Laissez les bon temps rouler (let the good times roll). Short trip to Universal for Mardi Gras 2021......Feet don’t fail me now.

[Robo56]

The old DTD has really evolved into something special!
Can't wait to hear about your Homecoming meal!

It is huge compared to what it what it was years ago.

 

[Robo56]

The little vampire pictures on the wall are precious!

They sure are.

 

[Lynne G]

Those cookies look huge and very sweet. Maybe I will get there this Fall. Usually I only visit Earl’s for a sandwich, then hit the Disney Store, the SW store and if I’m up for a walk, the little soccer store. I do like their parking garages as easy to see what spots are open, and easy to find the walkway. Enjoying reading more of your day.

 

[Robo56]

Those cookies look huge and very sweet.

The cookies are pretty big.....they the perfect combination of sweet and salty.

 

[Robo56]

Monday February 8th continued

After our visit to Gideon’s Bakehouse we decided to walk over to the new M&M Store.

There was a short line to get in. We waited just a couple minutes to get in. The store is bright and colorful.

The exterior is pretty.


There are stationary M&M’s for a photo outside the store.





I had no idea there were so many flavors of M&M’s. There was a wall of dispensers to fill cups or bags for purchase. I filled a cup to bring home




My sister told me that the M&M’s Store at the Florida Mall is much bigger then this one and if I have time in the future I should go see it.

It was time to walk back towards Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin Restaurant.

Exactly at 8 pm I received. Text our table was ready. We were seated promptly and our waiter came to take drink orders.

We did not have any cocktails. Some of them looked interesting.

My sister and I ordered the Art’s Fsmous Fried Chicken. We both ordered the Momma’s Mac and Cheese as our side. They asked if you wanted white or dark meat or a mix of both on the chicken. I asked for white meat and my sister ordered a mix.

Her grandson ordered a burger.

I thought I had taken pics of our meal, but I guess not. I could not find one.

I received two huge chicken breast. The Mac and Cheese was a hefty portion in its own mini crock.
The cheddar drop biscuit that came with the meal was inedible. It was hard and tasteless.

The chicken was delicious. Lightly crispy on the outside and moist and flavorful on the inside.

The Mac and Cheese was creamy and delicious.

My Great-nephew said his burger was very good. The house made barbecue chips drizzled with the house made dressing were good.

We needed to go boxes. I sent the other chicken breast and Mac and Cheese home with my sister. She had a lot of chicken and Mac and Cheese left over also to take home.

I saw that a lot of people around us were having to box up the remainder of their meals.

Our waiter was attentive and friendly. We had a lot of fun with him. He was very personable and you could tell he really liked his job.

The meals here easily serve 2.

As a rule I don’t take leftovers back with me to hotel.

I use the refrigerator space for water, soft drinks, wine and a occasionally a sub from Publix and of course this time the cookies from Gideon’s.

I’am glad we had dinner here. I will try to definitely come back again and try some more things off the menu.

We headed back to the parking garage and said our goodbyes. I had a nice visit with my sister and great-nephew.

As we get older our time spent with family is more precious for sure.

The trip back to RPR was uneventful. I was happy to get back to my room, pull the curtains, shower and get into my comfy bed. I was out quickly.


To be continued

 

[Worfiedoodles]

I love Homecomin'! The fried chicken is so delicious, I might moan a little when I first take a bite

It sounds like you had a wonderful visit with your sister and her grandson. the M&M store looks like a fun place to browse. All those flavors might be dangerous!

 

[Robo56]

I wanted to touch briefly on the COVID Precautions in place at Universal.

When I was at Universal at end of September I was so impressed with the precautions in place.

There were supervisors walking the parks to make sure everything was being done to ensure that the guests who were visiting were safe and having a good experience.

It was no different this visit.

It is hard wearing a mask when it is hot out. There is no doubt about it, but Universal has set aside areas in the parks where you can remove your masks for a break.





There are tables that are spaced way more then the required 6 feet apart and chairs provided for you to rest. There is a TM stationed at the entrance to the UREST AREA and a TM inside the area sanitizing the tables and chairs as people leave.



The restrooms are spotless and well stocked with soap. All three days I was at the parks there was a TM in the restrooms making sure they were clean.

There are TM’s walking around with hand signs making sure everyone is wearing their masks appropriately.

TM’s put hand sanitizer on your hand before each ride and there is hand sanitizer after each ride to use.

Although you cannot get close to characters they have provided opportunities to still get photos at a small distance.

All rides, food booths, tables at restaurants are marked and socially distanced.

Universal should be the model by which other Theme Parks strive to copy.

They have done a wonderful job with their COVID precautions.


To be continued

 

[Robo56]

I love Homecomin'! The fried chicken is so delicious, I might moan a little when I first take a bite

LOL......yep, the first bite is a little moan worthy.

It sounds like you had a wonderful visit with your sister and her grandson. the M&M store looks like a fun place to browse. All those flavors might be dangerous!

I did have a lovely visit.

They had Coffee, Carmel, Cheesecake, Pretzel to name a few. I had no idea they had all of those flavors. Yep, dangerous for sure.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Cheesecake?! That one is new for me -- I might have to try that one!

 

[keishashadow]

It is huge compared to what it what it was years ago.

It’s like a giant maze, still find myself getting turned around now & again lol

Thanks for the pics re Gideons. Too much hoop jumping for me to sample right now. The original cupcake place there didn’t have that sort of frenzy, even tho popular. Those are some very fancy cookies indeed.

My sister and I ordered the Art’s Fsmous Fried Chicken. We both ordered the Momma’s Mac and Cheese as our side. They asked if you wanted white or dark meat or a mix of both on the chicken. I asked for white meat and my sister ordered a mix.

Nice you got to visit with your family.

Some of the best fried chicken i’ve Eaten, anywhere! It’s such a tough reservation to score for dinner, congrats! We share the 1981 salad, as decadent as a salad can get & the chicken/donuts, drool

They have done a wonderful job with their COVID precautions.

I was impressed with U back in the fall. Not so much with DTD then. Not necessarily their fault. As the night wears on there were just too many clueless people not observing social distancing when walking about the grounds. Going to try a bit earlier in evening, week days for, upcoming trip.

 

[Robo56]

We share the 1981 salad, as decadent as a salad can get & the chicken/donuts, drool

Sounds yummy.

Thanks for the pics re Gideons. Too much hoop jumping for me to sample right now. The original cupcake place there didn’t have that sort of frenzy, even tho popular. Those are some very fancy cookies indeed.

There is a cupcake place there called Sprinkles. Have you ever been there?

I saw online they have a new donut shop called Everglazed that does grilled cheese donut sandwiches. That was not far from the M&M Store. I figured I had scored enough sweets to take home.

My sister had never been in Amorette’s Patisserie so we went and had a look around. The desserts there are beautiful.

 

[Robo56]

Tuesday February 9th

Woke up and thought it was still early morning. The curtains are wonderful at keeping the sunlight out.

Looked over at clock and it said 9:00. I never sleep that late, but I had a full busy day and evening yesterday so guess the extra sleep was needed.

Got myself up and took a shower and dressed and opened the window to a mildly overcast start to the day.

I had plans to go to Mall at Millenia for some shopping then back to Universal for some more Mardi Gras.

I wanted to get to the Mall fairly close to opening so I could get in and shop get out in case it was going to be busy.

A quick uneventful trip over to the Mall. This is a beautiful Mall. It was never on my radar until I read one Schumigirl’s trip reports a few years ago. Now when I’am in Orlando I always make time to go.

The Cheesecake Factory is usually a stop for lunch, but not today. I wanted to sample some things at Mardi Gras.

I went to the Apple Store as I had some questions on the new IPhones. They have COVID measures in place there. There was a short line so I decided to wait. The line went very quickly. There is plexiglass between you and Apple Associate. The young lady who helped me was fantastic. I bought the 12 pro max. I was very surprised they did not have a folio case developed for the phone yet. So I ordered one online

She asked me to take my present phone out of the folio case I had it in when we were talking. She called over 3 more associates to get a look at my phone. She said it was in pristine condition.....LOL..
I always keep my phones protected well.

Phone bought. Now I headed over to Macy’s for a few things.

Then over to Tiffany. Tiffany had a redo to their store and they did a very nice job. Purchases wrapped and in hand and it was time to leave. I looked over at Louis Vouitton and there was a pretty significant line of people waiting to get in. I think some people were shopping for Valentines Day.

Trip back to RPR was quick. Purchases put away and now it was time to head to Universal.

There were a number of people waiting for the boat. We all loaded on and off we went.



I was back for more Mardi Gras. I was ready for a tasting.





I used my tasting Lanyard for the Cuban Sandwich. Interestingly when I walked past this booth on Monday the price of the Cuban Sandwich was
$ 13.49 if I remember correctly. Today it was $ 7.99.

I asked for another plate to cover my sandwich as wanted to go set by the concert area again.

On my way I saw









I stopped by Italy



and used my lanyard to purchase the Arancini



and a cold beverage.


I headed to the concert area to find a table and sample my food.



The Cuban sandwich was very good. Again it could easily be a sampling for 2. This is a hearty sandwich filled with meat and cheese. The plantain chips were thin and crunchy, but did not have much of a taste to them. They are not skimping on the ingredients here.

Next up I sampled the Arancini. The Arancini was piping hot and are served on marinara with a shaving of Parmesan. These were very tasty. The marinara was good.

I took a picture of a few the menu’s so you could see they are denoting vegan, gluten free etc...on their menu’s to help people with needed dietary restrictions. Nice touch.


to be continued

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Wow, that Cuban sandwich is huge! That looks like a fantastic value at $7.99 in a theme park, even without the tasting lanyard.

I love all the colorful costumes!

How do you like your new phone so far?

 

[Robo56]

Wow, that Cuban sandwich is huge! That looks like a fantastic value at $7.99 in a theme park, even without the tasting lanyard.

It is a nice size sandwich.

How do you like your new phone so far?

I like it a lot. It is only slightly longer then the XS max I had as far as size goes. The camera is very nice. Still haven’t sat down and taken the tutorial on all the new things. Will do that this week.


All the photos on this trip report were taken with my XS max. I did not have this new phone set up yet until I returned home. So I’am looking forward to taking some trip photos with this new phone and comparing them.

 

[keishashadow]

There is a cupcake place there called Sprinkles. Have you ever been there?

I saw online they have a new donut shop called Everglazed that does grilled cheese donut sandwiches. That was not far from the M&M Store. I figured I had scored enough sweets to take home.

That sandwich is on my radar lol. Will wait for the lines to die down. Sprinkles used to be the same. They put out a good cupcake, I only buy for the GD. Other interesting sweet options for me there, usually a frozen something or other drink

I bought the 12 pro max. I was very surprised they did not have a folio case developed for the phone yet. So I ordered one online

That is odd, enjoy the new phone!

The Cuban sandwich was very good. Again it could easily be a sampling for 2. This is a hearty sandwich filled with meat and cheese. The plantain chips were thin and crunchy, but did not have much of a taste to them. They are not skimping on the ingredients here.

Yum, normally avoid them as buns often tend to veer to almost ‘burnt’.

Did you sample the moscato Asti by chance? Asking for a friend

 

[schumigirl]

It is good to hear you feel very confident in the measure Universal have put in place for everybody.

And always glad to hear you still enjoy your visits to the beautiful Mall at Millenia and of course Tiffany too......

I agree with Maria...that sandwich looks gorgeous! I wish I liked arancini as it seemed to be popping up everywhere last couple of years......can`t quite get the taste for it, but there`s nothing in that one I like.....lol....that may explain it!

Lovely pictures again Robo......enjoying reading along with you.

 

[tstidm1]

Really enjoying the trip report, so far. Have a couple questions for you. What were your favorite things to eat at Mardi Gras? Would a 10 or 15 tasting lanyard work best for a single person on a four day trip? Heading down in three weeks and looking forward to seeing Mardi Gras again

 

[J'aime Paris]

I wanted to touch briefly on the COVID Precautions in place at Universal.

When I was at Universal at end of September I was so impressed with the precautions in place.

There were supervisors walking the parks to make sure everything was being done to ensure that the guests who were visiting were safe and having a good experience.

It was no different this visit.

It is hard wearing a mask when it is hot out. There is no doubt about it, but Universal has set aside areas in the parks where you can remove your masks for a break.

View attachment 557673

View attachment 557674

There are tables that are spaced way more then the required 6 feet apart and chairs provided for you to rest. There is a TM stationed at the entrance to the UREST AREA and a TM inside the area sanitizing the tables and chairs as people leave.

View attachment 557675

The restrooms are spotless and well stocked with soap. All three days I was at the parks there was a TM in the restrooms making sure they were clean.

There are TM’s walking around with hand signs making sure everyone is wearing their masks appropriately.

TM’s put hand sanitizer on your hand before each ride and there is hand sanitizer after each ride to use.

Although you cannot get close to characters they have provided opportunities to still get photos at a small distance.

All rides, food booths, tables at restaurants are marked and socially distanced.

Universal should be the model by which other Theme Parks strive to copy.

They have done a wonderful job with their COVID precautions.


To be continued

I had the exact experience in October!!
The TMs even came on a loudspeaker during the ET ride. They saw a group (on camera, I presume) take their masks off while riding and promptly told them to put them back on!

 

[J'aime Paris]

Tuesday February 9th

Woke up and thought it was still early morning. The curtains are wonderful at keeping the sunlight out.

Looked over at clock and it said 9:00. I never sleep that late, but I had a full busy day and evening yesterday so guess the extra sleep was needed.

Got myself up and took a shower and dressed and opened the window to a mildly overcast start to the day.

I had plans to go to Mall at Millenia for some shopping then back to Universal for some more Mardi Gras.

I wanted to get to the Mall fairly close to opening so I could get in and shop get out in case it was going to be busy.

A quick uneventful trip over to the Mall. This is a beautiful Mall. It was never on my radar until I read one Schumigirl’s trip reports a few years ago. Now when I’am in Orlando I always make time to go.

The Cheesecake Factory is usually a stop for lunch, but not today. I wanted to sample some things at Mardi Gras.

I went to the Apple Store as I had some questions on the new IPhones. They have COVID measures in place there. There was a short line so I decided to wait. The line went very quickly. There is plexiglass between you and Apple Associate. The young lady who helped me was fantastic. I bought the 12 pro max. I was very surprised they did not have a folio case developed for the phone yet. So I ordered one online

She asked me to take my present phone out of the folio case I had it in when we were talking. She called over 3 more associates to get a look at my phone. She said it was in pristine condition.....LOL..
I always keep my phones protected well.

Phone bought. Now I headed over to Macy’s for a few things.

Then over to Tiffany. Tiffany had a redo to their store and they did a very nice job. Purchases wrapped and in hand and it was time to leave. I looked over at Louis Vouitton and there was a pretty significant line of people waiting to get in. I think some people were shopping for Valentines Day.

Trip back to RPR was quick. Purchases put away and now it was time to head to Universal.

There were a number of people waiting for the boat. We all loaded on and off we went.

View attachment 557910

I was back for more Mardi Gras. I was ready for a tasting.

View attachment 557906

View attachment 557907

I used my tasting Lanyard for the Cuban Sandwich. Interestingly when I walked past this both on Monday the price of the Cuban Sandwich was
$ 13.49 if I remember correctly. Today it was $ 7.99.

I asked for another plate to cover my sandwich as wanted to go set by the concert area again.

On my way I saw

View attachment 557911

View attachment 557904

View attachment 557909

View attachment 557908

I stopped by Italy

View attachment 557900

and used my lanyard to purchase the Arancini

View attachment 557901

and a cold beverage.


I headed to the concert area to find a table and sample my food.

View attachment 557903

The Cuban sandwich was very good. Again it could easily be a sampling for 2. This is a hearty sandwich filled with meat and cheese. The plantain chips were thin and crunchy, but did not have much of a taste to them. They are not skimping on the ingredients here.

Next up I sampled the Arancini. The Arancini was piping hot and are served on marinara with a shaving of Parmesan. These were very tasty. The marinara was good.

I took a picture of a few the menu’s so you could see they are denoting vegan, gluten free etc...on their menu’s to help people with needed dietary restrictions. Nice touch.


to be continued

The Mall of Millenia is awesome, but costly, lol! Tiffany always seems to call to me!

The costumes are so beautiful!!
Mardi Gras does not disappoint

 

[Robo56]

Yum, normally avoid them as buns often tend to veer to almost ‘burnt’.

They were putting them freshly made up in the sandwich press while you waited. Bread was mildly toasted, but in no way burnt. I think you will enjoy it.

Did you sample the moscato Asti by chance? Asking for a friend

I did not sample any wines. There was a wine cart near Cafe La Bamba that looked to have some interesting wines.

Lovely pictures again Robo......enjoying reading along with you

Thank you.

I agree with Maria...that sandwich looks gorgeous! I wish I liked arancini as it seemed to be popping up everywhere last couple of years......can`t quite get the taste for it, but there`s nothing in that one I like.....lol....that may explain it!

If made incorrectly Arancini can be tasteless balls of fried starch, but these were very small sample size and they were very tasty. I would never go to the trouble to make them myself. I was glad I gave them a taste.

Really enjoying the trip report, so far. Have a couple questions for you. What were your favorite things to eat at Mardi Gras? Would a 10 or 15 tasting lanyard work best for a single person on a four day trip? Heading down in three weeks and looking forward to seeing Mardi Gras again

Thank you for following along.

What is awesome about this year’s Mardi Gras is all the food choices with the different Countries.

If you are doing Mardi Gras for sure a boil would be a quintessential food choice to sample. I did the shrimp and crawfish boil. It was delicious, but if I did it again I would just do the shrimp boil. Crawfish were on the small side. It was all cooked and seasoned very nicely.

Cuba...........The Cuban sandwich was very good.

Canada........The Beef Short Rib Poutine

Columbia......The Carnitas Arepas


There is more then one New Orleans Booth.

New Orleans........The Muffaletta Sandwich (located by area were concerts are held).

New Orleans........The shrimp and Crawfish boil (located by Transformers)

Things I wish I had the time to try were

Germany.........Pork Schnitzel Slider

Puerto Rico........Pernil & Mofongo (there was a pretty long line for this).

Spain..................Paella Mixta

The nice thing about it all is you can go online at Universal Orlando and look at all the menu offerings at the different Countries food booths and pick and choose the things you would like to try. Then plot your tasting accordingly.

If your a AP holder the 15 choice lanyard is a great value. You can use it to select food, alcohol, sodas, water, popcorn pretzels. The only thing not included were the large Bloody Mary’s.

The lanyard does not expire.

If after you have looked at the foods you feel you would like to sample and you don’t feel you would be sampling that many things and the cost of buying those choices individually are less then the lanyard then the lanyard would not be a good choice.

I did buy the 15 choice AP lanyard. I went by myself. The samples are big at some of the booths. So I wasted food doing my tasting.

That being said if you are going be eating and drinking primarily at Mardi Gras then you might be able to pretty much use up the tasting lanyard in 4 days.

No matter what you choose. You will have a wonderful time.

I had the exact experience in October!!
The TMs even came on a loudspeaker during the ET ride. They saw a group (on camera, I presume) take their masks off while riding and promptly told them to put them back on!

Yes, there always seems to be folks who think the rules sadly don’t pertain to them. Luckily I did not see folks challenge the TM’s. I think the fact that if folks choose not to follow the guidelines they are asked to leave the park.

The Mall of Millenia is awesome, but costly, lol! Tiffany always seems to call to me!

I know the Mall is so pretty.......yep, not sure what it is about Tiffany, but it does have a way of calling out to you.......LOL

The costumes are so beautiful!!
Mardi Gras does not disappoint

Universal does do a great job.