We had a wonderful trip thanks in large part to the tips and advice found on this board.
HOTEL: After a rather diappointing hotel in Tampa to start our trip, driving up to the Hard Rock was like approaching heaven. This hotel is so gorgeous it is hard to describe. Check-in was a breeze. We were in room 2101--a deluxe room overlooking the Woodstock Courtyard. The room was in great shape--other than a sticking drawer, I saw no maintenance problems. The room is very peaceful: 2 queen beds with duvets and pillows, a sofa bed. table and chairs, CD player, and separate dressing area. Our Entertainment rate was $155 per night. The pool is awesome. We parked the car on Sunday, and didn't touch it until Wednesday--I've never done that at Disney.
PARKS: Lines were almost non-existent. We rarely had to use our FOTL passes, but can see where that would be a tremendous perk in season. I did not like the way the FOTL passes worked in some shows. We were let in first, so I found a seat on the aisle, so DD could see better. Twice we were told to move to make room for other people. The last time we were moved was 5 minutes into the show. This was while leaving one whole section of seating area empty. We spent 2 days from 9:30 to 6 in the parks and saw everything we wanted to.
RESTAURANTS: No complaints here. We ate breakfast in the parks at the bakeries. DD has Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and DH and I had the breakfast croissants (egg, ham, and cheese)--delicious and filling $4.79 each.
MYTHOS: Wonderful meal and place. I had the risotto which had an asian flair, topped with a tuna, that was barely seared, and so delicious. OUr waiter was excellent, kept our glasses filled with soda, and gave our DD tips on scoring on MIB. DD had the pizza, and I can't remember DH's meal, but all gave it thumbs up. The atmosphere was terrific. Very quiet and cool, an excellent respite from the heat of the day. Total bill $56.
LOMBARDS: Another good meal. I had the grilled salmon, with rice and veggies. DD had the child's linguini and fruit cup. DH had the chicken sandwich. All were good. Total bill with tip and sodas was $51.
MOTOWN CAFE: Great surprise here--everyone on the staff was incredibly friendly. We shared a plate of potato chips with b-b-qu sauce, cheese and green onions--if they'd serve it with ranch dressing, it would be perfect. DH and DD shared the 18 oz. porterhouse, done to perfection. I had a fresh salad and Philly Cheese Steak with fries. With 1 beer and tip, the total was $53. The waiter got our DD up to dance during one of the songs. This place is alot of fun, and the portions are HUGE.
MARGARITAVILLE: DH had the cheeseburger in paradise with fries, DD had the kids mac and cheese. I had the chicken pasta. Very tasty meal. Add 2 mai-tais and 1 margarita and the bill was $57. The place was hopping--they had clowns on stilts making balloon animals, hats and corsages for everyone.
EMERILS: This was our splurge night. DD stayed at Camp Lil Rocker, and was the only child there. She had fun and did lots of crafts. Her 2 1/2 hour stay with meal was about $40. We walked over to the restaurant. We had reservations at 8, and were seated by 8:15. Our team of waiters was very prompt--we received new utensils with every course. They also serve everyone at the table at the same time. We shared a crabcake appetizer. DH had the tournedos of beef; I had the quail. We each got dessert. I had the signature banana cream pie--which was not what I expected but was delicious. DH had the oreo pie. Add the tip and 1 glass of wine, and our bill was $126. This is definitely an experience. The flavor and presentation of the food were extraordinary.
All in all, our trip was wonderful. We are now Universal converts. My thanks to all for the assistance gained by these boards.
HOTEL: After a rather diappointing hotel in Tampa to start our trip, driving up to the Hard Rock was like approaching heaven. This hotel is so gorgeous it is hard to describe. Check-in was a breeze. We were in room 2101--a deluxe room overlooking the Woodstock Courtyard. The room was in great shape--other than a sticking drawer, I saw no maintenance problems. The room is very peaceful: 2 queen beds with duvets and pillows, a sofa bed. table and chairs, CD player, and separate dressing area. Our Entertainment rate was $155 per night. The pool is awesome. We parked the car on Sunday, and didn't touch it until Wednesday--I've never done that at Disney.
PARKS: Lines were almost non-existent. We rarely had to use our FOTL passes, but can see where that would be a tremendous perk in season. I did not like the way the FOTL passes worked in some shows. We were let in first, so I found a seat on the aisle, so DD could see better. Twice we were told to move to make room for other people. The last time we were moved was 5 minutes into the show. This was while leaving one whole section of seating area empty. We spent 2 days from 9:30 to 6 in the parks and saw everything we wanted to.
RESTAURANTS: No complaints here. We ate breakfast in the parks at the bakeries. DD has Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and DH and I had the breakfast croissants (egg, ham, and cheese)--delicious and filling $4.79 each.
MYTHOS: Wonderful meal and place. I had the risotto which had an asian flair, topped with a tuna, that was barely seared, and so delicious. OUr waiter was excellent, kept our glasses filled with soda, and gave our DD tips on scoring on MIB. DD had the pizza, and I can't remember DH's meal, but all gave it thumbs up. The atmosphere was terrific. Very quiet and cool, an excellent respite from the heat of the day. Total bill $56.
LOMBARDS: Another good meal. I had the grilled salmon, with rice and veggies. DD had the child's linguini and fruit cup. DH had the chicken sandwich. All were good. Total bill with tip and sodas was $51.
MOTOWN CAFE: Great surprise here--everyone on the staff was incredibly friendly. We shared a plate of potato chips with b-b-qu sauce, cheese and green onions--if they'd serve it with ranch dressing, it would be perfect. DH and DD shared the 18 oz. porterhouse, done to perfection. I had a fresh salad and Philly Cheese Steak with fries. With 1 beer and tip, the total was $53. The waiter got our DD up to dance during one of the songs. This place is alot of fun, and the portions are HUGE.
MARGARITAVILLE: DH had the cheeseburger in paradise with fries, DD had the kids mac and cheese. I had the chicken pasta. Very tasty meal. Add 2 mai-tais and 1 margarita and the bill was $57. The place was hopping--they had clowns on stilts making balloon animals, hats and corsages for everyone.
EMERILS: This was our splurge night. DD stayed at Camp Lil Rocker, and was the only child there. She had fun and did lots of crafts. Her 2 1/2 hour stay with meal was about $40. We walked over to the restaurant. We had reservations at 8, and were seated by 8:15. Our team of waiters was very prompt--we received new utensils with every course. They also serve everyone at the table at the same time. We shared a crabcake appetizer. DH had the tournedos of beef; I had the quail. We each got dessert. I had the signature banana cream pie--which was not what I expected but was delicious. DH had the oreo pie. Add the tip and 1 glass of wine, and our bill was $126. This is definitely an experience. The flavor and presentation of the food were extraordinary.
All in all, our trip was wonderful. We are now Universal converts. My thanks to all for the assistance gained by these boards.
