15am......now that meant a very early wake up call.....not any more, so I think we may be the only ones to be quite happy at the change...….they only changed it a week or so ago, but we fully expected the change in time as the flight always takes off at midday anytime we have taken this flight. *







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*On the way out we have the back two seats in Premium on the right side of the plane, and on the way home we are on the back two seats to the left...…*







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*These seats gets you out quicker to get to passport control...….we like them, although in Premium they are all ok...…..we do like Thomas Cook and their Premium service is good. Again, we booked when the price was probably higher than it needed to be, but as long as we are happy to pay it, we never go checking to see if the prices have come down any.....why make yourself gloomy at the thought!!! So, that's our rule.....book, pay and don't look again!!!

Yes, I do break my own rule......lol.....wish I hadn't!!!!*

*Then, our next thing to get booked is the Radisson at Manchester Airport...…..our old faithful hotel and one we love. The convenience is unrivalled for us so it`s again, an easy choice......it`s a five minute walk down to either terminal in the morning. No need to go outside if the weather is bad.....although the other hotels have shuttle buses for convenience....but this is much better. I agree, you do pay a premium for the privilege but it`s worth it to us.*











*The rooms are identical and always clean and tidy, and quite spacious although we are usually in the room around anywhere up to 18 hours max. So, although space isn't really a necessity, it is nice.*

*This time we haven't booked the Executive Lounge. We usually do, but we decided this time when we arrive, we`ll drop the luggage then walk back down to the train station attached to the Skywalk and get the train into Manchester City Centre and wander around and get some food there.

We wondered about how to get up to the airport again. We have this last year been using a wonderful car service who regularly do airport runs......and they are very reliable and it`s a pleasant journey with them as the lady who drives us very chatty and so easy to talk to.....but I do like the train......it`s a bit of journey with a couple of changes, but we do enjoy that as a way to start off our journey...….but the thought of the train journey home wasn't as pleasing...…..*

*Bright idea of the day!!!! Book the train one way and get the car service to come back for us...…..this was ideal. We did enjoy being able to sleep in the car back home, and at around 3 hours, that is a decent sleep.

We got around to booking the train a few weeks ago......we actually forgot we had to do it!!!! It`s best to book 12 weeks ahead when they release the dates, but I was in New York when the window was around that time, and then we just forgot......so I went online and managed to get two seats again in First Class, but not sitting together......although we are opposite each other so still together.*

*We did like the train last time.*











*We get a very early train and we have two changes to get up there, I think we get into Manchester Airport around 12.30pm, so by the time we check in and freshen up, we should be in the City Centre soon after as it only takes around 15 minutes to get there from the airport.*

*Although if it`s a miserable day, which it can be in Manchester,  we`ll just take root in the bar.....either way we`ll be happy...…..we quite like the restaurant there so if we end up eating there it`ll be fine.

Car hire is simple. No issues here, we book with the same crowd every year......Alamo...…..they usually have the best price and we`re happy with their service so far. On the occasion we have had issues with a car......like the Maserati breaking down.....lol....they were very good and replaced the car and gave us more of a refund in way of an apology than we would have expected...….so like a lot of people we judge on how they deal when something does go wrong, and so far they had been absolutely fine with us. 

So we have a standard SUV booked...….and I doubt we will upgrade to the Maserati this time......although we are there for a month, with HHN on we don't find we roam about as much as we usually do.....so it doesn't make sense to do it when it`ll be sat in the parking lot most of the time. 


Where will we stay...……. *


























































*Our hotel plans in Orlando were a simple choice......well, there isn't really a choice...….we love both Royal Pacific Resort and Sapphire Falls.....so we knew we wanted to stay at both.

When we arrive we`ll stay at Sapphire Falls for 6 nights from the 3rd to the 9th before moving over to RPR for the remaining 23 nights......we didn't really mind which way we did it as we spend a lot of time at each hotel anyway. I don't know why we decided on the 6/23 night split.....but we knew we wanted to spend longer at RP this time as we already had two separate stays at Sapphire this year......and RPR is our I suppose home resort.....much as though we love Sapphire and we do, RP is still our overall favourite.

It is 10 years since we had our first stay at RPR way back in 2009. That seems a lifetime ago now...…..after our previous two visits where we had stayed at the Buena Vista Palace in DTD for our first visit, then POFQ for our second......although we enjoyed those stays none of them felt like home.*

*And as soon as we walked in to RPR it felt like where we wanted to stay whenever we came to Orlando. And it`s strange as we`ve never walked into a hotel before and felt like that...….and Kyle as young as he was said yep, we`ll be back here!!!

And we never looked back.…...*

*Until...……2016 when Sapphire Falls opened. Our very good friend gave us a personal tour of the whole hotel, and we loved it immediately, everything about the hotel appealed to us...….more than we expected to like it if truth be known. We knew we wanted to stay here at some point.

Although with one thing and another including a special treat of staying in the Presidential Suite at RP, it would be May 2018 before we actually stayed here as a guest.....although we knew the hotel well at that point being regular visitors to StrongWater Bar...….so we did feel at home in both hotels.*

*More about StrongWater in future posts......as that bar does seem to feature strongly in our trips...……..*






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*We do have a couple of things to celebrate, but will be very low key this time...…..we decided this longer trip will be our present between Tom`s birthday which is in August, our wedding anniversary on Sept 5th and my birthday which is on the 13th.......*







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*Neither of us really need or want anything this year.....although I may have a little gift planned for Tom for his birthday...….nothing to do with Orlando though...….I think he`ll like it...….and Kyle has a few ideas of what to get him. But, it`s difficult as he really does have everything he could want.....it`s the old adage of what do you get someone who has everything........

Wedding Anniversary, we usually just exchange some nice cards and maybe a little token gift each and a meal out, sometimes with friends sometimes just us......27 years might be special to us, but next big celebration will be our 30th!! So, no big plans there either...…..*

*But, we do have some ideas for restaurants and places we want to visit coming up...….and of course chat about what in HHN we are most excited about...…...although I think the thread title might give that away a little...…...and this too...….*






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*Although I remember being terrified of this too as a child..……lol....I adored the Abbott and Costello films as a child...and watching them as child in the 1970`s they were quite terrifying at the time......*







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*Sorry, not very worthy of HHN  is it......lol......*​*
*
*More chatter to follow...…..*


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## schumigirl

macraven said:


> I’m in for the  next adventure !
> 
> Pulling up a chair now ...



YAY!!!! You`re first...…..

 along...…...so glad to see you here!!!! 

I know how much you love HHN so I do hope I do it justice with this report.......I did mention our first visit we knew very little....but thanks to you, Keisha and others we soon learned what tickets to buy and how to get the best out of the event...….and we`re grateful for that...…

Hope you have a very comfortable chair mac...…..


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## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> Second in line for this TR!!  Woo hoo!



And  along Lori...…..glad you`re here!!! 

I`m delighted you made it and the first page too!!!! 

I did promise it wouldn't be long.......and 5 weeks will pass like a flash!!! 

Hope you like this one too Lori…….we are so excited for this trip...….


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## DisneyLifePapioNe

LOVE the title of this one, you know I won’t miss this!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

I might even make it into this one!!!

 !!!


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## schumigirl

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## PoohIsHome

I'm here and ready for the drin.....the adventure!


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## Lynne G

Woot!  Ready for some Fall fun reporting.


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## keishashadow

29 day trip eh  sounds like it’s going to be quite the epic adventure.  You do travel well!

Add me to the classic monsters club, top it off with Abott & Costello and toss in some of the old crosby/hope road flicks for a trifecta.

Train? Now, that is intriguing. I’ve never been on one other than in the amusement parks.  Amtrack is not especially luxurious or expedient from my neck of the woods but always thought the idea of riding the Orient Express fascinating.


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## Raeven

Following along!   

I would've been happy a month in Orlando too  



schumigirl said:


> Our hotel plans in Orlando were a simple choice......well, there isn't really a choice...….we love both Royal Pacific Resort and Sapphire Falls.....so we knew we wanted to stay at both.



Us too!  So far I'm staying the first weekend at RPR with Samantha, and the Wed-Fri following that with Josh at Sapphire Falls.


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## schumigirl

PoohIsHome said:


> I'm here and ready for the drin.....the adventure!



 along to you Pooh...….

lol....you know me so well........

Yes, I believe there may be one or two adult beverages being enjoyed in this report...….

Hope you enjoy reading this one...…..


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## schumigirl

Lynne G said:


> Woot!  Ready for some Fall fun reporting.



  along Lynne......glad to see you here......

Yep, cannot believe it`s going to be September in a few weeks!!!! We`re still waiting on our summer.....of course those last three days might have been it......lol......

Hope you enjoy this one and look forward to your comments.....and hopefully you`ll be in it too


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## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> 29 day trip eh  sounds like it’s going to be quite the epic adventure.  You do travel well!
> 
> Add me to the classic monsters club, top it off with Abott & Costello and toss in some of the old crosby/hope road flicks for a trifecta.
> 
> Train? Now, that is intriguing. I’ve never been on one other than in the amusement parks.  Amtrack is not especially luxurious or expedient from my neck of the woods but always thought the idea of riding the Orient Express fascinating.



  to you too Keisha.....always glad to see you post here....

Well, if you`re going to travel you might as well make the most of it.....I`m already dreading leaving and we haven't even left yet!!!! 

Oh a woman after Tom and I`s heart with the movies!!! Complete classics.....have the urge to go seek out the Abbott and Costello ones later......some charlatan a few years back gave us the colourised versions of these movies!!!! Awful......they`ve got to be black and white so they keep that atmospheric feeling!!! 

One of my very limited bucket list items is the Orient Express.....but the journey is so short now......I`d love to do a really long train journey like that.....I did want to do the Trans Siberian Railway.....till someone reminded me how cold it was as we did have to get off the train at some point!!!! Er, I forgot about that part...….plans cancelled!!! 

The trains here are all right if you can get first class.....otherwise it can be a free for all, but on a not so busy route it can be fine too......so with our large suitcases it`s just nicer....we did it last September and enjoyed it......so hopefully it`ll be as relaxing this time. 

Hope you enjoy this one too Janet...….look forward to your company along the way.....


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## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> Following along!
> 
> I would've been happy a month in Orlando too
> 
> 
> 
> Us too!  So far I'm staying the first weekend at RPR with Samantha, and the Wed-Fri following that with Josh at Sapphire Falls.



 along Raeven…...always glad to see you here too!!!

Yes, a month is something we are so excited about!!! After all the discussion we had this was our favourite choice......although the wine region in Cali was tempting…..lol...…

Oh you`ll have a blast too at both hotels.....can`t really go wrong can you! Can`t fault either hotel in any way...….

Hope you enjoy following too.....look forward to it...…


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## disneyAndi14

Hi Carole

I’m following along, sounds lovely so far! A month away from everyday life would be bliss!

HHN sounds so fun this year, old school all the way!


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## schumigirl

*THOUGHTS ON HHN 2019*





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*HHN is one of the amazing events that UOR put on every year......it is truly spectacular and done to the highest calibre…...from the houses to the Scare Zones to the Scare Actors themselves.....they do an amazing job every year and a lot of them come every year to work this event. *

*Every year the excitement in the build up as to what the houses are is one of the fun things to speculate on, and most years there are at least 3 or 4 houses that stand out for us as must do houses every night we visit...….

The ticket options are varied and has something for everyone......after the first year as I said, when we were a bit green as to how the event was best enjoyed we began to purchase the Rush of Fear with EP......and it has been the most suitable ticket on offer for us. With the AP discount it works out at $670 for both of us...….so going only a few nights it works out as a good buy for us. 

This year, if we wanted to we could visit for 17 nights during our stay, I doubt we will visit all those nights, but it`s nice to have the option. With as many nights the way we do it, is we go as many nights as we feel like but only do a few hours some nights, or even just go in and do a couple of the front houses then leave. We have never done HHN commando style.....

The amount of walking you do on a HHN is surprising. Some of the houses have incredibly long paths to get to them and with the heat it can be draining...….and a few houses last few years have been exactly like that......and it is annoying when the houses weren't as good as you thought......some we only did once and wouldn't repeat purely because of the walk. 

But......on the other hand......most of the houses are spectacular.....the theme and detail in them is beyond anything I`ve ever seen. Some years are obviously better than others for us, but overall the event is phenomenal and not to be missed....

The EP for us is vital. There is no way we would stand in those lines.....some of them are hours waiting. And with the heat, no......so we wouldn't do the event without EP. I know many do it without EP, but not for us. Never have done...…...folks sometimes ask why we don't do a RIP tour.....well, the full private ones are too long. And we don't want to be in the park for that length of time....don't get me wrong the RIP tours are fabulous......I`d recommend anyone to do one if they can especially if they only have one night. 

But, as we can do so many nights and have EP, it`s not something we ever consider doing. We also don't do Stay and Scream either.....we wander in when we feel like and usually we use the hotel guest entrance which is to the right hand side as you are about to enter the park. It is clearly marked, you can`t miss it......you need your hotel room key to access this area. It`s just a separate bag check and gate you go through, but it can save a lot of time. *




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*And on to this year.....Ghostbusters is one of the main houses we are so looking forward to this year, an absolute genius film to convert to a house...….although loving this overall 1980`s theme again......as someone who became a teenager in 1980 that decade is definitely one that brings so many memories..….and of course Ghostbusters is one of the best comedic and iconic movies to come out the 1980`s. *

*The house offers so many options...….*







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*Of course there are so many more amazing scenes they can recreate from this movie.....but you gotta include the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man...…..hope to see Walter Peck make an appearance in there somewhere...….*

*This is a house we`ll visit every night we do HHN.*








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*Our next must do house is of course, Classic Universal Monsters...

Growing up I remember as roughly a 6 year old being allowed to watch Dracula.....not by my mother but by one of my older brothers who was babysitting...….lol......I was petrified and of course when asked why I was suddenly afraid of the dark…….he feigned ignorance....until I "told on him" lol......he got into such trouble!!! *
*
But, after that I did watch the Abbott and Costello ones.....and although they still scared me at times.....I loved them....and made me enjoy the real horror movies without the same terror the first one had me endure. 
*
*I felt tremendous pity for Frankenstein`s monster of course......he wasn't a bad guy really...…*






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*I just love these old pictures......and I always enjoyed seeing pictures of them as they filmed the movies in unguarded moments off set......seeing Dracula and Frankenstein`s Monster enjoying a cup of tea was quite surreal.....*







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*Although not quite the same genre.....but Young Frankenstein was one of my favourite movies as a child......Peter Boyle doing Puttin on the Ritz is a classic!!!! *







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*But there are so many classic horror movies and characters they could fill more than one house with!!!!! *
*
Universal really need to do more with the Classic monsters in the parks.....and who knows they might just do that...…….  
*
*Although there are many fine actors to play Count Dracula, Bela Lugosi is of course the pivotal Dracula to most...…*





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*That was scary as a kid!!! I have high expectations of the SA who will play this part...…..*

*The Wolfman was one that didn't scare me at all...….for some reason, it never struck a cord......but as a house we are genuinely excited for this one as the genre is fabulous.....even the poorest movies still have an appeal. And of course spawned classics such as The Addams Family and The Munsters for all our enjoyment...….loved them!!!! *









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*The Yeti house should be another good one...….*

*I hope considering they are escaping an arctic blizzard that this is a cold house.....extra cold...…..I don't know much about this story and want to enjoy it as a stand alone house without knowing a back story...…*








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*Stranger Things will be enjoyable..…...*

*We enjoyed the first series and struggled with the second, need to try and watch it again, but really looking forward to this house too......it might not be one we do every visit, but they themed it so well last year, if they do it anywhere near as good as that, it`ll be excellent!!! This house had tremendous lines last year and there was one evening at least we chose not to even join the EP line as it was massive!!! Quite unusual for it to be that long......but it can happen. *









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*Depths of Fear is one I`m sure will be uncomfortably good for me...….I hate water and seeing anyone under water whether they`re struggling or not is not pleasant...….and the "Mouthbrooders" sound just peachy!!!! I think this is one to keep your mouth closed as you walk around......water flying around disguised as flesh eating acidic eggs......not a pleasant thought...….but should be fun...……*









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*There`s always one house every year I am disappointed in.....and I get the feeling it might be Blood Pit. Of course, I`m happy to be proved wrong......will give it at least 2 visits to judge it fairly......but after that I`ll know if it`s worth doing again. Tom does say I`m harsh with my judgement at times...…...I agree......maybe I am.....but....impress me!!! *








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*I have to confess...…..I had never heard of Killer Klowns till we had the scare zone last year...…….and at first...….well, we just didn't get it ...….it reminded me at first of the scare zone that was Alien themed and was just dreadful...….it looked like a space filler and that was one of the poorest scare zones ever..........but...with Killer Klowns…. I have to thank @Raeven and @keishashadow for us eventually understanding the genre....and actually, yes...….this is brilliant!!!!*

*And the Klown scare zone got better every time we went through it......by the end we loved it!!!! And we are looking forward to the house this year....we get it now. 




So far...….that`s all the houses that have been announced...…..we are excited for the announcements still to come...…..we all look forward to those and they should be soon as we will be down to only 5 weeks till the opening night of this years event. 

We do sometimes take advantage of the rides that are open every year......usually just RRR for us as it is even better to ride it at night......but we generally don't waste much time on rides during HHN. *

*DA is open now and it is a lovely place to find a little bit of quiet and have a cool drink...…..we haven't found it overly busy the last few times we`ve gone in there during the evening...….and I`m sure we`ll seek a little respite in there again. 

We did the SA Dining Experience last year...….we thought it was dreadful and didn't have a good experience. So, it`s not something we`ll opt to repeat...…..Monster`s Café is not somewhere we eat in anyway, but thought the offerings weren't the standard they should be......we had almost empty trays of food and not replenished......and apart from one or two excellent SA the rest were just poor. And overall a very poor show when most of us there were expecting SA dressed as characters from Stranger Things, Poltergeist and......Michael Myers. He was the biggest loss for me with not being there.  *
*
We`ll eat before or after this year...…...there are plenty of food options open in the park, and many food stalls all around the event. We won`t starve...….


*
*More plans coming up soon...……...*


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## schumigirl

disneyAndi14 said:


> Hi Carole
> 
> I’m following along, sounds lovely so far! A month away from everyday life would be bliss!
> 
> HHN sounds so fun this year, old school all the way!



 along Caroline...…...so glad you`re here!!!

Oh I know, a month sounds a little reckless at times.....but it`ll be so much fun I`m sure!! 

Oh we are excited for most of the houses so far, especially Ghostbusters and the old classics.....they were so scary as a child to watch....but we all loved them......cannot wait for this year`s event!! 

Look forward to having you along and always enjoy reading your comments...


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## Monykalyn

The train sounds lovely!
I had forgotten you fly Thomas Cook-they don't come up on the google flights...Seems pretty reasonable flights from New York-but heir schedule doesn't go out to May yet-will have to keep eye on them (even with a stopover in Manchester) for flights to Paris. If prices stay good they are much more reasonable for a premium seat than anything else I've looked at!!

I now have a reservation for RPR as a regular room opened up for a really good rate!! So keeping both SF and RPR for now...but either way we need to have a meet up of HHN peeps in Strongwater some night when many of us overlap!

I think my DD is most excited about Classic Monsters too. We've been watching them over the summer. Bela Lugosi scared the pants off me as a kid.


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## pas130

I’m here and so excited to follow along!! I’ve been a huge fan of your TR!! Hubby and I will be going in September for our 3rd annual HHN!! Yay! 

I looked this morning and Sapphire falls has a pool view King room available with SMSM rate. It saves me $1000 over PBH CL. So of course I put it on hold....you make it look lovely and we’ve never stayed there....(it’s not easy being a resort changer) 

Bring on September


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## Monykalyn

pas130 said:


> .(it’s not easy being a resort changer)


If I end up keeping the RPR reservation this will be my 3rd resort switch!


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## Minnie17

Just back from our time in n Florida (8 days) our longest yet. So envious of a whole month, looking forward another trip report. We’ll make it back to Universal and try out HHN someday.


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## schumigirl

Monykalyn said:


> The train sounds lovely!
> I had forgotten you fly Thomas Cook-they don't come up on the google flights...Seems pretty reasonable flights from New York-but heir schedule doesn't go out to May yet-will have to keep eye on them (even with a stopover in Manchester) for flights to Paris. If prices stay good they are much more reasonable for a premium seat than anything else I've looked at!!
> 
> I now have a reservation for RPR as a regular room opened up for a really good rate!! So keeping both SF and RPR for now...but either way we need to have a meet up of HHN peeps in Strongwater some night when many of us overlap!
> 
> I think my DD is most excited about Classic Monsters too. We've been watching them over the summer. Bela Lugosi scared the pants off me as a kid.



 along Monyk.........

Yes, the train is a lovely relaxing way to travel up to the airport......glad we’re doing it again. 

Thomas Cook are excellent.......if we can’t get Virgin we’ll always go with TC......their flight schedule is out till November 2020 on their site, so you should be able to look at flights from JFK to MAN......our flights in September were just over $2,400 which we were happy with.......so yes, for Premium they are good. We like Virgin and are flying with them in December....we’re happy to fly with either. 

That would be a good idea......I’m sure there’s a few of us around 21st/22nd.......we’ll get something sorted for sure 

Oh classic monsters will be an amazing house I’m sure!!!

But, glad to have you along too.......


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## schumigirl

pas130 said:


> I’m here and so excited to follow along!! I’ve been a huge fan of your TR!! Hubby and I will be going in September for our 3rd annual HHN!! Yay!
> 
> I looked this morning and Sapphire falls has a pool view King room available with SMSM rate. It saves me $1000 over PBH CL. So of course I put it on hold....you make it look lovely and we’ve never stayed there....(it’s not easy being a resort changer)
> 
> Bring on September ❤



And a very warm  to you pas130.......and I’m so glad you enjoy the reports! Thank you.......

Glad to see you here too........and yes, another September HHN visitor.......there are a good few of us around this year........

Oh Sapphire is gorgeous........I know I’m biased, but it is just perfect staying there........nothing wrong with PBH of course, but $1000 is a good saving!!! Good luck with the final choice! Win win either way.......

Yes, roll on September......and hope you like this one too........


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## schumigirl

Minnie17 said:


> Just back from our time in n Florida (8 days) our longest yet. So envious of a whole month, looking forward another trip report. We’ll make it back to Universal and try out HHN someday.



  Back to you Minnie17.....and fresh from Florida too......

Oh I hope you had a fabulous trip......8 days is lovely......and the weather was glorious according to everyone I spoke to over there......

I’m sure you would love HHN......it really is so much fun! And yes, a month is such a long time, but we’re excited.......

I really hope you like reading this one too and again look forward to reading your lovely comments........


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## Robo56

Hey!  Schumi I’am here for a front roll seat to your new report.  You had me at  Monsters.....LOL..I love everything thing Halloween and I’am so looking forward to HHN this year.  I have been a horror movie fan for years and love the old ones too.

I will admit I’am most excited to see what they will do with the Universal Monsters House. You are right a regular attraction related to The Universal Monsters would be fantastic.

Great start to your new trip report.


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## NancyLuvsMickey

I finally made it!!! Better late than never! Your plans so far sound wonderful! If I wasn't such a scaredy cat, I'd think about doing HHN, but I don't do scary movies, haunted houses or things that go bump in the night. But I can't wait to read all about you visiting them!


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## schumigirl

Robo56 said:


> Hey!  Schumi I’am here for a front roll seat to your new report.  You had me at  Monsters.....LOL..I love everything thing Halloween and I’am so looking forward to HHN this year.  I have been a horror movie fan for years and love the old ones too.
> 
> I will admit I’am most excited to see what they will do with the Universal Monsters House. You are right a regular attraction related to The Universal Monsters would be fantastic.
> 
> Great start to your new trip report.



 Along to you Robo........

Hoped you would be along soon......

Yes, it’s about time they incorporated some classic monsters.......it’s one of the many things they did so well........those old movies were and still are absolute gems and should be celebrated.......

So, absolutely excited to see what they do with the house.........

Glad to see you here, and again, hope you enjoy this one too......


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## schumigirl

NancyLuvsMickey said:


> I finally made it!!! Better late than never! Your plans so far sound wonderful! If I wasn't such a scaredy cat, I'd think about doing HHN, but I don't do scary movies, haunted houses or things that go bump in the night. But I can't wait to read all about you visiting them!



 back to you too Nancy.........

Oh don’t worry you’re not late........right on time......

Lol......I know what you mean........if you don’t enjoy scary things or being scared it’s not exactly going to be a fun evening......lol.......I love getting scares like that, so it’s so much fun for me.........

I’ll post a favourite picture of mine later from HHN........

And glad you’re here too Nancy.....hope it’s a good one for you......


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## schumigirl

NancyLuvsMickey said:


> I finally made it!!! Better late than never! Your plans so far sound wonderful! If I wasn't such a scaredy cat, I'd think about doing HHN, but I don't do scary movies, haunted houses or things that go bump in the night. But I can't wait to read all about you visiting them!



Nancy....this is one of Tom`s favourite pictures of me taken in 2008......I thought I was just standing in front of a display...…..

He saw the branches move and waited just long enough for the arms to begin to engulf me...….I obviously never noticed till...….when he snapped the picture......lol...….

That was the night I discovered how fast I could run!!!! 










And an old favourite Pumpkinhead……..










I also thought he was a display as his head was laid on a large barrel...…..when his head began to move ever so slowly......I was off like a rocket!!!! But, he chased me......so did Tom and Kyle and then we got the picture...….notice I never let go of my blood bag cocktail......priorities and all that...….  ​
So, I can understand folks reluctance to not like being scared......although....I bet you`d love it!!!!


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## kbelle8995

Oh I'm looking forward to this.  I'm also going to be in Orlando in September wafting between Disney and Universal.  We're staying in Cabana for a few days after the conference we are going to.  If I see you I will say hello (If it's not imposing).  I love that picture of the pool at Royal pacific.  I could dive in right now. 

And that Great picture of Karloff and Lugosi.  Two men just having a civilized cup of tea.


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## tink1957

I'm late to the party as usual....can't wait for this one.

We are coming in to SF on the 10th and will miss staying at the same resort by a day....but I'm sure we will meet up at Strongwater for a drink sometime during our visit.

Love reading your adventures


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## Flyg1rl

schumigirl said:


> *We do sometimes take advantage of the rides that are open every year......usually just RRR for us as it is even better to ride it at night......but we generally don't waste much time on rides during HHN. *



What is your favorite song to play?


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## cam757

Yay! A new trip report.   We have never been to HHN however our son is getting older now so we may have to try it out next year.  We are checking into RP in a few weeks.  Looking forward to seeing the rehab progress. 

Looking forward to reading along.


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## RoliePolieColie

schumigirl said:


> ​
> 
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> ​
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> *Well, I sure hope you are ready for another Trip Report...….as this is one of the two trips this year we are most excited about!!!! *
> 
> 
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> 
> 
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> ​
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> *The other one being our trip in December when our boy comes back with us again...….*
> 
> 
> *But first of course in case for some reason you`ve never read one of these trip reports before and you don't know who we are...*
> 
> *(Where have you been??)*​
> *Welcome along to Carole`n`Tom`s September 2019 Trip Report!!
> 
> Yes, another trip this year......third of four visits to Orlando in 2019 and hopefully it should be fun and if you are reading along, I truly hope you enjoy it...….
> 
> Most of you know us and know we absolutely adore Orlando and more specifically Universal Orlando Resort and everything they have to offer there...….we are lucky to be able to visit many times and truly enjoy every second we are in Orlando. This is our 20th trip to Orlando, all were yearly until 2017 when we began to visit multiple times a year. Last year we were lucky to be able to visit 5 times and this year it`ll be four.
> 
> 
> This is us......in case you missed us before...….still trying to master the selfie.........we are getting better!!!! *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> 
> *My wonderful husband Tom is coming to almost 2 years since he took early retirement from the business and it is honestly the best decision ever...….we have managed to visit Florida and NY many times since he retired.....we were glad he didn't keep working when there was no need for him to do so, easy choice really, so we can completely enjoy all our time together. And we do. We get asked a lot if we ever get fed up with each other...….the answer is always no.....of course there are times I`m sure we irritate each other...…..but it`s not often and usually over something silly......like arguing over him daring to rearrange my spice cabinet  or arguing over what to give a niece for a wedding present......she wasn't even close to be getting married yet!!!! Weird things like that...…..apart from that we get on like a happily married couple should do...….
> 
> 
> His very wonderful wife .........well, I`m a very happy housewife.....yes, I like the word housewife....maybe homemaker is a better choice...….makes no difference......I choose not to work and haven't for many years......and saves having to worry about getting time off to visit America as often as we do. My time is filled up most of the time with various things.....Tom and Kyle obviously come first, but I meet friends, or we meet friends a lot and we get involved in several things in the village and around us...….sometimes I wonder where the time goes...…..and of course when Tom retired everyone said he was too young to retire, we would need a hobby......so we did.....visiting Orlando is a full time hobby!!!! Not quite what they meant of course...….lol...….
> 
> Once again Kyle won`t be with us...….he has work which he loves and has plans of his own with a 10 day vacation of his own while we are away...….I know he`ll have a fabulous time. And yes, of course we`ll miss him but I think we`re all getting more used to it now...…..not easy to leave though......
> 
> So, that`s the basic introductions to who is on this trip...…..
> 
> 
> The when is of course September...…...it`s HHN time again....and our favourite time of the year apart from Christmas...….but it`s our favourite time to visit Orlando...….it was September the first time we visited in 2007 and apart from a few exceptions, when we used to only visit once a year it would be in September we would visit...……it really is a lovely time to visit. Although it is a little weird talking and planning for Halloween when it`s still July...although only just!!! *
> 
> *This year we arrive Tuesday Sept 3rd and stay till Wednesday October 2nd......29 nights altogether in Orlando...…….more details to follow of course...…..*
> 
> *We do plan to spend many evenings at HHN...…a few nice dinners out...….a few days here and there around Orlando...…..and maybe some resort time!!
> 
> There are a lot of folks there at the same time, so we hope to meet with a few if possible....
> 
> So...….plans and pre plans coming right up...….but wanted to get this pre trip report going as it is only 5 weeks till we leave...….and I know it`ll pass before we know it...….
> 
> Quite a brief first post, but wanted to get it up and running or before I know it, September will be here and I won`t have done anything about this report...….and being a month long, I do need a head start again!!!
> 
> But, if you are reading along, hope you enjoy it...……let`s get going...*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​



Yay!!! I always love a Tom N Carole report!!!!  I have read all of your reports and I love getting to live vicariously through them.  So much so that we are leaving this coming Friday, August 1st to spend a week at Royal Pacific Resort and hop between the parks!  I will admit, that I love love love Disney, however over the years I have fallen in love with Universal and decided we needed to spend more than 2 or 3 days at the parks.  We will hopefully be trying a few of the restaurants that I have seen you two frequent over the years as well!

I can't wait to hear about more of your adventures when you make it back down there in a few short weeks!


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## NancyLuvsMickey

schumigirl said:


> Nancy....this is one of Tom`s favourite pictures of me taken in 2008......I thought I was just standing in front of a display...…..
> 
> He saw the branches move and waited just long enough for the arms to begin to engulf me...….I obviously never noticed till...….when he snapped the picture......lol...….
> 
> That was the night I discovered how fast I could run!!!!



OMG!!! I would have been SCREAMING!!!  That would have scared the crap out of me!!! And I would need clean undies too!!! Closest I'll get to HNN is reading all about it in your TR... Works for me!!!!


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## schumigirl

kbelle8995 said:


> Oh I'm looking forward to this.  I'm also going to be in Orlando in September wafting between Disney and Universal.  We're staying in Cabana for a few days after the conference we are going to.  If I see you I will say hello (If it's not imposing).  I love that picture of the pool at Royal pacific.  I could dive in right now.
> 
> And that Great picture of Karloff and Lugosi.  Two men just having a civilized cup of tea.



  along kbelle…...glad you joined in this one too!!!

I love that word wafting......lol....I use it all the time.....it is aptly descriptive...….

Oh please say hello if you see us!!! I`d love to say hi to you.....absolutely not imposing at all...….although please forgive me if I look like a red beetroot......lol.....oh yes, isn't the pool lovely!!! One of our favourite pools in all the resorts. 

I love those old pictures of those actors of that generation...….they seem so elusive...….unlike today`s "famous" folks who have to reveal every single detail of their life......we know very little of them....so seeing them out of character I find truly fascinating...….

Look forward to your reading along with this one too...…


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## schumigirl

tink1957 said:


> I'm late to the party as usual....can't wait for this one.
> 
> We are coming in to SF on the 10th and will miss staying at the same resort by a day....but I'm sure we will meet up at Strongwater for a drink sometime during our visit.
> 
> Love reading your adventures



  Vicki...…….great to see you......not late at all!!!

Oh we`ll only be over at RPR....it`s a 5 minute walk back to StrongWater for us...…..lol......

Is this your first stay at Sapphire Falls?? I forget if you have been there before.....or was it Aventura I`m thinking of!! 

But, glad to have you along Vicki......always nice to see you and read your comments...…..


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## schumigirl

Flyg1rl said:


> What is your favorite song to play?



  Flyg1rl...…..good to see you here...….

I always have the same song every....single......time...…...

Gloria Gaynor....I will survive...….lol.....it sooths me somehow as we hurtle up, down and around the track...….love it!!! Are you someone who changes songs every time or do you stick to the same one...….Tom varies his occasionally.....but it`s usually KC and the Sunshine Band......

Hope you enjoy reading this one Flyg1rl...…..


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## schumigirl

cam757 said:


> Yay! A new trip report.   We have never been to HHN however our son is getting older now so we may have to try it out next year.  We are checking into RP in a few weeks.  Looking forward to seeing the rehab progress.
> 
> Looking forward to reading along.



  back again cam757...…..Happy to see you here!!

Oh wow......only a few weeks away till your trip...….fabulous!!! I`m sure it`ll be a wonderful trip you have planned......and yes, we are looking forward to seeing any updates in the lobby so far...…….

Definitely consider HHN......it is a huge amount of fun and incredibly well done...….

Glad you`re here again and really hope you enjoy it......and your trip next month too.....let us know how it went, would love to hear about it too...….


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## schumigirl

RoliePolieColie said:


> Yay!!! I always love a Tom N Carole report!!!!  I have read all of your reports and I love getting to live vicariously through them.  So much so that we are leaving this coming Friday, August 1st to spend a week at Royal Pacific Resort and hop between the parks!  I will admit, that I love love love Disney, however over the years I have fallen in love with Universal and decided we needed to spend more than 2 or 3 days at the parks.  We will hopefully be trying a few of the restaurants that I have seen you two frequent over the years as well!
> 
> I can't wait to hear about more of your adventures when you make it back down there in a few short weeks!



 back RoliePolieColie…….I still love that name!!!!

How lovely you`re there this week!!! Oh so exciting and for a week too.....you`ll have so much time to enjoy the parks and some resort time too......it`ll be beautiful...….

And hope you enjoy the restaurants you`ve decided on too......there is so much choice and apart from a few duds (Flippers) we`ve been so lucky with food choices...…..if you need any other recommendations.....happy to help!!! 

Have a brilliant trip and again, please let us know how it went.....can`t wait to here about it and how much fun you had...….and hope you enjoy this report too...….


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## Elsaspiritanimal

Super excited for this trip report! Sadly I'll be only in that "other place" for my September trip since my SIL is joining me, but at least I can live vicariously through you! And then maybe get to Universal for my December trip! 

Thanks for continuing to share your wonderful smiles with us!


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## schumigirl

NancyLuvsMickey said:


> OMG!!! I would have been SCREAMING!!!  That would have scared the crap out of me!!! And I would need clean undies too!!! Closest I'll get to HNN is reading all about it in your TR... Works for me!!!!





The Scare Actors would love you!!!! You would be the perfect victim......

It was funny though...…..


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## Flyg1rl

schumigirl said:


> Are you someone who changes songs every time or do you stick to the same one...….
> 
> Hope you enjoy reading this one Flyg1rl...…..



I love Born To Be Wild. <3  I also love RRR, anytime, but especially at night.

I always enjoy reading your trip reports.  I can't wait until this one really gets going!  As a HHN virgin, I'll be pouring over it for tips and info.


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## schumigirl

Elsaspiritanimal said:


> Super excited for this trip report! Sadly I'll be only in that "other place" for my September trip since my SIL is joining me, but at least I can live vicariously through you! And then maybe get to Universal for my December trip!
> 
> Thanks for continuing to share your wonderful smiles with us!



 back again Elsaspiritanimal……..Good to see you!!!!

Aww thank you....what a lovely thing to say!!! 

Well, I`m sure you`ll have a wonderful time in "that other place" lol.....no you will.....I hope you get to do everything you want to do there.....are you going to Star Wars too?? 

I know Tom would love to go see it, at some point......he`s a massive SW fan...me not at all ........but, it looks spectacular from all the pictures we`ve seen......

And yes, December in Universal is beautiful...….we love the holiday season after visiting twice..….hope you enjoy reading this trip report too.....


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## schumigirl

Flyg1rl said:


> I love Born To Be Wild. <3  I also love RRR, anytime, but especially at night.
> 
> I always enjoy reading your trip reports.  I can't wait until this one really gets going!  As a HHN virgin, I'll be pouring over it for tips and info.



lol.....good choice!!!! 

Yes, RRR at night is even better......

HHN is something when you do it once, you`ll want to do it again.....it is very addictive!!! And so enjoyable!!! So excited for this year`s event.....you chose a good year for a first visit...….


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## smiths02

I'm going to have to read along, as usual.  Your reports make me so want to go to HHN, even though I don't like people jumping out at me haunted houses, so I know I shouldn't really want to go.  Plus I have two 6 year olds and that is a terrible time of year for me to miss work.  Also, I didn't even really like horror movies at all until a good friend would do movie night at our house (starting maybe 15 years ago), so I am still kind of a scaredy cat on that front.
Anyhow, I will enjoy living vicariously through you!  (I am a little sad about this year because Ghostbusters, classic monsters, Stranger Things, Killer Klowns are movies/shows that are in the spirit of the horror movies I can handle.)

Also, how exciting to get to vacation for a month!  I am hoping that when I am Tom's age, my DH will decide that we need to take a month to visit your part of the world...I have a few years to go so I am working on him now.  
I hear you about presents, my FIL is the most difficult person to shop for because he just gets whatever he wants himself.  On the other hand, my MIL never "wants" anything!


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## Pumpkin1172

Pulling up a chair for the reading adventure!!!  

You won't want to come home after a month!  Especially if you don't have to make a bed, clean a bathroom, or cook and wash dishes!!!!  That is just simply wonderful that you and Tom are able to do that. 

The train then car service sounds like the perfect solution for you to travel to the airport.  You get the best of both worlds.  And I have to say, those seats on the plane look much more comfy than the tin can seats we had for our last trip to Mexico.  We won't be using that airline ever again.  I know the poor travel agent had a few of our group complain to her about the airline.  Oh well...lesson learned  

I can't wait to hear all about your adventures, scares, and the amazing photos that Tom seems to capture!  And of course the Food and beverages too


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## schumigirl

smiths02 said:


> I'm going to have to read along, as usual.  Your reports make me so want to go to HHN, even though I don't like people jumping out at me haunted houses, so I know I shouldn't really want to go.  Plus I have two 6 year olds and that is a terrible time of year for me to miss work.  Also, I didn't even really like horror movies at all until a good friend would do movie night at our house (starting maybe 15 years ago), so I am still kind of a scaredy cat on that front.
> Anyhow, I will enjoy living vicariously through you!  (I am a little sad about this year because Ghostbusters, classic monsters, Stranger Things, Killer Klowns are movies/shows that are in the spirit of the horror movies I can handle.)
> 
> Also, how exciting to get to vacation for a month!  I am hoping that when I am Tom's age, my DH will decide that we need to take a month to visit your part of the world...I have a few years to go so I am working on him now.
> I hear you about presents, my FIL is the most difficult person to shop for because he just gets whatever he wants himself.  On the other hand, my MIL never "wants" anything!



 smiths02........glad you made it over here......

Oh yes, if you don't like being spooked, then HHN isn't for you.....and I agree, the houses this year are a good theme all round, especially if you don't like real horror movies......

yes, we love taking longer vacations and I guess we`ve always done so.....I know we are so lucky and we certainly appreciate our time there.....and yep....not looking forward to coming home already!!! Well, except to see Kyle...….there are some lovely areas of the UK to visit.....if you get decent weather it can be so lovely...…..Scotland in particular is stunning and very weather dependent in places......

This year, I`ve said I don't need or really want anything for my birthday......and he`s still asking what I want....lol......I`ll pick up some bits and bobs I`m sure...….

Hope you enjoy this one too...….


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## verleniahall

Following Along!!


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## schumigirl

Pumpkin1172 said:


> Pulling up a chair for the reading adventure!!!
> 
> You won't want to come home after a month!  Especially if you don't have to make a bed, clean a bathroom, or cook and wash dishes!!!!  That is just simply wonderful that you and Tom are able to do that.
> 
> The train then car service sounds like the perfect solution for you to travel to the airport.  You get the best of both worlds.  And I have to say, those seats on the plane look much more comfy than the tin can seats we had for our last trip to Mexico.  We won't be using that airline ever again.  I know the poor travel agent had a few of our group complain to her about the airline.  Oh well...lesson learned
> 
> I can't wait to hear all about your adventures, scares, and the amazing photos that Tom seems to capture!  And of course the Food and beverages too



 Pumpkin....….yay.....glad to see you here!!!

Hope you have a comfy chair!!!! Yes, we may try to claim squatters rights after all that time!!! 

Oh the seats are so comfortable in those planes......it`s well worth the upgrade for us......what a shame you didn't have a comfortable flight for such a special trip.....it does make a difference on a flight. Least you know not to use them again. 

I`m sure Tom will be in picture over drive for this trip.......he still enjoys taking them with this camera, so glad he got it.......so, I do hope you enjoy this little rumble too.……


----------



## schumigirl

verleniahall said:


> Following Along!!



  along again verleniahall……..

Glad to see you and hope you enjoy reading along...….

And your countdown is getting closer too!!! It`s always nice to see that number go down...…..


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## verleniahall

schumigirl said:


> along again verleniahall……..
> 
> Glad to see you and hope you enjoy reading along...….
> 
> And your countdown is getting closer too!!! It`s always nice to see that number go down...…..



YES!! Hit 150 Today - which means 149 Days till Christmas!!
When free dinning came out, we LOOKED at moving our dates around, but the savings with Free Dinning would have been taken up by the airline change fees - so no free dinning for us!

BUT we have something almost EVERY WEEKEND going on between now and then, so i'm sure time will fly right on by!


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## schumigirl

verleniahall said:


> YES!! Hit 150 Today - which means 149 Days till Christmas!!
> When free dinning came out, we LOOKED at moving our dates around, but the savings with Free Dinning would have been taken up by the airline change fees - so no free dinning for us!
> 
> BUT we have something almost EVERY WEEKEND going on between now and then, so i'm sure time will fly right on by!



Oh my goodness....something every weekend!!! Yep, it`ll be here before you know it then...….it`ll be a lovely time to visit.....

149 days!!!! Scary........although......Selfridges in London opened their Christmas Shop today!!!    It`s still July......I adore Christmas, just maybe not in July!!!!


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## Tink2Day

Oh MY!! I'm so late to the pre-trip!!
My life is just so exciting   I didn't even realize you had started.  Must have been washing dishes or the third load of laundry that carried me away.....


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## verleniahall

schumigirl said:


> Oh my goodness....something every weekend!!! Yep, it`ll be here before you know it then...….it`ll be a lovely time to visit.....
> 
> 149 days!!!! Scary........although......Selfridges in London opened their Christmas Shop today!!!    It`s still July......I adore Christmas, just maybe not in July!!!!



YUP!!

I won't give you a FULL breakdown of what it looks like, but between now and when we leave, I have exactly 5 open weekends - but that makes the time FLY by too!!


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## schumigirl

Tink2Day said:


> Oh MY!! I'm so late to the pre-trip!!
> My life is just so exciting   I didn't even realize you had started.  Must have been washing dishes or the third load of laundry that carried me away.....



 Tink2Day.........lol........you’re not too late.......only beginning really.........

Oh I hear you........when our weather got better this afternoon, I did three loads of washing  (love seeing the basket completely empty) and got it all hung out.....then one of our friends called from Dubai and she was in a spa after having lunch.......lol......getting my laundry all done didn’t seem so exciting then!!! 

I was just about to log off......glad I saw you post before I did.........I’m so glad you’re here and look forward to reading your comments along the way.......


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## schumigirl

verleniahall said:


> YUP!!
> 
> I won't give you a FULL breakdown of what it looks like, but between now and when we leave, I have exactly 5 open weekends - but that makes the time FLY by too!!



It absolutely will fly past......

I do like a busy schedule but that’s busy- busy!!!


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## verleniahall

schumigirl said:


> It absolutely will fly past......
> 
> I do like a busy schedule but that’s busy- busy!!!



That's my life!! LOL

Some of that is work, some are mini-trips, and some is volunteering at our local thrift store - their volunteers are dwindling and so I stepped up and took 2 saturdays a month


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## schumigirl

verleniahall said:


> That's my life!! LOL
> 
> Some of that is work, some are mini-trips, and some is volunteering at our local thrift store - their volunteers are dwindling and so I stepped up and took 2 saturdays a month



Oh goodness a real mix of tasks!! 

It’s good of you to volunteer like that..... so many of these places sometimes have to close down because of lack of volunteers. But, mini trips are always fun!


----------



## verleniahall

schumigirl said:


> Oh goodness a real mix of tasks!!
> 
> It’s good of you to volunteer like that..... so many of these places sometimes have to close down because of lack of volunteers. But, mini trips are always fun!



Very  much so - alot of the volunteers are older and they can't do as much as they used to - so I am happy to step in (plus, i get a 25% discount on those days )


Did I miss what day you are leaving for Orlando??

My Birthday is on September 9th - so you can celebrate for me too!!


----------



## Elsaspiritanimal

schumigirl said:


> Well, I`m sure you`ll have a wonderful time in "that other place" lol.....no you will.....I hope you get to do everything you want to do there.....are you going to Star Wars too??
> 
> I know Tom would love to go see it, at some point......he`s a massive SW fan...me not at all ........but, it looks spectacular from all the pictures we`ve seen......
> 
> And yes, December in Universal is beautiful...….we love the holiday season after visiting twice..….hope you enjoy reading this trip report too.....


Yes I do love "that other place" too and anytime spent with my SIL is fabulous! We do plan on going to Star Wars! I am a casual fan at best, but since we are staying at the Swan we have the 3 extra hours in the morning where I hope we can visit Batuu relatively painlessly. I have been to the Disneyland version (I travel to Cali for work) and it is very well done. I'm sure if Tom is a huge fan he would love it. My SIL hasn't been there yet though so it will be fun going with her to see it the first time. We also plan to catch the Halloween party fireworks while having a cocktail from Cali Grill Lounge so I'm very much looking forward to that!


----------



## schumigirl

verleniahall said:


> Very  much so - alot of the volunteers are older and they can't do as much as they used to - so I am happy to step in (plus, i get a 25% discount on those days )
> 
> 
> Did I miss what day you are leaving for Orlando??
> 
> My Birthday is on September 9th - so you can celebrate for me too!!



Nice to have a benefit of volunteering though!

We fly out Tuesday September 3rd.......5 weeks tomorrow....not that I’m counting.....lol.......

Oh I’ll certainly celebrate for you on the 9th.......any excuse works for us!!!


----------



## schumigirl

Elsaspiritanimal said:


> Yes I do love "that other place" too and anytime spent with my SIL is fabulous! We do plan on going to Star Wars! I am a casual fan at best, but since we are staying at the Swan we have the 3 extra hours in the morning where I hope we can visit Batuu relatively painlessly. I have been to the Disneyland version (I travel to Cali for work) and it is very well done. I'm sure if Tom is a huge fan he would love it. My SIL hasn't been there yet though so it will be fun going with her to see it the first time. We also plan to catch the Halloween party fireworks while having a cocktail from Cali Grill Lounge so I'm very much looking forward to that!



How lovely you get on so well with your SiL......well, I do know what Batuu is now as DisneyAndi mentioned it in her trip report and I googled it.....lol.......I have no clue about anything SW! 

Oh goodness yes, if Tom ever disappears I’ll know exactly where to find him, he is such a big SW fan.......I tried to watch the first movie as a child, hated it.......tried to watch it with Tom years ago......fell asleep. He’ll watch anything of that genre though..........

Sounds like you have some lovely plans for your trip too......and seeing your SiL reaction will be fun to see.......


----------



## verleniahall

schumigirl said:


> Nice to have a benefit of volunteering though!
> 
> We fly out Tuesday September 3rd.......5 weeks tomorrow....not that I’m counting.....lol.......
> 
> Oh I’ll certainly celebrate for you on the 9th.......any excuse works for us!!!



Awesome!!


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Oh you`ll have a blast too at both hotels.....can`t really go wrong can you! Can`t fault either hotel in any way...….



Yes! I can't wait! We haven't stayed at SF since 2016 I think, and RPR is my favorite so I can't wait to go back.



schumigirl said:


> some we only did once and wouldn't repeat purely because of the walk.



Always how I feel about the Kidzone ones  



schumigirl said:


> *I just love these old pictures......and I always enjoyed seeing pictures of them as they filmed the movies in unguarded moments off set......seeing Dracula and Frankenstein`s Monster enjoying a cup of tea was quite surreal.....*



I love this too!

It's kind of a reverse from last year where all the originals sounded like they'd be amazing. This year I'm really excited for all the IP houses they've announced so far, and one of the rumored ones (Us). Although the other rumored IP is a Rob Zombie movie, and those aren't really my thing so right now I'm thinking I won't love that one.



schumigirl said:


> *Although not quite the same genre.....but Young Frankenstein was one of my favourite movies as a child......Peter Boyle doing Puttin on the Ritz is a classic!!!! *



Yes! Such a good movie.



schumigirl said:


> Universal really need to do more with the Classic monsters in the parks.....and who knows they might just do that...…….



I'm hoping it will be involved in the "epic" announcement this week 



schumigirl said:


> I hope considering they are escaping an arctic blizzard that this is a cold house.....extra cold



Me too!



schumigirl said:


> *Stranger Things will be enjoyable..…...
> 
> We enjoyed the first series and struggled with the second, need to try and watch it again, but really looking forward to this house too......it might not be one we do every visit, but they themed it so well last year, if they do it anywhere near as good as that, it`ll be excellent!!! This house had tremendous lines last year and there was one evening at least we chose not to even join the EP line as it was massive!!! Quite unusual for it to be that long......but it can happen. *



I thought the first was pretty good, but the second and especially the third got really good. I wasn't as excited for it last year, but I can't wait this year. However because of the line we did only go in it once last year.



schumigirl said:


> There`s always one house every year I am disappointed in



Same.



schumigirl said:


> *I have to thank @Raeven and @keishashadow for us eventually understanding the genre....and actually, yes...….this is brilliant!!!!
> 
> And the Klown scare zone got better every time we went through it......by the end we loved it!!!! And we are looking forward to the house this year....we get it now. *



 I'm so glad you ended up liking it! I'm excited for the house too.



schumigirl said:


> We did the SA Dining Experience last year...….we thought it was dreadful and didn't have a good experience.



Ugh, I wish the SA dining experience was better. We did it the first 2 years we went, but the food was horrible, and we had good interactions one of the years and not the other so we gave up on it.



schumigirl said:


> I tried to watch the first movie as a child, hated it.......tried to watch it with Tom years ago......fell asleep. He’ll watch anything of that genre though..........



I couldn't get into Star Wars either. I remember going as a kid to see one of the newer trilogy because my brother wanted to see and I think I fell asleep in the theater lol. I wonder if the I'd like the Disney ones better, but I tried watching the first 6 a few years ago, and I just wasn't a fan.


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> Yes! I can't wait! We haven't stayed at SF since 2016 I think, and RPR is my favorite so I can't wait to go back.
> 
> 
> 
> Always how I feel about the Kidzone ones
> 
> 
> 
> I love this too!
> 
> It's kind of a reverse from last year where all the originals sounded like they'd be amazing. This year I'm really excited for all the IP houses they've announced so far, and one of the rumored ones (Us). Although the other rumored IP is a Rob Zombie movie, and those aren't really my thing so right now I'm thinking I won't love that one.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes! Such a good movie.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm hoping it will be involved in the "epic" announcement this week
> 
> 
> 
> Me too!
> 
> 
> 
> I thought the first was pretty good, but the second and especially the third got really good. I wasn't as excited for it last year, but I can't wait this year. However because of the line we did only go in it once last year.
> 
> 
> 
> Same.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm so glad you ended up liking it! I'm excited for the house too.
> 
> 
> 
> Ugh, I wish the SA dining experience was better. We did it the first 2 years we went, but the food was horrible, and we had good interactions one of the years and not the other so we gave up on it.
> 
> 
> 
> I couldn't get into Star Wars either. I remember going as a kid to see one of the newer trilogy because my brother wanted to see and I think I fell asleep in the theater lol. I wonder if the I'd like the Disney ones better, but I tried watching the first 6 a few years ago, and I just wasn't a fan.



I think you could be my daughter Raeven!!!!! We have so many similar opinions and likes......dislikes too!!!  

I did wonder when I saw the Rob Zombie connection......hmmmm….not my favourite…..not sure if his films were supposed to be a house or just a scare zone.....but, he`s not a favourite of mine.....although he did use the phenomenal song Don`t fear the Reaper in his Halloween remake.....so I can find something redeeming in that!!!

Even with EP, ST lines were overwhelming some nights last year.....although I know one night they did have a "guest incident" that caused a long delay.....but it was just such a popular house.....we do need to give the next two seasons a try again......and definitely not trying the SA dining again......too many people saying the same thing.

I get teased a lot for sleeping during movies in the cinema....but, I was the person who used the now defunct T2 show as time for a nap!!! Kyle still reminds me how I slept through a Bug`s Life or some other similar movie at the cinema when he was young.....lol.....oh dear!!! So really Star Wars never stood a chance with me...….same with some of the houses....and yes, totally agree......the kidzone houses were beyond ridiculous to walk too...….I was praying for a pedi cab line somewhere in there...….they`d have done roaring trade in those areas if they were allowed


----------



## schumigirl

*One of the many things we love to do in Orlando is to get out and about and see things well out of theme park areas...…..of course there are some lovely places not too far away too and just a short drive. 

But, having a car always gives us the freedom to get around when we choose too...….we don't use Uber or any of the other ride share vehicles, we will uses cabs or the ODC outside the hotels if we both want to have a drink......never had an issue with either of those options. *
*
But, for us a car is convenience and we do try to make use of it. 
*
*Some places we have been to a few times, and many years ago we went to Cocoa Beach and loved it actually......we probably didn't stay as long as we should have the day we went as we had the Disney Dessert Party that night (gosh that seems a lifetime ago) and when I think it was around $17 plus tax a person, it certainly was long ago...…*



























*Now seeing the VAB at KSC behind us here, I`m genuinely mystified why we never went there before we did......but......heyho……...*

*We did enjoy it, but recently one Dis member mentioned Cocoa Village to us recently as somewhere we might enjoy......we had never heard of this place....thanks to @Tgrgrl …...so it`s somewhere we looked at and thought yes, we`d like it there.....it`s in our list of places we`d like to see.....

So, one option is maybe leave early hours and spend the morning on New Smyrna beach...…do what we want to do on the beach area, then drive back down to Cocoa Village...…..it looks like it has a very old style feel about it, like Mount Dora has...…..plenty of unique little stores and plenty of restaurants. *
*
Places like that we love to visit...…..  
*
*New Smyrna Beach is one place we are looking forward to going back to also...…..we had two visits in May and the first wasn't the best as we had a fabulous storm and love bugs..…..but, at least the storm cleared the love bugs while we had lunch...….an open sided beach bar certainly benefitted from the storm in that respect. *










*But, our second visit was just beautiful...…..we couldn't have asked for a better day. *




























*We won`t be going to the same place for lunch if we go back here, although it was lovely and we know lots who go and have always good things to say about it,, but we wanted to try some new places too. And there are certainly plenty of choice around!!! *

*We also want to go across the other side of the road where there is a boardwalk and our friend speaks of it so beautifully...….so we have a couple of things we want to do here again...…..not being people who will go and spend all day on a beach, we`re quite happy to wander around and not just sit in the sun.

As to whether it`s a day on it`s own or a joint day with Cocoa Village I`m not sure...….as usual, we`ll probably decide on the day. And of course weather plays a part too........we`re expecting rain or being too darn hot might play a part in this decision...…..*



*
On that side of the coast, our favourite place we have visited so far out of the parks is St Augustine...……
*
*At around a 2 hour drive from Orlando, it is onne of the most beautiful places we visit and although we don't do that much when we`re there.....we love it. Such a relaxing day. 

There are many excursions we haven't even looked at. For example we haven't gone through the Lightner Museum, the Lighthouse and Maritime museum the Jail or the Pirate and treasure museum. *
*
The Pirate Museum is somewhere we might look to visit one day......
*
*So many things to do there for anyone...….and it is so beautiful a place to just wander around if you so desire...…*
































































*We did visit the St Augustine Distillery in May, and we did enjoy it, but it was somewhere you go once and that was enough....so we won`t go back there again. 

But, there are many little streets with shops and plenty of places to eat around, so you can pass a day easily here. *
*
We did think of staying overnight and doing the ghost tour, but really we don't want to leave Orlando for two days...….nice idea though as there are some beautiful little guest houses around...…..

And hopefully we get to meet up with @JaxDad this time......we`ve been unlucky to miss him last few visits as we were there when he couldn't meet us for a coffee or a drink...….maybe this time we can manage even a quick hello at least...…….

*
*More plans coming up...…..*


----------



## kbelle8995

I am one of those people who don't like to be spooked.  But find the process of creating the haunted houses fascinating.  So I like watching behind the scenes.

Love Stranger things.  I watch through my fingers sometimes but I do watch it.  Only thing that has ever tempted me to go to HHN


----------



## J'aime Paris

I love, love the beach!  These photos are so beautiful


----------



## pas130

I love the beach!! We were hooked on the gulf side after our first visit so my hubby won’t do the Atlantic side anymore  New Smyrna used to be our go-to


----------



## schumigirl

kbelle8995 said:


> I am one of those people who don't like to be spooked.  But find the process of creating the haunted houses fascinating.  So I like watching behind the scenes.
> 
> Love Stranger things.  I watch through my fingers sometimes but I do watch it.  Only thing that has ever tempted me to go to HHN



I honestly didn’t realise ST was as huge as it was when I first heard of it.......it’s not my favourite house ever, but was well done. As for the show, yes, we liked the first series, but do need to try the second again......

Yes, if you don’t like being spooked, nothings going to change that.......we love it! So it’s fun for us.....but it’s not for everyone.......so you don’t think you’d ever give it a try one year??


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> I love, love the beach!  These photos are so beautiful



Us too!!! And we aren’t really beach people at all.......but we did enjoy our time there.......I even enjoyed my paddle!!!


----------



## schumigirl

pas130 said:


> I love the beach!! We were hooked on the gulf side after our first visit so my hubby won’t do the Atlantic side anymore  New Smyrna used to be our go-to



Yep......the Gulf is beautiful too.....probably even more beautiful......but we had gone to the Gulf a few times, and thought we’d spend some time over on the other coast........and that beach was so deserted! I can understand why you went there as often........


----------



## kbelle8995

schumigirl said:


> I honestly didn’t realise ST was as huge as it was when I first heard of it.......it’s not my favourite house ever, but was well done. As for the show, yes, we liked the first series, but do need to try the second again......
> 
> Yes, if you don’t like being spooked, nothings going to change that.......we love it! So it’s fun for us.....but it’s not for everyone.......so you don’t think you’d ever give it a try one year??



I think about it and then I think about chainsaws and then no.  Closest I came was last year as I am a child of the 80's.  But I figure that By the 2nd house I'd be at the Starbucks hiding under a table.


----------



## Worfiedoodles

Here I am! Ready to enjoy your new TR and all the fabulous previews to come Loving the recap of some of the great places you've visited, and of course looking forward to hearing about meals, lush cocktails (!), and activities you plan to try or repeat. I am way to scared to do HHN, I can barely watch a horror movie! But seeing it through your eyes I feel like I get to experience it without being scared, which is pretty awesome!


----------



## I-4Bound

I'm not one for haunted houses, but Ghostbusters and Stranger Things sound like a lot of fun! We finished season 3 a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it.


----------



## schumigirl

kbelle8995 said:


> I think about it and then I think about chainsaws and then no.  Closest I came was last year as I am a child of the 80's.  But I figure that By the 2nd house I'd be at the Starbucks hiding under a table.



Lol......you do see a few folks under tables there!! 

Have to admit I don’t like the chainsaw element of the event......it’s boring and been done to death. But, teens especially teen girls love it.....and SA love the reactions they get from them.......I wouldn’t miss them. 

Yep, I’m an 80’s gal through and through.........


----------



## schumigirl

Worfiedoodles said:


> Here I am! Ready to enjoy your new TR and all the fabulous previews to come Loving the recap of some of the great places you've visited, and of course looking forward to hearing about meals, lush cocktails (!), and activities you plan to try or repeat. I am way to scared to do HHN, I can barely watch a horror movie! But seeing it through your eyes I feel like I get to experience it without being scared, which is pretty awesome!



 along Maria!!! So happy to see you here........

I was scared to watch “real” horror movies for a long time,......but eventually I did and some I wished I hadn’t, so I can understand they’re not for everyone........but the classic monster movies I loved......so, totally excited for this house along with a few other fun houses......Ghostbusters especially..........

I’m glad you enjoy reading about it though.......and yes, will be thinking about reviewing over food places soon........I love food pics too when folks post them!!! 

Again, glad you’re here and ready to read along.....


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> I'm not one for haunted houses, but Ghostbusters and Stranger Things sound like a lot of fun! We finished season 3 a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it.



  Andrea......lovely to see you!

It’s funny, I was thinking of you about an hour ago, we’re sitting watching an episode of Midsomer Murders.......lol......love it! 

Yes, they do sound fun don’t they.......really looking forward to most of the houses announced.......especially Ghostbusters and Monsters......and I’m glad you enjoyed series 3 of Stranger Things.......we need to try again and catch up before we leave........

Hope you enjoy this one too Andrea.......


----------



## I-4Bound

schumigirl said:


> Andrea......lovely to see you!
> 
> It’s funny, I was thinking of you about an hour ago, we’re sitting watching an episode of Midsomer Murders.......lol......love it!
> 
> Yes, they do sound fun don’t they.......really looking forward to most of the houses announced.......especially Ghostbusters and Monsters......and I’m glad you enjoyed series 3 of Stranger Things.......we need to try again and catch up before we leave........
> 
> Hope you enjoy this one too Andrea.......



We have really enjoyed Midsomer Murders! We watched several seasons back to back and have spent the rest of the summer watching zombie movies and shows.  I like pretty much everything in the Zombie genre and have found quite a few good things on Netflix, including a spectacular Korean show called Kingdom.  if you like zombies, I highly recommend!


----------



## Malia78

Hi Carole,

Been a reader of your reports for a long time...popping over to US this September for a brief 3 night stay and staying at RPR.  Will be sure to keep my eyes open and say hello should I see you.

I am a big horror wimp--tried HHN with my friend and her daughter in 2016 I think--I was done after 60 minutes  This year, I signed up for the day tours--I can appreciate all the creativity and craftmanship that goes into the house designs without palpitations from all the startling and cardboard chainsaws


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> I think you could be my daughter Raeven!!!!! We have so many similar opinions and likes......dislikes too!!!



I agree, we really do 




schumigirl said:


> I did wonder when I saw the Rob Zombie connection......hmmmm….not my favourite…..not sure if his films were supposed to be a house or just a scare zone.....but, he`s not a favourite of mine.....although he did use the phenomenal song Don`t fear the Reaper in his Halloween remake.....so I can find something redeeming in that!!!



On the speculation map I saw going around it was both a house (based on House of 1000 Corpses I think), and then a scare zone for his "music and movies". I think that's excessive and don't get why there'd be both, so I'm hoping they're wrong. I don't mind his music (well of the 1 or 2 songs I've heard), but the only movie I've seen of his 2nd Halloween movie (which I didn't really like, but I doubt those will be included). The rest of his movies I don't think I'll be watching, but Josh has seen them. I do love Don't Fear the Reaper though! 



schumigirl said:


> Even with EP, ST lines were overwhelming some nights last year.....although I know one night they did have a "guest incident" that caused a long delay.....but it was just such a popular house.....we do need to give the next two seasons a try again......and definitely not trying the SA dining again......too many people saying the same thing.



They were! We only did it once on the night we had EP, and never tried again. We had two different "guest incidents" right outside the doors of houses last year (Slaughter Sinema, and Carnival Graveyard on different nights). I would definitely give it another try! I really liked the third season best. 



schumigirl said:


> I get teased a lot for sleeping during movies in the cinema....but, I was the person who used the now defunct T2 show as time for a nap!!! Kyle still reminds me how I slept through a Bug`s Life or some other similar movie at the cinema when he was young.....lol.....oh dear!!! So really Star Wars never stood a chance with me...….same with some of the houses....and yes, totally agree......the kidzone houses were beyond ridiculous to walk too...….I was praying for a pedi cab line somewhere in there...….they`d have done roaring trade in those areas if they were allowed



Josh is like that too, can sleep during anything    I'm usually not like that, but I guess I found Star Wars that boring, haha.

I can't walk to them more than once, I always hope it's not one I really like. A couple years ago I wore the wrong shoes and got the worst blisters. I noticed how bad they were when we walked out of Kidzone on the first night. Josh convinced me to rent a wheelchair on the last night, and that's the only reason I redid one of those houses .




schumigirl said:


> *On that side of the coast, our favourite place we have visited so far out of the parks is St Augustine...……*
> 
> *At around a 2 hour drive from Orlando, it is onne of the most beautiful places we visit and although we don't do that much when we`re there.....we love it. Such a relaxing day. *



I loved St Augustine! Considering going back the next time we have more time on a trip. 



schumigirl said:


> We did think of staying overnight and doing the ghost tour, but really we don't want to leave Orlando for two days...….nice idea though as there are some beautiful little guest houses around...…..



I was also thinking of doing this, but agree I don't want to spend the night there.


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> We have really enjoyed Midsomer Murders! We watched several seasons back to back and have spent the rest of the summer watching zombie movies and shows.  I like pretty much everything in the Zombie genre and have found quite a few good things on Netflix, including a spectacular Korean show called Kingdom.  if you like zombies, I highly recommend!



I`m so glad you like it.....one of our favourite shows to watch while chilling......and even better when we don't remember who the culprit is!! Which now, we usually do....but still watchable. 

Not fond of zombies......I was one who did enjoy (rather late) TWD, but soon got fed up with it.....Tom will watch Zombie shows so I`ll mention it to him as he`ll probably watch it.....


----------



## schumigirl

Malia78 said:


> Hi Carole,
> 
> Been a reader of your reports for a long time...popping over to US this September for a brief 3 night stay and staying at RPR.  Will be sure to keep my eyes open and say hello should I see you.
> 
> I am a big horror wimp--tried HHN with my friend and her daughter in 2016 I think--I was done after 60 minutes  This year, I signed up for the day tours--I can appreciate all the creativity and craftmanship that goes into the house designs without palpitations from all the startling and cardboard chainsaws



 along to you Malia78...….I`m happy you posted here!

Oh the day tours are perfect for those who find the real thing a little much....you get to see so much detail. Although, I`ve never done them as we don't want the illusion spoiled......lol......but you`ll love them I`m sure as I`ve only heard positive reviews about them. I`m glad to hear you tried HHN though...….yes, it can be a bit overwhelming at times.....

Oh you absolutely must say hello if you see us at RPR...…..that would be lovely.....I hope you enjoy your trip there....and this report too.....look forward to your comments...….


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> I agree, we really do
> 
> On the speculation map I saw going around it was both a house (based on House of 1000 Corpses I think), and then a scare zone for his "music and movies". I think that's excessive and don't get why there'd be both, so I'm hoping they're wrong. I don't mind his music (well of the 1 or 2 songs I've heard), but the only movie I've seen of his 2nd Halloween movie (which I didn't really like, but I doubt those will be included). The rest of his movies I don't think I'll be watching, but Josh has seen them. I do love Don't Fear the Reaper though!
> 
> They were! We only did it once on the night we had EP, and never tried again. We had two different "guest incidents" right outside the doors of houses last year (Slaughter Sinema, and Carnival Graveyard on different nights). I would definitely give it another try! I really liked the third season best.
> Josh is like that too, can sleep during anything    I'm usually not like that, but I guess I found Star Wars that boring, haha.
> 
> I can't walk to them more than once, I always hope it's not one I really like. A couple years ago I wore the wrong shoes and got the worst blisters. I noticed how bad they were when we walked out of Kidzone on the first night. Josh convinced me to rent a wheelchair on the last night, and that's the only reason I redid one of those houses .
> 
> I loved St Augustine! Considering going back the next time we have more time on a trip.
> 
> I was also thinking of doing this, but agree I don't want to spend the night there.



Yes, we watched his Halloween`s....not a favourite…...oh I just don't get Star wars at all.....but no interest in that genre at all if I`m honest......Tom on the other hand loves it!!! I get so bored when he watches something like that.....glad we have more than one tv!! 

Oh I remember the year you got blisters!!! You did the right thing with the wheelchair.....otherwise…..oh my.....that would have been a complete nightmare!!! And, bonus with seeing those houses miles away lol......


----------



## verleniahall

Will you be doing the Scare Actor Dinning? We were  able to get it ON Halloween last year - and I totally fooled the DH - told him there was only 1 character and he was pretty bumbed, and then the guy said there was like 5 or 6 and he LIT UP! (I think next year we are going to try to get over for the 30th - depending on what the houses are next year - but I think that the B1G1 Ticket that they release earlier in the year would be a good option juts in case he LOVES the houses)


----------



## schumigirl

verleniahall said:


> Will you be doing the Scare Actor Dinning? We were  able to get it ON Halloween last year - and I totally fooled the DH - told him there was only 1 character and he was pretty bumbed, and then the guy said there was like 5 or 6 and he LIT UP! (I think next year we are going to try to get over for the 30th - depending on what the houses are next year - but I think that the B1G1 Ticket that they release earlier in the year would be a good option juts in case he LOVES the houses)



Nope.....did it last year and it was dreadful. 

Food was poor and seriously lacking in quality and wasn’t replenished. 

Apart from 2 SA the rest were poor. Folks around we’re looking for recognisable SA such as Stranger Things, Poltergeist and for us Michael Myers.......the whole thing was a mess. People were annoyed. 

I’m glad you enjoyed yours the night you went though. But, for us, we wouldn’t go back.......

That ticket is a good buy for folks though if you can get it next year it would be ideal


----------



## keishashadow

schumigirl said:


> The amount of walking you do on a HHN is surprising. Some of the houses have incredibly long paths to get to them and with the heat it can be draining


should be required reading of all 1st time HHN attendees!



schumigirl said:


> And the Klown scare zone got better every time we went through it......by the end we loved it!!!! And we are looking forward to the house this year....we get it now.



there were some crazy talented scareactors in evidence.  My favorite gag was the one who would ’hide’ behind the light pole . Found it very engrossing, had to be drug away at a few points, kicking and screaming.


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> should be required reading of all 1st time HHN attendees!
> 
> 
> 
> there were some crazy talented scareactors in evidence.  My favorite gag was the one who would ’hide’ behind the light pole . Found it very engrossing, had to be drug away at a few points, kicking and screaming.



Absolutely......I think folks can easily underestimate just how much walking is involved!! One of the reasons we never spend a full night in the park for horror nights...….

lol......I remember that too!!! It was hilarious...….I think this house is going to be funny!!!


----------



## luvdisdogs

I'm FINALLY here!  I was on vacation to Punta Cana so when I got back I had to catch up on your last trip report then saw this one!  YAY!!


----------



## jump00

Woohoo another pre-trip report A “month” really sounds heavenly- can’t wait to hear all about your adventures. Please tell Tom his photography skills are top notch. When I told my dh the issue at the mall (taking pics) he was shocked. You handled it well. Safe travels
Brenda


----------



## schumigirl

luvdisdogs said:


> I'm FINALLY here!  I was on vacation to Punta Cana so when I got back I had to catch up on your last trip report then saw this one!  YAY!!



  back livdisdogs……….and straight from your travels too!!!!

I hope you had an amazing trip!!!! Punta Cana is beautiful......or so I`ve heard....never been there.....lol......glad you`re back though and glad to see you posted here first!!!! 

Yep.....new one up and running.....this is my version of planning...….

But, hope you enjoy this one too and look forward to seeing you comments...…..and welcome home


----------



## schumigirl

jump00 said:


> Woohoo another pre-trip report A “month” really sounds heavenly- can’t wait to hear all about your adventures. Please tell Tom his photography skills are top notch. When I told my dh the issue at the mall (taking pics) he was shocked. You handled it well. Safe travels
> Brenda



 back to you too Brenda...…..

Yep....a month will be amazing......but no way will we want to leave after that!!!! Well......there is Kyle of course.....gotta go home to see him!!! 

Thank you I will pass that on to him......he really does enjoy taking the pictures when we`re away.....thank goodness!!!! He`s so patient......

Yes, the mall incident was surprising to say the least. Not sure if we should go speak to them first this visit as they didn't respond to my last email with questions...….oh well. Will be interesting...….

Glad you`re along for this one too Brenda...….


----------



## schumigirl

*One place we visited recently for the first time is Winter Gardens.*

*Although we only went for dinner and a quick wander around, we will go back and maybe have lunch there and spend some time in the lovely little downtown area they have there. It`s a quaint little place and we would enjoy a wander around during the day as well as go back and enjoy the new restaurant we had a beautiful meal in on our May trip. *


























*As we were headed back to the hotel after dinner, we didn't spend a lot of time here, but do plan to go back again to the restaurant we so enjoyed. *

*The town itself is full of unique little stores, which is right up our street....chains are all well and good, but nothing beats a little store that has the personal touch and items you won`t find anywhere else....they also have one of those little stores that sells Olive Oil and balsamic vinegars that you have your won bottles filled.....we do plan to try this store although the olive oil from the Mount Dora store so far has the best oils we`ve tried. 

We did try one chipotle olive oil from a store in Winter Park, but although it was nice, it didn't have enough of an aroma nor did have the same flavour as the Mount Dora oils, so wouldn't buy from them again. *

*But, we look forward to wandering around and see what other stores are there to browse. *


***************************************​
*The Chef`s Table at the Edgewater was suggested to us by the manager in Strong Water as he thought we would love it, and he was right. *









*It was beautiful.....and although it was a set menu when you sat at the Chef`s Table, it was lovely......our pictures of the food were a little dark as the mood is definitely romantic in that little area......but food was so good. *

*We may think about trying their regular tapas menu as it looks so good. But it is one place Tom wants to visit this September. *



*******************************************

​*Mount Dora is somewhere we love. It`s around 45 minutes from our hotel, so not far at all and worth the little drive. *

*Apart from visiting our olive oil store last visit we discovered a fabulous little store that sold all sorts of spices....it was very aromatic when you entered and we did purchase a few items! *









*There are so many little places to explore here, including many wonderful eateries and stores. We have enjoyed a few lunches here and never been disappointed. *

*And of course, down by the lake it is beautiful...…*



























*You really can spend a good few hours here and it is so relaxing. There is a quietness here that makes you want to walk through the town whispering almost.....and again, the friendliness of everyone is striking. *
*
I`m not sure with so many days being set aside for HHN this trip if we`ll make the Gulf side this trip, we love it over there too and always enjoy our trips to Dunedin just past Clearwater. 
*
*There you really can feel old town America too...…again, classic place to visit and beautiful waterfront...….and gorgeous places to eat!!! 

We also will give a miss to Lake Eola this visit...….we do enjoy it, but it`s not somewhere we need to visit every trip. 



Coming up...…..food choices!!!!! *


----------



## polarama

Following! I am too scared to ever do HHN so I content myself with reading about others who enjoy it.  Like..I'm intrigued by Ghostbusters but I will also be the easy mark that gets targeted just walking around.


----------



## Worfiedoodles

I do love Ghostbusters and Stranger Things! It's the movies like Halloween, Saw, Final Destination...I can't do any of those. But I did love Evil Dead 2, that was just funny! 

I can't wait  to hear if you are planning any new adventures for your mammoth, wonderful month of Orlando!


----------



## macraven

I am totally looking forward to the Ghostbusters house.......


----------



## schumigirl

polarama said:


> Following! I am too scared to ever do HHN so I content myself with reading about others who enjoy it.  Like..I'm intrigued by Ghostbusters but I will also be the easy mark that gets targeted just walking around.



 back polarama........

Lol.......oh you should try it sometime!!! Honestly, I seem to have that “get me” arrow pointing at me every time we go........but it’s so much fun! 

You haven’t really  lived till a vampire has hissed in your ear as he creeps up behind you.....yes......that fun to me.......lol......

Ghostbusters should be a complete highlight......

Glad to see you here for this one too.....hope you enjoy it......


----------



## schumigirl

Worfiedoodles said:


> I do love Ghostbusters and Stranger Things! It's the movies like Halloween, Saw, Final Destination...I can't do any of those. But I did love Evil Dead 2, that was just funny!
> 
> I can't wait  to hear if you are planning any new adventures for your mammoth, wonderful month of Orlando!



Evil Dead is so funny......lol.......I can’t watch certain movies like Hostel or Saw either.........Final Destination I weirdly enjoyed, but gruesome horror films I won’t watch......but I love tense psychological movies......and for me Halloween (the original only) scares me to bits! But I love it......  

Yes, we need to come up with something new this trip.......not quite sure what that’ll be.......with HHN as our main focus we haven’t given much thought yet.......may just be a new place to visit.......I’m sure a new restaurant will fit in there somewhere.........lol.........


----------



## schumigirl

macraven said:


> I am totally looking forward to the Ghostbusters house.......



You know mac.....it’s one of two houses we are most excited about this year......that and the classic monsters........grew up watching those and loved them so much........and of course Ghostbusters is a classic.......I can’t wait to see how they’ve worked this as a house this time.......the SA will be very interesting to observe.........


----------



## schumigirl

*I recently read someone say folks who took pictures of food and posted it anywhere was weird...…..ok, I`ll be that weird person then....and I`m very happy to be that person... *





​
​


*Food pictures have become incredibly popular over the last years....and although I don't have any kind of Facebook/Instagram or twitter......this is the only social media I have......and I like food pictures, so will continue to post them......

If you have read along with any of these reports, you`ll know we love our food......all sorts of cuisines will work too. We enjoy high end restaurants, but at the same time feel just as happy enjoying a pizza, burger or sandwich too in any number of places. And in Orlando you have the biggest choice. 

I also read someone say on another forum that food in and around Orlando was dreadful and they didn't think anyone could enjoy anything around this area..…..well, I`m not sure where that person has eaten, but it couldn't have been the places we enjoy and I`ve read many more enjoy too. Each to their own I guess but would hate to be that person to generalise so easily. Sure, there are awful places around and some that are not so good…….but in general, we haven't been too disappointed in our choices.....quite the opposite really. 

One place we won`t be visiting this time is Louie`s Pizza. Which I`m quite sad about as we have been eating there, especially at HHN for years. The pizza was always lovely, fresh and so tasty...….and smaller.....now it`s a huge slice and we found it to be very greasy and a lesser quality of pepperoni on top which was probably the cause of the grease....

So, it`s off our list for places to eat in September...….other places we don't like in the Studios are Mel`s Diner, Monsters Café and Finnegans…..although Finnegans we will have a cocktail at the bar...if you can get near it of course. HHN this place is usually bouncing!!! 

We may try the food court in Simpsons again....it`s a while since we have eaten there......but we mostly enjoyed what we had...…*






































*The chicken and waffle sandwich and the wings were the nicest out of all the food we had there. But, not being fans of the Simpsons, it`s not somewhere we have to visit. *



********************************​


*Lombards we enjoy, and didn't get a chance in May or March to visit....but, it is a beautiful restaurant and has a very classical theme rather than a typical theme park restaurant...….the food is basically seafood but has menu choices for meat eaters and even vegetarians I believe...…..not that I ever look at vegetarian dishes...….not my idea of a lovely meal at all...….

It is in a beautiful location right on the lagoon in the Sna Francisco area......it used to lead into Amity where Jaws once resided and the town of Amity was a beautiful little place to wander through......all pre Potter of course. *














































*Strangely, I don't usually order deep fried items from here....I love the plain fish and the shrimp when it`s just served fresh, but cannot find the pictures of them...….the batter is quite heavy here, but my guys wanted fish and chips last visit...….their lobster roll is very good too. 

Definitely one to consider for lunch if we stay in the parks for the day.*



**************************************​


*In IOA we always enjoy Confisco Grill and although we haven't been for a while, we have enjoyed Thunder Falls Terrace which is right beside Jurassic Park ride...…the food is steadily good, but sometimes service can be a little slow when folks have the dining plan.....they seem to mix up what is included and can take time at the till as they sort it out. That`s my only complaint about counter service places.....and why we don't always eat in them. *



















*The picture below is a little bit dark, but the restaurant is impressive and has the added bonus of being incredibly cold!!!! 

Watching the boats splash down from the last drop, you can see an amazing surge of water splash all over and you do see folks being drenched as they stand in the very obvious slash zone...…..*













*******************************************​


*Confisco is a wonderful little restaurant. *

*I`ve said many times, it does get overlooked in favour of the more mentioned Mythos, and we find it to be far superior. *

*It is easy to bypass as you enter the parks, and most want to head straight to the rides, naturally. It is just as you can turn right or left at POE and it is a lovely little place. *


















































































*It is themed beautifully inside as well as having excellent food. We can honestly recommend this place for good food and service......and as a wonderful way to escape the heat of the day!!! *




























*You can also have food and drinks in the Backwater Bar......help yourself to a seat at the bar or there are a few tables in there......very friendly bar service too. 




Coming up....hotel food choices!!! *


----------



## Tink2Day

Who doesn't like food pictures???????? Love 'em.drinks too!


----------



## polarama

Your food pics are the best!  Food pics are not "weird" at all.


----------



## Worfiedoodles

The last time we ate at Mythos we decided it was going to be a good long while before we returned. We've never had Confisco, we tend to go to CityWalk if we're having lunch and then going back into the Parks. So I'm curious, would you recommend Confisco over places in CityWalk?


----------



## schumigirl

Tink2Day said:


> Who doesn't like food pictures???????? Love 'em.drinks too!



Absolutely!!! I’ve studied loads of trip reports with food pics......always a favourite pastime......lol.....and probably one of the many reasons I’ll never be skinny.......  

Will pick some good uns for you.........


----------



## schumigirl

polarama said:


> Your food pics are the best!  Food pics are not "weird" at all.



Thank you!!! 

I appreciate that........I’m good at ignoring comments and funny looks if we ever do get them in restaurants......and we just snap away......I think most restaurants are used to it.....some are a little bemused......lol......


----------



## schumigirl

Worfiedoodles said:


> The last time we ate at Mythos we decided it was going to be a good long while before we returned. We've never had Confisco, we tend to go to CityWalk if we're having lunch and then going back into the Parks. So I'm curious, would you recommend Confisco over places in CityWalk?



Confisco Grille is very good.

But, Citywalk has some fabulous choices and maybe because we’ve been going to CG for years I’d maybe choose Citywalk.......

But, since you’ve never been, I’d definitely try CG once instead of Citywalk..........


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Final Destination I weirdly enjoyed,



I love those movies   



schumigirl said:


> I recently read someone say folks who took pictures of food and posted it anywhere was weird...…..ok, I`ll be that weird person then....and I`m very happy to be that person...



I read that one study said people who take pictures of their food actually enjoy their food more lol don't mind being that weird person either. 



schumigirl said:


> I also read someone say on another forum that food in and around Orlando was dreadful and they didn't think anyone could enjoy anything around this area..…..well, I`m not sure where that person has eaten, but it couldn't have been the places we enjoy and I`ve read many more enjoy too. Each to their own I guess but would hate to be that person to generalise so easily. Sure, there are awful places around and some that are not so good…….but in general, we haven't been too disappointed in our choices.....quite the opposite really.



I don't know where they were going but Orlando has a lot more choices than we do locally, and just seems to have a ton of good ones as far as we've seen.


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> I love those movies
> 
> 
> 
> I read that one study said people who take pictures of their food actually enjoy their food more lol don't mind being that weird person either.
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know where they were going but Orlando has a lot more choices than we do locally, and just seems to have a ton of good ones as far as we've seen.



 

We can be weird together Raeven........there’s  good few like us........ I love your food pictures too!

This guy likes to belittle people’s choices on the forum he posts in......makes him feel superior I think......yes, there are some excellent restaurants in Orlando and beyond.....some are exceptional.


----------



## pas130

I love food pictures and reviews!! We had a similar experience at Louie’s last visit and it was our lunch go-to before that. Love the Simpson’s food court, especially when my kids are with us since we ALWAYS find something for everyone AND don’t have to stress over finding a seat. We like the bar across there to watch the people getting scared by the chainsaws. I’m always one of those people  

In my saga of perpetual resort changes, the resort of the day is RPR King CL


----------



## schumigirl

pas130 said:


> I love food pictures and reviews!! We had a similar experience at Louie’s last visit and it was our lunch go-to before that. Love the Simpson’s food court, especially when my kids are with us since we ALWAYS find something for everyone AND don’t have to stress over finding a seat. We like the bar across there to watch the people getting scared by the chainsaws. I’m always one of those people ☺
> 
> In my saga of perpetual resort changes, the resort of the day is RPR King CL



lol.....well, they do say variety is the spice of life...…..  

A few other folks have said the same thing about Louie`s....such a shame as it has always been a staple for us.....I certainly mentioned it and hope others do too and maybe they`ll get back to their original pizza! 

Yes, people watching is always fun at HHN!!!!


----------



## schumigirl

*JAKE`S AMERICAN BAR*

​*Jake`s was the first place we ever ate in when we stayed at RP for the first time way back in 2009. Gosh that seems a lifetime ago now!!!! *

*And it has never disappointed us at all. Well.....except for when they took the crispy shrimp off the menu!!! That was a stunning dish...…but the menu has retained it`s style and theme for many years. *

*We`ve had most things over the years from it, but only recently discovered the crawfish chowder which is now one of our favourite dishes...…..it is creamy and a little peppery too, and very moreish.....we even had a second bowl each one night in place of dessert......yep, it`s that good!!!! *

*They also do very good cocktails and one of the nicest is the Royal Pacific Sunset which we did get in the souvenir bowl one night.....you can get most cocktails in these rather large bowls.....*

*Kyle, who doesn't drink, enjoys their non alcoholic strawberry daiquiris that they serve here......and they make a very lovely strawberry lemonade. *



















*Kyle is a huge fan of their pizza......he always gets it with a bbq sauce base and plain old cheese on top.....he has very simple tastes when it comes to pizza...…..*
















































*The wings are just spicy enough.....we could eat them spicier, but they are so tasty and the blue cheese dressing is divine!!*










*A couple of our own pizza creations...…..*






(not sure why this picture has a weird date on it......never been there at that time)










*It`s not on the menu in the restaurant,  but Kyle get`s the flourless chocolate cake every time he is in here......it has varied in style and texture over the years, but he has enjoyed every single one of them...….it is on the room service menu though, so the same kitchen makes it. *










*Plain old coconut ice cream for me...…..this is gorgeous!!! It` on the menu as a side to another dessert, but they will serve it on it`s own.*










*This flatbread was beyond delicious!!!!! *










*And the famous crawfish chowder...…..if you`ve never tried it, give it a go.....it truly is beautiful. *




























*We love the theme of this bar, and goodness knows when it eventually gets refurbed how they will go about changing it...….but for now it`s a place where you can get such good food with wonderful service and a really nice atmosphere......they are very friendly and accommodating......*
*
And outside is such a beautiful area........
*
*When you walk in over the bridge, Jake`s is almost underneath and you can see the outdoor seating as you glance down...….*



















*Jake`s is one of our must do places every trip...….we wouldn't miss it and especially when Kyle is with us.....this is his first evening choice of restaurant every time...…..*



*******************************




SAL`S MARKET DELI*

​*Sal`s is the only eatery we enjoy at PBH. Their pizza is one of the best, if not the best onsite pizza there is at Universal...…..we often make the little journey over here just for the pizza alone. 

We did try their sandwiches twice and they were alright......but, strangely they had the worst potato chips we ever tasted!!! They were greasy and hard and had no taste whatsoever. Wouldn't get them again. 

I can`t find the picture but I had the shrimp po boy and it was beautiful...….Tom had a meat and pepper sandwich which he really enjoyed too. *
*
But the star of this place is the pizza...…..
*
*Tom and I share the medium size......there is plenty for two or three folks to share on this size......*










*Kyle again, get the cheese pizza with bbq sauce base...….and we always say he`ll never finish it as he gets one to himself...….he always manages it though...…..*










*He doesn't ever eat the crusts though!!!! Although, neither do we now I think on it...…..*





























*They do have a lovely selection of self serve ready made items, they do always look so fresh and tempting......*


















*And anywhere that serves wine is good for us!!!! *









*It can get busy depending on the time you go, we do like sitting through in this area which can be a little quiet...….at times!! *










*This place we will visit in September, and purely for the pizza......I`ve tried the sandwiches and good as they are, they can`t beat the pizza`s from here...…..*
*


*
*More food choices coming up....…... *


----------



## Lynne G

Yay!  So enjoy seeing pictures of food.  Not crazy for sure.  They make a trip report even better, as food report in it is fabulous idea.  

We are ones that have always liked mythos, so most likely we will go back there.  Told little one about  Confisco, we looked at the menu wile in the park, and it was a no.  May try it again next time we go by it.  And yes, I enjoy the pizzas at Jakes.  

Portofino for us, this time.  My kids prefer, and I like it too, particularly the large bathroom.  Otherwise, we always stay at RPR.  And first time I will be at SF for a few nights.  

Countdown getting closer for you, now less than a month away.


----------



## schumigirl

Lynne G said:


> Yay!  So enjoy seeing pictures of food.  Not crazy for sure.  They make a trip report even better, as food report in it is fabulous idea.
> 
> We are ones that have always liked mythos, so most likely we will go back there.  Told little one about  Confisco, we looked at the menu wile in the park, and it was a no.  May try it again next time we go by it.  And yes, I enjoy the pizzas at Jakes.
> 
> Portofino for us, this time.  My kids prefer, and I like it too, particularly the large bathroom.  Otherwise, we always stay at RPR.  And first time I will be at SF for a few nights.
> 
> Countdown getting closer for you, now less than a month away.



Thanks Lynne......glad you enjoy the pictures too!! 

We will try Mythos again at some point, but we’ve had too many disappointments there last few visits. Oh yes, Jake’s pizzas are lovely. 

Your trip is just around the corner now........


----------



## Monykalyn

pas130 said:


> In my saga of perpetual resort changes, the resort of the day is RPR King CL


LOL-I ended up with a better rate at SF

Looking forward to some nice meals too-Lombards was so good last year-the Lobster roll was really good!
And we now do Confisco Grill most trips since we "discovered" it from your TR. Really good service too! Enjoyed Mythos, but the service wasn't the greatest.


----------



## PoohIsHome

@schumigirl Speaking of food....LOL!....there was another wine shop besides Total Wine that I remember you being quite fond of, but for the life of me I can't remember the name of it. We're going to bring a couple of our favorites from home with us in November, but we'll stop on the way to HRH and pick out a couple more for the room.


----------



## schumigirl

Monykalyn said:


> LOL-I ended up with a better rate at SF
> 
> Looking forward to some nice meals too-Lombards was so good last year-the Lobster roll was really good!
> And we now do Confisco Grill most trips since we "discovered" it from your TR. Really good service too! Enjoyed Mythos, but the service wasn't the greatest.



Those lobster rolls are lovely.....plenty of lobster in them......that always helps!!! 

Yes, poor service was one of the reasons we stopped going to Mythos.....whereas in CG we have always had good service and the food is always lovely......we like that menu better than Mythos. 

And out last cocktail in Mythos tasted so watered down it was criminal!!! But, I`m glad you enjoy CG too...….


----------



## schumigirl

PoohIsHome said:


> @schumigirl Speaking of food....LOL!....there was another wine shop besides Total Wine that I remember you being quite fond of, but for the life of me I can't remember the name of it. We're going to bring a couple of our favorites from home with us in November, but we'll stop on the way to HRH and pick out a couple more for the room.



Oh you must mean ABC Wines and Spirits...….

It is so much nicer than Total Wine.....it`s more like a warehouse, but not as grim...….ABC is a much nicer store and like Total Wine the employees are very helpful......

We drive to the one in LBV using the back road off of Turkey Lake Road, only takes 10 minutes or so. There are various locations around though that might be more convenient. 

You`ll be spoilt for choice though


----------



## schumigirl

*STRONGWATER BAR....SAPPHIRE FALLS...*​

*Yep, this place is almost our spiritual home now...….

We really do spend a lot of time in there especially when we stay in Sapphire Falls...…..*

*When Sapphire opened in 2016 we weren't really rum drinkers.....Tom would enjoy an occasional rum cocktail.....I never drank anything with rum in it...…..then StrongWater opened...….and I discovered rum and all things that go with rum...including a few surprises...….*

*It is a rum bar first and foremost, but they of course have a full bar and have many options for drinks...….the menu describes all their drinks to a tee.....and we believe we have tried most if not all the cocktails and haven't found one yet we didn't like...….but, some are definite favourites. *





























*The bar itself is open from 4pm every day and opens till 2am.....I don't think we`ve ever seen 2am there!!! Far too late for us, but we have enjoyed many nights in here...…..the staff are amazing....all of them are fabulous, and the drinks are varied and delicious. And I do like how they keep updating and renewing the options...….while keeping a few old robust favourites of course...…

It is incredibly welcoming and staff are among the best onsite.....friendliness and amazing service are what you can expect in here from everyone. 

The outdoor seating area is very beautiful and you can see some of the rides operating in the park and at night, Citywalk shines in the background...….and even overlooking the water wheel is very pretty.....*




























*The fire pit is a popular spot for folks to sit and chill out and enjoy it. When we were there in December it was always busy and I did see some folks with the smores packs to make them...….I did have a picture but I seem to have gone over the max amount of images per post......oops......

We have tasted most of the dishes on the menu, as always, with the exception of the vegetarian dishes......no thanks...….although we did see one that looked like it could have been nice.....but, it wasn't that tempting!!!! 

Rather unusually I`ll start with desserts...…..not always something we have after a meal...….but the Tres Leche cake is beyond gorgeous!!! And this is a rather large portion...….but it is so good!!!! if we do have dessert we usually share as I can`t eat too many sweet things like that.....but it is one of those desserts you can`t help but enjoy.....*











*Another creation from Chef Carlos was the pastelitos…...a light pastry with guava and brie filling and served with an espresso ice cream.....and it is delicious!!! Perfect for sharing too......I don't normally like anything coffee flavoured…..but this is different!!!! *











*Drinks...….well.....what can I say......so much choice and not enough nights!!!!!*










*And Strong Water is perfect for meeting up with friends old and new.....*



















*This is one of the newer ones we plan to enjoy in September.....it`s a blackberry and thyme daiquiri......one of Lenny`s amazing creations.…..and gorgeous!!!! *



















*And the lazy river...…..topped off with Chef Carlos freshly made pina colada ice cream...…..this was one of our favourites of the new ones created this year...……*




























*Along with Ashley`s Fools Gold...….love it!!!! *
































































*Far too many drinks to name.....but I`d guarantee you wouldn't be disappointed in anything you ordered here.....and the rum flights I know Tom would thoroughly recommend...….there are several rum captains who will choose some fabulous selections to try...….three drinks form your choice of flight. And there are a few to choose from......I`m sure Tom`s tried most of them!!!! 

Food is amazing. It is beautiful and very different to most places onsite.....*

*A Caribbean tapas style is as best a description as there is......and wow.....have they chosen some whoppers!!!!*

*The first couple of pictures are specials they have served that we have tried...….. the first was a special bacon steak, which was nice enough, wouldn't order it again though...... but the star of the specials is the Can Can pork chop...….*











*This really was a special dish!!! There were only so many prepared and it took a while to prep the dish between marinating and then cooking sous vide style......and it was well worth it...….

Chef Carlos brings the dish out to you himself and I have to say as someone who would never choose a pork dish when out for a meal......this was unbelievably good!!!!! It was incredibly tender and full of flavour. And well worth having to share between two.....it is huge!!!! We even enjoyed the sides which were a rice dish and fried plantains.....I loved the plantains!!! *











*The regular menu is also fabulous.....and we have enjoyed so many dishes.....including some I just can`t find the pictures of......I know they`re in there somewhere!!!!

We had to order two of these after the first try of the Camarones........the shrimp were delicious and we decided we just couldn't share the one dish the next time we had them!!! *












*Pinchos de Carne is Steak with pineapple and the dreaded cilantro sauce...….we just left that part. But the meat was beautiful and well cooked...….I`d never have thought of having steak with pineapple but it went well......the next time we had this we asked for it without the sauce, we got the hot and spicy sauce that comes with the tenders.....much nicer!! But, we both hate cilantro...….*










*Classic Choripapa…….sausage, potatoes, with tomatoes and a little bit of a spicy sauce...…..this dish surprised us, we didn't expect to like it as much as we did. *










*Next up is Cuban Spring Rolls......these were unusual to say the least...….they had pork, like a pulled pork.....but there was cheese in there too......Tom loved them......I wouldn't order them for me, but they were nice enough. *










*Octopus...…..not a favourite of Tom`s.....in fact he wouldn't even try it......J`aime Paris (Lori)  and I certainly did enjoy it!!!! 

I`m used to eating octopus already sliced and diced a bit like calamari......so having it in one piece where you had to slice it was definitely different, the texture may put some off as you cut into it.....but it was so tasty...*










*Curried chicken with a side of a very nice mango chutney...….this was one of the first dishes we tried when we first visited StrongWater…..it`s not hot the way we would have a curry, but it`s very fragrant and if you don't like things too hot, you`d probably enjoy it...*









*My favourite ceviche...….the Caribbean one......full of coconut cream and beautifully seasoned seafood...….it has quite a strong citrus flavour which is beautiful......and the texture of the raw seafood is perfect. *









*The Florida ceviche is spicy…...although when we had it the second time it wasn't as spicy as the first time......I did wonder if folks found it too spicy and they adjusted the spice level......*









*Found the* *Mexican Ceviche...….it is very spicy!!!! And they haven't tamed that down any......it is a very pretty dish too. *










*So, that's just a few of the dishes we have enjoyed in StrongWater over the three years it`s been open...….*

*We have never been disappointed by any of them and can honestly recommend it as a great place to eat, drink and meet up for a wonderful evening...….*

*We are in Sapphire the first 6 days of this upcoming trip, so I know at least we`ll be there the night we arrive...….and maybe one or two visits will ensue through out our trip...….




More food options coming soon...…..*


----------



## Spike101

Carole I do love your trip reports, they're always so detailed and a joy to read.

I'll be there just after you, I fly out on October 6th, my birthdays on the 8th so will be proudly wearing my birthday pin all day, I'm actually going to pick it up the day before so I'll be wearing it literally once I'm dressed on the big day!

Also looking forward to HHN, well Ghostbusters and Classic Monsters in particular, oh and Killer Klowns too, Clowns dont freak me out at all so that one at least will be a breeze, I say........


----------



## schumigirl

Spike101 said:


> Carole I do love your trip reports, they're always so detailed and a joy to read.
> 
> I'll be there just after you, I fly out on October 6th, my birthdays on the 8th so will be proudly wearing my birthday pin all day, I'm actually going to pick it up the day before so I'll be wearing it literally once I'm dressed on the big day!
> 
> Also looking forward to HHN, well Ghostbusters and Classic Monsters in particular, oh and Killer Klowns too, Clowns dont freak me out at all so that one at least will be a breeze, I say........



  along Spike.......glad to see you here!

Thank you!!!  I’m happy to read you enjoy them......always good to hear.....

I have my birthday out there too again........haven’t quite decided where to celebrate it yet........thinking Ocean Prime as that really is our favourite restaurant......but so many places to choose from! Enjoy wearing that pin though.......and hope it’s a fabulous day for you! 

Yes, HHN looks to be amazing again this year.....Killer Klowns will be so much fun too......but it’s really Ghostbusters and Classic Monsters we’re both so excited for.......should be fun! 

Again, glad to see you posting here.........


----------



## Spike101

schumigirl said:


> .haven’t quite decided where to celebrate it yet.



Me neither, I'm kinda leaning to having the lamb raguu at Vivos with a nice glass of red wine, however I'd be just as happy chomping on a burrito from Moes with a beer from the 3 Broomsticks, oh decisions, decisions!


----------



## J'aime Paris

Oh Carole!!!!  I'm touched you added a photo of us        (next time we need to get a photo including Tom too)
We had such a fabulous time at Strongwater Bar!

Those yummy drinks and all that scrumptious food.....so incredible!  It's hard to choose favorites, since everything was so fresh and delicious!


----------



## thepicklebee

As someone who has only been to Universal once 3 years ago, I have been reading all your trip reports in preparation for my solo-ish trip in September- especially where to (and not to) eat on property. 
Love your reports!


----------



## schumigirl

Spike101 said:


> Me neither, I'm kinda leaning to having the lamb raguu at Vivos with a nice glass of red wine, however I'd be just as happy chomping on a burrito from Moes with a beer from the 3 Broomsticks, oh decisions, decisions!



And that's the gem isn't it..….plenty of choice for whatever you feel like on the day...…nice decision to have to make though......


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> Oh Carole!!!!  I'm touched you added a photo of us        (next time we need to get a photo including Tom too)
> We had such a fabulous time at Strongwater Bar!
> 
> Those yummy drinks and all that scrumptious food.....so incredible!  It's hard to choose favorites, since everything was so fresh and delicious!



Yes, we need Tom in next time!!! I can`t believe we didn't ask someone to take one of the three of us…….I think we were so busy chatting.....and eating of course!!! 

I like those pictures though…...


----------



## schumigirl

thepicklebee said:


> As someone who has only been to Universal once 3 years ago, I have been reading all your trip reports in preparation for my solo-ish trip in September- especially where to (and not to) eat on property.
> Love your reports!



  along thepicklebee…….glad to see you here.....and with a fabulous username!!!!

Some folks just have the best names on here!!!! I`ve got to ask the meaning behind it...…..

And thank you.....I`m so glad you are enjoying them all......apologies for the rambling!!! I can go on at times...….but solo-ish sounds interesting......are you staying onsite too? 

Yes, there are some really lovely places to eat onsite and there are some, sadly not up to scratch......imo of course......lol....I`m sure many will disagree...…

But, glad to see you post here.....I hope you enjoy it and your trip too!!!


----------



## thepicklebee

schumigirl said:


> Some folks just have the best names on here!!!! I`ve got to ask the meaning behind it...…..



I love pickles! And one time I made a terribly nerdy joke that I loved pickles so much my name should be Pickleous Picklebee (like the Dickens book Nicholas Nickleby) and it became a thing. 

And yes! I’m staying at Aventura.


----------



## schumigirl

thepicklebee said:


> I love pickles! And one time I made a terribly nerdy joke that I loved pickles so much my name should be Pickleous Picklebee (like the Dickens book Nicholas Nickleby) and it became a thing.
> 
> And yes! I’m staying at Aventura.



lol....love it!!! And love Charles Dickens books too.....Nicholas Nickleby is a good one.....now I`ll hear it as Pickleous Picklebee……..thanks for that 

I really hope you enjoy Aventura.....the views from the rooftop bar are amazing...….


----------



## cam757

I  LOVE your food pics. You have given me so many great places to put on our list of places to try. We normally stick with our regulars but we are going to try some different places when we go in a 11 days. There are so many places in the parks we have missed since we usually go to City Walk to eat. We have never tried Thunder Falls Terrace or Confisco but I am definitely going to add these to our list of places to try.


----------



## schumigirl

cam757 said:


> I  LOVE your food pics. You have given me so many great places to put on our list of places to try. We normally stick with our regulars but we are going to try some different places when we go in a 11 days. There are so many places in the parks we have missed since we usually go to City Walk to eat. We have never tried Thunder Falls Terrace or Confisco but I am definitely going to add these to our list of places to try.



Thank you!!! 

It`s so easy to miss places, especially if you`re not sure about them.....it`s been a while since we`ve gone to Thunder Falls, but it does get good reviews.....I`d go when it wasn't peak times as you can wait a while and then food gets cold....that`s my only complaint about it....otherwise, I`d still recommend it......Confisco we just love!

I think we are a little guilty of doing the same.....looking back we do go to a lot of the same places, but when you enjoy a place, it`s hard to pass it by......

Oh my....your trip is less than 2 weeks away now!!!! I`m so excited for you...….oh please come back and let us know how much you enjoyed it.....I`m sure you`ll have a blast!!! You are at RPR aren't you????


----------



## PoohIsHome

schumigirl said:


> Oh you must mean ABC Wines and Spirits...….
> 
> It is so much nicer than Total Wine.....it`s more like a warehouse, but not as grim...….ABC is a much nicer store and like Total Wine the employees are very helpful......
> 
> We drive to the one in LBV using the back road off of Turkey Lake Road, only takes 10 minutes or so. There are various locations around though that might be more convenient.
> 
> You`ll be spoilt for choice though



That's it! Thank you!


----------



## keishashadow

Always nice to see those delicious looking food pics!

Even better for a (rare) Kyle sighting


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> Always nice to see those delicious looking food pics!
> 
> Even better for a (rare) Kyle sighting



Thanks Keisha......I love food pics too......always fun to see!!!

And yes, always have to have Kyle make an appearance somewhere in our trip reports


----------



## cam757

[QUOTE="schumigirl, post: 60922323, member: 

Oh my....your trip is less than 2 weeks away now!!!! I`m so excited for you...….oh please come back and let us know how much you enjoyed it.....I`m sure you`ll have a blast!!! You are at RPR aren't you????  
[/QUOTE]

Yes, RPR the 18th-22nd (may change flight to the 23rd)but we fly in the morning of the 15th. We are going to book SF the 15th-18th. This will be our first stay at SF.  I was hoping something would open up at RPR for those dates but nothing so far, so SF it will be. That is okay, I am excited to finally get to stay there for a few days.


----------



## schumigirl

cam757 said:


> [QUOTE="schumigirl, post: 60922323, member:
> 
> Oh my....your trip is less than 2 weeks away now!!!! I`m so excited for you...….oh please come back and let us know how much you enjoyed it.....I`m sure you`ll have a blast!!! You are at RPR aren't you????



Yes, RPR the 18th-22nd (may change flight to the 23rd)but we fly in the morning of the 15th. We are going to book SF the 15th-18th. This will be our first stay at SF.  I was hoping something would open up at RPR for those dates but nothing so far, so SF it will be. That is okay, I am excited to finally get to stay there for a few days.
[/QUOTE]

Oh how lovely! You get to stay at two fabulous hotels.....

I`m sure you`ll enjoy Sapphire too......it`s still so fresh and just lovely.....and how nice you can change your flight to add a day!


----------



## jocelyn6

Another report!!! So exciting! All the birthdays and your anniversary - sounds like it will be a wonderful month to celebrate all of those things. Following along for my daily dose of Carole and Tom! We are FINALLY heading to Strong Water for our anniversary when we visit this week. Looking forward to trying some of the delightful food you have showcased in your reports.





​


----------



## schumigirl

*We have three celebrations while we are there this year......but as I said earlier, very low key...…no big gifts nor lavish celebrations. A lovely dinner will do nicely. 

Tom`s birthday is in August and we will have a get together for that at home and gifts will be given there...…..although we do say the extra length of time we are staying in America this year is his birthday treat...still got to have gifts though!!! Although he doesn't want anything and doesn't need anything......he has asked for new utensils for his gas barbecue!!!!! Seriously. That is what he has asked for!! He just doesn't ask for anything. *

*He would argue the longer stay is for mine which is in September...…...  

Regardless, we will have a few nice meals to celebrate both birthdays and our wedding anniversary......27 years  not a special anniversary, but always something to celebrate......*

*One place we love more than any other is Ocean Prime on Sand Lake Road.....and one we have booked for my actual birthday...….although it is on a HHN and it will be Friday the 13th *







​*I`ve never had any thoughts of the 13th being anything other than a number and even lived in a house called "Number Thirteen" for a few years...….some folks were daunted?????? *
*
I digress...…...so, we have Ocean Prime reserved for dinner on the 13th......
*
*The food here is top notch and service is always impeccable. Completely faultless and it is a lovely restaurant. 

We have been here many times and it has always been a complete pleasure. So, it was an easy decision as to where I wanted to go for my birthday evening out...…..although no doubt we`ll end up in Strong Water if we don't feel like going to HHN for a few hours later.....we have considered this in the past, but when all came to all....we chose to go sit in a lounge somewhere...…..best laid plans.....well, the thought was there!!! The thing about us is, we get up so early in the morning, and very late nights don't suit us.....even with the occasional nap in there...….add in the heat and long days and late nights don't work....especially when we`ll be there for a month!! *

*I think pacing ourselves might be the answer! 

Sand Lake Road or Restaurant Row as it`s also known is around 5-10 minute drive (traffic lights) from RPR/SF so incredibly close and very handy. *

*We first came here a few years ago after it was recommended to us by our friend.....if he liked it, we`d like it. And we never looked back. It became a regular place we would visit while in Orlando...….*










*The restaurant itself is beautiful and has a very classic feel while keeping that warm feeling as you walk in. They have a stunning wine display and the two separate areas of bar and restaurant meld together perfectly. *

*We`ve had a good selection of food here......although it is primarily a steak and seafood restaurant, they do have some regular dishes like chicken and pork chop...….not sure if it`s suitable for vegetarians as I`ve never looked, but the menu is lovely...…..as is their cocktail menu...….the highlight of which is Berries and Bubbles...*

*It is impressive to watch them prepare and pour it using the dry ice....and tastes delicious......copied from their menu, ingredients are Belvedere Cytrus Vodka, Cassis, Marinated berries, sours, Domaine Chandon Brut and dry ice smoke.....*



















*I can`t remember the name of this one Tom had, but it was a special creation for the season and included bourbon....that's about all I remember except he enjoyed it...….*










*They do have another called Black Orchid which has Belvedere Vodka again, St Germaine Elderflower Liqueur, lemon and white cranberry juice......it has a beautiful orchid frozen in an elaborate miniature ice sculpture........I think this is the clearest image I have of the drink...…not as nice as Berries and Bubbles, but still lovely. *










*They do have a bar area and a seperate bar menu for food. We`ve never utilised that as we do prefer to eat in the restaurant......the bar does get incredibly busy and they do have live music, but it`s never overly loud which is nice. 

Food at Ocean Prime is spectacular......*

*Tom being Tom enjoys the same appetiser every single time apart from one time he had Lobster Bisque...….and it is the Surf and Turf Ocean Prime style...…..and it is beautiful and I`m sure this is exactly what he`ll have in September...…..beautifully cooked scallops and braised short rib over a creamy mash......it is gorgeous. *










*They do have a few sushi dishes which we tried.....and they are beautiful, and probably the second best sushi we`ve enjoyed here......*










*An old favourite appetiser of mine is shrimp cocktail.....and this one is presented with the smoking dry ice too......very nice. *





















*Tom has always enjoyed the Lobster bisque from The Palm....but this one was slightly disappointing. He ate it, but it lacked the substance and depth from The Palm...….it was more cream than flavour and not as seasoned the way he likes, so it`s not something he would have again from this restaurant...….*










*Steaks are the speciality here...….naturally.....and they have a fabulous selection to choose from.......I`m quite dull and always have the filet......it really is the cut I like and find it perfect for me. *
*
Tom prefers a cut that he says has more flavour….and he`s correct....the strips and ribeyes can have more flavour and are always delicious, but I still stick to what I like with steaks. 
*
*And they are always cooked to perfection and full of flavour....….*






































*One of the nicest dishes I have ever eaten was the Twin Lobster Tails from here...….they really were the nicest I have ever tried anywhere in America...…..probably the ultimate ones I`ve ever eaten was in Scotland many years ago, and they were brought in and cooked within twenty minutes in a shack of a restaurant only feet from the beach.....and quite large too, but they were the best ever! But for here, these were pretty darn good...minus the asparagus though.....I cannot eat that...….bleurgh!!!  *










*Desserts for us are something we have now and again....but here, the Crème Brulee is quite beautiful...*










*We did try the Butter Cake once...….it was alright for us, but wouldn't order it again. The picture is so dark I won`t post it, but we may try the cheesecake this next visit as it`s supposed to be gorgeous too.....but to pass by crème brulee…….hmmmmm…..not sure we can!!



So, this is a definite for this next visit...….for us it`s perfect and it has a beautiful wine list too where we have enjoyed one of our favourite Sonoma Cutrer wines......along with some other beautiful wines. They have a really fabulous selection and I don't think anyone would struggle choosing one......problem is there are so many wines!!! *

*We have made the reservation for the 13th, and this is one we are really looking forward to the most...…..*


----------



## schumigirl

jocelyn6 said:


> Another report!!! So exciting! All the birthdays and your anniversary - sounds like it will be a wonderful month to celebrate all of those things. Following along for my daily dose of Carole and Tom! We are FINALLY heading to Strong Water for our anniversary when we visit this week. Looking forward to trying some of the delightful food you have showcased in your reports.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​





jocelyn6 said:


> Another report!!! So exciting! All the birthdays and your anniversary - sounds like it will be a wonderful month to celebrate all of those things. Following along for my daily dose of Carole and Tom! We are FINALLY heading to Strong Water for our anniversary when we visit this week. Looking forward to trying some of the delightful food you have showcased in your reports.




 Jocelyn...….I hoped you`d be along...…..

Yep, we`re up and running for this one too...….and yes, one or two celebrations......

YAY!!!!! It`s this week you go!!!!! Where has the time gone......I can`t wait to hear all about it......I hope you have an absolute blast for your anniversary too......such a beautiful place to celebrate it!!! 

I`m so looking forward to hearing all about it, and yes.....plenty of food there to enjoy......

Hurry back......although have a wonderful time while you`re there and so glad you made it here before you left


----------



## I-4Bound

Every anniversary is a special one! Ocean Prime looks amazing!


----------



## smiths02

schumigirl said:


> Those lobster rolls are lovely.....plenty of lobster in them......that always helps!!!
> 
> Yes, poor service was one of the reasons we stopped going to Mythos.....whereas in CG we have always had good service and the food is always lovely......we like that menu better than Mythos.
> 
> And out last cocktail in Mythos tasted so watered down it was criminal!!! But, I`m glad you enjoy CG too...….


We had the best service in Mythos and we were lucky enough to request and get the same server a few days later.  I really planned on trying another in-park sit down but really the service just blew us away at Mythos.  Guess everywhere is hit or miss. I think on the next trip, we will stop by and see if Mike is working that day at Mythos and maybe try CG if he is not.


----------



## Flyg1rl

My family and I tried Confisco Grill for the first time on Saturday, based entirely off of Carole's advice, and we all LOVED it.  It has replaced Mythos as our go-to park restaurant.  The menu at Mythos needs an overhaul, in my humble opinion, while CG had me smacking my lips over everything on the menu.  My teenagers were super excited over the menu, as well, truly looked forward to their meal, and everyone really enjoyed their orders.  My husband asked, why have we never come here before?  I just smiled and said, "It often gets overlooked due to location."  

I keep my Shumigirl insider knowledge ace card to myself!

I pushed a couple times to eat meals at the hotel (RPR), but the fam was always in a hurry to get to the parks.  We did eat at the Citywalk Fusion Sushi, and the Simpson's area Bumblebee taco truck for lunches - and both were fabulous food for counter service.  But you just can't beat sit-down service for relaxation.  Again, the food was very good, but I missed the service.  For dinner the last day, we ate at Lombard's.  The food was good, as always, but I admit that I'm starting to get bored.

So, to sum up, Carole's suggestion is now our all time fave!


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> Every anniversary is a special one! Ocean Prime looks amazing!



That`s certainly true.....we celebrate it, but just no big fuss.

Ocean Prime is beautiful......and genuinely lovely staff. They do make you feel very welcome.


----------



## schumigirl

smiths02 said:


> We had the best service in Mythos and we were lucky enough to request and get the same server a few days later.  I really planned on trying another in-park sit down but really the service just blew us away at Mythos.  Guess everywhere is hit or miss. I think on the next trip, we will stop by and see if Mike is working that day at Mythos and maybe try CG if he is not.



I`m glad you had such a good experience......good waiters and waitresses are worth their weight in gold. There was an older gentleman worked there, Robert...not sure if he still does, but he was fabulous....when we used to only visit once a year, he still remembered us.

Sadly the last three experiences weren't just about the service. Food wasn't up to scratch and drinks tasted watered down. It`s one place we know a few people who remember the place from years ago, and have described a lacklustre experience from what they were used to. Shame, as it is such a unique restaurant. But, if you have fabulous experiences, you`re going to go back of course......glad to hear it.....


----------



## schumigirl

Flyg1rl said:


> My family and I tried Confisco Grill for the first time on Saturday, based entirely off of Carole's advice, and we all LOVED it.  It has replaced Mythos as our go-to park restaurant.  The menu at Mythos needs an overhaul, in my humble opinion, while CG had me smacking my lips over everything on the menu.  My teenagers were super excited over the menu, as well, truly looked forward to their meal, and everyone really enjoyed their orders.  My husband asked, why have we never come here before?  I just smiled and said, "It often gets overlooked due to location."
> 
> I keep my Shumigirl insider knowledge ace card to myself!
> 
> I pushed a couple times to eat meals at the hotel (RPR), but the fam was always in a hurry to get to the parks.  We did eat at the Citywalk Fusion Sushi, and the Simpson's area Bumblebee taco truck for lunches - and both were fabulous food for counter service.  But you just can't beat sit-down service for relaxation.  Again, the food was very good, but I missed the service.  For dinner the last day, we ate at Lombard's.  The food was good, as always, but I admit that I'm starting to get bored.
> 
> So, to sum up, Carole's suggestion is now our all time fave!



I am so glad to hear you enjoyed it!!!! All of your family......

It really is a much overlooked place and it deserves more credit. I think some folks do think of Mythos for TS in IOA, but CG is so much better for us and we`ve always had lovely food. 

Yes, it`s always good to keep some things to yourself...….  

And I`m so glad you had some good food in the parks and Citywalk…..I agree, Lombards could do with a revamped menu too...….time for a change...….we`ve never tried Fusion Sushi....and the taco truck always looks so good, but everything has onion and cilantro and they said they can`t really do the food without it......so I guess I`ll just have to content myself with the aroma of it...lol...….and yes, we too prefer a sit down meal with service....even if it`s just a light meal. 

But, I`m so glad you came back to tell us you enjoyed those places.....it`s always good to hear that (especially if you recommend somewhere....phew) 

Hope your whole trip was fabulous!!!


----------



## pas130

Every anniversary is worthy of a celebration, and a trip  DH and I are celebrating 25 years on 8/11 so of course the real celebration will be HHN! We never have opportunities to go on an actual date so this is worthy compensation. Ocean Prime looks delicious!!


----------



## schumigirl

pas130 said:


> Every anniversary is worthy of a celebration, and a trip  DH and I are celebrating 25 years on 8/11 so of course the real celebration will be HHN! We never have opportunities to go on an actual date so this is worthy compensation. Ocean Prime looks delicious!!



I agree....we usually just go out for dinner for our anniversary....so this will fit in nicely! 

Oh early congratulations on such a special anniversary!!! HHN is indeed a worthy celebration......hope you have a lovely day though...….yes, Ocean Prime is is fabulous!!! You`d enjoy it I think......


----------



## Angeliamc

Yay! A new report, I have read all of your reports (never posted) and LOVED each of them. You manage to make us feel as though we are right there will you and Tom with your story telling and pictures. I am taking my son to our first HHN next month for 8 days!! It's a surprise for his 16th birthday, he has wanted to go for years. Picked RPR as our homebase due to your reports and pictures. Thanks so much for sharing your adventures with all of us.


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## Pumpkin1172

We Are those people who take pictures of our food too!!!!  I don't think it's weird at all.  Even the youngest ( who can be a picky eater) especially if we are ordering something that is a little ore unusual than what we would normally eat or order.  We are turning our kids into foodies.  I think it is compliments to the chef if we are doing that...especially if you enjoy that dish!!!


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## schumigirl

Angeliamc said:


> Yay! A new report, I have read all of your reports (never posted) and LOVED each of them. You manage to make us feel as though we are right there will you and Tom with your story telling and pictures. I am taking my son to our first HHN next month for 8 days!! It's a surprise for his 16th birthday, he has wanted to go for years. Picked RPR as our homebase due to your reports and pictures. Thanks so much for sharing your adventures with all of us.



 Angeliamc.…….how lovely to see you post!!!

And another Sept RPR visitor...….fabulous!!! there are a few of us going to be there then......I`m sure you`ll love HHN and so will your son...it`s a good age for kids to start going. How exciting!!! 

And thank you so much......I`m really happy you enjoy reading along, and happy you posted. Hope you like this one too.....


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## schumigirl

Pumpkin1172 said:


> We Are those people who take pictures of our food too!!!!  I don't think it's weird at all.  Even the youngest ( who can be a picky eater) especially if we are ordering something that is a little ore unusual than what we would normally eat or order.  We are turning our kids into foodies.  I think it is compliments to the chef if we are doing that...especially if you enjoy that dish!!!



yep, I`ll happily be weird if that`s what it is...….I don't think there`s anything funny or odd about it...thousands of people do the same thing.....we often see people take pics in restaurants....

Yes, it is a compliment.....well, I think it is. Never do it at home though, I would never think to take a picture of a meal I`ve cooked however elaborate.....well, except once I was very proud of a croquembouche I had carefully put together.….that got sent to all my friends......


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## schumigirl

_*TEAK NEIGHBORHOOD GRILL*_​


*This was one place we missed again last trip. *
*
It is very much a local bar which serves fabulous food.....and is only 5 minutes or so away from Universal. We started going here years ago in 2007 and have told numerous people about it over the years....including a local who had never heard of it!!! She loves it now. *

*Within the Metro West area, this cool little place is tucked away in a residential area which always surprises me as it does get quite loud on an evening. It`s one of the reasons we either go at lunchtimes or early evening. We were surprised just how loud the music was one evening. But it is a very cool bar and gets mobbed at times. *​
*They are predominantly a burger place, but serve all sorts of food and everything we have had has always been gorgeous. The menu is very different from most places as the burgers all have unique names like the drunken monk.....spicy veronica......imperial trooper.....and the wholly hell which is as hot as the name suggests! 

There are so many good ones and I think Tom has tried several over the years......he does like to try something different every time......me.....I stick to what I like.......sweet and spicy......so the donut burger it is for me!! 

They used to have what was called a secret menu....and they still do have it, it`s just not secret anymore.....you used to have to know the password.....now you just ask for it.....and it has a whole other list of burgers which are interesting to say the least. *












*You really could easily miss it if you didn't know it was there. First time we went back in 2007 we drove past twice before we saw it....now of course you can`t miss the sign. But, it really is in an unassuming building. *











*The staff here are very friendly and that has never changed since we first visited.....the owner is here a lot and is a nice guy who does love to hear feedback, good and bad if there is any. *

*So, the menu really does have some amazing options for burgers and I think this one was the engine oil burger with a fried egg on top......and they do have the best fries!!! *










*In all it`s glory is the donut burger.....minus the cheese but always with a side of jalapenos...I do keep the bacon on of course and it is the nicest combination I`ve ever eaten in a burger. It may sound weird.....but of course that seems to be a popular train of thought right now with the food picture taking ...….but it`s worth trying as it does work well together! *










*This one was The Brazilian......again with the over easy egg. *










*The waffle burger was a strange one......but he did like it......they have added a new waffle offering but it has chicken and does sound delicious. *










*And just because such a beautiful burger deserves another showing...…..*










*The only one he had that he didn't enjoy as much as the others was the Cronie Burger...….French doughnut tossed in cinnamon, maple pepper bacon cheese and an over easy egg......Tom does like an egg. *

*But, although he likes cinnamon this wasn't one he would order again. *










*Kyle isn't the biggest fan of burgers outside.....he does love my homemade ones, but in a restaurant he`d always opt for something else......so he`s had chicken twice....once just plain chicken breast and once he asked for teriyaki chicken.....and he loved his meals. *










*I have no clue why this dish is in front of me as it`s not mine, but not sure why it`s there...….must have been Tom`s. *










*A sandwich Tom loves it the French Dip...….he doesn't actually remember ordering this, but it`s not one I`d have so it must have been his...….*










*They don't have a lot of desserts, but Kyle did order this one and although there are extra spoons, very kindly brought over by the waitress......I think only one was used!!!! *

*Where chocolate is concerned...….Kyle doesn't care to share desserts!!! *










*This is a definite on our must do list this visit...…..it will be a lunch for sure, but I know we`ll enjoy it. *

*They have a huge outdoor area too which is undercover, and again, on a night it can get very lively. I`m glad I don't live nearby when it does......*










*I can definitely recommend a visit here even if you need to drive a little way to get there.....it`s worth it...*



*************************************** *




*YELLOW DOG EATS*

​*Only a 20 minute or so drive away from Universal is Gotha, Windermere which is the lovely little setting for a very unusual place named Yellow Dog Eats.....*

*This is unique to the area, although they do have another one in New Smyrna Beach, we haven't gone to that one though...….this one is supposed to be better by all accounts......but we love this place........and again, being completely hypocritical...…..it genuinely doesn't have a lot of tourists which we like *










*Blink and you will miss this place too...….there is plenty of parking at the rear and there is extra parking over the other side of the road if needed...….it does get busy!!!! *










*The whole place is very eclectic and different to most places.....some might find it a little rough and ready, but the crowds that swarm there every day certainly love how unique it is. *

*They do have huge fans in the outdoor sitting area which is ideal, although we have never sat outside to eat...….it`s just too hot. It`s one of these places that in the evenings it has an amazing atmosphere and absolutely bouncing...….It`s open from 11am every day and open till 9pm Sunday till Wednesday then till 10pm at the weekends. They also have live music Thursday till Saturday from 6pm. *



















*You can eat at the bar and order there if you wish, or just order yourself as usual at the counter and hope you can get a table, as there are only 3 of them...….you can also eat on the rooftop, but we never have went up there. *




























*Sandwiches are their main option and folks rave about them all over......and everything has a hint of canine in their names....even a few feline suggestions. The place itself has thousands of images of visitors dogs and some cats all around....every inch of wall is covered with pictures or little slogans about dogs......very different. *

*This one is Retrievers Roast......rare roast beef and various other items like cheese, caramelised onions, mustard and a horseradish-jalapeno mayo......and the sweetest tomatoes I ever tried. *










*This was  Black forest Hambone......turkey with cheese, smoked pineapple and some Cointreau flavoured mayo......*










*Johnny Rocket...…..Turkey, again with the smoked pineapple which is delicious…..chery pepper rings, smoked gouda and the Cointreau mayo which I omitted and replaced it with another dressing......beautiful!!!! *










*This one has to be my favourite sandwich ever......certainly from Yellow Dog Eats........it has Pulled Pork with slices of Brie, cherry peppers, raspberry melba dressing and their own gold bbq sauce......I added the jalapenos.....I`d never have thought to put Brie on pulled pork....and the raspberry dressing was a definite surprise...…..it was gorgeous. *










*I`m not sure these are on the menu anymore, but Tom did get the ribs the second or third time we went here......they look a little tough in this picture, but they were very tender...….*










*They do have one or two desserts on offer...…*

*One of our all time favourites from here (or anywhere) is coconut cake.....and this one is truly spectacular!!!! *




























*I don't think we could bring Kyle here as his choice of sandwich is incredibly plain...….ham. Chicken, Turkey or grilled cheese....that's about it for him and no fancy stuff on it.....just lettuce and cucumber, if that.*
*
But, I think we could easily tempt him with the chocolate cake.....of course. 
*
*They also sell a variety of sauces and other produce, and the hot sauce is lovely.....not as hot as it promises but it is spicy!!! *









​
*This is another little place that is slightly off the beaten path, but so worth it if you enjoy tasty and unique sandwiches in a unique environment......so, this is another definite for this trip coming up...…..*



​


----------



## Robo56

schumigirl said:


> *I recently read someone say folks who took pictures of food and posted it anywhere was weird...…..ok, I`ll be that weird person then....and I`m very happy to be that person... *



I will join the weird party. I love to see pictures of food....the old saying we eat with our eyes first is absolutely correct.




schumigirl said:


> Food pictures have become incredibly popular over the last years....and although I don't have any kind of Facebook/Instagram or twitter......this is the only social media I have......and I like food pictures, so will continue to post them......



Keep posting them...this is the only social media I have also. So I really enjoy how you and Tom work together to share your restaurant experience. You in describing them and Toms pictures.

Granddaughter and I still talk about the great meal we had at Ocean Prime this past April. It was because of your info and pictures that we went. It was yummy. Thanks again for sharing.


----------



## schumigirl

Robo56 said:


> I will join the weird party. I love to see pictures of food....the old saying we eat with our eyes first is absolutely correct.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Keep posting them...this is the only social media I have also. So I really enjoy how you and Tom work together to share your restaurant experience. You in describing them and Toms pictures.
> 
> Granddaughter and I still talk about the great meal we had at Ocean Prime this past April. It was because of your info and pictures that we went. It was yummy. Thanks again for sharing.



Lol......yes, us weird folks are much better company.......I’m happy to be weird! 

I’m glad you enjoy them Robo......and yes, will continue to post them......and I’m so happy you enjoyed Ocean Prime with your GD......it is an amazing restaurant.......we can’t wait to go back in September!


----------



## iona

I missed this starting but have just caught up. It sounds like you’ve got some great plans!

It’s going to be our second HHN this year (previous one was 2016) and I’ve got a lot of things to watch before we go. I need to see the end of ST and then watch Ghostbusters (I know, I know! If it helps I’ve not seen most classic films...), Killer Klowns and Us. I’m also bound not to have seen whatever the last IP announced is as well  Oh and I need to watch the newer Star Wars films ahead of the other part of our trip - looks like I’ll be spending a lot of time on the sofa!


----------



## schumigirl

iona said:


> I missed this starting but have just caught up. It sounds like you’ve got some great plans!
> 
> It’s going to be our second HHN this year (previous one was 2016) and I’ve got a lot of things to watch before we go. I need to see the end of ST and then watch Ghostbusters (I know, I know! If it helps I’ve not seen most classic films...), Killer Klowns and Us. I’m also bound not to have seen whatever the last IP announced is as well  Oh and I need to watch the newer Star Wars films ahead of the other part of our trip - looks like I’ll be spending a lot of time on the sofa!



 iona...…..glad you popped in!!! Lovely to see you here...

You haven't seen Ghostbusters   

Oh you have to watch it...….it is fabulous!!! Don`t bother with the remake with the female cast......dreadful movie......but the original two are classics!!!!

I haven't seen Killer Klowns movie either, but the scare zone last year grew on us, so, looking forward to that house too, no plans to watch the movie though.

Hey....nothing wrong with spending time on the sofa......sounds like a perfect weekend to us!!! That`s our plan this weekend......Potter movie marathon time for us...….oh I`m so glad I don't need to watch SW....not a fan at all....Tom likes them though, although the originals, not the recent ones apparently.

But, hope you enjoy this one too iona…...and you have your trip too....they`re coming up so quickly...….


----------



## schumigirl

*RED LOBSTER*
​
*So, on with the so called weird food pics...….  *

*One of the places we always enjoy....is the cheap, cheerful and much maligned and looked down by some, Red Lobster.

Yes, it`s not top class seafood and it`s not the classiest of places, but we have always had wonderful food and since we started going to the one down by the convention centre, we`ve had exemplary service...….that one always seems to be busy and there`s sometimes a wait, which we don't mind. We wouldn't go back to the one to the side of the new Universal hotel...….*

*One of my favourite items on their menu is the Lobsterita…...this is just a Gold Tequila Margarita. I always have strawberry and it is delicious!!! Not too strong and very fruity.....and makes a good picture! *










*The other very nice cocktail is the Alotta Colada...…..like the Lobsterita, it is an over sized frozen drink and you get their gorgeous Pina Colada with a side of Captain Morgans Spiced Rum on the side...I`m not overly fond of that, but mixed through with this drink, it`s quite nice...…*











*Anyone who has ever gone of course, will know those delightful cheese biscuits...….I still as someone who is British, finds it strange they are called biscuits.....we would call that a scone.....biscuits to us are usually hard and not served warm. But, being pedantic there.....they are very hard to ignore if you are trying not to fill up too much before dinner..... and something we never, ever take a second serving of. They are just so easy to eat! *











*If we do get appetisers, which isn't often as portions here are decent sized, I go for the shrimp cocktail, but did get half shrimp and half lobster one visit...….it was really very nice...…*








​

*Tom loves chowder...…..any kind will work for him......and he was a little unsure of getting it from Red Lobster, but although it was very pale and when it arrived he looked a little dubious about eating it, he said it was surprisingly lovely......I got a small taste......very small, so I knew it was good...….*











*We have enjoyed a variety of seafood dishes from here and stuffed flounder was something I had tried in Long Island and loved it......I have to say this one didn't quite live up the huge one I had there, but it was tasty and I really enjoyed it. *











*One of the nicest dishes they brought out last year, was the Tilapia with jumbo shrimp. It was a rather piece of fish and topped with a piquant chilli lime butter and also included caramelised pineapple with jalapenos.....it came with rice which might have been ideal as there was a lot of sauce, but I`m not fond of rice so opted for fries. Funnily enough I ordered this dish in Manhattan while we were there in June and I also asked for fries......I was somewhat surprised when they served the fries underneath the fish instead of as a side dish.....it was a little messy and not very pretty, but still edible. However, in Orlando the fries were a side dish.....and this dish is beautiful. *










*Tom usually has some kind of a feast with a selection of items, but this day he wanted to try one of the newer offerings of Dragon Shrimp.....it was in a soy ginger sauce......and supposed to be spicy...….now, I know we love our food very spicy.....but even someone who can`t take any spice would be able to eat this dish. They weren't bland......but not far off it...….*










*This is more the dish Tom likes....lobster, scallops, shrimp and more shrimp...….I should say, all I can see in these pictures are what looks like a forest of broccoli on our plates...….we never really eat it...…we all like it, but Kyle is the broccoli fiend in our house.....loves it......I can`t eat it now anyway.....but it is a side dish they seem to just throw on if you decline a second side anyway! *










*Crab legs are decent here too...….we`ve both enjoyed them many times and always find they give a good portion with plenty of crab in the legs...….our second try (under duress) of Bubba Gump involved crab legs and I did eventually laugh at the discovery that there were absolutely no crab in the legs whatsoever...….I tell a lie.....one of the legs had the scrawniest piece of crab you ever did see!!! *

*Bubba Gumps is somewhere we won`t eat in. They do good cocktails though...…..*










*Next two dishes are some of the offerings with Endless Shrimp....*

*I have to admit we did ask for a second serving of the regular shrimp and one of the soy ginger..….but we really let the side down as we really couldn't eat much after the first lot were brought out...….but we did enjoy what we did eat. We aren't fans of giant portions of food anyway, although we do like it to be a decent size....just not plate bursting! Never really saw the appeal of places like that apart from wondering who on earth ever ate that amount of food!!! *



















*The shrimp were very good though...…… Our waiter, who has worked there for years said we had eaten the least amount of shrimp he`d ever seen  ......usually folks have four or five servings......wow......we barely managed two! And no appetiser this visit! *

*Kyle likes very simple seafood, but when he is here, he loves the maple glazed chicken.....so non seafood eating folks do have plenty of choice here.....and he loves this dish. *










*As always Kyle will go for a dessert over an appetiser any day. And they do have a dessert called the Chocolate Wave......yep, he loves it...….I am encouraged to enjoy the ice cream again......which is fine by me as I do like a little ice cream now and again. *









*We haven't gone here at all these past few visits, but this next trip Tom again, has specifically asked if we can go. It`s one of these little tradition places that we seem to just keep going back to. And as the food is always good, service is nice, well, we`ll keep going back. Especially for my lobsterita………*


----------



## pas130

iona said:


> I missed this starting but have just caught up. It sounds like you’ve got some great plans!
> 
> It’s going to be our second HHN this year (previous one was 2016) and I’ve got a lot of things to watch before we go. I need to see the end of ST and then watch Ghostbusters (I know, I know! If it helps I’ve not seen most classic films...), Killer Klowns and Us. I’m also bound not to have seen whatever the last IP announced is as well  Oh and I need to watch the newer Star Wars films ahead of the other part of our trip - looks like I’ll be spending a lot of time on the sofa!


You definitely HAVE to see Ghostbusters, sooo many good actors and it’s more comedy than horror. One of my all time favorites! 

We saw Killer Klowns a few weekends ago, thank you Amazon Prime  it was a typical B movie but now I’ll “get” the house and it’s settings. Definitely not a must see


----------



## iona

schumigirl said:


> but the original two are classics!!!!



We got them as a BluRay twin pack so maybe I’ll need Tovar’s watch both.



schumigirl said:


> I haven't seen Killer Klowns movie either, but the scare zone last year grew on us, so, looking forward to that house too, no plans to watch the movie though.





pas130 said:


> We saw Killer Klowns a few weekends ago, thank you Amazon Prime  it was a typical B movie but now I’ll “get” the house and it’s settings. Definitely not a must see



DH reckons he may have bought it years and years ago and never watched it so I’ll have to see if it’s amongst our DVDs. If not, hopefully we’ll be able to find it on Amazon Prime (in the UK) or Netflix.



schumigirl said:


> The other very nice cocktail is the Alotta Colada...…..like the Lobsterita, it is an over sized frozen drink and you get their gorgeous Pina Colada with a side of Captain Morgans Spiced Rum on the side...I`m not overly fond of that, but mixed through with this drink, it`s quite nice...



That looks and sounds amazing!


----------



## schumigirl

iona said:


> We got them as a BluRay twin pack so maybe I’ll need Tovar’s watch both.
> 
> DH reckons he may have bought it years and years ago and never watched it so I’ll have to see if it’s amongst our DVDs. If not, hopefully we’ll be able to find it on Amazon Prime (in the UK) or Netflix.
> 
> That looks and sounds amazing!



Oh yes, watch both.....the second one is still as good as the first which sometimes doesn't work with follow ups.....very funny!!!

I saw Killer Klowns on Amazon Prime.....I think you had to pay for it, but it was only maybe £2.50?  Not sure about Netflix, haven't looked at that for ages.

 The drinks are gorgeous there.....not overly strong so you don't feel squiffy…...but strong enough you can taste the alcohol...…..


----------



## angryduck71

Finally caught up!  I think Kyle and I have very similar taste buds.    <3


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> Finally caught up!  I think Kyle and I have very similar taste buds.    <3



 Back Alice.......

Happy to see you here now you’re back........

Yes, I think you probably do have similar tastes......he can eat a little spicy but not too hot....although he loves peppery things a lot!!!  Our pepper grinder is always being refilled! 

Hope you enjoy this trip report too .........


----------



## disneyAndi14

I love food pictures, I’m weird too!  

I really enjoy all your dining reviews, you have tried many places over the years and I would love to try some of these, especially the ones around the beach towns! Some day I will be living down there so I will be able to try these and thanks to you, I will feel like I have been!!


----------



## Owlpost23

Hurray,another trip report! Loving it all so far-thanks for keeping us in the loop,Carole!


----------



## schumigirl

_*CHEESECAKE FACTORY*_​


*We first went here in 2007 as we discovered the Mall at Millenia......and someone suggested to us we try The Cheesecake Factory.....and we always enjoyed our visits there. *

*Kyle especially discovered the cake that would define all his desserts from then on in. 

The menu is huge.....I mean huge. If you`ve never gone there before I would honestly suggest reading online first to give yourself an idea of what you may want....reading it for the first time in the place is daunting.....yes, it`s that big!! *

*But, something for everyone...….and they serve the best strawberry lemonade we have ever tasted! *











*The place gets unbelievably busy.....as soon as they open there are always people piling in and it never seems to quieten down any. Of course maybe mid afternoon would be an ideal time for an early dinner or late lunch. *
*
Some of the appetisers are on the large side and you can certainly make a meal out of them. 
*
*These Nashville Hot Chicken pieces were as spicy as they promised and again, very filling for a lunch..... *










*One of the biggest, and nicest appetisers I`ve ever had was the lettuce cups. The chicken satay on it`s own was delicious, but add in the coconut curry noodles and also three sauces which were all delicious....peanut, tamarind cashew and a sweet red chilli….all were surprisingly nice. It really was filling enough for a main meal. *










*Tom on this occasion had been instructed to have a Linda`s Chocolate Fudge Cake for Kyle...….he loved it!! Who doesn't love dessert for lunch now and again. *









*Sandwiches are huge and very shareable...….*









*With Kyle being at University and then working, he had missed a few years of visiting with us......and when he came back with us in December 2017 the first thing he wanted was his favourite dessert...…..

So, he ordered two. *
*
If you read the trip report for that visit, you`ll know he didn't manage to finish both......much to the disappointment of our waitress who really wanted to see someone eat two...…..but they are huge and very dense.....I have no idea how he eats one!!!! 
*
*He got the second one to take away in a box...…..and enjoyed it later that night. *










*This was the lunch version of the Chinese chicken salad......it is huge, even after the noodles have been removed...….very tasty salad and it had a Chinese plum dressing that was so tasty. I would dread to see the dinner version! *



















*Philly Cheesesteak, lunch sized pizza and chicken tempura are another couple of items we`ve enjoyed...….I don't think we`ve ever had a bad meal in here in 12 years of visiting. *


















*I didn't think I had ever had a burger in the CF but then Tom reminded me I had the Kobe burger......totally forgot about it. It was lovely and cooked as requested. And we both love the fries they serve here too. *










*One of the main items enjoyed here of course is cheesecake...….*

*They have so many varieties to choose from and each one looks and sounds nicer than the last..….we haven't tried many over the years as we tend to share one and we both love the Dulce de Leche…...so we usually order that one...…..it is very sweet so I couldn't finish one but Tom can. *



























*We do occasionally get one to take out and this mango one was beautiful......*









*So, this is one place we plan to go for lunch one day......if we are allowed back into the Mall of course...…......story in previous trip report if you haven't read it...…..*

*There is another CF in Winter Park but we`ve never gone to that one but have heard it`s just as good. But, if you`re in the Mall at Millenia this is a lovely place to have lunch. *


----------



## schumigirl

disneyAndi14 said:


> I love food pictures, I’m weird too!
> 
> I really enjoy all your dining reviews, you have tried many places over the years and I would love to try some of these, especially the ones around the beach towns! Some day I will be living down there so I will be able to try these and thanks to you, I will feel like I have been!!



lol.....guess there`s a lot of us weird folks around...….  

Thanks Caroline....I`m glad you enjoy reading the reviews......how lovely one day you can plan to live down there......it`ll be certainly different in winter for you!!!! Any beach town we have visited so far has enthralled us, and I`m sure there are many more we haven't even touched on yet....you`ll be spoiled for choice when you do move down here 

And only a few more days till you`re off on your August trip!!!! And I`m sure you`re all organised too...…..


----------



## schumigirl

Owlpost23 said:


> Hurray,another trip report! Loving it all so far-thanks for keeping us in the loop,Carole!




 back to you Owlpost…….glad you dropped by to say hello......

Thanks.....glad you`re enjoying......and hope you enjoy this one and will look forward to chatting to you along the way.......


----------



## I-4Bound

I've only eaten at CF once, but I really liked it! I have a huge sweet tooth, so it's like heaven for me


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> I've only eaten at CF once, but I really liked it! I have a huge sweet tooth, so it's like heaven for me



Oh my goodness, yes, for someone with a sweet tooth....this place is absolute bliss!!! 

I love their sandwiches!


----------



## J'aime Paris

I love, love, love the food at the Cheesecake Factory!!
But I do not enjoy cheesecake....weird, huh?  LOL!


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> I love, love, love the food at the Cheesecake Factory!!
> But I do not enjoy cheesecake....weird, huh?  LOL!



Really???

I’d have said you’d be a fan of cheesecake.......but, nah, not weird at all.....

But, yes food there is so good!! It’s just so busy and very noisy!


----------



## J'aime Paris

I do like most foods and generally not picky, so cheesecake is a bit of an anomaly....

I enjoy cream cheese, but only when used savory.  Such as chive spread for a bagel, or a dip with garlic, onions, etc.
Poor DH, his favorite dessert is cherry cheesecake.  I don't make that....yuck! 
But he's got a wonderful mom who will whip him one up anytime!!


----------



## Owlpost23

schumigirl said:


> back to you Owlpost…….glad you dropped by to say hello......
> 
> Thanks.....glad you`re enjoying......and hope you enjoy this one and will look forward to chatting to you along the way.......


Always! I don't miss these trip reports!!!


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> I do like most foods and generally not picky, so cheesecake is a bit of an anomaly....
> 
> I enjoy cream cheese, but only when used savory.  Such as chive spread for a bagel, or a dip with garlic, onions, etc.
> Poor DH, his favorite dessert is cherry cheesecake.  I don't make that....yuck!
> But he's got a wonderful mom who will whip him one up anytime!!



Oh cherry cheesecake is one of my favourites! Although first year we went to CF I ordered cherry cheesecake.....and was disappointed it was just plain cheesecake with a cherry sauce on top.......although once I started eating it the disappointment soon faded! Delicious.....

I love cream cheese as a savoury dish too........dips with all sorts of ingredients are fabulous......I make a nice one with dried cranberries, chives and jalapeños.......can’t resist that one and usually eat far too much of it!! When we have people over I tend to conveniently sit that one nearest to wherever I am.......   It has been noticed it can move around with me......lol.......


----------



## schumigirl

Owlpost23 said:


> Always! I don't miss these trip reports!!!


 
Thank you.....I’m so glad to read that


----------



## Owlpost23

schumigirl said:


> Thank you.....I’m so glad to read that


That sounded wrong! I don't WANT to miss them.Bad verbiage! Wait....


----------



## schumigirl

Owlpost23 said:


> That sounded wrong! I don't WANT to miss them.Bad verbiage! Wait....



Lol.......I just read it the other way........

I do know what you mean...........


----------



## JaxDad

Hey @schumigirl! I'm jumping into your report when I can. It's been a busy couple weeks at work and at home getting ready for back-to-school.  Thanks for the shout out on your St. Augustine post. I hope we can meet up during this upcoming trip!


----------



## schumigirl

JaxDad said:


> Hey @schumigirl! I'm jumping into your report when I can. It's been a busy couple weeks at work and at home getting ready for back-to-school.  Thanks for the shout out on your St. Augustine post. I hope we can meet up during this upcoming trip!



  Along to another ramble JaxDad.......I’m glad you made it!

Hope work slows down a little for you, yes it is a busy time getting kids back to school.

It looks like we plan to visit St Augustine the first Saturday of our trip which is the 7th I believe.........will confirm with you nearer the time for certain......but glad to have you along again.......


----------



## cam757

I do enjoy your detail restaurant reviews.  Five days to go until we fly out.  I have said every time we go that we are going to hit Teak and we never do, but I am going to seriously make the effort this trip.  Also, would like to make it back to The Cheesecake Factory but I will be sure not to take pics of the mall


----------



## pas130

We have a Cheesecake Factory by us and we love the cheesecake, but I’ll admit it’s been years since we sat in and ate there. I didn’t enjoy the food (years ago) but your review is amazing so I might have to give them a second chance instead of just doing take out desserts


----------



## schumigirl

cam757 said:


> I do enjoy your detail restaurant reviews.  Five days to go until we fly out.  I have said every time we go that we are going to hit Teak and we never do, but I am going to seriously make the effort this trip.  Also, would like to make it back to The Cheesecake Factory but I will be sure not to take pics of the mall



Wow!!! 5 days......you must be so excited...…..I`m sure you`ll have a wonderful trip!!!! Can`t wait to hear all about it......

Teak is probably my favourite out of the two of them......but CF is lovely too......oh yes, don't get into trouble like us...….


----------



## schumigirl

pas130 said:


> We have a Cheesecake Factory by us and we love the cheesecake, but I’ll admit it’s been years since we sat in and ate there. I didn’t enjoy the food (years ago) but your review is amazing so I might have to give them a second chance instead of just doing take out desserts



We do like the food in there. It`s not the best place around, but it`s always been good for us...….I`d definitely give it a try......and there`s always desserts if you don't like it.…..can`t go wrong there......


----------



## bobbie68

Hi, I finally had time to catch up on your pre-trip report. How awesome a month stay sounds wonderful. I am thankful for your great reports on restaurants it really had helped this last trip.

The train to the airport sounds great, that is nice that you will have the time to do that. 

I wish I could get over my fear of the scary stuff. Liv and I don't like it and I miss out on so much stuff that looks great. I have appreciated Cedar Point with their no boo necklaces so we could enjoy the parks and not be scared. I am hoping one day I can do it. 

Looking forward to reading along on your great adventure.


----------



## schumigirl

bobbie68 said:


> Hi, I finally had time to catch up on your pre-trip report. How awesome a month stay sounds wonderful. I am thankful for your great reports on restaurants it really had helped this last trip.
> 
> The train to the airport sounds great, that is nice that you will have the time to do that.
> 
> I wish I could get over my fear of the scary stuff. Liv and I don't like it and I miss out on so much stuff that looks great. I have appreciated Cedar Point with their no boo necklaces so we could enjoy the parks and not be scared. I am hoping one day I can do it.
> 
> Looking forward to reading along on your great adventure.




 along bobbie…...

Glad to see you here......yes, we`re looking forward to a whole month in Orlando......but won`t want to leave that's for sure!

I`m glad you enjoyed some nice food options......we do like to try a couple of new places each trip if we can, but we have so many favourites it`s hard to cut them out. And yes, the train is a lovely way to get up to the airport.....

HHN is our favourite time of year.....we love it and always enjoy our nights there, but it`s not for everyone......anyway, hope you enjoy this one too...….


----------



## kbelle8995

I went to the Cheesecake Factory in Jacksonville in June.  We ordered cheesecake and fried chicken sliders.  The fried Chicken slider were appetizers but they were huge and delicious.  Cheesecake was good too.


----------



## schumigirl

​

*Yes with 3 weeks to go we are really starting to amp up the excitement of it getting so close. 

Although we were only there in May, it seems like ages since we were in Orlando....how we ever coped with visiting once a year...….   I have no clue...…..it certainly isn't any less special going more often.*
*
Food and restaurants are certainly a part of our trips that we enjoy as most of the places in Florida, we don't have anything like in the UK. So, we do like to take advantage.....as most of you already know of course.....lol...….
*
*Here are just a rundown of a few of our regular haunts...*



*ORLANDO ALE HOUSE*​

*This place is hard to beat, and we have lost count of the amount of times we have eaten here...both for lunch and dinner. *

*It does get busy during the day, especially on the weekends, and the evenings are lively to say the least. We really like the atmosphere in here and although there are some families go here, it`s mainly adults, which is nice at times. But, it is family friendly......

Sitting on Kirkman close to the Doubletree Suites it`s so handy for us to either drive or get an ODC from outside the hotels.....*

*They have a lovely menu, with a huge choice of food for everyone you could think of......every meal we`ve had from here has been excellent. Prices are incredibly low for the standard and service you receive...….*











*Again, being rather dull we always seem to get the same appetiser…...the Potstickers are delicious...….they have pork inside and are much better fried than steamed......we tried the steamed once, and it was like eating sponge! It comes with a sweet chilli sauce and there are enough you can share. *



















*Tom always loves when I say let`s go to the Ale House.....and the many options he has are always fabulous, but he does love the ribs.....incredibly tender and the sauce is delicious......*










*I am a little fussy when it comes to steak, but this cheap and cheerful Filet has always been lovely......for $20 I have always had a steak that's been perfectly cooked and tasty enough....asking for medium rare here has always meant exactly that. Don`t ask for much really...*



















*Their pitchers are fabulous and we do enjoy the sangria...….the last pitcher was a little too sweet for us, but usually it`s just perfect......won`t stop us ordering another one. They do a good line in drinks and have some pretty decent wines on their menu which did surprise me.....the one beside Tom a few images up is one we order in the Palm.....and the price difference is amazing of course......lol......*

*Every night they have a special and one of those is a Prime Rib. This does run out on occasion and I think the night Tom had it, about 10 minutes later they told the couple beside us it was finished. It was tasty and again, well cooked. *




















*Tom enjoys the chicken and shrimp cobb salad although he now asks for it with no blue cheese as he doesn't like it...…neither do I......but the salad itself is incredibly filling and very tasty too. *

*The big red is a buster of a sandwich...…...fried chicken breast in a spicy sauce topped with cheese..….I did get a side of the honey lime siracha as it still wasn't spicy enough for me...….but it is delicious. 

They have a fabulous zinger salad and a variety of sauces to go with the zingers.....from very mild to very, very hot...….I like the two before the hottest one.....they`re quite spicy enough for me. *










*And again with the filet, with a side of boom boom shrimp...…..*










*It really is a fabulous place to visit anytime of the day......you wouldn't be disappointed!!!! And one we plan to visit a couple of times this upcoming trip. *






*NYPD PIZZA*​


*There are two of these close to Universal. One in the Metro West area and the other on Universal Blvd...….

Universal Blvd is a much better choice. It has more life about it and an overall better atmosphere than the Metro West one. It is situated in a strip mall on the same area as a large and very nice Publix, you cant really miss it from the road if you were looking for it. *

*It is a busy little place, and is filled with emergency service workers.....and some hospital folks too. Always good to see them as it`s usually a sign of very good food. *










*It does regular and make your own pizza and they are beautiful......thin and crispy base that doesn't just crunch...…which is how we like it.....*

*We`ve only had one appetiser, which was the boneless wings, but they were decent....and nice and spicy!!!! *










*My go to pizza is a bbq base, with chicken, pineapple and jalapenos......can`t get  a better choice for me...I have this one at home too where available....although I sometimes end up making my own….Tom is quite traditional and likes the regular tomato base and it`s usually a meat feast for him.....*



























*They do some fabulous salads and sandwiches too. Tom has enjoyed the mozzarella roll and the chicken parmesan sub below......and I have to say the fries are quite nice too!!!! *













*BETH`S BURGERS*​

*In the same area is the very wonderful Beth`s Burger Bar...….*










*Proof once again that one girl can beat Five Guys is her tagline...….I have to admit that patty style burgers aren't my burger of choice...probably one of the reasons I didn't like Steak and Shake.....but these are very nice and they have load of topping choices to opt from......you really are spoilt for choice in here...….*​










*Everything is cooked to order, you order at the counter and they bring it over to you......it`s always full of locals and very popular. And somewhere we have never gone on an evening, but I think it`ll be very busy. *










*The buns are those sweet ones we love......O`Charleys used to have them too and it`s one of the few places I actually eat the bun. Sorry you can`t really see the patties here, too much lettuce. But, very tasty......*










*We can thoroughly recommend this place for a cheap and very tasty lunch or dinner.....their menu is nice and they do have a full bar too. *





*HOT N JUICY CRAWFISH*​


*This was a real find for us last few years...….we had seen it and never thought to try it. But, we are so glad we did. *





























*If you don't like ripping the heads and tails off of shrimp and any other seafood, this place isn't for you....but we love it. *

*Food comes steamed in a bag.....yep, a clear plastic bag......no plates in here.....

You choose your seafood and then the flavour and spice level you`d like......Tom has medium and I always get hot......they are perfect for both of us.....*

*This one is 1lb of shrimp and Tom had the snow crab on this visit.....he has tried the crawfish but now sticks to the shrimp too. It`s hard to beat....they are plump and tasty beyond belief. *










*Everything you don't eat gets chucked in the bucket on the table......they also have a large roll of paper to wipe your hands and also plastic gloves if you want them...….you really do look good with your plastic bib and ripping a shrimp to pieces...…..glad we don't take pictures of that!!!! *











*We did order a side of the Cajun fries which were spicier than we thought.....but very fresh and as fries should be. *


----------



## schumigirl

kbelle8995 said:


> I went to the Cheesecake Factory in Jacksonville in June.  We ordered cheesecake and fried chicken sliders.  The fried Chicken slider were appetizers but they were huge and delicious.  Cheesecake was good too.



Oh I`ve seen the sliders......I think Kyle may have got them many years ago....yes, huge......

I`d love to be able to eat a full slice of cheesecake from there. It is so delicious....


----------



## Pumpkin1172

this is me reading your trip report and seeing all your foodie pictures!!!!!  I'm sooo hungry right now as I was running errands over my lunch and didn't have time to pick something up.  My snack stash is empty except for one lonely granola bar that I will be scarfing down right away!!!!


----------



## iona

schumigirl said:


> Yes with 3 weeks to go we are really starting to amp up the excitement of it getting so close.



Nearly time to go!


----------



## keishashadow

disneyAndi14 said:


> I love food pictures, I’m weird too!
> 
> I really enjoy all your dining reviews, you have tried many places over the years and I would love to try some of these, especially the ones around the beach towns! Some day I will be living down there so I will be able to try these and thanks to you, I will feel like I have been!!



Ummm starting to think those who throw shade on food pics are the real weirdos

The written word is helpful in a review but a picture trumps all

Carole & Tom surely aren’t fixed in any theme park bubble.  Going to surmise she has encouraged more than a few others, via these TRs, to also spread their wings.  A very good thing indeed!


----------



## pas130

Yay for 3 weeks until you two head over!!


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

38 days to go for us!!!!!!!!!

We have a relaxing stay planned for UO and that’s just the first part of our trip, we our spending a fair amount of time at Disney as well!!!!!

We are making the drive down on this trip, we have some other adventures planned also, we will have 3 weeks off and much needed time off as busy as we have been.....

I’m still here as always absorbing your excitement as well and reading and seeing another of your wonderful reports!!!

!!!


Oh! Uhhh is it weird looking at your food pics or weird that I get hungry looking at them..!?!!?!


----------



## schumigirl

Pumpkin1172 said:


> View attachment 425487
> 
> this is me reading your trip report and seeing all your foodie pictures!!!!!  I'm sooo hungry right now as I was running errands over my lunch and didn't have time to pick something up.  My snack stash is empty except for one lonely granola bar that I will be scarfing down right away!!!!



lol......a granola bar is not and should never be considered a snack!!!!! Although in an emergency…...well.....anything works...….


----------



## schumigirl

iona said:


> Nearly time to go!



Yep.....excitement is getting higher in the schumi household...….it always seems a long wait....then it`s here......

And you too, it`s not that far away either!!!!


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> Ummm starting to think those who throw shade on food pics are the real weirdos
> 
> The written word is helpful in a review but a picture trumps all
> 
> Carole & Tom surely aren’t fixed in any theme park bubble.  Going to surmise she has encouraged more than a few others, via these TRs, to also spread their wings.  A very good thing indeed!



Yes, I agree......who doesn't like a food pic.....  

Thank you....yes, we love going all over and not staying within one area for food......we`ve had so many lovely meals outside the bubble for sure.....


----------



## schumigirl

pas130 said:


> Yay for 3 weeks until you two head over!!



We are positively ready to go right now!!!! Especially since it`s already starting to cool down here……..trees are starting to change into autumnal colours….so yes, that Florida weather is extra appealing right now!!!


----------



## schumigirl

.


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## schumigirl

​​
*Yep....someone asked me this morning if I was packed yet!!!!! 

I just looked at her.....as she knows me so well!!! *


----------



## pas130

Packcrastination. That’s me. Last minute as it gets


----------



## crabbymom

schumigirl said:


> ​*Yep....someone asked me this morning if I was packed yet!!!!!
> 
> I just looked at her.....as she knows me so well!!! *




Ha ha ha!!  I leave tomorrow and I haven't packed yet!


----------



## schumigirl

pas130 said:


> Packcrastination. That’s me. Last minute as it gets



Lol......I like that word!!! 

I just don’t see the point of packing weeks ahead of a trip!! But, I’m not alone in this.......


----------



## schumigirl

crabbymom said:


> Ha ha ha!!  I leave tomorrow and I haven't packed yet!
> 
> View attachment 425647



 crabbymom.......nice to see you on this report too......

Lol......love the meme.........And you’re off tomorrow!!

Have a wonderful trip and look forward to you posting when you get back......you are at Sapphire Falls aren’t you??


----------



## cam757

Last minute packer here too!! I do have the suitcases out, but that is only because we went to the beach a couple of weeks ago and I never put them back in the attic when we returned home.


----------



## crabbymom

schumigirl said:


> crabbymom.......nice to see you on this report too......
> 
> Lol......love the meme.........And you’re off tomorrow!!
> 
> Have a wonderful trip and look forward to you posting when you get back......you are at Sapphire Falls aren’t you??




Yes, Sapphire Falls.  I am so excited to stay there for the first time!  I am looking forward to trying all the yummy new drinks you have written about (Fool's Gold ).  Sad that we won't get to Teak this trip because thanks to you we LOVE that place, but we are bringing three newcomers so we will probably just stay around the parks and City Walk...plenty of places there too so I am not upset about that at all!

Also, we will be attending Passholder Appreciation Night as US so hopefully I will have lots to report about that as well.  I don't know that we will even try for Hagrids this trip, we will be back in February so hopefully the crazy waits will have died down by then!


----------



## schumigirl

cam757 said:


> Last minute packer here too!! I do have the suitcases out, but that is only because we went to the beach a couple of weeks ago and I never put them back in the attic when we returned home.



Lol.....oh that’s us too! 

I have to admit our cases have been in one of the spare rooms since we got back.......didn’t seem worthwhile putting them in the attic......any excuse of course........you do have a good excuse.......you have used them!! Ours will need a dust....


----------



## schumigirl

crabbymom said:


> Yes, Sapphire Falls.  I am so excited to stay there for the first time!  I am looking forward to trying all the yummy new drinks you have written about (Fool's Gold ).  Sad that we won't get to Teak this trip because thanks to you we LOVE that place, but we are bringing three newcomers so we will probably just stay around the parks and City Walk...plenty of places there too so I am not upset about that at all!
> 
> Also, we will be attending Passholder Appreciation Night as US so hopefully I will have lots to report about that as well.  I don't know that we will even try for Hagrids this trip, we will be back in February so hopefully the crazy waits will have died down by then!



Oh I thought it was Sapphire you were staying at! 

Oh I hope you enjoy Ashley’s Fools Gold......if you like that you’ll love Lenny’s creation The Lazy River.......I cannot wait to have them in September. 

Shame you’ll miss Teak, but definitely there are plenty of places to enjoy within parks and Citywalk too.....and the AP night sounds fun too, look forward to hearing all about it when you get back.......of course not wishing your trip away!!! And yes, it’s lovely your back so soon if you don’t get on Hagrids this time........maybe you’ll be lucky and just hit the right time......

Have a wonderful time........


----------



## iona

schumigirl said:


> Yep.....excitement is getting higher in the schumi household...….it always seems a long wait....then it`s here......
> 
> And you too, it`s not that far away either!!!!



We’re getting closer. I go on holiday the same day as one of my colleagues, so we’ve been counting down together much to everyone else’s annoyance.



schumigirl said:


> We are positively ready to go right now!!!! Especially since it`s already starting to cool down here……..trees are starting to change into autumnal colours….so yes, that Florida weather is extra appealing right now!!!



I don’t know what it’s been like where you are but it’s been downright nasty in the south east today - cold, wet and just generally miserable. Makes me look forward to the sunshine all the more.


----------



## schumigirl

iona said:


> We’re getting closer. I go on holiday the same day as one of my colleagues, so we’ve been counting down together much to everyone else’s annoyance.
> 
> 
> 
> I don’t know what it’s been like where you are but it’s been downright nasty in the south east today - cold, wet and just generally miserable. Makes me look forward to the sunshine all the more.



Lol.....one of my friends goes back to her villa in Italy same day we fly out.....so we are torturing everyone when we get together.......”how many sleeps now”........so annoying.......for everyone else......for us it’s a hoot!! Oh keep that countdown going.......

Yes, miserable here too. Rain and just gloomy all day.....same yesterday. And yes, it’s cold too.......we had a high of 15c (60F) today.......we even put the heating on for half an hour just to stop it feeling cool. It’s stopped raining now ironically.....as it begins to get a little darker....winter is almost here 

So, yes, we’re also ready for some genuine sunshine and heat!


----------



## I-4Bound

schumigirl said:


> Lol.....one of my friends goes back to her villa in Italy same day we fly out.....so we are torturing everyone when we get together.......”how many sleeps now”........so annoying.......for everyone else......for us it’s a hoot!! Oh keep that countdown going.......
> 
> Yes, miserable here too. Rain and just gloomy all day.....same yesterday. And yes, it’s cold too.......we had a high of 15c (60F) today.......we even put the heating on for half an hour just to stop it feeling cool. It’s stopped raining now ironically.....as it begins to get a little darker....winter is almost here
> 
> So, yes, we’re also ready for some genuine sunshine and heat!


60 degrees?? That's crazy! It's 92 degrees here today, and my AC unit broke this morning. Thankfully, we were able to get it fixed for a fairly reasonable price, but it's going to take hours for my house to get below 80 degrees. I am definitely ready for some cooler weather, especially since school is getting ready to start. It's just a pipe dream for me, because it won't really get chilly until late October or November around here


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> 60 degrees?? That's crazy! It's 92 degrees here today, and my AC unit broke this morning. Thankfully, we were able to get it fixed for a fairly reasonable price, but it's going to take hours for my house to get below 80 degrees. I am definitely ready for some cooler weather, especially since school is getting ready to start. It's just a pipe dream for me, because it won't really get chilly until late October or November around here



Isn’t it crazy!! It’s mid August.......

Oh no! Glad you got it sorted......I couldn’t imagine dealing with that heat without aircon for any length of time........we had an immense heatwave for 4 or 5 days earlier in the month and it was dreadful as aircon isn’t the norm over here in homes.......but for you guys.......wow.......and glad it wasn’t too expensive.....these things are never cheap! 

Our weather varies from week to week....we could get a heatwave in September then snow in October......not usually but wouldn’t be surprised. We have no set season anymore. 

School starts for you too soon? I used to hate when school went back as I always loved having Kyle and his friends around........kept me busy with snacks and stuff........


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## KathyM2

Happy to have found another one of your TR's, as usual late to the party as your trip is coming up soon!! 29 nights...wow! Can't imagine! You will be practically a local!



schumigirl said:


> still trying to master the selfie.........we are getting better!!!!



That's a really good selfie! You must have long arms!



schumigirl said:


> so we did.....visiting Orlando is a full time hobby!!!!



That is my kind of hobby!



schumigirl said:


> But......on the other hand......most of the houses are spectacular.....the theme and detail in them is beyond anything I`ve ever seen. Some years are obviously better than others for us, but overall the event is phenomenal and not to be missed....



This sounds amazing. I'm not much for the rides at US parks because I'm a wimp, which is why I mostly stick to Disney, but this HHN seems awesome!



schumigirl said:


> Stranger Things will be enjoyable..…...



I would definitely be into that...but not for the long lines!


----------



## schumigirl

KathyM2 said:


> Happy to have found another one of your TR's, as usual late to the party as your trip is coming up soon!! 29 nights...wow! Can't imagine! You will be practically a local!
> 
> 
> 
> That's a really good selfie! You must have long arms!
> 
> 
> 
> That is my kind of hobby!
> 
> 
> 
> This sounds amazing. I'm not much for the rides at US parks because I'm a wimp, which is why I mostly stick to Disney, but this HHN seems awesome!
> 
> 
> 
> I would definitely be into that...but not for the long lines!




 Kathy.......always welcome.....and no, you’re not too late......lol........

Yes, we do feel like locals.......our friend described us to someone as having residency there at RP like the stars do in Vegas......lol.....I wish!!

We always feel quite righteous when we can say, yes we do have a hobby and know we’re being truthful......oh I completely understand about the rides.....they’re not for everyone. People like what they like........and Disney do have some excellent rides, and so many other things to enjoy. 

Oh we wouldn’t do HHN without the EP! No way could or would we stand in line for hours at a time.....much as though I love the houses and the whole event, that amount of waiting is a nightmare thought.......kudos to those that do wait in line, but not for us.........

But, lovely to see you here, always nice to see you comment.......


----------



## I-4Bound

schumigirl said:


> Isn’t it crazy!! It’s mid August.......
> 
> Oh no! Glad you got it sorted......I couldn’t imagine dealing with that heat without aircon for any length of time........we had an immense heatwave for 4 or 5 days earlier in the month and it was dreadful as aircon isn’t the norm over here in homes.......but for you guys.......wow.......and glad it wasn’t too expensive.....these things are never cheap!
> 
> Our weather varies from week to week....we could get a heatwave in September then snow in October......not usually but wouldn’t be surprised. We have no set season anymore.
> 
> School starts for you too soon? I used to hate when school went back as I always loved having Kyle and his friends around........kept me busy with snacks and stuff........



Yes, the grocery bill has been killing me all summer! Haha. The kids go back next week. It's my son's senior year, and I'm trying not to get too sappy about it.


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> Yes, the grocery bill has been killing me all summer! Haha. The kids go back next week. It's my son's senior year, and I'm trying not to get too sappy about it.



Lol.....oh goodness yes.....they could always put away a stash of goodies and snacks.....

Oh that’s quite a thing though.......yes, you’re definitely allowed to be sappy then........


----------



## RoliePolieColie

schumigirl said:


> ​
> 
> *Yes with 3 weeks to go we are really starting to amp up the excitement of it getting so close.
> 
> Although we were only there in May, it seems like ages since we were in Orlando....how we ever coped with visiting once a year...….   I have no clue...…..it certainly isn't any less special going more often.*
> 
> *Food and restaurants are certainly a part of our trips that we enjoy as most of the places in Florida, we don't have anything like in the UK. So, we do like to take advantage.....as most of you already know of course.....lol...….*
> 
> *Here are just a rundown of a few of our regular haunts...*
> 
> 
> 
> *ORLANDO ALE HOUSE*​
> 
> *This place is hard to beat, and we have lost count of the amount of times we have eaten here...both for lunch and dinner.
> 
> It does get busy during the day, especially on the weekends, and the evenings are lively to say the least. We really like the atmosphere in here and although there are some families go here, it`s mainly adults, which is nice at times. But, it is family friendly......
> 
> Sitting on Kirkman close to the Doubletree Suites it`s so handy for us to either drive or get an ODC from outside the hotels.....
> 
> They have a lovely menu, with a huge choice of food for everyone you could think of......every meal we`ve had from here has been excellent. Prices are incredibly low for the standard and service you receive...….*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Again, being rather dull we always seem to get the same appetiser…...the Potstickers are delicious...….they have pork inside and are much better fried than steamed......we tried the steamed once, and it was like eating sponge! It comes with a sweet chilli sauce and there are enough you can share. *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Tom always loves when I say let`s go to the Ale House.....and the many options he has are always fabulous, but he does love the ribs.....incredibly tender and the sauce is delicious......*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *I am a little fussy when it comes to steak, but this cheap and cheerful Filet has always been lovely......for $20 I have always had a steak that's been perfectly cooked and tasty enough....asking for medium rare here has always meant exactly that. Don`t ask for much really...*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Their pitchers are fabulous and we do enjoy the sangria...….the last pitcher was a little too sweet for us, but usually it`s just perfect......won`t stop us ordering another one. They do a good line in drinks and have some pretty decent wines on their menu which did surprise me.....the one beside Tom a few images up is one we order in the Palm.....and the price difference is amazing of course......lol......
> 
> Every night they have a special and one of those is a Prime Rib. This does run out on occasion and I think the night Tom had it, about 10 minutes later they told the couple beside us it was finished. It was tasty and again, well cooked. *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Tom enjoys the chicken and shrimp cobb salad although he now asks for it with no blue cheese as he doesn't like it...…neither do I......but the salad itself is incredibly filling and very tasty too.
> 
> The big red is a buster of a sandwich...…...fried chicken breast in a spicy sauce topped with cheese..….I did get a side of the honey lime siracha as it still wasn't spicy enough for me...….but it is delicious.
> 
> They have a fabulous zinger salad and a variety of sauces to go with the zingers.....from very mild to very, very hot...….I like the two before the hottest one.....they`re quite spicy enough for me. *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *And again with the filet, with a side of boom boom shrimp...…..*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> *It really is a fabulous place to visit anytime of the day......you wouldn't be disappointed!!!! And one we plan to visit a couple of times this upcoming trip. *
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> *NYPD PIZZA*​
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> *There are two of these close to Universal. One in the Metro West area and the other on Universal Blvd...….
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> Universal Blvd is a much better choice. It has more life about it and an overall better atmosphere than the Metro West one. It is situated in a strip mall on the same area as a large and very nice Publix, you cant really miss it from the road if you were looking for it.
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> It is a busy little place, and is filled with emergency service workers.....and some hospital folks too. Always good to see them as it`s usually a sign of very good food. *
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> *It does regular and make your own pizza and they are beautiful......thin and crispy base that doesn't just crunch...…which is how we like it.....
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> *My go to pizza is a bbq base, with chicken, pineapple and jalapenos......can`t get  a better choice for me...I have this one at home too where available....although I sometimes end up making my own….Tom is quite traditional and likes the regular tomato base and it`s usually a meat feast for him.....*
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> *BETH`S BURGERS*​
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> *In the same area is the very wonderful Beth`s Burger Bar...….*
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> *Proof once again that one girl can beat Five Guys is her tagline...….I have to admit that patty style burgers aren't my burger of choice...probably one of the reasons I didn't like Steak and Shake.....but these are very nice and they have load of topping choices to opt from......you really are spoilt for choice in here...….*
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> *The buns are those sweet ones we love......O`Charleys used to have them too and it`s one of the few places I actually eat the bun. Sorry you can`t really see the patties here, too much lettuce. But, very tasty......*
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> *We can thoroughly recommend this place for a cheap and very tasty lunch or dinner.....their menu is nice and they do have a full bar too. *
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> *HOT N JUICY CRAWFISH*​
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> *This was a real find for us last few years...….we had seen it and never thought to try it. But, we are so glad we did. *
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> *If you don't like ripping the heads and tails off of shrimp and any other seafood, this place isn't for you....but we love it.
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> Food comes steamed in a bag.....yep, a clear plastic bag......no plates in here.....
> 
> You choose your seafood and then the flavour and spice level you`d like......Tom has medium and I always get hot......they are perfect for both of us.....
> 
> This one is 1lb of shrimp and Tom had the snow crab on this visit.....he has tried the crawfish but now sticks to the shrimp too. It`s hard to beat....they are plump and tasty beyond belief. *
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> *Everything you don't eat gets chucked in the bucket on the table......they also have a large roll of paper to wipe your hands and also plastic gloves if you want them...….you really do look good with your plastic bib and ripping a shrimp to pieces...…..glad we don't take pictures of that!!!! *
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> *We did order a side of the Cajun fries which were spicier than we thought.....but very fresh and as fries should be. *


I just wanted to say a HUGE THANK YOU for writing your trip reports!!  We spent our week long vacation last week staying at Royal Pacific and going to the Universal parks for 5 days and we had the best time!  This was the first time that we focused entirely on Universal Studios and we absolutely loved it!  The unlimited express pass that comes with the Royal Pacific stay was amazing, as we never waited more than 10 minutes for any ride.  The hotel is beautiful and the scent in the lobby smelled so good I asked the front desk if they sold it and sure enough, they do!  I have already ordered 5 room sprays lol!  We also were able to eat at the Orlando Ale House and NYPD Pizza and both were absolutely delicious!!!  I am already trying to convince my husband to come back with me early next year for another week.  Thank you again for all of the information that you put into your reports and I can't wait to hear all about your upcoming trip


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## keishashadow

schumigirl said:


> Yes, we do feel like locals.......our friend described us to someone as having residency there at RP like the stars do in Vegas......lol.....I wish!!


Hahaha good one. Reading this just jogged something out of my dusty memory I’ve been wanted to ask you.  Have you ever considered renting the storage tub/container that many frequent DVC people do?  Believe the company is still a sponsor here.  Had tossed the idea around, if only for park clothes/gear I never wear at home but never acted upon on it since we usually fly SWA & they still offer lots of free luggage options


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## KathyM2

schumigirl said:


> our friend described us to someone as having residency there at RP like the stars do in Vegas......lol.....I wish!!



Seriously, staying in a hotel for 29 consecutive days...you might as well be a rockstar!! Everyone will know you! So awesome!



schumigirl said:


> much as though I love the houses and the whole event, that amount of waiting is a nightmare thought.......kudos to those that do wait in line, but not for us.........



No way without the EP for me either. So are all the houses just like haunted houses that you walk through? I didn't even know they did this...I think the way you visit with your AP and the EP makes it worthwhile...it sounds like it would be expensive and you would not get much done with just the regular tickets.


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## schumigirl

RoliePolieColie said:


> I just wanted to say a HUGE THANK YOU for writing your trip reports!!  We spent our week long vacation last week staying at Royal Pacific and going to the Universal parks for 5 days and we had the best time!  This was the first time that we focused entirely on Universal Studios and we absolutely loved it!  The unlimited express pass that comes with the Royal Pacific stay was amazing, as we never waited more than 10 minutes for any ride.  The hotel is beautiful and the scent in the lobby smelled so good I asked the front desk if they sold it and sure enough, they do!  I have already ordered 5 room sprays lol!  We also were able to eat at the Orlando Ale House and NYPD Pizza and both were absolutely delicious!!!  I am already trying to convince my husband to come back with me early next year for another week.  Thank you again for all of the information that you put into your reports and I can't wait to hear all about your upcoming trip



You are so welcome!!! 

Oh I am over the moon you had such a fabulous stay at RP!!!  It really is an amazing hotel and yes, the scent is gorgeous!! Sapphires is lovely too...but RP is my favourite of the two......and yes, EP is worth it’s weight in gold......we wouldn’t be without it. 

And I’m glad you enjoyed the Ale House and NYPD......both firm favourites of ours........

And good luck......I’m sure your husband won’t take much persuading......another trip sounds like a good plan! 

And thank you for your lovely comments......I really appreciate that and hope you do enjoy the report.........


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## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> Hahaha good one. Reading this just jogged something out of my dusty memory I’ve been wanted to ask you.  Have you ever considered renting the storage tub/container that many frequent DVC people do?  Believe the company is still a sponsor here.  Had tossed the idea around, if only for park clothes/gear I never wear at home but never acted upon on it since we usually fly SWA & they still offer lots of free luggage options



Lol....yes, we did laugh when he said it.....

We did think of it at one point.....but because we have such a good luggage allowance like you do, 80lbs each with one carrier and even more with Virgin, we never really thought it was worth it. 

They are a good idea though......


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## schumigirl

KathyM2 said:


> Seriously, staying in a hotel for 29 consecutive days...you might as well be a rockstar!! Everyone will know you! So awesome!
> 
> 
> 
> No way without the EP for me either. So are all the houses just like haunted houses that you walk through? I didn't even know they did this...I think the way you visit with your AP and the EP makes it worthwhile...it sounds like it would be expensive and you would not get much done with just the regular tickets.



Lol.....everyone already knows us well!! Some we have known for years and they have become good friends, one in particular. Any new staff soon know us.....it’s nice though! 

Yes, the houses are themed to a particular film and are fabulous.......quite scary but in a fun way. 

It is an expensive event however you do it. We buy the Rush of Fear with Express Pass which runs $670 for both of us. But, we can do 17 nights this year.....not that we will!! We’d be exhausted. 

Some folks do the event with no EP. Depending on the night depends how much folks do. Some lines can run 3 hours.....some houses early in the evening and not the most popular can be 20 minutes. It varies so much. But, would much rather have EP than not.......it is an amazing event though........never thought you’d like to try it?


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## KathyM2

schumigirl said:


> Some folks do the event with no EP. Depending on the night depends how much folks do. Some lines can run 3 hours.....some houses early in the evening and not the most popular can be 20 minutes. It varies so much. But, would much rather have EP than not.......it is an amazing event though........never thought you’d like to try it?



I would love to try it! It's been years since I've been to any of the Universal parks and it's definitely time. I would want the EP though and the ability to go for multiple days. Nothing to me is worth a 3 hour wait. Even with an hour wait, I find that nothing lives up to it...if you just walk in then you are a lot happier with whatever you get to see and do!


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## schumigirl

KathyM2 said:


> I would love to try it! It's been years since I've been to any of the Universal parks and it's definitely time. I would want the EP though and the ability to go for multiple days. Nothing to me is worth a 3 hour wait. Even with an hour wait, I find that nothing lives up to it...if you just walk in then you are a lot happier with whatever you get to see and do!



Oh you are a woman after my own heart!!!

Some folks say they can do fine without the EP.......for us, nope......even if the regular line is 10 minutes we still use Express and walk on usually......I’m with you, nothing is worth an hour wait.....heck we won’t wait if anything is over the supposed 20 minute max wait with EP.

Oh yes, we need to get you back to Universal.......there will have been so many changes if it’s been years since you’ve been......definitely as many days as you can and EP.....perfect combination!


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## schumigirl

​























*3 WEEKS TILL OPENING NIGHT

 *​


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## schumigirl

*One of our more regular places we enjoy is Longhorn Steakhouse. *

*This restaurant is a staple chain all over Orlando and beyond. And it`s one of these places that some folks love or just don't like. We`ve always had fabulous meals and service in the one in LBV. Can`t say the same for our one venture into the one on International Drive. Never again to that one. But, we do always drive over to LBV and know we`ll get exactly what we want. 

This is one of Kyle`s favourite places too.....he enjoys sharing the Chocolate Stampede with his dad....I do manage to enjoy a little of the ice cream. *
*
But, we go for the steaks. 
*
*Not an expensive place, especially compared to higher end places, where steaks run $50 - $60 plus....steaks here are around the $25 mark. And they are still tasty and always cooked as desired. 

We did try Outback a couple of times, and despite being initially impressed we swiftly decided they weren't as good as Longhorn and once tried to sell me a tiny flat steak as a filet......I think they thought as I was a Brit I wouldn't know a good steak from a piece of shoe leather....*
*
I`m curious about Texas Roadhouse......a few folks have recommended it over the years and we've never managed to get there yet. Maybe one day...….
*
*The bread is always plentiful and will be replenished as often as you like, but we have never gone beyond one. Honey wheat and is very nice. *










*We don't often have an appetiser here, but I think I said before, I don't remember having this.....but it`s there....so we must have. *










*We have enjoyed a variety of steaks in here over the years......porterhouse, new York strip, ribeye and of course their famous filet...….which is my steak of choice.....although I did have the strip one night and it was one of the nicest strip steaks I have ever eaten. *










*I only once got the addition of a lobster tail, and although it was nice enough, id stick to just the steaks here. It was fairly small and maybe, in hindsight a little overcooked. But very edible. *



















*This is definitely Tom`s favourite steak!! *










*We did get the ribs one night quite recently, and have to say they were very good......fall off the bone as they should be and full of flavour…...*



















*The Chocolate Stampede is a large sharing dessert.....although we do have one friend who claims he ate it to himself......I`m not sure, the guy is incredibly slim and doesn't have a great appetite at the best of times.....but if he says he did, then I believe him. But, no way could either of my two eat one to themselves.....not after an entrée anyway. *

*As I`m not a big chocolate fan, I have one of the scoops of ice cream.....usually even scraping off the sauce as I just don't like it......we did once ask for the ice cream separate and of course they did bring it....but we usually forget to ask! *









*Like most places the have a fabulous cocktail menu and a good selection of drinks...….*
*
Service here is friendly and you can have a wait at times for a table. But, it`s not normally too long and you can call ahead. We don't usually bother but if it was a Saturday evening we might. 
*
*If you`re planning to eat here, come hungry!!!! I know this is one place we will definitely be visiting! *


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## I-4Bound

Longhorn is a great place for take out as well.  They always package things up so nicely. Like you I much prefer them over Outback. I have found myself longing for a Florida trip so badly lately! But, school is starting and another trip is likely a long way out, maybe even next summer.  I'm thinking about trying to talk my hubby into a long weekend getaway again during the school year, if we can get the teenagers squared away!


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## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> Longhorn is a great place for take out as well.  They always package things up so nicely. Like you I much prefer them over Outback. I have found myself longing for a Florida trip so badly lately! But, school is starting and another trip is likely a long way out, maybe even next summer.  I'm thinking about trying to talk my hubby into a long weekend getaway again during the school year, if we can get the teenagers squared away!



Oh Andrea, yes!!!

You need another trip..... next summer is so far away! A long weekend sounds like a fabulous idea just the two of you......sounds perfect! And the teens would be just fine...........tell him Carole says you should.....


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## Minnie17

I do enjoy Texas Roadhouse every now and again, the downside it’s loud, but the Steaks always perfect.  I know we have a longhorn, surely we’ve been but I can’t recall having an opinion about it.  Maybe we should give longhorn a try.


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## Tink2Day

We tried Longhorn the other day, it was fine but I had them leave most of the seasoning off since they said it was 'bold' and peppery.
I prefer Texas Roadhouse....they have THE. BEST. BREAD.  (if only I could eat the cinnamon butter, but alas it's plain butter since I'm allergic to cinnamon). It's much more rowdy and loud, the only part I don't care for, but their steaks are very flavorful. It's very reasonably priced as well. My other favorite is Season's 52, not sure if it's local or a chain. It's pretty pricey but the steaks are good, the whole cauliflower appetizer is yum and my Mom said the Lemonade (?) cocktail was delicious. They also have 'mini' desserts which are just perfect.


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## schumigirl

Minnie17 said:


> I do enjoy Texas Roadhouse every now and again, the downside it’s loud, but the Steaks always perfect.  I know we have a longhorn, surely we’ve been but I can’t recall having an opinion about it.  Maybe we should give longhorn a try.



Oh not sure I like the sound of loud! But a good steak might be worth it.....

Yes, give Longhorn a try.....I know some chains do vary in standard, so hopefully the one near you is a good one!!


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## schumigirl

Tink2Day said:


> We tried Longhorn the other day, it was fine but I had them leave most of the seasoning off since they said it was 'bold' and peppery.
> I prefer Texas Roadhouse....they have THE. BEST. BREAD.  (if only I could eat the cinnamon butter, but alas it's plain butter since I'm allergic to cinnamon). It's much more rowdy and loud, the only part I don't care for, but their steaks are very flavorful. It's very reasonably priced as well. My other favorite is Season's 52, not sure if it's local or a chain. It's pretty pricey but the steaks are good, the whole cauliflower appetizer is yum and my Mom said the Lemonade (?) cocktail was delicious. They also have 'mini' desserts which are just perfect.



Yes, Kyle has his without seasoning although he loves pepper!! 

I love cinnamon......never tried cinnamon butter,  I don't think I have  anyway. I will look at it and see if we can fit it in. I`ve never heard of anyone allergic to cinnamon.....hope it`s not too difficult to seek it out in dishes or products. 

I`ve seen seasons 52 , I think it looked far too healthy..... there is one on Sand Lake Road. As I can`t eat many vegetables it`s not somewhere we considered, but do hear many good things about it.

Love a good cocktail anywhere though!!!


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## Tink2Day

schumigirl said:


> Yes, Kyle has his without seasoning although he loves pepper!!
> 
> I love cinnamon......never tried cinnamon butter,  I don't think I have  anyway. I will look at it and see if we can fit it in. I`ve never heard of anyone allergic to cinnamon.....hope it`s not too difficult to seek it out in dishes or products.
> 
> I`ve seen seasons 52 , I think it looked far too healthy..... there is one on Sand Lake Road. As I can`t eat many vegetables it`s not somewhere we considered, but do hear many good things about it.
> 
> Love a good cocktail anywhere though!!!


The reason I LOVE your food pictures....so many things I cannot eat so I live vicariously. Cinnamon isn't as bad as the coconut allergy (also strawberry) coconut oil, milk, water and palm oil are in EVERYTHING!!!

It's getting so close, I keep getting email alerts about the houses for HHN, they all sound so fun and kinda spooky!!


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## schumigirl

Tink2Day said:


> The reason I LOVE your food pictures....so many things I cannot eat so I live vicariously. Cinnamon isn't as bad as the coconut allergy (also strawberry) coconut oil, milk, water and palm oil are in EVERYTHING!!!
> 
> It's getting so close, I keep getting email alerts about the houses for HHN, they all sound so fun and kinda spooky!!



Thanks......glad you like them!!!

I do remember you mentioning a coconut allergy........but I can imagine how difficult it is searching labelling to make sure it’s free from your problem foods.......I agree palm oil in the states seems to be in everything. 

I’m allergic to MSG and it’s in the strangest things in the States more so than the UK.......so I check everything now.....although I have been known to forget on occasion. Tom is good at prompting me though....The onion and garlic issue is fairly easy......but for things like your allergies, must be a lot more difficult. 

I love coconut and strawberries......I can eat coconut, but things like fruit is so limited for me......can eat a little but if I overdo it.......not fun. And I love most Fruit. 

Yes, HHN is just around the corner........we are so excited for this years event.....especially the classic monsters and Ghostbusters!


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## schumigirl

​



*So...……………….with it being two weeks till we take off again......time to start thinking about HHN...…..our main focus of this trip!!!!*

*To say we are excited about the houses and some of the scare zones this year is a complete understatement...….although some of the houses for example Ghostbusters should be more fun than scary, we`re still anticipating lots and lots of scares!!! 

We first went in 2007 and immediately loved it......Jack`s carnival of Carnage was a wonderful introduction to the wonderful world of scares and horror....in fun of course!!! That first show where Jack put folks through the chipper was hilarious......and we were hooked!!!! *

*It also had the wonderful PsychoScareapy house which was mentioned again in 2105...….one of my favourites ever. But, there are too many to choose from to pick one overall favourite. Halloween excluded of course.....*










*2008 was reflections of Fear which still has one of my favourite houses ever.....the Bloody Mary house itself...….it was fabulous!!! *










*This was the year the face of Bloody Mary was on billboards all along the I-4 and parents all complained it was giving their kids nightmares and so on and they should be removed......I don't think they ever were thankfully!!!! 


Tom is very good at capturing me at the most opportune of moments....and this one was just about perfect...…..I had no clue the "prop" I was standing in front of......was a person in disguise! All I saw was the slow moving branch like fingers appear slowly either side of me!!! Second time that night I actually ran!!! *

*Tom and Kyle thought it hilarious......*










*And of course a couple of years later they did finally make a house out of my favourite guy!!! No, not Kyle......but there was finally a Halloween house.....and to be honest the first one they did was the best of them!!!! Classic Halloween and one of the Michaels got me real good one night!!!! Well, more than once.....but one was legendary and someone even mentioned they had seen it happen in  the Club Lounge...….it was funny the lounge manager at the time could ask me about it the next day......lol...….

And then Tom one day said he had seen friends of ours wander past....as I looked to see where they had gone....Kyle had put this mask on and crept up behind me as I turned back!!!! No he didn't get to buy the mask as he wanted to!!!! Scared the bejeesus out of me......he did get the tee shirt though...….always laughs when he wears it!!! *










*Some years the scare zones are better than others.....but they all put their heart and soul into their part.....whatever it is. The sets you can pose for pictures anytime and they are happy for you to do so.....*

*Over the last 4 maybe 5 years, I feel the roaming SA are now much better at posing for pictures with guests......years back they seemed to keep moving more...….but last few years we have hundreds of images with the SA...…..*























































*Chance was hilarious...….the other night we got such a good picture with her, Tom had on his Jack tee shirt and she had a blast teasing him......it was genuinely funny and she was so rude......but again, very sharp and witty......*











*And even Tom managed to get a scare one night......something that didn't happen very often....….and I guess we both had a camera that night!!! 
*


























*This guy was known to those who saw all the pictures we have of him, as Hot Guy...….he was brilliant and I glanced at him as we walked past and he came up behind me and tapped me very gently on the shoulder and intimated we should take some pictures...…..he was classic!!!! And yes......he was hot!!!! I think we have about 10 of him with me in various stages of laughter......Tom thought it was so funny......the young ladies in the Club Lounge at that time planned to seek him out the next time they went!!!! *










*You can get startled when you least expect it...…..*










*lol.....I assumed she had turned the other way after I did...….oh no......she sensed a victim in me...….  *






























*I don't have  the after picture of this snap as I took off like a bat out of hell when I saw the spooky hand as I had no idea there was someone behind me!!!! *




























*The lanterns around all look amazing during the event when it goes dark and they are lit...…..the bar area is always busy it seems.....they do a couple of special cocktails every year...….we have the souvenir glass from every year we have gone.....and even the Reflections of Fear glass still lights up after all this time!!! *

*The cocktails aren't all that great, but you`ve got to get them!!!*


















*You haven't had a night out till you get your picture taken with Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson and Prince...….*

*This guy sounded so much like Freddie I drew back surprised......it was uncanny.....very proper and so gentle spoken, just like Freddie...…*





































*Many people ask every year.....will my little kids be traumatised going to the Studios during the day……..yeah, they`re going to do that...….some of the larger props are left.….anything gory or bloody is either removed or covered up...….*



















*So, just a few pictures of the event over the years...…..I know a lot of people say it`s not for them and I can of course understand that.....you do get scares from all around at times, we love it.....but if you don't enjoy that kind of thing, then it`s not for you.....I must admit, although I do love the scares and frights, there have been a few times I`ve been completely taken by surprise and it has shocked me! But, and this is what I always say......it`s a fun event....nothing bad is going to happen to you!!!*
*
It is so much fun and of course there used to be Bill and Ted`s show, which we loved first few years, but latterly for us, it did need a change....but I just wish they had the funny scripts of years earlier back......and of course they always made pot shots at Disney which was funny......very funny usually. 
*
*The one show most of us miss is the Rocky Horror Picture Show...…..*

















​



*This was the funniest and such a full of fun show with very adult humour…..and the best dance ever!!!! (well...one of them) A real crowd pleaser and audience participation was always fabulous!!! *

*Would love it if they brought it back...…...pretty please!!!!!! 

For now we have Academy of Villains which is a high energy and very clever show with some amazing dancers and one we will watch once for sure, then if we`re around we will watch it. If you haven't seen it don't miss it...….*

*The new light show around the lagoon will be well received I think......and as it`s like the shows and on at the same time it`s easy to plan to see it. It`ll be busy for sure, but like the regular night show, you don't need to be right at the front to get a good view and enjoy it......so we`re looking forward to that too! Will make sure to see it at least once. 

Our Rush of Fear with Express Pass ticket offers tremendous value......we could go 17 nights during our month long stay.....but no question we won`t be there every night.....

But, as the event has got so much busier every year and last years opening night was the busiest we have ever seen, for us, being able to go many nights is perfect...….we can do a few houses each night, redo favourites and enjoy the scare zones without rushing around......we have no desire to do a tour as we don't want to "have" to stay in the parks too long if we don't feel like it. nd we would NEVER do the event without EP!!! So this ticket is perfect for us. 

Roll on September 6th!!!! *


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## pas130

I can't LOVE your pictures with the scareactors enough. You're braver than I! I get freaked out, I KNOW they are actors but still..... we've got 30 days to go!! I am SO excited!


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## schumigirl

pas130 said:


> I can't LOVE your pictures with the scareactors enough. You're braver than I! I get freaked out, I KNOW they are actors but still..... we've got 30 days to go!! I am SO excited!



Awww thanks.......I’m so glad!! We have thousands of pictures over the years and we LOVE going through them all again.....even the bad ones......lol......

Yep, excitement levels are high here too........cannot wait to experience everything that is HHN!!!!


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## I-4Bound

Oh my goodness, I so remember the Bloody Mary billboards! We were on a fall trip to Disney, and that billboard scared my daughter so much! She was just a little thing at the time. Your pictures are fabulous!


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## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> Oh my goodness, I so remember the Bloody Mary billboards! We were on a fall trip to Disney, and that billboard scared my daughter so much! She was just a little thing at the time. Your pictures are fabulous!



Oh dear!! They were quite scary.........we were in Disney for a few days back then and do remember one woman apparently claiming loudly she was going to sue that “hell hole devil worshipping place” into the ground for having such evil billboards.....  she really thought she was going to shut them down for upsetting her ten, yes ten year old son!! We didn’t hear it ourselves, a fellow Universal fan who was staying at French Quarter too heard her at the front desk......what they were supposed to do I have no clue......

Thanks, I’m glad you like the pictures........it really is fun to look over them now and again........


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## luvdisdogs

All your pictures are great but the ones of HHN are awesome!  We can't go this year but next year we will be back!!  LOVE LOVE LOVE Universal and HHN!!


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## schumigirl

luvdisdogs said:


> All your pictures are great but the ones of HHN are awesome!  We can't go this year but next year we will be back!!  LOVE LOVE LOVE Universal and HHN!!



Yay for next year!!! 

I’m sure they kept the best houses for you then........  

We do love our HHN!!! And pictures are a wonderful memory of such a fun event......we didn’t take too many the first two years, but after that......we went into picture overdrive!! Love them though.......and thanks......glad you like them too!!


----------



## tink1957

You're getting me even more excited for HHN Carole....I miss RHPS too and wish they would bring it back...I remember fondly watching it with you the first time we met up at HHN...good times 

I just can't get into the new show for some reason...I liked it the first year but not last year.  Hopefully it will be better this time and we have a new lagoon show to look forward to as you mentioned so I can't wait to smell the chainsaws.


----------



## schumigirl

tink1957 said:


> You're getting me even more excited for HHN Carole....I miss RHPS too and wish they would bring it back...I remember fondly watching it with you the first time we met up at HHN...good times
> 
> I just can't get into the new show for some reason...I liked it the first year but not last year.  Hopefully it will be better this time and we have a new lagoon show to look forward to as you mentioned so I can't wait to smell the chainsaws.



I think we need a campaign to bring it back!! I sure they’d listen....lol......it was fun!!! 

Yes, the new show isn’t the same......don’t think anything will beat that as a classic HHN show! 

Yes, lol.....smelling the chainsaws is an experience on their own!


----------



## keishashadow

Minnie17 said:


> I do enjoy Texas Roadhouse every now and again, the downside it’s loud, but the Steaks always perfect.  I know we have a longhorn, surely we’ve been but I can’t recall having an opinion about it.  Maybe we should give longhorn a try.


TX roadhouse is an hour RT for us at home, Longhorn is 5 minutes.  Let’s just say, we enjoy the longer drive


schumigirl said:


> Oh not sure I like the sound of loud! But a good steak might be worth it.....
> 
> Yes, give Longhorn a try.....I know some chains do vary in standard, so hopefully the one near you is a good one!!


It truly is hit or miss in the franchises for some reason.


schumigirl said:


> do remember one woman apparently claiming loudly she was going to sue that “hell hole devil worshipping place” into the ground for having such evil billboards.....  she really thought she was going to shut them down for upsetting her ten, yes ten year old son!!


She was not alone from what I gather.  Honestly, didn’t raise any eyebrows in our camp.  To each their own I suppose.  What ever happened to putting your hand over your kids eyes when you didn’t want them to see something lol


schumigirl said:


> smelling the chainsaws is an experience on their own


My favorite fall scent


----------



## macraven

Carole seems to make friends with any scare actor she meets 

I think they like her and wishes she would join them!

She would be an awesome scareactor!!


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> TX roadhouse is an hour RT for us at home, Longhorn is 5 minutes.  Let’s just say, we enjoy the longer drive
> 
> It truly is hit or miss in the franchises for some reason.
> 
> She was not alone from what I gather.  Honestly, didn’t raise any eyebrows in our camp.  To each their own I suppose.  What ever happened to putting your hand over your kids eyes when you didn’t want them to see something lol
> 
> My favorite fall scent



lol.....they should start selling that as a spray at HHN......eau de chainsaw...…. 

It`s a shame some places aren't up to scratch.....I know the Longhorn on I Drive we will never set foot in again.....truly dreadful....but the one in LBV we have always had fabulous service and food is top notch. Been going to that one for years and never been disappointed. 

I do remember now how big the campaign now against those billboards......yes, glad Universal never gave into pressure to remove them.....we loved seeing them!!!! First time I ever heard of this notion.....couldn't quite believe folks had such an attitude like that!!!!






​ 

We of course ignored such opinions.....and never looked back......


----------



## schumigirl

macraven said:


> Carole seems to make friends with any scare actor she meets
> 
> I think they like her and wishes she would join them!
> 
> She would be an awesome scareactor!!



lol......it is funny when they do remember you! Although we are friendly  with one and didn't realise it was him till I looked really close, it was still light out........it shows in the picture I recognised him.....

Oh I`d forget to scare folks and just have fun.....but what a blast it would be for one night......


----------



## keishashadow

Lol haven’t seen that MK/U gif for ages.


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Our youngest bundle of joy turned 11 today!!!

Thought I’d drop a pic of dessert tonight from Longhorn!!!

We always do a birthday meal and that’s what his choice was today!!!

We have 3 Longhorn’s within about 20-25 minutes of us and all are usually pretty spot on for service and quality of food.

We have a Texas Roadhouse within 5 minutes of us but unfortunately it isn’t quite what it used to be.

Anyways, we had a wonderful day for him and our middle son will turn 17 on the 29th then mine is September 18th and I will remember yours Carole because you share a birthday with my Grandmother and Sister!!!

Wasn’t Tom’s Birthday near?

!!!


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> To say we are excited about the houses and some of the scare zones this year is a complete understatement...….although some of the houses for example Ghostbusters should be more fun than scary, we`re still anticipating lots and lots of scares!!!



I'm so excited!



schumigirl said:


> the Bloody Mary house itself...….it was fabulous!!!



Our first year was 25, but hearing about past years, I wish we'd gone sooner! Especially for the Bloody Mary year. 



schumigirl said:


> This was the year the face of Bloody Mary was on billboards all along the I-4 and parents all complained it was giving their kids nightmares and so on and they should be removed......I don't think they ever were thankfully!!!!



Love it


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> Lol haven’t seen that MK/U gif for ages.



lol...….I know it`s so true for some people!!!! 

First year we went we met one couple on an Illuminations Cruise who when I asked when they were going to Universal said oh we never go there.....thought it was a one of. Then others said things like they`d never set foot there......didn't understand the mentality at all. Of course at that point i didn't realise some Americans had shorter vacation time...….I just assumed everyone had at least two weeks for a visit. Sure, we don`t go to Disney, but I`d never tell anyone to not go or say it`s the pits the way some do .....Disney do put on a good show. 

But, each to their own......I do wonder how many people used to say they`d never go.....then along came Potter...…..hmmmm…….


----------



## schumigirl

.


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> I'm so excited!
> 
> 
> 
> Our first year was 25, but hearing about past years, I wish we'd gone sooner! Especially for the Bloody Mary year.
> 
> 
> 
> Love it



I know what you mean....there were some fabulous years before we ever went to Orlando...wish I`d seen some of them......and wish they`d recreate Jack`s Carnival of Carnage.......it was massively funny! Bloody Mary too...….

Two weeks tonight till opening night!!!! Excited.....yep!!!!


----------



## schumigirl

*We are merchandise fiends at HHN!!! *
*
There are several items we purchase every year......mugs usually and shot glasses. A tee shirt or two are usually purchased for Kyle...….and they last for ages! 

We still have tee shirts from 2008 that look brand new.....
*
*So, apart from these Ghostbusters lanyards which will absolutely be in our suitcases going home   I can`t wait till the rest of the merchandise is released...….I`m sure we`ll like the look of most of it this year...….*






​


----------



## schumigirl

crabbymom said:


> Yes, Sapphire Falls.  I am so excited to stay there for the first time!  I am looking forward to trying all the yummy new drinks you have written about (Fool's Gold ).  Sad that we won't get to Teak this trip because thanks to you we LOVE that place, but we are bringing three newcomers so we will probably just stay around the parks and City Walk...plenty of places there too so I am not upset about that at all!
> 
> Also, we will be attending Passholder Appreciation Night as US so hopefully I will have lots to report about that as well.  I don't know that we will even try for Hagrids this trip, we will be back in February so hopefully the crazy waits will have died down by then!



Are you home yet crabbymom……… 

I am so hoping you had the best time at Universal and Sapphire too.....


----------



## Lynne G

Our Longhorn one near me, is one steak place we will never set foot in again.  Terrible service, and not good steaks.  The Outback near us, is pretty good, and most of the time, the steaks there are very good.

We did try the new Big Fire place in City Walk.  We both ordered a filet, as it's one of our favorite steaks.  They both tasted so strongly of the wood they used to cooked them under, we thought it took away from the natural flavor of that cut of meat.  And I've had ones that were much more tender than these.  It was a decent value, given you get a vegetable and starch with it.  We thought we knew what smashed potatoes are. Or we thought we did.  To us, we get them at the bbq place we enjoy, and it's mashed potatoes with cheese and bacon mixed in it.  At the Fire, it was exactly what was described.  Small, skin on, not very full, potatoes, smashed down enough, some were split open n the sides, and some just kinda flat.  No flavor to them either.  Salt and pepper did help, but there was not a lot of meat, like you would find in a baked potato.  Was high ceilings, industrial, and even though sparcly crowded, very noisy.  And they had to move us from a table, as little one was getting drops of water on her, from the AC above.  They were nice about it, but that should not have happened, and they placed us in the worst area, even though we went at a not crowded time, around 5pm.  Next time, I will ask for upstairs too, as I am sure the view is much nicer, than the street level on the first floor.  And we will order chicken, as a woody taste on that may not taste as bad.  Not sure.  There are other places we'd rather eat a steak at.  Next time, we will try Ocean Prime.  Which we were going to do, but so little time, and we did want to see what Big Fire was offering.

Yay!  2 weeks.  A bit more for me.  And great pictures of HHN times.  Enjoy seeing them.  And yep, I did buy a shirt the last time I went, and those lanyards look awesome too.  I'll have to decide.


----------



## schumigirl

Lynne G said:


> Our Longhorn one near me, is one steak place we will never set foot in again.  Terrible service, and not good steaks.  The Outback near us, is pretty good, and most of the time, the steaks there are very good.
> 
> We did try the new Big Fire place in City Walk.  We both ordered a filet, as it's one of our favorite steaks.  They both tasted so strongly of the wood they used to cooked them under, we thought it took away from the natural flavor of that cut of meat.  And I've had ones that were much more tender than these.  It was a decent value, given you get a vegetable and starch with it.  We thought we knew what smashed potatoes are. Or we thought we did.  To us, we get them at the bbq place we enjoy, and it's mashed potatoes with cheese and bacon mixed in it.  At the Fire, it was exactly what was described.  Small, skin on, not very full, potatoes, smashed down enough, some were split open n the sides, and some just kinda flat.  No flavor to them either.  Salt and pepper did help, but there was not a lot of meat, like you would find in a baked potato.  Was high ceilings, industrial, and even though sparcly crowded, very noisy.  And they had to move us from a table, as little one was getting drops of water on her, from the AC above.  They were nice about it, but that should not have happened, and they placed us in the worst area, even though we went at a not crowded time, around 5pm.  Next time, I will ask for upstairs too, as I am sure the view is much nicer, than the street level on the first floor.  And we will order chicken, as a woody taste on that may not taste as bad.  Not sure.  There are other places we'd rather eat a steak at.  Next time, we will try Ocean Prime.  Which we were going to do, but so little time, and we did want to see what Big Fire was offering.
> 
> Yay!  2 weeks.  A bit more for me.  And great pictures of HHN times.  Enjoy seeing them.  And yep, I did buy a shirt the last time I went, and those lanyards look awesome too.  I'll have to decide.



Glad to read your review of Big Fire Lynne.

I know aircon can be an issue in some places, we had to move tables twice one year in Tchoup Chop with the same issue. Not nice to see a drip land in your appetiser.......lol......

We would call that crushed potato or smashed I guess......what you describe we would call twice baked.......lol.......so I know what you mean about not getting what you expect.

I’m curious about the steaks as we do plan to order filet, I do like a wood flavour, but maybe not that much! I know several folks have said we should ask for upstairs and not down. Will definitely do that.

You would love Ocean Prime. Beautiful place and do look after you well,

Yes, 10 days till we leave on our overnight......cannot wait! Glad you liked the small selection of HHN pics........we have so many of them it’s hard to choose just a few!


----------



## Pumpkin1172

Carole.....your face in a couple of those pictures      Tom does such a fabulous job taking the pictures. It sure does look like it would be a great time. Everything about HHN amazes me. I'm not a scary movie fan...so this is NOT up my alley...but it looks like it would be fun! Your count down is getting closer   So Exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Pumpkin1172

Lynne G said:


> We did try the new Big Fire place in City Walk. We both ordered a filet, as it's one of our favorite steaks. They both tasted so strongly of the wood they used to cooked them under, we thought it took away from the natural flavor of that cut of meat. And I've had ones that were much more tender than these. It was a decent value, given you get a vegetable and starch with it. We thought we knew what smashed potatoes are. Or we thought we did. To us, we get them at the bbq place we enjoy, and it's mashed potatoes with cheese and bacon mixed in it. At the Fire, it was exactly what was described. Small, skin on, not very full, potatoes, smashed down enough, some were split open n the sides, and some just kinda flat. No flavor to them either. Salt and pepper did help, but there was not a lot of meat, like you would find in a baked potato.




Lynne...we called those twice stuffed potatoes.  They are DELICIOUS!!!!!!!  I do like a good smashed potato as well.  I do make those for meals sometimes as my boys enjoy them.  but the smashed potato is quite plain compared to a stuff potato.  Heck...i just love a good carb!!!!!!!! hahahahaha


----------



## schumigirl

Pumpkin1172 said:


> Carole.....your face in a couple of those pictures      Tom does such a fabulous job taking the pictures. It sure does look like it would be a great time. Everything about HHN amazes me. I'm not a scary movie fan...so this is NOT up my alley...but it looks like it would be fun! Your count down is getting closer   So Exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Lol......he has captured some whoppers over the years of me being terrified or just plain spooked! 

It really is so much fun........although I guess if you don’t like scary movies, you’re never going to love the event........it is fabulous though! 

Yes, countdown is getting close........


----------



## crabbymom

schumigirl said:


> Are you home yet crabbymom………
> 
> I am so hoping you had the best time at Universal and Sapphire too.....



We are home and we had an AMAZING Time!!! The Sapphire Falls staff was amazing!!  I hope to do a quick Trip Report this weekend.


----------



## schumigirl

crabbymom said:


> We are home and we had an AMAZING Time!!! The Sapphire Falls staff was amazing!!  I hope to do a quick Trip Report this weekend.



I am so HAPPY to hear that your trip was so good and you all enjoyed it!!!! 

Will look forward to your review.......no pressure to rush you or anything...….lol......but, so glad to hear trip was a success!!!!


----------



## schumigirl

​
​
*Cannot believe we are just a week away till we leave for our overnight at the airport hotel.....

The weather looks to be good for the Monday, so we may take up original idea and once we have checked in, walk the short walk down to the station and get on a tram into the City and have a wander round there. It only takes around 15 minutes or so to get there from the airport station. *

*Manchester is quite a city. We wouldn't be able to do much in a few hours, maybe some lunch and a little shopping....but they have some lovely touristy things to do there. I have a lot of relatives live there but being a regular work day, we wouldn't be able to see any of them I`d imagine. But, it is a fun city and we do enjoy spending time there, although it`s been a long time since we did. 

If the weather isn't good, then we`ll just chill out in the bar for a few hours, watch some tv and then go for dinner. We haven't booked the Executive Lounge this time so I`m hoping we do get into the city. *

*With just a week to go we have everything in place...….all the usual must do checks of Passports, ESTA`s and we have driving licences with us.....I did only remember to do our Advanced Passenger information for our flight a few days ago, but you can do that up to 72 hours before flying. But, I like to have these things in place.....

This week will usually go past very slow......we don't have many plans this week to do much of anything...….but we`ll do our usual and have a chat about things we might want to do out of our usual plans...…..we chat about what restaurants we want to visit for definite, and several we may or may not go to...…..so we do pass the time......*

*One place that has appealed to us is Madeira Beach...….*








​
​
*Set between Clearwater which we do love, and St Pete`s it looks like the type of place we`d enjoy......and not too long a journey either. 

We have gone to Dunedin many times over the last few years, and just thought this might be somewhere a little different to visit, although we are usually creatures of habit, we may still end up there after all!!! *
*
We`ve had a couple of restaurant recommendations already and everything looks gorgeous!!! 
*
*The only thing that may put us off going is it would be another beach day......we have a visit to New Smyrna Beach planned, and we aren't the biggest beach fans...….especially after we saw a little girl had been bitten by a shark in the water few weeks ago.....she was in shallow water......so there ends my paddling!!!! Kyle has told me I`m not allowed to do that any more at NSB!!! 

We also plan to do St Augustine...….so although we have plenty of days, I`m not sure I want to do 3 beach type visits. Decisions. *

*You think a month is a long time, but I spent the day last week with one of my best friends and her and the family were in Orland for three weeks in May, and she still felt they didn't do all the things they planned after not visiting for 10 years...…..it`s kind of the same...…..we always say, oh we have plenty of time …….then it`s your last day and you realise you didn't do half the things you thought you might. 

We love our park time...…we love HHN.....we love resort time...….we love wandering around in the car to new places...…..we like a little shopping......and hopefully will get to meet  a few folks while we`re there. It`s a shame we won`t manage to meet everyone that's going to be there when we are.....I wish we could...….but I`m sure we`ll manage some...….*

*Packing will be next Sunday...…...probably last thing at night......then we are picked up by the car service at 9ish I believe...…..so should be there around 12.30...…it is SO close...….7 more sleeps!!!! *








​


----------



## Elsaspiritanimal

schumigirl said:


> We also plan to do St Augustine...….so although we have plenty of days, I`m not sure I want to do 3 beach type visits. Decisions.


Aren't these the best type of decisions though? 

Super excited for you that the trip is so close!!


----------



## schumigirl

Elsaspiritanimal said:


> Aren't these the best type of decisions though?
> 
> Super excited for you that the trip is so close!!



lol....yes, it is fabulous having so many choices......I do have friends that are meticulous planners.....not quite spread sheet types, but need to have a rough idea of what they`re doing every day.....they are always horrified by our fly by night ways.....with little planning if any!!! Love it......  

Thanks, we are pretty excited ourselves...…..


----------



## J'aime Paris

Only one more week!!!!!!
I'm so excited for you and Tom!


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

1 week is so exciting we are at 25 days now and made another modification to our trip!!! I’ve never made an entire resort and itinerary change this close but we do really like Sapphire Falls!!! A category I’d been hoping for finally opened up with AP rate and it just amplified our excitement even more!!!


----------



## cam757

One more week!! It will be here before you know it!  

We made it home Friday night from a great week in Orlando.  Thanks to your recommendations, we tried a few new things.  We went to KSC last Wednesday and had a great time. A truly amazing place.  We did not get to see everything so we are going to spend a bit more time on the east coast next trip so we can visit family in Port Orange and go back to KSC.

We did finally make it to Teak on Friday.  Our flight wasn't until 5pm so we did some shopping and had lunch there.  It was AMAZING!  My DH said it was one of the best meals of the trip!! One of the best burgers we've ever had and the mozzarella rounds with marinara were delicious.  We also stayed at SF for 2 of the 7 nights we were there.  It is a beautiful resort and I am so glad we finally were able to stay there but it felt like going home when we moved over to RPR.

I hope this week flies by for you!


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> Only one more week!!!!!!
> I'm so excited for you and Tom!



 

Thanks Lori......wish it was next week......then I`ll be willing time to slow down...….lol...….


----------



## schumigirl

.


----------



## schumigirl

cam757 said:


> One more week!! It will be here before you know it!
> 
> We made it home Friday night from a great week in Orlando.  Thanks to your recommendations, we tried a few new things.  We went to KSC last Wednesday and had a great time. A truly amazing place.  We did not get to see everything so we are going to spend a bit more time on the east coast next trip so we can visit family in Port Orange and go back to KSC.
> 
> We did finally make it to Teak on Friday.  Our flight wasn't until 5pm so we did some shopping and had lunch there.  It was AMAZING!  My DH said it was one of the best meals of the trip!! One of the best burgers we've ever had and the mozzarella rounds with marinara were delicious.  We also stayed at SF for 2 of the 7 nights we were there.  It is a beautiful resort and I am so glad we finally were able to stay there but it felt like going home when we moved over to RPR.
> 
> I hope this week flies by for you!



Oh I am so pleased your trip was so wonderful!!!! 

KSC just blew us away, I think I have bored everyone to tears about how good it is.....cannot wait to get back in December as Kyle has banned us from going without him....lol.....

Teak is fabulous, I`m so pleased you all enjoyed it......another place we bore everyone about. Those burgers and anything we have enjoyed from there has always been amazing......and Sapphire is so lovely, and yes, we still feel RP is home, it`s a very close second though......

Thanks, we hope it passes quickly too...….


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

schumigirl said:


> Another change???? lol......why not....variety is the spice of life!!!
> 
> So. you`re at Sapphire now for the whole trip or still a split stay?




Yes we have changed it to Sapphire for the entire trip! We couldn’t book PB CL for the entirety of the trip and we had thought a Deluxe room for a couple of nights at Aventura would be a brave and nice try but I had been watching AP rates and availability at SF and when I saw something we like I told my wife it’s available and how much the whole week she said that’s a no brainer change it!!!!!


----------



## schumigirl

.


----------



## JaxDad

schumigirl said:


> Along to another ramble JaxDad.......I’m glad you made it!
> 
> Hope work slows down a little for you, yes it is a busy time getting kids back to school.
> 
> It looks like we plan to visit St Augustine the first Saturday of our trip which is the 7th I believe.........will confirm with you nearer the time for certain......but glad to have you along again.......


Hi @schumigirl!  I can't believe this is just a little more than a week away now! I still hope to meet you guys in St. Augustine. Do you need me to PM my cell phone number? I think last time we just used PMs/emails, but never got to the point of needing quicker communication.

I'm excited for your trip--it sounds like another awesome one! (Especially if you get to meet me...)


----------



## schumigirl

JaxDad said:


> Hi @schumigirl!  I can't believe this is just a little more than a week away now! I still hope to meet you guys in St. Augustine. Do you need me to PM my cell phone number? I think last time we just used PMs/emails, but never got to the point of needing quicker communication.
> 
> I'm excited for your trip--it sounds like another awesome one! (Especially if you get to meet me...)



Lol........yes that will be awesome!!! 

I know!!! A week from now we’ll be there!! Barring flight delays of course....

I hope we can meet up, I’ll send you a pm with our brand new American phone (took us long enough to get one) and then I’ll get yours......I have to seek it out though I send it.......lol.....we just packed it away and I have no clue what the number is offhand......but soon as I find it, I’ll send it off to you in a pm


----------



## schumigirl

Yep.....in town yesterday......Christmas cards and some gifts are in stores!!!!

Can`t believe how early it all starts...…..nope no Christmas for me this early.....and I love Christmas   ...…..but maybe middle of November will think about gifts and such.....although, have to admit our trees and decorations will be up before we leave for our December trip so everything is done for us coming home.....but wouldn't usually put things up around Nov 24th/25th.....but don't fancy coming home with jetlag to start doing everything then....

So excited for HHN!!!!!


----------



## angryduck71

Wait, wait, wait... I want to hear more about the little girl bitten by the shark?!?!?!?


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> Wait, wait, wait... I want to hear more about the little girl bitten by the shark?!?!?!?



Small girl.......small shark.......but......still a shark in shallow water and it bites!!! 

Nope.......no more paddling.......


----------



## Tink2Day

Just check the water first, rare that they come up that close to the shore. I'm more worried about you and Dorian.......eeek


----------



## schumigirl

Tink2Day said:


> Just check the water first, rare that they come up that close to the shore. I'm more worried about you and Dorian.......eeek



lol.....yes, it`s one of those things we can`t worry about as we can`t do anything about the weather.

We were delayed getting to Orlando for two extra days in NYC when Irma hit in 2017, one of those things......so we try to look at it positively......not much else we can do really.....will look at forecasts over the weekend and by then the airline will have made a decision. Flights over the weekend being delayed may impact us of course. But......again.....what can you do...….we`ll just have to go with the flow..


----------



## Deb1993

Hi Carole - I became a member on the boards to let you know that I've read all your trip reports and have enjoyed them so much!!  My family stayed at PBH August 11-17 and went to Confisco twice during the trip based on your recommendation.  We loved it.  They are changing the menu so the second day we went (during a rainstorm) we got to try the new chicken sandwich and the shrimp/clam pasta dish - both of which were really good.  It is on our list now as a must do.  We also made it a point to go to StrongWater Bar and loved it there as well.  We walked back through the RP walkway that I only knew was there because of your trip reports.  So thank you for all the invaluable information - our trip was so smooth and so much fun.  We upgraded our tickets to AP and will be back for Easter!!

Have a wonderful trip, can't wait to read all about it when you're back.


----------



## disneyAndi14

I’m so glad you have a long trip in case Dorian causes some delays for you at the beginning!!

Have a wonderful trip and I will be excited to hear all about it!


----------



## schumigirl

Deb1993 said:


> Hi Carole - I became a member on the boards to let you know that I've read all your trip reports and have enjoyed them so much!!  My family stayed at PBH August 11-17 and went to Confisco twice during the trip based on your recommendation.  We loved it.  They are changing the menu so the second day we went (during a rainstorm) we got to try the new chicken sandwich and the shrimp/clam pasta dish - both of which were really good.  It is on our list now as a must do.  We also made it a point to go to StrongWater Bar and loved it there as well.  We walked back through the RP walkway that I only knew was there because of your trip reports.  So thank you for all the invaluable information - our trip was so smooth and so much fun.  We upgraded our tickets to AP and will be back for Easter!!
> 
> Have a wonderful trip, can't wait to read all about it when you're back.



 along to Deb1993...…..

I`m so pleased you`ve come out of lurkdom and posted.......and it`s always a pleasure to read such lovely compliments!!! 

I`ll take them all......

I`m excited to read Confisco have changed some of their menu items......I like the sound of the shrimp and clam dish.....and new chicken sandwich!!! I can`t even remember the last time they changed their menu!!!!  But, I`m so glad you enjoyed it...….and Strong Water too......feels like our spiritual home there.....lol......

Upgrading to an AP is wonderful too......and Easter is your next trip!! Fantastic......

Again, thank you for such wonderful sentiments...….and I hope you enjoy this one too, look forward to your comments along the way


----------



## schumigirl

disneyAndi14 said:


> I’m so glad you have a long trip in case Dorian causes some delays for you at the beginning!!
> 
> Have a wonderful trip and I will be excited to hear all about it!



Welcome home Caroline!!!! 

I am so excited to read about your trip...…..I hope you had a truly wonderful time...….

Yes, we`ll be delayed going out no doubt, but...….these things happen, so our motto is always go with the flow.....lol....not much else you can do....but we still have a long trip ahead even if we miss a few days......it looks a nasty storm!!! Thank you, we`ll certainly try to enjoy it......lol.....

But, glad you`re back and will check out your trip report when it starts.......


----------



## schumigirl

​


*Thank you for the good wishes you’ve sent!!*
*
Of course worrying about a trip when folks are in danger may seem fickle, but we are always concerned about locals too of course. We have many friends in the Orlando area and beyond......and have been incredibly worried about what may happen to them. And continue to wish everyone good and safe wishes. 
*
*But, we knew our flight Tuesday would be cancelled. So, being the pragmatists that we are, we thought we`d leave it till Saturday to see what happened. 

Meanwhile, I did contact our very good friend and explained we will be delayed. He was fabulous and said just let him know what the changes would be and when we would arrive at the hotel. Perfect. *

*Long story short, we now fly out Thursday 5th, which is our wedding anniversary........and we are so happy with that decision. Even if the storm does pass by, which we all hope it does, there will still be effects on Tuesday and we`d rather miss them. So if our flight is reinstated, we`ll keep Thursday. We are still in Premium although not in the same seats, but that`s a non issue...….we`d have sat on the wing if it meant getting there!!! Our airline were good and didn't charge any amendment fee as they usually do if you wanted to change flights, or cancel completely. We were lucky we got through fairly quickly so didn't have to wait forever to speak to someone from the airline. 

Alamo were also excellent. Arriving two days later would normally be considered a no show, but we spoke to them and they said they would honour all bookings. We printed that email off when they sent it. Just in case. I think in such an extreme circumstance most of them will offer this. Or they should do. *
*
They were the same when we got delayed for two days in NY when Irma hit.......after some very long calls thankfully from the hotel concierge desk, it was sorted. So, been very impressed with Alamo again. 
*
*I`m sure I`ll tell the full story in the trip report, but suffice to say, we are very relieved and happy with the way it all turned out. 

We still have 27 nights in Orlando......losing two nights isn't the worst thing that could have happened.......*
*
These things are awful when they happen, but we cannot worry about things we can`t control.....and although I`m a terrible worrier usually, this isn't one of the things as we genuinely cannot control it. *

*We are still less than a week to go, so still very excited!!! *


----------



## I-4Bound

I'm so glad you got it all worked out! I was worried for you.


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> I'm so glad you got it all worked out! I was worried for you.



Thanks Andrea...…..

It was one of these things..…..and the second time we`ve been delayed by two days with a hurricane. Irma in 2017 and now this one...….but fingers crossed it doesn't cause any damage to anyone...….

Hope you`re doing ok too..…..


----------



## I-4Bound

We are still a few days out from a determination on whether or not we will have to evacuate. We always leave if the governor orders it. I really hope we don't have to!


----------



## Robo56

schumigirl said:


> It was one of these things..…..and the second time we`ve been delayed by two days with a hurricane. Irma in 2017 and now this one...….but fingers crossed it doesn't cause any damage to anyone...….



 Great way to look at it Schumi. So glad your hotel, airline and car rental are all sorted do to your delay in leaving.

Lots of prayers going out that no damage is caused or lives put in jeopardy.

I-4Bound hope things don’t get to point where you and your family have to evacuate.


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> We are still a few days out from a determination on whether or not we will have to evacuate. We always leave if the governor orders it. I really hope we don't have to!



Oh my goodness!!! Must be such a daunting thought to be evacuated. It`s a scenario we just don't see over here, except for the occasional flooding in certain areas. 

But something as massive as this is downright terrifying. 

Sending many good wishes it passes you by!!!


----------



## schumigirl

Robo56 said:


> Great way to look at it Schumi. So glad your hotel, airline and car rental are all sorted do to your delay in leaving.
> 
> Lots of prayers going out that no damage is caused or lives put in jeopardy.
> 
> I-4Bound hope things don’t get to point where you and your family have to evacuate.



Thanks Robo.....Yes, everything fell into place in the end. We were worried we`d make the wrong decision.....if we alter flights, it may not be as bad, if we don't alter the flight it`ll be cancelled anyway and all the closest flights will be full! 

So, it worked out and although we weren't worried as such, it`s just more comfortable to know what`s happening. 

Yes, truly hope no lives are lost. In the UK we`ve had massive storms and the waves were terrifyingly high.....in the papers, are stories of folks standing on piers and cliffs to "enjoy" the high waves......sadly most had to be rescued by the Lifeboat Crew who then put their life in danger rescuing these idiots, or worse, have their body retrieved. They have no idea of the power of these things.


----------



## I-4Bound

Robo56 said:


> Great way to look at it Schumi. So glad your hotel, airline and car rental are all sorted do to your delay in leaving.
> 
> Lots of prayers going out that no damage is caused or lives put in jeopardy.
> 
> I-4Bound hope things don’t get to point where you and your family have to evacuate.





schumigirl said:


> Oh my goodness!!! Must be such a daunting thought to be evacuated. It`s a scenario we just don't see over here, except for the occasional flooding in certain areas.
> 
> But something as massive as this is downright terrifying.
> 
> Sending many good wishes it passes you by!!!



Thanks, y'all! Hurricane season is just a part of life around here, and I try not to get too emotionally invested in the storm watching. Otherwise, it just makes me crazy! Seems like we have had to evacuate an awful lot these past few years. Some school districts have snow days, we have hurricane days!


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> Thanks, y'all! Hurricane season is just a part of life around here, and I try not to get too emotionally invested in the storm watching. Otherwise, it just makes me crazy! Seems like we have had to evacuate an awful lot these past few years. Some school districts have snow days, we have hurricane days!



I can`t imagine going through that regularly.  

Watching one devastating forecast after another must be soul destroying when your property and life are potentially at risk. I have to admit, we actively avoided all the threads on here and weather reports, as so early on most were guess work, so no point in reading them......but it`s amazing folks are always keen to tell you how bad it`s going to be!!!! 

Will keep everything crossed for you.....


----------



## disneyAndi14

Good planning Carole! I’m so happy it wasn’t difficult to make the changes. I’m hoping Dorian stays out in the ocean and loses strength before hitting land!

Models are showing the track staying further east but really who knows until it is closer!


----------



## schumigirl

disneyAndi14 said:


> Good planning Carole! I’m so happy it wasn’t difficult to make the changes. I’m hoping Dorian stays out in the ocean and loses strength before hitting land!
> 
> Models are showing the track staying further east but really who knows until it is closer!



Thanks Caroline......yes, it was inevitable, so we knew it was coming, and thankfully it all seemed to just fit. We feel incredibly happy at going on Thursday now...….our flights can go up and above weather like that, so I`m not worried about the flight at all if there is bad weather around us......I`m one of these weird people who love turbulence.

But, yes, continued good wishes it disappears with little to no damage to anyone in it`s path.


----------



## Monykalyn

Seasoned traveler that you are I figured you roll with the flow. Good that things are sorted anyway though! 
yeah some are in earthquake country (now THAT would be scary to me!), some in hurricane area, we have the snow storms and tornado seasons. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, help pick up the pieces when needed.


----------



## schumigirl

Monykalyn said:


> Seasoned traveler that you are I figured you roll with the flow. Good that things are sorted anyway though!
> yeah some are in earthquake country (now THAT would be scary to me!), some in hurricane area, we have the snow storms and tornado seasons. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, help pick up the pieces when needed.



Yep....going with the flow is the best way to be......we are glad to have it all sorted, we knew it would be, but uncertainty is never fun.

Yes, earthquake areas terrify me and tornados too. I also have an irrational fear of tidal waves...….I guess watching the Poseidon Adventure as a child wasn't the best idea mum..…..lol...….and one of the many reasons I`ll never do a cruise...…. although Keisha does make them sound fabulous......


----------



## Monykalyn

schumigirl said:


> .I guess watching the Poseidon Adventure as a child wasn't the best idea mum..…..lol...….and one of the many reasons I`ll never do a cruise...…. although Keisha does make them sound fabulous......


Made me literally LOL!
It's funny-the big cruise ships you can go and never even realize you are on the ocean and moving at a quite a clip! Even the smaller ones it is easy to forget. I cruise to see and feel the ocean though, so need my balcony!


----------



## schumigirl

Monykalyn said:


> Made me literally LOL!
> It's funny-the big cruise ships you can go and never even realize you are on the ocean and moving at a quite a clip! Even the smaller ones it is easy to forget. I cruise to see and feel the ocean though, so need my balcony!



lol...…..it`s true though!!!! That movie haunted me more than Jaws ever could!!! 

I see images of cruises and they do always look so lovely...…..one just left London yesterday.......folks could spend 245 days on the ship......longest world cruise there is I read.…...lots of stop offs, but jeez...….I`d go crazy.....but, although I have always lived beside the ocean, both coasts, I hate deep water! Terrifies me...….oh I`d need a balcony too if I was ever to do one...…..

Everyone says the same thing though, you don't feel as though you are at sea!


----------



## schumigirl

*It`s finally September!!!!!! *








*Gotta love September.........*​
*It`s finally vacation month and we can head off on our travels once again........it feels ages since we were last in Orlando, but in reality, it`s not too long. But, we just can`t wait to get back to Orlando, our favourite hotels and the theme parks with HHN of course. Albeit a couple of days later! *

*A friend in Orlando emailed me last night to remind me if there`s a lot of storm damage the beaches might not be the best place to visit in the next few weeks......completely agree...….so we`ll play that one by ear and see how things go. If we don't get to the beaches we want to visit, we have plenty more things to fill our time. 
*
*But.........*



​


----------



## jocelyn6

I am glad to hear that everyone involved has been so accommodating for you. It is stressful to have to make changes to a vacation. Travel safe and Happy Anniversary!


----------



## jump00

Hi Carole,
  Have a wonderful trip and I’m keeping my fingers crossed you’ll have great weather!!!! It looks like the west (Gulf coast) won’t be affected by the storm so you should be able to head over there for a beach day.
Can’t wait to hear all about your adventures
Safe travels
Brenda


----------



## schumigirl

jocelyn6 said:


> I am glad to hear that everyone involved has been so accommodating for you. It is stressful to have to make changes to a vacation. Travel safe and Happy Anniversary!



Thanks so much Jocelyn.......in the end I think the thought of not knowing was more stressful and hoping all the changes would fit together.......so far so good.......  But, glad it’s sorted! 

We had planned to go out for an anniversary dinner on Thursday, but not now......lol.....after a long flight day we’ll grab something in Strong Water and try and stay awake till as late as possible.......

Thanks again for the good wishes........


----------



## schumigirl

jump00 said:


> Hi Carole,
> Have a wonderful trip and I’m keeping my fingers crossed you’ll have great weather!!!! It looks like the west (Gulf coast) won’t be affected by the storm so you should be able to head over there for a beach day.
> Can’t wait to hear all about your adventures
> Safe travels
> Brenda



Oh it does look good for the Gulf Coast doesn’t it!!  Crossing all fingers and toes no one is affected badly by Dorian.......and maybe we’ll get to NSB too........

Thank you........we’ll certainly do our best to have fun........


----------



## NancyLuvsMickey

Glad the airlines let you change flights without a hassle... Looks like Dorian is going to play havoc on the whole eastern coast... Have a safe trip and can't wait to read all about it!!!


----------



## iona

Really glad you were able to sort things out Carole.



I-4Bound said:


> We are still a few days out from a determination on whether or not we will have to evacuate. We always leave if the governor orders it. I really hope we don't have to!



I hope it stays further east and that the strength drops very soon so that there’s no need to evacuate and no/minimal damage done.


----------



## schumigirl

NancyLuvsMickey said:


> Glad the airlines let you change flights without a hassle... Looks like Dorian is going to play havoc on the whole eastern coast... Have a safe trip and can't wait to read all about it!!!



Oh isn’t it awful.....even if it misses Florida it’ll still cause some damage somewhere.........

Airline have been very good so far. I think it may be a longer than usual flight as we’ll go high above it as we have done before with tropical storms and such. 

Thanks......look forward to seeing your comments when I’m back........


----------



## schumigirl

iona said:


> Really glad you were able to sort things out Carole.
> 
> 
> 
> I hope it stays further east and that the strength drops very soon so that there’s no need to evacuate and no/minimal damage done.



Thanks iona.........we spoke to a Scottish girl on the phone which is unusual.......and she said all call centres had been drafted in to help with this issue.......so didn’t have to wait the predicted 2 hour wait to speak to someone........they have a good online chat, but I prefer talking to a person. 

It’s awful to watch it, I can’t anymore.......we have a out of friends over there and are worried about them.......so, yes, like everyone says I hope it blows back out to sea and misses everyone!


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

I woke up this morning with a smile on my face.......it’s SEPTEMBER!!! 

Happy you and Tom will be off before you know it and back at the wonderful place you both love!!

We won’t be too far behind! Save some rum for me!!!.......


----------



## schumigirl

.


----------



## Disney Addicted

Hi Carole.  I thought of you today and wondered about your flight so I took a moment to check in here.  I'm glad to see you were able to re-arrange your travel plans.  I was hoping to run into you and Tom and say hi but that probably won't happen after all.  We fly out on Friday.  

Yesterday we went to Animal Kingdom and had a great time.  So far the weather is good.  Sunny with some clouds today.  The forecast keeps calling for chance of rain and wind gusts up to 40 kph.  We're going to go to Disney's Halloween party this afternoon and see how the evening goes.  No refund and we can't change party dates.

At Cabana Bay this morning the pool areas are closed off and all the tables upside down in the pool in case of winds.

Actually, the sun is gone now and its cloudy.


----------



## KathyM2

Crossing fingers for everyone down there...was wondering how it will affect everyone's trip plans. Glad you were able to arrange yours!


----------



## schumigirl

Disney Addicted said:


> Hi Carole.  I thought of you today and wondered about your flight so I took a moment to check in here.  I'm glad to see you were able to re-arrange your travel plans.  I was hoping to run into you and Tom and say hi but that probably won't happen after all.  We fly out on Friday.
> 
> Yesterday we went to Animal Kingdom and had a great time.  So far the weather is good.  Sunny with some clouds today.  The forecast keeps calling for chance of rain and wind gusts up to 40 kph.  We're going to go to Disney's Halloween party this afternoon and see how the evening goes.  No refund and we can't change party dates.
> 
> At Cabana Bay this morning the pool areas are closed off and all the tables upside down in the pool in case of winds.
> 
> Actually, the sun is gone now and its cloudy.



Oh I’m sorry we’ll miss you......we probably won’t do a park on Friday till HHN.........would have been nice to say hello.

Yes, hopefully everything is in place now. 

Hope the rest of your trip is fabulous and weather doesn’t affect it any.......enjoy Mickey’s Halloween Party.........


----------



## schumigirl

KathyM2 said:


> Crossing fingers for everyone down there...was wondering how it will affect everyone's trip plans. Glad you were able to arrange yours!



Thanks Kathy........yes, it’s an awful storm. Always hoping for the best down there.......but it looks dreadful. 

Nice to see you post though.......hope you’re doing ok........


----------



## LullahBelle

All caught-up. Have truly enjoyed reading your trip reports, but have never replied. ( Actually have posted very rarely), but felt like it was a good night to come out of hiding. 
Sorry to hear about your change of plans, and wish you smooth sailings, once you do get going!
...I was only at Universal for a day trip, back in the mid 90's, which hardly counts, and the rest of my family has never been, at all. 
We will be there over Thanksgiving week, and can hardly contain myself!
Thank you for all the great advice, and for sharing your journeys!


----------



## schumigirl

LullahBelle said:


> All caught-up. Have truly enjoyed reading your trip reports, but have never replied. ( Actually have posted very rarely), but felt like it was a good night to come out of hiding.
> Sorry to hear about your change of plans, and wish you smooth sailings, once you do get going!
> ...I was only at Universal for a day trip, back in the mid 90's, which hardly counts, and the rest of my family has never been, at all.
> We will be there over Thanksgiving week, and can hardly contain myself!
> Thank you for all the great advice, and for sharing your journeys!



 along LullahBelle......glad to see you post here!

Wow, you are going to see massive changes in Universal.......I’d love to have seen it way back then, it’s hard to imagine it any different to what it is now. We have seen old pictures of course, but would still like to have been there. And to bring first timers will be amazing. 

I’m sure you’ll have a fabulous time over Thanksgiving.......we arrive just after it on November 29th this year......

But, I’m happy you’ve posted and thank you.....I’m so glad to read you’ve enjoyed the reports up till now.......hope this one is the same.......


----------



## Pumpkin1172

Carole...I'm glad it seems to all be working out for you.  Even though you won't get a special meal out for your anniversary...You'll be leaving on a jet plane for a holiday!!!!!  I can't think of a better way to spend it!!!  I'm crossing my fingers for you, that there is not too much clean up and that you arrive safe and sound.    Have a great trip!!!!!


----------



## angryduck71

Too bad you couldn't get here though -- sounds like the parks have low crowds.  BUT, you will have a fabulous time!     I can't wait to read more!


----------



## angshewas

I love reading your reports! Have a fantastic trip!


----------



## I-4Bound

I just read that Orlando airport has reopened! Hooray! We are sitting at home waiting for the storm to hit. We've already battened down all the hatches


----------



## christophfam

We are waiting for the storm to hit here in Charleston as well. We’ve had rain bands coming in already this morning but the majority of the winds/rain should come in late tonight and tomorrow for us. 

Thank you Carole for another trip report! It gave me something to do in my boarded up house this morning. I’ll be back down in October and now I have a few new restaurants to add to my list! Have a great trip and happy early anniversary and birthday!


----------



## I-4Bound

christophfam said:


> We are waiting for the storm to hit here in Charleston as well. We’ve had rain bands coming in already this morning but the majority of the winds/rain should come in late tonight and tomorrow for us.
> 
> Thank you Carole for another trip report! It gave me something to do in my boarded up house this morning. I’ll be back down in October and now I have a few new restaurants to add to my list! Have a great trip and happy early anniversary and birthday!



Hi, neighbor! We are in Chas. County as well! Stay safe!


----------



## schumigirl

Pumpkin1172 said:


> Carole...I'm glad it seems to all be working out for you.  Even though you won't get a special meal out for your anniversary...You'll be leaving on a jet plane for a holiday!!!!!  I can't think of a better way to spend it!!!  I'm crossing my fingers for you, that there is not too much clean up and that you arrive safe and sound.    Have a great trip!!!!!



Thanks Pumpkin........yep, can miss a meal anytime.....just glad it looks like we will be flying after all tomorrow........looks like everything is good in Orlando according to friends......

Can’t wait to get there..........


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> Too bad you couldn't get here though -- sounds like the parks have low crowds.  BUT, you will have a fabulous time!     I can't wait to read more!



Thanks Alice........honestly, we don’t mind what the parks are like......just glad to arrive tomorrow........we have EP so not worried about crowds......it just looks hot!!! 36F!!!!! We’ll melt...........catch up soon


----------



## schumigirl

angshewas said:


> I love reading your reports! Have a fantastic trip!



 along again angshewas........always a pleasure to see you post.......

Thank you so much, I appreciate that.........we’ll certainly do our best to have fun!!! 

Look forward to seeing you when we get back.......


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> I just read that Orlando airport has reopened! Hooray! We are sitting at home waiting for the storm to hit. We've already battened down all the hatches



Yes, we were so excited to get the news MCO was opening today.......it was the first thing I checked when we got up this morning......

But, wish you all the best for no damage.......I truly hope all of you remain safe and there’s no damage....or as little as possible........

Take care...and we’ll chat soon.......


----------



## schumigirl

christophfam said:


> We are waiting for the storm to hit here in Charleston as well. We’ve had rain bands coming in already this morning but the majority of the winds/rain should come in late tonight and tomorrow for us.
> 
> Thank you Carole for another trip report! It gave me something to do in my boarded up house this morning. I’ll be back down in October and now I have a few new restaurants to add to my list! Have a great trip and happy early anniversary and birthday!



 christophfam..........I’m so glad you’re here again!!

Oh a boarded up home doesn’t sound like fun!!! Again, I wish only the best for you and hope you remain safe......you have an October trip to look forward to........hope it’s the best time for you......

Thank you for your lovely comments........we’ll do our very best.......please take care of yourself during the storm........


----------



## Tink2Day

Sad for all the people in the way of the storm but happy you and Tom will get your trip!

Are you staying in the hotel and  going into Manchester still?
Have a wonderful trip!


----------



## Raeven

Have a great trip!


----------



## angryduck71

Happy Anniversary!!!  <3


----------



## I-4Bound

Happy anniversary and safe travels!❤


----------



## macraven

Hooray!

It is Carole and Tom day and they are celebrating flying to their second home now 

This is exciting....

And the birthday celebration follows and coming up soon for her


----------



## PoohIsHome

Happy Anniversary and safe travels!


----------



## J'aime Paris

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!


----------



## iona

Hope you made it ok! Wishing you both a very happy anniversary and an amazing holiday.


----------



## luvdisdogs

Happy Anniversary!  Safe travels!


----------



## Disney Addicted

Happy anniversary!


----------



## Raeven

Happy anniversary!


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Happy Anniversary!!!


----------



## smiths02

Happy Anniversary!


----------



## pas130

Yay!! Happy anniversary and safe travels!!!


----------



## Worfiedoodles

Happy Anniversary! Hope you are all settled, warming up, and ready for fun!


----------



## schumigirl

Tink2Day said:


> Sad for all the people in the way of the storm but happy you and Tom will get your trip!
> 
> Are you staying in the hotel and  going into Manchester still?
> Have a wonderful trip!



Thanks so much.......yes, it’s been awful to see the devastation it’s caused. 

No, we stayed in a hotel that was a cab ride away from the station. We were only going into the City if we were at the Radisson.......

But, we loved staying at the Marriott........only a cab ride away from the terminals and we actually might have preferred it to the Radisson.....better restaurants for sure


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> Have a great trip!



Thanks.......will do........if you see us give us a wave.........


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> Happy Anniversary!!!  <3



Thanks Alice........it was lovely!!


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> Happy anniversary and safe travels!❤



Thank you Andrea.......it was a wonderful flight over.......felt good to land after the uncertainty,.......


----------



## schumigirl

macraven said:


> Hooray!
> 
> It is Carole and Tom day and they are celebrating flying to their second home now
> 
> This is exciting....
> 
> And the birthday celebration follows and coming up soon for her



Thanks so much mac........

It was a different anniversary to the one we planned, but still fabulous......yep, birthday month too.......


----------



## angryduck71

So glad to hear you are there!


----------



## schumigirl

PoohIsHome said:


> Happy Anniversary and safe travels!



Thanks to you too PoohIsHome........good to see you here......l


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!



Awww,,,,....thanks so much Lori.......oh Octopus is permanently on the menu now at Strongwater.......lol.....Tom wouldn’t have any last night.....


----------



## schumigirl

iona said:


> Hope you made it ok! Wishing you both a very happy anniversary and an amazing holiday.



We certainly did, thank you!!

We’ll certainly do our best to have the best time all around.......it’s been wonderful so far


----------



## schumigirl

luvdisdogs said:


> Happy Anniversary!  Safe travels!



Thank you luvdisdogs........our anniversary was just lovely........


----------



## schumigirl

Disney Addicted said:


> Happy anniversary!



Thank you too!!! 

And hope you had a wonderful trip.........


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> Happy anniversary!


 
Thanks Raeven.........it was lovely......


----------



## schumigirl

.


----------



## schumigirl

smiths02 said:


> Happy Anniversary!



Thank you so much!! 

Appreciate the thoughts.........


----------



## schumigirl

pas130 said:


> Yay!! Happy anniversary and safe travels!!!



Thanks pas........journey was so much better than expected!!!

Hope to see you soon........


----------



## schumigirl

Worfiedoodles said:


> Happy Anniversary! Hope you are all settled, warming up, and ready for fun!



Thank you so much Maria.......we are already settled in and feel so much at home..........it is boiling hot and yep........ready for fun tonight at HHN!!!


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> So glad to hear you are there!



Thanks Alice........us too!!! It could have been a little different.......so many have had to cancel, which is just awful to read about......

So we are incredibly grateful to have arrived.......losing 2 days is nothing compared to what some have lost.......

I owe you an email........


----------



## schumigirl

So.......arrived yesterday on time.......

Alamo were brilliant with missing two days.......although they had no Maseratis......so we got an Audi.......took it back today and swapped it for a big gas guzzling Suburban........yay!!

Everything as always is perfect here........it is so good to be back after a bit of uncertainty with the hurricane......

It is blazing hot though........and I’m not allowed to complain......as if I would.......

HHN tonight.......


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> Thanks.......will do........if you see us give us a wave.........



Definitely! Have fun at HHN!


----------



## KathyM2

Glad you made it!! Looking forward to hearing more about your long trip!


----------



## iona

Glad you made it ok - have a fabulous time at HHN. So excited to read the reviews, feedback, etc from tonight!


----------



## macraven

I'm really looking forward for the Ghostbuster house.

Tell me how many times you screamed in it.......


----------



## pas130

Have a blast at HHN!!! Less than two weeks for us!


----------



## Monykalyn

Late to the Happy Anniversary train!
Have a blast at HHN!!


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

schumigirl said:


> Thank you..........
> 
> We did leave some rum last night.........




......perfect!!!!!

Just about 2 weeks out for us!!!

Have fun!!!


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Found this one laying around tonight! I think I’ll give it a try!


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> Definitely! Have fun at HHN!



Last night was fun.......opening night is strange sometime, but it was good, and think it’ll only get better!


----------



## schumigirl

KathyM2 said:


> Glad you made it!! Looking forward to hearing more about your long trip!



Thanks Kathy......it was such a good journey after what might have been.....but glad to be here!


----------



## schumigirl

iona said:


> Glad you made it ok - have a fabulous time at HHN. So excited to read the reviews, feedback, etc from tonight!



Thanks iona........it wasn’t too busy early hours, we left around 10ish but we did 4 houses in less than an hour with EP. Most of that was walking around.....we are looking forward to going back again.


----------



## schumigirl

macraven said:


> I'm really looking forward for the Ghostbuster house.
> 
> Tell me how many times you screamed in it.......



Lol......I think they need to up the scares in there.....it was just fun! I think I did jump back twice maybe.......but the SA or more characters really were very good.


----------



## schumigirl

pas130 said:


> Have a blast at HHN!!! Less than two weeks for us!



Yay!!! 

It’s getting closer........


----------



## schumigirl

Monykalyn said:


> Late to the Happy Anniversary train!
> Have a blast at HHN!!



Thanks MonyK...

It was a lot of fun last night.......but we only did half the park. Still to see a couple of really good houses......including Classic monsters. Been listening to a lot of feedback from the TM preview on Wednesday.......I think everyone loves the same houses.


----------



## schumigirl

.


----------



## PoohIsHome

schumigirl said:


> So.......arrived yesterday on time.......
> 
> Alamo were brilliant with missing two days.......although they had no Maseratis......so we got an Audi.......took it back today and swapped it for a big gas guzzling Suburban........yay!!
> 
> Everything as always is perfect here........it is so good to be back after a bit of uncertainty with the hurricane......
> 
> It is blazing hot though........and I’m not allowed to complain......as if I would.......
> 
> HHN tonight.......



A girl after my own heart....political correctness aside, I do love a good gas guzzler! LOL!


----------



## I-4Bound

Glad you're already having fun! We made it through the hurricane with minimal damage. I've got a roofer coming by Monday to assess some missing shingles, but we are grateful and blessed and safe! Have a great trip!


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

Happy Anniversary to you both!  Glad you are settled and starting your long vacation.  We will be there on my 60th b-day 9/21.  My daughter turned 30 on the 1st.  Yay for Virgos!  My brother is also coming, he plays guitar and loves the Hard Rock vibe.  When my daughter was in college at UCF, she always did HHN, but obviously didn't have EP and said it was tough with all the lines and drunk people.  Sounds like EP is the way to go.  Looking forward to your Hagrid ride experience.  I have been following the wait times and other than the last few days during the hurricane passing through, it seems to be a crap shoot as to when the ride is open.  I hope we will get to ride it at least twice while we are there.  The videos on YouTube look amazing!


----------



## schumigirl

PoohIsHome said:


> A girl after my own heart....political correctness aside, I do love a good gas guzzler! LOL!



Lol.......yep.....stuff political correctness and the “cars are end of the world” brigade........

Loving the big bouncy Suburban again........


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> Glad you're already having fun! We made it through the hurricane with minimal damage. I've got a roofer coming by Monday to assess some missing shingles, but we are grateful and blessed and safe! Have a great trip!



Oh I’m so glad Andrea......Tom asked me if I had heard from the “I-4 lady” lol......I knew he meant you!! 

Minimal damage sounds not too bad, it’ll get fixed up soon and you’ll be good as new......happy to hear that! 

Thanks, we’re having a ball already!!


----------



## schumigirl

AuroraluvsPhillip said:


> Happy Anniversary to you both!  Glad you are settled and starting your long vacation.  We will be there on my 60th b-day 9/21.  My daughter turned 30 on the 1st.  Yay for Virgos!  My brother is also coming, he plays guitar and loves the Hard Rock vibe.  When my daughter was in college at UCF, she always did HHN, but obviously didn't have EP and said it was tough with all the lines and drunk people.  Sounds like EP is the way to go.  Looking forward to your Hagrid ride experience.  I have been following the wait times and other than the last few days during the hurricane passing through, it seems to be a crap shoot as to when the ride is open.  I hope we will get to ride it at least twice while we are there.  The videos on YouTube look amazing!



 Along AuroraluvsPhillip.......

Glad to see you here! 

You have a celebratory month too!! How lovely........any birthday is special but spending it in Universal is fabulous.......

Yes, EP is priceless for us.......no way would we stand in those lines, they are long!!! And with the heat, we wouldn’t last 5 minutes........

Yes, looking forward to Hagrids.......again, if the line is ridiculous we’ll wait till December or even next May........might have EP by then. I hope you do get to ride it a couple of times on your visit........and hope it’s fabulous......


----------



## I-4Bound

schumigirl said:


> Oh I’m so glad Andrea......Tom asked me if I had heard from the “I-4 lady” lol......I knew he meant you!!
> 
> Minimal damage sounds not too bad, it’ll get fixed up soon and you’ll be good as new......happy to hear that!
> 
> Thanks, we’re having a ball already!!



"I4 lady"...I like that! 

I have to admit, we spent a hot minute contemplating evacuating to Orlando since our kids missed the entire week of school! We ended up not going, of course, because of our concerns with the storm and the fact that both our kids had to work over the weekend.


----------



## J'aime Paris

schumigirl said:


> Lol.......yep.....stuff political correctness and the “cars are end of the world” brigade........
> 
> Loving the big bouncy Suburban again........


Count me in on that!
Currently driving my XL Yukon Denali!  Love it!


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

..................


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

J'aime Paris said:


> Count me in on that!
> Currently driving my XL Yukon Denali!  Love it!




Funny!!!!!....... we test drove a new Tahoe for a week!  My wife said no to $71,000 Tahoe, the last week though she says our neighbor had a friend over with a very beautiful Denali, oh great you realize those are more than the Tahoe right........?!?



Oh but it was very nice she says!!!!!


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> "I4 lady"...I like that!
> 
> I have to admit, we spent a hot minute contemplating evacuating to Orlando since our kids missed the entire week of school! We ended up not going, of course, because of our concerns with the storm and the fact that both our kids had to work over the weekend.



That name will stick......lol.......

Oh that would have been a good idea........but as you say if the kids needed to work.........shame really, would have been nice.......


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> Count me in on that!
> Currently driving my XL Yukon Denali!  Love it!



Excellent!!!!! Now that’s a large car!!


----------



## disneyAndi14

Happy to hear you arrived without any problems 

Have an awesome trip enjoying HHN and your celebrations!

Happy belated Anniversary!!


----------



## tink1957

Glad to hear you're enjoying your latest adventures and I can't wait to see you....we will be there tomorrow   

Let the fun begin!


----------



## schumigirl

disneyAndi14 said:


> Happy to hear you arrived without any problems
> 
> Have an awesome trip enjoying HHN and your celebrations!
> 
> Happy belated Anniversary!!



Thanks so much Caroline........and for the anniversary wishes......it was a good one! 

Yes, HHN is good........looking forward to going back again next night it’s on........nice to see you.......will catch up on your TR soon as I can......we always seem to be busy so far!


----------



## schumigirl

tink1957 said:


> Glad to hear you're enjoying your latest adventures and I can't wait to see you....we will be there tomorrow
> 
> Let the fun begin!



Yabadabbadoo!!!!!!! 

Having a blast Vicki.........yep, hope it’s a good journey.......see you soon.....


----------



## *tinker*bell*

I just found this!  I am going to my first HHN on the 20th.  I'm nervous and not a huge fan of being scared but my friend is.  Looking forward to reading all about your adventures!  Now to catch up.


----------



## schumigirl

*tinker*bell* said:


> I just found this!  I am going to my first HHN on the 20th.  I'm nervous and not a huge fan of being scared but my friend is.  Looking forward to reading all about your adventures!  Now to catch up.



 along *tinker*bell*......glad to see you here.......

How fabulous it’s your first HHN!! You’ll have a ball and become addicted......most of us are! It truly is a phenomenal event.....it is a huge amount of fun and not “bad” scary......I’m sure you’ll love it.....

Hope you enjoy the trip report too........and look forward to your thoughts.......


----------



## pepperandchips

I am so behind and apologize for not commenting sooner but I have had the worst luck with the boards doing those awful redirects and sending me to spam. Your reports are always so wonderful and your dining descriptions just transport me right with you. You even make me want Red Lobster! Haha! Which, as you know, is not a favorite of many of us who have the luxury to go any old time. Those cheese biscuits are heavenly though. 

I am not caught up but wanted to say hi as soon as I could since I know comments encourage me and I love your reports so much. Have such a great time!!!


----------



## schumigirl

pepperandchips said:


> I am so behind and apologize for not commenting sooner but I have had the worst luck with the boards doing those awful redirects and sending me to spam. Your reports are always so wonderful and your dining descriptions just transport me right with you. You even make me want Red Lobster! Haha! Which, as you know, is not a favorite of many of us who have the luxury to go any old time. Those cheese biscuits are heavenly though.
> 
> I am not caught up but wanted to say hi as soon as I could since I know comments encourage me and I love your reports so much. Have such a great time!!!



 Along Melinda........it is fabulous to see you here! No need for apologies.........yes, the boards have had a few issues for sure!

I’m laughing at your Red Lobster comment.......lol, I completely agree it’s not exactly up there with the best places........I think we’re used to folks laughing at that one........but it’s so good!!! And yes the biscuits are delicious!! 

Thank you for your lovely comments.......and I agree......comments are always so good to read.....I’m so happy you’re reading along.....and look forward to seeing you when it’s started properly when I get back......

Hope all is good with you.......


----------



## Angeliamc

Yay, so glad you arrived and are enjoying your trip. My son and I leave on Thursday for our first HHN! Can't wait. Staying at RPR for our first time as well. I find your reports to be so helpful and informative. LOVE reading them. Hope you continue to have an amazing time on your month long adventure!


----------



## angryduck71

Are you going to try to get on Hagrid?  I'm dying to hear your thoughts!  Davy has proclaimed that even if we have to wait forever (which usually we don't do lines), we are waiting for this one in December.   YIKES.  LOL.


----------



## schumigirl

Angeliamc said:


> Yay, so glad you arrived and are enjoying your trip. My son and I leave on Thursday for our first HHN! Can't wait. Staying at RPR for our first time as well. I find your reports to be so helpful and informative. LOVE reading them. Hope you continue to have an amazing time on your month long adventure!




Oh that is exciting!!! 

First HHN and first stay at RP! I know you’ll have a fabulous time doing both......HHN looks to be fabulous again this year......we’ve gone twice so far and look forward to a few more visits. 

And thank you we are having so much fun.......and what lovely comments........I’m happy to read that you enjoy reading them........

If you see us, please give us a wave or say hello.......that would be lovely....and have a fabulous trip, can’t wait to hear what you think of HHN and the hotel too........


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> Are you going to try to get on Hagrid?  I'm dying to hear your thoughts!  Davy has proclaimed that even if we have to wait forever (which usually we don't do lines), we are waiting for this one in December.   YIKES.  LOL.



Lol.......you know us Alice........not a chance in heck will we wait that length of time .........the heat alone would put me off!!! 75 minutes when we were in yesterday.......and folks thought that was good!!!

Oh I can see why Davy is insisting you wait......yep......you’ll love it though it does look fabulous......and fast!!!!


----------



## angryduck71

schumigirl said:


> Lol.......you know us Alice........not a chance in heck will we wait that length of time .........the heat alone would put me off!!! 75 minutes when we were in yesterday.......and folks thought that was good!!!



I kind of figured.  LOL


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> I kind of figured.  LOL



 

Might have a look next few days.....you never know........we might get some serious Mummy Dust and get to ride it......


----------



## keishashadow

In an attempt to not be late for another important date lol.


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Happy Birthday!!!


----------



## I-4Bound

Happy, Happy Birthday!


----------



## tink1957




----------



## J'aime Paris

Happy Birthday Anastasia!!!!  
Hope you have a lovely day!


----------



## angryduck71

Hope you are having a FABULOUS time!  Tom better be spoiling you (who am I kidding?  We know he is!).  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!


----------



## NancyLuvsMickey

It's your birthday already??? Happiest of Birthday's to you Carole!!!! I hope you and Tom are having a fabulous time!!!


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> View attachment 435256
> In an attempt to not be late for another important date lol.



Lol.......awww thanks Janet, you made it in plenty of time........love the sentiment of that............


----------



## schumigirl

.


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> Happy, Happy Birthday!


 Why Thank.....thank..... thank you........


----------



## schumigirl

tink1957 said:


> View attachment 435386



Awww Vicki thank you.......that is lovely........it’s been a wonderful birthday.......


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> View attachment 435413
> 
> Happy Birthday Anastasia!!!!
> Hope you have a lovely day!





You captured my alter ego so well!!!! Love it!!!

Thank you so much, it’s been wonderful.........


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> Hope you are having a FABULOUS time!  Tom better be spoiling you (who am I kidding?  We know he is!).  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!



Thanks Alice......yes, he really did........and I still have two gifts at home to get when we get back........bless him.......and dinner tonight too to look forward to.......catch up soon.......


----------



## schumigirl

NancyLuvsMickey said:


> It's your birthday already??? Happiest of Birthday's to you Carole!!!! I hope you and Tom are having a fabulous time!!!



Yep.......35 today....... it did come round quick!!

Thank you so much,.......I appreciate it and yep, we are having a wonderful time........


----------



## AuroraluvsPhillip

Happy Birthday to a fellow Virgo!  Hope you're having an awesome time.  I seriously have to start packing soon, haha.


----------



## AprilDreamsOfDisney

Hooray! Can't believe I'm late to finding it, but thrilled nonetheless! So looking forward to reading your trip report again, Carole! You're such a lovely writer and I really appreciate all the details you include. My children and I are coming to Universal in March 2020 and have planned to stay at RPR in a Club Level Room (you always make my mouth water with your descriptions and photos of the lounge! lol) You've inspired us and I'm so grateful!


----------



## pas130

Happy belated birthday


----------



## schumigirl

AuroraluvsPhillip said:


> Happy Birthday to a fellow Virgo!  Hope you're having an awesome time.  I seriously have to start packing soon, haha.



Thanks so much.......  

We are having a blast (not doing much to be honest) but we are definitely having a relaxing vacation.......

Yep, nearly time for you too!!! We love the anticipation of the few days before a trip......exciting! Have a safe journey down.......


----------



## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> Hooray! Can't believe I'm late to finding it, but thrilled nonetheless! So looking forward to reading your trip report again, Carole! You're such a lovely writer and I really appreciate all the details you include. My children and I are coming to Universal in March 2020 and have planned to stay at RPR in a Club Level Room (you always make my mouth water with your descriptions and photos of the lounge! lol) You've inspired us and I'm so grateful!



And a very big  to you April......

Glad you made it here........always a pleasure to see you......and thank you for your lovely comments.....I love to read them.......

I’m so happy you’ll be here in March next year.......and the guys in Club Lounge are so lovely.......you and your family will love it I’m sure......

And as always, hope you enjoy this report once it gets started......eventually.....lol......look forward to your comments too.......


----------



## jump00

Happy Belated Birthday Carole!   Sounds like you are having a wonderful time!!!! Enjoy!  
Brenda


----------



## iona

Wishing you a belated happy birthday!


----------



## schumigirl

jump00 said:


> Happy Belated Birthday Carole!   Sounds like you are having a wonderful time!!!! Enjoy!
> Brenda



Awww thanks Brenda......yep, we are having a ball! Little bit cooler tonight which was lovely to wander around in.........but still hot!


----------



## schumigirl

iona said:


> Wishing you a belated happy birthday!



Thanks iona......appreciate it......I did have a lovely birthday........


----------



## Tink2Day

Oh my, missed your Birthday (oh well I probably will forget my own  , forgot my Uncle's as well same day as yours and I usually call him, he's quite elderly maybe he doesn't want to be reminded...oops)
Hope you had a wonderful Birthday, from what I've learned about Tom I'm sure it was spectacular and included a few


----------



## schumigirl

Tink2Day said:


> Oh my, missed your Birthday (oh well I probably will forget my own  , forgot my Uncle's as well same day as yours and I usually call him, he's quite elderly maybe he doesn't want to be reminded...oops)
> Hope you had a wonderful Birthday, from what I've learned about Tom I'm sure it was spectacular and included a few



Thank you Tink2Day....it really was a lovely day and yes he surprised me again with a few things I didn’t expect........and I have 2 surprises (not big ones) when I get home.......he does spoil me rotten ......my mum says I deserve my Princess title........lol......

Awww, I’m sure your uncle will love to hear from you anytime.......and, no.....never forget your own birthday.......always fun to celebrate......


----------



## Worfiedoodles

I am following even more eagerly -- just booked our flights for our January trip. So excited as there are some new things since we last enjoyed a Universal vacation!


----------



## schumigirl

Worfiedoodles said:


> I am following even more eagerly -- just booked our flights for our January trip. So excited as there are some new things since we last enjoyed a Universal vacation!



Yay!!!

Delighted to hear you have your flights booked! That’s always the first thing we do.......then everything else follows.......

I forget when was the last time you were there at Universal? You’ll definitely  see some changes. 

But, excited for you........


----------



## KathyM2

Late as usual but hope your birthday was a great day! How could it not if you are in Florida!


----------



## tammy

Happy Belated Birthday!


----------



## Worfiedoodles

schumigirl said:


> Yay!!!
> 
> Delighted to hear you have your flights booked! That’s always the first thing we do.......then everything else follows.......
> 
> I forget when was the last time you were there at Universal? You’ll definitely  see some changes.
> 
> But, excited for you........



We were there in 2016. I'm not sure how much we'll enjoy Jimmy Fallon or the Fast & the Furious, but nice to have something new to experience. We are definitely excited to ride the Hagrid coaster! 

There are also some new restaurants to try -- maybe we'll get a peak at them in your TR!


----------



## schumigirl

KathyM2 said:


> Late as usual but hope your birthday was a great day! How could it not if you are in Florida!



Thanks Kathy......it was a lovely birthday........but, I agree....if you’re in Florida.......can’t be much wrong in the world!


----------



## schumigirl

tammy said:


> Happy Belated Birthday!



Thanks tammy........good wishes are always appreciated.........


----------



## schumigirl

Worfiedoodles said:


> We were there in 2016. I'm not sure how much we'll enjoy Jimmy Fallon or the Fast & the Furious, but nice to have something new to experience. We are definitely excited to ride the Hagrid coaster!
> 
> There are also some new restaurants to try -- maybe we'll get a peak at them in your TR!



Oh that is exciting! There have been a few old changes since then........I think everyone should try Fallon and F&F........we hated both lol......but some like it.........

Looking forward to trying Hagrids next week...........and we have tried a few new places to eat this trip.......although think they’re all offsite.....but so good!!!


----------



## margareton27

Happy belated birthday - and anniversary!  I’ve been reading your reports for the last few years and am finally popping in to say how much they are appreciated. Such detail to them makes me feel like I am right there with you. Have picked up some tips for our November trip with our son. Have to look for the owlery door opening!! 
Margaret


----------



## schumigirl

margareton27 said:


> Happy belated birthday - and anniversary!  I’ve been reading your reports for the last few years and am finally popping in to say how much they are appreciated. Such detail to them makes me feel like I am right there with you. Have picked up some tips for our November trip with our son. Have to look for the owlery door opening!!
> Margaret



  Along to margareton27.........it’s a pleasure to see you post here........

Thank you for the birthday/anniversary wishes..........and I’m so happy you’ve enjoyed previous reports.......I hope you like this one too 

Not long till November........are you staying on or offsite? I do hope you get to see the owlery doors open.......think we’ve only seen it that once, we keep looking though.......

Again, glad to see you here........


----------



## margareton27

schumigirl said:


> Along to margareton27.........it’s a pleasure to see you post here........
> 
> Thank you for the birthday/anniversary wishes..........and I’m so happy you’ve enjoyed previous reports.......I hope you like this one too
> 
> Not long till November........are you staying on or offsite? I do hope you get to see the owlery doors open.......think we’ve only seen it that once, we keep looking though.......
> 
> Again, glad to see you here........


We are staying at the Doubletree just off property his time. We stayed at RPR last time.  As it is a very quick visit we thought we would try something different.


----------



## schumigirl

margareton27 said:


> We are staying at the Doubletree just off property his time. We stayed at RPR last time.  As it is a very quick visit we thought we would try something different.



Doubletree always gets fabulous reviews........never heard a bad comment from them......I’m sure you’ll love it.......it’s so close and handy for Universal......


----------



## Zosha

Hi Schumi! I’ve just read on the news here that Thomas Cook has ceased trading immediately! I hope this won’t affect you?!


----------



## schumigirl

Zosha said:


> Hi Schumi! I’ve just read on the news here that Thomas Cook has ceased trading immediately! I hope this won’t affect you?!



 Along Zosha.......

Good to see you here......

Yes, they ceased trading at midnight last night.......it’s awful for all the folks that have lost their livelihood....22,000 jobs gone overnight.  

The Civil Aviation Authority are repatriating folks until Oct 6th, so we just have to wait for details of the new flight arrangements. We could be flying home with anyone, just don’t know yet. But it’s good news for us......

Just need to wait now......not much else we can do. But, thank you for the concern.......it’s been a strange travel trip for sure.......lol........


----------



## Zosha

Isn’t it funny. I’m sitting here down under and I’ve been quietly reading along on your postings. I heard that on the news tonight and you were the first person I thought of! I’m glad it won’t affect your holiday plans too much but yes, dreadfully sad for the workers.


----------



## margareton27

Heard this on the way to work and that was my thought as well!


----------



## Bethany10

I was just coming on here to ask if your flight arrangements were ok. Seems I'm in a great group of people thinking of you.


----------



## RoliePolieColie

I, like a lot of other people here, heard about the Thomas Cook news and you were the first person that I thought of as well!  Glad to hear that everything should be ok with your flight back home!  I hope you and Tom are having a wonderful time!!


----------



## schumigirl

Zosha said:


> Isn’t it funny. I’m sitting here down under and I’ve been quietly reading along on your postings. I heard that on the news tonight and you were the first person I thought of! I’m glad it won’t affect your holiday plans too much but yes, dreadfully sad for the workers.



Thank you.......yes, it was somewhat expected over the last weeks or so, but such a shame for those employed directly and indirectly. 

Even if we had to have paid for new flights home, it would have been fine.....one of those things.


----------



## schumigirl

margareton27 said:


> Heard this on the way to work and that was my thought as well!



Thanks for the thoughts Margaret.....appreciate them.......we have people in the lounge who got the last TC flight out and they were so happy, but not sure how they’ll get home now. Fingers crossed for them.


----------



## schumigirl

Bethany10 said:


> I was just coming on here to ask if your flight arrangements were ok. Seems I'm in a great group of people thinking of you.



 back Bethany......

Yes, there are some lovely people on here.......so kind. And thank you Bethany, we’ll be just fine........


----------



## schumigirl

RoliePolieColie said:


> I, like a lot of other people here, heard about the Thomas Cook news and you were the first person that I thought of as well!  Glad to hear that everything should be ok with your flight back home!  I hope you and Tom are having a wonderful time!!



Thanks so much.......yes, we’ll get home one way or the other.......I keep telling them they can make us stay if they want.....I wouldn’t mind doing another week......lol...

We absolutely are having a blast.......


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

schumigirl said:


> Thanks so much.......yes, we’ll get home one way or the other.......I keep telling them they can make us stay if they want.....I wouldn’t mind doing another week......lol...
> 
> We absolutely are having a blast.......




Taking a little sit downbeat time, catching up, and yup just another reason to stay longer!


----------



## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Taking a little sit downbeat time, catching up, and yup just another reason to stay longer!



Sounds good!! 

Wish we were staying longer.......5 weeks would be just the ticket......


----------



## nycdisneygal

Hi Schumi. Thought of you when I heard the news.
Terrible about all those people suddenly unemployed. all the best as you go home....


----------



## Dynamoliz

Yes, you should make the CAA aware that you are in no rush and don't mind letting other people get flights ahead of you, lol! You can wait it out at Universal! We would all enjoy a longer trip report when you eventually get home! Jokes aside, I realize it is no laughing matter. Always feel a bit sick hearing of any business going under, never mind one that's existed so long and employed such a lot of people, and of course its effect on the thousands of people using its services.


----------



## schumigirl

nycdisneygal said:


> Hi Schumi. Thought of you when I heard the news.
> Terrible about all those people suddenly unemployed. all the best as you go home....



 Along nycdisneygal......

Glad to have you along.........thank you for the thoughts, always appreciated........

Yes, it’s dreadful for those who lost their jobs and livelihood.......I think we’re among the lucky ones...we’ll get home regardless. Nice to see you here........


----------



## schumigirl

Dynamoliz said:


> Yes, you should make the CAA aware that you are in no rush and don't mind letting other people get flights ahead of you, lol! You can wait it out at Universal! We would all enjoy a longer trip report when you eventually get home! Jokes aside, I realize it is no laughing matter. Always feel a bit sick hearing of any business going under, never mind one that's existed so long and employed such a lot of people, and of course its effect on the thousands of people using its services.



  back Dynamoliz.........good to see you!!

Yes, I wish!! They contact us and tell us when flight has been arranged.....we have said we’d happily wait longer.....and the hotel is happy for us to do so, they’ve been amazing.......whatever we need, they’d help. 

Yes, it’s a tragedy......it’s the UK’s oldest travel firm......and the knock on effect is massive. Complaining about an inconvenience seems ridiculous.......we’re in the right place for sure........

Thank you......nice to see you post again........


----------



## disneyAndi14

I instantly thought about you and worried! I know you travel with Thomas Cook! I wasn’t sure if you did this trip or not! It looks like it from your replies. At least you will have a little more time in Orlando!!
There are way worse places to have to stay at.   Glad you are somewhere you all love!


----------



## Tink2Day

So sad, every day some company goes under and thousands lose jobs....
You're a trooper and so kind to be worried about the employees and dealing with your situation with grace.


----------



## SCDizFan

Happy Belated Birthday and Anniversary!

So sad about Thomas Cook and all who lost their jobs.

Always look so forward to your trip reports!


----------



## schumigirl

disneyAndi14 said:


> I instantly thought about you and worried! I know you travel with Thomas Cook! I wasn’t sure if you did this trip or not! It looks like it from your replies. At least you will have a little more time in Orlando!!
> There are way worse places to have to stay at.   Glad you are somewhere you all love!



Thank you Caroline......funny thing is this trip was supposed to be with Virgin Atlantic.......but they had no premium available, so TC it was....

Looks like we’ll be travelling day we were supposed to......but of course if they need us to stay longer.....we’ll be happy.......yes, it could be worse....we could be waiting to come out!!! 

Glad to see you


----------



## schumigirl

Tink2Day said:


> So sad, every day some company goes under and thousands lose jobs....
> You're a trooper and so kind to be worried about the employees and dealing with your situation with grace.



It is dreadful. So many jobs lost. A vacation can be replaced, but I can only imagine how the staff feel right now. Hoping most have found or will find employment with other firms.


----------



## pepperandchips

I’m checking in to say, like everyone else, my first thought was that you and Tom make it home safely. And now I’m put out of joint because I was hoping to fly Thomas Cook one day! At least there’s still virgin. I know comments keep you fueled up for these reports so I wanted to say hi. I just binge read the May report (how is it that I so rarely catch them live?) and absolutely felt transported. What a dream of a trip! 

I can’t wait to try Strong Water. 

Did you tell us yet what Tom made you pick out for your birthday?  I hope it came in a pretty blue box. Happy belated!


----------



## schumigirl

SCDizFan said:


> Happy Belated Birthday and Anniversary!
> 
> So sad about Thomas Cook and all who lost their jobs.
> 
> Always look so forward to your trip reports!



 along SCDizfan......glad to see you again......

Thank you for the good wishes, we had a lovely anniversary and birthday...always nice to celebrate in Orlando....

It is horrible so many lost jobs. You do feel guilty wondering how it affects you when folks are losing so much. 

But, hope you enjoy this one too......always a pleasure to see you...


----------



## schumigirl

pepperandchips said:


> I’m checking in to say, like everyone else, my first thought was that you and Tom make it home safely. And now I’m put out of joint because I was hoping to fly Thomas Cook one day! At least there’s still virgin. I know comments keep you fueled up for these reports so I wanted to say hi. I just binge read the May report (how is it that I so rarely catch them live?) and absolutely felt transported. What a dream of a trip!
> 
> I can’t wait to try Strong Water.
> 
> Did you tell us yet what Tom made you pick out for your birthday?  I hope it came in a pretty blue box. Happy belated!



Thank you Melinda........we always flew either TC or Virgin......not much between them service wise......but will miss TC a lot. They were just as good as Virgin and yes, we’ll miss the option of flying with them. 

Yes, I’m so glad you popped in to say hi.......always lovely to see you......and I hope you enjoy Strong Water when you go.........we’ve had a few amazing nights over there this trip too.....

For my birthday I got a Garmin smart watch, an MCM purse (wallet) perfume and few other bits and bobs. Also have 2 presents at home.....not sure what they are......surprise apparently. They won’t be major presents. But I’m happy with what I got........we did look in Tiffany, but nothing jumped out at me........

Hoe you are doing ok......nice to see you pop by........


----------



## AprilDreamsOfDisney

Hope your wonderful holidays are going well! And, Happy Belated Birthday and Anniversary! 

Has the weather been co-operating? Are you loving the heat?


----------



## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> Hope your wonderful holidays are going well! And, Happy Belated Birthday and Anniversary!
> 
> Has the weather been co-operating? Are you loving the heat?



Thanks April.........

Weather has been wonderful.......incredibly hot and  ......we love it!! First few days after the hurricane it was a little too hot......but we got through it.......lol......today our car showed 102F outside around 2pm........

Hope it cools down tonight though for a short visit to HHN.......but, we are having a blast.....even on the days we aren’t doing much........

Hope all is good with you too.......


----------



## schumigirl

So, quick update........and thanks for all the lovely messages asking if we were ok, and several offers of a bed if we needed it here in Florida   

Thankfully, looks like we’ll be flying home Wednesday night, but not sure which airport we’ll be flying into........won’t matter really, we’ll get home one way or another.........the hotel have been fabulous throughout this bit of drama.......whatever we need which is lovely. 

Torrential downpour just started here......only the second time we’ve had rain the whole trip, which for September is amazing......don’t think rain will  last long.........weather has been phenomenal the whole trip. Humidity been high at times too. 

Thanks again fo all the messages, appreciate them all......hope you’re all good and doing ok.......


----------



## Lynne G

Nice you know the day now, Schumi.  Glad to hear the weather has been so great.  Hope your downpour was short.  

I am packing an umbrella, just in case. Hoping hot and nice, starting Monday. And will try to say hi, before you leave.

and so great the hotel is understanding, and kindly let you change plans in both ends of your trip.


----------



## I-4Bound

I hope it all works out! I have been thinking of y'all!


----------



## Carol unsworth

Hope you have a great last few days. We arrive on Oct 14 th for 14 nights of Rest and fun at the RPR and I can’t wait! We only did a week at RPR last May as stayed at Disney for two weeks in September, but RPR is just so much more relaxing!

Also doing RIP HHN tour while we are there( done it once before) so looking forward to that. Bet you will be sad to leave, but if you are anything like us you will be already booked for next year!


----------



## schumigirl

Lynne G said:


> Nice you know the day now, Schumi.  Glad to hear the weather has been so great.  Hope your downpour was short.
> 
> I am packing an umbrella, just in case. Hoping hot and nice, starting Monday. And will try to say hi, before you leave.
> 
> and so great the hotel is understanding, and kindly let you change plans in both ends of your trip.



Yes, the management have been fabulous as always. So helpful with anything we might have needed. They keep reminding us we are more like family than regular guests which is always lovely to hear. 

Hope you won’t need the umbrella.....it’s been so hot today again, just as we thought it was cooling down slightly.......but gorgeous. It’s been lovely having no rain this trip at all. Two short downpours don’t constitute rain for us.......so, we’ve been happy about that......

Safe travels tomorrow........


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> I hope it all works out! I have been thinking of y'all!



Thanks Andrea  .......it seems to working out fine now.......we knew it would, but nice to get the details finalised.


----------



## schumigirl

Carol unsworth said:


> Hope you have a great last few days. We arrive on Oct 14 th for 14 nights of Rest and fun at the RPR and I can’t wait! We only did a week at RPR last May as stayed at Disney for two weeks in September, but RPR is just so much more relaxing!
> 
> Also doing RIP HHN tour while we are there( done it once before) so looking forward to that. Bet you will be sad to leave, but if you are anything like us you will be already booked for next year!



We book our next stays usually before we leave one. So far, we have December this year booked for 11 nights (that was booked last year too), we have May for 23 nights and September is an open booking right now we can adjust when we know our flights.......so, yes, we like to be organised. 

So, not overly sad as we’ll be back in just under 2 months after we leave this trip. 

Had an absolute ball though......we adore our time here....hope you have fun too.........


----------



## angryduck71

My tennis team was THIS CLOSE to getting to go to Orlando in November. So bummed.  
Glad you're having a great trip!  Can't wait to see the full details!!!


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> My tennis team was THIS CLOSE to getting to go to Orlando in November. So bummed.
> Glad you're having a great trip!  Can't wait to see the full details!!!



Oh no!!! I was convinced you’d win that one!!  Plenty more to come out on top Alice........

Yep.......had the best time.....and some strange times this trip!!! No question it had some strange moments between one thing and another......but we smiled through it all and got through with little to no stress........can’t do much else! 

Full details to follow of course.........


----------



## I-4Bound

Welcome home! I know you were thrilled to see your boy. Can't wait to hear about everything!


----------



## Worfiedoodles

Ooh! This means our new TR will be here before we know it! So happy you are safely home and relaxing after your wonderful trip  

Maria


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> Welcome home! I know you were thrilled to see your boy. Can't wait to hear about everything!



Thanks Andrea.......it was fabulous seeing him after a month! FaceTime helps a lot though.....  

Will get it up and running soon........


----------



## schumigirl

Worfiedoodles said:


> Ooh! This means our new TR will be here before we know it! So happy you are safely home and relaxing after your wonderful trip
> 
> Maria



Thanks Maria......apart from washing, drying, ironing, cooking, baking and  putting clothes away.......yes, I’ve been relaxing........

Our church has a bake sale tomorrow so, I had to make some kind of contribution........our minister laughed when I said I’d drop my baking off in the morning......he thought I’d be recovering from jet lag.......but I seem to be fine this time.......fingers crossed.......

And yes, TR will be coming soon.......Tom is uploading our pictures right now.......seems we took more pictures than I thought......


----------



## I-4Bound

Oh man, I do love a good old church dinner and a bake sale! My brother-in-law is a minister, and one of the churches where he pastored used to throw the best Sunday lunch you've ever had. A whole room full of desserts! It was my idea of Heaven


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> Oh man, I do love a good old church dinner and a bake sale! My brother-in-law is a minister, and one of the churches where he pastored used to throw the best Sunday lunch you've ever had. A whole room full of desserts! It was my idea of Heaven



Lol..... maybe if they offered a lunch on a Sunday we’d go more often.....  we more help out with the social side of the running of things....Minister is ok with that......he often jokes religion is one of these things that is good in moderation......(not within the hearing of the oldies though) 

Yes, our bake sales are amazing. I’m not the best baker if I’m honest, but there’s never anything left by the end. And yes, it’s a dessert fans idea of heaven.......


----------



## Tink2Day

Yay!! Home safe, you've been reunited with your lovely Kyle.....all we need now are the details of the trip and all will be right with the world!


----------



## AprilDreamsOfDisney

So glad you're home safe and sound and that you're getting back into routine and not too jet-lagged. 

How was Kyle's time while you were away? I imagine there were hugs all around when you got back!


----------



## schumigirl

Tink2Day said:


> Yay!! Home safe, you've been reunited with your lovely Kyle.....all we need now are the details of the trip and all will be right with the world!



Awww thanks so much.......

Yep, seeing Kyle is always the best part of coming home 

Details coming up as soon as I can.........


----------



## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> So glad you're home safe and sound and that you're getting back into routine and not too jet-lagged.
> 
> How was Kyle's time while you were away? I imagine there were hugs all around when you got back!



Thanks April......yes, we don’t seem to have any jet lag this time, maybe a little, but not as bad as it can be at times. I think we managed to sleep a fair bit on the plane.......

Kyle did enjoy his time with us away......but, he’s always glad to see us home.......oh yeah.......hugs went on for a while! We did miss him.....


----------



## schumigirl

​



*So, we are back...…..*

*We arrived home last Thursday morning after almost a month, and it was one heck of a trip in one way or another....….we had some changes and alterations along the way and some fabulous times too. 

We had lots of texts and calls from friends and family to see if we were still going......they seemed more worried than we were if truth be told...….but......we took it in our stride.....*




​



*But, where to begin for this trip.........*
*
OK......

So, really, this trip should be renamed to reflect the amount of nights.....we had originally planned 29 nights in Orlando, but Mother Nature had other ideas.....so we went down to 27 nights.......not the biggest disaster in the grand scale of things but just took a little bit of altering of the plans we had for travel........not a huge deal. Some folks think we are too chilled at times ......but I do reiterate.....when there`s nothing you can physically do about something, my brain seems to go into resignation mode and doesn`t panic too much......usually!!! 
*
*I do have my moments at times though!!! *




​



*Like everyone else travelling to the USA in the next few days, we were watching the news of the Hurricane as it hurtled, albeit very slowly towards the USA.......*






​

*So, we had a decision to make, and rather than wait for Thomas Cook to rearrange our flight which we knew they would, we took the bull by the horns and called them on the Friday before we were due to fly on the Tuesday. I`d rather rearrange to suit what we wanted than wait on them making a decision for us. *

*Our flight was still showing on their webpage and you could still book it, but we knew it was going to be cancelled at some point. If we waited we may not get a flight out as quickly, so being proactive was sensible. 

We called on the Friday and changed our flight to fly on Thursday 5th instead of the 3rd. We managed to get Premium seats which we were happy about, and we didn`t have to pay an amendment fee which you usually do to change flights....this hurricane had certainly had an impact. We later found out some folks on our original flight didn`t fly out till much later as all flights were filling up rapidly. We`d have hated to lose any more days, even with such a long trip. *

*We contacted our friend at the hotel who of course said it was no problem to change our reservation...….we had 4 nights now at Sapphire instead of 6. 

It was a little stressful I guess looking back now........it was more waiting to see how the hurricane would move now....if we didn`t fly on the Thursday, we had no idea when it would be......so it was a case of fingers crossed.*
*
We then contacted Alamo who we had our car booked with and explained that due to the hurricane we wouldn`t be arriving till the 5th, we didn't want to be classed as a no show and lose the car. We got a very rapid response saying they would honour the booking and not to worry at all......it was a rather human response rather than a generic email. One less thing to think about. We did print out the email....just in case!!! 
*
*We had been caught with a hurricane before. We were in NY for Irma in 2017 and were delayed arriving in Orlando for two days and Alamo weren`t the most helpful then when we were communicating with them, however this time they were brilliant. 

Although we had train tickets booked, we didn't think at first we could change it, so we called the car service we use to see if they could take us......they could, but not until much later in the day and we wouldn't get to the hotel till after 7pm. We do like to spend some of the day relaxing in the hotel so we said we would leave it this time. They would still pick us up when we came back. *

*So, I called the train companies to see if we could change our train tickets to the 4th instead of the 2nd. And we could do that at a charge of $25 for each journey. We still managed to get the first class compartments and the day we were supposed to leave, our seats weren`t together....now we had a little table for two together. It was all working out. 

Our booking for the Radisson had to be changed, and it was no problem cancelling that, but they had no availability for the 4th now. We always stay there......it is so convenient, we do like it and it`s been our routine for so many years now. *

*I`m not fond of change........*




​


*But, change we must.....so we had a look at what was available around the airport. No other hotel is walkable with the skywalk, but most have shuttles or you can take a cab...…..and there are a good few hotels to choose from...….we could have gone cheap as there are few Premier Inns around which are on the budget end of hotels, and if that was all we could have booked this late out we would have been happy to just have a room......but we do like a nicer hotel. *

*So, after a few options were dismissed, we chose the Marriott which is a few miles from the airport.......*




​



*We got a King Room with Executive Club access for less than we would have paid for the Radisson, so we were a little concerned as to how it would be. We are so used to the Radisson and were always happy there, but this would be different. We were looking forward to it though. *

*We were quite pleased with all the changes we had managed in one afternoon......we systematically went through everything that needed to be checked, altered or cancelled and despite not stressing about it all, I did feel we deserved a large glass of Chardonnay that night........so we did!!!*




​


*Full travel day coming up...........*


----------



## I-4Bound

Hooray! The trip report is beginning!

After waiting 3 weeks post hurricane, we finally got our roof repairs done! The company didn't even call us to tell us they were coming, I just heard strange banging noises and ran outside to find a crew of men on my roof. I'm not complaining, though!


----------



## schumigirl

*WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 4TH*




​




*We spent most of yesterday trying not to think we should be flying.....but couldn't help it. We tried to not watch the news here and in the States as it would only cause us to worry a little.....so we passed the day keeping busy and even got packed up. 

We also had our traditional pizza takeout that night which Kyle loves. So, really the day passed ok. And we sat in the evening with some time with Kyle and friends called. *

*But on to our travel day.*

*First thing we checked when we woke up was to see if MCO was opening up again today, and they were, at 5pm US time. That was fabulous news for anyone flying in or out.....and we had no advice from TC to say there was an issue of any kind, so we were good to go.......so, we went up and packed up our last minute things and hand luggage too. 

Kyle was leaving at his usual time this morning, and we did have breakfast with him before he left, as we were leaving soon after him. Although I`m fine leaving him now...…. I do still get a little bubbly at the thought of not seeing him for a month.....we are incredibly close as a family so this was still a little tough. He was fine!!!! 

But, after breakfast waving him off isn`t the best part of the day.....and I always dread it. Many hugs and good wishes from him later, we do wave him off as he goes down the driveway and off to work. We have Facetime of course and will use that. And I know he`ll be fine!!! He has some nice plans for when we`re away......so, one little tear wiped away and we get back to checking we have everything we need for the journey.......as long as we have our passports and credit cards, we`ll be fine.....but without passports we`re sunk! 

Our cab arrives to take us to the station for the first part of the train journey. And we never take pictures of this part for some reason. But, trains were on time and our connecting train to take us the last almost 3 hours to the airport was also on time. 

A friend of ours hates trains and cannot imagine how much fun it is to go on a journey like this......hence the first picture of Sheldon declaring his love of trains......we like Sheldon, like a train journey......*

*The journey is uneventful and we head up the country and arrive at the station with time for a coffee before getting on the next train where I do hunt the camera out from my hand luggage. *

*The train pulls in and we get into the first class compartment which is very nice......and we have it to ourselves again for a while........*





















*The seats are comfortable and Tom faces backwards on the journey......I just can`t do it......It makes me feel squeamish but doesn`t bother Tom at all. We do like this train and ready to set off now to the airport. 

We left at 11am and would arrive in Manchester at 2.45 which was just nice. I don`t like the sandwiches or food they offer on the journey, so I had made up some little sausage rolls and crisps to make a little mini picnic.......the trolley came around an hour into the journey but we just had water today. We were keeping our sparkly consumption till later. 

We did have a good journey and it was so quiet.....a few people came on and got off again, but only another four people were in First Class when we pulled into the airport station. *

*Luggage off, we went up a level, to go back down a set of escalators and get a cab...there are loads of them sitting outside, and the next little journey only took 5 minutes. But, we did feel the driver tried to overcharge us for such a short journey. So, for the first time, we didn`t tip. He didn`t say anything so I`m guessing he knew we knew......not the nicest feeling. *

*Our first thoughts on the hotel was how much smaller it looked than the Radisson.......but it was deceiving......it was huge at the rear and was actually a bit maze like.......*





























*We received a warm friendly welcome and we did feel more comfortable now we were here, this place looked lovely. We liked it here already. 

They only have a small elevator and she explained we`d be quicker using the stairs where our room was.....and even gave us a map to the room!!!! How far away was this room?????? Quite far was the answer.....*

*We did however choose to take the elevator as our cases weighed a ton.....and then walked what felt like 5 miles to our room.....we were the furthest away you could possibly be from reception. 

But, the room was fresh, clean and the bed was comfy.......*









































*Have to say, green is my least favourite colour, but it was a nice room and felt quite cosy. 

Products in the bathroom were very nice too. And we did like that everything was sparkling clean. *





















*Once we freshened up, we headed back down to the reception area where we saw just how sprawling the hotel actually was. It wasn't the nicest day, but I imagine on a sunny day, this would be very pretty. *












*Like the Radisson we would utilise the Executive Lounge this time. It was on the ground floor behind reception, so nowhere near the rooms which seemed odd, but it was a very nice room accessed with your room key. 

As standard, teas, coffee and all juices were available all day, and at 5pm they offered light snacks and alcohol. Food till 7.30pm and alcohol till 9pm. Unlike the Radisson they don't offer hard liquor, which is fine for us as we don't partake in those type of drinks when we stay Executive Lounge. *





























































*This was very nice, and we could already feel the Radisson becoming a distant memory for our travels. 

We had a coffee and I did online check in for our flight tomorrow, I was a bit nervous doing this in case it came up with an alert or similar......but all was good and we got checked in...so looked like the flight was going ahead........after we did that we then wandered through to the restaurant bar where we planned to have our traditional bottle of sparkly to show our trip had commenced........

They have two onsite restaurants, an Italian through the rear of the property, which did look nice so we made a reservation for that on later. The one near the front was a Raymond Blanc restaurant......he`s very well known in the UK and it did look nice. So, we wandered in and found a table before ordering our sparkly. *












*The bar area of the restaurant is very pretty and we did enjoy sitting here. Staff were marvellous and very friendly. I said to Tom I think we should stay here in November too, but Kyle does love the Radisson, so we`d think on that one.*











*And the sparkly was very nice too!!!! *






















*We liked it so much we cancelled our reservation for the Italian restaurant and made one for here......we liked the menu more and saw they offered one of our favourite dishes ever......ChateauBriand…..we already knew that's what we would be ordering for dinner later. 

We sat for quite a while just musing and chatting about what was ahead of us this trip. The hurricane had already gave us numerous conversations of course, and we did still check the internet for updates, and all looked good for now. It was so relaxing and so friendly. *

*We finished our bottle and headed through to the Executive Lounge a few steps away. We didn't plan to eat anything, but wanted to see what was on offer and to compare really to what the Radisson offered. 

And it looked very nice. *

*They had what looked like small pots of a beef casserole sitting on a bed of mashed potatoes, and another pot of roasted vegetables in a cheese sauce......we did try a little pot of each and they were quite tasty. *






















*The usual offerings as sides were cheese and crackers and a few salad type foods. I had a spoon full of the beet couscous and coleslaw and they were both very nice. But, we didn't want to eat too much as we were having dinner later. But, if anyone wanted to not pay for dinner again, you could easily make a meal for yourself out of the offerings. *

*We had one glass of wine, but again, it was laid out so you could help yourself. The white was in the fridge with the cold beer which was unlocked at 5pm. The red wine sat on the counter top. *

*They also had some kind of cake sat out......but have no clue what it was as we didn`t try it. *
































*The lounge was quiet, I think we only saw around 8 other people max while we were in. *












*It was almost time for our reservation so we wandered through and the restaurant was busy, but not completely full, so we asked if we could have a table overlooking the kitchen and the chefs....we do quite like that and it was brighter over there too. She was happy to take us to a table over there......*












*I liked this table and would ask for it again...…...we did like this restaurant a lot. *











*Tom said he fancied another bottle of the prosecco we had earlier in the afternoon, so that was good for me too. It was very nice. *










*They brought us some olives to nibble on while we chose our meal......*










*We did order our ChateauBriand and asked for it medium rare......and we had some time to chill out while we waited for it.....we love just sitting and watching life go on around us.....and watching the chefs work was entertaining......no Gordon Ramsey tantrums in that kitchen.

The manager brought over the dish when it was ready to carve it for us.....and we could have kicked ourselves when we realised we didn't take a before picture of the whole filet on the serving plate.....he had completely carved it before we remembered!!!! Next time...…..*

*I think it was more medium than medium rare......but....it was gorgeous!!!!! Incredibly tender as it should be and full of flavour…..*

*Tom had regular fries with his and I opted for sweet potato fries.....they were lovely.....*










*I was very impressed with our waitress who we soon discovered from the manager was almost brand new....I was surprised as she was everything you`d look for in someone to do this job.....we loaded praise on her and he said he`d pass it on to higher management. 

For dessert, we both chose the berry pavlova......and it was delicious too. *










*This had been a huge success so far. The hotel had impressed, the restaurant had impressed and now we had to decide if the beds impressed......I had a quick seat on ours earlier and it felt ok, but until you laid down on it, it`s hard to tell sometimes. 

We sat a little while longer and then went back to our room which was a three day camel ride......

I checked my emails and I had one from our friend at the hotel wishing us safe travels....always good to hear from him. *

*We Facetimed Kyle and showed him around the room.......it was pitch black outside so couldnt see much out there, but he wished us also safe travels and said we`d chat on Saturday morning our time in Orlando. 

It was around 10.30pm now and we were ready for bed.....

The bed was comfortable and the bedding was lovely.......and nice pillows......so we hoped we would sleep well, we did feel tired which helps!!!! We were so glad that the way things turned out we had ended up staying in this hotel. We were so happy with our choice in the end. *

*But, it was that time again to look forward to the beginning of another jaunt to our home away from home..........*


----------



## J'aime Paris

And so it begins......

YEAH!!!!!!


----------



## Tink2Day

Yay!! It's started!  Ooh love the train, I do want to ride an old steam train in the Northern part of our state some day. It's a one way train ride and
a bus back, strange.

We are near a hub city (trains travel west and east and north and south) for the trains that go cross country and our farm is several miles from the train tracks but we can still hear the train whistle blow across the river and valley at times.
Actually kind of romantic.
Sounds like you found an unexpected treasure and happened into a perfect hotel!  Although I love green (goes with red hair well), I don't care for that particular shade.

Excited to hear more.


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> Hooray! The trip report is beginning!
> 
> After waiting 3 weeks post hurricane, we finally got our roof repairs done! The company didn't even call us to tell us they were coming, I just heard strange banging noises and ran outside to find a crew of men on my roof. I'm not complaining, though!



Oh my goodness!! What a way to start the day......but, yes, I’d have been happy too!!! 

I’m glad they’re all done though and roof is sorted.......roofs are always such a worry if they have anything wrong with them! 

Yep, finally getting it started.........


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> And so it begins......
> 
> YEAH!!!!!!



Glad you’re still here Lori........hope you enjoy it!!


----------



## schumigirl

Tink2Day said:


> Yay!! It's started!  Ooh love the train, I do want to ride an old steam train in the Northern part of our state some day. It's a one way train ride and
> a bus back, strange.
> 
> We are near a hub city (trains travel west and east and north and south) for the trains that go cross country and our farm is several miles from the train tracks but we can still hear the train whistle blow across the river and valley at times.
> Actually kind of romantic.
> Sounds like you found an unexpected treasure and happened into a perfect hotel!  Although I love green (goes with red hair well), I don't care for that particular shade.
> 
> Excited to hear more.



You are a woman after my own heart!

I love trains, especially the old fashioned steam trains......we have a few places in this country we can go ride them, when we used to live further up North, we saw them a lot out in the countryside......I agree they sound very romantic....I’d love to do a long journey in one......

We only have a rural local line near us, but no romantic sounds from the little train....

Although don’t laugh......where my aunt lives in Long Island you can hear the regular trains as they pass close by......I love the sound of those too.....I’m easy to please I guess......lol......

We were over the moon with the hotel.......except the green.......yes, it wasn’t the best shade of green.

I have a few duck egg blue touches in our bedroom, it does have a tint of green in the morning light, and it’s pretty.......but that green......no.


----------



## angshewas

Woo hoo! Excited to read another of your trip reports!


----------



## schumigirl

angshewas said:


> Woo hoo! Excited to read another of your trip reports!



I love a good woo hoo!!!!

Thanks.....glad to hear it.......hope you enjoy this one too.......


----------



## angryduck71

Yay!  It's started!  (This makes me think I do really need to take "my" young Sheldon on a train one of these days!)


----------



## Owlpost23

So glad to see you're beginning your report! Looking forward to it!


----------



## pepperandchips

I suddenly wish I had Prosecco! Oh well, red blend will have to do. The Marriott looks very nice. Doubt I’ll ever need a Manchester airport hotel but I’m glad you are off to such a nice start! 



schumigirl said:


> then went back to our room which was a three day camel ride......



This part had me cracking up. We felt like this once at Portofino Bay but it was just as I requested, near the boat dock and walking path so I really did ask for it. 

So glad you’re home safe and off to a wonderful start writing as usual!


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> Yay!  It's started!  (This makes me think I do really need to take "my" young Sheldon on a train one of these days!)



lol......your young Sheldon would love the train on a longer journey!

Plenty of time to chill out, read, relax and watch the world go by......at least that’s my image of a long journey on a train. Would need to be quite luxurious for me.........maybe the Orient Express???

I can already see Tom shaking his head at that thought!!!


----------



## schumigirl

Owlpost23 said:


> So glad to see you're beginning your report! Looking forward to it!



Thanks Owlpost........I was keen to start this as we don‘t have long before we set off again.......I do want to get as much done as I can........

Hope you enjoy it.........


----------



## schumigirl

pepperandchips said:


> I suddenly wish I had Prosecco! Oh well, red blend will have to do. The Marriott looks very nice. Doubt I’ll ever need a Manchester airport hotel but I’m glad you are off to such a nice start!
> 
> 
> 
> This part had me cracking up. We felt like this once at Portofino Bay but it was just as I requested, near the boat dock and walking path so I really did ask for it.
> 
> So glad you’re home safe and off to a wonderful start writing as usual!



lol......I do love a good Prosecco!!!!

We really were so impressed with the Marriott.......and I think as we’d stayed at the Radisson so many times........I’ve lost count to be honest as we always stayed there when we used to fly to Europe too, it was a nice change.

Oh gosh yes, I can imagine.........PB can be a long walk to anywhere depending on where you are.......

And Thank  you.......it is nice to be home......and I do hope you like this one too.......


----------



## NancyLuvsMickey

So happy you were able to change all your plans without too much of a hassle!!! Can't wait to read more about your trip!!!

We're headed down in 32 days to that side you don't go to!!!   Universal is still on my radar for next fall... But we won't be doing any HHN parties!!!


----------



## schumigirl

*THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 5TH

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY & FLYING DAY*





​



*Yep...….it still feels like an adventure every single visit...



We slept reasonably well. The bed was comfortable, and pillows were perfect for me....Tom would have preferred them a little firmer but still liked them. It was the general excitement of the trip that as usual, kept us awake....when you wake at 1am after being asleep for only a couple of hours, expecting it to be time to get up.....that`s a little frustrating. And the more you tell yourself you need to sleep, the more you seem to pop awake.......

But, eventually we fall back asleep and it is the alarm that wakes us up....well, the first alarm from my ipad, then the tv alarm, then the wake up call, then our phone.......yep.....we do worry about sleeping in too late. *

*I as always get up first, hit the shower as Tom checks the flight details from the airport to make sure nothing catastrophic has occurred overnight, but it was fine. All the airports were back to normal. 

The products in the shower were lovely, very citrusy and fresh and the shower was powerful enough. The hairdryer was also quite good which was nice. Sometimes they are very poor but this one is fine. *

*Once we were both dressed we headed down to the Executive Lounge where breakfast was already laid out for us...and it did look very nice and appetising. *








































*They had a good selection of breads and some scrambled egg too along with cereals and yogurts and such......I had some bacon and smoked salmon.....and one slice of toast, it was nice and a bit unusual....Tom had croissants and some bacon. It was very nice and we did enjoy it. You can pay for breakfast in the restaurant if you`re not Executive Level, and it seemed a fair price for what you can get in there. But, for us, this was perfect. 

We stopped off at reception to see if we could book a cab to take us to the airport, but he said if we were leaving at 7.30 the hotel shuttle could take us......why not. So we put our name down and headed back round the rabbit warren of a hotel to get back to our room for our luggage. 

We took the short cut and used the stairs instead of the extra 10 miles we had to walk if we took the elevator......this wasn`t easy....but Tom managed to get them down the two sets easily......I supervised!! They are heavy cases! 

The shuttle bus was waiting as we got to the front doors......there were already a few people on it as he loaded our luggage....this was the smallest shuttle I have ever been in......there was around 20 seats, but boy did you sit close to the folks next to you. Unfortunately, one man had been smoking and his clothes stank to high heavens when he came back in the bus. He sat behind us but you could still smell him. That aside, it was a short run to the terminal. We stopped at T3 first then we were dropped at T1. It was a beautiful sunny morning so very pleasant to walk the very short distance to the entrance. 

Straight into Departures and there was no line for Premium passengers at all. The regular line was fairly long at this point, so we were glad we weren`t in that line. We got the lady who wasn`t overly friendly, until we chatted to her then her demeanor changed completely and she was smiling and chatty......doesn`t cost much to be nice. Our luggage was quite close to the limit for weight, my reasoning was, we were there for a month......Tom`s first comment was......not a lot of shopping then.......*




​



*We got our boarding cards and headed through to security, again we had the quick queue as Premium passengers. This didn't take long and Tom was once again searched separately...….I had been lucky last few times...….no searches for me. It`s a little like a madhouse here, with everyone jumbled up together and trying to get their tray of personal belongings despite others trying to do the same......it is a little manic. *

*Once through we realised we were a little too early, even for us. As we had eaten, we didn't need to stop for breakfast anywhere.....but we did go into Starbucks for a coffee. I don't drink a lot of coffee so I got water and we sat and passed an hour just watching the world go by. *

*We wandered through Duty Free where I picked up a bottle of Jimmy Choo perfume and then headed down to where our gate was......our flight was supposed to depart at 11am, and as we passed the board it changed to a 30 minute delay...….not too bad. 

When we got down there, a load of Cabin Crew were sitting and looked a little concerned...….through having exceptional hearing I heard them say the plane hadn't left Orlando last night.....*





​



*Oh No!!!!! But, it was still showing as departing as normal, and they didn`t seem to be in a rush to go anywhere, so we didn't panic just yet...........I got chatting to the pilot and he said not to worry they had another plane for us.....we`d get there today. He was such a nice man, I was glad I had managed to chat to him. 

And as we chatted, as if by magic a plane appeared. There were a couple of others at gates, but one was for Mexico and the other for JFK.....now we had one too!!! *










*We didn't wait too long before boarding began, getting on first is nice, there`s not too many Premium passengers so no mad rush for overhead baggage space. We didn't have the seats we were supposed to have on the original flight, we were in the middle row of three.....but, still plenty of space with these seats. Tom had a very nice American lady sitting beside him and she chatted back and forward which was nice. As we usually sit just the two of us, this is like a lottery.....you never know who you can get beside you. But, she was lovely. 

We had just sat down when we got our glass of sparkly from Cabin Crew.....always a nice way to start the flight..*












*We can`t quite master these darn selfies!!!!! *

*We were fairly smart at taking off, with only being 10 minutes late in the end....not too bad. It was a smooth take off and soon we were levelling out and no ear popping this time......we always forget there is a real blue sky above the grey cloud we usually have....and a very bright sunshine. 

They soon come round with the first drinks service, I get white wine and Tom gets 2 little beers as they aren't too strong in alcohol, as he`s driving at the other end. *











*Almost immediately we see we are taking an unusual route.....usually we go straight out over Ireland then up past Iceland, Canada and then along the Eastern Seaboard...…..but today, we head South and it looks like we are going straight across the Atlantic...…..makes sense with the hurricane still lingering around...….but, I`m very aware at this point this aircraft only has two engines!!!!! 

Usually the Virgin Jumbo Jet goes directly across the ocean, but it has four engines.....I do like four engines! *











*Settling down is easy...….our seats are comfortable and no one has yet reclined......usually once all the food is out of the way and things quieten down, most recline a little or a lot and have a snooze before landing. It`s not so bad in these seats as we still have plenty of room if people do recline. 

I check out the movies, Tom had already started watching one of his movies...…can`t even remember what he watched...….I put on the Stan and Ollie movie. I love Laurel and Hardy and hadn't heard much about this movie...….I actually wished I hadn`t watched it at the end. It was incredibly sad how they ended up. Tom did take his earplugs out when he saw me wiping my eyes......oh dear!!! 

Just after that, it was time for our main meal of the flight...…..this airline serves decentish food for a plane......and our choices today were beef in red wine, or chicken in cider sauce.....we chose one of each in case I needed to swap...….I do sometimes do that!!! *












*The beef in red wine has green beans which I detest, but the chicken has little onions......I do choose the chicken and give the pearl onions to Tom...….the beef has mash and the chicken has a dauphenoise style potato...well, as close as it can be. We also have a bread roll, crackers, 2 different cheeses and a chutney, then a little dessert which today is blueberry and vanilla cheesecake. And we get another wine with dinner too and a bottle of water. *






















*They are actually not too bad......the chicken is edible as is the beef.....so, we do enjoy it, and it passes some time on the plane too. *

*No denying it, it is a long flight...….but with a few movies to watch and some snooze time too it`s not too bad. I actually watched John Wick 3 and really enjoyed that surprisingly. As we don`t have a window to look out, it`s easier to try and get some sleep. And we both do just that. The lady in front didn`t recline, but the man behind reclined right back, so I mentioned to him I was going to recline and checked he didn't still have his tray out before I did. So we all got very comfortable. *

*I think I slept for around 2 hours, which isn't too bad.....I missed CC handing out the ice cream again!!! I always seem to miss that. But, would rather sleep. 

Before we know it we are approaching the USA...….*


















*Around 90 minutes before we land, they bring round afternoon tea....I`m not really a fan of this as I don't eat egg or brown bread and the orange sandwich filler.....I have no idea what it actually is!!! And neither does anyone else...….even CC when asked *










*I leave most of it, and just have the cup of tea...….and more water. 

I put on the audio channel while I watch the skymap.....they have an awesome 80`s channel to listen to......I try not to sing along!!!! *





















*That last hour is the slowest hour ever!!!! But, everyone springs to life a little...especially if you`ve managed to snooze!!!! *

*The pilot announces at one point we should all look out the right hand side of the plane and we`ll see the outline of Hurricane Dorian.....I expect to see a few clouds, but you can see the curved outline clearly, and it was indeed huge!!!!  Very impressive. *

*Once we are back in our seat after a bathroom visit, we can really feel the dropping in height today. He seems to be coming down quicker than usual......and our ears are popping like crazy......but he is on a mission and soon we are landing, and another smooth landing was enjoyed. 

Then we have the seemingly endless taxi to the stand. There we see one of the Virgin Jumbo`s has arrived...….this would usually fill us with dread thinking of immigration lines, but with Global Entry we don't have to worry. 

We have arrived safely, that's all that matters. *




​


----------



## schumigirl

NancyLuvsMickey said:


> So happy you were able to change all your plans without too much of a hassle!!! Can't wait to read more about your trip!!!
> 
> We're headed down in 32 days to that side you don't go to!!!   Universal is still on my radar for next fall... But we won't be doing any HHN parties!!!



Thanks Nancy.....it just kind of fell into place in the end......

lol......you should try HHN......it`s fun...….  

Oh you`ll have a blast when you go to that other place .....hope the weather is still as beautiful as we got.....and yes, you need to start planning next year!!!

More coming up......


----------



## NancyLuvsMickey

schumigirl said:


> lol......you should try HHN......it`s fun...….



I tried watching the tv show Walking Dead with my husband on Sunday... That lasted about 3 minutes before I went upstairs to watch something less scary!!! I would never survive HHN but I'm sure I'd be the talk of the party for the rest of the guests!!!


----------



## Worfiedoodles

You are off to a fantastic start! So glad you've found another departure hotel so you have options if needed. That is one long flight...I think you do it with great grace and your positive attitude is quite an asset   

It is disconcerting when your flight takes a different route. When I've traveled to the California in the last 2 years we have flown over Canada. It just feels funny, because of course that can't be the most direct route. But really fun to look out and see something new, even if it is quite far below....

Looking forward to your entry and Welcome Home to Sapphire Falls 

Maria


----------



## Cara

I'm here!  Better late than never! So glad you were able to get home easily with the whole airline issue.

Can't wait to read, BECAUSE I AM GOING TO UNIVERSAL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 13 YEARS next June! I'm tagging along with my husband for a work conference in Orlando, and we're ending the week with two nights and three days at Royal Pacific Resort!  It's not much time, but it's better than nothing. We're taking our daughter and son-in-law to Disney in late-February/early-March for my 50th birthday, and I'll be giving away one arm and part of a leg to pay for that. So we won't be spending a ton on this trip. However, I am very excited to experience the parks and to see all the wonderment that is Harry Potter!


----------



## schumigirl

*We landed right on time, which is always good. And we got off the plane quickly, and as we are first off we did get through to the Immigration hall very quickly this time. *
*
Having GE means we usually just scan the passport and then speak to an officer......not this time......it was facial recognition only, no questions to answer on the machine and then straight to a waiting officer, who was very pleasant and didn't ask us any questions. The joys of Global Entry and Trusted Traveller programme. 
*
*I went to the bathroom and freshened up a little, then as I came back out the luggage had already began to come through. Would it be too much to ask for our luggage to come off early as it`s supposed to.

Well, it wasn't first off but, it was quick!!! Couldn't believe the two cases came through at the same time! Fabulous! We did glance back to the regular immigration line where our fellow passengers were still lined up, and another jumbo and a Peruvian flight had arrived...….*

*We got our cases and headed up to the people mover......we got on one straight away and soon we were heading towards the main part of the airport and this is the best part......anticipating everything in front of us!!! 

Down to car hire desk, we were a little wary in case we had any issues, but it was fine. They didn't have the Maserati, and he said he hadn't seen one for ages......so we took an Audi Q7...….it would do for now. Not the best car, I wish we had taken the Tahoe to be honest...the manager did say if we didn`t like it we could bring it back. Ok then. *
*
But, we were heading outside and the blast of heat as we walked over to choose the car was immense!!! This was hot!!! 
*
*We got the car, and not very impressed was my first thought.....but it would get us around. We set it up and set off on the best part of the journey. 

Coming up Universal Boulevard and seeing familiar icons like the Orlando Eye and the StarFlyer is always lovely.......and then further up we see the hotels we know and love so much......It is always such a welcoming sight and we do feel we have come home again. People sometimes ask us how we can enjoy "only" a hotel room instead of a timeshare or similar......I`m not sure to be honest, but it feels as if we are in the right place. We simply love it. *

*We park up and get inside the hotel quickly as I did notice the strangely high heat we are experiencing.......it`s usually hot, but this was different. 

There`s no line at the desk and our friend is away on vacation, so one of his assistants has waited to welcome us, she is so lovely and it`s lovely to see her. It`s so nice to be back here. *
*
After a chat we head up to our rooms........and I won`t even apologise for similar pictures as before......we love this suite and are always delighted to get it. 
*
*It has so much space, and feels warm and welcoming at the same time.....*






































*The view is always a joy to see...…especially at night when everything is all lit up...….*










*The second bathroom is just off the large entrance area, and is a god send somedays......*





















*This little kitchen area is perfect...….it has some storage space for all our snacks and a fridge for anything we want to keep cool......we never use the coffee maker after reading what some folks use them for!! *











*I love this bedroom!!!! It has the comfiest of beds!! And I do like the décor in here, it`s so fresh and light and as is always the case here, the rooms are all immaculately clean!!! *




























*This is what`s known as "my" bathroom...….although Tom does get to shower here in the morning...…...bless him!!!! *






































*It has a lovely large walk in shower and an over the tub shower too which we have never used......and the toilet in a separate area which would be nice for families who want a little privacy. *












*Our lovely friend had arranged for a delivery of a beautiful fruit and cheese plate with crackers and water of which we are so grateful for and devour it with relish!!!! We never think we`re going to be hungry, but once we are in the room, we do feel peckish.....and there was a lovely welcome home card for us! It really was thoughtful and kind of him. *




















*We decide to unpack right now, so while I`m munching on grapes we manage to unplack all that we think we`ll need for the four nights we are here. There`s no point unpacking everything for a short stay. *
*
Then we head down to our favourite bar in the whole of Orlando.....Strong Water Bar. 

This place is just the best........amazing cocktails, food and the staff are just wonderful......we take a seat over by the window tonight as our two favourite bar folks arent working, if they had been there we`d have sat at the bar. But, a table tonight and a very comfortable seat is most welcome. 
*
*I order a ginger beer....yes, you read that right...... a ginger beer with no rum first off......*




​



*Even Brittney was a little surprised......lol.......although I did get rid of the silly giant straws.....I hate paper straws and had been proactive and brought over my own supply of plastic straws to use wherever we went!!! It was a source of amusement in some places I brought my own. Tom had ordered the Fountain of Youth which we both love. *












*Everyone came over to say hello........and it was so lovely to see everyone again, and after a good catch up, the manager Fernando came over. He is a real gentleman and we adore talking to him.....he has such a lovely nature and cares so much about guests and staff alike, and it shows. He has such a good sense of humour too. We get on well. *

*Chef Carlos then comes out to say hello which is lovely. We admire him a lot and he comes up with some amazing and unique dishes. Always nice to see him. 

We then order some food.....and start with the Caribbean ceviche and Brittney tells us Chef Carlos is sending out a new dish for us to try......now that is always a treat!!! She doesn't know what it is, but is sure we`ll like it.........I can`t wait......*










*The ceviche is beautiful.........it always is......and then Chef came out with his latest creation for us to sample........*

*They were called Tequenos (I hope that`s the correct spelling) It was a ham and cheese filling with the most unique pastry......it was like a doughnut, but so incredibly light......not heavy at all...this was delicious. The dipping sauce was what we would call a Marie Rose sauce and have it with shrimp.....mayo and ketchup is the base of it. And a little spicy. But, completely delicious!!!! *











*We did enjoy the food......and passed on our delight to Chef and thanked him for the advance sample......*
*
I then decided to order the cocktail Ashley created called Fools Gold.....it really is quite decadent and strong!!!! no one can say the drinks are weak here....they are always incredibly strong and you can taste it! This is a lovely drink. 
*
*Tom opted for the Witchfinder which Brittney created and it`s like a sangria, but with rum. *










*We also chose to have the Mexican Ceviche which is hot and spicy....and it is quite spicy which we love!! So fresh...….*




















*This is perfect. We sit back and enjoy the relative tranquility as it is quiet tonight.......we enjoy this type of relaxation. We have a beautiful view and certainly enjoy the food and cocktails too......*

*Tom pops out to get a couple of pictures of the view and some of the landscape around us which is beautiful...….*



















*Eventually we decide we are starting to get tired......a few folks had come over to chat while we were sitting which is lovely...….and we`re again glad the place isn`t too busy that they can chat to us. But, just as we say we`re leaving, Maggie asks us to wait a few minutes......we had paid the check lol.......*
*
Fernando and Maggie along with Brittney come over with a bottle of the wine we love from here in a gift bag and a card for our anniversary!!! We were so surprised......and I did tear up a little......we just never expected it.....we had mentioned in the past trip it was our anniversary  when we arrived, but this was so lovely!!!! 
*
*Many hugs later and Fernando suggested a picture....when I had stopped being sniffly.......I am a real softie!!*










*Yes, it was a lovely treat and surprise, and Fernando had put in a couple of Argentinian chocolates as a treat....they`re his favourites and hard to get so we were very honoured he gave us some!!! *
*
We said our goodnights to everyone and one man commented on the way out we must be pretty regular visitors, Maggie said yes, but they`re family...... awwww......I almost went again!!!
*
*But, back to our room and we read the card again where all the staff working that night had signed and some had written some lovely things on it.......it was lovely. I keep using that word lovely, but it really was. *












*By now, we were flagging. It was now around 10pm, quite early for most, but for us it was 3am. *
*
So, quick shower which thankfully didn`t make me more alert.......and into our very comfortable and welcoming bed. 
*
*We were ready to start our trip now.........but we had such a good day. Flight was good, and our evening had been lovely.........*




​


----------



## schumigirl

NancyLuvsMickey said:


> I tried watching the tv show Walking Dead with my husband on Sunday... That lasted about 3 minutes before I went upstairs to watch something less scary!!! I would never survive HHN but I'm sure I'd be the talk of the party for the rest of the guests!!!



Oh that is funny!!! lol.......

You`d be real hit at the event......the SA love someone who is clearly scared......and everyone loves to see folks scared!

Sadly this years event lacked some real scares.....there were still a few in some of the houses, but compared to years ago, it`s tame. Maybe five years from now it`ll be like the not so scary event down the road at the place we don't visit......lol......


----------



## schumigirl

Worfiedoodles said:


> You are off to a fantastic start! So glad you've found another departure hotel so you have options if needed. That is one long flight...I think you do it with great grace and your positive attitude is quite an asset
> 
> It is disconcerting when your flight takes a different route. When I've traveled to the California in the last 2 years we have flown over Canada. It just feels funny, because of course that can't be the most direct route. But really fun to look out and see something new, even if it is quite far below....
> 
> Looking forward to your entry and Welcome Home to Sapphire Falls
> 
> Maria



Thanks Maria.....I`m glad you`re still here and reading along!!! 

Yes, we have booked that hotel for next month, Kyle is looking forward to it too, once we convinced him it`ll be better....he`s like me really, doesn't like change...….

Yes, that would have been an unusual route to take for you to California......…(we will get there one day) I do like to fly over Canada as it is quite spectacular in some areas. Looks cold though!!! We secretly quite enjoy the long flight I think......


----------



## jump00

Hi Carole! Great beginning to your trip report- so excited to be following along.
So glad you had a great experience at the Marriott! Can’t wait to read what happens next.
Brenda


----------



## I-4Bound

What a wonderful anniversary surprise! They treat you so well there. I enjoy just hearing about it. I have to tell you that my husband and I share your love for ginger beer, rum, and lime.So yummy!


----------



## schumigirl

Cara said:


> I'm here!  Better late than never! So glad you were able to get home easily with the whole airline issue.
> 
> Can't wait to read, BECAUSE I AM GOING TO UNIVERSAL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 13 YEARS next June! I'm tagging along with my husband for a work conference in Orlando, and we're ending the week with two nights and three days at Royal Pacific Resort!  It's not much time, but it's better than nothing. We're taking our daughter and son-in-law to Disney in late-February/early-March for my 50th birthday, and I'll be giving away one arm and part of a leg to pay for that. So we won't be spending a ton on this trip. However, I am very excited to experience the parks and to see all the wonderment that is Harry Potter!



 along Cara…....hoped we see you here...….

FANTASTIC NEWS!!!!!!!  I`m so happy to hear that!!!

June will be here before you know it, and I`m so happy you`re going to RPR.....you`ll have a wonderful time, I know you will. 

And how lovely to get a trip with your daughter and son in law, and for such a special occasion.....lovely to hear your plans. 

Again, I`m so glad to see you here for this one too......


----------



## schumigirl

jump00 said:


> Hi Carole! Great beginning to your trip report- so excited to be following along.
> So glad you had a great experience at the Marriott! Can’t wait to read what happens next.
> Brenda



Thanks so much Brenda...….I`m glad to see you still here!!! Feels ages since I started it!!! 

We did enjoy the Marriott a lot......we were very impressed all round there.....will miss the convenience of the Radisson with the 5 minute walk in the Skywalk, but a five minute cab or shuttle ride is nothing. 

Will have more up as soon as I can...…..


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> What a wonderful anniversary surprise! They treat you so well there. I enjoy just hearing about it. I have to tell you that my husband and I share your love for ginger beer, rum, and lime.So yummy!



It really was a lovely surprise Andrea.....they do look after us so well, and we absolutely adore every one of them in there....

Oh I love that drink!!!! Isn`t it just the nicest drink.....so refreshing and so tasty...... and anything with ginger beer....I`m happy!!! Like your husband, Tom thankfully likes it too, so when we both fancy one, it`s ideal.....lush drink!!!


----------



## luvdisdogs

Glad everything worked out travel wise.  Excited to read another trip report!!  Hope there are lots of HHN pictures! Happy Anniversary and Birthday a little late!


----------



## Cara

schumigirl said:


> along Cara…....hoped we see you here...….
> 
> FANTASTIC NEWS!!!!!!!  I`m so happy to hear that!!!
> 
> June will be here before you know it, and I`m so happy you`re going to RPR.....you`ll have a wonderful time, I know you will.
> 
> And how lovely to get a trip with your daughter and son in law, and for such a special occasion.....lovely to hear your plans.
> 
> Again, I`m so glad to see you here for this one too......



Thank you! I'm very excited! I looked at Sapphire Falls too, and it does look lovely. But with such a short trip, I thought we would definitely need the EP that comes with RPR. We'll also be there for our 28th wedding anniversary!

I am thrilled to be taking the trip with Josh and Hannah earlier in the year. And this December I get to enjoy a girls' trip with her, as we have a five-night cruise booked, just the two of us. Like you, I just have the one (pretty awesome) child, and I treasure my time with her.


----------



## Worfiedoodles

Just as predicted, you are off to a magical start. I can see why you enjoy that suite, it has everything you need and more! So lovely to see the welcome you receive and how everyone is genuinely happy to see you. When you spread kindness and caring out in the world, it does come back.  I know you will put that bottle of anniversary wine to good use!


----------



## J'aime Paris

Those Tequenos look amazing!!!!  (Hope they will still be around in December...)
Glad you are off to such a wonderful start!


----------



## justbeachyinfl

Seems a wonderful start!  Glad to hear that the hurricane didn't impede your travel too terribly much and you were able to change your arrangements rather seemlessly, although, it's never fun to give up days.  We gave up two days of our vacation in the Keys due to the hurricane but we never got more than a sprinkle in our part of Florida.  Lucky, really.  So many others were affected...

Everything looks great thus far.  The pictures of the two of you in the hotel restaurant were lovely.  You were practically glowing...a really gorgeous picture.  Excited to see what adventures are next.  Can't wait to read more!


----------



## macraven

I love when you start your trip reports with pictures!

And like always, awesome colorful photos !


----------



## schumigirl

luvdisdogs said:


> Glad everything worked out travel wise.  Excited to read another trip report!!  Hope there are lots of HHN pictures! Happy Anniversary and Birthday a little late!



Thank you so much, it did work out good for us in the end.....And thank you for the birthday/anniversary wishes....we did have a blast! 

I think we took lots of HHN pics....... but.........in some I look like I’ve either been drenched in water as it was so hot.....or my face looked like a beetroot....only brighter......lol......not very flattering!

But I’ll still post them........


----------



## schumigirl

Cara said:


> Thank you! I'm very excited! I looked at Sapphire Falls too, and it does look lovely. But with such a short trip, I thought we would definitely need the EP that comes with RPR. We'll also be there for our 28th wedding anniversary!
> 
> I am thrilled to be taking the trip with Josh and Hannah earlier in the year. And this December I get to enjoy a girls' trip with her, as we have a five-night cruise booked, just the two of us. Like you, I just have the one (pretty awesome) child, and I treasure my time with her.



Yes, although Sapphire is truly gorgeous, the EP will be an advantage for you for sure......oh and what a lovely thing to celebrate while you’re there! 28 years is a lovely achievement and certainly a good celebration! 

You do have some lovely trips planned......the girls one sounds so much fun, and yes, spending time with our adult children is priceless!!! I agree about treasuring time with them.......it is precious......


----------



## schumigirl

Worfiedoodles said:


> Just as predicted, you are off to a magical start. I can see why you enjoy that suite, it has everything you need and more! So lovely to see the welcome you receive and how everyone is genuinely happy to see you. When you spread kindness and caring out in the world, it does come back.  I know you will put that bottle of anniversary wine to good use!



Thanks Maria......glad you’re enjoying it already......

Yes, the Sapphire Suite is beautiful......we are very lucky. And thank you, yes, I try to live by those thoughts. And we did enjoy the wine later in the trip......we didn’t want to drink it while we were tired or rushed. It’s a beautiful wine


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> Those Tequenos look amazing!!!!  (Hope they will still be around in December...)
> Glad you are off to such a wonderful start!



Hey Lori......I think they should be, they were going on the menu whenever they update it........

And thank you......we did have a great start........


----------



## schumigirl

justbeachyinfl said:


> Seems a wonderful start!  Glad to hear that the hurricane didn't impede your travel too terribly much and you were able to change your arrangements rather seemlessly, although, it's never fun to give up days.  We gave up two days of our vacation in the Keys due to the hurricane but we never got more than a sprinkle in our part of Florida.  Lucky, really.  So many others were affected...
> 
> Everything looks great thus far.  The pictures of the two of you in the hotel restaurant were lovely.  You were practically glowing...a really gorgeous picture.  Excited to see what adventures are next.  Can't wait to read more!



Thank you, glad you didn’t lose many days. Yes, lots of folks were affected.  And glad you’re enjoying the trip report.


----------



## schumigirl

macraven said:


> I love when you start your trip reports with pictures!
> 
> And like always, awesome colorful photos !



Glad to see you mac......Thank you!!!

You know Tom does love to take pictures, and he does them so well......weirdly the ones I took were all fuzzy.......lol.......I really should wear my glasses when taking them and they might come out better!! 

Hope you enjoy this one now it’s started properly


----------



## Dynamoliz

That truly is a lovely photo of you both with your SWT family! I almost got teary myself looking at it lol. Well as of now I am officially on vacation. Whoot! Whoot! Tomorrow morning we'll get in the car and point it south. This trip has been up in the air for a few months and actually at one point completely off. A few weeks ago we started to be more optimistic that we could get away but not enough that we wanted to book flights so we decided if on the day life was stable at home well we'd just drive! I have a bil and mil with fragile health but since they are stable and help in place for them (we are their only family) we are grabbing the opportunity and just going! Not one park ticket purchased. No real idea what we'll get up to. It is equal parts terrifying and exciting! I'm not a spreadsheet type planner but in the past I've always known what park on what day! Oh well! Can't wait to get on the road. My husband is still taking care of business or I'd probably be cajoling him to just 'let's go' now! I'm packed up and ready.


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

80’s music!!!!


----------



## disneyAndi14

So happy to read the travel day ended up being just fine! Always stressful when a hurricane is brewing! You made the right decision to call ahead of time and change your flight.

The new hotel near the airport looks very nice. I’m glad you enjoyed it and the dinner. 

I love the suite at SF, every time I see it in your review! I would love to stay there some day! The way it is designed is just what vacationers are looking for! The colors are so inviting and relaxing!

Happy Anniversary to both of you! Every time I see Tom with his happy smile I can’t help but smile myself!!

The gift of wine and chocolates from the SW staff was so wonderful!


----------



## schumigirl

Dynamoliz said:


> That truly is a lovely photo of you both with your SWT family! I almost got teary myself looking at it lol. Well as of now I am officially on vacation. Whoot! Whoot! Tomorrow morning we'll get in the car and point it south. This trip has been up in the air for a few months and actually at one point completely off. A few weeks ago we started to be more optimistic that we could get away but not enough that we wanted to book flights so we decided if on the day life was stable at home well we'd just drive! I have a bil and mil with fragile health but since they are stable and help in place for them (we are their only family) we are grabbing the opportunity and just going! Not one park ticket purchased. No real idea what we'll get up to. It is equal parts terrifying and exciting! I'm not a spreadsheet type planner but in the past I've always known what park on what day! Oh well! Can't wait to get on the road. My husband is still taking care of business or I'd probably be cajoling him to just 'let's go' now! I'm packed up and ready.



Thank you.....I like those pictures we took with them.....

Oh I`m so happy you`re heading off today....sounds like it`s been quite a traumatic time with family worries. I`m glad they are both being looked after so you can get away for this trip. Sounds like you both need it...

But, how exciting!!! I love trips where nothing is planned.....we used to do that all the time, but in Europe...we`d stick a pin in the map, get flights and go for the weekend with nothing other than passports, cash and CC.....but, I agree....it`s a little terrifying, but more exciting than anything else!!! 

Have a wonderful trip....I hope you both have a fabulous and relaxing trip......look forward to hearing about it.........


----------



## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> 80’s music!!!!



Can`t get better anywhere!!!! 

It`s amazing....at times, I can go upstairs and forget what I go up for when I get there...……....but play an 80`s song I loved and haven't heard in 30 years and I know every single word!!!!


----------



## schumigirl

disneyAndi14 said:


> So happy to read the travel day ended up being just fine! Always stressful when a hurricane is brewing! You made the right decision to call ahead of time and change your flight.
> 
> The new hotel near the airport looks very nice. I’m glad you enjoyed it and the dinner.
> 
> I love the suite at SF, every time I see it in your review! I would love to stay there some day! The way it is designed is just what vacationers are looking for! The colors are so inviting and relaxing!
> 
> Happy Anniversary to both of you! Every time I see Tom with his happy smile I can’t help but smile myself!!
> 
> The gift of wine and chocolates from the SW staff was so wonderful!



Thanks Caroline.....we just didn't want to sit around and wait to see what they would do......I was so glad we did! 

We love that suite too!! It is so beautiful and yes, so relaxing, we do enjoy spending some down time in there. Yes, we were so touched they did anything at all....and Fernando knows that`s our favourite wine over there. We are looking forward to staying at the airport hotel next month again....Tom has already made a dinner reservation for us.....lol.....he wanted to make sure we didn't arrive and it was fully booked as the Festive season will be in full flow then....

And thank you for the anniversary wishes...….


----------



## jocelyn6

Best way to start my day!! I am so excited!


----------



## schumigirl

*FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 6TH*​



*Boy we slept well......unbelievably well!!! *

*Usually we wake a few times on our first night, well, I usually do, but last night I was unconscious and didn't wake till 6.30am, I wish I could sleep later on vacation but I never seem to be able to do that.....it`s one thing that does annoy Tom....as once I`m awake....he`s awake!!!! And there are days he could have slept later, but he`s always glad he didn't. 

Our first day is usually very relaxing, we don't do much and take our time as we never know how tired we`re going to feel or how much energy we will have, so once we were showered and dressed we decided to have a quick breakfast in the room from downstairs. *

*Tom went down and chose three things and a coffee to share. I never drink a full cup of coffee so no point in buying two.......he made good choices!!! Dutch Trading does have some lovely items for breakfast. But all we wanted was a couple of pastries to share. The apple one was especially lovely. *











*This morning we had a few things to do, including a short and brief visit to Wal Mart for a couple of snack items and cookies for Kyle. We then went to ABC Wines and Liquor...….I do apologise for the amount of alcohol pictures, but we don`t have a place as good as this in the UK.....and prices are so cheap compared to what we pay in the UK for liquor. And some very large bottles too that we don`t get in stores. I`m sure most of you will be used to stores like this and it won`t be anything unique to you......but for us, we love it. 

But, we like this store a lot and the manager knows us now and chats to us if he`s in. He was amazed when Tom tells him how much we pay for a regular sized bottle of liquor compared to here...….*

*We always pick up some gifts here, and that's all we get today. As we are moving in 3 days, we don`t want to be moving over unnecessary stuff to RP. But, we do enjoy a wander around........*





































*I`m still working on how I can get one of these below in my life!!!! Tom says we already have a wine fridge...….which we do, and we have an extra one in the garage just to chill wine, but.....I do like this.......*










*Yes, I can see one of these fitting in very nicely into my life!!!! *

































































*We stood for ages just chatting to the manager. This is the LBV store which is around a 10 minute drive away from us, there may be a closer one, we haven't looked, but this one is ideal for us. *
*
Once we have made our purchases, we head out to the Mall at Millenia..... 
*
*Tom`s Bulova watch battery had just died the day before we left, so we always replace our watch batteries at a little place in the Mall. They are very good and don't rip you off the way some places can. So, we headed there first and said we`d come back after we had some food.......we were indeed hungry now. 

Many years ago we went to Johnny Rockets in the food court, and Tom had loved the milk shake he got there....we all did actually. I remembered the burgers being very good too, so he wanted to go back and finally today, I said yeah, let`s give it a try. *
*
Staff are friendly and we get the booth we had last time, it wasn't busy yet, but there were a few people in. And there was a constant stream of folks getting food to go.
*
*Tom ordered the vanilla shake and I went for the strawberry and they were both lovely.....very rich and you get so much of it!!! *



















*Burger wise Tom went for the smoke house double and I opted for the houston double without cheese, onions or tomato......might as well have just asked for two meat patties!!! We had sweet potato and plain fries. 
*


















*I have to say the burgers were just ok. Nothing special and we wouldn't want to rush back again.*



















*But, we would go back for the shakes!!! They were gorgeous......*
*
Once we picked up the watch with it`s brand new battery we headed off to Bed Bath and Beyond.......I`m still not sure why we went there today......but we did. And we didn`t buy anything.....
*
*But, we did see the updates on the new Dockside Resort which is a monster of a resort.......2050 rooms.....not counting the up and running Endless Summer........just imagining all these people arriving at the one time......*
























*Coming up...….HHN opening night...…….*


----------



## schumigirl

jocelyn6 said:


> Best way to start my day!! I am so excited!



Yay.....welcome back!!!! 

I`m so glad to see you here…….hope you like it...….


----------



## schumigirl

*I forgot to say, we went into Tiffany to get my jewellery cleaned and appraised as we have to do once a year for insurance purposes and the sales guy who we bought some of the off of was there. I was glad we went in that day as he was heading off to Africa for 3 weeks......it was nice to have a little catch up again. But, we weren't buying today. And my jewellery was gleaming when we left.....they did need a little clean and polish up!! 

We drove back home and on the way in we went to the ticket desk to get our HHN tickets. We buy the Rush of Fear with Express Pass online, I think we purchased them back in July or August, but we like real tickets not the sheet of paper they can give you. This took a few minutes at the desk in the lobby. The lady who gave us them told us that this year ID was required to use the tickets.…..we have ID of course, but very rarely take it to the parks, so we thanked her for the info and as we turned we saw two very lovely men who we`ve gotten to know over the past few years. 

Phil and John are both Food and Beverage managers for Loews and Universal and are so nice.......we had hugs all round and had a good chat with them...they both are very funny gentlemen who we always enjoy chatting to....after our catch up we headed up to our room  and attempted to Facetime Kyle after we had put our purchases away. 

The connection today was incredibly poor. Usually we have no issues with internet here, but we said we`d try again tomorrow......but for the few seconds we saw him, it was nice. *
*
It was still quite early and Tom said he was going to take a nap. I didn`t feel tired, so told him to go through to the bedroom and I`d read a little in the sitting room......that sounded good to him, so he moved faster than lightning and shut the door. 
*
*I got some water, pulled out my book that our book group is reading and settled down on the sofa for an hour. *




​



*Tom woke me up and I had no clue where I was or who I was if truth be told......first words out of my mouth were....I wasn`t sleeping!!!! lol....not sure why I said that.......he laughed and said he`d been awake for 15 minutes and I was sound the whole time........a herd of buffalo could have trundled through and I doubt I`d have heard them!!!! Last thing I remember was reading and thinking I`ll just lay down and read a little more...........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

So, I jumped up and checked the time.......we had plenty of time. We were going over to the Club Lounge and then onto HHN when the crowds had mostly gone in......but first.....shower and changed. And the shower did freshen me up a lot. I love this shower, it`s incredibly powerful and the whole bathroom just feels cosy despite being so large for a hotel. *

*Around 4pm we head over to RP where we chat to one of the lounge supervisors in the lobby before heading up to the lounge for our first visit this trip. 

I cannot speak highly enough of the lounge. The folks in there genuinely do their utmost for everyone who comes into the lounge and want everyone to have a good experience.......*

*4.30 is appetiser time and it can get quite busy around these times, but we get in before the crowds and have a hug with the two who are on tonight......we know most of them so well, but some changes had occurred and we were looing forward to meeting the new TM. 

We had a couple of glasses of wine and had a good old catch up.....it is such a lovely place to pass some time. I don`t know what the food was tonight but it seemed popular....we didn`t take any pictures tonight either.......the food is popular and always looks lovely. Some nights we do have a little taster of the hot meal or some cheese and salad before having dinner much later. But, many do make a meal out of the offerings. It really is a fabulous option if you choose to go Club Level. *

*But, around 7pm we decide to head off.......as soon as we step outside we are immediately blasted by the heat.......this was, or felt much hotter than previous Septembers........many folks later confirmed the hurricane had left and heat had arrived. Even locals who are used to it mentioned it to us......especially since we do go out in the midday sun!!!! Crazy......

The boat was busy and we did get on the one that was waiting. And we walked rather slowly towards the park when we got off........I could feel my face burn already and I had just started walking!!!! *

*We used the hotel guest entrance which this year is down to the left towards BMG instead of the opposite side that it has been for the last years. It is a little more of a walk, but it`s handy to avoid crowds.......you go through the metal detector and show your tickets here and then you`re in........*










*Although it`s still light, we still find it fun to be in the parks early.....especially as we only plan to spend a couple of hours tonight.....in fact most nights we only spend a few hours max in the parks. It suits us as we can go so many nights. The ROF ticket this year meant you could go 17 nights of this years event...….er, maybe a little too many even for us...…...I could only imagine how we`d feel at the end of that trip!!!! *





































*The Anarch-Cade zone (can`t call it a scare zone) escaped us completely this year......it didn`t seem to fit in to any theme or seem to do anything really.......they did have a lovely light illusion when it got dark......but for us it was a dud. The SA were very professional though and we did get a couple of pictures with one or two, but it just wasn`t scary......

The first house we wanted to do immediately was the much anticipated and longed for Ghostbusters........like most people we were so excited for this one.....we knew it wasn`t going to be scary in any way, but it would be fabulous to walk through the movie we had watched and loved for many years....*

*The regular line was already at 65 minutes......although the line didn`t look so bad.......the EP line ended where this picture was taken, so it took us maybe 10 minutes to get in....but again, the heat was incredible. *











*We do like seeing RRR from the underside........we never usually do the rides at night during HHN, although we have done this one a few times as it`s lovely to see everything all lit up at night......*












*Ghostbusters was excellent!!!! They hadn`t quite added all the bits to the house yet as we saw on later nights, but it was still amazing......it was like walking through the movie........Janine was fabulous at the beginning.....and she interacted well with the passing crowds. There was no scares as such, but a few startling moments that were fun......and Venkman was brilliant at the end......he also interacted with crowds as they past and was high fiving folks who wanted to.......we didn`t do that the first night as there is always a rule to not touch them, but once everyone saw he was doing it, they all wanted to.......well, most folks.....

I missed the marshmallow aroma the first night, I`m not sure if I just didn`t notice or it wasn`t there, but it was there on later nights. *
*
We came out smiling.........we would absolutely do that house many times. 
*
*It was still light when we came out and we saw these guys heading to the backlot.......we just managed to capture them a little as they moved so quickly........*











*Our next house was the Yeti..... the regular line was 60 minutes. *
*
We were longer walking round to the line for EP than we were in the line.......it was around 5 minutes to get into this house. 
*
*This was the house I wasn't looking forward to or had high expectations from.......I should have remembered Universal would pull these houses off and do it so well.......maybe going in with low expectations helped.....but we loved this house!!! 

Although the guy in front of me was a pest.......I wondered what he was doing when he seemed to turn around completely and seemed to look at me......I thought it odd, then saw he had a go pro strapped to him.....and boy did he almost become a pain.....he kept trying to stop and swing himself around to film everything....meaning he expected us to stop and wait........not a hope in heck buddy!!!! I stuck to him like superglue and thwarted every turn he made.........was I petty and nasty???? Maybe.......but he knew and did stop trying to turn around......a couple of times I yelled at him (it is loud in there) to keep moving....the guy behind us eventually passed us and told him to quit.......he mentioned it to security outside who did stop him.....I have no idea what they said or did, but I`d avoid him like the plague if I saw him again in line......he had no regard whatsoever for anyone else`s enjoyment of the house......if he did get to keep the film, he sure did have a lot of my hand or arm in his views........some people think the rules don`t apply to them. 

We did still enjoy the house and looked forward to doing it again next night. Those yeti`s are so cool!!!!! And the house was visually beautiful.....with some good jumps......*

*Next up was US...…. the line was 60 minutes and the house next to it Stranger Things was showing 75 minutes.......as we got round in the EP line we saw the regular lines...….*










*Wow...…..I was so glad we had EP!!! And I said that many times this trip...*
*
US wasn't the best house tonight...….we missed a few of the key moments, just poor timings, but it lacked scenes we saw later.....downside of going opening night......but it was ok and we`d give it another few visits. It was more eerie than scary. Only took us less than 10 minutes to get in to this house. 
*
*Stranger Things......really don`t have much to say about this house........this was our longest wait of the whole event, and wasn`t worth it for us. We waited almost 20 minutes and the heat between those two buildings was incredible. And unpleasant......by now I looked like a drenched rat with a beetroot face!!!! 

Zombieland Double Tap was the next zone........again.....zombies do nothing for me...….seen it all before, but there were a couple of exceptional SA in this zone, and we would spend more time in it later in the event. *
*
We decided to go into the Tribute Store.......big mistake. 
*
*It was completely mobbed. As in, you couldn`t move anywhere as it was crammed full of people.......we did manage one or two pictures before we gave up and left.....we could come in during the day and still enjoy it...…..this was just crazy. *




























*There were a couple of nice photo ops in this zone.......*





































*You have to take a traditional shot every year...…and this is it for many folks...…..Mel`s Die in always looks cool......we don`t like this place, but it`s frequently busy, especially at HHN. *



















*The Vanity Ball zone was another mis matched zone.....but there were some cool little shows in here. The premise of this zone is plastic surgery gone wrong due to insane surgeons and so on......it was quite well done, in some ways......but it just seemed odd...and didn't really know what it was doing there...

Some of the SA were wonderful. But, we did see a few who stood around chatting this year, to each other and to guests......it was very odd but we had never seen anything like that before. Others mentioned it too which seemed even odder as we assumed it was a one off occasion, but we also saw them do it round where the Chainsaws are near the Simpsons. *










*This guy below was a little involved in his character so he was fabulous......he was very adult in his moves at times, but so funny. 
*



























*At this point we began to feel hungry and little whooped...…we had been in a few hours at this point and we had looked at the food options for horror nights, none had appealed though. So, we would leave the park, get the boat and head to Strong Water for a late dinner. *

*But, got a couple of night pictures on the way...…..and marvelled at the amount of people heading in to start their evening......I didn't envy them as the heat hadn't dissipated any as the evening had gone on. *





























*Citywalk does look so pretty at night...….I felt like I had been dragged through a very wet hedge backwards at this point. *










*The boat was fun...…..the Captains had started playing the song Rock the Boat....and actually rocking the boat which was fun......although not so much if you suffered from motion sickness!!!!!! There was also a rousing chorus of YMCA...…..well, you`ve just got to join in...…..Capt Meaghan was our pilot tonight and she is a hoot if you`ve never met her......very good sense of humour and very dry too...….but most of the Captains are excellent. 

Once off the boat that had indeed been rocked, we headed first for a bathroom visit and quick freshen up, then into Strong Water where we sat at a table again as we wanted to sit and relax........*
*
Fernando came over and we thanked him again for the lovely and thoughtful gift last night.......we chatted as we ordered food and when it arrived we were more than ready for it...…..
*
*We again ordered the Tequenos and Mexican Ceviche...…..both delicious.....that pastry is just so light!!! *



















*Tom had ordered a cocktail called The Last Typhoon which was gorgeous.......I had a rum mule.......I think I must have supped it before the picture was taken........*










*Then we ordered the Camarones......with no extra Cilantro.......we hate cilantro with a passion  ........the shrimp are marinated in a little with other things, but when they make the sauce they add more, so we have the sauce without added cilantro. Delicious. *










*We really didn`t plan to have dessert, but we did.......and our favourite so far.........*

*The Tres Leches cake.......oh my!!!! As someone who doesn`t really care for dessert, this blows me away every time........the meringue and sauce are sweet but the cake balances it out......it is addictive!!!! *










*We enjoyed a lovely evening........HHN had been fun, and we enjoyed chatting to everyone again in here tonight, and one of our favourites Ashely was on tonight so we got to say hi to her too......we`d see them again plenty of times this trip. *
*
We chatted the rest of the evening away and eventually wandered off to our room around 12.30am.......

Quick shower.......although I really just wanted to fall into bed......but, shower I did......and then fell into that cosy and comfortable bed, we were so ready for sleep, we didn`t even say goodnight. 
*
*Tomorrow was going to be a lazy one......but we would disect and discuss our HHN experience in the morning as we usually do....*


----------



## NancyLuvsMickey

Sounds like you had a great start to your vacation!!! And Happy Late Anniversary!!! I think it's wonderful that the employees think of you and Tom as family, not guests!!! 

We went to the Not So Scary party a couple years ago... It was fun... Came home with 40 pounds of candy...   But boy was it crowded!!! And I've heard the parties are getting more crowded each year...

If those new Universal hotels have that many rooms, how crowed were the parks for you this year compared to prior years???

So far, the only house I'd want to go in is the Ghost Busters house... Cute and not scary works for me!!!

That go-pro guy, what a jerk!!! I would have done the same thing and ruined his video every chance I got... I'm glad security took care of him... I really dislike people that think rules/laws don't apply to them...   

Those crowds look crazy busy!!! YIKES!!!! Not a crowd person... I don't mind them all spread out, but not when they're all bunched up like that... Nope, not for me!!!!


----------



## Cara

Carole, we moved in late-April and were without internet (!) in our home for three months until fiber was laid. So I missed your May report. I popped over to start reading it too. And I thought I was reading this one instead when your first-day stop was ABC!  Love it!


----------



## Amber Rush

Carole,
I have to admit, I've lurked on this sight all month anxiously awaiting your trip report.  I've read all of them but never commented.  I just love the photos and how much you and Tom seem to enjoy each other and your fabulous vacations!  You were the inspiration for my May mother/daughter trip.  We had such a good time on that trip we've decided to make it an annual event!  I can't wait to read the rest of the report.


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## Worfiedoodles

Those tequenos are absolutely on my list for January! The look fantastic. Ghostbusters is such a classic, I'm glad they had a fun house! I was telling my husband about HHN last night, and he's intrigued. I think I would be scared to death but in a good way. We're going to have APs so maybe we'll try to fit in an Autumn trip! Reading all your accounts is making me want to go!


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## schumigirl

NancyLuvsMickey said:


> Sounds like you had a great start to your vacation!!! And Happy Late Anniversary!!! I think it's wonderful that the employees think of you and Tom as family, not guests!!!
> 
> We went to the Not So Scary party a couple years ago... It was fun... Came home with 40 pounds of candy...   But boy was it crowded!!! And I've heard the parties are getting more crowded each year...
> 
> If those new Universal hotels have that many rooms, how crowed were the parks for you this year compared to prior years???
> 
> So far, the only house I'd want to go in is the Ghost Busters house... Cute and not scary works for me!!!
> 
> That go-pro guy, what a jerk!!! I would have done the same thing and ruined his video every chance I got... I'm glad security took care of him... I really dislike people that think rules/laws don't apply to them...
> 
> Those crowds look crazy busy!!! YIKES!!!! Not a crowd person... I don't mind them all spread out, but not when they're all bunched up like that... Nope, not for me!!!!



Thank you...yes, we think an awful lot of them too.....they are all so lovely. 

40lbs of candy!!!! Wow......I had a couple of friends do the Disney Halloween thing this year and they all said it was crazy and not much fun.....

I`m a little weird....I hate crowds, hate being crushed in a confined area, only do concerts if we have VIP seating or similar due to crowds.......but strangely I love HHN and New York too.....lol.....

Only Endless Summer has opened so far, Dockside is next year.......we didn`t notice any difference this year in crowds for the time of year....some days were busier than others. We were always glad to have EP though, even on quiet days. HHN may be busier than usual next year as it`s the 30th anniversary next year......

Ghostbusters was fun......yes, cute and not scary is exactly how I`d describe it. The go pro guy was unbelievable......the guy behind us was more annoyed than I was though....but yes, I hope security dealt with him


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## schumigirl

Cara said:


> Carole, we moved in late-April and were without internet (!) in our home for three months until fiber was laid. So I missed your May report. I popped over to start reading it too. And I thought I was reading this one instead when your first-day stop was ABC!  Love it!



3 months of no internet Cara  Oh my goodness!!! Couldn't imagine that long without it...…..we go nuts if ours is down for a short time...….

lol.....yes, ABC is our first day stop for a special gift for someone.....and we always end up in there far too long...….


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## schumigirl

Amber Rush said:


> Carole,
> I have to admit, I've lurked on this sight all month anxiously awaiting your trip report.  I've read all of them but never commented.  I just love the photos and how much you and Tom seem to enjoy each other and your fabulous vacations!  You were the inspiration for my May mother/daughter trip.  We had such a good time on that trip we've decided to make it an annual event!  I can't wait to read the rest of the report.



 along Amber Rush...….glad to see you here...…

I`m so happy you`ve come out of lurkdom and posted......and thank you so much for the lovely compliments...…..we do enjoy our time together immensely......and I`ll tell Tom you liked the pictures!!! 

That sounds a lovely trip with your daughter, and how lovely it`s going to be regular thing....you`ll have the best of times. 

But, hope you enjoy this one and look forward to your comments.....


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## schumigirl

Worfiedoodles said:


> Those tequenos are absolutely on my list for January! The look fantastic. Ghostbusters is such a classic, I'm glad they had a fun house! I was telling my husband about HHN last night, and he's intrigued. I think I would be scared to death but in a good way. We're going to have APs so maybe we'll try to fit in an Autumn trip! Reading all your accounts is making me want to go!



They are so nice!!! Although everything Chef Carlos comes up with is wonderful....the man is a genius! 

Oh are you considering it then????? I hope so....and next year should be a fabulous year with it being the 30th. I`m absolutely 100% sure your husband would love it...…. 

It is so much fun...…...


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## Cara

schumigirl said:


> 3 months of no internet Cara  Oh my goodness!!! Couldn't imagine that long without it...…..we go nuts if ours is down for a short time...….
> 
> lol.....yes, ABC is our first day stop for a special gift for someone.....and we always end up in there far too long...….


Carole, it was really awful! But the only other option was super-poor, super-slow service with a two-year contract. And we knew fiber was coming! Personally, I  think ABC is a GREAT first stop!   Looking forward to reading more on BOTH reports!


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## schumigirl

Cara said:


> Carole, it was really awful! But the only other option was super-poor, super-slow service with a two-year contract. And we knew fiber was coming! Personally, I  think ABC is a GREAT first stop!   Looking forward to reading more on BOTH reports!



We are lucky, we have the fastest fibre optic broadband there is in the UK, and you can tell when you visit others who don't have it at times. Not everyone where we live are as fortunate.  So, I don't blame you for waiting.....I`d have done the same.....and moved in with friends who do have internet...….

Yes, it`s a great store...…..I do believe we would be alcoholics if we lived over there permanently ......beautiful rums and more....and all at such bargain prices....compared to what we pay anyway...….

That`s a lot of reading, make yourself comfortable and enjoy!!!


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## AprilDreamsOfDisney

Hooray for a wonderful travel day and first day! Sounds fun and warm and familiar so far. 

And what a lovely welcome you received, especially with the anniversary gift from your friends at Strong Water!

Can't wait to read more! I'm also loving your pictures, of course, as always!


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## AprilDreamsOfDisney

schumigirl said:


> But, we did see the updates on the new Dockside Resort which is a monster of a resort.......2050 rooms.....not counting the up and running Endless Summer........just imagining all these people arriving at the one time......



WOWZA! That's a LOT of rooms that don't seem very spread out - do you know what category of resort it will be?


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## polarama

What a fun report! I’m so enjoying following your trip, it’s making me excited for upcoming trip next month!


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## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> Hooray for a wonderful travel day and first day! Sounds fun and warm and familiar so far.
> 
> And what a lovely welcome you received, especially with the anniversary gift from your friends at Strong Water!
> 
> Can't wait to read more! I'm also loving your pictures, of course, as always!





AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> WOWZA! That's a LOT of rooms that don't seem very spread out - do you know what category of resort it will be?



Thanks,  we did enjoy our travel despite it being a long one......and yes, it’s lovely to be back and be made so welcome as always.......

Endless Summer is a value, and Dockside when it opens next year will be the same category. ES is large, but Dockside is just massive.......it’s in two sections as well which makes it seem larger. Both which are Universal properties (not Loews) are aiming to target and increase longer stays than one or two nights. And with the new park opening up, they’ll fill it easily I imagine as the price point will appeal to lots of families.

I’m so glad you are enjoying it, next day will be up soon


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## schumigirl

polarama said:


> What a fun report! I’m so enjoying following your trip, it’s making me excited for upcoming trip next month!



Thank you.......I’m so glad you’re here and yes, it is exciting you have your trip next month!!! 

I’m so looking forward to reading all about it........


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## schumigirl

*SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 7TH*​


*Another fabulous sleep behind us, we awoke feeling good and not jetlagged which is always a good thing. Jetlag is weird as you just can`t do anything until it passes.....and it hits like a brick when you do get it. Not fun......but we did feel refreshed......although to be honest we had no real firm plans today at all. 

I sent Kyle a message asking if he wanted to chat today, but he was busy and said tomorrow would be good, so that's what we would do......so, we got showered and dressed and headed over to RP for breakfast and we knew Kayla, the Concierge manager was in today and she`d be up to see us. We only met her last September but we got on like a house on fire....she is so like the lady who was our best friend in many ways, similar mannerisms and outlook which is refreshing to see, and she is so funny!!! We like her a lot. 

We do enjoy the walk over from one hotel to the other...….it only takes less than 10 minutes and walking through the ballroom and convention areas mean we don't have to walk outside.....it`s cool!!! 

We did enjoy breakfast, some little pastries, croissants and mini muffins.....and I had a few little pieces of the continental meats......nice. We chatted to the staff and then Kayla came in and it was so good to see her...….and before we knew it, we had spent forever chatting and the morning disappeared. But, we had a lovely time catching up on everything......as I said we had no plans at all today...….*

*The snacks were being laid out now......every day between 12 and 3pm you can help yourself to some very nice little snacks......*

*It`s fairly quiet around this time of day......most folks are in the parks of course, but you do get people who are having a pool day and they will pop up and get some snacks then. The snacks are all prepacked and so much nicer than they used to be. *

































































*We decide to head out and go into Citywalk for lunch......we love Margaritaville and always enjoy sitting at the bar there......the staff are always lovely and you do get a good banter with them most of the time.....

We do get a seat at the bar today, it`s not too busy, but boy is it hot!!I had said we should walk......big mistake!!! It hit 98F today.....not sure what it was at midday, but it felt like we were walking into the sun!!! *




​



*But, this is why we come to Florida...…well, one of the many reasons.....but we love the heat as anyone who has read these reports before will know......but jeez....the next few days would test that love deeply!!! As my vivid red face shows in most pictures!!! *











*I order my usual Blackberry Margarita which is gorgeous.....strong and plenty of flavour........and Tom orders a Mango Margarita......which looks ever so pretty.....*



















*Tom was going to enjoy this drink...…..he was drinking alcohol this lunchtime as he wasn't driving anywhere today, we were staying onsite the whole day which is slightly unusual for us......but early days. We do enjoy a day like this at times. *

*Now this is a picture of a man who is going to enjoy his drink...... *










*We eventually decided what we were going to order for lunch after much chatter to our lovely bar lady today...…..Tom rather predictably went for his favourite sandwich here....the Club sandwich and it came with fries separately which he could easily have done without......*










*I opted for the blackened grouper sandwich, which was very nice. I never really eat the bun as it`s too much especially at lunch, but did enjoy the sweet potato fries. *











*Bars are great places for chatting to others who sit there, much friendlier than tables, and today we did get to chat to some lovely folks who struck up a conversation with us. The accent usually starts that off with most people...….and not for the first time this trip did someone ask if I was Australian...…..I can have a strange mix of accents on occasion......I do believe if I visited Australia, within 10 minutes I`d sound just like one!!! But, we had two lovely couples either side of us who all chatted, so it was a very nice and social lunch. 

We came out and it was boiling hot...….we did get a couple of pictures before retreating back home where we had arranged to meet someone for the afternoon. *



















*We did plan to go to Big Fire at one point, but after listening to friends who`s opinion we trust, we decided not to bother. It does look a nice place and many have lovely meals, but we were happy to pass. *










*Our afternoon passed so quickly and it was lovely. We sat in Jake`s for a while and I had strawberry lemonade, which is lovely from there......Jake`s is a fabulous spot to meet folks for food, drinks or chatter. 

We later wandered over to the lounge for an hour or so and had a catch up there with a few folks too. Then we headed back to Citywalk on the boat and had a wander around for a little while......and after a quick visit to the bathroom I came back out to a lady talking to Tom.....he had the biggest smile on his face, which he usually does anyway, but this lady had called his name and said she loved his wife`s trip reports......she was Canadian and her name was Marcia Grace......she said she`d love a picture but she said she looked dreadful (she didn't she looked fine) but she felt untidy.....I think we all know that feeling after a day in the parks......but she was very nice and I said I`d say hello to her in this report.....so hello to Marcia Grace...…..she then caught up with her family who were patiently waiting for her to finish her chat with relative strangers....lol....it was so nice to chat to her though. 

Our dinner choice tonight was Vivo. And I am quite late to the enjoyment of Vivo.....at first I wasn`t sure of the menu, so put off going for a long time, but.....we love it now...….and like a lot of places we prefer to sit at the bar....also saves a wait for tables!!!! *

*The sun was still hot, but it was just about to set as we went in.....and this position catches the sun beautifully in the evening towards the front of the restaurant. *

*Germany is a cool guy......he has been at this bar for a while, and is just the nicest guy....he`s ideal for this job as he is so friendly. We opted for two glasses of white wine tonight...….sorry for the slightly blurry picture.....*




























*The wine was nice, a good stiff chardonnay...….we again perused the menu....although rather predictably I ordered the one dish I know I love...…chicken piccatta with roast potatoes instead of pasta which I find too filling.....and Tom ordered the pork chop...…...*










*The chicken is incredibly succulent and the lemon is sharp without being overpowering, and the potatoes are very buttery!!!! *










*Tom`s chop is 12oz with the bone in, and was cooked perfectly. It came with a pear chutney and potatoes...….he loved this dish!!! *










*Sitting at the bar again, we have fun chatting......we had a second glass of wine, then a couple came and sat down beside us who didn't look particularly happy, they looked as though they were arguing when they came in...…we overheard her say to him as they sat down "are we getting anywhere now" he rather loudly replied "does annoyed count" oh dear!!!! At that point we said goodnight to Germany and paid the check......I hoped they made up!! 

We do love Citywalk at night, and had a good old wander around, into the Fossil store and a few others. We did think we would get some ice cream but, we didn't feel like it. *




























*The boat was busy as IOA had closed so a lot of folks were heading home now.....but at that time the boats were regular and we didn`t wait long for one though. We heard the family in front of us ask the Capt if they could ride the boat as they weren`t hotel guests, he told them absolutely.....but during HHN after 11/11.30pm they had to have a room key to use the boats. 

We knew this of course, but we weren`t exactly sure of the time frame before the room key rule applied. They just wanted to look around the hotel. *

*A few minutes later we were home and we went straight to Strong Water. *

*It wasn`t too busy for a Saturday night, and the couple who play every weekend were on, they are excellent......we sat at a table tonight and planned to have one drink and leave.....*










*And of course chatting passed a longer time which is always lovely......and then we decided we wanted dessert......so they had a special on tonight. It was a passion fruit cheesecake......well, that was hard to turn down. *










*It was delicious. Very creamy and fruity at the same time, and ideal to share as it was incredibly rich. But, just the right amount to share. *

*We sat a long time chatting and had some water, before we set off up to our room. 

It was around 11.30 now and we had planned to get to bed earlier.....lol.....but we`d had a nice evening. And although we hadn't done much today at all, it had been lovely. *

*Tomorrow was a visit to St Augustine, a Dismeet and HHN...….. *


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## jeanelle

Yeah!  I finally was able to catch up!  It sounds like another wonderful trip.  I can't wait to read/hear more!


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## schumigirl

jeanelle said:


> Yeah!  I finally was able to catch up!  It sounds like another wonderful trip.  I can't wait to read/hear more!



 jeanelle…….

Glad you`re all caught up....nice to see you here! 

It really was wonderful. Even the day I just described where we really didn't do much at all......some folks may not like that, but for us, we love it.

Hope you enjoy it...…...


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## jeanelle

schumigirl said:


> jeanelle…….
> 
> Glad you`re all caught up....nice to see you here!
> 
> It really was wonderful. Even the day I just described where we really didn't do much at all......some folks may not like that, but for us, we love it.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it...…...



I am happy to be here.  We actually like the days where we don't do a lot.  We are planning on adding a day to our next vacation so that we will actually have a couple of those type of days.


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## schumigirl

jeanelle said:


> I am happy to be here.  We actually like the days where we don't do a lot.  We are planning on adding a day to our next vacation so that we will actually have a couple of those type of days.



Yep, those days were vital to us this trip as the heat was truly excessive......so some relaxation was perfect. You do right to add a day on.....


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## angryduck71

Tom's smile.  Love!


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## Tink2Day

Ooh lots of yummy food and drinks  My mom adores pork chops, that one Tom had...she would love. Now I love anything lemon and love chicken so
Chicken Picatta is right up my alley and that one looks scrumptious.  I have only had one good one of late though, just TOO.MUCH. SALT. on most that I've tried lately,okay capers are salty so chef, don't add more salt.  Potatoes instead of pasta? Brilliant, I don't like pasta, potatoes are slightly better so I may try that some day.
Nothing is too lemony for me though, I love to eat lemons with salt, all of us have done so since we were kids.  Not too good for the teeth though probably why I have crowns now...LOL

Hmmm, how did I know that your 'one drink' would turn into dessert and lots of good conversation.  Psychic I guess ( or a faithful reader of all of your Trip reports)
This vacation is getting better and better by the day!


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## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> Tom's smile.  Love!



Lol......thanks Alice.....always makes his night!


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## schumigirl

Tink2Day said:


> Ooh lots of yummy food and drinks  My mom adores pork chops, that one Tom had...she would love. Now I love anything lemon and love chicken so
> Chicken Picatta is right up my alley and that one looks scrumptious.  I have only had one good one of late though, just TOO.MUCH. SALT. on most that I've tried lately,okay capers are salty so chef, don't add more salt.  Potatoes instead of pasta? Brilliant, I don't like pasta, potatoes are slightly better so I may try that some day.
> Nothing is too lemony for me though, I love to eat lemons with salt, all of us have done so since we were kids.  Not too good for the teeth though probably why I have crowns now...LOL
> 
> Hmmm, how did I know that your 'one drink' would turn into dessert and lots of good conversation.  Psychic I guess ( or a faithful reader of all of your Trip reports)
> This vacation is getting better and better by the day!



That one was a little salty, but still lovely......spoiler....I had the same dish later in the trip and it was excellent!! Double the sauce, not salty and perfect for me, you’d have loved it as it was extra lemony too. Now I think of it, I have crowns too and always used to eat lemons......lol.....love em!!

The pork chop was a revelation to me......I’m not a huge fan, but it was delicious! 

Lol......yes, we do have a habit of chatting to everyone.......wouldn’t have it any other way......yes, I think folks know me so well by now! 

Thank you, I’m glad you’re enjoying it........


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## disneyAndi14

schumigirl said:


> *SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 7TH*​
> 
> 
> *Another fabulous sleep behind us, we awoke feeling good and not jetlagged which is always a good thing. Jetlag is weird as you just can`t do anything until it passes.....and it hits like a brick when you do get it. Not fun......but we did feel refreshed......although to be honest we had no real firm plans today at all.
> 
> I sent Kyle a message asking if he wanted to chat today, but he was busy and said tomorrow would be good, so that's what we would do......so, we got showered and dressed and headed over to RP for breakfast and we knew Kayla, the Concierge manager was in today and she`d be up to see us. We only met her last September but we got on like a house on fire....she is so like the lady who was our best friend in many ways, similar mannerisms and outlook which is refreshing to see, and she is so funny!!! We like her a lot.
> 
> We do enjoy the walk over from one hotel to the other...….it only takes less than 10 minutes and walking through the ballroom and convention areas mean we don't have to walk outside.....it`s cool!!!
> 
> We did enjoy breakfast, some little pastries, croissants and mini muffins.....and I had a few little pieces of the continental meats......nice. We chatted to the staff and then Kayla came in and it was so good to see her...….and before we knew it, we had spent forever chatting and the morning disappeared. But, we had a lovely time catching up on everything......as I said we had no plans at all today...….*
> 
> *The snacks were being laid out now......every day between 12 and 3pm you can help yourself to some very nice little snacks......*
> 
> *It`s fairly quiet around this time of day......most folks are in the parks of course, but you do get people who are having a pool day and they will pop up and get some snacks then. The snacks are all prepacked and so much nicer than they used to be. *
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> 
> We do get a seat at the bar today, it`s not too busy, but boy is it hot!!I had said we should walk......big mistake!!! It hit 98F today.....not sure what it was at midday, but it felt like we were walking into the sun!!! *
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> *But, this is why we come to Florida...…well, one of the many reasons.....but we love the heat as anyone who has read these reports before will know......but jeez....the next few days would test that love deeply!!! As my vivid red face shows in most pictures!!! *
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> 
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> 
> Our dinner choice tonight was Vivo. And I am quite late to the enjoyment of Vivo.....at first I wasn`t sure of the menu, so put off going for a long time, but.....we love it now...….and like a lot of places we prefer to sit at the bar....also saves a wait for tables!!!! *
> 
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> 
> *Germany is a cool guy......he has been at this bar for a while, and is just the nicest guy....he`s ideal for this job as he is so friendly. We opted for two glasses of white wine tonight...….sorry for the slightly blurry picture.....*
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> *The wine was nice, a good stiff chardonnay...….we again perused the menu....although rather predictably I ordered the one dish I know I love...…chicken piccatta with roast potatoes instead of pasta which I find too filling.....and Tom ordered the pork chop...…...*
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> 
> We do love Citywalk at night, and had a good old wander around, into the Fossil store and a few others. We did think we would get some ice cream but, we didn't feel like it. *
> 
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> *The boat was busy as IOA had closed so a lot of folks were heading home now.....but at that time the boats were regular and we didn`t wait long for one though. We heard the family in front of us ask the Capt if they could ride the boat as they weren`t hotel guests, he told them absolutely.....but during HHN after 11/11.30pm they had to have a room key to use the boats.
> 
> We knew this of course, but we weren`t exactly sure of the time frame before the room key rule applied. They just wanted to look around the hotel. *
> 
> *A few minutes later we were home and we went straight to Strong Water. *
> 
> *It wasn`t too busy for a Saturday night, and the couple who play every weekend were on, they are excellent......we sat at a table tonight and planned to have one drink and leave.....*
> 
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> *And of course chatting passed a longer time which is always lovely......and then we decided we wanted dessert......so they had a special on tonight. It was a passion fruit cheesecake......well, that was hard to turn down. *
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> *It was delicious. Very creamy and fruity at the same time, and ideal to share as it was incredibly rich. But, just the right amount to share. *
> 
> *We sat a long time chatting and had some water, before we set off up to our room.
> 
> It was around 11.30 now and we had planned to get to bed earlier.....lol.....but we`d had a nice evening. And although we hadn't done much today at all, it had been lovely. *
> 
> *Tomorrow was a visit to St Augustine, a Dismeet and HHN...….. *


I accidentally hit reply instead of like so I dragged your whole post in here  

Enjoying your first and second days! I love hearing about HHN from you. I bet the Ghostbusters house was awesome, who ya gonna call, haha!

Food looks lovely and so good as usual!

I love your heat sentiments! You always looks very nice in pictures, red face or not!


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## schumigirl

disneyAndi14 said:


> I accidentally hit reply instead of like so I dragged your whole post in here
> 
> Enjoying your first and second days! I love hearing about HHN from you. I bet the Ghostbusters house was awesome, who ya gonna call, haha!
> 
> Food looks lovely and so good as usual!
> 
> I love your heat sentiments! You always looks very nice in pictures, red face or not!



Lol......I’ve done that many times!! 

Yes, Ghostbusters was fun.....and it got so much better as the weeks went on......it may not have been scary but it was fun! 

We did enjoy most of our meals, think we only had two duds.

I’ll take your compliment......lol......that red face gets worse!!!


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## schumigirl

*SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 8TH*​


*We were in no rush to get up today, but we still managed to get up far too early....as usual!! I did go through to the sitting room and watch the beautiful sunrise over RP this morning while Tom snoozed a little longer.......I did try to capture it on camera, but somehow it just doesn`t translate onto pictures. 

Our usual shower and then got dressed and we sent Kyle a message to say we were ready to chat before we set off......he was checking his email so he called us straight away on Facetime.......always lovely to see him and he was quite happy. We chatted for ages and shared a few stories of our travel and what he`d been up to since three days ago!!!! He was heading out, so we arranged to chat soon and said our goodbyes. *

*Straight over to RP for breakfast and we didn`t sit long today, we ate and enjoyed some coffee for Tom and water for me. I`m finding coffee doesn`t agree with me very well now, so it`s not often I have any. Water works just fine for me. We then walked back over to Sapphire and got the car to head to St Augustine. 

We had tried on several visits to align our plans with @JaxDad  to meet up, but we hadn`t quite managed it....we nearly did last trip, but this time we had made definite arrangements to meet up today. We were looking forward to that today. *
*
We popped an address in the Satnav...just in case, it`s us after all, folks who could get lost in a parking lot!!! And we headed off. 
*
*Once you clear central Orlando traffic is not so bad, but those narrow lanes and sheer volume of traffic all of whom want to ramrod their way through the lane we were in, it`s a bit better.....but through that particular part of the I-4, it is crazy time!!!! *




​



*We love driving here, I`ve said that many times on here, but I`m always glad to get past this area in particular....no matter how fast you go, there are thirty five thousand drivers who are going faster. And we aren't shy retiring drivers in any way, we can drive like the best of them. *




​



*Tom and I both hold advanced driver certificates, so we are confident, but not stupid. We see a lot of stupid around today *

*The drive is uneventful and surprisingly quick  ....there aren`t a lot of speed cops around on this journey is all I`ll say  Long straight roads in dry and clear conditions....perfect for driving. It was my turn to drive today, so Tom had drawn the short straw to drive home......so I could have a glass of wine if I felt like it.....although in this heat maybe not.*










*We park in our usual spot. It`s a little car park right beside St George St, I think they change the cost on what mood they wake up in...today it was $20 for however long you wanted. I`m sure it would be cheaper elsewhere, but today especially, it was convenient. *
*
Getting out the car we were blasted by the heat.....although we hadn't planned to do that much today, we both decided we would do even less of it got any warmer.....it did. 
*
*The main street is so pretty. You do have Ben & Jery`s but for the most part, the place is filled with unique and individual stores. There are some tourist tat stores, they are everywhere but most are nicer than that. *











*There are a few little indoor shopping areas and again, unique little stores.....and I was drawn to this guy as I had a picture of me as an 8 year old beside something similar....only I looked terrified back then....they can be quite scary for little kids......now of course, they`re silly.....*











*St Augustine is full of amazing history and everywhere you turn there is usually a plaque on a building telling you something you didn`t know and this was the same all over the city. We had been fascinated by it`s history on previous visits, having no idea of what had gone on here in the past. *




















*This place below we had previously enjoyed pizza and it was delicious...it claims to have the best pizza in America...….not sure about that, but it was lovely. It`s called Pizza Time if you ever decide to give it a try. *











*We checked out where we were meeting Jaxdad so we knew exactly where it was, we thought that's where it was so it was easy to find right on the main street here. Prohibition Kitchen was a large place, so we`d be able to get a table to have a drink and chat later. *











*St Augustine does love it`s Pirate paraphernalia...….you`ll find pirate things everywhere.....*































*There are some lovely areas just a few steps from the main areas, and very unique little places to have drinks or coffee.....if it hadn't been as hot as it was we would have sat down and enjoyed a beverage here, but the sun was baking and even with the slight sea breeze that gently swathed us every now again, it didn't help. We were baking. *











*We did wander to the front, close to the water, but we soon retreated to the shadier side of the road where there is a little park area and a bit of shade with the trees...….*




























*Finally a picture to show Tom was actually with me today!!!! 
*


















*We were both a little hungry now, so headed back to St George St where we thought we`d try somewhere different for lunch, but when we saw the menu, we changed our mind. And we ended up where we had eaten a couple of times before, The Florida Cracker Café. *
*
This place is lovely, fairly small and friendly, I believe it`s family run and it shows......we were very early for lunch so we got a table straight away, but you can have a wait here for a table to free up on some days. *










*We ordered a fanta and a pink lemonade before Tom decided have the catch of the day sandwich which today was tilapia, and I went for the crab cakes......*
*
Tom`s sandwich was perfect, fish was beautifully cooked and blackened, and it was a good serving. 
*
*My crab cakes look as though they were overdone and our waiter did ask if I wanted them redone, but they were fine. I did wonder if they were going to be crisp, which I wouldn't have liked, but they were delicious. And the fries here are beautiful, very crisp and fresh. *




















*We enjoyed lunch here again. It felt a bargain of a meal for around $40 or so before tip. We declined dessert as we thought we may have that in the next place we were going.*

*It is lovely wandering around the town....there are so many interesting things to look at and see. And you can easily pass your time here for a day or more. Today we didn't do any of the things tourists might do as it was just to hot...…terrible thing to complain about!!! *











*We went into the place we were meeting and they took us to a table upstairs and we hoped Jaxdad would see us...…obviously he knew what we looked like...…. but we had no clue what he looked like. *

*The table we had overlooked the whole place, so we thought we`d be visible enough......*




























*Once we were seated we realised we had walked past Jaxdad who was with his son and his girlfriend having lunch...….he came up to say hello and said he`d be back up when they had finished eating......that was ideal. *
*
We ordered a glass of wine for me, lemonade for Tom and one of their Key Lime Pies which we had heard were lovely.....and it was!!! 
*
*It was unlike any other key lime pie we`d had as it has toasted meringue on top, but it was delicious. *










*After we had finished dessert, Jaxdad and his family came up and we got to meet his son and girlfriend...….what a lovely family. The kids were heading off to do something so after a chat they set off and we sat down and had a couple of drinks and chatted away a couple of hours...and again, time passed so quickly!!!! 

I`m really not sure where the time went...…..we talked about anything and everything and we were so glad we had managed to meet up today. It had been like we had known each other for years, and a lot of fun. It`s always nice to meet up with someone who you have only ever spoke to online. We have been so lucky with meeting up with Dis folks, and have made some life long friends that way. *
*
If we hadn`t been doing HHN tonight, we would have sat longer, but it was now around 3pm-ish......so by the time we got back, setting off now would be ideal. 
*
*But, of course we had to take some pictures...….Tom did well here with the sun directly in his eyes.…...lol...….*










*We sadly said our goodbye`s and know we will meet up again at some point when we visit if it`s possible. But, we had enjoyed a lovely time meeting up.....*

*Walking back to the car park was hot. There is a tourist information box where they sell water, we popped in to buy a couple of bottles where the lady informed us it was 98F but felt like 104!!!!! No wonder we were hot. She explained since the hurricane they had been experiencing higher than normal temperatures, being beside the sea it can get a little cooler.....but not right now. 

When we switched the car on the temp showed 105F. But soon went down to an average of 95F. We were so glad of A/C. *
*
And thankfully an uneventful journey back home. 

*
*Coming up.....another HHN. *


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## JaxDad

Wow! I’m in a @schumigirl trip report!

It was an absolute pleasure meeting and chatting with you guys. It did feel like we’ve known each other forever, and the time did pass so quickly! I look forward to meeting up with you again!

Yes, that was a very hot day! The good thing was that the heat (and it being the first day of football season) kept the crowds away. I enjoyed walking a quiet St. George Street, staying mostly in the shade and the air conditioned shops. I visited the Castillo, killing some time while the kids were at Ripley’s, and that was brutally hot out on top. Great views though.

Again, it was wonderful to meet with you guys! I will see you again soon, in St. Augustine or maybe Orlando. Oh, and I’m taking the kids to KSC after Christmas and have been reading your previous trip report! Thanks!


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## JaxDad

I have the same picture with my daughter from a few years ago...


View attachment 443442


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## keishashadow

Curled up on couch with a nice, hot cuppa tea.  The perfect way to catch up here    you are off to a great start as usual!  Can’t go wrong with Pirates or mango margaritas in my book 

Have you tried Five Guys Burgers?  Prefer it leaps & bounds over Johnny Rockets hype.

How many nights did you eventually wind up visiting HHN this year?  First time ever we skipped one of our available nights this year.  Between the heat & crowds, decided to push easy button that day

Kept hoping the plastic surgery scare zone would get it together, never really did, a shame as it had an interesting premise and more than a few talented scare actors


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## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> The Anarch-Cade zone (can`t call it a scare zone) escaped us completely this year......it didn`t seem to fit in to any theme or seem to do anything really.......they did have a lovely light illusion when it got dark.



Same, it wasn't quite what I thought either. It looked nice at night, but I wasn't a big fan.



schumigirl said:


> maybe going in with low expectations helped.....but we loved this house!!!



Me too!



schumigirl said:


> Zombieland Double Tap was the next zone........again.....zombies do nothing for me...….seen it all before,



Same 



schumigirl said:


> The Vanity Ball zone was another mis matched zone.....but there were some cool little shows in here. The premise of this zone is plastic surgery gone wrong due to insane surgeons and so on......it was quite well done, in some ways......but it just seemed odd...and didn't really know what it was doing there...



I think the problem with Vanity Ball is it was trying to do two different things. I think it did one of them well, but the plastic surgery part did seem mismatched with the rest.



schumigirl said:


> *The Tres Leches cake.......oh my!!!! *



Ooo that looks delicious!


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## schumigirl

JaxDad said:


> Wow! I’m in a @schumigirl trip report!
> 
> It was an absolute pleasure meeting and chatting with you guys. It did feel like we’ve known each other forever, and the time did pass so quickly! I look forward to meeting up with you again!
> 
> Yes, that was a very hot day! The good thing was that the heat (and it being the first day of football season) kept the crowds away. I enjoyed walking a quiet St. George Street, staying mostly in the shade and the air conditioned shops. I visited the Castillo, killing some time while the kids were at Ripley’s, and that was brutally hot out on top. Great views though.
> 
> Again, it was wonderful to meet with you guys! I will see you again soon, in St. Augustine or maybe Orlando. Oh, and I’m taking the kids to KSC after Christmas and have been reading your previous trip report! Thanks!



It was boiling hot!! You did well going out there, you didn’t even look as though you were overly warm in the picture.......we did wonder why it was so quiet that day, now we know! 

Oh I look forward to hearing about your day at KSC, it is truly spectacular out there! And yes, we will meet up again in May if we can align a date, we will definitely be visiting St Augustine.




JaxDad said:


> I have the same picture with my daughter from a few years ago...
> View attachment 443444
> View attachment 443443
> View attachment 443442



Your daughter did it SO much better than I did.....lol......nice picture!!!


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## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> Curled up on couch with a nice, hot cuppa tea.  The perfect way to catch up here    you are off to a great start as usual!  Can’t go wrong with Pirates or mango margaritas in my book
> 
> Have you tried Five Guys Burgers?  Prefer it leaps & bounds over Johnny Rockets hype.
> 
> How many nights did you eventually wind up visiting HHN this year?  First time ever we skipped one of our available nights this year.  Between the heat & crowds, decided to push easy button that day
> 
> Kept hoping the plastic surgery scare zone would get it together, never really did, a shame as it had an interesting premise and more than a few talented scare actors



Pirates and Margaritas......perfect!!! We’ll never go back to Johnny Rockets......and yes, we do like 5 Guys....although I do prefer Beth’s Burgers now to them.......

I think we went either 10 or 11 nights, one or two were very short visits though......the heat was a massive factor in shorter visits a couple of nights. That scare zone could have been fabulous and yes, there were some very talented SA there........

Did you ever tell us what your favourite houses were??


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## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> Same, it wasn't quite what I thought either. It looked nice at night, but I wasn't a big fan.
> 
> 
> 
> Me too!
> 
> 
> 
> Same
> 
> 
> 
> I think the problem with Vanity Ball is it was trying to do two different things. I think it did one of them well, but the plastic surgery part did seem mismatched with the rest.
> 
> 
> 
> Ooo that looks delicious!



We do agree on a lot!!! That zone beside Shrek was a waste of time......I haven’t met anyone who thinks it fitted in anywhere! 

It was a mismatched zone.....I thought they were dentists at first!!!! The guy with the blue dress on the catwalk was very funny.......he stood out for me as one of the best.......

Oh the Tres Leche cake is divine!!!! You’d like it I think.......


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## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> We do agree on a lot!!! That zone beside Shrek was a waste of time......I haven’t met anyone who thinks it fitted in anywhere!



We do! I agree about Zombieland too. 



schumigirl said:


> It was a mismatched zone.....I thought they were dentists at first!!!! The guy with the blue dress on the catwalk was very funny.......he stood out for me as one of the best.......



Yeah, it really was. The catwalk show was the best part, but the plastic surgery part didn't really fit in with that and seemed to be an afterthought when I thought that was the main part. Some of the zones seemed really different from how they were described beforehand.


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## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> We do! I agree about Zombieland too.
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, it really was. The catwalk show was the best part, but the plastic surgery part didn't really fit in with that and seemed to be an afterthought when I thought that was the main part. Some of the zones seemed really different from how they were described beforehand.



Absolutely!

Weird thing is, most folks have the same opinion.......I do wonder how they got the Scare Zones so wrong this year.....well, some of them.......Rob Zombies was surprisingly (for us) fun!!


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## schumigirl

*Once we got home it still felt as hot as it had earlier in the day, and we noticed that a lot, that it didn't seem to be cooling down at night yet.....that did help when it cooled a little, especially for HHN. but, for now we would deal with it. Not a bad thing to deal with!!! *

*We got back into the room and to be honest after drinking what seemed like a gallon of water, we both had a snooze. It had been so hot today, and despite us thinking we are used to this heat in September, it did hit us a little more this year.....didn't stop us doing anything, but maybe we did things a little slower. 

But, after a snooze and shower, although the shower part seemed a little redundant after being back in the heat for 5 minutes!! But, we felt much fresher.......*

*We did get the boat to the parks tonight, and there was a huge line. It`s not unusual to see large lines at Sapphire for boats, I think the fact Aventura and Cabana Bay are so close and can walk to use the boats does add to the traffic, but they are allowed to use them so not much to say there. 

We get on the second boat and for once we get a boat Captain that doesn`t sing or dance.......booooo.....we like the fun Captains!!! *

*I honestly don`t remember what time we went in tonight, it was still early compared to most entering the park......I do prefer it in the dark, no question, it is much more atmospheric....but, we do like seeing SA in the light for better pictures.......although the Viking Zone had so much fog pouring from the machines at times we couldn`t see much at times. 

When we headed in the park we again used the Hotel Guest entrance, although there wasn`t really a line for the regular gate. But, we do want to keep using the service that is offered as a perk so they will see that it is being used and keep having it offered. It can make a huge difference when it`s busier. *

*Tonight we are doing the houses at the back of the park.......we were especially looking forward to seeing the Classic Monster house and Graveyard Games.........and unfortunately these were the houses that had the ten mile hike to get to them.......

We walked the opposite way tonight and passed through Vanity Ball.....there were hardly any SA roaming around tonight, I guess we must have been unlucky as there were usually plenty......timing is everything here for sure. But, we headed in to the Viking zone......*

*This was decent, and there were some excellent (as always) SA in here.....not too many scares again I have to say, but one did come through the fog and appear in front of me as I looked up from my handbag...….I did jump a lot!!!*












*These displays are all covered up during the day, so you see nothing gory for the daytime guests...….they are pretty gruesome at times so I can see why they do cover up some of them. *











*I know this picture isn't the clearest but I do like it with the sunset in the background.....*











*Just after this picture was taken the SA leaned down and hissed loud in my ear.....it did make me jump!!! So, I was at two scares by now...….*





























*This SA lady below was incredible. We saw her several times over the event. You can tell the difference from when it was other SA`s playing the character, she was quite distinctive......and incredibly creepy in her stance.....she stood up at the fence a lot when she wasn't attending to her victim......and we did like to watch her interactions with guests. 
*



















*Although we quite liked this zone, we did miss the Halloween pumpkin decorations in the trees......that was always so pretty.....and it was missed this year. I hope whatever zone they put in here next year, they go back to the gorgeous pumpkins in the trees. *

*Now we went round to the two houses we were looking forward to.....and short waits for the regular line......although with the walks in these houses, it`s still longer than they should be. Yes, I hate these walks...….and then Tom suggested.......yep....he actually suggested......why don't we do the regular line for Monsters first, then do them again with EP as the line is short.....*




​



*Had he just met me!!!!! *

*We`ve paid for this EP I`m going to darn well use it!!! *



















*The lines weren't too bad to be honest, and it took us around 10 minutes to get to the Monster house, and boy was that line a hot line......I had a fan with me and was using it constantly. 

Everybody was the same.......we got chatting to couple of Canadian girls who were here for opening night and were going home tomorrow...she asked if she could borrow my fan for a few minutes.....of course she could....everyone was boiling tonight, and they had done the SA Dining Experience and were furious they had. I told them we had done it previously and certainly wouldn't do it again. They had similar complaints to ours with cold and non replenished food, lack of SA and being told they could go do houses before the park opened???? It does feel very canteen like in Monsters Café.....but I hadn`t met anyone who had been impressed with it yet.....OK was the best comment I`d heard to describe it. But, we did chat to them all the way round to the house and it made the walk seem a little less. *

*I always think these hooded gowns are a little creepy on their own!!! *










*We got to the EP being scanned at Monsters House, and mine wouldn't scan!!! I usually just have it scanned through the plastic, but it seemed the way this ticket had been printed, the bar code was slightly off the card, it was fine, but it was just easier for me to bring it out at every house now, it scanned perfectly that way. *




















*This house was excellent. It was everything that was good and classic about Universal Studios. This was what I associate with Universal, all those scary movies as a child that weren`t really scary at all. But, such good memories of watching them. 

Talking to a TM manager we know that night, we mentioned we would have loved to have had T2 replaced by a permanent Classic Universal Monsters show installed there instead the Bourne show that would be announced imminently, he agreed but said we`d be surprised by how good the so far unannounced show would be....of course he still wouldn`t "officially" confirm it was Bourne. *

*But, the house was incredible. I already couldn`t wait to go back another night, despite the walk!!! We did get a good few scares and the line was going slow enough we could enjoy some of the detail involved. We really don`t want to do the day tours where you see the houses with lights on....I know they are fabulous and many love them, but we don`t want to see that. 

Next up was Graveyard Games. *
*
I didn`t know what to think about this one going in.......but it blew my socks off. It was creepy, scary and so well executed with design and SA performances that were off the scale!!!! This was already our favourite house so far.....although a close run thing with Monsters. 
*
*And tonight I had missed a scare that would freak me out another night massively!!!! 

It was excessively hot now......it was still in the high 80`s and it felt like it too. Even Tom looked red in the face now!! *
*
We bought some water........what a mistake. 
*
*They have changed the bottles of water they sell in the parks. It`s now called Niagara and is disgusting. It has a weird metallic taste and we took a sip each and put it in the trash!!! We always buy bottles of water in the parks, during the day and for HHN we`d rather do that than carry around bottles with us. But, it would be the gatorade style drinks we`d stick to now when we bought a drink. 

Once we stopped again to enjoy one of those red or blue drinks, we wandered round to the houses behind MiB. And we did want to do Blood Pit first. *

*This one had a little walk, not too long but with us feeling the heat now, we did think this may be our last tonight......yep, it was that bad for us. Although I have to say.......when you look around, locals don`t seem to sweat much at all. I did ask one lady how she looked so good......she whispered, it`s all make up darling.......lol.......ok then!!! *



















*I honestly don`t remember much of this house which is odd as we did it a few times. It took us around 10 minutes to get to the front of the house with EP...and it did look impressive from the outside......

Tom said we did enjoy it!!! I`ll take his word for it.......I know it was gory and quite dark but for the life of me, I can`t come up with a single stand out memory.........*
*
Depths of Fear we gave it a pass tonight......that one didn`t appeal to us at all, but we did go round to Rob Zombie`s House of 1000 Corpses.....it showed a 45 minute wait for the regular line. 
*
*We actually walked straight on to this one without breaking stride once. *











*I was unsure of this house as I don`t know any of Rob Zombie`s movies except for his remakes of the Classic Halloween movies......didn`t think a whole lot of them to be honest, but we had heard the premise of this movie was not nice at all and incredibly nasty. But, I have to say the house was very good!!! We had no plans to watch the movie beforehand, not our thing at all. 

I had no clue of the theme of the movie by going through the house, it was just a regular gory HHN house......and I did get a couple of good scares in this house. We`d definitely do it again. But, there wasn`t a single person in the EP when we went in which was unusual. It was slightly different when we came out. There wasn`t a huge EP line, but at least there were some. *

*Yep, we had enjoyed this house despite our misgivings. And that`s why we always tell folks to try things for themselves,  because one person`s opinion is always completely different from another......always try yourself. *










*Next up is DA and more HHN.*


----------



## schumigirl

*We headed in to DA now.....I think we were done with houses tonight......the joy of being able to go so many nights, we can take it easy and enjoy a few houses at our leisure then go back and visit as we desire....we were glad of that over our stay. *

*DA at night is always beautiful......and it`s usually a little quieter during HHN....although one night last year it was so busy!!! Folks who haven't seen it or buy day tickets to Universal take advantage of it being open and you do see a few folks very excited to be in it for the first time, despite visiting for the houses. I`m glad it`s open though, as it is a little cooler and you can also go into KA which is always cool!!!! *










*We head straight to the Hopping Pot where we share a lemonade, we drank it so quickly we never got a picture!! *




















*Yep, this is me trying to cool down with a fan while Tom snaps away......it was quiet here and was a little cooler. *

*A lovely TM came over to chat and mentioned that KA was cooler as I said I was boiling hot....bless her.....I said that`s where we were heading next......and looked forward to it!!! *





































*I love how this place looks at night, and even better when it was quiet like it is on nights like this..... *




























*We did like to see the Dragon breathe fire, along with everyone else who was in the area...…*




























*One poor girl obviously had no idea it did this as she looked confused when the rumbling started, and when it set off she ran away.....lol....much to the hilarity of her friends left standing.......it`s funny when it`s happening to someone else!!! *









*It is a stunning view. *



























*We didn't do Gringotts despite there hardly being a soul around going into the ride. It would have been a complete walk on, but we just don't do the rides during HHN in general. Maybe we should have as a girl another night said they had a whole carriage to themselves.....nice. 
*


















*This one below isn`t the clearest picture either, but it shows just how empty the place is tonight......*

*Knockturn Alley is just my favourite area of DA. It just feels like you are really at the Darkside!!! *
















































*Once we have sufficiently cooled down, we head back out into the heat of the night......and it is still as hot as it was earlier......although a little breeze had formed slightly. Which was gorgeous when it hit you. *










*Heading out we hit the Hellbilly zone......this was I believe overall our favourite zone.....it felt quite alive and although the dancers were a little, well, not too sure how to describe them......but I guess if you know the Zombie movies they may not seem out of place.....but this zone rocked the night!!!! *










*These two were fun...….I swear I never saw this girl blink once!!! *










*There weren't as many things going on tonight here as there was in the coming nights, but it was still fun.....*

*And this was a popular picture over every night...…..*











*We had spent enough time here tonight. I was now feeling the early rise this morning...….add in the heat and I was a little tired. *

*Tom however was still in the mood to take pictures. *










*This zone we passed right through tonight, only turning to take an image of the illusion above us. It looked like sky but it was all lights, and to be honest it was the best thing about this zone. Sadly it never turned out well in any of the ones he took tonight. *










*A quick bathroom visit and we headed out for food. We were now really hungry as we hadn`t eaten since lunchtime which was around midday, it was now around ten.......and although food at this time of night is usually light, we both felt as though we wanted something substantial. *
*
So, we decided to go try NBC again.....this is a hit or a miss for us usually.....but I wanted to try the Annual Passholder special which wasn`t on the menu, it was a pulled pork burger with slaw and cornbread with fries, but I was leaving the fries off as it would be too much. 
*
*Tom is determined to master this occasional selfie.......he`s not too bad!!! *











*We ordered a bottle of Chardonnay and I loved the chiller they sat it in tonight...….I don't have one like this at home. Mine are quite simple. *

*And water...…..lots of water…….our glasses were topped up numerous times. *










*Tom`s ribs were beautiful.......sizzling hot and incredibly tender, the bbq sauce is zingy and tangy.......*

*I asked if they had the AP special, which they did, so I was looking forward to that...….*










*Picture of the burger isn`t great, but it was piled high with pulled pork with plenty of sauce, bacon and with the extra sauce too and the slaw on top was lovely.......*










*Both meals were delicious, I didn`t eat the bun or the extra coleslaw, and Tom only ate the ribs.....I did steal one or two of them.....so lovely. I decided if we came back here, I`d order them myself. 

There was also a very good vibe in here tonight.......there were sports on that folks were watching....I have no clue what it was or who was playing......as you can guess, we aren`t sports fans generally!!!! *
*
We eventually finished and paid the check......we had a good waitress tonight, she had been fun to chat to. 

There was a Sapphire Boat waiting as we came down and got on with a few seconds to spare.......and we had a fun Captain.
*
*Once we got moving he put on Rock the Boat again, and that boat did rock all the way home!!! Between that and YMCA which is always a class song to get everyone to join in with......some of the boat rides were so much fun!!! 

Once we were home, it was straight in the shower again........and then we, despite the late hour, packed up a little as we were moving to our other home from home, RPR tomorrow.......*
*
It was late, but I did spend some time looking out the window at the lights and views as it would be next year before we were back staying at Sapphire this year. Our Christmas trip will be completely at RP as it is a shorter than usual trip. 

But, for tonight, we got into bed and enjoyed our last evening in this incredibly comfortable bed. We again, dropped off within seconds. We had enjoyed such a fabulous day again. 

*
*Tomorrow........RPR. *


----------



## J'aime Paris

Nice selfie!  I think Tom does quite well!
(Did he purposely get the Orlando police in the background, or was it accidental?)


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> Nice selfie!  I think Tom does quite well!
> (Did he purposely get the Orlando police in the background, or was it accidental?)



Lol......he does alright!! 

Oh it wasn’t on purpose we got the Officers in the picture.......we hadn’t even noticed them in there....till we uploaded the pictures. 

Always nice to have Police Officers around........


----------



## keishashadow

schumigirl said:


> Beth’s Burgers now to them.......


Not ringing a bell, local to area?  

Ive always assumed that the first few nights of HHN would be disjointed, a dry run of sorts

This year earliest we’ve visited. To be charitable IMO many houses were still a work in progress as to timing & performance of scare actors.

i was getting close to writing the year off entirely
Glad I hung in there, things didn’t really pick up until middle of first week in oct. Finally, had a good run thru on classic monsters!  Nightingales & the fish house also raised the bar dramatically. Tour guide surmised the changes were likely a direct result of an overwhelming wave of poor social media comments. Whatever it takes!


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

schumigirl said:


> Lol......he does alright!!
> 
> Oh it wasn’t on purpose we got the Officers in the picture.......we hadn’t even noticed them in there....till we uploaded the pictures.
> 
> Always nice to have Police Officers around........



 Definitely of all the places to be patrolling........Theme Park Detail !!!


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> Not ringing a bell, local to area?
> 
> Ive always assumed that the first few nights of HHN would be disjointed, a dry run of sorts
> 
> This year earliest we’ve visited. To be charitable IMO many houses were still a work in progress as to timing & performance of scare actors.
> 
> i was getting close to writing the year off entirely
> Glad I hung in there, things didn’t really pick up until middle of first week in oct. Finally, had a good run thru on classic monsters!  Nightingales & the fish house also raised the bar dramatically. Tour guide surmised the changes were likely a direct result of an overwhelming wave of poor social media comments. Whatever it takes!



Yes, Beth is a local girl. There is another location in Orlando, and she used to have a Downtown place too. Patty style burgers like 5 guys and Beth’s aren’t my favourite type of burgers, but those places are excellent......with Beth’s just tipping the lead slightly.....Tom got his picture with her this past trip.....she is a lovely woman. Her tag is “Proof a girl can beat 5 Guys” as she won awards over them. Amazing fries!!!

Yes, a lot of folks were commenting on lack of something this year......lots complained about the amount of kids and babies too according to one of the SA we know. The houses certainly got better as the trip went on, but that’s to be expected from the first few nights. 

The fish house lol.......I didn’t like that one at all......from first to last I was disappointed. It just reminded me of the weird and pointless Alien so called scare zone a few years back........think they reused the costumes there. 

We will go next year at the same time frame I think, but if the scares don’t get ramped up it’ll be our last year going to HHN. The houses were good for the most part, and worth going for, but everything else just lacked........and I hate that. And a few times we had kids in front of us in a house and the SA’s pulled it back a little......that’s not what we’re paying for......

But, grumpy head off......it was still excellent!!!


----------



## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Definitely of all the places to be patrolling........Theme Park Detail !!!



Lol.....they do need to eat I guess!!


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

schumigirl said:


> Lol.....they do need to eat I guess!!




Oops..... I probably should have added, vs being on street patrol that Theme Park Detail has to be favored by most of them especially if they are fans of the parks!!!!!


----------



## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Oops..... I probably should have added, vs being on street patrol that Theme Park Detail has to be favored by most of them especially if they are fans of the parks!!!!!



Lol......absolutely. 

I’d volunteer to do park duty if I was them.


----------



## schumigirl

I asked on the Tech boards but it doesn’t seem to get much traffic, but another lady had the same issue. 

When I post gifs now, they don’t move?? They used to, haven’t altered anything with my laptop so I’m not sure why they’ve changed. 

Anyone have any idea.......


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

schumigirl said:


> I asked on the Tech boards but it doesn’t seem to get much traffic, but another lady had the same issue.
> 
> When I post gifs now, they don’t move?? They used to, haven’t altered anything with my laptop so I’m not sure why they’ve changed.
> 
> Anyone have any idea.......




I saw something about clearing your history or caches........I don’t like doing that because I lose so much stuff I’d otherwise easily pull up lol.


----------



## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> I saw something about clearing your history or caches........I don’t like doing that because I lose so much stuff I’d otherwise easily pull up lol.



I know what you mean about history.......and caches is not something I’m familiar with (I’m so not technical)

Will shout one of my guys to do it......Kyle is out so Tom’ll do it for me......thanks will give it a try!


----------



## schumigirl

Well, clearing everything didn't work???

Colour me confused...….


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

schumigirl said:


> Well, clearing everything didn't work???
> 
> Colour me confused...….




Hmmm.....


----------



## AprilDreamsOfDisney

I don't know how you do HHN!! Your photos of the SAs make it look so so scary, I can't imagine what it would be like to be there in person! I think I'd likely have a mini heart attack just from my own nerves, let alone the actors! lol!

You and Tom are brave!

I also was sad to read that some folks bring their children (and even babies!!??) into HHN. How traumatizing for those little ones! Is there not an age limit or restriction that parents must abide by? (ie: no one can enter who is below 14 years {or something like that}?)


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

schumigirl said:


> Well, clearing everything didn't work???
> 
> Colour me confused...….




I’m not an IT person either, I do believe the cache and history are separate things though.


----------



## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Hmmm.....



That’s what Tom said!!


----------



## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> I don't know how you do HHN!! Your photos of the SAs make it look so so scary, I can't imagine what it would be like to be there in person! I think I'd likely have a mini heart attack just from my own nerves, let alone the actors! lol!
> 
> You and Tom are brave!
> 
> I also was sad to read that some folks bring their children (and even babies!!??) into HHN. How traumatizing for those little ones! Is there not an age limit or restriction that parents must abide by? (ie: no one can enter who is below 14 years {or something like that}?)



Lol......we love it......and would love it to be scarier.......it is so much fun!!! I’m sure if you were there you’d enjoy it....... I know it’s not for everyone.......

It’s classed as not suitable for under 13s. But many, many people ignore that completely.......not sure what’s wrong with saying no to kids and have them wait a few years. 

But, the amount of strollers, toddlers and yes, even babes in arms is awful to see. We’ve seen toddlers and kids terrified and crying many times over the years. 

We did a house this year with three kids in front of us......the SA were obvious in not doing their normal routine......many don’t feel comfortable scaring kids so young. It’s an adult event, or supposed to be. So, yes, I’d make a mandatory age limit of around 13 or so. 

People say drunks are worse......not in our view.......

Will get off my soapbox now.......


----------



## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> I’m not an IT person either, I do believe the cache and history are separate things though.



I’ll get Kyle to have a look tomorrow.....although he never uses gifs or memes at all, but he may have an idea. 

They are loading slightly differently.....that’s the only difference.......

I may have an Engineering degree, but simple technical stuff like this.......I have no clue!!!!


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> .Rob Zombies was surprisingly (for us) fun!!



Same here, didn't expect to like it as much as we did. 



schumigirl said:


> .and unfortunately these were the houses that had the ten mile hike to get to them.......



I hated that it was two good houses that were that long walk. I think I would've done both more than twice, if the walk wasn't so long.


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> Same here, didn't expect to like it as much as we did.
> 
> 
> 
> I hated that it was two good houses that were that long walk. I think I would've done both more than twice, if the walk wasn't so long.



Lol......I agree......that walk is off putting and we did in a couple of occasions think.....do we really want to do these houses tonight.......we felt so lazy thinking that!! 

And they were two of the best houses for sure.


----------



## agavegirl1

What on earth is “an advanced drivers license?  We have a drivers license, 2 levels of commercial drivers license for those whose job is driving, plus a motorcycle endorsement for those who have jumped through the various hoops or classes to obtain one.  

I just never heard of it.  Also, we don’t drive in Orlando.  Parking costs too much and we hate to have to choose who drives and who gets to have wine with a meal.


----------



## schumigirl

We started doing it years ago when Tom and I used to drive Raleigh cars on a weekend for fun......I miss those days!!!

It teaches you how to properly control a car in different circumstances, for example you spend time on the skid track and it teaches you properly how to deal with it. There’s other things too, but that’s the basics of it. It’s over and above your regular driving license that anyone gets. A driving test over here teaches you the basics. 

Some folks today think it lowers your car insurance if you have one, we haven’t noticed anything, but thats not why we do it. We quite like a morning banging around in cars like that.

So for us it’s a fun thing to do, and that’s about it. I don’t know many folks who have one apart from a few. It’s not something that’s a necessity. 

For us, we love driving, and in America it’s fun for us, the roads are different and driving is something we enjoy anyway. And being honest Tom usually drives at night if we are driving to a restaurant......but other than that, we share the driving.


----------



## schumigirl

*MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9TH*​
*MOVING DAY*​


*We were again up so early this morning after a totally undisturbed sleep...….but for a good reason.....yep, we were excited to be moving to our favourite place......RPR. *
*
Showered and dressed we again made our daily walk over to RP for breakfast......and the walk was slightly busier than usual as there was a massive conference in the hotel, and they were all enjoying assorted breakfasts and coffee.
*
*Breakfast is always lovely.......we chatted to a nice British family this morning who were leaving that day......and it wasn`t too busy today, in fact we were almost the only ones in at this point. *




























































*It was time for us to wander back over and thankfully the convention crowds were all safely ensconced in their respective rooms......so it was again relatively quiet walking through this area. *

*As we walked back through the lobby, one of the girls we have known for a long time came out from the back office.....she had heard one of the staff mention we were checking out today and by chance saw us walking past....it was lovely to see her as she had been at another hotel for a while, and we had a good old catch up. Such a nice girl and I was glad she was back at Sapphire now. 

Back into our rooms we checked we had everything packed and hadn't left anything behind. It doesn't take long of course, as we hadn't really that much to pack. And I was glad we hadn`t purchased too many things before we moved homes. *
*
Down to the desk to check out, of course you don't need to check out as such, but we had something to hand in behind the front desk, and as we were standing we heard a lady being abominably rude!!! It`s never nice to hear anything like that, and the person she was speaking to dealt with it incredibly well...…..
*
*This is the reason I am not in the Hospitality industry, as I would be someone who would make sure they had the worst room...….*




​



*lol.....maybe not!!! *

*But, once we had passed on our parcel and checked the bill anyway, we headed out and spoke to one of the valet guys we hadn't seen this trip yet...….lovely young man who is working three jobs while at school......we had asked him if the guy who was a manager is still here as we hadn't seen him this trip, heck of a nice man, but he had also left for a hotel nearer to his home......shame as he was lovely...…..

But, into the car we went after the valet guy kindly loaded our luggage....we did tell him the second one was ultra heavy, but being the young healthy guy he was, it didn't phase him......though he did say yes, it was a little on  the heavy side!!!! oops...….*
*
It is the quickest of drives to RP......quite literally a few minutes, and we just park in the lot and walk up with the cases.....we could drop them at the door, but we kind of like walking up for some reason...…..
*
*And this is the perfect view for us...…..always feel like we are home as we walk though these doors. *




















*I did like the new wallpaper they had put up in the lobby...…..*











*We love the lobby.......and we`re glad it`s still going to be recognisable when the revamp is complete......*

*Check in was empty, and it was like a family reunion as many of the check in staff are people we knew so it was hugs all round......we met the new trainee manager and then one of our favourite guys Samuel came out and then Food and Beverage manager John Askew popped over to say hello with one of his managers who we`ve met a few times, lovely men.......he asked if we lived over here too when he first saw us.....lol....

We got checked in after a lovely welcome home, and headed up to our room...….*
*
It was a King Suite again, which we do love for the space......and it was immaculate as always........it was weird though to think the last time we were here in this suite Kyle had been with us, and was poorly the last few days........
*
*But, we were looking forward to 23 nights in this room. *















































*Thankfully the beds here are as comfortable as the ones over at Sapphire Falls...…we knew we would sleep well here too.  *



















*At Sapphire we prefer a lagoon view over a pool view, but here, we always have a pool/theme park view booked for us...….and the view from this suite is beautiful...*



















*As we were incredibly early, we managed to unpack everything and get things sorted before it was time to think about lunch. It`s nice getting the cases completely unpacked and everything was now completely accessible. I don't like rummaging through a suitcase for anything I might have missed bringing out.....now, everything was in it`s place. *
*
For lunch we had decided on Toojays which was located in Dr Phillips. We have been going here for a few years now, and we do enjoy the food there. And they do a lovely strawberry lemonade. 
*
*Walking back out to the car we are again blasted by the heat, and the aircon is on quicker than we can blink.......Toojays is a 10 minute drive, and there are loads of parking spaces in this area. *










*We got a booth and immediately ordered two strawberry lemonades while we decided what to have.....and there are so many choices.....*











*Eventually we opt for the Pastrami sandwich on a brioche roll for Tom and the shrimp platter with no breads for me.....we share a side of fries which are very nice here, and I ask for a side of honey mustard as I love to dip fries in that. *



















*The food was delicious.......Tom`s pastrami was delightful. Moist and full of flavour…...and when I patted down the shrimp a little, there were loads of shrimp...you really do get a good portion on all dishes here...….we had enjoyed the meal a lot


We had just decided we had no room for their gorgeous coconut cake, and as we asked for the check the owner pops by to say hello and ask how we enjoyed our meal......he`s a nice man who it`s always a pleasure to have a brief chat to. It`s nice he is so involved in his business. *

*Our next stop was Best Buy where we had finally decided to buy a phone.....we thought we did need one, it had been silly travel so far without one. And we`ve always had a lot of success buying anything from there, laptops to cameras, service has always been excellent. 

It`s around 15 minutes to get there and we do indeed get a phone.....just an android one that we can make calls and text from. We don`t need internet as we usually carry an ipad with us, so it`s an easy purchase........*
*
At that point I get an email...….it was from the manager at the airport to say the Maserati was in, did we want it!!!! Yes we did.....this car wasn't cutting it at all....so, we replied we`d be there in 30 minutes. 
*
*So, an unexpected journey to the airport, we set off. And it was hot. *










*Takes 20 minutes to the airport and thankfully we got there before the crowds of afternoon flights arrived...….and we picked up our little Maserati Levante...…..and it was the black one......on the way over I said I hoped it wouldn't be white......but it was fine. We thanked our guy profusely!!!! And we did remember to take out our chip with all our music on it from the car we were dropping off too!!! *
*
This was much better...…...it had a load of power behind it and was much more comfortable.....
*
*Parking it in the lot, we walked back up very slowly to the bridge as you enter........we love this view too......*



















*Back up to our room, we had a delivery...…...*
*
Although our friend was on vacation, he made sure we had a lovely gift package sent here too......always a treat and as always, so considerate of him to do this for us. To say we adore him is an understatement. We were very grateful.......although I have to say I think Tom had nibbled some of the cheese and fruit before I snapped the picture!!! There`s a few strawberries and red grapes missing and definitely some cheese!!! The pineapple ring covered in coconut is beautiful!!! 

And of course a lovely hand written card welcoming us back again......*




















*We did enjoy an afternoon nibble...…..  As always I sent a thank you email to our friend. He had been in contact with us a couple of times, so I knew he wouldn`t mind. *
*
Seeing as we had no plans to do anything the rest of the day, we wandered over to the lounge and I had a couple of glasses of red wine and sat for a couple of hours, and we caught up with a few people we hadn't seen yet. That always passes some time for us. *

*Lounge was again quiet tonight, and around 7ish, we set off to get the car...of which Tom could drive again as I`d had wine......he did smile as I said oh you`re driving...…lol...….and as we walked down to the car, I swear it felt a tiny bit cooler tonight......just a little, but it felt nice. 

Longhorn was our destination tonight......the one in LBV, so around a 20 minute drive away...…...this is the one we always drive to, it`s one of the best ones around this area. *
*
There`s a booth available immediately, it`s always busy but tonight it was a little quieter.....no wait at all. 
*
*Tom is happy tonight with his raspberry lemonade...…and they bring us some of their warm bread to tempt us with......I don't eat brown but I do have a little of this as it is delicious......just a little though. *



















*And I have a long pour Malbec.....which is lovely I have to say. *










*I`m pretty boring with my choice of steaks here....always the 8oz filet.....medium rare of course,  and tonight I did plan to have a baked sweet potato, but our waiter tells us it would be a bit of a wait for one as they sold more than they realised tonight, so fries it is then......*

*Tom tonight chooses the 18oz Outlaw Ribeye with fries too.......although his is always medium......*



















*They were both as always, gorgeous......the filet was like butter and I`m always amazed how a cheaper steak from here can be as tender and tasty as it is......and Tom`s was so full of flavour, even I loved it. He did give me the bit in the middle which was almost rare, suited me though. *
*
Our waiter tries to tempt us to dessert, which we never manage.....unless Kyle is here of course...….so we pay the check and head out to the car and head home. 

This Longhorn is very local and family orientated and is always staffed with really nice people, if you ever want to go to Longhorn I`d recommend this one easily. 
*
*It`s still early-ish.....only around 9.30 so we head down to Jake`s and Tom has a beer, I think Jake`s own, and I have a Malbec.*










*We do like sitting in Jake`s too......it`s a friendly bar and we know only a couple of the staff in here now......maybe 4 or 5. And only one is on tonight, so we have a quick wave before we leave...…..*
*
Amazingly we are incredibly tired all of a sudden. I had asked Tom if he wanted another beer, but he said no, he too was tired. So, around 10.15 we headed up to our lovely room again...…..
*
*It`s nice to come into the room after the turndown people have been in.....drapes all closed, water waiting and lights dimmed nicely......although I do open the sitting room drapes so we can see the pool and park all lit up.....well, Dr Doom mainly from our night time view......but it`s so pretty. 

We do put the sitting room tv on planning to watch for a little while, but we both realise we`re tired, so off it goes and we head through to bed...*
*
And climbing in to this one too, is bliss. Comfortable mattress and pillows suit me down to the ground. They are a little too marshmallow like for Tom......but he uses two and it`s fine. 

Lights out and we are sound before we know it. 

*
*And finally some park time tomorrow...…...*


----------



## TommyJK

schumigirl said:


> *MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9TH*​
> *MOVING DAY*​
> 
> 
> *We were again up so early this morning after a totally undisturbed sleep...….but for a good reason.....yep, we were excited to be moving to our favourite place......RPR. *
> *
> Showered and dressed we again made our daily walk over to RP for breakfast......and the walk was slightly busier than usual as there was a massive conference in the hotel, and they were all enjoying assorted breakfasts and coffee.
> *
> *Breakfast is always lovely.......we chatted to a nice British family this morning who were leaving that day......and it wasn`t too busy today, in fact we were almost the only ones in at this point. *
> 
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> *It was time for us to wander back over and thankfully the convention crowds were all safely ensconced in their respective rooms......so it was again relatively quiet walking through this area. *
> 
> *As we walked back through the lobby, one of the girls we have known for a long time came out from the back office.....she had heard one of the staff mention we were checking out today and by chance saw us walking past....it was lovely to see her as she had been at another hotel for a while, and we had a good old catch up. Such a nice girl and I was glad she was back at Sapphire now.
> 
> Back into our rooms we checked we had everything packed and hadn't left anything behind. It doesn't take long of course, as we hadn't really that much to pack. And I was glad we hadn`t purchased too many things before we moved homes. *
> *
> Down to the desk to check out, of course you don't need to check out as such, but we had something to hand in behind the front desk, and as we were standing we heard a lady being abominably rude!!! It`s never nice to hear anything like that, and the person she was speaking to dealt with it incredibly well...…..
> *
> *This is the reason I am not in the Hospitality industry, as I would be someone who would make sure they had the worst room...….*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 443833​
> 
> 
> 
> *lol.....maybe not!!! *
> 
> *But, once we had passed on our parcel and checked the bill anyway, we headed out and spoke to one of the valet guys we hadn't seen this trip yet...….lovely young man who is working three jobs while at school......we had asked him if the guy who was a manager is still here as we hadn't seen him this trip, heck of a nice man, but he had also left for a hotel nearer to his home......shame as he was lovely...…..
> 
> But, into the car we went after the valet guy kindly loaded our luggage....we did tell him the second one was ultra heavy, but being the young healthy guy he was, it didn't phase him......though he did say yes, it was a little on  the heavy side!!!! oops...….*
> *
> It is the quickest of drives to RP......quite literally a few minutes, and we just park in the lot and walk up with the cases.....we could drop them at the door, but we kind of like walking up for some reason...…..
> *
> *And this is the perfect view for us...…..always feel like we are home as we walk though these doors. *
> 
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> *I did like the new wallpaper they had put up in the lobby...…..*
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> *We love the lobby.......and we`re glad it`s still going to be recognisable when the revamp is complete......*
> 
> *Check in was empty, and it was like a family reunion as many of the check in staff are people we knew so it was hugs all round......we met the new trainee manager and then one of our favourite guys Samuel came out and then Food and Beverage manager John Askew popped over to say hello with one of his managers who we`ve met a few times, lovely men.......he asked if we lived over here too when he first saw us.....lol....
> 
> We got checked in after a lovely welcome home, and headed up to our room...….*
> *
> It was a King Suite again, which we do love for the space......and it was immaculate as always........it was weird though to think the last time we were here in this suite Kyle had been with us, and was poorly the last few days........
> *
> *But, we were looking forward to 23 nights in this room. *
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> *
> For lunch we had decided on Toojays which was located in Dr Phillips. We have been going here for a few years now, and we do enjoy the food there. And they do a lovely strawberry lemonade.
> *
> *Walking back out to the car we are again blasted by the heat, and the aircon is on quicker than we can blink.......Toojays is a 10 minute drive, and there are loads of parking spaces in this area. *
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> *Eventually we opt for the Pastrami sandwich on a brioche roll for Tom and the shrimp platter with no breads for me.....we share a side of fries which are very nice here, and I ask for a side of honey mustard as I love to dip fries in that. *
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> *The food was delicious.......Tom`s pastrami was delightful. Moist and full of flavour…...and when I patted down the shrimp a little, there were loads of shrimp...you really do get a good portion on all dishes here...….we had enjoyed the meal a lot
> 
> 
> We had just decided we had no room for their gorgeous coconut cake, and as we asked for the check the owner pops by to say hello and ask how we enjoyed our meal......he`s a nice man who it`s always a pleasure to have a brief chat to. It`s nice he is so involved in his business. *
> 
> *Our next stop was Best Buy where we had finally decided to buy a phone.....we thought we did need one, it had been silly travel so far without one. And we`ve always had a lot of success buying anything from there, laptops to cameras, service has always been excellent.
> 
> It`s around 15 minutes to get there and we do indeed get a phone.....just an android one that we can make calls and text from. We don`t need internet as we usually carry an ipad with us, so it`s an easy purchase........*
> *
> At that point I get an email...….it was from the manager at the airport to say the Maserati was in, did we want it!!!! Yes we did.....this car wasn't cutting it at all....so, we replied we`d be there in 30 minutes.
> *
> *So, an unexpected journey to the airport, we set off. And it was hot. *
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> *Takes 20 minutes to the airport and thankfully we got there before the crowds of afternoon flights arrived...….and we picked up our little Maserati Levante...…..and it was the black one......on the way over I said I hoped it wouldn't be white......but it was fine. We thanked our guy profusely!!!! And we did remember to take out our chip with all our music on it from the car we were dropping off too!!! *
> *
> This was much better...…...it had a load of power behind it and was much more comfortable.....
> *
> *Parking it in the lot, we walked back up very slowly to the bridge as you enter........we love this view too......*
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> *Back up to our room, we had a delivery...…...*
> *
> Although our friend was on vacation, he made sure we had a lovely gift package sent here too......always a treat and as always, so considerate of him to do this for us. To say we adore him is an understatement. We were very grateful.......although I have to say I think Tom had nibbled some of the cheese and fruit before I snapped the picture!!! There`s a few strawberries and red grapes missing and definitely some cheese!!! The pineapple ring covered in coconut is beautiful!!!
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> *We did enjoy an afternoon nibble...…..  As always I sent a thank you email to our friend. He had been in contact with us a couple of times, so I knew he wouldn`t mind. *
> *
> Seeing as we had no plans to do anything the rest of the day, we wandered over to the lounge and I had a couple of glasses of red wine and sat for a couple of hours, and we caught up with a few people we hadn't seen yet. That always passes some time for us. *
> 
> *Lounge was again quiet tonight, and around 7ish, we set off to get the car...of which Tom could drive again as I`d had wine......he did smile as I said oh you`re driving...…lol...….and as we walked down to the car, I swear it felt a tiny bit cooler tonight......just a little, but it felt nice.
> 
> Longhorn was our destination tonight......the one in LBV, so around a 20 minute drive away...…...this is the one we always drive to, it`s one of the best ones around this area. *
> *
> There`s a booth available immediately, it`s always busy but tonight it was a little quieter.....no wait at all.
> *
> *Tom is happy tonight with his raspberry lemonade...…and they bring us some of their warm bread to tempt us with......I don't eat brown but I do have a little of this as it is delicious......just a little though. *
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> *I`m pretty boring with my choice of steaks here....always the 8oz filet.....medium rare of course,  and tonight I did plan to have a baked sweet potato, but our waiter tells us it would be a bit of a wait for one as they sold more than they realised tonight, so fries it is then......*
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> *Tom tonight chooses the 18oz Outlaw Ribeye with fries too.......although his is always medium......*
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> *They were both as always, gorgeous......the filet was like butter and I`m always amazed how a cheaper steak from here can be as tender and tasty as it is......and Tom`s was so full of flavour, even I loved it. He did give me the bit in the middle which was almost rare, suited me though. *
> *
> Our waiter tries to tempt us to dessert, which we never manage.....unless Kyle is here of course...….so we pay the check and head out to the car and head home.
> 
> This Longhorn is very local and family orientated and is always staffed with really nice people, if you ever want to go to Longhorn I`d recommend this one easily.
> *
> *It`s still early-ish.....only around 9.30 so we head down to Jake`s and Tom has a beer, I think Jake`s own, and I have a Malbec.*
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> *We do like sitting in Jake`s too......it`s a friendly bar and we know only a couple of the staff in here now......maybe 4 or 5. And only one is on tonight, so we have a quick wave before we leave...…..*
> *
> Amazingly we are incredibly tired all of a sudden. I had asked Tom if he wanted another beer, but he said no, he too was tired. So, around 10.15 we headed up to our lovely room again...…..
> *
> *It`s nice to come into the room after the turndown people have been in.....drapes all closed, water waiting and lights dimmed nicely......although I do open the sitting room drapes so we can see the pool and park all lit up.....well, Dr Doom mainly from our night time view......but it`s so pretty.
> 
> We do put the sitting room tv on planning to watch for a little while, but we both realise we`re tired, so off it goes and we head through to bed...*
> *
> And climbing in to this one too, is bliss. Comfortable mattress and pillows suit me down to the ground. They are a little too marshmallow like for Tom......but he uses two and it`s fine.
> 
> Lights out and we are sound before we know it.
> 
> *
> *And finally some park time tomorrow...…...*



What was the breakfast item in the 3rd picture? The thing with what looks like icing on the top?


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## schumigirl

TommyJK said:


> What was the breakfast item in the 3rd picture? The thing with what looks like icing on the top?



Cinnamon Bun, it`s always warmed.


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## TommyJK

schumigirl said:


> Cinnamon Bun, it`s always warmed.



Ooooh nice. I will put a good dent in those when I go down next!


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## schumigirl

TommyJK said:


> Ooooh nice. I will put a good dent in those when I go down next!



They are nice.........  

They cut them so much smaller now....they used to be large squares......I guess the chef likes to cut them that way.


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## schumigirl

*TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 10TH*​



*For once we did actually sleep a little later this morning....comfortable beds do help with that!!! We had slept so well and felt incredibly awake when we woke up.....although I had that vague moment of that odd moment when you wake up and have no clue where you are...….*







​

*That happens to me a lot....usually when I come home to the UK, I wake up abruptly in the middle of the night and ask Tom which hotel we`re in!!! It happens after....every.....single.....trip......*
*
But, it is lovely waking up in RP this morning...….I immediately pull the drapes back and the sky is vivid blue and looks absolutely beautiful again......doesn`t get much better than this. 
*
*Having the separate bedroom, and the same over at Sapphire means you never hear a squeak from the elevators or people outside in the corridors, which being honest, some are less considerate than others. 

But, we got showered and dressed and headed up for breakfast. We always stay on the 6th floor over here. We much prefer it and it`s amazing how we`re all different as we hear people complain they are Club Level, but don't want to take an elevator to get upstairs! Takes moments. But, each to their own. We much prefer this floor. *

*We were a little late this morning so we just ate, and of course chatted a little and left. We didn't really have a lot this morning, as we planned to have lunch in the park today, so we wanted to be hungry! 

When we go to IOA we always walk. It takes around 7 minutes to walk slowly to the gates of the park.....and that doesn`t feel like that as the walk is so pretty......It again amazes me folks think that is a long walk. The hotel is so close to the parks it`s hard to imagine anyone finding it a long walk. *

*We turn at Margaritaville and we see this little guy wandering around sauntering between arriving guests...*











*He is cute and doesn't seem to have any fear of folks milling around him...…..one little boy tries to chase him, but his mother is swift in pulling him back and admonishing him for trying to annoy the creature.....*
*
As we are that little bit later there isn't much of a line here and we get straight through.....almost.....we had four people in front who had to sign their cards...….so we moved to the lady beside us who had no one.....
*
*We love this park!!!!! Well, we love both of them, but there is something about this entrance that is so evocative of everything that is IOA. The colours and the music of course is simply wonderful. *











*We do as always, mainly because it`s boiling hot, wander through the store as always........staff are always so friendly as you wander in and around the store. *

*There`s a few new products on offer and we have a quick look to see what we`ll purchase at some point......we always buy mugs and a few little gifts for kids we know. *



















*We love everything about POE.......*

*People usually fall into two categories here...….folks like us who are dawdling along without a care in the world.....and then the others.....folks with a mission to get to a certain ride as quick as they possibly can....it was too hot to rush anywhere this trip.......*










*The Hulk is usually our first stop in this park, it is one of the best coasters around, although Duelling dragons is still our favourite ride that has ever been in these parks. *











*But, first we head down to look over the lagoon to the progress of the yet unnamed new project that should be rising from the ashes soon...…well, not quite soon......but eventually...….and it sounds from all rumours it`ll be a phenomenal coaster...….*

*But, I still think it`s a shame the lush greenery that surrounded the visitors centre is gone......it was a beautiful and a lovely area to walk around, as very few people went round the front of the building. *



















*I think I already looked whooped in this picture below!! Although I could just have been squirming my eyes as the sun was incredibly bright. *










*We gave the Hulk a miss this morning, I`m not sure why, but we decided to go straight to Dr Doom......a classic. Yet, much maligned from folks who think it`s a waste of time and a poor ride.....well, we love it and know a few folks who wouldn`t miss it either.......yes, it`s a short ride.....but that initial burst into the air.....is pure fun...….*










*A man asked Tom if he would take a couple of pictures of him and his wife, Tom regularly gets asked to do this, or he often volunteers to take pictures.......I stood where the aircon was blasting out...….although it was still maniacally hot, it wasn't the surface of the sun hot that was the last few days we had experienced...…...*




















*Spider-Man is another classic...….who doesn't love this ride.......and today it`s a complete walk on for EP and the regular line. But, we still like to use the EP......occasionally we will do the whole walk through for pictures, but not very often. *











*The camera that checks your image when you scan the EP today again didn't recognise him at first......I saw the image they check and saw why it had happened a few times.......the original image they took, he was looking down to see where to put his feet, and the image was captured.....so every time he looked straight at it now, it didn't recognise him instantly, but the TM can see it`s him.......but happened every time this trip.....*












*This always makes me laugh. Tom used to have a similar sign up in his office at work, and another that said If I ran the Zoo......but one of his employees had scored out the If part...….we have them up in our home office now. *











*This was such a good ride, we did it twice.....and the second time we got a car to ourselves again. *

*I never have motion issues on this ride. When the spinny part happens I focus my eyes on the head of the person in front of me, or the car itself...…..it really helps a lot. Some people can close their eyes to avoid that awful motion feeling, but that makes me worse, so doing the old ballet dancer trick works for me. *











*Round to one of the most colourful of places in the park...….and it`s almost deserted today...….sometimes that is nice for pictures.*










*I like this water feature, but boy does that dog bark loud!!!! *




















​

*I know this picture doesn't really show much, but I loved how the trees looked against such a vivid blue sky...….I do love a nice palm tree!! *










*I still maintain this guy below looks like a teacher I used to have many years ago.......*











*One of the first things we noticed as we walked around was old Popeye was missing from his usual spot around here...…..he had been replaced (temporarily) with some very pretty foliage. *











*This is one of our traditional pictures.....usually Tom looking quite exhausted and worn out.......this was right at the beginning and I was glad we did take it now, as near the end of our trip the sign had been removed.....again, I assume temporarily. *





























*This is one ride we should have gone on today, it would have cooled us down massively...….but we didn't....you get completely drenched on this one.....and it does have a good drop!!! It`s fast. *










*Our next stop is Kong. *
*
The regular line only showed 15 minutes, so we knew it would be a walk on for us, only stopping to be put in a row within the vehicle.....and it was. 
*
*This is a ride that regular line is worth seeing once. It`s not spectacular or unmissable, but there are bits you don't see from the EP line and you do of course get a scare now and again if you`re lucky...…..*










*We were the only ones in line here today.....*











*The TM said there were seats left on the vehicle sitting but it was row 5......we much prefer the rear of the bus so we asked if we could just wait for the next one as we liked the back rows......no problem.......*

*Although we looked at the vehicle and wondered where she thought our ample backsides were going to fit in row 5!!!! The row looked full already. 

But, we got on the next one and we got the back row with only 2 other people in our row.......sometimes you do feel squished up, as they try to get as many people as possible in a vehicle. But, this was nice. *
*
The ride itself is alright. One tip though....keep your mouth covered as you pass through some of the scenes......you get splattered with water a few times but the scenes look as though it`s something else. yuk.......


*
*More IOA coming up...…...*


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## kbelle8995

Wow what a great day.  No crowds.  And the Egret.  I'm glad the mother caught the little boy.  Let's leave the birds alone.


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## schumigirl

*We carried on round to Jurassic park area and as we passed Thunder Falls Terrace we realised it had been years since we`d eaten in here. We had liked it except for the way the line operated. When folks had the dreaded dining plan in front of you, they frequently held the line up as they didn't know what they were entitled to or a delay with paying for so many people and others paying for their own.......it`s not fun. So, if you had a hot meal, it was very cool by the time you got to pay. We did ask for a fresh dish of chicken and ribs once......it wasn't a problem to change it, but if they had a better line system it wouldn't happen. *

*But, I`m sure we`ll go back again one day. Kyle likes it here, so he may opt for us to eat here next month. *











*We watch a few boats splash down and decide that we might as well go on this today.....we already look like we`re soaked anyway......it`s a mere 92F today, but no breeze at all and in the blazing direct sun it still feels hotter than that. 
*









*We walk straight on and get the middle of the boat today, although there are only a few people on the boat with us.....each row has 2 or 3 folks and not all rows are filled up. This shouldn't be too bad a soaking if we do get one. 

How wet you get is decided by how the boat is loaded and how heavy it is.......so, it really is just your luck how wet you do get. But, it`s a water ride, so plan to be soaked.......and don't wear a poncho!!!! Get wet...….*
*
This ride has such a slow gentle start......it deceives you into thinking thats all it is......till you go off course...…..
*
*And surprisingly we don't get soaked too bad.....mainly our heads and not much elsewhere....although the two ladies in front of us.....lol...they got the brunt of the water that did land in the boat...….everyone was laughing so hard as it is such a fun drop at the end....except for one of the two ladies.........*




​



*I often think how can you not smile coming off of this ride, even if you do look like a drowned rat.....which we kinda did too.....*










*This next area is going to get such an overhaul in the next year or so.....it will be unrecognisable when this project is up and running.....so we take pictures so we can remember what it once looked like.....*

*Although this is very short term right now. It used to be filled with trees and shade, not it just feels open. *










*The Raptor encounter is something you need to do once. It`s a fun, cute little thing to do, but not something we`ll line up to do again. But, I`d recommend doing it if you`re passing and the line isn't too long.....but no longer than 20 minutes.....it`s not worth much longer than that. *











*We wonder what the landscape here will be like two years from now...….*










*Heading into Potter is always our favourite part round here...….it`s impressive and so familiar now....and a tradition to shoot this same image every visit.....*











*The park did seem quiet today, although we were sure they were all going to be in Potter!!!! And it is pleasant walking through the parks when it is as quiet as this. I often yearn for the days before Potter when it really was the darkside and there were very few people here in September.......but thankfully Potter did arrive. *



















*You can just see the new bridge that has been completed from the side of Fire Eaters Grill.....*










*And then we have the absolute jewel in the crown of Potter in IOA.......*
*
The best and most impressive Castle in Florida...…...  
*
*The bridge here is awash with folks taking pictures of it usually.....today it was almost deserted......*











*As was this area.......here you have the Frog Choir perform, they are excellent and very, very good and also the Durmstrang lads and Beauxbaton ladies also have their show at certain times of the day......and today it looks quite deserted. 

We didn't really feel like doing the ride today.....I think we were just enjoying wandering around and just taking in the scenery today....we had plenty of time to do the rides. 
*


















*The scenery and detail in this area always impresses me no end...….there is no one that can say it hasn't got the desired detail or design.....it is perfect and incredibly accurate to the description in the books....probably more so. 
*


















*Again, the crowds were missing today.......I think most were lined up for Hagrids .....but we didn`t wait. *










*It does look an impressive ride, and we knew we would ride it before we left this trip.......*



















*Popping into the 3B`s is something we do some days, not all the time, as we do enjoy the lemonade or the pumpkin fizz....not to be confused with the incredibly thick and sweet pumpkin juice......that wasn't a pleasant experience trying the juice.....but the fizz is very nice. Too sweet to drink a full one on our own, so we share one between us. And having some time in the cool building is lovely........*




























*I didn`t think I had noticed this before In the centre of the building before.....I had of course seen the fireplace, but hadnt paid much attention to the bit in the middle. Always something new to notice every trip. *



















*We love standing at the bottom and listening to the house elves upstairs making their rummaging sounds and grumbling about one thing and another.......and we do get a few funny looks from people wondering what on earth we`re doing...….I guess not everyone knows about it.......*

*Today the barman chats for a bit and agrees that very few folks know to listen and even in the restaurant area, never look up......you do miss so much not looking up a lot of the times...….*










*We enjoyed our pumpkin fizz and sat a little while just enjoying the cool....and although we don't want to eat the food in here, we do enjoy the aroma.....it does all smell so lovely. *

*Out the back is usually quiet too at this time of year......and I think most people are enjoying the cool inside too. There are only a few people who are enjoying their own little picnic and resting a little too. *










*The new bridge is a little clearer here too......and the overhead pictures show it to be a fair width........*










*Back inside we try not to disturb those eating and take a few pictures above us........it`s not too busy so we don`t have to stand too close to anyone while we do......I wouldn't do that. *










*And there are some very cool things to view when you do look up....I did laugh as a man looked to see what we were looking at, and then snorted as if to say how ridiculous...….lol...…...each to their own........*


















*More IOA coming up.......*


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## schumigirl

kbelle8995 said:


> Wow what a great day.  No crowds.  And the Egret.  I'm glad the mother caught the little boy.  Let's leave the birds alone.



Well, I`ve learned the name of those birds today!!! I just realised I didn't know it when you posted it...….we always just called them herons.....

Yes, I hate seeing kids being allowed to chase and taunt birds or the ducks that are around...….

It was a fabulous day......the crowds were nonexistent and it felt at times we were the only ones on the path......then of course you turned the corner and there they were...….lol.......but no complaints......


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## AussieBritTraveller

Ahhh I missed the start

I am back for the ride

Rob and I shall be sharing your trip and pretending we are there in spirit

In good news we have just booked next years stay and flights! 

Hugs to you both! and Happy Birthday I think I missed them both and Tom's big 60th!


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## schumigirl

AussieBritTraveller said:


> Ahhh I missed the start
> 
> I am back for the ride
> 
> Rob and I shall be sharing your trip and pretending we are there in spirit
> 
> In good news we have just booked next years stay and flights!
> 
> Hugs to you both! and Happy Birthday I think I missed them both and Tom's big 60th!



A very warm  back Matt........

So happy to see you back posting again........and fabulous news you have your trip sorted for next year!!! We’ll definitely catch up then hopefully!!! Are you at RPR again?? 

We haven’t set our dates in stone yet for September, we have a rough booking in place, but we can adjust that when we get flights booked for then.......

Thanks for the birthday wishes.......always appreciated......

And many hugs to you, Rob and cute little Jackson also......really glad to see you back again........


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## DisneyLifePapioNe

I noticed your pic with the cinnamon whiskey in it, I have tried to buy a bottle of that for a few years now. I like cinnamon candies and cinnamon whiskey is a guilty pleasure.....ha, I even offered one of the guys $500 cash to let me have a bottle.........nope can’t do it he said, I told him come on I’ll drink the whiskey and put the bottle in one of our Harry Potter cabinets.....lol.......nope!


Oh the coconut pineapple was delicious yes!!! MS had that sent up for us, she is so kind!

LB sent up some fabulous strawberries at SF, such a wonderful fellow! We did really enjoy SF!


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## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> I noticed your pic with the cinnamon whiskey in it, I have tried to buy a bottle of that for a few years now. I like cinnamon candies and cinnamon whiskey is a guilty pleasure.....ha, I even offered one of the guys $500 cash to let me have a bottle.........nope can’t do it he said, I told him come on I’ll drink the whiskey and put the bottle in one of our Harry Potter cabinets.....lol.......nope!
> 
> 
> Oh the coconut pineapple was delicious yes!!! MS had that sent up for us, she is so kind!
> 
> LB sent up some fabulous strawberries at SF, such a wonderful fellow! We did really enjoy SF!



I only like cinnamon in curries or with buns! We did try that cinnamon whisky on a previous trip but neither of us liked it very much.....but I don’t like whisky anyway. It does seem to be very popular.......

Yes, Sapphire is beautiful.......we always enjoy our trips there.


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## agavegirl1

schumigirl said:


> We started doing it years ago when Tom and I used to drive Raleigh cars on a weekend for fun......I miss those days!!!
> 
> It teaches you how to properly control a car in different circumstances, for example you spend time on the skid track and it teaches you properly how to deal with it. There’s other things too, but that’s the basics of it. It’s over and above your regular driving license that anyone gets. A driving test over here teaches you the basics.
> 
> Some folks today think it lowers your car insurance if you have one, we haven’t noticed anything, but thats not why we do it. We quite like a morning banging around in cars like that.
> 
> So for us it’s a fun thing to do, and that’s about it. I don’t know many folks who have one apart from a few. It’s not something that’s a necessity.
> 
> For us, we love driving, and in America it’s fun for us, the roads are different and driving is something we enjoy anyway. And being honest Tom usually drives at night if we are driving to a restaurant......but other than that, we share the driving.



That sounds really interesting.  Both DH and I have our M for motorcycle certification and enjoy the feeling we get from that.  I have always been intrigued by your rental car choices as they would not be ours.

In a previous life I owned 5 1967 Corvettes and my favorite newer model.  I got divorced and had no garage but cash works.

Anyway I know so little about Europe models I didn’t know why you would choose them over a US Muscle Car...

Thank you for taking the time to explain Carole.....


----------



## schumigirl

agavegirl1 said:


> That sounds really interesting.  Both DH and I have our M for motorcycle certification and enjoy the feeling we get from that.  I have always been intrigued by your rental car choices as they would not be ours.
> 
> In a previous life I owned 5 1967 Corvettes and my favorite newer model.  I got divorced and had no garage but cash works.
> 
> Anyway I know so little about Europe models I didn’t know why you would choose them over a US Muscle Car...
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to explain Carole.....



lol.....it`s funny as motorbikes is one mode of fun we`d never entertain.....and it always amazes us in America the amount of people who drive them without helmets on....it`s the law in this country you have to wear them. The image of seeing these guys drive them in shorts and tees with flip flops and no helmet!!!! Jeremy Clarkson branded them mobile organ donors........but it`s scary to see that.

I hear you Wendy. We wouldn't drive a Maserati at home funnily enough.....and the type of cars we would really love to drive in the States aren't offered with rentals, so we take what`s available, not what we would really choose. 

Some European cars are excellent......usually German......Mercedes, Porsche and then of course you have the fantasy cars like Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari`s and the Bugatti Veyron.....so many more to choose from of course, but not practical on vacations.....so we keep driving them for track days.

So, until there is a fantasy car option, (that holds luggage  ) we`ll have to stick to SUV`s...….

Hope you`re doing ok and always nice to see you post


----------



## schumigirl

*Coming out of the candy store, the heat swathes us again and yes, it`s tiny degree cooler than it has been, but it`s still hotter than we remember September being any other year...…..and although my face was redder than a traffic light and my hair looked like it had been stuck under a shower (thanks JPRA) we were loving it. 

The atmosphere in these parks are always so much fun...….everyone looks so happy....well, except for the usual kiddy meltdowns.......but generally it`s a lovely environment. 

I slip to the bathroom and there are a few people marvelling at hearing Moaning Myrtle whine her day away.......you can hear it fairly clear without having to listen to hard. Some people don`t know you can hear this and at first you can see them wonder what it is, then it dawns on them who it is...…lovely to watch......

Not today for Hagrid`s.........*










*Always a classic image......the Hogwarts Express........usually the Station Master is in front of the train for picture opportunities, and they are all marvellous at staying in Character. One of them has been here since it opened and I think he is our favourite...…he is very British!!! So much so if he were a muggle he may have originally come from the UK!!! Always good to chat to him about muggle life......*











*The Fountain was in full flow today.......he was one of the funnier ones who is particularly sarcastic at times.....very funny, and very good with kids, and their parents too!!! This is a cool way to spend half an hour or so listening to dry humour from the Fountain and his acerbic wit. I`ve spent many a time when Tom and Kyle did Duelling Dragons time after time after time......just sitting and listening and watching the delight of kids and the wry smiles of adults who understood the overtones of the jokes at times.....very clever!! *











*We always spend a little time around here as it is so pretty.....and today we didn`t go behind where Sindbad used to be as it was just too hot.....we were ready to go into the shade for lunch now to be honest, but we do like it here.......

There`s a magic show shown in the building below, and sometimes they have art displays to have a wander around, and it`s cool!!!! *




















*I have a thing about Palm trees against the beautiful blue Floridian sky......absolutely gorgeous!!! *










*Mythos, as most of you will know we haven't eaten here in a long time. One bad experience too many, but the building itself is stunning and extra pretty on a day like today.......again, we didn`t go round the front (or back if you prefer) and hear the troll who lives under the bridge, or see the views over the lagoon from the other side...…we sometimes do and sometimes don`t. But, either side is lovely. And not too many people go around the front of the building, so it`s usually quiet. *




























*Going into Seuss......it`s almost deserted...….almost. It is so colourful and they do keep the colours permanently refreshed and as bright as they should be.......nothing looks dull or neglected. *











*The Grinch is my favourite Seuss character......and the store here is crammed full of Grinch items.....*










*I may or may not have purchased this item below  *



















*The little show was in full flow...…….it is cute, and of course the Grinch is the star of this one......you can see his disdain through his outfit.......so funny. *










*I sneeze at this point.........*




​



*And of course it catches the attention of The Grinch and his two friends.........who then show they find it funny as I sneeze again......I never sneeze only once....it`s usually five sneezes and then I`m done.......and yes, the Grinch counted them and held up his hand to show five sneezes......lol.....*










*They then realise they have missed their slot shot, so they wave then catch up with the rest of the dance...…..

I do like the Grinch!!!! *










*We have a quick ride on CiTH and that is always a weird experience...….I really don't like those characters, but the ride is something you have to experience!!!! 

Then we come across Tom`s favourite sign in the park!!! I think he has aspirations of world domination.....*



















*Finally it was lunch time.....albeit a little early......but we wandered into the cool and welcoming Confisco Grille........*










*We always sing the praises of this restaurant...…..so many folks pass it by and don`t give it a thought. We first ate here in 2007 and loved it back then too. The menu was slightly different too of course, and had evolved nicely over the years. 

Chef Jason is amazing.......he checks almost every single dish that goes out and his standards are high. We had one kind of off meal here once a few years back, but all the other meals have been lovely. Prices are incredibly reasonable for a sit down restaurant in the park and the new updated menu is lovely......a few really nice additions. Sadly they have removed my favourite chicken and shrimp sandwich......*











*The kitchen is always in full flow, and I love how the chefs look very professional in proper whites.......*










*We ordered a fanta for me and lemonade for Tom and then slowly perused the menu as it was a little different from before.......and looked around to see how pretty this place is....*










*It was fairly quiet as it wasn`t yet midday, almost there though and it did fill up more as we enjoyed our lunch.......

We knew they had an AP special dish, but although it was shrimp which we both love....it came with grits which we completely do not understand or like.....the very look of grits throws us off a little......so no special today!!! It was a good idea though, to have some places have a special AP dish.......*



















*We had some bread and honey butter while we waited for our food and we could see them prepare it, well Tom could as we sat and you could here the chef talk what seemed to be a new guy through how he expected the dish to be served every single time......*










*Tom had opted for one of their new choices, the sweet and sour ribs......and the chef came over to ask how it looked as we had been the first people to order it......they were divine........

I hadn`t been too hungry and ordered the chicken wings with a side of honey mustard.......*




















*The food was delicious!!!! Those ribs......I instantly regretted not ordering them.....they sat on polenta with goats cheese, neither of which Tom or I like, but this was lovely...…and the sauce was gorgeous.*

*My wings were almost like a second choice after trying them.....lol.....but, they were still nice. I knew we`d be back and I`d order the ribs again then. Tom complained I stole his dish again........*

*Chef Jason came over again to check how everything had been and Tom assured him the ribs were lovely......he was happy to hear we had enjoyed our food and we told him we visited every trip and had done for many years.......he did laugh when I said they were much better than Mythos!!!! *




















*This mask was a little weird.......but fitted in with the rest of the décor around it.......not exactly very pretty…….*



















*Confisco`s is a unique little place and it was surprising to find such a place in the parks all those years ago.......it`s worth a visit for food if you`re in IOA......good food and good service too. 


More coming up..........*


----------



## schumigirl

*We paid our check and headed out into the blazing sunshine of the middle of the day......and people looked so hot as they either came in or out of the park!! 

Port of Entry is one of the most well themed and beautiful areas of the parks.......colours are vivid and dramatic, and they could theme most of the park this way for me...…they have many details that a lot of people miss out on, like standing under some of the buildings and just listen.....it`s fun!!! *

*One of our favourite stores is the Christmas Store...…..it`s festive all year round and the aroma as you enter immediately evokes all things of the Festive season......beautiful. They have amazing items for sale and I think we have purchased an awful lot of them!!!! Our Christmas trees at home are adorned by all things Christmassy from this store and around the home too!! We love Christmas. *










*The little balcony above and to the side also has some sound effects.....and it`s cats. Not my favourite animal but it is very cute.....*





































*I love this little hidden secret staircase......although it`s not really hidden as it`s in plain sight!!! *










*We exit the park and head for home, but this is such a beautiful area too....we often just wander out and spend some time just enjoying the buildings and their little signs that have a little humour in them or evoke thoughts of a long gone era......*















































*So much detail has been thought of and gone into these buildings. One of the hotel TM we know said he saw areas through new eyes after reading these trip reports, as he wanders into the park occasionally and doesn't really pay attention to what he passes often. *











*I`ve said many times, I love this little building...….we have a friend who has a villa in Tuscany and although this isn't an Italian design, it is very reminiscent of the entrance to her property......beautiful.  *











*Once out the gates we head for the walking path....it`s not worth walking to the boats from here as it`s quicker to walk usually, and the walk takes no time at all. *

*We do like Margaritaville........but not today. *










*The boats are handy, no doubt, especially after a long evening at HHN....but walking is nice too. The path leads easily to the pool area of RP or you can cut up and go in the hotel lobby area, which is what you have to do if the pool is closed, or keep walking till you are back at the boat dock and go up that way. *




























*The path itself is shady and a little cooler some days, you don`t really have to walk in open sunshine for very long......some of the plants including the red ones further down, we remember them being planted and they were so tiny....I wished we had taken pictures of them when that happened. *



















*We got back home to our room and we had a chill down for the afternoon. I did some laundry and that takes a couple of hours with the dryer going too. Because we are here for such a long time, we don`t mind having to spend a couple of hours doing this, we don`t really lose any time. I can understand why some people don`t do laundry if they`re here for a shorter time or just bring loads of clothes!!! *
*
Tom has a snooze and I go sit in the lounge for a while and have some water........it`s very quiet at this time of day unsurprisingly apart from a few folks checking in. I go back down and put the tv on in the sitting room while Tom snoozes......I`m not tired at all today.......
*
*But, dinner plans tonight are somewhere we haven`t been before......and we are looking forward to it a lot. *


----------



## I-4Bound

I love the Florida sky! There's a certain quality of light that I was associate with it. Even though we're only about 6 hours up the coast, it still looks different.

Shrimp and grits are a HUGE favorite where I live. I grew up eating grits and love them. It's definitely a regional thing. Real quality slow cooked grits are actually quite creamy and smooth...usually with tons of butter and cream!


----------



## schumigirl

*Later in the afternoon we went up to the lounge for a sit down and a couple of glasses of wine for me....Tom was driving tonight, although the restaurant we were going to wasn't too far away. He`s not bothered about a drink and enjoys any excuse to drive the car anyway...….*

*Tonight the lounge again, wasn't too busy, but there was a steady line of folks coming in......the food tonight looked good and if we were eating here this would be something we would enjoy.  

Orange Chicken is lovely.....and I do have a few little pieces just to keep me going till dinner later....and it is delicious, although I do add some tabasco sauce as it`s not in the slightest bit spicy.....but always fresh and tasty. *

*Tom had a little bit of salad and some cheese while I enjoyed some red wine. *





































*We chatted and had some good laughs while we were in the lounge as always, but eventually we went down to get changed and ready to go for dinner. *
*
Big Fin Seafood was our restaurant of choice tonight. It was on Sand Lake Road in a little plaza with a few other restaurants and we had never been here before. 

Parking was in the lower level of the plaza and plenty of spaces. The elevator up however was boiling hot.....I don't think it had seen aircon in a long time!!! 

It was a few minutes walk to the restaurant and on the way we snapped a few images of the area. 
*
*I do like a water feature..........*




























*Because of where we parked we didn't go in the front entrance, but walked from the outside bar area at the rear to the check in desk......we immediately liked the restaurant and as we waited a few moments to be taken to our table, Tom was drawn to the displayed seafood close by. *



















*We were taken to our table and it was a nice one with not too many folks around us. As it was a Tuesday it wasn't exactly heaving, but busy enough and it wasn't too noisy, but certainly wasn`t quiet...….*



















*We did like the décor and definitely did like this new found restaurant already......*



















*Our waiter Jerry was excellent. He went through a few items on the menu as we said we hadn't been here before and he was very nice indeed. He asked if we were interested in the Magical Dining Menu which was nice here, but no, we wanted the regular menu only. Meanwhile, I chose a large Malbec and Tom went for his favourite lemonade...….*










*Can`t go wrong with some bread to start with.....*










*Tom started with the crab cake which came with a mustard dip.....and I rather boringly opted for a jumbo shrimp cocktail...…..both were divine. *

*The crab cake was filled with crab and no fillers the way some have, and full of flavour……..my shrimp were plump and soft and had the freshest taste......nice choice. *



















*For our entrees Tom rather bravely ordered a whole snapper.....usually he`s not one for ordering a fish with the head and tail still on, and usually he prefers the bones removed, but this sounded delicious and the way Jerry described it, Tom liked the sound of it. *

*And indeed the flesh did fall off the bones as was described......*










*I wish I`d ordered something a little more adventurous once I had left......I opted for the selection of crab cake, shrimp and scallops and rather boringly just French fries...….*

*It was lovely, but I wish I`d ordered King Crab or something similar. Although Tom has to crack them for me as King Crab is hard to do for me, and with him enjoying his own dish, I thought I`d choose something simple. *











*Both dishes were lovely, Tom`s snapper was wonderful.....very delicate and flavoursome. My shrimp were ever so slightly overdone, but the scallops were perfect....barely cooked and translucent as they should be. *

*Jerry offered to take our picture as we finished the evening, and of course, why not. *











*We had asked for dessert to go as we had no room really, so ordered a dessert called ooey gooey pie, and it was blueberry lemonade flavour tonight. It sounded delicious and we imagined a very decadent dessert similar to O` Charleys ooey gooey caramel pie.........*
*
The evening had been lovely and we had really enjoyed it, the restaurant, ambiance and staff had all been wonderful, and the food had been beautiful. It had been a good decision to come here and we`d happily come back again. There were so many dishes we wanted to try. 
*
*Check paid we left the same way we came in and noticed how quiet this area was.....I imagined the weekend it would be slightly different, but it was deserted and some of the places had closed, it was only around 10pm or just after. *











*We got into the car, and headed back home......and at the traffic lights we were open mouthed when we saw a man trawl through the stationary traffic looking completely lost......he wasn't one of the homeless people that stalk the lights here during the day, he looked a regular guy who sadly, had some issues that night. We were relieved to see police officers arrive as we went through the lights very carefully. We did hope he was alright, things like this are hard to see. 

It was nice to get home without any drama and we went straight up to our room tonight to enjoy the dessert. *
*
The dessert however was a disappointment. We are still looking for the ooey gooey part! 
*
*It was just a cake......it was a nice cake, but I`d never have picked out it was blueberry lemonade. We were glad we didn`t get two. *











*We watched some tv and then headed to bed...…..Tom asked what we had planned for tomorrow.…..nothing was the answer......we`d decide after breakfast...….today had been so lovely, we`d enjoyed the park and some lovely food and had a beautiful dinner tonight. I was ready for sleep now!!! *


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> I love the Florida sky! There's a certain quality of light that I was associate with it. Even though we're only about 6 hours up the coast, it still looks different.
> 
> Shrimp and grits are a HUGE favorite where I live. I grew up eating grits and love them. It's definitely a regional thing. Real quality slow cooked grits are actually quite creamy and smooth...usually with tons of butter and cream!



It is beautiful isn't it!! Yes, the light is somehow twinkly and shimmery, even during the day which is unusual......and we never see anything like that over here, even on our best days!!!! 

I wish I could like grits. We got a meal from a farmers market once, it was an egg dish and we didn't see it came with grits in it...….bleurgh....I almost did a very unladylike thing and spat it out on the path!!!! 

I didn't though...….I like the sound of the butter and cream though......lol.......yes, regional food does take some getting used to at times.


----------



## disneyAndi14

Enjoying as always!

I love the pictures of DA and KA during the HHN. Nice time to get pictures.

IOA looks like very low crowds this day. We love Spider-Man. I have never tried Dr. Doom. Is it like ToT? I probably would like it.

How nice to spend an afternoon with a fellow Diser!


----------



## schumigirl

disneyAndi14 said:


> Enjoying as always!
> 
> I love the pictures of DA and KA during the HHN. Nice time to get pictures.
> 
> IOA looks like very low crowds this day. We love Spider-Man. I have never tried Dr. Doom. Is it like ToT? I probably would like it.
> 
> How nice to spend an afternoon with a fellow Diser!



We`ve always been so lucky meeting Disers, everyone we`ve met has been lovely and we still keep in touch with most. Some have become very good friends. So, yes this was a lovely meet up.....

Dr Doom is a shoot you up ride...….sounds a bit bad I know, but you are ejected quickly up and you drop quickly too, then its a kind of slow bounce and you`re down.......it is short, but so much fun. If you like drops, you`ll enjoy it. I loved ToT and fully admit that it is better than Doom.....there is a fabulous story behind ToT that Doom just doesn't have...but for a quick thrill, it`s fab!! 

The park was very quiet that day......we love days where you can move around freely without feeling crowded all the time. And yes, getting pictures easily is another benefit....

I`m so glad you`re enjoying reading along Caroline......


----------



## J'aime Paris

I think I'll be ordering the Spaghetti with Grilled Shrimp and Clams on my first visit to Confisco Grille.
Sounds delicious!!


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> I think I'll be ordering the Spaghetti with Grilled Shrimp and Clams on my first visit to Confisco Grille.
> Sounds delicious!!



That‘s what Tom was originally going to order......they do a similar dish in Vivo he loved.......but the ribs won him over.......


----------



## Worfiedoodles

schumigirl said:


> Absolutely!
> 
> Weird thing is, most folks have the same opinion.......I do wonder how they got the Scare Zones so wrong this year.....well, some of them.......Rob Zombies was surprisingly (for us) fun!!


My husband is a huge Rob Zombie fan -- that's part of my selling point for HHN next year. While they might not repeat it, I'm sure there would be something similar...or at least I hope so!


----------



## schumigirl

Worfiedoodles said:


> My husband is a huge Rob Zombie fan -- that's part of my selling point for HHN next year. While they might not repeat it, I'm sure there would be something similar...or at least I hope so!


 
I really don’t know any of his stuff....movies or music. Apart from the should be forgotten Halloween movies........lol.......

But, yep, sell it......you never know.....it’s the 30th anniversary year so it should be spectacular and his house and zone were particularly popular this year........I wouldn’t mind something of his coming back. Surprisingly, as I didn’t expect to like his stuff, going on what I thought it would be......it was fun. 

I’m hoping more of the classics will appear.....Jack the Clown, the storyteller and so on........and hopefully they’ll go back to an icon! Those years were the best years when an icon was present.


----------



## smiths02

Thinking I may have to tear the family away from Mythos to try Confisco.
We had really great service and good to really good food (twice-same server) on our first trip in April at Mythos.  I also didn't feel like we spent more than counter service.  
Have you ever had the burger, sirloin or fajitas at Confisco?  I feel like that is what the less adventurous in my family would order.


----------



## schumigirl

*WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 11TH*​



*Today was probably our quietest day ever......we actually didn't really do anything at all......but it was still quite enjoyable. *
*
We awoke fairly late for us, around 7ish, and as usual, once I`m awake.....Tom is awake too. Looking out the window it`s still dark but the sky is clear so I`m guessing it`s going to be another beautiful day...
*
*Showered and dressed, we headed up for breakfast and the lounge was probably the quietest we have ever seen it. I asked one of the girls if we had missed everyone, but she said it wasn't overly busy today. It was quiet, and everything was as always beautifully laid out and fresh. 

Tom had his usual croissants and honey and I had some meats, and two little mini muffins......they are so nice. And simple. It`s a breakfast I`d probably never have at home. *

*We genuinely had no idea what we were going to do today.....we did think of going into the parks to do the water rides, but Bilge Barges were closed so we decided against that. That is a ride that when we do go in to do the wet rides, we can do that one over and over many times. Same with Ripsaw Falls......although Ripsaw Falls ride vehicle is slightly awkward to get in and out of.....you really need strong arms to get yourself out easily......I do struggle with that but it doesn't stop me riding it...….and again, you do get drenched!!!! 

So, we sat a little while and chatted to the Concierge manager and that passed some time as we love chatting to her, then we decided to go to the Florida Mall. Not my favourite Mall, but we fancied just a wander around. *
*
Tom drives today, and it takes around 15 minutes to get there. Being that it is a Wednesday morning, it`s ultra quiet......so we get parked easily which is nice. 
*
*They have changed the mall from a few years ago and it is a nicer food court than before, it was quite grubby previously. Now it looks clean and quite inviting. *







































*One of my favourite stores is Yankee Candle and the reason our luggage is often heavier than it should be!!! We get the newer scents a little later than America, so it`s nice being able to buy them as they come out.....although I do have my traditional favourites, especially the Christmas ones. *










*The morning passes very quickly, we wander in and out of a few stores including Bath & Body where I do curtail the purchasing today.....I prefer the Mall at Millenia store to this one. This place isn't as welcoming as the other. *

*We meet a lady we know very well. She`s a manager from the HRH, we`ve known her for years and it`s always funny seeing folks away from where you are used to seeing them, but always nice. We took the opportunity and went for a coffee with her and had a good old chat, as although we see her, it`s not very often, but our chat was a lot of fun and the time passed so quickly. 

It had been a nice morning and our coffee and chat had been lovely....I did learn a few things I didn`t know which was interesting!!! We said our goodbye`s and by now we were ready to head back home and on the way we decide to have lunch at Beth`s Burgers on Universal Boulevard. *

*The first time we went there was a couple of years ago.....we had been told to go by one of the concierge team and we had liked it a lot. I`m not usually a fan of patty style burgers, but these are lovely.....and the fries are amazing!!!!! The buns too are very nice........*











*Super friendly staff work here and the girl immediately recognises us from our last visit...….what a memory...….she always says it`s our accent that sticks in her mind......well, I guess it is distinctive. *

*The menu needs a lot studying!!!! *










*We go with the Morning Double Burger for Tom which comes with bacon, egg and cheddar cheese which he subbed for pepper jack with regular fries and a soda. *
*
I opted for the Double Burger with avocado, jalapenos, bbq sauce and a side of honey mustard for the fries.......did I mention they are amazing!!!! 
*
*Tom got a sprite and I got fanta….there`s a serve yourself machine near the door and then we go sit,  and your food is delivered to your table. *



















*Their prices for cocktails and drinks are very inexpensive......and we are tempted to come back tonight where they are having live music, but we ended up not doing that. *



















*You can`t really see Tom`s burgers in the picture due to the egg, but they are there......he ate every morsel of this burger!!! *










*And mine was just about perfect!!!! Maybe a little more avocado would have been nice, but apart from that it was gorgeous...….plenty of jalapenos which I love.....and the fries with the honey mustard were perfect...…..*




















*And we got to meet Beth herself...….she came over to check everything was good for us and said she was glad to hear we visited often. We said yep, we really liked it here and tried not to miss a trip every visit...….*

*I asked if she minded if we got a picture with Tom and her together, and her friend actually took it, and then took another with Beth`s phone....she is a lovely lady who is very friendly and chatty, and has a great business going there. *










*We chatted a bit to Beth and thanked her for the picture, then set off back home where we did decide to go into the park and do the water rides. Hair up in a so called scrunched bun.....we set off. *

*No camera here!!!! To be honest, we felt like napping......but we braced ourselves, sun screened up and headed back into the park and we walked of course as it was in IOA. We did regret slightly doing this about half way as the temperature was obscenely hot!!! It would have been easy for one of us to say, oh let`s not bother..….but it`s such a short walk, it just felt a little longer today! But, we knew we`d soon cool down. 

We both looked like drowned rats after the first venture onto Ripsaw Falls, but it was worth it.....we did that ride around 6 times, until my arms gave up dragging myself out of the boat!!! It`s not ladylike and not pretty...….but that drop is worth it......it is so fast and looks fairly steep although it`s not as steep as you think.....it`s a lot of fun. *

*Jurassic Park was a bit busier this afternoon. Although we didn't have any waits and got straight on every time we went through.....this is where the EP is like gold dust....we went on this around 5 times and only once did we stay dry. Well, not stay dry, we just didn't get any wetter!!! 

Walking back wasn't the most fun as we were completely drenched, but we were practically dry before we hit the room......I was so glad we didn't meet anyone on the way back home.........today reached a meagre 94F. Not blazing hot, but hot enough...….*








  ​

*We showered and freshened up and decided we would just have a pool night tonight.....we do enjoy a night by the pool and neither of us wanted to leave the resort today again.....easy decision.......so around 5pm we headed up to the lounge and relaxed up there for a while....*

*It was Vegetarian night, which is the dish that least appeals to us anyway, not that we eat meals as meals here......I`m sure everyone who reads this knows we always eat later and around Orlando.....but the food is very good here and we do like to use it as appetisers and not a main meal. *




























​


*We do have a little cheese with some wine and as we sit and chat, we marvel at how little we have actually done today, I felt incredibly lazy doing so little.......but we`d be back in the parks tomorrow as we had a Dis meet with an old friend...…

The pool has Dive in Movies every evening, as do the other pools around the resort, and some nights the movies are good.....Potter, Pirates or Back to the Future type movies...….what did we get promised tonight.......All dogs die or something equally crappy...…..this would prove to be a dire movie!!!! But, we`re not there for the movie......we just love to do what we call moon bathing!!!! 

As we are the palest of pale, we just don`t sit in the direct sun and just sunbathe, there`s no point really......although we did try it once.....we didn`t last long........*




​



*Sitting in the sun doing nothing is not for us. But, in the evening....completely different. And it was still boiling hot tonight. 

We got ourselves settled down on loungers in our favourite spot and Tom immediately got in the water........he loves the pool here and he can swim so loves the fact that he almost has it to himself tonight......*










*One of the barstaff comes around and I order an Island Colada for me and a Mango Margarita for Tom...….we`d order food later. I did check though as they do stop serving food well before the pool closes, which is 10pm tonight, and last order for food was around 8.45. We`d be ordering before then I was sure of that! *





























*The drinks were lovely......I could really taste the coconut in mine......

If you keep the glass or just the receipt will do, your next cocktail is $10 instead of $15. Not a bad deal.....although I don`t think we have ever remembered to take the glass back!!!! *

*It wasn`t long before the screen went up for the movie, which as I said was a big disappointment for us......but we sat and chatted, went in and out the pool and of course ordered food. *










*This is one happy man!!!! Pool time....cocktails and food......doesn't get better than this!!! *










*I even managed to snap a few shots myself tonight as Tom was in the water........the light was perfect for night shots....*










*Our lady from the bar came back a little later, and we ordered a frozen sangria for Tom and a Maui Sunset for me...*










*Food wise Tom decided to order the pepperoni pizza which I never expected, and I asked for the Huli Chicken sandwich which i`d had a few years ago a few times, but it had been a while since I ordered that.....*











*Tom`s pizza was ok. It was nothing like Jake`s regular pizza which is excellent......but just ok was his verdict. The food here all comes from Jake`s Kitchen. *

*Mine was again, just ok. The bread didn`t taste as coconut flavoured as it used to be and a little dry, as was the chicken. So, not the best meal we ever had, but it was edible and we did actually enjoy what we ate of it. Which wasn`t much. *










*It`s just nice to be sat around the beautiful pool area and pop in and out of the water, which we did frequently.....the pool barely had 6 other people in at any time, so we could wander around without being disturbed or disturbing anyone else. But, most of the night it was just the two of us in this area. *

*We had no one around us where we were sitting, then as we were in the water later, a couple put their things on the loungers beside us, got in the water, spent around 2 minutes in the water and then got out and left......it must have been the shortest pool visit ever!! *





































*This pool is perfect for us......it`s large enough you don't really get bothered by anyone, at times there are water games with a ball and it does get a little busy then, but on nights like tonight it`s fabulous. 

You are surrounded by beautiful lush greenery and the lighting makes the whole area just stunning. 

We stayed in the pool till 10pm tonight.....I did wish it stayed open a little later till 11pm, but this time of year it`s only till 10. Once the whistle blows, you are encouraged to leave quickly, which we do. *
*
We go back upstairs and shower, again, and watch some tv with a glass of wine and again, wondered how we had managed to do so little today, although the walk to the parks had felt like a ten mile walk at the time!!! 
*
*Tonight we were happy to go to bed, and were already looking forward to tomorrow......more park time and a meet with a friend. *


----------



## schumigirl

smiths02 said:


> Thinking I may have to tear the family away from Mythos to try Confisco.
> We had really great service and good to really good food (twice-same server) on our first trip in April at Mythos.  I also didn't feel like we spent more than counter service.
> Have you ever had the burger, sirloin or fajitas at Confisco?  I feel like that is what the less adventurous in my family would order.




Oh you wouldn't regret it. It is so good and usually fairly quiet, I don't think I`ve ever known anyone to make a reservation. They are very well priced like Mythos, I completely agree with you, prices are not much more than CS. 

We`ve had the burger and fajitas from there. Fajitas were quite a while ago, but they were very good as was their nachos.....much smaller portion than Margaritaville and Bula Bar, but nice as a light lunch. 

Tom`s had the burger many times, it`s never disappointed him. Not a flashy burger, but good and tasty


----------



## TommyJK

"Do nothing" days are great! Some people feel they always need to "GO GO GO!" but I love taking days off to just lounge.


----------



## schumigirl

TommyJK said:


> "Do nothing" days are great! Some people feel they always need to "GO GO GO!" but I love taking days off to just lounge.



Amen!!!! 

We did enjoy it, I guess we don't feel the need to fill every single day with an activity of some kind......and I agree with you, some folks do feel that need, but, we certainly don't!!! 

And we did feel incredibly refreshed having an almost do nothing day.....I think the heat was tiring us out more than we realised some days, so it was lovely....


----------



## AprilDreamsOfDisney

schumigirl said:


> The drinks were lovely......I could really taste the coconut in mine......


Those look delicious, Carol! Love the tip to keep your glass! I will remember!



schumigirl said:


> It`s just nice to be sat around the beautiful pool area and pop in and out of the water, which we did frequently.....


How's the pool temperature? Do they keep the pool heated? Looks like a wonderful night!


----------



## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> Those look delicious, Carol! Love the tip to keep your glass! I will remember!
> 
> 
> How's the pool temperature? Do they keep the pool heated? Looks like a wonderful night!



They are nice cocktails there.....heck, haven't met many cocktails I don't like......lol......but, yes, getting the refills is something most seem to do.

The pool was boiling hot! It is heated although I have to admit, I am a complete wimp with cold, and our December and march trips I wouldn't have dreamed of going in to the pool only because it`s not 85F and above....anything less is far too cold for this wimp!! But many are in the pool when it`s a little cooler, so it must be fine...….

It was a good night, we`d had such a relaxing day and we amazingly slept as though we had been exhausted


----------



## schumigirl

*THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 12TH*​



*We had been here a week now.......it sounds fast, but, it hadn't felt as though time was flying past at the time which was what he hoped for. I would hate to have gone home and thought.....that flew past, but we didn't. 

We had slept like babies last night. We both looked a little vague when we woke up as to what time it was, if Tom had told me it was midday I`d have believed him. But, it was only 7.30ish.....I got up immediately and pulled back our drapes to see it was going to be another glorious day. We loved that......at home so many days we pull the drapes and blinds back and see grey......endless grey and cold. Of course, that's reality, but while on vacation guaranteed hot and generally dry weather is priceless. We really didn't expect it to be dry all the time, and were pleasantly surprised how little rain we got this trip.....practically none apart from one afternoon it rained for a while, and a two blocks of around 5 minutes in the evening......the rest of the time is was hot or even hotter! 

Once we were showered and dressed we made our usual visit to the lounge......we pressed for the elevator and a family of what seemed like 40 of them got us to hold as they got in........I said we were going up......they looked at me like I was speaking another language.......well, I guess I was......they started looking annoyed and got back out and obviously pressed for one going down. oops. 

The lounge again was fairly quiet, but busier than yesterday. We enjoyed our breakfast again and chatted to Kayla for a little while, before heading out to the parks.......although I had to pop back down to the room and saw our lovely housekeeper had already been in.....we used to say it seems as though she was behind a door waiting for us to leave, as soon as we left for the lounge, our room was done......it was perfect for us as we sometimes come back around lunchtime to shower and change, and it was ideal to have fresh towels. If we used up those ones, Turndown replenished them at night so we had fresh in the morning. I`m not environmentally friendly at all apparently, as I do like fresh towels every shower........(and plastic straws  ) and make no apologies for it.

Today we took a million pictures, so this day may take a while to finish....*

*We were going to IOA again today, so we always walk, it`s quicker than the boat usually, and the he swimming pool as we passed through it looked stunning...but our camera steamed up as soon as we brought it out this morning.......it needed to warm up before we could take an image that didn`t look foggy.

The walking path was deserted this morning, apart from one family running back from the parks......it was far too hot for that!!! But they seemed to be in a rush for something......this was the second time we had seen a family run in this heat......although there was a very sullen looking 14 year old straggling behind with her arms folded refusing to run apparently......lol.....she didn`t manage to pool off the teenage angst though as she was wearing a matching shirt same as the rest of the family with mickey mouse on the front and the words....the best family vacation ever 2019........lol.......*

*One of our favourite views....The beautiful and distinctive Pharos Lighthouse as you enter IOA....*











*We have a little bit of a line this morning getting in the park, but we are soon through and we immediately head for the shop where we can cool down......I was already feeling the heat!! *
*
And I do know where all the best areas to stand in here where the air conditioning blows the hardest!!! 
*
*The store is themed to match POE theme of travels far and wide and is wonderfully if delicately themed perfectly. There is so much detail to be seen in this store alone, never mind outside......*
































































*The Dark Arts merchandise is prevalent now of course, and I`m forced to buy the glass and mug as they are so pretty in a dark way.....*










*And of course, the original potter stuff is still attractive and desired despite the new wave of products coming in. One little boy was terribly excited as he thought this was the Sorting Hat......his mother didn`t have the heart to tell him it wasn't. 
*









*We did admittedly, buy this jumper.....not for us I`ll hasten to add.....but one of our friends is called Harry.....and he`s quite a rigid, always wears a suit or very dressy clothes.....his wife wanted this for him as she would love to see his face when he opens it for Christmas this year.......*










*I can imagine exactly how his face will be!!!*




​



*Once we had made our purchases, which we conveniently got sent back to our room and they`ll be delivered tomorrow morning. it`s a fabulous perk for onsite guests, and if you aren't an onsite guest you can have purchases sent to the front of the park for pick up when you leave....ideal so you don't need to carry your items around all day. 

We headed back out into the heat of the morning, I think it only reached 91F today, but it did feel hotter. *

*Later we were meeting our mate Vicki (Tink1957) and her son who we had met before too for lunch in Backwater Bar....it`s attached to Confisco and you can have the same menu as Confisco, you just sit in the bar and order there.....it`s a nice friendly bar and we always enjoy a few visits there. *




























*Today we went anti clockwise round the park which we don`t usually do, but just for a change........*




























*There`s never a line for this whenever we have gone in, and weird as it is, there is strangely something quite cute about it......*










*It doesn't spin as much as it used to which was nice, but it is just the oddest ride around...….well, alongside the psychedelic part of ET of course, you have to wonder what kind of mind came up with this!!!! *

*But Seuss area is beautiful......colourful beyond belief and it just makes you smile as you walk through it...….*




















*And incredibly quiet this morning....…..*










*The Trolley Train is another little favourite ride, even though it`s for kids many adults love this too......as do we. And today we are the only ones on the train.....never had one of these to ourselves before...*











*It does give you a perfect view over many areas of the park and also you go through Circus McGurkas food court...…..it`s very basic and seems to serve simple park food. We ate here a million years ago and we are in no rush to go back. *




























*The views are very good and you do get a Seuss story as you go through the track of which there are two.....I prefer the other side as you go right over the water and it is a little high, but it is nicer. *

*Mythos is very close too....*










*The store as you come out of the ride is again colourful and fully stocked with every kind of treat you can imagine....including a cotton candy machine which we haven't ever taken advantage of yet, but the cotton candy looks lovely, and huge!!!! *



























*More park time coming up.........*


----------



## schumigirl

*We left Seuss and headed towards Potter through the beautiful Lost Continent.*









*We are missing some flame today, but still a good photo opportunity for many people......*










*We wander round the front of Mythos today and it is so quiet, we are the only ones round here today and take our time. It`s always interesting to look over to the JP visitors centre and see the evolution going on here with the new ride going up in the future......big changes ahead. *






































*Poseidon`s Adventure seems to split people...….some love it, some hate it...…..we don`t hate it exactly, but wouldn`t do it again unless we were forced to under duress!!!! The water vortex is quite cool, and it`s physically cool but that's about it. But, the building is stunning! *











*The store to the side of Poseidon holds some amazing items......some beautiful jewellery pieces and all sorts of little odd items for sale, and some very pretty items too. It`s a strangely odd little store and always quiet. *



















































*We then wander round to Potter for a little while.....we were still too early for lunch at Backwater Bar......*










*The 3B`s are our first stop this morning...…..we shared a lemonade and sat at our favourite table beside the original 3 Broomsticks on the wall...*





















*The lemonade is sharp and refreshing, and yes, I did bring my plastic straws with me......some in each handbag so I`m never without them.....

We spend around 20 minutes in here and it`s getting busy with folks eating so we head out and immediately and see the crowds building to try get on Hagrid`s ride...…nope, not waiting in that line!!! *

*I pop to the bathroom and a lady with a pushchair had asked Tom what the line was for......he told her they`re hoping the ride opens today......she looked at him in complete disbelief and asked if he was kidding.....lol.....he said no, it was a much anticipated ride.....she confirmed again.....but they`re lining up and it`s not even open? Yes he said...….she walked away shaking her head.....I guess she hadn't heard about they hype for the ride! *












*We didn't take a whole lot of images today, I think we have them all anyway...….but I do like a few in every day we visit anyway.....*






















*I think everyone was in Dervish and Banges today.....the taking of pictures higher up disguises the crowds in the store, it was busy, one of those days you just couldn't move around easily. *
































*This is where you can send postage stamps and anything else with the Hogwarts Stamp for no extra charge. It`s always a popular thing to do here. *

*They sell postcards here and the stamps too, but you can bring your own and they`ll happily still stamp them for you *












*Back towards Backwater, we stop by the Fountain for a little bit...…it was the same voice as last time and he is so funny, and very grown up in his humour today...…..we even chat very briefly to him today, and he loves the fact we come from Scotland as he can tease us mercilessly about being Scottish...…which he does so well!!!! *












*Eventually we leave to a rousing rendition of an old Scottish song called The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond...….it is a rousing rendition I have to say!!! *

*There is new group setting up, well new to us and they play distinctive music suitable for the area I have to say...….and I loved that about Universal Studios Park, they have music set up in different places around the park, and IOA were definitely following suit. *












*We walked past Mythos and saw a new (to us) photo op here......She-Ra was just arriving and although character pictures aren't a priority for us any more, we couldn't resist, especially as she spoke to us as came closer, and we were now first in line to see her. *












*This was a good meet. She chatted for ages, and really interacted in an amazing manner...….she again, picked up the Scottish accent.....well, everyone can really....the accent does start some conversations, especially as mine is a little mixed...….but this encounter was fun and we`d look out for her again......

As we walked away the family at the end of the line stopped us and said they did think I was Australian, which happens a lot with me over here...…lol.....I said nope, but at least you didn't confuse me with being French the way one person had a few years ago?????? I don't sound remotely French in any way shape or form!!!! *

*They asked if we`d ever been there, and our short answer was no. A definite no. And not a country I`d ever visit or had any desire to visit....well, maybe just for the F1 Grand Prix...…they looked a little bemused and asked why........so I kind of told them briefly why I would never go there.....*





​



*Enough said.  *
*
I`m not sure if I offended them or not, hopefully not, but they wished us a safe trip and mumbled among themselves.....lol.....probably thought what a silly view she has...…but, each to their own.......I hate spiders, snakes and all creepy crawlies apart from bees and ladybirds.......why would I go to where all the aforementioned creatures have perfected the art of killing us in the most vicious ways imaginable!!!! Yes, the USA has some too......but I just don`t think about it...….a lot!!!! 

Back through to Seuss, we did get a couple of snaps...…..I always giggle when I see little boys or similar minds have a laugh at this sign....*






















*This pink is like the pink in Diagon Alley that makes me think of the medication you take to settle your tummy!!!! It is very pink!!! *






















*We again run into the Grinch......definitely our favourite Seuss character....actually the only Seuss Character we really like if I`m honest.....*

*I find Thing 1 and 2 quite disturbing truth be told!!! *












*They were just setting up the meet so we again got first in line and again, the interaction is excellent...….*

*The first thing he did was take of Tom`s Yankees hat and rub it under his armpit...…..he is so funny!!!! It`s amazing how you can kind of have a whole conversation with a character who doesn't talk!! But, you can.....*
































*Meet over, it`s time to go and meet Vicki and Trey for lunch......and Seuss is still incredibly quiet........*











*Lunch up next...…….*


----------



## Tink2Day

BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS!!! Feeling very wistful and sentimental about IOA seeing the photos.
The park was looking especially beautiful that day.

She-Ra, oh my, she was the very favorite of my younger niece....I bought her all of the 'dolls' or characters, the castle and so forth when she was small.
She is 38 now,  I didn't even know that character was still around.
The Owl Post was one of my favorite spots in Potter, well that and the castle and the Three Broomsticks and Hagrids and Honeydukes and Olivanders, and and. 

I'm with you, I recycle but by golly I want a clean towel when I bathe/shower and I want a real straw.


----------



## schumigirl

Tink2Day said:


> BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS!!! Feeling very wistful and sentimental about IOA seeing the photos.
> The park was looking especially beautiful that day.
> 
> She-Ra, oh my, she was the very favorite of my younger niece....I bought her all of the 'dolls' or characters, the castle and so forth when she was small.
> She is 38 now,  I didn't even know that character was still around.
> The Owl Post was one of my favorite spots in Potter, well that and the castle and the Three Broomsticks and Hagrids and Honeydukes and Olivanders, and and.
> 
> I'm with you, I recycle but by golly I want a clean towel when I bathe/shower and I want a real straw.



Thank you.......I do love a good picture or two of the park when I’m not there too, yes, I know what you mean, it does make us wistful. 

That was the first time we’ve seen She-ra, she was amazing and yes one of my nieces used to love it too.......along with Madonna though......lol.....

Yes, we have four or ten favourite spots in the parks too......  

Yes, recycling is one thing, but it’s gone crazy with some things!! I have four boxes of 1000 straws at home.......I won’t run out anytime soon.....lol.....


----------



## shh

smiths02 said:


> Thinking I may have to tear the family away from Mythos to try Confisco. We had really great service and good to really good food (twice-same server) on our first trip in April at Mythos.  I also didn't feel like we spent more than counter service. Have you ever had the burger, sirloin or fajitas at Confisco?  I feel like that is what the less adventurous in my family would order.



Burgers there are goooood.  I'm a little old school when it comes to burgers - just bacon and cheese. All the creative versions people now like with fried eggs, peanut butter or other ingredients are not really my thing.

Confisco's burger was simple, but so fresh and delicious. We tried this place on our last trip - based upon Carole's TR - and it was love at first taste. (My only fear is thanks to the popularity of these TRs, the secret will be out!) It was nice last time we were there: no long wait for a table.


----------



## shh

schumigirl said:


> Their prices for cocktails and drinks are very inexpensive......and we are tempted to come back tonight where they are having live music, but we ended up not doing that.


you're killing me with that drink menu - around here, you seldom see a cocktail or glass of wine sell for under $11-12 minimum and usually much higher. Love places with live music too. Wish our trips were longer so we could check this place out.


----------



## smiths02

My daughter doesn't love scary rides (and this includes roller coasters AND rides like Kong), she was a trooper, though.  I think her favorite parts of the trip were the pool and the cotton candy! It took all three of the kids to eat it, though!


----------



## schumigirl

shh said:


> Burgers there are goooood.  I'm a little old school when it comes to burgers - just bacon and cheese. All the creative versions people now like with fried eggs, peanut butter or other ingredients are not really my thing.
> 
> Confisco's burger was simple, but so fresh and delicious. We tried this place on our last trip - based upon Carole's TR - and it was love at first taste. (My only fear is thanks to the popularity of these TRs, the secret will be out!) It was nice last time we were there: no long wait for a table.





shh said:


> you're killing me with that drink menu - around here, you seldom see a cocktail or glass of wine sell for under $11-12 minimum and usually much higher. Love places with live music too. Wish our trips were longer so we could check this place out.



Tom loves an egg with his burger, and various other toppings too, but he does enjoy the simpler ones too. and Confisco Grille is one of the nicest. 

Someone else said I shouldn`t tell anyone about a few places we go in case it get`s busier!!! 

Beth`s is fabulous.......great prices for good food and drinks is always nice. I think night times in there would be a lot of fun, but we`ve never managed to make it then.....maybe next year.......


----------



## schumigirl

smiths02 said:


> My daughter doesn't love scary rides (and this includes roller coasters AND rides like Kong), she was a trooper, though.  I think her favorite parts of the trip were the pool and the cotton candy! It took all three of the kids to eat it, though!



Love that picture!!! I do need to get one...even if we don't eat it, doesn't matter but I love candy floss!!! 

Glad your daughter had such a lovely time despite not riding many of the things available......the pool is a fun pool!!


----------



## schumigirl

*It was lovely walking in to the cool temperature inside Backwater Bar and we got a table easily as there were only a couple of folks sat at the bar today. *

*We got there just before Vicki and Trey. We had met Vicki for a drink with Monyk last year, but we had missed each other a few times at HHN previous years. And it had been several years since we had spent time with Trey, so we were looking forward to it. *

*Tom ordered a sangria, but I went with a red wine......certainly wouldn't recommend their red wine on it`s own. But the sangria has a certain something, mainly cheap wine and not much else, but it was drinkable. *










*At that point Vicki and Trey arrived and it was so lovely to see them again...….we`ve known Vicki a long time, we couldn't quite pinpoint the year we first met but it was a good few years ago now. 

Once we all had drinks we chatted away and then ordered our meals.......Vicki and I both ordered the ribs, Trey the Pad Thai and Tom went for the new pork sandwich with French Fries...…..*




















*They were all lovely, Tom enjoyed his sandwich but for me I wouldn't order it as the bread was incredibly crusty, and as someone with crowns, I wouldn't ever order it. But he enjoyed it and said the pork was delicious. *











*We spent a few hours chatting and laughing the afternoon away and generally catching up with what was going on with all of us. But, it was again soon time to say goodbye for this trip and we did remember to take some pictures together, we should have got someone to take one of the four of us, but we didn't think till later...….it`s always later you think of these things! *











*We wandered slowly back to the hotel, and noticed the boats had stopped running, and the pool was closed, so we guessed there was lightning around. There was no rain whatsoever right now though, just incredibly hot. 

It was lovely being back inside in the cool, we went up to our room and both went for a snooze. Not a long snooze for me as I just don`t like to snooze a lot, but I left Tom to his nap and got showered and changed before heading up to the lounge with my ipad and let him sleep a little longer. 

Lounge was very quiet right now as food wasn't being served yet, so I had a water and chatted as the lounge filled up a little......it`s always a sign food is being served...….and today was Mexican Night......*





























































*Tom soon appeared all freshly showered too, and guessed I`d be up here sitting waiting for him.....yep.....I was here!

We both had a little of the pulled pork with sour cream for me and some tabasco, Tom had a little bit of the coleslaw too which he enjoyed....it has too many things I don't like in it, I prefer the potato salad from American night....it is lovely!!! But, we didn't have much as it was just as taster....but nice. And a couple of glasses of wine. 

It didn't stay quiet for very long, but it never seems to be crammed full and everyone always has a chair to sit in......and it is a lovely lounge to spend time in. The staff genuinely look after you so well. 

We soon headed out for the boat as we were going to HHN tonight.....and we had already heard it was busy early on......we went in well after seven tonight, and used the hotel guest entrance again so didn't see if there was still a line at the main gates, and it did look busy as we wandered through the first zone by Minions...….we tend to forget how busy it can get sometimes, and I still wouldn't say this was anywhere near as busy as it can get.....we`ve seen it where you just can`t move....there is a swarm of people surrounding you and I`m not fond of crowds like that....but tonight is not as bad as that. 

It`s always funny when folks say they want a quiet night to visit HHN.....there really isn`t a defined quiet night and hasn't been for years....you`ll get a night that might be quieter slightly, but it is such a popular event it`s always busy. One might say a Wednesday is quiet, but we had one slightly less mobbed Wednesday and a very busy one. So, it`s just your luck. 

Tonight we go straight to Ghostbusters...…..the regular line is 60 minutes, I did  try to remember to write down the non EP lines if I noticed them......I didn't manage to remember every time......so we went in the EP line and did have a wait of around 15 minutes to get in tonight......and there had been a little breeze in the air, but it was now airless...…..I got my blue chines fan out and was using it to try and cool down a little......a lady in front of me offered me $50 for it...….lol.....I did let her use it for a moment.....and as she spoke, I recognised her accent.....and as we spoke, it turns out her and her husband were from the same area as Tom and I originally came from......small world. They lived about ten minutes from where Tom grew up......and it is quite a recognisable accent.....so we had a good old chat and I switched straight into broad Scots....which is strange for folks who have known me for a long time and then hear me go brogue......and when I do go into broad Scots in front of my English or American friends...….their faces are sometimes a picture.......*









*I love it!!!!!!!*​
*I do like being able to get pictures of the underside of RRR....and most cars were empty tonight.......I think everyone was on the ground for the houses......*










*We chatted all the way in to the house, but it did feel like rain at this point, we hoped not.*

*Ghostbusters was a really good house tonight......there were new scenes added which were excellent and I really noticed the marshmallow aroma, it was very noticeable without being overpowering.....but so much fun!!!! And being able to high five a Ghostbuster is always fun!!!!! *

*Coming out of this house we immediately see it`s raining, and heavy......I never bring an umbrella or anything in case it rains, we just get wet. And we did get wet as we walked to the next house...….*











*It is a short walk to the entrance of Yeti, but once you are out the back of the soundstages, you are completely open to the elements......and the rain is bouncing down at this point.....yes, we got soaked......

Yeti was excellent.....truly excellent. It was scary and funny all at the same time....we even had a slight conversation with one of the hunters in the house....we were delayed for a few moments and he stayed completely in character and asked if we`d ever hunted yeti`s....I said no, but we`re Scottish and do go looking for the Loch Ness Monster.....well, he didn't expect that and roared with laughter.......and we started moving at that point and the Yeti`s were exceptional tonight......it was a lot of fun and I got a lot of scares......

When we came out the rain had gone off thankfully...but we were still drenched, so we did US which was again better that the previous night, but it still didn`t scare me enough to be desperate to do the house again. But, we would. Tonight the line was 60 minutes, but it looked longer...we got in within ten minutes. 

Stranger Things....I honestly can`t remember if we did this house tonight.....Tom says we did, but I don't think we did as I found it incredibly boring the first night...*



















*This zone is incredibly well done, but apart from the occasional SA in your face it`s not the scariest of zones......but I do manage to get a few jumps in there...*










*Looking out over the lagoon you can see the almost full moon appearing through the ever decreasing clouds.......it`s a beautiful evening now, and not too hot, but everyone is complaining of the humidity now.....*










*One of the two scare zones we do like is the Viking one.....but we don`t get a lot of SA images tonight as they are moving too quickly for one, and there`s too much fog around for another...….it is fun and we do enjoy a wander through here......*



















*This SA is freaky!!! It is quite disturbing to watch and the movements and expressions are very defined and clever....it is more than a little scary.*



















*We have a drink here before we go any further, I think it was powerade as we won`t touch the bottled water anymore, and it was nice to sit for 5 minutes before doing anything else. We did notice a lot of people were drinking water and powerade tonight...…..we do like to take 10 minutes to just sit and people watch. You do see some weird things at times, and some very cute things too......

And it was so busy round here. *










*We want to go to Monsters and Graveyard Games tonight and we do think twice simply because of the walk...….it might sound wimpish, well, it does sound wimpish I know.....but the thought of the double walk in the heat is off putting......but we just thank our lucky stars we have EP and just head in to both houses......

Monsters is first......the regular line was 65 minutes and we thought EP may take a little longer than usual, but it wasn't too bad, it was 15 minutes till we reached the house, and we had some fun folks around us again tonight.......another pair of Canadians who entertained everybody with their humour...….unfortunately behind us we had a guy who was just loud......he asked almost everyone that was walking past....."how was it.....good....worth it"...….try hearing that every few seconds for 15 minutes......*




​



*I thought the Canadian guy was going to yell that at him at one point.....but he didn`t......

We were so looking forward to this house again.....*



















*And it was fabulous......completely fabulous and we got every scare going tonight and we saw the Hunchback which we had missed previously.......

Although I saw the guy behind me a few times, reach out to touch the SA......a big no no.......he was trying to pat them on the back if he could to tell them good job.....I`m sure they were thrilled......he did touch one and the SA turned to see who it was and he tried to high five him......the SA was less than impressed. I`m not sure if anyone said anything to him or not, but he had an old horror night tee-shirt on so I`m guessing it wasn`t his first rodeo.....so he should know you never touch a SA. 

I was glad to be rid of him in the next house...…...

We went straight back round to do Graveyard Games...….the regular line was 50 minutes and again, it took us about 15 minutes to get into the actual house......and I would have waited longer for it tonight as it was fantastic!!!! Even Tom got a few jumps tonight........this house is eerie and creepy and all things that HHN should be.......give us ten houses of this calibre and we`d be completely over the moon!!!! These two houses were the complete stars of this years event. 

We go back towards the front of the park still going through the Viking zone tonight and it`s a little clearer now, but much busier...…..*


















*And of course the traditional picture of Mel`s Die in...…*








*More coming up.......*


----------



## schumigirl

*We had a walk through Vanity Ball, and it was ok tonight....one or two of the sets had SA performing their show.....I have to admit one of the sets I thought was a dentist chair the first time I saw it before I realised it was plastic surgery as the main theme.....*

*The Catwalk was quite fun, and there were one or two stand out SA on this but the rest were a little lacklustre…..however the MC was excellent and interacted well with the crowds.....very funny. *





















*But, they were very dramatic at searching for their next victim.....*





























*This little show was funny, although their victims looked distraught as they left.....lol....

We went into Killer Klowns which was showing a 30 minute wait...with EP we never even stopped except to get the EP scanned.....walked straight in......the house was fun, and close to the beginning I got bashed in the hand by an early Klown….it hurt and I didn`t know what it was, I saw later it was like a red heart shaped box of chocolates he was carrying.....he must have felt it or heard me yell out as it hit me, as he stopped and looked at me as I held my hand, well wrist really and managed to gesture was I ok.....I put my thumbs up to say all was well. he waved to me which was quite funny.....it was just one of those things, my hand went back as he swung the box out. 

This house was funny....and I like you can press buttons which can soak you a little with water if you press as you pass......I do like a little interaction in the houses......*
*
We would do this house again. Not scary in the slightest, and some of the Klowns were hilarious and very good. 
*
*We had a quick look at the first zone again, and we did like the light effect over the top of it......quite impressive. *



















*But, the zone itself was a bit of a let down. The SA themselves were excellent as always, but the design of the zone itself was lacking in any kind of scare or horror. *

*It was time for us to leave the park now and we as always, go through the store...it`s a good place to cool down. *










*Don`t think an Oscar will be forthcoming for this scared performance!!! *










*We didn`t wait too long for a boat tonight, and I said if Sapphire`s boat came first we`d go there.....but RP was first to arrive, so Jake`s it was for some food. We had another fun boat Capt who played YMCA  all the way home.....and most joined in......it`s always fun when folks do. 

We chatted about the night again, and we both were still amazed at the amount of little kids at this event. This was the second time we had seen a baby of around 6 months being carried around in arms and so many toddlers. It amazed us folks would take babies and toddlers so young. That aside, the event is always so much fun, and we never see any trouble whenever we have gone. *

*It was fairly quiet in Jake`s and we each ordered a crawfish chowder, and a bowl of sweet potato fries to share...….strawberry lemonade for me and Tom got a sangria sunset. It was late and I didn't feel like a cocktail. Our waiter asked if we were having the chowder before we even ordered it tonight......lol....I guess we can be a little bit predictable at times!! *







































*Food was so good. That crawfish chowder is beautiful, peppery and very creamy......and the fries were perfect. Tom enjoyed his cocktail and I tasted it and it wasn`t for me this one. *
*
We chatted to one of the staff we know well for a while, then all of  a sudden I began to yawn and we decided it was late and time to head up to our room. 
*
*Tom asked if I wanted a glass of wine, I laughed and said i just wanted to go to bed. Turndown had as usual, closed the drapes over in both rooms, I usually open the sitting area ones, but tonight, I popped the water in the fridge and went straight to bed. I was shattered. *


----------



## schumigirl

*FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 13TH*​









​



*Yes, today...Friday the 13th was my birthday...….and anyone who knows me knows I love birthdays and love cards and gifts too. I say gifts, but the fact is you could get me a pack of thumb tacks...….I don't need huge expensive gifts, but it is nice to open a gift that`s a thoughtful one...….I appreciate every single thing I receive. I had said to Tom I really didn't want anything this birthday...….I always get perfume over here, but other than that I didn't need anything.....*

*Today I did notice more than ever, Kyle wasn't here, and I did miss that birthday hug from my boy I have to say....... We would be chatting later of course as we had arranged to chat tonight...….

But, I had more than a few cards to open while I was here.....which was nice. We had decided to not buy anything for me before we left, although Tom informed me I had two gifts waiting for me at home from him that were surprises and of course Kyle said he`d wait till I got back too......*

*Tom had asked me the night before, did I want to eat in Islands for breakfast, or order room service breakfast, but neither to be honest.....I prefer lunch to breakfast, and if I was to eat a buffet breakfast, I wouldn`t eat the rest of the day.......so our usual visit to the lounge was plenty for me. 

Nice surprise though when I did go in.....although......I didn`t notice it at first as I was looking at a rag nail on my finger!!! So, Tom saw it straight away as the lounge doors are kept open during opening hours now. *
*
So, I walked to the desk and asked one of the girls if she had a nail file or little scissors......she said did I like the décor for me today......then I turned around.........
*
*How lovely!!! *











*And they always joke we should have a reserved sign for our table.....so today we got one...….lol...….*

*Kayla, the manager had made this up for me....and I loved it!!! *












*And of course we are always called their UK mom and dad...…..and they do feel like our American kids.......we adore them!!! *











*It`s always lovely when someone does something special for you....and they do it so well in the lounge for celebrations.….they are all lovely. *

*I did enjoy our breakfast this morning!!!! And I was so glad we didn't go down to Islands now.....*










*We didn't see Kayla before in the lounge before we left this morning, but we did see her in the lobby as we headed out. *

*I had mentioned getting one of those watches that measure steps, heart rate and blood pressure....all those ultra healthy things. I don't have an iPhone so I wanted one that was good but not an Apple one, so she had looked for us and suggested a Garmin and checked Best Buy locally and they had one, so after many hugs of thanks, we said we`d go get it now. One birthday gift that was unexpected......

We then ran into Rob who works in valet....he`s one of the original team that opened the hotel all those years ago.....genuinely nice man who we always love to see...….it`s so nice to chat to him and catch up.....we`ll manage to see him a few times before we leave this time.....he gives us an astonished look when we tell him how long we`re here for this visit...lol......for real is his response!!! I agree when he says we might as well not bother going home as it`s so close till we get back...….he is a nice guy. And he knows everything there is to know about everything at the hotel and most of the parks too........

We go outside and although it`s incredibly dull, it`s incredibly hot.....*

*I love spending my birthday in America.....of course I miss Kyle and some of my friends are annoyed I`m not here, but I`m glad we`re here for it.....although the reason for the slightly extended trip is of course a celebration of Tom`s birthday in August.......an extra week isn't a bad gift......

We drive to Best Buy and they do indeed have the Garmin watch I liked the look of, and the one Kayla suggested would be best suited for my needs. She had said she`d help set up my phone for me too......we have my UK phone with us, although we never switch it on as we hear horror stories of massive charges when you get home. I doubt that would happen of course, but we have our American phone for here now, so no need to think about the UK one. *
*
We make our purchase and head for our favourite Mall at Millenia......it`s a short drive along the I-4 and it`s not busy at all today. 
*
*I park up and we go in and always admire how pretty it is, and of course we do take some pictures........*




​



*Of course, if you read the previous trip report you`ll know we were admonished for picture taking in the mall...…..so of course.......tell me I can`t do something.....................….*
*
We took pictures. 

Lots of pictures. 
*
*In front of security officers, and not one of them said a word. *



















*I guess we got the Officer who was being very officious last time. 


We went straight to Bath and Body where I picked up numerous items for me and numerous items for friends who had requested their usual products...….this is a nice store, and it is now decorated for Fall......and some lovely new products which I gleefully peruse while I decide which products will make the final basket......I`d take most of course, but being limited with luggage does impact my choices. *



















*But, we did manage to buy a lot!!!! 

Our next stop was Bloomingdales.......*
*
I wanted the largest bottle of Chanel Chance au Fraiche and we can only get it over here easily...….I don't buy any make up as I`m waiting for the offer where you get a load of little gifts if you spend over a certain amount. And I do plan to get some more make up and moisturiser, but that will be Macy`s later in the trip. 
*
*I`m not quite sure what this skeleton was representing, but it was cute I guess....*












*Tom suggested we go look at the bags. I look at him as I really don`t need a new handbag......I got the MCM one previously and I have loads of bags at home.....but he suggested I look at a new purse.......oh that's an idea...….*

*I had gotten a Fossil purse a few trips ago, but wanted a grey one....so I was delighted to see MCM in here had a beautiful grey one, which Tom insisted he get for me as my birthday gift........awww......bless him!!!!*





​



*No more schmalzy stuff today...….promise!!!!! 


Our purchases made, we headed for lunch. I didn`t want to go anywhere fancy as we were going to Ocean Prime tonight, so we decided to eat in the Food Court, which is very good here.......the Food Courts in America are so much better than ones we have in the uk, and we always enjoy a meal or two here.....*

*Today we decided to have the Chinese option....well, kind of Chinese.....and it is lovely......Tom went for Bourbon Chicken and Szechuan Chicken with noodles, I had the Bourbon and spicy chicken which were both delicious.....we always tell them to just put a tiny bit of rice and noodles on the plate, but they always ladle it on, but we do ask them to take most off as we do only want a little. We also have a fanta to share......*






















*The meal was lovely......cheap and cheerful lunches are sometimes nice, and this is one we do enjoy now and again.*

*This is a nice mall, and we do enjoy sitting and watching the world go by as we sit. We could sit for hours just watching folks go about their business and their life. 

But, we are heading back home as we plan a lazy afternoon and chat to Kyle later this afternoon, so we collect our bags and head for the car, and I get to drive again.......he smiles and says only because it`s my birthday....of course!!!! *

*We go through the lobby and everyone seems to know it`s my birthday......half the front desk TM come out to have a hug and the lovely Daniel serenades me a rendition of Happy Birthday......I did think, wow......he can really sing......turned out he does sing in shows as well as this job, and he is so good!!!! And it was a lovely thing to do.....

We chat for ages and Samuel comes out from the back office too and it`s always lovely to see him too......and a good old chatter!!! Everyone is so lovely here. *

*We head up in the elevator and managing the bags, we head into the room.....there had been visitors while we had been out!!!! *
































*I loved this purse. I need a zipped area for change, two area for notes and plenty of slots for cards and such, so this was perfect, and it had a little sneaky part too that I liked...….and it was a good size too.....*






















*I loved my surprise!!!! Tom had gone down to order me something, but was told....leave it to them.......well, they had done well!!!! *

*It was lovely, and so nice of them.........*











*There were separate personal cards and gifts from friends in the hotel, and I appreciated every single one of them. Such kindness and thoughtfulness. *
*
So far it had been a wonderful birthday, and I couldn't wait to chat to Kyle later...…...


*
*Coming up....Dinner at Ocean Prime. *


----------



## J'aime Paris

Love, love, love the wallet!  A beautiful shade of grey!
What a terrific start to your birthday


----------



## I-4Bound

What a lovely birthday! I'm glad your day was great❤


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> Love, love, love the wallet!  A beautiful shade of grey!
> What a terrific start to your birthday



Thanks Lori......

I always forget you guys call purses wallets.....over here men carry wallets and ladies have purses with money and cards in their handbags.......lol.......I always love the differences in language between us......

I did have a lovely birthday.........


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> What a lovely birthday! I'm glad your day was great❤



Thanks so much Andrea.......I had a lovely day.......I’m someone who still enjoys birthdays despite the number going higher.......although I’m still trying to stick at 35.......unfortunately my face tells the truth......


----------



## angryduck71

So... was reading your HHN night... Jason has been a been down lately (sent you an email).  I wrote to him, "next year for your birthday, I'd like to take you to HHN.  At least this year they have a Yeti house and the classic monsters... and, we can also spend one day at Galaxy's Edge."  He was THRILLED.  I think it cheered him up a lot.  Wouldn't have thought of it if not for your report.  <3


----------



## AprilDreamsOfDisney

Awww, what a lovely day for your birthday! Such a wonderful and thoughtful surprise to have the resort staff notice and make your day special. I thought the sign and balloons were a darling touch and then saw the sweet cards, gifts, and decor in your suite! How fantastic! But, I truly believe we bring in what we put out in the world; you are clearly a kind and thoughtful friend and guest to all who work there. They must have been so happy to bring you some cheerful celebratory items!

And, I love the grey purse! Gorgeous! Looks so soft and supple!


----------



## Tink2Day

What a lovely Birthday!! So many people remembering you and making the day so special.

The grey purse/wallet is really pretty, I just love the buckle/closure on it.  Yes we do call those wallets here, although some older
people (like me) call them a 'clutch' since they are traditionally larger than a wallet and evening clutches are still quite popular here.
You just carry them in your hand (some even have a shoulder or wrist strap) not in a larger bag. 
Whatever anyone wants to call it...it's very lovely!


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> So... was reading your HHN night... Jason has been a been down lately (sent you an email).  I wrote to him, "next year for your birthday, I'd like to take you to HHN.  At least this year they have a Yeti house and the classic monsters... and, we can also spend one day at Galaxy's Edge."  He was THRILLED.  I think it cheered him up a lot.  Wouldn't have thought of it if not for your report.  <3



Yay!!! Will you be definitely going to HHN next year? Hope our dates coincide if you do......we haven’t decided yet when we’re going next year......did think of going much later, but no decision has been made yet.....

I just read your email a few minutes ago....yes, he needs a bit of TLC.....and planning that trip will be fabulous......

I hope the Classic Monsters makes an appearance for the 30th Anniversary........although I have a few favourites I‘d choose to come back next year.......Halloween for one of course.......lol......

Glad to give you an idea of course.......


----------



## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> Awww, what a lovely day for your birthday! Such a wonderful and thoughtful surprise to have the resort staff notice and make your day special. I thought the sign and balloons were a darling touch and then saw the sweet cards, gifts, and decor in your suite! How fantastic! But, I truly believe we bring in what we put out in the world; you are clearly a kind and thoughtful friend and guest to all who work there. They must have been so happy to bring you some cheerful celebratory items!
> 
> And, I love the grey purse! Gorgeous! Looks so soft and supple!



Thanks April.......I love the purse!!

The people we know there are just the kindest and warmest of people, some we know much better than others of course, but everyone is so nice and beyond kind.

I loved every surprise I got that day, and some of the lovely comments on the cards I got were very beautiful. It was a lovely day


----------



## schumigirl

Tink2Day said:


> What a lovely Birthday!! So many people remembering you and making the day so special.
> 
> The grey purse/wallet is really pretty, I just love the buckle/closure on it.  Yes we do call those wallets here, although some older
> people (like me) call them a 'clutch' since they are traditionally larger than a wallet and evening clutches are still quite popular here.
> You just carry them in your hand (some even have a shoulder or wrist strap) not in a larger bag.
> Whatever anyone wants to call it...it's very lovely!



Funny you mention that, the purse does have a silver shoulder strap if I wanted to use it, doubt I will though. Yes, I liked the closing buckle too.

And thank you, yes, I had a wonderful day with some special folks wishing me a Happy Birthday........


----------



## angryduck71

schumigirl said:


> Yay!!! Will you be definitely going to HHN next year? Hope our dates coincide if you do......we haven’t decided yet when we’re going next year......did think of going much later, but no decision has been made yet.....
> 
> I just read your email a few minutes ago....yes, he needs a bit of TLC.....and planning that trip will be fabulous......
> 
> I hope the Classic Monsters makes an appearance for the 30th Anniversary........although I have a few favourites I‘d choose to come back next year.......Halloween for one of course.......lol......
> 
> Glad to give you an idea of course.......



Well, unless something crazy comes up.  Just booked hotel for Oct. 28-Nov. 1


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> *Don`t think an Oscar will be forthcoming for this scared performance!!! *



He looks way too excited   



schumigirl said:


> This was the second time we had seen a baby of around 6 months being carried around in arms and so many toddlers. It amazed us folks would take babies and toddlers so young.



We noticed that too this year! Especially the following weekend. I saw someone carrying a really small baby in Hellbilly Deluxe, and several little kids wandering around some with parents and some without.


----------



## tink1957

Love the purse!  

Can't believe I missed your post of our lunch at Confisco...it was so much fun catching up with you and many thanks for the delicious meal...sorry I've been absent lately but it's been a tough month for our family,  as you know.


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> Well, unless something crazy comes up.  Just booked hotel for Oct. 28-Nov. 1


 
Oh no!!! We won’t be there that late!!! If we do go later it’ll be around the first week in October we leave the UK!!  Although I still prefer September if I’m honest......but we’re just looking at options right now.......but I’m glad you have a plan in place......will look forward to hearing more about it later.........


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> He looks way too excited
> 
> 
> 
> We noticed that too this year! Especially the following weekend. I saw someone carrying a really small baby in Hellbilly Deluxe, and several little kids wandering around some with parents and some without.



lol........he would get best Ham actor I think......lol.......

It‘s incredible how many we saw this year, it’s not a place for babies or toddlers......I hate seeing SA have to hold back with the scares as some of them absolutely do hold back with them around.........we should start a campaign........Ban the Kids........lol.......and can we included screaming 10 year olds who just want to act scared the whole time!! We had one a few behind us in Ghostbusters.......yes, Ghostbusters....least scary house ever.....and she bloodcurdlingly screamed her way round the whole house!!! The woman directly behind us told her to quit screaming like that in her ear.......it was so fake though.....glad we only saw her once.


----------



## schumigirl

tink1957 said:


> Love the purse!
> 
> Can't believe I missed your post of our lunch at Confisco...it was so much fun catching up with you and many thanks for the delicious meal...sorry I've been absent lately but it's been a tough month for our family,  as you know.



Thanks Vicki.......I love it!

I should have done that tag your name thing when I posted it, but I never think of doing it really.....

We had a lovely time with you both at lunch Vicki......I’m glad you enjoyed lunch though, food was so good!!! And I‘m glad to see you here, yes, you’ve had a tough time recently and it’s hard to come back from all that’s happened to your family......  You’ve been missed.......


----------



## schumigirl

​


*I actually don't know where the rest of the afternoon went........I believe a lot of chatting to folks might have occurred, and before we knew where we were we are back in the room and planning to get ready for dinner.

We called Kyle on Facetime and it was wonderful talking to him.....he wished me a Happy Birthday and asked how our trip was going and we filled him in and then we caught up with his stories for the last couple of days...….we chatted for ages and had a good old laugh at few things....he was going out so we said our goodbyes and arranged our next chat time...….

We got showered and dressed and I sent our friend an email to see how he was, he told us he was heading to the lobby and would meet us there for a chat......so we went straight downstairs and met up.....he wished me a Happy Birthday too and we had a good old chat and catch up, such a lovely guy!!! 

It was time for us to go get a car to take us to Ocean Prime and when we went out there were no ODC available.....so one of the Valet guys said he`d take us in the house car, we`d had this before when nothing is available quickly, and Daniel was fabulous. We hadn't met him before and he was so nice...…..these young guys and gals work so hard and usually putting themselves through school or a couple of other jobs, sometimes both. *

*Ocean Prime is undergoing some work on the exterior so it`s not the prettiest of looks right now as it has huge boards up in front, so we didn't take any exterior shots tonight.*

*The restaurant was mobbed.....completely mobbed. Our reservation was for 7.30 and we arrived right on time......the usual lady who is always on the welcome desk wasn't there, she is amazing and remembers everyone......so, we were told there would be a bit of a wait tonight or we could have a bar table. No, not tonight...….

So, we waited in a very busy foyer till 7.55pm before we got a table, and it was a nice booth so we were glad we waited. *

*Magical Dining makes restaurants so busy, and we now remembered last year it being the same.….especially on Friday and Saturday nights so maybe we should have come another night, but this was my birthday so we wanted it to be nice. *

*Our waiter was nice, his name was Alex and he had taken care of us before many years ago. I was surprised he was still here as I hadn't seen him any time we were in, but we first ordered our favourite bottle of wine in here, Stag`s Leap Chardonnay and he said he would bring us our bread...*











*We do like this restaurant a lot...….service is usually excellent and food is always lovely, and so many people have so many good things to say about it...….so we were looking forward to this a lot. *




























*We ordered the crab meat cocktail for me as an appetiser and Tom ordered his usual from here.....Surf and Turf which is scallops and braised short rib on a puree of mash and some red wine jus......however they have now changed it to a gremolata base which doesn't appeal at all to Tom. 

The crab arrives complete with the dry ice effect which is pretty to look at but you can`t really see the amount of crab inside...….*










*Those scallops are amazing!!! As perfectly cooked as they can be and the short rib just melted......beautiful dish.*










*The crab meat is gorgeous.…...and a large amount of crab isn't the worst thing in the world!!!! It was incredibly fresh and tasty and I was glad I ordered it........along with the wine it was just a lovely way to start. *










*We had a decent gap between courses, but I think that was more to do with the fact they were insanely busy than anything else......Tom had chosen the New York Strip served medium, and I had my usual 8oz Filet served medium rare. We also opted to share the jalapeno au gratin potatoes which is more than enough for us......

And they did look beautiful.......*









*It all looked lovely...….till I cut into mine.......it was completely cooked through and so overdone I was amazed. I told Tom to carry one with his and as soon as we saw our waiter we called him over and I showed him the steak...….he apologised and said they`d redo it of course...….

It wasn't that it was even medium and might have been ok, it was badly overdone. *










*The potatoes also looked lovely...….*












*He very quickly came back to the table and said it would be out as quick as possible and did I like shrimp???? I was sort of surprised by the question and said yes as he very quickly moved off...…...

And a few moments later, he came back with this.....sat it down in front of me, said enjoy and sauntered off! *











*I didn't want a shrimp cocktail. I didn't ask for a shrimp cocktail......I wasn`t looking for anything for free...….*

*I just wanted my steak!!!! Cooked the way I asked...…….*

*By this time Tom was finished his......which is not how you want to enjoy an evening out together enjoying a lovely dinner, we don't like eating separately...….

Then to make matters worse, he came back with this meal below, saying oh  you have a little bit extra on your plate for the inconvenience.....*











*I looked at him and said.....this is a magical dining meal. *

*I`m sure they had a meal ready as they cooked these all night and said oh just take her that...….I hate green beans, don't like the sauce we were using and I don't like the mashed potatoes in there...….but, rather than make a fuss which we should have done, I pushed everything else to the side and ate the steak which was rare......it was fine. 

So, we didn't have the nicest of experiences here tonight...….I honestly think Magical Dining in some places, does have a detrimental effect on regular diners. *

*He asked if we wanted dessert, but we declined. We paid the check and asked the lady on the desk if she could call us a car.....which she did and we waited outside. 

I said to Tom I will go back to Ocean Prime, but not during Magical Dining....he absolutely agreed. 

Our car came and we asked him to take us to Sapphire Falls....we wanted a nice cocktail to end the evening. 

Strong Water wasn't too busy......we sat at the bar and saw Lenny was absent tonight.....what a shame....but Ashley was there and I told her Lenny had promised me a birthday cocktail......something he was going to create......so, Ashley came up with one instead......I have no idea what it`s called but it was lovely..…...she is fabulous too!!!! She had gotten married in the summer and we also had the pleasure of watching her wedding video on her phone and it was so beautiful......I did have tears in my eyes watching it and the story that went with them....everyone has their own story, and each one is usually so lovely. *











*Tom ordered a Mai Tai......which is incredibly strong even for a Strong Water cocktail...….but so lovely…..*










*We had such a fun time at the bar.....we did think we could be at HHN which tonight being Friday the 13th and a full moon was bringing out a whole load of groups of all sorts of worshippers.......we had heard of some of them the previous night, and one woman we spoke to in line said I had to go tonight since it was my birthday as something special would happen .......she was kind of scary though and looked as intense as this guy........*




​




*Tom encouraged us to let a few folks go in front of us at this point, she even freaked him out a little.......*

*We had no plans to go to HHN tonight.......

Instead we ordered another cocktail......so much more civilised.....*

*I went for the Rum Revival and Tom ordered Lenny`s special Blackberry Daiquiri which is beautiful........*





















*I think it was around midnight when we left the bar...….and instantly wished we were still staying at Sapphire......I was yawning my head off now and we still had the walk back home...…it`s really not long, but it felt long at this point.........*

*We managed to walk back, and as we walked down past the ballrooms of RP a security guard rather forcefully asked how did we get in here.....we kind of looked and said we walked from Sapphire......he never responded and we walked on.......even at this time of night you see folks wandering between the two hotels. *

*Once back in our room we saw there had been another card popped through the door, which was so lovely......

We both had some water and chatted about the day.....it had been a lovely day, but Ocean Prime wasn't the best it`s ever been, but it hadn't impacted my birthday in any way....it had been lovely. 

Tomorrow we thought we might have some more park time........*


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Wonderful Birthday!!!


----------



## NancyLuvsMickey

I love that both Tom and your Universal family spoiled you on your birthday!!! And you deserve to be spoiled too!!!


----------



## angryduck71

Oh crud on the Ocean Prime mix-ups.     But, glad you had some other fun times for your birthday!


----------



## TommyJK

I'm not typically fussy at restaurants when the food isn't perfect....... except when it comes to steak! 

If I'm paying a premium for a good steak I expect it to be right! 

So sorry to hear your birthday dinner wasn't perfect.


----------



## schumigirl

*SEPTEMBER SATURDAY 14TH*​


*We did sleep a little later today after our slightly later bed time last night.....but we mused this morning we were a little annoyed at Ocean prime, but I was more annoyed I didn't send the meal back. I know we should have, but you never want to make any experience unpleasant. But, the rest of the day had been lovely, and now we were back to regular plans....or lack of plans as usual. 

We chatted a bit as we got ready and thought we hadn't spent much time in the Studios, so we`d go there today.....so after shower and clothes it was sun screen time...…..we had bought two bottles of it again, a factor 50 for Tom and 15 for me.....I had used 15 for a long time and it seemed to work fine for me. Fingers crossed, so far I hadn't had any sunburn. *

*Breakfast first of course and we went upstairs and saw it was a little busier this morning......the weekends always bring more people, usually for HHN this time of year......we had a nice breakfast and then headed off for the boat......

There was the usual line for the boat this morning, and so many strollers!!!! I said I doubted we`d get on with them all......and we didn't......but the next boat was already pulling in as that one left. The boats at all the hotels are incredibly regular, especially at peak times like this, they run continuously...….no singing or dancing Captain this morning......he just played the standard announcements as we went to Citywalk…...

No real line today as it had been open a while, so we got in fairly quickly......I often wonder why they don't have a separate area for AP to just go through.....no waiting on folks signing tickets they were already supposed to sign nor trying to scan those awful A4 sheets of paper when there are loads from the one family who are all having issues. I`m sure it would be a popular choice. *

*Straight into the store and we stop to take a look at the goodies for sale here......we never buy anything for some reason, I guess maybe they are a little too sweet for us.....but they all look good too.....*























*On the walls of this store there are many pictures that are quite rare or unusual from scenes of movies Universal Studios has made......some were quite unique and I guess a collector would love some of them.....*

































*I had noticed them before of course, but usually we just wandered past. *
*
Our first ride this morning was Minions...….we love this ride!!!! Simple and cute and we looked forward to trying it as a 2D ride...….
*
*The line was showing as 45 minutes but with EP we walked straight in to the building without even stopping..........the first thing you notice as you walk in is the missing stand where the 3D googles used to be given out, it does look odd without it. *























*Well, I can now say we USED to love Minions...….*
*
Not anymore...….I can do 3D rides with no issues, I`m fine with rollercoasters of all kinds.......but, I can`t do the Simpsons as it knocks me completely sick. 
*
*Minions wasn't just as bad as that ride, but as soon as it started, I felt odd...….and it got worse. I can`t close my eyes to make the feeling go away, it`s the equilibrium that gets knocked with me....so I was ever so glad when it finished. 

I felt incredibly woozy.....not sick, nor as bad as when I came off of Simpsons ride, but distinctly off colour!!!! 

It was cool in the store, so I said I`d stand there for a little while.....one of the TM asked if I was alright.....I said I`m not sure...….she took me to the side and got me a chair and a bottle of water...….I felt a bit of a fraud to be honest as I just needed a minute. But it was lovely of them to take the time......Tom meanwhile got some pictures of the store....lol..*






















*Eventually I said I was ok and thanked the TM for their kindness.....we headed back outside, but I still felt a little off......so we took it easy and decided RRR wouldn't be on the cards this morning. 

I was annoyed that this had affected our morning......Minions as 3D never affected me in the slightest, but I knew now I`d never ride it again as it is now. Kyle and Tom will ride it on our next trip, so I`ll sit it out and happily do so as I didn't want to feel like this again. *

*I told Tom we could wander around and he snapped away....it`s funny seeing the scare zones during the day.....they all look rather dull actually, but, then this one wasn't much better at night. *






















*I did like this purple chair!!!! I suggested to Tom we had plenty of room in our bedroom for a similar one.......maybe in the dressing area??????*












*His reply was clear and distinct...…...and so unlike him as he very rarely if ever says no.......lol......*





​



*Well, bless him.....I`m not really surprised........lol........I have to say not fond of the gilt edging anyway......cheap gold looking items aren`t really my thing....but I did like the purple and the chair.......*

*I did like this image of the Stay Puft Man!!!! *












*This area was fairly quiet this morning, very different to on a HHN......and I did like it a little quieter...….*












*We had gone into the Tribute store during horror nights, and you couldn`t move....it had been heaving!!!! So we were keen to see it during the day while I`m sure it would be a lot quieter, and it was!!! 

It was a little funny as we were about to go in....a family who had young children were wondering what it was...…the TM outside was describing it to them and she looked horrified......he explained it was for HHN and her response was well it shouldn`t be open during the day when families were around.....lol....we said excuse me to get past and said to her it was fabulous......they just walked away......no one`s forcing you to go in there lady...….*
































*You first enter the Ghostbusters area.......it is cool!!!!! *












*There is so many recognisable items around from the movies, you can`t help but have the theme song constantly in your head at the same time.....of course that might just be me!!!! And it never really left my mind all day........you really shouldn`t sing Ghostbusters in Harry Potter!!! *
































*I liked this......and I even have a photobomber stay puft man behind me!!! But, no, I didn`t buy it......*












*We got talking to a TM who was very chatty about horror nights, and was telling us how he had to buy EP on the night he went as the lines were ridiculous......he really splurged to do it as it was expensive....but he thought it was worth it all the same. He then offered to take our picture where we were standing.........nice young man. *






















*I did like this tee shirt and of course would make sure we bought it before we left......we do like memorabilia from each horror night. It`s always something we can wear or drink out of, usually mugs. *













*And there were some very creepy displays around...…..
*





















*I have a niece who loves skulls, genuinely has a thing for them...….she would adore these next two little displays of numerous types of skulls........I wished I could have got her the lamp above on the bottom shelf....she`d love it....but it was just too big to get back home safely. *





















*Then of course there`s the HHN goodies!!! *




















































*We did buy the white chocolate skull and the tee shirt with all the classic monsters on it.....we had it sent back to the room as I was sure it would melt in no time if we took it with us.......we still haven`t opened it yet.......I`m not sure how it will taste as I`m not overly fond of American chocolate, but if it`s not nice I`m sure someone will demolish it.....

It had been nice wandering around this store without the HHN crowds invading it.....it had lots of wonderful things to purchase and some nice things to gaze at....*

*More park time coming up..........*


----------



## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Wonderful Birthday!!!



Thanks....any birthday in America is always something to celebrate.....


----------



## schumigirl

NancyLuvsMickey said:


> I love that both Tom and your Universal family spoiled you on your birthday!!! And you deserve to be spoiled too!!!



Thank you so much!!! That is very kind of you to say so.....I do love to be spoiled I have to admit......


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> Oh crud on the Ocean Prime mix-ups.     But, glad you had some other fun times for your birthday!



It was so unlike Ocean Prime, but yes, otherwise I had the best day!!!


----------



## schumigirl

TommyJK said:


> I'm not typically fussy at restaurants when the food isn't perfect....... except when it comes to steak!
> 
> If I'm paying a premium for a good steak I expect it to be right!
> 
> So sorry to hear your birthday dinner wasn't perfect.



Thanks. 

I know, with steaks I am usually incredibly fussy.....and should have complained, but I just didn't think it was worth it. I think if the woman who we know well was working I`d have mentioned it to her, but we didn't. The second one was actually fine, just not what I ordered. And I think eating together is a huge part of a meal out, that wasn't great either. I was genuinely shocked how overcooked the first one was.....I think it was still on the grill from the previous night!!! 

We`ll just avoid it during the madness that is Magical Dining. 

(Spoiler......I had a lovely extra birthday dinner next week I didn't expect!!!)


----------



## keishashadow

My goodness, step away for a bit and have enjoyed scrolling through your new entries.  I do think you have managed to up your typical stellar reports with this one.  Enjoying the pictures to no end



schumigirl said:


> lol.....it`s funny as motorbikes is one mode of fun we`d never entertain.....*and it always amazes us in America the amount of people who drive them without helmets on*....it`s the law in this country you have to wear them. The image of seeing these guys drive them in shorts and tees with flip flops and no helmet!!!! Jeremy Clarkson branded them mobile organ donors........but it`s scary to see that


We were one of the last states to lift the helmet law here, the mr won’t ride without one, thankfully.  As for the fools who don’t wear long leathers or at least closed toe shoes or long pants...i’m Guessing they never had the pleasure of dropping their bike.


schumigirl said:


> wish I could like grits. We got a meal from a farmers market once, it was an egg dish and we didn't see it came with grits in it...….bleurgh....I almost did a very unladylike thing and spat it out on the path!!!!


You know something’s not worth eating when even cheese doesn’t make it better.


schumigirl said:


> One of my favourite stores is Yankee Candle and the reason our luggage is often heavier than it should be!!! We get the newer scents a little later than America, so it`s nice being able to buy them as they come out.....although I do have my traditional favourites, especially the Christmas ones.


I’m a huge fan of them too, love the halloween stuff.  have discovered the wood wick brand which I’m starting to think retains the smell better as the candle burns.


----------



## Cara

How incredibly disappointing about your special birthday meal. I know these things happen, but they did not do the appropriate things to make it right, IMO. Food you didn't ask for and didn't want? No, thank you. Like you, I don't mind the cost of a good meal for a special evening, but what a complete bummer that you didn't even get to eat together.


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> My goodness, step away for a bit and have enjoyed scrolling through your new entries.  I do think you have managed to up your typical stellar reports with this one.  Enjoying the pictures to no end
> 
> 
> We were one of the last states to lift the helmet law here, the mr won’t ride without one, thankfully.  As for the fools who don’t wear long leathers or at least closed toe shoes or long pants...i’m Guessing they never had the pleasure of dropping their bike.
> 
> You know something’s not worth eating when even cheese doesn’t make it better.
> 
> I’m a huge fan of them too, love the halloween stuff.  have discovered the wood wick brand which I’m starting to think retains the smell better as the candle burns.



Thanks....glad you are enjoying it and I’ll tell Tom you enjoy the pictures!

I don’t like motorbikes at all......some friends husbands have them as a form of relaxation on the weekends......yes, all dress appropriately with full leathers and boots. But it did shock us how many don’t dress like that.....I‘m glad Mr Keisha wears his helmet........

Oh yes, cheese couldn‘t save grits!!!

I‘ve never bought the wood wick candles, I’ve seen them when online for YC but was never sure what they’d be like......will give them a try next time I’m candle shopping......


----------



## schumigirl

Cara said:


> How incredibly disappointing about your special birthday meal. I know these things happen, but they did not do the appropriate things to make it right, IMO. Food you didn't ask for and didn't want? No, thank you. Like you, I don't mind the cost of a good meal for a special evening, but what a complete bummer that you didn't even get to eat together.



Yes, it wasn’t the usual excellent service we were used to. And yes, they didn’t address it correctly Which was what threw us the most about the evening.

The fact we didn’t eat together was what annoyed us the most.......and yes, it’s not a cheap meal so it should always be perfect.

But, the rest of the day was so lovely........


----------



## mnmmoney

Happy Belated Birthday!!!! - what a wonderful trip! All caught up now and trying to talk my husband into another trip in May 2020 ... last trip was in February and we had lousy weather so I am so happy to get to see all your pictures and hear of your trip..... THANKS for taking the time to write all the details and ALL the food porn! Love it!


----------



## schumigirl

mnmmoney said:


> Happy Belated Birthday!!!! - what a wonderful trip! All caught up now and trying to talk my husband into another trip in May 2020 ... last trip was in February and we had lousy weather so I am so happy to get to see all your pictures and hear of your trip..... THANKS for taking the time to write all the details and ALL the food porn! Love it!



 back mnmmoney......lovely to see you here!

Thanks for the birthday wishes........

Oh it’s definitely time for another trip! May would be lovely.......we go back then too......I’d guarantee weather would be better than February......it was boiling last May!

I‘m so glad you’re enjoying this one.......definitely more food pics coming up soon.....


----------



## Minnie17

Ughh! I was so looking forward to your Ocean Prime review and I’m so disappointed .  I know what you mean about not wanting to ruin the evening and not sending it back again, and why they tried to make up for it with a shrimp cocktail after you already had a lovely appetizer, weird.

The podcast team raved about a local Orlando steakhouse called“Linda’s la cantina”.  It may be worth a try on one of your upcoming trips.

I know you’ll have some more positive reviews coming up, really enjoying your latest trip report adventures.


----------



## TommyJK

Re: I often wonder why they don't have a separate area for AP to just go through.....

I just read an article that they are going to add separate entrances for AP holders. 

https://attractionsmagazine.com/uni...ces-new-perks-for-annual-passholders-in-2020/


----------



## jump00

Happy Birthday  Carole!!!! Wonderful trip report so far. Can’t believe that Ocean Prime “dropped the ball” on your birthday dinner.  Poor customer service.  I’m glad you ended the evening with a lovely drink at your favourite spot!  Please tell Tom - amazing pictures! ( as always ). Can’t wait to see what happens next.......

Brenda


----------



## schumigirl

Minnie17 said:


> Ughh! I was so looking forward to your Ocean Prime review and I’m so disappointed .  I know what you mean about not wanting to ruin the evening and not sending it back again, and why they tried to make up for it with a shrimp cocktail after you already had a lovely appetizer, weird.
> 
> The podcast team raved about a local Orlando steakhouse called“Linda’s la cantina”.  It may be worth a try on one of your upcoming trips.
> 
> I know you’ll have some more positive reviews coming up, really enjoying your latest trip report adventures.




Yes, the shrimp cocktail was weird.......I did eat one of the shrimp but yes, it wasn’t necessary or desired, and just odd......I think it was so Tom and I were eating something at the same time........odd. I’m usually quite vocal and have no qualms about sending steak back, but after sending the first one back......well, it just seemed a bit much and not worth it. I was told later by a friend I‘m too British at times......lol......

I‘be heard about that restaurant before, but never gone......I’ll have a look at it again.......

Yes, we have some lovely meals coming up the rest of our trip......and I’m so glad you’re enjoying reading this one too.......


----------



## schumigirl

TommyJK said:


> Re: I often wonder why they don't have a separate area for AP to just go through.....
> 
> I just read an article that they are going to add separate entrances for AP holders.
> 
> https://attractionsmagazine.com/uni...ces-new-perks-for-annual-passholders-in-2020/



Yes, I had heard about that Tommy........I hope they extend it longer than a month. About time if they do......


----------



## schumigirl

jump00 said:


> Happy Birthday  Carole!!!! Wonderful trip report so far. Can’t believe that Ocean Prime “dropped the ball” on your birthday dinner.  Poor customer service.  I’m glad you ended the evening with a lovely drink at your favourite spot!  Please tell Tom - amazing pictures! ( as always ). Can’t wait to see what happens next.......
> 
> Brenda



Aww.....thank you Brenda......I’m so glad you’re enjoying it!

Yes, they did drop the ball with the steak big time.......I think they were overwhelmed by the amount of magical dining meals requested and thought, oh just give her that.......I’d have preferred them just to say I’m sorry it’ll be another few minutes.......but.....Tom enjoyed his....lol.....but we did feel the service lacked something that night.

Yes, Strong Water was fun!!

And thank you!! I will tell him.....he does love to take pictures.......thank goodness!!!


----------



## AprilDreamsOfDisney

schumigirl said:


> We did buy the white chocolate skull



I'm sorry to hear your special birthday dinner was less than special; so sad when the restaurants we love disappoint us. I hope the next time is better!

I love white chocolate and started salivating when I saw your photo of the skull! What a neat assortment of HHN treats - it all looked delicious! It must have been hard to choose!

Loving your trip report, Carol, as always!


----------



## Cara

Is Minions a spinny motion simulator ride? (ala the deplorable pukey Mission Space at Epcot)  If so, I cannot do that kind of ride and will be staying away!


----------



## schumigirl

*We came out of the store happy we had gone in it today as it was deserted, so different from Horror nights, and the exit is close the fake New York Library.....we don't often wander down here except for when we go to the houses down that way.....it`s usually fairly quiet as there`s no reason to wander down, unless you want pictures of course. *






















*As we turned to go to The mummy, we saw Marilyn and her gals arrive to do their little performance...…we had seen them before of course, and they are entertaining.*

*It`s been a lot of years now, that Universal have started putting all sorts of street entertainment around the parks and a good deal of variety too and this was one that always attracted a crowd. Not as big a crowd as the Blues Brothers do, but it`s always popular. *









































*After the performance they do have a photo opportunity available......*

*The Mummy is up next and I do wonder if it`ll be wise for me to do it today after Minions, but, I decide I love the ride too much to miss it even today.....so we go in and the regular line isn't very bad, maybe 25 minutes or so, so the Express line will be short. And it is, there are a few people in front of us and we are on the ride in no time...….

I maybe shouldn`t have done it...….but, I was glad I did.....it was so fast and the drop seemed a little....steeper today somehow!! Pure imagination of course, but it`s a fabulous ride and it was only after the last really fast part where your teeth rattle, did I feel a little off.....but it was fine.....Tom always loves this ride and I wouldn't hate for him to miss it because of me. *
*
Although I do walk a little slower as the head does feel fuzzy again.....
*
*We stop off for a bathroom break, and while Tom waits for me he snaps a few of these images......I honestly hadn't noticed much before as if I`m ever down this far it`s to see the Hogwarts Express pass.....usually I avoid it as it`s generally a smoking area, so not a pleasant place to be. *












*We took it easy today as I was still feeling a tiny little bit delicate, not ill, just slightly as if you are thinking through cotton wool. 

Seeing the scare zones during the day is something I`d rather not see....but they look so different and I prefer them at night with everything going on in them.....but many folks ask about what the parks look like during the day and will they see something that will haunt their children forever......the short answer is no. All the good stuff is covered up.......*
*
This really was one of our favourite scare zones...….and as I said earlier, I really didn`t think I would like anything from Zombie at all.....but we really did enjoy his house and the scare zone......
*
*How innocent it looks in the daylight...….*





















*I`m not sure why this chair is covered over as there is nothing scary on it......I guess it`s really just to stop kids scrambling over it during the day, thats the only thing it can be...….*










*I love Lombards......and the building is so pretty and surroundings very picturesque......this was where I sat down for a bit while Tom took some pictures....well, I sat in the shade at Chez Alcatraz and a man came over from the UK. He said hello and asked if I used to be a member of a British site (Dibb) I said yes I was at one time...….he said he used to post there too but like me stopped a long time ago, due to silliness and being fed up with some posters who always had an agenda, but his wife read all my trip reports on this site and loved them (yay) and they had stayed at RP for two nights due to our recommendation, and loved it I was happy to say...........his name was Paul, and I`m awful at names I forget his wife`s name, but she was on her way in with their grandson.....he had come in for EE with his daughter and son in law.....I thanked him for his lovely comments and he again said his wife would be sorry she had missed me......I told him if she saw me later to make sure she said hello......he said he would make sure she did. Nice man. 

Tom at this point guessed I was talking to someone who either knew us, or knew the trip reports....so he kept on snapping pictures. I do feel bad I didn`t remember his wife`s name as he did tell me......and that I wasn`t feeling 100%. He set off to meet his family and I waited a few minutes before joining Tom to head into Potter. *











*My niece would love this!!!!!  A skull and purple netting.....yep, like me she loves the colour purple...…although she does love pink too......which I`m not a big fan of. *






























*This is where the live dead girl performs......it is worth watching and quite intiguing to see how she looks so glazed for so long!!!! *










*We stopped in at the San Francisco Bakery for a bottle of water and we sat in the cool for around 20 minutes......it was the best thing I could have done.....I felt much better and was ready to start the rest of the day!!! *
*
*
*Potter up next........*


----------



## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> I'm sorry to hear your special birthday dinner was less than special; so sad when the restaurants we love disappoint us. I hope the next time is better!
> 
> I love white chocolate and started salivating when I saw your photo of the skull! What a neat assortment of HHN treats - it all looked delicious! It must have been hard to choose!
> 
> Loving your trip report, Carol, as always!




Yes, it wasn't the best meal we had from there, but I`m sure next time we go it`ll be much better....as it won`t be Magical Dining then.....

There were so many delicious things to choose from we were stuck to pick just a couple!!! We still haven't opened the white chocolate, I`m sure over Halloween we may open it when we have some folks to share it with.....Tom isn't really a fan of white and Kyle refuses to touch it as he says it`s not chocolate!!!! He is funny...….

Thank you, I`m so glad you are enjoying it......happy to hear it


----------



## schumigirl

Cara said:


> Is Minions a spinny motion simulator ride? (ala the deplorable pukey Mission Space at Epcot)  If so, I cannot do that kind of ride and will be staying away!



No it`s not a spinny ride at all......it is just a ride vehicle that moves around, but stays stationary, no spinning and a large screen. 

I struggle with Simpsons, well, can`t do it at all. But 3D rides with glasses I was always fine with. Now Minions is 2D and no glasses, the screen movement knocks me silly. Although this isn't as bad as Simpsons for me anyway. 

If you can do simulator rides you`ll be fine as most folks are.


----------



## NancyLuvsMickey

Have you ever taken motion sickness meds??? I take Bonine when I'm at Universal... The virtual reality rides really get to me... And Forbidden Journey is a 2 pill ride for me!!! I can ride Hulk over and over again with no problems, but VR rides get me every time... Probably why we go to Disney so much... The rides over then are mild compared to Universal...


----------



## schumigirl

NancyLuvsMickey said:


> Have you ever taken motion sickness meds??? I take Bonine when I'm at Universal... The virtual reality rides really get to me... And Forbidden Journey is a 2 pill ride for me!!! I can ride Hulk over and over again with no problems, but VR rides get me every time... Probably why we go to Disney so much... The rides over then are mild compared to Universal...



I have tried them, but for rides like Simpsons they just don't work. I do have proper Vertigo medication, but I don't like to take that as it is very strong, so it`s not worth it for one or two rides I don't mind missing. 

lol.....don't blame you for enjoying the Disney rides.....they are much milder generally. 

Weird thing is I can do Spider-Man, FJ and Gringotts with no issues.....and they all have glasses.....so I`ll go back on Minions when they bring back the glasses……..not much hope of that!!!!


----------



## I-4Bound

I'm sad your birthday dinner wasn't perfect, but happy your day ended on a high note!


----------



## SCDizFan

I LOVE your trip reports!

I've just started reading again because we were on your side of the pond the last couple of weeks.

Please, as a Floridian, no plastic straws!!!  If you DM me your address, I will mail you a box of Avocado Seed Straws.  They have the same consistency as plastic but are biodegradable.  

What is it people do with the coffee pots that make them so gross?  I've never heard this and we use our hotel coffee pots!  Oh no!

Love your memes.  They always make me laugh!


----------



## Worfiedoodles

All caught up again. Love that you had a wonderful birthday, I understand why you didn't bother with sending back the second wrong order at Ocean Prime. Better to just move on and get back to enjoying your evening  

I didn't know Minions is now 2D. I don't think I'm a fan of this at all...but I'll give it a try and see. Is it the exact same show? I'm guessing it is but not understanding why they stopped the 3D, if the movie was made to be viewed that way?

We secured our rental car for our upcoming January trip, so I'm paying extra attention to all the offsite dining reviews. I know we will want to venture off property quite a bit. My husband prefers to get out into the community, even if it is touristy.  

I am looking forward to all the impromptu (well not really) shows that pop up. I think that since Disney has cut back, they have lost a lot of the spontaneity with the lack of this type of live entertainment. Personally I like to take time to enjoy myself and not sprint around the park, so these shows are a perfect little treat. 

So I just have to ask...why did you decide to avoid the new Big Fire restaurant? I was thinking of trying it since it's new, but not if it's poor quality or not a pleasant experience...

Loving the TR as always, Thank You for letting us share your adventures!


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> I'm sad your birthday dinner wasn't perfect, but happy your day ended on a high note!



It was a little different, but these things happen.......and we did make up for it   Yes, it was a still a lovely evening........


----------



## schumigirl

SCDizFan said:


> I LOVE your trip reports!
> 
> I've just started reading again because we were on your side of the pond the last couple of weeks.
> 
> Please, as a Floridian, no plastic straws!!!  If you DM me your address, I will mail you a box of Avocado Seed Straws.  They have the same consistency as plastic but are biodegradable.
> 
> What is it people do with the coffee pots that make them so gross?  I've never heard this and we use our hotel coffee pots!  Oh no!
> 
> Love your memes.  They always make me laugh!



Thank you!!! Glad you made it back safely.........did you enjoy the U.K.? Hope wherever you were the weather was agreeable! That can make such a difference over here.

There was a thread on the Disney side where people used them for heating hot dogs and oatmeal......  I do check the iron hasn’t been used as a grill for grilled cheese sandwiches.......and I’ve never used the ice bucket again!!!

Thank you for the offer, but I’m stuck on plastic straws...... I wish they did have a cheaper alternative to plastic, I do know there are a few places who hate the paper straws as they do go through so many of them instead of just one.

But, I’m glad you’re back posting again......always lovely to see you....


----------



## schumigirl

Worfiedoodles said:


> All caught up again. Love that you had a wonderful birthday, I understand why you didn't bother with sending back the second wrong order at Ocean Prime. Better to just move on and get back to enjoying your evening
> 
> I didn't know Minions is now 2D. I don't think I'm a fan of this at all...but I'll give it a try and see. Is it the exact same show? I'm guessing it is but not understanding why they stopped the 3D, if the movie was made to be viewed that way?
> 
> We secured our rental car for our upcoming January trip, so I'm paying extra attention to all the offsite dining reviews. I know we will want to venture off property quite a bit. My husband prefers to get out into the community, even if it is touristy.
> 
> I am looking forward to all the impromptu (well not really) shows that pop up. I think that since Disney has cut back, they have lost a lot of the spontaneity with the lack of this type of live entertainment. Personally I like to take time to enjoy myself and not sprint around the park, so these shows are a perfect little treat.
> 
> So I just have to ask...why did you decide to avoid the new Big Fire restaurant? I was thinking of trying it since it's new, but not if it's poor quality or not a pleasant experience...
> 
> Loving the TR as always, Thank You for letting us share your adventures!View attachment 446853



Yes, it just wasn’t worth the complaints. I still had a nice steak, just not at the same time as Tom!

Minions is exactly the same ride, just no glasses.......it’s nowhere near as good......Tom who doesn’t have motion issues, didn’t like it either.

Oh I love eating offsite!! So many options......Ale House on Kirkman, Teak Neighborhood Grill, Bubbalous all within 10-15 minutes away......then there is Sand Lake Road.........we are spoiled for choice really.......and yes, we love slowly going round the parks and stopping to watch entertainment and generally smell the roses.......we enjoy the entertainment around the parks a lot.

Hmmmm. Big Fire. We did plan to go and were looking forward to it a lot,  but in one day we had three people we are very close to tell us they weren’t impressed. They are all in positions where I certainly trust their judgment and opinions. One mentioned poor service, one mentioned steaks tasting heavily of wood....incredibly strong, and one mentioned poor service, poor food and tiny portions.......and I don’t think he eats massive portions of food, so for him to say it was small, it must have been. So, we gave it a pass. I have heard a few folks say they enjoyed it, but, more said they weren’t blown away or downright disliked it. But, if you do go, I do hope you like it.

And I’m so glad you are enjoying reading along.......always love to read your comments......


----------



## AprilDreamsOfDisney

SCDizFan said:


> What is it people do with the coffee pots that make them so gross? I've never heard this and we use our hotel coffee pots! Oh no!





schumigirl said:


> There was a thread on the Disney side where people used them for heating hot dogs and oatmeal......  I do check the iron hasn’t been used as a grill for grilled cheese sandwiches.......and I’ve never used the ice bucket again!!!



Uh oh ... I've never heard of this until now! I've used coffee pots before!! Now I wonder if they'd been used for hot dogs! lol - hopefully that's the worst?!!?

Now, Carol - you must tell us - why not the ice bucket? I may be sad I've asked, but now I need to know!!


----------



## angryduck71

This reminded me of pics Tom gets of you... but, it’s really how I will be. LOL


----------



## SCDizFan

NOOO!  Not the ice buckets!!

We were actually in Paris this trip but love the UK.

Have you tried Roccos Tacos yet?  Rocco is actually my friend and the food is amazing (seafood mocajete, tacos, margaritas!) and the view over the massive lake is amazing and surprising the cool even in the summer!

Can't wait to start reading about your Christmas trip.  We will actually be in Disney the 17-19th of November and December 1-4. 
Tom is such a cutie pie and y'alls smiles are so infectious!


----------



## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> Uh oh ... I've never heard of this until now! I've used coffee pots before!! Now I wonder if they'd been used for hot dogs! lol - hopefully that's the worst?!!?
> 
> Now, Carol - you must tell us - why not the ice bucket? I may be sad I've asked, but now I need to know!!



Someone pointed me years back to read a thread about tricks folks do to save a buck.........it was enlightening to say the least!!!

In that thread someone mentioned using the bucket when their kids (or them) were......shall we say “being ill” 

Never used it once since I read that.......I know it’s clean and chances are remote it’s been used for that......but even so, it’s the thought!


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> This reminded me of pics Tom gets of you... but, it’s really how I will be. LOLView attachment 446904




 

You would be funny to follow around!!

I love being scared though.........well, in places like that only........


----------



## schumigirl

SCDizFan said:


> NOOO!  Not the ice buckets!!
> 
> We were actually in Paris this trip but love the UK.
> 
> Have you tried Roccos Tacos yet?  Rocco is actually my friend and the food is amazing (seafood mocajete, tacos, margaritas!) and the view over the massive lake is amazing and surprising the cool even in the summer!
> 
> Can't wait to start reading about your Christmas trip.  We will actually be in Disney the 17-19th of November and December 1-4.
> Tom is such a cutie pie and y'alls smiles are so infectious!



How was Paris?

We used to go a lot, I think around 20 times we’ve been to Paris and even a couple of those trips we went to Disneyland Paris the first few years it opened and once about 10 years ago. But, mainland Europe is somewhere we haven’t visited for a while. We keep planning to go back to Switzerland and maybe Sweden if it’s not too cold......lol.......but Paris is a kind of special place for us.

Roccos gets amazing reviews, but I don’t eat Mexican food in general, and there are onions and garlic in everything! We did call them and ask if they could amend items, but basically it was a no. I could have guacamole and chips....which I love......but Tom‘s not the biggest Mexican food fan either.....yes, that lake view is lovely. Maybe we should pop in for a drink as I have been known to enjoy a margarita or three...... 

How lovely you have a couple of trips coming up!! I’m sure you’ll have a blast on both trips.....

Yes, we are very excited for the next trip!!!


----------



## schumigirl

*Potter is one of the highlights of the Studios......although we are folks who do think there is more to the parks than Potter of course, we enjoy everything about the parks and love every area of them.....of course not everyone agrees about that and seem keen to tell us how poor the parks are and how much they don't like it there.......….

Hmm....yes, well, we love the parks and we never seem to get bored here. So many come in blinkered and compare it to Disney......well, there is no comparison of course…...for us Universal is so much better....

It is lovely when we read of people coming in with low expectations and then, Universal blows them away with how good it is and how much their family enjoyed the parks....all of the parks. That`s always nice to read. 

But, Diagon Alley is spectacular, and one of the best themed areas in Orlando........every single detail is exacting and completely in theme with the whole area......it never fails to impress everyone who walks through the entrance, not only for the first time, but subsequent visits always impress. *











*We do like the Knight Bus, and it is a fabulous attraction that folks enjoy picturing and exploring.....there are a couple of good photo ops including the Conductor, shrunken head and at the back where you can see what the inside of it looks like......it is identical to the bus in the movie......*






















*The weather right now was beautiful, blue skies and lovely fluffy clouds which make images look so perfect...….and seeing the outside of the buildings look a little like London is always nice...….and you can see the difference in the houses......although we had heard a few folks had asked why "that" house was dirty looking........*










*lol...…...some obviously don't know the stories very well when they visit......*




















*Once inside we head to the Hopping Pot where we go buy a lemonade......and there is quite a long line......so I waited in line to buy the drink and Tom went around taking some pictures........his favourite hobby here!!! *






















*We found a space at a table, well, a couple said it was fine to join them as they had a lot of stuff sprawled around and it looked like they were saving seats for family......but they were nice and it was lovely having a chat with them......they were from New York and lived in the City.....not sure I`d ever be able to live in the city, love visiting it of course, but to do that day in day out, not sure it`s for me. But they loved it......although when they planned to have kids, they planned to move out to Long Island.....nice choice!! 

So, we had our lemonade and began to wander around just enjoying the sights and headed into the Travel Agents........*





















*There is a lot of memorabilia around this little store and it gets surprisingly busy for being so tiny......the folks that work in here are keen to chat and are foten asked a lot of questions, and seem to always know the answer. *






















*We decided today, we would avoid Saturdays in the parks from now on...….there were pushchairs everywhere.....and I mean everywhere.....*

*And (grumpy moment) so many of them don't think they have to slow down or stop for anyone...….it was a bit annoying after so long...….*

*I love the money exchange…..the Head Goblin is quite a character and you can chat to him and ask him any question you can think of......of course he may not answer you very politely!!! But, he will answer you....and he can be quite unnerving as he watches you peruse around the little area. *












*You can buy Gringotts money in here that is wonderful to hand out as gifts...…we have given many kids that gift if they are heading to Orlando anytime in the future......they all loved them. 

And they have some wonderful little gifts that are a little different......*































*It looked as if it was dulling down now outside, but still incredibly hot as we stepped back out of the air conditioning......*




















*The dragon of course is always a focal point, and today the fire wasn't blowing......at least it hadn't for quite a while...….

There was a young Chinese girl, who had stood for ages waiting for the fire with her camera to capture it...….she was so patient, I didn`t know if she knew it hadn't been running for the last hour or so........*











*Into Gringotts we went after depositing our bag and camera in the locker...…we wanted to ride today, so left the camera. But we should really walk through just to take some pictures as it had been a while since we had done that.......

The ride was excellent......and I do like that having EP here as the line was around 50 minutes...…it takes a little longer as you have the pre show and the elevator, but it is worth it. It`s one of the better pre ride lines.....

The cars were all full and as we got to the top, there seemed to be a delay......yep, turns out someone was demanding the front.....they had waited almost an hour (according to her) and her family wanted the front.......I hoped she didn't get it the way she was behaving...….they didn't get the front. Everyone around us was glad she didn't get her own way......to be fair the kids didn't look bothered. They just looked happy to be going on the ride. There isn't a bad seat to be honest on this ride. 

I always forget how much we like this ride......if you are a little nervous about doing it.....don`t be.....it`s very tame. The drop isn't really a drop, and you aren't flung around wildly, it`s more schmoosy…..and it`s a heck of good ride.......definitely one that so called ride chickens can and should do. 

We only do it once today and grab our stuff from the strangely easily accessible lockers today......I did wonder where everyone was......then went to the front......oh yes, there they are. Absolutely head to the furthest back lockers you can...….no one seems to realise they`re there!!!  
Back into the sunshine, well, fading sunshine now, it had got very cloudy...*




















​
*I always thought, since they opened the travel agents, they should really open a proper Barber Store as above...…..I know it would be incredibly popular getting kids hair cut in Diagon Alley...…..of course, space is at a premium here, but it`s a nice idea.....well, I think it is!! 

We went back into the store as Tom wanted to have a look for a mug he had seen previously...….but, he couldn't remember what it looked like......lol...….and he couldn't see it anyway. 

It`s an incredibly decorative store if you look up...…..*
































*One of my favourite things about Universal is the detail they put into everything...…..and I loved this steaming kettle.....I had recently had to describe where it was to someone I know, who`s been four times and has never seen it...…..are you sure it`s still there was her reply.........*




















*It really was dulling down now, and hoped it wouldn't rain till we left the park if it had to rain at all of course. So far we had been so lucky with the weather and hoped it would continue.....*












*The Fountain of Fair Fortune is a great place to get a Butterbeer or some other drinks they serve...….there is no seating in there, it is just a counter to make your purchase, but there is quite a lot of seating in the Universal parks and the Potter areas are the same...….benches are around and very welcome at times. *











*I did like the Tudor look of this large door...…..and with the now dull sky, you can see the smoke coming out of the fake chimneys around the area....*




















*One more of the dragon before a very quick wander into KA then we decided we would have lunch in Lombards…….*










*Sadly this would be our second not so good dining experience in 2 days. *


----------



## AprilDreamsOfDisney

What great photos, Carole (and Tom!)  It all looks so wonderful. I can't wait to see it in a few short months.

That was a great tip about using the lockers nearer the back of the room. I will definitely keep that in mind when we ride the Gringotts ride! I'm also really looking forward to buying some Gringotts money! I had no idea that was an option. Another fun trip to come from your trip report!

Have you ever considered writing a book, Carole? You have such a knack for interesting tidbits and tips that don't seem to appear anywhere else. There are so many of that type of book for Disney vacations but far fewer for Universal. Truly - consider it! 



schumigirl said:


> Sadly this would be our second not so good dining experience in 2 days



How disappointing to have TWO in TWO days. And unusual, too!


----------



## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> What great photos, Carole (and Tom!)  It all looks so wonderful. I can't wait to see it in a few short months.
> 
> That was a great tip about using the lockers nearer the back of the room. I will definitely keep that in mind when we ride the Gringotts ride! I'm also really looking forward to buying some Gringotts money! I had no idea that was an option. Another fun trip to come from your trip report!
> 
> Have you ever considered writing a book, Carole? You have such a knack for interesting tidbits and tips that don't seem to appear anywhere else. There are so many of that type of book for Disney vacations but far fewer for Universal. Truly - consider it!
> 
> 
> 
> How disappointing to have TWO in TWO days. And unusual, too!




Thank you, I’m so glad you like the pics......and yes, it won’t be too long till you’re there to see it all for yourself!  I honestly can’t wait to hear your impressions of everything!

And thank you for your kind comments......I do write, mainly for fun, but I do some paid work for certain organisations. Just a little though......and very boring stuff usually. 

Maybe one day I’ll write a book about Universal.....although there already is some fabulous info out there......but I appreciate the sentiment.....  

lol......yes, we seemed to be on a run, thankfully a short run of negative dining experiences.......


----------



## Worfiedoodles

I didn't realize there were so many construction walls...I guess it's the season. It will be interesting to see if/how that changes for your next visit. 

I think we will be skipping Big Fire. I had heard someone else online say the food was quite smoky, so having that confirmed makes me certain it's not for us. And since I'm just freestyling questions -- I don't think I've ever seen you eat at Toothsome, so I'm guessing that's also got a poor reputation. As much as Kyle enjoys chocolate, you would eat there if it was any good!


----------



## schumigirl

Worfiedoodles said:


> I didn't realize there were so many construction walls...I guess it's the season. It will be interesting to see if/how that changes for your next visit.
> 
> I think we will be skipping Big Fire. I had heard someone else online say the food was quite smoky, so having that confirmed makes me certain it's not for us. And since I'm just freestyling questions -- I don't think I've ever seen you eat at Toothsome, so I'm guessing that's also got a poor reputation. As much as Kyle enjoys chocolate, you would eat there if it was any good!



Yes, the update was long overdue in the lobby, but, it didn’t impact us in any way....we still got to enjoy Sushi so we were happy!!!

We did try Toothsome once......once was enough. it just didn’t impress us at all. My food wasn’t great and couldn’t finish it. It was the Totchos and after a few minutes, it just congealed altogether on the plate.....didn’t have much taste either, so I only ate a few bites. Waitress asked if I wanted it boxed to go, I told her it was inedible and she just took the plate away and  left the check......

Tom had a burger which he enjoyed, but it’s hard to muck up a burger and  he said he enjoyed the burgers at Cowfish and NBC much more. We’re not huge on dessert so those have never appealed to us much. The theme is good though and I’d certainly recommend a wander around the store if you were passing. But, many folks do seem to enjoy it.

I keep saying we should give it another try, then someone I know mentions they had a bad experience and I change my mind again......lol.......


----------



## schumigirl

Edit.


----------



## keishashadow

absolutely thrilled that U hasn’t cut back on live pop up entertainment ala disney

Yet another pic of an area I haven’t noticed, near the restroom.

If you do write a book re your U experiences, pretty sure you more than enough material to make it a tell-all, vs a travel type guide.  make sure to change the names to protect the not-so-innocent hahahahaha.



schumigirl said:


> I‘ve never bought the wood wick candles, I’ve seen them when online for YC but was never sure what they’d be like......will give them a try next time I’m candle shopping...


The mr not as fond, the crackling puts him off for some reason.  I find it handy to remind me to put them out


schumigirl said:


> I think they were overwhelmed by the amount of magical dining meals requested and thought, oh just give her that.......I’d have preferred them just to say I’m sorry it’ll be another few minutes.......but.....Tom enjoyed his....lol.....but we did feel the service lacked something that night.


Still, no excuse for what you experienced.  Most of the MD meal choices are limited options vs the full menus.  A good manager would make sure the venue is staffed adequately as to reservations


schumigirl said:


> There was a thread on the Disney side where people used them for heating hot dogs and oatmeal......  I do check the iron hasn’t been used as a grill for grilled cheese sandwiches.......and I’ve never used the ice bucket again!!!


Hahahaha that was a crazy thread


AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> Uh oh ... I've never heard of this until now! I've used coffee pots before!! Now I wonder if they'd been used for hot dogs! lol - hopefully that's the worst?!!?


Nope, there’s two videos out there that top it.  One of housekeeping using a dirty cleaning rag to wipe out a coffee cup (believe at CR?).  2nd was a woman touting that the coffee maker was perfect place to wash out...trying to be delicate & not ‘soil’ carole’s Thread ...ladies’ unmentionables.


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## schumigirl

Lol......the not so innocent.......that’s a good way to describe some 

Yes, the entertainment around the parks is fun.......there’s a good variety around the place.......

I think OP we’re out of their depths that night......we’ve seen it incredibly busy,  but, we’ve never waited that length of time nor had such bad service. I’m sure next time it’ll be fine.

Oh I remember reading that thread and others that were similar with my moth wide open in amazement!!! There‘s saving a buck and then there’s those people!!! I did see the housekeeper and the glasses but missed the coffee pot one!!!  And you’re fine.....you didn’t “soil” the thread.......you have a great way with words.......

Glad you’re still reading along........


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## AussieBritTraveller

We are loving this report as always, you have such a wonderful way of telling your story Carol

We have club level next time so really looking forward to experiencing this 

I love ceviche in Strongwater tavern, Rob hates it! We did love it in there though

Looking forward to reading more, you are keeping the orlando dream alive for us!


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## schumigirl

AussieBritTraveller said:


> We are loving this report as always, you have such a wonderful way of telling your story Carol
> 
> We have club level next time so really looking forward to experiencing this
> 
> I love ceviche in Strongwater tavern, Rob hates it! We did love it in there though
> 
> Looking forward to reading more, you are keeping the orlando dream alive for us!



Thanks Matt........glad to hear you have Club Level next year......you’ll love it....staff are wonderful and so helpful and friendly.

Rob doesn’t like the ceviche........ and he has such good taste in everything else........ Yes, Strong Water is by far, our favourite bar anywhere!

And thank you  I‘m so glad you guys are enjoying it.......more coming up tomorrow.....


----------



## schumigirl

*When we came out of Potter it was chucking it down, I mean really heavy.....I came up with the bright idea of just eating in Lombards as it was right across the street, we wouldn`t get too drenched going over there. I hate being soaked and it was strangely cold when it was raining today...…and of course I detest the cold!!! 

The foyer in here is lovely, it`s very ornate and quite unexpected  to be found in a theme park....but it is nice. I head to the bathroom and ask Tom to ask for a table by the window if possible. *











































*The rain has got heavier now but we could see there were blue skies creeping through, by the time we finished lunch it would be dry hopefully. 

The young lady on the check in desk had said she would see if it was possible to seat as close as possible to the window.......I looked in the restaurant and it was empty, save for two people sat over the far side of the room.......well, ok then. I have to say she wasn`t the friendliest...…so we sat back down and waited to be escorted through. *






















*Another young lady came through to take us to a table and she sat us at a table that couldn`t be further from the window unless I was sitting in the bathroom!!! Tom asked her if we could sit by the window, she said a little flustered she would have to go ask...….Tom said we had already asked.....she blushed bright red and didn't know quite what to say, so we said it was fine and sat down by the fish tank in the middle....I hate fish...…..

And as you can see, it`s deserted...….*












*Our waitress came over and we had had her before......she is quite abrupt, not rude, but not overly friendly......until the check came!!! So, she asked us what we would like to drink, I asked for Fanta and Tom said lemonade...….she rolled her eyes and said they had a good choice of cocktails and beers, we said no thank you and she left the table without a word...….it wasn't the friendliest of experiences...….I don't need waiters and waitresses to fawn, but a nice friendly nature would be nice. I felt annoyed and wanted to leave just then, but I know Tom likes it in here, so I kept my yap shut. Not like me...….

She came back with bread and dropped the drinks off...….*












*A few seconds later they brought in two separate sets of people, one set of two and sat them by the window......I said to Tom we maybe didn't smile right to the girl as we came in...….*

*Our waitress went over to take care of them too, so it`s not as though those sections were being covered by someone new...….I know it`s not a major issue but it was niggly. Gosh, I hate writing bad reviews......but warts and all. *

*We had ordered our food now, and I looked up and saw the waitress gesture over to us and say something, and the other person looked over to us from behind a door......so, I was done. 

Tom told her we were leaving and please cancel our order. She didn't even ask why. *

*The whole experience since we walked in there was nothing short of unpleasant. And again, yes we should have complained to the manager.....but we didn't. I made up my mind then and there to never let these things go again......*

*Tom said it reminded him of the time we didn't complain about something that happened to us years ago......and someone at the hotel listened to the event and shook her and smiled and made the comment.....*












*She was actually a little more graphic, but this is the family friendly version...….

We decided there and then we`d go back home, get the car keys and go to the Ale House on Kirkman. Even Tom was hungry now! 

Being Saturday afternoon.....it was busy, but we did manage to get a booth.....usually we`d sit at the bar, but it was almost full. This was much friendlier and no issues in ordering fanta and strawberry lemonade.....*

*This is a fabulous Ale House. We much prefer this one to any of the others as this one isn`t as touristy.......I know, I get the irony. But there some tourists here of course, but it feels more local. Even though we aren't the biggest sports fans, we love it in here. *

*I ordered the big red sandwich with the second hottest sauce they do, Tom went for the mahi mahi entrée.....we were looking forward to this now.....and both hungry. We discussed Lombards and had no idea why it had been such a negative experience. But, we won`t go back for a while now. That`s kind of what we do if we have more than one negative experience......but this place has always been fabulous!!! *














*And I can`t believe we forgot to take any pictures of the food...…..when the food arrived we were so hungry, we just tucked in......and almost at our last mouthful we both realised……..oops!!!!!

The food was gorgeous...….and service here is always amazing.....they are friendly and super attentive....and prices here are so cheap for what you get!!! Super cheap meal......

We pay the check, and decide it`s not worth going somewhere for the rest of the afternoon as it`s around 3pm now....so head to Publix for a few things, then we head back home and in the lobby we speak to one of the concierge supervisors who we haven't seen much of this trip so far...she is lovely, well, they all are of course. We chat for a while and then head up to the room where we put the purchases away and Tom has a 20 minute snooze while I go shower, change and sit on the ipad for half an hour while Tom gets showered and changed. 

We had decided to go to Strong Water for dinner tonight, so we head up to the lounge where we can both enjoy a couple of glasses of wine tonight. 

American night is one we do like to have a little sample of, the potato salad is delicious and so is the chicken mc n cheese...….but we are still so full from lunch, we couldn't fit anything else in. *
































*It is so nice sitting up here, and not too busy....there are a few more folks who are obviously here for HHN, which we aren`t going to tonight. We generally avoid Saturdays even this early on in the event. *

*Eventually around 7.30 we walk over to Sapphire Falls and make our regular walk from one hotel to the other, all inside so it`s nice and cool all the way. *

*Strong Water isn`t too busy tonight, and it is always lovely to see everyone again........we get a table at one of Brittney`s tables over on the far side of the bar......she is so lovely.....well, they all are again. This really is one of the most welcoming of bars around and everyone is made to feel the same way. 

I stick to wine tonight and Tom orders a beer for a change...….when she brings the drinks over one of the other waitresses says she`s never seen me drink wine????? And asks me the worst question ever...…..

What do you prefer...….red, white or rum...…….*











​


*She just laughs and says she understands......I`m never certain which I would choose if I was told I could only drink either red or white the rest of my life......add in rum to the question and my head would explode!!!! 

At that point Chef Carlos come out to say hello, what a lovely man he is and his creations in here are legendary......and they are his creations, we haven't found a dish yet we haven't liked. He always pops out to say hello when we come in which is nice and as he is always busy he`s rushing off back to the kitchen again....just as Fernando comes over to welcome us in. He is a star. So very genuine and takes good care of his staff and wants all guests to have an amazing visit......such a lovely man and we always enjoy chatting to him and spending time with him. 

Brittney comes back to see what we have decided to order, and we thought to look and see something we hadn't ordered yet, of which there wasn't much...….I spot the lamb meatballs and Tom orders the Hassleback potato...….we love meatballs, but I always make mine by grinding down beef and never use lamb, although I do love lamb....so I hoped I`d like them.....I was sure I would. I said to Brittney we`d order something else later...….she said maybe wait as Chef was sending us out a new dish to try, it was going on the menu soon and was interested in what we thought...….*












*We are always delighted to try out any dish Chef comes up with...*

*The meatballs arrived with the potato and the potato was served with a thing I forget the name, it tasted like pork but was a fruit or something????? It was delicious...…..and the meatballs were divine. They came with a beautiful sauce and sour cream on the bottom which went together perfectly...…..we were glad we ordered these dishes......*






















*Not long after, Chef brought out the new dish and explained it was like nachos but with thin pancake and andouille sausage with a sunny side up egg on top.......*












*It was delicious........Tom liked it more than I did as I found it too much, but maybe because we had already eaten lunch later and had the meatballs, but he loved it.......I completely forget the name he told us, but I believe it is on the menu now. 

I saw Lenny at the bar and as I passed from coming back from the bathroom waved and he came out from behind immediately.....he gives the best hugs!!! It`s always so nice to see him, he`s lovely and so funny....and makes the best cocktails!!!! He began telling me about the ones he was making right now and I said they sounded lovely, I said Tom was over by the window, so he said he`d be over in a little second......

We got our next drink and Lenny came over and sat down with the three syrups...…one was a mango rum, a lime rum and my favourite, pineapple jalapeno....oh my goodness, he is a genius!!! They were delicious and he makes them all himself in house right here. Very clever. We had such a fun chat with him and could have sat all night just chatting...…...but eventually he went back to the bar and Brittney came back over to say Chef was sending out one of his brand new desserts that was his latest creation.….now I was looking forward to dessert!!! We usually order the tres leche cake, but this sounded beautiful when he brought it out. 

He explained it was a warm banana and butterscotch cake with butterscotch ice cream and pecans...…..*










*Oh my goodness!!!! It was delicious!!! I`m not the biggest fan of banana but this was beautiful.....very light cake and you could taste the butterscotch clearly......and the ice cream...…..oh my!!!! This was a dessert we would both order again once it`s on the menu...…..

Aarron and Fernando came over to see how we enjoyed the dessert.....I think the big smile and completely empty plate told the whole story!!!! 

Fernando got talking about ice cream and I mentioned how much I loved Chef`s Pina Colada ice cream and he asked if I had tried his sour sop ice cream.....I said we hadn't heard of such a thing......so he said he`d go get us a taste as it was beautiful...….*










*And my goodness......what a flavour!!!! It was like a mixture of strawberry and mango......beautiful. *

*We made sure to pass on our thanks to Chef for some beautiful new dishes tonight, we were very appreciative to be testers for any new dish!!!! And they had been lovely. *

*It was late now and we couldn't believe how fast the evening had gone....we had eaten some lovely food and had some lovely chats too......a perfect evening. 

We paid the check and began to say goodnight to everyone...….then headed for the walk back to RP......this is always where we wish we had a room at Sapphire....it`s not a long walk, but it was after midnight, maybe nearer 1am and I now just wanted to sleep!!!! Those hard benches laid along the conference area began to look appealing as we passed them...…..*

*Into our room there was no tv tonight....it was straight to bed after some water...….and I swear I fell asleep before I even got fully into bed......*


*Tomorrow was Mount Dora and HHN!!!!*


----------



## JaxDad

I think they meant sour sop not supersop. It's a tropical fruit also called guanabana. It's awesome! I've had it by itself and as a smoothie. When I lived in south Florida, I would get it from a great fruit stand called Robert is Here...
https://www.robertishere.com/products/guanabana-sour-sop


----------



## schumigirl

JaxDad said:


> I think they meant sour sop not supersop. It's a tropical fruit also called guanabana. It's awesome! I've had it by itself and as a smoothie. When I lived in south Florida, I would get it from a great fruit stand called Robert is Here...
> https://www.robertishere.com/products/guanabana-sour-sop



lol....that's it....autocorrect changed what I typed and I hadn't noticed!!! I`ll go correct it back!!!  

It kind of looks like it`s an avocado and I`ve never seen one before. But yes, it was delicious......

Thanks for pointing that out.......I`ve corrected it now......


----------



## JaxDad

schumigirl said:


> lol....that's it....autocorrect changed what I typed and I hadn't noticed!!! I`ll go correct it back!!!
> 
> It kind of looks like it`s an avocado and I`ve never seen one before. But yes, it was delicious......
> 
> Thanks for pointing that out.......I`ve corrected it now......


No problem! I hadn’t thought of sour sop in a long time. I’m glad you guys enjoyed it!


----------



## J'aime Paris

All those dishes look divine!!
I'm a banana fan, so I hope the new dessert is on the menu by December.
Also, I've never tried lamb before...but the meatballs look tempting!


----------



## schumigirl

*SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 15TH*​



*We did sleep a little later this morning after our kind of late night for us......we aren't really night owls ever, we`re more morning folks.....but, even so, we didn`t plan to waste any time here, so I was up as soon as I woke, which was around 7.30ish.......Tom was strangely awake too....we did think we`d sleep much later today......it isn`t easy getting out of these incredibly comfy beds I have to say!!! 

But, we got up and wondered if we should go to New Smyrna Beach today as it wasn't to be as sunny as we thought........*
*
However, we`d decide after breakfast as usual. Once we were dressed it was the usual sun screen and then head upstairs for food. 
*
*The lounge was fairly quiet, I think all the HHN folks were still sleeping, so we pottered around and got our coffee and water and enjoyed a little selection of items for breakfast. The little mini muffins are lovely, and the continental meats had some nice little options too. You really do get a good set of choices for breakfast in here if you did decide to choose Club Level. 

Looking at the weather, we decided to go to Mount Dora, especially as we remembered they had a little market on a Sunday....it wasn`t a huge affair like Lake Eola in Orlando, but they had some nice little stalls and we always enjoyed a walk around the town and the lake too. So, we went down and got the car, it felt very hot today, we had thought it was cooling slightly but apparently not today. *

*It takes us around 40 minutes to get to Mount Dora, and one thing is there are loads of places to park. We use a little car park right in the centre of town and it`s handy for everything.....you can park in the street too easily. 

Mount Dora really is old town America...….or at least my vision of it anyway...….beautiful buildings and homes that always look so welcoming....unique little stores that are always so friendly and we enjoy a visit here a lot. *

*The little market is in full swing as we arrive, and it`s not too busy, it has a gentle feel and plenty of variety with stalls. *












*Not really a fan of fish dips, but we did sample one from here and it was lovely.....not lovely enough to want to buy it.....but nice......*






















*I am envious of the size of fruit and veg you get in the USA...….this avocado impressed me no end!!! We don't get them that large......and so cheap too. *












*It`s the same with a lot of produce...…..everything is much larger and so much cheaper too......one of the things we love Farmers Markets for. *

*We headed down to the water and for our usual stroll out to the end and have a seat watching the water and everything on it......but today the end of the walkway was blocked off........so we made do up this end today. *











*It is always so peaceful here. And a completely different environment form the parks or bigger towns......I could live here easily......and it`s really not that far from where the majority of tourists spend most of their time. *






















*We always spend some time chatting to the guy who runs the boat tour.....he`s long giving up trying to convince us to go out on one of the tours......er, no thanks...….there`s alligators in that water!!! And it`s not that deep!!! But, he`s such a nice man with a great knowledge of all the different wildlife you can encounter here......I`m not a big fan of those types of wildlife......*

*We soon head back up to the town and wander a little further into the other side of the market.......*












*I was tempted by Jumbo Shrimp.....but, maybe not...….we don`t make any purchases here and head up to the actual store area of the town now.*

*It`s even quiet and peaceful up here too......I always feel as though we should whisper as we walk through this little town. *






















*Before going for lunch, we head into the little store we like a lot. It sells spices, herbs and teas.....very unusual products.....and a joy to walk into and smell the aromas of all the products on sale......it is an assault on your senses as you pick up the delicate aromas of the spices first then the milder ones.......beautiful store. *






















*We did purchase a couple of jars in here.....one is called Florida Sunshine and it`s a mix of peppers and scented spices......and it is gorgeous.....we use it now and it does take us back a little to this place when you smell it.  *












*It was boiling hot now......and not a breath of air to help take away some of the oppressive heat, and it was now after midday so there was no escaping the midday sun either.*

*Usually we try and alter where we eat when we visit here, but we had so enjoyed our last visit, Tom wanted to try it again.....so we went back down to the Frog and Monkey, a real old style pub that served lovely food. *











*We again, got a lovely welcome and she said to sit where we liked.....we chose the same table as last time...…we are kind of creatures of habit at times!!! *





















*The menu is a nice one, and after we ordered a sprite each, Tom chose a half size meat flatbread, and I went for a turkey and brie wrap. I had thought of the burger again, but they are huge......so this wasn`t just as filling as that had been. *






















*They were both delicious....….Tom`s flatbread was crisp and fresh with plenty of toppings, and he was glad he went for the half size as it was very large. My wrap was lovely, the turkey was buttery and plentiful and the brie was a delight. I`d have loved some cranberry sauce in there too, but never thought of asking if they had any......that`s one of my favourite grilled sandwiches ever!! 

It`s a lovely place to eat....and it got steadily busier as we ate too.....I`m not surprised, it has everything you could ask for in a pub that serves food. *
*
We pay the check, visit the restroom and head back upstairs........and outside.......it was 96F today. And it felt hotter. 
*
*Our next stop was the Mount Dora Olive Oil company.....our favourite store in this little town. We often stock up here and we had almost run out so a visit here was essential. *












*You are spoilt for choice with flavours of oils and balsamics…...I tend to buy the chipotle olive oil which I use for lots of dishes, mainly for tossing potatoes in before lightly roasting them off.....it gives a hint of spice without being too overpowering. I don't eat salad now, so I do miss it on that. We also don't bother buying the balsamic vinegars now either, except maybe the little gift packs for friends that will double up to go in with their Christmas gifts......*






















*Not pictured here is the smoked maple syrup they sell. we had purchased them before...….this, I do use a lot of in many dishes...…it`s perfect for a bbq sauce I make with Jack Daniels...….so I do manage to complete my shopping list of items here today. Although we don`t buy as much olive oil as we usually do, as we have made a few purchases already and plan some more...…and we`ll hopefully be back in December when we`ll have three suitcases instead of two. *
*
We cross the road and into the car park and the outside temp is showing as 110F.......lol...…it soon goes down when we start moving to a mere 99F!!!! 
*
*Tom drives back today as I drove up, and I do like being a passenger when we drive in areas like this...….and I`m always impressed by the old Pan-Am plane in the museum. Certainly a relic of a bygone age of air travel we`ll never see again...….*











*I`d love if air travel were still like this!!!! *




​




*Wishful thinking at it`s best. *

*The drive back is uneventful and we are home before we know it.....and head straight upstairs where the sky looks more than a little ominous......*












*It did indeed rain. And heavy too. I`m quite sad really.....I love to watch all the heavy downpours we have over here......I`m telling Tom how heavy it is and how dark the sky is when I realise he is already snoozing *

*Not a bad idea, so I do the same till it`s time to change for the lounge and then HHN. 

A little half hour does us the world of good!!!! *

*The lounge is again not too busy, but there are a load of people who have eaten and are now heading out to the park ready for HHN......I got chatting to one and asked why didn`t they do Stay & Scream when they said they had been in the park earlier.....they didn`t know about it......and this was their one and only night. What a shame. I did encourage them to purchase EP if it got busy and they said up until 3 weeks ago they thought the hotel EP was good for HHN too!!!!!!*












*This was quite common apparently, or so I`d heard from TM and our SA friends alike......some assume they are linked......big mistake!!! 

I did feel a little sorry for them, first timers really need to research everything!!!! She asked me if they`d really need EP as it was a Sunday....I told them to wait and see how the lines were.....some nights weren`t as manic, but some were heaving. She thanked us for the info and they set off to line up at the gate.......I did hope they enjoyed it!!!! *

*We sat down and were immediately brought a glass of wine each......how lovely.......and we sat back and relaxed for a while. *






















*Tonight`s hot appetiser choice was Orange Chicken and the usual assortment of side dishes......I do love olives, so I did have a few with my wine.......Tom had some cheese with crackers and enjoyed that as it wasn`t very much. *






















*I did have a few bites of the Orange Chicken too, but again, only a couple as we were eating dinner later tonight. It is very nice....especially if you add some hot sauce too!!! *












*Kayla was working tonight, so we had a good chat to her which passed time before we left, and again it did go quickly.....we could sit and chat to Kayla and all the staff really all night. *

*We again realised Tom forgot to put on his Jack teeshirt.......and first of the day selfies.......*










*Next up.......HHN & Dinner. *


----------



## schumigirl

JaxDad said:


> No problem! I hadn’t thought of sour sop in a long time. I’m glad you guys enjoyed it!



I`d definitely look out for one next time we are wandering around Florida.....they were delicious and not something we can get in the UK as far as I know.....


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> All those dishes look divine!!
> I'm a banana fan, so I hope the new dessert is on the menu by December.
> Also, I've never tried lamb before...but the meatballs look tempting!



Lori, they were delicious!! 

You`ve never tried lamb either......so many folks say that when we`re in America. 

It`s got to be cooked right or it can be a little greasy, good lamb shouldn't be though. We tend to buy either a whole leg and slow roast it forever, or lamb leg steaks, or a rack of lamb which both cook fairly quickly and it`s got to be pink!! 

But, the lamb meatballs...….yum!!!! Yes, I hope the dessert is on and you can enjoy it too!!!


----------



## jocelyn6

Happy Birthday!! What lovely surprises for you - sounds like it was a fabulous day!


----------



## schumigirl

jocelyn6 said:


> Happy Birthday!! What lovely surprises for you - sounds like it was a fabulous day!



Thanks so much Jocelyn.......it was lovely, and so many little personal touches that meant a lot. With the balloons.......lol......well, I love balloons!! Doesn’t take much to make me happy.......


----------



## schumigirl

*We left to get the boat, and everyone was commenting on how blisteringly hot it was again tonight.......there was no breeze at all, and it did feel incredibly humid......but it was lovely all the same, the light at this time of day is incredibly beautiful. . *

*Chatting to folks in line is always nice, and you meet some folks from unusual places at times.....tonight though we chatted to a few locals and one man stood behind us heard our accent and joined in the conversation...he had visited Scotland earlier in the year and decided we would know everywhere he had visited......we did know a few places, but not well.....but it`s funny his perception was because Scotland is quite small compared to the USA we must know everywhere. I know tourists probably see more of my country than I have in the past! But, they were a nice family......

We did wait around 10 minutes for a boat tonight, but when it did come, there were two, so everyone waiting would get on. And again, there was a fabulous captain who sang all the way to Citywalk…..and most folks joined in!! *
*
The hotel guest entrance was again, quiet tonight so it was straight in and into the fun quickly...….
*
*I still don`t really get the zone here....I do understand the concept, but it could have been so much better. *












*Tonight, Ghostbusters had an advertised wait of 50 minutes, and the line didn`t look too bad at all.....we walked straight into the house and didn`t even stop except to have the EP scanned. 

We hit it lucky with the houses we did tonight, timing wise we only missed one of the Ghostbusters and didn`t see Zuul say Die......but apart from that, it was a good experience tonight.....so much fun, although again, some of the teen girls need to scream less when there`s nothing to scream for......*

*Yeti showed a 60 minute wait, I think with the walk included we were in the house in a few minutes......this was excellent tonight. The Yeti`s had perfected their timings and actions, and the old grizzly hunter was terrifyingly on point with his scares! This may have been our favourite house tonight......

It was boiling hot, and already I felt I wanted another shower......we had thought we wouldn`t stay long tonight, and only do the front half of the park, I was glad we weren't going to be here all night. *

*It was still light at this point and we decided to try US again tonight.....regular line was 65 minutes and it looked longer. This was another win for EP.....a complete walk on.......and the house was fun, a lot of fun tonight. They had extra SA in place and the effects were downright eerie.....if you caught the scares right in this house, it was excellent. If you missed certain SA in certain positions, it may not have been as good. But, tonight took this house a little higher on our 10/10 list as it had improved massively. *
































*Stranger Things hadn't worked at all for us. And we thought the EP line might have a little wait as it was 80 minutes for the regular line.....as we didn't really like it anyway, we gave it a pass tonight. It really was too hot to wait anywhere.......*












*We did go on the Mummy tonight.....it`s not usual for us to do rides during the event, but it was cool in there......and it wasn`t too busy at all. There were only around seven of us on the ride vehicle and no screamers!!!! Lots of fun! And we cooled down slightly......*
*
We walked around the zone, paying attention to all the different SA, I couldn`t remember where the guy we know who is a SA was working this year, I thought it was this zone, Tom thought it was Hellbilly....turns out he was in neither.....lol....of course!!! 
*
*It`s not scary, but the make up and demeanour of the SA`s is always phenomenal to watch......true professionals who love what they do. But, there was a marked decrease in street SA this year. *





















*I love the lighting effects around the park, and so much to picture.....and the atmosphere is always one of fun. In all our visits we have never seen any trouble....I`m not saying there isn`t ever any trouble, we just haven`t seen any. Most people are just there to have fun and enjoy their evening. *











*I said to Tom....I`m hot and tired........and we immediately found a bench.......*









​


*Thankfully there are plenty of benches and seating around the parks, and even a hard wooden bench was pleasant tonight. So we took five minutes.......it`s always nice to just chill out for a while, and watch everything going on around you.....*

*The Hellbilly zone was hilarious........we really enjoyed this zone tonight......*
































*The living dead girl was different tonight, and she was still good....but not as glazed as the other girl. Watching them was fun though and the guy was a hoot!!!! He interacted well with the crowd along side working the act well. *












*Tom even got a huge scare tonight.....well, huge for me, not so much for him.....but he was taking a picture of me, and one of the taller SA stood right behind him......so when he turned around...…..lol.....he did jump back about a foot!!!! It was nice to see him finally get a good scare when he didn't expect it!!!! I did high five the SA and said well done......it`s not often he gets caught like that.

I have no clue about this guy below.............what was he and why was he there??? *

*I know he was a fun dance partner......nope, no pictures of that!!!! *












*I asked this lady if I could take Tom`s picture in front of her....she gestured absolutely, it was fine...….I always like to ask......*












*We began to head to the front of the park, but did it a little backwards for some reason...….*
*
First we did wander into the store near Transformers....it has a plethora of memorabilia from different genres and so many items I wanted to purchase!!!!
*
*Jaws tee shirts always remind me of a guy who used to post here called Mad Hattered.....he was a nice guy.....I miss his posts, we met him and his wife a couple of times, nice couple. But, he was a huge Jaws and Halloween fan.......*























*We have a room where we watch the big screen for movies and such and I didn`t have movie themed items around the room and walls, so I purchased a few of these to put up.......I love the classic monster movies and they are still watchable today, and better than some of the movies offered today!!!! *

*I do have them up now and they look great framed and on the wall.......*
































*Yes, I had to get this one too! *












*We came back along to have a wander round the first zone again, and we did like this a little tonight......some of the actors were good at posing for pictures. But, it still wasn't my favourite zone. *












*Killer Klowns was one we decided to do last minute....and again, no line at all for EP. so straight on and we really liked this house tonight......we did get a lot of giggles and a few scares. Although the girl in front of me was hilarious.......after we came out her boyfriend looked back and told us she was scared of clowns........lol.......she didn`t scream much, but had a vacantly terrified look for most of the house!!! I was glad we had seen her as she added to the fun......and she was smiling when she came out. *

*A quick wander round to the Vanity Ball.........*






















*It is visually ok, and the SA again make it what it is......not many roaming around tonight though, maybe we were just unlucky, but the ones on stage were a complete riot. Very adult in their dialogue and very funny too! *












*It had been fun. But, again seeing so many kids is off-putting.......some SA do change their ways when they are around. We would love if they did put a minimum age limit for next years event and amp up the scare factor!!!! Please!!!! *

*We did like the pop up bars around the place......I`d much rather buy a drink from there than the official HHN cocktail. *












*Although it was a little late, we decided to go to Cowfish for some food...…and rather than wait for a table, we again went to sit in the bar which we do like. On the way out though we were met by a sea of people heading in to HHN.......I was glad we weren`t just going in. 

Cowfish is a place we do like. *

*Only for burgers though. The sushi isn`t great and completely bland compared to real sushi places. It`s not somewhere I`d ever recommend for sushi to anyone who hasn`t tried it yet. But, we do like their burgers. *












*My drink of choice tonight is the mango ginger, with rum instead of tequila which is beautiful, and full of ginger so Tom won`t touch it.......he ordered the nice and rosy which had bourbon, blackberry brandy, Cointreau, lemon juice and simple syrup.......it was lovely too. *





















*And we drank copious amounts of water!!! *











*Food wise Tom really wanted one particular burger, the Dynamic Duo....alongside the burger it had braised short rib, roasted garlic, provolone cheese, tomato onion jam and the usual salad in an onion bun.......he loved it!!!! *












*As it was a little late, I decided not to have my usual burger, but instead I went for the appetiser of spicy togarashi shrimp. *

*It was more than enough, and delicious. *












*We had two drinks and we had a good barman tonight, who kept the banter going with everyone who came to sit at the bar tonight......we were glad we had came in here. *

*Once we paid the check, we headed back out to Citywalk, Tom had said did we want to walk around for a while, but I was tired. I think the heat had an effect this trip, not enough to stop us doing anything, but we did feel this September hotter than before. *












*I thought we had walked back tonight, but looking back my notes, seems we did get the boat. I do know when we got back in the room it was later than we had thought we might get back home.....so much for an early night. *
*
*
*Park day again tomorrow........*


----------



## shh

schumigirl said:


> some of the teen girls need to scream less when there`s nothing to scream for......


right? Scream your lungs out if there's a real scare or on a roller coaster thrill ride. But some people are ridiculous about it. There's a ride at Disney I love called Soarin' and it's supposed to be uplifting and relaxing...it's not a scare or thrill ride. We were on once with several teen girls and they screamed literally at the top of their lungs from start to finish - didn't stop for a second. Totally drowned out the music and ruined the ride. I had a huge headache and my ears were ringing, as they were right next to us. I wouldn't have cared so much - except we waited an hour to get on it.


----------



## SCDizFan

Regarding Lombardis, my family has been in the restaurant business for four generations and I would reach out to the general manager and send him or her an email explaining exactly what happened.

I suspect that the hostess had later reservations for the window seats which she should have explained to you.

The server's rude and obnoxious behavior was inexcusable.  

Give the GM a chance to make this up to you guys.  I'm sure the restaurant will want to make this right for you.  I'll see if I can't find an email address for someone who I think is in corporate F&B for Universal.


----------



## schumigirl

shh said:


> right? Scream your lungs out if there's a real scare or on a roller coaster thrill ride. But some people are ridiculous about it. There's a ride at Disney I love called Soarin' and it's supposed to be uplifting and relaxing...it's not a scare or thrill ride. We were on once with several teen girls and they screamed literally at the top of their lungs from start to finish - didn't stop for a second. Totally drowned out the music and ruined the ride. I had a huge headache and my ears were ringing, as they were right next to us. I wouldn't have cared so much - except we waited an hour to get on it.



Oh that’s not fun!

Yes, I remember Soarin and cannot imagine why anyone would scream their head off on that! Yes, it’s hardly a thrill ride.

I can imagine your head would be thumping listening to that. And to wait an hour.......incredibly annoying.

If it had been one of the genuinely scary houses I’d understand......but, teen girls!!!


----------



## schumigirl

SCDizFan said:


> Regarding Lombardis, my family has been in the restaurant business for four generations and I would reach out to the general manager and send him or her an email explaining exactly what happened.
> 
> I suspect that the hostess had later reservations for the window seats which she should have explained to you.
> 
> The server's rude and obnoxious behavior was inexcusable.
> 
> Give the GM a chance to make this up to you guys.  I'm sure the restaurant will want to make this right for you.  I'll see if I can't find an email address for someone who I think is in corporate F&B for Universal.



Thank you.......I’ve already given feed back 

We know the food and beverage overall manager very well. It’s just one of those things that happen and you move on. You’re correct, Universal and Loews are always lovely with making things right when things go wrong. 

I couldn’t imagine every single window seat being reserved, yes, maybe some, and I agree, if this was the case a quick explanation would suffice.


----------



## shh

schumigirl said:


> Oh that’s not fun!
> 
> Yes, I remember Soarin and cannot imagine why anyone would scream their head off on that! Yes, it’s hardly a thrill ride.
> 
> I can imagine your head would be thumping listening to that. And to wait an hour.......incredibly annoying.
> 
> If it had been one of the genuinely scary houses I’d understand......but, teen girls!!!



I actually mentioned it on another forum post and immediately received several indignant replies - _"people have a right to enjoy the ride anyway they wish - I scream on Soarin all the time"..."me and my girls always scream on that ride and next time we'll scream louder." "It's not a library"_...and on and on.   It's amazing how some people think all that matters is their good time - no matter if it ruins things for others. But I digress...back to your TR!


----------



## Raeven

schumigirl said:


> We had ordered our food now, and I looked up and saw the waitress gesture over to us and say something, and the other person looked over to us from behind a door......so, I was done.



I would've walked out too, that was awful!



schumigirl said:


> *I have no clue about this guy below.............what was he and why was he there???
> 
> I know he was a fun dance partner......nope, no pictures of that!!!! *



I had no idea what he was supposed to be either but he was my favorite!   



schumigirl said:


> *We have a room where we watch the big screen for movies and such and I didn`t have movie themed items around the room and walls, so I purchased a few of these to put up.......I love the classic monster movies and they are still watchable today, and better than some of the movies offered today!!!!
> 
> I do have them up now and they look great framed and on the wall.......*



I love it! We always think so alike! Josh and I decided to frame some horror movie posters when we moved in but we ended up buying some of those more canvas looking prints instead. We have one wall with some horror ones, one wall with Guardians of the Galaxy ones, and then just random ones in other places


----------



## schumigirl

shh said:


> I actually mentioned it on another forum post and immediately received several indignant replies - _"people have a right to enjoy the ride anyway they wish - I scream on Soarin all the time"..."me and my girls always scream on that ride and next time we'll scream louder." "It's not a library"_...and on and on.   It's amazing how some people think all that matters is their good time - no matter if it ruins things for others. But I digress...back to your TR!



I agree, many folks don't give others a thought......so many entitled people around. 

No, they don't have the right to scream in your ear.....little kids I can understand, but mid teens and older behaving like 5 year old aren't impressing anyone.


----------



## schumigirl

Raeven said:


> I would've walked out too, that was awful!
> 
> 
> 
> I had no idea what he was supposed to be either but he was my favorite!
> 
> 
> 
> I love it! We always think so alike! Josh and I decided to frame some horror movie posters when we moved in but we ended up buying some of those more canvas looking prints instead. We have one wall with some horror ones, one wall with Guardians of the Galaxy ones, and then just random ones in other places




I think the older we get, the less tolerance I have for rudeness......hopefully it won`t happen again anywhere. I hate rudeness. 

Wasn't he fabulous!!!! That dude could dance!!!! 

lol.....I`ve never thought of doing that before till I saw them and had to have them.....but I do like the sound of canvas looking ones.....


----------



## AprilDreamsOfDisney

Another great update, with a very upsetting experience in the restaurant. How awful and rude of them to treat you and Tom that way. I was pleased to see you up and left - no one needs to be treated so rudely.


----------



## keishashadow

A shame Lombards was real miss for you this trip.   I can’t imagine sitting there thru that type of service either.  A shame as it’s a beautifuly designed restaurant.  It has been decidedly hit or miss for us as to food quality but, thankfully, never service.  Nice to hear the day shaped up very nicely.  

re the robot in Hillybilly deluxe scare zone...I couldn’t place it either.  Went back to room & googled after the first walk thru to try & figure it all out.  Quite the disjointed but entertaining saga, only from the mind of Rob Zombie - an original for sure!

You must share how you manage to lug those glass bottles all the way home without breakage.  I pack bubble wrap each trip, then pad them as best as I can, lastly set them in large zip bags.  Still have issues now & again.  Before the 3 oz TSA rule, no problem as a carryon.


----------



## schumigirl

*MONDAY SEPTEMBER 16TH*​



*This morning we were up with the birds......well, I was......Tom of course tried to have an extra half hour......but with me rumbling around and accidentally on purpose making a lot of noise he didn't have much of a chance of getting back to sleep...…..*

*He did ask me very nicely, at one point....to go away and let him sleep a little longer...…….*










*Had he just met me????*

*Eventually, he gave in and got up and we got ready for breakfast. It did look to be a lovely day again....we were feeling very spoiled with the weather so far this trip. Past Septembers had been mixed at times, one year we did have a fait bit of rain, but last few years have been lovely.....

Breakfast was a quick affair this morning, we enjoyed our usual fare and after a quick chat headed down for the boat, which today was just waiting for us it seemed...…we got on the Capt set off immediately.....it is a nice little run to the parks on the boat, it doesn`t usually save you any time, but when it` hot like this, and we`re going to the Studios, the boat is our means of transport.

It is hot again, but there is also a little breeze today.....just a little, but it`s enough to notice it.*

*As we head into the park we chat to one of the managers in there we know and have known for years, we hadn't seen him this trip or the last one, so it was nice to catch up with a few things with him. We headed in to the park after our chat and straight through the store as always to cool down a little.

We sadly miss out Minions, and head straight for RRR. There is no line for EP this morning, but to be fair there`s hardly a regular line this early either. We get the second row today which is fine....and it`s almost as good as the front row, certainly not as bumpy as the back!!! I love this climb now......I do still get a bit nervous, but it`s more fun now than the first time. Now that was a nervous ride!!!*

*It`s complete fun though.....the first drop isn`t one of those that makes your stomach lurch, but it is an excellent drop. The rest of the ride is fun, although I do find the last twists and turns a bit rough no matter where you sit, but it is still easier when you are on the front seats.*













*Once is enough today on this one.*






















*The bar where you can buy your HHN drinks looks so quiet during the day time. Usually there`s a line all the way to the end.....
*











*We always pop in to see the smaller of the Christmas stores......the smell is always tempting and so gorgeous....you can still get the personalised items done here, but they do have a slightly smaller range than the one in IOA.
*









































*We have a quick ride on The Mummy...….this is one of our favourite rides in the parks. It`s a coaster, but more......completely themed to the movie and has moments you would recognise easily from the movie......*
*
*
*Not even the Medjai can save you now...…... 


Love....love.....love this ride!!!! It has everything.........I think the drop and the fast coaster part is my favourite, although the theming is phenomenal......and look out for the nod to Kong in there somewhere......*
*
Outside we were loving this weather.......it was hot, really hot for around 9.30ish but that little breeze was a godsend today.......I said we should head over to the lagoon as it is usually a little cooler......but of course we stopped for some pics as always.......I think i did manage to take one or two of Tom!!!
*
*The sun was glaring right at me.....I think this is the only picture I`m not squeezing my eyes shut!!*













*We heard the music over the lagoon and saw they were practicing and altering the water show again today...….even during the day the water show is impressive.....it reminded us we still hadn`t caught the one for HHN yet. We would have to see it at some point.*























*And it was a little cooler as we sat here...…..*













*And I did manage to prise the camera out of Tom`s grip for one or two pictures today...….*














*Today we felt like taking the HE over to IOA...….we don't always spend time in both parks in the one day, but we just felt like it today.....it is an ideal way to get from one park to the other. You can of course walk as they aren`t that far apart and it doesn`t really take you that long even if you are at the back of the park to leave and go to the other......but the train is ideal. The regular line can get incredibly busy during peak time, but not today. They hadn`t even opened the EP line yet as there was no need.*













*This is a massively popular part of taking the HE from the Studios to IOA........you can disappear into the wall the way Harry and co do in the movies. It can get backed up and most people are very patient as they want to do it to, but if you get someone who can`t wait, let them pass and then get your picture. Someone does need to stand back to do it though.....we don't usually bother now as we have a fair few of them, but today was so quiet we might as well take advantage.*

*Except of course, a million folks appeared behind Tom just as he was taking it...…lol....but we managed to get one or two.......*













*Once you`re actually in Platform 9 and 3/4 you get to see Hedwig and of course everyone looks for the sign and the train.......*


































*We were put into areas to board and it wasn't long......we were in a full carriage today with a British family and a Japanese couple......and of course since the incident last year when the power failed,  they tell you now the safety door release is under the seat nearest the window. So, at least you can open the door if it happened again, hopefully not.*














*As we were waiting to pull out of the Station, I could vaguely hear music.......and I began to think, I`ve never noticed that before.....maybe I missed it and just haven`t noticed.......but I could see the same look on Tom`s face too........*

*Then the lady beside him opened her bag up......…lol...…her phone was playing something!!!! She laughed and said she wondered where the music was coming from too.......her granddaughter had been playing some game on it the night before and she must have pressed play while it was on her lap........it`s so easy done!!! But we all laughed about how we all thought the same thing......has that music always played in here!!!!

At this point the lady leaned over to me and said she had to just say she loved my trip reports.......How lovely!!!! Always happy to hear that.....and I was glad she had picked up a couple of tips........awww!!! *

*Her name was Julie and they were staying at the HRH.......so a big hello to Julie and family......hope you had a lovely rest of your trip......

It`s always lovely to meet someone who enjoys reading!!! 

We got off and headed out to spend a little time in IOA. 

More coming up........*


----------



## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> Another great update, with a very upsetting experience in the restaurant. How awful and rude of them to treat you and Tom that way. I was pleased to see you up and left - no one needs to be treated so rudely.



Thanks April......I`m so glad you`re still enjoying it! 

It wasn't the best experience, and usually I have a bigger mouth than the Grand Canyon.....but at the same time, I don't like unpleasantness....so it wasn't worth it. But I did let the right people know what happened. 

We just won`t go back there for a while......and yes, I agree, no one should have to put up with rude people.


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> A shame Lombards was real miss for you this trip.   I can’t imagine sitting there thru that type of service either.  A shame as it’s a beautifuly designed restaurant.  It has been decidedly hit or miss for us as to food quality but, thankfully, never service.  Nice to hear the day shaped up very nicely.
> 
> re the robot in Hillybilly deluxe scare zone...I couldn’t place it either.  Went back to room & googled after the first walk thru to try & figure it all out.  Quite the disjointed but entertaining saga, only from the mind of Rob Zombie - an original for sure!
> 
> You must share how you manage to lug those glass bottles all the way home without breakage.  I pack bubble wrap each trip, then pad them as best as I can, lastly set them in large zip bags.  Still have issues now & again.  Before the 3 oz TSA rule, no problem as a carryon.



Isn`t it just the most beautiful restaurant!!! We`ve been the opposite of you weirdly...... had hit and miss service there before, food has always been good though....yes, the day got better!!! 

I just don't know Rob Zombie stuff.......so it was all a little alien to me...but yes, he certainly has an odd mind!! 

Bubble wrap too!!! Lots and lots of bubble wrap and clothes......haven't thought of the zip bags though......hmmm. Fingers crossed we`ve had no breakages so far....even the mugs get well wrapped up


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Almost every time on Mummy our boys like to point out Kong!!!


----------



## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Almost every time on Mummy our boys like to point out Kong!!!


----------



## schumigirl

*Once off the train we did go to the front to get some pictures there.....not everyone does go get some pictures and just head straight out. *

*But, we like to catch a snap in front of the HE.*














*Walking back out into the heat is lovely...…we had cooled down nicely and were ready to set out again.......

Hogsmeade is lovely........I`m not a manic fan who say you have to do one side or the other first as to how Harry made his journey, as long as you can see both, it`s all good. And the Castle of course is spectacular....but Hogsmeade itself is full of many interesting little touches that shouldn`t be missed. And you are completely and utterly immersed in these lands. 

As we passed the train, we heard a voice say Tom. Now that is unusual.....we turned around and there was a man who still works for Tom`s company...…he was there was with his wife or girlfriend, and I always know when Tom has no memory of who someone is when he meets them......he doesn't automatically introduce me, complete giveaway of course.........but, I can tell with his demeanour…….*

*So, now I always lean forward, put out my hand and say I`m Carole....and you are...….*










​



*There`s always been a bit of a stigma to just telling someone you`ve forgotten their name....not sure why, but yes, we don`t just do that and I`m not sure why. It wouldn`t bother me if someone told me they had forgotten my name and asked. 

Although I have to admit.......I have no clue now either! But, they were lovely...…and were visiting for 11 nights, so trying to cram as much in as possible. We chatted for a few minutes and then we set off.......and marvelled how it was unusual for someone to call Tom`s name out. *

*Tom was just pleased I resisted my sometime response when introducing myself...….*













​



*No, I wouldn't do that to him......and anyway, this guy was nice...…I keep that for others...…..lol......*

*Hogsmeade wasn`t too busy today.......Hagrid`s ride was showing 180 minutes and there was a constant line of people joining the line. Not today for us. *
























*The castle is so impressive.…..and it strikes me every time I see it how imposing it is...….and although it`s nothing like it really, the way it`s propped on top of cliffs, it reminds me of what Edinburgh Castle sits on from certain angles......I guess JK got her ideas from that image a little.......*














*We don`t go in and do the ride today, instead we head round to Jurassic Park as we plan to do the ride here today...…and we hope to get soaked as it is hot!!! *














*There is hardly a line for it today, so we get on a half full boat, maybe just lucky as every other boat seemed to be almost full. *

*It is such a slow and relaxing start to the ride, and then of course it builds a little till you do that slow and steady climb in preparation for the fairly steep drop ahead. I always hate the noise in the climb, so fingers usually cover my ears. I don`t have particularly sensitive hearing, but it is incredibly loud as you climb. 

The drop is fun.......we just wish it was longer and steeper......but as it is, we still enjoy it!!! And we half get soaked......we`ve been wetter and we`ve been drier...…it genuinely varies with every ride how wet or dry you are. Boat weight and distribution are everything. *

*There are dryers outside the water rides, but we never use them......the sun will dry us quick enough...….although the hair can`t really be helped right now...…….*












*Yes it was bad!!!! Thankfully I had a hat!!! *

*The JP store sells a lot of stuff......we very rarely pay attention to this store, but we wanted to have a drink so, we bottle of powerade and wandered around the store while we drank it.........I don`t think we`ve ever bought something from this store. Tom couldn't remember either....*
























*We wandered down to watch the boats come down and the sun was beating on us so we would dry off quickly.......and yes, I took my hat off and it seemed to bake the hair and it expanded like a huge serving of cotton candy!!!! Hat back on quickly!!! *














*Once suitably dried off we headed to Kong and decided to do that one today........and this was what we loved more than anything.....wandering around the parks slowly and not having to do any ride if we didn't feel like it, or try to cram too much into a certain time frame. *
























*Kong ride was a walk on for EP. Although again, the facial recognition didn`t like Tom`s try and asked him to do it again......eventually he let him go through as he could see clearly it was him on the screen.....just a lot of the top of his head!!! *

*The best rows on this ride are row 9 and anything behind.....anything further forward and you don`t get the best of views.......they`re fine of course, but the back 2 or 3 rows as far over as you can be are the best views. And we get row 11 today which is probably my favourite row. 

The ride is good. Not great, and I`d never line up for it for any length of time for it, but we do enjoy it, and always keep your mouth closed or covered for most of the scenes......water does hit you and it`s always supposed to be something gross. But, it`s alright and Kong at the end is always nice to see, except of course when folks take pictures and flash in everyone`s face. Not cool. *

*We start to walk to the front of the park for some rides there now, and we see that Popeye is now back in his rightful place before you enter the ride, which sadly is closed for a while. So that also means you can`t get down to Me Ship the Olive which is a beautiful area to take pictures from. *














*Blondie`s we haven`t eaten in for years. But they do good sandwiches and have the Dagwood which is a popular choice. *
























*As we turn to go Doom and Hulk, we are just in time for the Super Heroes on their vehicles.......Capt America did wave to Tom but he just missed it.......these guys are amazing and love the vehicles!!! *


































*We would both love to have a go on one of these for some fun!!!! *














*We had eaten at Confisco Grille already and did plan to eat there again later in the trip, and today we were going offsite for lunch...…..but this place, I cannot recommend highly enough.*














*Croissant Moon Bakery is also attached to Confisco, and again, it`s been years since we ate there, but you do get some lovely croissant sandwiches and desserts in there. *













*And again, a couple of images from POE. *






















*More coming up..........*


----------



## schumigirl

*We headed out of the park and stood to admire one of my favourite views around.......it is so beautiful. *
























*Toothsome, although we don't eat there, the building is impressive to look at, and it is always worth a wander around inside. Citywalk has so many lovely places to choose from. *
























*We got back home after a slow meander back along the water path......it was too hot to walk any quicker to be honest. We got back to our room and jumped in the shower first and foremost...…my hair had now taken on a life of it`s own for one!!! *
*
Tom picked up the car keys and we headed out to the car park and set off down to LBV where we fancied eating lunch at Smokey Bones. 
*
*It had been at least two or three years since we had come here and I`m not sure why as food is always good here. But, lunch was usually fairly quiet so we knew it wouldn't be too busy, especially as we were a little later today. *














*The place was almost deserted which was unusual......and we did initially worry if it had gone downhill since we were last there...…..but a few folks had come in while we were there too. *

*Both of us ordered blackberry lemonades and we had a look at the rather large menu......*














*They had changed the building since we were last in, it`s much more open and no barriers between the tables. I did used to like some of the signs they had up on their walls...…some were fairly humourous.......about vegetarianism and such.....well, I liked them!!!*
























*We didn`t feel overly hungry so didn't go for the burgers or anything too filling, I chose the lunch pulled pork sandwich with just coleslaw as a side and Tom went for a mix of spicy and some other flavour of wings....with honey mustard as his dip. *
























*I did like their sauces that sat on the tables......very tasty and one was particularly nice, but of course, not quite spicy enough. *

*The pulled pork and the wings were both delicious. We were glad we had come here today.....and I was glad to see it did get busier. It`s always worrying when somewhere is empty.......*
























*We got back in the car and bumped the aircon up to almost full!! Hot didn't begin to describe it today. *














*Yep, I was glad we weren`t still in the park at this point. But, we drove home and my big plan for the next hour or so was to do some laundry.....*






















*Yes, laundry is completely boring!!! *
*
But, RP laundry room is ample, it has three washers and three dryers, change machine for quarters and a machine for powder and dryer sheets. 
*
*You do need your room key to enter these rooms. *














*And you can conveniently pay by card too. *
























*It doesn`t really take long. Washer takes 45 minutes and dryer up to an hour. I always leave the laundry and go back up to the room or Club Lounge while it`s doing either.....maybe too trusting, but it`s always been fine.

Once it`s done we head up to the lounge to sit for a while and I have a couple of glasses of wine while Tom sticks to sprite. *
*
It was lovely tonight, Kayla was here again and we had a good chat and a good giggle too. 
*
*Our number two son was also working tonight, so it`s always fun to see him too. We`ve known Colby since he started which was a long time ago and he does call us his second parents.......he`s more or less the same age as Kyle, but so different in many ways!!! 

We pop back down to the room to drop off the ipads and the lady is in doing turn down service, so I say excuse me and just drop it off quickly and thank her before we set off again. *
*
Hot n Juicy Crawfish is our destination this evening. 
*
*We discovered this place in the couple of years and it has always been fabulous. Simple concept of good seafood by the lb and all served up in bags which it has been cooked in...…and it is amazingly good!!! *


































*It`s only on Sand Lake Road, so not very far and is usually packed depending on what time you arrive. It`s not too bad tonight and we are seated with no wait. *

*We ask our waitress if Sammie is around, she says she`s not sure and will check. Sammie used to work in Strong Water and left to be assistant manager here.....really lovely girl. 

It`s a lovely place with a very friendly feel and service is always top notch.....the menu is really lovely with plenty of seafood to choose from, but tonight Tom and I go for the simple option and we both order a pound of shrimp, mine is extra spicy, Tom`s just medium and we both opt for their hot n juicy seasoning....there are many options for seasonings, and all sound delicious. *

*The shrimp come with head, tails, the lot on it...…which is why you wear a bib, have plastic gloves if you wish and have a bucket on the table for all the shells and the rest.....there`s also a large roll of like kitchen towels to use to wipe your hands as you go along.....and you do need it.....it can get very messy.....white tops aren`t a good idea here......

After we ordered Sammie appeared and it was so lovely to see her, and we were happy to hear she is doing great here with the company. There are a few similar places opening up with the same idea as this one, but we said we would stick to this one a sit was more or less the first in the area, and what`s not to like with the excellent food and service. *
*
Our food arrived and we said we`d see her before we left.......
*
*The bag once opened releases an amazing aroma.....and also causes a lot of messy fingers.......so we took this picture and then put the camera away.......*














*They were divine. Absolutely gorgeous and so full of flavour........mine were indeed extra spicy and Tom`s were perfect for him. We didn`t order any sides tonight as this was usually enough and we had a late lunch......but they do have amazingly good fries here. Cajun or plain. *

*We savoured every single mouthful and yes, a lot of lip licking went on.....truly gorgeous. I also loved to watch any kids that were in master the art of cracking crab or lobster claws like an expert!!!! I still struggle doing that.....

Hands all washed in the bathroom, we paid the check and asked for Sammie again just to say goodbye for a while. I know we won`t visit in our next trip as Kyle doesn`t like all the shells and stuff on food, he likes his readily prepared and ready to eat...…lol......so we said we`d see her in May no doubt. But, it had been nice to see her tonight. *
*
We popped into Publix for a few things and I do like this store. It`s so much nicer than Wal-Mart, we don`t mind Wal-Mart at all, but it`s just nicer here for some reason. 
*
*Americans may wonder why we take pictures of grocery store items......but it is so different to what we have. *














*I`ve never seen a bakery display like this in a grocery store.....I know someone who would adore that chocolate cake on the bottom shelf!!! *























*That scene always makes me think of Kyle and his dad with one of my cakes!!!! As long as it`s chocolate of course.......*

*The seafood alone makes me so envious!!! We are lucky where we live we do ahve some lovely local crab and such, and in Scotland we have some amazing seafood.....but it`s usually double or triple the cost of here........*














*Again, the different flavours you guys get over here is surprising......we tend to get the basic ginger ale and that's it. I didn`t even know they did all those flavours. *














*Our purchases made, we got back in the car to go back home. It was early yet, so we weren`t ready to call it a night yet, but we went back into the lobby and we had already been told they were going to be starting the lobby desk renovations tonight and would be working their way along the next days coming. *

*So, we weren`t surprised to see this when we walked through the lobby this evening, and we knew it was going to match the already completed Concierge desk. *














*Up in the room our turndown lady had left us extra water which was nice of her, so we popped it in the fridge along with some of our purchases........and wondered what to do now. *

*We did consider going into Citywalk to Margaritaville for a drink, but in all honesty, we just wanted to stay in the hotel......so we decided to go down to Jake`s and have a drink there.....and Tom decided he felt a little peckish at this point. 

His wings hadn`t been a huge portion, and as we had no sides with the shrimp, I felt too I could have something else, but definitely something light. *
*
We get a table and don`t even look at the menu......and our waiter smiles as he approaches our table...….
*
*Yes, our waiter who knows us gives us the are you having crawfish chowder......again...….*























*It is so good, and just enough when you want something but not too much.....and tonight it is peppery and just how we like it.....and also full of crawfish!! *

*Tom orders a beer for a change, and I have a malbec which is lovely in here.*
























*It is nice in here......usually for a drink we just sit at the bar, but a table is ideal tonight. *
*
After our chowder I ask if they have any of the coconut ice cream again. It`s usually served in Islands, but we have had it in here before....he says he`ll go check, and soon comes back and tells us yep, they do have it. 
*
*We ask for two scoops and two spoons........*














*The ice cream is beautiful. It`s one of my favourite flavours of ice cream and this one is particularly nice. And it`s hard to share it.....lol.....*

*We finish it and sit for another hour or so just chatting, passing the evening and enjoying our glass of wine and beer. It was fairly quiet or we would have given up the table if it was needed and gone to the bar, but there was no need. 

Around 11pm, we decided it was time for bed and headed up, we did meet someone we know in the lobby so chatted to her for a while about the refurb and so on......we couldn`t wait to see it finished. *
*
Up in our room I did open the drapes again as I like to see the park lights at night......it is pretty. 

It was more or less straight to bed tonight.....we did put the tv on in the bedroom for half an hour as I caught up with emails and so on. 
*
*But, it was soon lights out and ready to start another day soon. *


----------



## kbelle8995

The Publix Bakery is so good.   Love it.  It is so tempting to walk through.

They have a great grab and go section too.


----------



## Cara

schumigirl said:


> So, now I always lean forward, put out my hand and say I`m Carole....and you are...….


I do the same thing! My poor husband never forgets a face, but he's hopeless with names!!!



schumigirl said:


> Yes, our waiter who knows us gives us the are you having crawfish chowder......again...….


I have this crawfish chowder on my list for our June trip!!!


----------



## schumigirl

kbelle8995 said:


> The Publix Bakery is so good.   Love it.  It is so tempting to walk through.
> 
> They have a great grab and go section too.



Oh we did see the grab and go stuff.......the subs looked so good and the salads too!! If we had a villa, I know when I’d be shopping!

Yes, the bakery stuff looked lovely. We did try their Dutch Apple Pie once, it was delicious!


----------



## schumigirl

Cara said:


> I do the same thing! My poor husband never forgets a face, but he's hopeless with names!!!
> 
> 
> I have this crawfish chowder on my list for our June trip!!!



lol......I used to say it was a man thing, but recently it’s happened to me......I always say I never forget a name......saw a woman in the grocery store I use periodically and she said hello to me and walked on.....I know her, but don’t know how I know her or remember her name.....although if I see her again, I will ask her.......

Crawfish Chowder is heavenly!!! You’ll love it.....I’m sure of it


----------



## AprilDreamsOfDisney

Another great update, Carole!

That bagged shrimp looks soooo good! I feel like I can smell the aroma from my computer! lol

I may try that crawfish chowder; looks scrumptious!


----------



## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> Another great update, Carole!
> 
> That bagged shrimp looks soooo good! I feel like I can smell the aroma from my computer! lol
> 
> I may try that crawfish chowder; looks scrumptious!



Thanks April.......  

Oh I could eat that shrimp right now! It is gorgeous!! And probably my favourite hot shrimp over there........and yes, you have to try the chowder....it’s probably not the fanciest chowder around, but it’s delicious!!


----------



## schumigirl

*TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 17TH*​




*We did sleep a little later this morning again, but not by much. We had a rough idea of what we wanted to do, but hadn't decided which coast to go to. Both coasts appeal to us, we love the Gulf side but we also love the Atlantic side too....so either way we`d have a good day. 

Once we were dressed and showered we went up for breakfast where they did notice we were a little later...….we really are creatures of habit I guess. Breakfast was quick and short, we didn't really chat much this morning and then went back down to get ready for a morning at the beach. Our room had already been done, Maria our housekeeper is lovely. She always stops for a quick chat and is very friendly. *

*We then put on our sunscreen and decide we`ll pop to New Smyrna Beach instead of St Pete`s Beach that we had thought we`d go to. 

In the lobby we run into Rob from valet who has time for a chat this morning and it`s always fun to talk to him. As we are chatting one of the girls from the front desk comes over and thanks us for the little gift we got her. We handed it in yesterday as she had gone out of her way to do something for us, so it was just a little thank you! We were glad she liked it. We chatted for a while and then went out to get the car. *

*Tom said he wanted to drive today...…..so I smiled and said yes, ok darling you enjoy the drive...…...inside I was really...….*
















​*But, first we first stopped off for fuel and I used to wait in the car while he gassed up, but he is very chatty and it sometimes takes longer than most folks and of course it was like an oven by the time he came out......lol.....so now I always go in and wander while he fuels the car...….this young lady asks him if it`s true that all gas stations in the uk work by fuelling up first and paying after......he says yep......this way makes much more sense. She shakes her head in disbelief and the trucker behind laughs and says it wouldn't work over here......I have no idea how many folks don't pay and make off over here......I`m guessing a few will. 

Back in the car we head off for NSB......the journey takes just under an hour and the road is long and straight...….after you pass Orlando of course with the roadworks still going on there......*

*I`m sure it`s going to be worth it when it`s done...…...hopefully. *














*Once you turn off the I-4 it really is into middle of nowhere at times, or so it seems...….roads are endless and although for us, it`s a joy to drive in, I can see why some say the road is boring. *

*Although as always, these people are always on the roads.......*











*She looked to be 187!!! And braked.....braked......braked every few feet......oh, we soon passed her!!! But, she didn't like it...…..this road did seem to have a few more elderly people driving on it. We had had similar encounters before on this road too. *














*The rest of the journey is restful and uneventful......and I wish I was driving today......it is a beautiful road to drive on and listening to some fabulous music (well fabulous 80`s music to us) it was almost perfect!!! *
*
Once you arrive in NSB it immediately screams beach town......and it is beautiful.....very understated, not as brash as Cocoa Beach but still very pretty.......
*
*Our friend had told us first time we came here to go down and park at Bethune Beach......perfect place to park and we should go across the road to the small Boardwalk area.......last time we had made the beach, but not the boardwalk.....today we were determined we would see it. 

We said we get lost easily, and he laughed and said we couldn't get lost as there is only one road in and out…….sounds good!!! And it is a street that the further along you travel, you pass some of the most beautiful and individually designed beach houses we have ever seen. Each house it seems is more lovely than the last. *

*Parking up is easy.....and you cannot get much closer to the water if you tried! 

We got out the car and I walked over to the edge to see the water, and there was a couple sitting under some a large umbrella on chairs.....the guy said to me check out your car........I thought he said give us your car!!!! Were we being mugged by the most laid back muggers we had ever seen!!! Eh, no.......*
*
This little guy had landed on the roof...…...
*













*That thing would scrape the roof of the car if he didn't move.....but no way in heck were we going to challenge a thing with a beak that size!!!! 

A lady and a weirdly dressed priest for want of a better description approached at this point.......sounds like the beginning of a bad joke.....but the lady spoke to us first and said the creature was injured and she had been trying to feed it for a few days. She asked us if we were leaving anytime soon, we said no, we were wandering over to the boardwalk for an hour or so.....she said she was going to call (I forget who) some rescue people to see if they can come get it......but she was worried we would move the car meantime.....we said no, we would be a while. 

Meanwhile, this weirdly dressed priest/minister/pastor....I have no clue what he was....he kind of looked a little Amish, but I really don`t know....he began a conversation about how much he liked Australia and how Australians were so nice and where in Australia were we from and how did we like America compared to Oz...…..*













*Eh, we`re not Australian was Tom`s reply.......he looked at us in disbelief as if we were lying and said to me, but you`re Australian right.....lol.....ok, you got me.....yes I`m Australian......…he weirdly seemed happy with that.....snapped a picture of the bird on top of the car and bid us a good day.........

I think we have a radar that draws certain people to us at times........*

*We rather happily drew our attention to the beautiful and today, wild beach in front of us.........last few times we had come here it was incredibly calm and the water was so still. When we told one of the girls in the club lounge who surfs here how still it was, she was surprised and said it`s usually excellent for waves. Well, we saw it today. *














*It was beautiful, but no way were we going near that water today!!! We saw one lady in a bikini walk down on to the beach and walk along the edge, she was knocked over as soon as the water hit her ankles.....she did keep walking though. I guess she`s used to it...but for me, it looked terrifying!!! These waters are strong....but very beautiful and impressive. *















*The bird was still on top of the car when we headed over to cross the road to the boardwalk.....we could have taken the car over and parked there, but if they could rescue the bird we didn't want to damage that chance by moving quickly. So we crossed the very quiet road and saw the other side which we had missed the last time. *

*It is small, but perfectly formed and very lovely, and peaceful too. There were only a few folks around and one guy who was fishing off the Boardwalk when we got there too. 

As we turned into the park, a car came in and pulled up beside me......I got the fright of my life.....I guess I still had mugging on my brain ....but it was the lady from the other side of the road who was calling to get some help for the bird. She told us she had called and they were sedning someone down immediately who could rescue it and wanted to let us know, she said it should be gone by the time we got back tot he car as they said they`d be there in ten minutes. I was glad to hear it and indeed by the time we got back the bird was gone. We didn`t check the roof of the car to see if it had any damage!!! *
























*We again, despite being by the beach felt it hot. And the shady seating area was a little respite from the gorgeous but blazing sun. *














*Tom snapped a few pictures and we headed on to the boardwalk, and it was as lovely as it had been described to us......*














*The guy fishing was a local who was telling us about the trailer park where he currently lived and how many times he had moved due to hurricane damage........it was quite the tale. He told us how he had fished these waters since he was a kid and knew almost every inch of them......I could believe him. He was very nice and suggested a place we should go to for lunch, we told him that`s exactly where we were going to eat....he said we`d love it!!! *















*It really was incredibly beautiful here and so peaceful. In the distance we did see a dolphin but it was so far the camera didn`t pick it up. Our friend had told us we`d see maybe dolphins but definitely manatees as he had always seen them here....so we were looking forward to that. *















*The smell here was so fresh, we wished we could bottle it...or even have a Yankee Candle this aroma......it was just a clean fresh smell.*














*We didn`t have to wait long to see the manatees....although again, the camera doesn`t show them as clear as we saw them....but Tom tried to get a good image......I guess they are a little camera shy. But, wow, we love seeing creatures in their natural habitat, not confined in tanks or cages. They are so beautiful and majestic. *
























*We really could have stood here all day. Tranquil is exactly how it would be described........we never heard one car nor motor boat anywhere....there was a couple kayaking as we stood, and that was the height of activity in the water around here. *

*We passed the basketball court and got ready to cross the road to go back over......it is an almost deserted road and super easy to cross as there were hardly any cars in vision at all. *


































*And the bird was indeed gone. The lady had told us she had seen it get thinner each day, and bless her for caring and trying to feed it. We did hope it recovered. *

*The waves weren`t lessening any, so we knew we wouldn`t get on the beach today for a walk......but we couldn`t help be impressed by the force of the water and we stood for a while and just watched. *














*We were both getting hungry now, well, hungryish....so back in the car and we would drive the very short distance to where we had decided to have lunch. *

*And it was 102F. *














*If it was 102 here, how hot was Orlando today!!!*

*This little car park does take a good few cars, and is ideal to park if you`re just walking along the beach. Further towards the town there are places you can get on the beach and park, we weren't doing that with a rental. Here there are no restaurants or bars that are a short walk away, but for peace and quiet it was perfect. *














*Coming up......lunch and a very quiet evening. *


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## DisneyLifePapioNe

If I had been mistaken like that I probably would have had to have some enjoyment out of it too like saying, yup here on holiday finally retired from the crocodile wrangling and my wife yup writing them stories up in New York.............haha Crocodile Dundee!!!!!!!


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## schumigirl

*It was a very short drive to our lunch choice today from the beach park.....we actually could have walked it, but for the blazing sun above us!!! *
*
JB`s Fish Camp had been recommended to us by a few people we know well, and today we were definitely going to eat here today. 
*
*Rustic was the perfect way to describe this place. And we were so looking forward to this meal. The land around was a little rough with no proper parking spaces for the most part but plenty of spaces. *














*And a few odd but very interesting things around....including a home made Cuban Refugee raft which defied belief anyone would attempt to sail in it. *
























*The lady who welcomed us was so nice. Genuinely warm welcome and asked us if we had been before, when we said no she promised us we were in for a treat...…I believed her. *

*Most people were sitting outside, but the tourists that we are, we don`t like eating outside in the heat of the day, we much prefer inside where it`s cool with the aircon. *
























*We really liked this place instantly.....loved the décor and the ambience too.....

The menu is large and everything reads better than the previous item.....this could take a while!!! We start with ginger ale and sprite though while we study the menu intently........*














*Initially we had no plans for an appetiser, but being the good sales lady she is, she convinces us to try the clam chowder that Tom showed some interest in...…...so we said we`d share a small bowl...*

*Have to admit, it looked very different to any clam chowder we`d had before, and visually it didn't appeal to me...……...but...….it was incredibly tasty!!! And so filling. We really didn't have that much of it, I could see that bowl filling you up for the day, but we did want to try it.  *














*Food wise, I knew I wanted those Hush Puppies I had heard so much about from here.....so I ordered those first then decided on a meal around them....they came with a selection of butters, one was very spicy and a couple of dips too. The spicy butter was nice, and we ended up buying the spice that they use to make it up......I`d make that at home for sure. *
























*I love stuffed flounder. It`s by far one of my favourite dishes ever, but you don't see it a lot where we eat, so I had to order it when I saw it on the menu....more a dinner item I suppose, but I couldn't resist. I asked for just coleslaw as I had the Hush Puppies, but they brought the fries anyway...…..*














*Tom couldn`t decide what to have.....he`s usually the first between us to choose, but today he was completely unsure of what to have......he ended up opting for a portion of steamed scallops and a half pound of shrimp.....*














*We thought she had given us a pound of shrimp instead of half, wouldn`t have mattered if it was, but no, she said it was only half a pound...wow!!!! *























*There are no words to describe how wonderful everything was...…...but...*






​




*We were both beaten by these dishes!! *

*The flounder was light and delicate, while the stuffing was dense and full of flavour…...I was eating even when I was full!! In fact I asked our waitress to please take the plate away, or I was going to actually burst!! 

Tom`s scallops were again, perfectly cooked but very rich in the butter and we didn't eat a lot of them. The shrimp however was a dream.....I did steal one or three of them and they were beautiful. Really beautiful. *
*
When we finally gave up and admitted we were done, we did laugh when she asked if we wanted some of their Key Lime Pie...…...oh did we want some of that pie......but we were already worried about walking back to the car we were so full!!! So we kindly declined. 
*
*Once the check was paid we visited the bathroom and then went for a wander around outside where it looked very pretty. And quiet too.....*






















































*This was just as pretty as the other boardwalk a little way along.....I loved how people just pulled in with their own little boats and went for lunch.....that`s a very cool way to arrive in our eyes. Beats a car anyday. *

*But, thinking about it, I`m not really a boat person either......*







​

*I think maybe I watched too many movies as a child!!!! One of my reasons for not going on a cruise is because I saw the Poseidon Adventure as a terrified kid!!!! Despite @keishashadow trying to reassure me we`ll be fine.......lol......I`m still not doing one!!! And yes, I`ll happily fly in a tin can with engines 40,000 feet up in the air...….yes, I know, weird. *

*I did think one day I might like to go on this little boat and see some beautiful dolphins in the wild, but again, I`m not keen, but I know Tom would love to do it. So, maybe one day...…(Lake Placid anyone!!!!) *














*I was ill watching these kayakers......they looked so relaxed and seemed to be loving it......all I could think was what if they bump into and annoy an alligator!!! Tom always laughs and says I need to relax around these things. I do love water though, and being close to it, even paddle in the sea, although not any more of that either!!! But, it is incredibly relaxing just being around water and listening to the gently swooshing waters lap the side of the boardwalk. *














*We sat for an hour or so just sitting and watching the world, or lack of world go past us.....and marvelled at such a relaxed pace of life here that so many shared. *

*I even got hold of the camera for a few moments.*














*Sadly our tranquility was disturbed by two ladies coming out to smoke, right beside us.....so we left at that point as there was no escaping the smoke they were emitting even with moving away slightly, and we waddled to the car where we were so glad to sit back for a while as our lunch still made us feel so full!!! *

*JB`s Fish Camp had been amazing. From the moment we entered till we left, they were brilliant. They really know how to run a restaurant and their food was some of the nicest we have tasted......hush puppies were the best ever!!! I know when we come back next year, it`ll be hard to bypass this place for somewhere else. It was so good. 

Tom asked if I wanted to drive home.....I declined as I just wanted to sit back and let this lunch go down...….so I did. *

*The journey home always seems quicker than getting here and soon enough we were parking the car and had no plans to go anywhere tonight. We had decided we wanted to stay in and watch a movie. Annabelle comes home was one of the movies we wanted to see, so bit of a lazy night, but one we like to do now and again. 

Into the lobby, we run into our friend, who I regaled with tales of how lovely the boardwalk had been and thanked him again for mentioning we should go there......he asked how Ocean Prime had been, he really likes it there too and I told him how it had been a bit of a disappointment. But, we did plan to go to Eddie V`s on Friday night to make up for it. He said let him book it for us, so we said thank you, we will. It`s always so kind he takes the time for us and we always appreciate it so much. We chatted away and had a good old catch up which is always lovely, before he headed off and we went up to our room to freshen up. 

I facetimed Kyle as soon as we went in and he was just in, so we had a lovely chat and caught up with each other`s stories. We do miss him, but he`s keeping busy and has plenty going on. Finally we say goodbye for now and arrange our next chat time. *

*As we weren't going out, we both enjoyed some wine in the lounge tonight....and absolutely no snacks tonight...…it was pulled pork which we do like to have a little taste of it with some sour cream and hot sauce......but we had no room whatsoever...…..not even for any cheese as Tom usually has a little taster of. *


































*We go back down to the room and open this bottle which had been sent....how lovely!!! 

As we got into the room turndown came to the door and we just said we`d take the water tonight, no need to do the bed or drapes......so we took the water and popped it in the fridge for later....although we do always have plenty of water in the fridge. *

*We like this wine!!! *














*Our view tonight was beautiful.......*
























*The movies are easy to order......and we are looking forward to this one.....I have to say it wasn't the best of the Annabelle movies, but it was nice just relaxing for an evening with a nice bottle of wine and a little later we ordered a pizza from Jake`s to share.

We asked for chicken, pepperoni, pineapple and jalapeno with a bbq sauce base......it took around 20 minutes from ordering it till it arrived, sizzling hot. *

*I did finally remember to take a picture after we had eaten almost half of it! And we didn't eat the whole thing tonight, but we did enjoy what we had of it.......and as we don't eat cold pizza the next day ever, the rest went in the trash!! I know many love cold pizza.....but not us. *














*We`d just had the best day.....doing not very much again. And we love days like this, just wandering around and taking our time doing everything, then sitting along the sofa at night watching a movie. Hardly candidates for the high life......but we loved it. *
*
It was around midnight before we went to bed, I can`t remember what we watched after the movie, but it passed some time and by midnight I was tired I have to admit. 
*
*We had no clue what we were going to do tomorrow, but we did know it was HHN again at night!!!! *


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## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> If I had been mistaken like that I probably would have had to have some enjoyment out of it too like saying, yup here on holiday finally retired from the crocodile wrangling and my wife yup writing them stories up in New York.............haha Crocodile Dundee!!!!!!!



lol.....it was amazing how many folks this trip particularly, when hearing me speak said I sounded Australian...….

The man was a little, shall we say different. It was a case of extricating ourselves as quick as possible......


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## J'aime Paris

Another great installment Carole!

Your stuffed flounder looks amazing, as does all the seafood!

I've only tried hushpuppies once in Alabama.  Maybe they weren't a good batch...I didn't like them at all.  In Wisconsin, I don't think I've seen them on a menu.  Mostly a southern thing I think.


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## NancyLuvsMickey

Love that you and Tom try out all the local spots!!!  Your JB's Fish Camp meals looks delicious!!!  I made a note of it under "future vacation plans"... I love eating seafood, especially fresh seafood... Where I live, all my uncles raise beef cattle so steaks are on the menu alot so I never order steak when we go out to eat... But seafood gets ordered every time!!!


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## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> Another great installment Carole!
> 
> Your stuffed flounder looks amazing, as does all the seafood!
> 
> I've only tried hushpuppies once in Alabama.  Maybe they weren't a good batch...I didn't like them at all.  In Wisconsin, I don't think I've seen them on a menu.  Mostly a southern thing I think.



Thanks Lori......glad you’re enjoying it!

The seafood there was phenomenal.......everything around us, and yes, we did have a good look....lol.....looked amazing. Didn’t see much left on anyone’s plate.

Yes, I’m guessing they’re Southern, I’ve never seen them on any NY menu we saw, of course they may be. But seen them a lot here. Well, Florida I mean.....the few occasions I’ve had them, they have been divine! I’m hooked!


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## schumigirl

NancyLuvsMickey said:


> Love that you and Tom try out all the local spots!!!  Your JB's Fish Camp meals looks delicious!!!  I made a note of it under "future vacation plans"... I love eating seafood, especially fresh seafood... Where I live, all my uncles raise beef cattle so steaks are on the menu alot so I never order steak when we go out to eat... But seafood gets ordered every time!!!



Oh we do like to get out and about and try as many local places as we can.........and I’d absolutely recommend that place to anyone!

I can see why you wouldn’t order steak when you go out where you live!! How marvellous to have that in your family! I’m so jealous!

There certainly are some amazing seafood places to choose from.....


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## Pumpkin1172

What a great trip report so far!!!!  I'm finally getting to comment and am all caught up!  

Your pictures are absolutely amazing...and making this colder weather we are having and with winter on the horizon...I'm just soooo enjoying all the sunshine, sky and beach pictures.  I think I'm gaining weight by just looking at your foodie pictures as well    So far...I would say you have had a pretty good trip so far!!!!


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## AprilDreamsOfDisney

I have to ask - what exactly are hush puppies?!?


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## Tgrgrl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> I have to ask - what exactly are hush puppies?!?


It‘s fried cornmeal  & usually has minced onions in it. Sounds strange but delicious with tartar sauce or Alabama white bbq sauce ( you can google that).


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## DisneyLifePapioNe

Tgrgrl said:


> It‘s fried cornmeal  & usually has minced onions in it. Sounds strange but delicious with tartar sauce or Alabama white bbq sauce ( you can google that).




We have Long John Silvers in the Midwest and they have hush puppies that come with the meals, I eat them with the tartar sauce!!!


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## I-4Bound

Hush puppies + cocktail sauce = ❤


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## disneyAndi14

I got so far behind, all caught up now!

Sorry your Birthday dinner wasn’t the best. I love your new purse, that is one of my favorite colors! Along with purple!

Sorry Minions made you feel yucky, I go in spurts with this happening to me. I really felt this way on our first night at IOA/US.

What is wrong with some restaurants? Lombards staff was rude and why on earth was the window seat such a problem when no one was even in there. I would have left like you all did

I love all your pictures and your different beach town visits. You have had a few misses with dining, however most of the places have been hits!


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## disneyAndi14

I forgot to say I love Hushpuppies yum! I wish I had some right now!


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## schumigirl

Pumpkin1172 said:


> What a great trip report so far!!!!  I'm finally getting to comment and am all caught up!
> 
> Your pictures are absolutely amazing...and making this colder weather we are having and with winter on the horizon...I'm just soooo enjoying all the sunshine, sky and beach pictures.  I think I'm gaining weight by just looking at your foodie pictures as well    So far...I would say you have had a pretty good trip so far!!!!



Thanks so much Pumpkin......

lol....I know what you mean about the pictures...I get hungry posting them!!! Seeing the sunshine and beaches with blue sky is making me homesick to get back...….it is cold here now!! Yes, we had a pretty darned good trip!!! 

But, I`m so glad you`re all caught up and enjoying it too......


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## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> I have to ask - what exactly are hush puppies?!?



Oh April....they are little bites of heaven wrapped up in delight and served with happiness!!!!!   

If food were medication this would be a cure for all ailments!!!! 

As described below...….they are delicious, if you ever see them on a menu, order them in a heartbeat. We don`t use a deep fat fryer at home, or I`d make them myself.....but I do like them as a vacation treat!


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## schumigirl

Tgrgrl said:


> It‘s fried cornmeal  & usually has minced onions in it. Sounds strange but delicious with tartar sauce or Alabama white bbq sauce ( you can google that).



 back Tgrgrl.....good to see you!!

We fell in love with them first time we tried them......yes, that place gave us a tartare sauce too, I must google the other sauce, never heard of that one. 

Nice to see you though, hope things are all good......


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## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> We have Long John Silvers in the Midwest and they have hush puppies that come with the meals, I eat them with the tartar sauce!!!



Tartar sauce seemed odd to us, as usually it`s only served with fish, but it was alright together. I did prefer the spicy butter which was a real treat!!


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## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> Hush puppies + cocktail sauce = ❤



Now that would be good!!!! 

We have a different shrimp cocktail sauce over here, basically ketchup and mayo with a little tabasco......that is good for everything!!!! 

I know one lady who works in Strong Water says that's the only thing she`ll dip fries in...….


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## schumigirl

disneyAndi14 said:


> I got so far behind, all caught up now!
> 
> Sorry your Birthday dinner wasn’t the best. I love your new purse, that is one of my favorite colors! Along with purple!
> 
> Sorry Minions made you feel yucky, I go in spurts with this happening to me. I really felt this way on our first night at IOA/US.
> 
> What is wrong with some restaurants? Lombards staff was rude and why on earth was the window seat such a problem when no one was even in there. I would have left like you all did
> 
> I love all your pictures and your different beach town visits. You have had a few misses with dining, however most of the places have been hits!





disneyAndi14 said:


> I forgot to say I love Hushpuppies yum! I wish I had some right now!



Another Hush Puppy fan!!!! Real comfort food if ever there was such a thing!!!

Thanks.....yes, I love that purse....and me too with the colours!! Grey and purple......we did one of the spare bedrooms those shades last year....oh I wish I had done our bedroom that way!! It`s a beautiful room!!!

I`m so disappointed with Minions. Yes, isn`t it horrible when it hits you like that.....

Lombards wasn`t a nice experience, so we`ll just avoid it now for a long time, but it all seemed so unnecessary. And later we did have a lovely secondary birthday dinner.......all coming up!!! 

Glad you`re still enjoying reading Caroline.......


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## schumigirl

*WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 18TH*​




*Today we woke up with not a clue what we were going to do.......and we love that! I always remember someone saying they hate not having a plan as they`d rather not waste time deciding at the last minute.......er, ok......I`ll happily lose those two or three minutes than have a scaled master plan or spread sheet.......I still can`t believe folks actually do that.....but, whatever makes you happy. I know our way of vacationing is not for everyone.

Before I was even properly awake, I said to Tom, do you want to do the Orlando Eye this morning......ok was the response.....morning decided.

As we were in no rush again today, we took our time to get ready, although our housekeeper knocked on the door a little later.....we are usually gone by this time......we said we`d only be 5 minutes. And we were. We put our sunscreen on so we didn`t need to come back again so we didn`t disturb her.

Breakfast was fairly busy this morning, so we ate a few items, Tom had coffee with his usual croissants with honey, and water for me with some continental meats, watermelon and some mini muffins. Not a bad way to start the day.

We thought we might have a drive to Downtown Kissimmee this morning first, just one of these places we hadn`t properly ventured to before.....we had got lost in that area before however!!! So we just wanted to see how it was.......so we got the car and headed off for a little expedition to Kissimmee.

We did put the satnav on and it took us a rather strange way we thought, but we followed it anyway and it took us to be driving down Universal Boulevard. Then we turned into Sand Lake Road, as if you were heading to the Florida Mall and in the distance we could see the flashy blue lights in the distance.....so we thought there had been an accident. As we got closer, traffic had more or less come to a standstill, but we were moving slowly.

I could see two officers standing in a grass verge beside some buildings as we got closer, and we saw there were five Sheriff`s cars parked up,  all lights flashing.......I was looking at the vehicles, and Tom said to me.......whatever you do don`t look left............

So, of course, as I never seem to do as I`m told.......I look left. Sadly a man had just been discovered murdered at the scene. He was close enough you could make out his whole body and that he had suffered some trauma, I thought it was a red shirt he had on, but no. You could see his face clearly and you could see he was obviously dead. The Officers had recently arrived and hadn`t been able to cover the body up yet since it was a crime scene. It wasn`t the nicest way to start the day, but of course a man had died in whatever circumstance and that was incredibly sad. When I checked the internet later, it did confirm it was murder and named the man. But haven`t read any updates since.

Well, we didn`t really feel like doing much now. To see a dead body like that was horrible. I did hope they got him removed as soon as possible.*

*We did drive to Kissimmee and to be honest we wandered around for a short time and left. There really isn`t that much there.*

*We drove to the Orlando Eye and put the sad start to the day behind us at this point. Although we`ve done this a few times, we had an ulterior motive for going up today......we wanted to see the land that was going to be the new Universal Park, and we`d be able to get some kind of a view from up here.

It`s well priced, and we said if Kyle wanted to do it again in December, we`d just get a private pod, especially if it was busy. So far, every time we have gone on this, we`ve been lucky to be on our own, and preferred it that way. The pods are quite small on this Eye, the ones on the London Eye are fairly large and hold much more people. So no real chance of getting on your own there. We must have had around another 20 or so people in there with us when we went up the London Eye. *














*They have a few food options here, all cafeteria style which we`ve never tried and they don`t really appeal to us, but they seem popular.

There are a couple of other things to do here including a small Seaworld which we wouldn't go into and a Madame Tussauds.....but, if you`ve been to one Tussaud`s you`ve seen them all.*
























*Before you go in you get a small bag check and then a photographer tries to get you to pose for pictures, we never bother with that on this.....but he did take a little offense because we didn't want any. Always a simple no thank you.......

A couple in front of us are loaded on just as we come through and again, we`ll get a pod to ourselves. I think we would have anyway as there are hardly any folks around.....I don't think we had ever seen it mobbed, and I guess because of the time we visit.*

























*Considering I don`t like heights, I quite like this.......as long as I can hold on to something I`m fine. And I do grip on like grim death!!!! And this picture was taken before we go too high...…..*















*I`m posting this picture but it makes me ill just looking at it......call it therapy!!!! But, it doesn`t work......*












*I do know when I do look over something high, everything does go kind of funny......and it`s not nice...

However, it doesn`t affect me when I`m on a plane funnily enough......usually bridges or tall buildings.......Tom has video of me up at the top of the Eiffel Tower years ago, the first time we went up it together.......I`m almost hugging the wall!!! But, I did it........

I do however, hate seeing anyone standing close to the edge of anything that`s high.......





*




​



*I do spend most of my time sitting in the middle and clinging to the metal pole......it does look ridiculous.......*
























*The views are very nice, and much better during the day than at night, or so I`m told. You can see for miles on a clear day, well past the airport and beyond.

This is Lockheed Martin which is going to have a new theme park as a neighbour soon.*


































*Looking to the other side these new apartments have popped up over the last year right beside Wal-Mart, it was just barren land before and you can see all the way down Turkey Lake Road is going to be developed too. It used to be deserted several years back save for one timeshare building down the bottom end near LBV. Now, there are villas and apartment buildings alongside new hotels too. 

The change of scenery and landscape over the last few years has been incredible. *














*I can move off the middle seat.......and I don`t even look nervous!!! *














*The next few are just a couple of images of the land being prepared for Universals new theme park due to open in 2023...….you can really see the huge amount of work going on here already and has been going on for over a year here.......we wondered what they were doing there a few years back before anything had been announced. 

You can see how massive a piece of land it is now it`s been properly cleared........and I really don`t think the pictures do the size justice. *












































*Tom insists I get a picture to prove I can stand up on my own...….he`s a hoot!!! *














*You are on it around 30 minutes, it doesn't feel as if you`re moving really, so if you are a little wary of heights and movement, it`s not too bad. However, if you have a genuine death type of fear of heights, this won`t be for you...…we do like it and enjoy it, despite the vice like death grip I have on the metal pole!!! 

Outside of the Eye, the grounds are very pretty......there is a beautiful water display which we didn`t manage to capture, it does look lovely at night all lit up. As does the whole place look lovely then. And it is always quite a vibrant place to spend some time. *
























*We could barely take this as the sun was incredibly bright today and in our face too......*























*Up next.....lunch and HHN.*


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

Ahhhh September 18th......my birthday!!!!!


----------



## schumigirl

*Lunch today was an old favourite. 

Yellow Dog Eats in Gotha, which is around a 20 minute drive from RP, so not far at all. This place is unique to say the least, and we discovered it a few years ago on a recommendation. We almost drove past it as it is in quite an unusual place for an establishment like this. 

The guy who owns it is incredibly nice and says they don`t get a huge amount of tourists, and some of the locals like it like that way, can`t say I blame them.....places like this are wonderful and quite different from what you get nearer the parks usually. *

*It sits in such a quiet little place, we never expected it to be so busy the first time we visited.....but we soon saw why when we enjoyed the food. *

*It is predominantly a sandwich place, but not like most folks think of sandwiches.....they do ribs too which we`ve had before but the sandwiches are all unique and a little bit different. *
























*We park round the back where there is plenty of parking, but they do have an overflow car park across the street, I`m guessing maybe at night that`ll be needed. 

There is lots of outdoor seating, actually most of the seating is outdoor and only a few seats inside, with some seating at the bar. *













































*They are very dog friendly, there are pictures of dogs from all over the world, people bring pictures of their pets and put them on the wall, some scrawl a message too which is completely acceptable, and encouraged. *















*They also sell some amazing jars and bottles of sauce, which we have purchased in the past, and are delicious. *














*You order at the counter, pay and then they call your name over the loudspeaker and usually there`s a funny comment to go along with your order. If you have soda, it`s a help yourself as often as you like from the machine in the restaurant. 

There`s also a full bar which has the most unique wines and beers I`ve ever seen......but not today......soda for us. *














*Tom had ordered the Black forest Hambone......Ham, smoked gouda cheese, smoked pineapple, smokey mustard and Cointreau mayonnaise.....but omitted that type of mayo for spicy mayo. *














*I went with my favourite….The Rufus.....pulled pork that had been piled high, lots of Brie, jalapenos, cherry pepper rings, raspberry melba sauce and their own Golds Barbecue sauce......you can add bacon, or weirdly......fruit loops!!!!! 


Fruit Loops????


No fruit loops. *














*Everything is delicious...….Tom`s sandwich is his best sandwich ever...I do get a bit of the pineapple and it is amazing!!! He loved the ham and cheese together and I`ve never seen him enjoy a sandwich so much!!! *

*My Rufus is the best!!!! Pulled Pork, Brie and jalapenos.....can`t ask for better.....and a little pot of coleslaw too.....*

*He did suggest at first we share and go halves on each of them...….*














*I did have a little Joey doesn't share food moment!!! In truth, I don't like and can`t eat the bread he had, but he does love mine apart from too many jalapenos......thing is Tom would share anything of his with me, but I am a little selfish when it comes to this sandwich!!! 

Although we are basically full, we did want to share a slice of coconut cake....it really is beautiful here and honestly, one slice is enough between two......

It is so sweet and such a strong coconut flavour…...we absolutely love this cake...well, anything coconut will work for us!!! *














*They do have an amazing bakery and everything looks so tempting. We have tried a few things, one of the nicest after the coconut cake is the butter bar!!!! Oh my......it is cake perfection!!!! And I`ve heard very few calories......in fact they don`t contain any calories I`ve been assured........*












































*Everything is gorgeous.....we love this place, staff are beyond nice and have a genuine quirkiness about them....it`s not just a run of the mill sandwich place. And the food is worth a drive, even though it`s not too far from Universal. *














*We leave and head back down to the hotel area, and we decide last minute to go do a bit of shopping in Bed Bath & Beyond......we really shouldn't be shopping......we still have almost two weeks to go, and a lot of shopping to do in that time, so we did what all sensible folks do.....we went anyway. 

To be fair we didn`t buy much......just a couple of little kitchen implements and maybe a towel or two........they wouldn`t take up much room in the cases....we hoped!! *

*We spent a couple of hours mooching around a couple of stores, then headed home for the evening. We were doing HHN later, so we were in no rush to go anywhere. *

*We love the lobby and entrance to RP.......and we hoped it wouldn`t change much in the next phase of the refurb. *
























*We already knew they were keeping the elephants in the centre, although many of the folks we know questioned the theme of the hotel now.....do they still fit in? They are part of the core of the hotel. *












































*We passed half an hour or so in the room, we got changed and headed up to the lounge to sit before getting the boat to Studios. The pool had been closed this afternoon as it had rained with thunder and lightning for two hours

Tonight was Mediterranean night, not that we were eating anything, we planned to eat in Citywalk later, but this dish was surprisingly popular...…it was shrimp and sausage paella...…with the usual side dishes and a fresh salad. *



































*We did enjoy a couple of glasses of wine tonight as neither of us was driving anywhere, and enjoyed some lovely chats with staff and guests alike tonight......there were some lovely friendly people in the lounge who enjoyed a chat too. 

Some folks like to chat, some don't. We find most people do like to have a conversation or two and many times we`ve sat for ages chatting to someone we`ve just met. *

*But, soon enough it was time for us to head off for another night of horror and fun!!! *



*HHN coming up...…..*


----------



## keishashadow

Fruit Loops? Lol 

Nice shot of the park-to-be!



schumigirl said:


> Oh April....they are little bites of heaven wrapped up in delight and served with happiness!!!!!


you either love them or hate them . I’m in the latter camp.  Was told by southern friends the name came by what the treat was designed to do...hush the puppies around the fish camps who were begging for food.  Not sure if true, but liked the sound of the story.   will say only one of my dogs over the years would touch the ones that Long John Silvers insists on adding to their take out meals.

i use ready made Heinz cocktail sauce as a dipper on many things.  Just the right amount of bite for me.


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> Fruit Loops? Lol
> 
> Nice shot of the park-to-be!
> 
> 
> you either love them or hate them . I’m in the latter camp.  Was told by southern friends the name came by what the treat was designed to do...hush the puppies around the fish camps who were begging for food.  Not sure if true, but liked the sound of the story.   will say only one of my dogs over the years would touch the ones that Long John Silvers insists on adding to their take out meals.
> 
> i use ready made Heinz cocktail sauce as a dipper on many things.  Just the right amount of bite for me.



Yes, the view from the Eye over to the new park is impressive. And it does look bigger in real life.......it’s huge!

Now, I’d have guessed you’d have liked Hush Puppies.....and that’s the story I was told as to the name too. Although if your dogs wouldn’t eat them.....makes you wonder!

Love that as cocktail sauce.......


----------



## Pumpkin1172

The Orlando Eye does look like it would be  great thing to do.  Those views are pretty impressive.  I know with pictures it is hard to get the whole view on how large the area really is...but in those pictures...it looks pretty big...which is awesome!  


Your lunch joint, looks like my type of place.  I would probably pass on anything with a fruit  ( especially the pineapple  ) on a burger. I don't think I would try anything with a fruity thing in it. But that's just me. But the selection of desserts...OH MY   That is a pretty impressive selection.  I'm just weird when it comes to fruit on my more savory dishes.  But I'm pretty sure I would be able to find something to eat there.  

And I've never had a hush puppy  but it sounds like something that I would like!!!!


----------



## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Ahhhh September 18th......my birthday!!!!!



I just noticed this post DLPN!!! 

Yes, hope you had a lovely birthday...….I do like birthdays, although the number seems to be getting lower for some unknown reason......


----------



## schumigirl

Pumpkin1172 said:


> The Orlando Eye does look like it would be  great thing to do.  Those views are pretty impressive.  I know with pictures it is hard to get the whole view on how large the area really is...but in those pictures...it looks pretty big...which is awesome!
> 
> 
> Your lunch joint, looks like my type of place.  I would probably pass on anything with a fruit  ( especially the pineapple  ) on a burger. I don't think I would try anything with a fruity thing in it. But that's just me. But the selection of desserts...OH MY   That is a pretty impressive selection.  I'm just weird when it comes to fruit on my more savory dishes.  But I'm pretty sure I would be able to find something to eat there.
> 
> And I've never had a hush puppy  but it sounds like something that I would like!!!!



We love meat with fruit!!! Apart from steak.....strictly nothing touches that...….but yes, you are either are a fruit with meat person, or you aren't.....I`m definitely a pineapple on pizza gal!!! But, I can understand those that don't like it......

Oh you need to try a hush puppy......very moreish!!! 

It is a fabulous place, and they don't put fruit in everything......the desserts are fabulous. We told the owner a few visits ago his coconut cake is miles better than 4Rivers.....which is amazing! He was pretty happy to hear that...…..

It is a huge piece of land. Plans don't show how large it really is, it`s going to be phenomenal!!!


----------



## smiths02

You are brave!  I am not sure I could handle the Eye!  I probably won't bother for Orlando.  If I ever get to London, I might have to convince myself to do it.
I went on a ferris wheel with my son at a local festival, and it was not crowded, so we got our money's worth with an extra long ride (we might have gotten to go through a few extra cycles).  I just kept thinking that I really didn't need the ride to last that long LOL  Of course, I had to act like I was calm for my son. 
I guess I could tell myself that the Eye is a lot safer than a local carnival.


----------



## schumigirl

*As we headed down to the boat tonight, we commented it did feel a little cooler than it had been earlier today...….it had been 92F earlier, tonight it went down to 78F.....I was almost at the point of being cold!!! 

We headed off to what Tom had renamed as Universal`s Not so Scary Halloween Party...….sadly this years, apart from a couple of houses, hadn't been of the usual level of fear...….the name seemed apt somehow....it`s very rare for Tom to comment like this, but although we still loved the event it hadn't been the same as previous years, especially the earlier years we had gone to. 

But, all the same, we planned to have a good evening tonight...….*

*We made our way in the hotel guest entrance and straight into the least scary zone ever.....*

*I was looking so far ahead tonight, I didn`t even see this guy in front of me, and let out a screech when I did focus on him...…lol......Tom didn't catch the jump back on camera.......he wished he did!!!! *
























*The SA were good as ever, but lacked the fear factor. Even when it was dark, it just didn't work as a scare zone....well, for us, I`m guessing there were many people who did enjoy it. *













*We went straight to Ghostbusters first which was showing a 25 minute regular line wait, we got on in less than 5 minutes........and again the house was a lot of fun. I have to say, I did like the Stay Puft Man......but, I think they could have done it slightly better.....I`m not sure how as I`m not  a design team person, but I`m sure it could have been better. 

The house was as good as always, but the guys who herd you along were a little forceful tonight for want of a better word. When you are walking as fast as the line allows, you really don`t need to be yelled at to keep moving......we noticed in a few houses some of them were more keen than others at shouting out keep moving. The guy behind us asked him where did he expect us go..... It`s not as though we were stopping, the line was moving. Most of the TM are excellent, but we did notice one or two who seemed to enjoy being more animated than others. *














*You may wonder why I`ve taken pictures of bathrooms...….well, it does say Beware...…..

The guys who worked this area were very funny!!! And caught more than a few people out!!*














*The Yeti showed 40 minutes and we walked straight on, only stopping for a few seconds while the Yeti`s changed shifts. Love this house!!! 

Those guys in that house were magnificent......so much to take in and so much going on around the house......the scares were excellent and we timed it well tonight to see the excellent scene at the beginning with the yeti and the man laid on the bench......it looked amazing, if a little gory. *














*US showed a 25 minute wait, and again, we walked on.....and we loved this house tonight. It was creepy and everything it should be. I wished it had been as good the first night we saw it. It was excellent, but I still never ranked it higher and I`m not sure why......maybe because I didn`t really enjoy the movie, I`m not sure. *



































*It was busy now...….not as many young teens screeching tonight, but so many pushchairs and young children. SA for the most part, do avoid the little ones, but it`s not always possible....and one TM told us later they had seen a woman trip over a pushchair avoiding a SA. Maybe that'll change next year but I doubt it...….*














*Back into the Hellbilly zone is fun!! SA really got into their roles every single time and their enthusiasm was infectious. *














*We wanted to watch the AOV show tonight, and it was just a little early, so we had a quick wander into Potter for a while.....*
























*We do love Diagon Alley at night, with HHN there`s a few folks rumbling around, but it`s never usually that busy. It`s an ideal way for folks who haven't been to the parks but do go to HHN as a chance to see Potter in the Studios. *
























*We don`t do Gringotts tonight, mainly because we wanted to see the next showing of AOV and usually the rides don't take precedence on these nights. *













































*We did do AOV. I didn`t particularly care for it. I hated the contortionist guy......that is freaky!!! It was a bit like a train crash though....I couldn't not look...…..

I did wonder how much the dancers were utilised from previous years and something just didn`t grip us with the show which we had previously enjoyed. 

I hate to say it, but we were the two people who didn't stay till the end of this show.....and I`ve never done that before. We kept saying please bring back a very funny Bill and Ted for next years anniversary year...…*














*The TM let us out and we headed back towards the Hellbilly Zone......we weren't doing the back houses tonight, we`d do them another night, so we were just mooching around now...…and enjoying just relaxing with nowhere to rush to. *














*We caught the water show tonight too, and it was the best water show they have ever done!!! Everything shown was classic and everyone seemed to love it........we didn`t get any decent pictures of the show, so won`t post them, but we did enjoy just watching without taking pictures. I`m almost positive this`ll be back next year! And even better, it wasn`t completely mobbed tonight. We stood to the left of where the projection was and saw it just fine. If we had the chance we`d watch this again in a heartbeat. 

We did go into Killer Klowns.......there was no one else in the EP line so we walked straight in. And yes, this house works on so many levels...I admit I wasn`t sure when they announced it, the Scare Zone last year took a while to grow on me, so this was a nice surprise how fun it was. 

It was late now and we were hungry...…..so we ended up in an old favourite at the bar...….Margaritaville. *

*We love the bar here...….very friendly, guys really know what they`re doing with drinks and food is decent. Not the best, but always reliable.....*

*Tom ordered a Mango Margarita and I chose my usual Blackberry Margarita......yes, I had my own straw again. *














*Tom decided to have the ribs, and I chose the coconut shrimp appetiser…...two of our favourite dishes in here..*














*We did wait a little longer than usual for the food, but we just ordered another drink each while we waited...…..no hardship there!!! 

And it was delicious when it arrived, and sizzling hot!!! *














*There is always a friendly atmosphere in here and tonight it wasn't too busy at the bar, the tables seemed to be busy despite it being quite late. 

Messy hair is unavoidable after a night wandering round HHN! *














*We sat and chatted and we were chatting to the couple beside us who recognised us from the hotel, they were staying 3 nights and weren't doing HHN....they had never heard of it????*














*They really hadn't heard of it till the arrived here and the front desk asked if they were here for the event...…..we told them they had to go tomorrow night...….we gave them a run down of what they hadn't heard yet and told them how amazing it was...…..I`m not sure if they went or not, but I hope they did. But, I was amazed folks would come to a hotel and not research what was going on at that time!!! 

At this point, our tranquility was about to be disturbed. 

A load of convention people arrived...….what is it about convention people that they have to be so loud!!!! Unfortunately for us, they stood around us and behind us. Our companions had since departed and one sat down beside me, which was fine...….but he immediately began to yell at someone over the other side of the bar...….while a group of four guys behind us began shouting over each other...….

Yes, I`m aware it`s a bar and people can be as loud as they like......but.....this guy yelling in my ear to a woman over the other side....completely over the other side....got too much...….

I yelled back...…...but quietly...….. 

I suggested maybe he`d prefer to go round to chat to his companion rather than permanently deafen me, I`d be eternally grateful. Tom had meanwhile asked the guys behind him to stop yelling in his ear.....yes, we are the party poopers!!!! 

One guy apologised and moved away...….the others weren't as happy....and maybe rightly so......but they are so loud!!!! The barman concurred and said it`s always the same......you can spot conference folks a mile away!!! Glad it wasn't just us. 

We decided to leave just as one of them spilled some of his beer over someone else round the far side of the bar...….yep.....time to go. *

*Walking back home was pleasant as it was noticeably cooler tonight, of course it was around midnight now......there were a few people on the path, and I wouldn't feel unsafe walking here alone I don't think. It`s well lit and security do patrol the paths regularly.......*

*Back in our room we went straight to bed. No tv for us, we were both shattered...…..but ready to begin another day soon. *


----------



## schumigirl

smiths02 said:


> You are brave!  I am not sure I could handle the Eye!  I probably won't bother for Orlando.  If I ever get to London, I might have to convince myself to do it.
> I went on a ferris wheel with my son at a local festival, and it was not crowded, so we got our money's worth with an extra long ride (we might have gotten to go through a few extra cycles).  I just kept thinking that I really didn't need the ride to last that long LOL  Of course, I had to act like I was calm for my son.
> I guess I could tell myself that the Eye is a lot safer than a local carnival.



The London Eye is so much better than Orlando. Although there is a lot to see around you in London, and it`s wonderful at night. We went in November and it rained which hampered the view slightly, but so many things close by to see all lit up. 

I can`t do Ferris Wheels......lol....so I think you`re braver than me for doing that......my friend as a teenager scared me half to death by rocking it back and forwards when we got stuck at the top.....I was convinced she was going to topple us out altogether!!! Took me all my time to go on it in the first place! 

So, yes I`d say the Eye is definitely safer, and more comfortable too


----------



## NancyLuvsMickey

schumigirl said:


> We headed off to what Tom had renamed as Universal`s Not so Scary Halloween Party...….



Tom's comment cracks me up!!!


----------



## schumigirl

NancyLuvsMickey said:


> Tom's comment cracks me up!!!



lol.......he has his moments!!

He once had me laughing so hard when I was pregnant I almost gave birth.......I was almost full term thankfully!


----------



## Pumpkin1172

I have to agree....loud people are disruptive.  My ears can only handle loud for so long.  It drains my energy very fast.  Once I'm at the low  end of my tolerance, it can take me some time to recharge again.  I don't handle loud well.  But then again, I'm a little quirky lol  i admit it   

Those drinks look and probably tasted divine after walking around HHN.  I know I would need a couple of beverages after doing that!!!!!  And your hair looked lovely!!!!! I totally look like Monica from Friends when she is in the Bahamas when I'm in the humidity.  Someone commented in my Mexico pictures on FB about my hair always being pulled back and my bangs looking funny.  My hair would look great coming out of the villa room....by the time we got to the walking path...my bangs would already be curling and looking all wonky.  Even the hubby commented on my hair OH well...can't look like a model all the time ( doing the little hair toss lol ) 


I know your braver than me going to HHN... I don't think I could do it.  I love to look at your pictures and it looks soooo fun.


----------



## keishashadow

Curious, did you find the posted wait times for the houses a bit all over the place this year too? 



schumigirl said:


> We kept saying please bring back a very funny Bill and Ted for next years anniversary year...…


...from your lips!  Yes, please, B&T need to return


schumigirl said:


> We caught the water show tonight too, and it was the best water show they have ever done!!! Everything shown was classic and everyone seemed to love it.......


Agree 100%, was so pleasantly surprised



schumigirl said:


> We did go into Killer Klowns.......there was no one else in the EP line so we walked straight in. And yes, this house works on so many levels.


See above lol, such a ‘fun house’.



schumigirl said:


> I can`t do Ferris Wheels......lol....so I think you`re braver than me for doing that......my friend as a teenager scared me half to death by rocking it back and forwards when we got stuck at the top.....I was convinced she was going to topple us out altogether!!! Took me all my time to go on it in the first place!


They aren’t my favorite either although for some reason I do enjoy the double Ferris wheel types.  Have you seen the type they have at Disneyland’s California Adventure?  I nearly passed out the first time I felt the car move/slide lol


----------



## Tgrgrl

schumigirl said:


> back Tgrgrl.....good to see you!!
> 
> We fell in love with them first time we tried them......yes, that place gave us a tartare sauce too, I must google the other sauce, never heard of that one.
> 
> Nice to see you though, hope things are all good......


We are great! We were so, so busy with all the October/Halloween activities & now jumping right into the Holiday season but I wouldn’t have it any other way with my Littles! Enjoying your wonderful trip report so far........


----------



## schumigirl

Pumpkin1172 said:


> I have to agree....loud people are disruptive.  My ears can only handle loud for so long.  It drains my energy very fast.  Once I'm at the low  end of my tolerance, it can take me some time to recharge again.  I don't handle loud well.  But then again, I'm a little quirky lol  i admit it
> 
> Those drinks look and probably tasted divine after walking around HHN.  I know I would need a couple of beverages after doing that!!!!!  And your hair looked lovely!!!!! I totally look like Monica from Friends when she is in the Bahamas when I'm in the humidity.  Someone commented in my Mexico pictures on FB about my hair always being pulled back and my bangs looking funny.  My hair would look great coming out of the villa room....by the time we got to the walking path...my bangs would already be curling and looking all wonky.  Even the hubby commented on my hair OH well...can't look like a model all the time ( doing the little hair toss lol )
> 
> 
> I know your braver than me going to HHN... I don't think I could do it.  I love to look at your pictures and it looks soooo fun.



lol....I like quirky!!!! 

Yes, I can adapt to noise, but when someone is just bellowing right beside your ear, it`s time to say something......and I`m not afraid to speak up.....what amazed me was the guys face.....he was totally oblivious to what he was doing......he did go around though. 

Drinks were lovely....they do a mean cocktail in there! Oh the hair....lol....I look like I`ve stuck my head in the shower!!! My hair either goes flat and wet looking or if the humidity is abd, exactly like you describe......I couldn`t blow dry my hair that wild!!! 

HHN is a lot of fun!!!!


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> Curious, did you find the posted wait times for the houses a bit all over the place this year too?
> 
> 
> ...from your lips!  Yes, please, B&T need to return
> 
> Agree 100%, was so pleasantly surprised
> 
> 
> See above lol, such a ‘fun house’.
> 
> 
> They aren’t my favorite either although for some reason I do enjoy the double Ferris wheel types.  Have you seen the type they have at Disneyland’s California Adventure?  I nearly passed out the first time I felt the car move/slide lol



Yes, they weren't always as accurate as you`d think. When GB was showing as 25 minutes, the regular line looked far longer....but the night it showed 55 minutes, it looked much shorter. 

I wish I had the power to bring it back!!! Bill & Ted when it was at it`s peak was hilarious......with a couple of good writers and a few obvious digs at Disney, of which they do have a lot of ammunition right now.....lol.....it would be fabulous!!!! 

I do like to be pleasantly surprised and the Klowns house did just that....and the water show was incredible.....I think everyone said it`ll be back next year. I hope so. 

No, never saw the things you mentioned.....I`ll have to go Google.....don`t like the sound of that.....


----------



## schumigirl

Tgrgrl said:


> We are great! We were so, so busy with all the October/Halloween activities & now jumping right into the Holiday season but I wouldn’t have it any other way with my Littles! Enjoying your wonderful trip report so far........



Glad to hear it, I can imagine the fun you`ve had.....kids and Halloween are perfect together...…..

And I`m glad you`re reading along and enjoying it......


----------



## schumigirl

*THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 19TH*​




*It was a fairly early rise this morning, and as always, the forecast was telling us it was to be a beautiful day again.......that was what we loved to see......sunny all day. 

Up in the lounge, we saw an Australian family who we had chatted to a couple of times, looking a little perturbed. Turns out they were going to a villa for two weeks, but found out this morning it had been cancelled!!! I couldn`t even imagine what they were going through. It had been booked through AirB&B......they were checking if there was any rooms if they needed to stay another night or at another hotel......what a nightmare.....we discovered later they had found something with the Villa people, so we were glad to hear all was well in the end. 

Breakfast was short as we had chatted a while to the family, so we ate and left and headed to IOA.  

When we walk to IOA we always cut through the pool. We love this pool.......for us, it`s perfect.....always have plenty of loungers and when we are here, it`s never too busy. We like the ambience of the pool area...there`s a lot going on for kids and adults during the day and it never feels too boisterous or wild. It can be lively of course and the music they play makes the atmosphere even better. 

It`s deep enough to swim in, and shallow enough for the non swimmers to be able to paddle around without feeling too out of their depth. *














*The splash area is incredibly popular with kids......of all ages it seems!!! We`ve seen many dads enjoy the splash area too.*















*Once on the path, you get a beautiful view of Sapphire and Aventura and of course the boats that run frequently, and at this time of the morning you`ll never wait too long for one as there`s usually one following as one leaves. *















*Although the boat is a very nice way to get to Citwalk, and convenient too, the walking path is beautiful. There are some lovely areas of shade which helps in this heat and is nice to get a reprieve from the sun. *
























*Once in the park we headed into the store for a cool down, and then after five minutes of examining the stock we knew so well, headed back outside. 

Hulk is incredibly impressive as you turn to see it in all it`s majesty....it is an impressive coaster, and even better when you`re on it. The take off on this one is worth the head banging *














*Our favourite restaurant in IOA. *















*We again, go down to the lagoon and have a look around to see everything that`s visible from the edge...…..it is a very pretty area, and I`m not sure what they could do with it, but it seems a shame to not do anything, although it is a little on the small side I guess for them to do anything that would be impressive, and the new coaster going in over the other side may take up some of that area too. *

























*This little area has a few little wonders for kids and adult to enjoy a quick look at.......they don`t do anything, but fit in well with the theme of the area. *



































*Wandering into Seuss is an absolute joy, with all the colours and vibrancy of everything. 

Someone recently commented the parks were badly in need of being painted and hadn`t been kept to a standard...…well, we`re still looking for that.......paintwork everywhere looked fresh and bright, and we saw several areas that were being worked on while we were there...….they really do a good job of keeping everything fresh and bright, and the parks looked great to us who know them very well and would notice any lack of upkeep if it was there. *

*But, I digress........*

*It is incredibly bright here......and some lovely little rides for kids and adults.....even if they are a little out there.......CiTH for one...…..*














*This area again, was very quiet this morning, but it was still quite early *












































*We did CiTH and marvelled again at the brain behind such creatures, and the ride is now less spinny than it used to be, so a little more pleasant than it was. I did find the spins a little much even on such a kiddy ride back then.

The trolley train is also almost deserted this morning.....we didn't get a train to ourselves like the last time, but there were only three other folks on it. It`s a fun little ride and you do get to see the park from a nice angle....*















*Heading towards the Lost Continent is a complete change of pace......while Seuss can feel frenetic and vibrant, although maybe a little quiet this morning, Lost Continent stands proud with some amazing and majestic buildings. 

And the flame was back this morning...…..*















*Mythos is as impressive at the front as it is at the rear of the building, and surely must win the prize as one of the most photographed buildings in the parks.......it is stunning. We will go back and eat here at some point. Just not yet. *
















*Poseidon`s Fury is another thing we don`t do anymore.....if you haven't done it and have some time go for it.....the water vortex at the end is quite impressive, but it`s not something we ever feel the need to do again. 

But, the building itself is stunning. And huge...….perfect for future expansions when they finally get around to it. I think the new park has taken away from any early plans they may have had for this building. There`s always been rumours, but for now it seems to have died down. *

























*This is a lovely little store to walk around......we didn't go in today, but I posted some pictures of the inside in a previous post.......*



































*Fire Eaters Grill is somewhere we haven't eaten in for many years...….but we did love the Chicken Stingers......and they were surprisingly hot!!! Kyle enjoyed the plain chicken ones as he doesn't like a lot of spice......he doesn`t take after us at all with that!!! He has never liked food that is too spicy, although I do make a southern fried chicken that I do add an awful lot of pepper and Cayenne pepper to, and he loves that. 

I am always careful though as I once completely forgot one friend didn't eat any spicy food and when they were over for dinner, I had made the food all spicy.......he started eating and then it hit him......and me.......*












*Everyone else loved it  except him...….oops!!!! I did have food he liked in the fridge and rapidly whipped him up something else!!! And even though it was around ten years ago now, he never, ever lets me forget it....... 

As we passed the Fountain we saw there wasn`t going to be a relaxing time watching him interact with folks this morning......

This was the line for folks waiting to get into Hagrid`s ride......*















*We`d wait for another day thanks. Although at least the sun wasn`t too hot right now and blazing down on everyone, that must be awful...….and now, despite what the weather folks had said earlier.....it was looking distinctly like rain as we headed in to Hogsmeade. 


More coming up............*


----------



## schumigirl

*We passed by the line for Hagrid`s and headed into Hogsmeade.....again, today there was no conductor to enjoy pictures with, there usually is and they are incredibly engaging. And very much into the character.*














*One of the nicest wand spells there is, sits above the candy store.....and it is enchanting to watch little ones manage the spell...….*














*The water pours and when they manage the spell, the cauldron tips over displaying more of these delightful if a little mischievous creatures......who can forget the scene in the first movie with Neville Longbottom!!!*















*The 3 B`s is also impressive from the exterior, as is everything in Potter areas.....the incredible detail in everything her still blows us away every single time.*


































*Sometimes trying to get pictures of some of the buildings can be hard with crowds, but today we got a little lucky even though there were a few crowds around.*


































*Wandering round to the Castle is always a pleasure. It is beautiful, even today when it was decidedly dull. We did wonder where the blue skies we were promised were!*
























*We did a quick ride on FJ which was fabulous as always, we dropped off the camera and bag as we were both riding it today......we got on incredibly fast and thoroughly enjoyed it today. And a once only today.*
*
As we came off the ride and back outside the rain did start and it got quite heavy......we made it in to the Hog`s Head just before it got really bad.
*
*Not too many people come in here for Butterbeer, but if the line is long outside at the cart, coming in here is usually a lesser wait.*














*I think this is my favourite area of this pub...….to stand and listen at the bottom of the stairs is very entertaining......I love listening to the house elves rumble about above.*














*We shared a pumpkin fizz and sat the rain out while we enjoyed the surroundings, and for a while the rain was fairly heavy, but it didn't last long.....maybe ten minutes max. 








*


























*Back outside and it was already dry...….considering how heavy the rain had been we were surprised, but the heat certainly dried it up in no time. 

This little display hadn`t been here last time we were here in May.*















*Coming up.......lunch and another quiet evening. *


----------



## keishashadow

Nice to see so many of our favorite little gems pictured above.  

Too many guests rush through the parks to HP & other headliners,  never botherig to stop & smell the roses.


----------



## schumigirl

*At this point we decided we would head out of the park and back home to shower and head out for lunch. During the walk back we did feel as though we were actually melting.....and it wasn't just as hot today as it had been......I think it got to around 88F. *

*It was a relief to get back into the cool of the room and once we were showered we headed down to get the car. Tom walked down to the car park and I waited as I was chatting to one of the Valet guys. *

*Before Tom came back I got a couple of snaps of the area...….*
























*Today we were going to another old favourite……Teak Neighborhood Grill. *

*A short ten minute max drive from here, we have been visiting this place for many years and it has always been exceptional. They have had a couple of changes of management, but standards have always been high and it`s such a friendly place, and a very local place although they do get a lot of tourists. *

*The Metro West area is very nice, and there are some lovely little areas around, mostly gated communities around this part. *














*It`s usually seat yourself during the day and it can be really busy most days, today it`s not too bad so we get a far table and we are handed menu`s and she asked what we wanted to drink. 

Tom gets a lemonade and I have some water and a Chardonnay.....*















*Staff here are consistent and very friendly. Some have worked here for a long time and there are sometimes a few new faces.....and I guessed our waitress was new as we didn`t recognise her at all. But she was very nice........*














*I`m very boring here, and always order the Donut Burger......same way......medium well, no cheese and add a side of jalapeno......and served with sidewinders.....

Tom opted for something rather different today, he went for the mac n cheese skillet and added a grilled chicken breast.......and it came with a salad........

The chef came out a few moments later and asked how I wanted the jalapenos......well, no one here had ever asked me that before!!! Did I want them raw or sauteed, on the side or on the burger...….so I asked if I could have them lightly sautéed and on the burger....easy. 

Tom`s salad was fresh and tasty and not completely filled with lettuce which was nice.......plenty of tomatoes, onion and other tasty items. *















*If he had known the size of the portion he`d never have added the chicken breast.....it was huge!!!! And would easily have fed three people comfortably........he barely made a dent in it being honest. The picture doesn’t show how huge it was.

But, it was delicious......very creamy and full of sauce that tasted so good!! *

















*My burger was as lovely as always...…..and with the donut, it was a gorgeous mix of meat, sweet, spicy and full of flavour. And burgers are always well cooked, just as you ask for. *














*Sidewinders might just be my new favourite way of eating potato! *














*We have a very relaxing lunch and spend some time chatting to the owner who is always keen to know everyone enjoys their food...and we had. In 12 years of eating here, even before it was Teak, food has always been amazing. He asks if i belong to a British site that`s like this one, I say I used to be but haven`t been for many years...…and he said they get a lot of Brits who read about it on there. I do remember folks there mentioning it, but we heard of it from someone local who worked at Disney all those years ago. 

So, our time passed as we chatted away after our meal. I knew we`d be back again, and maybe even at night, although live music can be so loud in here....you can barely hear yourself think. But, it had been a while since we were here at night. *

*We paid our check and headed out into the heat of the afternoon. *

*It is a beautiful little area round here. *
























*We drive off and head to the Post Office on Turkey Lake Road. I still send my mum and my aunt on Long Island a postcard.....they do like to get them, I never send them to anyone else though. 

Wal-Mart is on the same road, so, we pop into for a few items......I always seem to spend so much money in here despite only coming in for bits and bobs!!! And we forget to leave at times it seems. But, we do enjoy wandering around.....which is strange as I hate grocery shopping back home. *

*Driving back home we park the car and decide we are staying onsite tonight again. *

*The sun isn`t just as bright, so we go up to the room to drop our purchases off and get into our swimming costumes.....we decided to have an hour or so in the pool.....

Sitting by the pool during the day is something we very rarely do as it`s usually too sunny or too warm. Today was neither so we took advantage of it. We did find an umbrella to sit under and we had put more sun screen on. *

*We each had a coke from the Bula Bar and only Tom went in the water for a swim. But, it was a lovely way to spend a relaxing hour or so. And it wasn`t too busy either, we had our choice of loungers and areas too. *

*Once we had showered, again we went up to the lounge where again it was one of the nicer dishes, chicken mac n cheese and my favourite dish of potato salad.*




































*It was a little busier tonight, of course it being a HHN too......we just didn`t feel like going tonight. So we passed our time chatting to folks who sat beside us or the lovely staff. And time always passes so quickly. 

We did feel like a change of scenery tonight, although not much of a change......so we went down to Orchids which was temporarily located in the private dining room where the Club Lounge had been relocated last year while it was being refurbed. We thought we`d have a couple of drinks and then order some food later when we were hungry. 

It was freezing when we walked in, absolutely perishing.........so much so I almost walked straight back out.......*











*Almost!!!! *

*I think they adjusted the heating as a few folks mentioned how cold it was.....it hadn`t been this cold last year in here. 

It soon warmed up.........wine will do that for you 

Easy choice for a drink tonight, we ordered a bottle of cabernet to share...*














*Talon was our waiter tonight, and we knew him from previous visits up in Orchids, nice guy. 

They always do a special dish, and the one they had just now, I wasn't overly keen on the sound of it, so I had asked if they had the previous special which had pineapple in it, but Chef Dan said no, they didn`t have all the ingredients......shame as it was lovely. *

*There is plenty of choice on the menu and we decide on the quite spicy Mexican Roll, and the not so spicy Volcano roll......*

*It hadn`t changed since last year, and did look a little dated now, especially with all the changes upstairs. I`m sure it will get revamped eventually. Probably when Island`s gets done. *













*Volcano Roll........*













*And our favourite Mexican Roll...….*

























*The sushi here is incredible. There weren't many places around better than this. We had tried Cowfish Sushi, and it didn`t compare in the slightest to this place. I never think of Cowfish as selling real sushi. 

We got chatting to Talon and spoke about Chef Dan`s plans for th enew menu, seems there weren`t going to be changing much and only adding a few new items. We were still looking forward to it opening back up. 

As we chatted he mentioned a dish we have never tried, eel. *

*Just the sound of it makes me think of horrible slimy creatures...…he laughed and said yes, he understood.......but would we like to try a taste.......I did hesitate, but he assured me we`d love it........well, ok then.....but I was a little nervous........*

*A few minutes later he did bring it over......and it did look nice........*
















*It wasn`t nice........it was delicious!!!! 

Nothing like we expected it to be.....it was surprisingly delicate and very tasty......yep, we`d order that another evening! And Talon was pleased we`d liked it. He was very chatty and full of info and told us a few places to go in St Augustine we didn`t know about...…him and his wife loved going there too. So, we kept chatting for ages about St Augustine which was lovely.

We enjoyed the wine and finished the bottle slowly........and Tom mentioned the famous magic words.......did we want dessert!!!!*

*That would be a yes......especially as I knew the one dessert we loved from here.......*

*Yes, mango tempura cheesecake!!!! But we do ask if we can get it with coconut ice cream instead of vanilla, which is fine of course......*















*This dessert is divine!!!! 

It sounds as if it`s going to be heavy, but it`s really not. And so full of flavour.......I loved the hot with the cold of the ice cream....although not so great if you have sensitive teeth!!!! I know.......

We demolish the dessert and the plate looks as if it has been licked clean.....I promise we didn`t! But now we were completely full and so glad we had come down here tonight for some sushi and dessert. *

*Check paid, we did go into Jake`s for an hour or so, and basically sat at the bar and chatted to the staff over a glass of wine. We stayed till around 10.30 and then decided we should go to bed. Although I may have suggested going into HHN for an hour...…..the look Tom gave me suggested that may well be a no...….he looked tired too.*

*An ealry night was a good idea. So, once up in the room we put the tv on for half an hour before we were in the land of zzzzzzz`s before we knew it. *


----------



## J'aime Paris

There is plentiful choices of fantastic food all around Orlando!
My DH's favorite sushi order here at home is the Lobster Fantasy roll with eel.  So good!
I usually opt for the mango shrimp roll.  And we usually end up ordering a third choice and sharing it all, Yum!


----------



## AprilDreamsOfDisney

schumigirl said:


> Hulk is incredibly impressive as you turn to see it in all it`s majesty....it is an impressive coaster, and even better when you`re on it. The take off on this one is worth the head banging


Looking forward to seeing this in person myself! I remember from your previous trip reports that Tom and Kyle once rode it multiple times in a row, didn't they? My daughter tends to be enticed by thrill rides and so I'm thinking she'll want to ride this one. Is it really terrible?!? I'm a bit nervous, but if I remember from my younger days, rollercoasters with upside down loops tend to go so quickly that you barely realize you're upside down before it's over! 



schumigirl said:


> The trolley train is also almost deserted this morning.....we didn't get a train to ourselves like the last time, but there were only three other folks on it. It`s a fun little ride and you do get to see the park from a nice angle...


Love your photos of the Suess area! It's so bright and colourful! I think my son, although 12, will love this ride as he is absolutely still obsessed with trains of any sort. I think we'll end up riding it many times, even for a brief break 



schumigirl said:


> This was the line for folks waiting to get into Hagrid`s ride......


Oh my! That is long! I've seen on the app that wait times have been 3-4 hours ... where can they even queue people up in a line that long?! I wonder if they'll open an Express Pass line in the coming months. Have you heard anything about that? You do seem to have an inside scoop with these things! 

Keep up the wonderful updates, Carole! I'm so enjoying reading them (and salivating at all your food pics! That donut burger looks divine!)


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> Nice to see so many of our favorite little gems pictured above.
> 
> Too many guests rush through the parks to HP & other headliners,  never botherig to stop & smell the roses.





I agree, there are so many wonderful little things to see around parks out side of Potter.......of course Potter is amazing, but we love taking our time and just catching sight of things we have rather miraculously still missed......I’d have thought we’d have captured it all by now......but, every trip we catch something we haven’t seen or maybe noticed before....


----------



## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> Looking forward to seeing this in person myself! I remember from your previous trip reports that Tom and Kyle once rode it multiple times in a row, didn't they? My daughter tends to be enticed by thrill rides and so I'm thinking she'll want to ride this one. Is it really terrible?!? I'm a bit nervous, but if I remember from my younger days, rollercoasters with upside down loops tend to go so quickly that you barely realize you're upside down before it's over!
> 
> 
> Love your photos of the Suess area! It's so bright and colourful! I think my son, although 12, will love this ride as he is absolutely still obsessed with trains of any sort. I think we'll end up riding it many times, even for a brief break
> 
> 
> Oh my! That is long! I've seen on the app that wait times have been 3-4 hours ... where can they even queue people up in a line that long?! I wonder if they'll open an Express Pass line in the coming months. Have you heard anything about that? You do seem to have an inside scoop with these things!
> 
> Keep up the wonderful updates, Carole! I'm so enjoying reading them (and salivating at all your food pics! That donut burger looks divine!)



Hulk is amazing. It’s very smooth, but the very last parts which are a little twisty can still bash you around a little...... and yes, the upside down parts are quick, and they are smooth. Yes, Kyle and Tom ride them numerous times.......Kyle‘s best was around 24 times on a row on Duelling Dragons.......my limit was four or five on that. Hulk I manage, or used to manage 4 or 5. Once is usually enough now......

Yes, the trolley train is fun, and he’ll see lots of adults on there too, so he won’t feel out of place. Seuss is just so cute.

I wouldn’t wait longer than 20 minutes for any ride....I admire anyone who does, very patient people. I haven’t heard anything directly, only that they hoped it wouldn’t be a long time till EP kicked in......but that was before it opened......who knows what issues they have......I wish I was in the know......lol......

I’m so glad you’re enjoying the report, and yes that donut burger was divine!!


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> There is plentiful choices of fantastic food all around Orlando!
> My DH's favorite sushi order here at home is the Lobster Fantasy roll with eel.  So good!
> I usually opt for the mango shrimp roll.  And we usually end up ordering a third choice and sharing it all, Yum!



Yes, spoilt for choice doesn’t begin to describe the food choices in Orlando and beyond.......

Oh they both sound lovely.......I’d like those dishes I think......yes, we usually have a third (or fourth) dish.....but as we’d had a big lunch and unusually wanted dessert we stuck at two.

We don’t have good sushi places here.....well apart from a well known chain that isn’t very good.....it’s like calling Burger King gourmet food! Yes, it’s that bad........couple of hours into London and you have a good selection......so quite a way to go for food, you’re so lucky where you live.....


----------



## schumigirl

*FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 20TH*​




*Our usual early rise today, and it was, yes, you guessed it, another lovely day.

I checked my ipad as I usually do and saw Kyle had sent an email. I will say, we very rarely glance at news items or anything that might interrupt or little bubble of happiness here, but he had sent a link to an article saying Thomas Cook may be going bust. Before we left we knew the vacation side of the business were in trouble, but by all accounts a Chinese investor was going to take over the apparently lucrative flight only side. We always book flight only and have never used a package, no need really as our hotel is always taken care of separately as is everything else, must be over twenty years since we used a travel agent. It really is easy to do everything on our own. 

We would deal with it when it happened.

Today was going to be very tame with no plans other than meet up with a young man and his wife over at Sapphire Falls later this morning. We got to know Bryson when he first worked in Concierge in the CL, then he moved to Front Desk....then sadly moved companies and also States. He is just the loveliest young man and we so looked forward to meeting him and Jenna, who we had never met before. So, that was our morning.

Up to breakfast and we took our time today, breakfast was relaxed and chatty as Kayla came up after her meeting and we chatted about a few things and again, the time passed. She had another meeting to go to, so we set off too and walked the short distance over to Sapphire Falls.

Bryson and Jenna were staying at Cabana Bay before moving over to Disney with her family, so we took the chance to catch up this morning before they went. We had missed Bryson when he left and kept in touch with an email every few months since he moved to Nashville.*

*We had arranged to meet in the lobby, and as always we are early.....

I sit down by the window and Tom goes to take some pictures as the place is almost deserted......it is very quiet this morning...*

*Our favourite bar!!!!!*


































*The lobby is bright and airy and very pretty...….it really is one of the nicest and lightest of all the hotel lobbies.*

























*And of course the view over the lagoon is one of the nicest views around at Sapphire Falls. The water wheel is very picturesque and when you come in on the boat, especially at night it is extremely beautiful.*

























*We like the pool here, it is very shallow and is ankle deep across the middle which adds something to the look of the pool too. And it has the much wanted slide that many crave as an essential to book a hotel, and it is very popular.*
























*We saw Bryson come in from the front doors, they had a quick look around and spotted us......it was so lovely to see them, and lovely to finally meet Jenna who had always wanted to meet us!!! She had always heard about us from Bryson and had wanted to meet us before they left, but it hadn't happened.*

*The conversation flowed and flowed and we had a really good catch up with how their lives were going and what their next plans are......Jenna used to work for the vip tours in Disney, so they both have a hospitality background.*

*A few hours passed so quickly...…we had so much to catch up on and we couldn't believe how fast time went...…..and when it was time to say goodbye, we of course had to take a load of pictures each.......*














*Bryson, being very tall was perfect for taking a picture of all of us, as I wanted Tom in it too...….*














*We wished each other a wonderful rest of vacation and safe travels home, then we both set off.

It was a visit we so enjoyed, Bryson we had always looked on the way we would look at Kyle, similar age and we only wished them happiness in whatever they chose to do. Lovely, lovely young couple and we were so glad we had managed to meet up.

We set off back home and wandered through the almost deserted convention and ballroom area.......it`s fine during the day, but I always think of The Shining when are walking through late at night and no one is around.....of course there are security cameras everywhere, but it feels very still.

Of course it doesn't help when I scare myself half to death by doing the Danny "Redrum" voice thing as we walk through the cavernous and empty ballroom area in the middle of the night...…...*














*It was around 1pm now, so time for some lunch.....we didn't want a lot as we were going out for a nice dinner tonight, so something light would be ideal.*

*We both looked at one another and at the same time said......Jake`s.

Ideal. You cannot go wrong with Jake`s for lunch, dinner or just drinks at anytime. They have a decent menu with plenty of choices for almost everyone, even the fussiest of folks should find something.*

*Funnily enough we get this table often......*














*A strawberry lemonade for me, and regular lemonade for Tom.*















*Our usual waiter wasn't on today, we had a lovely lady called Bubbles look after us today. We both asked for our favourite item in here...the Crawfish Chowder.....funny thing is I never, well, very rarely ever have soup of any kind back home, it`s not something I really enjoy. I do make butternut squash and sweet potato soup every now and again, and I like that, or a chicken noodle soup that is wonderful.....even if I say so myself.....but this chowder is divine. *


























*It was delicious. We took our time and passed the time chatting about everything and how much we were looking forward to dinner tonight. 

We paid the check and headed up to the lobby...….we chatted to Joanna for a while and then our friend came out to say hello. Always love to see him anytime.......we again, had a good old chat for a while, and he showed us his new iPhone for the first time......I was very impressed with the camera on this one. 

We chatted for ages, when I heard a voice behind us say well, hello......it was one of our favourite people and someone who Tom calls my longtime penpal, Larry Beiderman. 

He is such a lovely man and always chats whenever we see him......I always joke my emails to him personally are like War and Peace!!! We hug and have a good old catch up......we mention how our airline might be going bust and they hadn't heard about it.....I don't think like a lot of people they never expected a company like TC to go bankrupt. Both our friend and Mr Beiderman assure us if we need to stay longer it will be fine, and not to worry. Of course that was a concern as there was now a rumour that if they do go bust, if you don't leave within 24 hours you are on your own. We had looked at the cost of flights to get home one way if this did happen, as we weren't leaving early under any circumstances, and they were sky high!!! So at least knowing if we needed to extend the trip (yay) we could. We were incredibly grateful of the reassurances we`d have a bed to sleep on. 

We began to chat about the refurb and how we were already looking forward to getting back to see it all complete, Mr Beiderman asked if we had seen the rooms yet, we said no, apart from a little peep if the doors were slightly ajar.

He very kindly said he`s take us and show us the Grab and Go and what was going to be the new Orchid Lounge. He spoke to the guys and we went in and had a look around......it wasn't complete, but we did get a good idea of how it was going to look and we were impressed. Starbucks, pizza, breakfasts and many other items would be available from 6am through till 11pm…..similar to Dutch Trading at Sapphire......then he took us behind the doors to Orchids........and wow.....we were instantly impressed by how large it looked now all the old furniture had been removed and the sushi bar and floor was in place......he showed us where the large tv screen was going to be at the other end where the bar used to be. This was going to be amazing. 

The large chandelier that is going in was going to be delayed, but you can imagine how it would look when it was complete from the renderings we saw, but seeing the size of the room now and what was in place already we thought it was going to be absolutely beautiful. 

We thanked him for taking the time to show us both places, he is just the nicest man, and he again said anything they could do help if the worst happened with the airline, they would. Everyone at this hotel is just amazing. They genuinely care you have a wonderful time while in the hotel, and it shows. *

*After again, many thanks, we set off upstairs and had a chill out for an hour or so........well, I did a bit of ironing.....very exciting!!!! *

*We loved the view from the windows on this side of the hotel...….all rooms along this side have a lovely pool and park view, and today it looked wonderful as always. *

























*I hadn't unpacked all our purchases from last few shopping trips, but did come across the seasoning from JB Fish Camp and the avocado accessories I had wanted to try. *















*The seasoning is excellent made the same way they did it, with melted butter, and it was also excellent in crab or fish cakes. 

And surprisingly the avocado saver does actually work, sometimes the larger avocados are too big, so I`d love to save half but of course it goes brown, and Tom hates them.......so I was happy it worked. The masher I haven`t used yet. *















*We would go sit in the Club Lounge soon before going out to dinner at Eddie V`s tonight. We were so looking forward to this evening. *


----------



## schumigirl

*We enjoyed our little time up in the lounge, Kayla was still here and the girls who were on tonight were lovely......so as always our time passed so quickly. And we didn't even have a snack tonight, which was a shame as it was orange chicken.....but we did want to save our appetites for later. 

One of the Concierge Supervisors came in and heard where we were going and said she hoped we got one of the best tables tonight, right beside the window overlooking the lake, and when it`s dark you see the Eye all lit up and it looks so pretty. I guessed we wouldn't be so lucky as to get such a table......but she said they loved Eddie V`s and she knew we would too. 

We, at that point said our goodnight`s to everyone and headed down to the room to get ready. 

Our friend had very kindly made the reservation at Eddie V`s for 7.30, so once we were showered and changed we headed downstairs to get a car as Tom and I planned to share a bottle of wine tonight. So no driving for him. Outside we saw Daniel the Valet guy who had taken us to Ocean Prime last week, we asked for an ODC but he insisted he would take us instead of waiting for a car......we were happy to have him drive us, we preferred to give him a good tip to be honest. 

He chatted the whole way and again, it`s always interesting to hear about their lives and how things are with them.....they work very hard and are always so helpful.*

*It only takes around ten minutes to get to Eddie V`s, it`s right across the street from Ocean Prime so, very close. We thank Daniel once again and get out of the car. *

*I`m not really sure why we haven't been here before, but we hadn't. I think we were always such fans of Ocean Prime and The Palm for special meals, we did overlook it. But, we were excited for tonight. *


























*We checked in at the desk and saw immediately it was incredibly busy, well, being Friday night of course and prime time...….but the staff were incredibly welcoming and the lady on the desk immediately wished me a Happy Birthday! That confused me a little, but I immediately guessed our friend who had known how disappointed we were with my actual birthday meal, had decided I`d celebrate it again......we did adore him so much, and things like this made us adore him all the more. *
















*And......we were taken to our table, which absolutely was the one by the window we had hoped we would get......and the table was absolutely beautiful and such a surprise!!!! I did well up a little.....but with happy thoughts.......*















*And the view was lovely, I could picture how lovely it would look when it was dark.*
















*Our waiter, well one of three staff looking after us, was just lovely. His name was Nick, and he was assisted by Katie and Lindsay...….

One brought bread and asked if we were ok with Cayenne Pepper as there was some on the butter, but we could have regular butter if we preferred, no we were fine with a little spice added to it.  Then Nick returned and asked if we had decided what we wanted to drink tonight.......I had looked through the wine list before we arrived and had already decided it would be a bottle of  the Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay.....one of my favourite wines...….he`d be back in a few moments with the wine. 

Immediately from the moment we walked in here we felt incredibly comfortable and very much welcomed, we both knew instantly we would come back here. *















*Yes, I did like the table with the rose petals...….*















*At that point, one of the ladies brought us two glasses of champagne as a birthday treat.......and wow.....it was beautiful!!!! Another lovely surprise we didn`t expect......

We knew we`d enjoy tonight, but it was extra special with all the little touches I knew our friend had arranged with making the reservation for us. We were incredibly grateful. *















*Tom does love his bubbly too!!!! *














*Our lovely waiter had gone through several items on the menu, and we had more or less decided already what we were going to choose.....Tom opted for the Lobster Bisque which we had heard was incredible here...*
















*I went for one of my favourite appetisers, despite there being many choices I would have enjoyed......jumbo shrimp cocktail...….*

*And it came with three little side sauces, Atomic Horseradish, cocktail sauce and a little sauce we would have at home with shrimp.....all beautifully served. *


























*Yes, they were all beautiful. Tom said this was the best Lobster bisque ever, even compared to The Palm...….quite the accolade indeed. 

The shrimp were incredibly plump and flavoursome, and I did try a tiny smidge of the horseradish.......er, no maybe not for me, it was nuclear hot...…..I didn`t want to lose the flavour of the shrimp. But the two sauces were perfect accompaniments. *


























*There was a lovely gap between courses, and we had a very relaxing evening just enjoying the lovely atmosphere in this wonderful restaurant. 

And the wine was delicious of course...…..*















*Although Eddie V`s is primarily a seafood restaurant, they are also well known for steaks, and that was what we both decided we would have tonight.......

Tom rather oddly went for the filet too, but his was medium......I as always asked for medium rare...…..I don't mind if it does come out rare though, either way is fine with me. *

*We had asked for the au gratin potatoes but the steaks all automatically come with a little ball of mashed potato too...….*

*And they did come out perfectly just as we had asked........*














*We as usual, probably ordered too much food.......and we had decided to have an addition to the steaks, and I went for the stuffed shrimp as an extra......they were gorgeous!!!! And very large...….*
























*Tom didn`t want to get the same, so he asked for the scallops as an enhancement.......and wow they were perfect!!! So far everything had been completely perfect. *

























*Everything tasted amazing.......the steaks were amazing, sublime taste as well as perfectly cooked, the shrimp and scallops and the au gratin potatoes were simply divine. 

We were planning to have dessert, but asked Nick for a little break before we ordered.......no problem of course. So we finished the wine at this point and slowly decided what we were going to have from the dessert menu.......and both of us decided to each have Crème Brulee. We usually order a different dessert just so we can share each other`s but we do both love Creme Brulee.....so, that's what we order...…..*
















*As soon as the desserts were sat down, we admired how pretty they looked then Nick appeared with another lovely surprise......one of their special birthday desserts which had the banana foster, which was flamed table side, raspberry sorbet and a chocolate pie dessert.....and it was very impressive as he flamed it. And they all looked delicious.....*
















*A Creme Brulee each and sharing the dessert dish, was just lovely.....and we were completely full when we were done. This meal had been a completely special experience. 

At this point a lady came over and introduced herself as the person our friend had contacted to make our evening so special.....she was one of the nicest people we had ever met.....a genuinely nice person who emitted such enthusiasm and was so happy we`d had such a lovely evening in the restaurant. We honestly couldn`t thank her enough for our wonderful evening and we were so happy she had come out to introduce herself. 

We thanked everyone who had taken care of us tonight and went to the front and saw the bar area that we had missed as we came in, that was something else we might consider doing, is eating at the bar.....it was very lively!!! *

*Outside the valet guys called us a car, and a few minutes later it arrived, and we asked to go to Sapphire Falls and a few minutes later we were there. *

*We sat at the bar in Strong Water and just had one glass of wine.....we had such a fun time here too and Ashley happily told us that several folks had ordered the drink she had created, the Fools Gold after reading it on this trip report.......I was glad to hear it. 














Fernando came over to chat and we always enjoy seeing him too, and we told him we had enjoyed a meal at Eddie V`s, he said he really liked it there too.....so many folks afterwards said, yes, it was one of their favourite places to eat too. *

*It was around an hour or so later, we decided it was late enough and we still had to walk back home, so we said our goodnights and began the walk back over to RP. *

*Once we were in the room we went over the evening and discussed how wonderful it had been…..this was my real birthday celebration as far as I was concerned.....and it had been absolutely perfect and we were so grateful it had been as lovely as it had been. 

I would email our friend in the morning to let him know how how fabulous our evening had been and to thank him once again for being so special. *


----------



## Dooda

I love your review!!! We've stayed at RP several times and your pics and "story" take me back there. Have always wanted to do HHN and you make me want to go even more!  Can't wait for the rest of the story!!
Thanks for taking the time to do this!!!


----------



## schumigirl

Dooda said:


> I love your review!!! We've stayed at RP several times and your pics and "story" take me back there. Have always wanted to do HHN and you make me want to go even more!  Can't wait for the rest of the story!!
> Thanks for taking the time to do this!!!



 along Dooda…..

I`m so pleased you`re enjoying this one, and happy you posted!!! 

Isn`t RP just the nicest hotel!!! Oh you should try HHN......it is pure fun.....scary fun of course......lol......with next years being the 30th anniversary, we`re all hoping it will be an absolute classic year!!!  

Thank you for your lovely comments, and glad to see you here......


----------



## Minnie17

So happy for a true a birthday celebration dinner for you!  Looking forward to more


----------



## disneyAndi14

I didn’t really like the movie US either, I would think the house would be creepy!

Sorry the scare zones and show were not the best this year. The atmosphere during HHN is really cool and the low crowds in DA are so nice for a wander in.

I like how you can spend a few hours at HHN on Nights you choose, that is really nice. You aren’t rushed to see it all in 1 night.

I agree, the convention goers, so loud!

The dinner looks wonderful, a great extra Birthday experience! Yum.


----------



## schumigirl

Minnie17 said:


> So happy for a true a birthday celebration dinner for you!  Looking forward to more



Thank you.......it really was one of the best nights we had. And it really felt like a proper birthday celebration.

More coming up soon........


----------



## schumigirl

disneyAndi14 said:


> I didn’t really like the movie US either, I would think the house would be creepy!
> 
> Sorry the scare zones and show were not the best this year. The atmosphere during HHN is really cool and the low crowds in DA are so nice for a wander in.
> 
> I like how you can spend a few hours at HHN on Nights you choose, that is really nice. You aren’t rushed to see it all in 1 night.
> 
> I agree, the convention goers, so loud!
> 
> The dinner looks wonderful, a great extra Birthday experience! Yum.



It was creepy.......lol.....but good creepy!! In the end I preferred the house to the movie!

Scare zones were definitely a bit of a disappointment, SA were still excelling in what they do, but some lacked the horror we expect. But a couple of the zones were brilliant! Yes, we much prefer going for a few hours each evening, folks always ask why we don’t do a RIP tour, they are excellent but no need for us to do one, we have Express and can go multiple nights......perfect! And yes, DA almost completely empty is marvellous.......

I think there‘s a training course some convention people go on to be louder than anyone else.......lol........

And yes, thank you, we just had the best night!!!


----------



## schumigirl

*SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 21ST*​




*The days were really passing quickly now, and as today was a Saturday we had no intention of going anywhere near the parks today. We made that mistake last week!!! So, a lazy relaxing day was on the cards today. *

*Once we were dressed, we facetimed Kyle who was now on vacation for 10 days......he had plenty of plans while he was off, so we were glad he had made time for us this morning.....lol.....he was doing great and was looking forward to his days off, and his next vacation would be with us in December.

Once we chatted, we set off for breakfast and yes, we took our time....and it was a little busier this morning again. Breakfast was nice and we spent some time again chatting to Kayla, she is so nice. And we could have chatted all day, but for the fact she had things to do......*

*As we came down through the lobby, the front desks had all been completed last night and now matched the theme of the new décor...although the carpet and the pictures on the walls still had to be removed you can see the new theme take shape. *














*We set off and went for fuel, then drove to Winter Garden which again, isn't too far a drive away. It`s a beautiful little town and we recently discovered a wonderful restaurant there, Chef`s Table at the Edgewater. Although we wouldn't make it back there this trip, we certainly planned another meal there at some point. *

*The journey there is also very pretty and we always love seeing parts of the country we wouldn't normally see. *















*Once we arrive in the town, we see it`s Farmer`s Market day.....and the main street is already full, but as there is an event on later parking is already limited. So, we pull into the public parking area, and of course it is mobbed!!! Not a space to be had....so it`s a case of driving round until we hit lucky before someone else does........and eventually we turn as someone is pulling out and we get a parking space. *

*We hadn't spent a lot of time around the town, so we were looking forward to seeing a bit more of it today. *















*The car park was very close to the area where the market was being held, so we didn`t have far to walk to find the stalls. *














*Stalls galore, and plenty of variety as to their wares. There were the usual variety of food items, crafts, art stalls, clothes and anything else you can think of...….this was one of the better markets around. Not as large as Lake Eola, but much easier to navigate. *














*There is a wonderful water play area for little ones too. And it was so busy. *
























*I did think of our very own @keishashadow when I saw this sign...…..... * 
















*The dips this guy sold were lovely....I don't normally sample where you can see others have raked about the food, but these had been freshly put out, so I did sample a couple of them, they were very nice. There was even a Key Lime Dip we liked, but not something we`d buy to eat here. 
*














*We liked this market a lot, and at one of the craft stalls we saw a little bracelet that would make a lovely gift for someone. It was her colour, she was the first person we thought of when we saw the sets. So we did buy that for her and I think that was all we bought today. *















*There was a whole section of produce under cover and we did have a wander around as it was a little cooler in there...…..but the produce was lovely and very tempting......*














*We had a good wander around then wandered the short distance into town and roamed around a good bit in the very pretty little town. *
























*We really liked the central area in this town........they had musicians on the other occasions we were there, some of them were very good. But today it was just families enjoying the day. And it does have that family feel about the town, very friendly place. *
























*We did think about going to Chef`s Table for lunch, as they do a tapas style regular menu, but there was nothing I was really in the mood for, and Tom was the same, so we passed today. *

*Heading back up the street we stopped into a few stores and didn't actually buy anything today, for a change......but it was nice to wander in and see the offered merchandise. *















*We came back down the far end, and ended up going to this place for lunch.......Moon Cricket Grille. *















*I had no idea what it going to be like, but the menu looked nice and the inside and out were busy, so we hoped that was a good sign.*
*
We sat at the bar and the staff were very personable and we did like it immediately......
*
*I ordered a glass of chardonnay, but the one I wanted they didn't have so she poured me another and said if I didn`t like it she`d change it, but it was fine. Nothing special, but very drinkable. Tom had lemonade. *















*It was a friendly place and the barmaid said they had live music on at nights too, so I can imagine it`s very popular. They also have a very good selection of beers from around the world, and some were very unusual. *















*The menu was nice and we really didn't want too much, so I went for an appetiser of Bam Bam Shrimp with coleslaw, and Tom decided to have the Chef`s Salad...….nice and simple today. *



































*The food was very nice, I think we`d come back here and try some of the food going to tables and beside us as it all looked delicious, burgers especially looked impressive! We were glad we chose this place today. *
*
We paid the check and headed back up to the car park which was still heaving with people vying for spaces, so we quickly retreated and headed back home. 
*
*Winter Garden is a lovely little town, it`s not very big but perfectly formed......lots of little stores that we love and very friendly people around. 

Back home we saw one of the concierge supervisors and chatted to her for a while, then we went up to the Club Lounge to have some coffee for Tom and I wanted a sprite. I had sent our friend an email thanking him for again making the Eddie V experience so special, and mentioned we were in the lounge. Around 10 minutes later he appeared with one of his assistants....we were over the moon to see him!!! Of course we went over the previous evening and said we`d definitely go back to Eddie V`s.....they sat for quite a while just chatting, of course we could chat to him all day and it`s always a delight to see him. 

Once they left, we weren`t sure what we were going to do the rest of the day. We thought we may go and see the Hogwarts Night Show later......or maybe the pool......*

*We`d decide that later. *


----------



## keishashadow

Here we go Steelers, Here we go! 

Thanks for that shout out   I hereby dub you an honorary fan of the team lol

Now, that was a much better BD dinner for you!  Everything looked delish.  How nice of your friend to extend himself that way.  

The scary fight rumblings start.  My stomach lurched when i first heard the news break, knowing you had booked this trip...even though I know you two would tackle it with your usual  aplomb.


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> Here we go Steelers, Here we go!
> 
> Thanks for that shout out   I hereby dub you an honorary fan of the team lol
> 
> Now, that was a much better BD dinner for you!  Everything looked delish.  How nice of your friend to extend himself that way.
> 
> The scary fight rumblings start.  My stomach lurched when i first heard the news break, knowing you had booked this trip...even though I know you two would tackle it with your usual  aplomb.



Yep, I am happy to be an honorary Steelers Fan!!! I know zilch about the game......but hope I cheer in all the right places........

That is how a birthday celebration should be! We were incredibly grateful....

Oh yes, the airline carry on.......lol.......yes, not much we could do, so why worry.......we just felt so bad for folks who would lose their jobs.....


----------



## smiths02

That looks like a proper birthday dinner!  So glad you got a do over!


----------



## schumigirl

smiths02 said:


> That looks like a proper birthday dinner!  So glad you got a do over!



Thanks!!

Oh it really was a treat, and yes, a much better birthday dinner!!


----------



## NancyLuvsMickey

Love that your friend made your re-do birthday meal an ah-mazing experience!!!!


----------



## schumigirl

NancyLuvsMickey said:


> Love that your friend made your re-do birthday meal an ah-mazing experience!!!!



Thank you Nancy.......oh I like that word.......ah-mazing.......lol......Yes it really was fabulous.......


----------



## AprilDreamsOfDisney

Oh, HOORAY! Eddie V's saves the day!

I was so so happy for you when I read this particular update. What a lovely table, sweet surprise on the table, and how wonderful to be recognized in that way. Your friend is kind indeed to have set it all up for you.

The food looks divine at Eddie V's! Wow! Those steaks! That shrimp! The scallops!!! Oh my! 

So glad you had a special celebration for your birthday and that you were made to feel like the special lady you are! I imagine you slept well on a full stomach that night!

I also noticed you did a lounge at the pool that day - Carole, do you and Tom ever "pool hop?" I hear it's encouraged and I wondered what you thought of any other resorts' pools - is it worth a "hop" over to check them out?


----------



## Tink2Day

Yay for you your friend arranging for you and Tom to dine at Eddie V's.  It looked like a FABULOUS MEAL and you received the
special service you so deserved on your Birthday!
Everyone should have the most special time for their Birthday and happy you received yours! (no dancing coconuts, LOL)

Hopefully it was just a one-off at your favorite restaurant on your Birthday.....your meals over the years have looked spectacular there.


----------



## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> Oh, HOORAY! Eddie V's saves the day!
> 
> I was so so happy for you when I read this particular update. What a lovely table, sweet surprise on the table, and how wonderful to be recognized in that way. Your friend is kind indeed to have set it all up for you.
> 
> The food looks divine at Eddie V's! Wow! Those steaks! That shrimp! The scallops!!! Oh my!
> 
> So glad you had a special celebration for your birthday and that you were made to feel like the special lady you are! I imagine you slept well on a full stomach that night!
> 
> I also noticed you did a lounge at the pool that day - Carole, do you and Tom ever "pool hop?" I hear it's encouraged and I wondered what you thought of any other resorts' pools - is it worth a "hop" over to check them out?



Thanks so much April ......yes, everything was perfect that night, we were so grateful for everything. Food was amazing......and yes, we slept incredibly well!!!!

Yes, pool hopping is actively encouraged. We first pool hopped many years ago, we went to Portofino and got unlucky....the quiet pool had been taken over by a very large family who proceeded to make as much noise as possible. But, they do have nice pools. 

The pool at HRH is probably our least favourite pool anywhere. Far too shallow and it was just too busy, we never went back there.

For us we love the pool at RP......we don't need nor want a slide, so it`s perfect for us. We also like Sapphire Falls pool. But, to answer your question (eventually)  no, we never pool hop as it`s not worth it for us. But, although I intensely dislike Cabana Bay, the lazy river seems to be very popular. 

That`s just us though...…...


----------



## schumigirl

Tink2Day said:


> Yay for you your friend arranging for you and Tom to dine at Eddie V's.  It looked like a FABULOUS MEAL and you received the
> special service you so deserved on your Birthday!
> Everyone should have the most special time for their Birthday and happy you received yours! (no dancing coconuts, LOL)
> 
> Hopefully it was just a one-off at your favorite restaurant on your Birthday.....your meals over the years have looked spectacular there.



Thank you Tink….it was our highlight meal I think...….and yes, they made us feel very special indeed.

I`d love a dancing coconut.…..lol.......

We did say we`d go back to Ocean Prime, as you rightly said, we`ve had some beautiful meals over the years there, but we just won`t go back during Magical Dining month......but, in saying that.......Eddie V`s so impressed us, it`ll be hard to beat!


----------



## schumigirl

*We sat in the lounge for quite a while today......we relaxed and chatted and then when it was time for Royal Relaxation we had a red wine and a beer.....and I have to show you the shirt Tom wore today! 

When he saw it in the store it reminded him of the shirts some wear here at the hotel......he does actually have a set of TM beads that one employee we knew well gave him many years back. He was touched, and everyone was asking the guy why he gave his Top Employee beads away.....when he told everyone who he gave them too, everybody said, ahhh ok....I see why. *

*But, we did think that would cross a line for him to wear them in case someone thought he was a TM!!!! *

*Tom and one of the young ladies who has worked in the lounge for a long time.......she`s now on the front desk and doing incredibly well there. *
















*Again, even though we don`t eat here, well, we do like to snack a little, I do like to get pictures of the food......it`s always an important issue with folks thinking about booking Club Level. If there are food issues in your family, they are excellent with dealing with them and will work with you to help, I`m not sure why some folks don't expect them to be excellent with these issues, but they are brilliant and we have seen many people be grateful they are so helpful. 

Tonight it`s the Pasta Pesto dish...….*





























































*We sat on some very comfortable seats over to the side tonight...…and we did indeed do some relaxing today......

I love grapes!!! Can`t eat a whole lot of them, but red grapes over here are particularly delicious.....goes well with some cheese and red wine.....or beer in Tom`s case today! *
















*The lounge is quite busy tonight, and I did notice there were a lot of Brits in tonight......some chat, some don`t. One couple who had been there maybe four or five days hadn't spoken a word to anybody.....one older couple I`ll be honest, we did try to avoid as she banged on about being cheap and how all us Brits like to be cheap...... *
















*Seriously!!!!! Er, no........not all of us!!! Speak for yourself lady........I`m quite happy to spend whatever it takes, as Tom will happily attest to  ......Tom thought it was hilarious how I actively avoided having a conversation with her.....lol.....*

*We decided we would go down and have the Wok experience in Islands Dining Room tonight. *

*This is something we have enjoyed many times and it`s always fabulous......when we went down, looking in to Islands, we didn`t see the Wok Station in it`s usual place and asked the hostess if it was on...she said yes, it was just properly in the area where the breakfast buffet was served...…ah, that was why we couldn`t see it. She said they had changed it earlier in the year. 

At this point we asked if we could have Casey as our waiter. She said absolutely........we have know Casey for a good few years now and he is a lovely young man, always remembers everyone, even after we hadn`t seen him for a year when we did only visit once a year. 

So, we got one of his tables and settled down to decide what wine to have. We didn`t get a bottle tonight as Tom was having beer.....yes, you can take the unfinished bottle away with you, but we had wine in the room and we had a few drinks in the lounge tonight, so one glass would be enough. 

It was lovely seeing Casey again.....he laughed as he asked how long we were staying this time......he laughed even louder when we said a month (almost)  he said if it had been anyone else he`d have assumed they were joking, but he knew how long we liked to stay and knew we weren`t joking...…nice young man. *

*I ordered a Malbec and Tom had a beer....he guessed we were there for the Wok experience, so told us to go up when we were ready........*

*It is laid out very well, with the main wok area where they cooked eggs in the morning and plenty of space, whereas when the Wok station was out front, it felt a little tight.....*


































*There are two soups on offer. We have had a green curry one that was gorgeous, but tonight the options were hot and sour and egg drop soup....both looked nice....you can go up as often as you like, but one bowl is enough for us. *
















*There is also a lovely fresh salad selection, which we don`t indulge in tonight, but the coleslaw dish looked lovely......sadly full of onion. *

















































*Casey had popped some bread on the table while we were up getting the soup......hard to resist warm bread, but we do only have a little......*















*Tom had the Egg Drop Soup and I the Hot and Sour and both were lovely.....yes, we could have gone up again. But, we didn`t. *















*There is never any rush in here while you dine and it is nice that it`s not so busy, so it is nice to be able to sit and chat as you enjoy the food. *

*Casey comes up to chat before we go up for our entrees, he really is a lovely young guy and we do like him a lot. If he is working we`ll always ask for his table. *

*When you go up for the Wok, you grab a bowl and fill it with as many vegetables from the selection available as you want, then go up to the chef who is cooking. *



























*You hand her the bowl and she begins to cook it, asking if you`d like garlic and ginger in the wok, then asks you what protein you`d like......*

*The choices are chicken, shrimp, beef or tofu......the chicken is now only white breast meat......Tom and I both always have chicken and shrimp. Delicious. *
















*She adds the protein and asks rice or noodles, we always only ask for a tiny amount of either as the bowl would be overflowing if you did.....then it`s your choice of sauce.....*

*You can mix some sauces together, and again, we are rather predictable as we always have the Szechuan and Teriyaki together......gorgeous!!!! *

*And we also have chilli flakes added, you can have cilantro and chopped peanuts too. *



























*When we get back to the table Casey has dropped off some hot sauce for us......he remembered we liked it spicy!!!! And I did add some of the Siracha to the bowl too........it did indeed add an extra kick...….*

























*The food was delicious...…..and our bowls looked tiny compared to some other bowls we saw pass us by...….but it was more than enough for us.......*
















*The mix of the two sauces, and for me the addition of the Siracha were perfect.......I can`t eat a lot of veg so some mixed peppers were ideal for me.....Tom loves snow peas and red onions, and did fill up on them. *

















*They were delicious!!! And both of us did wish we could have gone up for a second bowl, as many people do....but nope, we were full!

There are desserts, little mini cheesecakes and assorted cake dishes.....and one rice pudding ball on a little spoon...….we had tried that before...….not for us!!!! *

















































*We didn't have any dessert tonight, we really were beat with food, so we paid the check and thanked Casey once again for taking such good care of us......and set off considering going to IOA for the last hour or so. 

Back in the room, we both looked at one another and looked at the pool........*

























*Yes......pool night won that decision!!!! 

Into our costumes, we headed down and found some lovely loungers where we prefer to sit. Folks had been on them as we looked down from the window, but by the time we got down, they had gone. So we settled down for the rest of the evening. *

*The movie sucked!!! So I had my ipad while Tom bopped in and out of the water......I did pop in once, and forgot to come out!!! *

*Drink wise we had a beer and a wine for me. The wine wasn`t really anything to write home about, but it was fine. 

At 10pm, prompt, the whistle blew and everybody out...….it was still gloriously hot and I did wish tonight the pool was open till 11pm as it is in the peak season. But, it was time to leave, so back up to the room where I had a couple of emails to reply to and we watched some tv for a while, as I enjoyed the view out of the window. Turndown always close the drapes, but I do sometimes open the sitting area ones....the view is lovely. 

So, we had a kind of early night, again, it hadn't been an exhausting day, but we were soon out for the count and looking forward to another day tomorrow...…..*


----------



## schumigirl

*SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 22ND*​




*We slept quite late this morning, but we slept so well......I have raved before how comfortable the beds are in these hotels, and pillows too.....so for us it makes for a really good nights sleep...….and we did wake up this morning feeling refreshed........

The Singapore Grand Prix was on this morning, so we caught some of that before we went upstairs for breakfast....and our guy won so we were happy......*

*Breakfast was busy this morning, I guess as we were a little later this morning, so were others. We did take our time and as we ate we decided we`d go to Winter Park for a wander this morning. *

*As we pass over Universal Boulevard where it crosses the I-4 we see how the skyline has changed dramatically over the years.......the volcano and Aventura you can see from miles away at night......*
















*Winter Park is a twenty minute drive up the I-4 and is a beautiful little town to visit. It has the peacefulness and tranquility we sometimes crave, and some lovely little stores and restaurants too. There really is an abundance of choice with food, and all of them very tempting. 

I park on the street, right opposite the park aptly on Park Avenue, it`s ideal to park here as you right in the centre of everything. There are plenty of parking spaces around though. *

*Our first stop today is the gorgeous park which stretches a fair distance along and is always kept so beautifully and everything is just so.....nothing seems out of place. *

*And we did enjoy some nice shade along the way, as it would reach 90F today. *


























*We love walking in parks, we have a huge wooded area behind us at home we often wander up into as there are some lovely walks around....I`m not one for walking in the wilds, but woods and forests, as long as there`s a path is just fine for us. We`re also lucky as we have the sea in front of us too, only a short walk down there too......so if the weather is nice we are spoiled for choice. *
















*We hadn't come up here during the festive season before, and I did envision this tree below strung up with lights and decorated for Christmas....it just calls out to be done that way.....*






































*The train station is right beside the park, and one of the prettiest stations we have ever seen. Stations in the UK aren't anywhere near as pretty.....there are the odd one or two in remote areas that do keep nostalgia alive. *
















*Yes, we do like to sit in the shade for a while...…...and we were waiting on the train coming along........not that we were going on it....but there`s something about American trains we love. We keep saying one day we`d like to take a very comfortable train from one side of America to the other.......I think Tom would get bored though, so maybe we should stick to the plan of driving.....might be easier. *
















*And we didn't have long to wait before we heard the dulcet sounds of the train in the distance...…..*
















*I did however, get a huge wave from the train driver...*
















*Yes, we are train fans...….not ones that stand like train spotters to get the numbers of every single train they can!!!! Each to their own of course, but I don`t understand that hobby.......*
















*The shops are all lovely, and I could wander into most of them and make some purchases.......*
















*I did see this in the window of one, and couldn't resist buying it for a friend of mine for Christmas.....she loves unique bags and anything that is a little bit different......most of our groups of friends don't buy Christmas gifts for each other any more, but I have a small group of around five friends that we do still buy each other a few gifts each.....and this would suit one of them down to the ground! My first Christmas gift purchased........*
















*Although...…..I did buy two.…...……...…. *













*Purchases made, we headed over to a store we like.....it sells Olive Oil and we had tried it last visit, but the oil wasn`t as nice as the one we buy from Mount Dora. But the store still has some lovely products and we do enjoy wandering around it. 

It sits up a quiet little alley behind most of the stores in the street......*

















































*We did buy a dry rub for steaks for back home and that was all we bought in here today. They are as usual, very helpful and will let you sample any of the products they carry. *

*The street has some very nice stores, and one is Williams and Sonoma where we do pop in and buy a little gadget for want of a better word to slice Hassleback potatoes.....there are so many items we could buy in here, but some are very heavy and would never do for our luggage with the added weight. So, we do hold back a little.......not like us!!! *

*The Wine Room is somewhere we haven`t made it too yet, it gets fabulous reviews and we`ve only heard good things from people we know that have gone.....one of these days.......*
















*The Park Plaza Hotel.......we only knew one person who had ever stayed here and it was a while ago....they said it was very quaint and that we`d like it, although the noise from the train bothered them a few times, other than that they loved the old style of the hotel.......but with it only being twenty minutes away, we didn`t need to stay over. *
















*Today, we did think again, of having lunch in Winter Park, but at the last minute Tom said he fancied going to the Ale House on Kirkman....ok then, I was always happy to go there.....

We were right by the car so we hopped in and drove back down towards Kirkman. The drive by Orlando city itself can be a little nerve wracking at times, but today I had one guy cut me up twice......pulled in front of me then slowed up.......seems he was trying to make a call.....so I went out and passed him.....he did it again.....only this time he kept going at great speed.......is bluetooth not a thing with most people!!! 

Then we hit traffic........*













*It is crazy how bad this road can get!!! It was never as bad as when we were over by Disney coming from the Gulf Coast though.......that is traffic!!!! *

*We cut off at the Mall at Millenia turn off and were soon at the Ale House........*

*Being a Sunday it was busy, although it`s usually busy...….the bar looked to be full, so we got a booth and ordered our usual fanta and a lemonade...…..then studied the menu, although I think we do know it by heart by now. 

Tom was planning to get a burger today, but the shrimp scampi caught his eye, so he opted for that......I went for the big red chicken sandwich which is hot and spicy!!! 

Tom`s shrimp portion was impressive....there was a load of shrimp in it and it was delicious......shrimp were all soft and cooked as they should be. *















*I had asked for the third hottest sauce on the chicken, but they had run out, so I got the second hottest they serve and it was beautiful...…..chicken was tender and succulent and incredibly tasty......spice level was good too. *
















*We always have good food here, never been disappointed in anything we have chosen here. Service too has always been impeccable. 

Driving back home we see the pedestrian bridge over Kirkman that has taken an eternity to open......it seemed to be complete and we did see people walking over it one day......then a few days later the red tape was back up stopping folks from using it??? Weird.*















*Further round there are crossings for pedestrians to use if they walk back from Universal to any of the closest hotels on Kirkman......some folks say they`re not safe, but plenty of people use them just fine. *


























*And home again. *














*Once up in our room, I did a few bits of laundry, and had a look at a couple of the purchases we had made today.....and we were being responsible...…most things we bought we were putting straight into suitcases, our idea was if we saw how much room they took up, we would buy less stuff......


Yes, cause that will work!!!! 



Up next HHN................*


----------



## smiths02

I really like that flower dress in the last post.  I need one like it, or at least the belt!


----------



## J'aime Paris

Love the Orlando traffic meme, so funny!  
I drive in Milwaukee rush hour only when necessary, but I doubt that even comes close to the Orlando roads.


----------



## schumigirl

smiths02 said:


> I really like that flower dress in the last post.  I need one like it, or at least the belt!



Aww thank you......I don’t even remember where I got that dress!!! The belt came with a red winter coat that looked better without it......so I switched.....


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> Love the Orlando traffic meme, so funny!
> I drive in Milwaukee rush hour only when necessary, but I doubt that even comes close to the Orlando roads.



lol......although we love driving over there, the I-4 isn’t fun to drive on around Orlando itself.......

It‘s like a parking lot some days.......and usually we do our best to avoid it, but sometimes you just have to face the beast! Tom calls me Phoebe when I drive on that road......in her death cab!!! Wheeeeee...........


----------



## I-4Bound

I4 is such a stressful road to drive on! We always drive to Orlando, and usually by the time we get there, we always seem to hit rush-hour. After being in the car for 7 hours, that's tough!


----------



## JaxDad

I-4Bound said:


> I4 is such a stressful road to drive on! We always drive to Orlando, and usually by the time we get there, we always seem to hit rush-hour. After being in the car for 7 hours, that's tough!


Kind of funny, given your username...


----------



## I-4Bound

JaxDad said:


> Kind of funny, given your username...
> [/QUOTE
> 
> I suppose that's true!


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> I4 is such a stressful road to drive on! We always drive to Orlando, and usually by the time we get there, we always seem to hit rush-hour. After being in the car for 7 hours, that's tough!



I can imagine how stressful that must be after such a long journey driving......it always seems like rush hour there!!!


----------



## schumigirl

*Once I had finished laundry, we went up to the lounge for a couple of hours. I went up quietly and gave Ashley a good luck card, this was her last day in the lounge we wanted her to know how much we appreciated her. She opened the card through the back and came over for a big hug. She will be missed in the lounge. 

Kayla the manager came in and we had a good catch up with her. We could sit there all night, but eventually we head off to HHN. 

It didn`t feel overly hot tonight as we went out for the boat, that tiny little bit of temperature drop was distinctly noticeable even now, and would be more so later. It was still hot though!!! The boat took a while tonight and we had to wait. A few folks gave up and ended up walking, but we honestly couldn`t be bothered. Knowing us as soon as we started walking, the boat would appear. I think it was ten minutes before we got on the next one, which is unusual at peak times as they run regularly.....but it happens. 

Using the hotel guest entrance, one of the TM mentioned it was busy already tonight.......Sunday`s can be a hit or miss crowd wise, but he was right, tonight was busy. *

*We planed to do the houses at the rear of the park tonight so we headed right when we went in and hit the Vanity Ball zone. *

*Costumes, SA and theme were great, but it seriously lacked the scare factor it should have, but we did kind of enjoy it at the same time, it certainly wasn`t the worst zone this event. *



























*On to Viking`s zone...….this zone was mobbed tonight.....there weren't enough SA in this zone and the ones that were there were swamped most nights, they couldn't stop for pictures with everyone that wanted some, so they didn't stop a lot which made any pictures hard to get. We did manage a few pictures, but crowds tonight made it harder. 

So we took pictures of things above us...…..*



























*The other thing lacking for us this year, was a proper Halloween feel.......on previous years this whole area is usually festooned by pumpkins with scary faces in all the trees and looked so beautiful all lit up...….this year they were missing and it was noticeable. Yes, it`s a Horror Night, but the name Halloween is in there too....I think this is the first year I`ve missed the obvious Halloween feeling. *
















*Our first house tonight was the Classic Monsters House...….and it is a classic!!! 

The regular line was 50 minutes and with the walk we were in the house in just under 15 minutes. 

It is worth the wait!!! Tremendous house and one of the main reasons we enjoyed HHN this year along with a few other houses...and this house for us tonight was brilliant!!! So many scares and we laughed the whole way round.......and we had some really nice folks around us again tonight who were all in the spirit of the event and were funny too. We all moved a little slower tonight and really got to spend some time really seeing some of the things we had maybe skimmed past some nights.....it was interesting, but we still don't have the desire to see the day tours where you see the houses with the lights off...….nah, I prefer not to do that. *
















*These kiddie town buildings were spooky enough for some...…...I did think they could have had some spectres or ghouls wandering around here to get us all in the mood for being spooked. But it might have ended up more like Scooby Doo!!*
















*We did Graveyard Games next, regular line was 50 minutes, but as we walked down the Express line, it looked much longer than 50 minutes. I don't know if it changed just after we joined it, but I was so glad again, for the hundredth time we had EP!!! 

This house was phenomenal tonight!!! We had seen a couple of additions to the house tonight which were amazing and great additions to the house itself. Fabulously eerie house that was visually impressive too and some darn good scares!!! SA were some of the best tonight I had ever seen.....their timing was perfect and were genuinely terrifying at times! I did scream once or twice...…..*
















*We came out of this house completely amazed by how good it was tonight......and everyone around us was exactly the same. Everyone raved about how wonderful this had been and some first timers were howling with laughter...….amazing house!!! *

*We hadn't gone to Depths of Fear yet...….I wasn't gripped on the house as a theme, but had heard various reviews......most were good I have to say. *

*The regular line was 60 minutes and again, holding things up at the EP line were four people who were trying to use their hotel EP to get into the line...…they claimed they were told by the hotel they could use it......

Yes, I`m sure the TM haven`t heard that one before!!!! *

*They ended up in the regular line and laughed about how it was worth a try.........*

*15 minutes it took to get us into this house...…...*
























*This honestly was a huge disappointment...…..it was more like a B movie gone bad than a haunted maze. We had been told there was a feeling of claustrophobia and feeling of being underwater in this house...….well, we missed it! 

Costumes looked like they had been left over from the Alien scare zone a few years back...…it was all a bit odd and although the actual house did look alright, the carry through to a story just didn`t work for us...…the creatures were just too ridiculous to be even a little scary. *

*We did feel cheated after looking forward to this house......it for us, was the poorest house out of them all. 

Nightingales we did again, I have written down regular line was 70 minutes and we got on in 10 minutes......and again, I wish I could remember something about this house, but it has just kind of faded into the background.....except for the smell.....it wasn't pleasant. *

*The views over the park at night are always lovely...….everything looks so pretty all lit up...….*


























*After stopping for a drink we headed back into House of 1000 Corpses.....again, this was a surprise house for us that we liked it so much......and it was a good house. 

50 minute regular line, we walked more or less straight in. There was a slight delay as one little girl of around maybe 7 or 8 didn`t want to go in the house.....the TM was telling the parents he wouldn`t make her go in as she was crying....while the parents were trying to tell him she`d be fine, she was just tired..... *

*Even the folks around us some of whom were no more than kids themselves were saying how awful it was for this kid to be so upset.....they ended up not going in but didn't look happy about it. *

*Once they were gone we did all go straight in...…..*
















*I only noticed the creepy lonesome figure above from the pictures......didn't notice it any of the times we were going in the house.....*
















*Another fun house!!!! Good scares and SA were on their A game again.....I still never worked out from the house the whole sordid theme of the film.....it really is just a very good haunted house. *

*We gave Potter a miss tonight........it was a little cooler as the evening went on, which was nice, but I still looked like a beetroot as 82F is still hot......but it was pleasant walking around tonight again, although the crowds did make an impact tonight. It wasn't mobbed as you couldn't move around, but, you can no longer say Sunday is quiet. Maybe quieter....but we managed just fine. *

*Into Hellbilly.......we did enjoy this zone.......it was full of fun and a few little shows to watch.......and these two were among the best. *


























*This zone was fairly good tonight.....I did get a couple of good little frights, especially when one hissed in my ear.....genuinely didn`t see her approach me from the side......Tom did of course, but she moved too quickly to catch it on camera. *


























*Not the best zone of the event, but I still think the SA do the best with what they`ve been given.......and some of them in here were very good. *
















*We`d done enough tonight......…as we exited again, we were shocked how many people were coming in.....but, for us, it was the boat back home and we were lucky to get one immediately...…and we had a raucous rendition of YMCA followed by Rock the Boat which was a hoot!!!! *

*Into Jake`s bar we asked for a table, it wasn`t too busy as it was quite late now.........we needed something food wise, but didn`t want too much to eat, and knew exactly what we would have. *

*Yes, our waiter Pilot, smiled as he saw us.......yep, two Crawfish Chowders......two white wines and two strawberry lemonades.......*
















*And they were all delicious…….chowder was gorgeous and we downed the strawberry lemonades in record time, and they were replaced as soon as we had finished.......

This was enough tonight......we paid our check and headed upstairs where we both yawned our heads off all the way up. 

And we saw an email from Kyle to say that yes, Thomas Cook had gone into administration. They were bust. 

Not much we could do and certainly not tonight, it was something we`d think about over the next few days. I did click on one story back home, where it said anyone who was abroad now, would have to be home in 24 hours or they`d be on their own........I knew then we wouldn`t be leaving within 24 hours if it was true....we`d make our own way home. As it turned out, that particular story was false anyway. But, it was still sad news regardless for almost 22,000 employees. 



Tomorrow.....back to the parks.*


----------



## schumigirl

*MONDAY SEPTEMBER 23RD*​




*We slept so well again last night!!! And despite another late night for us, we woke up very early as is the norm for us I guess. But it did feel good waking up feeling refreshed.....*

*Once we were showered and dressed we went up to the lounge where Kayla immediately said she had seen TC had indeed gone bust last night. A man came over as he heard us talking and explained they had come in on the last TC to leave the UK. Again, lots of rumours as it had just happened. He was asking about his friend who was due in later in the week and booked at RP......Kayla said they were looking at everything right now as they had a lot of guests calling with queries....so he`d have to call and see himself.

We had a good old chin wag about TC and the massive company it was and how no one really expected the flight only side to collapse......but it was a shame, and right now none of us had any idea what would happen in the coming weeks.*
*
Once we had eaten we headed out for the walk to the park....we were going to IOA today so we always walked when we go there. And it is a gorgeous walk.
*
*The beach area is very pretty and has a very pretty background. They do have weddings here which we have seen pictures of and they do a wonderful job of it.*
















*All the hotels that have a boat as a transport method, all have the lovely walkway to get to Citywalk and the parks, and it is beautiful.....we never get tired of this walk and the views long the way.*






































*We were surprised how busy it looked at the gates this morning.....for a Monday morning there were a lot of people heading in right now.*
*
Our usual wander through the store is always nice, we take our time and eye up some items we might like to purchase......but I think we have most of the stock now!!! Most are passed on in some way or another.....usually gifts for friends kids or grandkids.
*
*Back outside we felt the heat today.....I can`t remember exactly what the temperature got up to, but it was a hot one!*
















*It was bliss just walking through the parks, taking our time and choosing which rides we`d go on this morning. First off was Hulk today.....and we got the second row as someone else had asked for the front, we really don`t need the front every time so second row is fine. The back of the Hulk is also good as you do get a good amount of airtime, but I still prefer nearer the front. *

*One and done with this......it can give you a bit of a rattle at times, and I wanted to do FJ later, so didn't want to be too rattled. 

Dr Doom is a favourite.....not everyone likes it, and I can see why as it is short, very short......but we always walk on this ride with EP and for us.....it is fun. I always remember the first time I went on this......2008 and I was petrified!!! I had spent the previous trip refusing to go on it, while Tom and Kyle went on numerous times......I immediately regretted not doing it as soon as I loved the first go on the ride! That initial shoot up is fabulous......and the anticipation is even better!!! *
*
We do this ride several times......
*
*Spider-Man is another favourite. It might be an oldie, but it is a classic and today we end up again on the front row which doesn't really make much difference on this ride.....any row is alright. *
















*We have a wander down behind the store where you get your picture taken with Spider-man and you get the view over the lagoon from another side.......and again, it`s usually quite quiet and you don't get much traffic down here.*
















*You really do get a clear view of the new bridge over where the new rollercoaster is going to be situated. Really looking forward to this one being revealed!!! *















*We were lucky with the crowds here too, we seem to have missed the masses that had swarmed in this morning....*

























*I think this is my favourite sign anywhere, and just about sums up our time in Universal *















*It`s a shame Popeye and me ship the Olive is down right now.....we love wanderring down to that area where it is always so peaceful and tranquil......and you can watch folks get drenched on the ride too....that is always funny!!*



























*We didn`t go on Jurassic Park today, not sure why......but we passed a little area they had set up as a mini obstacle course for kids......an ideal way to fill an area that is temporarily empty.......it was deliberately rudimental and undeveloped...….it gave it charm!!!*

*And kids old and young loved it it seemed......Tom did decline to take part...….*
















*Heading into Potter we see where everyone is again this morning......it is always so much busier here than any other area of the park when it`s a quiet time. At peak times, it`s busy everywhere which is good to see....so many folks say they dislike the rest of the park except for Potter.....truth is the rest of the parks are fabulous...…but some only see Potter which is a shame. *
















*Such a beautiful Castle. And there are always so many people on the bridge trying to get the perfect shot every single day......*



























*We did want to do FJ today, and we end up doing it twice. The first time we put our items in the lockers and then the second time we had the camera with us. I don't know if this is still in effect today, but while we were there the line went back outside the castle instead of straight inside...….I hadn't seen that before this trip, at least not when we`ve been there. *


























*If we stop for taking pictures, we always tell folks behind us to please carry on as some stop to wait, and we don't want to hold anyone up at all...….and most people are still polite like that that they do stop, but happily move on when we say to please go on......*















*This door always makes us a little sad when we see it....*
















*We loved Alan Rickman in so many other things. *













*The Mirror of Erised is here and it was delightful to hear on another trip a little lad get so excited to see it.....he was bouncing with excitement when he came across it. *






































*The hall is covered with pictures and they all are quite amazing to see individually.....each one quite unique and all with their own little story I imagine. *



























*It is all so impressive...….every tiny little detail has been added with care and precision.....and JK Rowling and the designers certainly came up with their own version of magic with this place.....*

*Everyone wants to see Dumbledore of course......*






































*One of the last areas before the ride is the common room......the regular line was quite busy now so we didn`t get as many shots as we`d like, but it was fine, we have loads rom past trips and I`m sure we`d get them  again. I did love the huge fireplace in this room......*














*More coming up.......*


----------



## schumigirl

*I seem to have a load of pictures for today!!! Quite a short update this one too.......*
*

We tell the TM we aren't riding this time and we head out of the line, here you join the folks coming off the ride and of course......straight into the gift shop!
*
*As gift shops go, this one is decent and does have some very odd and unusual items for sale...….*



























*I do know someone who would love this mask......but he is a collector of all things weird and wonderful and odd masks are one of them......he has a room full of displays that I won`t even go into it as it is weird and the masks are very creepy.*

*One ride we don't go on very often and I`m not sure why is the Hippogriff...….it`s not the longest nor the wildest coaster and it is supposed to be for kids, but it is quite good and we have enjoyed it in the past. I guess we should give it a try again one day.*















*I love this castle.*














*There are a few shows on and around this area, and one of the nicest ones is the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang show, this one is very nice to watch. You can also see the wonderful frog choir here too at certain times of the day. *















*We don`t really hang around this morning as we want to take the train over to the Studios for a little while...*

*I love this picture!!!!*















*The line for the train was fairly busy, and we had a full carriage again today.....we had been lucky on other occasions a few years back, to have just the three of us in a carriage several times......now it just seemed busy all the time. *
















*And as soon as we got in our designated carriage, every other person sitting with us, immediately brought out their phone and started filming every millimeter of the carriage.....for the entire journey...…..It was quite funny as if Tom or I turned to look in the opposite side where the doors are they quickly turned the phone round in case they missed something!! *

*We do fancy a quick wander round Diagon and Knockturn Alley and have a quick ride on Gringotts. *
















*There are so many details in both Potter areas......*
















*And some very beautifully coloured and designed buildings....*






































*There is a regular wait of 35 minutes for Gringotts, so we pop our items in the lockers which again aren't mobbed this morning, and in no time at all we are on the ride. We get the back row this morning, which I think we both prefer to the front....the small drop feels a little better from the back carriage. *

*It`s a gentle swooshy ride with the tiniest of drops at the beginning, but it`s a ride we do enjoy and it has a fabulous line to go through with both Express and regular lines. 

We overheard someone under the dragon said it hadn't worked for a while this morning, but by the time we got in it was going just fine, regular as clockwork. *


























*Knockturn Alley was almost deserted today......I guess everyone was outside today.*















*We only grabbed a couple of pictures in here today, we just wanted to be outside, heat and all......*






































*When we saw these guys below, I did wonder if one of the guys who has been one of the Mummy Stilt Walkers for ever, had finally either retired or left. We had a picture of the same guy every year since 2007. He was a classic. *
















*We popped back in to the store opposite Transformers again today, we wanted to pick up one of their Ghostbusters teeshirts......I`m glad to say we did manage to get it, someone back home had of course emailed and asked if we could pick it up....."if it wasn`t too much trouble" lol.....*
















*We even avoided the Christmas store today...….too tempting!!! We`ll keep those purchases for the December trip!!! *


























*Up next...….Monster`s Café and then Lunch at Sal`s pizza*


----------



## schumigirl

*One of the quirkiest little quick service places in the Studios is Monster`s Cafe. The theme and decor is among the nicest in the parks.....although for us the food isn`t that great here at all. To be fair they have changed the menu since we last ate here, but still not hearing rave reviews about it. 

This is where they hold the HHN Scare Actor Dining Experience, which was one of the worst experiences we have ever had at Universal......for so many reasons. I saw pictures of this years offerings and it didn`t look any better, so we were glad we didn`t give it another chance. *

*But, the inside of the building has a plethora of old images and fake artefacts of that famous bygone age of classic Universal Horror monster movies....if you like that genre, you`ll love the interior of this place. *

















































*The artifacts on the wall are quite interesting to read and have a look at, I`m guessing most don`t, but it is worth a look. *








































































*The staff here are lovely though and I just wish the food was as nice as they were......*

*The new Today Cafe seems to be a success since it opened...…it`s always busy and reviews seem to be good. The Boulangerie is missed I think, and they did serve a load of good food items.....the croissant sandwiches they sold were lovely! *

















*We headed for the boat as we were going to PBH and for the best onsite pizza there is........Sal`s. And first we get some pictures of Citywalk which always looks beautiful......*
















*And I finally take a picture that`s not blurred or hazy!!!!! *



























*And even another!!!! I could get used to this...…..*
















*Tom soon had the camera out of my hand...….and back where he likes it to be......with him behind it!!! 

We waited a few minutes for a boat and soon we were on our way to PBH. It is a beautiful boat ride whichever hotel you visit, very lush with trees and the water is a lovely way to get to the hotels or vice versa. *
*
Anyone can use them to visit hotels if you are eating in one or just visiting, the only restriction is during HHN after 11.30ish, you have to have a room key for the hotel to get on one. But, other than that, they`re free to use. 
*
*PBH is the furthest away hotel on the boat route, but still doesn`t take long......even the walk isn`t too long...…maybe 15 minutes tops to Citywalk....not too bad at all. *
















*It is a very pretty hotel and the boat path takes you right into the centre of the hotel`s piazza.......and we joke today is the busiest we have ever seen the square, as usually during the day it`s a complete ghost town. *






































*Sal`s is PBH quick service restaurant. It is open early for breakfast right through till late serving all day. *

*They have some ready prepared foods like salads and sandwiches, and they have the main menu to order from too. *





























































































*We`ve had the sandwiches before and they were lovely too, although they serve the worst potato chips as a side.....completely inedible.....*

*But, we usually stick to pizza here anyway. Today we ordered a small bbq chicken pizza, no scallions, add pineapple and jalapeno...…she does get a bit confused and asks what we want on the other pizza.......this went on for a few moments and we both got confused with each others answers!!!! She still thought we wanted two pizzas......one just with pineapple and jalapeno.......*






​






*It was one of those mix ups......but, we started again and got it sorted.......I don`t think I`m very hard to understand but maybe I was talking too quickly as Scots can do at times.........*

*We had also got two little bottles of prosecco to go along with our pizza and went through to the booths and sat down to wait for our pizza......these were actually quite drinkable and refreshing. *




























*You are given a buzzer and when it flashes your food is ready to be picked up.......and it took around 20 minutes today, but I think there were a few convention people around and a tv crew looked to be eating before doing whatever they were doing.....so busier than usual for this time of day. *


















*Pizza is delicious. Very light and crisp base, and plenty of toppings......I know a lot of folks object to bbq sauce as a base and even more object to Pineapple on pizza.......we love em both!!!!! *
*
Kyle eats a whole small pizza (which is large enough for two) on his own....I`m not sure where he puts it.....but he loves their cheese pizza from here and one of his requests next trip is to have pizza from here. 
*
*Sal`s is the only place we eat in PBH. We weren`t impressed with the other sit down restaurants here....many love them, but we found them too artificial tasting and not authentic Italian.....sorry to Olive Garden Lovers, but it just tasted like that to us. So, we don`t choose to eat there again, but Sal`s is wonderful. *





























*We wait for a boat, and another family are discussing walking instead of waiting.......it was a while......but, we do see a boat but it has Driver in Training on the side, so we know it`s not picking up anyone.....however this family didn`t realise this and kept worrying about getting on the boat with a pilot who kept bumping into the dock or missing altogether.......they begin to look a bit concerned and we eventually put them out of their misery and tell them no, they won`t be getting on that boat as it`s not picking up.......they were a little relieved. Especially when at that moment another boat finally came around the corner........*
















*We get to Citywalk and wait a few minutes for the RP boat....it`s always a lovely ride back to the hotel on the boat, we do like a mix of walks and boat rides.....all depends on which park we go to usually. *

*But, to briefly go back to Saturday morning...….as I woke up I pulled a muscle on my calf as I moved......anyone who has experienced that knows that it is agony.......lol......but it soon settled down.......and I kind of forgot about it, except for it feeling a little tight if I wasn`t careful........but, as I stepped off the boat.....something went ping on the same calf...... *






​





*So, it was a slow, steady and very painful walk up to the room from the boat dock.....*
*

*
*Tonight was Oceannaire for dinner...…..*


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

We must have just missed each other as we had a BBQ chicken pizza at Sal’s also this day for lunch, we will hold the scallions in the future as well, first time trying this one though!


----------



## schumigirl

*I got some ice for my leg when I got back up to the room.....I was half limping now and it was painful. Guess I wouldn`t be wearing heels tonight now!*
*
I went down to the shop to get some ibuprofen and of course it took me over an hour as I stood and chatted for ages......Tom didn`t wonder where I was as he knew or rather guessed I was chatting to someone. I usually do.
*
*More ice and pain relief and we eventually got ready to go out for dinner. It was a beautiful evening again.

We went down for a car, and again the lovely Daniel offered to take us in the house car, which we were grateful for. We did have plenty of time, but I preferred to pay him to take us than the cars. And he is such a nice guy, although he had misheard my name the first night, we always tell everyone to call us by our first name rather than Mr and Mrs...…far too formal. Some folks end up calling me Miss Carole which is nice.......but Daniel, bless him, must have heard Claire instead.....and every time we saw him if we passed he always said Hi Claire...…lol....so I always answered to it......*

*We thanked him once again and we headed in to where Oceannaire is......they are doing a lot of work down here, and there`s not as many businesses as there used to be at Pointe...…still a few regular ones of course.*



























*We were a little early for our reservation, but of course, that wasn't an issue...….the manager met us and he was very nice and asked if we`d like to be taken to our table straight away, we said yes, we might as well.......*

*They do have a lovely bar area here with a nice seafood display of assorted Oysters and more.....it did look appealing......well, I guess if you don`t like seafood it wouldn`t appeal, but to us......yep...…..it was lovely. *







































*We had a lovely booth tonight, and our waiter brought us the menu`s which included the Magical Dining Menu.*
*
The last time we were here, they seemed reluctant to mention that menu, however this time they were almost promoting it which was nice.

I studied the wine menu and defaulted to my usual Sonoma Cutrer and our waiter said he`d he back in a moment and with some bread and appetisers.......
*
*We did like it here. It`s a beautiful restaurant and tonight being a Monday, it was very quiet, not too quiet and did get busier as the evening went along, but for now there were only around 6 or 7 tables filled.*



























*Our water waitress was also very attentive and our water glasses were never empty...….*
















*We don't usually opt for the Magical Dining Menu, but this one for a few years had always been recommended to us because it has surf and turf...…and we had enjoyed it once before. So, we decided tonight we would have it again. When he was taking our order he mentioned the Landry`s card and the benefits of having it.....I think you buy it for $25 but you do get it back and you can get something free on your birthday and so on......we told him we weren't interested. *
















*I had the calamari which I usually prefer not to be deep fried, but this was ever so light and the calamari hadn`t been overcooked......Tom opted for the clam chowder, he`s not a fan of calamari at all.....probably because he had it once and it was so overcooked so I couldn`t blame him. The only way he will eat it is if I make it......no pressure there.......

The appetisers were lovely......I did prefer the chowder I have to say. *



























*And of course the wine didn't disappoint......the bottle was set behind me, so of course he had to come and pour it, and the first time he topped our glasses up he again mentioned the Landry`s card......which we again politely declined. *
















*The surf and turf pictures never look great...….and the food was better presented than it looked.....….and a little bigger......we both chose this and we weren`t disappointed........the lobster was soft and tender and had a lovely flavour and the steak had been cooked rare as we both asked...….it was a smaller 6oz cut, so we didn't want it overcooked...….I was a little worried Tom might find it too rare, but he did enjoy it. *
















*Our side dish was the hash brown potatoes, which were surprisingly nice....I thought they looked overcooked, but they were lovely, and incredibly buttery!!!! *
















*Although it was the MDM we had, service was still as good and we were in no way rushed, it was a very relaxing meal and we were glad we had come down here tonight......

Our dessert choice was an easy one.......this key lime pie is divine!!! Probably one of the nicest ones we`ve ever eaten. *
















*It is a smaller portion than the full menu option, the night we had the regular menu we had a large triangular slice, and the difference was quite noticeable. But, it was enough to be honest.........very sweet and I couldn`t finish mine, only because of the sweetness level. 

Our check came and again the Landry card was mentioned and he left me the form to fill in and a pen........when he came back he asked if I`d filled it in, we said no we`d have a read of it. He stated we wouldn`t be able to claim back the points we would have earned tonight......I told him we weren`t bothered and would read it later. 

They obviously earn commission on selling these cards, or he wouldn`t have been so pushy.....and that was our only complaint about the whole evening.....everything else had been wonderful. 

I don`t think we will visit here every trip, Eddie V`s was much better, but it was still lovely, food and service. 

We asked if they could call us a car, and the manager did it there and then and said it would be two minutes...….and it was.....driver was Haitian and very nice...….he chatted the whole way about life in Haiti which sounds, er, interesting! *

*Sapphire Falls was our destination tonight.....*

*Our favourite barman was on tonight...…..so we sat down the far end of the bar, in front of where they hand cut the ice cubes from a giant ice cube.....very impressive.......

There was a lady sat beside us on her own.....she was here for a conference and was chair of a bank in Texas.......she was very nice and asked us for recommendations for food as she guessed the way everyone knew us we had been here a lot........lol......just a few visits!!! *

*She was very nice though and good company for the evening........*

*As Lenny was in, we ordered his blackberry and thyme daiquiri and a mai tai for now..........both drinks are beautiful.*















*Our favourite barman.........*


























*Ashley wasn't in tonight so we missed her, but Lenny is a fabulous host and we had a good old giggle with him about many things.....including his master of rum knowledge........

We were chatting about the syrups he makes here for the cocktails and he mentioned one in particular.......it sounded delicious, he was again surprised he hadn`t given us a taste, so he came up with a cocktail for us to try.......another no name cocktail.....but it was delicious!!! *
















*I also tried the milk punch.........nothing odd you might think, but the name had always put me off. So I had no intention of trying it...but he said, have a taste and poured me some in a glass........

I was very surprised. It was smooth, strong and delicious!!!! I really shouldn`t judge by a name I guess......

The lady from Texas, Angela had loved her food we helped her pick and had enjoyed her cocktail too. We spoke about Dallas and how I always wanted to see the house Dallas was filmed all those years ago, I had heard it was much smaller than it looked on tv...…of course. She said yes, it was and she didn`t live too far from it........and she did invite us to come visit her if ever we made to Texas.......it was very kind of her to say so, but of course I`m not sure anyone ever takes a stranger up on such offers. She did give us her card with email and address on it, so I`m guessing she was at least half genuine. 

She left at that point as it was late now and she had an early meeting, so we said our goodnights and we ordered another of Lenny`s wonderful creations. 

We had enjoyed a lovely evening and sitting at the bar my sides ached with laughter at times.........the whole team here are wonderful and several came over to say hello as we were sitting.......such a welcoming place to everyone.........but eventually we decided we would have to walk back home...…so we said our goodnights and did get a picture with Lenny before we left for the evening.......*
















*Walking back over to RP we saw the ballroom area had been festooned in balloons for something we assumed was happening tomorrow for a conference........very colourful. 

The walk was fairly slow as my leg ached a little. I had definitely pulled something and just hoped it would ease sooner rather than later. *
















*Back in the room, turndown hadn`t put a lamp on rather unusually, they normally leave a lamp on in each room.....but the drapes had been pulled so both rooms were pitch black.....lamps on and we didn`t even open the drapes to look out, we put the water in the fridge and it was straight to bed for us. I think it was around 12.30 by time we got back....

It was one of those nights we were asleep before we hit the pillows. *


----------



## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> View attachment 450959
> 
> We must have just missed each other as we had a BBQ chicken pizza at Sal’s also this day for lunch, we will hold the scallions in the future as well, first time trying this one though!



We do like their pizzas.......very fresh!


----------



## keishashadow

No injuries allowed on vacation!  Good to hear it settled down quickly.

Why oh why do I look at this thread and all the drool worthy pictures before dinner?  

Rather surprised to see Islands Wok going to all white chicken meat.  It’s my favorite in stir fry but most chefs insist the dark meat tastes so much better.  It is funny to see the size of some of those noodle bowls.  Perhaps people feel the urge to fill it to the brim?

The pumpkins in the trees are one of the first things we look for every year at HHN.  Hope they bring them back in 2020!


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> No injuries allowed on vacation!  Good to hear it settled down quickly.
> 
> Why oh why do I look at this thread and all the drool worthy pictures before dinner?
> 
> Rather surprised to see Islands Wok going to all white chicken meat.  It’s my favorite in stir fry but most chefs insist the dark meat tastes so much better.  It is funny to see the size of some of those noodle bowls.  Perhaps people feel the urge to fill it to the brim?
> 
> The pumpkins in the trees are one of the first things we look for every year at HHN.  Hope they bring them back in 2020!



Next year`s HHN needs to get back to what it was......scary pumpkins and all!!! Yes, they were missed.....we heard many folks comment on them not adorning the trees there this year. 

I only use breast meat for stir fry, but yes would agree thigh and leg meat is tastier, and probably wasted on stir fries. Oh goodness, we`ve seen brimmed bowls that would frighten the French!!! How anyone can eat more than one bowlful amazes us! And apparently some folks can and do eat 3 bowls at times!! 

Leg did bother me a bit, but we just went slower where needed......

Oh yes, love some food pics!!!


----------



## disneyAndi14

All your pictures of course are amazing and I always want to be at US!

TC fiasco wow! I thought about you the day I heard it on the news, glad it all worked out

Sals is delicious thanks to you, we tried it and loved it.

Another pitch for the Landry’s card from me, lol! We love it!


----------



## schumigirl

*TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 24TH*​





*Again, we were up with the larks this morning...….I do wish one morning we could sleep till 10am.....but as I haven`t done that since I was probably a late teenager, I doubt I`m going to do it now....but it would be nice, just once......Tom I think could sleep round the clock!

I had an extra long shower this morning.......I`m not sure I mentioned it before, but the showers here are phenomenal. One of the TM who stayed at the hotel during the hurricane as they kept so many onsite, mentioned how impressed she was with the showers.....it`s small things like that I forget at times.......and I also like the hairdryers here.....I have fine hair but a lot of it, so does take a time to dry.......but this one is ideal for me.

I also wrote down we spoke to a family from Michigan.....and I`m not sure why I wrote it down??? There must have been a reason, but I forget right now........oops!!! Tom said they were very nice.*

*Today we were having a quick drive back to St Augustine....it was supposed to be a little cooler today. Spoiler......we didn`t notice that at all!!!!!*

*Tom drives today, and I didn`t complain at all today.......we both love driving over here and it is fun despite all the grievances on the roads at times......and this road is so open and clear for many miles, we just enjoy driving on it. And today we didn't seem to have many annoyances on the road too!! *


















*I`m always impressed with the size of the Harley place here......I know two people who have one and have never ridden on one as I really don`t like motorbikes, but they do look good on the roads!!*


















*We pass a couple of beaches we keep meaning to go to at some point. Ormond and Flagler.....only through recommendations from friends who like them.....so we`re going to aim to do that in May next year and see how nice they are.*


















*It`s easy to find where you want to be when you get closer, the whole journey is an easy one and you really can`t get lost......yes, even we didn't get lost coming here!!!*


















*I think this has to be the fanciest car wash we have ever seen.*





























*We usually park right next to St George St, it`s so handy for the main shopping area, but today we planned to spend some time looking around the Lightner Museum and Flagler College which we kept meaning to do on previous visits, but never had the time.....so today we parked behind the Lightner museum which is still fairly close to the main areas of the town...…..it`s not a huge place and feels very compact, so you could park anywhere really and still find everything convenient.

Looking over to Flagler college as we walked to the museum, the view was stunning. Beautiful building.*

















*The Lightner Museum is somewhere we`ve been interested in visiting for a long time......*

















*The museum is housed in what used to be the Alcazar Hotel that had been built in 1888 by Henry Flagler himself and I could just imagine the beauty and decadence you would experience when indulging in a visit to such a wonderous place back then. Hotels certainly new how to do glamour back then......…*

*However, in 1948 Otto Lightner, who then was a Chicago publisher  converted the empty hotel into the museum we see today. He had been looking for somewhere to display his massive collections which were varied and fabulous. 

It included fine arts, antiques and exquisite blown and cut glass displays to name but a few. Sadly we didn't see many as the museum is undergoing a massive refurb. 

We also didn't take a lot of pictures inside and some of the displays were a little muddled and some items weren't labelled so you really had no clue what you were looking at sometimes. It is at times, reminiscent of just looking at someone`s personal belongings and not a well organised museum. *

*They do have a wonderful set of people there to help you, but I believe most people do self tours and not structured ones. I have no clue if that is an option or not. But, it is beautiful inside too and well worth a visit. And I dare say we`ll go back and get some proper pictures inside. *

*Outside was our favourite part though. It is well manicured and very well looked after...….*






























*And blazing hot!!!!! Who said it was going to be cooler today!!! 

The Santa Monica Spa hotel looks stunning.......if we ever stayed overnight, I think we`d choose this one. Although some of the quaint little guest houses were so tempting too!! But, this looked like it would be so beautiful on the inside, and I`m not sure why we didn't go in for a look. *

















*Me trying to find some shade!!!! *

















*Heading over to Flagler College the sun blinded us so much.......*


















*My cousin and her husband in Long Island recently brought their daughter down as she was considering coming here for college.....and they were all blown away by the beauty of the place!!! It is stunning....*






























*The college was a working college so we didn't intrude too much and I`m sure we could have explored further than we did, but we didn`t want to interrupt anyone or walk where we shouldn`t be.....so we curtailed our touring to the outside today. But, we were informed later we could have gone almost everywhere. *


















*It was too hot to hang around again, we headed for the main street where the shops are and we tried to stay in the shade as much as possible...….the area was very quiet today and it was a real pleasure to wander around without too many people there. *










































*It is such a beautiful place. And we went into a shop and bought some water where we were informed it was 94F. That`s hot......but where was the slightly cooler sea air........*







​




























*One of the reasons we ended up hotter than ever, was we got lost!!!! 

Well, not lost exactly, the place we were looking for to have lunch wasn't where we thought it was......so we ended up wandering around more than we should have at almost 1pm where the sun was almost laughing at how bad we now looked.......….we had seen a place on a previous visit, and it was down an almost back street and the entrance was like a back yard door...…..we couldn't find it. *

*So, we kept walking and found ourselves on the street on the front opposite the water. We said we`ll walk along the front till we find somewhere we like the look of.....which rather amazingly, didn't take us long at all......*

*Yes. We found the place we had just spent twenty five minutes looking for!!!! Doh!!!!! *







​






*Harry`s Seafood Bar and Grille was indeed the place we had been searching for...….it has two entrances, and we had only seen the rear way in...….and the fact we had found it had just been.......*







​


















*It is a very quaint older building, that has no elevator if you did need one.......but, we were eating downstairs today and the little secluded dining room we were in was light and spacious. Although the table to the side of us to the right was very close. 

We were shown to our table and we had just sat down to look at the menu, when a lady on her own who was obviously getting ready to leave started talking to us.......and this will sound very ungracious. 

She told us it was her birthday, so we wished her happy birthday, she went on to explain she was having a mommy day as her kids were in school.....how lovely. We went back to look at the menu, when she began asking us questions which we dutifully answered politely, and went back to look at the menu......she then began telling us what was nice here, ok lovely......she went on again about several things and by now, we just wanted to look at the menu.....so we smiled politely and said I`m so glad you enjoyed your lunch and picked up the menu`s again...….she never really took the hint...….

Our waiter appeared and we asked for water, pink lemonade and a chardonnay...….no problem…...he then dropped the yappy lady her check and she began to tell us her life story again...….I felt bad. We just wanted to look at the menu...….but, we do like to chat to folks at the same time, but this woman wasn't having a conversation......she was just babbling...….*






​






*Eventually Tom said excuse us while we study the menu...…..by then she was almost ready to leave, we said we hoped she enjoyed the rest of her day and then we did get to study the menu. *

*I hate to be rude, but this woman had talked non stop since we sat down.....*

*Back to lunch...…….*

















*Our waiter came back with bread and butter...….it looked lovely, but what he didn't say was, that is was garlic butter......nope, not for me......Tom however loved it...….he doesn't get garlic butter at home!!! *


















*I did like the hot sauce that was on the table...…...*


















*I had decided to have the Mahi Mahi with smashed potatoes.....I did make sure there were no onions in it, he came back and said there was onion seasoning.....that was ok for me. *

















*Tom chose the Ultimate Shrimp Po Boy with fries.........this was huge!!!! *

















*All the food was beautiful. The fish was tender, and although I had asked for it blackened, it could have been done a little bit more for me, but other than that it was perfectly cooked and the potatoes were very creamy and delicious. 

Tom`s sandwich was full of shrimp, and incredibly tasty......he barely touched the fries but did enjoy that sandwich a lot!!! *

*This was a lovely place, and we would go back there again happily.....especially now we know where to find it!!!! We paid the check and used the restrooms before we left and went back out into the baking sun......*

*One of the women who was on the desk commented that it wasn't usually as hot here this time of year.....this was unusual and mentioned what we had said, there was no cooler sea breeze......she said they were struggling a bit too, so couldn't imagine how us Brits coped!!! lol......how true. *


















*On the opposite side of the road to Harry`s was the bridge of Lions that opens up every 30 minutes for boats...…we just saw it open as we watched it today. *
















*More to follow.......*


----------



## schumigirl

disneyAndi14 said:


> All your pictures of course are amazing and I always want to be at US!
> 
> TC fiasco wow! I thought about you the day I heard it on the news, glad it all worked out
> 
> Sals is delicious thanks to you, we tried it and loved it.
> 
> Another pitch for the Landry’s card from me, lol! We love it!



Thanks Caroline......yes, us too......we always seem to be thinking of being back there again......

I‘m so glad you enjoyed Sal’s......it’s one of many places we hate to miss.

lol......I think it seems to be a good card, but we just don’t eat in Landrys establishments enough I guess. Thing is, the more this guy went on about it, the more I wouldn’t have taken it because of that.....I’m stubborn like that  

Yes, the TC thing was a fiasco for so many, we were so very lucky in the end......


----------



## schumigirl

*We headed back to the little park area away from the centre of town, and it is very peaceful despite traffic on either side. There were a couple of ladies sitting in the shade selling some craft items or something like that......we`re not crafty people really, but the ladies were very nice.....and offered to take our picture after we chatted.*























































*It is just the most beautiful place. The whole place is just stunning and one of the nicest places we have ever visited in Florida. And I don't think we have even scratched the surface of the place. We keep saying we`d love to stay overnight but we can`t seem to drag ourselves away from Orlando and our hotels there.....maybe one day we will.*

*Our drive back home is again, uneventful and we are happy about that. And once home we admire the view once again and do think of having a pool night as it does look ultra quiet again. *


















*We shower and change, then go up to the lounge and have a couple of red wines each. We plan to eat dinner in Vivo tonight so no offsite, which is why Tom is having wine too. The lounge is quiet again so it`s pleasant and we always have a nice time up here.....

A few people were talking about the heat and how warm it is, and mention it has usually cooled down a little by now.....but we were determined to enjoy every second of this heat.*
*
Later, we headed down for the boat, no real line tonight, I think we had missed most of the folks heading into Citywalk......

I was looking forward to Vivo.....but when we got off the boat, Tom said why don`t we go to NBC instead...…ok, sounded good to me.
*
*It wasn`t overly busy so we got a nice table by the window and our waitress was very nice.*

















*As we`d had red, I stuck to that and Tom had a beer...…..we do like it in there and had enjoyed a lovely meal earlier on the trip so we expected this one to be as good.*

*We`d had mixed experiences here....burgers are great!!! But, we had in the past had overcooked steak and chewy brisket to name but a few.....but our last meal where Tom had the ribs and I had a burger it had been fabulous.*





























*After much deliberation, Tom ordered the brisket and I went for the full rack of ribs so we could share some, no fries just cornbread and I thought I`d try the mac n cheese.......we also asked if we could have some siracha sauce as I love a little spice with mac n cheese.....*































*They look good don't they!! *
*
Tom`s was a little cool.....but edible. 
*
*However......my ribs were cold.....stone cold. I couldn't believe how cool they felt when I bit into the first bite...

We called over the waitress who apologised and took them away. I was surprised again this meal hadn't been without an issue. Tom meanwhile tucked into his lukewarm brisket and had almost finished by the time mine came back......*

*I had put some siracha sauce on the plate before she had taken it away, I saw immediately it had just been just wiped off the plate, but not totally, and I also had the addition of fries and no cornbread.....where was my cornbread? 

The ribs were steaming hot, and at that point she asked if everything was ok....I explained I didn`t want the fries only cornbread. She said she`d be back, and she was almost immediately. I had an empty wine glass and she hadn't asked if I wanted another, which I probably would have done. *

*I tried the ribs and was stunned to see they were tough as old boots....yep, I think the chef had just microwaved them into oblivion.....Tom tried to tear one off the bone and it didn`t budge. So, I wasn`t going to eat any more of this. We looked for our waitress and couldn`t see her, but I did need to go to the bathroom. So, told Tom to explain and I`d be as quick as I could. 

While I was gone, our waitress had come to the table, looked at my plate and handed Tom the check...…he said, no I think we need to mention the ribs. She said she`d go get a manager!!! *

*So, as I got back, Kaitlyn had just arrived and was super nice. I explained about the meal and what had happened...…she was very apologetic and asked if there was anything she could get me in place of the ribs.....you know when you just don`t feel like anything......I said no, it was genuinely ok....she offered some dessert to go, I said no thanks, we`re actually going to Voodoo to get the AP special doughnut as we hadn`t tried it yet......but we thanked her as she had obviously said they would take the meal off the check, which was all we wanted really. 

By the time we were ready to leave, she came rushing up to us...…in her hand she had the AP doughnut in a bag for us!!! How kind of her...…she said the line was around 30 minutes right now for doughnuts and hoped that would be ok........it was a lovely thought of hers and we were very appreciative of her doing that.

So, we left NBC feeling happy instead of a little annoyed thanks to Kaitlyn. But, we did say, we would stick to burgers whenever we ate here again. *
*
We got on the boat and on the way back home I suggested we go to Jake`s for a glass of wine and I would have some crawfish chowder as I did feel a little peckish now. My one rib that I almost ate, hadn`t filled me up at all. 
*
*Jake`s was quiet tonight, but we decided to sit at the bar and I did order a malbec and chowder, Tom ordered one of Jake`s own beers......*


















*We sat for a couple of hours, and enjoyed a couple of drinks and some good banter with the bar staff. *

*It was around 11ish we went up and we opened up the doughnut......I got a knife and split it into four pieces.......it did have a lovely pink lemonade style filling and I could only eat a bite or two as it was very sweet. Tom was the same and we couldn`t finish it between us. It was nice though. *


















*I promise that is our last negative dining experience of the trip!!!!! *

*We watched a little bit of tv and then went to bed......we did think we`d have an early night, but once again it was after midnight before the lights went out. *


----------



## J'aime Paris

My DD knows two girls from high school that attend Flagler College.  How nice to have this place as your "home"!!


----------



## keishashadow

We skipped NBC last trip based upon your experience. A shame it declined thusly, always seemed easy to get a table there.  I do miss NASCAR, it was basic but reliable.

Have to laugh how you describe yourself seeking shade in the blinding sun.  I do the same, shade is a valuable commodity there indeed.


----------



## angryduck71

schumigirl said:


> I love grapes!!! Can`t eat a whole lot of them, but red grapes over here are particularly delicious.....goes well with some cheese and red wine.....or beer in Tom`s case today!



I chuckled as I was snacking on grapes just before I read this and thought, "I shouldn't eat too many..."  Then, read this and said, "yup, don't eat a whole lot of them like Carole said!"


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> My DD knows two girls from high school that attend Flagler College.  How nice to have this place as your "home"!!



It must be wonderful to live there.......my cousins daughter ended up not choosing that college after all, but they all fell in love with the place itself.


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> We skipped NBC last trip based upon your experience. A shame it declined thusly, always seemed easy to get a table there.  I do miss NASCAR, it was basic but reliable.
> 
> Have to laugh how you describe yourself seeking shade in the blinding sun.  I do the same, shade is a valuable commodity there indeed.



Tom laughed when I tried to shade in front of the skinniest tree ever......with the best will in the word, it wouldn’t protect me ......lol......

Nascar was fantastic! We miss it there and there were a few stand out dishes we miss......Boogity Boogity Boogity Shrimp for one........  

We’ll be giving it a miss for a while, or will just have a burger......


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> I chuckled as I was snacking on grapes just before I read this and thought, "I shouldn't eat too many..."  Then, read this and said, "yup, don't eat a whole lot of them like Carole said!"



lol.......I love grapes! But my tummy rebels against too many!

They are so good for you, so you chomp away..........we’re having a cheese plate in a little while, and I have some red grapes.....I love those ones that taste like cotton candy.....but didn’t think they’d go with a nice cheese selection as well as red......these ones are delicious!


----------



## angryduck71

Finally caught up!  We have an Eddie V's here, and I really want to go to it.  I think I just may next weekend.  Anyway, loving the report.  Hating you got a strain in your calf.  :|   Hopefully that doesn't affect the rest of the trip!


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> Finally caught up!  We have an Eddie V's here, and I really want to go to it.  I think I just may next weekend.  Anyway, loving the report.  Hating you got a strain in your calf.  :|   Hopefully that doesn't affect the rest of the trip!



Oh you should go.......we were so impressed with it!

It was a bit of a niggle and did slow me down a little some days, I’m not exactly known for being a runner......  so, long as I took it easy it was fine, but if I forgot getting out of bed........ouch!

So glad you’re enjoying it Alice.......


----------



## angryduck71

No cheese plate at work...   So, I went and got Cheetos Puffs White Cheddar.  Close?  No??


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## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> No cheese plate at work...   So, I went and got Cheetos Puffs White Cheddar.  Close?  No??



er maybe not.........lol........

We have a brie, Stilton with cranberry, smoked Gouda, Emmental and a spicy devil cheese......it is hot!!! We won’t eat much, just a little of each cheese with some crackers.....and of course grapes.

Enjoy those Cheetos though!!


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## Tgrgrl

You should definitely tour the Flagler College dining hall next time! It was designed by Louis Tiffany & has wonderful stained glass windows.


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## schumigirl

Tgrgrl said:


> You should definitely tour the Flagler College dining hall next time! It was designed by Louis Tiffany & has wonderful stained glass windows.



The day we went they had blocked it off, but, yes, we did want to see it.....
I’m sure we’ll go back again another time and have better look around. Such a beautiful place.


----------



## keishashadow

Thing I appreciate most about the Landry’s card is the priority seating perk.  Use it every visit to AK for Yak & Yeti...not worrying about jumping thru hoops making an ADR 180 days in advance...priceless lol. Same at TRex site in DS.

Rarely, have we ever needed to use the onsite dining priority seating perks @ U. So relaxing to basically wing it when staying there!


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## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> Thing I appreciate most about the Landry’s card is the priority seating perk.  Use it every visit to AK for Yak & Yeti...not worrying about jumping thru hoops making an ADR 180 days in advance...priceless lol. Same at TRex site in DS.
> 
> Rarely, have we ever needed to use the onsite dining priority seating perks @ U. So relaxing to basically wing it when staying there!



Yes, I can see where the perks would be there for sure.......I think it would only be at Oceannaire we would ever benefit from using it, but getting a reservation there is easy. I’m just the type of person if a waiter perseveres after being told no......twice! I dig my heels in further.......lol......you may have guessed that by now......  


Yes, dining at Universal is so easy.......


----------



## schumigirl

*WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 25TH*




*We had a week left!!!! *​















*Last night was a little unusual......I was up most of the night, not feeling good at all.....I eventually moved through to the sitting area so as not to disturb Tom....I felt as though I was going to throw up the whole night. However, he appeared around 2am with similar feeling, but he also had terrible indigestion, something he never has. I`m not sure either of us ate enough of the ribs to cause it, or whether there was something with the brisket...….but something didn't sit well with us at all. *
*
Around 3.30am, I finally fell back over and it had felt a long night. 
*
*We slept till 8am....not sure when we last slept so late in the morning anytime not just here!! We both still felt a little delicate, so took our time......we showered and went up for breakfast, although neither of us planned on eating much. 

DisneyLifePapione and family were leaving today, so we got to say goodbye to them before they left. We were glad to have met them finally. We didn't have much for breakfast, one of the girls got me a ginger tea, and some bags to take away with me in case I needed them again. They had worked wonders for Kyle last December, plus I liked them.....anything ginger!!! *

*Today we had planned to go the parks, but neither of us particularly felt like it today after such a disturbed night. So, we decided to go to the Mall at Millenia. 

When Tom had bought me my birthday purse from Bloomingdales earlier in the month, because we spent over a certain amount, we had received a $50 gift card to be used on anything in the store on or after Sept 25th.....which was today.....so I knew we`d be heading to Bloomingdales first this morning. *

*Tom walked down to get the car, and I waited in the shade.....it`s very rare to see this area devoid of cars. I do have the odd picture of this area empty. *




























*The Mall is around a 5-10 minute drive, it`s very close but traffic sometime can be a nightmare any time of day between the I-4 and then traffic near the Mall. We usually avoid weekends here as it`s so much worse, and of course parking isn't easy then either. But, today, there were plenty of spaces. 

We love the Mall here......there are plenty of stores we enjoy snooping around and some we just pass by. Plenty of choice for everyone. *
*
Today, it`s straight to Bloomingdales and I have a wander around to see what I want to use the voucher for. I ask Tom if there`s anything he would like......and after he stopped laughing he said no, he was happy for me to spend it. It wasn`t that funny!!!! 
*
*I ended up using it against another bottle of Chanel Chance Au Fraiche, my favourite perfume, and one I wear more than any other. Getting the smaller bottle I believe worked out at around $40 to pay. I always buy the larger bottle when we`re here but this would be a nice little addition. 

On the way out I spotted Bobbi Brown make up, so I picked up a shimmery eye shadow I like...….my other of that did need replaced. I was quite pleased with my purchases today.*

*We wandered around for a while, but didn't really see anything else. We looked in the Tag Heur store and saw that none of the staff we knew weren`t there anymore. I know Kyle would like to look in here again in December and we knew them quite well over the last few years......although I doubted Kyle would buy another Tag watch this year again!!!! *


















*Tiffany occasionally have a display in the middle of the main area, and today it was there, but no staff were around so we didn't get to wander the display and see what it was. *


















*Outside it was blazing hot again......and so beautiful...…..we risked the wrath of the guards again, inside and out by taking numerous pictures of the Mall......without anyone in them.....but, no one again said a word. *





























*A young couple I thought were German, were taking pictures of each other individually, Tom offered to take some of them together which they gladly accepted and reciprocated by taking several of us. *

*They weren`t German after all, they were Brazilian.....and they soon brought up football and the Brazilian team vs the Scottish team.....lol.....no comparison whatsoever!!!! But, they did like Scotland and he had gone there as a kid to watch Scotland play which was interesting to hear.....his abiding memory was how cold it was.....lol....I`ll bet it was compared to Brazil!!! *


















*I have to admit, we were now hungry...…...very hungry. And although it might be a little early, we had decided to go to Nagoya Sushi for lunch. 

We had heard about this place ages ago and just never seemed to make it there......we did plan dinner one night, but I thought since they open at lunch, let`s give it a try and if it`s as good as everyone says it is, we`ll go back for dinner. *
*
It`s situated off Sand Lake Road and somewhat to the back of Toojays, so not far away. We had been told it`s never usually busy, which you would assume is a bad sign? But, we had been assured we`d love it. 

If you didn`t know it was there, you may not find it. 
*
*It is in a little strip mall and not obvious at all. And it`s very uninspiring when you do find it. *






























*We did get a friendly welcome, and it was quiet as we had been told, only one other table had someone sitting in as we came in. A few tables filled up though as lunch progressed which was nice to see.*

*Nagoya is small and intimate place, it has a few booths, and one large booth, the rest are tables........and wow the staff were friendly and so polite. *





























*Both of us ordered lemonades and had a look at the extensive menu. They did have some lunch specials which looked good, as well as the full menu available all day which we liked the sound of. *


















*Miso soup was our first course.....it came as part of lunch and my goodness, weirdly after we ate it...…we both felt so much better!!! It felt like a magic elixir........and very tasty too. *

















*I decided to try their sushi, and ordered a Dynamite Roll and a Scallop Roll.......*


















*This is a Bento Box!!!!! It really makes the ones served at Cowfish a bit of a joke......*

*Tom opted for Spicy Chicken and it came with your choice of rice, a sushi and tempura veg selection and I forget what the thing on the top corner is......but wow, we did enjoy this. *


















*We shared everything as always and his spicy chicken was divine......not overly spicy (not much is for us) but very tasty and we just loved everything we had tried today. We did indeed plan to come back for dinner one evening.

No room for dessert, but we both felt so much better now....maybe it was just eating some food, but whatever it was we had enjoyed this lunch so much. And it was ridiculously cheap at around $35. We paid the check and headed back outside to get in the car to drive the short distance to the Publix just up a little bit from the restaurant.......*

*Yes, it was hot.........*

















*This Publix was one I had never been in before, and it was in many ways, just another Publix, but it had a little kitchen area for cooking lessons and food evenings which I thought was lovely......so many people can`t cook and it`s so easy!!! So, anything that focuses and promotes cooking is fabulous. Cooking is something I love to do and I am quite good if I do say so myself.....but on vacation??? Never......*

*And it had a rather nice wine selection...….*






























*I try not to think of the huge mark up restaurants attach to the wines we drink.......yep, best not to think about it!! But, the Sonoma Cutrer is one of my favourites below, and not easily available where we live. So, we pay whatever they charge. And the grocery store price is a bargain!!! *



















*We love grocery stores in the States...….seafood and other fresh produce looks so marvellous and we would certainly shop here and at Wholefoods if we lived here!!!! The fish guy here was incredibly knowledgeable and knew where we lived had some excellent seafood, he did know his product. *






























*A wander round the store showed us they sold some international produce too and the item below is what we call a chocolate biscuit.....*


















*In the UK, a biscuit is a treat to have with a cup of tea or coffee.....and delicious!!! You can imagine how confused as first timers all those years ago to the states we saw Biscuits and Gravy put together on a menu??? *

















*It didn`t really help when we saw them for the first time and wondered why folks were putting soup on what we would call a scone!!!!! Very confusing time.......the so called soup of course was sausage gravy, yes, we now know what biscuits and gravy are........delicious.......*

*We were in looking for candied ginger as one of the managers we know loves it. But, it was proving elusive to find in the size I wanted, but one of the staff really went out of his way to find some as he knew they sold it, but no one seemed to know where it was stored. We meanwhile paid for our other purchases and one of the staff came after us and proudly showed us he had found it. We thanked him and came back in to pay.....they were very small packages, and not what we were looking for as a gift, but I would eat it.....and it was lovely. We would search further another day. 

Driving back home, we saw Wholefoods, and decided we`d get some in there, but it would be another day as to be honest, we both felt like a nap. Being up half the night had taken it`s toll today. So a swift hour or so nap, would be very nice. *

*Tom dropped me off and went to park the car, I waited for him in the cool of the lobby.......I stood in front of the big window facing the elephants, and I saw one of the Concierge staff look over.....I didn`t really know this young man very well at all, but he knew us. He walked over and he handed me a Godiva bag and said a guest had left this for us at their desk????? 

I looked in it and there was a beautiful pumpkin Halloween shaped box filled with chocolates........I asked him who it was that left it and he said he didn`t know......I looked inside again and still didn`t see anything with a name.......so I thanked him and he said he could go ask if they had left a name at the desk, but didn`t think they had.......at that I spotted the note that had sat right against the bag, so you wouldn`t automatically notice it.......*

*I smiled when I read it.........it was from the one and only Janet......Keishashadow. 

How lovely!!!! They had dropped it in on their way past as she knew they would melt if she brought them to the park, we were meeting them for lunch tomorrow...…it was such a lovely surprise!!!! And when Tom walked in he immediately spotted the bag...and his eyes lit up like a Christmas Tree when I showed him what they were......we would enjoy them!!!! *

*Back in the room we admired our lovely gift and our few purchases today........*






























*It was beautiful outside and the pool was almost empty, and very tempting......but, today we needed a snooze!!! Although we may or may not have had one of those delicious chocolates each before we did snooze.......  *


















*Drapes closed, we slept soundly for almost 2 hours. And I think we really needed it today. Losing so much sleep last night, it was nice to make it up this afternoon.*
*
We showered and changed and headed up to the lounge for a while before HHN tonight again. 
*
*Food tonight was orange chicken, and I had a little taster, just a little though with our wine. Tom had some cheese. *










































*We found out our little buddy who we call our second son, Colby got the job he applied for in Orchids Lounge. He had been in the Club Lounge for so long, it was time he moved on. We were so happy for him. But, he`ll be missed in the lounge as he is almost a fixture......*

*A British lady stopped me as I walked past her table and asked if I was the lady who was staying a month, I said yes.....she asked if I thought there was enough to do for two weeks staying here alone.....I told her absolutely......you can base yourself anywhere and travel around. She asked what we did and I told her roughly what our days consisted of, and she was surprised to hear we never did Disney or SeaWorld....never felt the need to go back and they certainly haven't made it appealing the last years. Either place. But, she got the info she was looking for and thanked me for the time......no problem. 

Today we looked ahead to next May. We had our hotel booked of course since last May, and we had booked flights when we got home....with Thomas Cook.....of course. *

*So, I knew we had to get flights sorted out sooner rather than later, Tom said bring up the website and look now and see if we can get them booked today. yay!!!!*
















*He didn`t need to ask me twice!!!! Ipad out, and brought up the Virgin Atlantic site, typed in our same dates......and we were glad to be sitting down!!! So, prices were double what we had paid with TC.....actually slightly more than double. Of course we could have lessened it by not booking Premium seats, but we do like them.....I did hesitate for a micro second, but Tom said go ahead!!! *
















*We were both just happy to have flights sorted. We knew we could have changed the dates but we were happy with those ones, so it all worked out in the end. There was also the case for reclaiming the money we had paid for the May TC flights to be refunded off our Credit Card, but we`d look at that when we got back to the UK. Right now we were just happy to have flights booked and again we were flying with Virgin Atlantic.*

*It felt good to be sorted, so we celebrated with a glass of wine and then headed off for another HHN. *


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## keishashadow

Long overdue but  happy you enjoyed the little treat.  I’ve had macaroons from my town turn into a pile of goo after a flight down & chocolate fail miserably in what I assume is due to the temperature/extreme changes? I lol’d all the way out to the car after the strange interaction with concierge staff member when dropping it off.

Cowfish was a one & done for us, one of the reasons was their bento box.  The 2nd was the digestive issues afterwards for me.  Sushi, it’s either good, or it’s not lol.  That new spot you tried looked great.

Is it me or did the concierge lounge’s offerings look just a bit tastier in this last installment?  Not a fan of orange chicken but that one looked appealing.

Thank goodness for sorting out the air snafu!  Kudos for keeping your cool about it.  We ran into several folks who were not quite so centered re the issue that same day during our extended checkin period at Cabana Bay.  Appears there were many on packages who were on rather tight budgets.  Were offered replacement flights but had lost their packaged prepaid way to the airport. Once honeymooning couple was rather frantic, but wound up sharing another couples’ transport.  What a mess!


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## DisneyLifePapioNe

schumigirl said:


> *WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 25TH*
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> *We had a week left!!!! *​
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> *Last night was a little unusual......I was up most of the night, not feeling good at all.....I eventually moved through to the sitting area so as not to disturb Tom....I felt as though I was going to throw up the whole night. However, he appeared around 2am with similar feeling, but he also had terrible indigestion, something he never has. I`m not sure either of us ate enough of the ribs to cause it, or whether there was something with the brisket...….but something didn't sit well with us at all. *
> 
> *Around 3.30am, I finally fell back over and it had felt a long night. *
> 
> *We slept till 8am....not sure when we last slept so late in the morning anytime not just here!! We both still felt a little delicate, so took our time......we showered and went up for breakfast, although neither of us planned on eating much.
> 
> DisneyLifePapione and family were leaving today, so we got to say goodbye to them before they left. We were glad to have met them finally. We didn't have much for breakfast, one of the girls got me a ginger tea, and some bags to take away with me in case I needed them again. They had worked wonders for Kyle last December, plus I liked them.....anything ginger!!!
> 
> Today we had planned to go the parks, but neither of us particularly felt like it today after such a disturbed night. So, we decided to go to the Mall at Millenia.
> 
> When Tom had bought me my birthday purse from Bloomingdales earlier in the month, because we spent over a certain amount, we had received a $50 gift card to be used on anything in the store on or after Sept 25th.....which was today.....so I knew we`d be heading to Bloomingdales first this morning.
> 
> Tom walked down to get the car, and I waited in the shade.....it`s very rare to see this area devoid of cars. I do have the odd picture of this area empty. *
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> *The Mall is around a 5-10 minute drive, it`s very close but traffic sometime can be a nightmare any time of day between the I-4 and then traffic near the Mall. We usually avoid weekends here as it`s so much worse, and of course parking isn't easy then either. But, today, there were plenty of spaces.
> 
> We love the Mall here......there are plenty of stores we enjoy snooping around and some we just pass by. Plenty of choice for everyone. *
> 
> *Today, it`s straight to Bloomingdales and I have a wander around to see what I want to use the voucher for. I ask Tom if there`s anything he would like......and after he stopped laughing he said no, he was happy for me to spend it. It wasn`t that funny!!!! *
> 
> *I ended up using it against another bottle of Chanel Chance Au Fraiche, my favourite perfume, and one I wear more than any other. Getting the smaller bottle I believe worked out at around $40 to pay. I always buy the larger bottle when we`re here but this would be a nice little addition.
> 
> On the way out I spotted Bobbi Brown make up, so I picked up a shimmery eye shadow I like...….my other of that did need replaced. I was quite pleased with my purchases today.
> 
> We wandered around for a while, but didn't really see anything else. We looked in the Tag Heur store and saw that none of the staff we knew weren`t there anymore. I know Kyle would like to look in here again in December and we knew them quite well over the last few years......although I doubted Kyle would buy another Tag watch this year again!!!! *
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> *Outside it was blazing hot again......and so beautiful...…..we risked the wrath of the guards again, inside and out by taking numerous pictures of the Mall......without anyone in them.....but, no one again said a word. *
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> *A young couple I thought were German, were taking pictures of each other individually, Tom offered to take some of them together which they gladly accepted and reciprocated by taking several of us.
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> They weren`t German after all, they were Brazilian.....and they soon brought up football and the Brazilian team vs the Scottish team.....lol.....no comparison whatsoever!!!! But, they did like Scotland and he had gone there as a kid to watch Scotland play which was interesting to hear.....his abiding memory was how cold it was.....lol....I`ll bet it was compared to Brazil!!! *
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> *I have to admit, we were now hungry...…...very hungry. And although it might be a little early, we had decided to go to Nagoya Sushi for lunch.
> 
> We had heard about this place ages ago and just never seemed to make it there......we did plan dinner one night, but I thought since they open at lunch, let`s give it a try and if it`s as good as everyone says it is, we`ll go back for dinner. *
> 
> *It`s situated off Sand Lake Road and somewhat to the back of Toojays, so not far away. We had been told it`s never usually busy, which you would assume is a bad sign? But, we had been assured we`d love it.
> 
> If you didn`t know it was there, you may not find it. *
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> *It is in a little strip mall and not obvious at all. And it`s very uninspiring when you do find it. *
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> *We shared everything as always and his spicy chicken was divine......not overly spicy (not much is for us) but very tasty and we just loved everything we had tried today. We did indeed plan to come back for dinner one evening.
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> No room for dessert, but we both felt so much better now....maybe it was just eating some food, but whatever it was we had enjoyed this lunch so much. And it was ridiculously cheap at around $35. We paid the check and headed back outside to get in the car to drive the short distance to the Publix just up a little bit from the restaurant.......
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> *This Publix was one I had never been in before, and it was in many ways, just another Publix, but it had a little kitchen area for cooking lessons and food evenings which I thought was lovely......so many people can`t cook and it`s so easy!!! So, anything that focuses and promotes cooking is fabulous. Cooking is something I love to do and I am quite good if I do say so myself.....but on vacation??? Never......
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> *I try not to think of the huge mark up restaurants attach to the wines we drink.......yep, best not to think about it!! But, the Sonoma Cutrer is one of my favourites below, and not easily available where we live. So, we pay whatever they charge. And the grocery store price is a bargain!!! *
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> *A wander round the store showed us they sold some international produce too and the item below is what we call a chocolate biscuit.....*
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> *In the UK, a biscuit is a treat to have with a cup of tea or coffee.....and delicious!!! You can imagine how confused as first timers all those years ago to the states we saw Biscuits and Gravy put together on a menu??? *
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> *It didn`t really help when we saw them for the first time and wondered why folks were putting soup on what we would call a scone!!!!! Very confusing time.......the so called soup of course was sausage gravy, yes, we now know what biscuits and gravy are........delicious.......
> 
> We were in looking for candied ginger as one of the managers we know loves it. But, it was proving elusive to find in the size I wanted, but one of the staff really went out of his way to find some as he knew they sold it, but no one seemed to know where it was stored. We meanwhile paid for our other purchases and one of the staff came after us and proudly showed us he had found it. We thanked him and came back in to pay.....they were very small packages, and not what we were looking for as a gift, but I would eat it.....and it was lovely. We would search further another day.
> 
> Driving back home, we saw Wholefoods, and decided we`d get some in there, but it would be another day as to be honest, we both felt like a nap. Being up half the night had taken it`s toll today. So a swift hour or so nap, would be very nice.
> 
> Tom dropped me off and went to park the car, I waited for him in the cool of the lobby.......I stood in front of the big window facing the elephants, and I saw one of the Concierge staff look over.....I didn`t really know this young man very well at all, but he knew us. He walked over and he handed me a Godiva bag and said a guest had left this for us at their desk?????
> 
> I looked in it and there was a beautiful pumpkin Halloween shaped box filled with chocolates........I asked him who it was that left it and he said he didn`t know......I looked inside again and still didn`t see anything with a name.......so I thanked him and he said he could go ask if they had left a name at the desk, but didn`t think they had.......at that I spotted the note that had sat right against the bag, so you wouldn`t automatically notice it.......
> 
> I smiled when I read it.........it was from the one and only Janet......Keishashadow.
> 
> How lovely!!!! They had dropped it in on their way past as she knew they would melt if she brought them to the park, we were meeting them for lunch tomorrow...…it was such a lovely surprise!!!! And when Tom walked in he immediately spotted the bag...and his eyes lit up like a Christmas Tree when I showed him what they were......we would enjoy them!!!!
> 
> Back in the room we admired our lovely gift and our few purchases today........*
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> *It was beautiful outside and the pool was almost empty, and very tempting......but, today we needed a snooze!!! Although we may or may not have had one of those delicious chocolates each before we did snooze....... *
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> *Drapes closed, we slept soundly for almost 2 hours. And I think we really needed it today. Losing so much sleep last night, it was nice to make it up this afternoon.*
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> *We showered and changed and headed up to the lounge for a while before HHN tonight again. *
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> *Food tonight was orange chicken, and I had a little taster, just a little though with our wine. Tom had some cheese. *
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> *We found out our little buddy who we call our second son, Colby got the job he applied for in Orchids Lounge. He had been in the Club Lounge for so long, it was time he moved on. We were so happy for him. But, he`ll be missed in the lounge as he is almost a fixture......
> 
> A British lady stopped me as I walked past her table and asked if I was the lady who was staying a month, I said yes.....she asked if I thought there was enough to do for two weeks staying here alone.....I told her absolutely......you can base yourself anywhere and travel around. She asked what we did and I told her roughly what our days consisted of, and she was surprised to hear we never did Disney or SeaWorld....never felt the need to go back and they certainly haven't made it appealing the last years. Either place. But, she got the info she was looking for and thanked me for the time......no problem.
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> Today we looked ahead to next May. We had our hotel booked of course since last May, and we had booked flights when we got home....with Thomas Cook.....of course.
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> *He didn`t need to ask me twice!!!! Ipad out, and brought up the Virgin Atlantic site, typed in our same dates......and we were glad to be sitting down!!! So, prices were double what we had paid with TC.....actually slightly more than double. Of course we could have lessened it by not booking Premium seats, but we do like them.....I did hesitate for a micro second, but Tom said go ahead!!! *
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> *We were both just happy to have flights sorted. We knew we could have changed the dates but we were happy with those ones, so it all worked out in the end. There was also the case for reclaiming the money we had paid for the May TC flights to be refunded off our Credit Card, but we`d look at that when we got back to the UK. Right now we were just happy to have flights booked and again we were flying with Virgin Atlantic.
> 
> It felt good to be sorted, so we celebrated with a glass of wine and then headed off for another HHN. *



Was very nice to have finally met up indeed!!!

You both were very right in saying we would really like Sapphire Falls, and Marian had set us up in a really lovely suite with a very nice view, LB sent up some Strawberries, and we really enjoyed our stay there.

Next time we can catch up over a drink or 3 at Strongwater or another favorite spot!!

I bet the excitement is really building at home especially with Kyle coming along on the Holidays trip in only a couple of weeks. We won’t make it down this year but have 10 nights planned for next year’s Holidays already!


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## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> Long overdue but  happy you enjoyed the little treat.  I’ve had macaroons from my town turn into a pile of goo after a flight down & chocolate fail miserably in what I assume is due to the temperature/extreme changes? I lol’d all the way out to the car after the strange interaction with concierge staff member when dropping it off.
> 
> Cowfish was a one & done for us, one of the reasons was their bento box.  The 2nd was the digestive issues afterwards for me.  Sushi, it’s either good, or it’s not lol.  That new spot you tried looked great.
> 
> Is it me or did the concierge lounge’s offerings look just a bit tastier in this last installment?  Not a fan of orange chicken but that one looked appealing.
> 
> Thank goodness for sorting out the air snafu!  Kudos for keeping your cool about it.  We ran into several folks who were not quite so centered re the issue that same day during our extended checkin period at Cabana Bay.  Appears there were many on packages who were on rather tight budgets.  Were offered replacement flights but had lost their packaged prepaid way to the airport. Once honeymooning couple was rather frantic, but wound up sharing another couples’ transport.  What a mess!



Yes, that was quite the exchange you had. It made us laugh too..... I did mention it to Kayla, the Concierge manager when we saw her later for a chat! Did I tell you I also told her about your superstar treatment at Cabana Bay......lol......she knew what was coming before I told her........it did seem a bit ridiculous......

We thought the sushi at Cowfish was completely subpar......wouldn’t order it again.....burgers are fab, but sushi.....no.

Yes, some nights the orange chicken looked better than others......one of the supervisors mentioned the same thing......

We felt so sorry for those that were stuck with no hotel and more with TC. yes, we realised we were incredibly lucky, one way or another we’d be fine, but yes, there were a lot of folks who didn’t have the budget to arrange alternative plans! It was a mess for them. We saw a few at RP too who had booked with third party vendors like Expedia and the hotel hadn’t received the money......scary.


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## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Was very nice to have finally met up indeed!!!
> 
> You both were very right in saying we would really like Sapphire Falls, and Marian had set us up in a really lovely suite with a very nice view, LB sent up some Strawberries, and we really enjoyed our stay there.
> 
> Next time we can catch up over a drink or 3 at Strongwater or another favorite spot!!
> 
> I bet the excitement is really building at home especially with Kyle coming along on the Holidays trip in only a couple of weeks. We won’t make it down this year but have 10 nights planned for next year’s Holidays already!



We are desperate for our next trip to come around.

Kyle hasn’t been for a year now, and is so looking forward to being back with us....he got some extra vacation days, so now finishes work Mon 25th Nov......we could have been for two weeks instead of 11 nights.....but no flights were available for us to change and go a couple of days early......

Will try for two weeks next December


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## Tink2Day

Another great read.  Sorry about the tummy issues.
Ginger is great for the tummy, also I've found that a Ginger and Turmeric tea works well, so does the mint tea.

Miso soup is good for the gut, a natural Probiotic  Same effect as yogurt only tastier (to me anyway). Can you tell I've worked for physicians for decades? (after I quit teaching elementary school).  My Dad and brother were  both pharmacists and Dad, being very old school (and very elderly when he finally fully retired, 88,), was a great believer in homeopathic cures, teas and herbs.


That mall looks so neat, weird about the pictures though... that one previously, just a very power hungry,  weird security guy (Barney Fife) I'd imagine.
I keep hearing about so many malls closing, so much online shopping...  I find it so much fun to window shop at the mall, even more so way back when, it was so nice to stroll downtown looking in the windows and wishing. Plus, I have to drive 10 miles to pick up anything I order online, why not just drive the extra 15 miles to get to see what I want plus window shop and eat at Cheesecake Factory or even the food court!

I can't believe your December trip with Kyle is just around the corner! Too bad you don't get to use the extra days, but I'm sure Kyle will make use of the extra time before you take off. He's looking forward to his chocolate dream vacation I would imagine.


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## schumigirl

Tink2Day said:


> Another great read.  Sorry about the tummy issues.
> Ginger is great for the tummy, also I've found that a Ginger and Turmeric tea works well, so does the mint tea.
> 
> Miso soup is good for the gut, a natural Probiotic  Same effect as yogurt only tastier (to me anyway). Can you tell I've worked for physicians for decades? (after I quit teaching elementary school).  My Dad and brother were  both pharmacists and Dad, being very old school (and very elderly when he finally fully retired, 88,), was a great believer in homeopathic cures, teas and herbs.
> 
> 
> That mall looks so neat, weird about the pictures though... that one previously, just a very power hungry,  weird security guy (Barney Fife) I'd imagine.
> I keep hearing about so many malls closing, so much online shopping...  I find it so much fun to window shop at the mall, even more so way back when, it was so nice to stroll downtown looking in the windows and wishing. Plus, I have to drive 10 miles to pick up anything I order online, why not just drive the extra 15 miles to get to see what I want plus window shop and eat at Cheesecake Factory or even the food court!
> 
> I can't believe your December trip with Kyle is just around the corner! Too bad you don't get to use the extra days, but I'm sure Kyle will make use of the extra time before you take off. He's looking forward to his chocolate dream vacation I would imagine.



Oh I agree......things like ginger and turmeric are amazing and their health benefits are tremendous. I use turmeric a lot for inflammation, it’s a wonderful anti inflammatory and ginger too is so good for you. Miso soup I also believe is one of those good for you items. It must have been fascinating being surrounded by experts on that subject.

I love Malls, and yes, it’s sad to see the demise of some. Our high streets are suffering here due to online shopping......so I can’t imagine why malls would do stuff like that to put people off going! I’m honestly not the biggest shopper......truthfully......but I do like a good wander around US Malls.

Yes, he has plans for the two extra days.......we may fit in a lunch or dinner before we leave together. It’ll just be nice for him not to go to work the days leading up to our trip. Yes, he is already planning a chocolate fest when we arrive.......I’m sure you can imagine......lol.......


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## schumigirl

*Heading out for the boat, we soon felt the heat and humidity of the evening...…before we left the lounge one of the managers mentioned how humid it was outside.....he was right!!! It was like walking through thick soup......I think this was the worst humidity we had experienced this trip......but we wandered down to the boat and fortunately there was a boat waiting and we got on it just before he left the dock. 

As we wandered in through the hotel guest entrance, we didn't think we`d be here for long tonight. Not for crowds, as it didn`t seem too bad tonight, but the heat was relentless. *
*
Straight to Ghostbusters, it was already showing a 65 minute wait, and this was the longest we had ever waited, it took 15 minutes till we got in the house. I was using the fan I had and a lady behind me again asked if she could borrow it......she was more than welcome...…I could have sold it for a profit tonight!!! It was fabulous as we just didn`t get any relief from the heat tonight. 
*
*Ghostbusters was excellent as always and it was a giggle. We did Yeti and the walk felt a little longer tonight, but we were glad it was only a few minutes to get in and this house was exceptional tonight...and the cold in there is divine and much needed...….I think this was the first time everyone in line looked a little, hot. 

US was disappointing tonight. Some of the scares we got the previous night were sadly lacking tonight, we still got some scares but the eeriness was missing tonight. I doubted we`d do this one again. And we missed out Stranger Things…..that one had lost us.....no interest in it at all. *

*We did enjoy this zone tonight though......some of the more well known characters were in excellent form, and two SA did well to avoid tripping over a pushchair and a toddler.......*
















*We had missed the fight scene on other nights, but it was quite fun to watch them. *








































*I asked this young lady if we could take her picture and she said of course, I made Tom stand in front again...…she was fabulous and played her part well......*








































*The Hellbilly Zone was one of two we really did like this year, not scary but it was fun and full of characters you could engage with......*

*We didn't spend a lot of time in Potter tonight, but spent some time outside with the Knight Bus and watching for about the millionth time for Kreacher.......*






































*Everything here is so photogenic and we can`t help but stop to take pictures of everything around, and in different lights it can look completely different. *






































*We did wander and do the House of 1000 corpses, that one we completely walked on again and I think we missed the mark tonight.....the house itself was still excellent, but we missed the timings for scares, which was fine as we had many over the nights.....the house was still a lot of fun and folks around us were fun to have there. *

*We cut back through Hellbilly and caught the weirdest but one of the most popular of all the characters in this zone.....the dancing robot.....for want of a better description!!! *

















*He was funny and engaged amazingly well with everyone......*



























*The park does look amazing at night especially during HHN.......everything is lit perfectly and we are always glad to be here to see the park this way. *















*Coming up......Horror Shop and Vivo...…..*


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## schumigirl

*The store next to what was T2 ride is an amazing store now......it is filled with memorabilia and artifacts from the wondrous years of Universal Orlando`s classic horror movies......although some really may not be classed as horror nowadays......but at the time some of them were downright scary to me as a kid. But, today movies like The Thing and similar are more funny than scary, but at times that's what makes them classics!!!! *

















*If you were missing the Halloween pumpkins around the park.....this is the place to come and see some good little displays of them.......*




























*And of course fans of HHN will recognise the carriage in here as part of their permanent display. *






































*Frankenstein`s Monster looks incredibly realistic when you get quite close...…they were very good. *



























*Huge Psycho fans here...….it was one of the earliest movies I remember watching on my own......I was younger than I should have been watching it......but it remains one of the classics that will always be watchable every few years. Our dvd is well used. And some of the on-set pictures that are placed around always amuse us. *



























*Not really from the horror genre, but Slimer seems at home here. *










































*I think there has never been any doubt that the replacement for T2 was going to the Bourne Spectacular show......not of any interest to me, but I will go see it as I`m sure it will be spectacular. But, Bourne to me isn`t classic enough to hold a show on it`s own. Many of us wished for something that encompassed the classic horror genre that this store does.....whether it be a permanent year round horror house, or something else........I`m not a creative person, but I`m sure they could come up with something. But as Bourne has officially been announced, that dream is dead. 

Back out into the heat, and jeez it was stuffy now...….I was glad crowds were reasonable tonight, so we weren`t crammed in with everyone, but it was pleasant to have some space. *

*These guys were good......they were funny and involved the audience too, which delighted many watching. *
















*We did one last visit to Killer Klowns...…apart from getting our EP scanned, we didn`t stop walking. 

This is a fun house, no doubt....but I hope it doesn`t make the cut for next year`s event.......we want horror and lots of it!!! Maybe one fun house.......Ghostbusters had been a tremendous success, so maybe something like that, but one only. *
*
We really had enough tonight...…our final night we would do the houses to the rear of the park, it was just too hot tonight to walk all the way down there again. 

Out into Citywalk we had decided we`d go eat in Vivo, where we should have eaten last night Tom!!!!! 
*
*I sound like a broken record, but Citywalk is so pretty.........*
















*As it was a little later, there was a small line for tables, but we were planning to eat at the bar again......*

*Germany, one of the bar staff is a funny guy, and very cool......he knows a lot of stuff about "stuff" He makes us laugh a lot. *


















*We order a couple of Malbec`s and although I know what I`m having, Tom always likes to try different dishes.......and there are a few to choose from in here. It`s a very good menu and I wish we had come here sooner. But that was me.......but, I was glad we did now have this on rotation for dinner 

While we waited, there was a couple on the other side of the bar who were a little worse for wear, well, she was anyway.......but, they were playing tonsil tennis with each other constantly.......it was funny, the couple sat beside us yelled over to them to get a room......lol.......they looked mortally offended and a little outraged but, did stop a little.......not what you want to watch when eating a meal!!! *
*
I had chsen my favourite dish of chicken piccatta with potatoes instead of pasta, and Tom had gone for the meatballs tonight.......Germany did mention he guessed that was my favourite dish as I`d ordered it a few times......I am a little predictable at times. 
*
*Food looked so good.......*





























*It was gorgeous!!! *
*
Chicken was tender and so flavoursome, very lemony tonight which is how I like it......and I did use up all the extra lemon on top too.......those potatoes are buttery and go well with the chicken, Pasta isn`t my favourite dish. 
*
*Tom`s meatballs were huge. And for me a little underseasoned.......only a little, so he did add a load of pepper to them and rather unusually for him a little salt too. But, they were incredibly filling.  *


















*We each had another Malbec, and since the snogging couple opposite had now left, we had a lovely couple of hours in here....folks at bars tend to chat and the couple next to us had started a conversation so it was nice. 

We left later than planned, as usual.....once back home we drank lots of water, and we had loads of water in Vivo...I could guess we`d be up and down all night visiting the bathroom......but keeping hydrated is something we are sticklers for. *
*
Turndown must be back to the regular lady, as our lamps were on in both rooms again tonight. So, TV on for a little time and we opened the drapes to see our view again. I can`t even remember what we watched, but we were soon yawning our heads off and bed was calling for us once again. 

*


*Tomorrow we had a Dis Meet we were so looking forward to........*


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## schumigirl

*THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 26TH*​




*We did sleep well last night, no upset tummy disturbances or similar.....and we strangely still felt tired today when we woke up.*
*
Taking it easy this morning was our plan, we had no plans till 1.30 this afternoon where we were meeting up with Keishashadow and her mister for lunch and a good old chatter.......we were excited for that!! 
*
*But for this morning I guess it sounds very boring to most of you, but we planned to do very little and do it well!!! Once we did drag ourselves out of bed this morning, we quickly showered and dressed before heading up to the lounge for breakfast. And it was a little busy this morning, but we are always impressed how food is quickly and quietly replenished as it disappears quickly some days. 

We chatted and Kayla came up and we spent some time chatting to her again, and time flies by when we do!!! *
*
We do eventually move and go get the car where we head first to Wal-Mart where I purchase something I never buy at home.......
*
*Yep, a ready made cake box...….*




























*I never use ready mix cake mixes, but this one looked lovely, so I bought it, and I have to say, it wasn`t half bad....but you could tell it was store bought. *

*We had a wander round and picked up a couple of other things, then drove to Wholefoods where we were convinced we would get candied ginger. 

The produce here, and everything else in the store are beautiful. We had come in here many years ago and hadn`t been completely impressed, but today, yep, we were impressed. The quality of everything was so high and the staff were incredible and immediately asked if they could help...…we said we were looking for candied ginger, and the lady knew we called it crystalized ginger, she wanted to be sure we were on the same item, and she took us right to it......that was exactly what we wanted, it was a large tub and would go in the bag nicely with the bracelet. *

*Then we wandered around...…..and one of the first thing we saw was cotton candy grapes.......we love them!!!! *

















*Everything we saw was impressive, the seafood especially looked beyond fabulous. *

*Yes, shrimp impresses us. *


















































*The variety and selection of meats too were phenomenal......again, this must  seem boring for Americans who are used to these displays, but they do look better than the grocery store displays we have over here. And a much bigger variety. *





















































*I guess Kyle may want to purchase this flourless chocolate cake on the next trip!!!! *





























*They also have a massive selection of take out food.....from ribs, to pizza`s, to orange chicken to every single soup and salad you could come up with, and so much more...…and it was incredibly popular as so many were filling up for lunch here. *






















































*OK, now we were starving!!!!! But, we resisted buying something to nibble on as lunch wasnt very far away now. *

*Back home, we dropped our purchases off in the room and put on sunscreen before walking to IOA. It was still hot......*






























*As we were early to meet Janet, we went on a couple of rides, Dr Doom a couple of times and then Spiderman......both rides were excellent. We did forgo the Hulk as we were hungry and these rides don`t suit me and an empty tummy. *

*As we approached Confisco Grille we saw the little band set up to play.....kids love these guys. *

















*We were meeting in Backwater Bar, it`s attached to Confisco, and we found a table, but moved as the door was left open and the heat was billowing in...or seemed like it, so we moved to what is our regular table it seems. Everytime we had met someone it seems we ended up on the same table. *

*They don`t have a large cocktail menu, but it is decent enough, I opt for an Islander cocktail, Tom goes for lemonade as we hadn`t completely decided what we were doing later. *


















*We saw them immediately when they came in, and it was so lovely to see them again. I don`t think we stopped chatting the whole time......but we did stop for long enough to order some more drinks and food....of course........*

*I went for the newest and delicious dish of ribs on top of goats cheese polenta.....two things I don`t really like, but here, they are gorgeous. Ribs were fall off the bone tender and the sauce was beautiful again. *


















*Janet`s mister went for the chicken caesar salad which did look very tempting when it arrived.......*

















*Tom had decided to have the burger with French fries......always a good choice here.......
*















*And Janet opted for the wings...and I think to drink she had an Islander too......*
















*The food we all really enjoyed...…..and empty plates showed that!! *
*
The afternoon passed quicker than a flash!!! It really did and we swapped some very funny stories about one thing and another.....they were off to HHN and we still hadn`t decided what we were doing, but around 4.30ish we left to go our separate ways....but we had enjoyed it so much. 

And of course, we did remember to get some pictures...….Tom took one of the three of us, but we asked someone if they would take some of the four of us......so we did get a few pictures. 
*
*Loved Janet`s HHN tee shirt!!! *
















*We swithered whether to go do a few more rides or go back to the hotel, but the decision was made for me.........the muscle in my leg again went pop!!!! *
*
So, we walked incredibly slow back home.......and the very day we don`t see one of the rickshaws.....
*
*This is usually us........*













*Today, we were the slow dawdling ones on the pathway!!!! *

*And it does take us a while to get back home.......lol...…but we get there eventually. Up in the room, Tom goes and gets some ice for me to put on the leg, and it does help, but I`d have preferred heat to be honest, but long as it helped, it was fine. *






























*So, we wouldn`t be going far tonight, and certainly no HHN for us.....we hadn`t been sure if we wanted to go back tonight but now we knew we wouldn`t be going anywhere. *

*We did however manage up to the lounge......lol.......and we both enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine as we also wouldn`t be going offsite now either. 

My calf eased a bit while we were just sitting, and it was nice as always..........our second son announced they had ordered pizza from Papa Johns......I joked I hoped we were included too......lol.....and I was only joking......but a little later he brought over a slice each for Tom and I.....Tom`s was pepperoni and I got a slice of my favourite pizza....bbq sauce with chicken, pineapple and jalapeno......seems I wasn`t the only one who liked that pizza........I do have a picture after we had eaten a few bites, but it`s not appetising looking so I won`t ........but it was lovely!!! We had never tried Papa Johns Pizza before, and we did like it. *

*After a lovely few hours, we went down to the room to decide what to do......the pizza had taken the edge off our appetite so we knew we wouldn`t want to sit down to a proper dinner.......and to stop us falling asleep right now, we decided sore calf aside, we would walk over to Strong Water bar and get some food to go. 

The walk was slow and deliberate.......and half way there I regretted walking over, but would keep going now...as long as I half limped, I was fine. And eventually we made it to the bar and I sat down while we ordered food to go........*

*Fernando came over immediately to say hello and asked if we were having a drink.....we said no, we just wanted food to take back as we were shattered and planned an early night.....Mike one of his managers and Chef Carlos came out to say hello too......always good to see them and nice to catch up with Mike as we hadn`t seen much of him this trip.....

The food we had ordered was cold, so we chatted for a while before we went back over, we`d be back again before we left of course. *
*
Fernando told us Chef had put a little treat in for us.......it was two huge chocolate covered strawberries...….how lovely!!!  We thanked them again for their kindness. 

The walk back over was again, slightly slow but we got there...…and I think the slow walk might have helped a little, as it wasn`t just as tender as earlier. 
*
*We had each chosen the seafood tostado.......not too filling but delicious and we knew we`d love it...…it was one of the few things we hadn`t tried from Strong Water and I have to say it was gorgeous......we`d order this again...... *

















*And oh my goodness, the strawberries!!!!! They were the sweetest ones we had tasted for a long time........and tonight it was just perfect. *

















*We had been gifted a bottle of sparkly.....and it was a very nice one which went nicely with the cold seafood........*

















*We perched ourselves along the sofa in the room and watched a movie or two till it was time to go to bed, which wasn`t too late tonight........it wasn`t the evening we had planned, but it turned out to be a lovely evening in the end……...*


----------



## I-4Bound

Those Pepperidge Farm cakes always make me think of childhood. My mom would buy them from time to time. I still remember the little styrofoam tray they came on. Funny the things you remember! So sorry your calf muscle I was giving you trouble. I hope you are better now!


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## AprilDreamsOfDisney

schumigirl said:


> We had a week left!!!!


I have to admit that as I've been reading your wonderful trip report, with each new day, I am counting down and feeling sad, too! I keep thinking, "Oh no! Their vacation is winding down!"



schumigirl said:


> Outside it was blazing hot again......and so beautiful...…..we risked the wrath of the guards again, inside and out by taking numerous pictures of the Mall......without anyone in them.....but, no one again said a word.


So strange that one time the guards gave you such a difficult time and yet they've never followed through on that "rule" ever again. So odd. 
Glad you had an uninterrupted visit to that beautiful mall this time and were able to take photos in peace! 



schumigirl said:


> How lovely!!!! They had dropped it in on their way past as she knew they would melt if she brought them to the park, we were meeting them for lunch tomorrow...…it was such a lovely surprise!!!! And when Tom walked in he immediately spotted the bag...and his eyes lit up like a Christmas Tree when I showed him what they were......we would enjoy them!!!!


Hooray for little lovely acts of kindness! I'm thrilled you had this chocolately surprise waiting for you, and how kind of your friend to do this for you. 



schumigirl said:


> It felt good to be sorted


I can just imagine! I'm always thrilled, too, once all the pieces of the vacation puzzle are sorted and settled.
And, completely selfishly, I was happy to read this because it means another Carole and Tom vacation is fully booked and that means another awesome trip report! 

Hoping you're well, Carole!


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## schumigirl

*FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 27TH*​



*We had been shattered last night, and both of us slept like babies......I was awake early and got up and showered before Tom had even stirred this morning...….I sent Kyle an email to see if he was free to chat, but he replied back he was busy......lol.....maybe later then. I was glad he was out and about, and I knew he`d be enjoying his week off, well, just over a week really. *
*
My calf felt a little tender if anything today, I popped some ice on it before we left in the hope that would help it. 
*
*Once Tom was up and ready, we headed up to the lounge for a leisurely breakfast and chatted a while away again. It really is easy to pass a couple of hours in here while we chatted with everyone.......and we do enjoy it.

Back down to the room we grabbed the car keys and went downstairs where one of the concierge team asked if we had enjoyed the gift Keisha had left the day before yesterday.....we said yes thanks and asked if it was her who had taken it, she said no but had heard about someone dropping something off for us...…..we chatted briefly and then set off. *

*Tom went to get the car while I chatted to one of the valet team as I waited...….

Today we were going to Cocoa Village and I have a lovely Dis poster called @Tgrgrl  to thank for even mentioning it to us as a lovely place to visit. We knew Cocoa Beach of course, but hadn`t ever heard of this part. So, we thought we`d go there, it wasn`t very large a place, then go to Cocoa Beach for a wander before coming home. We hadn`t been to Cocoa Beach itself for a long time. *

*We put an address in the satnav and it tried to take us a ridiculously long way through E Colonial Drive which is a horrible road that is traffic light city......we realised someone had put "avoid tolls" in the satnav and we hadn`t changed it as we don`t use it a great deal.....so we went our usual way past the airport as if we were going to KSC. 

Passing the airport we do get a feeling of despondency knowing next week we`ll be flying out of there again......not looking forward to that at all. *
*
The journey is a nice one, Tom drives today and it was event free...…no idiot drivers, well, maybe the usual random folks, but no one cut us up or slowed us down which was good. 
*
*We noticed along the way, and this went on for miles, they were dredging up hundreds and hundreds of trees......looked like they were going to widen the road along this part, and it did go on for miles. Every so often you would see them burning a load of them, which surprised us. *


















*We really didn`t know where we were going now......Tom thought one way and I thought another.....so we agreed to disagree and put an address in the Satnav now.......and we did find the right way.......it wasn`t difficult, but when somewhere is strange it`s not always obvious. *

*And I never agree if I think I`m right...…...*















*One of my favourite sayings.........  *

















*You couldn`t really get lost though...….but we have got lost in stranger places than this!!! *


















*We passed the restaurant I had put in the Satnav and we saw we were right next to where we wanted to be, so a car park was found easily and we were glad to say we had arrived. *

*It looked a beautiful little place. It was cutesy but had some very lovely little stores too, not touristy like this one...….*


















*As soon as I saw this sign below, I had to buy four. One for me, and the others would be lovely gifts to go in with Christmas presents for friends. Most of us now don`t buy for each other, but we have a core group that still do like to do that for each other......I think I`d win for originality this year!!! Luckily she had five in stock, so I bought the five of them......I knew who to give the other one to. *

*Tom went back to put them in the car to save us dragging them around with us. *





























*There were some lovely little places, but as always we wanted to head down to the water where we had to walk through a little park, which afforded us some lovely shade as we walked through a brick walkway.....*


















*There is a lovely little kids play area in it and a super bandstand where I was sure it had been the centre piece for some lovely events here. *


















*Looking out to the water, it was beautiful......and so hot!!!! Usually beside the ocean it was a shade or two cooler......but again, not today. It does sound like a complaint, it really isn`t, it was just this September had been so hot which we were loving, so we didn't moan too much.....*






























*And at this moment I had a very drama queen moment..not like me at all......well......*
















*I thought I saw a crocodile.…..a real live crocodile or alligator feet away from me...........and trying not to draw too much attention to my terrified self, I beckoned Tom over frantically as he had wandered off a little....he knew to come over as quick as he could as there must be something......*
*
My initial panic was short lived though, as I saw within a few seconds it wasn`t one my most dreaded creatures, but a beautiful and very large and graceful manattee.
*
*There was a man close by who did laugh at my initial panic and guessed I was very obviously a tourist.......lol....what gave it away!!!!  *





























*I have to admit to having a quiet admiration for sea life in their natural habitat.....no desire to see them in large tanks or shows, so this was a real treat and I was amazed at the size of these ones.....there were another couple and the man explained they were just there......they saw them all the time and to his shame said he sometimes didn`t even notice them now. I guess you do get used to things you see everyday. *


















*Looking out to sea, you can see all sorts of things in the water, we even saw what we thought was a dolphin.....although not completely sure it was. *

*This was another little place that was so quiet.......a little bit like Mount Dora where you want to whisper instead of talking normal...…although we could picture this place a little busier than it is now at night......*


















*I had found shade again.......and the beetroot face was back with a vengeance...….*


















*We walked along as far as we could, then turned back for some shade and wander back towards where the shops were......they had air conditioning!!!! *

















*The memorial and bench we had to get a picture of.*

















*Back to the shops we found some lovely little places and a centre courtyard area which had shade.........*


















*Not very clear from the window, but they had some lovely Christmas decorations inside...….
*









































*We were hungry now, and a few places had caught our eye, but we ended up going to a place called Pub Americano...…we had passed it earlier and liked the look of it.......and by the time we arrived, there were already a few folks in which is always good to see. *

*When we walked in every staff member welcomed us and one took us to a seat by the window.......yes, we liked it in here. *


















*We had the most enthusiastic and energetic waitress ever, her name was Coco...…she never stopped but at the same time was very attentive. She chatted back and forward about the UK as she had spent some time there with her father as he was in the military...…she knew a lot of places we had been and even lived at times. It`s very strange to meet folks who know where you lived many years ago so well. We had once met a girl who worked in Total Wine a few years ago, and she had spent months living where Tom and I had grown up, albeit a few miles apart......and it was weird she knew some of the best food pubs we always went to when we visited that area. *

*We each had a lemonade and studied the lunch menu......although i did think we were more thirsty than hungry now. So we didn`t want a huge lunch. *


















*I went for just the appetiser of Pub Bang Bang which came with a spicy dip, and I asked for a side of jalapenos.......shrimp were very large!!!! *

















*Tom chose the meat pizza and he also asked for extra jalapenos on that too.......*

















*Both dishes were excellent....we shared them both and I have to say for a pub, the pizza was rather good...…we had seen folks get burgers, and they looked huge, and very tasty!!! I think if we came back here we may have to get a burger. *

*We paid the check and thanked Coco and headed back to the car.......we saw the place we had planed to go for lunch just opposite us....another one to consider next time. *
















*Up next.....Cocoa Beach *


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> Those Pepperidge Farm cakes always make me think of childhood. My mom would buy them from time to time. I still remember the little styrofoam tray they came on. Funny the things you remember! So sorry your calf muscle I was giving you trouble. I hope you are better now!



yep, completely gone now, but did take an age to disappear which was annoying. 

My mother, who isn't a baker always bought packet mixes and so on for  along time, until she did get the bug for baking. But, we did enjoy this one and honestly, I can see why folks use them.....and can see why it would take you back to your childhood. 

For me it`s a certain type of macaroni cheese my mum always made....she doesn`t make it very often when we go home to visit, but when she does.....yep....straight back to childhood!!!


----------



## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> I have to admit that as I've been reading your wonderful trip report, with each new day, I am counting down and feeling sad, too! I keep thinking, "Oh no! Their vacation is winding down!"
> 
> 
> So strange that one time the guards gave you such a difficult time and yet they've never followed through on that "rule" ever again. So odd.
> Glad you had an uninterrupted visit to that beautiful mall this time and were able to take photos in peace!
> 
> 
> Hooray for little lovely acts of kindness! I'm thrilled you had this chocolately surprise waiting for you, and how kind of your friend to do this for you.
> 
> 
> I can just imagine! I'm always thrilled, too, once all the pieces of the vacation puzzle are sorted and settled.
> And, completely selfishly, I was happy to read this because it means another Carole and Tom vacation is fully booked and that means another awesome trip report!
> 
> Hoping you're well, Carole!



Thanks April.....yes, once those flights were rebooked, we were both ultra happy campers!!! And yes, hopefully another awesome trip will be had!!

The Mall was such a weird one.....and we saw several security officers around as we snapped away......odd. I`m guessing they may have been told to be a little less aggressive. 

Oh the chocolate was lovely. Godiva is one of the chocolates we love in America...….yes, it was a treat. 

It is getting so close to the end isn`t it......I`m trying to finish it before we leave for the next one.....but not sure I`ll manage it now......Tom says I`m babbling too much, which is true of course.......lol.....

But, thank you as always for your lovely comments......we are doing well thanks, hope you all are too.......


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## KatieCharlotte

I'm catching up on another trip report, now that I have my next trip booked.    I always love your photos of details I've never noticed in the parks, especially in HP and Seuss.  I have a couple of questions based on things mentioned several pages ago.  

Have you heard anything about how the passholder entrance will work during January 4-31?  Is this a test for things to come?  I'm curious why they're testing it that month, whether it will be fully staffed and moving faster than the regular entrance (especially since that's when seasonal passes can be used again after the holidays), and whether they will let passholders in through that entrance earlier/later/the same time at IoA, where people are still rushing to get on Hagrid's.  

I think you said that you heard poor reviews for Bigfire.   My youngest and I want a good steak dinner, and we haven't found one yet on property.  The main issue is that she is kind of a foodie and loves a good steak, but she eats (savors) very small portions of certain foods like steak.  Bigfire has a 4 oz steak on the kids' menu, which is a huge selling point for us.  Most kids' meals have the usual chicken fingers, etc.  We won't have a car and I don't want to leave the Universal bubble on this trip.  Is there any steak on property that you would recommend, especially somewhere that wouldn't frown on me sharing a steak and dessert with a tall, skinny preteen who literally won't eat more than 4 ounces?  Would you recommend Jake's or somewhere else?  We had a very bad experience at Lombards -- the steak was the worst cut -- and do not want to try it again, even if we just had bad luck.


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## schumigirl

KatieCharlotte said:


> I'm catching up on another trip report, now that I have my next trip booked.    I always love your photos of details I've never noticed in the parks, especially in HP and Seuss.  I have a couple of questions based on things mentioned several pages ago.
> 
> Have you heard anything about how the passholder entrance will work during January 4-31?  Is this a test for things to come?  I'm curious why they're testing it that month, whether it will be fully staffed and moving faster than the regular entrance (especially since that's when seasonal passes can be used again after the holidays), and whether they will let passholders in through that entrance earlier/later/the same time at IoA, where people are still rushing to get on Hagrid's.
> 
> I think you said that you heard poor reviews for Bigfire.   My youngest and I want a good steak dinner, and we haven't found one yet on property.  The main issue is that she is kind of a foodie and loves a good steak, but she eats (savors) very small portions of certain foods like steak.  Bigfire has a 4 oz steak on the kids' menu, which is a huge selling point for us.  Most kids' meals have the usual chicken fingers, etc.  We won't have a car and I don't want to leave the Universal bubble on this trip.  Is there any steak on property that you would recommend, especially somewhere that wouldn't frown on me sharing a steak and dessert with a tall, skinny preteen who literally won't eat more than 4 ounces?  Would you recommend Jake's or somewhere else?  We had a very bad experience at Lombards -- the steak was the worst cut -- and do not want to try it again, even if we just had bad luck.



 along Katie Charlotte

Nice to have you here...….

Yes, it absolutely is a test, and with any luck will be a permanent addition to the entrance area...….I have no clue why it`s being tested then. I can imagine it`s to get the full effect of all passes being utilised. 

As for steak, onsite I`d thoroughly recommend The Palm in the Hard Rock Hotel. They are very accommodating to guests, so I wouldn`t imagine they`d object to you sharing. We`ve enjoyed some lovely steaks in there over the years. 

One place I wouldn`t recommend for steaks is NBC. We sent a steak back twice and it still wasn`t right. We`ve also seen a few people do the same thing. It`s not good. 

But, thank you, I`m glad you`re enjoying it and nice to see you


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## disneyAndi14

Sorry you felt ill after the ribs and brisket,what an insult since the food was poor
 to begin with. I hate when places take back cold food and you know they just put it in the microwave yuck!
The sushi and bento box look really good, very glad you enjoyed this. 
What a nice gift from your Dis friend! 
Sorry your calf was giving you grief, it did look like an enjoyable lunch with your friends. 
I love all these little Florida towns you are visiting, it is good research for me.


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## keishashadow

Almost ‘our’ day . Always a joy to break bread with you two.  I feel bad reading as to your calf still giving you trouble, had no idea.  

I’m curious to see your take on cocoa beach. Can’t say we’ve found any diamonds in the rough there.  Even though we sail out of Port Canaveral, have always made a point of driving over in the am as a quick run thru one of the MCO parks always win out for us



schumigirl said:


> .. I did mention it to Kayla, the Concierge manager when we saw her later for a chat! Did I tell you I also told her about your superstar treatment at Cabana Bay......lol......she knew what was coming before I told her........it did seem a bit ridiculous......


Hey, i’ll Take “superstar” no matter the context hahaha


schumigirl said:


> think there has never been any doubt that the replacement for T2 was going to the Bourne Spectacular show......not of any interest to me, but I will go see it as I`m sure it will be spectacular. But, Bourne to me isn`t classic enough to hold a show on it`s own. Many of us wished for something that encompassed the classic horror genre that this store does.....whether it be a permanent year round horror house, or something else........I`m not a creative person, but I`m sure they could come up with something. But as Bourne has officially been announced, that dream is dead.


How did i miss this?  Darn it, had really hoped monsters would be the winner.  Have lost count of how many times i’ve Viewed the Bourne series of movies.  I’m not envisioning how it will translate.


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## Tgrgrl

schumigirl said:


> *FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 27TH*​
> 
> 
> 
> *We had been shattered last night, and both of us slept like babies......I was awake early and got up and showered before Tom had even stirred this morning...….I sent Kyle an email to see if he was free to chat, but he replied back he was busy......lol.....maybe later then. I was glad he was out and about, and I knew he`d be enjoying his week off, well, just over a week really. *
> 
> *My calf felt a little tender if anything today, I popped some ice on it before we left in the hope that would help it. *
> 
> *Once Tom was up and ready, we headed up to the lounge for a leisurely breakfast and chatted a while away again. It really is easy to pass a couple of hours in here while we chatted with everyone.......and we do enjoy it.
> 
> Back down to the room we grabbed the car keys and went downstairs where one of the concierge team asked if we had enjoyed the gift Keisha had left the day before yesterday.....we said yes thanks and asked if it was her who had taken it, she said no but had heard about someone dropping something off for us...…..we chatted briefly and then set off.
> 
> Tom went to get the car while I chatted to one of the valet team as I waited...….
> 
> Today we were going to Cocoa Village and I have a lovely Dis poster called @Tgrgrl  to thank for even mentioning it to us as a lovely place to visit. We knew Cocoa Beach of course, but hadn`t ever heard of this part. So, we thought we`d go there, it wasn`t very large a place, then go to Cocoa Beach for a wander before coming home. We hadn`t been to Cocoa Beach itself for a long time.
> 
> We put an address in the satnav and it tried to take us a ridiculously long way through E Colonial Drive which is a horrible road that is traffic light city......we realised someone had put "avoid tolls" in the satnav and we hadn`t changed it as we don`t use it a great deal.....so we went our usual way past the airport as if we were going to KSC.
> 
> Passing the airport we do get a feeling of despondency knowing next week we`ll be flying out of there again......not looking forward to that at all. *
> 
> *The journey is a nice one, Tom drives today and it was event free...…no idiot drivers, well, maybe the usual random folks, but no one cut us up or slowed us down which was good. *
> 
> *We noticed along the way, and this went on for miles, they were dredging up hundreds and hundreds of trees......looked like they were going to widen the road along this part, and it did go on for miles. Every so often you would see them burning a load of them, which surprised us. *
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> 
> *My initial panic was short lived though, as I saw within a few seconds it wasn`t one my most dreaded creatures, but a beautiful and very large and graceful manattee.*
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> *Looking out to sea, you can see all sorts of things in the water, we even saw what we thought was a dolphin.....although not completely sure it was.
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> *Up next.....Cocoa Beach *


Yay, I am so glad you enjoyed Cocoa Village! We are there at least twice a week for kid’s art lessons and play practice at the theatre. Pub Americana was a good choice &  don’t bother eating at Norman’s next time, LOL.  Several other ones I would recommend instead. All of the felled trees are due to the new VirginTrain being built between Miami & OIA. It is coming up the east coast of FL and makes a turn  @ I-95 & 528. Eventually there will be a spur from OIA to Port Canaveral. Progress is great but it makes me sad to see the forest pushed back. I always worry about where the deer, rabbits & wild turkeys will live in that area now.


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## angryduck71

I once had one bite of a chicken sandwich and it tasted funny. I ate the bread around it. Worst food poisoning ever and it turns into an infection. So your bit of ribs may have done it to you.    Also I hope you figured out the calf problem!  Glad you had a good time despite it all! You guys are so positive. <3


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## schumigirl

disneyAndi14 said:


> Sorry you felt ill after the ribs and brisket,what an insult since the food was poor
> to begin with. I hate when places take back cold food and you know they just put it in the microwave yuck!
> The sushi and bento box look really good, very glad you enjoyed this.
> What a nice gift from your Dis friend!
> Sorry your calf was giving you grief, it did look like an enjoyable lunch with your friends.
> I love all these little Florida towns you are visiting, it is good research for me.



Yes, it was blatantly microwaved. We have very rarely sent food back anywhere, but that’s 3 times at NBC now......but, the manager was very professional and we will go back, but stick to burgers....they are good there.

Oh yes, the gift from Janet was lovely, and so unexpected which was extra nice.......and yes, lunch was so much fun! I know you love your Dis meets too.....they are always fun!

There are so many little places to visit, we are spoiled for choice for sure.......we have lots of places in mind to go, but we still love to visit some places again......so much choice!!!


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## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> Almost ‘our’ day . Always a joy to break bread with you two.  I feel bad reading as to your calf still giving you trouble, had no idea.
> 
> I’m curious to see your take on cocoa beach. Can’t say we’ve found any diamonds in the rough there.  Even though we sail out of Port Canaveral, have always made a point of driving over in the am as a quick run thru one of the MCO parks always win out for us
> 
> 
> Hey, i’ll Take “superstar” no matter the context hahaha
> 
> How did i miss this?  Darn it, had really hoped monsters would be the winner.  Have lost count of how many times i’ve Viewed the Bourne series of movies.  I’m not envisioning how it will translate.



We both enjoyed lunch so much that day.......I do like that picture of all four us too!!

It had been a while since we had gone to Cocoa Beach, 2007 or 08.......we like it, but it’s not somewhere we‘d visit every trip.

lol.....yes.....superstar in any context is always good!

Bourne doesn’t thrill me......Tom and Kyle will like it, but we’d have preferred something classic monster based too! I have watched each Bourne movie once......once was enough for me, and the last one where he spoke only 288 words in the whole movie!!! I used to use T2 as nap time.....will do the same for this I think! However it does sound like it will be quite the show!


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## schumigirl

Tgrgrl said:


> Yay, I am so glad you enjoyed Cocoa Village! We are there at least twice a week for kid’s art lessons and play practice at the theatre. Pub Americana was a good choice &  don’t bother eating at Norman’s next time, LOL.  Several other ones I would recommend instead. All of the felled trees are due to the new VirginTrain being built between Miami & OIA. It is coming up the east coast of FL and makes a turn  @ I-95 & 528. Eventually there will be a spur from OIA to Port Canaveral. Progress is great but it makes me sad to see the forest pushed back. I always worry about where the deer, rabbits & wild turkeys will live in that area now.



We really did, and I’m so glad you mentioned it as a place to visit......we saw the theatre, it looked like it showed some lovely plays and shows.

I never thought of the new train track......I knew it was happening but didn’t realise that was the route!! It’s a mess!! And yes, that’s a lot of forest to lose there, we were shocked at how disruptive it looked and wondered why on Earth they would widen the road......but train tracks make sense. I didn’t realise it was going as far up, for some reason i had heard all the talk of the MCO connection, but never thought of it reaching up to Port Canaveral.....


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## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> I once had one bite of a chicken sandwich and it tasted funny. I ate the bread around it. Worst food poisoning ever and it turns into an infection. So your bit of ribs may have done it to you.    Also I hope you figured out the calf problem!  Glad you had a good time despite it all! You guys are so positive. <3



Oh my, that sounds awful........yes, I think it was the ribs.....couldn’t have been anything else......

We didn’t have many issues with my leg next few days......it niggled, but wasn’t bad. And yes, we had the best time!!


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## keishashadow

schumigirl said:


> have watched each Bourne movie once......once was enough for me, and the last one where he spoke only 288 words in the whole movie!!! I used to use T2 as nap time.....will do the same for this I think! However it does sound like it will be quite the show!


I made the mistake of introducing my better half to Mr Bourne years ago. Let’s just say it’s not difficult to find it somewhere on the tube daily if you surf long enough.  Same with HP & PoC franchises but they aren’t filled with as much mayhem lol.  Conversely, love most. Of the  Terminator flicks & the U shows.  I’d like to be wow’d but the idea of a quickie eye rest works too.


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## schumigirl

*The drive to Cocoa Beach isn't long at all, but the drive is very beautiful and when you actually get near the beach itself, it is one of the most colourful of places. *








































*When we had come here years ago, we only remembered parking beside a building, and to the side of it was barren land really.......so we didn`t have any idea of where we would park today, so we drove till we saw somewhere we could park close to the water.*
*
Turning off on the chance there was somewhere, we found a little car park and got out to head down to the sand. We had packed beach towels and I had bottles of water in the trunk to wash the sandy feet when we were done. 
*
*Heading down I got the strangest feeling of deja vu, but of course we had been here before......that would be it. But, I did feel I had walked down this exact path before. *
















*The beach is beautiful.....and a little cooler now we were on the sand, it had been 98F before we got out the car, but this felt better now we were on the sand.*

*I turned around to look at the buildings behind us, and one wasn`t very pretty.....I said to Tom I remember that building from all those years ago, it hadn`t got any nicer. But, I did remember parking beside it.......we had come down the same pathway as all those years ago by some fluke. But, there had been a building put on what was wasteland since then......we had this confirmed by a police officer who was parked beside us when we got back to the car. 

I was amazed that all those years apart we had by fluke, parked in almost exactly the same spot.*

*When Kyle was with us that trip, we parked and walked for miles along the beach to where we could see the Space Centre VAB clear in our pictures......so that`s what we do today...….we walk all the way long to the same spot we threw a frisbee around with Kyle way back in 2007. *


















*We parked our backsides on the beach towels for a while and soaked up the sun.....we were glad we had put on a lot of sunscreen, but the breeze was now lovely. *

*Splashing in the water was lovely........we haven`t done that for a long time together.....and the good thing is our clothes dry so quickly of course. *


















*You could walk for miles and miles here and never get bored with the views.......of course I made the mistake of walking too far, with the old I`m fine talk......…all of a sudden my calf did hurt a little, so I went back to walking with a rather odd limp that must have looked quite fake......but it did ease it a little.........*

*And we now had all the way back to walk........of course. *


















*It was a slow walk, but we got back eventually after what seemed like hours, but it didn't hurt too much now.

I sat in the car seat while Tom "bathed" my feet with a few bottles of water and I did his too...…..this was when the police officer came over to talk to us...….we were obvious tourists and he was just chatting.....whether there was a reason I have no idea, but he was very friendly and asked what we thought of Cocoa and Florida in general.....well, he asked the right person!!!! *

*Chatting to him for 10 minutes or so, we then drove off to head home. *


















*Passing the ships, I have to say they do look lovely......but that`s as far as it goes for me...…..I couldn't imagine being on one of those out at sea, with all those people......*

*I have been on boats, not in the same league as these.....cross channel ferries to the Continent on the English Channel and the North Sea too, but that`s a couple of hours and an overnight, sailing on rivers in Europe too.......I just don`t like sailing on water in any circumstance. So, I doubt Tom will ever convince me to go on a cruise. *































*You do get a decent view of one of the launch pads and the mahoosive VAB as you come back....we had promised Kyle we wouldn`t go to KSC without him lol....he`s so funny. We cannot wait to go back in December to visit this place......we had loved our visit last year and were excited to be going back soon. *


















*The drive back was weird, we took a wrong turn and instead of passing the airport coming home, we ended up on the dreaded traffic light road....…took us an age to get through it.....but we made it back home eventually. 

We chatted to a few people in the lobby and once up in our room, we drank gallons of water....we did need it. And I sent Kyle a message to say we were in the room, and he called on Facetime straight away as he was at home and not busy.......had a lovely chat to him....he`s been so busy and enjoying his days off, so we had a good old catch up and shared some stories which was lovely.....we were looking forward to seeing him again next week. *

*Once we were showered and changed, apart from feeling much fresher as our clothes were covered in dried salt water......we were ready for a glass of wine...…well, for me......Tom was driving as we were going to Red Lobster........

One of the other supervisors was in the lounge tonight, so we chatted her ear off as we hadn`t seen her much this trip...…and once again time passed before we knew it......*
*
Tonight was Mexican night, always a popular one, but we were good and only had a tiny little plate of cheese to go with wine, I do like the spicy cheese they serve here. 
*
*We headed off and drove down the short drive to the Convention Centre Red Lobster, probably the only one we`ll go to in this area now. *






























*We are seated almost immediately. It`s not full, but most tables are filled, we have never eaten at the bar here for some reason, we always have a booth, but there are always folks sitting there whenever we come in. *

*Our waiter is over in an instant and I order my usual Strawberry Lobsterita and Tom has a lemonade.....he comes back straight away with a lovely dish of biscuits...…..*


























*We are very good and only have one each...….well, maybe one and a bit......ok by the time our appetiser appeared we had two each!!!!! They are so tempting.........*

*I get my lobsterita eventually...….I think he had forgotten it, and we saw him approach with one, look at it and take it back. There had been one sat on the bar for maybe 10 minutes, and it would have melted by now, so I did get a fresh one as we saw him make it up......I love these drinks......*


















*For a change we had decided to have an appetiser and try their clam chowder and lobster bisque, just the cup not a full bowl.........I am not really a soup person, but chowders and bisques, I do kind of  like them, but only over here.......Tom loves soups as well, but I only home make a couple, so he does sometime order soup when we go out........we hoped these would be nice......

I had chosen the chowder.......Tom the bisque........but, somehow...…and I don`t quite know how.....but I ended up with the bisque.....oh yes, that`s right.......I tried the chowder and didn`t like it........sooooooooooo*

*Tom swapped me his delicious bisque for my very mediocre chowder.....  *












​

























*The bisque was lovely.......it wasn`t on a par with The Palm, nowhere near, but tasty enough. The least said about the chowder the better...…poor Tom. He did say it wasn`t bad.......I`ve heard worse reviews. *

*I went with the same entree I had the last time, Tilapia with shrimp in a spicy sauce with pineapple, it comes with rice but I asked them to leave the rice off.....he said did I want fries, I said ok but can I have them on a seperate plate.......when I had this dish in NYC, they had put the fries on the bottom and they were soggy.....he said yep, no problem. And it was gorgeous........nice and spicy with the jalapenos.....the tilapia was cooked beautifully. *


















*Tom of course went for Endless Shrimp.......although he wouldn`t do this endless thing justice tonight.......he asked for regular shrimp scampi and teriyaki.......and they were lovely......I did steal a few of them and enjoyed them. *

*Before he had finished another set of regular shrimp and two skewers of teriyaki appeared, and nice as they were.....between us we couldn`t finish them....we had a good try though. *


















*We had no room for dessert, we very rarely do here...….so paid the check and headed for home. *

*It was only around 9.30, so although we did plan another early night we didn`t mean this early. So, we popped down to Jake`s for a drink where Tom tried one he hadn`t tasted before......…a vanilla porter......*





























*He enjoyed it. I`m not a beer or ale drinker in any way, so they don't appeal to me, but they do have a lovely selection of beers here. We haven`t ever done the Beer tasting evening they do here, but it gets good reviews. I enjoyed my wine. 

Around 10.30 we headed upstairs but first we stopped off in the lobby to see one of the girls who used to be in the lounge, and is now behind the scenes on the front desk. She only works nights right now, and we had missed her a few times by being too early or it was her night off. We had got a message she would be on tonight and to stop by. So we did. *

*It was lovely seeing her again, she is such a lovely girl with a beautiful nature and she reminds me of one of my nieces....only she is very dark haired and my niece is very blonde!!! But, we had a good catch up before we set off to bed. 

Up in the room, we put the water from the turndown lady in the fridge and had an email from a friend in the UK who said she had read anyone who was with TC wouldn`t be helped back home.......lol.....she had read a click bait story and panicked...…of course it wasn`t true, but we were now starting to check the Civil Aviation Authority website. *

*The CAA were the ones flying us home. Officially they were "repatriating" us back to the UK. It was easy really, you typed your flight number into the website and your new flight number and time of flight was on there for your to see. But, they were only doing one day ahead so far. So we just had to be patient. We expected our flight to be there on Oct 1st, maybe the 30th..... Some folks were being put on Virgin Flights, some with other airlines we hadn`t heard of. But, we were still relieved we would get home with no extra cost to us after all. 

I replied to my friend and told them not to worry it was fine....she is a worrier. *

*We poured ourselves a glass of wine, watched some tv and not long after we were sound asleep. All of a sudden we were shattered. *


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## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> I made the mistake of introducing my better half to Mr Bourne years ago. Let’s just say it’s not difficult to find it somewhere on the tube daily if you surf long enough.  Same with HP & PoC franchises but they aren’t filled with as much mayhem lol.  Conversely, love most. Of the  Terminator flicks & the U shows.  I’d like to be wow’d but the idea of a quickie eye rest works too.



lol.....I hear you.

It`s on in our house too if Tom comes across it.....same with Terminator movies and yes, PoC too.......Pirates I can watch......Terminator not so much.....although I did cry at the end of the second one...….saw this and I was bubbling......









I`m such a woose!!!

But, will give it a try when it opens......


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## schumigirl

*SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 28TH*​




*We again slept a little later this morning, we hadn't planned it, I guess we were just a little tired now in general. But, we still woke up with an enthusiasm for getting the day started, so as soon as we woke, I got up first, as usual....I sometimes think there`s an unwritten law I have to Shower first......it`s the same at home funnily enough......guess you have a routine sometime and don`t realise it. 

Up in the lounge we saw a family we had met and chatted to in the elevator last night. They were here for a few days from South Florida and had their own law firm. The reason I know this is they gave us their business card and invited us down for a visit next time we were in town. This happened a couple of times this trip. It`s not something we`re used to in the UK.....

Breakfast was nice, and lounge was very busy this morning, it was the weekend of course. There was one very large family in this weekend who we recognised from last year, they stay for one night and all go to HHN together, babies and all. They seemed very pleasant. 

Once we had eaten we decided to avoid the parks as it was a Saturday. We had decided to drive to Downtown Sanford this morning, not much there to be honest, but we knew someone who had a boat there and they were selling it, so last chance to see it......it would pass a morning anyway. *

*We had spent a lot of time travelling on the I4 it seemed this trip for folks who usually avoid it like the plague.....but today it didn't seem as bad, or maybe we were just getting used to it. *

*It takes less than an hour to get to Downtown Sanford, and we had a quick wander round the little town and market that was on before heading to the waterfront area. *






























*There really isn`t much to see here, and wouldn`t tell anyone it was worth a visit, but as we were over this way anyway, we wanted to have a look. 

It was only a few minute drive to the waterfront and it is quite pretty here, the water was weirdly black as tar in some areas, in others it looked normal, and we didn't see any marine life today at all. *








































*The boats vary from very small...…I mean tiny, to rather large-ish......how anyone would go out to sea in some of those tiny little vessels and expect to survive......is beyond me...if ever I ventured out in a boat...….I`m always of the mindset...…...*







​


















*We couldn`t see the couple we know at first, then spotted them way in the back. Now, they`re boat was kind of decent......I`d feel comfy sitting on it, as long as we didn`t move...….which we did! Briefly. I felt bad as they were going to miss the boat, but health issues meant they could no longer manage it, they`re young enough, but I think we agreed it was best. They`d had boats all their life, growing up in Tampa it was a way of life. 

We spent an hour or so chatting and then we left to head back for lunch somewhere.

Many years ago we had eaten in Cracker Barrel and really enjoyed it, but that was 2007. We had gone back once a few years later, and left after a few minutes.....won`t elaborate, but our waitress put us off slightly. So, we had long put that thought out of our heads, and decided we wanted to try it again. When we saw there was one in Sanford we wanted to give it a try. 

This one was hard to find.......but after a series of turn backs and U turns we finally weaved our way into their car park, almost hidden by a smallish hotel. Car park was full. But, we eventually found what seemed to be the last space and got parked. *


















*It was busy. We had around a 15 minute and they`d shout us over the loudspeaker when a table was ready.....well, it was around 12.45 on a busy Saturday lunchtime. We expected a wait. 

If you know Cracker Barrel, you know they have the best little store to wander around and see all sorts of gorgeous products to buy and some cute little displays. *






























*We didn`t have 15 minutes to wait, it was maybe just over 5 minutes, but there was a huge line of people waiting to get a table behind us....doubt we could have picked a busier time if we`d tried. 

We got seated and had a lovely waitress today, we both ordered raspberry lemonades and said we may be a while deciding what to have!!! The menu is so tempting......very wholesome and hearty food and we were both torn with what to order...….*






























*I eventually went for the chicken fried chicken with white gravy....we only really have one colour of gravy in our country, so I looked forward to trying this.  I asked for cornbread and coleslaw only, but she insisted I get another side, so went for mac n cheese to try it. *

















*Tom opted for the Roast Beef sandwich which came with mashed potatoes and coleslaw.....*





























*The food was beautiful. The mac n cheese was a little cool, so I didn't really eat that, but the chicken!!!!!! Oh my goodness it was divine......*











​

*The chicken was phenomenal...….even today, we both still go on about how delicious it was.......I was full...….but kept eating the chicken......even left the cornbread!!! And I loved the gravy.......

Tom didn`t want to share the beef. That`s when I know he is enjoying something so much......he did give me a little taste, but it wasn`t my favourite dish. And I love roast beef!!! 

But, for $30 it was one heck of a bargain lunch once again......as we paid the check the waitress asked us where we were from as they didn't ever get many tourists in this store......so we chatted for a few minutes about Orlando and RP, she knew of it but had never been to their or Disney. Guess it`s really not for everyone. *

*This had been a lovely lunch and very filling. I think we had a new found love for Cracker Barrel.*

*Driving home on the I-4 we saw on the satnav there was something up ahead......big red line on the road...….but, by the time we saw it, there was nowhere to turn off. 

We were stuck. For a while. *

*There had been a car turned over on it`s roof when we did eventually move forward, looked nasty. Some people were standing beside it, so hopefully there were no serious injuries. *

*We turned off at The Mall at Millenia exit and wanted to pop into the Porsche Garage there to again see if they had any unique little items that were different than what was available in the UK.

The staff in here are lovely.…..they know we are not there to buy anything, but still very accommodating in letting us sit in a few and chat about different specs that are in the US model of our car. Not many differences, but a couple. We joked with them about the way folks pronounce Porsche......it`s a family name not just a brand, and is usually pronounced with an A sound at the end, of course not everyone does say it that way.......but if people want to pronounce it anyway they like, no issues.....I think you would sound like a pretentious boob if you did point it out to someone, the way we overheard a salesman in the UK do to a couple close to us when we were looking for ours in one of their showrooms.....not cool. 

We did see a different keyfob and some little items, but we didn't like them enough to buy them.......so we thanked them for their time and headed home. We did notice the building going up next to it was going to be a Ferrari and Maserati showroom...….we were excited about that!!!! And I`m sure we`ll pop in at one point...…..maybe have a test drive........*







​






*It had been a longer journey home than planned, took us almost two hours from when we left Cracker Barrel with a little stop in to the Porsche Showroom......but we eventually made it pulled into the parking lot, which wasn`t too busy considering it was the weekend. *

*As we walked up to the entrance we saw this little beauty just sitting looking stunningly gorgeous...….*

*A Ferrari F8.......710 BHP......it is a monster of a car.......how we wished we could have a drive of that little gem!!! *





























*It had been 88F today, so a little bit cooler which had been lovely, but it felt like rain......and no sooner had we got inside when the heavens opened.......it was torrential and I was so glad we weren't driving still. 

The pool was cleared of course, and we chilled out for half an hour. We had planned to have some pool time before deciding what to do tonight....

Tom went for a snooze.......I sat on my ipad for a while and watched some tv show for a while......but as Tom seemed to be sleeping a little longer, I got showered and changed and headed up to the lounge while he still slept. He`d know where to find me when he woke up. 

Lounge was busy.......everyone seemed to be in there before heading out to HHN.......we had thought of going for an hour or so, but to be honest, we didn`t really feel the need. I think we had seen it all and done it all this trip. But, if Tom wanted to go when he came up I`d happily go for a while. 

I checked the CAA website, but our flight details had been added yet, so we had no clue who we were flying with yet, and now we were just keen to find out as it was getting closer. There was another family from the UK who were also waiting to find out about flights, they were the ones who had come in on the last flight, and they flew out on the last day the CAA and Government were repatriating people, so they were keen to find out too. And grateful they just made the cut to get home with no added costs. 

I had a red wine, and sat and chatted with staff and Kayla too was in tonight, so I chatted to her while I waited on sleeping beauty...….eventually Tom appeared looking refreshed and ready for an evening going somewhere. I suggested why didn`t we go to Strong Water for the evening.......sit at the bar, have some wine and some good food...and he was delighted at this suggestion.....I think he was glad not to be driving tonight after our journey home today. 

We sat for a while, then wandered over to Sapphire first stopping off in our room for a large bag of British chocolate bars as a thank you for them all taking such good care of us.......

We did expect it to be busier......Saturday night and it was lovely and quiet.......are we really getting that old we are walking in to bars and glad it`s quiet!!!! 

But, the couple who sing there every Saturday night, were just setting up and they are fabulous and not too loud which we like. But the pair of them are lovely singers, and it`s all songs everyone knows. *

*Our two favourites are both working tonight, which is lovely.....Lenny and Ashley are both lovely people and so much fun behind the bar, they take such good care of everyone and work the bar amazingly well. *

*We hand over the copious amount of chocolate and they put it through the back to nibble on as they please...…..it was well received. *


















*We order our favourite wine from in here......The Count. This was the special wine they had for the Bellhop Bars that popped up last year in the four main hotels for a limited time...….but they had kept this very special wine as it was so nice. Rather strangely for such a wine, it also contained Chardonnay........honestly, if you want a lovely bottle of wine in here instead of rum I`d recommend this one. *

















*There were a few other people at the bar tonight, and all were chatty which was nice. We have always been lucky and met some lovely folks sitting at bars. 

This wine was going down so well. *


















*After we had almost finished the wine, we decided to order some food to share between us.....there are so many choices on this menu.......and so many we love. Tonight was maybe the last evening we`d be here this trip, although, maybe not, so we wanted to make it a couple of memorable dishes to us........

First up was the meatballs........which were delicious......warm and slightly spicy which worked well with the sour cream on the bottom of the sauce with the meatballs. Very moreish...…..*


















*And again, the seafood tostada which we had only recently tried as takeout food, not sure how that one evaded us for so long. It was very fresh and chilled to perfection with just the right amount of spice for such delicate seafood. *


















*And the camarones, minus the extra cilantro......think I`ve mentioned it before...Tom and I are both part of the 40% of the population for which cilantro tastes and smells like soap! Horrible stuff. Chef Carlos had explained to us the shrimp are marinated in a few things and cilantro is one of them, but the sauce is made up fresh and we could easily omit the cilantro from that which we do whenever we order this dish now. 

It is a beautiful dish. *



















*All the dishes were wonderful...….and by now we were ready to order another bottle of our favourite wine...…..we were having such a lovely evening with amazing company and good banter with everyone. And the chocolate had gone down well!!!! *

*The second bottle of wine, we drank slowly...….we were tempted by dessert, but we had no room as the food had been so good. *

*It was around midnight when we finally decided it was time to go......Strong Water is open till around 2am, I was guessing we`d never close the bar with them.......we are not usually late night party animals.....and never likely to be........*







​






*Yep, a few late nights takes us longer to recover from now!!!! Although on vacation, we do tend to burn the candle at both ends...…but it`s so much fun!!!!! 

We said our goodnights to the guys and gals, we were sorry Fernando wasn't in tonight but we`d see him either on Tuesday night, or our Christmas trip. 

The walk back was fine, we had drank a lot of water tonight also, and we were surprised to pass more than a few people walking back and forwards from each hotel. It was almost busy. *

*Back in our room we went almost immediately to bed, I had a quick look out the window at how lovely it was out there...….I was glad the rain had gone off for HHN.….it is miserable when you have to wander around in the pouring rain and we had known of a few people who were there tonight and it was their only night. *

*But, we were completely shattered now and sleep was quick to hit us tonight. *


----------



## keishashadow

I don’t well up often but the oddest things can trigger my waterworks too

Cracker B & Red L sites really do vary, all about the cooks.  The ones outside of WDW main entrance are just ok & that’s on a good day lol.  Trying to imagine where that RL is you mention.  Surely, we’ve passed it at one point or another.  

Snagging a metered parking spot on the weekend @ cocoa beach can be daunting.  It’s funny you home’d in on the same spot as years prior.  Have observed they have a prominent police presence in the beach tourist area there, always a good thing.


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> I don’t well up often but the oddest things can trigger my waterworks too
> 
> Cracker B & Red L sites really do vary, all about the cooks.  The ones outside of WDW main entrance are just ok & that’s on a good day lol.  Trying to imagine where that RL is you mention.  Surely, we’ve passed it at one point or another.
> 
> Snagging a metered parking spot on the weekend @ cocoa beach can be daunting.  It’s funny you home’d in on the same spot as years prior.  Have observed they have a prominent police presence in the beach tourist area there, always a good thing.



Oh I can be a blubbering wreck at the simplest of things!

That RL is right the way down at the Convention Centre, the huge Rosen Centre is beside it. There’s not much else beyond it. It’s very popular with the convention crowd apparently. With CB I think we’d try it again, just away from tourist areas. Yes, I agree they can vary so much in quality. I think we stood out like sore thumbs in that Cracker Barrel.....

It was so weird......I did feel as though I had walked down that particular path before.......yes, there was a high police presence......it is absolutely reassuring seeing so many officers around.


----------



## schumigirl

*SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 29TH*​





*Neither of us woke up with a headache this morning, which is always good news, and the sign of a good wine! We do like good wines, we`re not wine experts, but we do like a nicer wine than just buying the cheap stuff to quaff down.....not us at all. *

*But, on to this morning.....*

*We watched some of the Russian Grand Prix before going up for breakfast and I checked the CAA website again, although it was silly as we didn`t expect to see anything till Monday at the very earliest. I was getting a ridiculous amounts of emails from friends back home concerned at what was happening, not from all friends though as most knew we`d be over the moon to stay longer if we had to and know that we just go with the flow on things like this........

Breakfast was nice, and much longer than we planned.......as always!!! When we chat, we forget to stop......lol......*

*Today we thought we`d go to the Studios for a while, and it was late by the time we got in the park, which was unusual for us.*

*When we stepped outside, it was back to being baking hot again, this did not bode well for hair staying reasonable today again. We must have been late as we had the boat to ourselves this morning.....this was unusual. But, the boat Capt chatted away to us as we knew him vaguely......even he commented on how hot it was today after a slightly cooler evening. *






















































*Despite the later time at going in, we still had a line at the gates, but as usual it takes no time at all to get through and we head straight into the store this morning to cool down a little, before avoiding minions and going straight to RRR. We realised we hadn't done Shrek this visit again, but it`s not one we have to do every time, and last time the screen was a little off, so it wasn't as much fun. We`ll do it in December with Kyle as he likes it. 

RRR was a short line for EP, there were around 3 people in front of us and rather surprisingly they asked if they could sit on the back rows????? I have never heard anyone ask for the back rows before!!!! We asked for the front and we got the front row which we do love.....and today, weirdly just before we started the climb I got a weird twinge of fear......and all I could think of was the Final Destination movie....the one with the coaster!!!!!! But, once we got up to the top and heading back down, it all went out my mind and just enjoyed the ride.....and it is a good ride. 

I saw the folks who had asked for the back as we got off...…..one of them didn't look good.......so we made sure we moved away quickly...just in case......

We very rarely buy a ride picture anymore, maybe now and again when the three of us are here, but we always go look at them on this ride.....yes, it was quite funny...….but not as funny as the woman behind us who looked like this lady below in the famous Splash Mountain image...…..I often wondered if she was playing a part, or genuinely cheesed off with something......she certainly doesn't look like she`s playing!!!! *







​






*We wandered back round to where T2 was this morning, and just took it easy and took our time today. And we barely took any pictures.....I think we were pictured out generally, although we did take some tomorrow, but compared to our usual amount of images, we were sorely lacking today. *

*Did I mention it was hot today!!!! *

*This is such a good photo op for HHN with a Killer Klown or two...….not that we actually did it, but they were good pictures. *


















*This new Bourne Stuntacular building does look a little better now, but it hadn't quite been completed while we were there. *


















*Not the biggest of parades, but it is cute and kids love it as their interaction is always impressive.*










































*The Viking zone is nice to see during the day as they did go overboard with the fog some nights.......it was a well done zone and some good characters roaming around, but we did still miss the pumpkins above. *






























*We sat down for a little bit and enjoyed the quiet this area usually enjoys during the day......very few people come around here, but we do move when five smokers appear and light up close to us.......time to leave as the smoking area is close to where we are standing. *



















*ET was so cute.......we love going on this ride, although, rather strangely I find this very loud as you go through.....before you fly, I always put my fingers in my ears......it must be me......But, we did have a bike to oursleves today which was nice. *



















*We had just walked past the parade when a lady popped out in front of us and said Carole.......I guessed it was a Dis person, and when she said who she was I immediately knew and remembered she was visiting here now......it was Flyg1rl, or Joy as she is known as......I felt bad for not recognising her immediately, but it was so nice to finally meet her!!! Of course I looked like I had been dragged through a hedge backwards, and she looked great!!!! We had a nice little chat, Joy and her husband were about to go into the Horror Make up Show and we were heading out of the park to go get lunch.....but it was lovely to chat to her and again, we should have got a picture!!! But with my hair and red face.....maybe not......lol...…..we said our goodbye`s and set off for lunch. 

We hadn`t completely decided where to have lunch today, but we decided on Bread Box eventually...….a long and fruitful 40 second conversation decided that one!!! Who needs to plan...….

Walking out to Bread Box we were boiled, it was so hot......there was no real breeze today at all......so walking in to the beautifully chilled air conditioned building was bliss.......

We like it in here.....sandwiches are good and it`s a nice place. It`s not my favourite place, but you do get good food for what seems to be pretty low prices. It did take us a while to decide today again.....I did know I wanted an ice cold fanta before I melted completely.......and there are a lot of options. I did think about the chicken and waffles, but then thought I`d have the brie and ham before changing my mind again...….too much choice!!!!! *











​













*I have a very patient husband. *

*When you order, you pay and take your drinks to the table, they usually bring it over to you, but some have said you usually have your buzzer go and go up to get your food, I`m guessing when they`re busy. But, it`s fairly quiet today. *

*I love having Tabasco as a table condiment. *


















*The swing style tables are very popular and they do have plenty of seating in here, we hadn`t seen it busy at all whenever we had come in. *


















*Tom had chosen the Beef Brisket sandwich on white with tator tots and it did look delicious......loaded high with beef too. *






























*I, eventually chose the hot turkey platter and went for potato salad instead of fries or tots. *



















*The sandwiches were both delicious, meats were juicy and full of flavour and the potato salad was one of the nicest I had tried....I didn`t expect it to be so nice. So, we were very happy with lunch today.

Strolling back it was unbelievably hot......we passed a couple of folks on the path who were heading in and already looked beat!!! I was glad we were going this way and not back into the park...…..

This afternoon we had a quick shower as we just felt we didnt want to go into the pool straight from the parks, had a short snooze, checked the CAA website again......and then went down to the pool for a couple of hours. To be honest, it was probably too hot for the pool, and although I had sunscreen on, I didn`t venture more than once from under our umbrellas and into the water......but it was a lovely afternoon. There is a fabulous atmosphere round the pool, so much fun, but never too rowdy, which suits us down to the ground. 

At 4pm we collected our things and headed back up to have a proper shower and get the hair done again. 

We went up to the lounge and sat on ipads and chatted a couple of hours away in the lounge. The food tonight was my favourite potato salad and the chicken mac n cheese......but we again, only had a taster as we were dining at Nagoya Sushi tonight. 

Tom drove again tonight and it is only a ten minute drive away. It was a little busier than lunchtime had been the previous visit, but they are such friendly people who welcome you and take care of you.*

*Our usual table......*

*Tom had a lemonade and I had white wine and we sat for a while and decided what to eat.......we knew it would be Miso soup whatever else we chose. *





























*We shared an appetiser of spicy short ribs which were different to usual ribs, but very nice.......while not fall off the bone types, they were full of flavour. *


















*Tom opted for the Teppan Shrimp, Scallop & Sirloin Steak which was served with 2 kinds of dipping sauce, and like me he opted for the fried rice. *


















*I already knew what I was going to have. The spicy chicken Tom had enjoyed in the bento box the previous visit, but the full entrée dish, with fried rice. *


















*The portions are large. And we struggled to finish both dishes, but they were incredibly beautiful and so well cooked. 

Again, this was somewhere I was annoyed we hadn't come to before this visit. It was a gorgeous little place with a phenomenal menu. And we were full. It had been gorgeous and we were so glad we had came here tonight again. 

We paid the check and got back into the car heading for home...…sitting at the lights at the junction of Sand Lake/Turkey Lake Road, we wondered how long we had sat at these lights over the years......it`s one of those junctions if you just miss the lights, you seem to wait forever for your turn again. 

Back in the hotel, I wait for Tom to walk up from the car park as he has dropped me off again. And I do take a few snaps, some weren't brilliant and look a little skewed to the side...….that's me of course, and I only had two glasses of wine!!!! *































*We pop up to the lounge and had one or two of these watermelon desserts......staff were surprised when we walk in as it`s not like us to make it. The desserts were very nice and we did have two each. It`s not like us to ever make dessert hour, we just don't seem to be around for it. But we did want some more water too as we were running low in the room, so wanted to make sure we didn't run out. We have the bottles from the Turndown service, but they soon disappear too.  *


















*It was only around 8.30pm, no way did I feel ready to go to bed, so I suggested we get changed and head into HHN for a wander......Tom didn`t look very sure at first, but then thought, why not. And I did tell him to leave the camera behind tonight...…..he is so good at taking pictures, but it was getting to the end of the trip, and I thought we should have a night where we just enjoy it without seeing picture opportunities everywhere........of course chance are this would be the night we`d miss something amazing!!!! 

Yes, as we walked down for the boat, we passed some folks coming off the boat....and then we heard this yelping in agony scream coming from a woman.......she had stood on something as she walked in bare feet......our first thought was.....that's a lego scream!!!!! 

Who hasn't agonisingly stepped on a well disguised piece of devil plastic over the years!!!! However meticulously you clean up after your child who has lovingly played with it for hours, there is occasionally one little piece that is lurking in the shadows and waiting for you to wander in to the dimly lit room and forcefully step on!!!! *







​




*Yes, that`s the look!!!!! 

We get on a boat with the shortest of waits and yes, we sing our way there again tonight.......Rock the Boat is the current favourite of the Captains. *

*We get in the park, using the regular entrance as the hotel guest entrance is closed by now, and it`s not too bad at the gate......then we walk in and its busy......like busy busy.......which didn't go well with how hot it was. *

*Ghostbusters and Yeti were around 5-10 minutes waits with EP.....we didn`t pay attention to regular waits tonight, just wandered into the line and enjoyed the houses....which were very good tonight...….but my goodness it was busy. Well, certainly busier than we are used to. 

The Yeti house was absolutely the best we have ever seen......I`m not exactly sure but I`d hazard a guess we copped every single scare going tonight. 

US was a little longer of a wait tonight, maybe 10-15 minutes, but certainly nothing to complain about......and the house tonight......yes, I think I finally saw what other folks were seeing all the other nights....it was downright creepy and the SA were brilliant. The little girl especially was quite something. 

We enjoyed a couple of scares in scare zone tonight, but really we just wandered around and enjoyed it. If it hadn't been as hot, we would have wandered down to Classic Monsters and Graveyard Games, but we didn`t have the energy if I`m honest. We had done all the houses plenty of times, and I was quite sad that this would be our last visit this year. But, we had got our monies worth out of our ticket. We didn't doubt that......so we left knowing we had done all we wanted to do with HHN this trip. *

*On the boat back we again, sang and yes, the boat rocked again...*

*Back in our room we had left the drapes open after the Turndown lady had opened them, and we did love this view.......*


















*But, for now, bed called and we couldn't wait to climb in tonight. We were shattered. Who`s idea had it been to go in again tonight...... 




More park time tomorrow..…..*


----------



## schumigirl

*MONDAY SEPTEMBER 30TH*​




*Up with the larks this morning........and  I had an email from Kyle to say our flights had been posted on the CAA website.......so I checked it and saw we were flying with a company called Atlas Air? We had never heard of them, but it didn`t matter.....as long as we got home safely, we were happy enough with that. I replied to Kyle we had seen it......

I contacted our car service straight away. We had previously cancelled them when our flights had disappered, as we had no idea whether we were going to even land at the same airport, some folks on previous days had landed in Glasgow or London and been bussed back to their original airport......I wouldn't have let the car service down like that, so had to cancel them. But, now we knew we would be getting in around the same time and at our departure airport, we would ask if they could still pick us up. *

*However, they had a pick up at 5pm that day so couldn't make the journey twice, she asked if we wanted to wait till then she knew the lady wouldn't mind sharing......we said no thank you, it was too long to spend the whole day in the airport. 

I went on the train website and guesstimated when we would arrive and booked the train we thought we would make and booked it. There were first class seats on both, so that was something sorted, we would be able to get home. We couldn't do anything else now. *

*Once we were showered and dressed, we headed up for breakfast and spoke to the family who were leaving on the 6th, their flight would be up on the website tomorrow, so they were relieved too. They were a little more concerned than us, as were many people, but we couldn't complain about the way the Government and the CAA were dealing with this issue. So far we were impressed. 

Once we had eaten and chatted for a little while to Kayla we headed off to walk to IOA. As soon as we walked out, the heat hit us like a brick......everyone who is local commented it didn`t usually stay as hot so late in September, this was a little unusual, but we were enjoying it all the same, we knew as soon as we were home it would be completely different. *
*
Again, it was blazing hot, there was to be no respite from the heat, but again, we would make the most of it while we could. 
*
*The walk is so peaceful, and although we do like the walk a lot, the boats are nice at times too. It`s nice to be able to vary your ways of getting into the parks. The shade is nice, but we guessed it was going to be ultra hot today again. 

Into the parks we go and again, straight through the store to cool down a little......before wandering out and heading to the lagoon area before going on the rides......it was at this point, Tom said he had left his room key in the hotel. Of course the room key is the EP for onsite guests......I was surprised as he never takes it out of the lanyard except to use it if he is opening the door, then it goes straight back in...….well, I wasn`t going to walk back.....I said I`d do the regular lines instead.....but at that point he found it......he`d put it in his pocket for some reason!!! Relief. I would have gone through the regular line, but would have moaned about it too of course........lol......*

*We love love love POE!!! And this morning folks are paddling past us like their life depended on it......oh I couldn't have mustered the energy to rush this morning!!! *










































*After our usual check on how the works for the new coaster are going, we head and do the Hulk, which had a short line for both EP and regular.....but folks still like to complain about EP lines moving faster....I don`t think some understand that is the point of EP lines.....Hulk was phenomenal. I usually ask for the double harness on this ride, it is a little more comfortable and as always they do it so discreetly, not that it would bother me to be seen going on the bigger seat, but it does make some people incredibly embarrassed and I do think the TM do an excellent job of not making an issue out of it. I can squeeze into the regular seats, but as we were at the end of the trip......ahem.....I thought it might be just a little (a lot) tight......but this one was fine and very comfy as nothing was getting too squished!!!!! 

This was a one and done again today...….*
*
I always love and hate our last park day in equal measure......well, maybe love it a bit more....but I do get incredibly sad at going home and leaving all this......but it would only be around 8 weeks till we come back. 
*
*Dr Doom is out......along with the naughty Green Goblin...…..Dr Doom has very piercing eyes.......they are very good characters to interact with, all the superheroes are good, but we have a weakness for Doom, Green Goblin and Spider-Man........*

















*We go on Doom twice and it is always fun.....yes, it`s short, but fun.....then we go on the ever popular Spider-Man...….and the facial recognition again, doesn`t recognise Tom, but a glance at him and the screen the TM says he`s good to go.......we don`t get a car to ourselves today, but near enough. And for an older ride, this one is still phenomenal.......gotta love Spider-Man!! 

Wandering around, we hit Toon Lagoon and as we go to take our usual image of Tom under the need a vacation from this vacation sign to see it has been removed.......I was glad we had taken it earlier in the trip. *
*
The walk around the parks is lovely.......we stop and watch Jurassic Park for a while, go on it once and we don't really get wet this time.....maybe a slight sprinkling, but the people in front of us again get drenched......they saw the funny side and laughed at how wet they were.....and they were drenched!!! 
*
*We have a bathroom stop and Tom gets a few images of inside......not a place we would spend a lot of time and don`t eat in Burger Digs, but it is nice for a cool pit stop! *


















*The bridge was busy in front of the Castle, everyone seemed to want to be there at the one time today...….Tom took a few images, but we could both feel the slight despondency wave over us today......it`s funny one minute you feel ok, then sad as this was our last park day this trip.......*









































*We had a quick ride of FJ and the EP line was so quick this morning which is nice......and the ride today made me a little woozy......I think it was the heat to be honest.......some days I am completely fine on this ride, other times as you swoop in towards the Castle, it hits me and knocks me funny. *
*
Another one and done today, we wander down to Hogsmeade and have a look in the candy store to see if we can pick up some last minute gifts to take back home, and we do get some jelly beans and hard candy. I know who they`ll go to......
*
*I do love the look of some of their cakes, but we never buy them, as they are just too sweet.....but they do look good and sell well......*

















*Although we don`t like Butterbeer, we do like the ice cream and the fudge.....which is odd as I usually don't like fudge, but it is nice and easy to nibble on it slowly. It doesn't seem as sweet as the others. *

*The store is not too busy considering how busy it is outside, and it`s nice to be able to wander slowly without worrying about getting in someone`s way.....*


















*I had tasted a friend`s no melt ice cream.......not for me! And a lady and her friend were today looking at it and aske me if i`d tried it.........so I told her it was basically a very sweet icing......nothing thrilling, but it does look good.......she was glad I had told her as she didn`t like the sound of it......guess I`d never make saleswoman of the year in here!!!! *

















*It was so beautiful outside......and we love Hogsmeade, you`d never know you were so close to such a main road just on the other side......*


































































*Wandering out we saw the Fountain was in good form today......he was so funny and quite sharp in a funny way by a man who came to wash his hands in the water........lol......*






























*Poseidon`s Fury is one we haven't been on for years, and not likely to either......some like it, some love it, some, like us don`t rate it at all.....but the building is beautiful and so impressive.*

















*The store is worth a walk through too, some very lovely little treasures and artifacts......*






























*Walking out of the park makes me sad to leave, but you can`t be sad for long as it is so pretty.....and most unique mail box I`ve ever seen. 
*

















*They have the lost and found and stroller rentals here as well as a large set of lockers you can rent for the day of differing sizes. And all in the most colourful of buildings...…..*

*Who says Universal isn`t beautifully themed!!! *













































































*Below is the pick up window you`ll go to if you have made purchases to be picked up at the end of your day...….we`ve never used it as all our items go back to our room, but I believe it`s after a certain time you can pick them up. *




























*We had seen these guys a lot the last few days, going backwards and forwards...it moves quite quickly too! *
















*We were heading back to the room to get showered, changed and out for lunch.........*


----------



## AprilDreamsOfDisney

schumigirl said:


> *.I`m always of the mindset...…...*



Oh, Carole, I ACTUALLY laughed out loud when I read this and saw the meme! I think I kind of choked on my drink - so funny!

Another lovely update. So glad you had a good experience with your meals and travels this day (except for the unfortunate traffic!)

How nice of you to bring the chocolate for your friends in StrongWater Bar! I am sure they appreciated your kindness!


----------



## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> Oh, Carole, I ACTUALLY laughed out loud when I read this and saw the meme! I think I kind of choked on my drink - so funny!
> 
> Another lovely update. So glad you had a good experience with your meals and travels this day (except for the unfortunate traffic!)
> 
> How nice of you to bring the chocolate for your friends in StrongWater Bar! I am sure they appreciated your kindness!



lol......I do look at tiny boats that have people on them and just......well, I get very nervous for them!!! 

Thank you, we always take a lot of chocolate over, usually for the Club Lounge and front desk. But, we spend such a lot of time over there and I know they love chocolate......we had to take them a big bag of lovelies  too......does make our cases coming over very heavy though!!!


----------



## schumigirl

*We walked back very slowly, and we thought the temp changed slightly here, so wondered if we were going to get some rain. But, it didn`t look like it really......but we always enjoy the walk as it is so pretty. You can walk around by the pool entrance or go up the hill and that takes you to the front entrance....but the hill felt very much like hard work today......so we opted for the pool entrance. 

As we got to the sandy area near the entrance to the pool, we saw a woman on the sand with her dog, I always thought dogs weren't allowed on there......but, the dog had just done it`s business and we couldn't believe this.....she was using her foot to cover the dog`s business with sand.....instead of picking it up...….when she heard us, as I made it clear I had seen her, she did actually bend down and pick up the offending mess. So dirty. People walk barefoot on there and kids play ball...….she did look embarrassed as well she should. I guess if we hadn`t appeared she would have gone on her merry way. I couldn't not say anything about dog mess in a lovely little area...….*







​






*But, for us, we were glad to get into the cool of the building, and in our room we immediately hit the shower......it was so nice. *

*Once we were dressed we went down to get the car and drove to NYPD on Universal Blvd....one of our favourite pizzas. *


















*The lady who greets you in here, well, she always looks like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders..........but we smile at her regardless and she escorts us to a nice booth round near the bar area......she`s not unfriendly, just always looks like she could be happier. The rest of the staff are very friendly though......*


















*We really don`t need to look at the menu here...….I ask for my usual bbq chicken, no onions and add pineapple a jalapeno, and Tom opts for the meatlover. *































*We did wait a little bit longer today, but we were in no rush so we just chatted and as happens at times, people sitting nearby are unintentionally entertaining.......you couldn`t help but overhear as they were almost yelling, but weren`t.......seems Daisy Mae (not her real name) was catting around and she was going to get herself some trouble from her mama.....their words......seems the whole town knew and it was going to get ugly.......oh we couldn`t help but get intrigued...the woman who backed on to me at one point told her companion to stop talking so she could keep up.......lol.......

It went very quiet when they left though....I think everyone around was also listening, although we didn`t really have a choice! *
*
Pizza`s were excellent when they did arrive, full of flavour and just the right type of base we like.......we did enjoy it......
*
*When we left we were heading to look for some new bedding, but first stopped in at Wawa for fuel......and Ashley in Strong Water had told me to try the Herr`s potato chip range......she said I`d love them.......*



















*She was right!!! They are so nice.......we always buy a couple of large bags of Lays crisps when we arrive, but I`d buy these again in a heartbeat.......they were hard to stop eating!!!! *
*
We drove to Bed Bath & Beyond next. I hadn`t really looked for bedding the last time we were in, and I did think I`d easily find something in here, we love their high thread count sheets.......but today, I just didn`t see anything. It was for one of the spare rooms and I knew more or less what I was looking for, so I`d keep looking a little further. 
*
*We passed some time in here, and decided we`d go to the Mall tomorrow and see of we could find anything there, so it was back home where we thought we`d have to start the dreaded packing.........*






​





*So, we didn`t pack after all........tomorrow is another day........

I instead added our purchases to the ever growing pile of stuff and opened the honey bbq crisps......oh my goodness....they were divine!!! I kept eating them......Tom eventually wandered through and I begged him to take them from me........with the words it`s hardly worth it.... as he glanced at how many were left, showed how many I had eaten.......Ooops.....bbq crisps are a huge weakness of mine!!! *
*
Up to the lounge next around 4pm and I had a cranberry juice mixed with sprite.....I had a craving for that all day......and it was lovely......
*
*I don`t even think we looked at the food tonight, so have no clue what it was......I had a couple of red wines and Tom stuck with sprite....we would be heading to Longhorn in LBV soon for dinner. 

After a lovely couple of hours, we went down to the lobby where we met one of the supervisors and chatted to her for a while......and as we chatted the rain came bouncing down again.....Tom laughed at how he`d get soaked going for the car to pick "Princess" up so she doesn`t get wet......that would be me then........  *
*
But, as quickly as it started, it stopped.......gotta love Floridian weather......
*
*I did walk down with him to get the car just to show I can walk there.....and it did feel a little cooler tonight I have to say, which was lovely for a change. 

LBV is around a 15 minute drive and Longhorn isn`t too busy tonight, so we get a booth immediately.......but........there was a table in the middle beside us of around 10 people, and three of the kids were running around and screaming at each other interspersed by throwing toys at each other......parents seemed oblivious......our waiter immediately said, you want to move right.......lol......how did he guess....I didn`t understand the language as it was Portuguese but they didn`t seem to be trying to calm them down any as they chatted away, also fairly loud........

We moved to the bar.....where within a few seconds we saw the manager approach them and I`m guessing asked them to stop the kids at least running around..........*
*
We hadn`t sat at the bar here before.....and we saw there was a Steelers game on.....I knew this was Keishashadows team, so we watched that although not having much of a clue what was going, hoped we looked pleased at the right times.....lol......one couple along the bar were very definitely Steelers fans.......
*
*I ordered a long pour Malbec and Tom a lemonade and we ordered straight away as we knew what we wanted tonight......*


















*Our bread arrived and we did eat a little of it. It`s nice but it`s a very heavy bread. *

















*This has got to be one of the most unappealing sweet potato you`ll ever see!!!! What does it look like.......you can just see the deliciously moreish brown sugar and cinnamon though........and I had gone for my usual 8oz filet served medium rare.......that at least looked very appealing....well, to me it does. *


















*Tom went for the 12oz NY strip and loaded baked potato......*



















*Both meals were delicious..…..steaks served beautifully cooked and just as we asked.......I don`t like regular baked potatoes, but Tom loved this one and did bemoan how I never make them at home, ever.......well, he has had baked potato three times since we`ve come home......I stick to sweet potato or regular mash or roasted.......I`m not sure what it is about baked potatoes I don`t like as I love sweet potatoes baked and I enjoy wedges.......oh well, I guess we all have our little differences. *



















*When Kyle is with us, they always share the Chocolate Stampede.......It`s not a dessert I like, but tonight we thought we`d share something, and had never tried this  Apple Goldrush.......it sounded nice. *


















*The filling was lovely, as was the caramel sauce and the ice cream......the outside of the dish, was however very heavy and doughy.....I expected it to be more like an apple pie crust......so we ate the middle and the ice cream between us.....it was nice, but wouldn`t order it again. 

It had been nice sitting at the bar, we`d do it again I think if it was just the two of us. We paid the check and headed outside where the rain was coming down now.......we had planned to go into Citywalk to have a drink in Margaritaville, but not now. *
*
So, once we parked up and went inside, we went down and sat in Jakes for an hour or so, before accepting that we were tired and should really go to bed.....even though it was still fairly early.......yes, this would be good for us......a good nights sleep...….
*
*I knew I`d be asleep in no time at all.........*







​





*Best laid plans. *


----------



## schumigirl

*So, a little off topic, but not quite.........*
*
We have, this week booked our flights for our next September trip 

Everyone was suggesting holding off to see if prices came down any......but as many of you will know, I`m not known for patience...….so...….sitting in the UK on a cold, wet, dreary and dark late afternoon during the week.....we looked up some dates and got them booked!!!! 
*
*Already so excited about this trip as it will be HHN 30th Anniversary and we are hoping it will be spectacular...….we want scary beyond belief and some terrifying scare zones...….

We fly with Virgin Atlantic, as we like direct flights we don't have many options now, but we do like them and as we don't really like to fly out of London, we do like the journey up to fly out of Manchester...….*
*
We arrive September 6th and fly home on October 1st and we managed to get the Premium seats we like...upstairs in the bubble on the way out, and downstairs back row on the way home....no one behind you when you recline........

26 nights altogether.......and we`ll be at Royal Pacific for this one.....of course we may add in a few nights at Sapphire first....
*
*294 days till this one...…...*


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

schumigirl said:


> *So, a little off topic, but not quite.........*
> 
> *We have, this week booked our flights for our next September trip
> 
> Everyone was suggesting holding off to see if prices came down any......but as many of you will know, I`m not known for patience...….so...….sitting in the UK on a cold, wet, dreary and dark late afternoon during the week.....we looked up some dates and got them booked!!!! *
> 
> *Already so excited about this trip as it will be HHN 30th Anniversary and we are hoping it will be spectacular...….we want scary beyond belief and some terrifying scare zones...….
> 
> We fly with Virgin Atlantic, as we like direct flights we don't have many options now, but we do like them and as we don't really like to fly out of London, we do like the journey up to fly out of Manchester...….*
> 
> *We arrive September 6th and fly home on October 1st and we managed to get the Premium seats we like...upstairs in the bubble on the way out, and downstairs back row on the way home....no one behind you when you recline........
> 
> 26 nights altogether.......and we`ll be at Royal Pacific for this one.....of course we may add in a few nights at Sapphire first....*
> 
> *294 days till this one...…...*



I’m literally taking a break from some of our planning this morning to catch up here and see your putting more together as well!

So far this is what I’ve done today!

Booked our first ever cruise!

I know you’re feelings of cruises, LOL

We are gonna give it a go, added to our December trip 2020 Universal.

It is a Disney Cruise!

Secondly it was as though a huge rush of excitement came over me as I awoke thinking about HHN 30 this morning!!!

So late September it is again!!


----------



## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> I’m literally taking a break from some of our planning this morning to catch up here and see your putting more together as well!
> 
> So far this is what I’ve done today!
> 
> Booked our first ever cruise!
> 
> I know you’re feelings of cruises, LOL
> 
> We are gonna give it a go, added to our December trip 2020 Universal.
> 
> It is a Disney Cruise!
> 
> Secondly it was though a huge rush of excitement came over me as I awoke thinking about HHN 30 this morning!!!
> 
> So late September it is again!!



Yes, It’s nice to get plans in place. We like to be organised well in advance.

International flights are our main priority, getting them booked with seats we want is important......everything else just falls into place.


----------



## keishashadow

I am dying lol re LEGO shark.





schumigirl said:


> We hadn`t sat at the bar here before.....and we saw there was a Steelers game on.....I knew this was Keishashadows team, so we watched that although not having much of a clue what was going, hoped we looked pleased at the right times.....lol......one couple along the bar were very definitely Steelers fans.......


I do love how you have adopted my home-town team!   In my book you are in good standing as honorary fans.  The majority of those who whoop it up large & loud in public while watching football games on the Telly (yes, I did go there lol) typically aren’t exactly scholars when it comes to knowledge of the sport.


schumigirl said:


> Everyone was suggesting holding off to see if prices came down any......but as many of you will know, I`m not known for patience...….so...….sitting in the UK on a cold, wet, dreary and dark late afternoon during the week.....we looked up some dates and got them booked!!!!


Lol doesn’t matter how you get there, as long as you do!  I’d have been half sick waiting out that mess, think you showed great restraint.


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> I am dying lol re LEGO shark.
> I do love how you have adopted my home-town team!   In my book you are in good standing as honorary fans.  The majority of those who whoop it up large & loud in public while watching football games on the Telly (yes, I did go there lol) typically aren’t exactly scholars when it comes to knowledge of the sport.
> 
> Lol doesn’t matter how you get there, as long as you do!  I’d have been half sick waiting out that mess, think you showed great restraint.



I laughed like a drain when I saw that shark!!!!

I know the type you mean..…..and woohoo for the Telly comment......10 points to you!!!! When we know nothing about something we can`t hide it...….plus I`m always asking....so what`s his job then......lol...…

Virgin Atlantic release flights around 11 months from your leaving the US date, so it can be frustrating waiting. Whereas TC you could book about two years ahead...….made it easier to get the seats you want....so we had just about fitted in to the dates.....I had been glancing at them for a week or so, but truthfully we didn't think they were as bad as was being predicted with TC going bankrupt.  

Now to wait for next Decembers flights to be released...….


----------



## schumigirl

*TUESDAY OCTOBER 1ST*​




*This was indeed our last full day.*

*The month had passed so quickly, but at the same time, we felt as if we had been here forever.....which would make it tougher to leave of course. We had fully made ourselves at home here and as one member of the lobby staff said, they were so used to seeing us every day, it would be weird not seeing us coming and going.......

We were up early this morning as we wanted to say goodbye to Kayla, she was heading off to an event this morning, so we said we`d be up before she left. She is so nice. *

*Once up in the lounge it was fairly quiet, and Kayla sat for a while before she left and we had a good old chat before many hugs as she set off for the day. We`d miss our chats with her. She is an amazing concierge manager and has a genuine concern for every single guest she deals with. Very professional and very approachable too.

We got talking to a lovely family from Seattle who had sat down beside us......mum and two kids, who also had her parents with them.....very nice people.....we chatted and had a good giggle as she had a spreadsheet....and did see the funny side of people who do take spreadsheets incredibly serious.....I liked her a lot! And there was no bathroom breaks in it at all!!!! They were all very nice and her two daughters were lovely, such polite children.*

*On to today......we had decided to go to the beach......we planned to go to Clearwater......but.....one of the guys had told us the weather was to be more than a little unsettled, so we had a quick change of plan and decided to go to the Mall at Millenia.....yay!! I could get my Clinique offers after all.

Five minutes later we are downstairs looking for our housekeeper, I knew we wouldn`t see her tomorrow, but wanted to say goodbye. And we did. She had been so lovely, and always so pleasant, and we said we`ve always been lucky with housekeepers in these hotels. I see some folks complaining, but our experience has always been positive.*
*
We go donw to get the car and chat to a few people we may not see tomorrow, so we say our goodbyes to them before heading out to the Mall. It`s not boiling hot today, quite cool but there is a feel of rain in the air......it never rains inside the Mall!!!
*
*We didn't visit the CF this time, but I know we will be visiting in December with Kyle.......*


















*We went straight to Macy`s where the Clinique offer was going on.....spend so much and you get the goodie bag full of little things.....I always give the bags away, but the little samples are nice at times. We know the girl really well now as she has looked after me for a good few years and knows exactly what I like in make up.

I do get new foundation, chubby lipstick, mascara and a blusher of sorts.....it`s so natural you barely notice it, but I like it. And I get my goodie bag with a few little niceties in it.......Kristina tells us to pop back and say hello in December when the floor update should be complete. It is a bit of a mess right now, but I`m sure it`ll be worth it.*

*Upstairs I want to look at the household department, and we see they are already starting their Christmas displays...….love to see them. We had always picked up a few little signs or decorations from their displays...*


















*Then, I spot the bedding I want for one of the spare bedrooms....Tom groans at the thought of the weight of buying this as we surely must now be over our very generous luggage allowance..…….but, It was the plain and simple look I was looking for and the colour would fit nicely with the rest of the room...…...*


















*We asked a lady if they had our size of bedding available, as it was on sale I assumed it was low on stock, so she went to check and said yes, they did have it...….but, then she started trying to sell us pillows and cushions and all the little extras.....and a table lamp that would go with it!!!!!! Seriously........

She wasn't taking no for an answer....Tom being the very nice person he is, politely explained we had limited luggage, she asked how much????? Tom said that didn't matter as we were already over and buying the bedding would add even more......but still she kept trying to sell us those darn cushions and pillows...….oh they don't weigh much was her response...…..*

*I was now pissed. Leave me alone you maniacally forceful saleslady was what I was saying in my brain...….what came out of my mouth was much more polite but to the point........*
















*I seem to sound ultra British when I`m making a point......and maybe that worked as she backed off and I said we were leaving...….I was annoyed as I really thought it would go in that room........*

*So despite her trying to backtrack, I walked away....I hate the high pressure sales...it`s a set of bedding, but you`d have thought it meant life of death if we didn't buy it.

Instead we walked around and enjoyed the early Christmas items and then Tom spotted the lady disappear through the back......we walked back over and asked a man if he could get us the bedding in the correct size and he smiled and said no problem...….did we need anything else was his next question.....no that`s all thank you was our response......few minutes later purchases made and we were leaving the store.......I was pleased with the bedding and delighted we didn't buy them from the other salesperson.

Our next stop was Bath & Body where we only bought some liquid soaps and that was it for today........*
*
We walked along to the food court where we had a drink and decided where we were going to go for lunch.......we didn't want to eat again in the food court, even though it is a very good one.....but sometimes too many options aren't what you need.
*
*One place we had been meaning to try for a while, I think it was macraven who suggested it a few years back to us was Culvers. We had been told they do very good butter burgers and their custard shakes were amazing...….so we thought, why not, there`s one a few minutes from here, so that`s what we`ll do.

We are about to get up when we look up.....there is a monsoon going on outside...….we look out front and it is torrential and the trees are swaying around like crazy!!!! Well, we won`t be going far for a while now, till this goes off...…..but eventually it did and we went out to the car and deposited the large bags into the trunk, or boot as we would call it and drove the short distance to Culvers.*
*
I`m not sure why I was surprised it was so busy.....but the car park had a lot of cars in and it did seem like a popular place. It`s not somewhere I have seen mentioned a lot on this site, and didn't know anyone who had been to the one in Orlando, but we were looking forward to it anyway.
*
*The entrance area was very clean and someone called over welcome to Culvers as we walked in......*



















*At the counter, I really had no idea what I was going to have......I knew it was going to be a double burger with not much on it, except bacon with fries, but the young guy Errol, he was a lovely young man that was beyond polite was very helpful with our order.......Tom ordered the Wisconsin swiss melt double and it did look good.....except I can`t eat onions and don`t like cheese on a burger......lol.....

We did make a mistake with the custard though......their custard of the day was midnight toffee, well, we both love toffee......but, we usually never order the same thing.....today we did.*

*I wished I had got strawberry as the toffee tasted just like chocolate, which is not my favourite....Kyle would have loved it!!! And Tom liked it which was ideal, but the flavour wasn't for me, it was very rich....but I think I`d have loved vanilla or strawberry......*






























*The food was good....burgers were lovely, not what I would say a favourite and have to go every trip, but we would go back here again. The customer service was good.*

*We left and went to Publix where they had some lovely Halloween displays........*


















*We picked up a few last minute things, small things I was being told.....lol....and I was good!*

*I had a quick look at the Clinique items and knew I`d use the samples that were in the bag today.....not quite sure why the heat primer is there as I had just bought that in Publix.*


















*My little purchases from Bath and Body today......*


















*Then.....out of the blue.....Tom mentioned the horrible P word.*
















*I guess it was that time now......we had put it off for too long...….so I did make an attempt at looking as if I was actually packing, but really I was terrified as.......as usual.....we had far too much stuff!!!! Seriously......when did we buy all this stuff.......*







​






*Ok, I can`t quite back that up...…... *
*



*
*We did start to put some things away, and I came across a few things that we had forgotten about altogether......*


















*This wasn't going to work. The bedding could do with a whole suitcase on it`s own......so only one answer......Tom nipped back out to Wal-Mart and bought a large holdall that would take the bedding and some other bits...…we`d be fine now and would happily pay the extra charges we would absolutely have. I had no idea what this other airline would be like, with TC and Virgin you could call and add an extra bag at a charge before you flew home, it was usually cheaper than the charges a the airport.....but of course we had no one to call.

He wasn`t away too long and when he came back, I had managed to pack most of our stuff in the cases we had, but the bedding and a few other things would have to be extra. And the holdall Tom had bought was perfect.*

*We were done, and there is something incredibly sad about seeing all your belongings waiting to leave.....it`s completely the opposite of when we leave home to come here of course. 

We deserved a glass of wine........*
*
Up to the lounge and we had a slightly monumentous moment where our second son poured us our final glass of wine from him.....he was starting his new job a few days after we left, so this was bittersweet.....but nice all the same. 
*
*We had previously handed in the humungous amount of chocolate for them to enjoy between them and that always goes down well.....one of the girls today again thanked us for them......no problems, we always bring them lots of goodies and it`s nice to see them enjoy them. 

We said our goodbyes to the lounge staff and had an extra long hug with our second son....we only wished him well, and we`d see him as he is only going to be downstairs in Orchids.......the family from Seattle were in tonight, so again, we had a nice chat to them time passed quickly as it always does. *
*
Our last dinner here was to be in Strong Water tonight, so we walked over and sat at the bar as Lenny and Ashley were working the bar tonight again........although this wouldn`t be a late one. 
*
*Tonight we ordered a bottle of prosecco as a kind of celebratory drink, but as always not the best celebration. *



















*We were starving now...…so food we ordered more or less straight away and we had a mix of seafood tostada, Mexican Ceviche and meatballs to share......all delicious dishes.......*










































*I think we laughed and chatted the whole evening away...…and we even had room for dessert, so we shared the pastelillos which came with coffee ice cream and were stuffed with brie and guava...…lovely. *




















*My sides were hurting with laughter with the banter with the staff and our fellow guests this evening............we had sat beside a lady who we found out was a stuntwoman called Aimee Zannoni.....and she had some fine tales to tell, very interesting lady and very nice too. 

So, our evening passed and eventually, again, it was time to say goodbye for a while.......so, lots of hugs later and we are heading home where we hope we`ll sleep well......*
*
The night before we leave, is a dreadful sleep usually...…and we guessed tonight would be no different. But, we sat up till around midnight and eventually hit the hay and we were a little nervous now about how tomorrow would turn out...…we weren't worried as such, but wondering how this airline would turn out and would we take off or would something happen to disrupt that....silly little niggles more than worried. 
*
*But, tomorrow would take care of itself. *


----------



## disneyAndi14

So glad it wasn‘t a complete hassle to get the substitution flight.

Funny, When we first got a Culver’s by us, we went so often for the burgers and custard sundae. If you ever go back, the buffalo chicken tenders are really good there.

All your meals these last few days look so yummy.
The day before the end of the trip is always bittersweet 
Another trip in the works, makes this so much easier!


----------



## I-4Bound

Can't believe the trip is almost over! Glad there's another one right around the corner


----------



## schumigirl

disneyAndi14 said:


> So glad it wasn‘t a complete hassle to get the substitution flight.
> 
> Funny, When we first got a Culver’s by us, we went so often for the burgers and custard sundae. If you ever go back, the buffalo chicken tenders are really good there.
> 
> All your meals these last few days look so yummy.
> The day before the end of the trip is always bittersweet
> Another trip in the works, makes this so much easier!



Oh the CAA and the U.K. Government were brilliant in our eyes......we did nothing except turn up for the new flight.......

I did think about the chicken tenders, but as the burgers had been recommended we wanted to try them. Oh yes, we’d enjoyed some very nice food the whole trip........only a couple of negative experiences didn’t take away from that........

Yes, next one is just around the corner.......that does help!!!


----------



## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> Can't believe the trip is almost over! Glad there's another one right around the corner



I know!!!! I thought I’d struggle to finish this one in time.......but just managed it.......reading about it sounds so much faster that the real time of the trip.......

Yep, it is just around the corner........11 more sleeps.........


----------



## J'aime Paris

The very first Culver's opened in 1984 in Wisconsin!  It was a mostly Midwest chain for years, then finally branching out to other areas.  The cheese curds are sooooo goooood!!!!

I love Clinique bonus time!


----------



## angryduck71

I always get sad when I read you’re leaving too. LOL. Looking forward to the next one!


----------



## KathyM2

schumigirl said:


> we chatted and had a good giggle as she had a spreadsheet....and did see the funny side of people who do take spreadsheets incredibly serious.....


This made me laugh because I love a good spreadsheet lol but I think they are less needed at US than at WDW...but still..I find them useful to keep organized, and get made fun of royally by my family.



schumigirl said:


> We didn't visit the CF this time, but I know we will be visiting in December with Kyle.......


Love CF...we got ours Toronto, first one in Canada actually, about a year ago. It's still pretty much always busy, but sometimes very much worth the wait.



schumigirl said:


> We had been told they do very good butter burgers and their custard shakes were amazing...….so we thought, why not, there`s one a few minutes from here, so that`s what we`ll do.



I'm sorry that the custard wasn't all you'd hoped for, I'd give it another shot as I really liked the custard I got when I was there. The menu is a bit overwhelming though if you've never been there, so I totally get that!


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

J'aime Paris said:


> The very first Culver's opened in 1984 in Wisconsin!  It was a mostly Midwest chain for years, then finally branching out to other areas.  The cheese curds are sooooo goooood!!!!
> 
> I love Clinique bonus time!




You are so right about the cheese curds and your from Wisconsin so you should know lol.......!!!

My Grandparents are originally from Superior!

We have a lakefront cabin south of town about 45 minutes.

We have a Culver’s less than 10 minutes from us and it’s hard to choose sometimes Freddys or Culver’s, do you have a Freddys?


----------



## J'aime Paris

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> You are so right about the cheese curds and your from Wisconsin so you should know lol.......!!!
> 
> My Grandparents are originally from Superior!
> 
> We have a lakefront cabin south of town about 45 minutes.
> 
> We have a Culver’s less than 10 minutes from us and it’s hard to choose sometimes Freddys or Culver’s, do you have a Freddys?



Superior is waaaaaay up north in WI. Beautiful area!
 I'm in a Milwaukee suburb.

I've never heard of Freddy's.  I googled it, and the nearest is about 75 miles from me in Illinois.  
Looks yummy though!


----------



## schumigirl

J'aime Paris said:


> The very first Culver's opened in 1984 in Wisconsin!  It was a mostly Midwest chain for years, then finally branching out to other areas.  The cheese curds are sooooo goooood!!!!
> 
> I love Clinique bonus time!



I have heard of cheese curds........seen them in a fair few places on menu’s.....but, the name does kind of put me off........I need to try them.....

Lol......Clinique Bonus time is a nice little treat from them. I love those little miniature products, ideal for bringing back on vacation. In this one was a smaller pot of the moisturiser I use and the night version too in the tube, so I was happy with just those......can’t go wrong!


----------



## schumigirl

angryduck71 said:


> I always get sad when I read you’re leaving too. LOL. Looking forward to the next one!



Last day ahead, then not sure I’ll have time to start the next one before we leave, but I hope to at least make a small start.......

We are so excited for our trip with Kyle........


----------



## schumigirl

KathyM2 said:


> This made me laugh because I love a good spreadsheet lol but I think they are less needed at US than at WDW...but still..I find them useful to keep organized, and get made fun of royally by my family.
> 
> 
> Love CF...we got ours Toronto, first one in Canada actually, about a year ago. It's still pretty much always busy, but sometimes very much worth the wait.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm sorry that the custard wasn't all you'd hoped for, I'd give it another shot as I really liked the custard I got when I was there. The menu is a bit overwhelming though if you've never been there, so I totally get that!



lol......you see the funny side of it though, that’s healthy  We met a self proclaimed “Disney family” in the Club Lounge a couple of years ago who had come for one night to experience “all” that Universal offered.....how they planned to do it in a day and a half I’ll never know.....but they had a spread sheet that would frighten the French!!! They had bathroom breaks scheduled and that’s what amazed me.......her response to my shocked face was “well this works at Disney”  and guess what.......they hated Universal......lol......

I liked this family a lot from Seattle......spent some of their time visiting Disney, but loved Universal too......

Oh yes, we’ll give the custard another go......I think if it had been another flavour I’d have loved it, Tom enjoyed his and a little of mine too,  but, like Kyle, he loves chocolate milk shakes. So, yes, they were very good, it was just a little strong tasting for me. Next time we’ll each choose different flavours


----------



## schumigirl

*WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 2ND*









​

*It was finally here....the day we never looked forward to.*

*But, we would see Kyle tomorrow and that helped a lot........we got showered and dressed and went up to the lounge for breakfast as usual and took our time as although we were leaving quite early today, we didn`t have much to do this morning.......

Although our flight was still due to leave around 6.20pm, a few people were advising to be there early......not quite sure why, but we thought we might as well do that too. We were checking out at 11 which was very early for us, and just going straight to the airport. Our friend was going to be down to say goodbye to us, so that was always nice to see him....although sad too.*
*
Once we had breakfast, we said our goodbyes and went back down to the room and finished off last minute packing and such, went down to the lobby to see a few folks too, and before we knew it, we were in the room trying to squeeze our last minute stuff in the cases......
*
*It wouldn`t be the first time we had the conversation below.......*






​





*Happens all the time. Of course I do understand the baggage handlers have to carry them.......*

*So, we have a last swoop of the rooms and head down to the lobby, it`s not fun when you pass the happy people checking in.......lol.......we do manage to say goodbye to several of the front desk staff we know well which was nice. The desk isn't too busy right now.

We stand to the side and our friend comes out at 11 on the button with two of his assistants we know well too......he was so glad we had enjoyed another wonderful vacation, and happy we had flights sorted too, although he did laugh he knew we`d have been happy to stay longer.......of course!! We chatted for a while and then eventually thanked him for everything was once again....he is a real superstar and one of the nicest men on the planet. Many hugs all round, we eventually head out with a promise we`ll email him once we get home. I have to admit seeing him makes leaving a little bit nicer somehow.....

The car is waiting and valet help us load up the car, these cases are heavy......a few years back macraven gave us as part of a gift, a lovely and very useful set of luggage scales, and we use them every year and immediately hope they`re wrong......lol.....I asked Tom were we ok for luggage weight......*















*I suspected we were waaaaaayyyyy over...….*
*
As we drove round into the airport, I spotted a jumbo jet parked way over in the middle of nowhere with Atlas Air on the side. I guessed that was ours, so at least it was here.
*
*And, before we knew where we were, we were pulling in to drop the rental off....no issues here and we got a zero on the receipt which we like to see. Alamo have always been excellent and no nasty surprises when we get home.

We go straight to what was the TC desks and they still have the TC signs up which surprised us somehow......there were quite a few people already there. So, we joined the line as there was separate line today for Premium. Of course everyone was very chatty and we all shared a similar experience this trip, it`s not everyday such a large company go under.*

*We did take a last picture of the TC boards for posterity...…..*


















*About 10 minutes later a few people began to appear from the UK Government and the CAA. they had on hi vis jackets with the UK flag on so if you needed any help they were there and they were very helpful.

They spoke to everyone to make sure they were supposed to be on these two flights...….one was Atlas Air and one was Omni air......one person told us we`d be glad to be on Atlas Air. Have to admit we had never heard of them. But, they lease planes to anyone who needs them, and we discovered from Cabin Crew later, they transport the military a lot.*

*Waiting was interminable this afternoon. But, around an hour and a half later the CAA started handing out bottles of water and potato chips to everyone who wanted them…….we thought it was the airport, but one CAA lady told everyone British Airways had arranged for them to be handed out every single day to folks on the TC flights...….nice little touch.

The desks had been opening a little early according to the staff, but not today it seemed. But, eventually they did open them and we began to move.*

*Check in staff were not very friendly or sympathetic in any way to the people in front. It seemed they were loading the plane from the back which made them incredibly unhappy.....now, we`d have preferred to be at the front, but we really didn't care, as long as we were sat together.

When it was our turn we very politely asked if she needed our GE number as that gives us TSA pre check. We get it automatically with Virgin but with TC you had to give them the number to type in....she actually snapped NO at me…...well, ok then......was there a reason why I asked.....NO was the next response. The people behind us began to grumble there was no need for the attitude. But, we just wanted our boarding cards and then we could go and get some food. We were told they weren't TC staff which I could maybe understand if they were and felt aggrieved at losing their job, but this wasn't the nicest check in.

However, one good thing that happened was they were paying no heed to baggage weight.......phew.......we had been lucky here, they didn`t seem to be interested. We had only been told if you had Premium on the TC flight they would honour your extra baggage weight......if only I`d known......lol......*

*We had a set of two seats together and right at the very back of the plane.....we have never sat that far back on a plane, but the good thing was we had no-one behind us, so we could fully recline with no one there. We quite liked the sound of these seats.

But, it was now late afternoon and we were starving....so....we quite like the food court here, yes, it`s nothing fancy, but there is a good selection of places to choose from and well.....it`s a food court. We end up choosing Panda Express and it was pretty darn decent...….and we were ready for some food now. We sat for a while and checked the board now and again and decided to head through when it was showing as on time...….*

*Not having TSA precheck wasn't an issue as there were no real lines and we got through fairly quickly and no extra checks for either of us......

Once on the people mover, we fell into a real low......lol...….there are no pictures today at all....we just didn't feel like it.....*

*We found the gate after we purchased some water and a few snack items, we had heard the food was truly awful on this flight, that didn't bother us we could make do with anything, but we did have snacks in case. Waiting at the gate we could see the plane had now arrived at the gate, another good sign and was still showing as on time.*














*The words delayed soon appeared on the board and we could see the staff at the gate looking out the window as if they were waiting for something....Pilots and CC had already boarded and we began to get concerned when one of the pilots appeared from the plane and was checking his watch...….this had a bad feeling about it.*

*Long story short...….after being sat there all day.....they hadn't catered it. No food had been delivered and they had no clue when it was going to arrive...….so, we had to wait even longer......everyone just wanted to board and get home now...….and they made an announcement to tell us they wanted to get home too!! I guess they were fed up with folks asking what was happening...….

The catering van did appear and they did get the food loaded, then boarding began and we were among the first to board after the folks that needed help and little kids. We knew we were straight to the back and it felt a long walk......lol…….our seats were fine and very basic.*

*No seat back tv`s which we had always had on planes, but we didn't care about that at all. The seats were surprisingly comfortable, although there was an almost damp smell on the plane, nothing too bad, but as far as were concerned we were so grateful to be on the plane and heading home.

Folks around us weren't happy and sadly took their annoyance out on CC.....not their fault....we had a lovely CC lady standing where we were sitting and she said they hadn't known about any of this till the last minute, she was the one who told us about the military passengers. She was very nice and very patient for putting up with some very irate passengers.*

*We took off around 2 hours 45 minutes late......but at least we took off. And boy is it noisy at the back of the plane!!!!

Food was served and the reviews I had seen were right.....the hot meal was dreadful, I still have no clue what it was.....but we ate some of the cheese and a few other little bits. They also had full size cans of coke and pepsi, and you could have as many as you liked...….and what we couldn't believe was people were furious there was no alcohol......seriously!!!! People were upset there was no alcohol...….we were surprised at that......*

*Once the food was cleared away, we got our jackets out and covered ourselves up and I had my eye mask out......we fully reclined and had loads of room......for economy seats they weren't half bad. And the couple in front of us didn't recline at all which gave us even more room.....

We slept, intermittently......we had some truly dreadful turbulence where even I was a little perturbed about how bad it felt......but I slept through most of it......*

*We knew by now we were never going to make the train we had booked, even by some miracle if our luggage was first off, we`d never make it. But, we`d deal with that when we got there.....breakfast was good......it really was....it was a bit like a subway sandwich with turkey and a very nice cheese, there was also fruit and yoghurt, so it wasn't bad at all.

Landing was good and of course, we parked the plane in the middle of nowhere which all added extra time for us to get through the airport.....the buses were waiting to ship us over to the main terminal and it didn't take too long for that to happen, but we were right at the back, so of course last off. But, we got over to the building and up to Passport Control which took no time at all and then down to baggage collection.....

Considering we were last off we thought the luggage might have been there, but no.....we had to wait......and again, we were so lucky ours were among the first off......we grabbed them and headed to the elevators to take us up to the level we could walk down to the level for the train station which like the Radisson, is attached by the Skywalk.*

*We got there as our train pulled out of the platform. But, we went over to the ticket desk and explained we had missed one as our plane was delayed, he asked if we were part of the Thomas Cook fiasco......yes!!!! He said no problem, the next train was in an hours time and they had first class seats available so he printed us off our original tickets and said to explain to the conductor we were TC passengers delayed. Fabulous.

We overheard a lady who had been on our flight too explain to another worker about being delayed, and she had brought a CAA official with her....she was being asked for proof she had been on the flight and had been booked with TC......glad we got the easy going guy...….so we went upstairs and into a coffee place and had some breakfast while we waited for the next train.*

*Train journey was fine, we got a table to ourselves and I was facing the right way so not to be travel sick......and it was a decent journey. I slept a little and then when we changed trains for the next part of the journey I slept a little more.

We got a taxi from the station and were home in a short time......it was cold. But, not too bad. It is nice to get back in and Kyle is still at work, so as usual, I dump everything clothes wise in the laundry room and get the washing machine going.....priorities......*

*Getting everything out of the cases is always a good feeling, and then we sat down to a big mug of tea......I sent our friend an email to let him know we were finally home and settled. The gave my mum a call as I knew she`d be waiting......

Kyle came in around 5.45 and it was hugs all round.....it was so good to see him...….and I think he was happy to see us...….we chatted forever, but we were all hungry now so they went for food......Tom and I had a good hot and spicy curry and Kyle had pizza...….we enjoyed a bottle of wine and spent the evening catching up on each other`s tales of the last month.*

*It was good to be home...…...*




*----------------------------------*​




*To finish off this rather longer than usual Trip Report, as most will know I don't like to drag them out too long, I`ll finish this one with some passing thoughts about the whole trip, and hope I don't forget anything....or anyone.......….

We had once again had the most amazing vacation.......some people told us a month was too long......come on......did they know us at all!!!!*
*
In 2017 we had enjoyed a long stay between NYC and Orlando and it hadn`t been too long......so we knew this would be just fine for us, and it was.
*
*There were so many highs from this trip, I really don`t know where to begin......

The hotels were as always amazing.....we couldn`t ask for anywhere better to stay while we are in Orlando. It`s perfect for us and there really is nowhere like home to come back to time after time.....we love being there and among so many people we genuinely care about and who we always enjoy spending time with. The staff are all amazing. *

*Royal Pacific and Sapphire Falls will always be our home away from home while we visit Orlando.



The parks were again, fabulous......low crowds for the most part, although with EP that doesn`t affect us too much, but it`s still nice to have low crowds most of the time.....rides were brilliant and TM were fabulous.....any we interacted with couldn`t do enough for us and were always so friendly.


HHN...….well, we did enjoy it a lot....but have enjoyed others more....I think many of us have made our feelings known about how they need to up the scares......most people we know and spoke to all felt the same.....next year is their 30th Anniversary.....here`s hoping they up the terror and go back to it actually being a horror event and not a dumbed down version.......go to Disney if you don't want to be scared witless!!!! *
*
*
*Meeting up with friends, some new and some not so new is always fun.....we had some lovely meets and enjoyed some lovely meals and drinks with friends. Always a joy.......


Going to places like St Augustine and New Smyrna Beach are among some of our favourite things to do. We love to get out and about beyond the parks......there are so many lovely places to see beyond the parks, and we do try and see as many as possible as well as some old favourites.*
*
*
*The weather......what can I say, it was spectacular. Hotter than Hades some days, and some nights too, but we loved it. We had very little rain which we appreciated, as it can pour down at times, but no affect on our trip whatsoever. The heat at times was brutal, but a few visits into some air conditioning helped immensely. 



Spending time together is probably too schmalzy a thing to say, especially as we spend every waking moment together at home too. But, in Orlando we have the heat and so many beautiful new places to experience together and generally enjoy the views and the heat too....and we still never have a cross word.....except for the occasional few words on whose turn it is to drive.......but we do love our time together.......and I am always grateful for all the pictures he takes for me......he is so good!! 



There were no lows as such…...being delayed coming out for two days by the hurricane wasn't a lot of fun, but nothing we could do about that, Thomas Cook were brilliant with changing flights there. *
*
And of course Thomas Cook going bust while we were out there wasn't the best news either.....but again, these things were all out of our control. We decided when we heard the news, no point in worrying about something that we couldn`t do anything about. So we didn`t worry....we carried on and enjoyed our trip.
*
*And it was marvellous. 



But, next trip is just around the corner...…..that one we are so excited about as Kyle will be with us......we have some very envious friends who would love their adult kids to travel with them still.....so we do make the most of him as one day he won`t want to come with us......I think.....lol....*
*
But, I would like to especially like to thank each and every one of you who have commented and joined in to make this trip report a lot more fun to read. 
*
*Every single comment and response has meant an awful lot to me and I have enjoyed reading each and every one......I would love to see you all on the next TR when it`s up and running......*






​





*And of course......a thought to finish up on...…….*











​


----------



## I-4Bound

Love that quote!


----------



## keishashadow

schumigirl said:


> I seem to sound ultra British when I`m making a point......and maybe that worked as she backed off and I said we were leaving...….


Backing off...As any sane person would LOL. There is definitely something about ‘that tone’ that makes those of us not used to hearing the accent stop in our tracks & pay attention

Good work grabbing the Clinique promos.  Believe you may land in MCO on “Black Friday”. Have you ever had that experience?  Macy’s flyer is already out.  Lots of cosmetic deals that day if you care to brave the throngs on your way to the Resort. .  I’m trying to control myself and not step foot in any of the Orlando stores that day but will be supporting our retail economy online. 



schumigirl said:


> This wasn't going to work. The bedding could do with a whole suitcase on it`s own......so only one answer......Tom nipped back out to Wal-Mart and bought a large holdall that would take the bedding and some other bits...…we`d be fine now and would happily pay the extra charges we would absolutely have. I had no idea what this other airline would be like, with TC and Virgin you could call and add an extra bag at a charge before you flew home, it was usually cheaper than the charges a the airport.....but of course we had no one to call.


Tom gets hubby of year award for braving WM on his own


schumigirl said:


> I have heard of cheese curds........seen them in a fair few places on menu’s.....but, the name does kind of put me off........I need to try them...


I just can’t. Going to call it a textural thing, same as fresh mozzarella unless it’s cooked on a pizza.  Curds are slowly finding their way into restuarants outside the Wisconsin area, not in my neck of woods though.

Wonder if they are the same type as in nursery rhyme “curds & whey”?


schumigirl said:


> Last day ahead, then not sure I’ll have time to start the next one before we leave, but I hope to at least make a small start.......


Do it, do it  


schumigirl said:


> We had a set of two seats together and right at the very back of the plane.....we have never sat that far back on a plane, but the good thing was we had no-one behind us, so we could fully recline with no one there. We quite liked the sound of these seats.


Welcome to my world, except the seats on those cheapo flights i book now & again don’t recline, nor have any sort of chargin hook ups for electronics let alone tv screens.  On any flight over a few hours, it can be irritating indeed.  I’m sure you were so glad to get home you’d have stood all the way!


schumigirl said:


> Getting everything out of the cases is always a good feeling, and then we sat down to a big mug of tea.....


Wait, you unpack as soon as you get home?  I am impressed.


----------



## Cara

I loved your report. Thank you so much for sharing! I thought I caught every entry, but I may have missed it.... Did you ride the new Hagrid's experience?


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## schumigirl

I-4Bound said:


> Love that quote!



It works for us too.......


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## Owlpost23

Another wonderful journey comes to a close! Thanks for always sharing your adventures,Carole-it's always such a treat to read!


----------



## schumigirl

keishashadow said:


> Backing off...As any sane person would LOL. There is definitely something about ‘that tone’ that makes those of us not used to hearing the accent stop in our tracks & pay attention
> 
> Good work grabbing the Clinique promos.  Believe you may land in MCO on “Black Friday”. Have you ever had that experience?  Macy’s flyer is already out.  Lots of cosmetic deals that day if you care to brave the throngs on your way to the Resort. .  I’m trying to control myself and not step foot in any of the Orlando stores that day but will be supporting our retail economy online.
> 
> 
> Tom gets hubby of year award for braving WM on his own
> 
> I just can’t. Going to call it a textural thing, same as fresh mozzarella unless it’s cooked on a pizza.  Curds are slowly finding their way into restuarants outside the Wisconsin area, not in my neck of woods though.
> 
> Wonder if they are the same type as in nursery rhyme “curds & whey”?
> 
> Do it, do it
> 
> Welcome to my world, except the seats on those cheapo flights i book now & again don’t recline, nor have any sort of chargin hook ups for electronics let alone tv screens.  On any flight over a few hours, it can be irritating indeed.  I’m sure you were so glad to get home you’d have stood all the way!
> 
> Wait, you unpack as soon as you get home?  I am impressed.




lol......apparently I have a haughty tone when I get annoyed.......maybe I just don’t use it enough......

Oh gosh no shopping for us on arrival day.......no, my guys wouldn’t be up for that at all......it’s land, car, hotel and food......maybe a good thing! Online might be an option though, I can order while I’m in the US.

Yes, I’m not overly fond of mozzarella unless on a pizza, so maybe they’re not for me after all.

I think we are quite spoiled with the planes we fly in.....we’re so used to all the gadgets and gizmos, it is quite a shock to go back to basics as it were....but, yes, we’d have stood the whole way if we’d had to, just getting home was good enough.

Oh gosh yes, I’m such a goody two shoes......all laundry is done as soon as is humanly possible.......I couldn’t leave it in the cases......wish I could......

Oh well, since you insist.......pre trip will hopefully be up soon.......

Always glad to know you enjoyed it though.....


----------



## schumigirl

Cara said:


> I loved your report. Thank you so much for sharing! I thought I caught every entry, but I may have missed it.... Did you ride the new Hagrid's experience?



Well, we did get a sneaky ride in.......but, I didn’t write about it.....it is a phenomenal ride and can’t wait for Kyle to ride it later this month with no spoilers........

Cara, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you for reading along and your comments too......hope to see you on the next one too......


----------



## schumigirl

Owlpost23 said:


> Another wonderful journey comes to a close! Thanks for always sharing your adventures,Carole-it's always such a treat to read!



Thank you so much......I’m always happy to hear you enjoyed reading along, and thank you for your lovely comments........


----------



## Tink2Day

What an end to a trip.....at least you got home safe and sound!  

 Can't wait for the next trip...love that you have Kyle with you on this next one, he seems to 
be such a dear young man.  I know there will be tons of chocolate cake and cheese pizza for him, the more adventurous foods for you and Tom and of course your lovely cocktails.

It's next week, right? Gosh seems like just yesterday you were writing about your last trip


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## Dynamoliz

Thanks once again for entertaining us all with your Orlando adventures. I'll look forward to the next ones.

And yes to the person who asked about 'curds and whey'. Cheese curds are those! Delicious.


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## KathyM2

Another great TR! Looking forward to the next one!


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## TraceyDisney2008

Another great report, thanks for letting us join you.


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## schumigirl

Tink2Day said:


> What an end to a trip.....at least you got home safe and sound!
> 
> Can't wait for the next trip...love that you have Kyle with you on this next one, he seems to
> be such a dear young man.  I know there will be tons of chocolate cake and cheese pizza for him, the more adventurous foods for you and Tom and of course your lovely cocktails.
> 
> It's next week, right? Gosh seems like just yesterday you were writing about your last trip



It was so good to get home with no drama or anything going wrong!

Thank you, we think he is amazing.....  we have been blessed to have a son so wonderful and we are so proud of the young man he has turned into.......and yes, chocolate and cheese pizza is definitely on the cards! We used to call him our own little Kevin McCallister as a child......cheese pizza and ice cream were his favourite treats........

I‘m sure Tom and I will manage a few cocktails too...... 

It did just seem like yesterday didn’t it........lol......yes, it’s next week.....so excited!!!

Thank you for being along for the ride.......always enjoyed seeing your comments.......and look forward to seeing you on the next one too......


----------



## schumigirl

Dynamoliz said:


> Thanks once again for entertaining us all with your Orlando adventures. I'll look forward to the next ones.
> 
> And yes to the person who asked about 'curds and whey'. Cheese curds are those! Delicious.



Oh I did google cheese curds last night........yes, maybe not for me after all.......lol........

Thank you!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it again, and yes, look forward to the next one, I hope you enjoy that one too.......


----------



## schumigirl

KathyM2 said:


> Another great TR! Looking forward to the next one!



Thanks so much Kathy......I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and will absolutely look forward to seeing you on the next one......not sure when, but it’ll be there.......


----------



## schumigirl

TraceyDisney2008 said:


> Another great report, thanks for letting us join you.



Thank you Tracey.......I’m happy to read you enjoyed it, it’s always so nice to read that you have enjoyed this one.......and absolutely hope you read and enjoy the next one too......

Look forward to seeing you there.......


----------



## NancyLuvsMickey

Glad you made it home safe and sound!!! And I don't think a month is too long to take a vacation!!! It sounds perfect to me!!!  

We just got back from Disney on Sunday... We had fun... But... Soooooo many people!!!!   It seems to get more crowed every time we go... My husband said our next 2 or 3 vacations will NOT be Disney or Universal...   Maybe I can talk him into going to the beach for a week... 

Can't wait to read about your next vacation at Universal since I won't be there anytime soon...


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## smiths02

I'm feeling the post-vacation blues, and I didn't even go on vacation!  I won't know what to do with myself if I am not living vicariously through your trip report.  

Thank you for another great report.  Making me feel excited about our planned February vacation.


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## Dynamoliz

schumigirl said:


> Oh I did google cheese curds last night........yes, maybe not for me after all.......lol........


They are quite mild and texture similar to Babybel. Give them a try!


----------



## schumigirl

NancyLuvsMickey said:


> Glad you made it home safe and sound!!! And I don't think a month is too long to take a vacation!!! It sounds perfect to me!!!
> 
> We just got back from Disney on Sunday... We had fun... But... Soooooo many people!!!!   It seems to get more crowed every time we go... My husband said our next 2 or 3 vacations will NOT be Disney or Universal...   Maybe I can talk him into going to the beach for a week...
> 
> Can't wait to read about your next vacation at Universal since I won't be there anytime soon...



Oh goodness, friends told me how busy it was last week or so.....I`m sure you still managed to have a wonderful time......how was the weather? I know some friends had it cold this past weekend......you never know, you may get back sooner than you think......but, the beach would be nice too......

Yes, a month was perfect for us, and thank you Nancy, I`m happy you enjoyed it and again, thank you for the lovely comments along the way, I really do appreciate them and love to read them......

Next one will be along soon...….hope to see you there.....


----------



## schumigirl

smiths02 said:


> I'm feeling the post-vacation blues, and I didn't even go on vacation!  I won't know what to do with myself if I am not living vicariously through your trip report.
> 
> Thank you for another great report.  Making me feel excited about our planned February vacation.



lol.....I know what you mean…..I got depressed when friends came back last week.....and they were there in Florida longer than us!!! 

Thank you too for your lovely comments......and you have a February trip to look forward to......I`ll bet you are so excited about that, and it`ll be here before you know it....once Christmas is over, you`ll be even closer!!!


----------



## schumigirl

Dynamoliz said:


> They are quite mild and texture similar to Babybel. Give them a try!



Ah, not fond of Babybel…..I wish I did, actually. Maybe if Tom orders them somewhere I`ll try one......


----------



## luvdisdogs

Sorry to see another trip report end but I'm looking forward to reading about the December trip with Kyle.  Tell Tom his pictures were amazing as usual.  It looks like it was a wonderful time and glad you made it home safely.


----------



## schumigirl

luvdisdogs said:


> Sorry to see another trip report end but I'm looking forward to reading about the December trip with Kyle.  Tell Tom his pictures were amazing as usual.  It looks like it was a wonderful time and glad you made it home safely.



Oh I will tell him, thank you.......I can always tell most of the time, which ones I took....as they’re usually blurry!! I really should wear my glasses for picture taking.....

Yes, the journey home was a good one.....and yes, we are so looking forward to getting away with Kyle this month.....so is he!!! 

Hope to see you on the next one too....coming up soon hopefully....


----------



## DisneyLifePapioNe

schumigirl said:


> Oh I will tell him, thank you.......I can always tell most of the time, which ones I took....as they’re usually blurry!! I really should wear my glasses for picture taking.....
> 
> Yes, the journey home was a good one.....and yes, we are so looking forward to getting away with Kyle this month.....so is he!!!
> 
> Hope to see you on the next one too....coming up soon hopefully....



Late to comment......but it’s true another great report done and now it’s time for the next adventure!

Have fun!!!

Oh tell Tom, I may have found a Sam Adams I like, friends brought over some Octoberfest, I actually enjoyed it.........or 3 lol!!!


----------



## puppawuppa

schumigirl said:


> *WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 2ND*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 453364
> 
> 
> ​
> 
> *It was finally here....the day we never looked forward to.
> 
> But, we would see Kyle tomorrow and that helped a lot........we got showered and dressed and went up to the lounge for breakfast as usual and took our time as although we were leaving quite early today, we didn`t have much to do this morning.......
> 
> Although our flight was still due to leave around 6.20pm, a few people were advising to be there early......not quite sure why, but we thought we might as well do that too. We were checking out at 11 which was very early for us, and just going straight to the airport. Our friend was going to be down to say goodbye to us, so that was always nice to see him....although sad too.*
> 
> *Once we had breakfast, we said our goodbyes and went back down to the room and finished off last minute packing and such, went down to the lobby to see a few folks too, and before we knew it, we were in the room trying to squeeze our last minute stuff in the cases......*
> 
> *It wouldn`t be the first time we had the conversation below.......*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 453365​
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Happens all the time. Of course I do understand the baggage handlers have to carry them.......
> 
> So, we have a last swoop of the rooms and head down to the lobby, it`s not fun when you pass the happy people checking in.......lol.......we do manage to say goodbye to several of the front desk staff we know well which was nice. The desk isn't too busy right now.
> 
> We stand to the side and our friend comes out at 11 on the button with two of his assistants we know well too......he was so glad we had enjoyed another wonderful vacation, and happy we had flights sorted too, although he did laugh he knew we`d have been happy to stay longer.......of course!! We chatted for a while and then eventually thanked him for everything was once again....he is a real superstar and one of the nicest men on the planet. Many hugs all round, we eventually head out with a promise we`ll email him once we get home. I have to admit seeing him makes leaving a little bit nicer somehow.....
> 
> The car is waiting and valet help us load up the car, these cases are heavy......a few years back macraven gave us as part of a gift, a lovely and very useful set of luggage scales, and we use them every year and immediately hope they`re wrong......lol.....I asked Tom were we ok for luggage weight......*
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> *I suspected we were waaaaaayyyyy over...….*
> 
> *As we drove round into the airport, I spotted a jumbo jet parked way over in the middle of nowhere with Atlas Air on the side. I guessed that was ours, so at least it was here.*
> 
> *And, before we knew where we were, we were pulling in to drop the rental off....no issues here and we got a zero on the receipt which we like to see. Alamo have always been excellent and no nasty surprises when we get home.
> 
> We go straight to what was the TC desks and they still have the TC signs up which surprised us somehow......there were quite a few people already there. So, we joined the line as there was separate line today for Premium. Of course everyone was very chatty and we all shared a similar experience this trip, it`s not everyday such a large company go under.
> 
> We did take a last picture of the TC boards for posterity...…..*
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> *About 10 minutes later a few people began to appear from the UK Government and the CAA. they had on hi vis jackets with the UK flag on so if you needed any help they were there and they were very helpful.
> 
> They spoke to everyone to make sure they were supposed to be on these two flights...….one was Atlas Air and one was Omni air......one person told us we`d be glad to be on Atlas Air. Have to admit we had never heard of them. But, they lease planes to anyone who needs them, and we discovered from Cabin Crew later, they transport the military a lot.
> 
> Waiting was interminable this afternoon. But, around an hour and a half later the CAA started handing out bottles of water and potato chips to everyone who wanted them…….we thought it was the airport, but one CAA lady told everyone British Airways had arranged for them to be handed out every single day to folks on the TC flights...….nice little touch.
> 
> The desks had been opening a little early according to the staff, but not today it seemed. But, eventually they did open them and we began to move.
> 
> Check in staff were not very friendly or sympathetic in any way to the people in front. It seemed they were loading the plane from the back which made them incredibly unhappy.....now, we`d have preferred to be at the front, but we really didn't care, as long as we were sat together.
> 
> When it was our turn we very politely asked if she needed our GE number as that gives us TSA pre check. We get it automatically with Virgin but with TC you had to give them the number to type in....she actually snapped NO at me…...well, ok then......was there a reason why I asked.....NO was the next response. The people behind us began to grumble there was no need for the attitude. But, we just wanted our boarding cards and then we could go and get some food. We were told they weren't TC staff which I could maybe understand if they were and felt aggrieved at losing their job, but this wasn't the nicest check in.
> 
> However, one good thing that happened was they were paying no heed to baggage weight.......phew.......we had been lucky here, they didn`t seem to be interested. We had only been told if you had Premium on the TC flight they would honour your extra baggage weight......if only I`d known......lol......
> 
> We had a set of two seats together and right at the very back of the plane.....we have never sat that far back on a plane, but the good thing was we had no-one behind us, so we could fully recline with no one there. We quite liked the sound of these seats.
> 
> But, it was now late afternoon and we were starving....so....we quite like the food court here, yes, it`s nothing fancy, but there is a good selection of places to choose from and well.....it`s a food court. We end up choosing Panda Express and it was pretty darn decent...….and we were ready for some food now. We sat for a while and checked the board now and again and decided to head through when it was showing as on time...….
> 
> Not having TSA precheck wasn't an issue as there were no real lines and we got through fairly quickly and no extra checks for either of us......
> 
> Once on the people mover, we fell into a real low......lol...….there are no pictures today at all....we just didn't feel like it.....
> 
> We found the gate after we purchased some water and a few snack items, we had heard the food was truly awful on this flight, that didn't bother us we could make do with anything, but we did have snacks in case. Waiting at the gate we could see the plane had now arrived at the gate, another good sign and was still showing as on time.*
> 
> 
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> View attachment 453378
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> 
> *The words delayed soon appeared on the board and we could see the staff at the gate looking out the window as if they were waiting for something....Pilots and CC had already boarded and we began to get concerned when one of the pilots appeared from the plane and was checking his watch...….this had a bad feeling about it.
> 
> Long story short...….after being sat there all day.....they hadn't catered it. No food had been delivered and they had no clue when it was going to arrive...….so, we had to wait even longer......everyone just wanted to board and get home now...….and they made an announcement to tell us they wanted to get home too!! I guess they were fed up with folks asking what was happening...….
> 
> The catering van did appear and they did get the food loaded, then boarding began and we were among the first to board after the folks that needed help and little kids. We knew we were straight to the back and it felt a long walk......lol…….our seats were fine and very basic.
> 
> No seat back tv`s which we had always had on planes, but we didn't care about that at all. The seats were surprisingly comfortable, although there was an almost damp smell on the plane, nothing too bad, but as far as were concerned we were so grateful to be on the plane and heading home.
> 
> Folks around us weren't happy and sadly took their annoyance out on CC.....not their fault....we had a lovely CC lady standing where we were sitting and she said they hadn't known about any of this till the last minute, she was the one who told us about the military passengers. She was very nice and very patient for putting up with some very irate passengers.
> 
> We took off around 2 hours 45 minutes late......but at least we took off. And boy is it noisy at the back of the plane!!!!
> 
> Food was served and the reviews I had seen were right.....the hot meal was dreadful, I still have no clue what it was.....but we ate some of the cheese and a few other little bits. They also had full size cans of coke and pepsi, and you could have as many as you liked...….and what we couldn't believe was people were furious there was no alcohol......seriously!!!! People were upset there was no alcohol...….we were surprised at that......
> 
> Once the food was cleared away, we got our jackets out and covered ourselves up and I had my eye mask out......we fully reclined and had loads of room......for economy seats they weren't half bad. And the couple in front of us didn't recline at all which gave us even more room.....
> 
> We slept, intermittently......we had some truly dreadful turbulence where even I was a little perturbed about how bad it felt......but I slept through most of it......
> 
> We knew by now we were never going to make the train we had booked, even by some miracle if our luggage was first off, we`d never make it. But, we`d deal with that when we got there.....breakfast was good......it really was....it was a bit like a subway sandwich with turkey and a very nice cheese, there was also fruit and yoghurt, so it wasn't bad at all.
> 
> Landing was good and of course, we parked the plane in the middle of nowhere which all added extra time for us to get through the airport.....the buses were waiting to ship us over to the main terminal and it didn't take too long for that to happen, but we were right at the back, so of course last off. But, we got over to the building and up to Passport Control which took no time at all and then down to baggage collection.....
> 
> Considering we were last off we thought the luggage might have been there, but no.....we had to wait......and again, we were so lucky ours were among the first off......we grabbed them and headed to the elevators to take us up to the level we could walk down to the level for the train station which like the Radisson, is attached by the Skywalk.
> 
> We got there as our train pulled out of the platform. But, we went over to the ticket desk and explained we had missed one as our plane was delayed, he asked if we were part of the Thomas Cook fiasco......yes!!!! He said no problem, the next train was in an hours time and they had first class seats available so he printed us off our original tickets and said to explain to the conductor we were TC passengers delayed. Fabulous.
> 
> We overheard a lady who had been on our flight too explain to another worker about being delayed, and she had brought a CAA official with her....she was being asked for proof she had been on the flight and had been booked with TC......glad we got the easy going guy...….so we went upstairs and into a coffee place and had some breakfast while we waited for the next train.
> 
> Train journey was fine, we got a table to ourselves and I was facing the right way so not to be travel sick......and it was a decent journey. I slept a little and then when we changed trains for the next part of the journey I slept a little more.
> 
> We got a taxi from the station and were home in a short time......it was cold. But, not too bad. It is nice to get back in and Kyle is still at work, so as usual, I dump everything clothes wise in the laundry room and get the washing machine going.....priorities......
> 
> Getting everything out of the cases is always a good feeling, and then we sat down to a big mug of tea......I sent our friend an email to let him know we were finally home and settled. The gave my mum a call as I knew she`d be waiting......
> 
> Kyle came in around 5.45 and it was hugs all round.....it was so good to see him...….and I think he was happy to see us...….we chatted forever, but we were all hungry now so they went for food......Tom and I had a good hot and spicy curry and Kyle had pizza...….we enjoyed a bottle of wine and spent the evening catching up on each other`s tales of the last month.
> 
> It was good to be home...…...*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *----------------------------------*​
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *To finish off this rather longer than usual Trip Report, as most will know I don't like to drag them out too long, I`ll finish this one with some passing thoughts about the whole trip, and hope I don't forget anything....or anyone.......….
> 
> We had once again had the most amazing vacation.......some people told us a month was too long......come on......did they know us at all!!!!*
> 
> *In 2017 we had enjoyed a long stay between NYC and Orlando and it hadn`t been too long......so we knew this would be just fine for us, and it was.*
> 
> *There were so many highs from this trip, I really don`t know where to begin......
> 
> The hotels were as always amazing.....we couldn`t ask for anywhere better to stay while we are in Orlando. It`s perfect for us and there really is nowhere like home to come back to time after time.....we love being there and among so many people we genuinely care about and who we always enjoy spending time with. The staff are all amazing.
> 
> Royal Pacific and Sapphire Falls will always be our home away from home while we visit Orlando.
> 
> 
> 
> The parks were again, fabulous......low crowds for the most part, although with EP that doesn`t affect us too much, but it`s still nice to have low crowds most of the time.....rides were brilliant and TM were fabulous.....any we interacted with couldn`t do enough for us and were always so friendly.
> 
> 
> HHN...….well, we did enjoy it a lot....but have enjoyed others more....I think many of us have made our feelings known about how they need to up the scares......most people we know and spoke to all felt the same.....next year is their 30th Anniversary.....here`s hoping they up the terror and go back to it actually being a horror event and not a dumbed down version.......go to Disney if you don't want to be scared witless!!!!
> 
> 
> Meeting up with friends, some new and some not so new is always fun.....we had some lovely meets and enjoyed some lovely meals and drinks with friends. Always a joy.......
> 
> 
> Going to places like St Augustine and New Smyrna Beach are among some of our favourite things to do. We love to get out and about beyond the parks......there are so many lovely places to see beyond the parks, and we do try and see as many as possible as well as some old favourites.
> 
> 
> The weather......what can I say, it was spectacular. Hotter than Hades some days, and some nights too, but we loved it. We had very little rain which we appreciated, as it can pour down at times, but no affect on our trip whatsoever. The heat at times was brutal, but a few visits into some air conditioning helped immensely.
> 
> 
> 
> Spending time together is probably too schmalzy a thing to say, especially as we spend every waking moment together at home too. But, in Orlando we have the heat and so many beautiful new places to experience together and generally enjoy the views and the heat too....and we still never have a cross word.....except for the occasional few words on whose turn it is to drive.......but we do love our time together.......and I am always grateful for all the pictures he takes for me......he is so good!!
> 
> 
> 
> There were no lows as such…...being delayed coming out for two days by the hurricane wasn't a lot of fun, but nothing we could do about that, Thomas Cook were brilliant with changing flights there. *
> 
> *And of course Thomas Cook going bust while we were out there wasn't the best news either.....but again, these things were all out of our control. We decided when we heard the news, no point in worrying about something that we couldn`t do anything about. So we didn`t worry....we carried on and enjoyed our trip.*
> 
> *And it was marvellous.
> 
> 
> 
> But, next trip is just around the corner...…..that one we are so excited about as Kyle will be with us......we have some very envious friends who would love their adult kids to travel with them still.....so we do make the most of him as one day he won`t want to come with us......I think.....lol....*
> 
> *But, I would like to especially like to thank each and every one of you who have commented and joined in to make this trip report a lot more fun to read. *
> 
> *Every single comment and response has meant an awful lot to me and I have enjoyed reading each and every one......I would love to see you all on the next TR when it`s up and running......*
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> *And of course......a thought to finish up on...…….*
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Thank you for the wonderful trip report !I'm usually a lurker but I love to read trip reports and yours are great. I'm a Disney lover but have been to Universal 20 years ago. Raising my Grandkids now so maybe we'll get to Universal in a couple years. I love the fact that you explore Florida and share that with us. So much detail. Looking forward to your next trip report !!


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## Minnie17

So Schumigirl can you describe this wine like the wine expert you are?  I want to get a “nice” bottle of wine for thanksgiving, and I noticed my local grocer carries this one.  I don’t mind the price but wish I could sample it.


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## disneyAndi14

You were very positive about the flight home, that always makes it better!

As usual, I really enjoyed reading along and can’t wait to hear about the next one!


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## jump00

Hi Carole- another great read! Did you get any pictures of Atlas Air? I’ve never heard of them - just curious.  I’m sure I would have been a little nervous flying with them.  Glad you got home safe and sound. Here in Canada we were sorry to hear about Thomas Cook.  Always sad when a reputable airline goes under.  One question- Did you ever ride Hagrid's Motorcycle ride? I’m sorry if I missed it. I always worry I “missed” a day of your wonderful report.  Can’t wait to hear about your trip with Kyle and Tom in December.  

Brenda


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## AprilDreamsOfDisney

Oh, Carole, it's all done! I'm a bit sad actually, to be honest - I've SO enjoyed reading your trip report, as I always do.

Your trip reports stand out for me because of the care and details you include, the witty humour, the descriptions of the people you meet and befriend, and the photos of course (Thanks, Tom!)

I'm thrilled you were able to get home with some ease. I imagine that has quite a lot to do with your lovely personality and great attitude about the whole TC fiasco, too, though. Loved the line about your reunion with Kyle - he must have been so happy to have you home again!

Thank you for your time, efforts, and energy, Carole! I've loved each update and appreciated them immensely!

Until next time!


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## schumigirl

DisneyLifePapioNe said:


> Late to comment......but it’s true another great report done and now it’s time for the next adventure!
> 
> Have fun!!!
> 
> Oh tell Tom, I may have found a Sam Adams I like, friends brought over some Octoberfest, I actually enjoyed it.........or 3 lol!!!



Oh I will tell him.....glad you enjoyed it, he`s a big fan! Yes, one is never usually enough......

Thanks so much......I`m glad you enjoyed it......next one coming up.....


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## schumigirl

puppawuppa said:


> Thank you for the wonderful trip report !I'm usually a lurker but I love to read trip reports and yours are great. I'm a Disney lover but have been to Universal 20 years ago. Raising my Grandkids now so maybe we'll get to Universal in a couple years. I love the fact that you explore Florida and share that with us. So much detail. Looking forward to your next trip report !!



Welcome along puppawuppa......fabulous username!!!! 

I`m glad you popped out of lurkdom to post......and thank you, I appreciate the comments.....

You`ll see a massive difference in Universal when you do go back, oh my I couldn't imagine comparing twenty years ago to today`s Universal.....how old are your Grandkids?  I`m sure they`ll love it when you are ready to take them there.....

I`m so happy you enjoy reading, and hope to see you on the December one too......


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## schumigirl

Minnie17 said:


> View attachment 453647
> So Schumigirl can you describe this wine like the wine expert you are?  I want to get a “nice” bottle of wine for thanksgiving, and I noticed my local grocer carries this one.  I don’t mind the price but wish I could sample it.



lol.....definitely not an expert.....just a keen drinker of the stuff......

This one we really like.....it`s dry, fruity without being sweet, we don't enjoy sweet wines. It has a peachy aroma, buttery too, and there`s a very slight toffee/caramel aftertaste we find pleasant.....it`s a silky wine, I think they describe it as creamy which it is texture wise not in taste......to me!! For what that`s worth......

If you like Chardonnay, I`m guessing you`ll enjoy it. It`s a very good price considering what restaurants charge for it, so if anyone didn't like it, it`s not the worst thing. 

Do you have an ABC Wines close to you......they had it to try a while back in the one we visit, but would be worth asking.....

Hope you like it...….


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## schumigirl

disneyAndi14 said:


> You were very positive about the flight home, that always makes it better!
> 
> As usual, I really enjoyed reading along and can’t wait to hear about the next one!



Thanks Caroline, it`s pointless being negative at times, and it really was a good experience in the end.

I`m so glad you enjoyed this one too.....love reading your comments and hope to see you too on the Christmas one...….


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## schumigirl

jump00 said:


> Hi Carole- another great read! Did you get any pictures of Atlas Air? I’ve never heard of them - just curious.  I’m sure I would have been a little nervous flying with them.  Glad you got home safe and sound. Here in Canada we were sorry to hear about Thomas Cook. Always sad when a reputable airline goes under. One question- Did you ever ride Hagrid's Motorcycle ride? I’m sorry if I missed it. I always worry I “missed” a day of your wonderful report. Can’t wait to hear about your trip with Kyle and Tom in December.
> 
> Brenda



We didn't take any pictures at all, we just weren't feeling like it that day.

Atlas Air are a huge company based out of NY......we hadn't heard of them either, but they`re one of those companies, after you hear of them it seems everyone knows them. They do a lot of freight as well as leasing passenger jets too. When I first Googled them, it was a freight plane image that came up.......I said to Tom.....no windows....we`re going to be on a plane with no windows   Then I saw pictures of the Jumbo`s they use for passengers, usually military folks and it was a regular jumbo with the much wanted windows. They were brilliant though.

It is incredibly sad about TC. So many jobs lost, and there was a general feeling of sadness from everyone, even those that don't use them for flights. Such a massive employer even on the High Street, although we never used the Travel Agency side of the company, we just booked flights online, many people still did and they`ll be missed by many. 

We did go on Hagrids, I didn't write about it as Kyle is reading along as I`m writing, and he didn't want spoilers, but it was magnificent.....he is so keen to ride it in December!!! Think he may even wait in line!!!

Thank you for commenting along the way Brenda, always glad to see you and yes, next one up soon......that`ll be the shortest pre trip ever!!!


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## schumigirl

AprilDreamsOfDisney said:


> Oh, Carole, it's all done! I'm a bit sad actually, to be honest - I've SO enjoyed reading your trip report, as I always do.
> 
> Your trip reports stand out for me because of the care and details you include, the witty humour, the descriptions of the people you meet and befriend, and the photos of course (Thanks, Tom!)
> 
> I'm thrilled you were able to get home with some ease. I imagine that has quite a lot to do with your lovely personality and great attitude about the whole TC fiasco, too, though. Loved the line about your reunion with Kyle - he must have been so happy to have you home again!
> 
> Thank you for your time, efforts, and energy, Carole! I've loved each update and appreciated them immensely!
> 
> Until next time!



I was sad when it finished too, I always enjoy writing them, but I did want it finished before we left for the next trip......lol...….

Thank you so, so much for saying those lovely things. I really appreciate your words and always happy you enjoyed reading. And I will tell Tom about the pictures.....he`ll be happy to hear that! 

So, yes, until next time.....which is unsurprisingly....... .........is just around the corner.........lol.....should be up soon.......look forward to seeing you there too ......and then you`ll have your trip in March to look forward to!!!! I cannot wait to hear about that one......I so hope you love it and it`s everything you hope for......


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## KatieCharlotte

schumigirl said:


> along Katie Charlotte
> 
> Nice to have you here...….
> 
> Yes, it absolutely is a test, and with any luck will be a permanent addition to the entrance area...….I have no clue why it`s being tested then. I can imagine it`s to get the full effect of all passes being utilised.
> 
> As for steak, onsite I`d thoroughly recommend The Palm in the Hard Rock Hotel. They are very accommodating to guests, so I wouldn`t imagine they`d object to you sharing. We`ve enjoyed some lovely steaks in there over the years.
> 
> One place I wouldn`t recommend for steaks is NBC. We sent a steak back twice and it still wasn`t right. We`ve also seen a few people do the same thing. It`s not good.
> 
> But, thank you, I`m glad you`re enjoying it and nice to see you



I am so glad to be back.  I've been away from Universal for too long -- almost an entire year -- but I already have multiple trips planned for 2020, including Mardi Gras for the first time.    It is truly my escape from real life.  I honestly get teary when I see photos of Royal Pacific and Sapphire Falls because of past trips.   The only time that I will not go is Halloween because I have one of those sensitive personalities that can't handle horror of any kind, but I still enjoy the HHN trip reports.  

We will avoid NBC for steaks.  I will make it to The Palm at some point, but I'm not sure if it will be this trip.  If we end up at Bigfire, because my daughter likes the sound of it, maybe I will report on our experiences.


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## Elsaspiritanimal

Wonderful trip report again! Now I can't wait for you December report and too see all the beautiful Christmas decorations!


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## schumigirl

KatieCharlotte said:


> I am so glad to be back.  I've been away from Universal for too long -- almost an entire year -- but I already have multiple trips planned for 2020, including Mardi Gras for the first time.    It is truly my escape from real life.  I honestly get teary when I see photos of Royal Pacific and Sapphire Falls because of past trips.   The only time that I will not go is Halloween because I have one of those sensitive personalities that can't handle horror of any kind, but I still enjoy the HHN trip reports.
> 
> We will avoid NBC for steaks.  I will make it to The Palm at some point, but I'm not sure if it will be this trip.  If we end up at Bigfire, because my daughter likes the sound of it, maybe I will report on our experiences.



I know what you mean about getting emotional seeing favourite places in pictures.....there`s a lot of us the same!!! And, I agree HHN is not for everyone, and if you know you are sensitive, it`s not a place you`d want to be for sure......but I`m glad you enjoy reading about them. 

We have enjoyed Mardi Gras the last two years, but decided next year to extend the May trip instead of going March and May, as a few of the days and certainly nights, were far too cold for us...but, we are complete wimps!!! December we`re not too bothered and although we had mainly mid 80`s last year, we don`t expect the same this year. It would be nice of course....  But, MG was fun....I`m sure you`ll enjoy it too.

I hope you do enjoy Big Fire if you go......and yes, we`d love to hear how it was for you there......we may go have a drink and dessert at the bar in May as that sounds like something we`d enjoy. 

But, yes, it`s nice to have trips to look forward to......


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## schumigirl

Elsaspiritanimal said:


> Wonderful trip report again! Now I can't wait for you December report and too see all the beautiful Christmas decorations!



Awww....thank you so much!! 

I`m happy you enjoyed reading it and yes, we are so looking forward to seeing everything festive around the hotels and parks...….some friends have sent us images of some of the decorations from the last few days and it looks so beautiful again!!!! So excited......and again, thank you for your lovely comments.....


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## NancyLuvsMickey

schumigirl said:


> how was the weather?



The weather last week was perfect!!! Highs in the low 80's and no humidity!!! Saturday did get a bit cold and I wore a sweatshirt and shorts, but compared to home (it snowed 5 inches while we were gone) it was perfect weather!!! And we only had a light mist a couple of nights, but we were at the pool so we didn't care...


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## schumigirl

NancyLuvsMickey said:


> The weather last week was perfect!!! Highs in the low 80's and no humidity!!! Saturday did get a bit cold and I wore a sweatshirt and shorts, but compared to home (it snowed 5 inches while we were gone) it was perfect weather!!! And we only had a light mist a couple of nights, but we were at the pool so we didn't care...



Oh that sounds so good!!! I`m so glad it was warm, and warm enough for pool time. And no humidity is always good. 

But, yes, anything is better than snow back home.....


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## schumigirl

Link to new Trip Report...….  

https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...11-jolly-holiday-nights-rpr-dec-2019.3779744/


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## acndis

Another great report!  Thank you so much, Carole.  Looking forward to the next one.  We will be at RPR over the Christmas Holiday (ugh! crowds).  I imagine we will be often taking a break at Strongwater and trying all your wonderful recommendations.  Can't wait for the next report!  I'll be there.


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## schumigirl

acndis said:


> Another great report!  Thank you so much, Carole.  Looking forward to the next one.  We will be at RPR over the Christmas Holiday (ugh! crowds).  I imagine we will be often taking a break at Strongwater and trying all your wonderful recommendations.  Can't wait for the next report!  I'll be there.



Thank you so much, I’m so glad you enjoyed it......

How lovely though to be there over Christmas.......hope the EP is very useful for you!!! And yes, Strong Water will be a welcome respite from the busy parks.......but hope you have a wonderful vacation......

And look forward to seeing you on the next trip report


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## jump00

schumigirl said:


> We didn't take any pictures at all, we just weren't feeling like it that day.
> 
> Atlas Air are a huge company based out of NY......we hadn't heard of them either, but they`re one of those companies, after you hear of them it seems everyone knows them. They do a lot of freight as well as leasing passenger jets too. When I first Googled them, it was a freight plane image that came up.......I said to Tom.....no windows....we`re going to be on a plane with no windows   Then I saw pictures of the Jumbo`s they use for passengers, usually military folks and it was a regular jumbo with the much wanted windows. They were brilliant though.
> 
> It is incredibly sad about TC. So many jobs lost, and there was a general feeling of sadness from everyone, even those that don't use them for flights. Such a massive employer even on the High Street, although we never used the Travel Agency side of the company, we just booked flights online, many people still did and they`ll be missed by many.
> 
> We did go on Hagrids, I didn't write about it as Kyle is reading along as I`m writing, and he didn't want spoilers, but it was magnificent.....he is so keen to ride it in December!!! Think he may even wait in line!!!
> 
> Thank you for commenting along the way Brenda, always glad to see you and yes, next one up soon......that`ll be the shortest pre trip ever!!!


I am always amazed at how great your photography skills are ( oops- Tom) so can’t wait to see the Virgin air ones.   I did google Atlas air and they are impressive planes!  I’m so glad you got to ride Hagrids- I don’t blame you for not wanting to spoil it for Kyle. I had a friend go down this week and came back with such a good review I told my husband I might need a quick trip to go ride it ( even for the weekend).  He is totally on board.   

Take care and Happy Holidays! 
Brenda


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## Minnie17

Oh thank you!  You are an expert and I will definitely grab a bottle for thanksgiving (your description lets me know I will love it).


schumigirl said:


> lol.....definitely not an expert.....just a keen drinker of the stuff......
> 
> This one we really like.....it`s dry, fruity without being sweet, we don't enjoy sweet wines. It has a peachy aroma, buttery too, and there`s a very slight toffee/caramel aftertaste we find pleasant.....it`s a silky wine, I think they describe it as creamy which it is texture wise not in taste......to me!! For what that`s worth......
> 
> If you like Chardonnay, I`m guessing you`ll enjoy it. It`s a very good price considering what restaurants charge for it, so if anyone didn't like it, it`s not the worst thing.
> 
> Do you have an ABC Wines close to you......they had it to try a while back in the one we visit, but would be worth asking.....
> 
> Hope you like it...….


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## schumigirl

jump00 said:


> I am always amazed at how great your photography skills are ( oops- Tom) so can’t wait to see the Virgin air ones.   I did google Atlas air and they are impressive planes!  I’m so glad you got to ride Hagrids- I don’t blame you for not wanting to spoil it for Kyle. I had a friend go down this week and came back with such a good review I told my husband I might need a quick trip to go ride it ( even for the weekend).  He is totally on board.
> 
> Take care and Happy Holidays!
> Brenda



lol......yes, I take credit for the blurry pics!!

They are a huge company but one I guess until you have reason to interact with them, they may not be on your radar. We certainly had never even heard the name. I mentioned it to a relative in NY and they were like, oh yeah they’re a big company.

Oh will keep my fingers crossed you get down and get to ride.....it is an amazing ride........(we still miss Duelling Dragons though) 

Happy Holidays to you too Brenda


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## schumigirl

Minnie17 said:


> Oh thank you!  You are an expert and I will definitely grab a bottle for thanksgiving (your description lets me know I will love it).



Will keep my fingers crossed you do enjoy it!!! Wine is so personal, but this one is quite an easy drinker it should please most people........


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## Robo56

Schumi as always another well written wonderful trip report full of great day trip destinations, restaurants and shopping ideas and beautiful pictures. 

All your research and reports on restaurants you visit are so helpful to everyone. Thank you for taking the time to share.

I’am so glad to hear that all went well with you and Tom getting your trip settled  to get back home without a lot of issues and that hopefully you we’re able to get your money back on your credit card from TC. Sad thing is the company I’am sure knew they were going to shutter the business even while selling tickets.

Tell the camera man (Tom) his pictures are great.

I know you are all excited about your upcoming family trip with Kyle. Have a wonderful time.


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## schumigirl

Robo56 said:


> Schumi as always another well written wonderful trip report full of great day trip destinations, restaurants and shopping ideas and beautiful pictures.
> 
> All your research and reports on restaurants you visit are so helpful to everyone. Thank you for taking the time to share.
> 
> I’am so glad to hear that all went well with you and Tom getting your trip settled  to get back home without a lot of issues and that hopefully you we’re able to get your money back on your credit card from TC. Sad thing is the company I’am sure knew they were going to shutter the business even while selling tickets.
> 
> Tell the camera man (Tom) his pictures are great.
> 
> I know you are all excited about your upcoming family trip with Kyle. Have a wonderful time.



Thank you so much Robo......I am so happy you enjoyed reading along, and thank you for the lovely compliments......I’ll pass along your comments to my photographer....he’ll be pleased......

Yes, we got our money back for the May flights we had booked with them within three weeks which wasn’t bad at all.......

We are very excited about the next trip.....thank you, we’ll do our best to have a wonderful time........


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## Pumpkin1172

Schumi...what a great trip report!!!!  I love to live vicariously through your trip reports!!!!  The food porn and scenery pictures are just fantastic - especially when I look out the window and see grey, dull skies, snow on the ground and  know the outside temperatures   So thank you to Tom for the amazing pictures!!!!

I can't wait to hear all about your next trip with Tom and Kyle.  It really is fantastic that you get to travel with him yet.  I'm planning a year of vacations for when I turn 50 !!!!  I can't wait for it!!!!

Have a great upcoming trip!!!!


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## schumigirl

Pumpkin1172 said:


> Schumi...what a great trip report!!!!  I love to live vicariously through your trip reports!!!!  The food porn and scenery pictures are just fantastic - especially when I look out the window and see grey, dull skies, snow on the ground and  know the outside temperatures   So thank you to Tom for the amazing pictures!!!!
> 
> I can't wait to hear all about your next trip with Tom and Kyle.  It really is fantastic that you get to travel with him yet.  I'm planning a year of vacations for when I turn 50 !!!!  I can't wait for it!!!!
> 
> Have a great upcoming trip!!!!



Thanks so much Pumpkin.......

I’m happy you enjoyed it! We loved that trip, the food was so good and we just had a blast......and I know exactly what you mean about the weather.....I need some blue skies too!!

You do right to travel for a year.......absolutely......there’s got to be something to celebrate hitting 50!

Thank you, we’ll certainly do our best......


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## Minnie17

schumigirl said:


> Will keep my fingers crossed you do enjoy it!!! Wine is so personal, but this one is quite an easy drinker it should please most people........



My youngest sister and I loved it!  (Hoarded it away from the “others”).   So glad I tried it, we will use it for “fancy” occasions or when ever we want to splurge a bit.


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## Vicki Rickerd

schumigirl said:


> I then decided to order the cocktail Ashley created called Fools Gold



We so tried to order that drink when we were there last May. Everyone thought we were crazy and said they never heard of it. Going to have to try again. It looks fabulous.


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## schumigirl

Minnie17 said:


> My youngest sister and I loved it!  (Hoarded it away from the “others”).   So glad I tried it, we will use it for “fancy” occasions or when ever we want to splurge a bit.



I am so glad to hear that!!!!

It is a beautiful wine and I did laugh at you hoarding it for yourself.....lol.....I’ve done that with some wines before!! Happy you enjoyed it......


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## schumigirl

Vicki Rickerd said:


> We so tried to order that drink when we were there last May. Everyone thought we were crazy and said they never heard of it. Going to have to try again. It looks fabulous.



Really!! What a shame...... It wasn’t fully on the menu then, but it is now so you’ll have no problems ordering it next time.......


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## Worfiedoodles

As usual I am way behind, but I’ve finally finished your wonderful report! I’m so glad all the travel issues worked out for you. The photos were fantastic, so clear and crisp it was like being with you. 

Thank you for taking the time to finish this up before your next Adventure! I’m reading that one closely as we are heading to US in January with our 21 yr old son for the first time in 4 years!  Can’t wait time pick up some tips and great restaurant suggestions 

Maria


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## schumigirl

Worfiedoodles said:


> As usual I am way behind, but I’ve finally finished your wonderful report! I’m so glad all the travel issues worked out for you. The photos were fantastic, so clear and crisp it was like being with you.
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to finish this up before your next Adventure! I’m reading that one closely as we are heading to US in January with our 21 yr old son for the first time in 4 years!  Can’t wait time pick up some tips and great restaurant suggestions
> 
> Maria



Thank you Maria.........I’m so happy you enjoyed this one too. I’ll tell Tom you enjoyed the pictures too......

What a fabulous trip you have ahead of you in January.......4 years is a long time between visits and you’ll certainly see some changes......and spending that time with your son will be amazing! I know we are loving every second of our time here.......

And once again, thank you for your lovely comments, they are so appreciated.....


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## Zosha

Hi Schumi. Another amazing trip report! Can’t wait to get started on your next one!


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## schumigirl

Zosha said:


> Hi Schumi. Another amazing trip report! Can’t wait to get started on your next one!



Thank you Zosha........

I’m happy you enjoyed it.......yes, new one will be starting soon......fly home tomorrow night.......hope you enjoy the new one too, will be nice to see you there too........


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