Here goes part 4 of my trip report for the second time! This was our third day. We got to Universal at 8:30 for early entry. There was no line at all. We went first to Hanna Barbara (?). It was a cute ride which the kids liked. Next to Terminator but there was a sign posted stating that it would not be open until 11:00!! We went on to ET. I think this ride is very underrated. Everyone iin our party loved it! We even rode it a second time and got the front "bicycles" each time. The theming in this ride is excellent. Very magical and it really does feel like you are flying. This was one of my favorites.
Next we tried Back to the Future. This was a big mistake on my part! While I appreciate that this is an excellent ride for those who can tolerate it, it is definetely not for those prone to motion sickness. My sister and sons loved it while I had to look at the dashboard the entire time to keep from getting sick!
We tried MIB next. What a fun ride. There was a little bit of spinning which didn't bother me at all. Thanks to FOTL we rode this 3 times in a row. I especially loved the little coffee break scene you are treated to before getting into the cars. Don't miss it!
We headed over to "Amityville" for Jaws which was somewhat of a disappointment. My boys were afraid to go on (They had just seen the movie), and as it turns out they had nothing to be afraid of. This was not scary at all, more like a nice little boat ride with a few very phoney looking sharks. By the way, we sat in the middle and didn't get wet. Loved the theming in Amityville though, they did a great job of recreating a New England coastel village.
Next was Earthquake, King Kong (should be called King Yawn - cute special effects but definetely not scary!), and Twister, which everyone loved! We were also treated to an littlw parade and ran into friends from home (It was Spring Break!).
We decided to try and squeeze in Terminator before our lunch at Emerils. By the way, Sean the concierge at the HR had managed a 1:15 reservaion for us. My mom and I decided to walk around Hollywood Boulevard with the baby while the rest went into Terminator. What a long wait! Apparently there is a long pre-show wait before going in. They though it was good but liked Twister better.
The boys stayed at the Hotel for lunch at the Beach club and playing while my mom, sister and her baby and I went to Emerils. We arrived at 1:15 and were seated within a few minutes. The decor of the restaurant was very nice, the service left something to be desired as did some of the dishes we tried. I get the impression that some of the waitstaff feels like their clientele are a bunch of yahoos who are unaccustomed to fine dining. Like when I asked the waiter how the salmon was prepared and he responded by telling me that salmon is a pink fish. (no kidding!) After we ordered they brought out a bread basket of delicous rolls and muffins. The muffins were excellent. After 40 minutes I managed to flag down our waiter to ask when our food would arrive and he said "At Emeril's all our food is cooked to order, so we require at least 35 minutes to prepare your meal" Gee, really??? and I thought you just defrosted the food and popped it in the microwave! I live in a suburb in NYC where my husband works and have been to MANY excellent restaurants. I still say 50 minutes is WAY too long to wait to be served! And excuse me, Mr. waiter but let me clue you in on something, the food wasn't that great! My mother ordered pasta in a creamy pesto sauce with shrimp and sausages that was just O.K. nothing special AT ALL. My sisters salmon over wilted spinach was slightly better but again nothing I couldn't get at any local restaurant. The pecan crusted redfish that I ordered was excellent however. It was the only dish that we said "Yuuummm" after we bit into. (This is how I judge a restaurant, if you have that kind of reaction after the first bite then it's a winner). Unfortunetely only one out of the three entrees were exceptional enough to justify the $ 70 bill for lunch with no appetizers, drinks or desserts. That was for 3 entrees including tip (I always tip 20% but I deducted 5% for attitude) I wouldn't go back, particularly when there are so many better restaurants nearby at home.
We went back to HRH and enjoyed an afternoon of swimming and relaxing by the pool. We headed up to the rooms to shower and change for the evening. We were going to Mardi Gras again, and I promised to take my younger son back to Universal an hour earlier to check out Curious Georges playground, which we hadn't managed to get to that day. Before we left though, we stopped at the club lounge for some shrimp cocktail and a drink. The shrimp were really large and plentiful. I also asked the concierge to arrange our transportation to the airport the next day. I wish I could take the concierges home with me!
My son and I went to Curious George and MIB which we rode 2 MORE times. I think I'm actually getting good at this ride! We then met everyone else at the designated spot a few minutes before the parade was to begin. Here is where things get ugly. About 1 minute before the parade started a young woman and man who was riding one of those motorized carts parked themselves directly in front of us. I went up to them and said "Excuse me but my mother and sister have been waiting in this spot for almost an hour so the kids could get a front row view of the parade and you just came right in front of us. Could you move please?" Now before you get all upset that I was confronting a handicapped person, just let me finish my story. The woman, who took up A LOT of space, said "There is no where else for us to go". I pointed out the roped off handicapped viewing area that was about 50 yards down the road as well as the side street about 10 feet away but they would not budge! We then had to leave the curb and move next to them in order for the kids to see the floats. Here comes the good part. As soon as the first float appeared, the guy stands up and starts grabbing beads!! I said to my mom and sister "It's a miracle" He was using his cane to catch the beads and at one point raised it to my 11 year old son and said "give me those beads, they're mine". My son cried "Mom that man is going to hit me!". My mother told my son "Do not give him your beads, you caught them and they are yours" At which point this guy starts swearing at my mother, who is in her sixties (He appeared to be about 30 years old. His girlfriend stepped right up to my mother and said "You want to mess with him you can mess with me". At this point my sister grabbed her baby and stroller and ran because she was afraid this woman was going to hit someone. I said loudly, "Mom, lets get out of here, these people are obviously miserable and ignorant and just don't know any better" and with that we left. Can you imagine a man willing to hit a child and fighting with a grandmother over some plastic beads!
After this encounter we were ready for our cookies and milk, which were waiting for us at the CLub lounge when we got back. After everyone was tucked in, my Mom stayed with the boys while my sister and I went dancing at Bob Marley's again. We loved that place. Just a lot of people having a lot of fun and great music! I'll post my final report soon. Despite the nasty couple, it was another great day!
Next we tried Back to the Future. This was a big mistake on my part! While I appreciate that this is an excellent ride for those who can tolerate it, it is definetely not for those prone to motion sickness. My sister and sons loved it while I had to look at the dashboard the entire time to keep from getting sick!
We tried MIB next. What a fun ride. There was a little bit of spinning which didn't bother me at all. Thanks to FOTL we rode this 3 times in a row. I especially loved the little coffee break scene you are treated to before getting into the cars. Don't miss it!
We headed over to "Amityville" for Jaws which was somewhat of a disappointment. My boys were afraid to go on (They had just seen the movie), and as it turns out they had nothing to be afraid of. This was not scary at all, more like a nice little boat ride with a few very phoney looking sharks. By the way, we sat in the middle and didn't get wet. Loved the theming in Amityville though, they did a great job of recreating a New England coastel village.
Next was Earthquake, King Kong (should be called King Yawn - cute special effects but definetely not scary!), and Twister, which everyone loved! We were also treated to an littlw parade and ran into friends from home (It was Spring Break!).
We decided to try and squeeze in Terminator before our lunch at Emerils. By the way, Sean the concierge at the HR had managed a 1:15 reservaion for us. My mom and I decided to walk around Hollywood Boulevard with the baby while the rest went into Terminator. What a long wait! Apparently there is a long pre-show wait before going in. They though it was good but liked Twister better.
The boys stayed at the Hotel for lunch at the Beach club and playing while my mom, sister and her baby and I went to Emerils. We arrived at 1:15 and were seated within a few minutes. The decor of the restaurant was very nice, the service left something to be desired as did some of the dishes we tried. I get the impression that some of the waitstaff feels like their clientele are a bunch of yahoos who are unaccustomed to fine dining. Like when I asked the waiter how the salmon was prepared and he responded by telling me that salmon is a pink fish. (no kidding!) After we ordered they brought out a bread basket of delicous rolls and muffins. The muffins were excellent. After 40 minutes I managed to flag down our waiter to ask when our food would arrive and he said "At Emeril's all our food is cooked to order, so we require at least 35 minutes to prepare your meal" Gee, really??? and I thought you just defrosted the food and popped it in the microwave! I live in a suburb in NYC where my husband works and have been to MANY excellent restaurants. I still say 50 minutes is WAY too long to wait to be served! And excuse me, Mr. waiter but let me clue you in on something, the food wasn't that great! My mother ordered pasta in a creamy pesto sauce with shrimp and sausages that was just O.K. nothing special AT ALL. My sisters salmon over wilted spinach was slightly better but again nothing I couldn't get at any local restaurant. The pecan crusted redfish that I ordered was excellent however. It was the only dish that we said "Yuuummm" after we bit into. (This is how I judge a restaurant, if you have that kind of reaction after the first bite then it's a winner). Unfortunetely only one out of the three entrees were exceptional enough to justify the $ 70 bill for lunch with no appetizers, drinks or desserts. That was for 3 entrees including tip (I always tip 20% but I deducted 5% for attitude) I wouldn't go back, particularly when there are so many better restaurants nearby at home.
We went back to HRH and enjoyed an afternoon of swimming and relaxing by the pool. We headed up to the rooms to shower and change for the evening. We were going to Mardi Gras again, and I promised to take my younger son back to Universal an hour earlier to check out Curious Georges playground, which we hadn't managed to get to that day. Before we left though, we stopped at the club lounge for some shrimp cocktail and a drink. The shrimp were really large and plentiful. I also asked the concierge to arrange our transportation to the airport the next day. I wish I could take the concierges home with me!
My son and I went to Curious George and MIB which we rode 2 MORE times. I think I'm actually getting good at this ride! We then met everyone else at the designated spot a few minutes before the parade was to begin. Here is where things get ugly. About 1 minute before the parade started a young woman and man who was riding one of those motorized carts parked themselves directly in front of us. I went up to them and said "Excuse me but my mother and sister have been waiting in this spot for almost an hour so the kids could get a front row view of the parade and you just came right in front of us. Could you move please?" Now before you get all upset that I was confronting a handicapped person, just let me finish my story. The woman, who took up A LOT of space, said "There is no where else for us to go". I pointed out the roped off handicapped viewing area that was about 50 yards down the road as well as the side street about 10 feet away but they would not budge! We then had to leave the curb and move next to them in order for the kids to see the floats. Here comes the good part. As soon as the first float appeared, the guy stands up and starts grabbing beads!! I said to my mom and sister "It's a miracle" He was using his cane to catch the beads and at one point raised it to my 11 year old son and said "give me those beads, they're mine". My son cried "Mom that man is going to hit me!". My mother told my son "Do not give him your beads, you caught them and they are yours" At which point this guy starts swearing at my mother, who is in her sixties (He appeared to be about 30 years old. His girlfriend stepped right up to my mother and said "You want to mess with him you can mess with me". At this point my sister grabbed her baby and stroller and ran because she was afraid this woman was going to hit someone. I said loudly, "Mom, lets get out of here, these people are obviously miserable and ignorant and just don't know any better" and with that we left. Can you imagine a man willing to hit a child and fighting with a grandmother over some plastic beads!
After this encounter we were ready for our cookies and milk, which were waiting for us at the CLub lounge when we got back. After everyone was tucked in, my Mom stayed with the boys while my sister and I went dancing at Bob Marley's again. We loved that place. Just a lot of people having a lot of fun and great music! I'll post my final report soon. Despite the nasty couple, it was another great day!
