Fly on Friday the 13th?? Yep, we`ll turn superstition into 23 nights of fun!! A Sept/Oct 2024 TR

[schumigirl]

Lunch was an easy option today, we decided to just pop into the Downtown Diner, I think it used to be called Market Street Cafe at one time, we had never gone in before, but had heard it was quite good, so thought we might as well.

There are several options for food in Celebration and some lovely little coffee shops which are not chains, we always enjoy them where we can back home, much nicer than Starbucks or Costa which are everywhere in the UK.


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We waited a few seconds for someone to come and seat us and they were very pleasant, we both ordered strawberry lemonades till we could check out the menu and decide what to have, and they do have a good sized menu with some nice options.

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I knew what Tom would order before he had even opened the menu, he loves a Club Sandwich and this picture doesn`t show how huge that darn thing is!!! I told him if he finished that he`d have no room for dinner tonight....he had that "hold my beer" look, but even he left some, mostly bread as he said the turkey was one of the nicest turkey slices he had eaten here.

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I opted for the Chicken Quesadilla and although our waiter forgot the spicy sauce and even when I asked for it he forgot to bring it, it was a really good quesadilla, not too much cheese and plenty of chicken, I did enjoy this one but couldn`t finish it as it was larger than it looks.​

I might be being picky here, but half way through the meal the waiter came up and gave us the check saying he was finishing his shift and could we pay now. Well, I don`t think I`ve ever had anyone say that to us before, he wasn`t unpleasant in his manner, but usually someone else just appears with the check. I admit we didn`t stop eating lunch to fiddle with payment, so we did just pay the owner when we were done saying why we hadn`t paid the waiter, he was a little surprised, but never said anything. Not an issue really but it was a little uncomfortable as he hovered around while we were eating.

We ventured back to the little store to pick up all of our packages, well, seems it filled four bags, oops!! It would be fine, we have the extra suitcase now, although Tom did suggest I really didn`t need to fill it to the max

We thanked her for holding them for us and we wandered to the car which was right on the other side of the street, the air conditioning was again very welcome.

Celebration is a weird place, it`s somewhere where you can pass an hour or so, but I think we`ve seen it and done it now, I can`t see us rushing to come back anytime soon now. There are so many other places that are nicer in many ways.

We went straight home, deposited the purchases in the corner that was slowly running out of space (and we hadn`t really shopped yet) and I declared myself tired and was going for a sleep. Tom didn`t argue, he shut the bedroom door so he wouldn`t disturb me and he watched sci fi nonsense and I slept for about two hours straight, I must have needed it and it had been really warm while we had been here and that is absolutely not a complaint, we were thrilled we hadn`t seen a drop of rain yet, which compared to what folks were saying about how wet August had been we were even more thrilled.

I woke up and went for a shower and looked through to see Tom out for the count on the sofa.....Tom claims he never falls asleep quickly, I beg to differ as I have seen him drop to sleep in the blink of an eye!!!











I did feel much better after that sleep and shower, I think I had a slight headache after lunch and maybe needed to drink more water, but right now I felt fine, so we headed over to the Club Lounge and as Tom was driving he had just coffee while I started with a bottle of water before I even considered anything alcoholic tonight.

We had a nice time, folks were chatty and it wasn`t too busy, at one point Gia came over and asked if we`d like to sign Daniel`s leaving card....of course we would, he will be missed for sure not just by us but by all his colleagues.

I had a couple of glasses of fizz tonight and we didn`t touch the food as we were going to Bonefish later, and I`m not really a fan of Salisbury meatballs or any meatballs really unless they`re my own, but these seem very popular with everyone.

It was also Caesar Salad night, I do sometimes indulge if that`s on, but I was keeping the appetite for later!! ​

We headed back over to Sapphire to get the car and on the way we bumped into a few folks we knew including Mr Beiderman, they were waiting for some special guests in the ballroom area, we had a chat and as always it is lovely to chat to him and two of our favourite ladies too!!

We got in the car and headed down to the Bonefish by Seaworld way and goodness me, yep, we got lost!!! It`s practically a straight road but somehow we ended up going the wrong way.......oops!! Instead of entering the address into the SatNav, I directed him to drive where I thought we should be going and lo and behold we got there, not quite sure how we got lost, but at least we made it without ending up somewhere a little dodgy which has happened before!!!!

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We have a nice booth and the lady who is looking after us is very nice, I order a Coral Reef, I forget what`s in it but I`m thinking probably rum based and Tom opts for a lemonade, she also brings us some of their lovely bread with olive oil and Pesto dip, this is gorgeous!!! ​

Happy with the cocktail too!!! ​

Their Bang Bang shrimp was on our mind to share tonight, we had been told it was spicy, but other people`s idea of spicy and ours are very different, but as long as it was nice we`d be happy. It reminded us of the Boogity Boogity Boogity Shrimp that Nascar Cafe used to serve before it became NBC in Citywalk, classic appetiser that is missed. ​

It wasn`t spicy at all, well, maybe a little tingle, but it was nice all the same, we did enjoy it as the shrimp were fresh tasting. Usually we don`t order anything fried in batter where fish is concerned over here, but these weren`t half bad at all, and perfect size to share.

For our entrees, Tom was nervous about mine as I am so fussy with steak, Kyle and Tom had steaks from here before and they were perfectly cooked, so expectations were high from me, I could see Tom eye my plate nervously as it was placed in front of me.

He had ordered the Mahi and Shrimp with regular fries and coleslaw, we both agree the coleslaw is not good, but his dish was lovely and cooked really well. ​

They had added a new side since we were last here and it was crispy potatoes but they were garlic and rosemary flavoured which are two of my favourite flavours to cook potatoes with!!! They were gorgeous and I`d order them again in a heartbeat, Tom ate half rather than his fries so I think next time it`ll be two sides of them instead of fries.

The steak???

It was perfect!!!! I asked for Rare plus and the chef cooked it exactly as it should be, so much so I did not want to give Tom a piece, despite getting a shrimp and some mahi from him ....he did get a bit though, eventually!!!!

We won`t be ordering the coleslaw again though, it`s neither creamy nor even very tasty and mostly cabbage which needs to be shredded more, it is disappointing as some of the coleslaw we`ve had in America have all been gorgeous. ​

We hopped back in the car with Tom declaring he wanted to come back here again this trip, high praise indeed, so yes, I agreed it was very good and would happily come back another night.

We made it home without getting lost although as we turned onto Turkey Lake Road from Central Florida Parkway we were almost sideswiped by someone who had obviously run a red light from our left, gave us a huge shock to be honest and I was glad of Tom`s quick reactions or we`d have been certainly in the wars there.

Back home in five minutes from here we headed into Strong Water Bar, many of our favourites were in tonight, so we had a blast and chatted the rest of the evening away with them as it wasn`t too busy with it being a Tuesday night, so it was very nice they had the time to pass the evening away with us.

One of the drinks we had Tom opted for a Blackberry Daiquiri and I chose the beautiful Rum Dream which has both condensed and evaporated milk in it, it is divine!!!!

They had no cinammon sticks tonight, so Sattina had decorated the drink slightly different, I liked it and thought it was very pretty and you avoided drinking around the stick!!!

Beautiful drink though.

This was one of our favourite nights, it was relaxing, fun and filled with laughter as we chatted the evening away and enjoyed a couple of drinks too and before we knew it, it was almost midnight.....where does the time go!!

We will certainly miss the ones who are leaving from here, Bar Helios will have some amazing staff for sure.

Eventually....we said our goodnights and wandered along to our suite where we did indeed fall into bed and we were both out like lights immediately and gave a little thought to the so called storm that was heading our way. We`d worry about that in the next two days. ​

 

[schumigirl]

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 25TH





Yep, we had another fabulous sleep, it is very rare for us to have a bad night`s sleep when we are in Orlando, usually we sleep like rocks and this trip so far we hadn`t been disturbed at all.

As is usual for me, I`m up early, very early and will happily wander through to the sitting area and watch the beautiful sunrise over RP while sleeping beauty still revels in his slumber, I don`t mind as I do enjoy that silence in the mornings as I slowly start the day.

We are very much morning people, we like to get up early and out wherever we`re going. We couldn`t deal with sleeping most of the day away and thankfully Kyle is the same, we never had to ever wake him up. Our nightmare would be a kid that wants to sleep all morning instead of getting out and about enjoying the days.

The sunrise is always quite spectacular from this view, I`m always amazed how late it gets light here compared to the UK, it`s almost like the flick of a switch from dark to light in no time at all.


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I eventually go back through and wake Tom up, after half an hour or so on the internet, it`s a nice time to catch up on emails and nice to be on roughly the same time zone as a few folks instead of 5 or 6 hours ahead.

He was still out for the count when I opened the bedroom door again, he soon woke up when I pulled the drapes back, it wasn`t even that bright, but you`d think I`d shone a torch in his face.....





(oops)




Once we had both showered and dressed today we put our suncreen on right now as we would leave for the parks straight from RP, so no coming back after breakfast today.

The walk over to RP is always lovely, doesn`t take long at all and I was starving by the time we got to the lounge this morning and immediately popped some toast on while I made tea and I think I had some mini pastries as well as toast and some of the watermelon as it was one of those days it was very sweet, delicious. Tom stuck to his usual croissants with ham and cheese, it`s usually that or honey he has on them and he had coffee and fruit too.

There are plenty of breakfast options available in the lounge to suit everyone.

We did get into a weird discussion with a British family and a family from Philadelphia, they were talking about four poster beds and what actually constituted a genuine four poster bed. The American family said four poles coming out of each corner but nothing on top was a four poster bed. Well, of course we had to respectfully disagree

A four poster bed has a full canopy and the possibility of have drapes go round each part, a little like you would see way back in Victorian or earlier times. Classic beds that look amazing.

We had replaced our very traditional four poster bed a few years back and I do miss it a little now and again as it was very classical, but we did a redesign of our bedroom and master bathroom and it just didn`t fit in design wise anymore. So we were all laughing about our perceptions and they did agree their idea of a four poster bed was incorrect. As always it`s interesting to hear other folks views on things. Two lovely families to chat to this morning, and again, one of our favourite thing about the lounge is meeting all sorts of folks and getting to know them.

Once we had eaten, we headed down to the boats and I can`t remember if we waited long this morning or not, peak times can be a hit or a miss as to whether you wait any length of time, but it`s not usually too bad. If you`re going to IOA and the line is huge, you are better just walking we have found. But today we had decided to go to The Studios, so it was boat time.

And it was another gorgeous day!!!
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A hop, skip and a jump later and we were in the Studios, I think this is our favourite park despite IOA having VC, FJ and Hagrid`s there`s just something about this park that we love and it has improved over the years for sure compared to 17 years ago when we first visited.

The rides yes, but the street entertainment is a lot of fun and it just has a very fun vibe, feels more spacious too, IOA can get very cramped in certain areas if it`s busy.

I doubt we`d need to worry about crowds this morning.

The EP line for Minions was non existent so we popped in to that line, although the regular line was alarmingly long for this time of day, it`s a decent little ride, but not worth a huge wait, however we always enjoy it, it is fun and makes you smile. There is a lovely TM who has been here for the longest time and fits Dr Nefario perfectly as he is in the more advanced age range compared to most TM`s but he is lovely and many little ones ask him if he actually is the character, I`ve always missed what he answers to them, but he is sweet.

We came out into the store afterwards and I said to Tom I miss buying my friend`s granddaughter Elise all the Minion merch, she is a little older now and has outgrown them and is into more age appropriate themes! Thankfully she`s not too advanced for her age.

Tom opts to go on RRR today, I decline and happily pass on the rough monster this ride has become, last time I went on this I could feel every single bone rattle as we went around, so no more RRR for me, but I can say I have done it many times since it opened.

He waited for the front row, although one of the girls originally tells him he can`t wait for that anymore, but another TM waves him back and says it`s fine, they`re not busy. So, I`m not sure if this is not a thing when it`s busy, or if it was a new TM being a little over efficient, but he got the front row and no one beside him, yes it was that quiet.

He did enjoy it, and said if it`s still open in May next year he won`t be going on it, so effectively had ridden it for the last time. ​

We again pass on the new Minion thingy, boring and I doubt we`ll ever even try it again. I`m not a fan of shooting rides anyway, so it`s no loss, but shame they couldn`t have put something better in the place of Shrek.

However the new Minion area is very bright, colourful and very pretty, but quite a lot is facade, however they have the bakery, the Freeze-Ray Pops and a Pop-A Nana stand which are all very popular.

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They were still doing some work on the Facade of the library area but it was more or less done and back to looking tip top, something Universal does very well is keep on top of refurbs and making sure everything looks as perfect as it can be. ​

There are plenty of HHN props laying around in this area, all non offensive, they are just too large to keep removing them after every event and they are kinda cool to see sometimes.

They still don`t make me wish we had gone to HHN, that particular ship has sailed for us.
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This did not fit at all, this area is very pretty and picturesque, so to see the abhorrent graffiti on the entrance to The Tribute Store and all the way through the store really irked me, it really was awful!!

I must sound like a broken record, but graffiti is disgusting, so to see it here, well, there`s no need and did annoy for about 5 seconds till we moved on.

I won`t complain about the graffiti again








Love, Love, Love The Mummy!!!!

Classic ride that has everything, including a very short EP line today which we did take advantage of and went on three times all of which we loved. Each time we got the front row, it really was quiet today so we didn`t wait long each time, this ride is so much fun and the TM are fabulous at getting into character.

By the third runaround my head was saying no more, so we exited the building, retrieved our things and passed these two loitering around.

There is an older gentleman who plays one of these characters and we look out for him every visit, we have only missed one trip where we haven`t captured a picture with him since 2007, but he wasn`t there today, we`d try to catch him another time.



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It was practically deserted everywhere we looked today in the first part of the park, not a complaint as we knew it would get busier where we were headed, but it is nice to see the parks with hardly anyone in them now and again.

Delancey Street is impressive anyway, but moreso when there`s no one else around. ​

We stopped and bought some water, I was determined not to get dehydrated again, so we got the bottles and wandered down the little side streets which are very detailed in their design and easy to miss if you don`t wander off the beaten path. It`s nice and shady, a nice little reprieve from the sun.​

We drank our water quickly, didn`t realise we were as thirsty, so headed over to Louie`s to buy some more from the stand outside and as we pass The Empire I was reminded we once heard a little girl ask her parents if this was a real hotel and maybe they could stay there instead of grandma`s house lol.....poor grandma, she was with them too!!!

We just caught Beat Builders heading for their set, they are good, very vibrant and upbeat and a popular group of folks. ​

We got our water, another 2 bottles and we were glad of them today, it was lovely already and then we were wandering and noticed a sign I had never seen, well I had maybe seen and never really noticed before, I certainly never noticed Escort Services, gave us a giggle!!

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On this trip we noticed several things "missing" from where they would usually be, or in this case gone completely, one being the Margaritaville Plane that was gone to be cleaned and maintained, but Tom asked me what was missing from here and I looked, I looked again and he was standing more or less there and I wandered around, looked in each direction but couldn`t see anything.

Of course I was looking around me, not at where I was standing.

Apparently this was a hint.

I should have got that!!!!

The statue of Robert "Lew" Wasserman was missing, how could I have missed that!!!







It had also gone for cleaning and maintenance and it is rather large so I should have noticed, now I would get the Mr Smug look

He got such a prominent position due to how incredibly powerful and influential he was in the industry, particularly in the four decades after the second world war although his succesful career spanned many more years than that and was known as the King of Hollywood and most powerful man in the entertainment business.

He also has his name on a window above Finnegans and most of the names in the windows around the place are all very pertinent to the history of Universal over the years.

Beat Builders were just finishing their set, there were very few watching them this morning, but it was still early, much later it would be busier.

I did like the little nod to Epic Universe on the box below, they had managed to fit little nods all around the park, in small ways about the new park, we didn`t set out looking for them, nor are they always obvious but they are there.

More to come, coming right up!!!!
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[schumigirl]

Some of the more popular areas of the parks are definitely the Potter areas and they are resplendent in detail from the moment you make eye contact on the approach to Diagon Alley to walking in through those famous bricks to the colour and most magical of worlds that awaits you there.

King`s Cross is well known across the world and this replica does have a resemblance to the real thing which is quite an impressive railway station and a very busy one!! ​

You enter and leave the station through these doors, you will need a park to park ticket to use the Hogwarts Express, some people don`t know this and try to use the train regardless. It is something that is very easy to find out before you go, you have to feel for the staff who have to explain this day in day out to some disappointed people.

The walk through to the train is very detailed too and most folks know the train view is different both ways, worth making sure you do ride both directions and of course it is lovely to see your loved ones vanish into the wall at one part of the line.

Most folks slow down so everyone can take a picture of their family or group and no one really minds having to wait. I think in all the years we`ve been going we`ve only seen someone march ahead and interrupt a picture once, which isn`t bad. ​

I think this is one of my favourite windows in the entire park mainly because I love books, especially old books like the ones you find in traditional book stores, we have a plethora of places like this in the UK and I could spend hours mooching around them looking for something different or finding that all elusive classic first edition!!! Not much chance of that, but this window just reminds me of several local non chain bookstores we have nearby. ​

They do have a lovely fake display, but by some of my favourite authors which I did like to see.

Tom is admittedly not a big reader so he isn`t very interested in book stores, he doesn`t quite share that love of mine so his interest in this window is minimal and it shows lol....

And another lovely nod to Jaws is the window that displays an album cover with the song Quint sang in the classic Jaws movie itself. There are so many nods to the movie in Diagon Alley as of course the land it stands on used to be that much loved Jaws ride.

We do have some pictures of old Amity/Jaws ride and everything they contained, but not as many as we`d like without any of us in it, it really was very different back then and hard to visualise what it was like now.

I don`t think this underground Station is as close to KC in real life, I seem to remember them in slightly different places, but maybe there`s a reason it`s here and I don`t know it!!

The detail is incredible everywhere you look and this is something obvious and not easily missed that I had always missed, yep a huge fireplace!!!

It was quieter than we expected today, we have seen it where you can barely move, but today was lovely and yes, almost quiet although it wouldn`t be too long before the crowds built up.

Diagon Alley is beautiful at night all lit up and we have spent many a HHN taking a break from crowds and heat in here and it does have a different vibe about it at night, however during the day it is still as vibrant and energetic as a place can be.

We wandered round to the Hopping Pot and shared a fizzy orange and sat down for 10 minutes to people watch, although there really weren`t that many people around right now, but who doesn`t love watching folks around them at times.

The orange drink is very nice, I would prefer it without the sugary rim, it is a little messy as it melts and runs down the cup, but they won`t serve the drink without it.

I`m the same with margaritas, always ask for no rim on any type of drink like that. And it is very sweet anyway so we find one between us is just fine, I`m not sure I could drink a full one, and I say that to Tom as we drink it, he comes back at me saying weirdly you never say that about a Margarita

We were refreshed with the orange drink and wandered back round to get some pics and have a rumble through the little stores they have and it`s really not quite as deserted as it looks here. I think we just got lucky at that point and it is rare to get any pictures here in the middle of the morning with no one in them.

And of course the inimitable Gilderoy Lockhart who is a self-obsessed and nowhere near as clever as he thinks he is, played with aplomb by Kenneth Branagh, interestingly it was supposed to be Hugh Grant but filming schedules meant he couldn`t do the Potter movie in the end. I think he would have been good too, but maybe not as good as Branagh. I don`t like Hugh Grant as a person (not that I know him of course) and we enjoy one of his movies, namely Love Actually.

We do have a friend that`s known as Magical Me among a lot of us as he is very like Gilderoy Lockhart in mannerisms, looks and speaks very much the way he does, he finds it funny so no offence is taken, but the image below is always how he greets you when he meets you as if we haven`t met him for years, nice guy deep down.

There are so many signs around Diagon Alley and they are all as detailed in design as the next, very, very impressive and shows just what an amazing woman JK Rowling is to create all of this, her writing skills have brought all of this to life and they did it amazingly well.

It was still quite dull so the fire from the dragon looks very impressive today against the slightly murky sky.

The shot most people want.

The wand store has some interesting sights too when you look around and the staff in here, like most of UOR staff are just incredible, very friendly and helpful but completely in character whenever you ask them anything. We hadn`t asked them any questions but listening especially when children ask them something their answers are as magical as this whole Wizarding World is.

If you can`t find a wand in here you won`t find one anywhere!!! They have them all and then some!

We dropped our items in the locker and headed into Gringotts, the EP lane does miss some things out, but we don`t want to want to see them enough to use the regular line. The EP line was very quick today to get to the ride and it is still a really good line to go through.

We didn`t take any pictures today as everything was in the locker, but it is a very impressive line especially the beginning with the Goblins in the bank, massively impressed seeing that every time.

The ride is very good, but not our favourite, however we rarely miss going on it, it does have it`s moments that are impressive although I wish it had a bigger drop than it does.

We only do this once today and head back out into the sunshine that`s trying so hard to stay bright. It does take a few moments for our eyes to adjust but not too long.

Tom asks if I want an ice cream but although I did like it last time, I`m not hungry yet, not a sentence I say very often, but I just didn`t have room for it.

One of my favourite displays, the steaming kettle.

More to follow
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[schumigirl]

After a quick wander round Knockturn Alley we headed out towards the exit, we were heading offsite today for a few hours but as is normal for us, we never rush anywhere and we take our time wandering back towards the exit.

It was still fairly quiet in this area and we did pop over to buy another bottle of water each from this guy who seems to have worked this corner for a good few years. We were thirsty! ​

So many signs and notices on the wall that perfectly depicts the specific area represented, and these ones fit NY perfectly. ​

As we were leaving we heard the Blues Bros arriving, they really are worth seeing if you can catch them. I had never seen the original Blues Bros movie when we first visited Universal (I know, I know) But I soon did and could see how well they capture that essence from the movie. ​

After drinking all that water we headed to the bathroom at the exits, they`re usually very quiet even at busy times, then we headed for the boat and we got one to ourselves today. This time of day they aren`t usually busy at all and even nicer, there was one waiting and when we got one he said, where were you, we were waiting especially for a very special lady.....Tom groaned for him not to encourage me!!! What could he mean ​

They keep everything neat and tidy and well kept in all areas of UOR and they had recently dug out the plants that were in this little stretch, we remembered them being planted many years ago and hoped we would see what was going in their place before we left. ​

A few minutes later and we were home, time to get showered and changed before heading back out which doesn`t take long and as always our room has been done and it is immaculate.

We noticed another little thank you note on the bed from our housekeeper, as we have said before we bring envelopes and leave money in it every day for whoever does our room clearly marked that it is for them, that way we know she gets it. We mainly have the one lady in both hotels unless it`s one of their days off so we do get to know them too. But, it`s always nice to see their little thank you notes.

But, as quick as we came in, we were heading back out to get to the car, it was quite humid today and lots of talk of Helene heading our way which wasn`t giving great concern in the Orlando area, other areas of course would be worrying.

Driving down Universal Blvd is very different now, similar to how Turkey Lake Rd used to be deserted, this area is rising into an incredibly busy place compared to what it used to be with apartments appearing everywhere on what used to be derelict land, prettier of course but so much busier.

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We were heading to the Florida Mall which is my least favourite Mall, Millenia Mall is so much nicer, but I wanted to get some items from Yankee Candle and they have a very nice little store there where the staff are nice and don`t push a load of products at you that you don`t want nor do they follow you around the store which we like.

But, we had another reason and thankfully traffic was practically invisible today and we could take our time and drive slowly past Epic and especially to see the new Helios Hotel which is the only one we are really interested in.

The amount of work on the roads around here is quite something to behold and if you don`t wander out of the park bubbles very often if ever you probably wouldn`t notice, but the changes are dramatic and will make a huge difference when getting in and out of Epic when the park opens. ​

I think I`m more excited about staying at Helios next September than I am about the park opening, it just sounds lovely and of course our good friend Fernando is going to be the new manager of the rooftop bar here and we are highly excited to see that bar and all it has to offer, which sounds incredible!!! Renderings do give you an idea of the look around the hotel but seeing the real thing will be fabulous!!

You can just see a part of the Monster area still with scaffolding around part of it from here, of course they are much further on now than then, it just looks amazing. ​

In this one you can see the coaster that will be a duelling one and although the theme doesn`t interest us, we will look forward to having a blast on the coaster.....although at some point in the future as we really don`t expect to get near it for the longest time!!

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The roads near the Florida Mall are a little more manic, this is where you see the real Orlando drivers and it isn`t always fun, this is one area I`m not fond of at all, but during the day it`s absolutely fine, just a little manic at times.

There are plenty of parking spaces and we get quite near the entrance which is idea as we have no sunscreen on, not worth it for such a short time outside and you enter into the foodcourt which is much improved from the older one which looked so dull and dingy, it never looked overly clean, but this one looks much better, certainly brighter.

They do have some lovely choices for food and we enjoyed a very nice sandwich here last time from the place in the picture below. Tom fancied the same place again and I wished I had listened to him!!

I told Tom if I ever suggest this place again, drag me out and give me a stern talking to!

I think I like the idea of the food more than actually eating it, but we had it before and it was ok, but it was the one in the Mall at Millenia.

This however, was a big disappointment.

We both chose noodles and we each chose different meat dishes so we could have a taste of four of them.....but, they were all cold and the one piece of meat I ate tasted greasy as were the noodles, so we dumped it all in the trash. There really wasn`t much point complaining as they don`t really speak English very well, so lesson learned. ​

The quickest food we could see, as I was starving by now, was Sbarro pizza, so we ordered a slice each and ate it before we remembered to take a picture of it!

It was lovely though!!

We wandered round the Mall, I did look in a couple of stores to see if I could see an outfit for the wedding we were going to in November, but again, I drew a blank and gave up finding something here, I`d have to wait till we get back to the UK.

We took this picture and sent it to Kyle, little personal joke with the jewellers behind Tom.

A few years ago Kyle wanted to buy a Tag Heuer watch and although he ended up getting it in the actual Tag store in the Mall at Millenia, he was enjoying looking around and the people who ran this place then (new folks now) were dodgy and tried to sell him an obviously used watch as new and when after 5 minutes or so looking around at what they had he politely said he`d think about it, she said quite aggressively, no, you`ve thought about it long enough, you either buy it or you don`t!!!!









This is where mama bear jumped in then and told her in no uncertain terms what I thought of her sales technique, the store and how she should never be rude to anyone never mind a young man who is incredibly polite and well spoken and was not rude to you!!!

I was however as always, very polite, succinct and never raised my voice once to her, she was a little stunned I guess and never said a word, then I turned and left.

Kyle and Tom had disappeared by now and were laughing at how quickly I went into bear mode, even when he didn`t really need it, he was an adult but he`s so polite!!! Needless to say we never bought anything from them and they became "Dodgy watch folks"

As I said, the owners now are not the same people!!

More coming up!! ​

 

[schumigirl]

Back home we chatted to a TM for a while in the lobby then bought ourselves a couple of cakes from Dutch Trading, I think they share the same bags as RP somehow....we got a large boiled water and a little carton of milk then headed to the room to make a cuppa and have some cake.

Tom loved his chocolate cake, my cheesecake didn`t really taste of anything, so I ate about two forkfulls, Tom took a bite and yep, declared it bland as wood. Well, we always have goodies in the kitchen here, I think I had a piece of shortbread with my tea and then we watched some tv for a while at the same time as on our ipads.

It`s nice to just chill in such a lovely suite at times and it was hotter than Hades outside today, so we were quite content and watching the news channel for weather was interesting, they were predicting tomorrow might be interesting for us in Orlando, so we didn`t make any plans as we expected we might be spending the day in the resort.


​

I believe both of us may have snoozed a little, but once refreshed we headed over to the Club Lounge and we do love the walk and if you`ve never walked the ballroom/convention area it is huge!!!

And usually deserted!
​

It rained a little around 4pm but it didn`t last long, however it didn`t look the nicest outside today now.

The lounge wasn`t as busy as we thought it would be, when there`s bad weather it can get incredibly busy but tonight was ok, we did have a look at the food but we planned to eat onsite tonight again so only had a small sample, but we did enjoy some sparkly again.

Chicken Fajitas, rice and the usual salad, cheese, crackers and crudite along with salsa and wraps, it did look nice. They don`t do sour cream anymore which is a shame as it goes perfectly with chips and salsa! ​

We sat beside a couple tonight and got chatting, they were very nice and named Joy and Tom, we chatted the whole time we were in the lounge and had mentioned Strong Water Bar. Well, the guy was a rum fan, so we said if they wanted to we could walk them over as we were heading back after 7ish, they said yep, absolutely, so once they were ready we headed over.

They admitted they would never have found the way between RP and Sapphire by themselves, I think once you have gone this way once you can easily do it again, but it can be confusing for the first time.

We showed them to Strong Water and waved to Fernando and Maggie and said we`d see them later for a drink. Couple happily deposited we headed down to Amatista for a change, not our usual dinner option, but for once we`d give it a try.

It was funny, we saw Casey and gave him a hug and a few minutes chatting then we asked the girl on the desk if they had a table and the girl very abruptly asked if we had a reservation which we didn`t, so she said no, they hadn`t anything available, well, ok then, so we decided to just eat in Strong Water, Maggie was surprised to see us back so soon.

We sat at one of her tables and explained what had happened, she was annoyed we hadn`t got a table and went to get Fernando to tell him they hadn`t a table for us lol...he said give him five minutes and he`d make sure we got a table.....awww!!! We said no it was fine, but he was off by then, so we ordered two red sangrias, one of Maggie`s favourite drinks and they were lovely!!

Maggie is definitely one of our favourite people, she is amazing and is very knowledgeable about all the drinks and food on offer, she has been there since it opened and loves working there, she is also the nicest of ladies and we love passing time with her.

​

Fernando appeared and said we had a reservation and to just go down when we were ready, it was very kind of him and he said no problem so we thanked him and Maggie for taking the time to do it. We waited a few moments before heading down and hoped the lady wouldn`t be funny with us, but she was fine but did say we were being looked after by Casey who we have known for years, Fernando made sure we were in his section, again, very kind of him.

We noticed Joy and Tom were eating some food and having a couple of rums, glad to see they were enjoying it.

Amatista is a nice restaurant, it has a decent menu with lots of choices and food is usually very nice, but it`s not somewhere we have to visit every trip, although breakfast is always lovely. ​

Casey is a dream, we have known him since he worked in Islands at RP and is so lovely, another who is going to Helios that we`ll miss, but I think they are all doing the right thing.

​

The bread service is very nice here, one is a cheese based bread and the other is cranberry and walnut, but there were very few pieces of walnut so it was very nice to start with.
​

We decided to share the meat feast flatbread and their caesar salad with shrimp and both were very nice, the pizza could have been hotter but nice flavours and well, it`s hard to get a salad wrong, it was all nice with the shrimp being very fresh and plump, we were glad we had come down here tonight. ​

We said our goodbyes and wished Casey every happiness at Helios, he`ll do brilliantly there, but we will miss him and his girlfriend Demi too who has been in Strong Water for a while now. ​

There is a lovely little area at the bottom of the impressive staircase that holds some nice little props from the world of rum making and they do use this for little events, it`s not huge but big enough for drinks with a group before heading somewhere for dinner.

The Staircase is however incredible and we never tire of taking pictures of it for some reason.

We went back to our room, opened a bottle of wine and watched Jaws 2 which was the best that was on tonight. We did think about going somewhere for a drink, but we both wanted to just chill out on the sofa with a glass of wine and a movie.

We did wonder where this storm was at this point. Time for bed for us and we`d wait till the morning to see what the weather was like, but we thought we might be spending the day in the resort. ​

 

[KatieCharlotte]

I remember walking through the conference area between SF and RP to get takeout pizza from Jake's about 6 years ago, but I don't remember the way. Can you remind me where to go? I'd like to give my husband a tour of SF, which has some happy memories for me and my daughters (even though that staircase scares me).

 

[Skywalker3]

Slowly but surely, and with lots of enjoyment, catching up on your trip report. I'm on Sept 20! and loving all of it!!
Loving all the pictures and details. Parade looks so fun. As someone who grew up in South Louisiana, which has about the same hot, tropical weather like Orlando, September is HOT, HOT, HOT!!! I love shade and clouds! and Sept is usually very wet. We're in TN now, and we did have drought conditions most of the summer, abnormally low rain here too, so I guess FL was also having that.
All of the food in the lounge look so great, and sounds like a wonderful time making some new, fun, nice friends. And what fabulous cocktails. Your reviews and pictures are inspiring me to get out of my comfort zone, and try some of those concoctions. Yum!!
Parade looks great. I hope I get to see it sooner than later!
Ok, back to reading. THank you as always for sharing all of the adventures.

 

[disneyseniors]

They admitted they would never have found the way between RP and Sapphire by themselves,

LOL, I had to laugh at this one I remember how much trouble Robin and I had just finding the place. Then you and Tom had to escort us back to RPR or we would still be wandering around
I admit that I have No sense of direction. I even get lost in our small town, but it usually involves talking a lot and not watching where I'm going Loving your trip report

 

[Skywalker3]

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 16TH




We were up reasonably early again, not sure why we don`t sleep longer, but once I`m awake, I usually never get back to sleep and of course we are still so very excited to start our days in Orlando, time passes so quickly so we do like to make the most of ever moment.

Showered and dressed we head down to the lounge where it was exceptionally quiet this morning, no Canadians to have fun with, they had already headed down to their conference so we tucked into the offerings starting with fruit and Tom had his croissants and I made toast with cream cheese and grape jelly, and of course tea made from the bags in the lounge which were just fine. I always have breakfast tea here but they do have a nice little selection.

And the breakfast options are just perfect for us, we very rarely eat a cooked breakfast unless it`s poached eggs with French Toast, but on a day to day routine the choices here will more than suit most people.


The little Danish Pastries vary most days as do the mini muffin choices, they do a lovely little raspberry and cream cheese one which again is one of the chef`s own recipe and it is lovely. I think if Kyle had been here this morning he would have had a few of those chocolate muffins!!! Although with breakfast he is very easy to please usually opting for cereal, unlike us!!

The lovely TM`s do replenish regularly and everything is always fresh and kept clean. ​

We didn`t spend too long this morning in the lounge, we headed back down to our room and managed to get sunscreen on when just as we were leaving our housekeeper was coming in, we have known her for years and she has worked this part of the tower since we have been staying here at least. She stops to thank us for the envelope we leave every day.

Often folks ask us about whether to tip housekeepers, some folks think we shouldn`t as officially they are not a tipped position....

Yes, indeed, we have always and always will tip our housekeepers and we bring envelopes with us and every day leave money in one of the envelopes letting her know it is for her and a big thank you written on it. Some folks don`t, but for us it`s just something we like to do. And leaving it every day means if there is a change of TM or they have a day off, the person who cleans the room gets the tip, leaving it to the end of a trip means the person who may have cleaned your room most often might not get it.

Now, we head off for some park time and had decided to go to The Studios, there was a reason but I forget why now, so we hopped it down to the boats and we got lucky and there was one there straight away, no waiting is ideal. It was hot, but quite dull this morning.

We had picked up our new AP`s over the weekend so they would be activated this morning and we had been told they had the extra 3 months on them which someone reported that deal had stopped but we definitely got the 15 months which is a good deal.

There weren`t that many people in line this morning and we were very quick getting through, usually we get stuck behind the family that haven`t signed their passes or they have some kind of delay, but straight through today, the facial recognition is much better than the older less efficient fingerprint system, much quicker.

It`s always lovely to get back into the parks again for the first time and we do take our time and slowly wander round to see what`s new and evern though we weren`t doing HHN it would be nice to see what was on offer there. But, again, mostly disappointed with merchandise apart from one or two things that we did buy.

Hello Kitty store had finally closed and will be a Wicked store very soon with the advent of the new movie which I am so torn about!!!

Wicked is my all time favourite show having seen it several times on Broadway and London I just don`t know if a movie will be able show the same emotion as the stage, however the merchandise will be popular...no pun intended of course

If you know the songs you`ll get it!

​

Although we have little to no interest in HHN anymore, we still enjoy seeing the displays and so on, but even they were a little disappointing this year, all very plain and uninspiring, especially when you compare to previous years where they had been very elaborate.
​

I think the only house we would have been interested in seeing was Insidious, everyone said it was magnificent and very well done with plenty of SA however they apparently didn`t put as much money or effort into the other houses and many folks noticed it, but for merchandise we had been asked to take back some Insidious shirts so we `d get them later in the trip.


​

I did see a Ghostbusters mug that we might get for Kyle, he said he didn`t want any shirts this time but he does like a large mug!!

Minion ride was delayed, we had planned to do that this morning before Tom went on RRR, I stopped that one a couple of years ago due to the headbanging it give you, even on the front row now, so we wandered on as we don`t like the newest Minion shooting thing, can`t quite find anything nice to say about it as we just found it pointless and boring and such a waste as they should have been able to do something so much better with that space!!


​

As we turned to go on RRR we saw it was also down with a delay and as always the poor TM were being asked relentlessly when it was opening up, they don`t really have an answer for folks so we headed forward.

We do like the little village area they have Minion themed though, it is very colourful for sure and although we didn`t try the Minion Cafe, we do plan to at some point, so many mixed reviews of it though, seems folks either love it or they don`t. It didn`t really inspire us to be honest and the menu didn`t exactly thrill us.
​

They do have the HHN menu`s up during the day too and several folks mentioned they would loved to have sampled some of the offerings, some do sound nice, but they are never quite as nice as they sound especially the pre made cocktails, very sugary and not very strong. But, they do theme them very well to the individual houses and always sound interesting. ​

It is quiet in this area this morning, we debate do we really want to go do Jimmy Fallon again and the answer is an astounding.....no. Maybe not as bad as F&F, but not for us. However the building is worth a wander through even if you don`t do the ride, it is very New York themed! ​

Whoever came up with the idea of putting a tiny potato on a spiral and charge $10 for it was a genius!!! They are amazing and quite fun to eat, but very clever and from memory the line for these little gems was always long, are they worth it...no, are they nice....heck yes!!!!

I remember years ago telling my mum about them when she was asking about the event.Trying to explain to someone about this potato, not even a very big potato on a spiral stick and you pay $10 for it, her face...




View attachment 906197





Yep, you could see she thought we had lost our marbles and needed our bumps felt!!! But this is the woman who scolded me for buying ice many years back lol.....she didn`t understand at all!​

The stalls are not as imaginitive or as elaborately designed as they used to be, you can really see where they have cut the budget over the last few years at this event. ​

We did like the Ghostbuster stalls, they did look like fun and many folks spoke of the marshmallow man you could buy during HHN, well some looked good other ones looked like a melted blob, so I guess it was a hit or a miss with that one. I love marshmallow so would have tried one for sure, friends got lucky and got some good ones!! ​

The Tribute store since they first started doing them have always been imaginative, decorative and downright beautiful at times from Mardi Gras, Halloween and Christmas they were always quite stunning to see and worth visiting.

I`m sure there are some that like it, I know there are some folks who it did impress, but not for us and I think this is where the lack of an Icon for the even was missed too. There should always be a specific icon for HHN. ​

I had promised my friend`s granddaughter Elise one of these Stay Puft Marshmallow men, but they were larger than I thought and we were limited with suitcase space, so I ended up getting one sent to the room and then wrapped it up and posted it directly to her, it wasn`t very expensive and she is over the moon with it!!! It would just have seriously prohibited future purchases for this trip if it had been going in the suitcases, so this was the best idea as she really wanted one.

It was so much easier when she was into Minions, but they`re for babies now apparently!!! ​

Aforementioned future Insidious purchases, well, a couple anyway ​

I about jumped five foot in the air when I first noticed these little blighters that weren`t really crawling on the floor, holy smokes one just caught my eye as I passed as they moved quickly and Tom of course thought it was hilarious and knew what my reaction would be as I hate bugs of any kind. Nice little touch though as cockroaches are a different kind of evil altogether, bleurgh. ​

There are always some nice HHN themed goodies in the stores, but as is usual with all these products, they`re never as nice as they look and this one we bought as one of Tom`s favourite childhood desserts is Black Forest Gateau so this appealed to him....very 1970`s here!!!

It was not as nice as it looked, not sure why they get these things so wrong. Their general baked goods are very nice, but this lacked much flavour at all apart from sugar and for $13 it just wasn`t worth it.
​

We chatted to the TM beside the baked goods for a time and it`s never nice to hear them quite disillusioned too, but some have been here a long time and know how it used to be too. They told us there was going to be some new products in the next day or so and we should pop back in, we would but only to be nosey.

Heading outside that kind of lingering mist had gone and the sun was now shining as it should be and the temperature had gone up too which was lovely.
​

Happier moments coming up

(fingers crossed pictures show up too)​

So many things to comment on, not sure where to start. Lake Eola looks so nice. and I love local honey! Maybe next we do a long stay there, I'll drive up that way. and Beth's Burger's looks like that would be a hit w/ my burger loving DH and DS. DS seeks out a good burger every chance he can.
Enjoyed reading all the airport/travel day stories. I am terrified to fly, never seek it out, and don't like anything at all about it. We've never flown as a family, but we are taking a big family trip to Hawaii in March......I"m already panicking...I appreciate reading/hearing/watching travel blogs/vlogs that talk about all the positive parts of flying, and I do know it's a necessity if I ever want to get out of this country and enjoy other destination. DH and I are semi-planning our ultimate dream trip-London. Probably won't be until spring, 2026, but I love reading about the airports there, the airlines, etc.
Sorry about the traffic craziness upon arrival. There are certainly some nuts out there....
Somehow , and thank the Maker for this, I didn't see those bugs when we went through the Tribute store. Next to my fear of flying, my other big phobia are 'those' bugs....and flying bugs are the worst!! One trip , we saw 5 , and I just lost it. If I'd seen those in that store, I'd have lost it there too......
Still reading, catching up on all your fun!!!

 

[schumigirl]

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 26TH





We woke this morning a little later as we expected the weather to be beyond dreadful, but looking out the window when I pulled the drapes back, it just looked a little duller than usual, so we didn`t really know what to do today.

So, shower first, then headed over to the Club lounge for breakfast where we were informed it would be later on today or maybe just after lunchtime it would hit, heavy winds and rain, so we did wonder about making a reservation at Jake`s for lunch just in case, so one of the lovely ladies made it for us for 1pm, so we knew we had lunch sorted if it did get bad then we planned a day in the suite watching movies and snacking.

But, for this morning it looked ok, not a day we fancied mooching around the parks, so we took our time in the lounge and while we were sitting chatting a man came in and waved over at us and said hello again??

I`m usually very good with faces and names, and I knew I recognised this man`s face, but couldn`t place when and where we`d seen him before....I hate that as I always feel awful I don`t remember folks. Tom is not really any help as he never remembers names, faces yes, but he didn`t recognise this man. It would hopefully come back to us, but we waved back and the more I looked at him, the more I began to think we knew him from here, but was it this trip we had met him or on a previous one!!!!

I`d rack my brains till I did remember.

We finished breakfast then headed downstairs to say hello to Samuel who we hadn`t seen for a few days and chatted to him for a time then headed back to Sapphire to get the car, and our housekeeper had once again been in and the rooms were sparkling as always.


We headed to Publix and Walmart, picked up a few things for this afternoon, but we had to say it wasn`t too bad right now, but the heat was as oppressive as we have ever felt it, my goodness we were boiling hot within a few seconds of walking out the doors.

Publix was mobbed which is unusual as it`s always very pleasant in there, we use the one on Sand Lake Road mostly, I think everyone had thesame idea, but right now I wasn`t convinced it was going to hit Orlando as bad as they predicted.

We picked up a load of goodies and headed back home, as it was obviously not storming right now we decided to cancel our Jake`s reservation and head to a place that was going to be one of my most favourite place ever in all of our visits to Orlando.

Tom was not completely of that opinion though lol......

Lee and Rick`s Oyster Bar was only a 20 minute drive from us, and we had heard of it only within the last couple of years but had never gone, mainly because Mr "I hate oysters, oysters are the worst thing in the world" was never that keen, even though there are other items on the menu, he just wasn`t sure, but today I thought nope, we`re going.

I had mentioned it to M and A and they asked if we knew it was a bit rough and ready and not a fancy date night place, we laughed and said yes, we knew it wasn`t a fancy schmancy place but I liked the sound of it, they both said it was fabulous as long as you knew what you were going into.

I was so looking forward to this and once I had showed Tom the menu, at least he was looking forward to it now, so we hopped in the car and drove the 15 minutes or so along the road and pulled into a kind of parking lot, I was smiling as I saw the entrance before Tom did and knew exactly what he`d think!!!!

Tom`s actual face!!









That said it all.

We like all kinds of options from the fanciest of restaurants to hole in the wall places and this was certainly a rather plain looking place, I said, come on, you`ll love it. I think if I gave him the choice he would have got in the car and left there and then!!!

What a mistake that would have been!!

We walked through the door and we were met with the friendliest of welcomes anywhere, a little lady who was maybe in her early 70`s asked us if we were here for oysters, I said well, one of us is and she said well have a seat over there and we`ll be with you in a minute.

It is rather rustic, but I loved it!!!

She explained, they had shucked the oysters in front of us and we threw all our oyster shells and so on into the trough in front of us, it was unique and she was so lovely I knew we`d be back, you can just tell as soon as you walk into a place whether you like it or not usually.

We sat down, she told us to sit through the side we had walked into as it was really hot through the other side, and she was right, we wandered through to have a look and wow it was boiling!!

She explained a little of the history to us and they really have been there for around 75 years, amazing history for such a small place and then she told us where the oysters today came from, said they served them on the concrete bar we were sitting at, no plates or serving dishes, straight on the concrete and just chatted as if we had known her for years.

The menu is a good one and we did glance through it, the drinks menu was somewhat limited. I (don`t laugh) ordered white wine, Tom asked for a lemonade and the wine came in one of those little bottles you snap the plastic cap off and then peel back some foil.....not my usual type of wine but it was absolutely fine, I`m really not the wine snob I`m made out to be well, maybe a little, but in some places you don`t expect what other places will serve regarding wines.

If you don`t care to have oysters you can sit on the tables, but one older gentleman came in and his son said his dad needed a chair and couldn`t sit at the bench, so the lady said she`d happily serve him there today, but I think generally, you`ll be seated at the bench for oysters.

They brought me lemon juice, cocktail sauce, a spicy cocktail sauce, and an atomic horseradish that I never touched being honest, lemon does me just fine with oysters.

Tom`s was brought out first, he had gone for Crab Cakes with fries which came with coleslaw and a little garlic dip.

We also ordered a little portion of one of the most delicious things on earth.....we don`t get them in the UK unless I make them myself...

Hush Puppies!!!

They were perfect.

As Tom`s meal was brought through by another lady, my lady appeared with a huge bucket filled with oysters all unopened and she popped a leather thing over one hand and began shucking the oysters in front of me, occasionally and I mean very occasionally throwing one in the gulley, apparently they never made the grade or it was maybe a bad one, but she was so quick and I was so impressed, and I guess she had been doing it for years.

I am rubbish at shucking oysters so I was doubly impressed.

I know I should have waited for the full dozen, but I was so keen to try them, I dived in to a couple as she was still shucking and I was wondering if it would have been greedy to order two dozen!!

Look away if you don`t like seeing oysters up close!

OMG!!!!

They were amazing! Apart from some amazing fresh, straight from the sea oysters I have enjoyed in Scotland previously, these were the best ones ever!! They were plump, succulent and full of flavour, I barely used the hot sauce and stuck to a small squeeze of lemon juice on each one, they were perfect.

Tom of course glanced at them before turning away swiftly as I enjoyed them profusely, he is funny and again said I needed my oyster buddy Janet with us, I think her and I would have had some fun eating these while our husbands enjoyed crab cakes!!

I kept the largest ones till the end and they were mahoosive and completely gorgeous!!!

It was about now Tom admitted he was glad we had come here today as it was a fabulous little place.

Being smug comes with a dance......

Tom`s crab cakes were lovely, I think they did have some filler in them, but not much and we`d have preferred them not deep fried, but they were lovely with a real nice crab meat in them and he said next time he fancied the peel and eat shrimp, I`d definitely help him with those....shame he won`t share my oysters

This place for me was a complete highlight and Tom had really enjoyed his dish too, we would absolutely be coming back here before we left, I just wished we had come earlier in the trip as it would have been at least four visits.

We paid the check and thanked them for an amazing meal and headed back outside to what felt like walking on the surface of the sun, as we were about to get in the car we noticed the front of the business which looked a little odd from the back, so we wandered over to see it properly.....loved it!!! Certainly original.

It is certainly blazing hot today and for some reason, we headed to Whole Foods, I genuinely have no memory of why but it must have been for something, we had a wander round and admired their seafood, cakes and the hot and cold food options that did look nice.

So many lovely looking dishes to eat here from Chinese, Indian, Ribs to proper comfort food and very healthy options too, I think I`d be spoilt for choice trying to decide what to have if I popped in for lunch!

Back home, we headed to our room and picked up some gift cards we were taking over to Aventura to give to one of my cousins daughters that was here with her boyfriend, they hadn`t arrived yet, so I popped them in an envelope and left them with someone we know there who would make sure they got them when they got in tonight.

We had a wander and glanced out of the window and it was looking more like rain now than it had earlier, but I was glad we hadn`t just stayed in the resort all day.

Back home we glanced out and it was indeed miserable now, the rain was bouncing down and looked like the wind was getting worse, I was glad we were in and tonight we were meeting our friend D in Strong Water Bar for dinner, so we weren`t wandering far at all now.

We put the tv on, had a glass of wine and I think we both snoozed for an hour or so, not quite sure why as we had done absolutely nothing today, but a nap is always nice, especially as it was so miserable outside.

More to follow ​

 

[schumigirl]

I remember walking through the conference area between SF and RP to get takeout pizza from Jake's about 6 years ago, but I don't remember the way. Can you remind me where to go? I'd like to give my husband a tour of SF, which has some happy memories for me and my daughters (even though that staircase scares me).

Of course, just hope it makes sense.

The picture above you can see doors way in the distance, if you come out of T3 in RP walk past the gym as if you`re heading to where you get the buses, turn into any of those doors you can see and you walk the full length that you can see in that picture, when you get to where I`m standing turn right then turn left, walk a little and look to your right where you`ll see a set of escalators, go up them and turn left where you will cross a glass walkway over the road and that`s you in Sapphire Falls.

When you cross that glass bridge turn sharp left to another set of escalators, go up and then just walk forward to the end, turn right and walk again then you`ll see the lobby to your left. It sounds complicated but it`s really easy.

You don`t like the staircase??

 

[schumigirl]

Slowly but surely, and with lots of enjoyment, catching up on your trip report. I'm on Sept 20! and loving all of it!!
Loving all the pictures and details. Parade looks so fun. As someone who grew up in South Louisiana, which has about the same hot, tropical weather like Orlando, September is HOT, HOT, HOT!!! I love shade and clouds! and Sept is usually very wet. We're in TN now, and we did have drought conditions most of the summer, abnormally low rain here too, so I guess FL was also having that.
All of the food in the lounge look so great, and sounds like a wonderful time making some new, fun, nice friends. And what fabulous cocktails. Your reviews and pictures are inspiring me to get out of my comfort zone, and try some of those concoctions. Yum!!
Parade looks great. I hope I get to see it sooner than later!
Ok, back to reading. THank you as always for sharing all of the adventures.

Oh I`m glad you`re catching up!!

Yes, we love September weather, coming from a colder climate we love it and I think in 17 years of going in September we`ve only ever had one September where it was mostly rain, usually it`s a downpour and then nothing, but this year apart from two storms, we had no rain at all.

There are so many drink options, you`ll be spoiled for choice, I`m all for getting out of one`s comfort zone lol.....the lounge is indeed a very friendly place....usually, there`s always the odd one or two.

That parade was very good, short and sweet, but definitely worth seeing.

Enjoy catching up, I`m happy you are enjoying it, thank you!!!

 

[schumigirl]

LOL, I had to laugh at this one I remember how much trouble Robin and I had just finding the place. Then you and Tom had to escort us back to RPR or we would still be wandering around
I admit that I have No sense of direction. I even get lost in our small town, but it usually involves talking a lot and not watching where I'm going Loving your trip report

haha....I forgot about that! It was so funny escorting you both back, but.....we were glad you made it over in the first place. Can you believe that was a year ago now!!

Oh we can get lost too, we are famous for it at times!! But, I agree, walking and chatting with friends can get you easily distracted...understandable lol.....

Thank you Ruth, glad you`re enjoying it!!!

 

[schumigirl]

So many things to comment on, not sure where to start. Lake Eola looks so nice. and I love local honey! Maybe next we do a long stay there, I'll drive up that way. and Beth's Burger's looks like that would be a hit w/ my burger loving DH and DS. DS seeks out a good burger every chance he can.
Enjoyed reading all the airport/travel day stories. I am terrified to fly, never seek it out, and don't like anything at all about it. We've never flown as a family, but we are taking a big family trip to Hawaii in March......I"m already panicking...I appreciate reading/hearing/watching travel blogs/vlogs that talk about all the positive parts of flying, and I do know it's a necessity if I ever want to get out of this country and enjoy other destination. DH and I are semi-planning our ultimate dream trip-London. Probably won't be until spring, 2026, but I love reading about the airports there, the airlines, etc.
Sorry about the traffic craziness upon arrival. There are certainly some nuts out there....
Somehow , and thank the Maker for this, I didn't see those bugs when we went through the Tribute store. Next to my fear of flying, my other big phobia are 'those' bugs....and flying bugs are the worst!! One trip , we saw 5 , and I just lost it. If I'd seen those in that store, I'd have lost it there too......
Still reading, catching up on all your fun!!!

Lake Eola is beautiful and so family friendly and that honey is lovely! We have one for us and some have been given as part of Christmas boxes, I think they`ll all be enjoyed.

Beth`s Burgers are good, but maybe not as good as Teak Neighborhood Grill, that`s a place that`s worth a visit, although we haven`t been for a time, plan on it next time though.

I love flying but do remember the first time, I was terrified, so I can empathise, but I do always feel very safe on a plane, like you I love airports and the whole experience is fun for us. I hope you do find the courage to go flying, it is fun and of course you can go to some amazing places.

I assume you drive to Orlando.....is that a long drive for you?

I was thankful those bugs weren`t real, it was a very good illusion though but still, they looked yucky!! I`m not fond of bugs and spiders at all so even though I knew they were a projection, I still hated seeing them!

Hope you enjoy the rest of it and happy you`ve enjoyed it so far

 

[KatieCharlotte]

Of course, just hope it makes sense.

The picture above you can see doors way in the distance, if you come out of T3 in RP walk past the gym as if you`re heading to where you get the buses, turn into any of those doors you can see and you walk the full length that you can see in that picture, when you get to where I`m standing turn right then turn left, walk a little and look to your right where you`ll see a set of escalators, go up them and turn left where you will cross a glass walkway over the road and that`s you in Sapphire Falls.

When you cross that glass bridge turn sharp left to another set of escalators, go up and then just walk forward to the end, turn right and walk again then you`ll see the lobby to your left. It sounds complicated but it`s really easy.

You don`t like the staircase??

Thank you.

I've always been afraid of stone staircases. I'm getting better at Gringotts after many times, but it still makes me anxious. My brain is convinced I will tumble all the way down.

 

[schumigirl]

Thank you.

I've always been afraid of stone staircases. I'm getting better at Gringotts after many times, but it still makes me anxious. My brain is convinced I will tumble all the way down.

You`re welcome.

Everyone is afraid of something and anxiety is no laughing matter, so I can understand why you`re not fond of that staircase in Sapphire.

 

[disneyseniors]

I had no idea about the CEO!!!! Tom did say the menu was reminiscent of the CF as it had everything on it, that make sense!! You do learn something new every day

Celebration is a very odd place indeed, and yes The Truman Show reminds me of it every time we watch it. Yes, sterile is a good description, one family we have known for some years lived there for a time, but seems it`s not as pure as it seems and they moved first chance they got after a year or so living there. They don`t miss it.

Thank you, I`m so glad to read you`re enjoying it, always a pleasure to see you post

I love the comparison of Celebration with the Truman Show. It's kind of weird, isn't it?

We have a small town that we have to pass through on our way to Duluth. We never see anyone wandering around that town, in a car, or walking in their yards! We have passed through it at different times of day and never see anyone. It is very strange indeed! There are stores, houses, and a grade school with no activity. We call it the Truman town, LOL.

 

[schumigirl]

We gave the Club Lounge a miss tonight, our suite was very cosy and watching the rain bounce down is something we really enjoy doing, well, as we`re doing something else most of the time, but yep, we do love rain when we`re not out in it.

Tonight we were meeting D in Strong Water Bar for dinner, she was here again for a quick visit with a day or so at Disney then over to Universal today and to meet us tonight, we were so looking forward to seeing her. Sadly her husband J couldn`t make this trip after all, he is a lovely guy and we missed him, but catching up with D is always a lot of fun. She makes the trip down here usually once a month if not more as she only lives just over 2 hour flight away....if I lived that close I`d be there at least every month too, how close it that. It`s very different from a nine and a half hour flight, with 3-4 hours before at the airport before hand, and of course the difference in flight costs are mahoosive......yes, it is quite the difference, but it`s fabulous she can do it so often!!!

We first met her in the Club Lounge a few years ago, through our shared friend Raymond, she had Johnny Depp sign her ankle and had it tattooed on.....she is a very lovely lady, very glamorous and looks very rock chick, and she is just the kindest and loveliest of ladies we have ever met and we have become very good friends over the last few years, mostly through calls and emails, but meeting up is something we really look forward to.

We had let the team know we were going to be three tonight so Fernando had made sure our favourite table was booked for us and even though Maggie was in another section, she was taking care of us which is always lovely for us too.

D arrived just after we did and yes, it was lovely to be meeting up again. I immediately handed her a bag of goodies and she returned the favour, she knows I love tea towels (yes, sad I know) but I do, I love buying towels, bedding and anything close to that, and it was a very pretty set which have taken pride of place in the cabinet that stores them back home.

Settling down we all perused the menu for drinks first, D wasn`t sure what to get so asked for my recommendation, so thinking about what she likes I suggested she try the Carribean Bird which has a very fine Black Tot Rum, Aperol, Pineapple Juice and a small squeeze of Lime Juice, I hoped she liked it!!

Tom opted for one of Maggie`s own Rum Old Fashioned, he thinks hers are as good as any that the wonderful Rum Captains make up, I think the word to describe the Old Fashioned is strong!!! I went for a Casamigos Blanco Margarita, it came with a sugar rim which I don`t like, but it was fine.

Drinks were perfect, my margarita was divine and D really did enjoy her drink. Fernando popped over a few times, he has met D several times now so it`s nice for them to catch up too and of course Chef Carlos popped out to say a big hello too, amazing guy and we are thankful he isn`t leaving for Helios!!

We were chatting for such a long time before we ordered, and Maggie did let us know the kitchen may be a little busy soon due to the weather.

And she wasn`t wrong, they had brought in all the seating from outside and created some extra tables, the wind and rain were quite something to see tonight, we were certainly glad to be inside with no need to be out.

Finally we decided on some food and it was getting incredibly busy now, D opted to have the Jerk Chicken with coconut rice and we also ordered a side dish of the sweet plantains, I had completely fallen in love with those and D liked them too, so a plate to share was ideal.

Tom ordered what is probably his favourited dish in here, although quite simple it is beautiful, the Camarones Al Ajillo which he loves, an with extra bread Maggie brought, he was in seventh heaven!!!

Of course, Madam here had to go and order a dish that would feed two people!!!!









I blame Maggie

Maggie had told us the special tonight was a Wagyu Strip with chimichurri, some kind of veg salad mixed with something else I forget and the truffle potato croquettes!!!

Amazing dish!!!

Both their dishes looked like little appetisers in comparison and I did indeed have the grace to look a little sheepish, and yes, I did share with both of them, as always the steak was cooked beautifully, very tender and so full of flavour, I think I had been spoiled here tonight!!

Chef Carlos marvels at our hatred of Cilantro and often teases me about it, and with the chimichurri I couldn`t taste even a trace of it, he didn`t say he had made it specially without cilantro for me, but I can usually spot it in a dish five restaurants away, but nothing in this one.

The first time we tried it about 30 years ago, we call it Coriander in the UK, I think it was just sprinkled over the top of a dish and I thought it was just the usual herbs and tried it.......nope, it was vile and I did look for a napkin to spit it out into!!!

Soap!

That`s what it tastes like to both of us, of course Tom had to try it as surely nothing can be that bad.....lol....he agreed it was disgusting!! So, if something has cilantro in it, we don`t order it. The Camarones have a tiny bit in the shrimp marinade, but we ask for no extra in the sauce and it makes a huge difference to the dish.

I do like a specific and detailed reason for something and this reasoning works for me!









But, the food was amazing as always, both Chef and Fernando checked the steak was good as they know I like it quite rare and this is served medium rare, but it was perfect and I was so glad I had ordered it.

They said they were sending out dessert for us to share, although we were quite full, we could manage it between the three of us, meanwhile we ordered some more drinks, D had another Caribbean Bird, I ordered the beautiful Rum Dream and Tom went for his favourite, Fountain of Youth which is quite like a Margarita but nicer somehow.

Dessert duly appeared and as well as the huge portion of Tres Leche Cake, Fernando brought me a little bowl of dulce de leche ice cream which he knows I adore!!!! And again, he had dropped a big scoop of the caramel on top too!!!! This, although I claim not to have a sweet tooth, is gorgeous!!!

Between the three of us we still couldn`t finish it, although I also had ice cream so I had an excuse not to eat too much of it, beautiful dish and wonderful evening.

The time passed so quickly, D had a very early flight back home, she was leaving for the airport around 3.30am, so it wasn`t a late night.

There are no pictures of us with D this visit as last night a bed bug had bit her near her eye so of course if you don`t want your picture taken, you don`t get it taken. It didn`t look too bad, but of course if it`s on you, you feel it is more prominent than it really is, she had covered it well and it would clear up soon. I forget which Disney hotel she was staying in last night, but it was in the bed there it bit her.

We thanked everyone for taking such good care of us again tonight then said goodnight to D in the lobby, we`d plan to meet up in May next year again and hopefully J would manage that trip too.

Back in our suite we poured a glass of wine, put the tv on and watched that and the weather which was still wild, but wasn`t as bad in this area, but some folks had been hit hard by it, very sad to see.

I think we sat up till midnight watching a movie, made room for some flaming hot doritos, not many, but enough with a little garlic dip we had bought, altogether a lovely evening with good company and good friends, can`t ask for more.

Tomorrow we planned another park day! ​

 

[schumigirl]

I love the comparison of Celebration with the Truman Show. It's kind of weird, isn't it?

We have a small town that we have to pass through on our way to Duluth. We never see anyone wandering around that town, in a car, or walking in their yards! We have passed through it at different times of day and never see anyone. It is very strange indeed! There are stores, houses, and a grade school with no activity. We call it the Truman town, LOL.

It is very weird. We have friends, TM friends that used to live there, we visited them once and even the house although lovely, felt almost as though as if it was a movie set. I was told I was rambling though lol.....

Now that is odd!!! Especially with a school there too with no activity, seems a very apt name for it

 

[SCDizFan]

My gosh those oysters looked amazing! I LOVE oysters! Raw, steamed, broiled, fried, Rockefeller, etc. I can eat my weight in oysters (and I have in New Orleans) and I was drooling looking at your oysters.

The trip sounds so lovely!

I hope the hurricane wasn't too bad there. My family in Sarasota/Siesta Key left and came over and stayed in Fort Lauderdale at a friend's vacation home during the storm. My family was very lucky and suffered no damage in that storm.