Haunted Houses, Scare Zones, a Candy Factory, Monsters, Goblins, Candy Apples and more. Is there a Quiet Place? My HHN 33 trip.

[Robo56]

I'm with your sister on the candy apples. I love the ones with caramel and nuts. It must be healthy with the apples, right?

Yes, of course it is healthy. It has apples and nuts. Almost a vegan treat….LOL

Carmel Apples are yummy and the perfect Halloween treat for sure.

Now you will have to drop by the Universal Store at the studios and get one.

 

[Robo56]

Just wanted to stop and say how sad I was to hear of Dame Margaret Natalie Smiths (Maggie Smiths) passing.

What a wonderful actress.

She was fantastic as Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies.






I also enjoyed her acting in Downton Abbey.

Wands up in a salute to an awesome actress who brought so much joy to so many in the various roles she played.

 

[Robo56]

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH CONTINUED

After we left Cowfish we did a little walking around CityWalk then back on the Water Taxi to Portofino.

It was already 9 pm so we headed back to the room and watched a little TV and I was ready for bed.

I called my sweet hubby and caught up on the days events with him. Then I took shower and got into my pj’s and I was ready for bed.

You’re probably thinking wow this lady takes showers a lot….LOL…..but every time you leave and go out it was so hot and humid you were a sweaty mess by the time you got back to the room. I was so glad the maids kept us well stocked with towels and wash cloths. Of course you can call and request extra towels etc as needed.

So it is a shower when I wake up, one after the parks or pool and one after dinner out and definitely after a night of HHN.

Something new I noticed in the showers this trip is that the shower body wash, shampoo and hair conditioner is now mounted on the wall in the shower which is a nice touch. They still provide bar soaps and lotions on the counter in the bathroom.

As soon as I closed my eyes I was out.

 

[Robo56]

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH

I slept a little late for me until 8:30 am. I got up and took my shower and got ready for the day. My sister got up a little after I did.

I had noticed the maid did not take the tip I left for her yesterday morning so I made sure she could see it on the middle of the bedside table. I always leave a tip every morning as I know the staff can change every few days and always want to make sure the person who services the room is recognized.

We went down for a light breakfast in the Club Lounge. I cant say enough of about the kindness and the overall attentiveness of the Club Lounge Staff they are wonderful. We were getting to know some of the new staff since we had visited last year. . Isaiah, Brian, Andrew were wonderful as were all the staff. The Manager of the Club Lounge and Concierge Greg is the nicest man.

If you are thinking of staying Club Level at Portofino don’t hesitate it is a wonderful experience.

We decided to go to Disney Springs for the day and look around. My sister K is a big Disney fan and I enjoy walking around and looking at things there too.

We stopped back up to the room to pick up a few things and the maid had just finished our room. I noticed she did not take her tip again and I stopped her in hallway to give it to her. I was wondering why she had not taken it yesterday morning and she explained to me that now you have to write on the provided note pad by the bed that the money you leave is for housekeeping.

I guess this was a new rule so I made sure to leave a little note thanking the maid and writing on the notepad that the money was for housekeeping every morning.

We headed to the Suv in the garage and got on our way to Disney Springs.

We parked in the Lime parking garage and it was time for a little Disney shopping fun.

When we came off the Escalator we turned left and we were on our way.



Not sure why. But we always start our shopping at the Lovepop store. It is the coolest card store. If you are looking for a card for a special occasion you will find it here.

I really enjoyed looking at the Halloween cards.

 

[Robo56]

Then it was onto the Kendra Scott store.

 

[Robo56]

After Kendra Scott store we went to the EverAfter shop. I always liked looking in this shop because it had a nice mix of jewelry and purses and backpacks, but when I entered it had been completely changed.



Now they had completely did away with the nicer purses and jewelry and had displays of stuffed characters, headbands and backpacks.




They had a create your own headband display.




Some Disney Key chains etc.


The Displays were very nice, but I liked the store the way it was previously set up and they no longer sold the nice jewelry.

 

[Robo56]

We stopped in the Coach store to have a look.


They always have nice Disney bags.


After The Coach Store we wondered over to Kate Spade




There was a nice Snow White Collection.




Her bag designs are always so fun an unique.

 

[Robo56]

Then it was onto Vera Bradley


They had a new Mickey patchwork design.










I thought the violet quilted Cinderella purse was really pretty.

 

[Robo56]

I don’t remember this store from last year and I really liked walking around this store.



I really like the vintage looking Halloween decorations.








The Store had some cute things for sale.

 

[Robo56]

After we left SugarBoo store we went to one of my favorite places to visit in Disney Springs.

I had never looked at the Gargoyle on the top of Gideon’s that close before. It looks like a constipated vampire Gargoyle with an attitude…LOL



To be continued

 

[Robo56]

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH CONTINUED

After we were done looking in the SugarBoo store we headed over to Gideon’s Bakehouse. There is always a line to into Gideon’s but we have been lucky in the past getting in fairly quickly and it was only a ten minute wait,




While you are waiting in line the CM’s give you a card with the present month’s special cookie information and it also has menu items regularly sold in the store.
The cards are always so cool and this one was awesome.


The little paragraph at the top back of the card is pretty awesome. I never noticed it before this visit. More focused on the menu.


I love the interior design of the store it is like a creepy library/bookstore and the photos on the wall are interesting.






One of my favorite photos is of the little vampire with his one fang hanging over his lower lip.






To be continued

 

[Worfiedoodles]

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH CONTINUED

After we were done looking in the SugarBoo store we headed over to Gideon’s Bakehouse. There is always a line to into Gideon’s but we have been lucky in the past getting in fairly quickly and it was only a ten minute wait,
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While you are waiting in line the CM’s give you a card with the present month’s specials cookie information and it also has menu items regularly sold in the store.
The cards are always so cool and this one was awesome.
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I love the interior design of the store it is like a creepy library/bookstore and the photos on the wall are interesting.
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One of my favorite photos is of the little vampire with his one fang hanging over his lower lip.
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To be continued


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I'm late to the party, but I'm enjoying your TR! I love the photos, especially the Club at Portofino. I haven't been there since the rehab, but it looks gorgeous!

 

[Robo56]

I'm late to the party, but I'm enjoying your TR! I love the photos, especially the Club at Portofino. I haven't been there since the rehab, but it looks gorgeous

Worfiedoodles so good to have you following along for the trip report. Thank you for your kind words.

You would enjoy the Club Lounge at Portofino. They really did nice Job on the redo. It is spacious and very nice.

 

[Robo56]

Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 10TH CONTINUED


The dusty looking light fixtures fits into the creepy feel of the store.


Of course the cookies and cake are the big seller for the store, but it is just fun to go in and walk around too.

This is the cookie of the month the Sea Turtle Cookie. It has carmel, pecan and chocolate chips.




My sister tried a piece of this Golden Oreo Cake. The slices are huge and she was not able to finish the slice she purchased.

The cookies a cakes are really what I call sharing desserts. Too big of a serving for one person, but nice to share with others. Although my one great-nephew who is in his 20’s was able to polish off one of the cookies by himself. I was impressed.


I always see a lot of people purchasing the various flavored cold brews that are sold. I’am going to make sure and try one of those on the next visit.

 

[Robo56]

I did buy three cookies. Why, I don’t know. I sampled the cookie of the month the Sea Turtle one and it was really good. I sent the other two cookies home with my older sister when she came for a visit.

The cookies keep nicely in a cool space.

Another purchase I made was a Gideon’s insulated cup. The best useable purchase I made this trip. This would be another one of those things that falls under you can teach an old dog new tricks.

My younger sister K who was on the trip with me again this year finally convinced me last year that bringing a small blanket on trips was great for naps and it is.

She always brings an insulated drinking container on trips and I’am sold now. I really like my Gideon’s cup and it was fantastic for water and soft drinks at the pool and in the room. It really keeps your beverage cold and the ice lasts hours.






I absolutely loved the bags they had at Gideon’s I kept seeing people come out with them after their purchases and they are cute.


How fitting the weird cloud cover as we left Gideon’s



After we left Gideon’s we turned left and past shop selling Halloween floats.


Then it was onto the Ganachery to have a look around.




They had the Mickey Chocolate Piñata. You smash Mickey and there is chocolate inside.

 

[Robo56]

I had seen the Sanderson Sister Tray in the shop last year and it was really cute. I found the same tray at HomeGoods last October and bought one for the Sanderson sister fans in the family.






We had never purchased chocolates from here as they would melt with the high temperatures outside. This year it is not an issue now as they have come up with an ice sleeve that lays on your chocolate box to keep them cool even on the hottest days. You have to purshcase 6 pieces or more to get this.







We did get a 6 piece sampler and the ice sleeve kept the chocolate perfectly cool.


Here is the flavor card.


The CM’s were really kind and we enjoyed our look in the store.


Next up it was time for something to eat.


To be continued

 

[Robo56]

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH CONTINUED

I had wanted to try the Boathouse for a a meal. I had never eaten there before and I had read such nice reviews on the food so we decided to give it try.


It was 3 pm and we did not have a reservation, but it was not a problem.







The nautical theming of the restaurant was tastefully elegant.

There is an actual boat that has seating in the cockpit and the rear of the boat.










A number of outboard engines were displayed high on the wall.


We were seated at a nice table by the window. It wasn’t long before our waiter Christopher arrived with the menus. Some ice water arrived shortly after.

 

[Robo56]

We decided on some drinks. My sister ordered the Blueberry lemonade and I ordered the Lemon Drop Martini.





Both the drinks were delicious.

We could see one the Amphicars on the water from where we were sitting.

There is white one in the background in the water in this photo. I took the picture before we entered the restaurant.



We decided to order some shrimp as an appetizer. The waiter said they were huge so we opted to get a couple for each of us as we had ordered a salad and an entree too.

The shrimp were huge and very good.


We both ordered the wedge salad and it was delicious.


For our entree we had the New York strip steak and fries.


This was the best steak I have had in a longtime. The steak was perfectly seasoned and had a seasoned butter on top. The steak was cooked exactly as I had ordered. The fires were seasoned well and were also good, but the steak was the star of the meal.

You also received nice warm yeast rolls with the meal.

This was an incredible meal. The drinks were fantastic and the food was sublime.

Our waiter Christopher was the best. He was attentive yet unobtrusive. He knew his job and his timing was impeccable. He is the kind of waiter that you enjoy tipping generously. He is a star.

It was a nice relaxed meal.

I will be back and I highly recommend if you haven’t visited the Boathouse for a meal to give it a try. It was wonderful.

 

[Robo56]

After our meal I felt a little like Happy, one of Snow Whites Dwarfs. I was happily sated with the best meal I had in ages and was marching off with my full tummy leading the way to do more shopping.


Heigh-Ho Heigh-Ho its off to shop we go.






To be continued

 

[wdwrule]

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I did buy three cookies. Why, I don’t know. I sampled the cookie of the month the Sea Turtle one and it was really good. I sent the other two cookies home with my older sister when she came for a visit.

The cookies keep nicely in a cool space.

Another purchase I made was a Gideon’s insulated cup. The best useable purchase I made this trip. This would be another one of those things that falls under you can teach an old dog new tricks.

My younger sister K who was on the trip with me again this year finally convinced me last year that bringing a small blanket on trips was great for naps and it is.

She always brings an insulated drinking container on trips and I’am sold now. I really like my Gideon’s cup and it was fantastic for water and soft drinks at the pool and in the room. It really keeps your beverage cold and the ice lasts hours.

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I absolutely loved the bags they had at Gideon’s I kept seeing people come out with them after their purchases and they are cute.
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How fitting the weird cloud cover as we left Gideon’s
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After we left Gideon’s we turned left and past shop selling Halloween floats.
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Then it was onto the Ganachery to have a look around.
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They had the Mickey Chocolate Piñata. You smash Mickey and there is chocolate inside.
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As I read through your Gideon’s report, I could smell that bake house I agree with you… one of my favorite Disney Springs shop too. For us, it’s a must do every time.

I’ve never seen that specific Gideon’s bag design before. I love that!

Haha I’m still chuckling at your constipated vampire gargoyle remark I can’t unsee it now! Enjoying your report