tarheelmjfan
Proud Redhead
- Joined
- May 10, 2001
- Messages
- 13,832
Who: Kenneth (DH), Buddy (17 yo.), Kenny (12 yo.), Molly & me
When: Tue. July, 13th
Where: RPR, US, IOA, The Kitchen, & Pat O'Brien's
DH & I decided to leave the boys in the bed and get to the parks at opening for once. We met a man, w/ his 2 grandsons, on the boat. I made a comment to DH, about finally getting out in time to get our money's worth. He overheard our conversation and said that he didn't think UO was worth the money & this was his 1st & only trip there. He would go back to WDW, from now on. He felt he got more for his money there. Apparently he had gotten very upset when RPR insisted on having a CC on file, after his grandsons got a couple soft drinks out of the mini-bar. He had no problem paying for the drinks. He just wanted to pay w/ cash. I assumed that he had always stayed in a Value Resort at WDW, which would have been cheaper, & the mini-bar wouldn't have been an issue. While I love to visit both parks, I do feel that we get more for our money at UO. Especially this trip, but this wasn't a typical trip, & shouldn't really count. I began to explain the merits of UO, and soon realized he had no idea what benefits he got for staying on-site. I could then see why he may have thought he hadn't gotten his money's worth. On the boat ride over, DH & I gave him a UO crash course. Telling him about Uni. Express and 1st avail. seating at certain restaurants, among other things. We helped them through the turnstiles, & walked w/ them to our & their 1st ride. (JN) When we got off, we were going to Twister, but 1st we showed them the Express line for Shrek, and told them what to do. The boys wanted us to stay w/ them all day.
Before we left them, the man said he now felt like he had already gotten his money's worth. Sorry for rambling, but I just wanted to share the exp. After leaving Twister, DH & I rode ET. Not to be outdone by the boys, DH gave them a fake name. At the end there was only 2 names audible, and of course 1 of them was his alias. He was amused by that and couldn't wait to tell the boys.
Needing to get a prescription filled before the boys got up, it was time to head back. FYI, I called about RX delivery from Walgreens to the hotel. The delivery charge is only $10, and IMO well worth it for the convenience. Unfortunately, they could only deliver if you had a RX on file, or if a Dr. called it in. My RX was new, & I had it w/ me, so off to Walgreens we go. The Concierge had preprinted directions to and from there. It was only about 1 mile & 1/2, & very easy to get to. It's across the st. from Wet & Wild. We were in & out in less than 20 min.
While we were out, we drove to The Kitchen @ HRH to pick up lunch. No more dining in for us, take-out is definitely the way to go here. I'm sure you've noticed a pattern by now. Yes, we ate here every day, because I was able to order 3 lunch GC's when Clr. Chnl. had the $15 blowout. This was a great deal, and well worth the trouble of going there daily. We told them at the gate that we were going to The Kit., and were told that we were welcome to park in either self-parking lot free of charge. Again, we went to the bar to place our order. This time there was a female bartender, who was also very attentive and friendly.
What we ordered:
1) 3 cheese pizza w/ pep. (Buddy loved this, and kept ordering it)
1) Fettucine Alfredo (I too am a creature of habit, & order pasta w/ cream sauce most times we eat out. Although not the best I ever ate, I had eaten it before and knew it was o.k. It had large pieces of some leafy green, perhaps basil. I picked around it.)
2)Burgers w/ cheddar cheese (DH & Kenny both agreed w/ Buddy's earlier assessment. Neither of them liked this.)
Sub total: $48.65
Tax: $3.16
Total w/ 15% grat. added: $59.30
Paid for w/ $50 Clr. Chnl. GC & $12 cash, which inc. a little extra tip for good service. She used the remainder of the $50 GC, for part of the tax. Also, she gave us 2 sodas to drink while we waited, free of charge.
We got lots more tiny ketchup bottles, which Buddy confiscated to take home w/ him. A note on the restaurant that I failed to mention in my Day 3 report: If you have eaten at the rest. previously, but not in awhile, you'll hardly recognize it. They've made many changes, since last summer, and IMO some weren't necessarily for the better. Emack & Bolio's is now separated from the rest. by a wall, making it necessary to go outside the hotel to enter the rest. You must now go into the hotel to go to the restroom. We felt it was very odd that a rest. in a hotel of this caliber would not have it's own restrooms. On the up side, E&B's now has more in it. There is a child's play area, which could allow parents to have a relaxing, adult only meal, if they wish.
Back to the room to feed the boys & get them going. While we waited for them, DH called Star Serv. to inquire about the pet gift. They promptly delivered a bag containing a mat, a bowl, a little frisbee, a door sign, & a bag of treats. This was a very nice gesture by Loews. We had been putting it off for several days, and decided that it was time to brave the water rides at IOA. The guys thought I was a genius for having them wear their swim trunks. Buddy, standing at 6'4", was the perfect patsy to put in the front seat on DDR's Ripsaw Falls. There was very few dry spots left on him. Those big bodies make a great water barrier. The rest of us paid for our mischief on P&B's Bilge Rat Barges. Kenny & I got soaked, and DH wasn't none too dry. Buddy said he came off drier than when he got on, but I think by this time his brain was soggy, because that 1 dry spot that he had after DDR's, was no longer dry. 
Already drenched, we decided that it was finally time to hit the pool. The water was nice. It was actually cool, which is a rarity in Fl. in July. There was plenty of lounge chairs avail. I understand that none of the pools have deep water, but it seemed that this pool had very little water deep enough for teens & adults to play in. The pool is huge, but IMO too much is shallow. I appreciate the fact that we don't all agree on what we're looking for, but WE big kids much prefered the slides at the other Resorts. However, the 10 & under crowd seemed to really enjoy the play area. I do want to mention something we thought was very odd. There were long hairs everywhere in the pool. At 1st I thought it was just me, but when I mentioned it to the guys they had noticed it too. How could anyone be losing that much hair in a pool? There was always music playing in the pool are, that really got you into an Islands frame of mind. There was live music on Sat.
After getting ready once again, we went to US & rode The Mummy once again, & Earthquake. They were having some kind of tech diff. on Earthquake & the outside attendant was left trying to entertain us in the 1st room. He tried really hard, and people were receptive. We were hoping to ride Jaws after dark, but the delay meant that we were quickly approaching the boy's movie time. This was also date night for DH & I, so skipping a ride was no problem for us. We went to Pat O's. Where else on 2 for Tue. night? We requested the patio, & sat against the back wall next to the flaming fountain. Very romantic! The only circulating air was from a few fairly ineffective fans, but it was pleasant outside. We arrived at 9:25, seated ourselves, & were served promptly. We started w/ Hurricanes. Our server asked if we wanted to split the order. We were glad we took her up on it. This was our 1st and probably last Hurricane. We are basically non-drinkers, who may have a bottle of champagne on our anniversary, or occasionally a mixed drink on vacation. Needless to say, this was way too strong for us. I think that's supposed to be the appeal, but not for someone who drinks little alcohol. I drunk about 1/3 of mine, but DH liked it better & helped me get rid of alot of it. We decided to try the Pat O's Rainstorm, which I thought sounded better, but we couldn't go to Pat O's w/o at least trying a Hurricane. By this time it was after 10:00, but it didn't matter because we couldn't have drunk one each anyway. We thought it was much better & if we'd ordered it 1st, we probably would have had no problem finishing it. Unfortunately after the Hurricane, we cold only drink about 1/4 of it. DH said the Skylab he had the night before was on par w/ the Rainstorm. We ordered 2 sodas to drink w/ our meal, but never got them & weren't charged for them. I guess she forgot. We didn't mind. Being alone, talking & watching the fountain, was so nice how could something like not getting a drink bother us?
What we ordered:
2) Hurricanes
1) Rainstorm
1) Crawfish Nachos (at 1/2 price) - Someone posted on here earlier that this dish wasn't as good as it sounded, but I was curious & wanted to try it for myself. They were right. We picked the crawfish out & ate it, but the cheese sauce was horrible.
1) Cancun Shrimp w/ seasoned fries - Also a 1st for us, and we thought it was good, but was more like a dessert than an entree.
3) Cheeseburgers - 2 to take to the boys, and 1 for us to share. It was as good as before.
Sub total: $52.28
Tax: $3.40
Total: $55.68
We paid w/ 2) $25 Clr. Chnl. GC's & $15 cash, which inc. grat. DH told her he didn't need change, & we didn't see her again. No problem using 2 GC's at 1 time.
FYI, 2 for Tue. specials were:
2 beers - Heineken & 1 other (maybe Amstel). I didn't pay much attn., because we're not beer drinkers.
Specialty Drinks - Hurricanes, Rainstorm, Skylab, & Purple People Eater
1/2 price appetizers - All the appetizers on the menu were 1/2 price. For a list, you can go to www.patobriens.com and click on Orlando, to find the menu. Red beans & rice were also on the menu at the rest., but not on the site.
Sorry so long, but we had a full, wonderful day.
When: Tue. July, 13th
Where: RPR, US, IOA, The Kitchen, & Pat O'Brien's
DH & I decided to leave the boys in the bed and get to the parks at opening for once. We met a man, w/ his 2 grandsons, on the boat. I made a comment to DH, about finally getting out in time to get our money's worth. He overheard our conversation and said that he didn't think UO was worth the money & this was his 1st & only trip there. He would go back to WDW, from now on. He felt he got more for his money there. Apparently he had gotten very upset when RPR insisted on having a CC on file, after his grandsons got a couple soft drinks out of the mini-bar. He had no problem paying for the drinks. He just wanted to pay w/ cash. I assumed that he had always stayed in a Value Resort at WDW, which would have been cheaper, & the mini-bar wouldn't have been an issue. While I love to visit both parks, I do feel that we get more for our money at UO. Especially this trip, but this wasn't a typical trip, & shouldn't really count. I began to explain the merits of UO, and soon realized he had no idea what benefits he got for staying on-site. I could then see why he may have thought he hadn't gotten his money's worth. On the boat ride over, DH & I gave him a UO crash course. Telling him about Uni. Express and 1st avail. seating at certain restaurants, among other things. We helped them through the turnstiles, & walked w/ them to our & their 1st ride. (JN) When we got off, we were going to Twister, but 1st we showed them the Express line for Shrek, and told them what to do. The boys wanted us to stay w/ them all day.
Before we left them, the man said he now felt like he had already gotten his money's worth. Sorry for rambling, but I just wanted to share the exp. After leaving Twister, DH & I rode ET. Not to be outdone by the boys, DH gave them a fake name. At the end there was only 2 names audible, and of course 1 of them was his alias. He was amused by that and couldn't wait to tell the boys.Needing to get a prescription filled before the boys got up, it was time to head back. FYI, I called about RX delivery from Walgreens to the hotel. The delivery charge is only $10, and IMO well worth it for the convenience. Unfortunately, they could only deliver if you had a RX on file, or if a Dr. called it in. My RX was new, & I had it w/ me, so off to Walgreens we go. The Concierge had preprinted directions to and from there. It was only about 1 mile & 1/2, & very easy to get to. It's across the st. from Wet & Wild. We were in & out in less than 20 min.
While we were out, we drove to The Kitchen @ HRH to pick up lunch. No more dining in for us, take-out is definitely the way to go here. I'm sure you've noticed a pattern by now. Yes, we ate here every day, because I was able to order 3 lunch GC's when Clr. Chnl. had the $15 blowout. This was a great deal, and well worth the trouble of going there daily. We told them at the gate that we were going to The Kit., and were told that we were welcome to park in either self-parking lot free of charge. Again, we went to the bar to place our order. This time there was a female bartender, who was also very attentive and friendly.
What we ordered:
1) 3 cheese pizza w/ pep. (Buddy loved this, and kept ordering it)
1) Fettucine Alfredo (I too am a creature of habit, & order pasta w/ cream sauce most times we eat out. Although not the best I ever ate, I had eaten it before and knew it was o.k. It had large pieces of some leafy green, perhaps basil. I picked around it.)
2)Burgers w/ cheddar cheese (DH & Kenny both agreed w/ Buddy's earlier assessment. Neither of them liked this.)
Sub total: $48.65
Tax: $3.16
Total w/ 15% grat. added: $59.30
Paid for w/ $50 Clr. Chnl. GC & $12 cash, which inc. a little extra tip for good service. She used the remainder of the $50 GC, for part of the tax. Also, she gave us 2 sodas to drink while we waited, free of charge.
We got lots more tiny ketchup bottles, which Buddy confiscated to take home w/ him. A note on the restaurant that I failed to mention in my Day 3 report: If you have eaten at the rest. previously, but not in awhile, you'll hardly recognize it. They've made many changes, since last summer, and IMO some weren't necessarily for the better. Emack & Bolio's is now separated from the rest. by a wall, making it necessary to go outside the hotel to enter the rest. You must now go into the hotel to go to the restroom. We felt it was very odd that a rest. in a hotel of this caliber would not have it's own restrooms. On the up side, E&B's now has more in it. There is a child's play area, which could allow parents to have a relaxing, adult only meal, if they wish.Back to the room to feed the boys & get them going. While we waited for them, DH called Star Serv. to inquire about the pet gift. They promptly delivered a bag containing a mat, a bowl, a little frisbee, a door sign, & a bag of treats. This was a very nice gesture by Loews. We had been putting it off for several days, and decided that it was time to brave the water rides at IOA. The guys thought I was a genius for having them wear their swim trunks. Buddy, standing at 6'4", was the perfect patsy to put in the front seat on DDR's Ripsaw Falls. There was very few dry spots left on him. Those big bodies make a great water barrier.
The rest of us paid for our mischief on P&B's Bilge Rat Barges. Kenny & I got soaked, and DH wasn't none too dry. Buddy said he came off drier than when he got on, but I think by this time his brain was soggy, because that 1 dry spot that he had after DDR's, was no longer dry. Already drenched, we decided that it was finally time to hit the pool. The water was nice. It was actually cool, which is a rarity in Fl. in July. There was plenty of lounge chairs avail. I understand that none of the pools have deep water, but it seemed that this pool had very little water deep enough for teens & adults to play in. The pool is huge, but IMO too much is shallow. I appreciate the fact that we don't all agree on what we're looking for, but WE big kids much prefered the slides at the other Resorts. However, the 10 & under crowd seemed to really enjoy the play area. I do want to mention something we thought was very odd. There were long hairs everywhere in the pool. At 1st I thought it was just me, but when I mentioned it to the guys they had noticed it too. How could anyone be losing that much hair in a pool? There was always music playing in the pool are, that really got you into an Islands frame of mind. There was live music on Sat. After getting ready once again, we went to US & rode The Mummy once again, & Earthquake. They were having some kind of tech diff. on Earthquake & the outside attendant was left trying to entertain us in the 1st room. He tried really hard, and people were receptive. We were hoping to ride Jaws after dark, but the delay meant that we were quickly approaching the boy's movie time. This was also date night for DH & I, so skipping a ride was no problem for us. We went to Pat O's. Where else on 2 for Tue. night? We requested the patio, & sat against the back wall next to the flaming fountain. Very romantic! The only circulating air was from a few fairly ineffective fans, but it was pleasant outside. We arrived at 9:25, seated ourselves, & were served promptly. We started w/ Hurricanes. Our server asked if we wanted to split the order. We were glad we took her up on it. This was our 1st and probably last Hurricane. We are basically non-drinkers, who may have a bottle of champagne on our anniversary, or occasionally a mixed drink on vacation. Needless to say, this was way too strong for us. I think that's supposed to be the appeal, but not for someone who drinks little alcohol. I drunk about 1/3 of mine, but DH liked it better & helped me get rid of alot of it.
We decided to try the Pat O's Rainstorm, which I thought sounded better, but we couldn't go to Pat O's w/o at least trying a Hurricane. By this time it was after 10:00, but it didn't matter because we couldn't have drunk one each anyway. We thought it was much better & if we'd ordered it 1st, we probably would have had no problem finishing it. Unfortunately after the Hurricane, we cold only drink about 1/4 of it. DH said the Skylab he had the night before was on par w/ the Rainstorm. We ordered 2 sodas to drink w/ our meal, but never got them & weren't charged for them. I guess she forgot. We didn't mind. Being alone, talking & watching the fountain, was so nice how could something like not getting a drink bother us?What we ordered:
2) Hurricanes
1) Rainstorm
1) Crawfish Nachos (at 1/2 price) - Someone posted on here earlier that this dish wasn't as good as it sounded, but I was curious & wanted to try it for myself. They were right. We picked the crawfish out & ate it, but the cheese sauce was horrible.
1) Cancun Shrimp w/ seasoned fries - Also a 1st for us, and we thought it was good, but was more like a dessert than an entree.
3) Cheeseburgers - 2 to take to the boys, and 1 for us to share. It was as good as before.
Sub total: $52.28
Tax: $3.40
Total: $55.68
We paid w/ 2) $25 Clr. Chnl. GC's & $15 cash, which inc. grat. DH told her he didn't need change, & we didn't see her again. No problem using 2 GC's at 1 time.
FYI, 2 for Tue. specials were:
2 beers - Heineken & 1 other (maybe Amstel). I didn't pay much attn., because we're not beer drinkers.
Specialty Drinks - Hurricanes, Rainstorm, Skylab, & Purple People Eater
1/2 price appetizers - All the appetizers on the menu were 1/2 price. For a list, you can go to www.patobriens.com and click on Orlando, to find the menu. Red beans & rice were also on the menu at the rest., but not on the site.
Sorry so long, but we had a full, wonderful day.
