PudseyChancer
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2007
- Messages
- 478
Just back from three weeks in Orlando, 5 nights at RPR and 16 nights at the excellent Beach Club Villas - thought I would capture a few highs and lows seeing as I doubt I'll be doing a trip report.
I'll start with the highs, of which there were many:
HIGHS
Royal Pacific Resort - a well themed restaurant with good access to the parks, it was a great start to the holiday. Jakes Bar in particular was a great retreat at the end of the day, holding a couple of craft ale nights which I really enjoyed. The front of the line pass is undoubtedly a great incentive to stay at the hotel and makes your day in the parks so easy, we'll definitely be staying onsite at Universal again, though probably trying one of the other hotels as an alternative.
Disney's Beach Club Villas - we were in a studio room on the fourth floor with a view of the quiet pool and a full balcony - we stayed here for 16 nights on my DVC points - I have to say that this was absolutely amazing, we were blown away with the Beach Club and would encourage anyone to stay there if they have the opportunity. Stormalong Bay was superb, and we had more full days at the pool than we had intended because we loved it so much - the whole resort was relaxing and encouraged you to chill and take some time out. We discovered loads of hidden away chill out areas that were a haven when you needed some quiet time - there were a few pool tables hidden away which were a welcome addition also. It's location, with the 'shortcut' to Epcot could not be beat, and with the boat to Hollywood Studios, two of the parks were easily accessible. The staff at the resort were fantastic, and we experienced the Disney magic on a number of occasions which enhanced our stay - little things which add to the overall experience that don't get done elsewhere. Having explored a number of other DVC hotels on this visit and being disappointed, I'll be surprised if our next trip is not at the Beach Club. Those of you that are my friends on FB will be able to see a video of the pool and some photos of around the Villas once I get some time to put them up! The rooms at the Beach Club were being updated whilst we were there, and they look very impressive (if a little less themed) and I know the Villas are being updated once they are completed - we did not notice any work being done and there were no intrusions on our stay by maintenance.
The weather! - In the two weeks prior to our travel, there was a lot on social media around the poor weather in Orlando, which was beginning to make me nervous, however in our first week we had some brutally hot days and we had few instances of rain beyond the daily thunderstorms mid afternoon that we were expecting, the last week in particular was very, very hot also. The only day which affected us was the day we were supposed to go to Orlando City, there was a lightning storm which delayed the kick-off and we made the decision not to go - the game kicked off late, had to be suspended and eventually was concluded after midnight! To have a game finishing at this time showed little consideration for the paying public, so we were glad that we had made the decision to go - I have to admit to have lost quite a lot of interest in going anyway, (they have been playing poorly and have had players sent off in recent games so the entertainment has been poor) - it was an excuse to spend time in the ESPN bar however, which is/was excellent!!!
Seaworld - I've not been to Seaworld for a few visits, so I was delighted to go this time round, it was fantastic as ever and remains one of my favourite parks. I appreciate that Blackfish has turned a lot of people off to Seaworld, which is unfortunate, but you don't have to stray too far from the signature attractions to see the value and importance of Seaworld in terms of the good that it does, and the value and importance of it to marine life. It'll be on the list again for our next visit.
Outlets - we hammered the outlets and made some serious savings, the highlight being a Burberry bag for the Missus that we got for $430 - we've since seen it on sale in the UK for £875!!!! Again, I don't know why I bother buying clothes before I go for the holiday, absolutely no point given the savings over there. We bought an extra suitcase to take advantage and brought back some great bargains. We also went to the Florida Mall where I got an iWatch Sport saving £70 on the UK price.
The Boathouse - this was probably the best overall experience we had across the whole holiday, we visited here twice. Fantastic theming and terrific food (I was brave and had lobster!), this is a must do even if it's to sup a cocktail and watch those going out in the car boats (I was desperate to see a capsizing, I know, that's horrible)! Downtown Disney/Disney Springs is developing into a great area, and there's loads of development still going on - the vibe on a night was something else, much better than I have experienced there before.
LOWS
Thomas Cook - I've put this as a low, it's probably more of an observation - we flew out premier class which was good, they doubled up on drinks whenever you asked for one which I found odd, the bags weren't offloaded first at MCO which was one of the key selling points for me, though you were on/off first which took you out of the scrum that ensues at boarding. On the way back we flew economy which I thought was very poor, barely any entertainment unless you upgraded, and everything was an exercise in getting your money, you had to pay for everything. I have to say I had more space than I expected, and we left/landed earlier than scheduled on both trips, so fair play for that - I'm hoping that our travel dates for 2017 might make Virgin a little more competitive, but I wouldn't hesitate to use Thomas Cook again, though preferably premier class. Thomas Cook also managed to mess up our currency card, so we have significant complaint to process with them upon our return.
Stand-By Queues at Disney - it's a perennial complaint I suppose, and it was probably enhanced by having front of the line pass at Universal prior to visiting Disney, but some of the wait times were blatantly misleading - a queue at Big Thunder mountain was advertised as 30 mins but actually took 75 mins. I questioned the CM at boarding and he said that he was admitting 10 groups from the fast pass lane to one group from the stand-by queue (irrespective of group size), which caused the issue. To be fair, they did update the wait times when I exited the rides and gave them the feedback, but it wasn't the only instance - there seemed to be a real imbalance, maybe too many fast passes had been authorised?
Disney Restaurants - we actually cancelled a number of dining reservations, and the ones that we did use were over-priced and accompanied by poor quality service, the chief culprit being the Rose and Crown unfortunately. Our server there was disinterested, got the order wrong and was incapable of serving the number of guests she was serving - the quality of the food as well was sub-standard, and ridiculously expensive ($140 for three people)!!! Katsura Grill and Beaches and Cream were among the few highlights.
Closed attractions - I was disappointed that Pirates of the Caribbean, Primeval Whirl and the Liberty Tree Tavern were closed whilst I was there, I realise it's a 'luck of the draw' type thing, but all three would have been on my to do list and given we attended in peak season, I was surprised that these had been pulled.
On the back of this break, we're wrestling between staying at Portofino for a couple of nights and the Beach Club to make up three weeks, to just staying at the Beach Club for the whole three weeks given how much we enjoyed our stay. If you have any questions, or want any more detail, let me know
I'll start with the highs, of which there were many:
HIGHS
Royal Pacific Resort - a well themed restaurant with good access to the parks, it was a great start to the holiday. Jakes Bar in particular was a great retreat at the end of the day, holding a couple of craft ale nights which I really enjoyed. The front of the line pass is undoubtedly a great incentive to stay at the hotel and makes your day in the parks so easy, we'll definitely be staying onsite at Universal again, though probably trying one of the other hotels as an alternative.
Disney's Beach Club Villas - we were in a studio room on the fourth floor with a view of the quiet pool and a full balcony - we stayed here for 16 nights on my DVC points - I have to say that this was absolutely amazing, we were blown away with the Beach Club and would encourage anyone to stay there if they have the opportunity. Stormalong Bay was superb, and we had more full days at the pool than we had intended because we loved it so much - the whole resort was relaxing and encouraged you to chill and take some time out. We discovered loads of hidden away chill out areas that were a haven when you needed some quiet time - there were a few pool tables hidden away which were a welcome addition also. It's location, with the 'shortcut' to Epcot could not be beat, and with the boat to Hollywood Studios, two of the parks were easily accessible. The staff at the resort were fantastic, and we experienced the Disney magic on a number of occasions which enhanced our stay - little things which add to the overall experience that don't get done elsewhere. Having explored a number of other DVC hotels on this visit and being disappointed, I'll be surprised if our next trip is not at the Beach Club. Those of you that are my friends on FB will be able to see a video of the pool and some photos of around the Villas once I get some time to put them up! The rooms at the Beach Club were being updated whilst we were there, and they look very impressive (if a little less themed) and I know the Villas are being updated once they are completed - we did not notice any work being done and there were no intrusions on our stay by maintenance.
The weather! - In the two weeks prior to our travel, there was a lot on social media around the poor weather in Orlando, which was beginning to make me nervous, however in our first week we had some brutally hot days and we had few instances of rain beyond the daily thunderstorms mid afternoon that we were expecting, the last week in particular was very, very hot also. The only day which affected us was the day we were supposed to go to Orlando City, there was a lightning storm which delayed the kick-off and we made the decision not to go - the game kicked off late, had to be suspended and eventually was concluded after midnight! To have a game finishing at this time showed little consideration for the paying public, so we were glad that we had made the decision to go - I have to admit to have lost quite a lot of interest in going anyway, (they have been playing poorly and have had players sent off in recent games so the entertainment has been poor) - it was an excuse to spend time in the ESPN bar however, which is/was excellent!!!
Seaworld - I've not been to Seaworld for a few visits, so I was delighted to go this time round, it was fantastic as ever and remains one of my favourite parks. I appreciate that Blackfish has turned a lot of people off to Seaworld, which is unfortunate, but you don't have to stray too far from the signature attractions to see the value and importance of Seaworld in terms of the good that it does, and the value and importance of it to marine life. It'll be on the list again for our next visit.
Outlets - we hammered the outlets and made some serious savings, the highlight being a Burberry bag for the Missus that we got for $430 - we've since seen it on sale in the UK for £875!!!! Again, I don't know why I bother buying clothes before I go for the holiday, absolutely no point given the savings over there. We bought an extra suitcase to take advantage and brought back some great bargains. We also went to the Florida Mall where I got an iWatch Sport saving £70 on the UK price.
The Boathouse - this was probably the best overall experience we had across the whole holiday, we visited here twice. Fantastic theming and terrific food (I was brave and had lobster!), this is a must do even if it's to sup a cocktail and watch those going out in the car boats (I was desperate to see a capsizing, I know, that's horrible)! Downtown Disney/Disney Springs is developing into a great area, and there's loads of development still going on - the vibe on a night was something else, much better than I have experienced there before.
LOWS
Thomas Cook - I've put this as a low, it's probably more of an observation - we flew out premier class which was good, they doubled up on drinks whenever you asked for one which I found odd, the bags weren't offloaded first at MCO which was one of the key selling points for me, though you were on/off first which took you out of the scrum that ensues at boarding. On the way back we flew economy which I thought was very poor, barely any entertainment unless you upgraded, and everything was an exercise in getting your money, you had to pay for everything. I have to say I had more space than I expected, and we left/landed earlier than scheduled on both trips, so fair play for that - I'm hoping that our travel dates for 2017 might make Virgin a little more competitive, but I wouldn't hesitate to use Thomas Cook again, though preferably premier class. Thomas Cook also managed to mess up our currency card, so we have significant complaint to process with them upon our return.
Stand-By Queues at Disney - it's a perennial complaint I suppose, and it was probably enhanced by having front of the line pass at Universal prior to visiting Disney, but some of the wait times were blatantly misleading - a queue at Big Thunder mountain was advertised as 30 mins but actually took 75 mins. I questioned the CM at boarding and he said that he was admitting 10 groups from the fast pass lane to one group from the stand-by queue (irrespective of group size), which caused the issue. To be fair, they did update the wait times when I exited the rides and gave them the feedback, but it wasn't the only instance - there seemed to be a real imbalance, maybe too many fast passes had been authorised?
Disney Restaurants - we actually cancelled a number of dining reservations, and the ones that we did use were over-priced and accompanied by poor quality service, the chief culprit being the Rose and Crown unfortunately. Our server there was disinterested, got the order wrong and was incapable of serving the number of guests she was serving - the quality of the food as well was sub-standard, and ridiculously expensive ($140 for three people)!!! Katsura Grill and Beaches and Cream were among the few highlights.
Closed attractions - I was disappointed that Pirates of the Caribbean, Primeval Whirl and the Liberty Tree Tavern were closed whilst I was there, I realise it's a 'luck of the draw' type thing, but all three would have been on my to do list and given we attended in peak season, I was surprised that these had been pulled.
On the back of this break, we're wrestling between staying at Portofino for a couple of nights and the Beach Club to make up three weeks, to just staying at the Beach Club for the whole three weeks given how much we enjoyed our stay. If you have any questions, or want any more detail, let me know
