A Sister & Brother Return! The Trip Report! Updated 10/31--Page 23!

[stagemomx3]

The pool at the hotel sounds awesome!

 

[pooksma]

oooo a cliffhanger! I can even hear David saying Dun dun dun...

 

[DizSibs]

The CDs to label the food is a neat touch and I would love to hear the underwater music, it might be what it takes me to get in the pool.

But you just had to leave us hanging LOL

 

[CanadianWDWfan]

Hi, I found you after reading MeMom's TR. I just finished your pre trip report and found it very funny. You are lucky to have a great relationship with your brother. I loved your mousekeeping envelopes. I havn't been to Universal since 04. There's a lot thats changed. The "golden ticket" seems to be the way to go. ( I can remember waiting about 2hrs for Shrek in the rain) Looking forward to hearing more....you have me waiting on pins and needles...

 

[princessjv]

I guess Universal really knows how to "do" hotels WELL! This is the second report that I have read that made me think that Disney needs to step it up a notch... and NOT at our expense!



Did you loose David? What happened next?

 

[jake&samsmom]

Hi Nicole! Now you're making me want to go to stay at HRH and see IOA!
How's the weather there? Hope y'all are doing fine.

Btw, did they mention when Harry Potter World is opening? We are definitely gonna be there when it does. I heard 2010, but that was a while back.

Great trippie and pics. Love David's thoughts

 

[Grybo]

Hi Nicole! Now you're making me want to go to stay at HRH and see IOA!
How's the weather there? Hope y'all are doing fine.

Btw, did they mention when Harry Potter World is opening? We are definitely gonna be there when it does. I heard 2010, but that was a while back.

Great trippie and pics. Love David's thoughts

Yeah, so far it's still 2010.

 

[Nicole786]

Islands of Adventure looks so cool!

Yeah its a lot of fun!

Well don't leave us hanging!!

You already know what happened!! LOL!

It?
The HRH pool is awesome.

Yeah it is!

Hey Nicole! Looks like you guys had fun. The Hard Rock looks very nice. Can't wait for more.

Hey Jill! It is a very nice hotel maybe when the kids are older you can go check it out yourself!

Hiya David! Great update! I haven't been to US in YEARS!!! Looks like ufn!

It is a lot of fun!

I enjoyed IOA last time I went.

great pics and update.

ooh, what happened?

Yeah, IOA is a lot of fun I really enjoy my time there!

Don't write too fast now! And there better be links, cause I leave on monday and I won't be back for 10 days!

Haha well you know how I feel about links!! Have the BEST time!! I cant wait to hear about it!!

The pool at the hotel sounds awesome!

Its so awesome! Definitely spoiled us

oooo a cliffhanger! I can even hear David saying Dun dun dun...

Haha, yes he literally said it out loud as I typed it

The CDs to label the food is a neat touch and I would love to hear the underwater music, it might be what it takes me to get in the pool.

But you just had to leave us hanging LOL

HRH is awesome!! I'll try and post an update ASAP!

Hi, I found you after reading MeMom's TR. I just finished your pre trip report and found it very funny. You are lucky to have a great relationship with your brother. I loved your mousekeeping envelopes. I havn't been to Universal since 04. There's a lot thats changed. The "golden ticket" seems to be the way to go. ( I can remember waiting about 2hrs for Shrek in the rain) Looking forward to hearing more....you have me waiting on pins and needles...

Welcome! Glad you liked the pre-TR! 2 hours for Shrek?? Wha?? I plan on a new chapter soon

I guess Universal really knows how to "do" hotels WELL! This is the second report that I have read that made me think that Disney needs to step it up a notch... and NOT at our expense!



Did you loose David? What happened next?

Man I wish I lost David..HAha jk....its true that Universal does hotels well, wiat until you see the portofino! We went there for dinner so i have some pictures its soo pretty!

Hi Nicole! Now you're making me want to go to stay at HRH and see IOA!
How's the weather there? Hope y'all are doing fine.

Btw, did they mention when Harry Potter World is opening? We are definitely gonna be there when it does. I heard 2010, but that was a while back.

Great trippie and pics. Love David's thoughts

We're doing okay, I think the storm is gonna miss us thanks for asking. As David said, it is going to open in 2010 at least thats what the sign said!

 

[MeMom]

Put away the Cheez Doodles and get over to the TR and grab yourself a cupcake!!!

 

[Nicole786]

Put away the Cheez Doodles and get over to the TR and grab yourself a cupcake!!!

I did! I want a Sulley one!

 

[TCKK]

Hi Nicole:

We're back and I just wanted to pop in and say hi. I'll try to catch up on your report tomorrow after work. It was great getting to meet you and David. I'm really looking forward to reading all about your trip.

Cathy

 

[Charleston Princess]

Universal and IOA look like a lot of fun! Once they finish the new HP stuff, I might actually have to go check it all out!

 

[Nicole786]

Hi Nicole:

We're back and I just wanted to pop in and say hi. I'll try to catch up on your report tomorrow after work. It was great getting to meet you and David. I'm really looking forward to reading all about your trip.

Cathy

Really great to meet you too, your daughters are a lot of fun!

Universal and IOA look like a lot of fun! Once they finish the new HP stuff, I might actually have to go check it all out!

HP is going to make Universal a whole different place, but I hope Disney retaliates right before they open with even BIGGER news!

 

[Charleston Princess]

HP is going to make Universal a whole different place, but I hope Disney retaliates right before they open with even BIGGER news!

I have to second that wish, because no matter what Universal manages to come up with, I am really just a Disney girl at heart!

 

[Nicole786]

Sorry this chapter is going to be more story/text heavy and short but I promise more pictures tomorrow!

So when I last left you, something had just happened. Some of you might have guessed what it was based on some pre-trip clues, but yes folks, I injured myself, and I injured myself badly. Let me explain.

I came back with my digital camera, all ready to go, so I put my shorts back on the lounge chair with the rest of our stuff and proceeded back towards the pool. The way HRH pool area is situated is that you have the pool, and than of course surrounding the pool area is lounge chairs all the way around. Behind those lounge chairs is another rim of lounge chairs. We were at the second rim. So separating our lounge area from the pool area was a tiny hump of a bushes/dirt area which I could walk through or I could walk aaalllll the way around the path towards the pool. So eager with my camera in hand which option do you think I picked? Of course I walked through the dirt hill. Now looking back, there was nothing that I tripped over that would have caused my injury so I don't think it would have mattered which way I would have gone I think it would have happened anyway.

So I take a few steps on the dirt hall and all of a sudden I just feel a sudden shift in my knee. I didn't necessarily feel any pain (yet) but I was frozen, which I think was my body going into shock to prevent me from feeling any pain. I absolutely couldn't move. I wasn't sure if I should cry, if I should call for help, if I should try and walk, I saw the vacation flash before my eyes. I did feel myself start to cry because all of a sudden the shock subsided and I felt real pain. As I stood there I became in the way of a few people, one of which I apologized to but said I had hurt myself and he offered to get help. Being the tough new yorker I was I declined and said I was okay. For the record apparently i was NOT okay, instead, I had sprained a ligament in my knee! For some reason, I convinced myself to temporarily become a doctor and as I stood there I pushed my knee back into the proper position and limped over to where David was very scared as to what had just happened.

Just like the game of Operation but with less buzzing noises!

I was still in a bit of shock, but David helped me back into the pool so I could rest my knee. I don't remember being able to form full sentences, I just kept saying "Cant walk, hurt knee, ouch, ouch, ouch, what should I do?"

And for the record, the party had ended as soon as she went to get the camera

Yeah that was the best part, I really wanted to film the cool party! But it had turned into a few little girls shouting Jonas Brothers music into the mic!

What a giant middle finger!

After sitting in the pool for about 15 minutes, I was panicking because even after David kept saying "its going to get better" it wasn't and I was afraid I was making it worse instead of better. So with much effort, David helped me to the lounge chair, and heres where I had some issues with HRH.

Not once in my head did I think of blaming HRH for what happened, it was so obviously not their fault and I'm not one of those people who will purposely try and spin things to make it their fault so I can get some freebies. But what happened with the staff really made me mad and when we checked out i'll go into detail about how I handled it. For now, i'd like your opinions on what happened after I got out of the pool:

As David helped me to the chair, we were surrounded by HRH staff, everyone from occupied wait staff who didn't see me to surveying security personnel who did see me. Nobody asked me what happened or if I needed assistance. Fine okay, benefit of the doubt: they don't see me or they don't realize something is wrong. So we walk up to a man in a collared HRH shirt with a walkie talkie.

Walked? More like limped on my shoulder like a starving peasant

You get the idea. So we walked up to him and all I said, or rather, all I could manage to say, was something along the lines of "Can I get an ice pack?" So the man, without questioning what had happened, or if I was okay, simply said "I don't have one but I can get one for you, where will you be?" So I did the best I could to show him (which was right around the corner) and we limped past him to get to the chair. Since I couldn't really fully walk at this point, we were shipwrecked there. So I decided to test out camera settings while waiting for my ice pack.

So I present to you the random photos of the HRH pool area

About 15 minutes later, the gentlemen came around and told us to "sit tight it was coming" and than 5 minutes later a lifeguard came around gave me 2 icepacks (one for later) and went on his way.

I mean I don't really know how these things generally 'work' I only know what I see on TV and movies because this is the first time i've ever been injured at a hotel, and I didn't have my mommy or daddy to look for a reaction. How I was feeling was it wasn't a good representation of their hotel. Number one, for all they know this situation could have been their fault and for liability issues why didn't anyone ask me what had happened? Or even better How it happened? Was it our fault? Okay no I didn't walk up to them crying or yelling, but thats because I didn't want to cause a scene, I'm not sure whos right in this case. Number 2 again with liability why didn't they ask me if I needed further medical attention or point me to first aid? It wasn't until the next morning at the check out desk in conversation with the manager did I find out they even had a first aid! So I was now without the walking functionality my body is supposed to provide for me, and I was 24 hours from spending 9 days in Disney! I was scared.

Thats where i'm going to leave you for now. For those concerned about Fay, we are the little green patch in the state of FL that is NOT covered by the storm track although schools are cancelled for tomorrow

Sweet!

Either way I don't have work, and have a full day of being in the house, so I will definitely be finishing up this day tomorrow!

Coming Up: Who on the DIS finds out about the injury before anyone? What do we do that night that provided a lasting memory? (Hint: its not a park!) and how do I move on past this injury?? (

hint: she's extremely stubborn)

 

[Hedy]

I definitely think it was weird that no one came to see if you were ok. That said, I felt the "people" at HRH's hotel was pretty absent.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Oh no, poor you getting injured, sounds very painful.

I agree, the hotel staff should have checked on you to make sure that you were okay and see if there was anything they could do for you, it is basic customer service.

 

[TCKK]

Ok. I'm all caught up now and looking forward to what's coming next. We've never been to Universal or HRH. Sounds like a neat place and I definitely think the girls would love the parks you've been talking about.

Cathy

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

I think it's crazy that the staff didn't ask you what had happened or if you needed further help when you asked for the ice pack. I hope your knee recovered quickly and that it didn't ruin anything!

 

[scottny]

no so great update but nice pics.

I think it can go both ways. the guy who got the ice pack should have said soemthing but then again you didn't stress to him how much in pain you were and he might have thoguht you were a crazy lady who needed ice.

Now though he should have inquired about the injury for sure.