"Guess who`s back"...3 Return for 3 Weeks @ RPR. Parks, KSC with lots of good food and fun...A May 2023 TR

[saskdw]

I completely agree, we have the gift of time and length of stays where we can meander every day and venture off the beaten path and have the time to appreciate all the small details that many miss. Those are the folks that usually complain they didn`t like the parks.

I never found the hallways too long at RP, although to be fair we`re usually near the beginning.

Yes, you did show us those hallways in WL....they are far spookier than anywhere else I`ve seen, glad to hear they`ve brightened them up since then. Such a gorgeous place though, I said at the time, if ever we were tempted to stay at Disney (doubt it) we`d definitely choose WL as it was just stunning. We left you that night wishing we were staying overnight.

I think we enjoy Universal on a completely different level then the other folks.

We are there for the hole experience. Better weather than where we are from, relaxation, food, smell the roses, enjoy some rides, and enjoy time away from the hustle of life.

For most they want to power through as many rides as possible in 2 days and don't care about anything else. They would never notice some of the details you point out.

Also I think it's uncommon in the US for most people to be able to more than a few days at a time for vacation. For me it's a condition of accepting a job offer that they understand I WILL be taking a full 2 weeks to go to Orlando every December. We love it like you do and are never bored.

 

[schumigirl]

I am still figuring it out!

It was great I received notices and could take care things as a moderator

But now I have to read every post since I have not been receiving notifications….

I think there must be an issue for so many not to get notifications.

I don`t "follow" anyone so have no clue if those notifications work, but I am missing some notifications for general threads.

 

[schumigirl]

I think we enjoy Universal on a completely different level then the other folks.

We are there for the hole experience. Better weather than where we are from, relaxation, food, smell the roses, enjoy some rides, and enjoy time away from the hustle of life.

For most they want to power through as many rides as possible in 2 days and don't care about anything else. They would never notice some of the details you point out.

Also I think it's uncommon in the US for most people to be able to more than a few days at a time for vacation. For me it's a condition of accepting a job offer that they understand I WILL be taking a full 2 weeks to go to Orlando every December. We love it like you do and are never bored.

Very true, I think it is different for folks that can stay much longer.

I`ve said it before, when we first visited the US, we wondered why folks were only there for a few days and most of them were like that, it was odd to hear of anyone staying much longer.Then folks explained how the vacations system works for most people in America, it was quite startling to be honest.

It`s fabulous you have that ability with your job as I do think folks need a good break away from work to have a proper vacation, does you the power of good!!!

We love taking our time and sometimes not doing anything except wander and stop into Finnegans for a drink...of course.....

 

[schumigirl]

The Mummy is one of the best rides in Orlando, it`s a classic coaster and is full of excellent theming all the way through. It is a fast ride with a half decent drop and very thrilling all through the second half. You do get some decent air time especially on the back row, but we always ask for the front row on this one too, just a preference.

You have to look out for the nod to Kong in the jewel room part, Kong was in this building before The Mummy was built to thrill us. I do love how Universal do remember past rides and movies all through the park.

We do love The Mummy movies, well, not the Tom Cruise one, what the heck was that and who came up with that idea!!! They are riproaring fun and very funny too, after you pass the part they bury him alive of course!!!

This is unmissable as far as rides go in UOR.

I go on once and then have a wander round the store and the area around the ride as it is just fabulous. I often think this could be my favourite area of this park if nothing else but for the music they play.

The Mummy store is very cool, if like us you are classic horror fans, there are so many pieces of memorabilia to enjoy and purchase and last few years they have really upped their classic monsters merchandise which is fun. It`s a shame it was set aside for so many years as it was what made Universal Pictures so famous, but classic monsters are back and with the new park indulgences, they will be even more prominent.

Mummy merchandise is not really our thing, I don`t think we`ve ever purchased anything Mummy related.

But, Dracula, Frankenstein, Werewolf or movies like the Inivisible Man all feed our craving for anything monster related and tees are just the tip of the iceberg, although I did like this one and decided my friend would love it. But the one below with Frankensteins monster on it, well, why does it come in dingy brown/grey/green, it would look so drab and she suits brighter colours like red, I`d never wear a shirt that dismal colour. So Dracula it was.

This was something I knew she`d love and she had a special birthday coming up, so we managed to surprise her with this and she did love it.

The way you can get purchases sent directly to your room at your hotel is fabulous and incredibly convenient. You`ll get your purchases next morning although if the next day is your check out day they won`t let you do it as there is no guarantee they`ll arrive before you check out, so they`ll always ask before they accept your order for them to be delivered. We have always had them delivered around 9am for some reason, but I don`t think that`s typical.

But, I loved this Dracula.

When Tom and Kyle came off from their 85th time riding on Mummy we stepped out to see the guys on Stilts had arrived and we were happy to see the guy on the left was back. Last visit we only saw him once and wondered if he had retired as he has worked here forever!!

We have had our picture taken with this guy every year since 2007 and we`re always happy to see him when they come out. The younger guys are good of course, but it`s a tradition to have a picture with this guy year after year and trip after trip. He of course won`t have a clue we look for him, but hopefully he`ll be around for many years to come.

It still was fairly quiet today in this area, of course as always Potter would be busier as that`s where everyone seems to go. I`m always so glad we got to see it when it wasn`t as buys after the initial opening, there were times there were hardly any folks around, still busy-ish, but nothing like the last few years.

Louie`s was somewhere we always enjoyed, then they dropped down for a year or so, but we had visited a couple of times since coming back after the pandemic and it was back to the excellent pizza it used to be, although the slices are huge in comparison to what they were, but so nice. Kyle had asked if we could eat here today, of course.

The lagoon and surrounding area is just beautiful and occasionally you do get a little bit of a breeze over the water and there was a little tad of a breeze right now which was helping as it was so deliciously warm again today.

So many things to notice around and all the walls above us and definitely one our favourite things to do when we are meandering around the park is to find something we haven`t seen before and there are surprisingly a lot of things we have missed on previous trips.

One of our friends who works in the Studios said he saw us a couple of times but on those occasions he was with another group of managers so couldn`t stop to chat, but he said everytime he saw us we had the biggest smiles on our faces......how could we not though, being here is always amazing.

More to come....

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

I had stopped getting notifications for Caroline`s TR on the Disney side and I still don`t think I get every update for the San thread.

Wonder if there`s an issue with them.

Something similar happened to me last year. I’m still having issues but not as many and thankfully because I usually go through all the “new posts” I can figure out what I’ve missed.

Even stuff from people I follow is all out of whack!

 

[KathyM2]

I would wear that Frankenstein shirt in drab green lol...but the Dracula one was awesome too.

So true about the attention to detail in the parks. Most of it I think I overlook as usually in a hurry, so it's nice to slow down and pay attention to it sometimes. Not sure the "Pretty girls to dance with" would go over well these days lol but as long as it's a nod to the past lol

 

[cstorm65]

I am with you. The Mummy is awesome! I think what is so cool about it is that it is just such a different attraction. There is really nothing like it anywhere. It's got good storytelling and good thrills! Glad you all are having such a great time!

 

[schumigirl]

Something similar happened to me last year. I’m still having issues but not as many and thankfully because I usually go through all the “new posts” I can figure out what I’ve missed.

Even stuff from people I follow is all out of whack!

It`s weird how I get some alerts but not others, but I don`t post on too many boards so I`m not missing much it seems.

 

[schumigirl]

I would wear that Frankenstein shirt in drab green lol...but the Dracula one was awesome too.

So true about the attention to detail in the parks. Most of it I think I overlook as usually in a hurry, so it's nice to slow down and pay attention to it sometimes. Not sure the "Pretty girls to dance with" would go over well these days lol but as long as it's a nod to the past lol

You`re lucky you can wear that colour!! I look like death warmed up in those shades so I avoid them like the plague.

I`m always awed with the detail in the parks, even in little areas you would never think of.

 

[schumigirl]

I am with you. The Mummy is awesome! I think what is so cool about it is that it is just such a different attraction. There is really nothing like it anywhere. It's got good storytelling and good thrills! Glad you all are having such a great time!

I think, in the Studios it`s our favourite ride and has been for the longest time, as you say it has everything and quite unique.

Thanks, we were having an absolute blast!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

It`s weird how I get some alerts but not others, but I don`t post on too many boards so I`m not missing much it seems.

It can be frustrating when you e been following a TR and all of a sudden you don’t get notifications forget about it and then see it in the new posts forum but it gives me some reading material during downtime for sure lol

 

[SCDizFan]

I didn`t even have to ask him to try it, he wanted to which is nice.

Runners tend to drink a lot and It thinks it is the extreme carb cravings.

I remember the first year I ran the New York City Marathon I gained 20 pounds during training from drinking so much beer. On Saturdays (training was July through October) I would do my long runs (10-20 miles/16-32KM), take a nap, then hit the beach. I could easily drink a twelve pack of full test Budweiser or Yuengling over the course of an afternoon on the beach THEN eat a massive dinner.

All of my running club meetings were always at a bar and most races serve beer afterwards.

Funnily enough, as soon as I stopped training and settled into just running, that weight fell off.

I'm so enjoying your trip report! Glad yall are having so much fun with Kyle!

 

[schumigirl]

It can be frustrating when you e been following a TR and all of a sudden you don’t get notifications forget about it and then see it in the new posts forum but it gives me some reading material during downtime for sure lol

Yes, I missed a lot of Caroline`s TR last time around, I much prefer to keep up, so hopefully it`ll be fixed soon.

 

[schumigirl]

Runners tend to drink a lot and It thinks it is the extreme carb cravings.

I remember the first year I ran the New York City Marathon I gained 20 pounds during training from drinking so much beer. On Saturdays (training was July through October) I would do my long runs (10-20 miles/16-32KM), take a nap, then hit the beach. I could easily drink a twelve pack of full test Budweiser or Yuengling over the course of an afternoon on the beach THEN eat a massive dinner.

All of my running club meetings were always at a bar and most races serve beer afterwards.

Funnily enough, as soon as I stopped training and settled into just running, that weight fell off.

I'm so enjoying your trip report! Glad yall are having so much fun with Kyle!

Kyle has never drank alcohol, even as a teen he was never interested in drinking even when all of friends did, so he was always happy to be designated driver as he still is today at times when his friends want to enjoy a drink or two. We were always happy he never gave into peer pressure as I`m sure it was offered, but he always knew what he didn`t want to do as he was always mature for his age.

The running clubs he belongs to never have alcohol at the end, they have tea and goodies......lol......maybe if they had alcohol I`d volunteer there!

I`m glad he still doesn`t drink though as if we meet him to go out for dinner, he`s the driver!!

Wow, that is amazing loss, and and an amazing amount of food and alcohol, but you are onviously very fit and healthy....a smack in the face for folks that say you can`t be fit and drink at the same time!! Love it!

Thank you so much, I`m so glad you`re enjoying this one too, always good to see you

 

[schumigirl]

We were loving every second, between just being in the parks and the heat which was now around 85F, this was bliss!! We had left temps of low 50`s and even cooler before we left the UK, we had a very cool April so we relished this even more. Hasn`t been much better since we got home to be honest!!!

One of the nice little shows around the parks is Beat Builders a very much high energy show with some very fit young men who perform a nice little act involving vibrant music and involves getting someone from the crowd involved, it is very good, but quite short. The show is always set to the rear of Louie`s Pizza.

We did watch it this morning but for some reason we got the short version, they didn`t have the guys climb up the scaffolding nor did they get someone from the audience, we wondered if they had changed the show since October, but when we saw it next time they were back to normal.

They`re out several times a day and if you`re passing it`s worth watching, but I wouldn`t work my day around seeing it.

We usually stop by and see Bruce the Shark, but he was completely surrounded by a very large group so we`d catch him another day for a picture.

We headed to Diagon Alley and we planned to ride Gringotts but we really were taking our time and just embracing every moment of the day which can sometimes pass far too quickly, but this for us is the way to do the parks.

Smile.......

Walking into Diagon Alley is always something special, every time we walk through those bricks you are automatically transported into the mythical world of Potter and it is magical and everything it`s purported to be and it never disappoints.

JK Rowling is an absolute genius and she absolutely helped bring this place to life, I`m glad she stuck to her guns and insisted it stayed to her vision and wasn`t turned into something that could have been disappointing, but Universal are also genius at bringing things to life, so the combination of the two visions works so well. I`m a huge fan of JK Rowling and all she has created.

But, seeing Kyle walk in after 4 years is nice!!! It was certainly busier than it was last time, but we`ve been very fortunate to see it empty, I know one couple we spoke to said every time they visit you can`t move for people even going in early, I told them they need to change the times they visit as you can still find it quiet-er but now, it`s generally just busy.

I love seeing the excitement and happiness on everyone`s faces in here and you can still see some first timers visit and yes, some of them still do get emotional seeing it all and you can see why, it is incredible, simply incredible.

We did plan to get a drink at the Hopping Pot, but everyone seemed to be in line for drinks today, so we didn`t bother, we`d try another day.

One of the cutest things to do in Diagon Alley is go into the Money Exchange, it`s to the left hand side of the stage where they perform the Celestina Warbeck and Beedle of the Bard show and it`s easily missed if you don`t know it`s there.

You can exchange Muggle money for Gringotts money as the title does tell you and Gringotts money makes a great gift for folks especially if they are coming to visit in the future.

You are immediately greeted by the Head Goblin who is not the friendliest of creatures, but you do need to talk to him as he will answer you and he is fairly creepy in his demeanour. The movements he makes are very clever and almost lifelike at times.

Some folks ask him silly questions, but if you ask him questions about Gringotts he will respond in some detail at times.

I always find this quite creepy too....but again, the detail in everything Potter is out of this world.

Of course you can`t miss out on taking a picture of the dragon itself, I never understand those that moan about folks taking pictures.....why not!! It`s all about capturing a moment in time, nothing wrong with that. I remember my grandma years ago reminding us, one day photos will be all you`ll have left of some folks and to cherish them, very true.

Gringotts was a complete walk on for EP this morning, the regular line was 45 minutes but we got on very quickly indeed, I don`t think we stopped till we got to the stairs you climb. We got on the front row of the second car which suited us, to be honest we don`t have a preference on this ride vehicle where we sit.

There are so many things to see in the line, it is a very good line and the elevator and Bill`s Office are all worth seeing, however I have to admit Gringotts is not my favourite ride.....it is very good of course and we always do it at least once a trip, but if we missed it, it wouldn`t bother us. I do however, always enjoy it when we do it.

The lockers here are probably the ones that always seem the busiest for some reason, but usually if you head for the back ones it can be quieter as everyone seems to just see the ones in front of them and don`t look beyond their own nose at times. Today we were lucky and we had chosen a locker at the back and it was quiet, however we did have to squeeze through the throngs of folks to get the exit.

One of my favourite corners is the one with the steaming kettle and the ice cream parlour.

We don`t often get ice cream from here, there are some nice flavours and the butterbeer ice cream is one we do like, the strawberry is also nice as are most of them. The one disappointment is the clotted cream as it tastes nothing like real clotted cream, it almost has a key lime flavour where it shouldn`t. But, they are quite nice, just not as good as Haagen Dazs....in our opinion of course!

One of the managers we know from The Studios once told us he was approached by a couple who asked him to settle an argument as to whether the table and chairs beside the ice cream cone had always been there. They had apparently visited 5 years previous to this visit and the husband said the table and chairs were new, wife argued they had always been there.....they had been arguing about it all morning, D confirmed the lady was correct and they had always been there much to the annoyance of the husband. It`s funny what people remember and don`t remember from previous visits.

We did something similar during the week when we walked on the beach last week, both of us noticed a metal handrail on one of the sets of steps down to the sand and neither of us could remember if it had always been there or been added in May while we were away, and that`s somewhere we walk almost every day!!! We still can`t decide.

My favourite place in Diagon Alley is Knockturn Alley which is dark and sinister as it should be and it has also been filled with corners where you do need to explore and find those little details.

Borgin and Burkes has plenty of merchandise for sale and some unique items to admire as well as some items which are in the movie like the Vanishing Cabinet, Hand of Glory and many more including a cursed necklace, it is a treasure trove of items to admire.

It was starting to get very busy in here all of a sudden so that usually means we head out once the crowds veer in this way.

Of course we had to get one of Kyle on the doorstep and just after that Kreacher appeared at the window above. Some folks think if you knock on the door he`ll appear, but he`s on a timer so if you knock and he appears, it`s coincidence, but it is always nice to see his grouchy and warped face appear and sullenly glare at you for daring to disturb his peace and quiet.

Tom and Kyle headed over to MiB which is a ride I`m not fond of, those types of rides just don`t do anything for me at all but they love them so I said I`d stay over by the Knight Bus and just sit in the sun till they came back for me.

I`d enjoy that more than MiB. And it is nice sitting as folks chat when they sit beside you and that`s always nice, hearing where folks come from and things like if they`ve ever been here before. Weirdly the fist woman that asked if I minded her sitting beside me lived about 90 minutes from me. That was odd, but we had a nice chat about what an amazing woman JK Rowling was and what a life she had.

Eventually my two came back for me and they had loved MiB, I did say I`d go on it another day with them as we did enjoy going on rides together, but apart from once when I did beat them both my some miracle, I usually added nothing to the score at the end, and being honest if I didn`t ride this again I`d be quite happy.

We were hungry now and headed to Louie`s for pizza. We used mobile order as we were almost there and when we walked into the building our pizzas were just being sat out.

Kyle and Tom got cheese, I chose pepperoni and we shared a chicken caesar salad just to give it a try.

Not sure where my pepperoni slice is, but Kyle remarked he`d forgotten how large these slices were and they are very, very good. The picture with the salad is a little blurry, I think I must have taken that one.....oops!!!

The salad was just ok, taste wise it was very nice but the chicken was just a little dry, portion wise it was very good though.

It didn`t take long to eat lunch, we all enjoyed it and it is filling.....but......there`s always room for ice cream!!!

Haagen Dazs is right across the street from Louie`s and one of Kyle`s favourite ice creams, so we were always going to head over here next.

I do like ice cream and as we don`t get Dulce de leche any more in the UK for some unknown reason, I was planning to have that, but then I saw they were doing a summer special.....pineapple-coconut.....two of my favourite flavours, so I had to get some of course, but got dulce de leche too as I couldn`t choose between them!!

And this was the small size!! Pineapple-coconut on top, very generous portions, but I will say the staff could have been friendlier.

Kyle and Tom of course both got chocolate with chocolate sauce......there was never any doubt there.

They were all gorgeous. I loved the pineapple-coconut.....I think it was the nicest ice cream I`d ever tasted from them and of course the dulce de leche always hits the spot!!!! Their chocolate was devoured and I think you`d struggle to tell from the empty pot what flavour Kyle had enjoyed!!

That was gorgeous!!

Transformers was up next, another they love but I`m not interested in at all and that ride although similar to Spider-Man has a horrible effect on me for motion issues. It`s the way the screen is pixelated rather than how you move, but I just can`t do it, so I am excused from doing this one too, especially after pizza, salad and ice cream!

So I have another wander around while they ride, and if you wander off the main path there are so many hidden gems to see with theming for every area of the park.

They had walked straight on TF twice, regular line was 50 minutes at the point they went in, so EP was again worth it`s weight.

It was getting very hot now and Tom and I really aren`t used to being in the parks for so long and certainly not usually in the afternoon when it was getting so busy, so Kyle was going to stay and spend another couple of hours while we headed back home and planned to snooze for a time, yes, we weren`t as young as we used to be and having so much time on our tripswe didn`t have to do full days. Much as we loved the heat, full days are not for us.

We got one picture then we headed home and Kyle headed back to do RRR, Mummy, MiB as many times as he felt like doing. It worked out well as he could go at his speed and do what he wanted while we could go back and snooze......lol......

We had plans later to meet a good friend in the lobby as he was working and then tonight we had dinner plans with a very good old friend and another very good but newer friend, although we`ve been friends now for over a year, so I`ll just call her a good friend too!

We walked back as there didn`t seem to be a boat on the horizon and it`s easier to walk sometimes, it`s not a long walk and from park exit to RPR it took us 10 minutes and not one boat passed us as we walked, so we made the right choice walking.



More to come from today.......

 

[keishashadow]

i noticed that the “watch” option i had in place here totally disappeared. That’s the 2nd time it has happened, so odd.

great updates carole, loving the details. Will say, I’ve never noticed the table & chairs.

for those in the US, if interested in the park’s U monster shirts, noticed this week several of them in the men’s dept @ Ross for under $10.

 

[schumigirl]

i noticed that the “watch” option i had in place here totally disappeared. That’s the 2nd time it has happened, so odd.

great updates carole, loving the details. Will say, I’ve never noticed the table & chairs.

for those in the US, if interested in the park’s U monster shirts, noticed this week several of them in the men’s dept @ Ross for under $10.

I wonder why it`s gone? I don`t think I ever used it, I generally just get notifications on threads I had posted on. It`s nice to be able to keep up though especially on a trip report as they are usually longer, if I read one I make sure I post on it to be able to keep up.

As someone who writes TR`s, it`s always lovely when folks comment along the way so hope the notifications come back to normal.

Thank you Janet, I`m so glad you`re enjoying it.....and yes, it`s funny what we don`t notice at times!

Wow that is a good price for those tees!! I did go into Ross once when I was in Long Island one time, I forget if I liked it or not......lol.......

 

[Robo56]

All caught up on your trip report. So nice to see a family vacationing together with big smiles.

I have given Louie‘s a pass for a couple of trips. I need to give it another try on next visit if grandson wants to try lunch there.

Your photos are beautiful. It is so nice to be transported back to Universal in photos while waiting for the next trip.

Looking forward to reading more. As always very well written trip report with lots of good information and photos.

 

[keishashadow]

Oh, the watch feature is still there to select, it’s just that for some reason my selection disappears from this and other threads. Maybe in system updates of some sort?

i’m going to guess you aren’t the adventure of the hunt sort you have to be for outlet shopping. Often akin to looking for a needle in a haystack in those places.

 

[schumigirl]

All caught up on your trip report. So nice to see a family vacationing together with big smiles.

I have given Louie‘s a pass for a couple of trips. I need to give it another try on next visit if grandson wants to try lunch there.

Your photos are beautiful. It is so nice to be transported back to Universal in photos while waiting for the next trip.

Looking forward to reading more. As always very well written trip report with lots of good information and photos.

Louie`s is much improved since a couple of years ago when we didn`t enjoy it after many years of loving the place, I hope you do give it a try and enjoy it again.

Thank you, I`m glad you`re enjoying the TR and the pictures too, much appreciated.