Mid Winter Break From Reality
This was kind of a complicated trip, so Im going to break it down into sub categories for clarity, instead of the traditional day-by-day itinerary. We traveled over Presidents Day weekend, so it was a very busy time in Orlando.
The Participants: We actually had three families with a total of eleven people ranging in age from 5 to 45 traveling together. As our self-appointed tour guide, I had a rough itinerary to follow and a basic list of things we wanted to accomplish. Have you ever tried to move through a theme park with 11 people? It aint quick! Someone always had to go to the bathroom, needed something to eat or drink, or wanted to check out a gift shop. Plus, our group included both daredevils (the vertically challenged 5 year old) and ride-a-phobics (the older teens), so someone was always left waiting outside of a ride. Also, we had several picky eaters in the group, so imagine how much fun it was to try and make dinner reservations someplace that everyone would enjoy. But, we sucked it up and made the best of it, so I think that overall a good time was had by everyone.
Transportation: We flew Spirit Airlines in both directions and had basically on time and uneventful flights. A big Thank You goes out to whoever invented the Video Now, as it kept my 5 year old happy and occupied the entire flight. I thought it was funny that they dont even give out the little packages of pretzels anymore. You have to buy their snacks for either $2.00 or $4.00. How cheap can the airlines be? Yep, that cheap!
Rental Car: We had reserved a mid-size with Budget in MCO for $132.00 for 5 days February 16-21. When we arrived in Orlando, they advised us that they were short 300 cars and sent us over to L&M Rental. L&M only had vans left available and charged us (brace yourself) $660 for 5 days. We went back over to Budget and they assured us that we would be reimbursed for the difference in 7-10 days after we submitted all of the paperwork. The paperwork has been submitted, so I hope the refund comes shortly!
Royal Pacific Resort: We were splitting up our stay and got a great rate at the Royal Pacific for the first three nights. The hotel itself was very nice, but I found them slightly lacking in the service department. Were Loews First members, so our reservation was supposed to come with some perks. Upon check-in I was advised that we wouldnt receive a welcome gift because of the discounted rate we were on (OK, I can understand that), they verified that wed like a USA Today for our paper each morning (but sent the New York Times each day instead) and stated that they were out of the welcome gifts for kids but would send a special treat up to the room for our daughter (but then never did). I had requested a ground level room, but we were place on the 4th floor. Granted, these are all very minor complaints and certainly didnt spoil our trip, but my point is that they shouldnt offer all of these perks and amenities if they arent going to honor any of them. They have signs in all of the elevators promoting their Loews Loves Kids programs, but in reality didnt follow through with the program. Enough about that.
Our room was 3426, which was in tower three on the fourth floor. If we stayed again, I would request tower three, but on the first floor. The location was right next to the pool and close to the water taxis. We were in a water view room, but a large palm tree was actually blocking our view of the pool. It was an average size room with two queens, a small table and chairs and the sink was outside of the bathroom. The pool was wonderful and our daughter enjoyed it every day after the parks. I enjoyed the pool bar. We used the water taxi to get to both the parks and CityWalk for dinner and they ran every 10 minutes or so. We never waited more then a few minutes in either direction.
Portofino Bay: For the last two nights of our stay, we moved over to the Portofino Bay Club Level rooms. Club level rooms are on the 5th and 6th floor of the villa wing, but the club is on the third floor, which made it kind of a hassle to get snacks or drinks from the club lounge. The rooms here are wonderful, with big high beds, lots of pillows, bathrobes, a CD player and a huge bathroom with separate tub and glass enclosed shower. They did have a check in gift for my daughter here (a sand pail filled with candy and snacks). The beach pool was beautiful and she really enjoyed the slide. We found the layout of the hotel rather confusing and really didnt find our way around in the two days that we were there. The rooms were very quiet.
The Club offered a beautiful continental breakfast each morning with croissants, danish, fresh fruit, yogurt, cereals and juices. In the evening they had antipasto platters with ham, salami and cheese along with wine and beer. At night they offered cookies and milk. In addition, they always had coffee, tea, soft drinks and water available. I thought it was strange that the soft drinks and water were at room temperature, making them not as enjoyable to take to the parks or the pool. Maybe that was the point?!?
Universal Studios: We spent two ½ days exploring Universal Studios, doing rides in the morning and then returning to the hotel to swim in the afternoon. With the biggest perk of staying onsite being the front of line passes, we never waited more then a few minutes for any of the rides. Shrek and The Mummy were both new since our last visit and we enjoyed them both, although I do think you lose a little of the story of The Mummy in bypassing the lines (like, what was up with the guy yelling for his coffee at the end?!?) The girls kicked the boys butts in Men in Black, thanks to our five pages of secret notes! The kids loved the nerf ball area by Curious George. We did all of the big rides and re-rode all of our favorites on our second visit, so I felt like we really experienced the park fully.
Islands of Adventure: We crammed this into one day, which we started with the character breakfast at Confiscos Grill. The food was just ok and I thought it was overpriced for what it was. Also, the $15.99 for adults and $9.99 for kids does not include tax, tip or your beverages. The buffet was very basic, but the kids had fun with Spiderman, Cat in the Hat, Thing One and Thing Two and two other superheroes that I didnt recognize. After breakfast we headed to my all time favorite ride Spiderman. After hitting Seussland, the kids loved the Mystic Fountain and then rode the Flying Unicorn 7 times in a row (gotta love front of line)! Then, we did all of the water rides, which was a big mistake. They didnt get wet they were absolutely soaked. Have you ever spent time with 5 whiney, wet, tired, cold kids? The dads grabbed a quick ride on Hulk on our way out and that was the end of Islands of Adventure for us.
Dining: Because we were there over such a busy weekend, we made reservations in advance for dinner each night and just snacked our way around the parks during the day. The first night we ate at the Hard Rock at CityWalk, where our 5 year old fell asleep before the drinks even came. The second night we ate at Margaritaville, which the kids loved. The food was ok, but they really enjoyed the stilt walkers who made crazy balloon sculptures for them and the exploding volcano. The third night we ate at Nascar Café, which the boys loved for all of the racing action on TV and the kids loved for the arcade. A different kid would come back every 5 minutes and ask a different parent for more money. The fourth night we did the Luau at the Royal Pacific, which was just ok. The show was really long (I mean, how many different hulas can three women do?!?), but one of the boys in our group refused to leave until he saw the fire eating guy (who actually never did the fire eating part). My 5 year old fell asleep during this dinner, also. The last night, after enjoying the pool all day, we just picked up a pizza and ate in the room. Our dining experiences were all very basic, as we were traveling with kids and not looking for fine dining. One note to make: My brother is a vegetarian and we had a hard time finding options for him, both in and out of the parks. We even called ahead to Margaritaville and they assured us they would have several options available for him, but didnt. If youre a vegetarian, plan on eating veggie burgers or plain salads for every meal.
Hard Rock Cabana: On Sunday, the dads headed over to Daytona 500, so we rented a cabana at the Hard Rock pool (where one of the families was staying). We had cabana 8, near the kiddie pool and beach area. The cost was $100 from 9 am until 9 pm and included a small fridge stocked with soft drinks and water, a fruit platter, a TV and phone, a table and 4 chairs and 4 reserved lounge chairs. The weather was perfect and the kids swam and went down the slide all day. The two youngest girls got their hair wrapped poolside. We ordered lunch from our cabana boy and the moms had some margaritas in the afternoon while we watched the race. It made for a perfect and relaxing last day of vacation.
Wrap up: Was it a relaxing vacation? Nope. The weather was perfect (upper 70s or lower 80s and sunny every day). Touring the parks is exhausting and you really do need to plan some down time each day. We found a lot of our own fun, like when one of the water taxi captains started ripping on me about the enormous rat that was on my shirt (Mickey Mouse), our annoying and embarrassing family cheer before each major ride (all hands in a circle and yelling Gggooooo Sppppidddeeeyyyyy) (teens and tweens really love it when their parents act like idiots in a large crowd of people), and singing old TV theme songs at the top of our lungs on the water taxis (Just sit right back and youll hear a tale ). After five days of staying on-site, I really feel like Done that, been there. My loving husband (who foots the bill for all of our fun-filled family vacations) has informed me that hes done with theme parks for a while. So, to keep him happy, Ive just booked us on two cruises! Bon Voyage!
If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them!
This was kind of a complicated trip, so Im going to break it down into sub categories for clarity, instead of the traditional day-by-day itinerary. We traveled over Presidents Day weekend, so it was a very busy time in Orlando.
The Participants: We actually had three families with a total of eleven people ranging in age from 5 to 45 traveling together. As our self-appointed tour guide, I had a rough itinerary to follow and a basic list of things we wanted to accomplish. Have you ever tried to move through a theme park with 11 people? It aint quick! Someone always had to go to the bathroom, needed something to eat or drink, or wanted to check out a gift shop. Plus, our group included both daredevils (the vertically challenged 5 year old) and ride-a-phobics (the older teens), so someone was always left waiting outside of a ride. Also, we had several picky eaters in the group, so imagine how much fun it was to try and make dinner reservations someplace that everyone would enjoy. But, we sucked it up and made the best of it, so I think that overall a good time was had by everyone.
Transportation: We flew Spirit Airlines in both directions and had basically on time and uneventful flights. A big Thank You goes out to whoever invented the Video Now, as it kept my 5 year old happy and occupied the entire flight. I thought it was funny that they dont even give out the little packages of pretzels anymore. You have to buy their snacks for either $2.00 or $4.00. How cheap can the airlines be? Yep, that cheap!
Rental Car: We had reserved a mid-size with Budget in MCO for $132.00 for 5 days February 16-21. When we arrived in Orlando, they advised us that they were short 300 cars and sent us over to L&M Rental. L&M only had vans left available and charged us (brace yourself) $660 for 5 days. We went back over to Budget and they assured us that we would be reimbursed for the difference in 7-10 days after we submitted all of the paperwork. The paperwork has been submitted, so I hope the refund comes shortly!
Royal Pacific Resort: We were splitting up our stay and got a great rate at the Royal Pacific for the first three nights. The hotel itself was very nice, but I found them slightly lacking in the service department. Were Loews First members, so our reservation was supposed to come with some perks. Upon check-in I was advised that we wouldnt receive a welcome gift because of the discounted rate we were on (OK, I can understand that), they verified that wed like a USA Today for our paper each morning (but sent the New York Times each day instead) and stated that they were out of the welcome gifts for kids but would send a special treat up to the room for our daughter (but then never did). I had requested a ground level room, but we were place on the 4th floor. Granted, these are all very minor complaints and certainly didnt spoil our trip, but my point is that they shouldnt offer all of these perks and amenities if they arent going to honor any of them. They have signs in all of the elevators promoting their Loews Loves Kids programs, but in reality didnt follow through with the program. Enough about that.
Our room was 3426, which was in tower three on the fourth floor. If we stayed again, I would request tower three, but on the first floor. The location was right next to the pool and close to the water taxis. We were in a water view room, but a large palm tree was actually blocking our view of the pool. It was an average size room with two queens, a small table and chairs and the sink was outside of the bathroom. The pool was wonderful and our daughter enjoyed it every day after the parks. I enjoyed the pool bar. We used the water taxi to get to both the parks and CityWalk for dinner and they ran every 10 minutes or so. We never waited more then a few minutes in either direction.
Portofino Bay: For the last two nights of our stay, we moved over to the Portofino Bay Club Level rooms. Club level rooms are on the 5th and 6th floor of the villa wing, but the club is on the third floor, which made it kind of a hassle to get snacks or drinks from the club lounge. The rooms here are wonderful, with big high beds, lots of pillows, bathrobes, a CD player and a huge bathroom with separate tub and glass enclosed shower. They did have a check in gift for my daughter here (a sand pail filled with candy and snacks). The beach pool was beautiful and she really enjoyed the slide. We found the layout of the hotel rather confusing and really didnt find our way around in the two days that we were there. The rooms were very quiet.
The Club offered a beautiful continental breakfast each morning with croissants, danish, fresh fruit, yogurt, cereals and juices. In the evening they had antipasto platters with ham, salami and cheese along with wine and beer. At night they offered cookies and milk. In addition, they always had coffee, tea, soft drinks and water available. I thought it was strange that the soft drinks and water were at room temperature, making them not as enjoyable to take to the parks or the pool. Maybe that was the point?!?
Universal Studios: We spent two ½ days exploring Universal Studios, doing rides in the morning and then returning to the hotel to swim in the afternoon. With the biggest perk of staying onsite being the front of line passes, we never waited more then a few minutes for any of the rides. Shrek and The Mummy were both new since our last visit and we enjoyed them both, although I do think you lose a little of the story of The Mummy in bypassing the lines (like, what was up with the guy yelling for his coffee at the end?!?) The girls kicked the boys butts in Men in Black, thanks to our five pages of secret notes! The kids loved the nerf ball area by Curious George. We did all of the big rides and re-rode all of our favorites on our second visit, so I felt like we really experienced the park fully.
Islands of Adventure: We crammed this into one day, which we started with the character breakfast at Confiscos Grill. The food was just ok and I thought it was overpriced for what it was. Also, the $15.99 for adults and $9.99 for kids does not include tax, tip or your beverages. The buffet was very basic, but the kids had fun with Spiderman, Cat in the Hat, Thing One and Thing Two and two other superheroes that I didnt recognize. After breakfast we headed to my all time favorite ride Spiderman. After hitting Seussland, the kids loved the Mystic Fountain and then rode the Flying Unicorn 7 times in a row (gotta love front of line)! Then, we did all of the water rides, which was a big mistake. They didnt get wet they were absolutely soaked. Have you ever spent time with 5 whiney, wet, tired, cold kids? The dads grabbed a quick ride on Hulk on our way out and that was the end of Islands of Adventure for us.
Dining: Because we were there over such a busy weekend, we made reservations in advance for dinner each night and just snacked our way around the parks during the day. The first night we ate at the Hard Rock at CityWalk, where our 5 year old fell asleep before the drinks even came. The second night we ate at Margaritaville, which the kids loved. The food was ok, but they really enjoyed the stilt walkers who made crazy balloon sculptures for them and the exploding volcano. The third night we ate at Nascar Café, which the boys loved for all of the racing action on TV and the kids loved for the arcade. A different kid would come back every 5 minutes and ask a different parent for more money. The fourth night we did the Luau at the Royal Pacific, which was just ok. The show was really long (I mean, how many different hulas can three women do?!?), but one of the boys in our group refused to leave until he saw the fire eating guy (who actually never did the fire eating part). My 5 year old fell asleep during this dinner, also. The last night, after enjoying the pool all day, we just picked up a pizza and ate in the room. Our dining experiences were all very basic, as we were traveling with kids and not looking for fine dining. One note to make: My brother is a vegetarian and we had a hard time finding options for him, both in and out of the parks. We even called ahead to Margaritaville and they assured us they would have several options available for him, but didnt. If youre a vegetarian, plan on eating veggie burgers or plain salads for every meal.
Hard Rock Cabana: On Sunday, the dads headed over to Daytona 500, so we rented a cabana at the Hard Rock pool (where one of the families was staying). We had cabana 8, near the kiddie pool and beach area. The cost was $100 from 9 am until 9 pm and included a small fridge stocked with soft drinks and water, a fruit platter, a TV and phone, a table and 4 chairs and 4 reserved lounge chairs. The weather was perfect and the kids swam and went down the slide all day. The two youngest girls got their hair wrapped poolside. We ordered lunch from our cabana boy and the moms had some margaritas in the afternoon while we watched the race. It made for a perfect and relaxing last day of vacation.
Wrap up: Was it a relaxing vacation? Nope. The weather was perfect (upper 70s or lower 80s and sunny every day). Touring the parks is exhausting and you really do need to plan some down time each day. We found a lot of our own fun, like when one of the water taxi captains started ripping on me about the enormous rat that was on my shirt (Mickey Mouse), our annoying and embarrassing family cheer before each major ride (all hands in a circle and yelling Gggooooo Sppppidddeeeyyyyy) (teens and tweens really love it when their parents act like idiots in a large crowd of people), and singing old TV theme songs at the top of our lungs on the water taxis (Just sit right back and youll hear a tale ). After five days of staying on-site, I really feel like Done that, been there. My loving husband (who foots the bill for all of our fun-filled family vacations) has informed me that hes done with theme parks for a while. So, to keep him happy, Ive just booked us on two cruises! Bon Voyage!
If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them!
It will be our last night there and wanted to do something laidback.
