Fly on Friday the 13th?? Yep, we`ll turn superstition into 23 nights of fun!! A Sept/Oct 2024 TR

[schumigirl]

It seriously pains me to walk thru that now “abandoned” area. It needs repurposed, pronto

Truly, talented staffing there. Impressive how they manage to hold the floor when a rotter of a kid pipes up…the sort with a wing-man of a parent encouraging their behavior.

Believe he is following Winnie the Pooh & steamboat mickey into the public domain this year…a sub-par horror movie is sure to surface…then the kiddos will know him lol

Which cries for full fat rum . We have a mixed family here, keep Pepsi & coke stocked for all. I’m lucky if I drink a can a month.

Haha perfect way to describe one’s exit after IoA’s water rides

Find it interesting how Fanta = orange pop in the south. Here, with that order, you’d be asked what flavor. I’m partial to Moon Mist (a Mt Dew knockoff better than the real deal).

Lololol

I think once Epic is up and running we`ll start to hear what changes will be coming to that area, I do wonder how they`ll incorporate the talking fountain, I`m sure they`ll keep it.

Really? Haven`t kept up with movie releases this year, I`m thinking of how to make Popeye into a horror lol....

Yep, pepsi fan here, my sister is a diet coke drinker but she likes hers at room temperature and I like mine chilled with ice and a slice. Tom loves Mountain Dew and I don`t think he`s tried Moon Mist?? He like you, doesn`t drink it often, I have a 12 pack of pepsi max I opened in November and so far I`ve only drank two of them, so yes, not something we consume a lot of.

Fanta in the US is much nicer than the stuff we get in the UK because we don`t use that HFCS over here, but makes it taste so much nicer lol....I`m told everything is ok in moderation apparently

 

[schumigirl]

Before we went to Citywalk we stopped off downstairs to say goodbye to Daniel and to say hello to someone else, but we had a wander in Tuk Tuk as someone had asked me to check if they stocked a certain type of drink, which they did.

We quite like Tuk Tuk and pop in now and again for one thing or another, they do have a seating area, it`s not huge and in the morning we`re told it`s quite busy and the line can go out into the lobby at peak times.

​

We have had the sandwiches a couple of times and they were very nice, the Caesar Salad with chicken was also lovely, very fresh and a decent amount of chicken in there.

​

Before we saw Daniel, we saw Colby who we fondly call our number 2 son, we have known him for many years since he was around 18 and worked at the pool, then he was in Concierge forever, but eventually moved on and we are so proud of him.

He has now moved on from working with Loews, we`ll miss him around the hotel on future visits, but always nice to catch up with him whenever we can. ​

It was time to see Daniel, he was working downstairs tonight for his last shift, he is another superstar who will go far in whatever he does, we do keep in touch so we`ll be able to keep up with wherever he ends up, such a lovely young man!!


​

The pool looked lovely tonight, we were tempted to go get changed and just stay here, but we headed to the boat and ventured into Citywalk, we also shared the boat with the couple I couldn`t remember where we first met them or their names, we did find out tonight and it was nice to chat to them a little more. ​

We had a wander around and again were amazed how quiet Citywalk was on a HHN this was very strange, but we enjoyed it not being too busy again.

We had some water and sat just people watching for a time, had a wander in the stores and then headed over for something to eat, we just planned to snack as we had enjoyed the char sui pork earlier, but we could do with something now.

We headed over to the other side of Citywalk and I was daydreaming when someone jumped out in front of me, I about jumped out of my skin, it was the lovely A from the hotel, she was with several folks from the hotel heading to HHN, always lovely to see her and have a quick chat.

I`ll be honest, I`m not a Hot Dog person, but very, very occasionally I will have a taste. I did enjoy the one Chef Carlos made, but that wasn`t your run of the mill Hot Dog. But, Tom enjoys one so we thought we`d give the place in Citywalk a try, it gets good reviews, so why not.

​

After much deliberation.....it did take a while we opted to share a foot long with added jalapenos and sweet pickle, we got fries too and it was plenty to share between us.

It was lovely, and meaty, not smooshy the way some cheap ones are, but nice tasted and the fries were decent too, yep, I`d probably have one again if we were hungry.
​

It was lovely wandering around, we didn`t venture up to the HHN themed bar, it just wasn`t that good this year and if you`ve been once that`s probably enough, we headed to Pat O`Briens to have a bash at their cocktails, we don`t go here often at all and not for many years.​

It was so quiet compared to the last time we came in here, we could barely get to the bar that visit, but we had our choice of seats at the bar and only four other companions in this side of the place.

It is done up nicely and they have a countdown to St Patrick`s Day if that interests you, not for us as we don`t celebrate it.

It is a nice bar and staff are as always very friendly and chatty, we did sit at the bar and had a look at the menu, the cocktails were certainly very colourful!!!

​

We ordered a Fuzzy Leprechaun a Hurricane and then I asked for a Cat 5 Margarita but made with Casamigos Blanco instead of Reposado, probably not much difference in taste within a cocktail but I just prefer it in drinks.

Again, with having a cocktail or two, we fancied a nibble, so ordered the Crawfish Dip to give it a try and it was nice but the chips that came with it were very, very salty, but we ate some of them with the dip.

We paid the check and took the third cocktail through to the Duelling Piano Bar, Tom got a beer as he had enough of sweet cocktails tonight, they are all rather sweet I suppose in here, probably the sweetest cocktails we`d had so far, but decent pour of alcohol we found too.

Duelling Pianos are tremendous fun, this really is a place you can spend an evening in and time passes so quickly. I think next time we come here we`ll miss out the bar next door and just come here, and hopefully it`ll be a little busier as it has a much better atmosphere when it`s full.

Antojitos is a place we don`t eat in, it does get mixed reviews but Mexican is not a favourite cuisine of ours, however their bar is very nice and they do a very good Spicy Margarita, but not tonight, we were ready to head home.

We waited only a few moments for a boat and it was full when we set off, shame the Captains don`t do the Rocking of the Boat anymore, nor do many of them except Capt Rob have much interaction with guests, the Captains several years ago all seemed to be more personable and several of them were very good including just dancing as they steered the boat along the way much to everyone`s amusement.

As we got off the elevator in the lobby a lady approached us and said hello, it was a pleasure to see us again and immediately went into a recount of our last meeting many years ago!!! I side eyed a look at Tom and he was doing the same to me, but neither of us have a clue who she was or where we met her before! I hate when that happens, I should have just asked but didn`t really like to.

She did mention HHN way back when, so who knows.

We extracated ourselves and headed back to the suite, it was only around 11.30 but we headed straight to bed, we`d not done much today but had really enjoyed it all the same. ​

 

[schumigirl]

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 30TH





We woke up bright and early this morning, both of us were acutely aware this was us in our last week, so we put that out of our mind, got showered, dressed and headed over for breakfast, I think I was ready for a tea to wake me up this morning, I think I slept too well and took me some time to waken up.

I tried the croissants this morning, just with butter though, followed by some fruit and a slice of turkey, it wasn`t too busy again, I think many of the families had all gone for EE, something we never bother with.

IOA was going to be our destination this morning and as we headed out to cut through the pool, I swore it had gone up more than a few degrees in heat, this was going to be a scorcher today.

We like the pool at RP, we have no desire for a slide, so this one suits us right down to the ground. We have tried other pools, we do like Sapphire`s, but the others while fine, aren`t worth the bother to make an effort to get to over this. The dive in movies are something we do enjoy, depending on the movie of course, but it is nice to sit at night with a cocktail watching the show. ​

The walking path to the parks is beautiful and shady most of the way which is always appreciated in this lovely heat we were experiencing, but it is an alternative to waiting for the boats and a very pleasant way to start the day.​

We always stop and admire these plants, as I`m sure I`ve rambled on plenty of times before but Kyle actually planted some of these many, many years ago and they have been huge for a few years now. I think he helped with two on the front and four in the back, he did enjoy it and it was cute to watch him. Not sure the man was supposed to let him help, but I`m sure he is long retired now. ​

It really is the prettiest of walks, several boats passed us going both ways, the ones heading to the parks were full to bursting with people, that`s usually us on the way back from the parks, but we do enjoy the walk.

We were glad to see they had begun to replant an area that they had ripped out some older plants earlier in our trip, they do such a good job of keeping the whole resort absolutely beautiful. ​

Although they could be doing with fixing the globe that hadn`t been working properly for quite a time during our trip. ​

During certain times of the year UOR offer benefits for APH and one of them is an entrance just for passholders, this was the last day of this little perk.

But, we had been told that in 2025 it would be an all year round perk. Between 8am till midday AP holders can use this entrance which is off to the left of the main entrance as you walk in towards the park. It does save some time for sure as sometimes the lines are mahoosive getting in during peak times. ​

The TM`s are exceptional, every day you enter the parks they always thank you for being an AP holder which is nice, but that aside, they genuinely are very welcoming.

POE is gorgeous this morning, the colours are vibrant and stunning and all the little details stand out and always impresses us each and every time. ​

This little window tucked away in a corner references David Codiga who was once the Executive VP of Universal Creative and was highly thought, he was also involved with the High Roller observation wheel which is the world`s highest at 550 feet and you can find it in Las Vegas, interesting man. ​

In the Studios, there are loads of windows which are filled with nods to past executives or people who have been instrumental in making UOR the success it has become, I think we spend far too long noticing these windows, but it is fun to see all these names from the past etched in history.

Those little doves always have folks that do notice them wondering if they are real or not. From a distance they do look quite realistic, but they are ornamental. ​

POE has many little corners and delights that many do miss in the haste to get into the parks, can`t say I blame them if time is scarce, but there are many treasures to enjoy and admire everywhere and this one I do like, almost a stair case to nowhere.

The Christmas Shop is lovely inside, we always pick up something from here every trip and have one tree at home that is only filled with Universal ornaments, there`s a lot of the Grinch on that tree!! As soon as you go in, you smell Christmas with the warming aroma everywhere, I must admit I think even I would tire of Christmas working in here.

It really didn`t look busy this morning, but most had already come in as we had dithered and really took our time wandering through POE and there really are a lot of things to see and listen to here.

Confisco Grille and Croissant Moon are both on the path to the right as you walk in, again it`s somewhere many pass by and don`t always notice, I think I`ve lost count of the times people have said over the years on here they have never heard of it.

Both are decent places and serve very good food, we have had some very good meals in Confisco maybe the odd one that has been sent back, but it`s usually because it`s been cold when it arrived at our table not because of any other issues.

More to follow
​

 

[keishashadow]

lots of great pics today!

Kyle actually planted some of these many, many years ago and they have been huge for a few years now. I think he helped with two on the front and four in the back,

that, is a rare sort of memory to treasure

Although they could be doing with fixing the globe that hadn`t been working properly for quite a time during our trip.

this

we had been told that in 2025 it would be an all year round perk. Between 8am till midday AP holders can use this entrance which is off to the left of the main entrance as you walk in towards the park.

um i missed that duh, both parks?

 

[schumigirl]

We love this park, it is beautiful and very scenic in many places, the lagoon is one of those places you can just stand and look over for some time, very pretty.
​

We had a quick blast on the Hulk, but wow, I think it must be an age thing now, but we both said once is enough as it is a little bit of a head basher and a back basher now it seems!! It is a good ride with one of the best take off`s around, but jeez, I think this is another one that will be a one and done for us now.

Dr Doom is one ride I won`t go on now, for the most ridiculous reason, they got rid of the extra belt on the bottom of the harness and I don`t like it, so no more Doom for me. Tom has always said he never really enjoyed that one and thought for him it was not enjoyable and not worth it, but Kyle and I loved it so he always went on. Now it`s me and he thinks it`ll be fine lol.....

He did go on once on his own and there must have been at least 20 people in the EP line which was a surprise at this time of the morning, but he was on and off in no time. I wandered about and took some pictures while he was on it.

I honestly cannot remember if Spiderman was running or off going by this picture!! Now, If I don`t write it down, I forget!

Captain America Diner is somewhere we have never eaten in, we have been told they do a lovely Apple Pie, but so far we keep forgetting to go in and try it, or it`s too early and it`s not open, but at some point we will try it as we both love apple pie.

Toon Lagoon is very colourful and so quiet in certain parts today, it does look empty, but it wasn`t quite as deserted as it looks, but not busy. But it is lovely just walking along hand in hand taking in every moment of this beautiful place and the heat too is always lovely of course.

My husband is a huge fan of the movie Flash Gordon (of course) and has fond memories of the Saturday morning show too, not for me, it was never something I ever had any interest in, but every time I see it, I hear the Queen song "Flash" in my head.

Love us some Freddie

Blondie`s is somwhere very decent to eat in the parks, sandwiches and hot dogs are good, but like Wimpy`s the fries are something else, they are lovely!! We could pop in just for them and nothing else and we did consider it for lunch today a little later.

We had our fill on the Barges the other day and honestly, this is a fabulous ride for getting drenched, you just can`t come off this dry at all and it is fun, it`s a swooshy ride with bumps and lumps all the way, we do love it.

We can stand for hours watching this part of the ride, folks reactions are hilarious, especially when they get annoyed when they get drenched, it is singularly one of the most hilarious parts of any ride to watch in the parks, all down to people`s reactions. We laugh so hard here every single time!

Beyond the bridge area you again get a lovely view over the lagoon and a perfect view of the Trolls layer under Mythos, if you stand to the left as you look at in the picture on the bridge, you can hear the troll rumbling away as you cross over. It is quite audible even if there are others around at the time, again, some folks don`t know that sound effect is there.

Me Ship the Olive is a fabulous little activity for kids of all ages, my two love it, mainly due to the water canons on the top level where you can shoot water at the already soaked riders on the barges, again, some like it, some get weirdly irritated, they`re the best ones to hit, it`s not a lot of water either so they do look a little ridiculous getting annoyed at being wet on a water ride!!!

There are some lovely little interactive things to do inside, including the piano where you follow the colours and it plays the Popeye theme, a little scratchy, but you can make it out.

There is also a slide that goes from top to bottom and an elevator if you can`t make the stairs for whatever reason.

More of this very picture centric post coming right up
​

 

[schumigirl]

lots of great pics today!


that, is a rare sort of memory to treasure

this

um i missed that duh, both parks?

Thank you, we seemed to have taken hundreds of pictures today!! Thing is there are so many things to capture in both parks, heck everywhere really.

It`s a nice memory every time we pass those plants, he did enjoy helping.

No, only in IOA I believe, it would be nice if it was a permanent thing for all parks, but can`t see that somehow. .

 

[schumigirl]

This was a day for slow wandering, it was the hottest day so far for us and it felt like it, so yes, we didn`t build up any speed at all as we meandered around.

So many rumours about changes to the Jurassic Park area into a Jurassic World area, will look forward to that but hope they keep the charm of the original area, if rumours are to be believed of course. They have done a good job with this part of the park, but I guess it could be updated in hopefully a sympathetic manner. ​

It`s been many years since we snacked at Pizza Predattoria, but we did enjoy it, but in recent years it never looks overly busy, but to be fair, we`re never there at peak times to see, looks a decent place. There were plenty of folks lining up to eat here as we passed today, albeit after we took this picture! ​

We did go round to Velocicoaster today, and it was busy, the EP line was decent though and we got through in no time, apart from Tom getting a search at the metal detector, they never found anything, just one of those things but it is something that happens to one or the other of us at rides but more usually airports. ​

Velocicoaster is one ride I wish we could stay on without getting off and just go around until my head tells me enough is enough, it does have everything you want in a coaster. We waited for the front row today, usually we don`t and prefer the back. I will say however, I forgot how scary the front can be as you go over the top hat part and it did give me a good scare since it had been a while since we had sat in the front during daytime, yes I did get that I`m going to fall out head first feeling!

Think I`ll stick to the back after that one, but it was a good thrill and Tom thought my shocked and terrified scream was hilarious....he would of course lol. Yes, once was enough today, I don`t think I felt brave enough to go back on, but I will another day.

We headed upstairs to get some pictures of the view from Burger Digs, you do get a fabulous view of the coaster and over the lagoon from here.

Heading outside I held the door open for a family coming in and not one of them said thank you, one of my pet hates in people, a man was behind Tom waiting to get out too, we all looked at one another with incredulity as all seven of them passed through the door as if we were invisible!!!

I did mutter "charming" as the last adult passed then, said you`re welcome in a loud voice, the man waiting with us laughed and said oh you`re so British!!!

We could have said more I suppose, but not worth it, the guy however did yell you`re welcome louder than I did. Not one of them even turned around, we all had a little chunter about rude people generally after that.

The views here are very nice indeed...... ​

And you get to see the white`s of the riders eyes from here as you are so close to them! ​

We headed back inside where it was cool, and then left to wander to The Watering Hole where we fancied a small libation before deciding where to have lunch.

It is tucked away slightly to the side and rather annoyingly they used to have loads of tables scattered around, now they have one with a good few seats that in all honesty, aren`t comfortable, Tom went to order our drinks while I grabbed the lone table available now. ​

​

At this point, the real feel was 104F!

Well, maybe not so elegantly



​

I had the Bird of Paradise and Tom ordered the Leapin Lizard and while they are both nice, they are quite sugary but it is a decent pour all the same and nice on a day like today to sit back and enjoy 10 minutes in partial shade. ​

A lovely lady and her three daughters appeared and looked around for somewhere to sit, one was in a stroller, so we asked them if they wanted to sit on the other chairs around the table and she was very grateful, so two of the kids joined us and they were chatty!!!! lovely to listen to and we had a full description of the little play her and her imaginary friend were putting on, so cute!! Nice family who were waiting on dad coming off of Velocicoaster with their son who was around 9 I think.

We were thinking of where to go for lunch as we sat, and Tom suggested maybe, possibly, slight chance of trying Mythos again. We always said at some point we`d give them a try after several not so positive experiences, so maybe it was time. We got on the App and booked a table for 12.30 today and there was plenty of availability showing. I hoped we didn`t regret it.

Potter time now, and by gosh it was hot as we headed round to do FJ, but first of course a picture of the beautiful castle, the bridge is usually adorned with people wanting that classic shot of their family in front of Hogwarts. ​

We love everything about Potter, not huge immersive fans the way some folks are, but we enjoy the books, films and the lands that UOR and JK Rowling have created here, we are constantly impressed by the detail that can be found everywhere.
​

You can just walk through Hogwarts and FJ line anytime, you don`t need a guide, just follow the line and if you`re not riding, let folks pass that are riding as you take pictures. Let the TM know at the end you`re just cutting out.

It is a ride line that is worth seeing even if you don`t ride, the whole experience is phenomenal and you see so much in both the regular and EP line.

For us, this is the best line for any ride they have between both parks. ​

The ride we like, but it`s not our favourite, I do get a little woozy at the part where Harry swoops back into Hogwarts, so it`s a ride we do once, maybe twice and then I`m done for the day, but the rest of the ride is amazing, you do feel as though you are upside down at one point, but you never are.

It can be tight due to the restraints, so if you can avoid anything that may hinder them, it`s a good idea, I always opt for the end seat and it does give you a little more wiggle room and is comfier generally if you have a more than ample butt.

It`s a one and done today for us, we come off and the store is beautifully cold which is welcome before we head outside again to the blazing heat. And it is a very good store to wander around, but it does get very cramped at times.

​

The other stores in Hogsmeade are all fairly small and yes, can be cramped but they have a good selection of merch to look at and buy, and I managed to not purchase anything here today.

Yet ​

More to come of today including lunch at Mythos! ​

 

[schumigirl]

We had a quick blast watching the Talking Fountain as we were a little early for our lunch reservation, it was funny for a few minutes then he said it was nap time so the gentle snoring started!

We had a quick bop into the Halloween themed Boutique, but only for a few minutes as there was nothing very exciting in this one, we used to spend a decent amount of time wandering in here on previous trips, but seems they were focussing their attentions elsewhere this year, understandably. ​

I did buy this mug for one of our American Kids, she had mentioned she was going to get it, but hadn`t got around to it, so I picked it up hoping she still hadn`t bought it, if she had she could either have another, or we`d take it home with us. ​

It was so gorgeous today!!!
​

We both popped to the bathroom, I had never noticed the sign outside before, so grabbed a snap while getting a weird look from an older lady who must have wondered what I was up to lurking outside a bathroom entrance!! ​

Always worth a visit into this little store, they have some very pretty pieces if you like costume jewellery and some very appropriately themed products for sale, but I prefer the exterior as it beautifully designed. ​

Such a beautiful and huge building!! ​

It was just about time for our lunch reservation which we had only booked just over an hour ago, we never usually make dining reservations and this was only made on a whim, so last minute reservations are possible even for coveted places like Mythos.

I wasn`t convinced I even wanted to eat here again. ​

Our last three meals here were disappointing to say the least, we had a mix of bad food and bad service but my overriding memory of Mythos is how cold it is, it is absolutely baltic in here.
​

It is however, a very pretty restaurant.

But, cold. ​

A very tall lady escorted us to our table, in a weird way of course, instead of taking us down and walking up a couple of steps, she took us on a three mile camel ride around the backside of the building, all round past the windows and back to where we almost started!!! We kind of looked at each other and wondered why we had done a tour of the building, but we sat down and never said anything, but I really wanted to ask her why the long route!

Our waiter came over and I ordered a white Sangria, Tom a ginger ale and he asked what food we wanted, we said we hadn`t really looked at the menu yet could we please have a few minutes......hmmm. Was that a slight sigh we both caught there from our waiter???? Nah, we must have imagined it.

Tom is laughing at me in this picture because I was freezing already trying to take a happy picture!

I decided not to be too adventurous today and went for the hard to go wrong with dish, Pad Thai. Tom decided as he loves lamb, to go for the Lamb Burger with fries, hard to mess up a burger and Mythos do a very good burger....usually.

As we are waiting Tom asks me if I`m ok as I am physically shivering right now wishing I had ordered a hot drink instead of one with ice.










Yes, I did nip outside for a quick heat before coming back in! I was in lizard mode now.
(Thank you Felicity for the meme)

After I absorbed some of that glorious sunshine I headed back inside and we waited another 10 minutes or so and the food still hadn`t arrived, we had already been in about 20 minutes, this didn`t bode well. I had noticed some burgers sitting on the counter, but didn`t think any of them were Tom`s.

But, eventually it did arrive and it looked good!

We very quickly snapped a picture and Tom picked up a fry......it was cold. Oh dear.

He then picked up his burger which did look so good, and surprise surprise, it was cold too and overcooked which is quite an achievement.

I didn`t remind him at the moment I didn`t want to come here, timing is everything.

Our waiter was now as visible as the Scarlet pimpernel, but we eventually spotted him and he came over, Tom said the meal was cold and overcooked and he said they`d replace it....if he wanted. Eh!!!!

However, my meal was beautiful!!! I was very pleasantly surprised but annoyed that we weren`t eating together due to his meal having to be replaced. My dish was hot, tasty and a good portion of shrimp and chicken, this was a nice meal.

I had finished mine and a manager came over and apologised and said they were cooking it fresh and she explained it wasn`t their usual standard. I said my disappointment was not eating together, but she was oblivious, all she wanted was to tell us how they usually had a very high standard and this was not the norm. So, when Tom`s came back and to be honest, for being cooked fresh, it still wasn`t great and he barely touched it.

That was our last go visiting Mythos. I simply don`t get the hype this place gets, we saw a few dishes sent back around us and I think they were for being overcooked and cold.

We paid and headed out of the park, stopping for a few pictures on the way out as always.

And certainly different at this time of day for crowds, it`s practically deserted with a few of us heading out but barely a soul coming in.

We were going for the boat but stopped to have a few snaps here too and again it was almost deserted at this time of day.

It is odd seeing the Jimmy Buffet plane missing from it`s usual spot on Citywalk, but they have left a notice to anyone wondering where it is.

We headed for the boats, I think Tom would be snacking when we got back to our suite, he barely touched his lunch, I didn`t want to mention I had really enjoyed mine today, but not enough to make me want to go back again.



Club Lounge and Dinner coming up ​

 

[schumigirl]

We got back to the suite and I admit we zonked out today, the heat and late nights with early starts were catching up with us. I am definitely an early morning person, always have been, but not usually a late bod at the same time as we are here usually, but, it`s worth it.

I think we slept for an hour or so, got showered, changed and headed over quite early to RP as we wanted to say hello to Samuel before he headed out for the day, which we did and then went up to the lounge which was almost deserted at this point.

We grabbed a water and Tom got a coffee and chatted to one of the girls who has the most amazing laugh, I never really noticed an older couple coming in, but we were talking and laughing when all of a sudden the man turned and shusshed the TM we were talking to!!!! How rude!!!

Then I noticed they both had quite heavy going books in hand, oh dear, if they thought the lounge was going to be a quiet place to read with no disturbances, they were in for a rude awakening. However it did stay quiet for about half an hour or so and we did quieten down our laughter, but I was angry at someone being so rude to one of our girls who would only go out of her way to help them where she could if they needed it.

Funnily enough when it did begin to fill up, they suddenly seemed to leave looking a little sulky. I was going to make sure I told one of the supervisors or managers what happened in case they complained about her in any way as it wouldn`t surprise me, I`m always amazed at what some guests will complain about. Some even take umbrage if they don`t get what they consider "their" room...unbelievable.

We were sitting deciding where to eat dinner tonight and Tom asked if I fancied Bonefish again tonight, and actually I did, we had really enjoyed it previously and they did a good steak, so that was an easy decision for us tonight

At that point, one of the girls appeared with my glass filled with sparkly....and asked if it was for one or two tonight......Tom said yep, he`d have one too, well, looks like it`s an Uber tonight!! Why not and bless her, she had a glass over for him before he could blink, they do look after everyone so well in the lounge.

Tonights food was Jerk Chicken, a dish we do like, so as Tom had missed lunch I went up and got him some chicken knowing I`d have to sample a piece myself as it is lovely and he was ready for it, he had some rice too and said it wasn`t too bad but preferred the chicken on it`s own. This chicken is one of the chef`s own dishes and it is very nice and always well cooked, never seems to be dry or bland, although I do tend to add some Tabasco to it anyway, I do like spice!!
​

There was a lovely atmosphere in the lounge tonight and as we weren`t leaving till around 7 we could take our time and chat which is always nice. We saw a couple come in and sat down at the table beside us, they both smiled at us and I couldn`t help think I knew her, I certainly recognised her face so when they started chatting before I could ask her if we had met, she told us we had met her sister and brother in law last week.

Then it struck me, the couple we had walked over to Strong Water, this was her sister, I thought it was a small world but her sister had said to come chat to us as she knew we`d still be there. They were also very nice and chatted for a time before heading off somewhere.

We thanked the ladies for again looking after us so well and went down to the lobby to order our Uber which arrived in a few minutes and we were at the restaurant in about 10 minutes. This one by Seaworld is so ideal for distance.

​

It was quite busy, but we got a little booth and to be fair we didn`t need to really look at the menu as we knew what we were having. We opted to try one of their appetisers, I wasn`t sure Tom would like it as it had ginger as one of the main ingredients which he is not fond of generally, but we got it anyway and decided to share a bottle of prosecco.

​

The Beef and Ginger Potstickers arrived and they looked lovely, very fresh looking and very hot which was nice, neither of us like lukewarm food, if a dish is hot, it should be actually hot.

Unfortunately, ginger was quite prevalent in the dish, I did remind him the clue was in the title, but sometimes things aren`t as strong tasting as they claim, but the flavours were strong. I loved them!!! So, he only took two but scraped the sauce and veggies off of them, he wouldn`t get them again, but they were nice. ​

Our entrees arrived with a decent space between courses which we like, there is nothing worse than being rushed through dinner, and when Tom`s appeared we both thought his filet looked a little, well a little odd?

The waiter saw us look but never said anything, it looked ok actually and his crab cake looked very nice indeed. Tom did make the mistake of asking for coleslaw, for a place that serves beautiful meals their coleslaw is abominable!!! ​

Mine arrived a few seconds later and it was a similar shape, but nothing actually wrong with it, and they were both cooked perfectly, I asked for rare and Tom had opted for medium rare, and they were exactly as we asked and so full of flavour, no way were we sending these back!
​

These garlic and rosemary crispy roast potatoes are among the nicest potatoes we`ve had here, they weren`t the slightest bit greasy and I think this is the only potato we`ll have from here, we had both ordered a side and next time we`d know one was enough between us.
​

We had just cut into the steaks and were admiring them, I know, that`s quite sad, but so many steaks just aren`t done correctly, anyway, the manager appeared saying the waiter had noted we both seemed to have the end of the filet and would we like two others from the middle of the joint, Tom said while that was very nice, the ones we had looked perfectly cooked so we`d keep them, they were a little misshapen, but they were beautiful!! He was happy to hear it I think, but the steaks were lovely and we appreciated the offer all the same.

This had been another lovely meal and definitely one of our favourite places to go for dinner. It`s not high end, but the food we`ve had has been exceptional.

We got the check and noted they had taken 25% off the final cost, so we made sure the waiter got the extra on to his tip, he had been lovely and I think we may visit here again before we leave. Our Uber was outside when we stepped out, and we were home in no time and again, the place was almost deserted tonight. ​

We made sure we stopped off to take some pictures of their HHN display, we lost count of the times we walked past it saying we`d grab a picture at some point, but we were now running out of nights!!!

We got back into our suite and both of us practically fell into bed tonight, it had been one of those days where we hadn`t done that much, but the heat can affect us very pale skinned West of Scotland people more than we realise so sleep was swift tonight for us but again, we`d had such a lovely day.




​

 

[schumigirl]

TUESDAY OCTOBER 1ST





We slept in today!! For people who are usually very early risers, sleeping till 7.30 in unheard of, although we do make an exception when it`s in the depths of winter and freezing cold outside, then if we have nothing to do and nowhere to be, we will listen to the wind and rain and go back to sleep.

But, here we never want to waste a second sleeping late, however we slept so well and I guess we must have needed it.

Once we were showered and dressed we had a Facetime chat with Kyle, he was off work today and tomorrow as he has loads of days to use up, so we chatted and had a good catch up, it was still strange to chat to him while he is in his new place, but love it really!! Although he made us laugh when he asked when we came home as he had no idea, he thought we had another two weeks to go!

We wish!

We said bye for now and then we headed over to the Club Lounge for breakfast, as we walked through the lobby of Sapphire both of us commented how quiet the whole area was, usually the lobby here is bouncing with people, but not today.

The Club Lounge is also quiet, I think this would have made the shooshy couple happy as there were very few people in, so I did temper my laughter when we chatted, I do have a loud laugh....or so I`m told!!! They still didn`t look very happy, so maybe they did think the lounge was going to be a den of tranquility!

Once we ate and had our morning tea and coffee, we headed back over to Sapphire and we had to go back as I had forgotten my sunglasses and our suite had been cleaned, I swear she must have pounced in as soon as we left this morning! Housekeeping do an excellent job, but we tend to leave the place tidy anyway with not much to do.

Into the car we drove the 10 minutes or so to the Mall at Millenia, our favourite mall or shopping area in Orlando, it has everything we need and is also bright, airy and immaculately clean and it also had a very good food court where we did plan to have lunch today.

​

It does have a very pretty entrance, there are several other ways in, but we tend to visit at less busy times so parking in front of the main entrance is never a problem. We did once forget where we parked our car when we came here the very first time a million years ago, we didn`t exit the same doors we came in and thankfully the security officers patrol regularly and one of their duties is to help folks like us and he assured us we weren`t in the first thousand to have done the same thing.

Today was my main shop from Bath & Body and also Sephora, buying items for me but also for gifts that would make up friends Christmas gift bags, some they had asked for and some that I hoped would be a surprise. But first I went to Bloomingdales to get some Clinique make up I like, I also had a gift voucher for them which would take the sting out of the final bill. I much prefer buying from them than Macy`s now, so picked up some make up, moisturiser and then went to Chanel and got my favourite perfume as you can get it in the huge bottle here, we can`t get it in the UK, well not in stores anyway.

We do have B&B in the UK now in certain places, but not always the most up to date products and not always the same choice, so it`s nice to be able to share these products.

I do like B&B and the staff are lovely, but, there`s always a but isn`t there.....I do wish I could be left alone to shop, if I need help I will ask, I know that sounds very dismissive saying that as it`s their job, but it did get a little much today when at one point or another every single staff member approached and asked if I needed help or took it upon themselves to tell me about all their products.

I thought I smiled every time they approached me, my husband however says different!!!

I`m told you can always tell what I`m thinking from my very obvious expressions.....apparently!

We loaded one bag easily, I never really planned to buy as much as I did, but we paid, smiled and I said Sephora up next!!! Tom looked like a man resigned to being bag carrier, he genuinely doesn`t mind, like most husbands.

I love Sephora and you can get an amazing amount of products in there, so much choice and you can be in and out in no time at all, if you know what you`re going for.

Olaplex, my new favourite product.

I wanted to take back some gift packs I had noticed Sephora were advertising, one each for three friends who I knew would love them, and....shall we say "some" for me!!!

I love the products they have and these gift boxes were ideal plus a couple of individual bottles too. I will say Tom doesn`t quite understand my love of hair products that do seem a little expensive, but they last for ages and your hair is just gorgeous when using them. I`m glad to say they were a very much appreciated gift from those who got one and I did manage one or two just for me!!

I think Tom was about ready for some lunch now, so we wandered round probably laden with bags to the food court where we hadn`t really decided what we wanted yet and they do have plenty of options from Chinese to sandwiches, pizza, burgers and so much more.

I knew I wanted a strawberry milkshake from Johnny Rocket`s, so I popped down and ordered one from them, Tom was going to get a strawberry lemonade with whatever place we decided on.

We are big Firehouse Sub fans, but I spotted Charleys Philly Steaks were doing a Kimchi steak option, I liked the sound of that and asked for extra jalapenos, Tom ordered a Pepperoni Steak one, we both misjudged the size and ordered large and we also mistakenly ordered a large Cajun Fries. Way, way too much food.

Now, I will say the food was lovely, there was a decent amount of spice in both our dishes and the cajun fries were exceptional, but in all honesty next time it`ll be a small for both of us and maybe won`t bother with fries, or we`ll share one between us. I don`t think we even ate half of each and there was a lot of bread left over, but we couldn`t stop picking at the meat as it was lovely









I think having the thick, creamy, delicious and indulgent milkshake didn`t help me out much either, but we finally finished and deposited our trash in the bins and headed out to the car.

It was another beautiful day and it was again 102F.

We dropped all of our shopping off in the room and freshened up before heading back down to the lobby where we were meeting some hotel friends for a chat, they had some spare time so we were happy to be able to see them and be relaxed sitting down.

However, we noticed it on the way on, again the hotel seemed deserted, this didn`t seem right at all.

Apart from a few TM`s on the various desks and us, there was no one around at all.

Our friends arrived and we moved to a comfier area and they explained that a large group had cancelled due to weather worries, but even so, it was still exceptionally quiet especially for the time of day.

But, we passed a nice couple of hours with them and after they headed back over to RP we got some more snaps of the lobby which was basically still deserted and some of the lovely staircase central to Sapphire falls.

We went back along to our suite and wondered if we should get changed into park clothes and head to IOA later, but then we saw the weather forecast which included thunder and lightning and decided against it.

I think we would be onsite tonight.





​

 

[keishashadow]

You really do have a knack for missing the crowds! I had referred a family member going for the 1st time to U over to one of your previous TRs. Not the sort to do any sort of independent research ??? Shocking to realize there are more out there than one would expect.

Figured they could get an overview via breezing thru the TR to look at your pics, that tell a thousand words. Would you believe they came back and complained they ran into lots of people in the parks? File it under you can lead a tourist to water lol

every time I see it, I hear the Queen song "Flash" in my head.

Supposedly, a remake of the movie in the works

And you get to see the white`s of the riders eyes from here as you are so close to them!

Lololol

That was our last go visiting Mythos

Sadly, we hit that milestone pre covid. Sad as it was hands down one of the best theme park venues in it’s a glory days

 

[schumigirl]

You really do have a knack for missing the crowds! I had referred a family member going for the 1st time to U over to one of your previous TRs. Not the sort to do any sort of independent research ??? Shocking to realize there are more out there than one would expect.

Figured they could get an overview via breezing thru the TR to look at your pics, that tell a thousand words. Would you believe they came back and complained they ran into lots of people in the parks? File it under you can lead a tourist to water lol


Supposedly, a remake of the movie in the works

Lololol

Sadly, we hit that milestone pre covid. Sad as it was hands down one of the best theme park venues in it’s a glory days

lol.....at some points there were folks around, but not as many as you`d think, but the day we saw the hotel lobby completely deserted, well that was just weird and knowing how busy it is, no one would have believed just how completely empty it was.

Yes, I`ve sometimes tried to tell folks what to expect and then they`ve found fault and claimed I didn`t warn them....er, yes I did!

Our last visit to Mythos several years ago should have been our last, but mistakenly we gave it one more try, no more chances now, yes, that ship has sailed. I agree, in comparison to what it was like around 15 years ago, it`s a shell of it`s former self.

 

[disneyseniors]

We had a quick blast watching the Talking Fountain as we were a little early for our lunch reservation, it was funny for a few minutes then he said it was nap time so the gentle snoring started!

We had a quick bop into the Halloween themed Boutique, but only for a few minutes as there was nothing very exciting in this one, we used to spend a decent amount of time wandering in here on previous trips, but seems they were focussing their attentions elsewhere this year, understandably. ​

I did buy this mug for one of our American Kids, she had mentioned she was going to get it, but hadn`t got around to it, so I picked it up hoping she still hadn`t bought it, if she had she could either have another, or we`d take it home with us. ​

It was so gorgeous today!!!
​

We both popped to the bathroom, I had never noticed the sign outside before, so grabbed a snap while getting a weird look from an older lady who must have wondered what I was up to lurking outside a bathroom entrance!! ​

Always worth a visit into this little store, they have some very pretty pieces if you like costume jewellery and some very appropriately themed products for sale, but I prefer the exterior as it beautifully designed. ​

Such a beautiful and huge building!! ​

It was just about time for our lunch reservation which we had only booked just over an hour ago, we never usually make dining reservations and this was only made on a whim, so last minute reservations are possible even for coveted places like Mythos.

I wasn`t convinced I even wanted to eat here again. ​

View attachment 926812

Our last three meals here were disappointing to say the least, we had a mix of bad food and bad service but my overriding memory of Mythos is how cold it is, it is absolutely baltic in here.
​

It is however, a very pretty restaurant.

But, cold. ​

A very tall lady escorted us to our table, in a weird way of course, instead of taking us down and walking up a couple of steps, she took us on a three mile camel ride around the backside of the building, all round past the windows and back to where we almost started!!! We kind of looked at each other and wondered why we had done a tour of the building, but we sat down and never said anything, but I really wanted to ask her why the long route!

Our waiter came over and I ordered a white Sangria, Tom a ginger ale and he asked what food we wanted, we said we hadn`t really looked at the menu yet could we please have a few minutes......hmmm. Was that a slight sigh we both caught there from our waiter???? Nah, we must have imagined it.

Tom is laughing at me in this picture because I was freezing already trying to take a happy picture!

I decided not to be too adventurous today and went for the hard to go wrong with dish, Pad Thai. Tom decided as he loves lamb, to go for the Lamb Burger with fries, hard to mess up a burger and Mythos do a very good burger....usually.

As we are waiting Tom asks me if I`m ok as I am physically shivering right now wishing I had ordered a hot drink instead of one with ice.




View attachment 926843





Yes, I did nip outside for a quick heat before coming back in! I was in lizard mode now.
(Thank you Felicity for the meme)

After I absorbed some of that glorious sunshine I headed back inside and we waited another 10 minutes or so and the food still hadn`t arrived, we had already been in about 20 minutes, this didn`t bode well. I had noticed some burgers sitting on the counter, but didn`t think any of them were Tom`s.

But, eventually it did arrive and it looked good!

We very quickly snapped a picture and Tom picked up a fry......it was cold. Oh dear.

He then picked up his burger which did look so good, and surprise surprise, it was cold too and overcooked which is quite an achievement.

I didn`t remind him at the moment I didn`t want to come here, timing is everything.

Our waiter was now as visible as the Scarlet pimpernel, but we eventually spotted him and he came over, Tom said the meal was cold and overcooked and he said they`d replace it....if he wanted. Eh!!!!

However, my meal was beautiful!!! I was very pleasantly surprised but annoyed that we weren`t eating together due to his meal having to be replaced. My dish was hot, tasty and a good portion of shrimp and chicken, this was a nice meal.

I had finished mine and a manager came over and apologised and said they were cooking it fresh and she explained it wasn`t their usual standard. I said my disappointment was not eating together, but she was oblivious, all she wanted was to tell us how they usually had a very high standard and this was not the norm. So, when Tom`s came back and to be honest, for being cooked fresh, it still wasn`t great and he barely touched it.

That was our last go visiting Mythos. I simply don`t get the hype this place gets, we saw a few dishes sent back around us and I think they were for being overcooked and cold.

We paid and headed out of the park, stopping for a few pictures on the way out as always.

And certainly different at this time of day for crowds, it`s practically deserted with a few of us heading out but barely a soul coming in.

We were going for the boat but stopped to have a few snaps here too and again it was almost deserted at this time of day.

It is odd seeing the Jimmy Buffet plane missing from it`s usual spot on Citywalk, but they have left a notice to anyone wondering where it is.

We headed for the boats, I think Tom would be snacking when we got back to our suite, he barely touched his lunch, I didn`t want to mention I had really enjoyed mine today, but not enough to make me want to go back again.



Club Lounge and Dinner coming up ​

We had a quick blast watching the Talking Fountain

Robin and I tried to talk to the Talking Fountain, but the Fountain apparently didn't want to talk at all. He kind of made some noise but did not engage us. We were disappointed and also surprised that the fountain wouldn't talk. Guess he was "on break", LOL

shusshed the TM we were talking to!!!! How rude!!!

OMGosh, I can't believe that person was so rude to the TM and to You! I wonder if I would have talked louder because of that??? Sometimes the devil makes me do it with rude people.

I knew I wanted a strawberry milkshake from Johnny Rocket`s,

That strawberry milkshake looks yummy. That's my one weakness, strawberry milkshakes!

I said Sephora up next!

I love Sephora. We used to have one in our Penny's store at our mall, but it was replaced by another shop for some reason.

Mall at Millenia, our favourite

The Mall of Millenia has an absolutely beautiful entryway! I confess I've never been there but it looks like a nice place to shop.

Loving your TR, as always

 

[schumigirl]

The lounge was an odd place tonight for several reasons.

I hate the cold, unless I`m in Florida I can complain several times a day of being cold, even if the house is like an oven, but with the exception of mythos, I`m never usually freezing in the hotel and the lounge is always ok.

But tonight the shusshy couple were wrapped up like they were in the arctic and she went to get another layer for both of them complaining bitterly it was freezing. Of course big mouth me, I said I thought it was a nice temperature in here tonight, she actually tutted at me as I answered the TM lol....made a friend there then!!

We got chatting to a lovely couple from Canada tonight too, they were so lovely and asked lots of questions as it was their first visit and one of the staff had told them we had been a million times so we might be able to answer some of their more unique questions, very nice family.

We didn`t touch any of the food tonight instead sticking to prosecco which was very nice indeed, but they had Salisbury Meatballs and Garlic Mash tonight which is always a very popular dish when it`s on, we were keeping our appetite for later. ​

We had heard a loud-ish family and they were over the far end of the room from us, they weren`t bothering us in any way but the shusshy couple didn`t look too happy.

The lovely Tory came up to see us at that point and it`s always so lovely to see her, and we were chatting when one of the family heard us speaking with a Scottish accent and came over to chat, despite us being in a conversation.

I will say the son of the group was lovely, very polite and well mannered, but the dad immediately started asking where we were from, where we lived and so on and I was as vague as I normally am, I didn`t know this guy from Adam, he asked how long we were here for and how long we had stayed before, it was very odd so I answered all questions in a way I was telling him nothing at all, then he started asking more personal questions as to our stays here. Rude.

Eventually I told him if he wanted a cost for a long stay, look up the website and intimated the conversation was over. Tory said I did well deflecting the very nosey questions!!

Some people are quite incredible with their audacity at times!

We chatted some more with Tory, then she left to go back downstairs and we mused on what to do tonight as we had some thunder and lightning in the last couple of hours, so didn`t fancy the parks and now trying to decide where to eat and we ended up choosing Orchids as we weren`t overly hungry and could get some smaller plates there.

We hadn`t booked but wanted to sit at the bar anyway and there were plenty of seats, the tables were quite full due to the possibility of bad weather so it had a nice atmosphere tonight.

Colby was working and he managed to add us to his section so he was looking after us which was nice for us. We were looking over the menu when a very large gin and lemonade was sent over to me.....I hadn`t asked for anything, but it was from the lovely manager who had remembered I loved Gin Mare and was surprised when they had it here! Well I guess I`m drinking gin tonight but what a lovely gesture, very kind indeed. Tom got a beer, I forget which one as it`s not on the check.









We got some of their lovely Miso Soup and some very nice and spicy snacks, goes well with gin!!! ​

Honestly we do know where to look when someone takes our picture, but Colby appeared behind our lovely bar lady, weirdly trying to photobomb the wrong way which is why we`re looking to the side!

The staff in here are wonderful, some have worked here for many years and we`d miss the ones who were leaving for Helios very soon.
​

Tom opted to have the Volcano Roll which is one of our favourites, it`s not spicy but is marked as slightly spicy on the menu I believe, it is however, very tasty as all of their sushi is. You will get excellent sushi here, it`s authentic, very fresh and it is much better than any sushi on offer anywhere around.

I do get Tom`s pickled ginger as it`s not something he is fond of, I however, love it!! He does keep his wasabi as he does like that on his sushi. ​

I opted tonight to go for Tuna Tataki instead of my usual Tuna-Tini, just for a change and it was beautiful.

I popped to the bathroom and came back to another large gin on the counter!!! Well.....it would be very rude not to drink it, but after that I was done!! ​

I do love the huge chandelier they fitted into this room when they did the refurb, it looks stunning when it`s lit up and even during the day.

​

Both dishes were gorgeous, we did share a little, but Tom is not as fond of the Tataki as I am so I think I got the best deal.

We had a fun evening, so many laughs and tale telling with the bar staff who we know well. It is nice when the staff remember you and have known you for a long time. I think next trip will see some new faces for us as so many are leaving, but hopefully onto better things.

We paid the check, hugged Colby as we weren`t sure we would see him again this trip and bid farewell the the staff who were leaving, it would be different for sure.

Walking back to Sapphire, I did wonder if the gin was hitting me or if I was genuinely seeing a space man in the distance

Convention people!!!!



We got back to the suite and popped the tv on as neither of us were very tired, again, no idea what we watched but it passed an hour before we huckled through to bed, but not before I opened the drapes and admired the night time view from our suite which is lovely day or night. ​

 

[schumigirl]

Robin and I tried to talk to the Talking Fountain, but the Fountain apparently didn't want to talk at all. He kind of made some noise but did not engage us. We were disappointed and also surprised that the fountain wouldn't talk. Guess he was "on break", LOL

OMGosh, I can't believe that person was so rude to the TM and to You! I wonder if I would have talked louder because of that??? Sometimes the devil makes me do it with rude people.

That strawberry milkshake looks yummy. That's my one weakness, strawberry milkshakes!

I love Sephora. We used to have one in our Penny's store at our mall, but it was replaced by another shop for some reason.

The Mall of Millenia has an absolutely beautiful entryway! I confess I've never been there but it looks like a nice place to shop.

Loving your TR, as always

lol....I know he does go for naps, but usually there is a gentle snoring sound when he`s on a break, shame you missed him.

Well, normally I would be a little obnoxious with someone behaving like that, but as they shushed one of the staff, I didn`t want them getting into trouble, but yes, I`d normally do what you would have done too, but I was on best behaviour....almost

Johnny Rockets milkshakes are amazing, Tom usually gets vanilla and Kyle loves their chocolate ones. You`d love the Mall at Millenia Ruth, it is lovely and so many lovely stores to wander round. I wonder why your Sephora closed, everyone of them always seems to be so busy.

Thank you, happy you`re enjoying it and glad to see you posting again, hope you`re doing better each day

 

[schumigirl]

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 2ND





Another lovely sleep and another slightly later sleep than usual and this morning I was the one dawdling a little, I blamed the gin of course, but the reality was, I was so comfortable in bed and sleepy. I also think as it was getting near to the end of a 23 night stay, I think I was getting tired in general.

And we were in no rush to go anywhere today, although I would say that is the case for us most days.

Once we were showered and dressed we again walked over to RP which is a walk we enjoy, it does kind of wake us up and get us started for the day and we usually run into several members of the team that we know and always nice to have a quick chat.

The lounge again was quiet this morning, I think everyone who was in last night had gone already either to the parks or gone altogether. We had some of our usual items for breakfast and as always everything is laid out fresh and replenished regularly. I do particularly enjoy their little strawberry pastries, they are very nice indeed.

The boat is our transport this morning as we decided to head to the Studios, you can still walk of course, it`s only a few extra minutes but we do like the boat in the mornings.

It was as we expected, very hot but there was a lovely little breeze blowing which was very much appreciated as the heat, although lovely, would be nicer if it dropped a degree or two. I think by lunchtime it reached 91F today which was a little less than 102 from yesterday.

We had just missed a boat, but the next one was heading our way as the first one left so we were on in no time at all and heading towards Citywalk.

As we were a little later, there was next to no line to get in, but there were more folks than we expected to see and I still think they should have an AP entrance here too, it would lessen the lines somewhat as they can be horrendous with folks with the printed papers and the issues they can have at times.

It was quiet, but as always the regular line for Minions was 45 minutes which seems to be the average anytime we notice it, but the EP line was a walk on, we hit it lucky and were the last two folks on, so we never stopped since we walked into the line. Inside was lovely and cool but we do miss the 3D version of this ride, it misses something for sure compared to what it used to be, still fun and worth doing. If you so suffer from motion sickness, there are benches along the front which many folks do take advantage of.

This is a decent little family ride that is worth doing even once, we do find it a cute ride and always do it at least once a visit, but if the EP line is long we don`t bother. ​

Again we ignore the Minion shooty game, it`s not for us and completely bored us, so we head on and miss out the headbanger that is RRR. I`m glad they finally announced that it will close this year to be replaced with something more appealing hopefully

I don`t think RRR was ever the success it was purported to be way back when, they opened it with EP available straight away which is unusual and I did think it was fine then if you sat in the front row or even the second row, but the last maybe 6 or 7 years it`s just been rough whichever row you sit on. But, some folks still enjoy it, so maybe some will miss it. We did love that first climb and probably the first half of the ride, then it just became rough and not much fun.

And yep, another one we don`t like, Jimmy Fallon. It`s not the worst ride in the park, that accolade goes completely to Fast & Furious, but this just isn`t our thing either, we don`t really get his sense of humour nor do we find him funny.

Yes, we may sound like we`re 145 years old, but he`s just not our sense of humour. The building however is very impressive and well worth going inside to see it and have a wander and the panda is always fun if you get to see him roaming around.


​

I`m aware how crusty and grumpy I sound with my opinion of this first part of the park, believe it or not I still think it is a beautiful area, but it annoys me they produced such a ghastly display for this years HHN Tribute Store. And it is ghastly, I loath graffiti and this is just a hideous monstrosity. I hope they do better next year.
​

But we went back inside today as I did want to get one shirt we hadn`t bought yet, the Insidious one for one of my godsons who loves the movies, he had sent me a txt asking if I would mind getting it for him, of course, no problems. And it meant we could walk it for the last time to see if it was as bad as we thought. It was.

We had been lucky today as they had two shorts left in small sizes and thought we might as well get Kyle one too, he used to like the HHN shirts but hadn`t bothered the last few years, so I hoped he liked this one. In the end Kyle didn`t get it as my godson took both of them planning to give one to his girlfriend as a Christmas present lol....he`s a cheeky one, but adorable!! Kyle said he didn`t mind as he`s never seen those movies!!! I had no idea, I always thought he had.

Back outside we had a wander and got some pictures as there was barely anyone around, I did like the sign on the wall signifying this building was a Consulate for Polish people in New York. It is tucked away a little but it is there.

There were some facades up around the parks this trip, but Universal are always improving and updating paintwork and buildings throughout the year not just when they close rides down for maintenance, so we never really mind seeing boarding up now and again.

Our second ride of the day was of course The Mummy!!!
An absolute classic ride with great theming and it is a fabulous coaster too. Bit of a slow starter but then it hits and it is a rocking coaster not to be missed.

With EP we walked straight on, got the front row that is our favourite and we were off with maybe 3 other folks in the vehicle today and we did enjoy it, it is invigorating and rattles you teeth for sure but one of the best coasters Universal have right now. We did this one twice today, just because we could.

We collected our belongings from the locker area which is so much better than the old lockers they had which were clumsy and awkward to navigate, this designated area is much better.

We didn`t go down Delancey Street today, selfishly I do like it when there is no one else around, but there were people there today, yes, how very dare they!!

We had been spoiled a lot of this trip with some quiet times and were practically crowd free at times with the exceptions of Potter areas of course.

You can still see the Hogwarts Express from behind Louie`s Pizza today, but not as clear as you used to be able to due to them adding foliage, but it is nice to see it passing back and forward.

The lagoon area of the park is just lovely, Tom went and bought us a couple of bottles of water from the stand outside Louie`s and we sat close to the lagoon and drank them, it`s funny sometimes you never think you`re thirsty till you start drinking. He ended up going up for another two bottles and we drank them too.

And it is nice to sit and enjoy the day pass us by and take some time to do absolutely nothing chatting about this, that and the next thing or even occasionally companiable silence which can be nice too, but being honest we tend to chat a lot together and never seem to run out of things to say after almost 35 years together.

Ok, I know, enough of the schmalzy stuff

I think at this point of the day everyone was already in Potter, or heading that way. But, it was a peaceful area for us for twenty minutes or so.

One of the HHN props that are left out during the day.

Anything that is gory, bloody or deemed as possibly being offensive is always covered up when the event is not on, so anyone that doesn`t want to see anything "scary" absolutely won`t.

Chez Alcatraz is a classic place to get a drink at anytime of the day and with it`s recent refurb it does look good, but we miss the Jaws wall!!! They need to bring it back.

And of course the ever famous Bruce is right beside it for the perfect picture opportunity.

It was a little early for alcohol even for us, so we didn`t partake this morning, but maybe later we would.



More of today to come ​

 

[schumigirl]

Wandering into any Potter area is always nice, you are completely and utterly immersed in whichever land you go into, Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley are both completely incredible and we never get fed up visiting either of them.

King`s Cross is quite accurate visually from the exterior and this is where you`ll enter to go on the Hogwarts Express over to IOA. You can do this if you have a park to park ticket or and AP. Many people upgrade to a park to park ticket when they discover they need that to park hop.


​

​

Look inside the back of the Knight Bus if you can. Most folks get their pictures with Stan the conductor and the Shrunken Head towards the front of the bus, and they are excellent to spend time with, but if you wander to the back you can climb up and look in to see the beds set out the same as in the movie.

​

The outside area of Diagon Alley is very pretty and themed well with great detail in trying to mimic London and they do it really well, the fake hotel does look like it could be be in Central London with the type of facade it does have.

Although the heat is one dead giveaway we are most definitely not in London anymore!!! ​

The one thing everyone loves to do outside of Grimmauld Place is catch Kreacher peering out from behind his grimy drapes, they do look a bit disgusting when you see them up close.

He does have such a nasty face and you can see he is not going to be one of the nicer characters even if you don`t know the story, there might just be a couple of folks who haven`t seen the movies or read the books, cannot imagine how in this day and age though as they have become classics of this generation and will live on forever. Thankfully.

He appears regularly, every few minutes throughout the day, some folks still think you have to go knock the door for him to appear but it happens whether you knock or not.

They have done a lovely job of showing the differences between the normal homes in Grimmauld Place and what is the secret headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix and the ancestral home of the Black family.

It is serenely beautiful looking across the lagoon especially on a day like today where hardly anyone is around.

And the Universal parks are consistently immaculately clean throughout, we have never seen a bathroom left in a horrible state nor do you see litter strewn about, of course there are exceptions as there are always some people who don`t care and throw things away with little regard for others.

Today we decided to give Diagon Alley and Gringotts a miss, I did want to have another huckleberry ice cream but it wasn`t an essential thing to have another of, it was nice though.

We sat and enjoyed the heat and sunshine for a time before heading over to the other side of the park before leaving to have lunch out at one of our newest favourite places.



More to follow!

​

 

[KatieCharlotte]

I've been reading your latest entries while at Universal. We stayed club level at Royal Pacific for the first time and agree the pork dish was excellent. We managed to still have room for sushi at Orchid afterward.

I also ate at Mythos for the first time, and our experience was definitely questionable. First, they reported that our food was delayed because of some odd error with the machine not printing our order. I had the fork and knife grilled cheese, which I enjoyed, but I liked the tomato soup a bit bland and the light amount of cheese on the sandwich and others might disagree. My husband's chicken was ok, but a bit dry. But his salad had a piece of a plastic bag! We showed the waiter without complaining. They gave us a fair discount and a free dessert, and I loved the baklava, so we were not upset....but definitely not the quality food and service that I read about in the past.

 

[schumigirl]

I've been reading your latest entries while at Universal. We stayed club level at Royal Pacific for the first time and agree the pork dish was excellent. We managed to still have room for sushi at Orchid afterward.

I also ate at Mythos for the first time, and our experience was definitely questionable. First, they reported that our food was delayed because of some odd error with the machine not printing our order. I had the fork and knife grilled cheese, which I enjoyed, but I liked the tomato soup a bit bland and the light amount of cheese on the sandwich and others might disagree. My husband's chicken was ok, but a bit dry. But his salad had a piece of a plastic bag! We showed the waiter without complaining. They gave us a fair discount and a free dessert, and I loved the baklava, so we were not upset....but definitely not the quality food and service that I read about in the past.

I do think the meat dishes they offer are lovely, that pork just hits nicely.

You know, I agree, I don`t want discounts and free desserts, I just want all dishes to come out together and have no issues with them, it`s not so hard to do especially for places that have been going for many years and have the professionals they have at their disposal.

Plastic bag in the salad, there is no excuse for that. But, I hate when expectations are high and one is disappointed. But, for us lesson learned, no more Mythos for us.

Hope the rest of your time was lovely.

 

[schumigirl]

We left Potter to head to MiB, not one of my favourite rides as I don`t particularly enjoy shoooting rides, but Tom and Kyle always love doing it so I do occasionally go on and as Tom didn`t have a ride buddy this trip, on we went.

The EP line was one we were happy to see today, the line for non EP folks was long!!!! This was where everyone was hiding. I missed it but someone said the regular line was around 50 minutes, we practically walked on with EP which was proving as always to be worth it`s weight in gold.

It is a fun ride, but I get completely bored aiming and shooting so I really don`t put any effort in at all. But, one time years ago I had the same bored expression all the way through and somehow got the highest score, Tom and Kyle were completely incredulous as to how I managed it without trying lol....it`s a gift!!! I don`t think Kyle will ever let me forget that one

Yes, I was a little smug!







We were in the rear seats today and we could see the couple in front of us were very competitive, even with each other, something that completely bypasses me, but Tom has that "wants to win" gene with things like this and he did beat them he was happy to report and even with my malingering and complete disinterest, we beat them!!! Probably Tom beat them to be fair.

The lockers were a little busy today, I think we were just unlucky as they`re not too bad usually for this ride.

I think we are in the minority of people here, we are not Simpson`s fans at all. My son wasn`t brought up on it, he never showed an interest in watching it either and we still haven`t watched a full episode of it. But, we do know Bart and his family member`s names and Homer worked in a Nuclear facility, likes doughnuts and there`s a Mr Burns and a Ned. That`s about it, I think that`s enough though.

We do enjoy this area though, although for me The Simpsons is one ride I will never do again as it made me feel so bad, so I won`t miss this area when they get rid of it in a few years. ​

One classic ride we never miss is ET, it is equally awful and wonderful, I can`t exactly state why we love it so much, maybe it`s simply the nostalgia of the movie but it has to be done every time. We were thankful of the EP again for this ride, there was a regular wait of around 45 minutes, that is surprising for ET but we were on in a few minutes.

This whole area has been revamped and it is nice. It`s not aimed at us but it is very nice and a lot of fun, plus you can see Shrek and Princess Fiona which is worth visiting for as the meet and greets at UOR are always amazing. ​

I would love the house above as a cute little place to stay in, but heck the neighbours might be too noisy I would think. Maybe not.

It is such a shame they don`t make more of Cafe La Bamba, it`s mainly a meet area for tours most of the time and it makes sense I suppose, but it is such a beautiful building that could made into something very special indeed.​

The Horror Make up Show is one of the jewels in Universal Studios as far as shows go. It has everything, it`s funny, entertaining and it is quite unusual, but you would enjoy it and young kids can see it too, there`s nothing disturbing and they do make it very funny. I was sorry we were missing it today but timings didn`t work out, we have enjoyed this show many times over the years though and will look forward to seeing it again.
​

I love this street!!!

During the Holidays it looks extra special, but on a day like today it just sparkles with the sunshine and the colours, love it.

And you can meet The Simpsons characters as well as Scooby and the gang. Many years ago you rarely saw the whole gang, most of the time it was Shaggy and Scooby, but in the last maybe 6 or 7 years it has become common for the whole lot of them to be out at some point which is always what everyone wants, the whole gang are incredible together.

​

Schwab`s Pharmacy has the pineapple dolewhip, but it`s not as creamy as the one I remember from Disney, it is nice but their regular Haagen Dazs is lovely too. I had the caramel one and it was delicious, however we were keeping our appetite today for lunch so didn`t go in.

It`s a beautiful place, very traditional ice cream parlour from way back and it is a good place to retreat from the heat, which being honest wasn`t too bad today, there was a lovely breeze blowing gently as we walked so it was very pleasant.
​

We headed out the park and into Citywalk which is so beautiful, I do honestly love this whole area, it is so pretty, day or night with so many options for food and drinks from full service to snack options all around it.

And it is the hub for the boats, from whichever hotel you are staying at, you`ll be dropped off in Citywalk. We often see guests wondering if they take you to one hotel to another, the answer is no, but you can change boats here for another hotel if you want to do that and it is really easy to do it. The boats are convenient and also a very nice way to get around the resort instead of walking. ​

We waited a few moments for a boat and there were a few folks heading back to the hotel today on the boat and I suspect rather weirdly, one was a little innebriated!!! The boat Capt was watching her and once told her to sit down as she was moving around which of course you cannot do whe it`s moving, she was a handful for sure and her husband/partner did look a little embarrassed as he hissed at her to stay seated.

It was funny however as she rather loudly regaled a tale of not enjoying dinner at Toothsome`s until she cursed, then the Capt turned briefly and had a word, after that she turned quiet, but jeez it was still so early and that aside, it`s not nice to see someone intoxicated like this no matter what time of day. Her husband kind of half joked with Tom as we got off the boat cocktails in the morning are something she is not used to!!!

​

We did notice they had finished planting all the new foliage in the area they had been working on since we arrived which at the moment felt like a million years ago now and we were glad to see them fully complete this before we left from this one.
​

Lunch and dinner post coming right up ​