Something about Nothing, come join in........

[tarheelmjfan]

You say that like it's a bad thing!

It is when our warm weather teams have to go up there for an NFL game. j/k.... kinda

 

[tarheelmjfan]

goofie4goofy,
Where else did you eat? Do tell!!! We love restaurant reviews.

 

[bubba's mom]

We rented a car the morning we checked out. The rates at Hertz were outrageous, so we rented from Dollar, which I reserved. The Dollar Rent a car counter is located in the Holiday Inn just outside the park. Dollar sends a van to pick you up and handle your luggage - free of charge.

welcome back....sorry to hear about the service at PBH....not good I don't think i would have stayed on ground level...i think i would have insisted (being a platnium member and all) on a higher room....but, i guess you didn't spend much time in your room.....

can i ask about your rental car? was it located at the Holiday Inn Universal? We usually use Budget there...aren't they "sorta the same"? Did you happen to see a place for Budget? I am just wondering if Dollar AND Budget are BOTH there, cuz that would give me another option (instead of HAVING to use Budget).... thanks!

 

[goofie4goofy]

goofie4goofy,
Where else did you eat? Do tell!!! We love restaurant reviews.

We are pretty boring. But here it goes...

For breakfast it was either Croissant Moon (IOA) or Boulangerie (US) and always have the same thing....fresh fruit plate, bran muffin and coffee...I know Ho HUM
We ate lunches at either Finnigan's or Mythos, depending on which park we were in. Both are always excellent. I just love the Chinese Chicken salad at Mythos I did splurge on burgers at Finnigan's. I never eat burgers at home and usually save them as a vacation treat...and they were great at Finnigan's.
Dinner was at Mama Della's - it was just OK....it has definitely been better. The meatballs tasted as if they were boiled first, they were very rubbery. I was disappointed because over the years we have always had enjoyable meals there. Our second dinner was at Tchop Chop...Excellent. I love the Ahi Tuna Lettuce wraps. For an entree I had a special it was halibut that was spicy and sweet, it had a banana reduction on top of the fish - very different and excellent. As always the drinks and service are wonderful. Our third night we were really tired and didn't feel like schlepping anywhere, so the only place that made sense was to go back to Mama Dellas. I ordered a different entree Lasagna and it was just a big bowl of $22.00 slop. I don't know how anyone could call that lasagna.....over cooked mushy pasta, bitter sauce and globs of cheese on top and I asked for no cheese on top (I know it is added before heating) It was really bad. The appetizer of calamari was like fried rubber bands. Thank God for wine Our last night we went off property to Seasons 52 which we loved...I wish there was a one by us, we would eat there every night....the menu changes every week.

We also really enjoyed cocktails at the Bar American located in the lobby of the PBH. The bartenders that work there are very nice and the drinks are the old fashioned hand crafted type of drinks...they were great. It is a beautiful and peaceful place to sit, relax and enjoy a drink or three.

So that's it....pretty boring. We were disappointed in Mama Dellas, we always had decent meals there for years. The food was consistent for a long time...it tasted as though they changed chefs. We have been to USO so many times, I think we have eaten in every place there is This trip we noticed Bice was deserted....in past visits we also loved it there, but have read some bad reviews here so avoided it, apparently so did everyone else. The only place we usually visit but didn't was The Palm...we were just not in the mood for it.

 

[goofie4goofy]

welcome back....sorry to hear about the service at PBH....not good I don't think i would have stayed on ground level...i think i would have insisted (being a platnium member and all) on a higher room....but, i guess you didn't spend much time in your room.....

can i ask about your rental car? was it located at the Holiday Inn Universal? We usually use Budget there...aren't they "sorta the same"? Did you happen to see a place for Budget? I am just wondering if Dollar AND Budget are BOTH there, cuz that would give me another option (instead of HAVING to use Budget).... thanks!

That's a good question, I honestly don't know. I didn't notice a Budget, but then again I didn't look. The Holiday Inn was less than 5 minutes from the PBH, and I remember there was a small fountain in the lobby (I remember this because it made me want to pee so I had to find the ladies room) You can always go on line and check prices at both Budget and Dollar. I have to say the price and service at Dollar was excellent...loved the shuttle that picked us up.

 

[keishashadow]

quick duck in

horrible MD @ my house, youngest DS found my mom slumped over, non-responsive. She lives in MIL apt attached to my house may have had a mini-stroke; she's still in the hospital - getting poked, prodded and crankier by the minute since she's seems just fine now.

 

[marciemi]

It is when our warm weather teams have to go up there for an NFL game. j/k.... kinda

87 degrees out there right now here believe it or not!

One of my life's motto's (that I stole from a Bahama's poster back in the 80's) is "Life begins at 80 degrees" so you can guess how much I love the climate here!

Hey, we had a celebrity spotting on our trip to Appleton to a Japanese restaurant this weekend - actually ate with one of the Packers at our table. Kids got autographs, etc. Now, don't ask me who it was because unfortunately the only Packer I can name is Brett Favre and it wasn't him! I can ask my kids later if anyone really cares! We also ate with Rip Hamilton (Pistons) at a Benihanas in Detroit a couple years ago so I guess it's the place to meet sports figures!

Keisha - wow, sorry to hear about your mom! Update us and let us know how she's doing and we'll keep you guys in our prayers!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

goofie4goofy,
Thanks for sharing your dining experiences with us. I'm sad to hear Mama Della's wasn't good. We ate there for the 1st time last July, & definitely planned to return on our next visit. You might have know we'd get in on the tail end of the fun. Bummer that you didn't try Bice. I was really hoping for some new reviews before July.

keishashadow,
I'm so sorry to read about your mom, but am glad she's doing better now. My dad had mini-strokes. I know how scary they can be. Wish her well for us.

marciemi,
Your reference to Rip Hamilton kind of caught me off guard for a second. You know the saying, "How old are you?" I'm so old I still call him Richard or Rick Hamilton. Not really that old, but a college bball fan. I think everyone on the planet knows who Brett Favre is. Steakhouses are another place to bump into professional athletes. We were at Durango Steakhouse once, & a guy yells, "That's Ken Ward's little boy." He was referring to my son. My DH does work for a lot of the pro athletes in the area, & he recognized our son, before we noticed him. It makes sense that you'd see them at restaurants. Have you seen the size of those guys?

 

[bubba's mom]

quick duck in

horrible MD @ my house, youngest DS found my mom slumped over, non-responsive. She lives in MIL apt attached to my house may have had a mini-stroke; she's still in the hospital - getting poked, prodded and crankier by the minute since she's seems just fine now.

sorry to hear about yer Mom ...but sounds like she's doing better. i will remember her in my thoughts and prayers....here's hopin' to a speedy recovery......

 

[bubba's mom]

hey Macraven!

You should feel honored! I thought of you on Mother's Day and I have the picture to prove it.......

 

[goofie4goofy]

goofie4goofy,
Thanks for sharing your dining experiences with us. I'm sad to hear Mama Della's wasn't good. We ate there for the 1st time last July, & definitely planned to return on our next visit. You might have know we'd get in on the tail end of the fun. Bummer that you didn't try Bice. I was really hoping for some new reviews before July.

We have dined in Bice a few times on previous visits and the food was excellent. However after reading some bad reviews, asking an employee at the PBH about it (she is in the food service end of the resort and gave it 2 thumbs down) and seeing the restaurant deserted, we decided to keep the $300.00 or so dollars it costs to dine there in our pockets.

I think that is a pretty good review of Bice. Why would anyone dine in an empty restaurant.....that clearly speaks volumes to me. Granted we did go during a slow time of year, but the other restaurants were bustling as many locals frequent them.

 

[macraven]

87 degrees out there right now here believe it or not!

One of my life's motto's (that I stole from a Bahama's poster back in the 80's) is "Life begins at 80 degrees" so you can guess how much I love the climate here!

Hey, we had a celebrity spotting on our trip to Appleton to a Japanese restaurant this weekend - actually ate with one of the Packers at our table. Kids got autographs, etc. Now, don't ask me who it was because unfortunately the only Packer I can name is Brett Favre and it wasn't him! I can ask my kids later if anyone really cares! We also ate with Rip Hamilton (Pistons) at a Benihanas in Detroit a couple years ago so I guess it's the place to meet sports figures!
!

packers, smackers......

wanna talk teams, how about dem bears........and i do have some autographs.

don't you just hate it when the two teams play each other. mudslinging time.....i usually sit back and laugh

 

[macraven]

hey Macraven!

You should feel honored! I thought of you on Mother's Day and I have the picture to prove it.......

huh???


hey homie where's the picture???








keisha, thinking about you and mum. hoping for a healing and speedy recovery for mum... and hope you are hanging in there. it will get better.
keep us posted on her

 

[macraven]

i haven't seen amity3 around.....

and there are a few other homies i don't see on the universal forum lately.

 

[bubba's mom]

huh???

hey homie where's the picture???

(I wanted to build anticipation...........)

*taken at ZooAmerica @ Hersheypark




i couldn't resist.......

 

[keishashadow]

barb - hee-hee, i needed a chuckle.

thanks for the guys!

i'm waiting to hear that i can collect her & drag her home

watching al roker @ Universal (in a very bright pink shirt); emceeing readers digest word contest for scholars. Evidently, they were offering 1 day tix to people who signed up to show up for audience @ 6:30 a.m. i would've gone.

 

[bubba's mom]

6:30 AM?!?! uh-uh...not me

 

[Fan2CSkr]

keishashadow, I hope your Mom is doing better! Will keep her in my thoughts.

Good Morning! Its been a crazy couple days around here with too much going on.

goofie4goofy, welcome back! I was looking for posts from you since I knew you should be back! I'm glad you enjoyed your vacation. Too bad about Mama Della's! Wow 2 sucky meals is not good! We are heading there this weekend and of course we always eat there so lets see if 'maybe' they had a lapse of something while you were there. Bice has got to be on its last licks at Portofino. last trip (February busy winter break week) it was empty and now again. Why keep it there, seems senseless. They need a headliner chef like RPR and even HRH with The Palm. Such a beautiful top notch property without a fine dining experience is really not a good thing.

We had a beautiful day here yesterday and I went on a field trip to a 300 year old restoration village and we had a blast! The highlight was when my son entered the old Tavern and his nose curled. He said to me, "this smells like Grandma's room!" They tell it like it is.


3 days till Universal!!!

 

[t-and-a]

Good morning all!
I haven't been on as much as normal in the past couple weeks. My DSIL (sis-in-law) was diagnosed with lung cancer in January, and despite radiation and a few chemo treatments, she continued to get worse. It spread all over her body and she finally got so bad a couple weeks ago that she had to go in the hospital on oxygen. She passed away a week ago Sunday. I want to urge any of you who smoke, to please try to quit. I've seen what it can do. My DH quit the day his sister was diagnosed with lung cancer. I don't know if you all have noticed, but I changed my signature line in February. It did say that we were possibly planning a trip to Universal in March for Spring Break, but most likely June. We put that trip on hold until next year because we couldn't go that far away with her in the condition that she was in. We had always wanted to take her with us (she was a really fun person!), but there was always one reason or another that she couldn't go with us. She was only 42. We are coping pretty well with her death because she was suffering and it was a terrible thing to see her in such pain and discomfort. We will miss her terribly, but we know she is in a better place.

 

[tlinus]

Morning all!!

Keisha - how is Mom today?? Keeping her in my thoughts!

Bubba's Mom - too funny lady!!!

mac - missed seeing you around. were you picking up DS from college??

Spidey 3 wasn't great. The effects were awesome....but the storyline was, eh, weak. Trying to cram too much into such a short timeframe. Oh well, got my BBQ on for Mom's day and that made me happy (not as happy as Enchanted Oak, but happy nonetheless)

Dealing with alot of 6th grade girl nastiness against bean #1 in school . Its been going on since early March. The girls have totally broken her spirit and really gotten to her. She stayed home from her field trip yesterday because of all this mess. I don't remember being like this when I was 12. Eventually something was posted on a myspace about her and I had the proof I needed to go to the principal. She reamed the 2 girls a new one. Not that it will take the hurt away, but at least they were called out on their actions and couldn't lie anymore! I told Kait that even if they apologized, she didn't have to accept it.......because they don't really mean it. I know as Christians we are taught to turn the other cheek, but poor kid used up all of hers - so I am really hurting for her right now.

My back is still a bit painful and stiff - my insurance company's repair shop ordered the parts for the car and that takes 5 business days (they come from Korea for the Kia Sedona) so hopefully they can get it in next week. Its an 8 day repair.

Other than that, I am doing the usual , cleaning and trying to get the last day of my trip report done, although, its slowly sliding down the page over there.......maybe today or definately by tomorrow.