Fun, Sun & Strong Water Rum...*Yo-Ho*...23 Nights @ Sapphire Falls...A May 2022 TR

[Worfiedoodles]

You know how to jump in the parks and make a splash! Love how empty all the streets are — a great time to take in all the clever details. That is a lot of construction going on. It is good to see they keep things up and so fun when there is something new to check out like the Mummy construction. You have that to look forward to in September

I do think a photo with Bruce is required each trip. He’s iconic!

Everything looks so peaceful and gorgeous, a perfect first morning for you

Do you have a specific first ride you always do, or is it just how you feel that day?

 

[schumigirl]

You know how to jump in the parks and make a splash! Love how empty all the streets are — a great time to take in all the clever details. That is a lot of construction going on. It is good to see they keep things up and so fun when there is something new to check out like the Mummy construction. You have that to look forward to in September

I do think a photo with Bruce is required each trip. He’s iconic!

Everything looks so peaceful and gorgeous, a perfect first morning for you

Do you have a specific first ride you always do, or is it just how you feel that day?

Yes, we did miss The Mummy this trip a lot as there isn`t a great deal for us now in that part of the park, but come September we`ll ride it into oblivion!!!

It was a lovely morning, and we really didn`t do that much for a first day, but we just enjoyed strolling around the parks regardless and yes, catching little things that we`ve missed is always fun.

Oh, first rides......well, In IOA which is usually our first day park, it`s The Hulk we do first......or if I don`t feel like being battered around.....Dr Doom. Studios was always Minions or RRR, but I do think I`m done with that now. Tom still likes RRR but wouldn`t go out of his way to do it now as it was awful for bashing us around.

Does Mr Worfie do RRR? I think I forgot to ask........

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Yes, we did miss The Mummy this trip a lot as there isn`t a great deal for us now in that part of the park, but come September we`ll ride it into oblivion!!!

It was a lovely morning, and we really didn`t do that much for a first day, but we just enjoyed strolling around the parks regardless and yes, catching little things that we`ve missed is always fun.

Oh, first rides......well, In IOA which is usually our first day park, it`s The Hulk we do first......or if I don`t feel like being battered around.....Dr Doom. Studios was always Minions or RRR, but I do think I`m done with that now. Tom still likes RRR but wouldn`t go out of his way to do it now as it was awful for bashing us around.

Does Mr Worfie do RRR? I think I forgot to ask........

Mr. Worfie doesn't do coasters at all, so definitely not RRR!

 

[AuroraluvsPhillip]

Wonderful TR so far, Carole!
My daughter is the same now with certain coasters. She won't ride RRR or Hulk anymore now, they're too intense. She'll usually ride FJ once with me, but it's a one and done for her, whereas I'll go on it several times a trip. Which is funny, because it was totally opposite when she was younger and I was the reluctant one. We both love Hagrid's and Mummy. She said she will give VC a try next time we go, I'm hoping she loves it, as it is supposed to be a smoother coaster.
Good news for me, my eye doctor cleared me for rides, everything looked fine. I'm so relieved, so our September trip is full steam ahead and hopefully the Mummy refurb will be complete.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Tom decided to have those dreadful Edamame beans as an app....I detest them......they`re nothing but a pea with delusions of grandeur!!

Sorry but this made me properly laugh
The park looks lovely and quiet. Great start to your trip

 

[DisGhost]

Yay, I've been keeping this thread open and refreshing periodically to see if there were updates. So excited the official trip report has started. We're still going at Christmas but today we saw my sister-in-law and her family and they are thinking about going to Universal during the kids' February break, and we will also be in Florida that week so now we are planning to meet up, which means it makes sense to get AP's again! Which means I might be able to wrangle a third trip too lol. Hoping they do another "6 months free" sale before we go, that's what we got a few years back and got 3 trips out of it.

 

[TotallyTink]

11 more days until our first trip to Universal! (Well... I was there in 1993 on a high school band trip, but I'm counting this as a first visit since just about everything that was in Universal then is not there now!) I'm enjoying your trip report as I try to pass the time until we leave.

 

[schumigirl]

Mr. Worfie doesn't do coasters at all, so definitely not RRR!

lol.....well, now I know, I wasn`t sure.

No Velocicoaster then ........

 

[schumigirl]

Wonderful TR so far, Carole!
My daughter is the same now with certain coasters. She won't ride RRR or Hulk anymore now, they're too intense. She'll usually ride FJ once with me, but it's a one and done for her, whereas I'll go on it several times a trip. Which is funny, because it was totally opposite when she was younger and I was the reluctant one. We both love Hagrid's and Mummy. She said she will give VC a try next time we go, I'm hoping she loves it, as it is supposed to be a smoother coaster.
Good news for me, my eye doctor cleared me for rides, everything looked fine. I'm so relieved, so our September trip is full steam ahead and hopefully the Mummy refurb will be complete.

Thank you Aurora.....

I`m usually ok with coasters, but Hulk is now a one and done, FJ depending on the day I can maybe do it twice, so I can sympathise with the reluctance now.

Oh yes, Velocicoaster is the smoothest ride around!! If it had EP we`d have been on time after time after time.......one day it will!!!

That is fabulous news being cleared for everything for your next trip!!! Exciting and after the disappointment of losing this past trip you have a lot to make up for. Yes, Mummy will be open for you then.......

 

[schumigirl]

Sorry but this made me properly laugh
The park looks lovely and quiet. Great start to your trip

lol.....I`m just not a pea/bean of any kind fan.......Tom loves them though!!

It was amazingly quiet that morning.....we definitely took advantage of it being so quiet.

 

[schumigirl]

Yay, I've been keeping this thread open and refreshing periodically to see if there were updates. So excited the official trip report has started. We're still going at Christmas but today we saw my sister-in-law and her family and they are thinking about going to Universal during the kids' February break, and we will also be in Florida that week so now we are planning to meet up, which means it makes sense to get AP's again! Which means I might be able to wrangle a third trip too lol. Hoping they do another "6 months free" sale before we go, that's what we got a few years back and got 3 trips out of it.

Yep, up and running!!

Oh extra trips make a lot of sense!! Definitely sounds like a good plan to get use of that AP.

Will keep fingers crossed it all works out for the 3rd trip!!

 

[schumigirl]

11 more days until our first trip to Universal! (Well... I was there in 1993 on a high school band trip, but I'm counting this as a first visit since just about everything that was in Universal then is not there now!) I'm enjoying your trip report as I try to pass the time until we leave.

wooohoooo......so close!!!

Oh goodness, it is a first trip almost....the changes in place over the last few years have made a difference, but to not have been since 1993!!!! Wow......

I`m quite envious you get to see everything brand new again.......we loved seeing everything with fresh eyes, so you`ll be amazed and completely blown away by all you`ll see.

 

[schumigirl]

This day continues to be so picture heavy with not a lot to write about really. We generally just wandered round the park stopping to check something out or just take in a few moments to enjoy where we were again. And it was wonderful I have to say.

Hitting the Potter areas still make us smile. We aren`t Potterheads by any description, but we certainly appreciate as do most folks, just what amazing areas they are for fans and non fans alike. I`ve only heard one or two folks over the years say somethin negative about them, and they are usually die hard Disney fans. Most folks however, Disney fans too are impressed.

And there is a lot to be impressed with.

The exterior does represent King`s Cross fairly well, it`s far prettier than the one in London for sure....but that simmering sunshine certainly helps.

And we would be sure to enjoy the relative tranquility of the outside area before heading in to Diagon Alley, as we were sure that`s where everyone was. It does feel incredibly peaceful to the side of the bus nearer the lagoon, most folks walk past the Ministry of Magic phone box and the exterior of shops, but it`s generally quieter this way.

We didn`t get a picture with the shrunken head this time, but you have to stand at the back of the bus for a picture.....and today we had 3 or 4 folks waiting to do the same thing, it`s usually deserted, so we took our pictures quickly to let others do the same.

We enter DA and as always we`re completely awestruck by everything that hits all of your senses.......colours are dominant, but the attention to detail never ceases to amaze us beyond anything we have seen before.

And it is busy.....very busy.......no wonder the rest of the park is empty this morning, everyone is condensed in here. So we head into the store and have a wander round here as to be honest.....we want to cool down a little.....it is hot. And I`m banned from uttering the words "it`s too hot" for the whole trip......er, ok. So I started to say it was wonderously hot everytime I felt myself overheating! He knew what I meant, but.....I wasn`t saying it.......

This store has some fabulous items and so very tempting, it`s also incredibly colourful and wasn`t too busy which was nice as when it`s mobbed you just can`t see anything.

Of course we all understand how detailed Ms Rowling wanted things and how true to the books she insisted it be, but I do sometimes wish they were slightly larger. However, they would still be mobbed I`m sure. She knew what she was doing and it`s spectacular.

The little hidden touches like stairs to nowhere are always interesting to see, and this is hidden in plain sight as so many commented they hadn`t noticed it, despite it being beside the line for The Hopping Pot.

A newer edition to the original Diagon Alley is the Globus Mundi Travel agents store.......it wasn`t in the original opening day display and added a couple of years ago, and it is a good addition to the area.

As well as being travel themed, it does carry a lot of choice in merchandise despite it being fairly small.

Back outside again and it is getting so busy now......

We always enjoy taking pictures. There are some folks who never quite understand why anyone wants to take pictures of anything.......some of the comments have been along the lines of...you can see pictures of it on the internet! No, not the same at all......we have so many personal memories of pictures we`ve taken over the years since Kyle was a baby and we wouldn`t swap them for anything. Having a personal connection to something in an image for us, is the perfect way to keep memorable trips and visits alive.

So, yes, we do stand and take pictures we have taken a hundred times before and will do again I`m sure. We do however make sure we don`t get in anyone`s way or stand still very suddenly....that was especially important when we visited Manhattan!!! We try to be very considerate tourists.

I love this image of the steaming kettle.

We did go into Knockturn Alley today, but holy moly.......talk about crowded!!! So we headed back out into the sunshine......we had plenty of days ahead.

And we joined the throngs of folks enjoying the dragon spewing fire again.......

Kreacher was intermittent today, and a couple of times the curtain was drawn back, but Kreacher didn`t appear. I`m guessing he was malfunctioning today.

We`ve lost count of the amount of times someone announces in a fairly loud voice you have to knock the door for him to appear at the window and they say it as a fact, when it`s not true. His appearance is purely on a regular timer.

Such a beautiful area and when it`s such a gorgeous day like today, it`s even prettier.

More coming up........

 

[Elsaspiritanimal]

Carole what a lovely trip report as always! I'm VERY late to the party but I just adore hearing about your adventures or even non-adventures. You have a way of describing everything that makes it feel like we are there with you. Can't wait to read more and sounds like an absolutely wonderful trip!

 

[schumigirl]

We wandered over to Springfield area and mused we had gone the whole morning doing only two rides and they were RRR & Gringotts. Gringotts is another ride we enjoy but it`s not a favourite. I do like the mini drop that really is`n`t a drop, but it is fun. We had around a 10 minute wait in line with EP this morning so it wasn`t too bad as the regular line was 75 minutes when we entered the line.

Springfield is not a particular favourite area of ours.......The Simpson`s is not a show we ever really watched and have no love for the awful ride......well, I speak out of turn as Tom and Kyle enjoy it, I however cannot deal with it and won`t be back on it ever. I can do coasters and be completely fine, but one go on Simpson`s ride and I was ill for the rest of the day! So, it`s not for me.

But, it is another area that has been done very well, however I do wonder if it`ll change sometime soon in the future to a different theme.

Classic BTTF.......we were never here when the ride was in Universal, but love the movies so of course seeing the car and train is always nice, and we missed seeing Doc Brown this visit too, he`s usually wandering around somewhere.

Our third ride of the day was ET. And there is very rarely a long line for this ride when we visit, so we do tend to have one walk through the regular line as there are some little cool scenes to take pictures of and we did that today.

We missed some of the scenes as the lighting wasn`t timed to suit so we just grabbed a few snaps and moved on. Who doesn`t love ET!!

ET is fun....and we got a "bike" to ourselves today, it was very quiet and we do enjoy it although for some reason I find it incredibly noisy until the bikes take off, but fingers in ears works just fine.

The path across Central Park area is blocked off right now so we have to double back through the viewing area round the lagoon to get back to Horror Make up Area. Although timing wise we aren`t doing it today, but we are keen to see it this visit.

It really is a not to be missed show.....it`s funny and very clever and not gory at all!!

We were keen to go into Five and Dime to see the early release of HHN merchandise....and we weren`t disappointed. We liked what we saw of the early stuff and knew there was more coming which we looked forward to, we were excited for this year`s HHN!!

And of course I had to get an image with the classics!!

We headed back to get home to shower and head out for lunch, but we always stop to admire just how gorgeous Citywalk is.

We were lucky with the boats and one appeared for Sapphire as we walked down towards them. To be honest when it is busy we would often get on the RP boat if it came and we could get on it fast, then walk across the ballroom/convention area which doesn`t take long and is sometimes quicker for us.

But, today we were back home fast, hit the shower and got changed before heading out for lunch, and today we fancied Toojays.

We have been visiting here for years, classic deli and never disappoints in food or service. The owners can greet you personally or they come round the tables and have a chat and always thank you for visiting them. And the food is always so good.

It`s a 10 minute drive away from Universal, just off of Sand Lake Road, so it`s very handy and in the same set of restaurants as Nagoya Sushi and a couple of steak places as well as several bars and other businesses including a grocery store.

Strawberry lemonade is what we always have here, it is delicious. It takes us some time to decide what to have but as usual I stick to my old favourite, the shrimp salad but just on the platter, no bread or rolls. Tom opts for the Triple J which is corned beef, roast beef, turkey and Swiss cheese rolled with Cole slaw and homestyle Russian dressing. We also order the Nova Latkes, crispy mini potato pancakes, Smoked Salmon with sour cream, arugula, diced red onion and capers.

Everything was gorgeous. Fresh and tasty and very filling.....especially Tom`s sandwich which was huge! I did help him out with the coleslaw of course......much to his annoyance.......lol.......

We loved our lunch today and we were glad we had chosen to come here again. We resisited the temptation of buying some of their gorgeous coconut cake, not easy as their bakery products are divine.

We did some shopping, just a few bits and then we went back home and both of us zonked out for about 3 hours. We really needed it and felt so much better wen we woke up as during lunch I felt my eyes going together and just felt like I wanted to sleep! Nothing like an afternoon nap to brighten us up. And it was a much longer sleep than we planned, but we were both out for the count.

I went down to the Dutch Trading and got a huge cup of boiling water, came back and made us a cup of tea, freshened up and headed down to Strong Water for an hour or so, there were a couple of the team we knew were working tonight, Maggie especially, she is adorable and is another who has worked there since it opened, so we knew her fairly well by now.

We got chatting to Mike for a while and he introduced us to Julisa who is the other asssistant manager, she is very nice and another who said she had heard a lot about us and before we asked, yes, it was all good!!

We also caught up with Maggie who is so lovely and we surprised everyone by ordering two ginger beers.......lol....yep, no cocktail for now!!!

And they were very nice......

Our friend`s main assistant came over to say hello, she was at another table with another group of managers and we hadn`t seen her, always lovely to see her as she is simply one of the nicest people around....lovely to catch up with her and she said our friend would be in soon, so we`d wait for him to say hello then head out for dinner. We didn`t have long to wait when he came in and we had a lovely chat before setting off to the Ale House on Kirkman for dinner.

We like it here. Food is always good, nothing fancy just good old sports bar food and service has always been top notch too.

Tonight we sat at the bar, there wasn`t a long wait for booths, but we do like the bar at times, it`s nice to chat to bar staff and other customers too which is something we do like.

I had 2 rum punches and Tom stuck to lemonade as he was driving. Cocktails here are nice, but you can taste it`s just syrup they use, I think we had been spoiled by Strong Water making their own bases for cocktails, much nicer. But, not to say I didn`t enjoy cocktails in other places.......lol.....

Tom went for the whole rack and I opted for my old favourite here, Nashville Hot chicken sandwich with a side of their second hottest sauce they offer........

I don`t eat the bun, so I could help Tom with that giant portion of ribs and they are lovely, but the chicken is gorgeous and spicy too! But I do like the extra hot sauce on the side too.......all in all a lovely meal and we had enjoyed the atmosphere in here.....all talking about sports we neither care for or understand, but everyone is very friendly and one man even tries to explain American Football to me. Hmm I don`t even like British football, no interest in it at all. Nice guy though.

We head back to Strong Water and we sit, order two cocktails and dessert and Tom goes for the Mexican Chocolate cake, I decide not to have the Tres Leche cake but for the lighter Coconut Flan which is also delicious.

In chatting to Maggie we mention how much we enjoy certain ingredients and she brings us out a new dessert.......I knew this was going to be going on the menu soon but we would be thrilled to try it first.

Maggie didn`t know at this point that Chef Carlos had invited us to take part in a tasting menu tomorrow night.....some new items were going on the menu and some old favourites going back on, and this was one of the new dishes.

It is delicious.

Chef Carlos came out and was pleased we liked it, and we`d sample it again tomorrow night.....something we very much looked forward to and we were thrilled he had asked us to take part in trying the dishes.


Our friend was still in the hotel, so we chatted some more to him and then he asked if we had ever met the new Food and Beverage manager as he had come in, we said yes we had been introduced to him at Christmas, nice man, so we chatted a bit to him before we decided it was time to go. It was funny as we were chatting to him Fernando`s lovely new assistant manager came up and asked us if there was anyone we didn`t know or didn`t know us.......lol......she is very nice and will be a very good fit in Strong Water I think.

We said our goodnight`s to everyone and headed along the corridor to our suite where we did watch some tv for a while then zonked out, but as we had slept during the day we lasted till around midnight.....late for us tonight, but we hadn`t left Strong Water till gone 11pm.

And as always, we were out for the count, tonight not even wishing each other a goodnight......that`s when I know we`re tired!!

 

[schumigirl]

Carole what a lovely trip report as always! I'm VERY late to the party but I just adore hearing about your adventures or even non-adventures. You have a way of describing everything that makes it feel like we are there with you. Can't wait to read more and sounds like an absolutely wonderful trip!

back Elsaspiritanimal........late or not, always good to see you!!!

Thank you so much, and yes....non adventure is a good description to use for our down time.....and we had a fair old bit of that this time!!

Glad to see you here and hope you enjoy it.......

 

[disneyseniors]

Enjoying your trip report very much
I think you are pretty brave to ride ANY coaster!!! My husband road RRR the last time and he loved it. But , as usual, I was a chicken and just watched him in horror!
So, I'm super impressed that you both love the coasters so much. I have a question about the Raptor coaster (or whatever it's called In most all of the reports I have read, the people state that it is a lot of fun. They don't say scary or thrilling, or??? It must have a lot of immersion in JP images I imagine? Anyway, I had never heard of anyone call a coaster so much fun.
I admit I am too chicken to even try it, but my husband will I am sure.

Ruth

 

[disneyseniors]

Carole:
I've been away from the computer for a while so am catching up with lots of "likes" and Loves - hope it's not too annoying, LOL.
About HP lands: We have never seen the Travel Store, and somehow have missed the steaming kettle. It seems you notice the details more than we do. It seems like we rush around too much sometimes.
I agree with the Simpson's ride. I would never try it and we really have never watched the TV show, so are not interested in that area at all.
But we somehow missed finding ET which I really wanted to do. Also agree with the fun Horror Makeup Show - we never miss it!

Thank you for the tip of Sand Lake Road and Toojays deli. Will definitely try that one!

I always wondered if it was difficult getting good tea here in the states for you? I know it must be inferior, as coffee is our main drink. It has to be frustrating.
But I do love coconut and all those desserts look amazing.
Can;t wait for the rest

ruth

 

[schumigirl]

Enjoying your trip report very much
I think you are pretty brave to ride ANY coaster!!! My husband road RRR the last time and he loved it. But , as usual, I was a chicken and just watched him in horror!
So, I'm super impressed that you both love the coasters so much. I have a question about the Raptor coaster (or whatever it's called In most all of the reports I have read, the people state that it is a lot of fun. They don't say scary or thrilling, or??? It must have a lot of immersion in JP images I imagine? Anyway, I had never heard of anyone call a coaster so much fun.
I admit I am too chicken to even try it, but my husband will I am sure.

Ruth

Glad to hear your husband enjoys RRR so much, it is a good coaster, especially the climb, but it`s so rough for us now.

Velocicoaster is the most thrilling coaster I`ve ever gone on ......it is completely unbelievably amazingly the most exciting ride and yes, it is full on scary when you are upside down and completely out of your seat.....not one part of your body is touching the seat at some points. When you sit on the back row, as you come over the top hat, not only are you fully removed from the seat, but you feel as if you are tipping forward and going to go head first into the ground below......

So, yes, it is thrilling, terrifying, exhilerating and also......so much fun!!!!

The pre show is also cute.

I think your husband will adore it!!!

Carole:
I've been away from the computer for a while so am catching up with lots of "likes" and Loves - hope it's not too annoying, LOL.
About HP lands: We have never seen the Travel Store, and somehow have missed the steaming kettle. It seems you notice the details more than we do. It seems like we rush around too much sometimes.
I agree with the Simpson's ride. I would never try it and we really have never watched the TV show, so are not interested in that area at all.
But we somehow missed finding ET which I really wanted to do. Also agree with the fun Horror Makeup Show - we never miss it!

Thank you for the tip of Sand Lake Road and Toojays deli. Will definitely try that one!

I always wondered if it was difficult getting good tea here in the states for you? I know it must be inferior, as coffee is our main drink. It has to be frustrating.
But I do love coconut and all those desserts look amazing.
Can;t wait for the rest

ruth

Oh absolutely not.......ask whatever you like.......and nice to see you posting too!!

I think because we have been so often and spend longer times there, we have the luxury of wandering slowly round the parks, not everyone can or wants to do that, but it means you do see the little things that can be easily missed.

ET is tucked away a little, but once you do go on it, I`m sure it`ll be a firm favourite....it`s simple and iconic for the park.

Toojays is lovely. It`s one of those places you go in knowing exactly what kind of food you`re going to get and know you`ll enjoy it. We only found it about 6 or 7 years ago, but it`s a firm favourite for us.

We bring our own tea whenever we visit. We don`t usually use bags at home, but for our trips they are absolutely fine. Yes, we haven`t found one brand of tea in the US we like....but so many other things to make up for that....

Glad you are enjoying it though........

 

[dez1978]

Glad to hear your husband enjoys RRR so much, it is a good coaster, especially the climb, but it`s so rough for us now.

Velocicoaster is the most thrilling coaster I`ve ever gone on ......it is completely unbelievably amazingly the most exciting ride and yes, it is full on scary when you are upside down and completely out of your seat.....not one part of your body is touching the seat at some points. When you sit on the back row, as you come over the top hat, not only are you fully removed from the seat, but you feel as if you are tipping forward and going to go head first into the ground below......

So, yes, it is thrilling, terrifying, exhilerating and also......so much fun!!!!

The pre show is also cute.

I think your husband will adore it!!!




Oh absolutely not.......ask whatever you like.......and nice to see you posting too!!

I think because we have been so often and spend longer times there, we have the luxury of wandering slowly round the parks, not everyone can or wants to do that, but it means you do see the little things that can be easily missed.

ET is tucked away a little, but once you do go on it, I`m sure it`ll be a firm favourite....it`s simple and iconic for the park.

Toojays is lovely. It`s one of those places you go in knowing exactly what kind of food you`re going to get and know you`ll enjoy it. We only found it about 6 or 7 years ago, but it`s a firm favourite for us.

We bring our own tea whenever we visit. We don`t usually use bags at home, but for our trips they are absolutely fine. Yes, we haven`t found one brand of tea in the US we like....but so many other things to make up for that....

Glad you are enjoying it though........

RRR is horribly rough. I'd never been on it but my nephews wanted to go, so my sister in law and I took them. My head hurt so bad when we were done. The 7 yr old was ready to go on it again tho. Hard pass for me. I did make it on Velocicoaster and Hulk again this trip and I did not think Velocicoaster was as scary the 2nd time around. Both of my kids chickened out and didn't go on any of the big coasters other than Hagrids. Bribery failed... It certainly was hot the week we were there (the week before memorial day) but I thought it was tolderable. My kids didn't even complain too much. The rest of the adults however, did not agree, and would rather deal with the spring break or thanksgiving crowds than the heat. I'm going to have to start vacationing alone lol