Hijinks & Shenanigans but not much Mayhem@The Dark Side+Disney:Link to DL/Hawaii TR

[natebenma]

I Melt With You: Emack & Bolios Marketplace


This is the place to come for the best ice cream and smoothies ever created! This award winning ice cream store not only offers musically inspired ice cream flavors, but also sells a wide variety of snacks, candies and drinks, as well as breakfast items, sandwiches and pizza.

Open Daily at 6:30 am for freshly brewed Starbucks coffee drinks and breakfast pastries.



Ice Cream











Note: There was an advertisement for Emack & Bolios in the elevator: Mention this ad for a free add-on when you order two scoops of ice cream or something like that. Unfortunately, I didnt notice the ad until the day after we had ordered ice cream.


Munchies- Snacks and Breakfast Items:
















Breakfast in America:















When the Moon Hits Your Eye, Like a Big Pizza Pie

We did not have plans for dinner on our first night at Universal- we didnt know where we would be or when we would be hungry. We stumbled back to the Hard Rock after a long day- 4 am wakeup, 3 hour flight, hours at Universal and then Islands of Adventure.

We spied this poster and decided to get a pizza with a couple of drinks



Two fails here! I forgot to ask if they honored the 10% AAA discount (I found out later they dont)

I also failed to take a picture of the pizza when we returned to the room with it.


The meal really hit the spot!

Cost: $28.00 plus tip for 1 large pizza and 2 drinks


Continued in the Next Post

 

[natebenma]

"Twistin' by the Pool"

The pool at the Hard Rock opens daily at 8 am. Hours may vary by season.

One of the features is a speaker system which allows you to listen to music underwater. The pool also features a cool pool slide. There is poolside entertainment daily, like Hula Hoop contests, Scavenger Hunts, Balloon Toss and a Dive-In Movie shown nightly. A nice touch was the cooler of citrus water offered near the pool.

On of the drawbacks of the pool is the depth. I think it is around 4" deep in most places.

The Hard Rock offers Cabana Rentals starting at $180 per day.

I have to confess that we were so busy at the theme parks during our stay that we didn't use the pool at all.

There's a pretty cool pool slide. Allegedly! I never used it or got close to it. If I get ambitious, I may steal someone else's pictures and add them here.

















I took about 30 minutes to sit in a lounger to soak in the atmosphere in this picturesque spot.









A few more pictures around the pool area:









Dive-In Movie







Read about the poolside Beach Club restaurant in the next post

 

[natebenma]

(Rockaway) Beach Club poolside restaurant is a casual hangout for a bite to eat and the best poolside view at the hotel.

Open daily at 11 am

Serves lunch and dinner








Menu:




















Continued in Next Post

 

[natebenma]

Get Busy (Resort Activities)




Pool Activities
From ping pong tournaments, water balloon tosses, pool basketball, hula hoop contests or arts & crafts, youll find something fun to do poolside for the whole family. Check with the front desk upon your arrival to find out what's going on during your stay.


Catch the "movie of the week" on a big screen poolside - it's one of our guests' favorite activities and a great way to unwind with the family after a day in the parks! Guests are invited to enjoy a range of family favorites and blockbusters under the stars. Food is also available from the Beach Club until 11pm.

Select nights each week, weather permitting.






Jogging
Whether you're a runner, a jogger or a walker you can take a trip around the Universal Orlando Resort grounds. Stop by the concierge desk on your arrival and pick up a map for .5, 1.3 or 3.0 mile loop.


Arcade

Play all the latest video games in the hotels game room.
Open from 8 am - 12 midnight.

Concerts

From May through August, the hotel will feature a DJ on Thursday nights, a live band on Saturdays and Concert Nights every Sunday. Concert nights will showcase performances from today's top bands on a full-size movie screen by the beach. All entertainment is complimentary to hotel guests.




Hard Rock Orlando is offering a couple of neat programs this summer:


Sound of Your Stay- Guests can borrow an expensive guitar for use during their stays.

BE A CLOSET ROCKER WITH PICKS.

Satisfaction. That’s what a luxury brand experience should embody. And what could be more satisfying than a world-class Fender guitar delivered to your room? Hard Rock and Fender have teamed up to offer a uniquely authentic rock-and-roll experience and serious guitars are the new in-room amenity. Are you ready?

Guests may choose from 20 different awesome Fender guitars including legendary Stratocasters, classic Telecasters and a few special surprises. We also offer bass guitars for those of you who love throwing down a funky baseline. Plus, we provide an amp and a pair of headphones to ensure maximum sound for you and zero noise complaints to us.

The best part? There's no charge or time limit on use (but just to be sure you don't go off on your next world tour with our guitar, a $1,000 credit card deposit is required when checking a guitar out). So grab that Fender axe you’ve always wanted to try, channel Stevie Ray or Clapton and shred for as long as you're staying at Hard Rock Hotel.



Full Menu of Guitars




Tracks
tracks.® is a free music download program where guests can download playlists curated by celebrities and music pros.

At check-in you will receive a code to download your choice of 3 themed playlists to serve as your official soundtrack to enhance your Hard Rock Hotel experience. Playlist themes include City which features cutting edge rock and electronic sounds, Players which reflects the more classic side of Hard Rock, and Resort which features more recognizable pop-rock hits and new bands about to break.


Continued in Next Post

 

[natebenma]

"Walk This Way"


For my family, the most important reason to stay at the Hard Rock is Location, Location, Location!

We love that you can easily walk to both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. I didn't do a great job "timing" the walk, but I think we figured that it took us 20-25 minutes one morning to get from our room at HR to WWoHP. Not bad! The walk to Universal Studios is much quicker.

You also have the option to take a boat from the Hard Rock to City Walk or to hire a rickshaw driver to bike you there. Fee for the rickshaw is a discretionary tip to the driver. Mark and Ben did this one night after dinner at Bubba Gumps.


The main elevators take you to this hallway rotunda.




If you go straight, you arrive at the pool. This is a quick way to the path to City Walk BUT we found that the gate was locked when we tried to get through at 7 am, since the pool does not open until 8. This pathway did work great later in the day, though




If you head off to the corridor on the left, it will bring you to the boat launch and also to a path that brings on a path around the hotel to City Walk








Coming back one afternoon, we noticed people going into this door, which was just beyond the gated area of the pool. We suspected it might be "short cut" to the path, so one afternoon, we went in this door to find out where it is, and the next morning Ben and I tried this way while Mark and Nate took the path starting by the boat launch. Ben and I beat them there by a minute or two









We didn't ask anyone if there was a better way to go. If you have stayed there and know a better route, please share. I know when we stayed at the Portofino, we walked through the Hard Rock parking lot and cut through some trees near space 621, I believe and that took us RIGHT to City Walk. But we didn't find out how to get out there during our stay.


Here are a few pictures of the path from the Hard Rock to City Walk:














The Long Way Home:

 

[JanetMom]

Some random thoughts on your recent posts…

As soon as I read “Cool for Cats” I started humming the Squeeze song. I smiled as I scrolled down and saw that it was the Squeeze guitar.

I was crushing more on Shaun Cassidy, rather than David, but I still know all the words to I Think I Love You.

Is Emack and Bolios a better place for ice cream than Beaches and Cream? Or is it possible that you still cannot make that comparison?

The Beach Club restaurant drinks menu is looking quite yummy.

And most importantly – thanks for taking the time to grab all these photos and giving us a glimpse of the Hard Rock. (You rock!)

 

[natebenma]

Some random thoughts on your recent posts&

As soon as I read Cool for Cats I started humming the Squeeze song. I smiled as I scrolled down and saw that it was the Squeeze guitar.

I was crushing more on Shaun Cassidy, rather than David, but I still know all the words to I Think I Love You.

Is Emack and Bolios a better place for ice cream than Beaches and Cream? Or is it possible that you still cannot make that comparison?

The Beach Club restaurant drinks menu is looking quite yummy.

And most importantly  thanks for taking the time to grab all these photos and giving us a glimpse of the Hard Rock. (You rock!)

I love Squeeze, and Cool for Cats is my favorite of their songs.

I guess that pegs me as a wee bit older than you! Although Shaun Cassidy did grace the cover of many issues of my "Tiger Beat" magazines. That Jack Cassidy was responsible for some mighty cute boys!

Regarding the ice cream comparison- It's possible!!!

We didn't try anything at the Beach Club (at the Hard Rock), but what a nice place for a poolside drink. Second best place, perhaps.

You are so welcome! Thanks for reading and looking!

 

[HockeyMomR]

I love a good tour. Now I will date myself as well...I loved the Partridge Family and David Cassidy. Oh and Loveboy - saw them in concert in 1982 and even have the ticket stub in my teen scrapbook to prove it! Going back to read rest of update.

 

[HockeyMomR]

Loved the tour. So looks like you have plenty of info for a Hard Rock thread! Good reading.

 

[catho72]

I, too, preferred Shaun Cassidy over his older half-brother David but that David WAS a looker! Greg Brady is still my favorite singing tv star, though! Sadly, he didn't fit the suit! :-( John Stamos would be a close second...first as Blackie Parrish on General Hospital, then as Uncle Jesse on Full House.....yowza!

Great pics, Dee! Hard Rock looks like a fabulous place to stay. Not as fabulous as our dearly beloved Beach Club, but nice nonetheless!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[natebenma]

I love a good tour. Now I will date myself as well...I loved the Partridge Family and David Cassidy. Oh and Loveboy - saw them in concert in 1982 and even have the ticket stub in my teen scrapbook to prove it! Going back to read rest of update.

Do you remember who the opening act for Loverboy was? In the concert I went to it was either Twisted Sister "We're Not Gonna Take It" or Quiet Riot "C*m on Feel the Noize!"

Loved the tour. So looks like you have plenty of info for a Hard Rock thread! Good reading.

You know, I just can't look at a hotel stay the same way again! I think the Hard Rock thread on the Universal forums went though about 10 pages in the 2 years since I have stayed there. We did that on the BC/YC FAQ yesterday!

I, too, preferred Shaun Cassidy over his older half-brother David but that David WAS a looker! Greg Brady is still my favorite singing tv star, though! Sadly, he didn't fit the suit! :-( John Stamos would be a close second...first as Blackie Parrish on General Hospital, then as Uncle Jesse on Full House.....yowza!

Great pics, Dee! Hard Rock looks like a fabulous place to stay. Not as fabulous as our dearly beloved Beach Club, but nice nonetheless!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Sounds like you had lots of first loves!!! Can't say I blame you on any of them.

The Hard Rock was really cool, but you are right- it is not my Beach Club home.

:

 

[ProudMommyof2]

Awesome tour! We loved being able to order lunch at the pool when we were at Royal Pacific in April.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Thanks for the tour Dee Love the look of it all but just wondering if those rooms are sound-proofed against the noise from all the guitar playing guests??

The pool menu looks cool-some really good choices on there as a wee change from the usual burger and fries combo

 

[natebenma]

Awesome tour! We loved being able to order lunch at the pool when we were at Royal Pacific in April.

Thanks!

If we had spent any time at the pool, I bet we would have enjoyed lunch there.

Thanks for the tour Dee Love the look of it all but just wondering if those rooms are sound-proofed against the noise from all the guitar playing guests??

The pool menu looks cool-some really good choices on there as a wee change from the usual burger and fries combo

1) Aren't all of us veterans of Aerosmith and Twisted Sister concerts deaf anyway? What?

2) Along with the guitars and amps, the issue headphones so only the guitarist should be hearing the music.

I believe Cynthia, eandesmom, enjoyed a meal poolside at the Beach Club a couple of years ago.

It was one of the contenders for our meal on the first night, but we were all so exhausted that pizza in the room won over. And was an excellent choice.

:

 

[HockeyMomR]

Hi Dee - opening band for Loverboy was Huey Lewis and the News. So funny you went to see them as well. Think at one time I also had their album.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Hi Dee - opening band for Loverboy was Huey Lewis and the News. So funny you went to see them as well. Think at one time I also had their album.

OH I used to love Huey Lewis and the News

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Great tour Dee!
I wouldn't expect any different.
We took the same path I believe. I remember the butterfly garden. We walked in the morning and took boat back. We did the bikes once or twice.
In 2011 we got a cabana on our off day. It was fabulous. Each cabana has a name too Lol. We were in the Stevie Wonder one I think confused3 ( closest to the slide)

 

[dtr_angel]

I'm all caught up. Loving this so far, I love how I learn so much from your TRs! The Hard Rock hotel looks really awesome!

 

[tiggerfan77]

Hello! Hopping over to your TR. I have never stayed on property at UO but the Hard Rock Hotel looks really cool! Also we were in Orlando at the same time and celebrated our anniversary on the same day! (Our really anniversary was on the 23rd but we celebrated on our last full day which was the 19th at MK) How cool is that?!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Thank you for the wonderful picture tour Dee. Can't wait for the parks now.