ADP Live From Universal & Disney World

[ADP]

Hi Everyone,

We are back from our morning//afternoon. We went to Islands of Adventure and then over to Portifino Bay for lunch. We are now back in our room for an afternoon rest. We will be headed to Universal Studios later this evening.

Islands of Adventure was somewhat crowded this morning. Here is a shot of the crowd and Spiderman wait time.

Spiderman wait time....45 minutes in the stand-by line and 5 minutes in the Express line.

Here are some attraction wait times at around Noon today

On our way around the Islands of Adventure we stopped and paid a visit to the talking water fountain. This guy shoots water everywhere at guests. Anna got soaked!

I mentioned this on Facebook, but Islands of Adventure is thick with Thing 1, 2, 3, and 4 merchandise. It's everywhere. It must be a big draw for Universal.

Some of the best views at Islands of Adventure can be found in Jurassic Park. The viewing areas are hidden, but if you look around you can find them.
Here one behind the Burger Digs restaurant

After we left Islands of Adventure we went to visit the beautiful Portifino Bay Resort. This place is gorgeous and because I'm Italian I like it even more.
Here are a couple shots of the resort. There are a lot of Italian flags waving around the resort.

We had lunch at Sal's Deli. The pizza was pretty good.

After we left Sal's we walked around a little more and enjoyed the courtyard. We took the boat back to City Walk where we transferred to the Royal Pacific Resort boat. Later we are going to Universal Studios one last time to get in a couple more attractions.

More to come later!

 

[Dodie]

Hi Aaron and Anna. I'm loving your report! Can't wait until you get to AKL!

 

[disneyholic family]

thanks for the wonderful pictures and report Aaron!!

almost like being there...

 

[Sooze]

That resort is beautiful! You are making me want to give Universal a whirl!!

 

[TXYankee]

Aaron,

Thanks for the trip report. I really appreciate you taking the time to make me happy!

(let me pretend that you do this just to brighten my day!)

 

[exwdwcm]

Aaron and Anna, thanks for sharing your adventures, I have really enjoyed it and look forward to the disney portion and Kim joining you as well. keep it up, I'm loving it. Hope the trip continues to go great!

 

[ADP]

Hi Everyone,

We went to Universal Studios tonight, but some storms rolled through so we cut our evening short. We were able to hit the ice cream shop at Universal Studios and ride the Simpsons and Jimmy Neutron before we had to leave.

During our short time at the park I did manage to snap this picture of the Simpsons attraction.

Tonight is our last night at the Royal Pacific. We really enjoyed our time here. The staff is great, and everyone was very helpful. Our room was in great shape with a flat panel TV. The room sizes are standard, but they are well appointed. The resort amenities are very good. And I'd be amiss if I didn't mention the front of the line access at the theme parks. It saved us soooo much time. It made our vacation so much more relaxed. I'd highly suggest staying onsite; especially during the months when schools are out. The pool is very nice and very large. Big enough to accommodate the entire resort.

Here's a shot I took just roaming around the resort. You'll find a lot of spots around the resort to relax and escape the everyday hustle and bustle of life.

Tomorrow we are moving to AKV. One of our favorite resorts. We plan to spend a lot of time at the resort since we want to avoid the heat and crowds in the afternoon hours.

More to come!

Next Up:
Checking in at AKV
Uzuma Springs Pool
Downtown Disney
Dinner at Raglan Road

 

[katscradle]

Aaron thank you for sharing your trip with us, I am enjoying your trip report quite a bit.

 

[crazydisneyman]

Dinner at Ragland Road is always good!

Be sure to get a good seat near the table where they clog.

The live music is usually awesome too!

Say hi to Anna for us!

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

We went to Raglan Road for the first time before the Podcast Cruise, and the whole family loved it. Maggie says it's one of her favorite restaurants now.

 

[ADP]

Thursday, July 30th

Hi Everyone,

We've transitioned from Universal to Disney World. We checked into AKV Jambo a little while ago. The resort is still very beautiful. We are planning on heading down to the pool, and then later heading over to Downtown Disney for some shopping and dinner. On Saturday we are moving up to the Kilamanjaro Club Level. We are really looking forward to it.

We had some friends who live near us in Indy drive us from Universal to Disney World. They even made a stop for us at the nearby Wal-Mart on 535. We can't thank them enough!

Here are some photos I took as we transitioned between the resorts.
The RPR check-in check-out desk

The courtyard near the RPR lobby

The main entrance to the resort. A bridge lined with frogs welcoming you to the South Pacific

And finally, walking into the lobby of AKV for the first time. Nothing beats the feeling of walking into this resort lobby. The resort has a distinct smell that seems to welcome you and reminds you your on vacation.

I'll be back with more later from Downtown Disney and Raglan Road.

 

[disneyholic family]

RPR seems like a really nice resort.....next time we stay at universal, we'll try that resort ...

 

[ADP]

Hi Everyone,

We are back from Downtown Disney and dinner at Raglan Road. I helped boost the local Orlando economy by dropping a load at the new Disney store called TrenD. The store has some unique stuff different than you'll find in any of the other Disney theme park and resort stores.

Here's a shot of Anna as we left the store

After we left TrenD we made a stop over at the Lego store.

The heavens opened up so we ducked into T-Rex.... Yes, it was loud....Very loud! We were in there long enough to hear the meteor hit the earth about 2 times.

We put our ponchos on and hit the ground running to Raglan Road. We had dinner reservations with some friends at 5:30. I've never dined at Raglan Road so I was pretty excited to try it.

We arrived a bit early and were seated before our ADR time. Funny thing, the restaurant was empty. When my firend made the ADR about a month ago there were no tables available at 6:00PM. At 6:00PM the restaurant was still empty. Something is definately not right with Disney's ADR system.

Here was our table at Raglan Road. We had a good time.

Before our meal our server brought us a bowl full of an oatmeal bread with a sweet dipping sauce. The bread was extremely heavy. All I could thing about was the feeling of a boat anchor in my stomach after eating a piece.
The menu is very traditional with Irish cuisine. I chose to eat the Fish & Chips. The fish & chips were $18.50. Pretty pricey for that type of entree so I was expecting something good.

My entree had a good portion of chips and one LARGE piece of fish. It was servied with tartar sauce, ketchup and malt vinegar. I was expecting something good and it didn't disappoint.

After our meal I decided to endulge a bit and have dessert. I chose the bread pudding because our server highly recommended it. Again, I was expecting something good. The dessert came out and it was pretty large. The bread pudding came in a large cup with a carmel and vanilla sauce to pour on top. I really loved it. It didn't disappoint.

The restaurant has a lot of decorative Irish flair. Here is the main seating area; however, there are several other seating areas throughout the restaurant. The restaurant is a lot larger than it appears from the outside.

Our total bill for 3 kids and 3 adults was $140. We did have alcohol and dessert. We saved 20% with our Tables in Wonderland card and the automatic 18% gratuity. A bit pricey, but I must say I thought the meal was worth it. I'd love to go back in the future and dine there again.

So that was pretty much our day. Tomorrow we plan on heading to the Animal Kingdom firth thing in the morning. Kim should be arriving at the Animal Kingdom Lodge at around 2:00PM. We will be back for her arrival. We can't wait to see her, we've missed her so much. Tomorrow night we plan on having dinner with some friends.

More to come!

Up Next:
Animal Kingdom
Pictures from the Animal Kingdom Lodge
Meeting Friends

 

[mainegal]

On our way around the Islands of Adventure we stopped and paid a visit to the talking water fountain. This guy shoots water everywhere at guests. Anna got soaked!

This is a friend of mine from college!

He has worked at Universal for eighteen years in various capacities. His partner works Backlot Tour at Hollywood Studios. This was as of when I last saw him last December. I hope they have both survived the layoffs.

 

[AnneR]

Raglan Road has become one of our favorites. We were on the dining plan in June and everyone enjoyed their entrees and desserts. The bread pudding is awesome.

 

[NancyIL]

I'm really enjoying your report and photos, Aaron! I love Raglan Road, and I'm glad you enjoyed it, too. Next time you go there, try to eat closer to 9 p.m. when the Irish band starts to play. Watching the Irish dancer perform on the table is pretty cool, too.

 

[georgemoe]

I'm glad you and Anna are having a great time Aaron. Your reports are great. When is Kim due in? You must be missing each other.

 

[katscradle]

Hey Aaron I am glad you liked Raglan Road, it is a fav. of mine.

 

[Sooze]

Ok, so I just came back from spending 30 minutes on the elliptical... and you show me that tasty FRIED food?!? Oh my gosh.. I am so HUNGRY now! Darn you, Aaron!!

Hooray for Kim arriving tomorrow! Big hugs are in order, for sure!!

 

[ADP]

This is a friend of mine from college!

He has worked at Universal for eighteen years in various capacities. His partner works Backlot Tour at Hollywood Studios. This was as of when I last saw him last December. I hope they have both survived the layoffs.

That's quite a coincidence you know this person. He did a great job entertaining the kids.

Raglan Road has become one of our favorites. We were on the dining plan in June and everyone enjoyed their entrees and desserts. The bread pudding is awesome.

I could imagine Raglan Road would be an excellent 1 table service credit meal on the dining plan.

I'm really enjoying your report and photos, Aaron! I love Raglan Road, and I'm glad you enjoyed it, too. Next time you go there, try to eat closer to 9 p.m. when the Irish band starts to play. Watching the Irish dancer perform on the table is pretty cool, too.

We did miss them. Our server told us when they came out, but we couldn't hang around to watch them.

I'm glad you and Anna are having a great time Aaron. Your reports are great. When is Kim due in? You must be missing each other.

We are George...Very much! She's due to arrive at AKL around 2:00PM.

Hey Aaron I am glad you liked Raglan Road, it is a fav. of mine.

I can understand why.

Ok, so I just came back from spending 30 minutes on the elliptical... and you show me that tasty FRIED food?!? Oh my gosh.. I am so HUNGRY now! Darn you, Aaron!!

Hooray for Kim arriving tomorrow! Big hugs are in order, for sure!!

It really wasn't that good. If I could have done it over I probably would have had the vegetable platter.