First Stay at RPR ~ Sept 24-26 2021 ~completed 10/23

[wdwrule]

Daughter and I went for a mini trip last weekend… Friday night until Sunday night. We had Sapphire Falls booked but switched to Royal Pacific after a great AP rate popped up. Tony Hinds himself picked us up from MCO and we were on our way!

We’ve never stayed at Disney’s Polynesian but RPR had a similar feel. Kind of tropical, Hawaiian themed. It was stunningly beautiful and to my pleasant surprise smelled exactly like Portofino Bay Hotel!! Oh I love that scent!!

We arrived very late at night and strolled right up to check in which was a very easy process. We ended up in tower 2 which wasn’t far from the lobby or the walking path. We settled in and soon fell asleep since we had a late arrival. To be continued but here are some RPR pics…

 

[wdwrule]

We awoke a little tired from our late arrival but were pumped up with adrenaline to visit the parks. I used the keurig to make a green tea and it was very cumbersome with the keurig’s location. It was inside the dresser (pull out drawer) which was great for counter space but a pain to access the water input etc. Lol I was pretty much on my knees making tea. It started brewing then all of a sudden there was like an air pocket and the tea leaves and water sputtered everywhere! Puddles everywhere. I texted front desk and explained the situation and to my surprise someone was at the door within 10 minutes with a brand new machine. Right before I knew anyone was there, the room phone rang only to find out I had left the Still Dreaming sign on the door and they didn’t want to knock. Oooops!! I let him right in and he set it up as we were off to the parks. I’m not sure if the machine was faulty or if it had been clogged from someone’s prior use. I was so afraid it was user error but I had filled the water up to the max line etc and retraced my steps and felt like I did everything ok. Oh well I guess it just happens sometimes. Here’s the mess… almost like it exploded

We had a pleasant walk to Studios and were hungry at this point (and tea-less) so we stopped in at Today Cafe for the first time and had breakfast. We each got a breakfast sandwich… ham, egg and cheese on ciabatta served with fresh fruit. Oh my, this was so good and fresh! I think I could eat this breakfast everyday! Oh and I got my hot tea

We used our EPs and soared through many rides including Rip Ride Rockit. So much fun! Haha almost forgot… my right ear was still closed up from the flight but during one of the barrel rolls/turns it opened right back up! Thanks RRR!

We had a lunch reservation at Lombard’s which we’ve never been to before. I asked if they still served the AP special: lobster Mac and cheese. She checked for us and said they could do it. I was so hyped up for this but it was actually just meh. It could’ve used more flavor and seasoning and the lobster meat wasn’t very moist and tender although I’m a fan of lobster from the New England states so maybe that’s the difference. I also got a fun drink which was the strawberry basil lemonade that had vodka in it. Normally I love all of those flavors but there was something very off with it. Something I kept tasting that I didn’t care for, but it was bottoms up anyways. The atmosphere was nice and service was great. I just wasn’t impressed with the quality of food there but it could’ve been an off day or maybe there were better things on the menu.

We then continued on with more rides and a visit to Destination Dreamworks. This was so cute! It was like a little dance party with random varying characters. Some of the characters I remember seeing were Branch, King Julien from Madagascar, and Puss in Boots. Kids were loving it and there were photo ops as well.

Later on, we had an early dinner at Toothsome and were seated upstairs with a great view. We split the chicken cordon bleu sandwich and fries. This was delicious and the chicken had a wonderful crispy non-greasy coating on it. We then split the Brookie Cookies & Cream sundae. Yum!



The ice cream itself was ok but the toppings and baked goods on top were scrumptious. So rich and good! The ice cream here is decent but not really creamy. Instead the texture isn’t super, as you can feel ice crystals when you chew/eat it. Our local Turkey Hill ice cream is better in my opinion. We just love Toothsome sundaes overall though since it’s over the top and again, we love all those assorted toppings! It always makes for a fun, memorable experience.

To be continued…

 

[wdwrule]

Right before our dinner at Toothsome we bumped into and chatted with Rixflix who were very nice. We’ve learned so much advice about Universal from their videos. Then we headed to Voodoo to pick up some mobile order doughnuts for the next morning. We were a bit tired from the late previous night so we soon walked back to Royal Pacific, got showered and then explored the hotel more. It really was lovely. I then treated myself to a hot tea from Starbucks at Tuk Tuk only to realize I paid $4.80 for hot water with one tea bag

We slept well and the room was very spacious for just the two of us. The office chair at the desk was a bit in the way but then I realized I could lower it and push it under the desk which left more space to get around. Everything was nice and clean and housekeeping had been there. My only complaint which is very minor was that the room only had one little trashcan. Most rooms that I have been in have a trashcan by the toilet and also a trashcan in the main living space. This room only had a little trashcan by the toilet. Again, nothing at all major… Just something that I noticed.

After our yummy Voodoo doughnuts in the lobby, (and a green tea from the room), we took the pleasant walk and rope dropped Islands of adventure. This was the first time that we’ve rope dropped a park at Universal. We almost always do at Disney but this was the first time doing it here. It was so much fun!! We went straight to Velocicoaster and walked right on! It was incredible! We got in line again but unfortunately the ride went down as we entered the raptor room (good area to be stuck though). We waited it out about 20 minutes then it started up again. We got to the metal detectors and it was down again! Ugh! We waited a bit and after watching several people walk down the steps from the platform we just decided to ditch it. We figured we at least got on it once and didn’t want to waste anymore time on our last day there. Glad we decided this because we got on many more rides. We had lunch at Confisco’s and were seated upstairs this time in the AP area! The views here were amazing!
Here are some of the views:




We could also see The Hulk well too. I ordered the Wagyu burger just as we did last trip because it’s just so incredibly good!! We split this with some fries. Oh so good! I really hope they continue this area/menu for AP holders. It was a nice perk.

Shortly after this we headed back to Studios to ride more rides. We noticed again that Sunday was way less busy than Saturday. We used express for Rip Ride Rockit but there was hardly anyone in standby which we noticed later. Night and day difference between Saturday and Sunday. During this trip we saw all three transformers out! (at least I think there are only three characters for meet and greets but I could be wrong).

Next we had an early dinner at Leaky Cauldron… another first. This was delicious! We split the yummy fish and chips with the housemade tartar sauce, frozen butter beer, and Butterbeer potted cream.


Frozen Butterbeer is my favorite and although the potted cream was good, I probably wouldn’t order it again. Just my opinion but I thought it pretty much tasted like butterbeer flavored marshmallow cream/fluff. The first few bites were good but then it just got too sickly sweet and boring… and I have a giant sweet tooth! The fish was excellent… big flaky tender pieces in a crunchy coating. Really cool and immersive atmosphere. They also had a good quick system of getting you to a register and then seating you. On a very busy day though I guess that could be chaotic regardless.

To be continued including Scarecrow Stalk during this trip…

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

Great report! I hope we luck into Puss n Boots and Bumblebee character greetings because my boys love those two. Glad to see Leaky Cauldron seems to have recovered from their staffing/supply issues over the Summer!

 

[macraven]

Your pictures really caught my eye
Absolutely lovely!

 

[wdwrule]

Great report! I hope we luck into Puss n Boots and Bumblebee character greetings because my boys love those two. Glad to see Leaky Cauldron seems to have recovered from their staffing/supply issues over the Summer!

Oh I hope your boys can meet them for sure! I’m not sure if there is a character schedule listed anywhere but at the very least you might be able to ask a TM when those particular characters might be out. Good luck! Yes we had a great experience at Leaky Cauldron so fingers crossed that will continue.

 

[wdwrule]

Your pictures really caught my eye
Absolutely lovely!

Awww thank you! I love seeing other people’s pictures too as it makes me feel like I am there

 

[wdwrule]

We stopped in between rides at Chez Alcatraz and had some fun drinks. We got the shark attack drinks (I think that’s what they’re called)… daughter had non alcoholic version of course. These were presented in such a fun way! Shout out to bar tender Ashleigh! She was so sweet.




As mentioned in my previous post, we did the Scarecrow Stalk for the first time ever. This was so much fun!! I don’t think I’d do this if it were our first time visiting UO but because we’ve visited before and are better at navigating the parks, been on the rides etc, we felt comfortable partaking in this extra event. Basically, you purchase a chocolate bar for $10 and this chocolate bar comes with a map where the scarecrows are located and a small empty goodie/trick or treat plastic bag. I think there were around 15 or so scarecrows to find (not sure where my map is currently in my house). Most were scattered throughout IoA and Studios with a few in Citywalk. Once we found one, the TM would stamp our map of that location and give us one or two small pieces of candy. Do not expect to come out of this challenge with a ton of candy but that was fine by us as the challenge and exploration were so much fun. We had a blast with it! Here’s a pic of our candy a little more than halfway through.


The scarecrows themselves were very artistic and so creative with their theming. We got a real kick out of seeing them and reading about them.

Shortly after finding the last one, we wrapped up our visit by checking out a few more shops and riding another ride or two. Then we walked back to RPR, looked around the resort a bit more and then waited for Tony to take us back to MCO; all awhile nibbling on some of our Scarecrow Stalk candy. It was such a pleasant visit and the weather was wonderful without the high humidity. It was still hot, but that low humidity makes such a difference! For once, it didn’t rain at all during this short weekend trip. Up next, some closing thoughts.

To be continued…

 

[MamaKate]

What a fun mother/daughter weekend!

I will be going with just 2 of my daughters and me in a couple weeks! I'm going to add getting the shark attack drinks at Chez Alcatraz to my list.

 

[wdwrule]

Oh you’ll have so much fun!! I’ve been wanting to do a mother-son/father-son trip as well but he’s busy at college. Maybe on his break or summer. It’s such a special time… you’ll love it!

 

[wdwrule]

Some closing thoughts…

We found again that Sunday was much less crowded than Saturday. Also we were pleasantly surprised with not a drop of rain at all the entire weekend. I think rope dropping Velocicoaster was one of our favorite moments of the trip. We were held right at the front of Hogwarts which was glorious…


It was nice to take this pic without many around. The giant gate near Jurassic Park was closed, hence waiting near Hogwarts. Walking right on to Velocicoaster was so much fun!

Team members were all so friendly and we had great interactions with them. Most were upbeat, having a good time and very helpful.

I think we will continue to make one dining reservation for each day or at least every other day. It’s a nice break from the running around and going at a slower pace. With that being said, we don’t like having many more meals than that reserved as we don’t enjoy watching the clock and being ‘tied down’ to reservation after reservation. Instead we’re usually go go go with the rides. Things are a lot easier now since many more QS places allow mobile order again. It’s good to know that’s an option. Every trip now so far we have mobile ordered doughnuts from Voodoo while exiting parks for the night for the next morning. We enjoy their doughnuts and they always have some fun ones. I’m not vegan but I really love their vegan PB&J. It’s so satisfying with the flavors and textures. I love PB&J everything!

Fall is such a nice time to visit. With lower humidity it makes touring so much more bearable. We usually visited WDW during this week when they offered free dining (end of September/beginning of October). Last year, we were there at WDW during Thanksgiving (week leading up to Thanksgiving) and that weather was even better. Daughter and I have another mini weekend trip planned next month and went back and forth with staying at RPR again (got a good AP rate) or Sapphire Falls. Long story short I switched it back to Sapphire Falls because we’re trying to visit each UO resort which is so much fun in itself! She and hubby stayed at Aventura recently and they said it was great. So clean, bright and their food court was varied and flavorful. They said the walk to the park was nice too… pretty much the same distance as when we stayed at CB. Lol they said the one evening a robot came to their door to deliver toilet paper which they had never asked for… wrong room apparently. Sounds cool though! Hubby did say the iPad was a bit tricky and tedious to adjust volume on tv. They really enjoyed their stay there though. At any rate, really looking forward to what SF has to offer next month!

I’ll be so excited to see Christmas decorations up in the parks!! I love everything Christmas as it is my favorite holiday. Yes I’m one of those who listens to Christmas music before Thanksgiving and views Hallmark holiday movies at the first chance I get!

I feel like I’m rambling on so I’ll end it here. Hope you enjoyed and I’ll add some pics here…

 

[macraven]

Many thanks for sharing all the pictures!
You have a good eye for capturing many great things in the parks !

 

[wdwrule]

Many thanks for sharing all the pictures!
You have a good eye for capturing many great things in the parks !

Thank you! I love all the details in the parks/resorts. I feel like I’ve seen it all then I’ll see something from someone else’s pictures or a vlog and think ‘how did I miss seeing that?’ Love that there’s something ‘new’ to see each time we visit.