Boys R Icky, I need a new BF, our RPR trip report...A Wonderful Trip!

[lindalinda]

RPR trip June 8-18 2006

The players
me- single mom 40somethingish, but after this trip I deserve to shave a few more years off....I think I'll go with 39 instead WTH.

BF- 44 not remotely interested in this trip. helped in no way, barely showed up :guilty:

my baby boy- (kev) 14...the evidence is clear...best kid in the world :thumbsup2

my neighbor boy-(brandon) 13...we always take him on vacation, great kid

my BFs son- (brent) 13...ok not terrible, but some issues...we'll talk

Day 1 The drive part 1

Its thursday, june 8. I am off work today and packing the car. We are driving from kentucky. BF has to work until 4pm, so me, kev and brandon pack the honda crv, set up the dvd players and the x-box for optimum car-trip survival. We leave the house at 3:45 for BFs house. We arrive at 4:35 or so and are on the road at 4:50. Perfect so far! :goodvibes

Did I mention that I have a honda Crv and it is a manual transmission? Did I mention BF cant drive a stick? Did I mention its a 14 hour drive? Oh well, I am an excellent driver. And its good to have some adult company on the road..you know...someone to talk to....to keep you awake....etc....(someone cue the music here)

Just kidding. Fairly uneventful trip on day one. Arrived Adairsville Ga., exit 306 on I-75 at 10:30 pm. We had 2 rooms booked there. Bf and his son in one and me, kev and brandon in the other. I was adamant that the boys shower at night so we could just get up and go and be on the road early. I set the alarm for 5:30 and conked out. When it went off it was painful, but we got up and got ready. I sent kev to wake up the other room. We packed up the car and waited. I sent kev up again to get BF. He says "you know its only 5 am right? I say no its 6....no, its 5. Oops. The clock in my room was an hour fast. It didnt even occur to me to check it, I just set the alarm.

So now we're on day 2

Anyway......we're up lets leave. So a very sleepy bunch pile in the car and we're off again. It was probably a good thing, since traffic thru Atlanta was already building at 6:15 when we drove thru. I can tell you this because I was awake. As a matter of fact, I can tell you about Macon, Tifton, Gainsville, any number of towns that I was awake in. Of course, no one else was. Just me and a bunch of snoring guys. Somewhere around ocala they woke up. I think they were hungry. So we got some lunch and got on the turnpike. We arrived at the Royal Pacific Resort at 1:00pm. I went ahead and parked , I didnt think the room would be ready that early. But it turns out it was! :cool1: And we were on the 7th floor! ( I had been stressing about this, since I heard they had been putting some club on the 6th)

So we checked in, lugged our bags up and checked out the room.

I am going to interject a few observations in here now about RPR and club level issues. First * I am sure its a good thing with 5 people, esp if you are going to be having beer at happy hour. Second * I dont think I will do it again. We LIKED it. It was nice. The service was wonderful, dont get me wrong. But heres the thing. The wonderful, perfect, park plan, you know the one, where you get up in the morning, head to the parks, come back and swim, then go to the parks late afternoon....are not conducive to the club level hours. I felt like we had a timer on us and we needed to be back for appetizers and beer, when that was really the perfect time to head back into the parks. So basically, we did the club level for breakfast, and for beer when BF was there, but after he left, we pretty much forgot it. We hardly even ever were there in time to get our cookies and milk! Also, another point for those with kids, esp little ones. If they dont like oriental type cuisine, they arent going to be eating much at all. Eggrolls, won-tons...won- tons...noodles... I saw a LOT of little turned up noses. There are only so many times you are gonna want to say...here dear...have a pb&j uncrustable. Now this is strictly my opinion, The staff did great stuff for us that I will note later...this was just some observations.

Where was I? Oh yeah, checked out the room. Very nice. Worst possible view. I-4 , and the roof. Oh well...at least its on the 7th floor and honestly..I didnt care. Room number was 3731. What I did care about was that there was no blow dryer. HUh? none. Luckily I was using the advise of Motherfletcher and using the gym for showers anyway so that didnt matter either.

We decided to just chill the first day...no parks..just pool and beer.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day1045.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day1054.jpg

I know, I know...whats the icky boys part? I'll get to it.....but I'm really really tired now cuz I just drove from florida and all...

Next...will BF like the parks? Can 4 stinky boys stay in one room with moi?
Stay tuned.... :hippie:

[momrek06]

AWESOME, LINDA :thumbsup2 Waiting for more..... :goodvibes

[nerdboyrockstar]

Great report so far. :)

[Dislifer]

lindalinda...
subscribing!!! Great report! Looking forward to reading more!

[Motherfletcher]

Sounds like BF ain't going to like it! What guy in his 40s from Kentucky can't drive a stick?

[shelby72]

Sounds like BF ain't going to like it! What guy in his 40s from Kentucky can't drive a stick?

*laugh* Just what I was thinking :)

[IMGONNABE40!]

So, the switch from HRH was OK? The reasons you noted are pretty much the reason I have never done club.

Can't wait to hear more. Sounds like you boyfriend did not warm up to theme parks. :confused3

[lindalinda]

:sunny:

When last we spoke, I was telling you guys about chillin by the pool. I forgot to mention the dive -in movie. It was the Incredibles. The boys thought it was very cool and had a blast. We were pretty exhausted by the time we turned in for the night. We were all in 1 room, the 5 of us. I (being the only girl) slept on the aerobed. It just barely fits in the room next to the window. But it was quite comfy.

Boys are icky. I think I may possibly have inadvertently witnessed some male ritual that I hope to never experience again. I speak of the gas wars. I really cant describe it. But it was icky. (I am quite sure some disneymaniacs will claim this would NEVER happen if we had just stayed at the poly :rotfl2:) The conversation was equally incomprehensible. Once again, generally involving bodily functions. Very icky. Was I invisible? Hey guys..theres a woman here....isnt there some kind of code involved?


But back to the trip report....we were exhausted....and slept until 9:30! That wasnt too good. 5 people getting ready in 1 room , we grabbed some breakfast from the lounge...and hit the park at the crack of NOON! We decided on Universal first, I figured there was more of a chance for BF to like something there. We had the 3 month costco passes, plus I had a preferred AP, so first thing we go to get our passes made. They got them mixed up, wrong names on the AP, so it took about 30 minutes to accomplish this. So it was around 12:30 by the time we started.

First up..Twister-Ride it out I decide to ease BF into the experience with an easy one. It was fun, we all enjoyed it. BFs comment: "It wasnt as bad as I thought" :thumbsup2 OK great start. Next.....da..dee.da......The Mummy! We cant pass that one up! BF gives the big "no way" and from this point on, he becomes the illustrious "holder of all the crap"
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day1001.jpg
he did take a few pics tho
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day1002.jpg

Next, it was on to Jaws. Even BF rode this one. Actually, I didnt give him a choice. He didnt complain, so maybe he loved it.

Fear Factor Live was just starting as we walked by so we decided to check it out. Actually, it was way fun. (BF didnt like it, the drinking yucky stuff made him kinda queasy) But I thought since the yucky part is separate, it is much easier to decide to participate. I mean, that yucky parts keeps people out, so since its separate, I would do it.
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day1032.jpg
this part I couldnt do tho
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day1011.jpg

After that, it was off to MIB. I am not a video game person at all, but I like this. Its so silly. (BF wouldnt do it) Anyway, I won. Kicked those boys butts! I got the bonus, and that put me over the top. My son was so irritated! I got 183,000. Not great I know, but better than them (that time only) So I was pretty obnoxious about it.

We had lunch at the International Food Festival. I was not impressed. I dont mean it was bad or anything, but sooo crowded it wasnt too enjoyable because of that.

Next we tried to ride ET but after waiting about 10 mins, it was broken. Too bad, BF was gonna try that one.

At this time it was getting late (we needed to be back at the hotel for those free happy hour beers) so we split up. The boys went back to ride the Mummy again and me and BF were trying to decide between Horror Make-up show and Terminator. We chose Terminator. I think BF kind of liked it, but he only said " that was strange with the actors coming out of the stage" Ok....I think I'll just start translating things like that as "wow, cool, that was awesome"

We went back to the club lounge and had egg rolls ( or maybe wontons) and cheese and crackers and coronas and wine. We sent the boys to the pool and let them order food from the Bula Grill. We really enjoyed the Bula grill, and ate and drank there often. It was just so nice by the pool, hanging out and such.

I told the guys we had to do better tomorrow, no sleeping in late or we wont get to the parks in time again. So we made a deal that me and the boys would go to the gym early and shower there and be ready to get in the parks by 9am.

:rolleyes1 Can we do it? :hippie:

[momrek06]

Ahhh...Linda, another edition of your trippie...awesome AND BF and I have something in common...YUP, I am as well the "holder of crap"... :lmao: when we are at the Parks!!! :)

[DonnaLeah]

Enjoyin' your trip report!! popcorn:: Ready for more!!

[AlexandNessa]

RPR trip June 8-18 2006


Where was I? Oh yeah, checked out the room. Very nice. Worst possible view. I-4 , and the roof. Oh well...at least its on the 7th floor and honestly..I didnt care. Room number was 3731. What I did care about was that there was no blow dryer. HUh? none. Luckily I was using the advise of Motherfletcher and using the gym for showers anyway so that didnt matter either.




Ahh, I am familiar with the views from that side of the hallway.... my SIL and BIL were stuck in 3737. It was a bit depressing being in their room coming from ours (we were in 3724 that trip, which overlooked the pool and IOA -- awesome!). At least you were on the 7th floor. Trust me, what a PINTA to be stuck on the 6th floor. Sounds like you didn't take much advantage of the club offerings as it was. Imagine if you had to take a detour to do it!

We like club because it's a nice "break" in the day for us, and we enjoy socializing in there at beer o'clock, but we do plan it into our day. Since we go to UO for long periods of time, we only ever spend about 4 hours/day max at the parks, so it works nicely for us. I can certainly see where it wouldn't fit into everyone's schedules though.

Sorry you were stuck in a room without a blow dryer. I'll bet a quick call to Star Services would've gotten you one pronto. And if that didn't work, asking for some help from the club staff would've worked for sure.

Can't wait to hear more. I'm betting your BF would've had more fun at the convention of the week at the RPR than in the parks? :)

[katybugsmom]

Tell me more!!!!!!

:rotfl2: :cool1: :rotfl2:

[lindalinda]

Sounds like BF ain't going to like it! What guy in his 40s from Kentucky can't drive a stick?

Hey thats what I said!

[lindalinda]

:teeth: Sunday morning, day 4

I wake up at 6:45am and decide to go ahead and get up and head to the gym. It is a very nice facility. They have headphones if you want to use them. Several treadmills and ellipticals and a stationary bike, as well as weight machines. I just did the elliptical. Hey I'm on vacation! I really liked it, it has arm things, the one at my gym doesnt have that. Anyway, I used the shower in the gym. They are very nice showers and they do have everything you need. shampoo, conditioner and bathgel in the shower and then blow dryer, lotion, hairspray, razors as well. I was the only person there so I had the run of the place. It was nice not to be cramped in the room.

I was back upstairs by 8 and the boys were pretty much ready (except for brent) and we had time to get some breakfast while we were waiting for him. The club breakfast is pretty good. Fruit, lots of pastries, bagels, toast, these ooey-gooey cinnamon rolls that are to die for (diabetics beware!) and cereal. A complete carb-fest

We managed to get into IOA by 9:30. Pretty good! :goodvibes

We do the hulk first of course I love-love-love it. Me, kev, brandon and brent start off to ride it. BF is a big no-way on this one.. When we get about halfway there brent chickens out on us. We try to convince him but it didnt work. So we sent him back on the walk of shame to stay with his dad. So it was me, kev and brandon. We had done this before. When brandon was 9 we brought him here for his first inverted coaster ride. We really had to talk him into it. He kept changing his mind on the way and finally at the last minute he said ok...he'd do it. So we are on the ride and it starts moving....and he starts to cry!..now I'm freaked out...he asks to get off and I say..sorry its too late...it will be over in a sec...just scream as loud as you can like we taught you. Well that kid screamed like the devil was on his doorstep and I never took my eyes off him. I couldnt tell if he was terrified or just screaming cuz we told him to. But he walked off it and said "lets do it again" :woohoo: So it was the 3 of us again and it was just as much fun this time. It is so exhilarating! My absolute favorite. We decided that brent would be convinced before the end of the day and ride it. That was the plan.

Next we went to Spiderman. I fibbed a little and led BF to believe it was just a 3D type movie so he went. The spinning was a bit much for him. that was his comment ....it was okay until the spinning.... :confused3

The boys did Dr Doom and I waited it out. It gives me a headache and I waited with BF this time. I try to be a good GF but I kinda stink at it. Brent did Dr doom which I find weird, I mean it seems scarier to me than hulk but to each his own I guess.

Next up is the mystic fountain. We goof off there for awhile, and then go to see poseidons fury. I really like this. We always seem to time it poorly tho so we had to wait about 20 mins. There is express pass but I'm not sure it does much, at least it never helped us on this one. I like walking thru the water thing. I know...I'm easily entertained (or as my boy would say...mom your dork is showing) :wave2:

Dueling Dragons was up next and me, kev, brandon and brent started out. brent tried to bail halfway up again. It took us about 10 minutes to get him moving again. But he did it! He loved it of course. I figured we were golden now, if he'd do dragons, surely he'd do hulk next time.
The boys rode again and I waited with BF again (see how I'm trying?)

Why are there no pictures here? OOPs...forgot to put the battery back in my camera this morning. We'll get some later.

We had lunch at burger digs. I think it was pretty good, and BF got to have a beer so he was happy.

The boys then went on Jurassic park river adventure (I bailed cuz I didnt want to get wet), then ripsaw falls, then popeyes. kev and brandon were wearing flip-flops but brent had on tennis shoes so I told him to put them in the middle on popeyes. He didnt. His shoes were wet the rest of the trip. I think he seriously thought we should buy him some new shoes. I told him he should have done what I said and it would be fine. So deal with it. (BF thought I was a little mean)

It was about 130pm by now and time to go swim. One more turn on the hulk and we were leaving. Brents chance. nope...not yet.

When we left I sent the boys back to the hotel and went to cash in some movie/meal coupons at guest services. We wanted to make a reservation at NBA city for the game. But they werent taking reservations past 645. the game was at 9 so I didnt think that would work. We decided on Hard Rock Cafe instead.

AAAAHHHHH. We loved the pool at RPR! I ordered a witch doctor. I dont remember what that is exactly, but it is bright green and yummy. After we swam for a couple of hours we sent the boys back into the park. It started getting cloudy and raining a little. I didnt think anything of it, its florida after all, thunderstorms are daily right? Well it was really pouring for awhile. The boys had a walkie-talkie with them and they were stuck under one of the bridges on the walkway waiting it out. It finally stopped enough for them to get back to the hotel before dinner. Please note...I dont really watch TV while on vacation so I didnt know what was happening. Just figured it was a little rain shower.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day2012.jpg


We had a very nice dinner at the hard rock cafe. Used our 2 coupons so the bill was less than 50$ (that included appetizer and beer) The waitress seemed a little clueless about the meal coupon tho and didnt give me a separate menu, she just kind of pointed to stuff and said you can have that. It was a little odd, but not a problem. We wandered a bit on citywalk on the way back to the hotel. I love citywalk, just walking around is cool.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day2019.jpg

some sunset/evening pics
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day2020.jpg

and heres the boys

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day2015.jpg

brent, kev, brandon

[lindalinda]

Monday day 5

Alberto.... :sad1: Monday morning I get up early and wake up kev to go to the gym with me. He grabs brandon as well and the 3 of us go work out. The plan for the day was SeaWorld. I hadnt realized the storm would be as bad as it was. We decided we would stick to the plan and go to seaworld, and if it got too bad we would just leave. We stopped and grabbed ponchos before we left. I had gotten our tickets online using the pepsi code. When we arrived it was just light rain so we figured we would be ok.

Things are a little fuzzy about this day. First we went back to the coaster, Kraken. Kev and brandon rode. I waited in the rain. Kev and brandon rode twice without telling us and I told him that was very rude, seeing as we were waiting in the RAIN. Atlantis was not working at first so we skipped that one. I know we saw the stingrays, and the exhibit with the penguins. We went to the pirate sea lion show. It was very cute.
After the sea lions we went to see thw dolphin show, blue horizons. I thought it was very cool. Very different than I expected.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day3002.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day3004.jpg

After that the rain started to just pour down. It was like ahose on your head. I was sloshing thru the water ankle deep. I was wearing my nile crocs, so the shoes were okay but my feet sure werent. The boys had sneakers on so they were drenched. The rain soaked inside the ponchos. It was only 11:30 but we decided to eat lunch and dry out a little. Kev decided on the sharks underwater grill. Cool to see sharks while youre eating so what the heck. Well this place is waaay to gourmet for my bunch let me tell you. I dont really remember the names of what everyone got but I know the boys got some kind of flatbread. They ate some of it, not much tho. BF got some chicken thing that was, as he described...really expensive chicken strips stuck in a pineapple..... Mine was good, red snapper with rice and black beans. I felt pretty stupid tho when the waiter had to tell me the rice and beans were in this little dough bag thingy. (I thought it was decorative) It was tasty tho. This meal was probably the most expensive we had all week, and definitely not worth it to us. C'mon, the kids want to see the sharks...cant they have some french fries?

After our lunch we fed the stingrays. Then we wandered over to the shamu stadium to see Believe. However, they were postponing it because of lightening. I never saw any lightening but I'm sure they were tracking it on radar or something. So we did the polar expedition. I didnt tell BF it was a simulator so he rode it with us. He lived. Let me tell you tho, when you are soaked to the skin, going into the polar habitat is a challenge. I thought we were gonna freeze to death.

BY the time we left this, it had slowed down a little so we decided to go back to Kraken. Kev told me I HAD to ride it cuz it was so cool. So I did, me kev and brandon. It really is an awesome coaster. But riding it in the rain is like being shot by a thousand pygmy poison darts! Ouch!

After this the boys rode Atlantis a couple of times and they loved it.. I skipped it. I was so wet and miserable I couldnt stand the thought of getting WETTER!
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day3017.jpg

We left after this. It was around 3pm so we were there for 5 hours or so.

This is pretty normal for me and kev. We once did the "Ghost tour" at williamsburg in a driving rainstorm at about 40 degrees. After that he said...mom, we can do ANYTHING.

We just decided to hang at the pool and eat dinner at the Bula Bar. Its hard to describe what a nice little grill this is. Such a great atmoshere. I really think I could have eaten there every night and been just as happy as a clam.

Since it was BF and brents last night (they were flying out early the next morning), when the rain let up a little, we sent the boys back into the park. It was kev and brandons goal to get brent on the hulk before he left. Meanwhile, me an BF had a hottub evening, and I tried a tsunami and blue hawaii. I liked the tsunami the best, YUM.

For the record....the boys quest failed...no hulk for brent but he did ride dueling dragons a few more times. And when they got back they swam in the pool til around 11pm.

The next morning BF and brent leave at around 5:30am, so I let kev and brandon sleep in late. Overall, I think it went OK for them, but BF is still in serious need of some "training" lol.

Next up....just the 3 of us on a rainy morning.....how many people can they cram into a 4 story arcade?

:hippie:

[lindalinda]

I'm sorry, I have no idea why that picture is humongous. :confused3 I dont know how you make them smaller. They were all the same tho, why did that one pic get huge?

[lindalinda]

ok, I just put a different pic in. Its not as good but what the hey.

[supersaver]

Linda, I am enjoying your trip report. Very entertaining! :thumbsup2 I wonder if we might have seen you Monday night at the pool, my kids wanted to go swimming and we were also down at the hot tub/whirlpool some that night (a bad mistake, as after being in the WARM water, the pool felt like ice cubes!). I thoroughly agree with you about the Bula bar, some of our best meals last week were from there! EXCELLENT! :cool1: We were at Universal the day you were at Sea World, and everyone's shoes/socks were so wet, DH had to dry them out with a hair dryer!! That was some storm Monday and Tuesday.

Looking forward to the rest of your trip report!

Suzanne :sunny:

[momrek06]

Great Trippie, Linda...I have enjoyed reading it :thumbsup2

Waiting for more........ :goodvibes

[lindalinda]

Tuesday-day 6

BF and brent left early and we slept in. The plan for the day was DisneyQuest. It doesnt open until 11am so I didnt figure there was any hurry. So we took our time and ate our breakfast in the club lounge. I already had tickets (I got them from ticketmania) so I knew we wouldnt have to wait in that line. It was still raining and very dreary. Now, I didnt plan on going because of the weather....this was just my plan for the day. I was just trying to stick with the plan.

We arrived at around 10:45am. We saw the line stretched halfway around to the back of the building. We got in line. It started to rain on us of course. At 11 they started letting people in.

Now we have been to Disneyquest many times. I do have a little beef with the way they handled the crowd. When you go in, they put you in a fake elevator with the genie from alladin. Its cute, but really unnecessary. Esp. if there is a huge line outside being poured down rain on. Just open the doors and let people go up the stairs!

Anyway, when we got in we went straight to Pirates of the Carribean. (we know what were doing) This is a great "ride" And the lines get HUGE LONG very fast. Seriously, go here first. Another slight beef...you go in a room and shoot pirates with cannons...the room holds I think 6. They never combined groups. There were 3 of us, and a family of 3 in front of us (2 small kids) that had never done it before. We could have easily gone together, and they would have the learned how to do it and probably had a lot more fun. We, are the heroes of the sea. :thumbsup2 We kick butt on this thing. I drove, kev and brandon shot. We took out every ship and got the treasure from the houses on the shore as well. I think we ended up KIngs of the high seas. Anyway it is really fun. (in a kind of men-in-blackish kind of way if you know what I mean). After this we went to the alladins magic carpet virtual reality thing. I wish they would update this stuff. Its very cool but the thing you have to wear on your head is freakin huge. I am sure that technology would let it be much smaller now. Anyway, I actually made it to the end of this one (usually I get lost just flying around on my carpet) After this we kind of wandered around looking for someting to do. I mean it was SO CROWDED. I have never seen anything like it. Apparently this is not the place to be on your bad weather day. We decided to try and get something to eat. I sent the kids to get something and they were in line for over 30 mins. After we ate we went and made a cd in the create zone. We skipped cyber-space mountain because it was too long. (we have done it a million times so no biggie) We decided to try some arcade games. Did a few...waited around some more. It was elbow to elbow in there. There was a line to play air hockey. We decided we had had enough by 2. When we left...we were told...no re-entry, we would have to wait in line again , maximum capacity. When we walked outside...low and behold...SUNSHINE :sunny:

Woo-hoo, we decided....pool time. The boys decided it was their day to pool hop to HRH, but I told them I would just stay at the RPR pool until they came back cuz I love-love-love it. So they took off, and I gave them a job to do as well....redeem movie/meal coupons. Meanwhile...I indulged in some sunshine and a beach novel. perfect!

A perfect little detail at RPR as well....those adorable water coolers around the pool. Ice cold water, you dont have to just have a margarita.

Guess how long the boys stayed at HRH pool? One hour. I really thought they would stay a long time and do the slide over and over. Nope. Kev said RPR pool was better. I have to agree. I am not sure its the pool itself tho, I think its the atmoshere.

Heres one of the cabanas. I hung out at this hottub. I didnt ever get a cabana, but I thought about it.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day6018.jpg

the boys liked the basketball goal at the pool
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day6020.jpg

Later that afternoon we went back into US. Kev wanted a rematch on MIB. I have to say. I was horrendous this time ...55000. Kev got 406,000. I think there was something wrong with my laser. Anyway, we were defenders of the galaxy. We had dinner at the bula grill again. It rained a little on us, off and on, but no big deal...we are troupers.


tomorrow....Epcot...this is the one I have been stressing over....WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT IN LINES! :hippie:

[lindalinda]

Linda, I am enjoying your trip report. Very entertaining! :thumbsup2 I wonder if we might have seen you Monday night at the pool, my kids wanted to go swimming and we were also down at the hot tub/whirlpool some that night (a bad mistake, as after being in the WARM water, the pool felt like ice cubes!). I thoroughly agree with you about the Bula bar, some of our best meals last week were from there! EXCELLENT! :cool1: We were at Universal the day you were at Sea World, and everyone's shoes/socks were so wet, DH had to dry them out with a hair dryer!! That was some storm Monday and Tuesday.

Looking forward to the rest of your trip report!

Suzanne :sunny:

Maybe you did...I always laid out by the hottub by cabana 1. I saw some kids swimming in the hottub once , maybe that was you all. :sunny:

[Calgary DISHeads]

GREAT Trip Report :cool1: I think I'm missing out on something though - what meal coupons for Hard Rock Hotel? How do I get those?

[lindalinda]

GREAT Trip Report :cool1: I think I'm missing out on something though - what meal coupons for Hard Rock Hotel? How do I get those?

Sorry, I didnt mean to make it sound like that...they are the movie/meal coupons for citywalk restaraunts. (entertainment book) I had them redeem some at guest services on their way over to HRH.

[disneylizzy]

Subscribing, great trip report. I am taking my boys 13 and 16 to RPR in April and I can't wait, especially after reading your report. :thumbsup2

[Dislifer]

You make your trip report so enjoyable to read!!! Also, thank you for your pictures. I have been debating whether or not to rent a cabana. Do they have any near the pool so you can keep your eye on your kids while they swim?
Also, I'm thinking why would I want a cabana? You're hotel room is right there, right????

[DonnaLeah]

Enjoying your trip report and pics!! Waiting patiently to hear the rest!! :listen:

[lindalinda]

I made a little boo-boo on my report for day 6..I said we had dinner at the bula grill, but we didnt. While we were in US we had dinner at Finnegans. I really liked it. I want ed to have Bangers and Mash but they were out, so we had fish and chips instead. We also had scotch eggs as an appetizer. I had no clue what they were, but they were good! Hard-boiled eggs in a sausage ball and fried. I know that doesnt sound good, but trust me, they were. The boys liked them too, and they only like chicken strips and pizza.

Anyway, Day 7- EPCOT

We got up early. I wanted to get there at 8:30 or so (park opening 9). It was not an early entry day, so I was hopeful. But I was worried since the weather had been bad for 2 days if now the disney parks would flood and it would be unmanageable. We managed to get there at 8:40, close enough. (I forgot to mention that while we were at Disney quest, I went to the Disney marketplace guest services and bought my epcot tickets to save a little time, so we didnt have to wait in line for that) Anyway, they let us in at 8:50 to go to the rope-drop areas. There was already a pretty big mob there. The weather was beautiful BTW. At rope drop we went straight to Soarin'. The wait time said 45mins. :confused3 I was like whaaa????. I asked the attendant and they said it was betwen 15 and 45 mins. I think they just do that because the mob is unpredictable. It was about 15 mins. We rode that and it was fun. Very pretty. Afterwards we got a fastpass so we could come back later.

When we got off that there was already a huge line for Living with the Land. So we skipped it. I really like it, so I am disappointed. I think the Soarin people kind of mob into that after the ride. Its a shame.
we went back across to Mission to Mars (is that the name or is it Mission Space?) They have orange and green teams now. Green apparently doesnt spin. We did orange. No wait. 5 min MAYBE. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THIS RIDE. Since this is on the universal board, all you guys are used to way more thrilling rides than this. It was fun. I couldnt even tell it was spinning. I was a little nervous with all the warnings as you are going in, but unless you are really sensitive to spinning, dont worry about it. Its not scary. Its pretty cool. None of us had any problems at all.

We checked test rack next and the line was huge, and we couldnt get another fastpass yet so we went over to imagination pavillion and rode figment. Okay. This is lame. seriously. I am a total dork and this is lame. I thought they had redone it and was expecting a change. I think little kids would still like it but not over say..9. Anyway, we did Honey I shrunk the Audience. I still like that one. I know its old, but its still fun.

By now we can get a test track fast pass so we get one and then go back and ride soarin again. We were on the bottom row both times (we were hoping for the top) but we liked it a lot. Am I the only one who remembers the old Delta Dream flight ride in tomorrowland? This is like that , turbo-charged. Still a huge line at Living with the Land. Oh well.

Our test track fastpass is at 1230 so we decide to do lunch first and head into the world showcase. Kev thinks chinese so we head that way, but looking at the menu he changes his mind. We make our way to Germany and go to the Biergarten. Wow, good choice. We loved it. It was a buffet style and the boys chose a wide variety of stuff they usually dont try. (and the old standby chicken strips were there also.)

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day5003.jpg

Now was time to ride test track. When we got there the line (fastpass) stretched all the way out and about 50 feet outside the entry gate area. What? this is fastpass. I thought there must be some mistake and said , well just come back a little later and see if it gets shorter. So we went into Innoventions for awhile and goofed around and went to the chill station place. When we went back and checked it was the same. So we waited. I timed the line. The fastpass line was 30 mins. the regular line said 45. the single riders line said 30 as well but I think it was wrong. Ok I like this ride its fun and all, but its not that big a deal. Anyway, we rode it, it was fun. I am gonna give a plug here for the hairspray in the gym at RPR. I braided my hair and sprayed it, but I thought this ride would do it in. Nope, Perfect. Not a hair out of place!

Next we went back to world showcase. We just visited as much as we could. We went to see the chinese acrobats, we love them, and saw the china movie.
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day5005.jpg
We checked out the carvings and drums in the africa section. I sure wish I could afford some of that stuff!

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day5008.jpg

Kevin loved watching the drum corps guys

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day5014.jpg

Then he had to have a funnel cake

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day5017.jpg

We made our way around, visited the england and canada areas, watched the canada movie. By now we were getting pretty tired. We decided we would go back to Mission to mars and ride that again, NO WAIT again. Still no problems. Its really fun. Do it, seriously. Then we did the Universe of Energy thing with Ellen. I still like it but it really needs some updating. Then a last ride on Spaceship Earth before we left. I still like that one too. We had a lot of fun. It was crowded but the only place it was bad was test track. I'm sure if we hadnt gotten our fastpasses early for Soarin that may have been a problem as well. But the fastpass line for Soarin was only about 15 mins when we went. All in all, a very good day.

We got home around 7. Of course more swimming and eating at the Bula grill. Brandon asked me "what are we doing tomorrow?" "anything you guys want"

Next....margaritaville

:hippie:

[lindalinda]

You make your trip report so enjoyable to read!!! Also, thank you for your pictures. I have been debating whether or not to rent a cabana. Do they have any near the pool so you can keep your eye on your kids while they swim?
Also, I'm thinking why would I want a cabana? You're hotel room is right there, right????

The cabanas kind of sit back, but not so far that you couldnt see the kids, except for the ones back behind the hottubs. Even so, I think it would be fun to rent one sometime...but completely unnecessary. Unless you really want to watch tv while outside? Anyway, if you want to get relief from the sun there are plenty of umbrellas around, and you could always go relax at the bula bar for a bit. I never saw the pool so crowded that you couldnt find chairs or umbrellas for yourself, maybe later in the summer it would be a problem. :hippie:

[DonnaLeah]

Read your last installment!! Test Track was busy(and s l o w) the last time we rode it, also. Kind of thought we were in the wrong line !!?? Can't wait to hear about your next day. :sunny:

[Dislifer]

The cabanas kind of sit back, but not so far that you couldnt see the kids, except for the ones back behind the hottubs. Even so, I think it would be fun to rent one sometime...but completely unnecessary. Unless you really want to watch tv while outside? Anyway, if you want to get relief from the sun there are plenty of umbrellas around, and you could always go relax at the bula bar for a bit. I never saw the pool so crowded that you couldnt find chairs or umbrellas for yourself, maybe later in the summer it would be a problem. :hippie:

Thanks for the info! Also, congratulations on your weight loss!!! :cheer2: That's great...what have you been doing to lose 55 lbs???? :sunny: :sunny:

[IMGONNABE40!]

Thanks for the continued installments. I am getting excited for my trip. I will be heading to Epcot as well, so I was happy to read of your experiences. Do you remember what other rides had single rider lines there?

[lindalinda]

Thanks for the info! Also, congratulations on your weight loss!!! :cheer2: That's great...what have you been doing to lose 55 lbs???? :sunny: :sunny:
Thanks. But before my vacation , that ticker said 64 lbs. I gained 9 on vacation! Back to the drawing board. I have done everything. I just keep trying!

[lindalinda]

Thanks for the continued installments. I am getting excited for my trip. I will be heading to Epcot as well, so I was happy to read of your experiences. Do you remember what other rides had single rider lines there?

I have been thinking and thinking and I honestly dont remember seeing them anywhere else. When we rode mission space (or whatever its called) we only had 3 and they didnt fill the extra seat. On soarin there were no empties, so there might be one there, but I didnt notice it. I was stressing pretty much about epcot, but it wasnt as bad as I thought. Just be there early and do soarin first. Also, its so huge, you are gonna get tired, be ready for that.

[lindalinda]

They keep making me work these awful shifts and I'm just now getting home so I will try to get the next day in tomorrow. (Darn job)

[Suzan]

Linda, did you happen to notice if the Bubba Gump's restaurant at City Walk is on schedule for opening July 1st? My husband loves shrimp and we all love the movie. We are going July 12th for 3 nights to RPR and are hoping the restaurant will be open. Thanks!

[lindalinda]

Linda, did you happen to notice if the Bubba Gump's restaurant at City Walk is on schedule for opening July 1st? My husband loves shrimp and we all love the movie. We are going July 12th for 3 nights to RPR and are hoping the restaurant will be open. Thanks!

When we were there it was all boarded up. I am not sure if it was scheduled for july 1st or if it just said coming this summer. It didnt look like it was going to open very soon. But I really dont know for sure :confused3

[lindalinda]

Wow, I just read my posts from last night. I really wasnt drunk or anything just tired. Apparently I cant spell when I'm tired.

Does anyone remember what day I was on?

Day 8

We were so tired after epcot we just decided to take a "sleep in" day. We probably got up around 9:30. We barely made it to the club lounge in time for breakfast. Grabbed some bagels and got ready to go. I forgot to tell you all that the day before I had asked the club concierge to make a reservation for NBA City for us for the finals Heat vs Mavs. At guest services they had told us we couldnt get one past 6:45 but they got us one for 9pm. Perfect!

We decided to go eat lunch at margaritaville early and do some souveneir shopping there. We have parrothead-type relatives so they love margaritaville t-shirts. So off we went. We had the jamaica mistaica wings for an appetizer. OMG these are so good! I want the recipe! yummy! I had the cheeseburger in paradise (i couldnt resist)
Here it is
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day6005.jpg

They also have a volcano over by the bar. This is a bad picture but maybe you can kind of see it
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day6008.jpg

We bought lots of stuff. We also used our movie/meal coupons for this meal. I dont think they minded, since we bought hundreds of $ in merchandise :thumbsup2

They make these chairs up here in louisville. bet you all didnt know that

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day6017.jpg
Next the boys were going into the park, and I was going back to be lazy by the pool again. Kev did insist I go ride the hulk on the way tho, so I did.

While I was at the pool this was what I saw. It was so cool! What a hoot!

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day6032.jpg

After a couple of hours , the boys came back and joined me. Well, not exactly joined me I guess, but went swimming too

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day6026.jpg

Afterwards we decided to go to universal and try to catch the hollywood horror show. Here it was thursday already and we still hadnt seen it! So we went in, but decided first to ride mummy again. I cant go in there and not ride mummy first.

This is our official mummy pic, or one of them at least. We always know where the camera is. Thats us in the 2nd row.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day8.jpg

Then of course we had to do jaws again. Obligatory shark pic..

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day6047.jpg

We were having an awesome time. I needed a rematch on MIB. I was deeply ashamed of my last score (55000)

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day6052.jpg

Well, I was in the same seat (rear row , right seat) and I did even worse!!!! 45000! Kev of course walloped me with something in the 400,ooos again. How embarrassing. I continue to blame the equipment!

Then we get to the horror ahow. Oh no...last show at 5:30! We missed it again! Only one thing could make us feel better. Ice cream. So we head to Schwabs. Yum.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day6037.jpg

Its getting late so we decide to see T2 and then head to the mummy before dinner at NBA city. We got there just in time. Perfect seats in the middle.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day6061.jpg

I know that s crappy pic but the best I could do. That night there was a 20% surcharge because of the game. OUCH! But thats what we wanted to do , so we did. The boys had ribs and loved them. I cant even remember what I had, except for the Oreo Martinis. OMG! You gotta try this!

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day6062.jpg

Our bill ended up almost 150$ for the 3 of us. Seemed kind of ridiculous, but heck, we're on vacation WTH.

We had a wonderful day, really just about perfect. Now for tomorrow, our last full day....Can we manage to see the Horror makeup show finally?

:hippie:

[lindalinda]

okay, huge pics again. I'm too tired to mess with it now so you all will just have to suffer thru it. Sorry!

[DonnaLeah]

Still enjoying the trip report!! :thumbsup2

[Fan2CSkr]

The lady in the third row of your Mummy picture could do the commercial, "I wanna feel closer to my kids!" :teeth: Great report, love the pictures!

[Motherfletcher]

Not too much on BF? Have you dumped him already?

[Dislifer]

This is great!!! You're going to have to go back to keep us entertained with your trip reports!!! :goodvibes :lmao: :surfweb:

[lindalinda]

Not too much on BF? Have you dumped him already?

Bf left early tuesday morning with his son. ( I havent dumped him YET, but he definitely didnt pass the "vacation test!)

[lindalinda]

Day 9

Its our last full day here. :guilty: And we have so much left to do! We knew we had to get up early so we could do everything we wanted. Two for sure...Hollywood Horror Makeup Show (can you believe its 9 days and we havent seen it yet?) and we HAD to try Mythos. So we had a plan. We left early, going to Universal first. We walked. I hadnt mentioned that before, but we almost always walked. The boat never seemed convienient for us, but we did try the pedicabs a few times. As we are walking up to the gates at Universal, Brandon discovers that his lanyard is empty...no pass! So we turn around and go back. The cases we had have a zipper on the side that we put the passes in, and a clear plastic part with velcro that we put the room key in. The room key was there but the zipper was open and no pass. Brandon had a habit of zipping and unzipping it. We look around back at the room, but find nada. OK. No biggie. We'll just go to guest services. It is a pass with a photo (3 month costco pass) so there is a record. So we walk back to guest services at Universal, the outside window by ticket sales area. We had to wait a while, but when we did, they found our info and gave brandon another ticket thing to scan to get in, then we had to go back to guest services on the inside and get the pass reprinted. The first time they printed it, and we were walking away and Brandon says "hey mines green, yours is purple" Oops. So we turn around...the pass is a 3 month pass...but not 2 park pass. So they print it again. Now we're good. No charge for the lost pass either (up here at six flags there is always a charge for a new on when you lose it)

Okay, cool, now we are good. Into the park. Okay it should be no surprise to you by now....we went to the Mummy first. I think its should be a law by now. You must ride Mummy first and last everytime you go into Universal. So we rode the Mummy , walked on. It was still early. It would have been a walk-on in the regular line too. The "get there early, get there early , get there early" thing is SOOOOO true. I know it gets old saying it over and over, but its so true. Esp if you head to the back first. Empty. And it was around 10. So at least an hour of walk-ons.

Now I insist we head over towards Horror Make-up. But we pass MIB and those bad scores are still painful to me. I cant leave with that kind of embarrassment hanging over me. One more time. And this time I insist , I am not gonna be on the right side! So in we go. I shoot my little heart out. Okay dont make fun of me you 9999999 peeps but I got the bonus and got 260,000! I was happy with that. Of course both Kev and Brandon beat me by a bunch but I was still happy. Took the sting of humliation away anyhow.

Then finally we went and saw the horror show. And as usual it was a hoot!

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day6056.jpg

The guy was hilarious! We were on the 2nd row.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day7003.jpg

And I'm sure you wont be surprised at the volunteer!

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day7004.jpg

After this we headed over to IOA. We wanted lunch at Mythos
We walked in, no wait (it was about 11:45). It was very cool.
This was our view from our table

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day7006.jpg

And once again the boys surprised me by eating "something that is not chicken strips" They loved the buffalo chicken wrap

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day7015.jpg

Next we headed over to dueling dragons, but first we stopped at the mystic fountain

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day7027.jpg

I think Dueling Dragon is the prettiest roller coaster anywhere. I wonder if anyone has a vote on that "Worlds Prettiest Coaster"

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day8002.jpg

Next it was water ride day. All wet...all in a row

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day7040.jpg

Jurrassic park adventure

Ripsaw falls broke down twice while the boys were on it. so it took forever

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day7073.jpg

Then back to the HUlk again. and again.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day7022.jpg

and a little spidey for good measure

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day7023.jpg

Then we decided its time for the pool again, so I send the boys back and wander around citywalk for a bit before joining them.

That evening we head to Pastamore for dinner (movie/meal coupon) I liked mine, Brandon liked his. Kev thought his was icky. Pretty ordinary place tho, the fun level wasnt too high ( we take our own, thank goodness!)

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day7016.jpg

One more ride on hulk and back to the hotel. I made a deal with the boys if they packed everything up and took it to the car, they could stay and watch the dive-in movie at the pool. So thats what we did.

Next up, one last minute whirlwind tour...then on the road again!

:hippie:

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading ~ Thanx for sharing.

[IMGONNABE40!]

It sounds like you liked RPR well enough. How long did it take to adjust to it not being HRH? Which will you return to, if $ were no object?

[lindalinda]

It sounds like you liked RPR well enough. How long did it take to adjust to it not being HRH? Which will you return to, if $ were no object?

It didnt take long to adjust at all. I really think we LIKE RPR better. Especially the pool. The plusses for HRH were the room size (we always had deluxe, not available at RPR) and the short walk. The walk time difference is significant, I have to disagree with those who have said it isnt. If I brought my Mom, or anyone who might be effected by that I would definitely stay at HRH instead. If I took 5 ppl again I would book 2 rooms APH rate w/o club. I am planning a surprise trip for just me and my son (if I can manage to get time off work) and I think for that trip I might book HRH, or I might try PBH, since I havent stayed there yet. Choosing between comparable rooms at RPR and HRH , I would choose RPR for a family vacation. I'm rambling now, I know. The $ difference was mostly because of staying Club, and I really dont think we'll do that regularly, but maybe occassionally. Club was nice, but I dont think we really need it. I didnt really answer the question. I think I will be visiting both again, so I can do more research! :hippie:

[PavelB]

I just have to say that you sound like a great mom. I love seeing pictures of happy teenage boys.

[lindalinda]

I just have to say that you sound like a great mom. I love seeing pictures of happy teenage boys.

What a wonderful thing to say! I must say tho that I have been blessed with a fun kid! :goodvibes

[lindalinda]

Sorry this took so long...double shifts at work....yuck.

LAST DAY!!!!

We were packed up, car ready, I saw my bill EEEEK! :eek: Ok OK it was 3600 something. That was everything. All food, souveniers , everything for 8 nights club level 5 ppl 4 days and 3 the rest.

We never had time to see a movie with the movie/meal deal coupons so I took those and gave them to the Club Lounge Staff. Hopefully someone used them! I did the express check-out and just left.

We then went into the parks one last time. Any guesses for where we went first? Yep. Mummy. Then we went to Jaws , ET, and finally Shrek. We were doing really well until ShreK. Thats a long line..express or not. And the show is long too. We were walking thru the city park area where they have the character greet and they were playing "eye of the Tiger" So the boys did a slow-motion running video. I wish I could post it here it was hilarious! We did see the penguins.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day8001.jpg

Then we rushed over to IOA to ride Hulk, Dragons and Spiderman. We still had to buy souveniers and it was getting late. So we shopped at the shops in the entryway. By now its after 2.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day8013.jpg

By the time we got back to the resort and got in the car it was 3. We left Orlando and started north. All was well. We stopped at the parkway and stocked up on snacks for the ride. It was probably 2 hours later that I noticed that it seemed like the ac wasnt blowing cold enough. I fiddled with it and turned stuff on and off, but it just got worse. So, yes, I did have to endure a car trip thru florida in june with NO AC! That was sure fun! But we survived and made it home safely by 12:30 Sunday. Of course it was fathers day, so I didnt get to rest or anything, I had to go visit dad! But it was a great trip

Best things about the trip:

RPR is a wonderfully fun, family friendly resort. Highly reccommend it

The parks are a delight, express pass makes it easy to only stay a few hours, get some r and r and come back later

Advice:

Dont try to do it all in one day. If you can stand it, get up early and go, it really does make your day go better.

I know this is going to sound strange, but be nice. Be nice to the hotel staff, the housekeeping staff, the ride workers, the pool staff, the restaurant workers. Smiles, respect, eye contact, and thank yous will come back to you in kind. Be nice to the other park guests too, even if they dont share your accent or background. Be charmed by it all. Have fun!



:hippie:

[taismommy]

Lindalinda,

I just want to thank you for your report. We leave in a couple of weeks and this is just helping the excitement factor!! :cool1: :woohoo: :yay: :bounce:


Thanks,
Tamika, Tai, and James

:bounce: :bounce: :Pinkbounc

[RUDisney]

Linda, I've been lurking on this post. Of course I first started reading it because of the title you gave it. You gave a wonderful recap of your trip. Your DS should be very happy he has such a cool mom!

[lindalinda]

Linda, I've been lurking on this post. Of course I first started reading it because of the title you gave it. You gave a wonderful recap of your trip. Your DS should be very happy he has such a cool mom!

Thank you very much. Writing the report was fun, like reliving the vacation, but very time consuming! Its kind of cool to have it on here, later, if I want to remember something I can just look it up! :hippie:

[lindalinda]

I just wanted to add also, I got my moneys worth out of my AP even tho I didnt use it for the room discount. I used it almost everywhere else, when I remembered! I almost kicked myself when I realised I hadne used it at the Bula Grill the first 3 nights! Even when I bought a magazine at the hotel gift shop. (I think they thought I was kinda nuts, but what the heck)

[Fan2CSkr]

I just wanted to add also, I got my moneys worth out of my AP even tho I didnt use it for the room discount. I used it almost everywhere else, when I remembered! I almost kicked myself when I realised I hadne used it at the Bula Grill the first 3 nights! Even when I bought a magazine at the hotel gift shop. (I think they thought I was kinda nuts, but what the heck)


There isnt an AP discount at any of the hotel restaurants or gift shops. Or I should say there never was before, is this new?

Great report, excellent pictures!

[lindalinda]

I asked, and they gave me a discount at the Bula Grill and at the gift shop, 10%. (Food only, not alcohol)

[themepark]

lindalinda, I really enjoyed reading your trip reports. Very entertaining and the pictures were great too. We also love RPR. Thanks so much for sharing.

[lwilliam]

what is the Bula Grill? We are staying at RPR for 3 nights....is it a bar?
can you take the kids?

[lindalinda]

what is the Bula Grill? We are staying at RPR for 3 nights....is it a bar?
can you take the kids?

The Bula Grill is the bar and grill outside at the pool at RPR. Yes kids are welcome. We loved staying at the pool and eating there.

[lindalinda]

I just thought I'd post this picture of my goofy son. He picked the flowers on the walk back from the parks to RPR. On a dare, we made them keep them in all the way thru the lobby at RPR! It was tough, but he did it!

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day7076.jpg

[DonnaLeah]

:rotfl2: :rotfl2:
Does your son know you posted this???!!!! (Seriously, he is a handsome young man!)

[lindalinda]

:rotfl2: :rotfl2:
Does your son know you posted this???!!!! (Seriously, he is a handsome young man!)

Nope, but I cant wait to show him!

[sallyjane]

I loved your report. Thanks so much for sharing the fun with us. You sound like a blast, dump the square BF and find yourself someone who enjoys life as much as you seem to.

[robvia]

Those were nice reports. I can tell you're the type who wakes up early and is ready to go. Your idea of going with you and your son next time is good, because "dragging" others around uses up too much time. The more people you add, the more complicated things get.

You would like staying at the PBH, even if it is farther away. The bathroom is huge (you could put the air mattress in there and sleep), the resort is pretty, and the staff is very friendly. To save money, stay a few days in a regular room, and bring coolers for your snacks. Yes, it's a lot of work to visit the grocery store, and carrying all that stuff up to your room, but worth it once you check in.

Too bad about your car AC going out. Seems like something bad has to happen on any trip to balance things out and bring things back to reality.

[lindalinda]

I just re-read my report. Posting these reports has the happy coincidence of being an on-line account of your memories. Nice to go back and remind yourself of all the fun! :goodvibes

:hippie:

[Dislifer]

:thumbsup2 That's nice Linda, I think I'll make sure I do it too!

[lindalinda]

Bumping so I can find it!

[aztecgoods]

So what was the deal with the BF going back early, is he just not into the Parks? I personally don't understand how anyone can't love the parks, but I know there are a few that just aren't into it. That's strange to me since I love them so much.

[marvel]

Thanks for the report. Loved every minute. :thumbsup2

[lindalinda]

So what was the deal with the BF going back early, is he just not into the Parks? I personally don't understand how anyone can't love the parks, but I know there are a few that just aren't into it. That's strange to me since I love them so much.

I have since decided he's just not very much fun. I tried to take him hiking in the smokies and he whined the whole time! I haven't totally dumped him yet, but he's on notice!

[RUDisney]

He sounded very "dumpable." I hope you find someone who is wonderful and shares your zest for life!

[macraven]

I have since decided he's just not very much fun. I tried to take him hiking in the smokies and he whined the whole time! I haven't totally dumped him yet, but he's on notice!




ok, it's been almost a month since you posted about bf being on notice.


have you dumped him yet??


i can't imagine going to universal or disney with someone that could not get into the fun of it all, especially staying on site at universal.


i go solo and leave the husband at home.
much better trip that way.

[lindalinda]

Yeah, he's history. I'm on boyfriend hiatus.

[macraven]

congrats..........you are better off going on a trip with the fam than with someone that can not do the rides at universal.

i go solo.
mr mac won't do rides, he is not fun at all ...........




do you have another trip in the planning stage?
I"m making plans for hhn 17.........

[Katy Belle]

Loved it! Loved your whole trip, your stinky boys, all of it! I am Mom to three boys, 6,9,11. We will be at Universal Orlando for the first time in 38 days!!!! Your report really got me excited about going. Thanks for all the photos and all the details.

Also, Thanks for your positive, fun, attitude. I agree, be nice, be charmed, have fun. I cannot wait!

Katy :sunny:

[lindalinda]

thanks! Have a wonderful trip! :sunny:

[dr&momto2boys]

Great trip report! This is the first time a thread this long has kept my interest to read all the way through. Thanks!

[ruadisneyfan2]

We look around back at the room, but find nada. OK. No biggie. We'll just go to guest services. It is a pass with a photo (3 month costco pass) so there is a record. So we walk back to guest services at Universal, the outside window by ticket sales area. We had to wait a while, but when we did, they found our info and gave brandon another ticket thing to scan to get in, then we had to go back to guest services on the inside and get the pass reprinted. The first time they printed it, and we were walking away and Brandon says "hey mines green, yours is purple" Oops. So we turn around...the pass is a 3 month pass...but not 2 park pass. So they print it again. Now we're good.


Lindalinda,
I never heard of this 3 month pass before. Is it only available at Costco? We were considering switching from BJ's to Costco anyway. :teeth:
Do you recall how much they charged for the 2 park pass? Were you able to use it again before it expired?
Thanks for the great trip report. We just went to RPR/US/IOA a few weeks ago and your pictures just choke me up! :blush:

[lindalinda]

Lindalinda,
I never heard of this 3 month pass before. Is it only available at Costco? We were considering switching from BJ's to Costco anyway. :teeth:
Do you recall how much they charged for the 2 park pass? Were you able to use it again before it expired?
Thanks for the great trip report. We just went to RPR/US/IOA a few weeks ago and your pictures just choke me up! :blush:

Its just from costco, I bought it online. I had to do a search of "theme park tickets" to find it. The 3 month 2 park pass was 85$. That was cheaper than the 5 day passes that were available at the time, so it was a good deal, esp since we were there 9 days, and wanted to be able to go in the parks for at least a while every day. I also got an AP thru them that was good for 15 months.

[ruadisneyfan2]

Thanks, I tried but they only have 7 day passes or the 15 month annual pass. I'll keep trying since special deals seem to come and go. :)

[LauraWV]

Linda, this was a great report!! Thanks so much for writing it all for us! I enjoyed it immensely, and now I'm way pumped for my trip next week!

What a looong time you were there! I've never been longer than 4 days. You had so much time to relax and do things leisurely. And I have to say, it sounds like you guys (the 3 of you maybe more than the 5 of you all) sound like perfect park-goers! You know what you want to do, you are laid back, you realize that the point is to have FUN, and everybody does their share (boys packing the car, etc).

No wonder you have so much fun!

And you're so right about being kind to the workers, too. It not only makes their day nicer, but it makes you feel better, and perpetuates your euphoric mood!

[lindalinda]

:goodvibes :jumping2: Bumping it for myself

[macraven]

i'll raise your one bump by two.



:jumping2: :jumping2:

[Disney owl]

Great start looking forward to reading more

[lindalinda]

Now I've been to HRH and RPR...next trip April will be PBH! I cant wait!

[lindalinda]

I forgot to add...it will just be me and 3 teenage boys this time...no BF!

[macraven]

I forgot to add...it will just be me and 3 teenage boys this time...no BF!




smart girl !!

[Fan2CSkr]

I forgot to add...it will just be me and 3 teenage boys this time...no BF!

Will you be doing a mardi gras?

[lindalinda]

There is one on the day we arrive, so yes. It says Daughtry is the singer. (I had to look him up!) I am sure we will be pooped but we will be there. I cant miss that, never been there for one before.

[Fan2CSkr]

There is one on the day we arrive, so yes. It says Daughtry is the singer. (I had to look him up!) I am sure we will be pooped but we will be there. I cant miss that, never been there for one before.

OK so it's safe to say you didnt watch american idol. :lmao: I would :love: to see him! In any event you really have to catch a Mardi Gras its a great experience and so so so much fun! So take a nap when you get there. The boys are gonna love it. Lots of eye candy at the parade.:rolleyes1 Here is a picture of 'daughtry'. LOL

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid210/pc4eb1e977d7c61eea6354d0c1d6ff53d/edffd4f5.jpg

[lindalinda]

No, I dont watch AI. But when I saw the picture I did recognize him! I think it will be great fun and yes, the boys I'm sure will love the whole "beads" thing.

[rpbert1]

Just read your trippie, and must say, was very enjoyable.
We stayed at RPR last July ,and going back this July.
Agree about the Bula Grill, we stayed at the pool a lot, and probably ate more times there than anywhere else, and the food was really good, sometimes had lunch and dinner there. Jakes bar was ok as well

[wwessing]

I actually posted a separate thread about the entertainment book after I read your TR, but haven't gotten ANY responses. Thought I'd give it a try here. I noticed that you were using entertainment book coupons and specifically for Hard Rock Cafe. I looked up the 2007 orlando entertainment book and did not find any city walk restaurant coupons. Does anyone know anything about this??

[lindalinda]

The coupons from the entertainment book last year were for the movie and meal deal, which was available at several citywalk restaurants. It was too good a deal to be true, and it was not included in the entertainment book this year. Sorry.

[macraven]

but there is a coupon in this year's entertainment book for the discount at the choice of resturants........

the ent discount is done different now. you can use the ent book but have to book thru them/ent company and go thru a procedure. it is not much , if any discount.

you can get a rebate of #10 for a 2 night stay with the ent book.
but, you have to book thru them or the company that is listed in the book, fill out the rebate form after your trip with receipt of hotel stay, mail the rebate form in and then, within 2 billing cycles, you will receive that $10 as a credit to the cc you booked with.

this is called the guaranteed best rate program. you can only get the discount if the hotel does not project to be 80% booked for the time you want to stay there. it is up to the hotel to determine if they will have any rooms available for when you want to book with ent.

good luck.
i rarely find the on site hotels booked at less than 80$ capacity.


you are better off getting AAA for less than $50 a year. you can use AAA for discounts for many things, not just for hotel discounts.

[wwessing]

The coupons from the entertainment book last year were for the movie and meal deal, which was available at several citywalk restaurants. It was too good a deal to be true, and it was not included in the entertainment book this year. Sorry.


Good to know. . . maybe next year?? Thanks!

[wwessing]

but there is a coupon in this year's entertainment book for the discount at the choice of resturants........

the ent discount is done different now. you can use the ent book but have to book thru them/ent company and go thru a procedure. it is not much , if any discount.

you can get a rebate of #10 for a 2 night stay with the ent book.
but, you have to book thru them or the company that is listed in the book, fill out the rebate form after your trip with receipt of hotel stay, mail the rebate form in and then, within 2 billing cycles, you will receive that $10 as a credit to the cc you booked with.

this is called the guaranteed best rate program. you can only get the discount if the hotel does not project to be 80% booked for the time you want to stay there. it is up to the hotel to determine if they will have any rooms available for when you want to book with ent.

good luck.
i rarely find the on site hotels booked at less than 80$ capacity.


you are better off getting AAA for less than $50 a year. you can use AAA for discounts for many things, not just for hotel discounts.


Doesn't sound like the savings would even come close to paying for the book. We are members of AAA as well as Loews First - so we will do much better there. I was really interested in the movie/meal coupons which aren't included :mad: Thanks for the hotel info!

[lindalinda]

:jumping2: bumping for a friend to find.

[macraven]

i'll help too........


:rolleyes1

[lindalinda]

bump!:rainbow:

[macraven]

http://bestsmileys.com/bumping/3.gif

[macraven]

http://bestsmileys.com/bumping/3.gifhttp://bestsmileys.com/bumping/3.gif

[macraven]

http://bestsmileys.com/bumping/3.gifhttp://bestsmileys.com/bumping/3.gif


http://bestsmileys.com/bumping/3.gifhttp://bestsmileys.com/bumping/3.gifhttp://bestsmileys.com/bumping/3.gif

[Metro West]

Me thinks you won Mac! :rotfl:

[lindalinda]

Bumping for posterity! :bounce:

[jcc0621]

I'm glad you bumped this...I just read the whole and loved it. We are staying at RPH in August and now I am glad i didn't book Club level! Thanks!:goodvibes

[macraven]

i've missed you lindalinda.
haven't seen you around in awhile.

[karatepamy]

Day 9


After this we headed over to IOA. We wanted lunch at Mythos
We walked in, no wait (it was about 11:45). It was very cool.
This was our view from our table

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day7006.jpg

And once again the boys surprised me by eating "something that is not chicken strips" They loved the buffalo chicken wrap

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e72/lindacrouch/universal2006/Universaltrip-day7015.jpg

:hippie:

the chicken wrap is my absolute favorite entree there. i've been a couple of times, but i can't get enough of the wrap. the last time i went, i had the tempura shrimp sushi as an appetizer and absolutely loved it. this restaurant is awesome.

[AdWayInc]

keeps going and going....
just wanted to say Thanks - I just read your trip report -what a hoot even 3 yrs later... Lindalinda - did you ever find Mr RIght? O well gonna be there in exactly 3 weeks for a couple of days.... Staying at RPR...

[lindalinda]

i've missed you lindalinda.
haven't seen you around in awhile.

I'm still here, I just lurk a lot! I dont have a trip until next Christmas, but it is gonna be a doozy!

keeps going and going....
just wanted to say Thanks - I just read your trip report -what a hoot even 3 yrs later... Lindalinda - did you ever find Mr RIght? O well gonna be there in exactly 3 weeks for a couple of days.... Staying at RPR...

LOL, Mr Right? Heck I haven't even found Mr Right now!

[teresared]

Linda, glad you bumped this up. It was a great report. Your sense of humor is wonderful, it's evident in your writing. Hope the BF situation gets better in 09. I see you live in KY, I have a nice brother....;)

[pixeegrl]

Love bumping a good TR! Been going through all the old ones I love and giving them a boost!

[checkmate]

thanks

[Disney owl]

great reports, thanks