One Last Hurrah at Mardi Gras - April 14-16, 2023

[wdwrule]

Ahhhh Mardi Gras. Such a blast at Universal! I feel like I just finished up a trip report or two that took place during this special seasonal event, but we just really enjoy it so we visited yet again for a quick weekend trip.

This time it was just hubby and myself. DS is away at college and DD who is also in college, commutes and enjoyed the quiet time at home.

We were really looking forward to the Mardi Gras music, vibe, entertainers, food and hopefully float riding again! But more than that, we couldn’t wait to experience the rides again and to simply take in the amazing atmosphere of Universal.

Our hotel reservation was at Aventura… again. Haha I laugh because I never thought I’d stay here due to the drab decor but it is now one of our favorites especially for the price and we’ve stayed at every Universal hotel except Surfside. Dockside has an awesome family suite with three actual beds (no pull-outs). I really like that room set up which includes a separate closed off bedroom. Cabana Bay has a great vibe but we’re not big fans of their dark, dated rooms and humongous footprint. It’s such a fun place though! Sapphire Falls is gorgeous and their pool is excellent… love Strong Water too. The three premiere resorts are all lovely in their own way and each has its own personality. And of course included unlimited EPs! Portofino is probably my favorite of the three due to its charm and beauty. I feel like it’s a separate vacation from the parks.

We find that Aventura is priced consistently at a very reasonable price (with AP discount). Because we visit frequently this makes our trips more doable. So lately, we find we stay here more often than the others. We enjoy the full service Starbucks, the open and expansive food court area, the great variety of entrees at the food court, the views from the floor to ceiling windows in the rooms, and the list goes on and on. I’m still not a fan of the drab decor but I guess it’s supposed to be sleek and modern which they’ve achieved.

Upon checking in very late Friday night, we were surprised at getting theme park view. Nice! You really can’t go wrong with views at this resort, especially mid to high floors. Here was our view this time:



Here were some close-ups I took later during the trip:




To be continued…

 

[macraven]

You pictures are fantastic !

 

[wdwrule]

You pictures are fantastic !

Thank you! It was awesome seeing all of that right from our hotel room window.

 

[Robo56]

Great view of the park from your room.

I have walked over to Aventura a number of times while staying at Sapphire Falls. I have enjoyed the Starbucks there and a couple of meals. It is open and airy. So nice to hear you have enjoyed your stays there.

You really did up Mardi Gras in a big way. So good to hear you had a great time going back a number of times.

 

[wdwrule]

Great view of the park from your room.

I have walked over to Aventura a number of times while staying at Sapphire Falls. I have enjoyed the Starbucks there and a couple of meals. It is open and airy. So nice to hear you have enjoyed your stays there.

You really did up Mardi Gras in a big way. So good to hear you had a great time going back a number of times.

Thank you! Yes us too! When staying at SF, we find ourselves meandering over to grab Starbucks or a hearty oatmeal bowl etc.

We do love that time of year at UO. Well we enjoy ALL times of the year at UO but there’s just something about Mardi Gras time with the extra smiles and happy jazzy music.

 

[wdwrule]

So pretty much off to bed with our late arrival. We have been arriving late at night lately but the bonus is, there’s hardly anyone if any in line for checkin.

We always think we’ll sleep in due to arriving late at night, but nope. Adrenaline kicks in and we’re always eager to bolt to Velocicoaster.

We arrived at IoA around 8:10am… 10 minutes after early admission. We typically don’t have the desire to rope drop early admission entry. I’d rather sleep a little than to stand in one spot forever on the bridge. We ended up walking on to Velocicoaster twice before 8:50am which was fantastic! Love that ride!!! So smooth and invigorating.

Then we were getting hungry so we walked over to Studios for Leaky Cauldron breakfasts. This is my favorite time to visit Diagon Alley… in the morning. It’s much more quiet and not shoulder to shoulder.




We arrived around 9:10am and there was no line. Yay jackpot for a Saturday morning! We each ordered a kids breakfast as usual which is plenty for us. Each still comes with a beverage.



They did make a mistake and gave hubby the adult sized lemon squash beverage. I got the warm butterbeer which only comes in one size… adult size. Yummmmm!! The kids breakfasts are smaller portions from any of the adult breakfasts. But they are very reasonably priced breakfasts this way and still filling. I think our total bill with AP discount was $23. We used a leftover Mardi Gras food gift card (which we purchased several more during this trip to use for future trips).

They did the seating process slightly different than in the past. Now, they give you a table number at the register and you find and sit at that table. Our food was brought out much quicker this time.

After this, we meandered and explored the very low-crowd Diagon Alley and then literally walked right on to Gringott’s using single rider.

















More Diagon Alley to come…

 

[wdwrule]

After this glorious visit, we headed to MiB.


We walked onto this twice using single rider. Not all enjoy this ride but I love it! Maybe it’s the competition that I enjoy.

Then we rode ET (Mmmm love the smells), Transformers and Fast & Furious (Lol again, for the laughs).





This was cool in the F & F single rider queue:

Haha the title to Arthur Weasley’s vehicle. There are lots of other Easter eggs in this display.

Afterwards, we saw an adorable duck crossing.


There were actual TMs guarding and escorting this little family until they crossed which was wonderful! I’ve witnessed this at other parks where little kids were trying to pick up the baby ducks

Then off to ride Mummy which was a breeze through single rider. Apparently Imhotep was having a spa day though because the hologram was being used instead. Will it be a two day spa trip? We’ll find out the next day.


Then we were hungry for lunch. Wow we did a lot before lunchtime… and on a Saturday!

We’ve always wanted to try the burger at Wimpy’s because we’ve heard great reviews. So off to Wimpy’s.

Well, this line was moving incredibly sloooowwwllllyyyy. So we bailed and got a last minute reservation at Margaritaville. We always wanted to try the volcano nachos.

We checked out the Villian Con construction along the way.





We stopped at Lone Palm Airport for our fave margaritas: called Perfect Margarita. This is the little grass hut type of bar not far from the entrance of IoA but on Citywalk. Margaritaville serves the same drink but we’ve found Lone Palm or the side window of Margaritaville is always better for some reason.

To be continued…

 

[wdwrule]

Then we got a perfect outdoor table by the railing so we could people watch and the weather was wonderful! Wow those volcano nachos!!



Needless to say, we didn’t need to order any more food. This was plenty!! We swapped out the chili for pulled chicken for no additional charge which was awesome! Oh my these were good and we left some behind due to getting so full.

We each also ordered a Landshark once our margaritas were finished.


Very refreshing! This was a very memorable occasion with the weather being so nice, food and drinks so good and people watching very entertaining. There was live music too which was fabulous! He sang and played guitar to Tom Petty, Nirvana, etc songs. It was such a nice chill atmosphere.

Afterwards we headed to IoA and checked out the new popcorn bucket.


We never get these but some are so adorable. This one even has wind-up movable wings.

After looking at all of the fun items, we rode Cat in the Hat, Spider-Man, and Forbidden Journey.



Then I think the previous late night fatigue kicked in (haha maybe the drinks too) so we decided to head back for a short rest.

We always walk back and take the shortcut through Royal Pacific which provides nice air conditioning and coverage if it’s raining. Sometimes we get to see some fun conventions going on or in this case, the set up for a local prom.


Fun!!


I’m not a big napper at all. In fact I’m rarely able to fall asleep during the day at all unless I’m sick. I do find though that if I close my eyes and rest for about 20 minutes I feel much more refreshed and energized. So I did this and then took the pics of our amazing views which I posted earlier. Hubby was snoozing away. Lol he can fall asleep with the drop of a hat! (Which I’m jealous of)

After our rest, we made a last minute dinner reservation for NBC Grill and hoped to later get a Mardi Gras float ride virtual queue reservation. Fingers crossed…

 

[disneyseniors]

Hi WDWrule:
Love your trip report.
It's funny,but we would have ridden the same rides in the exact same order We love MIB and ride it over and over. I found out the secret to a big score and didn't let my husband in on it for a while, LOL. It was fun beating him for a change!
The only attraction I can't do is FJ. I always feel like I am going to fall over backwards and there's too much twisting and sharp turning for me. However, I ride everything else you mentioned.

The kids meals look good to me. I always get the kids meals because I just can't eat all the regular meals and hate to waste food.

We love Gringotts and all the HP areas, especially at Universal studios side. I could wander around in there all day and still not see it all. I don't recognize some areas that you posted, so those are ones I must have missed.

I also can't nap, either at home or on vacation. I find that just resting me eyes for a while helps too. My husband just says he is gong to nap, lays his head down, and then starts snoring!!!! It's so irritating because he falls asleep so quickly and I never do, grr.

Can't wait for more of your trip report.
We had a Universal trip planned last Feb/March, but cancelled it due to the horrible weather between our home and Florida. We were planning to drive which was Not a good idea! We will fly next time.

 

[wdwrule]

Hi WDWrule:
Love your trip report.
It's funny,but we would have ridden the same rides in the exact same order We love MIB and ride it over and over. I found out the secret to a big score and didn't let my husband in on it for a while, LOL. It was fun beating him for a change!
The only attraction I can't do is FJ. I always feel like I am going to fall over backwards and there's too much twisting and sharp turning for me. However, I ride everything else you mentioned.

The kids meals look good to me. I always get the kids meals because I just can't eat all the regular meals and hate to waste food.

We love Gringotts and all the HP areas, especially at Universal studios side. I could wander around in there all day and still not see it all. I don't recognize some areas that you posted, so those are ones I must have missed.

I also can't nap, either at home or on vacation. I find that just resting me eyes for a while helps too. My husband just says he is gong to nap, lays his head down, and then starts snoring!!!! It's so irritating because he falls asleep so quickly and I never do, grr.

Can't wait for more of your trip report.
We had a Universal trip planned last Feb/March, but cancelled it due to the horrible weather between our home and Florida. We were planning to drive which was Not a good idea! We will fly next time.

Hello and thanks so much!

Haha yes we sound VERY similar! I love how you kept a MiB secret from hubby. Too funny!

During our second or third trip to UO, FJ did me in. I got sooo motion sick. Since then I make sure I’m well hydrated before getting on and I close my eyes during each transition which seems to help immensely. I’ve also taken Bonine which I thought helped but there were some trips I forgot to take it and I was just fine so I don’t bother taking it anymore. I won’t however do the ride back to back. I don’t want to chance it.

Yep, I hate wasting food too. Kids meals are usually the just right amount. I like how Leaky Cauldron’s breakfast kids meals are just smaller portions of the adult meals. Otherwise I don’t do typical kids pizza or chicken nugget meals etc. I like variety and good quality. Often my daughter is along so we’ll split an adult meal at all restaurants as we are both adventurous eaters for the most part.

Yes! Me too… LOVE wandering around the HP areas. Every trip, I still find details I never noticed before.

Oh bummer about your last trip. Definitely better to be safe than sorry though. Hopefully you’ll have another one to plan soon. The planning and anticipation is half the fun! Thanks for reading along and glad you’re enjoying it!

 

[wdwrule]

Whew! I finally have a moment to continue the report. And ahhhh with a nice glass of vino. I’m not even a big wine fan but for whatever reason, I’m in the mood to slowly sip a Cabernet.

Anyways, after our rest, we headed to NBC Grill and we split a mushroom Swiss burger. This was good, but not Jake’s good. I totally forgot to take a picture of it but it was a pretty average burger.

After this, we walked into Studios and headed towards Animal Actors where everyone was gathered and hopeful for a Mardi Gras float ride experience using virtual queue. Seconds after they announced they were dropping the spots some cheers were heard here and there of happy float riders. But dang, none for us. A few minutes later, they announced a second drop. Well dang again because only one of us got a spot. We really only wanted to ride together so we gave away our spot to a gentleman who was trying for one. I really can’t complain though because as I’ve stated in a previous trip report, we both got to experience this, and it was absolutely amazing! I am glad others can have this opportunity. The gentleman who we gave it to said this would be his first experience on it and he was super happy.

We meandered around just a little bit and decided to finally try a Duff beer. We’ve walked past this all the time in previous trips, and never tried it before. Inside at Moe’s bar, we ordered a Duff light beer to try. Ewww just ewww. I don’t know if we got a bad batch or what, but this beer was very bitter and not refreshing at all. Thank goodness we only ordered one. We both kept sipping it and tried to like it but in the end we ended up throwing the rest away.

Off we headed towards the Hogwarts Express. I just love this experience as it feels immersive! I enjoy viewing the scenes going to, and from the parks. We mostly walk back-and-forth to the parks as it is a very easy walk, but sometimes we just like to experience the Hogwarts Express instead.


After hanging out at IOA and riding more rides, we decided to head back to Aventura. Plus, rain looked like it was on its way. We made it just in time undercover at Royal Pacific from the rain. We decided to hang out there and just chill out a bit so we each ordered a blue moon at the orchid lounge and sat in their cozy lounge area. There was a live guitarist there, which added to the whole ambience. This is something else that I absolutely love about Universal… We find that almost every onsite hotel has some kind of live music entertainment in the evenings or at least weekend evenings. It’s just so wonderful!

Back at Aventura, Hubby was hungry and got this fantastic wok bowl in the quick service area.


These are all customizable, and there are many different ways and varieties that you can choose to make it.

I, on the other hand, wasn’t that hungry but had a little bit of a sweet tooth. They have gelato there which I know is wonderful, but I was looking for something different. Long story short, I ended up in the hotel gift shop and purchased some character/movie themed candy bars.


As much as I love chocolate and peanut butter, this was just OK. Nothing fancy, but it was very cute. I purchased two other different ones to bring home for DD. If I’m remembering correctly, it was a cotton candy minion one and a cookies and cream Shrek bar. She enjoyed both.

We were both so tired so off to bed to get up early the next day. The next morning, we’d organize and drop off luggage to head off for another fun-filled day.

To be continued…

 

[wdwrule]

The next morning, after organizing our luggage and saying goodbye to our sweet room with amazing views, we dropped off our luggage at the luggage service desk. Off we went to the hotel’s full service Starbucks to get some brewed chai with a splash of almond milk . Then over to Urban Pantry for a big steamy bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit. This is very filling! We both love how Urban Pantry is very open and huge with tons of seating.

Then we zoomed off to our favorite ride Velocicoaster! We arrived about 15 minutes after early admission began. This is a must-do early admission ride for us. We rode it two times within 25 minutes!

Then we ended up looking around Honeydukes. I love this store! The color combo is wonderful.


These stationary sets are adorable!


Cute dishes.


I really love this tea set!





Then we headed to FJ and got in the single rider line which was walk on.



We then hopped in the regular Kong line which was only a 10 minute wait. I think for the first time ever we never did the outside loop. The ride stayed indoors the entire time.



After this we rode the crazy but beloved Cat in the Hat. The Things are creepy but this ride is so sweet.

Next up, I wanted to try the new food stand in the Marvel area.

 

[disneyseniors]

Following along. It sounds like you had a wonderful time

 

[wdwrule]

Whew sorry again! It’s been awhile with closing out the school year among other busy things going on. But here we go…

Here’s a few more pics as we were soon exiting Studios.





I love when the pirates are up on the bridge hollering down and acting silly.

We then exited through the Trading Company store. I love this store and how massive it is, not to mention the lovely A/C that it provides.

I found an awesome scratch and sniff book.



Haha yep, that arrow is pointing to the vomit bean and yes, it smelled like vomit.


Overall, I thought this was a clever and amusing book. I just might purchase it someday.

But off we went to IoA. We saw that the new snack shack in the Marvel area was open so we tried a soft pretzel.





We found a quiet outside table at Capt America Diner since it was such a lovely day with beautiful weather. There was no one around at all at the restaurant although it was 10:45am at this point so that’s probably why. We sat at a table along the water and watched Hulk up close and many other rides off in the distance.





This pretzel was wonderful by the way! Hubby is not a fan of Auntie Anne pretzels that are drenched in butter and this was not greasy at all. Plump, soft and fresh. It was a good quality pretzel for sure.

Continued in next post…

 

[wdwrule]

Loved these views!


Then off we went to ride more rides and later ended up at Red Oven on Citywalk for lunch.





Haha had to get my Perfect Margarita to go with it from Lone Palm bar.


We love sitting and eating at the table where everyone is entering from security/parking garage. It’s great people watching!

After lunch and a few shops later, we headed back to Studios. I love the small footprint of Universal! Everything is so convenient and you can just come and go as you please (with a park to park ticket or an annual pass).



I ended up doing SR on Rip Ride Rockit and walked right on. This is not one of hubby’s favorite rides so he sat this one out. He blacks out on it briefly occasionally.

I usually pick the Beastie Boys and jam out

We then went to Mummy but the SR line looked long. The posted standby wait was posted as 35 minutes but we ended up only waiting 13 minutes. Score!!

Then we rode F&F via the SR line just for laughs. Then, SR line for MiB… 3 times in a row. Then, Gringott’s SR and walked right on.

Then, sadness came as we had to head out of the parks for the day. But not before stopping and getting some churro fudge. Holy cow this was amazingly delicious! It was like snickerdoodle heaven (which is a cinnamon and sugar based cookie). We saved the majority of it for the kids to try at home. They loved it!

Off to Jake’s for our traditional departure day dinner. We really should try more things there but we’re hooked on their bomber burger. Omg it’s so good! This is one place where we definitely order a burger. We split the meal and it was plenty.

On our walk back to Aventura we stopped at SF to get a decadent looking brownie. Wow this was good! So fudgy and chocolatey.



As we arrived at Aventura I perused through their lovely gift shop and noticed the yearly limited wands. They were so cool!


I’ve always debated getting a wand but still never have. I feel so joyful watching others cast the spells and not only that, but I figured if I’m waiting in line to cast a spell I’m going to see what happens ahead of me anyways. Still would be a good keepsake though. Maybe sometime.

We then decided to use Aventura’s showers/locker rooms on the 2nd floor by the fitness center. Can I just say, it feels glorious to take a shower before a flight. The shower stalls are humongous and you can easily place your suitcase in with you but out of the water’s reach.


Let me add, there was absolutely nobody but myself in this whole locker/bathroom area or I wouldn’t have taken a pic. I was the only one in there. This picture doesn’t show the true depth of space but the shower was HUGE. There were two shower stalls and a few bathroom stalls. There was also a hairdryer or two in there and plenty of towels. This was such a great convenience especially with having a late flight out.

In a little while, we were here:


And then here:



This was yet another wonderful trip! We are so addicted to UO!! The food, rides, TMs, hotels, conveniences of the small footprint… everything… just so fabulous!

This past month, just hubby and DD went for a weekend and also had an incredible time which included going to the Pyschedelic Furs concert at Hard Rock Live. Love the 80s music. They had a blast!

Anyways, I had so much fun planning this trip and what an amazing time we had! I hope this helps someone as so many on here have (and still are) helped me.

 

[macraven]

Your trip report is absolutely great!

 

[wdwrule]

Your trip report is absolutely great!

Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed it!

 

[Robo56]

More Diagon Alley to come…

Nice photos of Diagon Alley.

Then over to Urban Pantry for a big steamy bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit.

They have the best fruit choices for the fruit bowls and they are so good.

I do enjoy a stop there for my Starbucks fix in the morning when I’am staying at SF. It is a nice stroll over in the morning.

We then hopped in the regular Kong line which was only a 10 minute wait. I think for the first time ever we never did the outside loop. The ride stayed indoors the entire time.

I always take the glasses off at the end to look at Kong because his face is far more interesting with the glasses off. Maybe its just me….LOL

Anyways, I had so much fun planning this trip and what an amazing time we had! I hope this helps someone as so many on here have (and still are) helped me.

What a nice trip report. You fit a lot in for such a short time.

I really like Mardi Gras too. It is such a nice lively fun time. Universal has really grown their Mardi Gras celebration.

Thank you for sharing your trip report and photos.

 

[wdwrule]

Nice photos of Diagon Alley.


They have the best fruit choices for the fruit bowls and they are so good.

I do enjoy a stop there for my Starbucks fix in the morning when I’am staying at SF. It is a nice stroll over in the morning.


I always take the glasses off at the end to look at Kong because his face is far more interesting with the glasses off. Maybe its just me….LOL


What a nice trip report. You fit a lot in for such a short time.

I really like Mardi Gras too. It is such a nice lively fun time. Universal has really grown their Mardi Gras celebration.

Thank you for sharing your trip report and photos.

Thank you so much!!

We’ve also had great experiences at Aventura’s quick service and their Starbucks. That fruit is delicious!

Funny about the glasses on the Kong ride… we do the exact same thing! The detail on the Kong animatronic is fascinating without the 3D glasses on. I remind my family members to do the same if they happen to forget.

Thanks again for your kind words. Loving your trip report as well. One of these days we need to branch out and see the Kennedy Space Center. Your report makes it look so intriguing and packed full of interesting things to do there.

 

[disneyseniors]

I've just finished you trip report, and loved it!

I was wondering what you thought of visiting that time of year? I know you love Mardi Gras and it looks like fun, but I was wondering about the crowds? Were they manageable most of the time? I would guess that MG draws in a lot of people to Universal? I am thinking of around that time, or after Easter in March. Easter is March 21st in 2024.
Thanks so much