MarkMichaels
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2001
- Messages
- 244
(Days 1-5 are on the Disney trip report boards)
Let me start by saying that from the first line we stood in at Disney, our thoughts have been, "man, can't wait till we get that FOTL access!" Universal has ruined other parks for me just because I hate long lines.
Yesterday, Wednesday March 19th, we checked out of the Poly and into the Hard Rock. For those of you who have been following my trip reports youll remember that we really love the Poly but just didnt feel the love this time. Pulling into the Hard Rock, the luggage attendants prepared us for the worst by letting us know that 90% of the rooms were checking in/out and that most likely our room would not be ready. (this was about 2 oclock) When we finally got up to the desk to check in (made us feel like we were back in Disney, except this was a longer line) we joked and asked about an upgrade. I figured with the hotel this busy there was no way, but we splurged and paid an extra 50 per night to go from a garden view to a pool view club level. So far, Id say it was worth it. The view alone is gorgeous.
Today, Thursday the 20th, was our first full day for the Universal parks. We took our time and strolled into Islands of Adventure a little after 9. They seemed to have some pretty good crowds today but it was far from packed. We ended up not staying in the parks very long, leaving just before noon, but in that time we rode Hulk and Spiderman twice and waited for the front seat on Fire. The front row on Fire and Ice are well worth the wait, really makes you feel like your going to crash when they come together. We also got a ride in on Dudley, Jurasic River ride, and the Unicorn for my daughter, since shes to small for Hulk and Fire & Ice. Popeyes Bilge Rat Barge was down all morning, not sure if they got that up or not, but well try it again Saturday. When we left, wait times for Spiderman were 45 minutes, Hulk was 30 minutes. Everyone was hungry, it was really getting muggy out so we decided to grab lunch and go for a swim at the hotel. Lunch was at the Nascar Café, walked right in at 12:00, no wait and very good food, about $30 for the 4 of us with no alcohol. We had talked about getting a cabana and really indulging ourselves this trip so we checked at the club lounge and 1 was available. We did have a slight misunderstanding though, but the staff acted promptly and made us happy. I had asked about being able to use my laptop and dial out to get on the internet from the cabana and was assured that would not be a problem. That would have worked great to get some work done, watch some news, let the kids swim and have a cocktail or two, but once we got to the cabana, I was unable to dial out. Seems that you can no longer do that I was now told. The staff apologized for the misinformation and comped the cabana for the day since I couldnt get any work done. The cabana was nice, but it would be much better if the phones worked and we were very happy that the staff acted quickly to try and rectify the problem. We ended up staying for about 5 hours while the kids swam. The pool was a very busy place both days so far, but still useable.
Tonight we went back to Downtown Disney to do a little shopping and hit Disney Quest. We just got back and I think we managed to completely destroy our kids today. Think Ill let everyone sleep in tomorrow before heading over to Wet N Wild. Weve always wanted to try a water park and since Disney closed Blizzard Beach we decided to spend our money somewhere else. Well probably go to Universal Studios tomorrow late afternoon/evening before getting a good spot for the dive in movie.
Final thoughts- This is our second stay at the Hard Rock, first time club level. We really appreciate the extras here, but not sure if they are because of the club level or not. Seems like everytime we shower, change, and head back out, new towels magically appear in the bathroom. The kids really like the trinkets that are left at night when the beds get turned down, nothing big but nice (bracelets and super bounce balls so far). It is really nice to get in late, have the beds turned down and soft music playing on the radio. This is the kind of service Ill tip for.
Let me know if anyone has any questions, time for me to raid the mini bar.
Mark
Let me start by saying that from the first line we stood in at Disney, our thoughts have been, "man, can't wait till we get that FOTL access!" Universal has ruined other parks for me just because I hate long lines.
Yesterday, Wednesday March 19th, we checked out of the Poly and into the Hard Rock. For those of you who have been following my trip reports youll remember that we really love the Poly but just didnt feel the love this time. Pulling into the Hard Rock, the luggage attendants prepared us for the worst by letting us know that 90% of the rooms were checking in/out and that most likely our room would not be ready. (this was about 2 oclock) When we finally got up to the desk to check in (made us feel like we were back in Disney, except this was a longer line) we joked and asked about an upgrade. I figured with the hotel this busy there was no way, but we splurged and paid an extra 50 per night to go from a garden view to a pool view club level. So far, Id say it was worth it. The view alone is gorgeous.
Today, Thursday the 20th, was our first full day for the Universal parks. We took our time and strolled into Islands of Adventure a little after 9. They seemed to have some pretty good crowds today but it was far from packed. We ended up not staying in the parks very long, leaving just before noon, but in that time we rode Hulk and Spiderman twice and waited for the front seat on Fire. The front row on Fire and Ice are well worth the wait, really makes you feel like your going to crash when they come together. We also got a ride in on Dudley, Jurasic River ride, and the Unicorn for my daughter, since shes to small for Hulk and Fire & Ice. Popeyes Bilge Rat Barge was down all morning, not sure if they got that up or not, but well try it again Saturday. When we left, wait times for Spiderman were 45 minutes, Hulk was 30 minutes. Everyone was hungry, it was really getting muggy out so we decided to grab lunch and go for a swim at the hotel. Lunch was at the Nascar Café, walked right in at 12:00, no wait and very good food, about $30 for the 4 of us with no alcohol. We had talked about getting a cabana and really indulging ourselves this trip so we checked at the club lounge and 1 was available. We did have a slight misunderstanding though, but the staff acted promptly and made us happy. I had asked about being able to use my laptop and dial out to get on the internet from the cabana and was assured that would not be a problem. That would have worked great to get some work done, watch some news, let the kids swim and have a cocktail or two, but once we got to the cabana, I was unable to dial out. Seems that you can no longer do that I was now told. The staff apologized for the misinformation and comped the cabana for the day since I couldnt get any work done. The cabana was nice, but it would be much better if the phones worked and we were very happy that the staff acted quickly to try and rectify the problem. We ended up staying for about 5 hours while the kids swam. The pool was a very busy place both days so far, but still useable.
Tonight we went back to Downtown Disney to do a little shopping and hit Disney Quest. We just got back and I think we managed to completely destroy our kids today. Think Ill let everyone sleep in tomorrow before heading over to Wet N Wild. Weve always wanted to try a water park and since Disney closed Blizzard Beach we decided to spend our money somewhere else. Well probably go to Universal Studios tomorrow late afternoon/evening before getting a good spot for the dive in movie.
Final thoughts- This is our second stay at the Hard Rock, first time club level. We really appreciate the extras here, but not sure if they are because of the club level or not. Seems like everytime we shower, change, and head back out, new towels magically appear in the bathroom. The kids really like the trinkets that are left at night when the beds get turned down, nothing big but nice (bracelets and super bounce balls so far). It is really nice to get in late, have the beds turned down and soft music playing on the radio. This is the kind of service Ill tip for.
Let me know if anyone has any questions, time for me to raid the mini bar.
Mark
