Our Thanksgiving Week Adventure- Come to the Dark Side!

[ThemeParkGuy]

A note: For previous Christmases’ we had visited Disney (10 days at the world in 06 and 6 days at Disneyland/Universal in California in 07). We decided we wanted to hit Orlando and do other things so after much discussion with our daughters (age 9 and 11), it was decided that the hard rock was he place to be and Universal would be our home this trip. Our school gets the whole week off at Thanksgiving- so we settled on the 21-26 hoping to avoid too much congestion and leaving back on Turkey Day. We considered flying- but the 5 days at the hard rock and the three tickets I had to buy were equal to the cost of the airfare- So let’s gas up the car!

Saturday 21

We arrived at the hard rock around 11:00pm after an 18+ hour drive from Oklahoma. When I first walked in I was surprised by the level of activity and the music (it’s the hard rock what did I expect). After a few moments to get into the vibe- that’s all it took. We checked into room 2086 which was the best. It was a garden view but actually overlooked the games area of the pool. It was the closet to the elevators and right next to the laundry. When we got off the elevators on the first floor, we were right at the water taxi areas. After reading some posts about having to walk far- could not have had a perfect location. When we got to the room, the light was not working (bulb out) and after a call to star service was fixed in five minutes. The room was a perfect size for our family of four and I really enjoyed the extra vanity. The only negative issues we discovered were we could not get cell phone reception in our room. Being on the second floor and below the lobby caused too much signal loss. Anywhere outside of the room- the signal was ok. We settled in for sleep around 12:00. I must also say how much I love front of the line. We sleep in every day and got up when we wanted and went to the parks at our pace so it truly felt like a vacation, unlike Disney when I had to be their at park opening to avoid the crowds.

Sunday 22- Part 1

Universal Studios Day. Got up and had breakfast at the café (knew right away we needed to hit a wal-mart for snacks). I went with my youngest daughter (9) to redeem my super bowl voucher and pick up our three other 7 day for 99.00 internet tickets. This was our first visit on the boat ride and what a way to travel. The Hard Rock is literally at the front gates (when we walked it was 6 minutes to the gates) but the boat ride seems to make a more magical beginning. The boat captains were always so friendly and the wait never exceeded 10 minutes. After picking up the tickets- returned to the room to fetch wife and other daughter. On our way out this was a first chance to look around the pool in the light and WOW. We all agreed this was the best pool layout and amenities we have ever encountered. We also stopped and got Hard Rock Lanyards for only 4.99 so everyone could keep tickets and room keys handy. There are still giving the all access card free at check in, but no room upgrade was available during our stay.

 

[Disney_Jill]

Sounds like a great start to your trip. We were at Disney the same time you were at Universal. We went to Universal a few years ago for spring break and stayed at the Royal Pacific, that FOTL card is great!
My son and I are going for his birthday the last weekend in January for a 4 day weekend and staying at the HRH. We can't wait!!

 

[macraven]

welcome to the darkside...!!

so glad you enjoyed HRH.
it's a kewl hotel.


hope to read more about the rest of your stay.
so far, sounds great!

 

[DisneygirlTeacher]

We were at the HRH during Thanksgiving week, also. We had a wonderful stay! The FOL access made all the rides easily available. We loved our room which was Club Level and got the exact same room we had last time! I asked about it and it was available, so since we loved it so much last time, we took it again. Housekeeping was excellent...the room was very clean and nice. We ate at Emeril's (always yummy), Margaritaville (fun and good), The Kitchen (in the hotel and some of the best food ever), and, of course, Hard Rock Cafe (we always love their food, too.) To top it off...we got tickets to Hard Rock Live to see David Cook (last season's American Idol winner.) He was awesome! That ended my week on a very happy note...lol HRH is a wonderful place to stay...can't wait until we get to go back again!!

 

[Pinkpony]

We're also from Oklahoma and made the drive. Takes us 20 hrs., though. Would love to know how you made it in 18!

We were at HRH during Thanksgiving week also! It was our second stay there; we've also stayed once at RPR.

We always go to Universal the last few days of our Orlando trip and LOVE it! We've decided to just do Universal next year (and maybe from now to eternity) and skip the stress and hassle of WDW. It's so much more relaxing, isn't it?

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Metro West]

Very good so far....more please!

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

Sounds great so far.

 

[ThemeParkGuy]

Sunday the 22nd part 2

After pre-scouting the park and getting out tickets, we got back to HRH and picked up my wife and other daughter and got to the studios around 11:00. On the way out we stopped at the concierge and made a reservation for Lombard's which she called in for us. We decided to start at the kidzone and hit ET. The express pass got us straight to the blue doors as we prepared to enter the ride. My girls were most excited about this ride as we had watched the movie prior to leaving. Once inside we were on the ride in less than 5 minutes. I missed the ET greeting at the end as I did not know they randomly scan in the passports, so even though I was sitting in the back and expecting to hear our names last- I think they came out first. After E.T. we saw a little of the 80's dance party with scobby and the rest- fun but a weird mix of music and characters. Next up- Simpsons- Best pre-show of the park. Really saved time with express here as we were granted immediate access to the second level. The ride was a family hit and more enjoyable than Back to the Future in my opinion. Next was out first attempt at Men in Black- What fun- my favorite thing to do was hit the exhaust port of the opposing track and keep them spinning as much as possible. Our family was victorious in the points department. Rip Torn would be proud. By this time it was time for lunch so off to Lombard’s. The interior was very nice and we enjoyed overlooking the lagoon. The meals were large enough for us to share our entrees with the kids (while I thought Finnegan's had better food, the wait staff at Lombard’s were superior and help make the meal special).
After eating the requisite seafood- time to visit JAWS (I would also like to note that unlike Disney- the kid’s meals were varied around the park and had more quantity and flair than the mouse). With express, we were on our boat in 2 minutes. I am the only one in the group that appreciates this ride and its effects- Older daughter is a jaws freak as was a little disappointed- I guess she wanted some bloody gore). I wish I could have ridden at night when there are supposed to be more effects- but with the early closing it was not to be.
After JAWS- it was on to disaster- WOW what an improvement. The Christopher Walken set-up builds a sense of story and the movie trailer at the end is priceless. Mummy time. We had ridden it when in Hollywood two years ago but do to the size of it fitting in the old ET building in LA, I had always read that the Orlando version kicked butt. Kick-butt it did- out first re-ride as we rode it three times in a row all in about 20 minutes with the express. On this day the first mummy scene was in "B" mode as they just projected his face on the coffin. We were surprised when this effect was working on another day. My favorite part is when the mummy takes over the ride attendant and you make a steep dive into the mist and fog- IO can still feel it on my face. While I am a big fan of the rock-in-roll rollercoaster at MGM- it cannot touch the psychology of this ride (youngest daughters favorite ride of the park, ET was my oldest daughter’s favorite- go figure). Twister time- Last time I was at universal- they had just closed Ghostbusters and were beginning the conversion to Twister. Coming from Oklahoma- we have a soft-spot for tornado rides. While I enjoyed it a lot, the set-up in the house that aunt's house with the tractor in the roof and the creaking noises and water drips was the best pre-show for a show at universal.
After riding it out we decided to call it a day (this is a relaxing vacation by the way). On the way out- checked the wait time for HRRR at 120 minutes (ouch) though we would save it for another day (more on that later). We left the studios around 4:00 and decided to head back to hard rock. We had dinner that night at the bar and grill by the pool. First of the all, the service was extradionary (with a built in tip of 18%). I new it would be a little more costly having read the boards but how wonderful to eat and let the kids waterslide and swim for two hours). I had the best hamburger of my entire trip here and my wife's salad was also a standout). Negative note- the soft drinks were 3.00 each and refills were also 3.00). The wife and I decided to hit up Wal-Mart and purchase some snacks and cheaper soft drinks to keep on hand; it was only a 10 minute drive to the store. I also had a chance top notice the other shopping and restaurants in the area. On the way we drove past the Wyndam Orlando on International Drive, were we last stayed for 11 days during our last visit. There is no comparison here. I will always stay at the hard rock- even if I am visiting Disney.
After an exciting first full day at the parks- a great dinner and swim- we decided to turn in and recover a little more from our drive. UP next- Monday the 23rd and my first visit ever to islands of adventure (the main draw for me on this entire trip).

 

[donaldduck352]

Keep it comming,loving it so far!

 

[Pinkpony]

We love the Mummy too! What a presentation it is!

Thanks for the tip on MIB; I never knew you could hit something to make the other car spin.

Can't wait to hear about your IOA experience, so don't be a stranger!

 

[CaptHomer]

We were there from the 20th until Thanksgiving day and Lombards was closed as well as most of the other sit down restaurants. Mythos was open, we had a nich Thanksgiving lunch there.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Sounds like a great trip, so far! We agree that the onsite hotels are extremely comfortable and convenient.

Enjoying your report! We were there 11/25 - 11/29, and also had a blast!

Maria

 

[pixeegrl]

Love the TR keep it coming. We love Lombards!

 

[ky07]

Great trip report

 

[phlffhd]

test

 

[macraven]

test

i'll have you know that if you give a test, i expect to get 100% on it.
nothing less will do.........

 

[ckmiles]

Great Report!

 

[Kathiria]

Awesome!!! Can't wait to hear more.

 

[Jfstorm]

Thanks for the post! We are getting ready to return to Universal after a year and a half break; so you are getting my memory all caught up. Cant wait to catch all the new stuff like HRRR coaster and Simpsons. Sounds like from others the Mummy is still breaking down a good bit. Unfortunate as it is our FAVORITE!!!!!! DS is way excited about HP opening, but that'll have to wait until April's trip I guess. Glad to get some info on the HRH; have always wanted to stay there (as oposed to Portofino- no interest in that theming at all) but have only stayed @RPH so far and LOVE it. We do ususally stay off site for Universal ( there is a FANTASTIC Motel 6 right around the block) yes, you did read that right; Motel 6!!! Hey, its like a Hampton Inn and only costs around $40 a night and all we really do is sleep and shower before driving around the corner to the garage.
We are really hoping that DD is still open and even with the announcements are a little confused as to where everything is going to be. The theming as a whole is going to be much better I think though.

 

[DonnaLeah]

Can't wait ot hear more. We didn't visit Orlando in 2009, so reading your report is great!