IMGONNABE40!
<font color=green>Okay, I already am 40, but if I
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- Jul 1, 2003
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Just DH and I for this quick trip. We stayed HRH 1/21-1/23
We touched down at MCO exactly 10AM. No problems with AirTran except a bit slow getting the luggage out to the carousel--about 30 minutes. Alan from MH transportation met us in a timely fashion and waited with us for the luggage. We made a grocery stop for water, cereal, sandwiches, chips and off to HRH!
Checked in about 11:30AM. No free upgrades available since as I was informed at the front desk "we got such a great rate" ($179 for Saturday night, $149 for Sunday night--pool view). I was also rather rudely informed that we would not be getting our Loews amenity either--and I hadn't even asked! Club upgrade would have been $75. We passed since our $30 grocery stop took care of what club would have offered anyway. On prior trips we had been offered a club upgrade for $35 and was ready to do that this trip--just to try club.
We were assigned our favorite room, but it was not quite ready. After shedding some of our Northern garb and securing valuables on our persons, we stowed the luggage and groceries with the bell staff and went down to the pool to eat our sandwiches and plan our day. Very relaxing. DH wanted to start with Mummy, so around 12:30 or so we headed to the Studios.
No trouble using the renewed AP's at the gate. Headed back to the Mummy to find it down so we headed towards MIB. After riding MIB we headed back to Fear Factor since a show was about to begin. It was okay--but not really my thing. Mummy was back up, so we rode a couple of times before heading to Shrek. After Shrek I called the hotel and found out that our room was ready, so after a quick trip to the candy store (had to have some swedish fish) we went to check into our room.
It seemed to me that the carpet in the halls on the 6th floor had been replaced as I didn't recognize it and it was in great shape. Our room was in fine condition. I really had to look hard to see wear and tear in the carpet that folks have been complaining about lately. We had the beautiful white linens and the view was just as I had remembered it. After putting a few things away and organizing the room a bit, we decided to go to IOA.
Just had to do Hulk first. Followed by two rides on Dr. Doom. Rode Spiderman. Skipped the water rides and took a ride on Ice. Realized that we missed happy hour at both the Watering Hole and the Alchemy Bar. Stopped for a drink at Alchemy anyway. Toured Suess Landing. Went back to Hulk and rode since I had left my hat there earlier. It was dark at this point. I forgot how nice the Hulk is with all the lights on!
We left IOA at about closing (7PM) and headed to Margaritaville. We had to wait in line just to put our names in! DH showed the room key and AP (since January is AP appreciation month, we get PS with the pass). We were told the wait was about 90 minutes but with PS it would be less, but they could not say how much less. No problem. I figured we would browse the shop and head over to the Lone Palm for a 'rita while we waited. Much to my surprise, our pager flashed less then two minutes after leaving the stand. I thought we were being called back because they needed more info, but no, we were seated right away. Nice table down by the stage. New menu! We ordered the crab, shrimp and mushroom dip appetizer which was served with garlic toast. We split a Cheeseburger in Paradise after that. DH had a "cold draft beer" and I finally had my 'rita--okay, I had two. We had planned on splitting a slice of key lime pie for dessert, but we were too full. 20% off food bill with AP this month. Gotta love that.
After dinner we took the boat over to PBH because I just love approaching that resort at night with all of the lights on. We looked around the gallery and headed to the Geleteria. DH passed on the fresh filled cannoli, but we did buy a fancy chocolate bar to take back to our room. After touring a few more stores, we decided to walk back to HRH. After munching some of our chocolate bar we went to bed.
On Sunday we were awake early--but not on purpose. We decided to head over to IOA for a front row ride on Hulk. After Hulk we went back to the Flyers for a spin. Then onto Dueling Dragons for a front row ride on fire, followed by a front row ride on ice. For the first time we noticed that the front row harnesses on both fire and ice are red, while the harnesses on all the other rows are a different color. This is so the front row looks like a tongue. Very clever with the theming! Went back to ride the Unicorn for the fun of it, but it wasn't open yet. Off to Suess Landing to ride the Carosuessel and Cat in the Hat. Did a bit of gift shopping and asked that the package be sent to our room. We spent some time touring the refurbished kiddie area in Suess Landing. I like what they did there. I can't wait to bring my nephew there in July!
Back to Marvel to ride Spidey--more than once, I think. Had an early lunch at Cafe 4. I tried the chicken pizza since they were out of cheese pizza at the time. It was okay, but I still prefer the cheese pizza. DH had the pepperoni pizza. I had a soft drink. With the AP discount we spent about $9.
At this point--about 11:30, we headed to the Studios. No wait for Shrek. Time for the Horror Make Up Show. DH commented that it must have been the B team. I got to "pull the stake". A Canadian woman was chosen as the volunteer. First time I have seen the show that the volunteer was not an Asian woman. We rode the Mummy a few times before heading back to the hotel to relax.
Back at the hotel we got hooked watching some dumb show on cable. We don't have cable at home, so it is a bit of a novelty for us. We changed into our water ride attire and headed back to IOA to get wet. We started with One Fish Two Fish and DH got wetter then I did (I was "driving"
).
We took off for River Adventure and hit Unicorn along the way. We had our own boat for River Adventure. We sat in the center of the front row and tried to have decent faces for the photo--but it was not worth buying. On to Bilge Rat Barges. Of course we got drenched. We were on with some kids who acted like they did not realize this was a water ride,
. We were amused. DH got some soft serve Ben & Jerry's.
After leaving IOA, we went to the Lone Palm to try the Loaded Corona (Corona with a shot of lime tequila) which was surprisingly yummy. Stayed awhile and watched NFL playoffs and ate nachos. Outside you can get just chips with cheese which was nice--I don''t really like them loaded as they serve inside. We finally left our bar stools and wandered off to the studios. DH wanted to see Shrek again. I am always up for Mummy. We also went on ET--there is a new express line that does not take you through the forest at all. We had our own set of bikes. The ride seemed different to me--though it may have been the loaded Coronas! We also went on Woody's Nuthouse Coaster since it was the only ride in the parks we have not been on. I was expecting something like the Unicorn--it was much tamer.
After that we headed back to the HRH to relax by the pool. I ordered my favorite drink from the Beach Club--Sweet Home Alabama. DH did not go in. I played in the pool awhile and rode the slide several times while DH showered for dinner. We had reservations at the Kitchen. After we both had showered, it was off to dinner. We had a nice meal. DH had the steak and cakes and I had the fried chicken with at side of mac & cheese. DH said the crab cake was delicious, but that the steak was a bit grisly(not typical of filet) and too small (typical of filet!) My meal was yummy but too much food. I had to leave half of the chicken behind. Definately a meal we could have split--if DH did not have a steak appetite!
After dinner it was off to City Walk. We went to Pat O'Brien's for the pianos and Hurricanes. After that, we were off to Bob Marley's. The band was just okay. After a lady fell over drunk at my feet we decided to move on. We wanted to hit Margaritaville, but they were closing for the night. The only open place was the bar in Cigarz, but DH declared it too smokey so we passed on that and headed back to the hotel. We stayed out past midnight which is pretty late for us anymore.
Monday, our final day I was slow to rise. Must have been the 8 drinks I had the day before! Finally up and ready to go by 9:45. We figured we had missed out on the opportunity to ride front row of the Hulk, so off we went to ride MIB--repeatedly. Of course we went back to Mummy and rode at least a few times. Then it was off to IOA to ride Hulk, Spidey, Fire. We bought a few Horton glasses in Suess Landing for DH. We could see the construction area for the McBean ride and a sign that said "coming Summer 2006" but no info on exactly what was coming.
We had a late check-out, so we headed back to the hotel around 1 to get checked out. Our driver was not coming until 3:30 to drive us to the airport, so we planned on lunch at M'ville. We also wanted a few souveniers there. However, DH wanted to go back to the studios for a last ride on Shrek before leaving. We also wanted to buy our son a gift at the MIB store. Then one thing led to another and we decided to just have lunch at Louie's before heading to the shop at M'ville and finally the slow trudge back to the hotel to meet our driver. How sad we were to leave! It was a perfect pool day. I told DH from now on we would stay a minimum of 3 nights. He said that no matter how long we stayed, I would always want to stay just one more day! He is right. I know that at least two trips in the past we have extended our stay after arrival!
So, we have been home for 5 days and I have been busily planning my sister's 40th birthday at PBH and our August family vacation to Florida which will include 5 nights at RPR!
We touched down at MCO exactly 10AM. No problems with AirTran except a bit slow getting the luggage out to the carousel--about 30 minutes. Alan from MH transportation met us in a timely fashion and waited with us for the luggage. We made a grocery stop for water, cereal, sandwiches, chips and off to HRH!
Checked in about 11:30AM. No free upgrades available since as I was informed at the front desk "we got such a great rate" ($179 for Saturday night, $149 for Sunday night--pool view). I was also rather rudely informed that we would not be getting our Loews amenity either--and I hadn't even asked! Club upgrade would have been $75. We passed since our $30 grocery stop took care of what club would have offered anyway. On prior trips we had been offered a club upgrade for $35 and was ready to do that this trip--just to try club.
We were assigned our favorite room, but it was not quite ready. After shedding some of our Northern garb and securing valuables on our persons, we stowed the luggage and groceries with the bell staff and went down to the pool to eat our sandwiches and plan our day. Very relaxing. DH wanted to start with Mummy, so around 12:30 or so we headed to the Studios.
No trouble using the renewed AP's at the gate. Headed back to the Mummy to find it down so we headed towards MIB. After riding MIB we headed back to Fear Factor since a show was about to begin. It was okay--but not really my thing. Mummy was back up, so we rode a couple of times before heading to Shrek. After Shrek I called the hotel and found out that our room was ready, so after a quick trip to the candy store (had to have some swedish fish) we went to check into our room.
It seemed to me that the carpet in the halls on the 6th floor had been replaced as I didn't recognize it and it was in great shape. Our room was in fine condition. I really had to look hard to see wear and tear in the carpet that folks have been complaining about lately. We had the beautiful white linens and the view was just as I had remembered it. After putting a few things away and organizing the room a bit, we decided to go to IOA.
Just had to do Hulk first. Followed by two rides on Dr. Doom. Rode Spiderman. Skipped the water rides and took a ride on Ice. Realized that we missed happy hour at both the Watering Hole and the Alchemy Bar. Stopped for a drink at Alchemy anyway. Toured Suess Landing. Went back to Hulk and rode since I had left my hat there earlier. It was dark at this point. I forgot how nice the Hulk is with all the lights on!
We left IOA at about closing (7PM) and headed to Margaritaville. We had to wait in line just to put our names in! DH showed the room key and AP (since January is AP appreciation month, we get PS with the pass). We were told the wait was about 90 minutes but with PS it would be less, but they could not say how much less. No problem. I figured we would browse the shop and head over to the Lone Palm for a 'rita while we waited. Much to my surprise, our pager flashed less then two minutes after leaving the stand. I thought we were being called back because they needed more info, but no, we were seated right away. Nice table down by the stage. New menu! We ordered the crab, shrimp and mushroom dip appetizer which was served with garlic toast. We split a Cheeseburger in Paradise after that. DH had a "cold draft beer" and I finally had my 'rita--okay, I had two. We had planned on splitting a slice of key lime pie for dessert, but we were too full. 20% off food bill with AP this month. Gotta love that.
After dinner we took the boat over to PBH because I just love approaching that resort at night with all of the lights on. We looked around the gallery and headed to the Geleteria. DH passed on the fresh filled cannoli, but we did buy a fancy chocolate bar to take back to our room. After touring a few more stores, we decided to walk back to HRH. After munching some of our chocolate bar we went to bed.
On Sunday we were awake early--but not on purpose. We decided to head over to IOA for a front row ride on Hulk. After Hulk we went back to the Flyers for a spin. Then onto Dueling Dragons for a front row ride on fire, followed by a front row ride on ice. For the first time we noticed that the front row harnesses on both fire and ice are red, while the harnesses on all the other rows are a different color. This is so the front row looks like a tongue. Very clever with the theming! Went back to ride the Unicorn for the fun of it, but it wasn't open yet. Off to Suess Landing to ride the Carosuessel and Cat in the Hat. Did a bit of gift shopping and asked that the package be sent to our room. We spent some time touring the refurbished kiddie area in Suess Landing. I like what they did there. I can't wait to bring my nephew there in July!
Back to Marvel to ride Spidey--more than once, I think. Had an early lunch at Cafe 4. I tried the chicken pizza since they were out of cheese pizza at the time. It was okay, but I still prefer the cheese pizza. DH had the pepperoni pizza. I had a soft drink. With the AP discount we spent about $9.
At this point--about 11:30, we headed to the Studios. No wait for Shrek. Time for the Horror Make Up Show. DH commented that it must have been the B team. I got to "pull the stake". A Canadian woman was chosen as the volunteer. First time I have seen the show that the volunteer was not an Asian woman. We rode the Mummy a few times before heading back to the hotel to relax.
Back at the hotel we got hooked watching some dumb show on cable. We don't have cable at home, so it is a bit of a novelty for us. We changed into our water ride attire and headed back to IOA to get wet. We started with One Fish Two Fish and DH got wetter then I did (I was "driving"
).We took off for River Adventure and hit Unicorn along the way. We had our own boat for River Adventure. We sat in the center of the front row and tried to have decent faces for the photo--but it was not worth buying. On to Bilge Rat Barges. Of course we got drenched. We were on with some kids who acted like they did not realize this was a water ride,
. We were amused. DH got some soft serve Ben & Jerry's. After leaving IOA, we went to the Lone Palm to try the Loaded Corona (Corona with a shot of lime tequila) which was surprisingly yummy. Stayed awhile and watched NFL playoffs and ate nachos. Outside you can get just chips with cheese which was nice--I don''t really like them loaded as they serve inside. We finally left our bar stools and wandered off to the studios. DH wanted to see Shrek again. I am always up for Mummy. We also went on ET--there is a new express line that does not take you through the forest at all. We had our own set of bikes. The ride seemed different to me--though it may have been the loaded Coronas! We also went on Woody's Nuthouse Coaster since it was the only ride in the parks we have not been on. I was expecting something like the Unicorn--it was much tamer.
After that we headed back to the HRH to relax by the pool. I ordered my favorite drink from the Beach Club--Sweet Home Alabama. DH did not go in. I played in the pool awhile and rode the slide several times while DH showered for dinner. We had reservations at the Kitchen. After we both had showered, it was off to dinner. We had a nice meal. DH had the steak and cakes and I had the fried chicken with at side of mac & cheese. DH said the crab cake was delicious, but that the steak was a bit grisly(not typical of filet) and too small (typical of filet!) My meal was yummy but too much food. I had to leave half of the chicken behind. Definately a meal we could have split--if DH did not have a steak appetite!
After dinner it was off to City Walk. We went to Pat O'Brien's for the pianos and Hurricanes. After that, we were off to Bob Marley's. The band was just okay. After a lady fell over drunk at my feet we decided to move on. We wanted to hit Margaritaville, but they were closing for the night. The only open place was the bar in Cigarz, but DH declared it too smokey so we passed on that and headed back to the hotel. We stayed out past midnight which is pretty late for us anymore.
Monday, our final day I was slow to rise. Must have been the 8 drinks I had the day before! Finally up and ready to go by 9:45. We figured we had missed out on the opportunity to ride front row of the Hulk, so off we went to ride MIB--repeatedly. Of course we went back to Mummy and rode at least a few times. Then it was off to IOA to ride Hulk, Spidey, Fire. We bought a few Horton glasses in Suess Landing for DH. We could see the construction area for the McBean ride and a sign that said "coming Summer 2006" but no info on exactly what was coming.
We had a late check-out, so we headed back to the hotel around 1 to get checked out. Our driver was not coming until 3:30 to drive us to the airport, so we planned on lunch at M'ville. We also wanted a few souveniers there. However, DH wanted to go back to the studios for a last ride on Shrek before leaving. We also wanted to buy our son a gift at the MIB store. Then one thing led to another and we decided to just have lunch at Louie's before heading to the shop at M'ville and finally the slow trudge back to the hotel to meet our driver. How sad we were to leave! It was a perfect pool day. I told DH from now on we would stay a minimum of 3 nights. He said that no matter how long we stayed, I would always want to stay just one more day! He is right. I know that at least two trips in the past we have extended our stay after arrival!
So, we have been home for 5 days and I have been busily planning my sister's 40th birthday at PBH and our August family vacation to Florida which will include 5 nights at RPR!
). 
