WERE BACK!!!
I will try not to keep it too long but who am I kidding, love those details! Anyway, it was just me and my nephew Quay (age 14) on this trip. He has only been to IOA and never stayed onsite and has been dying to go since I took his brother and sister to RPR last year. This time I chose HRH!!!!
Day 1 (July 4, 2005)We didnt leave really early this time. It was afterall a holiday and I wanted to take things slow. I got RT tickets on Southwest for $176 each. Checked in online at home and got A passes. Quay and I got the first row on the plane and we loved it because we had 2 of the greatest flight attendants. This guy was throwing tissues, wearing trash bags on his head, singing songs, and making jokes and faces the whole flight. It was a good flight and we got to the Florida at 1:30 in the afternoon. Since everyone was getting on Disney buses, there was no one waiting for the Mears vans so we didnt have to wait long. Our van just made 2 other stops and we got to HRH by 2:30pm. I got in the Loews 1st line, which proved to be slow. Everyone in front of us were being told that their rooms werent ready and though I expected this, I really wanted to go to the room. Luckily, when we checked in, our room was ready. Natacha checked us in and she started going over my Loews benefits and talking about the Stay 4 Play Free program. I corrected her because I wanted to make certain that I got the AP rate as I had already bought my pass and the discount was better. She agreed but for some reason they had me down for both packages. She still asked me about turndown service, milk and cookies, and such. I didnt expect to get them with the AP rate so I just said okay. We never got them by the way but that was expected. By the way, they never did ask to see my AP. We headed to our room. I booked a standard garden view room. No free stuff this time but we did get a good view. We were facing the courtyard in front of the water taxis. I loved the room. There were some signs of wear and tear but nothing I couldnt live with. The room appeared to be bigger than RPR. Quay loved the wet bar area and the extra sink in the bathroom. The only thing I didnt like about the room was its distance from the ice machine. Our machine was always empty so it was a little bit of a pain to get ice everyday. We dropped our things off and I called down to have the box of food I shipped brought up and we headed to the park. I picked up our tickets at will call. I got Quay the pay for 2 days get 3 free ticket. My annual pass said that I needed to get a photo and since no one was around to ask and the park was crowded for the 4th, I just got in the guest services line. After waiting 25 minutes, I was told that I should have used the temporary ticket to go in the park and then head to vacation services for the actual AP. Oh well, live and learn. We were finally headed to the first ride by 4:00 pm. I took Quay to Universal 1st since he had never been there and we got on T2, BTTF, & MIB - twice. The lines were what I expected for the 4th and FOTL still had a wait of 10-20 minutes for most of the rides we got on. We had dinner at the International Food Bazaar in Universal. It was okay. Quay had pizza and fries and I had the sweet and sour chicken ($17). This was one of the few times that I remembered to use my AP for a discount. We were getting pretty tired and Quay wanted to head to the pool. I talked him out of it as I wanted to unpack and head back to the park for the 4th of July fireworks! After unpacking, we returned to the park and rode the Mummy (this was my 1st time riding too and I am a scardy cat) but it wasnt scary. We tried getting on again and ended up having to wait 30 minutes in the express line. YUCK! We also hit Earthquake and a few other rides. We had milkshakes from Schwabbs ($8) just killed some time in the arcade and waited for the fireworks to start. They were delayed due to lightening and a little sprinkle. After 30 minutes, I was really sleepy so we just headed back to HRH. Quay wanted to check out the game room at HRH and we played a few games. After coming out, I then noticed everyone at the pool watching the fireworks and we had missed them. Oh well, off to bed and maybe well catch the regular fireworks tomorrow.
Day 2 (July 05, 2005)
What a scorcher. In fact, the entire week was WITHOUT rain but with a blazing SUN! The whole trip the temperature stayed in the high 90s and they said it was 110 degrees in the sun. We had a quick breakfast in the room (I shipped stuff like pop tarts and fruit cups) and then headed to IOA for the water rides. We couldnt wait to get soaked. After that, we headed back to HRH and the pool. We stayed here all morning, as it was too hot for anything else. Again, I had packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, juice, water, and snacks that we took to the pool everyday. This made lunch so easy. Quay loved the pool. I still had my same problems with it. The pool is so unprotected that the sun just beams on you all day and the water is too shallow for me. I scraped my knees and feet several times but Quay had a ball! We were so exhausted and headed to the room to play poker. Quay loves this game and I packed cards and mini chips so we could play. We had iced coffee and ice cream from Emack & Bolios ($10) and then changed for the parks and dinner. After riding the coasters at IOA (this time I was the one who had to convince Quay to ride several times), we went to HR Café for dinner. I had pasta with grilled chicken and Quay had chicken fingers and mashed potatoes ($33). Dinner was good and I actually remembered my AP for a discount this time. Although I later remembered that I had a better discount through the Orlando Visitors Bureau. Oh well, missed out again. Hey, I just remembered that I never picked up the coupon book at the park! Anyway, after dinner, we finally rode Shrek. Oh how I have missed this ride. We hit Mummy a few more times and then called it a night after watching the fireworks.
Day 3 (July 6, 2005)
We slept in a little this morning. This was going to be the hottest day yet. We had breakfast in the room and packed our lunch and headed to PBH to swim. We had so much fun at this pool. I liked it because of the waterfall and the 5 ft area. Quay liked it because there were several places for him to hide and sneak up on me to dunk me. We stayed here all morning and after getting sun burned, headed back to HRHs pool and had ice cream again from Emack & Bolios. We finally made it to the park this day for the 1st time at 5:30pm. We re-rode some of our favorites at IOA and then had dinner at Richters. Wow, what a great burger that was. ($17). YUM!!! I did some shopping at Citywalk and then called it a night.
Day 4 (July 7, 2005)
Another lazy day for us. We were supposed to go out to breakfast but we never made it. I wanted to show Quay RPR (where I took his brother & sister last year) so we headed over. The water taxis were not running because of taping for Fear Factor so we decided to take the walk. I made it to Citywalk before I had to stop at Starbucks for something cold. Unfortunately they didnt have the water boat on so Quay couldnt see the pool in all of its glory. We played a few games in the game room and then headed to the parks. I made Quay get on Cat in the Hat with me to cool off and then headed back to HRH. Housekeeping wasnt done since we had left late so we hung around the lobby until she was finished. After trying unsuccessfully to get Quay out of the room (what is wrong with this kid?) I finally gave up and we took a much needed nap. When we woke, he actually said he had had enough of the parks. Certainly, this kid and I cannot be related. I made him ride the coasters one last time with me and we bought some souvenirs in IOA. We had dinner at NBA City. The meal and atmosphere were great. We went before the dinner crowd so we had a choice of seats and the waiter was great. We had buffalo wings, ribs (meat falling off the bone), and stuffed chicken breast with the best mashed potatoes ($60). I tried to get Quay back into Universal but no cigar so we went to HRH for our first night time swim. Glad I only did it once as it was a little too loud for me, maybe because we were exhausted from the heat all day. We headed to the room at 11pm to pack.
Day 5 (July 8, 2005)
Last day! Say it aint so!!! We got up early and had the breakfast buffet at the Kitchen ($33). Tried to get Quay into the parks but he wouldn't go. I had requested a late check-out time of 1pm so we got a couple of hours in at the pool. Afterwards, we just relaxed and went down to meet our shuttle at 1:30. We did have several stops to make and we finally got to the airport at 2:30. Security wasnt too bad and we decided to stop and have lunch (McDonalds $11). We headed to our gate and were glad that our plane was leaving in only 1 hour. Open mouth ..insert foot! There were weather delays in Philadelphia and the flight that was supposed to leave at 3pm, was now leaving at 4:45 and our flight was now pushed back to 6:45pm. We just walked back and forth and Quay played cards. Finally, the storms lifted and they pushed our flight up to 6:00. We finally left Florida and after circling and getting stuck on the runway after we landed, we finally made it to the gate and got home around 10:00pm. What a day!
As always, loved Universal and now that I have an AP, just like you guys said, I am already planning my next trip. I think that I will hit PBH next and do that solo trip I keep talking about. Feel free to ask me any questions.
I will try not to keep it too long but who am I kidding, love those details! Anyway, it was just me and my nephew Quay (age 14) on this trip. He has only been to IOA and never stayed onsite and has been dying to go since I took his brother and sister to RPR last year. This time I chose HRH!!!!
Day 1 (July 4, 2005)We didnt leave really early this time. It was afterall a holiday and I wanted to take things slow. I got RT tickets on Southwest for $176 each. Checked in online at home and got A passes. Quay and I got the first row on the plane and we loved it because we had 2 of the greatest flight attendants. This guy was throwing tissues, wearing trash bags on his head, singing songs, and making jokes and faces the whole flight. It was a good flight and we got to the Florida at 1:30 in the afternoon. Since everyone was getting on Disney buses, there was no one waiting for the Mears vans so we didnt have to wait long. Our van just made 2 other stops and we got to HRH by 2:30pm. I got in the Loews 1st line, which proved to be slow. Everyone in front of us were being told that their rooms werent ready and though I expected this, I really wanted to go to the room. Luckily, when we checked in, our room was ready. Natacha checked us in and she started going over my Loews benefits and talking about the Stay 4 Play Free program. I corrected her because I wanted to make certain that I got the AP rate as I had already bought my pass and the discount was better. She agreed but for some reason they had me down for both packages. She still asked me about turndown service, milk and cookies, and such. I didnt expect to get them with the AP rate so I just said okay. We never got them by the way but that was expected. By the way, they never did ask to see my AP. We headed to our room. I booked a standard garden view room. No free stuff this time but we did get a good view. We were facing the courtyard in front of the water taxis. I loved the room. There were some signs of wear and tear but nothing I couldnt live with. The room appeared to be bigger than RPR. Quay loved the wet bar area and the extra sink in the bathroom. The only thing I didnt like about the room was its distance from the ice machine. Our machine was always empty so it was a little bit of a pain to get ice everyday. We dropped our things off and I called down to have the box of food I shipped brought up and we headed to the park. I picked up our tickets at will call. I got Quay the pay for 2 days get 3 free ticket. My annual pass said that I needed to get a photo and since no one was around to ask and the park was crowded for the 4th, I just got in the guest services line. After waiting 25 minutes, I was told that I should have used the temporary ticket to go in the park and then head to vacation services for the actual AP. Oh well, live and learn. We were finally headed to the first ride by 4:00 pm. I took Quay to Universal 1st since he had never been there and we got on T2, BTTF, & MIB - twice. The lines were what I expected for the 4th and FOTL still had a wait of 10-20 minutes for most of the rides we got on. We had dinner at the International Food Bazaar in Universal. It was okay. Quay had pizza and fries and I had the sweet and sour chicken ($17). This was one of the few times that I remembered to use my AP for a discount. We were getting pretty tired and Quay wanted to head to the pool. I talked him out of it as I wanted to unpack and head back to the park for the 4th of July fireworks! After unpacking, we returned to the park and rode the Mummy (this was my 1st time riding too and I am a scardy cat) but it wasnt scary. We tried getting on again and ended up having to wait 30 minutes in the express line. YUCK! We also hit Earthquake and a few other rides. We had milkshakes from Schwabbs ($8) just killed some time in the arcade and waited for the fireworks to start. They were delayed due to lightening and a little sprinkle. After 30 minutes, I was really sleepy so we just headed back to HRH. Quay wanted to check out the game room at HRH and we played a few games. After coming out, I then noticed everyone at the pool watching the fireworks and we had missed them. Oh well, off to bed and maybe well catch the regular fireworks tomorrow.
Day 2 (July 05, 2005)
What a scorcher. In fact, the entire week was WITHOUT rain but with a blazing SUN! The whole trip the temperature stayed in the high 90s and they said it was 110 degrees in the sun. We had a quick breakfast in the room (I shipped stuff like pop tarts and fruit cups) and then headed to IOA for the water rides. We couldnt wait to get soaked. After that, we headed back to HRH and the pool. We stayed here all morning, as it was too hot for anything else. Again, I had packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, juice, water, and snacks that we took to the pool everyday. This made lunch so easy. Quay loved the pool. I still had my same problems with it. The pool is so unprotected that the sun just beams on you all day and the water is too shallow for me. I scraped my knees and feet several times but Quay had a ball! We were so exhausted and headed to the room to play poker. Quay loves this game and I packed cards and mini chips so we could play. We had iced coffee and ice cream from Emack & Bolios ($10) and then changed for the parks and dinner. After riding the coasters at IOA (this time I was the one who had to convince Quay to ride several times), we went to HR Café for dinner. I had pasta with grilled chicken and Quay had chicken fingers and mashed potatoes ($33). Dinner was good and I actually remembered my AP for a discount this time. Although I later remembered that I had a better discount through the Orlando Visitors Bureau. Oh well, missed out again. Hey, I just remembered that I never picked up the coupon book at the park! Anyway, after dinner, we finally rode Shrek. Oh how I have missed this ride. We hit Mummy a few more times and then called it a night after watching the fireworks.
Day 3 (July 6, 2005)
We slept in a little this morning. This was going to be the hottest day yet. We had breakfast in the room and packed our lunch and headed to PBH to swim. We had so much fun at this pool. I liked it because of the waterfall and the 5 ft area. Quay liked it because there were several places for him to hide and sneak up on me to dunk me. We stayed here all morning and after getting sun burned, headed back to HRHs pool and had ice cream again from Emack & Bolios. We finally made it to the park this day for the 1st time at 5:30pm. We re-rode some of our favorites at IOA and then had dinner at Richters. Wow, what a great burger that was. ($17). YUM!!! I did some shopping at Citywalk and then called it a night.
Day 4 (July 7, 2005)
Another lazy day for us. We were supposed to go out to breakfast but we never made it. I wanted to show Quay RPR (where I took his brother & sister last year) so we headed over. The water taxis were not running because of taping for Fear Factor so we decided to take the walk. I made it to Citywalk before I had to stop at Starbucks for something cold. Unfortunately they didnt have the water boat on so Quay couldnt see the pool in all of its glory. We played a few games in the game room and then headed to the parks. I made Quay get on Cat in the Hat with me to cool off and then headed back to HRH. Housekeeping wasnt done since we had left late so we hung around the lobby until she was finished. After trying unsuccessfully to get Quay out of the room (what is wrong with this kid?) I finally gave up and we took a much needed nap. When we woke, he actually said he had had enough of the parks. Certainly, this kid and I cannot be related. I made him ride the coasters one last time with me and we bought some souvenirs in IOA. We had dinner at NBA City. The meal and atmosphere were great. We went before the dinner crowd so we had a choice of seats and the waiter was great. We had buffalo wings, ribs (meat falling off the bone), and stuffed chicken breast with the best mashed potatoes ($60). I tried to get Quay back into Universal but no cigar so we went to HRH for our first night time swim. Glad I only did it once as it was a little too loud for me, maybe because we were exhausted from the heat all day. We headed to the room at 11pm to pack.
Day 5 (July 8, 2005)
Last day! Say it aint so!!! We got up early and had the breakfast buffet at the Kitchen ($33). Tried to get Quay into the parks but he wouldn't go. I had requested a late check-out time of 1pm so we got a couple of hours in at the pool. Afterwards, we just relaxed and went down to meet our shuttle at 1:30. We did have several stops to make and we finally got to the airport at 2:30. Security wasnt too bad and we decided to stop and have lunch (McDonalds $11). We headed to our gate and were glad that our plane was leaving in only 1 hour. Open mouth ..insert foot! There were weather delays in Philadelphia and the flight that was supposed to leave at 3pm, was now leaving at 4:45 and our flight was now pushed back to 6:45pm. We just walked back and forth and Quay played cards. Finally, the storms lifted and they pushed our flight up to 6:00. We finally left Florida and after circling and getting stuck on the runway after we landed, we finally made it to the gate and got home around 10:00pm. What a day!
As always, loved Universal and now that I have an AP, just like you guys said, I am already planning my next trip. I think that I will hit PBH next and do that solo trip I keep talking about. Feel free to ask me any questions.
