Aug '14 Trip Report: The Ride-Chickens go to Universal/Portofino Bay

[ArwenMarie]

I just caught your TR link in your updated sig in another thread and had to hop right over!

Good stuff and great pics

DW will not be disappointed at all that the spin is gone from Cat In The Hat. You and she both have the same issues with it

Subbing and keep it coming!

Hi there!

Yes, tell your wife the Cat is spin-free now! It's such a better ride without it

 

[spewey]

The Cat doesn't spin AT ALL now? Huh. I wonder if that is a mechanical issue, or an actual decision that was made. I'll have to find out.

The intensity of that ride has been lessened over the years. My wife and I rode it the year it opened and were caught off guard by the spins - it undoubtedly had the most g-forces (albeit lateral ones) of any ride at Universal.

It stayed about the same through our visits up to 2005; we missed a few years (having a child and all) and when we returned in 2010 with our daughter it was noticeably tamer. I mean, it still threw you around a bit, but nothing our 3-year-old couldn't handle.

I'm sure they've had many complaints about those forces, motion sickness, etc., especially with families expecting a "kiddie ride", a la Winnie the Pooh, or Peter Pan.

This ain't Disney, folks - but I guess you can only have so many kids throwing up on their parents, or vice-versa, before adjustments are made.

 

[ArwenMarie]

The Cat doesn't spin AT ALL now? Huh. I wonder if that is a mechanical issue, or an actual decision that was made. I'll have to find out.

The intensity of that ride has been lessened over the years. My wife and I rode it the year it opened and were caught off guard by the spins - it undoubtedly had the most g-forces (albeit lateral ones) of any ride at Universal.

It stayed about the same through our visits up to 2005; we missed a few years (having a child and all) and when we returned in 2010 with our daughter it was noticeably tamer. I mean, it still threw you around a bit, but nothing our 3-year-old couldn't handle.

I'm sure they've had many complaints about those forces, motion sickness, etc., especially with families expecting a "kiddie ride", a la Winnie the Pooh, or Peter Pan.

This ain't Disney, folks - but I guess you can only have so many kids throwing up on their parents, or vice-versa, before adjustments are made.

It's not a straight ride through...the vehicles move a bit so you can see the scenes properly and I think it might even do a slow spin or two here and there. It just doesn't have that crazy, fast sudden spinning that was throughout.

I really thought it was much improved in terms of the whole ride experience...I could actually enjoy it and take in the details and the story more. But I could see that some folks would miss the spin.

I would bet that the change was made because of too many complaints or because someone got hurt, or both. They didn't change the height requirement on it though as far as I know and there is a still a sign outside that says, "This ride spins!"

I would love to know why they changed it so if you find anything out, let me know, I'm very curious.

 

[hpriamson]

Fantastic report. I can't wait to see what the temperature does on day 2.

May I ask an extremely detailed question? From the universal website, it looks like the bathroom in the Deluxe rooms has 2 sinks. Are those separable by door or curtain from the toilet & shower?

The reason I ask is that last time we went to Universal, the 5 of us stayed in a Deluxe at the Hard Rock. There, they've got one small sink in the bathroom, and a larger one right outside it. Which was great with a teenage girl, since people could be using the bathroom while she used the outside sink for what seemed like 3 hours each morning. We'd love to try Portofino Bay for our next trip next April, but we'll be up to 2 teenage girls by then, so if there's no way for people to use the bathroom while they use the sinks, it's not going to work out. Thank you!

 

[ArwenMarie]

Fantastic report. I can't wait to see what the temperature does on day 2.

May I ask an extremely detailed question? From the universal website, it looks like the bathroom in the Deluxe rooms has 2 sinks. Are those separable by door or curtain from the toilet & shower?

The reason I ask is that last time we went to Universal, the 5 of us stayed in a Deluxe at the Hard Rock. There, they've got one small sink in the bathroom, and a larger one right outside it. Which was great with a teenage girl, since people could be using the bathroom while she used the outside sink for what seemed like 3 hours each morning. We'd love to try Portofino Bay for our next trip next April, but we'll be up to 2 teenage girls by then, so if there's no way for people to use the bathroom while they use the sinks, it's not going to work out. Thank you!

Hi there and thanks!

Yes, there were two sinks in the bathroom, both in the Deluxe Rooms and the regular rooms I believe (at least in the Garden View Two Queens that we stayed in last February).

The sinks are right next to each other and are not separate at all from the toilet or the shower, it's all one big space. The bathrooms are huge, which is great, but it would be nice if the space was divided up in the way you mentioned.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Castle-Only Tour at Forbidden Journey

Next up, my husband wanted to ride Forbidden Journey. He did that while the rest of us did the Castle-Only Tour. I love that you can do this and spend as much time as you like looking at all of the details.

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Mythos

Next stop, lunch! We had made a Mythos reservation the night before and I couldn't wait. Love this restaurant. The food is great and the building is a work of art.

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I had the pad thai. I could literally eat that pad thai every day and never get sick of it. For dessert, we had the flourless chocolate cake which was so good, and the kids got banana splits which were so cute (and delicious).

Pick-A-Pearl

After we left Mythos, we spotted this right across the pathway...

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My daughter and I had never done this at Disney. I always read comments about it here on the Dis about it and I thought it would be something special to do together. I also love when fun stuff just falls in your path instead of planning for it. So we went on in and my DH and DS went off to ride Dragon Challenge.

She picked the hairiest, ugliest oyster she could find! The guy was great, really put on a show, told all these jokes, hit some crazy drum, I think he started shouting Aloha or something. Really fun.

And here's the pearl! Apparently a big one (8 mm), but maybe that is just something they say to everyone

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My daughter picked out a setting. Her final two choices were "Fiona's" carriage and a pretty angelfish. She went with the angelfish, which I thought was pretty cool.

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Lost Continent

Love the theming in Lost Continent. It's sort of like Port of Entry! It's also another place I think about when people say Universal isn't themed.

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Mystic Fountain

The fountain must have been asleep today, but the kids had so much fun with this last time.

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Sinbad

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Off to see Sinbad. We had never seen this show. I had read about it, but I still wanted to give it a try.

It was about 106 degrees "real feel" outside, and I think it was 200 degrees inside the arena. So that didn't help. This show was really bad, like I regretted it, and I rarely say that. It's a shame, because the setting is actually cool, the actors are gorgeous and athletic, and the concept is good. I guess it's just that the script is bad? I was really disappointed. They either need to change out this show or install air-conditioning and comfy seats

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Oh well! It gave us a good laugh anyway. My husband and I deemed it "Sinbad's so bad it's bad."

That was it for the parks today! We decided to break early because of the extreme heat. Also we had some fun plans for tonight, so we wanted to head back to the hotel and chill for a bit before that.

Next up: A new restaurant for us and pool-hopping!

 

[ArwenMarie]

For dinner, we were off to Emeril's Tchoup Chop. I have never eaten at an Emeril restaurant before, so I was excited. After that, we were planning on pool hopping over at Royal Pacific.

Emeril's Tchoup Chop

Here we are!

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What a neat chandelier.

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The interior was gorgeous. The service was perfect.

But.....I was so disappointed in the main entree (the Hibachi Skirt Steak). The flavoring was ok but the meat was chewy and yuck. I think it was just a bad piece because I ended up finishing my daughter's children's meal, which was also skirt steak, and that was delicious. I dunno. Her steak also had a different sauce on it, which I liked better. Very disappointing, especially for the price.

On a brighter note, the appetizers were fabulous...We had the Crunchy Shrimp, a few orders of them, and the Steamed Pork Dumplings. Maybe we should have just had apps!

Still, it was a fun dinner.

Then we took a walk around the resort..

So pretty!

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Pool-hopping

Then we were off to try the Royal Pacific pool. I was determined to do this at least once this trip, just because you can We just walked right in, no one checked our room keys or anything, which I was kind of surprised about.

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It felt so different than the Beach Pool at Portofino. It was a bit more crowded, but not overcrowded. There were all kinds of activities going on all over the place. Music coming from multiple places. There were a lot of kids. Just seemed really lively compared to the Portofino pool which had been quite sedate the night before.

The one thing I didn't remember is that there is no pool slide at RP. My kids were bummed about that, but they got over it.

Anyway, all-in-all, a very fun way to spend the night. I liked seeing another resort and I think it's great that Loews lets you swim at the other pools.

Back to Portofino

Went back to Portofino and I went out to grab some snacks for later at Sal's and I heard the singers, singing over the Plaza. How fun running out for milk and getting to see that...that never happens at home when I make a milk run!

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Later that night, we planned for the next day. We decided no table service meals tomorrow. We were just food-ed out. We would start in Universal Studios, do our favorite re-rides there and catch anything we missed, then take the Hogwarts Express to Islands of Adventure. From there, we would focus on the water-based rides at Islands of Adventure. That would be perfect since it was still insanely hot, even for Central Florida.

Love the "planning" at UOR...takes about five minutes and you're done!

Next up: Day 3, our final day

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

More great updates once again .

I would also love more info on the pad thai. Like what exactly is in it.....because you are now the second person who had it at Mythos and has raved about how good it is! And I have no clue what it entails .

Not only am I a fellow ride chicken, but I am also a rather unadventurous eater .

 

[ArwenMarie]

More great updates once again .

I would also love more info on the pad thai. Like what exactly is in it.....because you are now the second person who had it at Mythos and has raved about how good it is! And I have no clue what it entails .

Not only am I a fellow ride chicken, but I am also a rather unadventurous eater .

I don't know what they put in it, it's basic pad thai, but it's amazing. Must be the sauce! You can get it veggie or with chicken and I think maybe pork?

Are you and your husband doing a Universal-only trip for your getaway in May? I bet you guys will have so much fun!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Are you and your husband doing a Universal-only trip for your getaway in May? I bet you guys will have so much fun!

Universal is currently the plan . We haven't been there since January 2012, and so much has changed! We are very excited......we hope to do at least 4 parks days that week, and perhaps even purchase AP's .

 

[ArwenMarie]

Universal is currently the plan . We haven't been there since January 2012, and so much has changed! We are very excited......we hope to do at least 4 parks days that week, and perhaps even purchase AP's .

That will be really fun, especially as a couples-only trip! I think if you do four park days, APs work out. Then you can go back again on another trip for "free"

 

[ArwenMarie]

Our last day. Boo!

We had breakfast in the room. My husband went over to Sal's and grabbed a bunch of stuff and brought it back.

Our plan was to head to Universal Studios first, do any re-rides or stuff we missed there, then take the Hogwarts Express over to Islands of Adventure, and hit the water rides since we hadn't done those yet.

Boat ride over

We took the boat over. Always so pretty.

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I love the feeling when you first get in the parks...Everyone is so happy and excited and not drenched in sweat yet

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Despicable Me

Gotta re-ride this one. As a family, I'd say this might be our collective favorite ride at UOR.

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Shrek Meet and Greet

Next, was the Shrek Meet and Greet. We had wanted to do this the other day but the line was too long. We were there before it opened this time. What a great meet and greet...Shrek, Fiona and Talking Donkey. Shrek is an old favorite...Watched a lot of Shrek back in its heyday.

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E.T.

I like how my kids act like they are doing me a favor by riding this again

There you are in your basket, let's bring you home buddy.

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Then we took some pictures in the E.T. store with the props. Here is E.T. in the toy closet. To which my daughter inquired why we don't have an awesome toy closet like that. I remember being jealous of that toy closet in the movie when I was a kid too

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Springfield

My DH and DS wanted to ride The Simpsons. I like the Simpsons, but didn't feel up to it this morning.

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Not sure if didn't want to ride Simpsons or I wanted a Brain Freezin' D'oh-nut Sundae more.

I call treats like this "Things you can't eat in the real world." Went for chocolate ice cream this time.

It would have been a shame if I had missed this. I made the right choice.

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Next up: More rides and the temp is still cranking up fast!

 

[mrsabbott]

I am really enjoying your TR and all the pics! I wish we could stay at one of the resorts, but with our size family it just isn't economical! Looks beautiful though!!

We also LOOOVE Mythos and will eat there again for sure! I also had the pad thai (both times as it was the only vegetarian option) and it was the best I'd ever eaten! I agree, I could eat it every day and not get sick of it! We also ordered the flatbread (sans bacon) and it was delicious! My mouth is watering just thinking about it now..

 

[ArwenMarie]

I am really enjoying your TR and all the pics! I wish we could stay at one of the resorts, but with our size family it just isn't economical! Looks beautiful though!!

We also LOOOVE Mythos and will eat there again for sure! I also had the pad thai (both times as it was the only vegetarian option) and it was the best I'd ever eaten! I agree, I could eat it every day and not get sick of it! We also ordered the flatbread (sans bacon) and it was delicious! My mouth is watering just thinking about it now..

Glad you are enjoying it!

I wish I had some Mythos pad thai for dinner right now!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Not sure if didn't want to ride Simpsons or I wanted a Brain Freezin' D'oh-nut Sundae more.

I call treats like this "Things you can't eat in the real world." Went for chocolate ice cream this time.

It would have been a shame if I had missed this. I made the right choice.

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Cue the drool!

That looks so darn good. I shall be adding that to my to-east list for May!

(yep, a bit of a sweet tooth here )

 

[ArwenMarie]

Cue the drool!

That looks so darn good. I shall be adding that to my to-east list for May!

(yep, a bit of a sweet tooth here )

Yes, you must! Early in the trip, so you can go back and have another one later on

 

[ArwenMarie]

Men in Black

Must re-ride! Must ride twice if I am using a locker anyway.

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Hogwarts Express

Off to Kings Cross to take the Hogwarts Express to Islands of Adventure. Let me wax poetic over the Hogwarts Express again. Not only is it a fun, immersive ride that is perfect for ride chickens, it takes you from park-to-park, saving you quite a bit of walking depending on where you are headed. In this case, we were headed towards the water rides in Jurassic Park and Toon Lagoon, so getting dropped off in Hogsmeade was perfect, putting us right in the middle of the park. Brilliant!

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We got to Hogsmeade and by this point, we are almost delirious from the heat.

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Jurassic Park Discovery Center

We decided to go to the Jurassic Park Discovery Center to see it since we hadn't been there before and because it was air-conditioned. Mostly because it was air-conditioned

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We grabbed some sodas and went down by the Beasaurs.

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Kids had a blast with these dinosaurs, moving them around and all that. Sometimes it really is the simple things. It was also cute how many people came and took pictures or selfies in front of these dinos. People were really posing!

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Next up: Time to cool off!

 

[ArwenMarie]

Jurassic Park River Adventure

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I love this ride. The drop is terrifying for me, but so is the drop on Splash Mountain and I still ride that. Even though the drop is way higher on River Adventure (85 feet versus 52.5 feet for Splash), for some reason, it doesn't feel as bad on River Adventure. I think because the boat is so big. The dinosaurs are awesome and they make the drop worth it.

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Thunder Falls Terrace Lunch

The kids and my husband rode River Adventure again, and I went over to Thunder Falls Terrace to wait for them. After they were done, they came over and we had some lunch. So nice in here...

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The food was really good too. We split a bunch of chicken and ribs. I like the corn on the cob, nice touch.

Ripsaw Falls

Next up, Ripsaw Falls for my husband and son. Three times!

Some browsing around the shops and the Comic Strip Cafe for my daughter and I. We were "dropped" out.

Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges

At this point, it looked like a storm was rolling in within an hour or so.

Since everyone was already wet, we decided to finish up with the Barges where you get totally drenched.

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We rode it together once and my traveling companions rode it two more times while I took a walk around down by the water...

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It's really neat down there. Feels like one of those places that doesn't get much foot traffic, kind of hidden away.

And that's a wrap for the parks!

With riding eight water rides rather quickly, my husband was done. And at this point, we really had to hustle unless we wanted to get stuck inside the park somewhere because of the impending storm.

My husband and I were so glad we saved the water rides for the last day. They are fun, but we're not huge fans of getting completely drenched and our kids are huge fans. If we had done the water rides earlier in the trip, I think we would have heard lots of requests to go back!

So we walked quickly out of the park to beat the storm, sadly past Spiderman, which we didn't get to ride again. We also had to hustle past the Port of Entry souvenir shop without stopping in...

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We felt like we had a great day though, especially considering that we left the parks around 3 p.m. due to the incoming storm and extreme heat.

Next up: Our last night and final thoughts!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Next up: Our last night and final thoughts!

Noooooooo! Not the end!

 

[pixeegrl]

Thanks for sharing your TR. It's always great to reminisce through other family's trips and look forward to our next one!