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

[schumigirl]

Nice start. Congrats to your son on the marathon when I lived in Boston, I loved watching them finish downtown such an accomplishment.

Thanks!!!

Yes, Boston is one they all want to do, it has such prestige among runners and Boston looks such a beautiful city too. I think they need to plan to do that sometime soon, but I`m sure you have to be within a certain time to run that one or some such restriction. Of course I could be wrong

 

[schumigirl]

Woohoo Carol’s fabulous trip report has begun!

Brenda

Glad you`re still here Brenda .....I hope you enjoy it, I always worry we never do anything worth writing about, but we have nice pictures thanks to Tom mostly

 

[keishashadow]

I know I was the only "real" tea drinker on the Sans, so not many will join in

& all this time I thot I was fancy using twinnings tea bags instead of Lipton in my hot tea. I get that sentiment tho, proper tea service is rare here. I laugh to myself when in a white tablecloth restaurant and see they charge $10 for tea service…that amounts to a grand presentation of a felt lined wooden box laden with tea bags…help yourself; take one, only one.

I had suggested he meet us here today before going home and we could have lunch and hear all about it, I`d hate to think we`d have passed one another on the motorway with us heading up to Manchester

Can you imagine waving merrily to each other as you passed, how strange. Glad he was able to stop by and see you off

all three sandwiches were lovely

That is one tasty looking sandwich. Going to keep a mental count of how many times your TR makes me hungry.

 

[schumigirl]

& all this time I thot I was fancy using twinnings tea bags instead of Lipton in my hot tea. I get that sentiment tho, proper tea service is rare here. I laugh to myself when in a white tablecloth restaurant and see they charge $10 for tea service…that amounts to a grand presentation of a felt lined wooden box laden with tea bags…help yourself; take one, only one.


Can you imagine waving merrily to each other as you passed, how strange. Glad he was able to stop by and see you off

That is one tasty looking sandwich. Going to keep a mental count of how many times your TR makes me hungry.

lol....Liptons.........

Well, you know what I think of Liptons haha. I don`t mind Twinings at all, they do some decent everyday stuff.

$10 for one and only one teabag??? I must admit I do enjoy a proper tea service in a restaurant with full silver service, nice!!

Oh goodness I`d have hated to have passed him on the road somewhere, timing was everything for this trip.

I know, I need to make sure I`ve been fed before I post food pics

 

[disneyseniors]

Hi Carole:
As usual, a lovely start of the trip report. Congratulations to Kyle for another great marathon run. He didn't even look tired! Oh to be that young again, lol.
I'm so glad they got the wine stain out of your dress! What a nice place to stay and they treat you right
Awaiting the rest of your adventures

 

[schumigirl]

Hi Carole:
As usual, a lovely start of the trip report. Congratulations to Kyle for another great marathon run. He didn't even look tired! Oh to be that young again, lol.
I'm so glad they got the wine stain out of your dress! What a nice place to stay and they treat you right
Awaiting the rest of your adventures

Hey Ruth,

Thank you, glad you’re along for this one too.

He amazes me, he can run a marathon and barely looks out of breath or even sweaty, oh yes, to be that young again and healthy!!

The Radisson are excellent, their customer service is always top notch, I fully expected to pay for the laundry, especially being done so quickly.

Next post up soon

 

[schumigirl]

TRAVEL DAY

TUESDAY APRIL 29TH




As expected we had a poor sleep, not down to the bed or us being ultra tired, no, it was a pure mix of excitement and waking up around 2am to find the aircon had gone off, the room was airless and hot.

Tom got up and put it back on and within a few minutes the room was cooler, but now we were wide awake wishing it was 5.30!! We were glad of the water as we were thirsty and we also had brought a large bottle from home, so we drank quite a lot and were glad of it. Tap water in the UK is very drinkable but I can`t drink out of a bathroom sink tap, so bottled water are necessary.

I do remember seeing 3.30am, but I must have fallen back over as soon it was 5.30 and the first alarm was going off. I nudged Tom as he was completely oblivious to hearing Freddie Mercury`s dulcid tones that are one of my alarm call sounds, my elbow worked better I have to say!!

We had a brief grumble about being so tired and not sleeping but then realising the much anticipated day had arrived...









And that was about as energetic as we got at that time of the morning!! But inside we were woohooing a lot more!

We showered and got ready in no time this morning, once we were dressed we packed up toiletries and then gave the suitcases a final weigh in and they all showed just under 23KG, but what would the VA scales show!!

It was a pleasant walk down the Skywalk, it was warm despite being early as the sun was shining on us and once we were into the Terminal we could see how much work was still going on, it seems never ending but VA check in spot had moved since last time and we got there to see a line but not bad at all.

We got into the Premium line and wondered why things were taking so long, seems the luggage belts were playing up, but these things happen and before too long we were at the desk. He asked if we had already checked in, I said I had but Tom hadn`t and then he asked if we were on separate bookings for a reason.....lol.....it`s a long story and one he didn`t look like he cared to hear. Popped our cases on and they were all indeed underweight.....I again expected a little praise here for them being on target, but Tom just looked relieved lol....poor guy!!!

For some reason I always get the blame for our suitcases being heavy, even though he had packed a couple of bottles of rum for Fernando and we brought about 50lbs of British chocolate for Strong Water, Bar Helios and several friends!

Suitcases dispatched, we headed through to security. We always buy the Fast Trax although last few visits we haven`t needed it and although you put a time on when you book, you can go through anytime as flight times change of course.....until today!!!!

We go to the barrier, scan our boarding cards and it declines us, one of the officers approaches and tells us we are six minutes early so we have to wait and sent us to what looked like the naughty step to the side.






Six minutes.

He was serious, so with a rather incredulous look we moved to the side and another couple appeared beside us and said the same thing. I should add the place was almost deserted with not one person waiting in line. We all did have a giggle about it.

So, after waiting our six minutes we scanned our cards again and got through, even through to the far side where they do all the scanning and bag checking, it wasn`t busy. But, didn`t take long to get through the X-Ray and so on.....well, it was quick for me.

Tom of course had been randomly selected for extra checks, so his bag was examined and swabbed but the officer was very friendly and chatty so we were soon on our way with only a little grumble about the new jobworth rule.

By now I was desperate for some tea, so we headed for breakfast and went to the same place we have gone last few trips, it`s not overly busy and food has always been good, but for me I wanted tea and lots of it.

We ordered at the bar and they deliver it to you, it`s a nice place with a nice little menu that suits us, we found a comfy seat by the window and waited.

Our little pots of tea arrived quickly and I attempted to beat some life into ours with a spoon, one tea bag was not enough for the pot, but eventually I poured it and added a tiny spot of milk and ready to enjoy and savour that first taste.

It was cold. Well, lukewarm, yuk.......Tom`s was the same and if there is one thing tea has to be, it`s boiling hot. Tom took them back up to the counter and they fiddled with the machine for ages finally admitting it was broken, for some reason we could get coffee or hot chocolate, but not boiling water for tea!

They gave us a refund on the tea and some water as our lovely breakfast buns arrived and they were so good! I had bacon and Tom went for bacon and their sausages. They were both lovely.

We finished eating and headed down to where there are grab and go places and stopped in at a little cafe and got two large teas, we asked for extra teabags and although it was in a takeout cup it was actually decent and boiling hot!!!

Now we felt like smiling, we`d had our lovely bacon bun and eventually, tea.

Manchester airport is a lovely airport, or it will be when they have finished!! The works seemed to be taking forever but this area is quite nice and we pass the time people watching and picking up water and some items for the plane mainly wet wipes and sanitiser along with some water and then wait for our gate to show up on the board although we have a good idea where we`ll be going.

We have this brand spanking new terminal at Manchester and it looks amazing, our plane has departed there once only, every other time we tend to go back to the old terminal where you feel as though you have taken a ride in the Tardis back to the 1980`s and you feel as though you`ve landed in another time zone on another planet. And it is also a 15 mile hike to get there. It is frustrating when we can see the shiny new terminal before we head back to the dark ages.

It is also cold.

Our plane today is Bennie Jet.

We took a seat and not before too long they start the boarding process, we are the second group after those that need extra help and Upper Class and it sometimes works well and other times folks who are due to board last clog up the check in area. Never quite understood that as we all have a seat on the plane!

We do make our way through a few people who were just hanging around but we get through quickly and I turn around and Tom is not there again lol....yep, he was again pulled aside for another search with clothes, hands and ipad are all swabbed. He is a patient sort so didn`t mind and had a good old chat with the officers who said yes, they knew he had already been checked a couple of hours ago, but it was purely random, he agreed and said it used to be his wife all the time, well, it was his turn now!

It was the A350 we were on today which is the more modern plane in their fleet, bigger tv screen in front of us and comfier and generally more spacious than the usual A330 we sometimes get, so we get ourselves settled and ready for the flight.

The Premium seats are very good, we have plenty of room and even if folks recline, there is still loads of room. We have two rows behind us and although we do prefer the back row, I was happy with the seats and just relieved everything had gone well with no issues.

The menu`s were already on our seats when we got on the plane, we had pre-ordered a week ago, but it`s still nice to see what`s on offer and what we`ll get with afternoon tea. Food plays a huge part of our flights, not for the quality, but it helps pass some time away.

They loaded everyone fairly quickly today and cabin crew managed to get past people still finding their seat to bring everyone in Premium their glass of fizz to start the flight off, a nice little touch we always enjoy. This is the best time as we have everything in front of us!

Our pilot announced we had a relatively short flight at 8hrs 15 minutes today, that is always good to hear.

The A350 has two cameras on the plane you can watch, one on the belly and one on the tail, so as soon as we pushed back, some folks switched it on and it was interesting to see as we bimbled along to the end of the runway, we pushed back at 11.25 and wheels up about 8 minutes later. ​

We seemed to have a very short runway ride this morning which was surprising, but we took off so, all good.

When we got home I found our flight that had been filmed by JetTV on Youtube, they are at the airport every day and film everything, it`s easy to find your flight and quite fun to watch knowing you were on it, so we really see how short the take off was!!!!

We love the take off and landing and it was nice to see it on the screen from a tail view image. ​

Absolutely beautiful view today and even managed to catch our shadow on the ground today. Simple things amuse me at times, we had a very smooth take off and levelled off quickly which is nice for stopping the old ears popping. ​

Cabin crew came round straight away with the first drinks service, Tom has a beer and I opt for a tonic water, yes even Tom looks at me strangely!



​

Before the meal comes around we settle down to watch some movies and I was surprised to see Wicked was on the options.

My favourite childhood family movie (well, one of them) is The Wizard of Oz, I have seen Wicked on Broadway four times and London once and it`s my favourite show ever, so I wasn`t sure I wanted to watch the movie, I had such high expectations of it and wasn`t sure it could live up to them, but I decided to give it a bash and hope my concerns were alleviated.








Sometimes they just need to leave things alone and this is one of them!!

I put the movie off and tried another, I planned to watch the new Beetlejuice movie later but for now the food was coming around and we knew what we had coming today and guaranteed not to end up with the usually awful vegetarian option.

​

Tom had opted for the Cumberland Sausage, I went for the Honey Mustard Chicken, you also get a little salad, cheese, biscuits, a bread roll you could build a house with and a dessert. ​

Our opinion of Virgin plane food is that it is always decent and just helps pass some time on the flight, but today they broke that mould for me. Tom`s was decent, but the chicken was probably the worst airline food I have ever tried. It was bland, soft as in mushy and the potato was hard and not seasoned in any way. I won`t mention the awful green beans as I never eat them (devil`s veg) but the salad, non blue cheese, crackers and the dessert were very nice.

I don`t think you`re every really hungry on these flights and we had snacks in our hand luggage if we needed something. VA also offer The Wander Wall for Premium and Upper passengers where they lay out drinks and snacks you can help yourself to throughout the flight, but to be honest, once the meal is over we want to just settle down with a movie and for me, fall asleep!

So, after a bathroom visit it was eye mask on, neck pillow on, blanket over me, seat reclined a little I did fall asleep almost immediately and woke up when we had reached Canada and it is a beautiful sight from above indeed. ​

Tom was asleep when I finally woke up, so I got some water from the bottle at my feet and drank a lot of it, you do feel dehydrated on most flights so we make sure we drink lots of water, then I watched Nosferatu, not sure what I thought of it, but it passed some time.

I wished the Internet was working, I wanted to email my cousins and tell them to look up and wave (as you do of course) as we flew right over Long Island today, I could just make out roughly where they were and see things like Fire Island clearly. I think this is the first time we have ever flown over this area, it was just too cloudy to see the City with any detail. ​

With around 90 minutes to go we are served afternoon tea, it does seem to perk everyone up a little, also turning the air from the vent up higher helps too but the cabin had been lifeless for the last couple of hours now it felt a little vibrant again.

Tom said I had missed the ice lolly when I was sleeping, er, not really bothered to miss that, he agreed and said it wasn`t their best offering but it was cool. ​

Tom ordered the sweet version and I took the savoury and both were nice, we didn`t each everything, just picked at it but the scone with clotted cream was very nice. ​

Not long now!!!

The last hour can possibly drag a little, but by the time you use the bathroom and watch the scenery outside it passes quicker than you think and I love the energy in the cabin as everyone feels that excitement ramp up again as we start to descend into MCO. ​

We again took a weird route into land but eventually came in and had another sweet landing and there`s always a nice view to see once we hit the ground.

And our pilot was correct in his 8hrs 15 min flight time. ​

And welcome again to the United States of America!




More to follow!​

 

[Jules76126]

Thanks!!!

Yes, Boston is one they all want to do, it has such prestige among runners and Boston looks such a beautiful city too. I think they need to plan to do that sometime soon, but I`m sure you have to be within a certain time to run that one or some such restriction. Of course I could be wrong

Hi Carole,

Sounds like a lovely start to the trip. Growing up outside Boston, the marathon is def the highlight of the spring. On my bucket list, but you are correct there is a very strict time requirement. London is also on my list but it’s almost impossible to get into as an American. I hope Kyle has the chance to run Boston one day.

 

[SnowWhite09]

Great travel day minus the cold tea - eeeewwww . Tea should most definitely be burning hot and strong!!

 

[schumigirl]

Hi Carole,

Sounds like a lovely start to the trip. Growing up outside Boston, the marathon is def the highlight of the spring. On my bucket list, but you are correct there is a very strict time requirement. London is also on my list but it’s almost impossible to get into as an American. I hope Kyle has the chance to run Boston one day.

back Jules!

Good to see you!

I thought there was a strict time limit, probably for a good reason. Yes, London is difficult as it`s just the luck of the draw, this is the third year he`ll have been putting his name forward for it, but he`s not holding much hope with the sheer amount of applicants that try.

Like you he would enjoy Boston too, maybe one day for both of you!

Hope you enjoy this report too and again, happy to see you

 

[schumigirl]

Great travel day minus the cold tea - eeeewwww . Tea should most definitely be burning hot and strong!!

lol, yes, I don`t understand iced tea at the best of times as it`s not real tea, but even worse is normal tea that`s gone cold, yuk!!! Yes, not the way to start the day!!

It was a lovely travel day overall, I`m always amazed how fast the flight passes

 

[iona]

Looking forward to reading all about your trip - glad you were able to get some proper tea at the airport even if it was at the second attempt!

 

[schumigirl]

Once we landed I think we must have driven about 50 miles around the airport several times before we came to a stop at the stand, but we were off the plane within a few minutes, no issues with the airbridge today unlike our last visit where it took them forever to attach it to the plane.

It`s amazing how much energy we all have getting off that plane and heading into Immigration along the never ending corridors.

We follow the signs for Global Entry and basically now, we look at a screen for facial recognition and we then head to the Immigration officer, show our passport and today he only asks how many nights we are here for and waves us through welcoming us to the USA. Having no line at all is the best after a long flight, especially if several large flights arrive at the same time, lines can be horrendous.

I nip to the ladies and freshen up and when I come back out Tom already has three suitcases and is waiting for the last one, unfortunately every one of them is damaged this time. The wheels on one of them were damaged which makes it darn hard to steer, frustrating, the others have just been bashed more than usual.

MCO blames Manchester, Manchester blames MCO

We make it up to the transport to the main terminal, we never take any pictures on the mini train coming in, we are probably so preoccupied with getting to the car rental desk and home, but I always think I really should snap a couple of pics, but didn`t today.

We had rented from Sixt again, this time we didn`t need to go a three day camel hike, we used the desk beside the other rental cars and it wasn`t busy which was nice to see.

Sixt are not our favourite rental company, but they had an excellent price for a full size SUV compared to our usual Alamo who were more than double, crazy prices. We were happy to pay $680 for this trip which was a bargain, certainly in comparison to what we`ve paid in the past!

The young lady, despite us saying we didn`t need any of the extras still tried to flannel us with all sorts of scare tactics to upgrade our insurance which we know is already included in our payment. We say no, no, no, no, no, no thank you, seriously, no thank you and the more irritated she made us the more I sounded like Princess Anne on a bad day, polite but firm with a slight edge to the tone which she eventually picked up on!!!

She also tried to palm us off with a Rav 4 which we absolutely didn`t want and another similar cheaper car, we stood our ground and said we had booked a certain type and we wanted it. We told her last September we had the Acadia and it was ok, did they have one of them, she said no, but we could upgrade and pay another $600 to get one???? And she said it with a straight face!

That was our last straw, we said just give us what we paid for a we`ll go, so she handed us the info and said a little snarkily, well, you have your Acadia, enjoy it.....eh????

A polite thank you and we headed over to the Visitor Toll Pass machine, got the card and headed over to the cars where indeed, the white Acadia was waiting. But, we wanted to check if there was any damage or marks on it first, but it was immaculate and it only had around 400 miles on the clock. Not the fanciest of cars, no speed to speak of, but all we need and probably too big as it is a 7 seater, but we quite like it.

We packed it up and headed for the exit and out onto the highway and we always marvel how familiar and comfortable we are on these roads apart from once when we did somehow take a wrong turn, still don`t know how we missed it, but a quick U turn and we were back on the right road.

Familiarity is nice and as we turn up Universal Blvd we see all the landmarks we know so well and keep heading up before seeing the signs that Universal Blvd is closed at the top end, we must have missed the email lol....it is a very easy detour and before we know it we are pulling into the RP parking lot and this is just the best feeling in the world.

And loving the heat too!! Our weather hadn`t been awful this winter, but it was long and April although dry for us mostly, hadn`t been overly warm so we planned to be like lizards and enjoy as much of this sunshine as we could.

We got our cases out, wonky as they were and got up to the bridge and just smiled all the way over and into that all familiar lobby where we feel so much at home.

This trip was going to be the first trip without our lovely friend Marian who had looked after us so well for many years, first with Raymond and then she and her team over the last few years, but she had got a wonderful new position in Texas and had moved there, we of course wished her every happiness but would miss her immensely.

A was off today, so C and the new Marian, a lovely man called P came out to meet us and we immediately liked this man a lot, he was so friendly and welcoming and we knew we`d get on well with him and C we have also known for a few years. Then after such a lovely welcome they gave us our room keys and they both escorted us up to our home for the next six nights.

We were back in the suite we always had before, so it did feel very familiar again and we just love this room and we had some lovely treats waiting for us too, incredibly kind of them and so thoughtful.

We chatted for a time and said we`d have breakfast together at some point over our trip so we could get to know P more, we looked forward to that a lot.

We thanked them again for such a lovely welcome and for the very nice treats, once they left we got some pictures of course before we started putting all our stuff out, but we were loving this view again and the sunshine streaming in was just gorgeous.

​

The picture really doesn`t show justice to how huge those strawberries were, they were mahoosive and sweet as sugar, beautiful. ​

We nibbled a little, but began to unpack and we popped the fruit sushi and strawberries into the fridge for later. It doesn`t take too long to get everything unpacked and their correct places and I was amazed with the state of the suitcases that nothing was damaged at all, Tom was relieved that Fernando`s rum was intact and undamaged.

We were loving this view!​

We don`t usually land early enough to ever make evening appetisers in the Club Lounge on our first night, but we did tonight and I knew it was Teriyaki Chicken with noodles which sounded really nice, so we planned to have some of that if we felt like it and once we were unpacked, we did feel like a little nibble of food from the lounge.

We recognised Emily as soon as we walked in which is always nice to see a familiar face and another young lady who was new, bless her it was her first evening and she looked a little nervous, but she`ll be fine.

We both opted for some red wine and got some water too and then we noticed the salad is now in individual portions which looked crazy to us, some poor person has to portion these up and the ladies up here have to individually lay them out for service. Not sure it`ll stay that way but I was surprised how much salad was actually in what looked like a small pot. ​

I should have taken a picture when the trays were full and tidier really, but we grabbed a couple of bowls and I added some tabasco to mine and we did enjoy what we had tonight. The chicken is always so tender and the sauce was lovely to go with the noodles. ​

We chatted for a time with Emily and for the first time this visit a man looked over at us and said him and his wife remembered us from a few years ago, I had no memory of them but they knew us!! I always feel bad when folks recognise us but we have no clue who they are.

We still didn`t feel tired by 7.30pm which is not bad as it was really after midnight to us now and I had lost count of how many hours we`d been awake, but we headed back down to our suite and I had a shower, got into my jammies and then Tom did the same, much as though we would have loved to get changed and go out or even go to the pool, all we really had the energy for now was to sit and watch some tv and try to stay awake till around 10pm which wasn`t easy.

We had some strawberries and opened the wine and found a movie, I don`t remember what it was but it kinda worked as we managed to keep the eyes open till just before 9.30pm then we gave in and practically fell into bed.

One of the many good things about the King Suite is once that bedroom door is closed, you never hear a thing from the hallway, people think because you`re near the elevator it`ll be noisy but we never hear a thing from that bedroom, so our sleep is never disturbed.








​

 

[schumigirl]

Looking forward to reading all about your trip - glad you were able to get some proper tea at the airport even if it was at the second attempt!

iona

Good to see you again!

Oh Lordy yes, I don’t really feel together until I’ve had my tea and it wasn’t bad at all to be fair.

Glad to have you along, hope you’re doing good

 

[schumigirl]

WEDNESDAY APRIL 30TH



We went to sleep too early.

I woke up around 1.30am and never really got back to sleep as everything was telling me it was 6.30 and I`m usually up by then, but I drifted in and out and finally around 4.30 I got up and went through to the sitting area, put the small lamp on and read some Wuthering Heights while sleeping beauty slept like a rock for another few hours.

It`s funny, the time change doesn`t affect us nearly as bad when we arrive, we adjust quickly and don`t get that horrible draggy feeling we do when we come home, but a day or so and we`re back into a regular sleeping habit.

I opened the drapes and watched the sun come up, I heard Tom rumbling so went through and he was still sleeping, so had my shower and got ready, watched some weather channel tv, one of our favourite things to do, Kyle especially used to hoot with laughter watching the ads for medicines with the scariest side effects ever!!!! You`d be better off with the disease it was supposed to be helping once you heard the side effects! One ad told us that with this particular medicine you may suffer from "Fatal Death" no thanks!!

So that was my early morning viewing till Tom woke up as well as looking out of the window enjoying the day start to come to life.









May is one of our favourite times of year to come, it`s not quite as hot as the main summer months which we have experienced before several times, you don`t get that raging humidity you have from July through to September and October, but it`s always a very nice mix of high 80`s with low humidity and just heat which we savour.

Of course our last few days would be an anomaly for the time of year, but generally May is a perfect time to come visit for us. ​

We headed down to the lounge for breakfast and the lovely Sydney was still there too, she is a bundle of energy and it was so nice to see her and a few other familiar faces, there had been a lot of changes since we were here in October, many leaving for Helios, but there were still plenty of folks we knew here.

They had added overnight oats to the offerings and like the salad from the night before, the fruit is now in individual portions which I wasn`t keen on, I prefer to choose what I want, but this works for them. We never tried the oats as they are not for us, neither of us eats oatmeal in any form!!! ​

For us, the breakfast offerings are absolutely perfect, they have something for most people as well as various types of bread for toasting, bagels, yoghurts, bananas, apples and fruit juices as well as a variety of teas, coffees and water. ​

We took our time this morning as we were only doing some shopping and having some lunch out somewhere yet to be decided, so we chatted and had another cup of tea before we set off for the lobby to say hello to a few folks, that always passes some time.

Our shopping list wasn`t very long, mainly sunscreen for both of us, of course we both wear a different factor, Tom has 30 and I always use a 15, fingers crossed it seems to be ok my very West of Scotland skin.

Publix is our first stop and we do get what we need, resisting those beautiful baked goods they display so temptingly. We adore the Dutch Apple Pie and there is a smaller sized one looking at me, but we resist and head to the pharmacy area to pick up our usual Tylenol along with the sunscreen. Quick visit into Walmart and it`s already lunchtime!!

Last year we had visited Twin Peaks on I Drive and I wasn`t sure I wanted to go back, but hearing so many good reviews we did want to give it another try. This time of day it`s not busy and there were maybe 12 others inside eating so we had no problems getting a booth and the young lady who was looking after us was very nice. ​

No way on the planet would any of us go on this ride!!! ​

I know people make comparisons to Hooters here, but they`re not alike for some reason and I think the food at Twin Peaks is much better although it has been a while since we went to Hooters, but this is very much a proper sports bar and they have a very long list of beers if that`s your thing. ​

The menu is very nice with something for everyone on here, it did take us a time to choose what to have, but Tom went for the Texas Philly Cheesesteak and I opted for the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich, which again, it was very nice but not hot enough on spice level, however it was very tasty.

I admit we didn`t finish either of the sandwiches or fries as we wanted to make sure we were hungry for dinner tonight so when she came to clear the plates she checked everything was ok as there was a lot of food left on the plate including my whole bun which I rarely eat anyway. But, we were just being good! ​

I ordered a spicy margarita, but it took forever to arrive, she went to go check on it and I don`t think they had fresh jalapenos for the bar which surprised me, but for whatever reason I ended with a strawberry margarita with a tajin sprinkle on the side.

It was just ok, and most places now seem to have taken to serving every cocktail with the biggest ball of ice they can make!!! ​

We enjoyed our lunch and yes we would go back there again as the food was nice and cooked well and staff were friendly, I think it would be a much better atmosphere to go in the evenings as it is a little subdued during lunch times.

I know we stopped in at Walgreens rather unusually and I have no idea why, but we did buy something from the one close to the Orlando Eye then headed home, chatted to some folks in the lobby for half an hour then up to our room where our housekeeper had made us a couple of decorative towels in the bathroom area!! ​

We brought all the chocolate out and spread it over the bed to sort into what was going to who which didn`t take too long, we made up the six individual gift bags and then split the rest between Strong Water and Bar Helios, we would pass them on soon and my goodness there was a lot of chocolate bars!!!!

We also had two gift bags for Fernando`s rum, so once that was done I went down to the lounge for some tea and Tom wanted to snooze, I told him to shut the bedroom door over and when I came back in I`d read in the sitting area which worked nicely. Despite not sleeping much at all last night, I wasn`t overly tired yet. I was hoping by tonight I`d sleep much better.

Tom slept for a couple of hours and he felt so much better when he woke up and then I wished I had gone for a snooze!

But, too late, now we were going to get ready for our evening out and experience Bar Helios for the first time, we were so excited!!!




​

 

[iona]

We follow the signs for Global Entry and basically now, we look at a screen for facial recognition and we then head to the Immigration officer, show our passport and today he only asks how many nights we are here for and waves us through welcoming us to the USA. Having no line at all is the best after a long flight, especially if several large flights arrive at the same time, lines can be horrendous.

We don’t visit often enough to justify Global Entry. We did try MPC last trip though which was great - couldn’t believe more people weren’t using it (but glad they weren’t as it kept the line short!).

I nip to the ladies and freshen up and when I come back out Tom already has three suitcases and is waiting for the last one, unfortunately every one of them is damaged this time. The wheels on one of them were damaged which makes it darn hard to steer, frustrating, the others have just been bashed more than usual.

Oh no!

That was our last straw, we said just give us what we paid for a we`ll go, so she handed us the info and said a little snarkily, well, you have your Acadia, enjoy it.....eh????

We were back in the suite we always had before, so it did feel very familiar again and we just love this room and we had some lovely treats waiting for us too, incredibly kind of them and so thoughtful.

That room looks lovely. Not sure I’ll ever pull DH away from Portofino though.

We still didn`t feel tired by 7.30pm which is not bad as it was really after midnight to us now and I had lost count of how many hours we`d been awake, but we headed back down to our suite and I had a shower, got into my jammies and then Tom did the same, much as though we would have loved to get changed and go out or even go to the pool, all we really had the energy for now was to sit and watch some tv and try to stay awake till around 10pm which wasn`t easy.

We’ve accepted defeat on making it to 10pm on the first night and determined that anything after 9pm is a win.

It`s funny, the time change doesn`t affect us nearly as bad when we arrive, we adjust quickly and don`t get that horrible draggy feeling we do when we come home, but a day or so and we`re back into a regular sleeping habit.

We often seem to get stuck at about one hour out during the trip - no idea why that is!

May is one of our favourite times of year to come, it`s not quite as hot as the main summer months which we have experienced before several times, you don`t get that raging humidity you have from July through to September and October, but it`s always a very nice mix of high 80`s with low humidity and just heat which we savour.

We’ve done May a couple of times since the pandemic, wish we’d tried it sooner!

They had added overnight oats to the offerings and like the salad from the night before, the fruit is now in individual portions which I wasn`t keen on, I prefer to choose what I want, but this works for them. We never tried the oats as they are not for us, neither of us eats oatmeal in any form!!!

Ooh that would definitely be “my cup of tea”.

But, too late, now we were going to get ready for our evening out and experience Bar Helios for the first time, we were so excited!!!

Can’t wait to read about your visit!

 

[schumigirl]

We were so excited for tonight, not only seeing the brand new hotel and experiencing the new Bar Helios, but we get to see some old friends that we missed a lot, but we had no idea how many we would meet in the end over a couple of visits!!!

It`s always nice getting dressed up for a proper night out and this is where I`m always glad I bring too many dresses!!! Plenty to choose from.

We had booked for 7pm, but we were going early to spend some time in the hotel before going up and we were to ask if someone was available when we got there, so we ordered an Uber for 4.45 and it arrived on nice time and we got there just after 5pm which was perfect.

The hotel is beautiful, it is stunning and you can see it from miles away, those domes at the top are hard to miss but up close it is still stunning.

​

The lobby is small but perfectly formed and the flooring was the second thing I noticed after that stunning view out the windows, it is sparkly and visually stunning (I use that word a lot)

Not the perfect picture due to how light it was outside, but you cannot help but veer towards that window knowing what you can see beyond it. ​

The check in area is quite compact but they get through a lot of people when it`s busy and everything just looks so new and fresh as you`d expect, they did a lot right with this hotel.

We were told you won`t see any luggage carts in the lobby area the way you do in other hotels, we met Rob and Milton a few days later and they explained they have a whole new system here where everything is out of the way for guest covenience and it looks so much better too.

High ceilings make everything look so spacious and it is so pretty, our eyes tried to take it all in far too quickly, we had avoided most spoilers wanting to see it with fresh eyes and it didn`t disappoint.

​

A few weeks before we left for our trip, Andy the VIP manager had reached out to us and introduced himself again, we had previously met him once very briefly but he had said if we were at the hotel make sure and let him know. At the same time we found out our lovely Raphael`s partner was his assistant, small world and we were so happy for both of them to have such wonderful positions. Their emails before we left were much appreciated and when we arrived I asked Concierge if they could check if Andy was available and he came out straight away and that`s when we realised we had met him before for sure.

What a lovely man and he said I had a really good memory as it had been a few years since we had met....I rarely forget a face, names now are another matter

We had a good catch up and he offered to take us around and give us a mini tour which we gratefully accepted, he was such fun and we got on like a house on fire.

First up was Flora Taverna, this is a beautiful restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and the menu is gorgeous, we knew we wanted to eat here for dinner at some point. Beautiful menu in gorgeous surroundings, that was right up our street.
​

The bar area is very pretty and they do have a separate menu if you want something a little lighter and some very nice cocktails, Andy asked if we wished to enjoy one, but we declined, thanking him but we were sure we`d have a couple upstairs, very kind of him to offer though.

This was when we saw our first TM we knew from Sapphire, Casey who started at RP immediately came over to say hello and it was so nice to see him, he said Demi (his partner) was working upstairs, we said yes, she is going to be looking after us tonight and we were so looking forward to seeing her. We were happy to hear he is loving working here and made the right choice going to Helios.

At that point one of the old RP Club Lounge Supervisors popped her head up and it was lovely to see her too, we again had a catch up and glad to see she is doing so well, and I felt bad for Andy as this tour was going to take forever at this rate, but he laughed and said he had heard we knew absolutely everybody within Loews!!
​

The design team had done a wonderful job with everything in the hotel we had seen so far, the Flora Taverna was eye catching, modern and very welcoming at the same time.​

I love the open kitchen and it is impressive, we would meet the Executive Chef Miguel in a few days and he was so nice and had the best ideas for food throughout the hotel`s dining options, we did feel like we were meeting a superstar!!! Nice man though. ​

The Aurora grab and go is very nice too, everything has that very modern but classic look and yes it is small but it has a good selection of options for throughout the day.

​

As we headed down to the have a glance at the pool, we passed the park entry area for guests and first thing in the morning it`s strictly for hotel guests during early entry.

But, once as a non hotel guest you have gone through the main park entrance your face is recognised and you can come up to Helios from the park, you absolutely don`t need a reservation you just have to have entered the park with a ticket. So although the sign says room key required to enter, that is only for Early Park Entry.

We did it several times on our park day and only once did they ask if we were hotel guests, we explained we were not but going for a drink and to wander around and they said it was absolutely fine to do that, later we were going for dinner but we didn`t have a reservation and going in and out was easy peasy!!!

My nephew and his wife were there a few days ago celebrating his 40th birthday and went up for lunch and a drink in Flora Taverna, they loved it too and plan to stay there on their next trip, but they were fine to go in and out with no reservation.

So, no reservations are required to go explore the hotel or grab something to eat and drink leaving from from Epic Universe. It`s worth it as it is so close and very easy to do it if you want. We did check this with both the manager and the F&B manager too and it is correct.

​

We didn`t go right down to the pool with Andy as we didn`t have a hat nor did we have sunscreen on and the sun was still blazing hot at this time and of course there is very little shade out there, but the pool looks lovely and the pool bar is very appealling too.

It`s hard to imagine the main road coming in is to the right, you never see anything from the road or pool. ​

This view was what we were most excited about in the park!!

As with many of our generation we were brought up on classic monsters and if you love them, that love will never leave you and to this day we still periodically watch the DVD`s of the classic Universal monster movies, they are fabulous. A little corny at times of course, but still hold that fear of the monsters you think may have dissipated over the years....one look at Frankensteins Monster and you are almost a child again with those chilling and eerie memories

Heck, even the Abbott and Costello movies with the monsters were classics too, every child should see those but I admit I did feel like I had crawled out of the crypt myself when so many we spoke to had never heard of Abbott and Costello nor had they heard of Laurel and Hardy and one girl had never seen Ghostbusters and told me why would she as she was born in 2002!!!!

(everyone should see Ghostbusters)



But, we love these classics.










This outdoor area is a work of art in itself even without the view you have over everything!!

Although don`t do what we did.....all the doors have a notice on them that says....Not an Exit. So, you think ok, you must only come in that way, but....they all said it!!!!

So, us being idiots before we met Andy asked the lady at Villa Flora how you got out.....she said simply, er, through the doors lol....she then said, oh I know what you mean. It seems they put those signs up for guests so they don`t think it`s an exit to get into the park.

Doh!!!

I took comfort in the fact almost everyone and their grandmother had expressed how silly those signs were.
(it wasn`t just us then)​

The detail within the hotel and park are incredible, I have never seen detail like it before and they have carried the story of the park into the hotel with such intricacy that we were blown away.

When the full night time show is running, Apollo the God of the Sun will seemingly aim fire to the other side of the park and it will turn day into night, there is a whole back story of course but some of it is best find on your own, Greek Mythology is fascinating but I know it`s not very interesting for everyone.

The lobby arches on the walls also change with the time of day, they depict the rising sun, changing to show the moon coming into place.

But, the elevator wall has a scene that projects the mapping experience and reflects both a sun and a moon in the cosmos, it is in one of the pictures below and is stunning to see it especially when it changes. ​

Just before you can see the Portal to Monsters, they have the Blue Dragon Pan Asian restaurant, it wasn`t open when we were there, but the menu looks lovely and we`ll certainly try that in September, I`m hoping my nephew and his wife will go tonight as planned for their second day in the park we tend to like the same food so I await their review.

​

Celestial Park is right there!!!

It is incredibly close and it almost feels rude not to go in to the park, but we will in a couple of days and we were looking forward to it even more now.

The water display was still in practice mode and we were unlucky as they were draining some of the water later that day and we didn`t catch the display tonight, but it sounds incredibly impressive! ​

From Helios you are closest to Monsters on one side and Potter in the other, these were the only two areas of the park we really want to see and even this glimpse we were already impressed with what Universal and Ms Rowling had come up with again, we were so looking forward to seeing these two areas.

​

Of course we had to get some pictures!!

Poor Andy had carried the huge bag of chocolate for Bar Helios all the way round, it weighed a tonne!!! I think he was glad to put it down for a minute or two for some picture taking.

It was breezy now too! ​

We went back inside and there seemed to be an awful lot of suits around, there was an event in the Ballroom for all the bankers who had invested in the park, so we were delighted to see some of the top people within Loews we have known for many years and they came over to say hello which was lovely including one woman I had only met once but Tom had met her several times, lovely lady who was so welcoming as always.

And then introduced us to Justin who was the F&B manager for all of Helios, lovely guy who we could have chatted to all evening, he enjoyed nice wine and we had a brief chat about what we liked and didn`t like, very interesting and nice man.

Then we got to meet again the lovely GM of Helios, Robert Rivers, Mr Beiderman had introduced us to him at the Beer Festival in October when he was there with his wife,very nice man indeed who we were very grateful he took the time to come say hello and spend some time with us, and after a hug he said he had seen us arrive but was running to do something, such a busy man, I`d never think anything of him not stopping, but we hadn`t seen him anyway.

Andy at this point was laughing again at how many folks we did indeed know!!

We stood chatting for a time, then they were heading up to the ballroom but Mr Rivers said he`d make a point of stopping by to see us in the Bar, same with Justin and Barb, it had just been so lovely meeting new and old friends tonight.

We then thanked Andy so much for taking the time to spend with us, I hoped on our next day we would see Andru who was Raphael`s Fiancee we had only met him once before too, but this had been wonderful so far tonight.

Again thanking him profusely we took our heavy bags and headed to the elevator where we again saw the ever changing design which was so detailed and has such an interesting story as to why it`s there and how it works. ​

The elevators are bright and fast, there is a button just for Bar Helios and the Ballroom which is being used for Private Events like tonight, it is an impressive room on it`s own.

When you come off the elevators if you turn left first you can see the non park view and it`s still pretty impressive with the pool down below where you can see how close to the road it is but you`d never know. ​

From this window and on one side of Bar Helios, you get the amazing view of the Eye and the StarFlyer lit up at night too, it is very pretty although I admit, it`s not as impressive as the seeing the park at night from up here. ​

And now, it was time for our reservation!!! ​

 

[schumigirl]

We don’t visit often enough to justify Global Entry. We did try MPC last trip though which was great - couldn’t believe more people weren’t using it (but glad they weren’t as it kept the line short!).


Oh no!





That room looks lovely. Not sure I’ll ever pull DH away from Portofino though.


We’ve accepted defeat on making it to 10pm on the first night and determined that anything after 9pm is a win.


We often seem to get stuck at about one hour out during the trip - no idea why that is!


We’ve done May a couple of times since the pandemic, wish we’d tried it sooner!


Ooh that would definitely be “my cup of tea”.


Can’t wait to read about your visit!

To be honest, MPC would work for us now as we don`t plan to go more than twice a year now, but we still have 3.5 years left on this GE and one of the officers advised us to keep getting it as most don`t give it up, so it`s not a huge amount of money and we get TSA Precheck with it too, so I think we`ll keep it. I agree with MPC, why more folks aren`t using it I`m not sure, but if it keeps the lines low....all good!

May is perfect, not quite blazing hot yet and not too busy at all.

I`d call it a win staying awake till anywhere near 9pm! I remember our first trip, we barely made 8pm, wide awake at 3am! Yes, that last hour on the flight can seem to stand still at times.

lol...if you like oatmeal, you`d love it, we heard folks say how nice it was and hope they keep it going forward.

Thanks, glad you`re along

 

[angryduck71]

We do make our way through a few people who were just hanging around but we get through quickly and I turn around and Tom is not there again lol....yep, he was again pulled aside for another search with clothes, hands and ipad are all swabbed. He is a patient sort so didn`t mind and had a good old chat with the officers who said yes, they knew he had already been checked a couple of hours ago, but it was purely random, he agreed and said it used to be his wife all the time, well, it was his turn now!

The security just want to check out Tom's smile. I know.

 

[schumigirl]

We walked across to the hostess stand and there were several people asking if they could sit at the bar just for drinks and didn`t have a reservation, they would have a long wait. We could already see how popular this place was going to be.

She said Demi would be looking after us, we knew Andru had arranged that when he made the booking for us, we adore her and so looked forward to seeing her again too, we took a seat and enjoyed the view we had already.

Sam took us to our table a few minutes later and Demi rushed to greet us, it was wonderful to see her but it felt very odd as half of Strong Water Bar were here now, so it was very familiar but very strange at the same time. She told us Fernando would be up in a minute, she let him know we were there so we took our seat and Demi said she`d give us a minute before getting us some drinks.

When you walk in you immediately see this place is stunningly beautiful and detail beyond anything we had seen before, our heads swivelled around taking it all in for some time.

As I studied the menu and chatted to Demi, Tom popped out and took some pictures while it was still light, as you can imagine he took hundreds, but most look the same so I won`t post loads as there`s not much difference between them all.

The park is impressive, it was interesting as we had been told about the extra acres still to be used up in future projects and you can see where the expansions will be and we of course look forward to those announcements being made public!!!

One thing I will never do is park a car there, the car park is huge and one of the lounge supervisors when it was TM preview ended up being parked in the very last space and she felt she walking from the moon as it was so far!! I could see what she meant!

The little fountains were working, but as they had slightly drained the water from the main lagoon for an issue, we wouldn`t get to see even a little of what we knew was going to be a spectacular show that involved lasers, drones, lights and fireworks too.

Even at dusk, it is an immensely pretty park.


​

I did enjoy the teaser of being able to see the Portal to the Monsters area, we were so looking forward to that!! ​

And all the way back to the main entrance of the park, we would be walking through those gates on Friday for our park day and we were experiencing a "first" for us then, yep, we`d be travelling on a bus for the first time in probably a million years!! I do get teased from friends that I wouldn`t know what public transport was if it ran me over!!

Charming. Thank goodness I love them really!! ​

This is the one area I doubt we`ll even try to visit no matter how many times we visit the park, apart from not interesting us, we did wander into the Mario store in Citywalk and my goodness that is one assault on every last sense and nerve you have in your body!!!!

Holy sensory overload!!!!

It is too much and yes, I know there are many huge fans who love it, their kids love it, they love it.....I don`t get it. (sorry lol)

Maybe because I`ve never played a game like that in my life or maybe because Kyle was never into it either, but just looking at it is kinda irritating and makes me feel snarky! Does that make sense, no probably not......maybe it is me ​

We had of course studied the menu in great detail when we first saw it some months ago, we pretty much knew what we wanted to try first, so when Tom came back in he opted for the Prometheus which had Hennessy vs, Disaronno Amaretto, lemon juice, honey syrup and I chose the gorgeous Nectar of the Gods, a drink that just sounded like I`d love it and spoiler......I did!!!! Cruzan Single Barrel Rum, Grand Marnier, peach yogurt syrup, lime juice, cane syrup.

They were absolutely gorgeous!!!! ​

At that, one of our favourite men appeared and it was wonderful to see him again!! We do keep in touch but we do miss these guys a lot when we`re not there and he looked fabulous, I think Helios won the jackpot when Fernando came on board, he is hospitality, it`s in his bones and he is the best without a shadow of a doubt.

He sat down and we caught up and shared how much we loved the bar and how happy everyone looked and how it was almost familiar to us with so many faces we knew and at that Moncif came over to say hello, another SW star. It did feel like home!!!

We gave Fernando his bottles of rum and he said next time we`d do a tasting of them which we looked forward to and he laughed when he saw the amount of chocolate we had brought in the bag!!! He shares it out so it isn`t all gone within one evening, he`s so funny as he hides it in his office instead of laying it out!!!

He asked if we`d seen everything and we said yes, but he wanted us to get some pictures in a rather unique little place as you enter.....well, of course!!!

We absolutely adore this man, he cares for his staff as well as guests and he truly embodies everything about caring for others and making sure they have a wonderful experience in what is his world.
​

I promised I`d post this picture!!!!​

We wandered down to where the Ballroom area was, we went in a little, but didn`t take pictures, they do have seating along there too and it is a nice little area.

They do have loads of outdoor seating, but it was just a little breezy for us to be eating outside, but many folks were enjoying being out there. ​

The central dome has been amazingly designed inside and the stars do mysteriously shine brighter as the surroundings get darker, it`s a lovely touch. As are the names around the exterior of the dome and the room, all the Greek letters are the names of the designers and those involved with bringing this place to life, we liked that nod to them. ​

Mr Rivers popped by our table again and we had a good old chat now we had seen the bar and he was happy to hear we loved it, I think they are very proud of this place and it will be the heart of Helios for sure. We chatted for quite the time and the more we spoke the more impressed we were with this man who had managed some very impressive hotels before.

He said he`d stop by again before he left and Justin also stopped by as he was curious as to what our thoughts were too, it`s good to see that they do care what ordinary folks like us think about this amazing new place.

Demi came back, she is like a whirlwind, she never stops for two minutes and she is glowing right now and I told her so, she really does look amazing and again, good to see, but we finally ordered some food and I knew what one of my dishes was going to be!!!!!

We chose one dish each and one to share, Tom opted for the Shrimp and I absolutely went for the Oysters. In hindsight, we should have tried something else from the carefully crafted menu, but we would have other nights here.

Both were gorgeous and absolutely perfect!!!!

I did of course not have to share my oysters.....I did say to Tom I was sorry he didn`t like them and we could share them too...

Even Fernando laughed at that one!!!!​

My lovely husband said I had that crazy, happy almost intoxicated look as I began to devour those gorgeous little suckers

I love oysters!!!
​

I was on an Oyster high now!!

They were lovely, I forget where Fernando said they were from but they were so nice, as were the shrimp, I had two of those thanks to my very generous husband who shares better than I do!

Drinks now needed to be refreshed, so we had another study of the menu and Fernando suggested Tom try the Athenian Milk Punch which was a mean mix of Angel's Envy Helios Barrel Selection, Metaxa Ouzo, mint tea, lemon juice, cane syrup, Greek yogurt syrup.

He assured Tom the mint was minimal and usually whisky/bourbon is coloured, but that`s the barrel and this one is filtered through yoghurt to give it that clear colour, it was an odd one to look at but he said he`d give it a go.

Before I decided we ordered the Beef Skewer which was all filet and highly recommended, it looked so good when it passed us earlier going to another table.

It did look an odd drink, but he really enjoyed it.



​

I followed my love of spicy drinks and ordered The Trojan Horse a mainly Tequila drink but I asked for it extra spicy and it was as I asked!!! Patrón Silver, Domaine De Canton, Reàl Red Pepper,Monin Cantaloupe, lime juice.

This was my new favourite cocktail ever!!!! ​

We also had a cocktail they made up for us to try and I forget what it was but we did like it, but I would ask for it again, we just forget what they called it.

The Beef Skewer is incredible!

I don`t think the picture shows just how huge those chunks of beef are and they were tender beyond belief. Demi asked if Medium rare was ok, so I assumed that`s how they prefer to cook it, but I`d ask for them to be rare when we go back in September, it was gorgeous!! ​

The evening was disappearing before us, we chatted and it was like old times with Fernando who still managed to make sure all of his guests were being looked after, it was one of those evenings you didn`t want to end.

We had been told of their special dessert The Shattered Rose and it is impressive to see it done and everyone loves it, but I don`t like Bread Pudding nor the gelato.

But, Fernando sent out a dessert that he knew would appeal to us, Tropical Summer, oh my goodness this was sublime!!!! Vanilla bean crème, mango sorbet, passion fruit with an oat crumble that was more like a Graham Cracker base, heaven on a plate.​

We were just finished and stopping ourselves from licking the plate when some of the Loews people began leaving from the event and they stopped by to say goodbye, it had been an absolute pleasure to see Barb again and of course the lovely Mr Rivers who genuinely made a huge impression on us with his kindness and time especially knowing how busy he was right now with the hotel opening right around the corner, but we had loved chatting to him and he made us feel very comfortable.

The F&B manager stopped by too and said if we were back in the hotel, make sure to see if he was around, all of them had been so lovely and we knew when we did come to stay at Helios it would be fabulous!!

After we had said our goodnights to them we popped outside as it was now dark, and it is spectacular. With the glass you don`t always get the best pictures but we got what we could, to be honest we spent most of our time not taking pictures and just taking it all in with the others around, I think we were all enchanted by the views from up here. ​

Yes, we even captured this strange looking creature again, although I have no clue if it`s supposed to represent anything special or just meant to look huge!! ​

It had passed by so quickly tonight, but we already knew this would be one of our best evenings of our trip, food and drinks aside, catching up with these lovely folks was wonderful and we knew we`d miss them in Strong Water even more now.

We caught Demi to say goodnight as she zoomed around taking care of everyone then we said goodnight to Fernando, although he had booked us in for next Thursday too, so it wouldn`t be too long before we were back but it would feel longer I was sure.

He walked us to the elevators and said thank you again for a wonderful evening and we`d see him next week.

We booked our Uber and as it was going to be 20 minutes which was rather unusual, so we headed back outside and enjoyed some more views over the park and of the hotel in the dark, it really is beautiful ​

Our driver was one of those wacky ones who wanted to chat in an animated and enthused manner even though he didn`t speak the best English, but he was friendly and I believe he was telling us how he came to be working here, but it was after midnight now and I was so tired I almost fell asleep in the car so I wasn`t much of a conversationalist, neither was Tom.

It was 12.30am when we got home and to say we were shattered is an understatement, we practically fell into bed and there was no admiring the scenic night view out of our window tonight, it was straight to sleep for us, our heads didn`t hit those pillows before we were out.

Park time tomorrow!!!! ​