Day 6 - 7/19 - Saturday
Our plan today was to pool hop to HRH and PBH. After having breakfast we took shuttle bus to HRH. We were the only ones on the bus, and the Lt. got to talking with the driver, who had grown up just a few blocks away from him in the good ol' Bronx. They had even gone to the same high school and talked about watching Yankee games from the apartment rooftops before the new stadium was built. It really is a small world!
My first impression of the Hard Rock was really nice curb appeal. The circular driveway and fountain was very Beverly Hills. I got the impression from reading some reviews that the HRH was a really loud at wild place to stay. Not so at all. Yes, there was music throughout the place, but it wasn't blaring. The lobby seemed sparse compared to all the greenery at the RPR. We went to the pool, got towels and looked for a place to park while the girls headed to the water slide. Not so easy. It seemed like every chair was taken, but no one was sitting in them. The pool was smaller than the RPR, and was pretty crowded. There was very little shade and very few umbrellas as well. The Lt. scouted out a place for us by one of the jaccuzzis and gathered a couple of chairs for us. We had a perfect view of the girls as they came down the slide... again.... again... and again. They must have gone down at least 25 times each. There was also a basketball net to shoot hoops in the water. I had brought the last of the rations from our room for lunch, and the plan was to go to the PBH at about 2:00pm. The only problem was that the girls didn't want to go. They were having a blast and wanted to stay. So we did. At about 4pm we packed up. We had reservations for our character dinner back at RPR. As we were waiting for the shuttle bus back to the RPR, the skies opened up and it poured...again. We got on another empty bus, which then stopped at City Walk to pick up more people. By this time the water taxis had stopped running, so there was a crowd waiting for buses. Not good. Too many people, too few buses. We were packed in like sardines. Being from New Yawk, Thing1 and Thing2 sat on our laps to make room for more people... we were used to it. So riddle me this, Batman... its pouring rain, thundering and lightning out there...wouldn't you do what you could to get as many people on the bus as possible? Apparently not Robin... because on the bus there were at least 2 families with open strollers (and no kids in them, by the way) and people sitting with souvenier/shopping bags on the seats next to them. Once again, the Lt. and I looked at each other with that "maybe its just us" look.
Luckily we made it back to the RPR with plenty of time to get ready to meet Shaggy and Scooby. Thing2 was in heaven. The girls ate from the kids buffet for $3.99 each. They had all the soda, salad, pizza, mac and cheese, chicken strips, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cookies and brownies they could eat. This was by far the best deal on food for kids since getting to Orlando. The Lt. and I had the adult buffet for $24.95 each. There was a lot to choose from there as well. I had salad, soup, and the chicken and shrimp stir fry with vegetables and noodles. The stir fry was made fresh right before my eyes at the buffet counter. The Lt. had the Mahi and asparagus. All in all, a good meal. Nothing fantastic, but okay.
The highlight of dinner was Scooby Doo and Shaggy. Our reservations were for 6:30. Promptly at 6:40 Scoob arrived at our table in all his glory. Thing2 wanted him to sign her huge plush Scooby... who by the way sat in his own chair... but Scoob couldn't master the sharpie on the plush... what with those big paws and all... so he just signed the back of her placemat. We took lots of pictures before he went to another table. About ten minutes after Scoob left the dining room who should show up, but Shaggy, looking for Scooby. Hmmmm... all through dinner they seem to have kept on missing each other... wink wink nod nod nudge nudge. Thing2 didn't catch on but Thing1 did. Shaggy was a hoot, too. He made the kids get him food from the buffet in true Shaggy style. We all had a good time. After the girls finished eating, they went into the room that housed to kids buffet and watched tv with some of the other kids while us parents finished our meals. Then the Lt. took the girls to the arcade while I went to the room and packed. I couldn't believe the week had flown by so fast.
Our plan today was to pool hop to HRH and PBH. After having breakfast we took shuttle bus to HRH. We were the only ones on the bus, and the Lt. got to talking with the driver, who had grown up just a few blocks away from him in the good ol' Bronx. They had even gone to the same high school and talked about watching Yankee games from the apartment rooftops before the new stadium was built. It really is a small world!
My first impression of the Hard Rock was really nice curb appeal. The circular driveway and fountain was very Beverly Hills. I got the impression from reading some reviews that the HRH was a really loud at wild place to stay. Not so at all. Yes, there was music throughout the place, but it wasn't blaring. The lobby seemed sparse compared to all the greenery at the RPR. We went to the pool, got towels and looked for a place to park while the girls headed to the water slide. Not so easy. It seemed like every chair was taken, but no one was sitting in them. The pool was smaller than the RPR, and was pretty crowded. There was very little shade and very few umbrellas as well. The Lt. scouted out a place for us by one of the jaccuzzis and gathered a couple of chairs for us. We had a perfect view of the girls as they came down the slide... again.... again... and again. They must have gone down at least 25 times each. There was also a basketball net to shoot hoops in the water. I had brought the last of the rations from our room for lunch, and the plan was to go to the PBH at about 2:00pm. The only problem was that the girls didn't want to go. They were having a blast and wanted to stay. So we did. At about 4pm we packed up. We had reservations for our character dinner back at RPR. As we were waiting for the shuttle bus back to the RPR, the skies opened up and it poured...again. We got on another empty bus, which then stopped at City Walk to pick up more people. By this time the water taxis had stopped running, so there was a crowd waiting for buses. Not good. Too many people, too few buses. We were packed in like sardines. Being from New Yawk, Thing1 and Thing2 sat on our laps to make room for more people... we were used to it. So riddle me this, Batman... its pouring rain, thundering and lightning out there...wouldn't you do what you could to get as many people on the bus as possible? Apparently not Robin... because on the bus there were at least 2 families with open strollers (and no kids in them, by the way) and people sitting with souvenier/shopping bags on the seats next to them. Once again, the Lt. and I looked at each other with that "maybe its just us" look.
Luckily we made it back to the RPR with plenty of time to get ready to meet Shaggy and Scooby. Thing2 was in heaven. The girls ate from the kids buffet for $3.99 each. They had all the soda, salad, pizza, mac and cheese, chicken strips, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cookies and brownies they could eat. This was by far the best deal on food for kids since getting to Orlando. The Lt. and I had the adult buffet for $24.95 each. There was a lot to choose from there as well. I had salad, soup, and the chicken and shrimp stir fry with vegetables and noodles. The stir fry was made fresh right before my eyes at the buffet counter. The Lt. had the Mahi and asparagus. All in all, a good meal. Nothing fantastic, but okay.
The highlight of dinner was Scooby Doo and Shaggy. Our reservations were for 6:30. Promptly at 6:40 Scoob arrived at our table in all his glory. Thing2 wanted him to sign her huge plush Scooby... who by the way sat in his own chair... but Scoob couldn't master the sharpie on the plush... what with those big paws and all... so he just signed the back of her placemat. We took lots of pictures before he went to another table. About ten minutes after Scoob left the dining room who should show up, but Shaggy, looking for Scooby. Hmmmm... all through dinner they seem to have kept on missing each other... wink wink nod nod nudge nudge. Thing2 didn't catch on but Thing1 did. Shaggy was a hoot, too. He made the kids get him food from the buffet in true Shaggy style. We all had a good time. After the girls finished eating, they went into the room that housed to kids buffet and watched tv with some of the other kids while us parents finished our meals. Then the Lt. took the girls to the arcade while I went to the room and packed. I couldn't believe the week had flown by so fast.
LOL!
