Another 18 nights RPR, just the two of us & HHN (2015 Trip)
- Thread starter schumigirl
- Start date
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
Thanks Lynne..........Yes a few people seem to miss the tub........we didn't as we always shower, it looks much nicer without the tub, in our view of course.........
Thanks Vicki.........we did have a lovely day, whole weekend actually.........yes, wish I liked chocolate cake.......or maybe I should be glad I don't........
dixonsontour
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2008
Great report as usual. How nice you got to meet up after all this time.
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
Oh it really was nice......after missing each other so many times we were determined this time it would work out.......glad you`re enjoying reading along.......thank you for saying......
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
We got a table straight away as it wasn't that busy.........we ordered our drinks while we checked out the menu.....and yes chatted some more, and then some.........
I had a Boragora cocktail, mac had Jack n coke and Tom had a beer of some kind or another.......he liked it whatever it was. They do have a fantastic selection of beers both here and in Orchids......so he really was spoiled for choice.......
So we hadn't decided at this point what we were going to eat......so we had the menu`s but were just chatting away.......I was talking about something or other when I noticed Tom and mac were more and more leaning backwards........I thought my story was more interesting than that.......lol.......they strangely seemed more interested in what the couple behind us were saying.......long story short, they were complaining they hadn't enjoyed the food at the Scare actor dinner previous night they were there......now, mac had this reserved for following week and was interested to hear their opinion. So far we hadn't heard great comments about it from several people and one was a TM!!! So Tom asked them about it and they were happy to share their experience. They showed us some pics and I was surprised the food was just on plates that you get in Louie`s......I expected a bit better for the cost. But we hoped mac would find it to be better and would enjoy it. We thanked them and apologised for disturbing them......they said they were glad to share.......
So back to our meal........I had no idea what I was going to have.......we had eaten so much food over the last almost three weeks.......I couldn't decide........Tom knew he was having pizza......pizza in here is very good...... I couldn't decide between pizza, fish and chips and the steak.........I ended up with fish and chips and so did mac.........it was getting busier now and the singer was getting ready. Sometimes we find singers can be a bit loud in here, but this guy was ok.....he was very good actually. We could still have our many conversations over his singing. We chatted some more as we waited for dinner to arrive........I noticed Tom was looking a bit pale tonight, I knew he was a bit tired but I wondered if he was coming down with something........but meantime food had arrived.......
Tom had got the meat lovers with added jalapenos........it was lush!!!! I had ordered my meal with sweet potato fries as usual......
It really was lovely!! I was so glad I had ordered it, fish was so fresh and fries were so good. Mac enjoyed hers too.......we ate with relish all the while chatting at the same time.......Tom marvelled at our ability to free flow from one conversation to another......lol....well, we are women......
We had no room for dessert, so we settled up and headed up to Orchids Lounge to sit and chat some more.
We adore sitting in this lounge whether it be after a meal or for a meal itself. Such a friendly, relaxing place that is so comfortable.......we found a seat and table and plonked ourself down.....our favourite girl Laura was working tonight so we had a beer for Tom, jack n coke for mac and I had a Waikiki Blackberry Mojito, Laura remembered.....no mint....she was good!!!
We chatted some more and the night just disappeared in front of us........where the time went I`ll never know......we discussed everything under the sun....and then some.........
It was late when we decided to call it a night......Tom had gotten so tired, and so were we to be honest........we walked mac to her room and said goodnight, we arranged to meet in the lobby in the morning after breakfast and do some park time together.
We got back to our room and Tom took some pain relief for a headache.......something he very rarely does. I joked was it all the talking he had been listening to....he laughed and said unfortunately it wasn't. He had the beginnings of a cold...........but we had tomorrow to look forward to, which was going to be our last park time for a year.
I had a Boragora cocktail, mac had Jack n coke and Tom had a beer of some kind or another.......he liked it whatever it was. They do have a fantastic selection of beers both here and in Orchids......so he really was spoiled for choice.......
So we hadn't decided at this point what we were going to eat......so we had the menu`s but were just chatting away.......I was talking about something or other when I noticed Tom and mac were more and more leaning backwards........I thought my story was more interesting than that.......lol.......they strangely seemed more interested in what the couple behind us were saying.......long story short, they were complaining they hadn't enjoyed the food at the Scare actor dinner previous night they were there......now, mac had this reserved for following week and was interested to hear their opinion. So far we hadn't heard great comments about it from several people and one was a TM!!! So Tom asked them about it and they were happy to share their experience. They showed us some pics and I was surprised the food was just on plates that you get in Louie`s......I expected a bit better for the cost. But we hoped mac would find it to be better and would enjoy it. We thanked them and apologised for disturbing them......they said they were glad to share.......
So back to our meal........I had no idea what I was going to have.......we had eaten so much food over the last almost three weeks.......I couldn't decide........Tom knew he was having pizza......pizza in here is very good...... I couldn't decide between pizza, fish and chips and the steak.........I ended up with fish and chips and so did mac.........it was getting busier now and the singer was getting ready. Sometimes we find singers can be a bit loud in here, but this guy was ok.....he was very good actually. We could still have our many conversations over his singing. We chatted some more as we waited for dinner to arrive........I noticed Tom was looking a bit pale tonight, I knew he was a bit tired but I wondered if he was coming down with something........but meantime food had arrived.......
Tom had got the meat lovers with added jalapenos........it was lush!!!! I had ordered my meal with sweet potato fries as usual......
It really was lovely!! I was so glad I had ordered it, fish was so fresh and fries were so good. Mac enjoyed hers too.......we ate with relish all the while chatting at the same time.......Tom marvelled at our ability to free flow from one conversation to another......lol....well, we are women......
We had no room for dessert, so we settled up and headed up to Orchids Lounge to sit and chat some more.
We adore sitting in this lounge whether it be after a meal or for a meal itself. Such a friendly, relaxing place that is so comfortable.......we found a seat and table and plonked ourself down.....our favourite girl Laura was working tonight so we had a beer for Tom, jack n coke for mac and I had a Waikiki Blackberry Mojito, Laura remembered.....no mint....she was good!!!
We chatted some more and the night just disappeared in front of us........where the time went I`ll never know......we discussed everything under the sun....and then some.........
It was late when we decided to call it a night......Tom had gotten so tired, and so were we to be honest........we walked mac to her room and said goodnight, we arranged to meet in the lobby in the morning after breakfast and do some park time together.
We got back to our room and Tom took some pain relief for a headache.......something he very rarely does. I joked was it all the talking he had been listening to....he laughed and said unfortunately it wasn't. He had the beginnings of a cold...........but we had tomorrow to look forward to, which was going to be our last park time for a year.
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schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
SUNDAY 4TH OCTOBER...........
Tom slept badly all night, so by that, I slept badly too........I think you can get overtired at times and sleep just won`t arrive. Between that and the beginnings of a cold......he didn't feel great.......but he looked ok when we got up and took some more pain relief......he would be fine for the day........
We started our day talking to Kyle on Skype........the one thing that would make our going home easier this year was the fact we would see Kyle.....although I`m sure once we were home......it would be back to normal.......lol.......as you can imagine we don`t see that much of him, between University and other stuff......as it should be though. So we chatted for a bit and as he would be at University tomorrow we wouldn't speak to him now till we got home.........so we said our goodbyes and got ready and headed to Club Lounge for breakfast. We had plenty of time as we weren't meeting mac till 9.30. Club Lounge was fairly quiet today, so we had a chance to chat to the staff and got to say goodbye to a member we wouldn't see tomorrow.
We went back to our room to get ready for the parks......it looked beautiful this early, but it did change a bit very quickly.......the view from our room was just gorgeous this morning........
It looked warm, so we made sure we had plenty of cream on and headed down to meet mac in Orchids Lounge.........we went to reception for something that I can`t remember before heading off. Tonight we were supposed to meeting mac and others for HHN......with Tom not feeling 100% we said to her this morning we were going to give it a miss.......we were both whooped, only way to describe how our whole bodies were feeling now.......but we would be fine today, we just knew it would be such an effort to do it again tonight after a day in the parks.....again. We did feel old.....lol......mac was happy we were able to honest and just say we were whooped........we were sorry we were going to miss meeting the folks tonight, but it was right thing to do.
We walked this morning as we were starting off in IOA........on our last full day, it was our tradition to go through our favourite rides in both parks.......mac was delighted to do that.....anything we missed she would have loads of time in her trip to do everything else so we didn't feel bad about missing stuff out........if you asked me what we chatted about.....I honestly couldn't tell you.......but we covered everything I think........
Parks weren't too busy today.......it was forecast rain later, but we hoped it would stay off for us to finish off the parks today......for now it was hot and humid........we went straight to Dr Doom.......our favourite and a favourite of mac too.......but first we got some pictures of the park as always.........
We hadn't eaten here this year for the first time in years........it is a nice place to eat and sometimes gets overlooked in favour of Mythos, but food is so good in here and it`s lovely and cool!!!!! The restaurant is well themed like everything else in the parks, and service is always top notch. We will go back next year, just fancied a change this year.
Dr Doom was excellent as always........it`s always sad when we have our last ride on these favourites......so we made sure to enjoy it all the more......it was good as always. We only did it once as we had a lot to get through today......not the best way to do the parks, but last day was different.
We got some water after that, as it was hot and I wanted to make sure Tom stayed hydrated. It`s easy to underestimate how much water we need, especially when you don't feel so great. So we bought some and stopped while we drank......our photographer was however still on form for picture taking........
We ambled further round and just walked, talked and absorbed the last day of the parks. It`s always a day mixed with happiness to be in such a wonderful place and also tinged with sadness that tomorrow we go home. But we would make the most of it as always......I suddenly realise we are outside the shop that had the teeshirt I wanted for Kyle.......he had one rom a couple of years ago and it was quite faded now.......he really liked it, so went in and got him one.......it says "You say Villain like it`s a bad thing" anyway, they had plenty of them so I picked up what I thought was the right size and as we were leaving tomorrow we couldn't get it sent back to our room, I just carried it around with us.
We headed through Toon Lagoon, forgoing all the water rides not only because it wasn't looking that great for the rest of today......didn't want to be walking about soaking wet, especially when Tom wasn't at his best. So we mooched around to Potter.......although we didn't actually go on any of the rides today, it was just nice to take it all in and get a few last minute pictures.......
Not quite sure why we didn't go on anything, but it was so nice just walking through, especially since its not too busy.......we decided then we would get the train and head to Studios......we hadn't eaten in Louie`s pizza this year yet either, so as we all liked it in there that was where we fancied eating some lunch.......and we hadn't taken the train this way yet for some reason this year.......it wasn't busy at all........
Tom attracted our attention for a moment for a picture opportunity.......he said he waited for a gap in the conversation, but there wasn`t one......lol........
It was so good that this year we hadn't seen massive crowds like some people had been saying......rides like DM always have large queues if you don't have EP of course, but in general we hadn't ever felt the crowds and this was just perfect for us.
There is something very special about the HE.......it certainly transcends time and does take you back to a place of an old fashioned view of what train travel was like in the past. Certainly in the UK, although I never grew up with steam trains....I`m not that old.....the interior of the HE was exactly what trains were like when I was little, before the electrified the whole system. I do remember individual carriages within a train and how coveted they were to get......you felt a little bit special. I do have a hankering to one day travel the Trans Siberian Railway.....I adore long train journeys and now the Orient Express is such a relatively short journey to what it once was in the bygone age.
I`m rambling again........we didn't wait long at all............
Tom slept badly all night, so by that, I slept badly too........I think you can get overtired at times and sleep just won`t arrive. Between that and the beginnings of a cold......he didn't feel great.......but he looked ok when we got up and took some more pain relief......he would be fine for the day........
We started our day talking to Kyle on Skype........the one thing that would make our going home easier this year was the fact we would see Kyle.....although I`m sure once we were home......it would be back to normal.......lol.......as you can imagine we don`t see that much of him, between University and other stuff......as it should be though. So we chatted for a bit and as he would be at University tomorrow we wouldn't speak to him now till we got home.........so we said our goodbyes and got ready and headed to Club Lounge for breakfast. We had plenty of time as we weren't meeting mac till 9.30. Club Lounge was fairly quiet today, so we had a chance to chat to the staff and got to say goodbye to a member we wouldn't see tomorrow.
We went back to our room to get ready for the parks......it looked beautiful this early, but it did change a bit very quickly.......the view from our room was just gorgeous this morning........
It looked warm, so we made sure we had plenty of cream on and headed down to meet mac in Orchids Lounge.........we went to reception for something that I can`t remember before heading off. Tonight we were supposed to meeting mac and others for HHN......with Tom not feeling 100% we said to her this morning we were going to give it a miss.......we were both whooped, only way to describe how our whole bodies were feeling now.......but we would be fine today, we just knew it would be such an effort to do it again tonight after a day in the parks.....again. We did feel old.....lol......mac was happy we were able to honest and just say we were whooped........we were sorry we were going to miss meeting the folks tonight, but it was right thing to do.
We walked this morning as we were starting off in IOA........on our last full day, it was our tradition to go through our favourite rides in both parks.......mac was delighted to do that.....anything we missed she would have loads of time in her trip to do everything else so we didn't feel bad about missing stuff out........if you asked me what we chatted about.....I honestly couldn't tell you.......but we covered everything I think........
Parks weren't too busy today.......it was forecast rain later, but we hoped it would stay off for us to finish off the parks today......for now it was hot and humid........we went straight to Dr Doom.......our favourite and a favourite of mac too.......but first we got some pictures of the park as always.........
We hadn't eaten here this year for the first time in years........it is a nice place to eat and sometimes gets overlooked in favour of Mythos, but food is so good in here and it`s lovely and cool!!!!! The restaurant is well themed like everything else in the parks, and service is always top notch. We will go back next year, just fancied a change this year.
Dr Doom was excellent as always........it`s always sad when we have our last ride on these favourites......so we made sure to enjoy it all the more......it was good as always. We only did it once as we had a lot to get through today......not the best way to do the parks, but last day was different.
We got some water after that, as it was hot and I wanted to make sure Tom stayed hydrated. It`s easy to underestimate how much water we need, especially when you don't feel so great. So we bought some and stopped while we drank......our photographer was however still on form for picture taking........
We ambled further round and just walked, talked and absorbed the last day of the parks. It`s always a day mixed with happiness to be in such a wonderful place and also tinged with sadness that tomorrow we go home. But we would make the most of it as always......I suddenly realise we are outside the shop that had the teeshirt I wanted for Kyle.......he had one rom a couple of years ago and it was quite faded now.......he really liked it, so went in and got him one.......it says "You say Villain like it`s a bad thing" anyway, they had plenty of them so I picked up what I thought was the right size and as we were leaving tomorrow we couldn't get it sent back to our room, I just carried it around with us.
We headed through Toon Lagoon, forgoing all the water rides not only because it wasn't looking that great for the rest of today......didn't want to be walking about soaking wet, especially when Tom wasn't at his best. So we mooched around to Potter.......although we didn't actually go on any of the rides today, it was just nice to take it all in and get a few last minute pictures.......
Not quite sure why we didn't go on anything, but it was so nice just walking through, especially since its not too busy.......we decided then we would get the train and head to Studios......we hadn't eaten in Louie`s pizza this year yet either, so as we all liked it in there that was where we fancied eating some lunch.......and we hadn't taken the train this way yet for some reason this year.......it wasn't busy at all........
Tom attracted our attention for a moment for a picture opportunity.......he said he waited for a gap in the conversation, but there wasn`t one......lol........
It was so good that this year we hadn't seen massive crowds like some people had been saying......rides like DM always have large queues if you don't have EP of course, but in general we hadn't ever felt the crowds and this was just perfect for us.
There is something very special about the HE.......it certainly transcends time and does take you back to a place of an old fashioned view of what train travel was like in the past. Certainly in the UK, although I never grew up with steam trains....I`m not that old.....the interior of the HE was exactly what trains were like when I was little, before the electrified the whole system. I do remember individual carriages within a train and how coveted they were to get......you felt a little bit special. I do have a hankering to one day travel the Trans Siberian Railway.....I adore long train journeys and now the Orient Express is such a relatively short journey to what it once was in the bygone age.
I`m rambling again........we didn't wait long at all............
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dixonsontour
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2008
Happy and sad last day, I know the feeling. Always helps if you know you are coming back.
The trains on our local steam railway are just the same as Hogwarts one, used to take my dd to their Thomas the tank special days when she was little.
The trains on our local steam railway are just the same as Hogwarts one, used to take my dd to their Thomas the tank special days when she was little.
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
Oh I remember many a visit up to see Thomas the Tank Engine.......I do love a trip on a steam engine......used to go up to a place up in the Highlands few years back that did runs for fun......think it`s turned into a novelty restaurant now!!!
Yes, it helps a bit knowing we`ll be back.........
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
It really was quiet and we got on to the train very quickly indeed. Even for non Potter fans this is something quite unique and definitely worth seeing, both ways of course as they are quite different on each journey. Not only do you have to watch the window, but keep an eye on the doors too...........
So we got seated and awaited our departure to London King`s Cross.........
I just realised how hot and unkempt I look!!! Well, it`s a park day..........the journey is swift and soon we are arriving at our destination. It is busier this end but not greatly so.........
We exited the station and headed for Louie`s pizza for lunch.........
Louie`s is one of these cheap and cheerful places that has been a regular choice for us for years, usually before HHN with Metro West.......but this year we hadn't made it, so today was ideal as mac liked it too. We chose pepperoni pizza and mac had pepperoni with a Caesar salad....it was so nice.........
We thoroughly enjoyed our little pizza slice and afterwards headed over to our favourite dessert place, Ben and Jerry`s. This was one of Kyle`s favourite places for dessert as he always got the chocolate ice cream.....our freezers at home are usually well stocked up with that ice cream!!! Tom got the caramel chew chew one, I had a new flavour for me in there......cotton candy......it was lush!!! And mac had a chocolate one.........we definitely enjoyed these!!
By now the weather had changed a good bit, in fact when we went out it was raining. Not what we had planned at all, as we still had the other side of the park to do, DM and RRR. But it was fairly heavy. We made the decision to go on The Mummy and then see what it was like.......so I put my bag with the teeshirt in a locker and we went on. Mummy is such a fun ride, especially at the front, so we asked for this as normal.....it was fun!!!
We came back out and stood in the shop for a second and looked despondently at the rain that was now falling rather dismally outside. We thought we may as well head back to the hotel, it was maybe just after 2.30ish by now.......so rather reluctantly we began exiting the park. Just at that we remembered the bag in the locker.......we never use lockers usually, unless it`s RRR, but for regular rides we never need to use them.....so we headed back and retrieved my package and then exited the park for the hotel.
We walked as it was fairly nice, the rain rather ironically had began to dissipate slightly.......although it was still on slightly......as we walked we realised that our visit together was almost at a close. Although I would mac in the morning before we left......but it had been cut shorter because we weren't going to horror nights tonight.
As we walked past Margaritaville...........I thought I wasn't going to do it, but there and then the tears started........I am always so sad when I leave the parks for the last time every trip.......it`s not conscious.......it just kinda overwhelms me a little. My son always knows when it`s going to hit somehow and manages to console me a little. But he wasn't here this time.......so as Tom was trailing behind I got a hug from mac, reminding me I`ll be back next year.
We made it back to the hotel, reasonably dry.....just not soaked would be a better description........here in the lobby we said our goodbyes temporarily and I asked mac to pass on our apologies to the group for cancelling out. She said she would......I did laugh and say it had nothing to do with us not liking Finnegans.....that`s where everyone was meeting. So we parted ways and I promised I would see her in the morning.....we were shattered and didn`t have the energy to spend another night wandering the parks.
We headed up to our room as we had to finish packing and we had a gift to pass on.
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schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
So we headed back to our room and managed to get most of our haul of goodies packed away and even managed to save all of our clothes despite my insistence we could live without a few of the items we had brought. We always buy far too much stuff, but we adore having all sorts of mementos from our trips. We also had a very special goodbye to make and a gift for this person. We made sure the package was looking as best it could be and headed down to search for our friend. First Tom had a little snooze as I attached the finishing touches to the gift and wrote the thank you card out. We got showered and changed and headed downstairs.
Some people you meet are just the kindest, most considerate people ever and this man was one of those. We did what we wanted to do and we thanked him profusely for all his kindness and as usual we knew we would see him next year. Quite simply the nicest man on the planet. Saying goodbye always makes me cry, but I held it together till we left the lobby area.......I am too soft hearted at times.......
We then headed to the Club Lounge for a couple of hours relaxation. When we went in it was so quiet as they hadn't started serving anything yet, so we had a sprite and sat down and just chatted as usual.......Anthony asked if we wanted a movie on again and we should just make ourselves comfy instead of going out.....but we planned to go to Longhorn in LBV again. So Tom was driving.
We put on Ghostbusters 2 tonight........when they started serving wine Anthony checked if one of us was driving before bringing us over a glass of wine.........I had suggested to Tom why didn't we try the Longhorn on IDrive and just get a cab, that way we could chill out and not have to worry about driving. Tom thought, OK, so he had some wine too........
This would turn out to be one of my worst ideas ever!!!!
Such a nice place to sit and relax at any time of day......
So quiet before everyone appears at 4.30.
So, we sat and watched Ghostbusters 2 and loved it, such a good movie..........the rain had more or less stayed off now and I was so glad for those doing horror nights. It is truly abysmal trying to enjoy it when you are like drenched rats........but it looked ok thankfully. We headed downstairs after making sure we would see our favourite staff members tomorrow morning......would hate to miss them.....Anthony assured us he would be there as would Thomas who we had known for a long time.
View from elevator window looked rather pretty after all the rain tonight........we had gone back to the room to drop off IPads......and I had made a mistake in my report a few days ago........it was tonight we came back to the room and the Strawberries and card were there waiting for us..........lovely surprise and very thoughtful.
We took a brief walk through the lobby, and again took loads of extra pictures that I`m sure we already have plenty of, but it`s such a nice place I`m always snapping pics...........
When we got outside, rather unusually there were no cars so we hung around waiting for a regular cab.......Justin offered to call us one, but we were in no rush..........we stood and chatted with him for a while as it was fairly quiet. Such a nice guy and he always remembers us.......full of plenty of new places for us to try.....and he always asks us where we have found new in case he doesn't know it.....again, so many of the hotel staff are just the friendliest people you can meet and make their job see almost effortless.
We love this entrance to the hotel.........even at night it can look something special.........(bit blurry)
We had been stood chatting for about 10 minutes or so, Justin then said oh you've waited long enough.......he said to follow him......I always do as I`m told......so across the way he had jumped into one of the hotel cars and said he would take us to where we were going.......we were so surprised and taken aback by his kindness!!! It wasn't that far to this Longhorn, but all the same he didn't need to do that for us.......needless to say he got an extra special tip. And this really is the standard of the staff here, always willing to go above and beyond......someone once said to me they didn't know what that meant.....above and beyond.....well, the staff in this hotel certainly do know that meaning.
Some people you meet are just the kindest, most considerate people ever and this man was one of those. We did what we wanted to do and we thanked him profusely for all his kindness and as usual we knew we would see him next year. Quite simply the nicest man on the planet. Saying goodbye always makes me cry, but I held it together till we left the lobby area.......I am too soft hearted at times.......
We then headed to the Club Lounge for a couple of hours relaxation. When we went in it was so quiet as they hadn't started serving anything yet, so we had a sprite and sat down and just chatted as usual.......Anthony asked if we wanted a movie on again and we should just make ourselves comfy instead of going out.....but we planned to go to Longhorn in LBV again. So Tom was driving.
We put on Ghostbusters 2 tonight........when they started serving wine Anthony checked if one of us was driving before bringing us over a glass of wine.........I had suggested to Tom why didn't we try the Longhorn on IDrive and just get a cab, that way we could chill out and not have to worry about driving. Tom thought, OK, so he had some wine too........
This would turn out to be one of my worst ideas ever!!!!
Such a nice place to sit and relax at any time of day......
So quiet before everyone appears at 4.30.
So, we sat and watched Ghostbusters 2 and loved it, such a good movie..........the rain had more or less stayed off now and I was so glad for those doing horror nights. It is truly abysmal trying to enjoy it when you are like drenched rats........but it looked ok thankfully. We headed downstairs after making sure we would see our favourite staff members tomorrow morning......would hate to miss them.....Anthony assured us he would be there as would Thomas who we had known for a long time.
View from elevator window looked rather pretty after all the rain tonight........we had gone back to the room to drop off IPads......and I had made a mistake in my report a few days ago........it was tonight we came back to the room and the Strawberries and card were there waiting for us..........lovely surprise and very thoughtful.
We took a brief walk through the lobby, and again took loads of extra pictures that I`m sure we already have plenty of, but it`s such a nice place I`m always snapping pics...........
When we got outside, rather unusually there were no cars so we hung around waiting for a regular cab.......Justin offered to call us one, but we were in no rush..........we stood and chatted with him for a while as it was fairly quiet. Such a nice guy and he always remembers us.......full of plenty of new places for us to try.....and he always asks us where we have found new in case he doesn't know it.....again, so many of the hotel staff are just the friendliest people you can meet and make their job see almost effortless.
We love this entrance to the hotel.........even at night it can look something special.........(bit blurry)
We had been stood chatting for about 10 minutes or so, Justin then said oh you've waited long enough.......he said to follow him......I always do as I`m told......so across the way he had jumped into one of the hotel cars and said he would take us to where we were going.......we were so surprised and taken aback by his kindness!!! It wasn't that far to this Longhorn, but all the same he didn't need to do that for us.......needless to say he got an extra special tip. And this really is the standard of the staff here, always willing to go above and beyond......someone once said to me they didn't know what that meant.....above and beyond.....well, the staff in this hotel certainly do know that meaning.
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schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
So we got in the car with Justin and in only a few minutes he dropped us at Longhorn. We love Longhorn in other locations and had never eaten here. Idrive is generally not somewhere we eat a whole lot, all though there are some exceptions and some very nice restaurants there.
We walked in the door to be greeted by the most unfriendly face I ever saw........we should have left then.
Table would be 15 minutes, so we sat and waited beside two very loud people who were a little inebriated to say the least.......I won`t describe exactly what he was doing but I walked away and stood at the farthest end I could. At that we got a table and I said if they were sitting close I was leaving.......fortunately they were at the farthest side from us. We have always found Longhorns to be very family friendly places that are not loud and rowdy.......this one however was the exception. We may have been unlucky. We had a table of 10 beside us that were very loud Londoners (nothing personal against London folk) they kept going on how wonderful their football team was and bla bla bla........kids were running around which is something I hate to see........anyway, we were still determined to enjoy our last night.
Our waiter was lovely, really lovely and immediately apologised for the rowdiness around us.......he very quietly said they had been asked to keep it down by managers, but didn't seem to take notice and he added he knew all Brits weren't like that but they just had a few like that. We promised to keep our noise down..........so we ordered a white wine for me, beer for Tom and a strawberry lemonade for me too........ He said he would be back with some bread.......we waited a while for that.
Eventually after asking a couple of times, we got our bread......it really is nice in there........
As we checked out the menu we easily decided on 14oz Strip for me, served medium rare with a baked sweet potato and salad, Tom ordered Fire Grilled T Bone, served medium with Garlic Gratin Potatoes
I did ask for the salad to come with my main meal but this was missed, not a great problem......it was nice actually.
We waited ages for our meal...........Nick, kept coming and apologising for the delay........he offered us more bread but we declined as we didn't want to fill up on it, which is very easy to do.........eventually he brought the meals out.......
To be fair Tom`s did look good. That`s about as much as you could say about it. But first.........where was my baked sweet potato................Nick looked very embarrassed to tell me they had misjudged cooking time and it would be another 15-20 minutes!!!!! Was he serious...........I think he was.........I looked at my plate and said you know what can you please just bring me some fries.......and forget the potato........to be fair to him he was back in a flash with fresh, hot fries........
I cut into my steak and I have to say.......mine was perfect. More rare than medium which suits me down to the ground.........but Tom cut into his and it was like shoe leather..........even the centre bit........trying to find Nick at this point was proving to be difficult so we grabbed the manager and told her........she took it away and said it would be redone with a fresh steak and apologised. Nick then came back and apologised again........so I tucked into mine which I did enjoy.........
Then I was finished..........Tom`s still hadn't appeared........I went to the bathroom and when I came back it was there........overcooked again and the same old potatoes were cold. Not lukewarm, cold. I told him not to eat it and called Nick over......I was kinda mad at this point, not at him, and said what was wrong. He looked at the steak and totally agreed it was so well done there was no juice or moisture in it at all..........He took it away and cvame back a few minutes later asking if we would like a free dessert. We declined and he said he would be back.......no way were we going to pay for this meal. Anyway he came back and said the meal was complimentary. We were grateful for that. We never look for anything free.......we are more than happy to pay for everything regardless of cost. I know this place isn't very expensive but it should be edible and we should be eating together. We did however tip Nick for the full cost of the meal and drinks as he was wonderful, not his fault at all.
As we left the strangest thing happened.........one of the greeters on the door rather perniciously mentioned most Brits wouldn't know a good steak anyway.........my blood boiled. Now I understood the lack of care........there was a lot of Brits in here.........but some of us do know a good steak from a poor one...........I very politely pointed out the error of her ways and maybe said something I shouldn't have. But I was still very polite and was smiling. We waited for a manager but she didn't appear.
I can honestly say I will never set foot in that branch of Longhorn again.......although I do have to say my steak was lovely and it`s usually Tom that gets the good one......lol.........
Justin had said to call him if we couldn't get a cab, but we went to the road to flag one down.....this guy appeared and said do you like magic shows.....I hate magic shows...........he was obviously doing card tricks for money.......Tom quick as a flash said can you magic us up a cab.......lol.....he said eh, no with a vague look of What!!!!! Lol..........he disappeared in a flash.......now that was magic!!!
A cab pulled up and we saw there was someone in the front.....however he gestured for us to get in..........this guy had his girlfriend travelling with him to keep him company.......the cab was full of KFC wrappers and all sorts of stuff.......and a very strange smell.......I have never taken any kind of illegal drug in my life .....but even I knew that smell........however, nice enough guy.......but it felt a bit odd.........anyway, he was asking about the hotel and how much they wanted to go to Horror nights but couldn't afford it......and they were saving up, They asked to buy our tickets off of us.....I wouldn't do that anyway.......oh my........long story short we got out the cab and Justin was still there.......he looked in the cab as it drove off and quipped we were lucky!!!! I think they were harmless really, but I think Justin may have felt we shouldn't have got that cab.
We chatted to him some more and told him of our disappointing dinner.......as usual he gave us another recommendation for next time........we then said our goodnights and headed up to our room. We didn't feel like another drink tonight.
It was rather a sombre mood tonight........our last night in the hotel is very bittersweet.......we don't want to go to sleep, but at the same time we are so tired......we put the tv on and watch something or other till we eventually dropped off. I left the drapes open tonight and watched the lights in the distance down IDrive as I fell asleep.
Would be another long day tomorrow.
We walked in the door to be greeted by the most unfriendly face I ever saw........we should have left then.
Table would be 15 minutes, so we sat and waited beside two very loud people who were a little inebriated to say the least.......I won`t describe exactly what he was doing but I walked away and stood at the farthest end I could. At that we got a table and I said if they were sitting close I was leaving.......fortunately they were at the farthest side from us. We have always found Longhorns to be very family friendly places that are not loud and rowdy.......this one however was the exception. We may have been unlucky. We had a table of 10 beside us that were very loud Londoners (nothing personal against London folk) they kept going on how wonderful their football team was and bla bla bla........kids were running around which is something I hate to see........anyway, we were still determined to enjoy our last night.
Our waiter was lovely, really lovely and immediately apologised for the rowdiness around us.......he very quietly said they had been asked to keep it down by managers, but didn't seem to take notice and he added he knew all Brits weren't like that but they just had a few like that. We promised to keep our noise down..........so we ordered a white wine for me, beer for Tom and a strawberry lemonade for me too........ He said he would be back with some bread.......we waited a while for that.
Eventually after asking a couple of times, we got our bread......it really is nice in there........
As we checked out the menu we easily decided on 14oz Strip for me, served medium rare with a baked sweet potato and salad, Tom ordered Fire Grilled T Bone, served medium with Garlic Gratin Potatoes
I did ask for the salad to come with my main meal but this was missed, not a great problem......it was nice actually.
We waited ages for our meal...........Nick, kept coming and apologising for the delay........he offered us more bread but we declined as we didn't want to fill up on it, which is very easy to do.........eventually he brought the meals out.......
To be fair Tom`s did look good. That`s about as much as you could say about it. But first.........where was my baked sweet potato................Nick looked very embarrassed to tell me they had misjudged cooking time and it would be another 15-20 minutes!!!!! Was he serious...........I think he was.........I looked at my plate and said you know what can you please just bring me some fries.......and forget the potato........to be fair to him he was back in a flash with fresh, hot fries........
I cut into my steak and I have to say.......mine was perfect. More rare than medium which suits me down to the ground.........but Tom cut into his and it was like shoe leather..........even the centre bit........trying to find Nick at this point was proving to be difficult so we grabbed the manager and told her........she took it away and said it would be redone with a fresh steak and apologised. Nick then came back and apologised again........so I tucked into mine which I did enjoy.........
Then I was finished..........Tom`s still hadn't appeared........I went to the bathroom and when I came back it was there........overcooked again and the same old potatoes were cold. Not lukewarm, cold. I told him not to eat it and called Nick over......I was kinda mad at this point, not at him, and said what was wrong. He looked at the steak and totally agreed it was so well done there was no juice or moisture in it at all..........He took it away and cvame back a few minutes later asking if we would like a free dessert. We declined and he said he would be back.......no way were we going to pay for this meal. Anyway he came back and said the meal was complimentary. We were grateful for that. We never look for anything free.......we are more than happy to pay for everything regardless of cost. I know this place isn't very expensive but it should be edible and we should be eating together. We did however tip Nick for the full cost of the meal and drinks as he was wonderful, not his fault at all.
As we left the strangest thing happened.........one of the greeters on the door rather perniciously mentioned most Brits wouldn't know a good steak anyway.........my blood boiled. Now I understood the lack of care........there was a lot of Brits in here.........but some of us do know a good steak from a poor one...........I very politely pointed out the error of her ways and maybe said something I shouldn't have. But I was still very polite and was smiling. We waited for a manager but she didn't appear.
I can honestly say I will never set foot in that branch of Longhorn again.......although I do have to say my steak was lovely and it`s usually Tom that gets the good one......lol.........
Justin had said to call him if we couldn't get a cab, but we went to the road to flag one down.....this guy appeared and said do you like magic shows.....I hate magic shows...........he was obviously doing card tricks for money.......Tom quick as a flash said can you magic us up a cab.......lol.....he said eh, no with a vague look of What!!!!! Lol..........he disappeared in a flash.......now that was magic!!!
A cab pulled up and we saw there was someone in the front.....however he gestured for us to get in..........this guy had his girlfriend travelling with him to keep him company.......the cab was full of KFC wrappers and all sorts of stuff.......and a very strange smell.......I have never taken any kind of illegal drug in my life .....but even I knew that smell........however, nice enough guy.......but it felt a bit odd.........anyway, he was asking about the hotel and how much they wanted to go to Horror nights but couldn't afford it......and they were saving up, They asked to buy our tickets off of us.....I wouldn't do that anyway.......oh my........long story short we got out the cab and Justin was still there.......he looked in the cab as it drove off and quipped we were lucky!!!! I think they were harmless really, but I think Justin may have felt we shouldn't have got that cab.
We chatted to him some more and told him of our disappointing dinner.......as usual he gave us another recommendation for next time........we then said our goodnights and headed up to our room. We didn't feel like another drink tonight.
It was rather a sombre mood tonight........our last night in the hotel is very bittersweet.......we don't want to go to sleep, but at the same time we are so tired......we put the tv on and watch something or other till we eventually dropped off. I left the drapes open tonight and watched the lights in the distance down IDrive as I fell asleep.
Would be another long day tomorrow.
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dixonsontour
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2008
Oh no what a shame on your last night. never been to longhorn but always gets good reviews.
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
Longhorn is really good, never had a bad experience in any of the others we`ve been to.......but that one was just awful!!
The one in LBV is excellent.......we should have just gone to that one after all!!
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
MONDAY 5TH OCTOBER
Well, the day we were not looking forward to had finally dawned. We were awake surprisingly early, which considering how badly we slept was surprising. We felt exhausted though......it was almost as if our bodies had reached the pinnacle of their abilities and had now resigned from any further exhausting activities!!! Yes, we felt old.
We very quietly and almost with resignation got ready and made sure the last of our things were packed.......then we thought, oh leave it, we need breakfast. We were two of only a few this morning in the Club Lounge......it was nice and quiet........which was good as we had plenty of time to talk to some our favourite members of staff that we knew so well. Breakfast was almost an afterthought as we said our goodbyes to them one at a time.........one of our favourites who have known for a good few years now was Thomas......such a nice guy with a wicked sense of humour.......we really enjoyed his company and chatted to him about many things.......I would be sad to say goodbye to him and Anthony. As we already had a picture of Anthony, I wanted one with Thomas today..........
Such a nice guy. Most of them are in there as I said, such nice people and we would miss them a lot.....although we do exchange emails so that's nice. We finally said our goodbyes and after many hugs we left the lounge and headed back to our room.......well, Tom headed back to our room and I went to mac`s room to say our goodbyes.
Tom had thought we may like to chat in private for a bit, he sent his best wishes to her though. We chatted for a bit then although we both felt emotional we didn't cry........I think I was just so tired I was numb at this moment......but if one of us had cried the other one would have set off too........definitely!!!! We would call as usual, and once I was home my email would be back working and we would be back to normal. But, we said our goodbyes and I left.
Back in the room, we really did finish off packing........then we weighed our cases and hand luggage........oh dear......we were well over the allowance, well, a fair bit anyway.......we would just have to pay whatever they asked and smile while doing so.........
We looked out the window and could see the preparations in place to begin removing the plane from the lagoon area........I was glad it was still there when we left as it really is synonymous with RP. We knew it was being moved this week but it hadn't been announced yet where it is going.
By now it was time to leave for the airport......well, we were a bit early, but we like to get there in plenty of time to get car hire returned and have something to eat before heading through security. Said goodbye to a few people on the way was tough as always, and as we walked out the doors for the final time....I welled up big time........huge big droplets running down my face......poor Tom.......I was ok really, just sad it was over for another year. We got the car and got it loaded up and headed off down Universal Boulevard for the journey that takes around 20-25 minutes.
I have shown this picture before, but I am quite proud of it as I took it from the car while it was moving........almost perfect!!!
We were so glad to have done the Wheel this year, as we had seen it going up from scratch.......it`s well worth doing. SeaWorld thing and Tussauds is not for us so we didn't do them, but it`s such a nice area and once Sugar Factory is open.......we`ll definitely be back down there!!!!
Didn't take long and we were at the airport. Such a depressing journey!!!! I adore airports.......full of excitement and anticipation on the way out.......on the way home...not so much. And today was no different. We pulled into the car drop off area and pulled forward. The girl came forward and scanned the barcode and handed us a receipt for what should be zero.......nothing.......zilch.......nothing is ever easy though.......we had a charge of $138!!!!! He immediately wandered off and we yelled at him to come back......what is the charge for we asked him.......in broken English.....he spoke it quite clearly a second ago.....he said Fuel!!! We pay in advance for first tank of gas, extra driver and that`s it.......we had a charge to fight on our arrival and here we were again.......he said he would get someone.....few minutes later another guy appeared who could at least converse with us.....he said it was for fuel also....Tom very patiently explained we owed then nothing. He rather smugly asked for our agreement......as if by magic Tom pulled it out......guys face fell.......Tom asked if he could see we owed nothing......he grudgingly agreed we were right.
5 minutes later and rather officious looking woman appeared who said we had to go over to the main terminal for our refund. So we followed this very obviously annoyed supervisor who told us to wait there at the desk. And we waited....she had wandered to the other end of the desks.....after 20 minutes Tom went down and asked what the problem was.....she said she wasn't convinced the agreement was right!!!!! Tom almost erupted.........but didn't want arrested.......so he asked for another supervisor......with that she slammed a receipt down and said we owed nothing, it had indeed been refunded to our card.......we were furious. This happens most years and I imagine they get away with it at times. To add insult to injury she told us then it was a brand new system that had gone in last week.....Tom said to her when we arrived we were told it was a new system......last year we were told the same thing!! She just walked away at that point. Hate the whole car hire debacle.
Now we headed up to drop our bags at check in.......we were about half an hour early and there was already about 15 people in the queue, so we just stood. When it was our time I was nervous they would tell us we had to dump some of our stuff.......but, he never even flinched when they went on the scales, and never bothered with out hand luggage....phew!!!!
We went straight through to the food court, bathroom visit and lunch. We both got pepperoni pizza and then some strawberry ice cream and just sat and people watch for a while.......the fish tank in the middle was getting cleaned and there was a diver in full gear doing it, so he was attracting a lot of attention.........eventually we decided to bite the bullet and go through to gate.
I like this airport...........
Going through security is never fun.......sometimes they tell you shoes off, ipads out......other times no, you don't have to......but some of them get annoyed and can be abrupt if you seemingly don't know what to do. Today was a bit like that.......they seemed annoyed with everyone. But we got through and then collected our belongings as we both went through the extra scan today........
I never usually take pictures once we are here as I`m usually a bit fed up, but I did today.........just a couple.......
And we were off. This truly is the most depressing journey.......albeit very short one.
When we get to the gates we head to Duty Free and pick up some Ciroc Vodka, Giant JD and some Rum......girl asks if we are aware of our limits......we say yes we are........I add a bottle of Chanel just because..........then we go down to wait at the gate.....
We buy some water and some muffins for breakfast in case the offerings are not great......wise decision.....and a few other nibbly bits. We really didn't wait that long before they start boarding.....as we have the exit row seats again, we are more or less last. But we get in and get our bags stowed above us. We love these seats and have them reserved for next year again......you have so much room. On the way out we didn't have the exit chute but it didn't affect me at all, in fact I used it to lean my legs on.....didn't get into trouble either!!
They really are good seats to get.
We take off about 20 mins late which wasnt bad and it`s nice to take off in daylight hours........again, this always gets me a little sad when we take off, but I was just so tired I just looked out the window and watch Orlando and all it has to offer disappear into the distance.
Flight is uneventful and I don't even bother with movies, I`m going to try and sleep. But just before it started to get dark......
It looked prettier at the time!!! We had a pretty decent meal, chicken for me and Beef for Tom.......had two glasses of wine which were very nice.
We both visited the bathroom......then settled down with my vividly purple eye mask and noise cancelling headphones and tried to sleep. Managed maybe a couple of hours and Tom did too.
We arrived 5.30am UK time, so not a bad flight time of just over 7.5 hours......we had a good jet stream behind us this year. Get off plane quickly and head to passport check again.......we were more or less first there as we were at the exits......two minutes and we are through to wait for baggage........yes, ours was last off again. You begin to worry at that point that someone has taken yours by mistake.....but eventually they appear and we collect them and head through customs.
We stop in at a café and have our first decent cup of tea in 3 weeks......along with bacon and sausage roll.......perfect!!!! 2 minutes takes us a short walk back the Radisson through the skywalk to pick up our car........no issues here and we here, eventually have to walk outside into the British weather. It`s not warm. We have felt it worse coming home actually, but a short walk and we find the car, check it over and set off.........
I managed to stay awake whole journey home this year......we got delayed by road works......nothing unusual there......but eventually around 11am we get home and hug the life out of my son!!! Bless him.......we did miss him, and he did miss us too.......and the whole house was immaculate......he has always been good at doing his own room since he was young.....but the whole place was gleaming.....he had cup of tea ready for us and we sat and chatted for a bit before we collapsed into our bed. We slept till mid afternoon and forced ourselves to get up, shower and try and stay awake till at least 10.30 tonight.
We hugged Kyle some more, unpacked and sorted out everything we had brought back.......had an Indian meal delivered and we did stay up till 11pm, hoping this would help keep jetlag at bay. It was kinda nice to be home. But my mind was already thinking ahead for next year.........
Next year is all sorted, we arranged hotel before we left, just had to tweak the definite dates when we got them, flights, Radisson for night before flight and car hire are sorted now too. That`s the amount of our planning.
So folks, that`s 2015 trip report over again for another year.
Highlights are vast.......just a few here......
Meeting friends, old and new. I include staff in this too as some really are like family to us now. Meeting mac finally, and meeting other old faces......sadly missed on seeing Metro West this year........I think communications were amiss...having no email sucks!!!
HHN.....amazing event......never disappoints and is so much fun. We never saw any foul behaviour at all this year, just people having a lot of fun. I hope it stays this way as we adored this event over many nights. This was definitely the best HHN for years, apart from Michael Myers last year of course.......but so much fun!!!! The calibre of TM`s as SA is truly stupendous.....they create something very special every night and we loved every night we went.
Parks.......truly amazing!!! Absorbing everything they have to offer should never be rushed.........I have never understood people who say TM are not as friendly as the other place......well, we have only ever encountered friendly and helpful staff who cannot do enough for you.....never saw a sour faced one either. Rides are fun and Potter is immersive as ever. So much to look forward to for next year with Kong and other stuff being built.
Weather.......was wonderful......in the 90s most days...perfect for us, we loved it!! Only had one morning of bad rain really, and I was at the dentist so it was fine.
Food..........what can I say.......10lbs heavier..........Linda, when you read this.......I don`t know how that happened!!!! LOL.......we ate in many lovely places, and a couple of new ones that are on our every year list now......Ocean Prime and Oceanaire Seafood for sure, and a few others that have been recommended to us.
RPR........again, what can I say I havent already said. We are honestly treated like royalty when we stay here.......we are very blessed and we love every second we are there. Staff are truly wonderful and we are lucky to have been looked after by so many of them.
Lows.........coming home. That`s it. Not having Kyle with us was definitely different but although we missed having him there, we still had the most amazing time.........
I hope you have enjoyed reading and thank you for the lovely comments along the way......it`s been a bit dragged out....really shouldn't take this long to do a trip report, but I do tend to babble on a bit at times.......
Thanks again for reading.........
Well, the day we were not looking forward to had finally dawned. We were awake surprisingly early, which considering how badly we slept was surprising. We felt exhausted though......it was almost as if our bodies had reached the pinnacle of their abilities and had now resigned from any further exhausting activities!!! Yes, we felt old.
We very quietly and almost with resignation got ready and made sure the last of our things were packed.......then we thought, oh leave it, we need breakfast. We were two of only a few this morning in the Club Lounge......it was nice and quiet........which was good as we had plenty of time to talk to some our favourite members of staff that we knew so well. Breakfast was almost an afterthought as we said our goodbyes to them one at a time.........one of our favourites who have known for a good few years now was Thomas......such a nice guy with a wicked sense of humour.......we really enjoyed his company and chatted to him about many things.......I would be sad to say goodbye to him and Anthony. As we already had a picture of Anthony, I wanted one with Thomas today..........
Such a nice guy. Most of them are in there as I said, such nice people and we would miss them a lot.....although we do exchange emails so that's nice. We finally said our goodbyes and after many hugs we left the lounge and headed back to our room.......well, Tom headed back to our room and I went to mac`s room to say our goodbyes.
Tom had thought we may like to chat in private for a bit, he sent his best wishes to her though. We chatted for a bit then although we both felt emotional we didn't cry........I think I was just so tired I was numb at this moment......but if one of us had cried the other one would have set off too........definitely!!!! We would call as usual, and once I was home my email would be back working and we would be back to normal. But, we said our goodbyes and I left.
Back in the room, we really did finish off packing........then we weighed our cases and hand luggage........oh dear......we were well over the allowance, well, a fair bit anyway.......we would just have to pay whatever they asked and smile while doing so.........
We looked out the window and could see the preparations in place to begin removing the plane from the lagoon area........I was glad it was still there when we left as it really is synonymous with RP. We knew it was being moved this week but it hadn't been announced yet where it is going.
By now it was time to leave for the airport......well, we were a bit early, but we like to get there in plenty of time to get car hire returned and have something to eat before heading through security. Said goodbye to a few people on the way was tough as always, and as we walked out the doors for the final time....I welled up big time........huge big droplets running down my face......poor Tom.......I was ok really, just sad it was over for another year. We got the car and got it loaded up and headed off down Universal Boulevard for the journey that takes around 20-25 minutes.
I have shown this picture before, but I am quite proud of it as I took it from the car while it was moving........almost perfect!!!
We were so glad to have done the Wheel this year, as we had seen it going up from scratch.......it`s well worth doing. SeaWorld thing and Tussauds is not for us so we didn't do them, but it`s such a nice area and once Sugar Factory is open.......we`ll definitely be back down there!!!!
Didn't take long and we were at the airport. Such a depressing journey!!!! I adore airports.......full of excitement and anticipation on the way out.......on the way home...not so much. And today was no different. We pulled into the car drop off area and pulled forward. The girl came forward and scanned the barcode and handed us a receipt for what should be zero.......nothing.......zilch.......nothing is ever easy though.......we had a charge of $138!!!!! He immediately wandered off and we yelled at him to come back......what is the charge for we asked him.......in broken English.....he spoke it quite clearly a second ago.....he said Fuel!!! We pay in advance for first tank of gas, extra driver and that`s it.......we had a charge to fight on our arrival and here we were again.......he said he would get someone.....few minutes later another guy appeared who could at least converse with us.....he said it was for fuel also....Tom very patiently explained we owed then nothing. He rather smugly asked for our agreement......as if by magic Tom pulled it out......guys face fell.......Tom asked if he could see we owed nothing......he grudgingly agreed we were right.
5 minutes later and rather officious looking woman appeared who said we had to go over to the main terminal for our refund. So we followed this very obviously annoyed supervisor who told us to wait there at the desk. And we waited....she had wandered to the other end of the desks.....after 20 minutes Tom went down and asked what the problem was.....she said she wasn't convinced the agreement was right!!!!! Tom almost erupted.........but didn't want arrested.......so he asked for another supervisor......with that she slammed a receipt down and said we owed nothing, it had indeed been refunded to our card.......we were furious. This happens most years and I imagine they get away with it at times. To add insult to injury she told us then it was a brand new system that had gone in last week.....Tom said to her when we arrived we were told it was a new system......last year we were told the same thing!! She just walked away at that point. Hate the whole car hire debacle.
Now we headed up to drop our bags at check in.......we were about half an hour early and there was already about 15 people in the queue, so we just stood. When it was our time I was nervous they would tell us we had to dump some of our stuff.......but, he never even flinched when they went on the scales, and never bothered with out hand luggage....phew!!!!
We went straight through to the food court, bathroom visit and lunch. We both got pepperoni pizza and then some strawberry ice cream and just sat and people watch for a while.......the fish tank in the middle was getting cleaned and there was a diver in full gear doing it, so he was attracting a lot of attention.........eventually we decided to bite the bullet and go through to gate.
I like this airport...........
Going through security is never fun.......sometimes they tell you shoes off, ipads out......other times no, you don't have to......but some of them get annoyed and can be abrupt if you seemingly don't know what to do. Today was a bit like that.......they seemed annoyed with everyone. But we got through and then collected our belongings as we both went through the extra scan today........
I never usually take pictures once we are here as I`m usually a bit fed up, but I did today.........just a couple.......
And we were off. This truly is the most depressing journey.......albeit very short one.
When we get to the gates we head to Duty Free and pick up some Ciroc Vodka, Giant JD and some Rum......girl asks if we are aware of our limits......we say yes we are........I add a bottle of Chanel just because..........then we go down to wait at the gate.....
We buy some water and some muffins for breakfast in case the offerings are not great......wise decision.....and a few other nibbly bits. We really didn't wait that long before they start boarding.....as we have the exit row seats again, we are more or less last. But we get in and get our bags stowed above us. We love these seats and have them reserved for next year again......you have so much room. On the way out we didn't have the exit chute but it didn't affect me at all, in fact I used it to lean my legs on.....didn't get into trouble either!!
They really are good seats to get.
We take off about 20 mins late which wasnt bad and it`s nice to take off in daylight hours........again, this always gets me a little sad when we take off, but I was just so tired I just looked out the window and watch Orlando and all it has to offer disappear into the distance.
Flight is uneventful and I don't even bother with movies, I`m going to try and sleep. But just before it started to get dark......
It looked prettier at the time!!! We had a pretty decent meal, chicken for me and Beef for Tom.......had two glasses of wine which were very nice.
We both visited the bathroom......then settled down with my vividly purple eye mask and noise cancelling headphones and tried to sleep. Managed maybe a couple of hours and Tom did too.
We arrived 5.30am UK time, so not a bad flight time of just over 7.5 hours......we had a good jet stream behind us this year. Get off plane quickly and head to passport check again.......we were more or less first there as we were at the exits......two minutes and we are through to wait for baggage........yes, ours was last off again. You begin to worry at that point that someone has taken yours by mistake.....but eventually they appear and we collect them and head through customs.
We stop in at a café and have our first decent cup of tea in 3 weeks......along with bacon and sausage roll.......perfect!!!! 2 minutes takes us a short walk back the Radisson through the skywalk to pick up our car........no issues here and we here, eventually have to walk outside into the British weather. It`s not warm. We have felt it worse coming home actually, but a short walk and we find the car, check it over and set off.........
I managed to stay awake whole journey home this year......we got delayed by road works......nothing unusual there......but eventually around 11am we get home and hug the life out of my son!!! Bless him.......we did miss him, and he did miss us too.......and the whole house was immaculate......he has always been good at doing his own room since he was young.....but the whole place was gleaming.....he had cup of tea ready for us and we sat and chatted for a bit before we collapsed into our bed. We slept till mid afternoon and forced ourselves to get up, shower and try and stay awake till at least 10.30 tonight.
We hugged Kyle some more, unpacked and sorted out everything we had brought back.......had an Indian meal delivered and we did stay up till 11pm, hoping this would help keep jetlag at bay. It was kinda nice to be home. But my mind was already thinking ahead for next year.........
Next year is all sorted, we arranged hotel before we left, just had to tweak the definite dates when we got them, flights, Radisson for night before flight and car hire are sorted now too. That`s the amount of our planning.
So folks, that`s 2015 trip report over again for another year.
Highlights are vast.......just a few here......
Meeting friends, old and new. I include staff in this too as some really are like family to us now. Meeting mac finally, and meeting other old faces......sadly missed on seeing Metro West this year........I think communications were amiss...having no email sucks!!!
HHN.....amazing event......never disappoints and is so much fun. We never saw any foul behaviour at all this year, just people having a lot of fun. I hope it stays this way as we adored this event over many nights. This was definitely the best HHN for years, apart from Michael Myers last year of course.......but so much fun!!!! The calibre of TM`s as SA is truly stupendous.....they create something very special every night and we loved every night we went.
Parks.......truly amazing!!! Absorbing everything they have to offer should never be rushed.........I have never understood people who say TM are not as friendly as the other place......well, we have only ever encountered friendly and helpful staff who cannot do enough for you.....never saw a sour faced one either. Rides are fun and Potter is immersive as ever. So much to look forward to for next year with Kong and other stuff being built.
Weather.......was wonderful......in the 90s most days...perfect for us, we loved it!! Only had one morning of bad rain really, and I was at the dentist so it was fine.
Food..........what can I say.......10lbs heavier..........Linda, when you read this.......I don`t know how that happened!!!! LOL.......we ate in many lovely places, and a couple of new ones that are on our every year list now......Ocean Prime and Oceanaire Seafood for sure, and a few others that have been recommended to us.
RPR........again, what can I say I havent already said. We are honestly treated like royalty when we stay here.......we are very blessed and we love every second we are there. Staff are truly wonderful and we are lucky to have been looked after by so many of them.
Lows.........coming home. That`s it. Not having Kyle with us was definitely different but although we missed having him there, we still had the most amazing time.........
I hope you have enjoyed reading and thank you for the lovely comments along the way......it`s been a bit dragged out....really shouldn't take this long to do a trip report, but I do tend to babble on a bit at times.......
Thanks again for reading.........
Last edited:
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
Thanks mac, glad you enjoyed reading along and finally taking part this year.......
Although, can I start 2016 trip report before I think about 2017????
Thanks for the lovely comments........
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
Thanks!!! Glad you enjoyed it
The plane had to be moved because of the extension of the waterway to include Sapphire Falls. I know they were hoping to put it some place, but whether that will happen or not I'm not sure now.......
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