Mardi Gras 2023. Laissez les bon temps rouler (let the good times roll). Parades, King Cake, Cursed Club, Voodoo Dolls, Food, Rocket Ships and more

[Robo56]

Welcome everyone to my Mardi Gras Trip Report.

Universal is my happy place. I never get tired of vacationing there. Universal has really grown over the years and includes wonderful events during the year with Mardi Gras being just one of them.

I started traveling to Universal many years ago with our two youngest grandchildren. M our granddaughter graduated college with her MBA and is married now. P our grandson is in his second semester of College studying to be an Electrical Engineer. Our older 3 grandchildren are all established in their careers, married and have children of their own.

I have shared my love of Universal with all my family and have made wonderful memories with all of them there. My hubby is not interested in traveling to the Parks anymore, but he supports my love of Universal. He is the love of my life and the best husband in the World. He knows how much I enjoy my trips to Universal. He attended Mardi Gras with me a few years ago and had a blast.

I did get our Son and daughter in law up to Universal last year for a short trip during Mardi Gras and they are big fans now.

Now onto Mardi Gras

What is Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras also called Fat Tuesday is a Carnival Celebration before Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of the Christian Lent season leading up to Easter.

In French Mardi means “Tuesday” and Gras means “Fat”. The word originated in France and was what people used to describe the day before Ash Wednesday. This is when people would binge on rich foods such as meat, eggs, milk and cheese in anticipation of several weeks of eating only fish and fasting during Lent.

Carnival was another name for the pre-lenten festivities.

Mardi Gras is traditionally celebrated on Fat Tuesday. This is first first Tuesday before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. Fat Tuesday is February 21st this year.

In 1699, Mardi Gras made its way to North America with the arrival of French-Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’lberville. He settled near present day New Orleans and he brought the tradition with him.

In the decades that followed New Orleans and other French settlements began marking the holiday with street parties, masked balls and lavish dinners.

In many areas Mardi Gras has turned into a weeks long celebration and if you can‘t get to the Big Easy for Mardi Gras Universal has done a great job of celebrating it.

Mardi Gras most famous saying is a Cajun French saying “Laissez les bons temps rouler “Let the good times roll”.

The colors Purple, Green and Gold are the colors of Mardi Gras and they represent Justice, Faith and Power.


Lets talk King Cakes

The cake represents the Christian tradition known as Epiphany. Epiphany celebrates when the 3 kings are said to have seen the baby Jesus.

The cakes have a baby hidden inside. Whoever finds the baby in their slice of cake is supposed to be prosperous and lucky in the coming year.

Throw me some beads please.

The beads have been part of the tradition since the 1920’s. When trinkets and glass beads were handed out to parade attendees.

I had been thinking of making a quick 3 day trip up to Universal for Mardi Gras. So I looked at some dates that would work for me. I checked online to see what Resorts had availability. I chose Sapphire Falls. I’am glad I made the reservations when I did because a few days later everything was sold out.

I have stayed at Sapphire Falls many times and along with Portofino Bay it is one of my favorite onsite Resorts. So I was looking forward to staying there again.

Wednesday, February 8th

I woke up early for my trip up to Sapphire Falls. I put my suitcase in the SUV kissed my hubby and off I went. I stopped at Starbucks for a little morning fuel.

The Resorts at Universal are about an hour and 45 minutes from my home in Florida. I take 95 N to the 520 to the 528 W to I4. This route is the fastest for me.

I made sure to put my SunPass Transponder on the windshield to cover the tolls on the 528. If you are going to be traveling in Florida on the Toll Roads purchasing one of these portable transponders is a cost savings. The best and cheapest place to purchase them is from the machines at the welcome centers in Florida. I think this one was $16.88. It is easy to set up and you put money on it and add to it as needed.


As soon as I arrived to Sapphire Falls I drove up to the front area near the door and was greeted by a Bellman named Karl. He was smiling and very welcoming. I gave him my keys and went in to check in.

The Lobby is so open and airy and so welcoming,


I did not have to wait but a few minutes to check in. I was greeted by Hope. She is one of the sweetest, happiest young ladies and she was so helpful. I enjoyed talking to her and found out she has a love of decorating for Halloween as much as I do.

My room was not ready which was fine. I planned to get out and check out the Parks and walk around.

I parked my SUV in the parking garage which is conveniently connected to the Resort. There were a lot of cars in the garage. I can usually gauge how busy the Resort is by how full the parking garage is. I was surprised how full the garage was on a weekday.




To be continued

 

[Robo56]

Wednesday, February 8th continued


I came back into the lobby and caught the elevator down to catch the Water Taxi to CityWalk. There was a line to get on the boat, but once the boat arrived were all able to get on the boat.

After getting to CityWalk I went to the big Universal Store to see what kind of Mardi Gras Merchandise there was.

This backpack was really sturdy and I was really temped to buy it. I’am always looking for comfortable bags to have in the parks. I don‘t carry much in my bag, but its nice to have something light weight to put my things in.

I see folks in the parks with huge backpacks on and I don‘t see how they carry those huge bags around all day.







The cup holder carriers were very popular during HHN and they had them for Mardi Gras too.






The scent in the this blue tin candle was very nice.


The glasses were really colorful and well made.




I liked this mask and thought it would look good in one of my Halloween Trees during Halloween. It had a steam punk vibe to it.

 

[Robo56]

There was small crossbody purse in the shape of a mask that was colorful.








Universal has really done a great job of increasing their merchandise for their various events over the years. Every year the offerings increase and the quality of the merchandise is very nice.

 

[Robo56]

I always have a look and see what new WWHP merchandise is available since I last visited.

The house glasses were new to me when I was here in September.


They have had this dish wear for awhile.


This pillow was new.


I like these back packs. It nice that they have the matching wallets.










This was cute. I had not seen this Niffler backpack and wallet before.

 

[Robo56]

After looking around the store it was time to head out into CityWalk.


Voodoo Donuts is very popular with people. There had been a long line later in the evenings on the days I was there.




So Mobile ordering and picking them up at the the kiosk across from the Store is a good option. I saw that the kiosk was closed, but I did not know if that was because it was in the morning or not.


I had to stop and get a photo of the Universal ball before heading to the park. People like to stop and take photos with the ball in the back ground.


It was time to get my Mardi Gras on.


I stopped in the Universal Store inside the park on my way in.






I liked this Mardi Gras Gator pin.


The lanyards were colorful.

 

[macraven]

You pictures are awesome!

 

[Robo56]

These fans seemed to be selling well






A TM who was working at the outside register that exits midway in the store struck up a conversation with me letting me know where the best place to stand for the parade later in the evening was. Darien was a nice young man and so kind and genuinely nice. I keep saying that Universal Orlando has the nicest TM’s and this young man is a wonderful example of that.


To be continued

 

[Robo56]

You pictures are awesome!

Thank you Mac. So glad you are enjoying them.

 

[keishashadow]

Great start We’re on our 2nd sunpass for FL. Think we had a ‘bad’ one the first go round as it malfunctioned within a year or two. No issues at all with the replacement. Bought it before FL started to accept the ezpass we use here.

Sad we couldn’t work MG in last week for our quickie trip. rather surprised there was no weekday hotel availability to be found.

cool Gator logo. Niffler Loungefly is so goofy but, absolutely adorable.

 

[Robo56]

Great start We’re on our 2nd sunpass for FL. Think we had a ‘bad’ one the first go round as it malfunctioned within a year or two. No issues at all with the replacement. Bought it before FL started to accept the ezpass we use here.

Thank you Janet. Glad to hear the replacement transponder is working. We have had ours for a number of years and it has done ok.

Sad we couldn’t work MG in last week for our quickie trip. rather surprised there was no weekday hotel availability to be found.

It was busy on all three days I was there.

cool Gator logo. Niffler Loungefly is so goofy but, absolutely adorable.

I really liked that Gator pin. Great design. The Niffler Loungefly was cute and it was so soft and furry.

 

[disneyseniors]

Thanks, Robo, for the fun report and the great! pictures of the merchandise. I love to see these pictures. I do wonder at some of the prices though? Do the t-shirts have the same price range, for example, 19 to 29$? Also, what is the price of the HPglasses?

Just wondering. You are so lucky to live that close to Universal.
My husband and I had to cancel our trip which would have been this past week. I really, really miss that trip, but hope to plan one before long. Meanwhile, I will live through your TR

ruth

 

[schumigirl]

Great start We’re on our 2nd sunpass for FL. Think we had a ‘bad’ one the first go round as it malfunctioned within a year or two. No issues at all with the replacement. Bought it before FL started to accept the ezpass we use here.

Sad we couldn’t work MG in last week for our quickie trip. rather surprised there was no weekday hotel availability to be found.

cool Gator logo. Niffler Loungefly is so goofy but, absolutely adorable.

We use a thing called Visitor Toll Pass for our trips, same idea we can use the fast lanes on the roads all over Florida. Ideal for us, we just have to sign up every trip and pick it up at the airport.



Looking forward to your rocket pics Robbie........

 

[Charade67]

Robo, I’m loving all of the pictures.

I remember the Sunpass from when I used to live in Florida. Several years after I moved out of FL I got an email stating that I owed them money. It was a stupid amount around 50 cents or so. Don’t know why it took them so long to collect.

 

[Skywalker3]

Catching up on the TR. I LOVE Mardi Gras time> I was born,raised in deep South Louisiana, and Mardi Gras was such a huge part of my childhood, and adulthood until we moved away. As we got older, we'd often go to Florida for Mardi Gras break (my son got the whole week off. I grew up always having the M-W off that week,) and some of our first memories include the parade at Universal. They do such a fun job, and it's so much better now!
Thank you so much for sharing all the Mardi Gras info, pictures, and all the fun in the TR!!! Looks like so much fun!

 

[Robo56]

We use a thing called Visitor Toll Pass for our trips, same idea we can use the fast lanes on the roads all over Florida. Ideal for us, we just have to sign up every trip and pick it up at the airport.

Is that the Toll Pass that they rent at the rental car places at the Airport? I never looked at the price of renting those when I was flying.

With the amount of time you all spend in Florida you should see about getting one of Sun Pass Transponders. It would be yours. You would just have to add the license plate of your rental car on your account for the number of days you have it each time. It is easy to set up.

I always tell folks do whatever is easiest and most convenient for you to do

Looking forward to your rocket pics Robbie........

I have a few. Looking forward to sharing them. I know you and your family are Rocket
enthusiasts too.

He are a couple shots from last nights take off at 10:58 pm. This is the view from my back yard and a couple shots from SpaceX before take off.

Thanks, Robo, for the fun report and the great! pictures of the merchandise. I love to see these pictures. I do wonder at some of the prices though? Do the t-shirts have the same price range, for example, 19 to 29$? Also, what is the price of the HPglasses?

Thank your Ruth for your nice comments. If I remember correctly most of the T-shirts were in the $30.00 to $35.00 dollar range. The HP glasses were I think in the $ 17.00 dollar range. I think the lanyards were $15.00. The HP backpacks were $82 or $84.00 and the wallets were in the mid $40.00 range.

Just wondering. You are so lucky to live that close to Universal.
My husband and I had to cancel our trip which would have been this past week. I really, really miss that trip, but hope to plan one before long. Meanwhile, I will live through your TR

I’am sorry to hear you had to cancel your trip. Hopefully you and your hubby will be able to reschedule your trip soon.

I‘am so happy to share the trip report with others. It helps to keep you plugged into the parks until you can actually get there.

 

[schumigirl]

Is that the Toll Pass that they rent at the rental car places at the Airport? I never looked at the price of renting those when I was flying.

With the amount of time you all spend in Florida you should see about getting one of Sun Pass Transponders. It would be yours. You would just have to add the license plate of your rental car on your account for the number of days you have it each time. It is easy to set up.

I always tell folks do whatever is easiest and most convenient for you to do


I have a few. Looking forward to sharing them. I know you and your family are Rocket
enthusiasts too.

He are a couple shots from last nights take off at 10:58 pm. This is the view from my back yard and a couple shots from SpaceX before take off.

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Thank your Ruth for your nice comments. If I remember correctly most of the T-shirts were in the $30.00 to $35.00 dollar range. The HP glasses were I think in the $ 17.00 dollar range. I think the lanyards were $15.00. The HP backpacks were $82 or $84.00 and the wallets were in the mid $40.00 range.


I’am sorry to hear you had to cancel your trip. Hopefully you and your hubby will be able to reschedule your trip soon.

I‘am so happy to share the trip report with others. It helps to keep you plugged into the parks until you can actually get there.

Yes, we pick it up at the airport, only available in one terminal for pick up, but you can drop the hangtag with the barcode at any side.

We use the app and activate it a day or so before we arrive, then go pick it up and once we have the car reg number, just type it in to the app and away we go. Cheap as chips and takes seconds to do.

Lovely pictures Robbie, we really look forward to getting back to KSC this May, we have missed it a lot.

 

[Robo56]

Robo, I’m loving all of the pictures.

Great to have you along Charade. So glad you are enjoying the pictures.

I remember the Sunpass from when I used to live in Florida. Several years after I moved out of FL I got an email stating that I owed them money. It was a stupid amount around 50 cents or so. Don’t know why it took them so long to collect.

Not to complicate things, but It was explained to me that E-ZPass actually runs the toll roads and actually bill for overages or other toll charges. It takes forever for them to sort it out and bill. E-ZPass and SunPass both can be used without problems.

SunPass emails people to remind them to check their accounts which is nice.

Catching up on the TR. I LOVE Mardi Gras time> I was born,raised in deep South Louisiana, and Mardi Gras was such a huge part of my childhood, and adulthood until we moved away. As we got older, we'd often go to Florida for Mardi Gras break (my son got the whole week off. I grew up always having the M-W off that week,) and some of our first memories include the parade at Universal. They do such a fun job, and it's so much better now!
Thank you so much for sharing all the Mardi Gras info, pictures, and all the fun in the TR!!! Looks like so much fun!

How wonderful your memories of living in Louisiana sound. That must have been awesome attending Mardi Gras when you were growing up.

So good to hear you were able to make some memories with your son at Universal for Mardi Gras celebration. Universal really has grown so much in their Mardi Gras Celebration Over the years.

I’am so glad you are enjoying the trip report. I hope you are able to get to Universal for Mardi Gras.

 

[Charade67]

Not to complicate things, but It was explained to me that E-ZPass actually runs the toll roads and actually bill for overages or other toll charges. It takes forever for them to sort it out and bill. E-ZPass and SunPass both can be used without problems.

SunPass emails people to remind them to check their accounts which is nice.

I remember posting about this to Facebook when it happened, so I looked it up this morning. They contacted me 11 years after I left Florida and I had a balance of 30 cents. I had no idea I had a balance and didn't get any emails during those 11 years. It's crazy. A couple of my friends thought I was being scammed, but I called and the charge was valid. I paid it and asked them to close my account.

 

[Robo56]

Wednesday, February 8th continued


When I was done talking to the TM Darien I headed through the Hollywood area towards what used to be the Annual Passholder Lounge. They have done away with the Passholder lounge and the interior of a couple of nearby buildings and turned it Tribute Store

I passed Scooby and the Gang Taking photos with people.






Then it was onto The Tribute Store

 

[DL1WDW2]

I loved Scooby andGang doing their MardiGras meet greet too!

It is amazing the creativity and fun attitude the Team Members share non-stop with guests plus discounts are always Yes instead of Disney sorry no . I guess that explains why the locals love Universal Studios Orlando so much .