Annual Pass Appreciation Days & Trying New Things~Completed

[wdwrule]

Hello! This trip took place Saturday, May 4 through Monday, May 6… just DD and I this time around.

This little trip was absolutely amazing!! We had gorgeous weather and the crowds were decent and very manageable. We stayed at Aventura again which we have grown to love. It’s at a convenient location to the parks and the hotel’s footprint is small and compact. We also like that there’s a full service Starbucks in the lobby and the food from the little food court area is very good with a nice variety. We didn’t get them this time, but their Asian noodle bowls are fantastic! We typically get them with broth instead of the teriyaki style. They’re so hearty. During the morning hours, this station serves up oatmeal bowls and/or yogurt and fruit bowls. So delicious!

We got a 2 queen deluxe room which is very roomy. Also, we were on the 16th floor and had an amazing view of Orlando’s gorgeous skyline. I always get a kick out of seeing Epcot’s Spaceship Earth from our room, not to mention their nightly fireworks.


View while snuggled in bed :


We love the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around a long length. It makes the room feel so open and spacious.

At any rate, we took a 5am flight and arrived at Aventura around 8am. We checked in and stowed our luggage. Next, we grabbed some Starbucks and walked our leisure walk to the parks. I just love this walk! We head through SF/RPR convention areas then we exit near RPR’s boat dock. Then we hop onto the walkway to Citywalk. I haven’t been timing it lately but it’s probably about 15 minutes from Aventura to Citywalk. These walks are always a sweet memory for me. There’s just something about the landscaping, scenery, ambience, park sounds from afar (Hulk roars, especially) and the nice conversations we have together.

We decided to go to Studios and would hit up IoA later in the day. Breakfast was on our minds so we stopped at San Francisco Pastry Company. We split an egg croissant pressed sandwich which was good and also came with some fresh fruit.

The UOAP Appreciation Days mobile order perk is great! We already get 15% discount on food with the premiere level of pass, but during appreciation days, mobile orders include an added 10% discount on what you already get. So, during this trip, we received 25% off of every mobile order. Sweet!!

We ate outside and the weather was lovely! Here are some pics including Chez Alcatraz refurb.


When I was inside to pick up my order I saw a tofu noodle bowl that looked interesting.


Then off to Diagon Alley This view never gets old.


We were determined to get the new Butterbeer Ice Lolly at some point…

To be continued.

 

[nouvellefleur]

What a lovely view from your hotel room! Early May sounds like such a nice time of year to go.

I feel like I never hear of people eating at Aventura and the SF Pastry Co, thank you for the dining notes!

 

[wdwrule]

What a lovely view from your hotel room! Early May sounds like such a nice time of year to go.

I feel like I never hear of people eating at Aventura and the SF Pastry Co, thank you for the dining notes!

Yes that view keeps bringing us back to Aventura!

We do enjoy having some meals there as well. In our experiences everything has been consistently good. Staff are all wonderful as well. Here are some pics of previous meals we’ve had there at Aventura… made-to-order.









I can’t find my pizza picture but that was good too.

 

[wdwrule]

Again, we were pleasantly surprised with low crowds and blessed with great weather and no humidity. We rode MiB multiple times in the single rider line. Haha that queue is a winter tundra! ️. DD’s highest score this trip:



Wohooo! Almost in the 900 club!

We then headed to ET, then Confisco’s for lunch where I made a last minute reservation but probably didn’t need it… chicken quesadilla and two different kinds of hummus.





We sat upstairs in the AP area and had a window seat which overlooked the park. Lovely! We split two apps which was plenty for us and I also got their house sangria which is luscious.

We headed to Hagrid’s early afternoon with a posted wait of 75 minutes but it only took about an hour.

Then, we headed to Ship Me Olive in the Popeye’s area to splash people with the water canons. This is so much fun! Just watching the riders’ reactions is priceless! The views are very pretty from the ship as well.









View of our hotel from the ship:





Shortly after this, we received our room ready text so we headed back and got settled in. After a brief rest we hopped around for some eats and drinks.

Next up, a stop at Orchid Lounge at RPR for some great sushi.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Thanks I always forget about AP days !
Did it end already? I arrive Tuesday.
And I have been wanting to go to the RP for the Hawaiian Luau .

 

[wdwrule]

Thanks I always forget about AP days !
Did it end already? I arrive Tuesday.
And I have been wanting to go to the RP for the Hawaiian Luau .

I believe it ended around May 24. I think it usually runs for almost one month. I also think they have it around twice a year… Usually January and May but I’m not 100% sure.

The luau is something we’ve always debated as well. During this trip, DD and I walked around and noticed the Luau happening. It looks like a good time.

 

[kbelle8995]

I've been to the Luau at Royal Pacific. I had a fantastic time. Great performances and good food. We had so much fun.

 

[wdwrule]

I've been to the Luau at Royal Pacific. I had a fantastic time. Great performances and good food. We had so much fun.

That sounds wonderful! We’ll definitely have to try it sometime. Hubby and I did the luau dinner at the Poly eons ago.

 

[wdwrule]

Oh boy I’m late again! We’ve been enjoying summer with some mini trips recently and I need to get back to this report. We were at Busch Gardens Williamsburg this past weekend and wow was it HOT!! Holy Hades… like sweat rolling down your back while in the shade hot. Phew!

We did have a lovely time despite the crazy heat though. It has been several years since we were there. We might just be old school but we feel that the park was much better maintained when it was owned by Anheuser-Busch. The cleanliness and overall feel was much better back then. They have some great rides though, especially Pantheon and Griffon. I still really miss Big Bad Wolf. Most ride queues are out in the heat so it really made us appreciate the many, many air-conditioned queue that UO has.

Speaking of which, back to our visit to UO.

DD and I headed to Orchid Lounge at RPR for some sushi. Their sushi has been consistently fresh and delicious. During this outing, we ordered a Philadelphia roll and a Rainbow roll to share. We had planned on grazing at several restaurants.



The Rainbow roll, pictured on the left, was especially good. It is described in their menu as: Kani, avocado, asparagus, topped with tuna, salmon, escolar, white fish, shrimp. So good!

Then we headed downstairs to Jake’s. We always make a point to visit here each trip. Everything is wonderful and we feel they have the best burger on property. This time however, we were here to split a dessert. I’ve always eyed up the cookie skillet on their menu and today was the day.



I have to say, while it was good, it was not what I was expecting. It had a cake texture and I was in the mood for a gooey underdone cookie. The main part was very thick and cake-like, almost muffin-like. Again, still great but not what I was hoping for. Haha needless to say, we devoured almost the whole thing.

We walked around a bit afterwards and stumbled upon the Luau which looked nice and festive.



Kind of a bad picture but I didn’t want to look like a creeper . Hubby and I almost booked this a little while ago but then decided not to. (We had ended up doing a UO bar crawl including some resorts and had a fabulous time… which I wrote about in a TR.) Eons ago we did the Luau at the Poly over at Disney and had a lovely time.

Then, off to Strong Water to finish out the night. I was craving a gin and tonic and it always tastes extra good there…. And extra strong . We really enjoy the atmosphere and friendly staff there. This is another place that we always make a point of visiting at least once during each trip. Saturday nights they often have a lovely singer who we adore. She’s so talented! Side note: She wasn’t there recently on a Saturday evening but I hope she’ll be back in the future. 506 I think is the band’s name?? I know it’s a number…
We didn’t get anymore food as we were stuffed from that heavy dessert.

Tired and satisfied from the day’s events, we walked the two minute walk back to Aventura and settled into bed. We dozed off while viewing some fireworks at Disney off in the distance.





Up next, trying the new-at-the-time Ice Lolly (Butterbeer popsicle) and finally eating at Circus McGurkus which had been newly remodeled with new menu items.

 

[macraven]

Your pictures are awesome!

 

[wdwrule]

Your pictures are awesome!

Thank you!

 

[wdwrule]

I swear I’m going to get to that Ice Lolly review! This past week was a bit of a crazy one. DD and I were supposed to be in UO Monday through Thursday during this past week but long story short, our flight going to Florida was delayed all day and then finally cancelled . We were at the airport very early in the morning and after several delays and de-planed TWICE they cancelled it during the early evening hours. What. A. Day.

Good news is, we rebooked for mid-August and even secured reservations for one of the Annual Passholder Nights!!

I’ve never been to an AP night so I’m super excited. I’ve heard it’s not that big of a deal but I still want to experience it… kind of a bucket list item so to speak.

But onto the Ice Lolly…





This was very good! Unfortunately I’ve heard recently it’s no longer being sold but maybe it’ll be back at some point. The Ice Lolly, in my opinion, was nice and sweet and refreshing on a hot day. It was basically Butterbeer in popsicle form. It wasn’t quite as butterscotchy as Butterbeer but still very good. The white chocolate coating gave it that marshmallow topping taste. It was frozen creamy goodness. The downside was… I felt it was expensive for what you got. I believe before AP discount, it was $9 and some odd cents. I would rather spend that on actual Butterbeer. The popsicle stick was clever.



At any rate, I thought it was a great addition to the Butterbeer treats. I did take a pic of the nutritional label (spoiler alert: YIKES). Thought this might help those with allergies.



Looootttttsssss of ingredients.

After this we meandered around on some rides and ended up at the Five and Dime. Here are some shirts I saw…




Then for lunch, we went to Circus McGurkus. We ordered:
Chicken & Biscuit(FS, PS, SES, SFS)- $14.99
crispy chicken tenders and peanut shaped biscuit, drizzled with hot honey, and curly fries

Tamed Dragon Salad(DS, ES, FS, GS, PS, SES, SFS, SS, VG)- $11.99
red dragon fruit, red quinoa, raspberries, mandarin oranges, almonds, baby spinach, cucumber, and guava vinaigrette


Green Eggs and Ham Chocolate Cheesecake(FS, PS, SES, SFS, SS, TNS, V)- $6.99







Because this trip was during AP appreciation days, we were able to do all mobile orders at 25% off with premiere passes. Great bargain! I’m excited that we get this bargain again next month during AP appreciation days.

We then had fun running around the If I Ran the Zoo play area like we were both 8 year-olds. So much fun!!

Then since it was Cinco de Mayo…


Mama had to get her Perfect Margarita…. And perfect it was.

Up next, Jake’s and views from Aventura Rooftop Bar (Bar 17 Bistro)…

 

[Jessem1133]

How were the meals at Circus?

 

[wdwrule]

How were the meals at Circus?

Our meals were both very good, especially for QS. I do like how their menu has a good variety. My salad was fresh and hit the spot on a warm day. DD didn’t quite care for the taste of dragon fruit in the quinoa when she gave it a taste. I enjoyed it though and got it again when we revisited a month ago.

DD really liked the chicken/biscuit and fries meal. We did ask for the hot honey on the side in case it was crazy spicy (which isn’t was not) and they gladly obliged. I tasted her meal and it was really good… fries were crispy and great chicken quality with a nice crisp coating. I thought it was better without the honey personally. Oh and the cheesecake was yummy as well. Very cute presentation!

During a different trip a month ago, hubby came along and he had a dish with noodles and veggies. I don’t see it listed currently in the menu. His review of his meal… “meh”; nothing special. During this more recent trip we did get the caramel popcorn cupcake and I really liked this… even more than the cheesecake!

 

[Robo56]

Tired and satisfied from the day’s events, we walked the two minute walk back to Aventura and settled into bed. We dozed off while viewing some fireworks at Disney off in the distance.

That is awesome that you could see the fireworks at Disney from your room.

Then for lunch, we went to Circus McGurkus. We ordered:

I have not eaten at Circus McGurkus for years. I took the grandchildren there a few times and it was good then it just fell off our radar. So glad to hear they are serving some nice dishes now.

Your pictures are great.

Thank you for sharing your trip report.

 

[wdwrule]

@Robo56 Thanks for your kind words. Yes I adore seeing fireworks from WDW and the skyline of Epcot, Magic Kingdom, etc. from our room. We’ve backed away some from visiting Disney as we are now hard-core UO fans but I do really miss it. Occasionally we visit Disney Springs, or do a monorail crawl, or attend a Christmas party at MK to get our fill. We did visit most of the WDW parks briefly last summer. We’ve made wonderful memories there since our kids were preschool aged. So when I see those fireworks and the skyline of Spaceship Earth and Space Mountain from Aventura, it gives me such a comforting, warm feeling

Yes, we did enjoy Circus McGurkus. We actually never ate there before their revamped menu so I’m not sure how it was prior. I love the atmosphere as well, with the decor and the trolley running through.

 

[wdwrule]

Woooo with school back in it’s been so busy!! I’ll try to pick up where I left off.

We had Jake’s that evening for dinner and it is one of our favorite places. They have one of our best burgers on property… So burger it was! DD and I typically get one to share and it’s plenty. The burger is fresh, juicy and thick and it comes with a ton of delicious crispy French fries. Without us asking, whenever we share a meal there they always split it between two separate plates for each of us, which is a nice touch.


With AP appreciation days occurring, one of the perks at Jake’s was a buy one get one beer for annual passholders. Since DD was not quite at drinking age, they let her have a free nonalcoholic beverage with my beer, which was sweet.

We polished off the evening with heading up to Aventura’s rooftop bar just to gaze at the lovely views. We noticed on a recent trip we could see the drone show from that vantage point.

Here is a pic looking down upon Sapphire Falls as the sun was setting.


The following morning, we used the separate AP entrance at IoA and headed straight to Velocicoaster… Probably our favorite roller coaster of any park. We love how it’s usually close to a walk-on during the early morning hours.

We then took Hogwarts express with very little wait over to Diagon Alley for breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron. This is also another favorite of ours. We typically each get a kids meal which comes with a beverage, including any variety of butter beer and it’s plenty to eat.


I always get a hot butter beer with this meal. The rest of the family typically gets either the Tongue tying lemon squash, or the peach fizz.

After breakfast, we walk right on to the Gringott’s ride using the single rider line. Then we slowly meandered and enjoyed the views throughout this whole area.







I just love this area so much and I love the dark eeriness of Knockturn Alley.

Then we headed to Men in Black, where we zipped on twice in a row quickly using the single rider line. After a few more rides, we casually walked out to Toothsome for a fried chicken BLT sandwich, which we shared along with splitting a huge brookie sundae.

This restaurant gets mixed reviews. For the most part, we have always lucked out with the quality and service. Everything was delicious and the sundaes they serve could easily be shared among three adults or more and surprisingly they are a bit cheaper than the milkshakes. Perhaps the milkshakes are more expensive because you are allowed to keep the souvenir cup that it is served in.


We had a lovely spot upstairs overlooking CityWalk:


Here is the upstairs bar area which we were seated nearby:


This sundae was right up my alley… Chocolate chip cookies, brookie, Oreos, ice cream, etc.


The sandwich was very good as well… A very large, juicy, thick crispy coated chicken breast.

After our delicious lunch, we walked back into IoA for a bunch more rides. We lucked out at Hagrid’s, which was posted at a 60 minute wait and we made it into the loading room at around 35 minutes. At least in all of our many experiences, we have found that Hagrid’s is typically at a lower wait right after lunchtime.

Later we rode some rides using our Premiere AP after four express and then headed back to Aventura to catch an Uber for the airport. We sometimes use the fitness center’s showers on the second floor of Aventura to freshen up before our flight, which is nice.

All in all, this was a very productive, wonderful trip. We had a lot of low wait times and we always appreciate the AP appreciation days perks. I just love being an annual passholder, which allows us to make many numerous trips throughout the year. I love all the different seasonal events that Universal Orlando has to offer and to have the ability to view all the different changes in the park throughout the year, such as the ever-changing tribute store, parades and nighttime shows. The TMs are always so helpful and friendly as well. It is for sure, our happy place!

Hope you enjoyed this trip report and I soon need to debrief on two other recent trips… One trip while attending an annual passholder night in August and another trip that took place two weekends ago as we attended HHN on an included Premier AP night. Until then, take care and enjoy planning, reminiscing about, or pondering a trip to Universal!

 

[macraven]

fantastic pictures!