Another Quick Trip… Including Sapphire Falls & Disney Very Merriest Party ~ Completed 12-1

[wdwrule]

This past weekend, daughter and I took a short trip to UO and stayed for the first time at Sapphire Falls. Wow wow wow! This resort was amazing! So gorgeous, low key, clean and spacious. We were there this past Friday night through Monday, November 15.

We had booked a cheap flight through Spirit. We’ve always used JetBlue or Southwest but during our last several trips we used Spirit and although skeptical at first we’ve had great luck every single time. We only pack a little bag for these weekend trips so no additional fees at all.

We also always book Tony Hinds for car service to and from MCO who I learned about initially from this site. His group has been consistently punctual and reliable every time. I can always count on Tony and his drivers. If a driver gets caught up, they text me right away and immediately hook me up with another driver. It’s always seamless. This was our fourth trip using him and they’ve never been late and communicate very well via text/phone call. Upon our arrival it was going to be Art but got quickly switched to John. John was waiting for us at the bottom of the escalators near the Magical Express pickup holding a paper sign with my name on it. This was the first I’ve had them wait inside for me. John then said things have changed with security and car service and that he had to pull into the tunnel and get his car searched. He said it started about a week ago where car service drivers now have to use this new system. Maybe there’s a heightened security alert?? He was a bit dismayed about this because he doesn’t want his clients to have to wait (which we didn’t at all). At any rate we were whisked away and had great conversations with John.

Soon enough we arrived at Sapphire Falls. This resort was absolutely beautiful. I loved the color scheme and overall atmosphere. We requested to be near the walking path because that’s our favorite mode of transportation and we got the perfect room location. It was in guest house #2, same level as the lobby and off to the right. Our room was pretty close to the end stairwell so we just walked down the stairs, went out the door, and were close to the big crosswalk that led to the parks.

To be continued but I’ll add some SF pics…

 

[macraven]

Fantastic pictures!

btw, I’m on team Tony also
He has always been outstanding for service

 

[wdwrule]

So after our late flight arrival, we soon snuggled in to our comfortable beds and fell fast asleep. We slept in just a teeny bit and were off to the walking path around 8:30am or so. When we were near the security check point, we were surprised to see a long line of maybe 20 or so families standing ahead of us waiting to go through metal detection. This was the first that we’ve been visiting since august that we had a line to wait in at security from the walking path. It didn’t take too long though. No real complaint… just seemed odd that we’ve never encountered that before. We typically stroll right through without missing a beat.

Once in, we decided to stop at Croissant Moon for a breakfast sandwich to get some protein. Wow was there a long line!! We attempted to wait about 2 minutes. Then we just mobile ordered two muffins and walked right in to pick them up. We sat near Green Eggs and Ham along the water and enjoyed these moist fresh muffins while people watching and chatting. I had the French toast muffin and she had a red velvet one. Both delicious! I was hoping for their breakfast sandwich which I’ve heard good reviews but maybe next trip. We then went on a few rides but holy cow were the waits long! Many major rides were down at the same time so mix that with a Saturday and you have some crazy waits. We were just happy to be there though and were taking it all in. First time seeing UO with holiday decorations so we were in our glory! Everything looked so festive! Christmas is my favorite holiday and I make it last several months. Lol yes I’m one of those who turns on Christmas music right after Halloween.

We then ate at Margaritaville for lunch (12:30 reservation) with a perfect outdoor corner table to watch Citywalk. The wait for our drinks and food was long but our waitress gave us a heads up that it would be awhile. I ordered the Perfect Margarita and the waitress warned me that that particular one would be very strong. Well if it weren’t for the late flight and still a little groggy from it, I think I would’ve went for it but I instead ordered the Uptown Margarita. This was very strong so I’m sure the other one would’ve put me over the edge It was super yummy.
We split fish and chips and it was very good. Fish was really good quality with a crunchy coating. I was hoping to get the platter of nachos to try but that wasn’t her cup of tea. Maybe next time. Shortly after this, we went back to the hotel to rest a bit which we usually never do but it was crazy busy in the parks and we were still a bit sleepy from last night. Glad we did, because that hour and a half of rest set us up for a successful and fun rest of the stay.

Upon returning, we headed to Studios and checked out their beautiful tree and the holiday Tribute Store. So festive and gorgeous!

We rode a few rides then had some jacket potatoes. I’ve always wanted to try them but prior trips the weather was so hot. This trip the weather was absolutely beautiful! No humidity, cool and crisp in the evening. We sat outside along Richter and watched the Macy’s holiday parade at a distance but wow was it impressive!!




Those potatoes were sooooo good and helped us to warm up with the sun setting. I got the shepherd’s pie one and she got the loaded one. We will definitely purchase those again. They were so good and filling and I think only around $8 each with AP discount. They were massive too which the pic doesn’t do it justice.

We then enjoyed the holiday sights in the Harry Potter section and rode Gringott’s using Express with our premiere APs since it was after 4:00.


After some soothing rich hot Butterbeer and more strolling about, we headed to Citywalk to mobile order Voodoo doughnuts for the next morning. We knew we’d have a super late night the next evening so we wanted to get to bed at a somewhat decent time.

To be continued with an almost empty Studios and a late night at an After Hours Christmas party in Magic Kingdom…

 

[wdwrule]

Fantastic pictures!

btw, I’m on team Tony also
He has always been outstanding for service

Thank you and yes… love Tony’s service! Consistently punctual and reliable!

 

[wdwrule]

The next morning we ate our delicious doughnuts while getting ready for the day. One of my favorites is their vegan PB&J but I was trying to branch out a bit and got their Bavarian cream filled maple iced. This too was incredibly yummy! We left the room about the same time for the parks as yesterday and this time, no line at security at all at the end of the walking path. Since IoA was so busy yesterday we started at Studios and that park was super light crowd wise. Now there were lots of factors for yesterday’s huge crowds of IoA such as their early entry, big rides that were down 1st thing in the morning and it was Saturday. We’ve noticed a consistent trend of Sunday’s being waaayyyy less crowded than Saturday’s. At any rate, we were loving the emptiness of the park during this day. We walked right onto Rip Ride Rockit and then the same with Transformers and Men in Black. Mummy was barely a wait as well. It was very enjoyable to stroll through the park with very light crowds and gorgeous crisp weather. We met Bumblebee again on this trip. He is so much fun!

Then we took Hogwarts Express over to IoA.
We had lunch at Thunder Falls which was my first time, daughters second time. Oh my goodness this was fabulous!! I love Satuli Canteen at Animal Kingdom and this place seemed somewhat similar with the atmosphere and menu. Not the same, but similar. It was so fresh and filling. We usually split meals but we were both so hungry at this point that we each got our own. We mobile ordered our lunch and picked it right up. It actually wasn’t that busy inside but we were early for lunch. We ate inside by the big window looking out at the one water ride. Man this food was delicious!!

Everything was so hot, fresh and seasoned perfectly. The meat on both platters was juicy and tender.

The wait for Hagrid’s had been very high all weekend long. Like 110-120 minutes high!! I was surprised it never went to virtual queue like it usually does. We ended up doing single rider which worked out well. We waited maybe 30-40 minutes. Just wanted at least one Hagrid’s ride during our stay. We then got a refreshing sweet frozen Butterbeer and made our way back to SF to freshen up and relax for a few minutes before Uber-ing to the Grand Floridian.

I knew we needed a dining reservation in order to be dropped off at a monorail resort so we had dinner plans at Grand Floridian Cafe. That way, we could easily take the monorail over to Magic Kingdom after dinner for the after hours Christmas party. Plus I wanted to check out their huge gingerbread house!!! I always make one each year around the holidays so gingerbread houses always fascinate me! Sure enough, the security guard asked my name and purpose for being there and checked my name in their system for my reservation and all was good. I just love visiting resorts at Christmastime especially.



Dinner was great and I tried a drink called Negroni which is gin based. I love gin, but with the other liquors in this, I just didn’t care for it as it was too bitter for me. Bottoms up though anyways!

We also had purchased a gingerbread shingle which they sold right at the gingerbread house (along with other treats). Then it was off to the monorail and party!!

To be continued…

 

[erinch]

Loving your report!

 

[wdwrule]

Loving your report!

Thank you!

 

[wdwrule]

I know this is a Universal thread but I just had to mention the Magic Kingdom Merriest After Hours Event as this was a part of our Universal trip this time. As a family we’ve vacationed at Disney almost every year starting about 14 years ago and it wasn’t until this past August when we finally visited UO for the first time ever. Lol now we’re totally addicted to UO!! Don’t get me wrong, we totally love Disney and still do. We’re just having fun right now experiencing a different kind of love. We enjoy both destinations for different reasons.

At any rate, after dinner at GF, we took the monorail over to MK. We still had about 20 minutes to wait until the gates opened for this ticketed event. It was soooo cold outside! I had purchased these tickets from a reputable third party which saved around $10 or so per ticket and easily linked them in to MDE app so all I had to do was tap my phone to the sensor and we were in! We weren’t totally prepared for the cold Florida evenings so we went into the dreadfully crowded Emporium to buy a long sleeved shirt. I had on a t-shirt and light jacket but daughter had on a t-shirt I knew she’d be so cold. It was literally shoulder to shoulder in there. We bought a long sleeved shirt and were out of that store as quickly as we possibly could.

Then we saw this and oh my it was good to be back…

The feels of Main Street were wonderful and especially with everything decorated so festively. I will preface this with noting were weren’t really there for the fireworks or parade. Everyone has their own unique touring style and I completely respect that. While I love viewing fireworks and parades, I don’t enjoy the stress of finding viewing spots then hanging out for awhile waiting for events to begin. We are ride, ride, ride people. The more we can get on, the better! That was our goal tonight… that and indulging on treats.

It felt completely odd and insane to be able to walk on to almost every ride and that’s exactly what we did! The only ride we waited for was Seven Dwarves Mine Train and even then we waited only 15 minutes (posted time was 30 minutes). We mistakenly approached Jingle Cruise towards the end of the night after the firework rush and posted time was 45 minutes so that was the only ride we didn’t get on. We had ridden this last year though with the overlay so we were fine with it. Everything else we got on and mostly walked right on. Space Mountain… we had the whole loading station to ourselves



It was the perfect way to get a quick and eventful Disney fix in. We walked on Big Thunder Mountain twice and the second time, fireworks were happening!

This also occurred during Seven Dwarves. As we sat to get ready to unload, we got to see about two minutes of this right overhead…


When on the Magic Carpets, we were asked if we just wanted to stay on again for another round. If it weren’t so cold, we would have! We had so much fun working our way around the park and getting on every ride (minus Jingle Cruise). Every now and then we’d stop at a restaurant to have hot cocoa and soft snickerdoodles, all included in the price of tickets and as much as you wanted. This was the same case with Mickey ice cream bars, popcorn and bottled drinks. We definitely had our fill and then some. Haha, whenever we’d have an ice cream bar we had to eat it inside because it felt freezing out!! We’re so used to them melting. Not that night!

It was approaching 1:00am and our adrenaline rush was slowing down. We caught a glimpse of the holiday stage show on our way out and as we turned onto Main Street it was ‘snowing’! My, it looked so festive and heart-warming!




We just kind of stood there and took it all in… the sights and listening to holiday music all around.

On our way out, we were given a packaged chocolate dipped marshmallow Mickey head with crushed peppermint on it. Then we took a bus (which came right away) to Pop Century where we then got an Uber back to SF. We were so tired by the end of the night but wow was it worth it. In my opinion, I would do this party again next year if I can. We both had so much fun the whole night!

To be continued…

 

[keke5656]

I know this is a Universal thread but I just had to mention the Magic Kingdom Merriest After Hours Event as this was a part of our Universal trip this time. As a family we’ve vacationed at Disney almost every year starting about 14 years ago and it wasn’t until this past August when we finally visited UO for the first time ever. Lol now we’re totally addicted to UO!! Don’t get me wrong, we totally love Disney and still do. We’re just having fun right now experiencing a different kind of love. We enjoy both destinations for different reasons.

At any rate, after dinner at GF, we took the monorail over to MK. We still had about 20 minutes to wait until the gates opened for this ticketed event. It was soooo cold outside! I had purchased these tickets from a reputable third party which saved around $10 or so per ticket and easily linked them in to MDE app so all I had to do was tap my phone to the sensor and we were in! We weren’t totally prepared for the cold Florida evenings so we went into the dreadfully crowded Emporium to buy a long sleeved shirt. I had on a t-shirt and light jacket but daughter had on a t-shirt I knew she’d be so cold. It was literally shoulder to shoulder in there. We bought a long sleeved shirt and were out of that store as quickly as we possibly could.

Then we saw this and oh my it was good to be back…
View attachment 626265
The feels of Main Street were wonderful and especially with everything decorated so festively. I will preface this with noting were weren’t really there for the fireworks or parade. Everyone has their own unique touring style and I completely respect that. While I love viewing fireworks and parades, I don’t enjoy the stress of finding viewing spots then hanging out for awhile waiting for events to begin. We are ride, ride, ride people. The more we can get on, the better! That was our goal tonight… that and indulging on treats.

It felt completely odd and insane to be able to walk on to almost every ride and that’s exactly what we did! The only ride we waited for was Seven Dwarves Mine Train and even then we waited only 15 minutes (posted time was 30 minutes). We mistakenly approached Jingle Cruise towards the end of the night after the firework rush and posted time was 45 minutes so that was the only ride we didn’t get on. We had rode this last year though with the overlay so we were fine with it. Everything else we got on and mostly walked right on. Space Mountain… we had the whole loading station to ourselves

View attachment 626275

It was the perfect way to get a quick and eventful Disney fix in. We walked on Big Thunder Mountain twice and the second time, fireworks were happening!
View attachment 626276
This also occurred during Seven Dwarves. As we sat to get ready to unload, we got to see about two minutes of this right overhead…
View attachment 626277

When on the Magic Carpets, we were asked if we just wanted to stay on again for another round. If it weren’t so cold, we would have! We had so much fun working our way around the park and getting on every ride (minus Jingle Cruise). Every now and then we’d stop at a restaurant to have hot cocoa and soft snickerdoodles, all included in the price of tickets and as much as you wanted. This was the same case with Mickey ice cream bars, popcorn and bottled drinks. We definitely had our fill and then some. Haha, whenever we’d have an ice cream bar we had to eat it inside because it felt freezing out!! We’re so used to them melting. Not that night!

It was approaching 1:00am and our adrenaline rush was slowing down. We caught a glimpse of the holiday stage show on our way out and as we turned onto Main Street it was ‘snowing’! My, it looked so festive and heart-warming!
View attachment 626279

View attachment 626280

We just kind of stood there and took it all in… the sights and listening to holiday music all around.

On our way out, we were given a packaged chocolate dipped marshmallow Mickey head with crushed peppermint on it. Then we took a bus (which came right away) to Pop Century where we then got an Uber back to SF. We were so tired by the end of the night but wow was it worth it. In my opinion, I would do this party again next year if I can. We both had so much fun the whole night!

To be continued…

Can I ask why you took a bus to pop to get back to universal? We are doing the xmas party the 17th and were wondering about transport back.

 

[wdwrule]

Can I ask why you took a bus to pop to get back to universal? We are doing the xmas party the 17th and were wondering about transport back.

I just figured the Uber cost maybe would’ve been a bit cheaper since Pop is closer to Sapphire Falls than Grand Floridian. I think Saratoga Springs is closer too so we figured whichever bus showed up first. I also assumed TTC would’ve been more crowded/longer wait and possibly more costly for Uber. From Pop to SF, it cost $18 and we were able to board the Pop bus right away. I guess I just figured we’d have to go somewhere anyways outside of Magic Kingdom to catch an Uber so why not save a few bucks.

 

[Robo56]

Wdwrule I’am enjoying your trip report. Sapphire Falls is a beautiful Resort.

So glad to hear you are now fan of Universal too. There are many of us here that skip over to Disney or Disney Springs for a quick visit during our stay. It’s so nice they are so close as folks can have the best of both worlds.

The Castle Christmas lights are beautiful.

 

[wdwrule]

Thank you and yes I agree! There are other parks around such as Seaworld which we’ve never visited yet but we are just having so much fun using our APs at Universal. It has so much to offer and we are big on thrill roller coaster rides.

 

[wdwrule]

So after our late night, we ended up sleeping in a bit. Ideally I would’ve loved to catch a quick early ride on Velocicoaster but we ended up needing that extra hour or two of sleep. One of Tony’s drivers was picking us up around 11:30am so we just had a slow leisurely morning. We walked over to Aventura for breakfast so I could see the resort for the first time (daughter and hubby had stayed there a few weekends prior). Aventura looked very nice inside but it wasn’t my favorite style compared to the other UO resorts we’ve stayed at so far. We do have a stay there scheduled in January so I’m curious to check the full resort out.

I will say, they had a wonderful oatmeal bar set up with so many toppings included. They gave me a heaping bowl of oatmeal and I chose to top it with blackberries, vanilla yogurt, blueberries and granola. There were many other topping choices such as other cut fresh fruits, cereals, and strawberry yogurt. I’ll include a pic but the pic doesn’t do it justice. It was a huge amount which is not reflected in the pic. In fact it kept me full for at least 4+ hours.
I recommend this simple breakfast which was cheap yet filling. I believe it was $6 and some change. I’m blanking on what my daughter had but I think she had an egg and bacon platter with home fries. On our way out we ordered Starbucks in their lobby. Yum for peppermint mocha!! That drink helped to mend the sorrows of departure day.

Then we headed back to our room, gathered our luggage and checked out via text. One thing I hope stays around is that texting feature. It is so convenient!! I’ve used it several times on past trips for checking out, asking general questions, and requesting body wash or towels or coffee/tea. They answer within minutes and when we get back from the park, the bag of whatever we request is hanging on our door. I really hope that feature sticks around for good.

Tony’s driver was right on time as usual. They are so good with communicating via text. While we had waited we sat in the lobby near the beautiful tree.


I had also taken some pictures of Strong Water Tavern. I’m kicking myself for not trying it out because I’ve heard great reviews and it looks absolutely amazing!!




My goal is to try it out during our upcoming trip. It is on the top of my to-do list!!

Overall we had an amazing time at UO and the Christmas party at Disney. It was packed full of fun but we are go go go people and always try to pack in as much as we can. It’s hard to do a ton of things during these quick weekend stays but we just look forward to more fun for the upcoming stays. We always notice or try something new each time which makes it extra special.

Hope you enjoyed reading, and more importantly, I hope it helps someone with planning.