Escaping Snowy New England for Freezing Florida Feb 2015 Final Hours 11/17 p. 23

Excuses, Excuses!!!

Well, once again, it has taken me forever to get back to this report.

As those of you on the Beach Club FAQ thread, or Facebook know, we returned from our trip to Yellowstone, which was fantastic, and a day later I ended up in the local hospital. I was feeling lousy the last couple of days of the trip, which I attributed to the altitude. I live at sea level and we were between 6,600 and 9,000 feet in the park. When my shortness of breath did not disappear after the trip and I couldn't walk and talk at the same time, I went to the ER and was surprised to be admitted. Thankfully, all of the cardiac tests came back with good results. Final diagnosis was infection, likely pneumonia. Let me tell you, the prescription to "take it easy" is a difficult one for me to swallow.

But I didn't enjoy my night in the hospital, so I don't want to repeat that. Plus we leave in one week for Florida (4 days with family at Universal then they fly home and I join my friends at the Beach Club for a couple of days. I need to be well for that! I think my gals plan on doing a lot of drinking. Alcohol is medicinal, right?

:drinking1
 
I'm headed to universal in a few hours which is so bittersweet since I have to leave BC :( on the topic of medicine..... In my best Commercial voice, stay drunk my friend (spoken in the Dos Equiis tone).
 
I'm headed to universal in a few hours which is so bittersweet since I have to leave BC :( on the topic of medicine..... In my best Commercial voice, stay drunk my friend (spoken in the Dos Equiis tone).

OK, I really did laugh out loud!

:lmao:
 


Castle Tour For Four

It was starting to get dark, but it was too early to eat. We decided to walk over to Islands of Adventure since we don’t typically spend much time in the Wizarding World at night.

I thought this was pretty as we walked by:



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One advantage of night time pictures- Less glare on the Sirius Black photo

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I can’t remember what the wait time was for Forbidden Journey, but we wanted to check out the “Castle Tour”. This is where you walk through the impressive queue line for the ride, but at the end you don’t board the ride. The idea is that you can take your time and look at all of the details without holding up anyone behind you.

Unfortunately, you actually skip a lot of the theming in the castle tour. You miss the greenhouse (no loss there), but you also skip out on the things just beyond the Hogwarts entrance door like the golden statues and the house points counter.

On the plus side, we did get our very own portrait room, so I took a couple of flash pictures here, since nobody else was there.

You don’t even get close to the sorting hat on the castle tour, although I have heard if you ask, the Team Members may let you go over to see it.


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In conclusion, the castle tour is so-so I don’t think it is an adequate replacement for actually going through the whole line, so if for some reason you are unable or don’t want to ride, I still recommend that you go through the regular queue and then just bail at the end.


Continued in Next Post: Frozen Margaritaville
 
Frozen Margaritaville

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We had thought ahead earlier in the day and made reservations for Margaritaville for 8:30 pm. Unfortunately it was only 7:30 and we were HUNGRY and COLD and TIRED! We checked in at the restaurant and they said they would see what they could do about getting us seated as soon as possible.

The waiting area was MOBBED. People were in every seat. People were on the stairways. One obnoxious family actually took up the entire stairway, seating one next to the other, so that patrons and waiters/waitresses had to wait for them to move if they wanted to get by.

My boys waited outside (man it was cold out there) while I stayed inside with the buzzer. There was a family on the bench and it was obvious to me that they had been waiting for a long time. So I kept close and as soon as their buzzer went off and they got up, I pounced on their seats. There was also an older woman who had been standing, so I saved a seat and offered it to her.

She was funny. “I don’ understand why ever’body is waiting here so long for sandwiches”

The woman was eventually called, and then our buzzer went off. I think it was around 8:15.


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The waiter came by and took our order and said that they were slammed and it was going to take a while for our food to arrive.

At least we had a seat, and were starting to warm up, and it was 5 O’Clock Somewhere:


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Margaritaville Silver Rum, Paradise Passion Fruit Tequila, Bacardi 151 rum, orange and pineapple juices, sweet and sour and a splash of grenadine.


Our food finally arrived.


Nate got the Cheeseburger in Paradise

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Ben got the fish tacos and Caesar Salad

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Mark and I split the Grilled Grouper entrée.

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Total was $70.48 pre-tip, after AAA discount

Was it good? I don’t remember. We were so tired…


Next Up: Spending most of our Early Entry Hour in line at the turnstiles
 
Thanks for the review on the castle tour - I was thinking about doing it if I ever make it back to Universal, but I may just go through the line instead (since I'm certainly planning to go on the ride) and taking pictures from the regular line.

Was it good? I don’t remember. We were so tired…

I totally get this ... sometimes you're so hungry and tired that it doesn't matter how the food tastes, you just need to eat it and go to sleep!

I'm sorry to hear that you were in the hospital, and I hope you're feeling better. (And yes, alcohol is medicinal - how do you think they cured things pre-pharmaceutical industry?)
 


I can’t remember what the wait time was for Forbidden Journey, but we wanted to check out the “Castle Tour”. This is where you walk through the impressive queue line for the ride, but at the end you don’t board the ride. The idea is that you can take your time and look at all of the details without holding up anyone behind you.

Unfortunately, you actually skip a lot of the theming in the castle tour. You miss the greenhouse (no loss there), but you also skip out on the things just beyond the Hogwarts entrance door like the golden statues and the house points counter.
Seems like an interesting idea. I didn't even know it existed.

In conclusion, the castle tour is so-so I don’t think it is an adequate replacement for actually going through the whole line, so if for some reason you are unable or don’t want to ride, I still recommend that you go through the regular queue and then just bail at the end.
But it definitely seems like this is the better option since you miss out on so much with the tour. Where exactly do you go to do the castle tour?

One obnoxious family actually took up the entire stairway, seating one next to the other, so that patrons and waiters/waitresses had to wait for them to move if they wanted to get by.
Wow... how considerate of them. :rolleyes1

She was funny. “I don’ understand why ever’body is waiting here so long for sandwiches”
They're not waiting for the sandwiches...

At least we had a seat, and were starting to warm up, and it was 5 O’Clock Somewhere:
See what I mean?

Was it good? I don’t remember. We were so tired…
That's a ringing endorsement. But I've eaten at Margaritaville enough times that I'll go ahead and answer for you.... yes, it was good. Unless they were having an off night.
 
I'm all caught up on this report, too!

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your trip to Yellowstone, but sorry to hear you spent a night in the hospital. I hope you're feeling better for the next trip!

I know you got an insane amount of snow in Boston, so anything was an improvement, but how cold was it? We went to Disney once in late January and it was in the 50's every day but the last one. That was rather disappointing.

Did I spy a scale in your hotel bathroom? Who wants to weigh themselves on vacation?! That's just wrong!

Cowfish looks fantastic! What a fun place and the food looks delicious.

Do your boys prefer Universal right now? I can understand that because of the rides. I went back to work this week and asked my students about their summers. I have one boy that visited Disney and another one Universal. The two of them proceeded to argue which was better. Other students weighed in and it turned into a lively discussion that I quite enjoyed.
 
Thanks for the review on the castle tour - I was thinking about doing it if I ever make it back to Universal, but I may just go through the line instead (since I'm certainly planning to go on the ride) and taking pictures from the regular line.

I'm glad we tried it, but it really pales to actual line for the ride which is arguably the best-themed queue line anywhere. For some of the castle tour, you are in a parallel line to the regular attraction line, just one corral closer to things like Dumbledore's office and the Fat Lady's portrait. So you can slow down and take pictures, but you are still obscuring people who are in the other lines. That made me uncomfortable.

I totally get this ... sometimes you're so hungry and tired that it doesn't matter how the food tastes, you just need to eat it and go to sleep!

I'm sorry to hear that you were in the hospital, and I hope you're feeling better. (And yes, alcohol is medicinal - how do you think they cured things pre-pharmaceutical industry?)

We were not feeling the Changes in Lattitude, Changes in Attitude after our long wait for a table and then our long wait for the food.

Thanks for the kind words. I am feeling better every day, but it is difficult for me to take it easy. I hated my night in the hospital. I got very very little sleep. There was no food channel on the tv and the best thing on was a John Hughes movie marathon. Unfortunately, that included the classic "Uncle Buck" At one point I did drift off briefly and when I woke up, The 3 Stooges were on. *shudders*

:sad2::sad2::sad2:


Seems like an interesting idea. I didn't even know it existed.

But it definitely seems like this is the better option since you miss out on so much with the tour. Where exactly do you go to do the castle tour?

Most of the tour runs along the same path as the regular line, it is just one corral closer to the theming areas. A lot of the castle is skipped. And I think the only "private" area that is excusive to the castle tour is your own portrait room.


Wow... how considerate of them. :rolleyes1

I really dislike seeing people who are only concerned with their own comfort. I was really hoping that Margarita staff members would tell them to move, but they didn't.

:worried:


They're not waiting for the sandwiches...

See what I mean?

Oh, yeah! The 5 O'clock somewhere WAS yummy!

::yes::


That's a ringing endorsement. But I've eaten at Margaritaville enough times that I'll go ahead and answer for you.... yes, it was good. Unless they were having an off night.

I'm so glad you were able to come along to give a review of our meal. I suspect you are correct and we enjoyed it.

:thumbsup2
 
I'm all caught up on this report, too!

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your trip to Yellowstone, but sorry to hear you spent a night in the hospital. I hope you're feeling better for the next trip!

I know you got an insane amount of snow in Boston, so anything was an improvement, but how cold was it? We went to Disney once in late January and it was in the 50's every day but the last one. That was rather disappointing.

Did I spy a scale in your hotel bathroom? Who wants to weigh themselves on vacation?! That's just wrong!

Cowfish looks fantastic! What a fun place and the food looks delicious.

Do your boys prefer Universal right now? I can understand that because of the rides. I went back to work this week and asked my students about their summers. I have one boy that visited Disney and another one Universal. The two of them proceeded to argue which was better. Other students weighed in and it turned into a lively discussion that I quite enjoyed.

Nice job getting caught up! Thank you!

As I'm sure you know, there is so much to do when you return from a trip, and even more so when you are planning for another trip. Ain't nobody got time for this (trip to the hospital). I even had a load of wet laundry in the washer while I was being admitted, so Mark had to go home and throw it in the drier.

A couple of mornings we had temps in the high 30's! It warmed up a bit in the afternoon, but we kept our sweatshirts and jeans/pants on for most of the trip. After the sun went down, it was cold again!

Yes, a scale. Probably for weighing luggage to make sure you don't exceed the 50 lb. limits.

Cowfish was incredible! Definitely going back.

Nate was a convert to Universal after our first trip there. He is now a coaster junkie and US/IoA has many attractions to satisfy his need for speed. I think as of our February trip to Universal, and after the class trip to Disney, Ben has been won over to the Dark Side. I would have enjoyed listening to the Disney/Universal debate, too!

:smickey: :charac4:
 
Frozen Margaritaville

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We had thought ahead earlier in the day and made reservations for Margaritaville for 8:30 pm. Unfortunately it was only 7:30 and we were HUNGRY and COLD and TIRED! We checked in at the restaurant and they said they would see what they could do about getting us seated as soon as possible.

My fiancé and I are doing a split for our honeymoon next month, 3 days US/IOA staying HRH CL then Disney for 7 days staying BC CL and making the most of F&W. I've got the Disney piece down, but neither of us have been to US/IOA. I wanted to go to Margaritaville one night for drinks and did not plan to make reservations. Is there a separate bar area or would we be better off making a dining reservation to get a seat? The way I read it on the website there were 3 separate bars in the restaurant and I didn't think there'd be any issues getting a seat, but maybe I'm assuming incorrectly!

Great trip report Dee! This has been super helpful and is getting me geeked for WWHP!!
 
My fiancé and I are doing a split for our honeymoon next month, 3 days US/IOA staying HRH CL then Disney for 7 days staying BC CL and making the most of F&W. I've got the Disney piece down, but neither of us have been to US/IOA. I wanted to go to Margaritaville one night for drinks and did not plan to make reservations. Is there a separate bar area or would we be better off making a dining reservation to get a seat? The way I read it on the website there were 3 separate bars in the restaurant and I didn't think there'd be any issues getting a seat, but maybe I'm assuming incorrectly!

Great trip report Dee! This has been super helpful and is getting me geeked for WWHP!!


:welcome: and Congratulations! Thanks for the kind words.


Sounds like a fantastic trip! We did a Hard Rock (3 night), Beach Club CL (4 night) split in 2013- awesome trip!

There are 2 bars that I can think of (the Shark Bar and the Volcano Bar) and there may be a 3rd one upstairs. *** I'm not sure what the seating is like there. O don't think we ate at Margaritaville in 2011 because the one night we checked the wait was too long. We had reservations in 2013 and in Feb, which we md either that day or the day before. We waited on this past trip because we were an hour early for our reservation and I think it was especially crowded because it was so cold out. We will plan to eat at Margaritaville again this week. THIS WEEK!!! and we will probably make reservations.

*** There is an outside bar, The Lone Palm near the Hemisphere Dancer plane. Friends tell me there is a happy hour there in the afternoons with discount drink prices, so you may want to check that out.

Have you been lurking over on the Beach Club FAQ thread? I highly recommend it! Click on the link on my signature to check it out. Lots of info and pictures on Page 1.

:goodvibes:
 
I am glad we talked on FB today and I know you are feeling much better after your Yellowstone trip.

Even though we don't do Universal any more, we do go to CityWalk on occasion. I can't believe we have never eaten at Margaritaville. Actually, Mark ate at the one in Vegas, but never in Orlando. We do tend to stick with Emeril's for special occasions as we really love it there.

Your dinner looks pretty darn good. However, your drink looks heavenly.
 
:welcome: and Congratulations! Thanks for the kind words.


Sounds like a fantastic trip! We did a Hard Rock (3 night), Beach Club CL (4 night) split in 2013- awesome trip!

There are 2 bars that I can think of (the Shark Bar and the Volcano Bar) and there may be a 3rd one upstairs. *** I'm not sure what the seating is like there. O don't think we ate at Margaritaville in 2011 because the one night we checked the wait was too long. We had reservations in 2013 and in Feb, which we md either that day or the day before. We waited on this past trip because we were an hour early for our reservation and I think it was especially crowded because it was so cold out. We will plan to eat at Margaritaville again this week. THIS WEEK!!! and we will probably make reservations.

*** There is an outside bar, The Lone Palm near the Hemisphere Dancer plane. Friends tell me there is a happy hour there in the afternoons with discount drink prices, so you may want to check that out.

Have you been lurking over on the Beach Club FAQ thread? I highly recommend it! Click on the link on my signature to check it out. Lots of info and pictures on Page 1.

:goodvibes:

Thanks for the tips! Definitely excited to explore!

And yes! I have been lurking on the BC FAQ page just have not posted yet... I keep getting so far behind! So excited to see the reno. I have stayed there several times, but my fiancé has never been. He's in for a treat! Leaving 5 weeks from today to start the adventure! Can't hardly wait!

Also, enjoy your trip this week!
 
We finally watched it one night while we were in Yellowstone as we were playing cards.

It was totally cheesy and really fun to see all of our Universal favorites!

:cool2:
That's how I felt, it was cool to see Universal :)

We never got to do early entry on our trip, but we watched the wait times on the app and got really lucky walking on. FJ broke down for a minute, at the worst moment. HOWEVER, the kids still loved it :)
 
I am glad we talked on FB today and I know you are feeling much better after your Yellowstone trip.

Even though we don't do Universal any more, we do go to CityWalk on occasion. I can't believe we have never eaten at Margaritaville. Actually, Mark ate at the one in Vegas, but never in Orlando. We do tend to stick with Emeril's for special occasions as we really love it there.

Your dinner looks pretty darn good. However, your drink looks heavenly.

Thanks, Kathy!

I can't believe I am just responding to this now.

It has been a real rollercoaster couple of months for me, my family and those I love.

I am just got caught up on the Beach Club FAQ thread, now I am trying to get current with my trip reports and everyone else's. But it seems like things have been pretty quiet/busy for everyone, so that helps.

We have never eaten at Emeril's. Mark used to watch his tv show late at night holding Nate when he was a baby and I was trying to sleep in between feedings. We should go, for the nostalgia.

Dinner was good- Mark loved the fish dish we shared but they didn't have it when we went in August! The drink was really good. As you know, I don't drink much so when I do, I like it to count!

:rotfl:


Thanks for the tips! Definitely excited to explore!

And yes! I have been lurking on the BC FAQ page just have not posted yet... I keep getting so far behind! So excited to see the reno. I have stayed there several times, but my fiancé has never been. He's in for a treat! Leaving 5 weeks from today to start the adventure! Can't hardly wait!

Also, enjoy your trip this week!

Time is getting close for you!!! So exciting!

:woohoo:


That's how I felt, it was cool to see Universal :)

We never got to do early entry on our trip, but we watched the wait times on the app and got really lucky walking on. FJ broke down for a minute, at the worst moment. HOWEVER, the kids still loved it :)

Even though I knew Sharknado 3 was set at Universal, it was still exciting and surprising to see how much screen time the park got. Didn't see us in the background, though.

We experienced really low crowds during our August trip.

:thumbsup2
 
UGH!!! I have two update/chapters ready to go, but I am having issues with the pictures! I thought it would be ok since I am using Photobucket, not the direct upload, but I need to walk away for now and try again later.

:sad2:
 
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Thursday February 19

OK, it has been awhile since I have updated here!

It was the last full day of our Universal trip that started with a long delay on our arrival day Monday, a cool but bearable day, followed by a rainy night Tuesday and a cold and tiring Wednesday.

We started out, as we did every day this week, with breakfast in the lounge and 8 am early opening at Islands of Adventure.

Except this morning we were in line at the turnstiles at least 30 minutes. The fingerprint recognition does not work well in the cold and the Universal Team Members do not know how to deal with the issue. Everyone in line behind someone having problems has to wait until the issue gets resolved.


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We finally got in and headed to Forbidden Journey. I didn’t record the wait time but by the time we were done, it was well past 9, the regular opening for both parks.


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We wanted to go over to the other theme park, and the train would have been a great way to get there, but alas it was not running.

The only picture I have before reaching the Studios is this.


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Ben with his nemesis, the Lost Continent Fountain.

On our two previous trips, Ben interacted with the fountain, which splashed him both times.

He went up again, tossed in a coin and quickly walked away. Mercifully the fountain behaved, because we didn’t need Ben getting soaked in the cold morning air.


When we arrived at the Studios, the entry lines were so long that they directed us to the side entrance, near the lockers. Where AGAIN we waited way too long as people were having problems with their finger scans.


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Finally we got in and our main priority for the day was riding Escape from Gringotts. We had been able to ride on our arrival night, the lines were too long for us on Tuesday and Wednesday.

We got into the line and after about 15 minutes, announcements started about a disruption in bank security, or something like that, and they would try to get back to normal operations as soon as possible.

We were in the bank lobby at this point, and the bright side was that we were not moving so it was possible to get a lot of pictures.

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The not-so-bright side was that we were not moving, so we were in debate about whether we should continue to wait in line. I think we stuck it out for another 15-20 minutes and then we decided to bail.


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Continued in Next Chapter: Just a Wizard Girl, Living in a Muggle World, Taking the Hogwarts Train Going Anywhere
 
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Continued from Previous Post

After not riding Escape From Gringotts, we decided to check out the Hogwarts train running from Kings Cross (Universal) to Hogsmeade (Islands of Adventure). We had not been on the train in that direction yet.

You start out at London’s King Cross Station, where you present your park admission since you will be going from Universal Studios to Islands of Adventure.


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You walk through the train station. This trip, we were pretty backed up and it took us awhile.


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The theming here is way better than going in the other direction, however on this trip we missed the special effect where you can see others going through the wall at Platform 9 ¾ into the Hogwarts Express train station. Note- one member of your group has to stay back, before you round the corner, if you want to see them “go through” to the other side.


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In my notes, I wrote “Rude Photo Girl” from our time in the line. I can’ remember exactly who this was or what she was doing, but it was probably a good story.


I think we were seated with an annoying family on the train. Mark doesn’t like it when a family or group sits on different sides of the train car, closest to the window. He thinks that family groups should be on the same side, 4 in a row, so you are not sitting next to strangers. I think they talked through most of the ride. “Look, there’s Hagrid” “Hedwig’s flying!”


As you exit the train, you see this “horseless carriage” You may recall from the movies that these carts are actually pulled by Thestrals, but a person can only see them if they have witnessed death. I didn’t notice it moving, but during our August trip, I saw the carriage move back and forth.


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It was time for lunch, so we went to 3 Broomsticks for the Great Feast.


The good thing about the set up at both 3 Broomsticks and The Leaky Cauldron is that house elfs direct you to an order line and then once you have your food, they seat you.

We were directed to a line, behind a totally clueless family. They had purchased the meal plan and the house elf at the order station had to explain, and explain again (and again) what was covered and what was not. We were waiting an uncomfortable amount of time behind them. When we noticed a counter near us about to clear, I looked over at the house elf who was directing traffic and indicated I was changing lines. She nodded.

I think that first family is still in line trying to figure out why Butterbeer is a snack and not a drink.

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Meal was good, but not great. We loved it when we had it last year, but the ribs this year were not as good.



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We walked around Hogsmeade for a little bit, but it was majorly crowded. Here are pictures taken from the same spot in both directions.


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We escaped to other areas of IoA, but we would be back.

Next Up: Jurassic Photo Shoot and More Gringotts!
 
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