Home for the Holidays-Wizards-Grinches and Sparkles. 14 nights @Royal Pacific Resort, Nov/Dec 2021

[schumigirl]

I purposely hadn't read anything about Hagrid's before going, to avoid spoilers and although I was fine with the relaxed mask policy everywhere since we were triple vaxxed, those low queue hallways did give me pause - as they were jam packed during regular hours with everyone laughing, talking, yelling. It was the only time that trip I felt compelled to mask up for a bit.

It was my first Hagrid's ride - and it was at night AND I got the front without even asking. That never happens to me on rides.

I wanted the bike, but my fellow single rider was this adorable little girl and she was soooo excited about getting the front, I offered it to her. She was incredibly happy - so that was well worth it! I figured the ride's not going anywhere...I'll do the bike next time.

Awww, that was so sweet of you to do that. I`m sure she`ll always remember that ride on the front.....and yes, you`ll have plenty more rides, it isn`t going anywhere.

Yes, for your first time I`m glad you were so lucky......

I`m glad you got through the confines of the cave area without too much discomfort. I`m not fond of confined spaces but as it kept moving I was ok.....wouldn`t like to be stuck there for any length of time though.

Sounds like my husband's glass - you could go snorkeling in the darn thing. But it allows him to truthfully claim he limits himself to "just one glass".

lol.....I like his thinking!! Yes, it brings whole new meaning to one glass a night......goldfish bowls is another description of our glasses!! I might steal that though.......the snorkelling one lol.......

No-one gets a small glass of anything in our home..........

 

[Minnie17]

The beach, the food, and the drinks look wonderful. A lovely day for sure until the nasty reminders of this darn pandemic. However, it’s sooooo good to read of others traveling again. Looking forward to more

 

[schumigirl]

The beach, the food, and the drinks look wonderful. A lovely day for sure until the nasty reminders of this darn pandemic. However, it’s sooooo good to read of others traveling again. Looking forward to more

Thank you Minnie, it was a lovely day.

As soon as we were home, we both said we`d do it all again just to travel. Yes, seeing things starting to get back to some kind of normal is fabulous.

More coming up.........

 

[schumigirl]

We slept well last night, but first thing this morning I was on the ipad checking to see if there had been more updates or any relevant and helpful info on the various Disney boards and Gov websites.......most folks were as confused as I was, but it was getting clearer.....I think........

Today, we couldn`t really do anything, so we got showered, dressed and went for breakfast as we planned to be in the park today.

We walked as it was just the most gorgeous day and already very hot which pleased us going forward for the day.......I honestly can`t emphasise enough ust how much we appreciated and were loving this weather, especially knowing what we were going back to.

Tom`s fingerprints were happily accepted today as we went through the gates, and we went through the store as there were still some things I had to purchase, and we did pick up several things, mostly Harry Potter as gifts and some tees and hoodies again, just gifts. We got them sent back to the room which would be ideal as they would be there tomorrow waiting for us.

At the front of the store they have a huge mythical dinosaur skeleton hanging and it amazes me how many folks don`t see it, despite it being fairly large. There is also a large plaque behind the counters explaining what it is.....one of the many incredibly detailed items in POE.

And of course the Chritsmas tree.......we didn`t do the tree hunt this year, I did mean to, but it was just another of the now endless list of things we just didn`t seem to have time to cover for one reason and another.

The outdoor stores in POE, I have to admit I`ve never bought anything from them, maybe sometime I will.....they have hats and I do like to wear a hat or two. But further back behind the stalls they do have some incredible detail that I hadn`t noticed on previous visits.

I had a pair of modesty shorts on under my dress today, so we could still do rides and we did go on Dr Doom first........this ride kinda freaks me out a little now. It didn`t used to, then they added the extra belt, now they have got rid of that and it doesn`t feel as safe......it completely IS safe.....I know that, but I have an irrational fear of it now that I never had before.

Tom`s always said it`s the scariest ride in the parks as he is convinced he will plummet to his rather dramatic demise on that one........hope not!! But, that was the last time I went on it and usually we go on it at least 4 or 5 times in a row. Once was enough today for my overactive imagination.

Although this is a smoking area, somewhere we usually avoid, it`s relatively quiet, and if a smoker appears we just leave. But we do love the view from here, and it was incredibly quiet this morning bar one or two folks who were just admiring the view too.

Crowds did seem to be missing today in some areas, and this was one of them......

I do like this water feature.......but my goodness the noise of that annoying yapping dog beside it is horrible. It never ceases and is so darn loud......but, we always get a picture here anyway.......

We wander down to another favourite and quiet-ish spot in the parks, down behind Me Ship the olive and Mythos looks amazing as always in the sunshine, so full of detail.

When you wander along the front over the bridge to the right of this picture, if you listen you can hear the troll that lives under the bridge, and it is eerie when you hear it.......but you can also see the supposed entrance to the Troll`s lair from over this side of the lagoon.......I just love the detail again!!

Watching the velocicoaster, we decide to start heading round that way. We only plan to do FJ once before going on the VC. We expected the line for Hagrid`s to be too long for today.

We both adore this last upside down part of this ride.....but to be honest, there isn`t a part of it we don`t love!

It looked so freaking high from down here!!! It is 155 ft high at it`s tallest part (47m) so it`s a fair old climb and drop........

We do adore just roaming round the parks, and we do this often, just wander and not go on anything some days........or do the odd ride, but today we were being selective and missing out most of the rides.

We never did get back to Thunder Falls this trip and we did mean to, but we`ll keep that for May. They do serve good food and portions you can share with the platters and I was surprised how much we always enjoyed eating there.

Another thing we never did a second time was go sit in the back area of the 3B`s and just immerse ourselves in watching and listening to the sights and sounds of the Velocicoaster from there......we had enjoyed it so much and so did everyone around us. Seeing it so close and hearing those excited or terrified screams is wonderful....part of the fun of a theme park!

The EP line for FJ was almost non existant at this point, maybe a 5 minute wait after we walked through. We never took any pictures in here today, but it really is a ride that has lines well worth walking through even if you`re not going to ride. So much to see and take in. We often stop to pay attention to things so we don`t miss anything and just tell folks to walk on by us as most folks are very polite and will wait if they think you`re taking a picture, so we always make sure we tell them to keep going.

It`s a very good ride in here, I can only do it once maybe twice before I feel a little woozy......but it is fun, even with the spiders!

We didn`t spend much time in Hogsmeade today as we just wanted to go on the VC now. We had noticed it had stopped running at one point, but when we got round it was back running again, so we jumped in line and it wasn`t long till we were being whooshed around again and what a ride it was today.

The back row is our favourite, even over the front row I think......but we`d be happy with either.

If memory serves me right, it went down after we came off again, we heard someone mention as we wandered out towards the park exit.......but overall we had been lucky with this ride on our stay this time, it had only been down a few times.

We strolled back home and it is a gorgeous walk at whatever time of day......and today we were glad of the shade as it was hot!!! We were taking our time anyway as we had plans later, but for now we were heading back to Jake`s for lunch as it had been a while.

We never make reservations except for places like The Palm and Eddie V`s, and we hadn`t made any this trip and didn`t need to as it happened. Jake`s was almost deserted bar a couple of tables and we got one of our favourite tables today by the window and the waiter although new to us was very nice.We never saw one member of staff here we recognised at all.

And strawberry lemonade was our drink of choice today. Weirdly it depends on the waiter whether or not they have it apparently, this guy said yes, he could make it up.

We usually have the crawfish chowder as an appetiser or just as our meal, but today we didn`t want an app and were too hungry for just chowder.....which is amazing by the way.....so Tom ordered the pizza and asked for extra jalapenos half of which I would have as I opted for the burger today.

They do a very good burger here, not the best I`ve ever tasted, but good enough and sweet potato fries which were lovely. I also asked for a side of honey mustard as the one from here is beautiful.

Not the best picture of the burger, but it was tasty, and Tom`s pizza was delicious although I`m not overly fond of ham on a pizza, but the pepperoni was very nice and not at all greasy.

I did have a bowl of coconut ice cream after as it`s one of the few places that offer it here, and it is sweet and delicious!! He did have to go check as he wasn`t sure they had it, but they`ve alway had it as it`s part of one of the desserts through in Islands.

Outside Jakes is a very pretty area and there is a lovely little waterfall that sits under the bridge you walk in through and if you don`t wander down here, you`d never know.

We went to our room to check on things and all the websites I was reading were all the same....every other thread was about the change of policies and how we now had to stay home for two days after we return.......everyone was a little bewildered to be honest.

I switched off the ipad and we headed back to the park. We were meeting our very good friend there later in the afternoon to pick some things up.

The walk back was a little different as the sun seemed to have disappeared and had been replaced by some cloud, but jeez.....it was still hot and although it wasn`t anywhere near September heat and not humid, it did feel like this was almost as hot as other times of the year today.

We found some characters as we wandered back into IOA........these were new additions to us since our last visit and as with all characters in the Universal parks, they are completely in character and the meets are always a lot of fun.

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We didn`t wander round to the VC this afternoon as we thought maybe after lunch it might not be the best idea. But we did watch it for a while........

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We did the kiddie rides like Cat in the Hat and the Trolley Train and again just kind mooched around and looked forward to meeting our friend soon.

We did meet him and it`s always so nice to spend time with him. We got what we needed and then started to walk back home together with him.......we chatted the whole way and I saw a couple walking towards us, never thought anything of it and then we heard the lady say....Carole........and it was a Dis Lady!!!

It was Erica Ladd (her username) and she was so happy to have seen us walking today....she and her husband were staying at RP too and wondered if they would see us and today they did.

We chatted briefly and said we`d hope to see them before either of us left, but what a lovely lady and nice couple, I was so glad to have met them today.

The three of us set off back to the hotel and said our goodbyes to our friend in the lobby and he set off back to his office in RP and we headed upstairs to haunt the internet again for any and all info on this new situation that every time I read something, I got more and more worried about what we were going to do.



More to come............

 

[Worfiedoodles]

I love that you were being selective with your rides. No reason to try to hit every ride every day. Much better to savor them when you have a nice, long visit.

I didn’t know about the troll’s lair. I always learn things reading your trip reports

Jake’s burgers are so good! They really do a nice presentation and the quality is there. I love sitting by the windows and enjoying the waterfall. I haven’t walked outside there but now I need to!

I love how you just happen onto people! You have good luck with spontaneously meeting Dis folks

I’m sorry you had all the drama with not knowing what would be needed and required around Covid regulations. It’s hard to relax and enjoy yourself with that in the back of your mind. But I know you were determined to make the most of every minute in the sunshine

 

[schumigirl]

I love that you were being selective with your rides. No reason to try to hit every ride every day. Much better to savor them when you have a nice, long visit.

I didn’t know about the troll’s lair. I always learn things reading your trip reports

Jake’s burgers are so good! They really do a nice presentation and the quality is there. I love sitting by the windows and enjoying the waterfall. I haven’t walked outside there but now I need to!

I love how you just happen onto people! You have good luck with spontaneously meeting Dis folks

I’m sorry you had all the drama with not knowing what would be needed and required around Covid regulations. It’s hard to relax and enjoy yourself with that in the back of your mind. But I know you were determined to make the most of every minute in the sunshine

I agree, Jake`s burgers are lovely, and those sweet potato fries looked a little overdone, but they were very good. They used to serve wedges which sometimes were underdone.......lol.......but those were lovely.

We`ve been amazed at the people over the years that have came up due to seeing us on the TR`s.......and some we have kept in touch with even now. It was a little odd the first few times going back several years now, but it`s usually a nice experience......apart from the odd ones who make you wonder why they spoke if they obviously don`t like us.......lol.......I always think of the woman who decided to educate us on how often she stayed there compared to us......she visited once or twice a month for one or two nights at a time, but lived in Tampa or somewhere equally as close........er, ok, not quite the same as an almost 10 hour flight.......lol.......but usually it`s been lovely.

Those last few days were definitely affected by getting things in place, but yes, we were determined to enjoy what we could that was left of our trip now.

Not many days to go now........

 

[schumigirl]

We sat in the lounge for a while before getting showered and changed to go out, and a couple of Brits came over to ask what we were doing about the new testing rules and what had we arranged.....at that point we had nothing definite in mind and still looking at options, but everyone was concerned and genuinely worried that what they were arranging was the correct thing. It was like the blind leading the blind to be honest. I think they were disappointed we didn`t have an answer for them, but we weren`t completely sure ourselves yet.

Headed down to get ready and I flicked through the internet as I waited on Tom but it was all the same stuff and quite frankly I didn`t want to think about it right now.

Once my husband caught up and was dressed too, we headed down for the obligatory pictures beside the tree before we headed out for dinner.

I had brought a cardigan with me tonight, but as we stepped out those main doors we were instead met by a blast of warmth not normally associated for this time of year in the evenings. This was a surprise for us, I expected much cooler weather every time we went out at night, but this was lovely.

We were taking the car tonight rather than faff about with cabs and so on, so Tom would drive, hence no wine in the Club Lounge tonight for him, he stuck to sprite while I did enjoy a glass or two of red, which was very nice.

It`s only a 10-15 minute drive to Eddie V`s traffic light dependent usually and they do valet parking so that`s what we would do tonight as although it`s in a place with a large parking lot, it`s always busy as there are many other businesses there too.

We go in and are taken straight away to our booth. Our friend had called and asked them to make sure we had a good table, and we certainly did.

We had our water waiter top us up first, then our waitress came to take a drinks order and Tom asked for a strawberry lemonade or similar.....she said she would come up with something for him.

Still not sure what it was, but it was fruity with a zing of something nicer than usual and he enjoyed it.......I stuck to red wine.......

As with a lot of places we tend to know what we`re having ahead of time, well.....roughly, nothing is set in stone for us, but tonight we did know.

We got some bread, it was healthy wholemeal that I don`t usually eat, but that darn butter is so delicious I had to have some......it`s salted and has some spice in it to....quite lovely.

We opted to share the Shellfish tower they had as an appetiser we had looked at a few times, but always worried it would be too large even though we`d share it.

It had lobster, crab, shrimp and oysters with several sauces and of course lemon and tabasco, my personal favourite with oysters.......

Usually in other places there are other options like scallops, mussels and other items, but this was more than enough for an appetiser for us tonight.

I knew I`d be eating all the oysters as my husband is not a fan of them at all, which I don`t understand as he loves all other seafood including mussels.....he says it`s the texture which I do understand......and secretly pleased as it mean I don`t need to share those gorgeous little suckers........

Everything was beautiful......fresh as you`d like and watching my husband`s face as I eat those oysters is always a joy..........

Lobster, crab and shrimp were all lovely too, although I have to say, it could do with being a bit larger. Ocean Prime do a bigger one and I think we`d like to try that one sometime and it comes out "smoking" so it was visually more impressive too. But, we were glad we had opted for this appetiser tonight......

At Eddie V`s for us steaks are why we go. They are among the nicest we have tasted in any high end restaurant. Surprisingly Kyle wasn`t as keen on the steaks here, he prefers The Palm but I think it may just have been the way there were seasoned as he did say it was cooked perfectly.

Tom went for the 18oz bone in NY strip and he asked for this medium rare for a change......he usually orders medium and I always admonish him for it much to his amusement as he explains each to their own and maybe, just maybe, I`m not always right......

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He didn`t regret asking for it medium rare saying it was indeed perfect.........

For me I always get the filet and I think I got the 8oz tonight and asked for it rare plus which suits me to a tee and it was absolutely perfect again. It seemed larger than 8oz but absolutely delicious.

These places really do know how to cook a steak!

We shared the Gratin potatoes which were delightful and a million times better than the ones we shared at The Palm the previous week which were too sloppy. This dish you could distinguish they actually were potatoes.

This meal had been wonderful, and we loved how they never rush you in here....everything is so relaxed and perfect for food and service, the ambience is lovely too. It can be a little noisy, but most places like this seem to be a little on the loud side. But we had really enjoyed this evening and would look forward to coming back again next trip or the next.

Ourtide we met two young ladies who offered to take our pictures which we gladly accepted and as usual got chatting as we waited on our vehicle being brought back to us.

Two men came out and were obviously sharing looud tales of each others successes and how much money they had.......one very rudely snapped his fingers at the valet guy and this one young lady looked at us and said well I guess money talks.......I said yes darling, money talks but real wealth whispers........she looked at me for a second and then got it.

And it`s true, you don`t need to brashly let everyone know what you have and these guys were both completely obnoxious and everyone in listening area around knew it too. Sadly they`re everywhere......

But what lovely girls they were.......and nice to chat to for the short time we waited outside.

We drove back home at that point and headed straight to Orchids for a drink and dessert.

Charymar who used to work at Strong Water came over to say hello, we said we were just going to sit at the bar tonight and at that point the lovely Maria came over and seated us there....it`s always a great pleasure to spend time chatting to her when we visit.

We ordered a bottle of red wine and got comfy for the next hour or so.....

The chandelier they fitted was lovely, and really set the place off nicely, last time we were here it hadn`t been put up, so it was lovely to see it up and lit up at night too.

Maria brought over our wine and it was very nice and even nicer Tom could get some as he was not driving anywhere tonight now.......

We were ready for some dessert now, but not much on the menu appealed to me as the deep fried cheesecake while delicious, is quite heavy and too filling.....so Tom ordered the chocolate cake and as we waited for that he nipped down to Jake`s to get me a portion of the coconut ice cream.

Long story but he ended up getting it in Island`s, I wondered what kept him, and by the time he came back it was melted a little, but still delicious.

Tom loved his dessert and certainly enjoyed the wine I had chosen tonight.......and sitting here tonight, we felt so content as we chatted and laughed the evening away. We love Orchids and we do like the new style since they refurbed it. I know some don`t as they prefer the original style, which we did love too, but it badly needed updating and we thought they had done a beautiful job too.

Eventually we decided it was late enough and said our goodnights to Maria and Charymar. But, we did ask Maria if we could book for dinner tomorrow night as we love the sushi there and can happily eat there more than once. She said she`d be delighted to have our favourite table ready for us.....we did look forward to that.

Once upstairs I had a quick check of my email and there was no new ones which was strange as usually I have a lot of emails......but, didn`t think anything of it. Then it was straight into bed after taking some time to look out of the window and admire the view we have of the parks......we were running out of nights now.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Eddie V’s looks amazing!

 

[schumigirl]

Eddie V’s looks amazing!

It is lovely, definitely one of the nicer places around.

Food was gorgeous.

 

[dez1978]

We will be going in May too! The week before Memorial day as it's supposed to be the last week of school so the kids won't miss much. In theory, my kids should be out of school the week before that and the cousins should be out the middle of the week we are going. But snow days have really screwed that up sometimes. The 1 st year we went to disney (2019) I planned it to be the week they got out of school, so they'd have missed 2 days. We had so many snow days, they ended up having to go back to school for a full week after our vacation lol. We live in the middle of nowhere so like, 75% of the kids in our district are on gravel roads, which means we have snow days if theres like 2 inches of snow.. It's ridiculous.

Maybe my dates will coincide with yours or others from here and I'll see you around!

 

[labfan]

So glad you were finally able to go back to the parks and hotels. I love reading your trip and reports and seeing all the pictures. It's nice that you were able to get some nice photos of the two of together. I love the Universal parks and hope to get back there sometime in the near future.

 

[KathyM2]

The feeling of panic was genuine as no one seemed to have answers.......I looked on a British website and to be honest everyone on there was as confused the next as to what was actually required.

The feeling of calm after our lovely and peaceful day was completely shattered at this point. My alcohol level for the next few days would be through the roof at this point!!

I can totally relate....this is the real down side to travelling right now...all the changes in rules that you can't predict...and then trying to make sense of them!! I know you made it home lol...so I'm guessing it turned out ok...but not without a lot of stress!!

 

[musika]

I mean logically I know at this stage that you got back into the country with no issues, but the suspense about the testing is killing me!

Those steaks look divine.

 

[Minnie17]

Yummm that seafood tower looks amazing (and everything else)

 

[Robo56]

Carole as always your trip report is awesome. The camera man Tom’s pictures are beautiful.

Sitting up and reading the report has been a true healing balm to my soul. I love Universal as I know you both do and seeing the pictures and reading your well written thoughts on your trip have been wonderful.

The food looks delicious.

I chuckled at your comments on the infamous rodent Earl the Squirrel. I was glad to finally see your picture of him in the tree. I had heard all the fuss about the tree squirrel.......LOL

Your response to the young lady who witnessed the cringe worthy rudeness of the guy snapping his fingers at the valet was kind and honest. Your response was full of grace and mercy. I’am sure the young lady will never forget it and remember your words forever. It was a teaching opportunity that only someone her senior (a classy lady) could give her about what she had just witnessed (a rude insecure man trying to make someone else feel small and insignificant).

Your trip reports are amazing. They are always well written and full of fun places to eat, shop and visit.

Don’t ever stop writing.

 

[schumigirl]

We will be going in May too! The week before Memorial day as it's supposed to be the last week of school so the kids won't miss much. In theory, my kids should be out of school the week before that and the cousins should be out the middle of the week we are going. But snow days have really screwed that up sometimes. The 1 st year we went to disney (2019) I planned it to be the week they got out of school, so they'd have missed 2 days. We had so many snow days, they ended up having to go back to school for a full week after our vacation lol. We live in the middle of nowhere so like, 75% of the kids in our district are on gravel roads, which means we have snow days if theres like 2 inches of snow.. It's ridiculous.

Maybe my dates will coincide with yours or others from here and I'll see you around!

Oh that is ridiculous isn`t it!! Common sense seems to have gone out of the window altogether......fingers crossed they don`t mess up again and they have to go back after a trip, that must have hurt........

It would be lovely to say hello to you......we arrive May 2nd till May 25th and we`ll be a Sapphire for that trip. So, definitely shout out if you see us.......

 

[schumigirl]

So glad you were finally able to go back to the parks and hotels. I love reading your trip and reports and seeing all the pictures. It's nice that you were able to get some nice photos of the two of together. I love the Universal parks and hope to get back there sometime in the near future.

along labfan.......it`s good to see you here and thank you for your kind words, I do appreciate them.

We do love our vacation pictures for sure and yes, it`s always lovely having some taken together too.

And yes, hope Universal is in your plans sometime soon, they really are the most amazing of parks to visit......I admit to being completely biased of course.......lol.....

Hope you enjoy the last few days of the TR, not much to go now....can`t believe I`ve got through it so quickly this time........

 

[schumigirl]

I can totally relate....this is the real down side to travelling right now...all the changes in rules that you can't predict...and then trying to make sense of them!! I know you made it home lol...so I'm guessing it turned out ok...but not without a lot of stress!!

It was crazy Kathy and I do think folks were taken by surprise.....and now of course they`re changing again for entering the UK as they decided all the testing hasn`t made the slightest difference in the end.......crazy!!

Yes, sadly we made it home......eventually!!! lol.......

 

[schumigirl]

I mean logically I know at this stage that you got back into the country with no issues, but the suspense about the testing is killing me!

Those steaks look divine.

It was all very dull in the end, but incredibly stressful going forward.......I knew some folks who contacted the airline /travel insurance and all they were told was......I`m sorry we cannot advise you on anything......refer to the latest Government websites......which as I said initially were as clear as mud........lol.......

But, I can say, yes, we made it home.

The steaks were delicious.........

 

[schumigirl]

Yummm that seafood tower looks amazing (and everything else)

It was divine!!

I do think there are more ambitious seafood towers out there, but for us as an appetiser, it was just about right......although I could have eaten another half dozen oysters lol.....the food was beautiful for sure.