Something Wicked this MAY Comes! 18 nights @ RPR & SFR. An April/May 2025 TR

[DL1WDW2]

Will your plane fly into the new Terminal C at MCO?
Please include trip report if you have access to a new lounge at MCO !

 

[schumigirl]

I know there’s one in you!

Haha I’m imagining the parents arm wrestling to see who gets to enjoy the lounge.

If only I had your confidence in that lol.....

Oh we`ve seen that!! Well, almost, there was a lot of muttering and glaring looks, but both parents ended up leaving albeit not too happy. It does say when booking about kids, so no excuses.

 

[schumigirl]

Will your plane fly into the new Terminal C at MCO?
Please include trip report if you have access to a new lounge at MCO !

along DL1WDW2

Happy to see you here!!

No, we don`t fly into Terminal C, I believe British Airways are the UK carrier for that terminal. I know a couple of our friends have left from there, but don`t know if they used the lounge or not.

Hope you enjoy the report though

 

[schumigirl]

@angryduck71

I’ve lost some email addresses and yours is one of them!

Definitely need to catch up

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Woohoo! So exciting to have a new TR

I’m late to the party but ready to board

Can’t wait to see how Epic you get

 

[schumigirl]

Woohoo! So exciting to have a new TR

I’m late to the party but ready to board

Can’t wait to see how Epic you get

back again Maria!!

I know you`re extremely busy so I`m very happy you popped along and posted

I`m excited for this trip, well, we`re excited for them all, we just need some heat!!!! And hopefully it`ll be Epic.....but with no Epic Universe this time lol.....I think we may pass on that for a time.

But, we have a few plans and yep, look forward to it!!!

I owe you an email and have some pictures to share too.......hope you love this one too

 

[schumigirl]

​

 

[keishashadow]

it will be here before you know it!

 

[schumigirl]

it will be here before you know it!

It`s fun and quite terrifying at the same time how fast trips come around!!

I do have to stop telling one friend how many days it is till we go as they come home the same day, she unsurprisingly doesn`t like to be reminded of that lol.....

 

[keishashadow]

I do have to stop telling one friend how many days it is till we go as they come home the same day

It's all relative lol

Leave a light on for her

 

[schumigirl]

Travel day has to be the best of times with everything in front of us and as we love flying, we always look forward to the flight as part of our trip.

This flight was a nightmare to get sorted, anyone who has ever used reward flights in the UK will get it!!!! We still had one free flight to use up after our 2023 trip when we got three free flights due to agreeing to fly home in economy, but they are, or can be a nightmare to sort out.

I think I am now on the Christmas card list of three amazing staff at VA call centre!!! I can`t even begin to explain where it all went so wrong and mixed up, with the best of intentions from staff, but at one point we had three seats on this flight going out, two seats coming home on the same day and one coming home two weeks later which was very confusing to us and VA at one point.

And me trying to explain the issue every time I spoke to someone and even worse explaining to Tom what was happening was highly confusing!!!








But, in the end it was easier to just pay for this flight and move one of the free flights to September!!!!

It wasn`t worth the stress and we`ll never volunteer for "free return flights" again, just let us pay for them thank you!!

But, other than we always look forward to getting to the airport as it is fun, once the luggage has been dropped off and we head through security which is always a walk through as we buy the Fast Trax. Don`t always need it, but if we didn`t buy it, you can guarantee there will be a million people all wanting to go through at the same time as us!

Manchester Airport has been going through a revamp over the last few years, we do go through the new part now and it is impressive, we don`t go through the unmanned machines, we do bag drop and check in with a person.

VA do a bag drop the night before where you can check in then I think from around 4pm, we used to utilise this but we don`t bother now as they don`t seem to have the huge lines they used to, so we wait till the morning.

Another thing we never bother with now are the Executive Lounges at the airport once you are through security. We did book them a few times but we don`t drink at that time of the morning, well maybe a prosecco or two, but you may enjoy it more if you do enjoy alcohol while you are in there as it is help yourself. The food wasn`t good at all, so for us we won`t bother anymore.

Virgin Atlantic are probably the only carrier we will use flying to Orlando, they fly from Manchester into MCO along with British Airways, there is another carrier who fly into Melbourne, they tend to be more package trips, but you can just book flights with them, the price would have to be exceptionally cheaper for us to do that, but never say never. We could also fly from Heathrow, but we just prefer Manchester.



​

We prefer to fly in Premium, for us it`s worth it for the extra comfort and the extra baggage too which has become essential over the years for us and we do seem to utilise the full allowance for some reason or other, considering we both claim not to be shoppers!

We each get two suitcases with a 50lb limit in each of them and hand luggage is limited to 22lb each, so it is a very generous baggage allowance, you can also carry a normal handbag too in addition to the hand luggage.

Premium is nice, it`s a smaller cabin and to be honest, once the plane is up in the air, the engine noise is like white noise and you don`t tend to notice what`s going on around you.

We do like the two together seats, of course it means a window seat, usually for me which I do prefer. Tom doesn`t mind the aisle seat as he never looks out the window, he will watch movies and sleep whereas I`m always looking out to see what I can see.

With all the confusion around this booking, I`m not convinced of what actual seats we have this trip, I don`t think we have the rear or front seats, but all the seats in Premium have excellent legroom and are very comfy, although after 9 hours flying, we are ready to stand up for sure!!!

It is always nice to start the flight with a glass of fizz!

The flight always passes not too bad for us, they offer drinks regularly and feed us a full meal within an hour or so from taking off and about 90 minutes before we land they serve afternoon tea. You can also help yourself to their snack wall and ask for more drinks if you like. We tend to find the alcohol served is more than enough for us as you do get more with food too, but they do give it out it if you ask.

The movies haven`t been the best last couple of trips, well, for me anyway, Tom always find some Marvel/scifi movie to watch, but I can usually sleep for a few hours and admit to being a little geeky and do enjoy watching the Skymap.

It has lots of little tricks on it including being able to see cameras on different parts of the plane so you can watch take off and landing, not much to see at other times, but it passes some time.

It is nice to see the screen go from a full flight ahead of us....

To almost being there

This year we have a slightly shorter trip than usual which again was caused by the confusion of trying to sort flights out but it worked out nicely as we now have a 40th celebration to attend as one of my lovely nephews hits that age! Seems like only yesterday he was a baby and we wouldn`t have missed that!





​

 

[schumigirl]

It's all relative lol

Leave a light on for her

Ain`t that the truth!!

Ironically she and her husband arrive back from New York that morning, there`s a good chance their plane coming in will be ours going out to Florida as they do often switch like that. I am being good though and not mentioning it to her.....much

 

[schumigirl]

HOTEL OPTIONS!!



One of the fun part of anyone`s trip, is choosing where to stay and some people, I`m told don`t always stay in the same place every trip, can`t imagine.......

For us, if you`ve read these TR`s for many years you`ll know how much we love RPR and have done since 2009 and since 2018 we have enjoyed mixing our trips up and staying between the two hotels every time.

So, this trip is no different and for this one coming up we will be once again staying first at the lovely Royal Pacific Resort before moving over to the equally beautiful Sapphire Falls Resort.

Yes, I guess we are a little predictable, but when everything is perfect, why change.

Long term readers will know we first stayed here in 2009 and immediately fell in love with the resort and vowed to not stay anywhere else, we had found our home from home in Orlando and it has never really changed much over the years, except we added Sapphire into the rotation.

Like all the Loews hotels, certainly the original ones, you arrive to a sea of greenery with lush foliage and waterways which add to the beautiful atmosphere of these resorts and you do feel you will be transported to somewhere exotic indeed as you enter the properties.


​

It is very rare to see this area empty, usually it`s filled with cars filled with folks arriving or departing as well as Ubers and occasionally the Mears bus picking folks up too. Those Valet guys and gals are certainly kept busy.

We usually park in the regular parking lot and walk up to the entrance, it`s a few minutes walk and then you approach the infamous bridge into RP and at that point there are huge smiles on our faces all the way into the building.

The lobby is large and very different to how it used to look, the ceiling is the same but the whole area has changed beyond recognition, they do still have some of the ornate wood carvings around but for the most part it has taken a more contemporary feel. ​

You can pool hop in the Universal hotels, with the exception of Dockside and Surfside and the new ones down at Epic, but to be honest that sounded like it would be too much trouble anyway, however for the 5 hotels within a short distance from each other you are more than welcome to do so.

I admit we never bother poolhopping, we love the pool at RP and it is easily our favourite of them all with Sapphire coming a close second. We don`t spend much time during the day at the pool, we are very West of Scotland white skinned people and we do burn really easily, so sunbathing is not our thing.









The pool is gorgeous and they have many entertainment options around as well as the movies at night. ​

The pool at night is completely different.

We are considered "moonbathers" and it`s probably true, we do enjoy an evening or two watching the movie and having food and drinks from the Bula Bar which is excellent and chilling out. But to be fair, all the hotels have very good poolside food, we haven`t been to the HRH poolside bar for a very long time, but several folks have told us they have been and really enjoyed it. ​

Usually we have a King Suite, it is nice, spacious and being able to close that bedroom door over from the sitting room makes a huge difference as you don`t hear a single thing from the corridor outside.

The extra space is very nice for longer stays.

We always ask for a room on the other side of the hotel, we had a pool view for many years, but prefer it that little bit quieter.

I`m always aware on the pool side how many rooms look into one another, you never know who could be watching, I doubt anyone would have binoculars and use them to look in on other rooms, but you never know!!!

You also get to see the most amazing sunrises on this side of the hotel too. ​

Both RP and Sapphire have the comfiest of beds!!

We always sleep well at home, we do love our bed, and find the beds here extremely comfortable. Tom finds the pillows a little softer than he`d like, but I`ve yet to notice him struggle to sleep so far!!!! ​

Not many folks like the barn door to the shower, but for us it genuinely doesn`t bother us, family is family, but yes, if you were sharing with someone not either family or a very good friend it might not be idea. But after being together over 35 years there are no secrets anymore ​

More to come ​

 

[Worfiedoodles]

The flight to your vacation destination really is the best! RPR is such a lovely resort, I know your heart swells when you pull into the car park. I am one of those who misses the carved wood; it always felt like I really had ventured to a secluded spot.

I can’t imagine the frustration trying to claim those free flights. You deserve a medal for calling back over and over.

I can’t believe how quickly his trip is coming!!

 

[schumigirl]

The flight to your vacation destination really is the best! RPR is such a lovely resort, I know your heart swells when you pull into the car park. I am one of those who misses the carved wood; it always felt like I really had ventured to a secluded spot.

I can’t imagine the frustration trying to claim those free flights. You deserve a medal for calling back over and over.

I can’t believe how quickly his trip is coming!!

The wood certainly evoked impressions of South Pacific, yes, many miss that look, the carvings were very impressive, it was just maybe a little dark in places, but very fitting with the theme.

lol....it was an experience, and one we don`t plan to repeat.....free flights aren`t worth the hassle

It`s scary just how fast it`s coming around, I need to start thinking about anything we might need to take now, mum`s birthday trip was our priority up till now, but time to think of any purchases to take with us

 

[schumigirl]

Much as though we love RP, Sapphire is absolutely the prettiest of all the hotels from the exterior, front and back so whichever way you arrive at the hotel, it is gorgeous.
​

Again, seeing the Porte Cochere area deserted is rare, all the hotels are consistently busy and rarely do you get a break from traffic coming in and out.

The parking lot which is covered is to your right as you drive in, or head to the door area for Valet, it is a little more spacious than RP here but again, it does get busy. ​

The lobby here is impressive, it is light and airy and plenty of check in desks with lovely staff, but again, I think all the hotels do have impressive staff, we just know so many here and at RP we may just be a wee bit biased towards them


​

Coming off the lobby you have access to all three Guest Houses, a rather decent sized Universal store, Concierge, ticket desk, rental car desk, the New Dutch Trading Grab and Go and of course the pinnacle of bars and restaurants within UOR, Strong Water Bar which is simply incredible. ​

Coming to the hotel on the boat is very impressive, it is so pretty and definitely one of the best views around, night time is equally impressive if not more so, well worth a visit if you`re not stayin there.

If you`re not staying in the hotels you can still utilise the boats and visit any of the hotels you fancy, whether it`s just for a wander or to take advantage of the restaurants or bars they offer, it`s a nice visit regardless to any of the onsite hotels. ​

The pool is lovely here too, it is very shallow in parts, you can walk across the centre of it easily, but they do have a slide on one end of it which is very popular and again the pool bar for food and drinks is very, very good.

​

They also have one of the nicest firepits around, close to the pool and the pool bar, it is popular with folks in the evenings.

​

When Sapphire first opened we were fortunate to be given a tour of the whole property and saw all the room types including the beautiful Presidential Suite which is huge, but this is the suite that is our favourite in this hotel, The lovely Sapphire Suite.

It is incredibly spacious and having two bathrooms is a real pleasure, Tom gets the one by the door all to himself....lol....bless him, he never minds and I think quite enjoys having his own space. ​

We love this suite, it is large but in the evenings with the low lamps on it is also really, really cosy and we do enjoy an odd evening watching a movie on the tv with some snacks and a bottle of wine. ​

The kitchen is small, yes, but the fridge is a decent size and we have been known to more or less fill it at the start of our stay here with goodies, mainly wine, but hey, that`s a goodie!! ​

And my bathroom!!

It is huge, it`s own little toilet, bathtub with shower over it and an enclosed shower which is large and has always had good water pressure like RP has.

And having the double sink even though it`s only for me, is nice!! ​

We love the lagoon view in this hotel, the sunrise in the morning over RP is incredible and you can keep an eye on how busy the boats are.

Sapphire boats can get very busy as folks from Aventura and CBay use them too, but they do run regularly and only on a few occasions have we waited a long time over the years.
​

More to come ​

 

[disneyseniors]

Travel day has to be the best of times with everything in front of us and as we love flying, we always look forward to the flight as part of our trip.

This flight was a nightmare to get sorted, anyone who has ever used reward flights in the UK will get it!!!! We still had one free flight to use up after our 2023 trip when we got three free flights due to agreeing to fly home in economy, but they are, or can be a nightmare to sort out.

I think I am now on the Christmas card list of three amazing staff at VA call centre!!! I can`t even begin to explain where it all went so wrong and mixed up, with the best of intentions from staff, but at one point we had three seats on this flight going out, two seats coming home on the same day and one coming home two weeks later which was very confusing to us and VA at one point.

And me trying to explain the issue every time I spoke to someone and even worse explaining to Tom what was happening was highly confusing!!!



View attachment 949470




But, in the end it was easier to just pay for this flight and move one of the free flights to September!!!!

It wasn`t worth the stress and we`ll never volunteer for "free return flights" again, just let us pay for them thank you!!

But, other than we always look forward to getting to the airport as it is fun, once the luggage has been dropped off and we head through security which is always a walk through as we buy the Fast Trax. Don`t always need it, but if we didn`t buy it, you can guarantee there will be a million people all wanting to go through at the same time as us!

Manchester Airport has been going through a revamp over the last few years, we do go through the new part now and it is impressive, we don`t go through the unmanned machines, we do bag drop and check in with a person.

VA do a bag drop the night before where you can check in then I think from around 4pm, we used to utilise this but we don`t bother now as they don`t seem to have the huge lines they used to, so we wait till the morning.

Another thing we never bother with now are the Executive Lounges at the airport once you are through security. We did book them a few times but we don`t drink at that time of the morning, well maybe a prosecco or two, but you may enjoy it more if you do enjoy alcohol while you are in there as it is help yourself. The food wasn`t good at all, so for us we won`t bother anymore.

Virgin Atlantic are probably the only carrier we will use flying to Orlando, they fly from Manchester into MCO along with British Airways, there is another carrier who fly into Melbourne, they tend to be more package trips, but you can just book flights with them, the price would have to be exceptionally cheaper for us to do that, but never say never. We could also fly from Heathrow, but we just prefer Manchester.



​

We prefer to fly in Premium, for us it`s worth it for the extra comfort and the extra baggage too which has become essential over the years for us and we do seem to utilise the full allowance for some reason or other, considering we both claim not to be shoppers!

We each get two suitcases with a 50lb limit in each of them and hand luggage is limited to 22lb each, so it is a very generous baggage allowance, you can also carry a normal handbag too in addition to the hand luggage.

Premium is nice, it`s a smaller cabin and to be honest, once the plane is up in the air, the engine noise is like white noise and you don`t tend to notice what`s going on around you.

We do like the two together seats, of course it means a window seat, usually for me which I do prefer. Tom doesn`t mind the aisle seat as he never looks out the window, he will watch movies and sleep whereas I`m always looking out to see what I can see.

With all the confusion around this booking, I`m not convinced of what actual seats we have this trip, I don`t think we have the rear or front seats, but all the seats in Premium have excellent legroom and are very comfy, although after 9 hours flying, we are ready to stand up for sure!!!

It is always nice to start the flight with a glass of fizz!

The flight always passes not too bad for us, they offer drinks regularly and feed us a full meal within an hour or so from taking off and about 90 minutes before we land they serve afternoon tea. You can also help yourself to their snack wall and ask for more drinks if you like. We tend to find the alcohol served is more than enough for us as you do get more with food too, but they do give it out it if you ask.

The movies haven`t been the best last couple of trips, well, for me anyway, Tom always find some Marvel/scifi movie to watch, but I can usually sleep for a few hours and admit to being a little geeky and do enjoy watching the Skymap.

It has lots of little tricks on it including being able to see cameras on different parts of the plane so you can watch take off and landing, not much to see at other times, but it passes some time.

It is nice to see the screen go from a full flight ahead of us....

To almost being there

This year we have a slightly shorter trip than usual which again was caused by the confusion of trying to sort flights out but it worked out nicely as we now have a 40th celebration to attend as one of my lovely nephews hits that age! Seems like only yesterday he was a baby and we wouldn`t have missed that!





View attachment 949533​

we don`t go through the unmanned machines, we do bag drop and check in with a person.

I'm the same way. I want to talk with a real person! However, on our last trip, my Son did everything by phone. I don't think we ever talked with a real live person, LOL. He loves everything tech and knows quite a bit about it. I called him all the time when I got my new Iphone and laptop. He is very patient with me, while I'm a nervous wreck over things Not going right on those devices, LOL

 

[schumigirl]

I'm the same way. I want to talk with a real person! However, on our last trip, my Son did everything by phone. I don't think we ever talked with a real live person, LOL. He loves everything tech and knows quite a bit about it. I called him all the time when I got my new Iphone and laptop. He is very patient with me, while I'm a nervous wreck over things Not going right on those devices, LOL

It’s the same with everything in life now especially when you have to call someone…..just let us speak to a darn person!!! Press 1 for this…..2 for that and that takes you to a separate set of options. I leave that to Tom although even he loses the plot eventually, especially when they then thank you for your call and cut you off and you’ve still not sorted what you wanted!!

Heads exploding everywhere lol….

Oh it’s good to have someone to help with things like that, I remember you saying he helped you with that. I’m grateful Tom is handy with tech stuff and when Kyle visits I usually have something to ask him lol

Technology is wonderful…..when it’s easy and works!

 

[schumigirl]

​

 

[angryduck71]

@angryduck71

I’ve lost some email addresses and yours is one of them!

Definitely need to catch up

I am horrible! With all going on with kid going to college and then the mess of being a federal employee, I have been neglectful. Will message you!