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

[schumigirl]

Brilliant idea!!!!!!!!!

Isn`t it!!!!

Not sure why we never thought of it before, although I think in our own way we must have done a few crawls over the years, just not a specifically named one lol......

Yes, why go all the way to Disney when we have plenty of options onsite!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

We also had those scary colors in our kitchen and living room—for some reason, one of the things that sticks out to me the most is all the macrame. Maybe it was just my mom, but we had macrame plant hangers, macrame owls on the walls, and so many things made out of yarn—throws on the back of chairs, hair ties, etc. Homemade was a thing at my house!

 

[schumigirl]

Most pictures are from Google as although I do have some of the bars below, I forget which TR it`s on and not planning to go through almost 80,000 pictures to find it, so I was lazy and googled some pics!!! Antojitos however I don`t have a single picture of.

Antojitos is a place we will only have drinks in, no snacks as they seem obsessed with cilantro in everything!!!!
(yes I do know it`s a Mexican restaurant)












I am also the most boring person in the world when complaining vociferously about it!!! I admit it, Tom and I loathe cilantro or coriander as we call it.

So, no food here.

The exterior is beautiful and a very colourful addition to Citywalk a few years back in 2014, it used to be The Latin Quarter which was pretty decent back then.

But, we are tequila fans.....Sunrises, Margaritas, spicy or otherwise and even on occasion on the rocks where I will sip a Casamigos Reposada with lots of rocks, but we do prefer Tequila in a cocktail and many have said we would enjoy their bar more than any other in Citywalk.

Their drinks menu sounds like we would enjoy it a lot and a little like our favourite rum bar, we will struggle to choose just one....well, maybe two in here!!! I`ll be honest, this might be a two drink place!!!

NBC is another one of those places that can be very poor or excellent, but we have never gone in just for cocktails despite them offering some nice little drinks.

The bar has always looked good and like most places bar staff are fabulous, they all know their job well.

There are a few drinks here we would both enjoy and one is a Black Raspberry Dime which is Bourbon based, weird as I don`t really like Bourbon, but Tom loves it and same with the other ingredients too which include a black raspberry liqueur, blackberries, vanilla, lemon bitters and lemon juice along with simple syrup, sounds darn good to me!!!

The Crimson Derby is an old favourite of ours too and it`s rum based but very fruity flavours too. Definitely somewhere we`ll look forward to enjoying.

Tom of course might just enjoy a simple beer for a change.

Snacks here are supposed to be very good, and everyone talks of their huge pretzel which are bigger than most folk`s heads, but it`s something Tom and I don`t like...so despite everyone raving about them, we kinda don`t get the fuss!! Apologies if you love them

They are impressive though to look at!











Several years ago we enjoyed their chicken nachos, they were very good and they also used to do a Crab Scotch egg, now it`s a Cajun Fried deviled egg, they sound good so we might try those as a snack instead.

We did prefer their nachos compared to Margaritaville who have cut down the size of their nachos compared to what it was years ago when we first ordered that dish.

Like most folks who enjoy an adult libation, we do like to snack as we enjoy a drink or two, so snacks might be quite important depending on what we ate beforehand of course.











We are not the biggest fan of Big Fire either, we`ve only eaten there once and it was well below par, we won`t be eating dinner there again anytime soon.









However again, from friends who have been they all say we would enjoy the bar for drinks and maybe desserts, not sure about the desserts but certainly we`ll give the bar a try and one of the nice things about this bar is we go in knowing nothing about their cocktails, so we are hoping to be surprised and enjoy something rather different.











One place we probably won`t go just for drinks is Vivo. Not that we don`t like it, quite the opposite, we really like it in there and I go as far as saying I think it is the best restaurant in Citywalk, certainly for food as we have always really enjoyed any meal we`ve had in there.

They do have amazing bar staff and guys like Sean and others have been there a long time, Sean can be also be found in the themed bar upstairs too that is The Red Coconut Club. It`s themed differently for whatever the season inlcuding Mardi Gras, Christmas and of course Halloween. And they do a very good pour too!!!

Tom is convinced we`re going to have to do about three or four nights enjoying a Bar Crawl in the view to give a balanced opinion in testing out these places.....nice try Tom!!!

Any other suggestions welcome of course

​

 

[schumigirl]

We also had those scary colors in our kitchen and living room—for some reason, one of the things that sticks out to me the most is all the macrame. Maybe it was just my mom, but we had macrame plant hangers, macrame owls on the walls, and so many things made out of yarn—throws on the back of chairs, hair ties, etc. Homemade was a thing at my house!

lol....oh I know what you mean Maria!!! They really did look homemade didn`t they, but took a lot of work to make I`m sure.

I don`t think we had anything like that, but do remember my grandma having hand crocheted head rests over the back of the sofa and chairs and I`m sure she and others had them at the ends of the armrests too, to protect the sofa!!!

Certainly a much simpler time for sure, homes were always warm, cosy and welcoming.

 

[jump00]

Hi Carole,
Just got back from our 2 week long trip to Italy and Greece. It was truly amazing!, But we were so busy…..I wasn’t able to catch up on my daily Disboards fix. Glad I’ve caught up now.
Your trip is so close …..how exciting!
Happy travels.
Brenda

 

[disneyAndi14]

Hi Carole!
I am following along and enjoying your pre trip report! We will be at Universal until 9/14. We plan to enjoy the parks some on the 14th since our flight is in the evening!
I hope you have a wonderful trip and I will continue to read along and enjoy your report as always!

 

[schumigirl]

Hi Carole,
Just got back from our 2 week long trip to Italy and Greece. It was truly amazing!, But we were so busy…..I wasn’t able to catch up on my daily Disboards fix. Glad I’ve caught up now.
Your trip is so close …..how exciting!
Happy travels.
Brenda

You`re back!!!

I was wondering if you were still away! Glad to hear the trip was everything you hoped it would be. There are some places in Europe that are just amazing. Any favourite`s or anything that surprised you over there?

But, glad you`re all caught up with us and yes, it is getting closer, good to have you back with us again

 

[schumigirl]

Hi Carole!
I am following along and enjoying your pre trip report! We will be at Universal until 9/14. We plan to enjoy the parks some on the 14th since our flight is in the evening!
I hope you have a wonderful trip and I will continue to read along and enjoy your report as always!

along Caroline!!!

It is good to see you here and glad you`re enjoying it so far.

Timing is everything isn`t it. We don`t usually go to the parks the first day as we go get sunscreen and such but, I am going to try and pop into the parks if we can, if we can meet anywhere even if it`s just for five minutes of your day, we would love to say hello finally!!!! It would be such a shame if we missed you by a few hours.

Closer to the time we`ll try and work it out if it suits you ok of course

Glad you`re here though and hope you enjoy this one too

 

[schumigirl]

​

 

[jump00]

You`re back!!!

I was wondering if you were still away! Glad to hear the trip was everything you hoped it would be. There are some places in Europe that are just amazing. Any favourite`s or anything that surprised you over there?

But, glad you`re all caught up with us and yes, it is getting closer, good to have you back with us again

Hi Carole!
We really enjoyed Rome (Vatican and The Colosseum), Mykonos and Malta. We had a fabulous dinner at a Tuscan Villa. I think I was surprised at how hot Europe was and that most people we met in Italy and Greece were lovely. Some people told us that they aren’t happy with all the tourists but we found the complete opposite.
Happy packing! Can’t wait for your trip to start!
Brenda

 

[schumigirl]

PAT O`BRIENS



Thanks to a very kind suggestion, there is one place we do want to give a try to this year, I believe we may have gone there many years ago, but when Kyle was younger so it wouldn`t have been late as they don`t let kids in after a certain time, so this time we do plan to go a little later and enjoy the Duelling Piano`s that have become so famous over the years.

We walked past it several times not realising what it actually was for a time, but it seems to be an incredibly popular place and apparently it gets very busy.

I am quite intrigued by the Duelling Piano`s, it sounds like a huge amount of fun and going by what friends have said we will enjoy it a lot. And yes, it`s nice to have a place that limits when kids can get in, yes, we love kids, but it is nice to go to a place that is adults only.








The most famous drink they do is of course is their Hurricane and this is definitely the drink I`ll be having here. It has everything we both like in a drink, fruity and refreshing which suits us, but there are a couple of drinks we could easily enjoy here.

Being honest the food doesn`t thrill me, dishes with rice or beans I`ll usually avoid, but there are some dishes like the burger, Po Boy or the biscuits and gravy, they do sound good. Tom will like this menu a lot I think.

Food for thought for us here for sure. I think we might have a few nights in Citywalk just enjoying the atmosphere and enjoying a few drinks here and there, there are plenty of options for us and if we don`t get to them all and try all the cocktails we want to, well there`s always next trip, but we will be spoiled for choice I know that!!!



​

 

[schumigirl]

Hi Carole!
We really enjoyed Rome (Vatican and The Colosseum), Mykonos and Malta. We had a fabulous dinner at a Tuscan Villa. I think I was surprised at how hot Europe was and that most people we met in Italy and Greece were lovely. Some people told us that they aren’t happy with all the tourists but we found the complete opposite.
Happy packing! Can’t wait for your trip to start!
Brenda

Sounds fabulous Brenda!! Rome is something to experience and Tuscany is just stunning!!! Never been to Malta or Mykonos, I am curious what you thought of Malta, friends went as kids and hated it, all they remember was a LOT of churches lol.....

Yes, mainland Europe can roast you, they`ve had some severe heatwaves last few years, brutal heat and of course all those old buildings and many don`t have aircon!!

The Islands seem to be having more issues with anti tourism issues, a lot in Spain, so I`m happy you avoided that. One of my friends has a villa in Minorca and folks where their villa is, are so grateful for tourism thankfully.

I`m so glad to hear it was wonderful and thank you, yes, last minute packer here, always the day before we leave for the overnight at the airport hotel!! My early packing friends are always horrified lol.....

 

[schumigirl]

@Worfiedoodles

Curious minds need to know if I got the place you were thinking of that gives a good pour????

Or is there somewhere else we need to consider

 

[iona]

Just caught up and it’s ramping up my excitement levels (although I’m not sure they really needed increasing…) as we fly 15 days after you, albeit from Gatwick. It’s a different trip for us this time - just 10 nights, no park tickets and probably no Universal (I reserve the right to get a Lyft over to Strongwater like we did on our last “no Universal” trip). We were looking at a beach holiday somewhere in Europe (which we’ve never done!) but by the time we’d paid for the flights and for a hotel that appealed, we realised that it would cost us a lot less to go to Orlando using our DVC points and air miles plus it would be a known entity that we’d definitely enjoy!

 

[schumigirl]

Just caught up and it’s ramping up my excitement levels (although I’m not sure they really needed increasing…) as we fly 15 days after you, albeit from Gatwick. It’s a different trip for us this time - just 10 nights, no park tickets and probably no Universal (I reserve the right to get a Lyft over to Strongwater like we did on our last “no Universal” trip). We were looking at a beach holiday somewhere in Europe (which we’ve never done!) but by the time we’d paid for the flights and for a hotel that appealed, we realised that it would cost us a lot less to go to Orlando using our DVC points and air miles plus it would be a known entity that we’d definitely enjoy!

along iona, good to see you!!

Oh wow, that sounds like an amazing trip!

Honestly, beach holidays in Europe are very overrated. We did them when Kyle was very young and we did enjoy them, but haven`t been on a trip like that for many, many years, doubt we`d ever do it again. And many places don`t seem to want us there in Europe now!!

I would absolutely insist on travelling for an evening in Strong Water if I were you lol....I don`t think your other half would mind one bit, glad you enjoyed it enough that you want to go back.

DVC points and air miles sounds fabulous too and yes, guaranteed enjoyment!!

Hope you enjoy this one too, look forward to your comments along the way

 

[jump00]

Sounds fabulous Brenda!! Rome is something to experience and Tuscany is just stunning!!! Never been to Malta or Mykonos, I am curious what you thought of Malta, friends went as kids and hated it, all they remember was a LOT of churches lol.....

Yes, mainland Europe can roast you, they`ve had some severe heatwaves last few years, brutal heat and of course all those old buildings and many don`t have aircon!!

The Islands seem to be having more issues with anti tourism issues, a lot in Spain, so I`m happy you avoided that. One of my friends has a villa in Minorca and folks where their villa is, are so grateful for tourism thankfully.

I`m so glad to hear it was wonderful and thank you, yes, last minute packer here, always the day before we leave for the overnight at the airport hotel!! My early packing friends are always horrified lol.....

Good morning Carole!
We loved how quiet Malta was….far fewer tourists and the buildings were beautiful. They used some of them for their restaurants and shops which removed a lot of those tacky shops! Malta beaches were amazing and we swam in the Blue Lagoon. WOW. So clear! My DH definitely wants to go back for a longer stay.
Brenda

 

[disneyAndi14]

Closer to the time we`ll try and work it out if it suits you ok of course

That sounds great! I hope we can say Hi in person!
Andi wants to try Pat OBriens this trip as well!
I went to the original one in New Orleans many years ago and had the Hurricane of course!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

@Worfiedoodles

Curious minds need to know if I got the place you were thinking of that gives a good pour????

Or is there somewhere else we need to consider

No, you didn’t find it yet.
This is the most chain-like of the places you can eat, and yet we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the generosity of the pours at the Hard Rock at CityWalk

We haven’t tried Pat O’Brien’s yet, so I look forward to your review. I do love dueling pianos! I hope you have a fun request in mind — maybe “Don’t Stop Me Now?!”

 

[schumigirl]

Good morning Carole!
We loved how quiet Malta was….far fewer tourists and the buildings were beautiful. They used some of them for their restaurants and shops which removed a lot of those tacky shops! Malta beaches were amazing and we swam in the Blue Lagoon. WOW. So clear! My DH definitely wants to go back for a longer stay.
Brenda

Oh that is so good to hear, I didn`t realise till recently Malta even had beaches!! Not sure why I never realised they did, but they sound gorgeous and fewer tourists is always a nice thing, it is such a small place.

Yes, European architecture is stunning in places, I can see why you`d want to go back sometime, glad to hear it

 

[schumigirl]

That sounds great! I hope we can say Hi in person!
Andi wants to try Pat OBriens this trip as well!
I went to the original one in New Orleans many years ago and had the Hurricane of course!

If we can we absolutely will Caroline!!!

Oh I imagine the NO one would have been incredible to visit and yes, you do have to have the Hurricane!!! I`ll bet you`ll both love this place, anyone who has been have only good things to say about it