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

[schumigirl]

I still remember my mom and a Disney clerk at the Disneyland hotel shop telling me that the Matterhorn Yeti was real and trapped inside there. I was about 5 or 6... and totally believed it. Would not keep my eyes open in the ride. Well, then when Davy was about the same age, there was a dinosaur exhibit here and you could push buttons to make them move. I had the T-Rex growl at Davy and he lept as high as that kid on the electric fence in the original Jurassic Park. Then, other dinos moved without buttons and he took off RUNNING as my mom and I stood there laughing so hard our stomachs hurt. I say all of this to say... I totally would have told my kid those dinos in the parade were real. I bet Davy tells his grankids something like that. Seems to be an inherited trait.....

I do need to see this parade. Looks fabulous!

lol......love it!!!

It`s funny what we believe as kids....my mum once told me when I was around 4 maybe, if I didn`t behave at a gala event where there were pipe bands playing that one of them would stuff me up his kilt

I think I behaved!!! But then my brothers said the same thing too, they were actually really good brothers but did like a giggle!!

That was funny with Davy though, goodness I can imagine him jumping as if demons were after him lol......

The parade is good, you`ll enjoy it

 

[angryduck71]

lol......love it!!!

It`s funny what we believe as kids....my mum once told me when I was around 4 maybe, if I didn`t behave at a gala event where there were pipe bands playing that one of them would stuff me up his kilt

I think I behaved!!! But then my brothers said the same thing too, they were actually really good brothers but did like a giggle!!

That was funny with Davy though, goodness I can imagine him jumping as if demons were after him lol......

The parade is good, you`ll enjoy it

The kilt threat!

 

[schumigirl]

The kilt threat!

Sounds crazy now when I think on it.

It`s still a running joke with my brothers now even today, we always manage to bring a kilt joke into most things, my poor mum just shakes her head laughing that we never let her forget the threat

 

[schumigirl]

THURSDAY MAY 8TH




Another early rise for us and another beautiful day ahead, so we were glad we planned to spend some of it in the park this morning, we had decided on IOA so, once we were showered and sunscreen on we walked over to RP.

It`s sometimes a very quiet walk where you pass next to no-one on other days there are plenty of staff wandering around, when there are conferences on it`s usually quite busy depending on the size of the event.

I will say I wish Loews would update and revamp the elevators in RP. They are incredibly dull and although the ornate wood is beautiful, it desperately needs updating and certainly the aircon could be better too!!

Breakfast was nice, I had a couple of cups of tea with mine and we took our time, we were glad we did as Nicolette the Concierge manager came up to chat to us, she pulled up a chair and we had a good old chin wag, she is such a nice lady and the changes she was implementing were decent and appreciated.

She checked we weren`t rushing off anywhere and as always we are never in a rush to get anywhere, so we were then delighted to see our friend Samuel come up too for a chat, they are so busy so we do appreciate the time they spend with us and Samuel, well we just adore him and it`s always a pleasure to see him.

I forget how long we sat, but eventually we headed off and walked to the park and it was another gorgeous and hot day but again we had that nice little breeze which was lovely.



​

The walk is beautiful, and we did enjoy seeing the new flowers and bushes that we saw being planted in September thriving and getting very colourful and again reminded me of how good a job they do with keeping everything new and fresh and on such a lovely walkway too.
​

We were loving the passholders entry over to the right as you go towards the main gates, again at this time of the morning it wasn`t too busy in fact we were the only folks going through, but it is a very good perk when it`s crowded. ​

This is one of the prettiest areas of the park and of POE, it`s a shame to see all the boarding up here on these lovely buildings and it ruins pictures too...... ​

Above the lost and found office there are two little doves who look as though they are having a little kiss and if you can hear it through the general noise in this are, they do play a "cooing" sound which is so cute, we have heard it a couple of times when we`ve left at a quieter time. ​

IOA was originally supposed to be a shopping mall, if I remember correctly Bill Davis who used to be the CEO of Universal told us according to plans drawn up in the mid 80`s it would have been called Galleria Orlando, but eventually cancelled in 1990. Glad it didn`t go ahead, what a disaster that would have been.

This is such a beautiful park! ​

The story of this lovely part of IOA is basically it`s a Port where people travel from all over the world, you first encounter the Pharos lighthouse and you work your way into the working port that has a melange of businesses as you would expect in such a trading place. There are also Tuks Tuks and Pedicabs around inspired to make you think of ancient transports within the area.

Every business is appropriately designed to advertise their wares and they are very alluring with bright colours abound.

​

It varies in design as there are amazing images of what was a mini monastery surrounded by ancient vines where you can periodically hear the monks chanting from inside. I do bang on a lot about detail and so much is easily missed, understandably so, it`s hard to take it all in even after as many visits as we have had, there`s always something to discover.

​

Not quite sure what`s happened to the Christmas store, it used to be filled with traditional styled tree decorations and ornaments alongside Universal themed products too, but last time we went in it was very generic and most of the cute stuff was gone. However the Harry Potter stuff was still there but slighty less Minion merchandise than there used to be.

But, it is a lovely store and when you enter the store your senses are filled with the aroma of Christmas and all things festive.

​

There is a little area called the House of Hoosegow where a prisoner has escaped and climbed down via tied up sheets and has left a cheeky "see ya" for the prison guards. You can hear the banter and complaints from the prisoners left inside the prison.

It also gives food for thought that it was not only honest explorers and travellers but pirates and undesirable villains who made up that travelling community too.

I do love the idea of someone being apprehended for being guilty of wanton mopery and gross pillockery

Can`t say I`ve ever heard of those charges before, sounds an interesting guy to be honest, well apart from the mopery!!!

And of course the local law enforcement can`t be much use as they have left the key to the prison hanging on the wall for anyone to use.

The humour is obvious at times, who could imagine a Fire Department moving to be closer to water....but this one did!

I wonder if it was deliberate irony that the FD is placed beside the real Orlando Fire Department`s water access points.











The most prominent thing as you walk in is the water feature and you can see the water sprinkle from the sail windmill that sends the water into huge seashells atop the fountain and it is very pretty and the water reflects nicely against the sunlight every time.

They haven`t missed a detail anywhere.

Before you go under the bridge you come across Sumatra Hari which is a local dance studio and you can indeed listen to the antics of teachers and students as they go through their paces, I admit we stand and listen to this for far too long most days!!

Once you pass through the bridge which on occasions they did have characters greeting you in the mornings as the park sprung to life but they seemed to have been abandoned which is a shame as the characters from this area were very good and included a Mayor and his cohorts, they were fun.

But now they are silent and the first thing you hit as you turn right is Confisco Grill with Croissant moon bakery attached to one side and Backwater Bar further round.

Confisco Grill was originally a Watchtower and then purported to be Customs House and the sign is still over the main door as you go in, and here you will find "confiscated" artifacts or items left by merchants, sailors and traders alike and there are a huge amount of items displayed around the whole restaurant in memory of it`s bygone position.











Apologies if this is too much dull and useless information, but it`s one of my favourite areas in the park and there are endless stories of how each business came about and the history behind the story.





More park time coming right up, trying to get through it quickly now so not to drag it out unnecessarily!!!


​

 

[keishashadow]

A fun read to catch up here

For us Mario is a non starter, it is something that just irritates me, I know that sounds grouchy, but it`s not for us so I don`t think we`ll even bother walking through that area.

Opposite, Mario is a sentimental fav as my boys all loved the genre. Cranky Kong is featured in the line of Donkey Kong. After a stated wait time tripled, it has become my new nickname with the fam.

got the car and headed to Toojays which is only a 5 minute drive, well it can be longer if you get stuck at the lights on Sand/Turkey Lake Road, you can lose hours getting caught at those lights around this area!!

Absolutely, have seen some episodes of what I’d term road rage there. We take the back way now, just too congested for us

I`m forever telling him to get his darn hair cut but he completely ignores my requests

Lol, maybe a man bun?

And again, he is fine and the surgery he`s getting is a run of the mill surgery, I will say we`re hoping for a cancellation and he gets done earlier of course!!

Of course he will be right as rain after the surgery! Stressful, none-the-less, hugs to both of you & wishes for a speedy recovery. The quicker you put this in the rear-view mirror, the better.

Spiderman is a fantastic ride

One of our favs there

And I know these names remind me of someone.......

Lol

lol......That was exactly Tom`s description of that dish!!!!

I hadn`t seen refried beans before in the Club Lounge, but it was not appetising in any way.

Pretty awful looking

it just looks almost forgotten somehow.

It’s such a waste, wish they’d repurpose it sooner vs than later.

Ok, I have to ask: What are pierogies???

Food of the Gods lol

the bar itself just didn`t have any charm or any personality and since the cocktails were nothing to write home about, I don`t think we`ll go back.

It’s been going downhill for the last decade TBH. Seems as tho they wholly rely on convention trade now. There are just too many other choices there.

 

[schumigirl]

A fun read to catch up here


Opposite, Mario is a sentimental fav as my boys all loved the genre. Cranky Kong is featured in the line of Donkey Kong. After a stated wait time tripled, it has become my new nickname with the fam.

Absolutely, have seen some episodes of what I’d term road rage there. We take the back way now, just too congested for us

Lol, maybe a man bun?

Of course he will be right as rain after the surgery! Stressful, none-the-less, hugs to both of you & wishes for a speedy recovery. The quicker you put this in the rear-view mirror, the better.

One of our favs there

Lol

Pretty awful looking

It’s such a waste, wish they’d repurpose it sooner vs than later.

Food of the Gods lol

It’s been going downhill for the last decade TBH. Seems as tho they wholly rely on convention trade now. There are just too many other choices there.

Welcome back, glad you`re all caught up!!

lol....Cranky Kong is hilarious!! Seems fitting and understandable with the issues they had when you were there. I am definitely in the minority with not liking DK, I can cope with that, I`m used to being the odd one out at times!!

I remember the days when Turkey Lake Rd towards Palm Parkway used to be the back road!!!! There was nothing along there except for two timeshare buildings, nothing else. I miss those days.

Thank you, yes, he`ll be fine, we just want it behind us now, seems too far away but I know the time will pass quickly.

That had to have been the worst dish we have ever seen in there, or anywhere to be honest!! But you know me and beans anyway!

It is such a shame that huge space is lying dormant and has been for such a long time, I am sure however once they rebrand that area it`ll be properly utilised again.

Someone from PB said the same thing to us or very similar about it going downhill due to lack of interest, it does seem to be forgotten for want of a better word for sure.

But, I would highly recommend Velvet Bar in HRH, decent barmen who know a good drink and good banter too!

 

[Cara]

MONDAY MAY 5TH





We slept like rocks last night, I don`t think we moved a muscle all night long although I did wake up with that weird "where am I" feeling and for a second couldn`t quite work out where I was and Tom sensing my confusion mumbled we were at Sapphire. Thanks....

I was ready for breakfast this morning, actually I was starving so we dressed quickly and headed over for breakfast and we always enjoy that walk between the two hotels in the morning, although today I had a wiggle on, I was ready for a cuppa and some food.

There were some lovely couples in the lounge this visit and getting chatting to folks is always a pleasure. When I think of how many lovely folks (and even a couple not so lovely) we have met over the years in here and so many we still keep in touch with, some not often but we have been so lucky to have met such nice people. Some of them were from the Dis, but don`t seem to post anymore which is a shame.

After we finished eating, which as we were chatting was later than planned, we headed back over and went to our room to get some sunscreen on then headed to the car and make the drive to St Augustine.

It`s a place we have visited often and we have experienced a lot of what it has to offer in previous trip reports including the Rum Distillery, the Fort and the Oldest Schoolhouse in the USA.

But, today we were really just out for a drive, have lunch and come home, yep, some folks think we`re crazy driving two hours for lunch, but why not.

The roads do quieten once we are out of Orlando and it is a very nice drive up. We pass over part of St John`s River which is huge, it`s the largest river in Florida but doesn`t go near Orlando however when I first saw this I thought we had went the wrong direction and were on the coast!! It is a vast expanse of water.
​

The roads at times are empty and do feel a little desolate, probably more so at night and it does make one a little uneasy to see the warning signs for bears!! There really are a lot of things that can harm you hanging around Florida!
​

It`s a straight forward drive and we listen to 80`s music all the way up there and chattering too, so the two hour drive feels much shorter than it is, we know we are close when we see the car wash shaped as a river boat.​

We had a drive over the Bridge of Lions which connects to Anastasia Island over Matanzas Bay which is just the prettiest waterway, we didn`t stop anywhere over there but there are several nice food options and bars too. ​

We came back over the bridge and park in the same place every time, right next to St George Street where a lot of local and unique shops are located and many different food options along the way. I think it`s $20 to park and that`s all day if you need it, we have been told there are cheaper places but it is convenient so we always end up there. ​

They do have a very obvious homeless issue here and they do seem to linger in this area, being fair they never seem to bother anyone in any way, but it`s never nice to see people having to live in such conditions, but it is something you won`t be able to miss here.

Lunch was going to be in the Florida Cracker Cafe, we have been here before a couple of times but it is an amazing little place where the owners are the nicest folks and food is exceedingly good!!

Pink lemonade for the driver today and I opted for one of their freshly made sangrias which was lovely, not run of the mill pre-prepared the way some places are, I stopped at one but could easily have enjoyed a couple of these!

​

The menu is very nice and today we decided to share the corn bread basket which came with honey butter and they were absolutely delicious, I do prefer a spicy corn bread, but this one was clearly home made and very tasty and that honey butter....... ​

I opted for my old favourite of peel and eat shrimp and these were amazing, very meaty shrimp and their coleslaw was just ok but I did eat it.

Tom opted for the Crab Cake sandwich with fries and I admit it wasn`t the nicest crab cake I had ever tasted, but Tom enjoyed it, so all good but for me it wasn`t all crab meat as it should be, too much filler which surprised us as last time he got it, it was all crab.

​

There are some lovely areas around this little central street and they are filled with very bohemian stores and galleries, some are tiny and worth popping into, I don`t think we have ever bought anything from them, but they are nice to wander into.

I think I`d be wary of trying this place somehow but it looks so good, it`s an Indian restaurant and is seemingly out of place somehow, but Indian food is one of our favourite cuisine`s. It does look very beautiful but until we get a personal recommendation from someone who has visited it, I don`t think we`ll try it. ​

We were happy to see this place busy again, it closed down through covid and never seemed to open again, but today it was bustling with folks and everything looked really good!! ​

This street has so many little nooks and crannies off the main drag where you can enjoy some drinks, snacks, ice cream or just enjoy some shade for a time at the many seating areas.

I think this little town really comes to life in the evenings and again, we keep saying we do want to enjoy an evening or two here at some point. ​

This is the building that hosts the Oldest School house in the USA, we did visit it fully a few years ago and it is really interesting to see how it used to be. The gardens inside are lovely and there are so many little areas to sit and enjoy some restful moments. ​

To be honest, we didn`t really feel like doing anything today, there are plenty of things to pass several days here but the things we were interested in, we had already done.

So we wandered back down and had a look in the window of the best pizza place around, we had eaten here a few years ago too and the line is still out the door most days, this was really good pizza!!!
​

The Governers House sits in the centre of the town beside a rather lovely park, I admit we didn`t go into the park today as there seemed t be a lot of homeless folks congregating, I did say before they never seemed to bother anyone, but there was a lot of them and right or wrong, we didn`t feel like roaming past them today. ​

Casa Monica is a rather beautiful hotel right in the centre of everything, it is a stunning looking place and we have only popped our head in and looked around but it is lovely and although if we did stay overnight we would prefer to stay in one of the many cosy little guest houses, this place is tempting.
​

The Lightner Museum is a quite astonishing little place to visit, and probably home to some of the nicest City offices anywhere!!!

Half the museum that was once a grand hotel is used by the city and it does seem a waste really of such beautiful surroundings, again the garden areas are very pretty to have a wander around. ​

Flagler College was under construction today and someone told us most areas were off limits, so we had planned to finally do the tour, but it seemed the universe had other ideas and about now I developed a headache so instead of thinking of other things to do we headed back to the car and drove home. ​

For the first time here, I fell asleep almost as soon as we set off home and I slept for about an hour until some rather dangerous driver decided to cut us off very abruptly and Tom managed to jam the breaks on and avoided hitting this idiot or anyone else.

But, my headache was gone at least!



Quiet, lazy night coming up!!

This was just one of those days we didn`t do much at all.​

Hello, Carole! It's good to see you again. I'm so sorry about Tom's upcoming surgery and your canceled trip for September. I can relate, as we canceled a big family trip to Orlando several years ago when I was in cancer treatment. Added insult to injury! I hope all goes well and that you'll be back in your happy place before long!

I'm laughing at the drive to St. Augustine for the day. My adult daughter and I were in St. Augustine for four days a couple of years ago, over my birthday. It was due to be a gloomy day at the beach, so what did we do? We got up at before 5AM and drove down to Magic Kingdom for the day! My daughter was expecting, so we didn't ride any big rides. Just rode the small ones, ate a lot of treats and watch the fireworks from Main Street!

 

[angryduck71]

THURSDAY MAY 8TH




Another early rise for us and another beautiful day ahead, so we were glad we planned to spend some of it in the park this morning, we had decided on IOA so, once we were showered and sunscreen on we walked over to RP.

It`s sometimes a very quiet walk where you pass next to no-one on other days there are plenty of staff wandering around, when there are conferences on it`s usually quite busy depending on the size of the event.

I will say I wish Loews would update and revamp the elevators in RP. They are incredibly dull and although the ornate wood is beautiful, it desperately needs updating and certainly the aircon could be better too!!

Breakfast was nice, I had a couple of cups of tea with mine and we took our time, we were glad we did as Nicolette the Concierge manager came up to chat to us, she pulled up a chair and we had a good old chin wag, she is such a nice lady and the changes she was implementing were decent and appreciated.

She checked we weren`t rushing off anywhere and as always we are never in a rush to get anywhere, so we were then delighted to see our friend Samuel come up too for a chat, they are so busy so we do appreciate the time they spend with us and Samuel, well we just adore him and it`s always a pleasure to see him.

I forget how long we sat, but eventually we headed off and walked to the park and it was another gorgeous and hot day but again we had that nice little breeze which was lovely.



​

The walk is beautiful, and we did enjoy seeing the new flowers and bushes that we saw being planted in September thriving and getting very colourful and again reminded me of how good a job they do with keeping everything new and fresh and on such a lovely walkway too.
​

We were loving the passholders entry over to the right as you go towards the main gates, again at this time of the morning it wasn`t too busy in fact we were the only folks going through, but it is a very good perk when it`s crowded. ​

This is one of the prettiest areas of the park and of POE, it`s a shame to see all the boarding up here on these lovely buildings and it ruins pictures too...... ​

Above the lost and found office there are two little doves who look as though they are having a little kiss and if you can hear it through the general noise in this are, they do play a "cooing" sound which is so cute, we have heard it a couple of times when we`ve left at a quieter time. ​

IOA was originally supposed to be a shopping mall, if I remember correctly Bill Davis who used to be the CEO of Universal told us according to plans drawn up in the mid 80`s it would have been called Galleria Orlando, but eventually cancelled in 1990. Glad it didn`t go ahead, what a disaster that would have been.

This is such a beautiful park! ​

The story of this lovely part of IOA is basically it`s a Port where people travel from all over the world, you first encounter the Pharos lighthouse and you work your way into the working port that has a melange of businesses as you would expect in such a trading place. There are also Tuks Tuks and Pedicabs around inspired to make you think of ancient transports within the area.

Every business is appropriately designed to advertise their wares and they are very alluring with bright colours abound.

​

It varies in design as there are amazing images of what was a mini monastery surrounded by ancient vines where you can periodically hear the monks chanting from inside. I do bang on a lot about detail and so much is easily missed, understandably so, it`s hard to take it all in even after as many visits as we have had, there`s always something to discover.

​

Not quite sure what`s happened to the Christmas store, it used to be filled with traditional styled tree decorations and ornaments alongside Universal themed products too, but last time we went in it was very generic and most of the cute stuff was gone. However the Harry Potter stuff was still there but slighty less Minion merchandise than there used to be.

But, it is a lovely store and when you enter the store your senses are filled with the aroma of Christmas and all things festive.

​

There is a little area called the House of Hoosegow where a prisoner has escaped and climbed down via tied up sheets and has left a cheeky "see ya" for the prison guards. You can hear the banter and complaints from the prisoners left inside the prison.

It also gives food for thought that it was not only honest explorers and travellers but pirates and undesirable villains who made up that travelling community too.

I do love the idea of someone being apprehended for being guilty of wanton mopery and gross pillockery

Can`t say I`ve ever heard of those charges before, sounds an interesting guy to be honest, well apart from the mopery!!!

And of course the local law enforcement can`t be much use as they have left the key to the prison hanging on the wall for anyone to use.

The humour is obvious at times, who could imagine a Fire Department moving to be closer to water....but this one did!

I wonder if it was deliberate irony that the FD is placed beside the real Orlando Fire Department`s water access points.





View attachment 981968





The most prominent thing as you walk in is the water feature and you can see the water sprinkle from the sail windmill that sends the water into huge seashells atop the fountain and it is very pretty and the water reflects nicely against the sunlight every time.

They haven`t missed a detail anywhere.

Before you go under the bridge you come across Sumatra Hari which is a local dance studio and you can indeed listen to the antics of teachers and students as they go through their paces, I admit we stand and listen to this for far too long most days!!

Once you pass through the bridge which on occasions they did have characters greeting you in the mornings as the park sprung to life but they seemed to have been abandoned which is a shame as the characters from this area were very good and included a Mayor and his cohorts, they were fun.

But now they are silent and the first thing you hit as you turn right is Confisco Grill with Croissant moon bakery attached to one side and Backwater Bar further round.

Confisco Grill was originally a Watchtower and then purported to be Customs House and the sign is still over the main door as you go in, and here you will find "confiscated" artifacts or items left by merchants, sailors and traders alike and there are a huge amount of items displayed around the whole restaurant in memory of it`s bygone position.





View attachment 981901





Apologies if this is too much dull and useless information, but it`s one of my favourite areas in the park and there are endless stories of how each business came about and the history behind the story.





More park time coming right up, trying to get through it quickly now so not to drag it out unnecessarily!!!


​

I love this stuff. Reminds me we need to take some time to explore better. Always in a rush for rides! Maybe, if Davy is in a hurry, I will take more time on my adult trip to check this stuff out more closely.

 

[schumigirl]

​

Hello, Carole! It's good to see you again. I'm so sorry about Tom's upcoming surgery and your canceled trip for September. I can relate, as we canceled a big family trip to Orlando several years ago when I was in cancer treatment. Added insult to injury! I hope all goes well and that you'll be back in your happy place before long!

I'm laughing at the drive to St. Augustine for the day. My adult daughter and I were in St. Augustine for four days a couple of years ago, over my birthday. It was due to be a gloomy day at the beach, so what did we do? We got up at before 5AM and drove down to Magic Kingdom for the day! My daughter was expecting, so we didn't ride any big rides. Just rode the small ones, ate a lot of treats and watch the fireworks from Main Street!

back Cara!!!!

It is so good to see you, I have been hoping you`d post as I have been wondering how things were with you and yours. I was thinking it was only a few months since your last grandbaby was born, but now I think on it, it must be a year or so!!! Time goes so fast.

I do remember you postponing your trip, thankfully it all turned out well for you!!! Yes, thank you for the good wishes for Tom, I know he`ll be just fine and Orlando will still be there.

Oh I love the fact you drove to MK for the day....why not, it`s really not too far a journey and sounds like you had a fabulous day with your daughter, absolutely the right thing to do

So happy to see you back posting on the TR, please don`t be a stranger and sending all good wishes to you and yours as always.

And apologies for the late reply, I was helping a friend at the University this morning with some students extra study work and we are having a heatwave here, so we made the most of the afternoon and spent it with friends in their garden.....looks like the heat is going to last a bit longer too!!!!

 

[schumigirl]

I love this stuff. Reminds me we need to take some time to explore better. Always in a rush for rides! Maybe, if Davy is in a hurry, I will take more time on my adult trip to check this stuff out more closely.

Oh absolutely, I think it`s so easy to rush around and not look around us or up at times, there`s so much to see and I don`t want to bore everyone with every single fact about every corner of the park!!!

But, yes, on your adult trip, it`ll be the perfect time to explore all the amazing detail......

 

[schumigirl]

The Navigator Club used to be an event only place for VIP`s upstairs from Confisco, now it`s part of the restaurant initially only for AP members to use, but they don`t tend to stick rigidly to that now and it is quite nice upstairs and you have a lovely view over some of the park. The menu is the same unless they offer special dishes for AP members during appreciation times.

Backwater Bar used to be an amazing place for food and drinks when you could sit inside, now it`s outdoor seating only although you can go in and get your drinks and some of them are very nice, just don`t get the sangria!

They have redone the wall outside of Backwater, it used to have a Seagrams poster painted on, now it has a new design which was won by one of the artistic team as they had a competition to see who came up with the best design and this one was chosen as the winner. It is incredibly vibrant and stands out for sure.

It felt as hot as yesterday, well, maybe not just as hot, but we were loving this weather and enjoying just walking around at this point and we always stop to take pictures and often people stop and ask if we want a picture together which is nice of them, and we do try to do the same as often as possible for other folks too as we do like pictures together on our trips.

If I ran the Zoo is a kind of "in joke" between us, Tom had a sign like that in his office when he was still working in his business as he was always, and still is a master of organising everything and everyone, apart from me of course, I`m pleasantly unmanageable apparently....

We now have that sign up in our study!

We have a quick blast on Cat in the Hat, this is such a weird ride, it is fun, but wow, what goes on in a mind that can come up with that!

It`s not too spinny since they took out the worst of the spinning, so it`s one that folks that do have motion issues can seem to do ok. There`s never really a line for this when we go in so we do feel a little cheeky going in the EP line, but we always do anyway.

This store is a very nice one, it has loads of merchandise from different characters and they have some amazing Grinch merchandise which we do love and some we have to limit buying as they are quite heavy, so although they would look lovely around our home, we do refrain from buying too much, well I do as Tom does enjoy reminding me about our luggage allowance!!!

This store however does have some very odd artwork, interesting backstory I`ll pass on sharing again but Dr Seuss held some quite unique views of the world!

Your day isn`t complete until you see young lad giggle at Honk Honkers!!!

We bought couple of drinks as it was hot despite the breeze and it`s easy at times for us to forget to drink but we see a rather nice looking slushy so we have one each, no pics as we forgot!!

We walk over the bridge to enter the Lost Continent area although there isn`t a lot left of the supposed continent with Poseidon`s Adventure now a closed attraction, but it is such a pretty area.

Gotta have a pose here every time!!

Mythos is allegedly the jewel in the crown of IOA, it`s not our favourite place to eat, I think it`s overrated but it is an incredibly impressive building and looks amazing in pictures and in the flesh.

I love this tree when it flowers like it is right now.

One of the lovely TM`s stopped to chat and took our picture, he just seemed to be wandering and chatting to several guests along the path, general interest in how we were enjoying our trip and spoke to us about his visit to Scotland that was just after Covid rules were relaxed and how he had loved it and hoped to go back one day. We hear that so often from folks who have visited our gorgeous homeland.

More to come
​

 

[Cara]

Oh absolutely, I think it`s so easy to rush around and not look around us or up at times, there`s so much to see and I don`t want to bore everyone with every single fact about every corner of the park!!!

But, yes, on your adult trip, it`ll be the perfect time to explore all the amazing detail......

​

back Cara!!!!

It is so good to see you, I have been hoping you`d post as I have been wondering how things were with you and yours. I was thinking it was only a few months since your last grandbaby was born, but now I think on it, it must be a year or so!!! Time goes so fast.

I do remember you postponing your trip, thankfully it all turned out well for you!!! Yes, thank you for the good wishes for Tom, I know he`ll be just fine and Orlando will still be there.

Oh I love the fact you drove to MK for the day....why not, it`s really not too far a journey and sounds like you had a fabulous day with your daughter, absolutely the right thing to do

So happy to see you back posting on the TR, please don`t be a stranger and sending all good wishes to you and yours as always.

And apologies for the late reply, I was helping a friend at the University this morning with some students extra study work and we are having a heatwave here, so we made the most of the afternoon and spent it with friends in their garden.....looks like the heat is going to last a bit longer too!!!!

Littlest boy will be TWO in September and big boy will by FIVE in October! They precious, but they absolutely wear us out when we have them. Very busy and into everything, but they are so much fun. Little guy will have his first Disney trip with all of us this October when he is two and still free. I do laugh at "free" though! Before we know it, they will be big enough for all that Universal has to offer!

 

[iona]

We used to always go for Sal`s pizza but over the last couple of years it has gone downhill so we don`t get our pizza from there anymore, shame as it used to be the best onsite pizza there was.

Oh that’s a shame to hear - we always had to have a Sal’s pizza during our trip. Is there somewhere else you’d recommend instead?

We like the Italian Old Fashioned in the Thirsty Fish but it’s definitely a “pop in for a quick drink” rather than anything else kind of place for us. We used to prefer Bar America. I don’t think we’ve ever been to The Velvet Bar though - may have to add it to our list.

 

[schumigirl]

The area that was Poseidon and the surrounding area is stunningly beautiful and also huge!!

The Trident is one of the first things you see after Mythos on the right, it`s hard to miss and very impressive indeed, I think I`ve lost count of how many times we`ve taken this picture over the years!

When they come to revitalise this area they will have a massive area to work with when you include the Sindbad Theatre, queue area and the whole of Poseidon as the building is mahoosive too!!

There are rumours abound of what will be going in to replace all of this, many think it`s obvious but one thing about Universal is the ability to surprise.....as long as it`s not pokemon I`ll be quite happy, I`m about as interested in that as I am in Super Mario....I have been told by many I should embrace it and try to enjoy it.....er......

I do love some cartoons, classic cartoons like Scooby Doo, Top Cat, Tom and Jerry, Bugs Bunny and so on, the traditional ones, not the new computer generated ones as they are awful. But, I have never got into any of these Japanese characters probably because Kyle was never into them as a child.

This area is so beautiful, the detail is incredible and would fit in nicely with many new options.

The store is a little different to most stores and it`s one of these places we never buy anything except water, but they do have a varied collection of jewellery that is quite pretty and a small selections of clothes too.






​

We were just wandering when in came a family, a large family and kind of took over the whole place with their family wagon, this thing was like a double decker bus and the TM asked them to leave it outside.....there were no kids in it, just stuff...backpacks, clothes, food, drinks and there was a lot of stuff!!

Kids were teens so they were not riding this thing.

The woman said no, she wasn`t leaving their stuff outside and was a little obnoxious, however she did leave with the family muttering about being picked on.

These wagons are bliddy awful. More and more folks seem to be using them just to carry stuff and even a TM from the Club Lounge said when her and her sisters family went to Universal for the day they rented a wagon just to carry stuff!!!!

My response was, what if everyone who went in the parks decided to do that, we`d never be able to move anywhere. I wish Universal would follow Disney on this one and ban them, we saw so many of them compared to a few years ago and many aren`t for kids, it`s for stuff.

Anyway, that was my rant for the day....we all need a rant a day, right????

This is one of my all time favourite pictures, I got lucky and captured Tom and Kyle right in the middle of the picture on his last visit with us in 2023! They were having a absolute blast together on the ride and it was a joy to see, we had abstained from passing on spoilers to Kyle before he got to ride it, which was so hard!!!! And we loved that he loved it

I do love seeing some of the other faces on the ride too especially the happy guy in front of Tom.....he is loving it!!

The regular line for today was 60 minutes, but EP was a straight walk on, the usual at the lockers where congestion seems to be the issue, but it wasn`t as bad as it has been in the past today. There always seems to be some folks who think they can carry their phone through the ride despite it being against the rules, but the TM`s are excellent and very firm with folks who think the rules don`t apply to them.

We like the pre show for this one too, well not a pre show as such, it`s just screen time while you are in the line but it is very good and funny too, Chris Pratt is good!!!

We barely stopped all the way through the line, not a complaint at all and before we knew it we were at the front of the line.












We were about to ask for the back row, when the TM smiled as we moved forward and asked if we`d like to ride the front row today. We were surprised as there is a line just for the front, but of course we said...

I have no clue if this is a regular thing where every so often someone from the line is offered the front row or it was a one off thing, I`m going with they do it every so often and it`s just your luck.

Today, we got lucky and the front row is amazing!! I think the first time we did the front was at the Orlando Informer event and it was night time, incredible!!!

I`m not sure whether I prefer the front row at night or during the day, both are incredible, Tom prefers the back row over the front on a different point, but I think I do prefer the front overall.

It`s scarier!!!

This was one heck of a ride......I forgot just how much more fun the front is and I admit I did close my eyes as it revved up and we began to climb up the top hat and boy is it exciting!!!

I do open my eyes as we peak at the top and glance briefly around the park before we experience that amazing drop, Tom is enjoying every second and wooohooing his way down!

The barrel roll at the end is a lot of fun and scary at the same time, but this ride is the best!!!!

We did this ride 5 times each time we walked straight on, more or less and after our front row special, we got the back row for all the other rides.

We of course thanked the TM profusely and made sure we went into GS on the way out to make sure he was recognised for the gesture!

We were ready for a cocktail now so we headed round to The Watering Hole and these two cool dudes asked I post their pictures on the TR.....so duly done!!!

And they were cool.....and give a very good pour on a cocktail!!

Thanks guys!!!!

They have some other drinks on offer too as well as cocktails...

The cocktails from here are very nice indeed, decent pour and nice flavour to them too!

There are very few tables here now, they removed most of them, but we did manage to snaffle a table when one family moved on, we sat and enjoyed the heat and shade at the same time and planned our lunch which wasn`t too far away now!



More to follow





​

 

[schumigirl]

Littlest boy will be TWO in September and big boy will by FIVE in October! They precious, but they absolutely wear us out when we have them. Very busy and into everything, but they are so much fun. Little guy will have his first Disney trip with all of us this October when he is two and still free. I do laugh at "free" though! Before we know it, they will be big enough for all that Universal has to offer!

Oh lordy, I was thinking the two year old might be barely one!!! Time really does fly doesn`t it.

I can imagine how much you love spending time with them too, tiring yes, but I`ll bet they`re worth every second.

How lovely you have a trip planned with them and yes, free is a giggle isn`t it for kids, lovely as they are, they are costly!!!

Oh yes, you`ll be at Universal with them before you know it

 

[schumigirl]

Oh that’s a shame to hear - we always had to have a Sal’s pizza during our trip. Is there somewhere else you’d recommend instead?

We like the Italian Old Fashioned in the Thirsty Fish but it’s definitely a “pop in for a quick drink” rather than anything else kind of place for us. We used to prefer Bar America. I don’t think we’ve ever been to The Velvet Bar though - may have to add it to our list.

It has been a couple of years now since we had our last decent pizza from there and I think that was only because the Concierge manager treated us to lunch that day, yes, it`s a shame as it was our go to place onsite for pizza.

Jake`s is decent, but we also really enjoyed the pizza from Vivo. We haven`t tried the pizza place in Citywalk itself but many folks recommend it.

Bar America was always really good, barmen that knew their craft, Thirsty Fish was just a let down, I don`t think we`ll go back but yes, Velvet Bar was excellent, they have that type of classic barmen that know what a decent drink should be, we`ll definitely go back there.

 

[iona]

Jake`s is decent, but we also really enjoyed the pizza from Vivo. We haven`t tried the pizza place in Citywalk itself but many folks recommend it.

Thanks!

Bar America was always really good, barmen that knew their craft

We liked Angel, I often wondered if he’d ended up at one of the other hotel bars.

 

[disneyseniors]

The area that was Poseidon and the surrounding area is stunningly beautiful and also huge!!

The Trident is one of the first things you see after Mythos on the right, it`s hard to miss and very impressive indeed, I think I`ve lost count of how many times we`ve taken this picture over the years!

When they come to revitalise this area they will have a massive area to work with when you include the Sindbad Theatre, queue area and the whole of Poseidon as the building is mahoosive too!!

There are rumours abound of what will be going in to replace all of this, many think it`s obvious but one thing about Universal is the ability to surprise.....as long as it`s not pokemon I`ll be quite happy, I`m about as interested in that as I am in Super Mario....I have been told by many I should embrace it and try to enjoy it.....er......

I do love some cartoons, classic cartoons like Scooby Doo, Top Cat, Tom and Jerry, Bugs Bunny and so on, the traditional ones, not the new computer generated ones as they are awful. But, I have never got into any of these Japanese characters probably because Kyle was never into them as a child.

This area is so beautiful, the detail is incredible and would fit in nicely with many new options.

The store is a little different to most stores and it`s one of these places we never buy anything except water, but they do have a varied collection of jewellery that is quite pretty and a small selections of clothes too.





View attachment 982611
​

View attachment 982612

View attachment 982613






View attachment 982614





We were just wandering when in came a family, a large family and kind of took over the whole place with their family wagon, this thing was like a double decker bus and the TM asked them to leave it outside.....there were no kids in it, just stuff...backpacks, clothes, food, drinks and there was a lot of stuff!!

Kids were teens so they were not riding this thing.

The woman said no, she wasn`t leaving their stuff outside and was a little obnoxious, however she did leave with the family muttering about being picked on.

These wagons are bliddy awful. More and more folks seem to be using them just to carry stuff and even a TM from the Club Lounge said when her and her sisters family went to Universal for the day they rented a wagon just to carry stuff!!!!

My response was, what if everyone who went in the parks decided to do that, we`d never be able to move anywhere. I wish Universal would follow Disney on this one and ban them, we saw so many of them compared to a few years ago and many aren`t for kids, it`s for stuff.

Anyway, that was my rant for the day....we all need a rant a day, right????

This is one of my all time favourite pictures, I got lucky and captured Tom and Kyle right in the middle of the picture on his last visit with us in 2023! They were having a absolute blast together on the ride and it was a joy to see, we had abstained from passing on spoilers to Kyle before he got to ride it, which was so hard!!!! And we loved that he loved it

I do love seeing some of the other faces on the ride too especially the happy guy in front of Tom.....he is loving it!!

The regular line for today was 60 minutes, but EP was a straight walk on, the usual at the lockers where congestion seems to be the issue, but it wasn`t as bad as it has been in the past today. There always seems to be some folks who think they can carry their phone through the ride despite it being against the rules, but the TM`s are excellent and very firm with folks who think the rules don`t apply to them.

We like the pre show for this one too, well not a pre show as such, it`s just screen time while you are in the line but it is very good and funny too, Chris Pratt is good!!!

We barely stopped all the way through the line, not a complaint at all and before we knew it we were at the front of the line.






View attachment 982615





We were about to ask for the back row, when the TM smiled as we moved forward and asked if we`d like to ride the front row today. We were surprised as there is a line just for the front, but of course we said...

I have no clue if this is a regular thing where every so often someone from the line is offered the front row or it was a one off thing, I`m going with they do it every so often and it`s just your luck.

Today, we got lucky and the front row is amazing!! I think the first time we did the front was at the Orlando Informer event and it was night time, incredible!!!

I`m not sure whether I prefer the front row at night or during the day, both are incredible, Tom prefers the back row over the front on a different point, but I think I do prefer the front overall.

It`s scarier!!!

This was one heck of a ride......I forgot just how much more fun the front is and I admit I did close my eyes as it revved up and we began to climb up the top hat and boy is it exciting!!!

I do open my eyes as we peak at the top and glance briefly around the park before we experience that amazing drop, Tom is enjoying every second and wooohooing his way down!

The barrel roll at the end is a lot of fun and scary at the same time, but this ride is the best!!!!

We did this ride 5 times each time we walked straight on, more or less and after our front row special, we got the back row for all the other rides.

We of course thanked the TM profusely and made sure we went into GS on the way out to make sure he was recognised for the gesture!

We were ready for a cocktail now so we headed round to The Watering Hole and these two cool dudes asked I post their pictures on the TR.....so duly done!!!

And they were cool.....and give a very good pour on a cocktail!!

Thanks guys!!!!

They have some other drinks on offer too as well as cocktails...

The cocktails from here are very nice indeed, decent pour and nice flavour to them too!

There are very few tables here now, they removed most of them, but we did manage to snaffle a table when one family moved on, we sat and enjoyed the heat and shade at the same time and planned our lunch which wasn`t too far away now!



More to follow





​

The area that was Poseidon and the surrounding area is stunningly beautiful and also huge!!

We were just wandering when in came a family, a large family and kind of took over the whole place with their family wagon, this thing was like a double decker bus and the TM asked them to leave it outside.....there were no kids in it, just stuff...backpacks, clothes, food, drinks and there was a lot of stuff!!

OMGosh, some people do feel very entitled, don't they!!! That is discouraging news that there are more and more of those wagons in Universal. Maybe Universal will ban them if they get a lot of negative feedback. We will be sure to do that if we see them next trip. I never understood why some people (without kids) feel that they need all that "stuff" with them in the parks?

We like the pre show for this one too, well not a pre show as such, it`s just screen time while you are in the line but it is very good and funny too, Chris Pratt is good!!!

Do We did this ride 5 times each time we walked straight on, more or less and after our front row special, we got the back row for all the other rides.

I was wondering if they allow a walk through for that attraction? If so, I will definitely do it. It looks awesome!

About the velocacoaster? This ride still scares me to death. I would probably faint at the top of that drop! And you rode it 5 times in a row! That is impressive (and a little scary to me

 

[schumigirl]

Tom likes an app now, he will use it for fun and not for any essential reasons, so he decided as we were going to Confisco for lunch he`d book a table on the App!!!

Honestly, there is no real need and we never book anything at Universal usually, but heyho, we did today, I forget what time he booked it for but we had plenty of time to meander around before we had to be there.

Hogsmeade is beautiful and on a day like today, simply stunning although it also looks amazing and very sparkly at night and during the Holidays when the decorations are up, it can`t be beaten.

We decided not to do FJ today as I had been on the VC many times, didn`t want to push my luck there, so we headed down towards the 3B`s and we did plan to sit out back and watch the VC pass, but it was mobbed, the line was out the door wih folks waiting to go in, I was forgetting how late it was now and folks were getting lunch already. ​

You couldn`t move in Honeydukes either so we gave that a hard pass too. I like the store but much prefer it when it`s quieter and you can actually see the products rather than try to squeeze around people.

We just missed a photo op with the Conductor of the train, I admit we heard his accent before he left and they normally have someone who can do an accent that does represent being English very well, but this guy was not very good at all which surprised us, I`m not quite sure what his accent was supposed to be as it was all over the place!!

Although to be fair some folks have accused us of having all sorts of accents over the years....we are Scottish and despite having lived outside of Scotland in various places, we still sound very Scottish but I tend to have a more mixed accent than Tom does. But folks have asked if we were Australian, English (which is fair enough) Irish, nope, we don`t even sound remotely Irish and on one occasion we were rather bewildered when asked if we were French????

Love this movie and always think of the French comment whenever I watch it. As most know there`s no such thing as a British/English/Scottish accent as there are so many regional accents and dialects around, but I know what folks mean when they say I sound very British when I do speak.

We never even looked at attempting Hagrid`s, but we knew it wouldn`t be too long till it had EP.....but it was after we left of course it would happen!!! We`ll make up for it next time.

And we timed it nicely for the owl to pop out and make it`s very sweet sounding "hooo" which is very nice to listen to.

To pass some time we wandered into the Boutique store beside the Fountain and they always do it so nicely, plenty of products and themed appropriately too.

I did say I wasn`t looking for anything in particular......famous last words!!!!

I knew I wanted this Bride merchandise and I knew someone who would also love it (one part of a Christmas gift sorted) so I picked up two while Tom smiled and shook his head asking where was I going to put this back home......does it matter????

I could see Tom thinking we were going to have to buy another suitcase......again!!!!

This display was so cute and previously used for several HHN`s over the last couple of years.

Then I found what I had really been looking for.....yes, me that`s not really a shopper.....and Tom`s face says it all at this point as I pick up 5 of these shirts








You won`t think I`m crazy when you see them...

Classic Duelling Dragon shirts!!!

Choose Thy Fate!!!!

Well, my reasoning was, one for Kyle, one for me and three as part of some friends Christmas gifts, not saying who is getting them as I know they might just read this!!!! But, it means I have made a start for Christmas and it`s only May, it`s almost an essential purchase....isn`t it.

HO-HO-HO!!

They have Duelling Dragon glasses too, but I refrain from purchasing them....for today

This is one ride we do miss and however much we love Hagrid`s, Duelling Dragons was an amazing coaster and much missed.

Rather cruelly from our room at RP in 2017 we watched them dismantle this ride piece by piece and even at night we could see the sparks fly from the grinder disc as they ripped the structure to shreds, yep, we loved that ride!!!!

We got the packages sent to our room to save carrying them although to be fair once we had lunch we would be heading home, but it is such a nice perk of an onsite stay being able to get packages delivered to not only your hotel, but directly to your room. The only exception is if you`re leaving the next day, they won`t accept doing that in case there is a delay, we`ve always found packages are delivered before 10am the next day but understandable they won`t take the chance.

It was time for lunch and we were both hungry by now so we headed round to Confisco Grill.

We gave our name outside and she said to go right in where we did get someone probably for the first time that wasn`t the friendliest of people here and was a little snippy when we asked for a booth at the back, there was only one with people on it, three were empty and he did look a bit put out and said well you may have a wait, sure no problem for us and we went to sit down when a lady appeared and took us to our table. We never even got our bottoms on the seat!!

We both thought about making a remark but let it go, anyone can have a bad day but it`s so unusual to find someone who isn`t smiley and happy in their job here.

The little foyer is filled with little nods to each land and you can pretty much find something from every ride or land in here, it is incredibly well thought out.

It`s a lovely restaurant and not too busy at all today but for us we have mixed thoughts on this place as it`s not always consistent.

We first came here in 2007 and when we mentioned it, folks kept saying "where" as they had missed it as they walked past it coming in or out of the park but it was always top notch back then for many years, but in the last five or six years they have had the odd wobble with food and it`s usually been the temperature of the food not the quality.

We have lost count of the number of times the food has reached us cold or partially cold and had to be redone, but we always give it another try as it is so good!

Well, to be fair, I had been on VC a load of times and the heat was off the charts again today, so the old hair is never going to look it`s best, but when you have a very nice Spicy Margarita, you have to show it off!!!!

And it was a very nice drink!

We each drank a load of water too although I think Tom got a fanta, he didn`t fancy a cocktail, oops, just me then!!!

Neither of us needed a menu today, I was opting to have the Pad Thai but I asked for a side of jalapenos as I had previously asked for it to be spicy and they won`t do it for some reason, but they will give you jalapenos!

Problem solved and this dish, nice as it is, well, I just prefer it spicy.

Tom enjoys the Chipotle chicken wrap so he ordered that today, but surprise surprise, the fries were cold and he asked for fresh fries which she did bring and they were sizzling hot.

Not sure why this happens a lot but it does, sometimes you can see food sitting waiting to come out on the pass and it doesn`t stay as hot there, but his dish today seemed to come straight out, but it was sorted and he enjoyed it.

The Pad Thai was lovely too, this is one of their best dishes here, the dish always has plenty of chicken and shrimp and not just noodles and the sauce is very nice too.

This had been a nice lunch and we were glad we had tried again, it`s annoying though why there`s no consistency at times but we will go back again.

We paid up and headed back out into the blazing heat of the day and my goodness it was blazing hot, but we wanted a wander into the Christmas shop for a look, although I was going to be good and not spend any more on merchandise today.....honest!

It is a quiet time of the day for folks coming in, but it`s usually busier than this, there was barely a soul around.

Tom did indeed have "resting Grinch face" when as soon as we walked in and I saw this top, I said Oh you know who would love that.......one glance at Mr Grinch made me just burst out laughing and decide, well, maybe not today lol......I think he may have mumbled something about it suiting me more than anyone just loud enough for me to hear of course.....he loves me really!!!

They still have some traditional tree decorations, but most of them now are generic Universal brands which are nice, but I do love traditional ones more, one of our trees at home is filled purely with tree decorations from this store over the years, well a few that aren`t but for the most part it`s our Universal tree.

I did like this!!

Kyle had this Ghosbusters shirt but he had caught the sleeve on a nail when we were doing his place up last year before he moved in and there was a tear in it, so I did pick him this one up too, we just carried it home though and never bothered getting it sent to us.

The shirts from Universal are always very good quality and last for years, we all have many between us that don`t look any older than they did when we bought them. Tom`s Jack the Clown shirt especially still looks brand new.

The Lone Palm bar was still missing the plane as it was gone for a refurb, it is back now and happy to see they kept the bullet holes intact, they did add something to the storyline of the plane, but it was still odd not seeing it looking majestically over the lagoon as it had done for so many years.

We walked down to the boats and only waited a few minutes for one to appear, this time of day there can be a little wait as it is deemed a quiet time, but we hopped on and enjoyed the cool as we headed back to Sapphire.

It was only 92F but felt much hotter and before we went in the hotel doors it felt like it was going to rain and maybe even turn into a thunderstorm, I think we both wanted to snooze though so we hoped there wasn`t a storm as I do like to watch them, but my eyes were feeling like they needed a nap.



Coming up, we visit Bar Helios again


​

 

[schumigirl]

@disneyseniors









Ruth, I hope you and your lovely husband Roger have a wonderful anniversary, sounds like a fun day xxx

​