Pics at:
http://community.webtv.net/rtteacher
A bit of history - We did 7 days at CBR in 2002 and 7 days at CSR in 2003 and just loved it! We became Disney nuts! We decorated our kitchen in Disney. Our daughter was 5 during that first trip. We didn't think we would go back but just had to so we could do everything else we missed the first time.
So this year we decided to not quite do the Disney thing (but that proved impossible!)....
We left home in our Windstar with four new tires at 4am on Sunday June 13th. We stopped at a Comfort Inn, just south of Atlanta, 12 hours later. We got a good night's sleep after swimming in the hotel's little warm pool. The weather this whole trip was wonderful! If it rained, it was only for a short time.
We always stop at the Florida Welcome Center for our free orange juice, brochures (great place to get your current Disney/Universal "times" guides for the current two weeks), and a picture at the Welcome sign.
We arrived at the Doubletree hotel (used to be the Radisson Twin Towers at the entrance to Universal) around 3:00pm and went right to the pool. But lightning closed it about ten minutes later. Lauren (DD7) was a bit disappointed but it was okay. Johnny Fairplay from the Survivor reality show was checking into the hotel and we recognized him and said hello. He's a jerk in person too! Very unhappy guy, ah well. Lauren was still thrilled to meet her first "celebrity!"
The Doubletree is a very nice hotel. We got up early and had breakfast in the room (Rice Crispies and donuts) and then headed to Discovery Cove, arriving there around 8:30am. I wanted to be early and it paid off when we got a first off 9am dolphin swim time.
Discovery Cove was wonderful! Worth every penny of its expensive cost. The dolphin swim was stunning. The mammals are so powerful and graceful and friendly. Lauren just loved being with our dolphin "Jenny" and it was a highlight when Lauren rode her tummy as Jenny swam upside down.
DW Robin loved it too and enjoyed being pulled around by Jenny as did I.
The rest of DC is just as fun. The snorkle river of fresh water was a blast. There are a ton of places to take fun photos so be sure to bring a disposable underwater camera or two.
The saltwater swim areas with the fish and rays and sharks and barracuda are hard to describe in words. Let's just say it is a very unique experience in a very safe enviroment. I highly recommend it. We really enjoyed it right up until it was time to go.
The included lunch was very good with many choices. It's a smart set up they have, very easy to follow.
Day 2 was at SeaWorld as a seven day consecutive pass is included with the DC day. SeaWorld was fun to feed the seals and see the manatees and the dolphins and the Shamu show was really great. But there is an odd feeling there. I think we are very used to Disney and the extreme friendlyness. The SeaWorld employees just didn't have the zing. In the shark exhibit, I asked a worker what kind of shark a particular one was. His reply was, "I dunno." Not, "Gee sir, I'm not sure, but let me see if I can find out." He just didn't see to care. SeaWorld is also pretty small. We covered in easily in under one day and did not return. The Journey through Atlantis ride is a good time. Lauren wasn't tall enough for the roller coaster so we didn't do it.
Day three found us packing up from the Doubletree and moving over to the Royal Pacific Resort. This resort was outstanding! Very friendly and very good theming for the the Pacific Islands. Our room wasn't ready but that was fine. We got our key cards so we could use them for the Express lines at the parks. The $6 per day fee to park is a little weird when you're already paying $189 (Entertainment Card rate) for the room. The only thing that we didn't rave about was the pool. It's very nice and big with a great kids area but it was always very crowded. We're used to the CBR at Disney with its 7 pools that spread everyone at the resort out. We took the water taxi boat (very convenient, never waited more than 8 minutes for one) over to Universal Studios.
I loved the music they play as you walk through the gates. It's different all the time but on our first day there, it was the happy music from Jaws when all the tourists were arriving on Amity Island.
The first ride we went on was Jimmy Neutron. We saw the 75 minute wait, but showed our Express room key cards. We went right in on the next group. About 3 minutes was all we waited. Wow! This was looking to be a really great benefit to staying on the property at the RPR! DD7 Lauren just absolutely loved this ride! DW and I thought it was really well done. I just kept looking over at my daughter and the smiles and laughs she had were making me feel really good inside!!!! Let me say now that we went on this ride four times during the course of our stay! After the ride, we exited into the Nickelodean store (just like Disney) where we took a picture with Sponge Bob!
We had rented a stroller and I am glad to say they are the same easy to push versions that Disney uses (oh yeah, another SeaWorld negative was their horrible strollers). It made it much easier on Lauren to not have to walk so much. Plus we brought a 1/2 gallon Igloo sippy cooler ($2.47 at Wal-Mart) filled with ice and either Hawaiian Punch or Propel flavored water and we could store in on the stroller. Robin used a waterproof backpack for everything else.
Men In Black is a more serious Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. It was alot of fun. The Shrek 4D movie was a riot as was the "staging area" where all guests are called "prisoners." We got a pic with Shrek too.
I was excited to see the Jaws ride since I am a big fan of the movie (I think I can quote ever line) ever since seeing it in 1975. I was impressed with the Amity theming of the buildings and the attention to detail. The ride was rather blah though and certainly was not so scary as to have equalled the time I spent telling Lauren not to be afraid of the mechanical shark. The T2 3D was great for me and DW but DD7 had no idea what was going on.
The Animal Planet Live show as good but short. We came out of that show to Woody Woodpecker and Curious George doing a show with Shaggy and Scooby and got pics and autographs. We met the Flintstones too and the guy doing Fred was dead on accurate with his voice. The Beetlejuice Rock and Roll show was very fun and very well done with some jokes that (luckily) went over Lauren's head.
Getting back to the Express deal. You could buy a daily Express pass for $20 per person. So for a family of four, that would be $80 for the day. Now that $189 a night rate at the RPR doesn't look so terrible. But a second day would cost another $80, totalling $160. One night at the RPR gets you two days of Express. Now it's really looking like staying on the property is worth it. We went through all the rides at Universal in a very short time. Sometimes we missed some of the the theming and attention to detail because we never waited in line. But it was worth it.
The next day (4) we went to Islands of Adventure. Suess Landing was a riot. I have a soft spot for The Circus McGurkus, Green Eggs and Ham, and Hop on Pop. It was a blast to see them all come to life. One Fish Two Fish is just like the Dumbo ride. The Cat in the Hat is just like Pooh's Honeypot. Woody Woodpecker's roller coaster was a kid's version like Goofy's roller coaster. We went on it three times! The Poseiden's Fury was interesting to say the least.
We got to take a bunch of character pictures at the entrance to the Comic Book area with Popeye and Olive and Bluto and Spiderman and Betty Boop and Bullwinkle and etc, etc.
I like to make like I am spinning a web when I take a pic with Spidey. Or I make my fingers into antlers on my head with Bullwinkle. It makes the pics more fun later on!
The Jurassic Park ride was awesome and we went on it three times. It was just like the movie. Awe inspiring dinosaurs until something goes wrong and Raptors and a T-Rex are trying to chomp you. Until you hit the big water drop and get soaked.
Spiderman was a great ride when it was working. We went on it three times but it broke down twice.
That night we went to the Citywalk area which is very similar to Downtown Disney. It was fun. We had dinner at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville and it was a good time. It was Robin's 40th birthday and they sang to her and gave her the triple chocolate cake with a candle in it for free. Their margaritas were excellent!
The next day (5) we did both Universal and Islands. We were just coming to the Marvel Comics area and it was eight minutes before 4pm. I knew the "parade" was supposed to start at 4. If you've seen the commercial on tv, they show the "parade" in slow motion with Captain America leading it on his ATV. Hmmmmmm. I hurried DD7 and DW to a shaded seating area to wait for the "parade." Then here came four ATV's with Cpt America and SPidey and Wolverine and Storm. And that was it. Some "parade." I was the quite the butt of parade jokes for the rest of the trip. This is where Disney has it all over Universal!
We had dinner at the RPR two nights and ate their excellent buffet one of these times. Shaggy and Scooby came by our table and the guy doing Shaggy was hysterical. He was dead on!
The room at the RPR was on the 5th floor of 7. And it was not as big as those at the Disney moderates. But it was very nicely decorated and quite clean.
The next day (6) I got my Disney fix. We have four days of Park Hoppers left over from last year (I over bought on purpose since they never expire) with three plus features. So we drove through the magic entrance of Disney World and went to Typhoon Lagoon for the day. We went there in 2002 when Lauren used water wings. Now she is an excellent swimmer and had even more fun. She even went down the Humunga Kowabunga!!!!! We had a blast! Shark reef was still cool even after DC.
Then it was time the next day to check out of the RPR after swimming some more. And we drove the 2 hours to Disney's Vero Beach Resort. We stayed there last year and loved it so this time we were going for 4 nights. The weather was perfect our whole trip and it was 95 with no rain at Vero.
Lauren in I rented a Waverunner and it was amazing to see all the HUGE sea turtle just 100 yards off the beach. They are as big as a car's hood! They pop up for air often and were truly amazing. We enjoyed the beach and the great Mickey shaped pool with its lighthouse slide.
The Goofy and Max character breakfast was lots of fun. The seafood buffet at Sonia's was delicious. We spent most of our time on the beach, in the ocean and in the pool. But we did go to Captain Hiram's for dinner one night which is a great Floridian restaurant just 10 minutes away. And we went to the Mel Fisher Treasure Museum which I highly recommend. I bought Robin a beautiful pair of 365 year old silver earrings that she really liked for her 40th birthday.
Vero is just like staying at a WDW resort. Mickey butters, Mickey waffles, towels made into Mickey by the mousekeepers, even our shrimp cocktail sauce three drops of different colored sauce to make Mickey. We had an Inn room on the top floor with a gorgeous view of the ocean. Lauren enjoyed her three hours in the Discovery Club from 5-8pm and Robin and I enjoyed dinner and some time alone together.
We got lots of compliments on our matching Disney outfits which we have purchased each of the last three years form the Disney catalog. We wore all of them while at Vero Beach.
I still want to go back to Disney World. I know I always will. I have to say though that the magic of Disney still holds true. I do not have the desire to go back to Universal or Islands of Adventure or SeaWorld like I do for Disney. It's hard to put your finger on it. But Disney is, well, just magical. I felt it at Typhoon Lagoon and at Vero Beach. We certainly had fun at Universal and it's nice to be able to compare.
But for some going for the first time or for someone who really likes Disney, stick with WDW! After having done WDW for a couple years, then I would say it's interesting to see what Universal has to offer. But I still really like Disney.
Our drive back home was easy and uneventfull except for friday evening traffic n/b on 75 from Atlanta. We just got off and got a hotel room. We went to bed early and got up and on the road at 4am to make it home to see our dog who we missed greatly!
We had our photos developed at a Walgreens in Vero Beach and I had brought a Hallmark photo album with us on the trip. So upon arrival home, we were ready to go with pics for friends and family. Now DW just has to start scrapbooking it all!!!!!!!
http://community.webtv.net/rtteacher
A bit of history - We did 7 days at CBR in 2002 and 7 days at CSR in 2003 and just loved it! We became Disney nuts! We decorated our kitchen in Disney. Our daughter was 5 during that first trip. We didn't think we would go back but just had to so we could do everything else we missed the first time.
So this year we decided to not quite do the Disney thing (but that proved impossible!)....
We left home in our Windstar with four new tires at 4am on Sunday June 13th. We stopped at a Comfort Inn, just south of Atlanta, 12 hours later. We got a good night's sleep after swimming in the hotel's little warm pool. The weather this whole trip was wonderful! If it rained, it was only for a short time.
We always stop at the Florida Welcome Center for our free orange juice, brochures (great place to get your current Disney/Universal "times" guides for the current two weeks), and a picture at the Welcome sign.
We arrived at the Doubletree hotel (used to be the Radisson Twin Towers at the entrance to Universal) around 3:00pm and went right to the pool. But lightning closed it about ten minutes later. Lauren (DD7) was a bit disappointed but it was okay. Johnny Fairplay from the Survivor reality show was checking into the hotel and we recognized him and said hello. He's a jerk in person too! Very unhappy guy, ah well. Lauren was still thrilled to meet her first "celebrity!"
The Doubletree is a very nice hotel. We got up early and had breakfast in the room (Rice Crispies and donuts) and then headed to Discovery Cove, arriving there around 8:30am. I wanted to be early and it paid off when we got a first off 9am dolphin swim time.
Discovery Cove was wonderful! Worth every penny of its expensive cost. The dolphin swim was stunning. The mammals are so powerful and graceful and friendly. Lauren just loved being with our dolphin "Jenny" and it was a highlight when Lauren rode her tummy as Jenny swam upside down.
DW Robin loved it too and enjoyed being pulled around by Jenny as did I.
The rest of DC is just as fun. The snorkle river of fresh water was a blast. There are a ton of places to take fun photos so be sure to bring a disposable underwater camera or two.
The saltwater swim areas with the fish and rays and sharks and barracuda are hard to describe in words. Let's just say it is a very unique experience in a very safe enviroment. I highly recommend it. We really enjoyed it right up until it was time to go.
The included lunch was very good with many choices. It's a smart set up they have, very easy to follow.
Day 2 was at SeaWorld as a seven day consecutive pass is included with the DC day. SeaWorld was fun to feed the seals and see the manatees and the dolphins and the Shamu show was really great. But there is an odd feeling there. I think we are very used to Disney and the extreme friendlyness. The SeaWorld employees just didn't have the zing. In the shark exhibit, I asked a worker what kind of shark a particular one was. His reply was, "I dunno." Not, "Gee sir, I'm not sure, but let me see if I can find out." He just didn't see to care. SeaWorld is also pretty small. We covered in easily in under one day and did not return. The Journey through Atlantis ride is a good time. Lauren wasn't tall enough for the roller coaster so we didn't do it.
Day three found us packing up from the Doubletree and moving over to the Royal Pacific Resort. This resort was outstanding! Very friendly and very good theming for the the Pacific Islands. Our room wasn't ready but that was fine. We got our key cards so we could use them for the Express lines at the parks. The $6 per day fee to park is a little weird when you're already paying $189 (Entertainment Card rate) for the room. The only thing that we didn't rave about was the pool. It's very nice and big with a great kids area but it was always very crowded. We're used to the CBR at Disney with its 7 pools that spread everyone at the resort out. We took the water taxi boat (very convenient, never waited more than 8 minutes for one) over to Universal Studios.
I loved the music they play as you walk through the gates. It's different all the time but on our first day there, it was the happy music from Jaws when all the tourists were arriving on Amity Island.
The first ride we went on was Jimmy Neutron. We saw the 75 minute wait, but showed our Express room key cards. We went right in on the next group. About 3 minutes was all we waited. Wow! This was looking to be a really great benefit to staying on the property at the RPR! DD7 Lauren just absolutely loved this ride! DW and I thought it was really well done. I just kept looking over at my daughter and the smiles and laughs she had were making me feel really good inside!!!! Let me say now that we went on this ride four times during the course of our stay! After the ride, we exited into the Nickelodean store (just like Disney) where we took a picture with Sponge Bob!
We had rented a stroller and I am glad to say they are the same easy to push versions that Disney uses (oh yeah, another SeaWorld negative was their horrible strollers). It made it much easier on Lauren to not have to walk so much. Plus we brought a 1/2 gallon Igloo sippy cooler ($2.47 at Wal-Mart) filled with ice and either Hawaiian Punch or Propel flavored water and we could store in on the stroller. Robin used a waterproof backpack for everything else.
Men In Black is a more serious Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. It was alot of fun. The Shrek 4D movie was a riot as was the "staging area" where all guests are called "prisoners." We got a pic with Shrek too.
I was excited to see the Jaws ride since I am a big fan of the movie (I think I can quote ever line) ever since seeing it in 1975. I was impressed with the Amity theming of the buildings and the attention to detail. The ride was rather blah though and certainly was not so scary as to have equalled the time I spent telling Lauren not to be afraid of the mechanical shark. The T2 3D was great for me and DW but DD7 had no idea what was going on.
The Animal Planet Live show as good but short. We came out of that show to Woody Woodpecker and Curious George doing a show with Shaggy and Scooby and got pics and autographs. We met the Flintstones too and the guy doing Fred was dead on accurate with his voice. The Beetlejuice Rock and Roll show was very fun and very well done with some jokes that (luckily) went over Lauren's head.
Getting back to the Express deal. You could buy a daily Express pass for $20 per person. So for a family of four, that would be $80 for the day. Now that $189 a night rate at the RPR doesn't look so terrible. But a second day would cost another $80, totalling $160. One night at the RPR gets you two days of Express. Now it's really looking like staying on the property is worth it. We went through all the rides at Universal in a very short time. Sometimes we missed some of the the theming and attention to detail because we never waited in line. But it was worth it.
The next day (4) we went to Islands of Adventure. Suess Landing was a riot. I have a soft spot for The Circus McGurkus, Green Eggs and Ham, and Hop on Pop. It was a blast to see them all come to life. One Fish Two Fish is just like the Dumbo ride. The Cat in the Hat is just like Pooh's Honeypot. Woody Woodpecker's roller coaster was a kid's version like Goofy's roller coaster. We went on it three times! The Poseiden's Fury was interesting to say the least.
We got to take a bunch of character pictures at the entrance to the Comic Book area with Popeye and Olive and Bluto and Spiderman and Betty Boop and Bullwinkle and etc, etc.
I like to make like I am spinning a web when I take a pic with Spidey. Or I make my fingers into antlers on my head with Bullwinkle. It makes the pics more fun later on!
The Jurassic Park ride was awesome and we went on it three times. It was just like the movie. Awe inspiring dinosaurs until something goes wrong and Raptors and a T-Rex are trying to chomp you. Until you hit the big water drop and get soaked.
Spiderman was a great ride when it was working. We went on it three times but it broke down twice.
That night we went to the Citywalk area which is very similar to Downtown Disney. It was fun. We had dinner at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville and it was a good time. It was Robin's 40th birthday and they sang to her and gave her the triple chocolate cake with a candle in it for free. Their margaritas were excellent!
The next day (5) we did both Universal and Islands. We were just coming to the Marvel Comics area and it was eight minutes before 4pm. I knew the "parade" was supposed to start at 4. If you've seen the commercial on tv, they show the "parade" in slow motion with Captain America leading it on his ATV. Hmmmmmm. I hurried DD7 and DW to a shaded seating area to wait for the "parade." Then here came four ATV's with Cpt America and SPidey and Wolverine and Storm. And that was it. Some "parade." I was the quite the butt of parade jokes for the rest of the trip. This is where Disney has it all over Universal!
We had dinner at the RPR two nights and ate their excellent buffet one of these times. Shaggy and Scooby came by our table and the guy doing Shaggy was hysterical. He was dead on!
The room at the RPR was on the 5th floor of 7. And it was not as big as those at the Disney moderates. But it was very nicely decorated and quite clean.
The next day (6) I got my Disney fix. We have four days of Park Hoppers left over from last year (I over bought on purpose since they never expire) with three plus features. So we drove through the magic entrance of Disney World and went to Typhoon Lagoon for the day. We went there in 2002 when Lauren used water wings. Now she is an excellent swimmer and had even more fun. She even went down the Humunga Kowabunga!!!!! We had a blast! Shark reef was still cool even after DC.
Then it was time the next day to check out of the RPR after swimming some more. And we drove the 2 hours to Disney's Vero Beach Resort. We stayed there last year and loved it so this time we were going for 4 nights. The weather was perfect our whole trip and it was 95 with no rain at Vero.
Lauren in I rented a Waverunner and it was amazing to see all the HUGE sea turtle just 100 yards off the beach. They are as big as a car's hood! They pop up for air often and were truly amazing. We enjoyed the beach and the great Mickey shaped pool with its lighthouse slide.
The Goofy and Max character breakfast was lots of fun. The seafood buffet at Sonia's was delicious. We spent most of our time on the beach, in the ocean and in the pool. But we did go to Captain Hiram's for dinner one night which is a great Floridian restaurant just 10 minutes away. And we went to the Mel Fisher Treasure Museum which I highly recommend. I bought Robin a beautiful pair of 365 year old silver earrings that she really liked for her 40th birthday.
Vero is just like staying at a WDW resort. Mickey butters, Mickey waffles, towels made into Mickey by the mousekeepers, even our shrimp cocktail sauce three drops of different colored sauce to make Mickey. We had an Inn room on the top floor with a gorgeous view of the ocean. Lauren enjoyed her three hours in the Discovery Club from 5-8pm and Robin and I enjoyed dinner and some time alone together.
We got lots of compliments on our matching Disney outfits which we have purchased each of the last three years form the Disney catalog. We wore all of them while at Vero Beach.
I still want to go back to Disney World. I know I always will. I have to say though that the magic of Disney still holds true. I do not have the desire to go back to Universal or Islands of Adventure or SeaWorld like I do for Disney. It's hard to put your finger on it. But Disney is, well, just magical. I felt it at Typhoon Lagoon and at Vero Beach. We certainly had fun at Universal and it's nice to be able to compare.
But for some going for the first time or for someone who really likes Disney, stick with WDW! After having done WDW for a couple years, then I would say it's interesting to see what Universal has to offer. But I still really like Disney.
Our drive back home was easy and uneventfull except for friday evening traffic n/b on 75 from Atlanta. We just got off and got a hotel room. We went to bed early and got up and on the road at 4am to make it home to see our dog who we missed greatly!
We had our photos developed at a Walgreens in Vero Beach and I had brought a Hallmark photo album with us on the trip. So upon arrival home, we were ready to go with pics for friends and family. Now DW just has to start scrapbooking it all!!!!!!!
Are the prices there pretty high?
