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

[schumigirl]

We wandered down to the lobby and I did wonder if we would head to get an Uber or......

Then he told me we were going to the Mother`s Day Brunch after all!!!!

I was so pleased as we always enjoy it and it`s nice not going offsite for the day too. I did wonder how he managed the booking, but he did admit he contacted A and she managed to get us a reservation, so a thank you txt was sent immediately to her for booking it for us!

We got a lovely table and although we didn`t get Jimmy looking after us today, our waiter was nice and very friendly but we had never seen him before, however he knew us which was strange.

The menu is very similar each year, it is always very nice and one of the things we do enjoy is just how fresh everything is and always looks so nice and yes, very tempting.

It was also on for a very short time today, between 12-4, I was sure it used to be 11am till around 8 or 9pm, but maybe they weren`t getting the bookings they used to as it was quieter than usual.

Tom wandered off to take some pictures before we got stuck into the food, I wasn`t sure what he fancied to drink so I ordered a glass of Prosecco while I waited for him to come back, although to be fair I should just have ordered a bottle as it`s a fair judgement that`s what we`d end up having.

Although they did offer some very tasty sounding cocktails!!

We both headed for the seafood area first, they have some beautiful salads and pasta, being hones we never touched them, I went straight for the oysters and shrimp, Tom stopped by the Charcuterie selection first and it did look lovely.

One of the nicest things on the Charcuterie for me was the pork with cranberry and pistachio, this was so light and full of flavour I could have had a meal of just that with the Quince paste and honeycomb below, but of course there were so many other things to tempt us, and this was before we even looked at the hot dishes!!

SEAFOOD!!!!!

We adore seafood.....love it all, although I`m sure regular readers will know Tom does not eat oysters, does not like to be near oysters and does not like to watch people eat oysters......

They were delicious!!!!

I won`t admit how many I had, but I think I had enough and poor Tom spent all his time looking to the side of us lol.....

I didn`t have many mussels, but shrimp, oh yes and although I don`t have pictures for some reason, we both enjoyed the king Crab, it was lovely too!!

Tom did have some shrimp, but he focussed on the Charcuterie to start with and it was all lovely, he also enjoyed the pork terrine with cranberry and deemed it one of his favourite items too.

I think the one thing that was a little bit of a disappointment was the scallops, they were tiny and not very flavoured. We tend to have the King Scallops from Scotland back home which are incredible, the salmon was ok, but it wasn`t what we could call smoked salmon, more like a hot smoke but, cooked, not raw.

And we had this to enjoy too, maybe not the best Prosecco around, but it went down well especially with the seafood/ charcuterie we were enjoying.

I was so glad the lovely A had booked it for us and I thanked Tom again for arranging with her to do it for us, he is a complete sweetheart thinking of it for us

This and the Thanksgiving Buffet they offer are both incredible and it is well supported but I did think it was quieter than it used to be and we did miss Fernando and his wife who were usually here with us, they were enjoying family time at home today.



More food coming right up
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[schumigirl]

Once we had sated our tastebuds with the appetisers, we soon looked to the entrees and there was no way we were going to manage more than a few samples, so we had to pick and choose what we really wanted to eat.

The Churrasco Beef was first for me, the lady in front of me was asking for what looked like dry ends of the beef, I couldn`t believe it as they really did look like bits you wouldn`t touch, but I was the opposite and asked for the rarest piece he had as what on the board was a little overdone for me, unfortunately he didn`t understand what I was asking when I asked for rare, poor guy he eventually asked someone and he did cut me some from the middle of the joint and it looked beautiful.

We love duck and the duck legs they had were very nice indeed, we did think they looked a little dry, but they really weren`t and the sauce that came with them was very tasty.

I loathe green beans in any form and I have tried them but they just don`t do it for me, Tom however loves them, I rarely cook them for him, when I do I usually turn them into some kind of garlic
salad dish, I still don`t touch them.

But even he wasn`t touching them today, nope it was all about the meats!

Brazilian sausage we both passed on too, but the sweet plantains are among one of our favourite foods, however it is hard to try not eat too many of them as they certainly can fill you up, we preferred to fill up on the meats!!!

I did think these potatoes looked a little, er, dry, needless to say we gave them a pass. It was odd as usually everything is perfect, or as near as but these looked as though they had been sitting out for hours with no one touching them.

You can see here how quiet it was, by 2ish there was maybe another 6 tables with people on them, one was a big table of around 10 folks but even so, this was so different to the last few years we had enjoyed this buffet where the tables were cleaned as soon as someone left and a new family replaced them almost immediately.

We did forgo most of the dishes aside from a piece of duck, but my first beef dish was the Churrasco with a few sweet plantains and Tom went for the Prime Rib and then we went back for more!!!

Oh my lord!!!!!

I thought the Churrasco beef was good, but the Prime Rib was sublime!!! Neither of us were fond of the Horseradish cream that came with it, it was kind of bland and not hot as it was supposed to be, it is hard to make horseradish bland, but they did it, but the beef was the best of the best and we did enjoy it.

They had one man playing today and he was good, you barely noticed him to be honest but it was nice in the background.

We did fill up on the beef, it really was beautiful and probably my only complaint is, the plates are always cold. One of my pet hates is cold plates with hot food, everyone says I could cook my food on my dishes as they are nuclear hot, so I do get annoyed with that, however it`s not the end of the world.

Eventually we decide we have eaten all the meat we want and have a little break before we start on the desserts.

It was a little busier now, but still not even half full, so it felt very different especially from the first one we enjoyed, that was so busy as there was music and there were characters wandering around for photographs, it definitely seemed a more muted experience today.

Just a couple of pictures from 2019.
























So, yes, it was very different, but for today we did enjoy a little break and then looked to start some desserts.

I looked over to the entrance and saw a lady waving to me, I had no clue who she was but she seemed to know us, Tom laughed and said she`s probably waving the folks behind us.....now, that has happened to us and many others of course, someone waves to you, or you think they`re waving to you and you make a complete idiot of yourself by waving back, and it`s not you they`re trying to attract

Desserts next and a catch up with a Disboard fan who never once posted lol.....​

 

[disneyseniors]

Yum, Yum, love the food, especially the green beans, It sounds like a wonderful Mother's Day

 

[schumigirl]

They were promoting the fruity mimosa`s but they`re not really for us, however they did look nice and seemed to be selling well. I do think that they should give a welcome drink to the mum`s at least as part of the cost, most places we frequent for things like Mother`s Day or similar do offer one complimentary drink as part of the meal, nice little touch but they don`t here.

Jimmy at this point spotted us and came over to say hello, he is so lovely and even though he wasn`t looking after us, he was still trying to find out if we needed anything, could he get us anything and if we did to just to ask, bless him, he is a star!!

​

We had a good look around the desserts before choosing and they really did have something for everyone whether you liked chocolate, cheesecake, cookies, pies, pastries or fruit based desserts, they had it all. ​

I do love a good macaron and these ones were very nice and as light as they should be and seemingly very moreish!!!
​

This cake below was Tom`s disappointment of the day, he thought it looked lovely, but apparently it wasn`t, it`s not often he finds a cake he doesn`t like, but he did today.
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Ube coconut swirl cheesecake for me, was the best dessert of the brunch, I adore Ube flavoured anything and this little dessert really made my day. ​

I`m not sure where the pictures of the full pies have gone, I think Tom thought I had taken them and I assumed the same of him, but they did have a very beautiful display of desserts in different areas of the restaurant.

​

The food had been lovely today, can`t really fault anything but, there was something missing from it this year that I can`t really put my finger on and I`m not really sure I`d do it again next year, I think we`ll find somewhere else to try, maybe offsite for a change.

The lady who recognised us waited till we were finished and wandered over to say hello. She reads the Dis but never posts claiming she`s too shy, which is fair enough, message boards are not for everyone, but I was glad she had come over to say hello. She was very nice, her name was Terri-Ann and she had her family with her who all waved over.

She said she missed my posts elsewhere on the boards as I had stopped posting there, for a very good reason, but, well that`s another story, but, IYKYK

We did have a nice chat and popped over to say hello to her family later, I do forget where they came from but a big hello to Terri-Ann and her family

It was about time we left, we headed upstairs and the weather looked a little miserable again, so we headed to the suite and both had a snooze for an hour before heading to the Club Lounge, I don`t think we`d be touching anything there tonight.

We wandered over to the Club Lounge around 5.30, another set of plans out the window due to weather, we had again thought we`d head to Citywalk and have a game of mini-golf as we hadn`t played it in a long time, but with this weather no. It was a night for staying inside.


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As well as the regular offerings, for Mother`s Day they had made a couple of specials, the salad of the day was a caramelized apple and potato salad with a grain mustard dressing, it looked lovely!

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The hot dish was a pork tenderloin with a honey balsamic glaze and gorgeous looking honeyed carrots!!! I did wish we were hungry for this dish, but we had no room at all. ​

Polenta is a dish I can take or leave, if done correctly it can be lovely, but left on a heat plate, it doesn`t improve, so this didn`t look at all appealing, but folks were eating it, so it couldn`t have been all bad.
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We did sit for a while tonight, it was very busy due to the weather and we chatted to several folks who were staying for a few nights, you do get to know some folks more than others in the lounge, some like to keep themselves to themselves, but others like us do like to make conversation.

There was also some thunder and lightning to watch, pretty cool to see from up here.

We did take some potato salad in a container for later if we did get peckish, but right now we planned to go back to our suite and just watch tv with a glass of wine, this rain wasn`t going off anytime soon!!!

On the walk back over as we neared the Sapphire store we ran into the lovely Abdel who works in Strong Water, but he has cut his hours and doesn`t work as often now, we thought we`d missed him for this trip, so it was lovely to see him!! Such a lovely young man.

Back in the suite we pulled the drapes wide open, put the tv on and opened a bottle of wine to enjoy. I opened my ipad and saw our lovely friends had been enjoying Vegas to the max!!! Some lovely pictures of them and their hotel, The Wynne, looked amazing!

Not a clue what we watched now, but we did try the potato salad later and it was beautiful, I recreated the dish once we were home and it was pretty darn good!!!

As we headed to bed we caught the weather for tomorrow and it did not look good for the morning!

​

 

[schumigirl]

Yum, Yum, love the food, especially the green beans, It sounds like a wonderful Mother's Day

haha......you and Janet will one day convince me I need to try them again, everyone seems to love them....maybe it is me lol.....

It was very nice, I was glad we did it but not sure we want to do it again next year, but who knows, might change our minds again

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Well that brunch looked scrumptious! Spoiled for choice is right

I love that Tom surprised you, nice job!

And lucky you with not one but two Mother’s Day’s!

Your holiday shopping was fun, too.
Your friends are benefiting from your incredible thoughtfulness.

What a great time you are having!

 

[schumigirl]

MONDAY MAY 12TH











It never stopped raining the whole night and this morning if possible, it was even heavier than we had previously seen outside of a hurricane or tropical storm in Orlando.

We were obviously in no rush to go anywhere today, so we took our time getting ready this morning and eventually sauntered over for breakfast. On the way over we ran into Mr Beiderman, always good to chat to him for a time, we had a catch up then we headed into breakfast and yep, it was very busy, again down to the dreadful weather.

I don`t think anyone had left to go to the parks at all this morning, they were all here enjoying a lazy breakfast.

We chatted for a time then headed back over to get the car, I needed to go and buy a brolly as I didn`t have one, so our first stop was Publix and boy was this rain crazy, even the idiots on the road were slowing down today.

Tom dropped me as close as possible to the door and he parked up and followed me in and we picked up a couple of things while we were in, there are many pharmacy items that you can buy OTC that we can`t just buy, we need a prescription for some items, so we stock up.

And I did buy a much needed brolly!

It was a slow drive today but we made it to the Mall at Millenia in 25 minutes instead of the usual 10. Tom again dropped me off as near as possible but my feet were wet as the water was fairly deep everywhere, so I got in as quick as I could.

One thing we don`t have in UK malls are little umbrella bags at the doors for our convenience, it`s a brilliant idea and I wish they would do it over here as a standard rather than wander round with a soggy umbrella.

We had a couple of things to do today, I wanted to put my jewellery into Tiffany for cleaning, so we headed there first and Amit came out to say hello and take the jewellery, he said come back in about 2 hours, no problem we could easily pass a few hours here.

We were disappointed to see Williams and Sonoma had closed down in this location, we always bought something from in there, but now we`d have to go to Winter Park for anything we wanted. It was going to be a Suitsupply store very soon, such a shame as it was a fabulous store.

Our next job was for Kyle, he had asked us if we could pick him up some cologne from Mont Blanc, he was almost out of the one he had so we headed down to the store and hoped it wasn`t the dismissive and rather rude member of staff we encountered on our last visit, but he wasn`t there although I wasn`t overly impressed with the salesman today either.

He told us they don`t carry cologne anymore but he had an air of superiority about him that didn`t sit well with us, however I was polite and thanked him for the answer.

I may have muttered under my breath on the way out

We did find Bloomingdales sold Mont Blanc products, so we did get the one he wanted and sent him an email to let him know we had it.

I picked out some make up from Clinique and a bottle of Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche, my absolute favourite perfume and resisted heading to the handbags!!! Nope, I was being good!!

I was also getting pretty hungry, Tom asked if I wanted to go to Brio for a change, but being honest I fancied another of Charley`s Cheesesteaks from the foodcourt, we really enjoy that, so that`s what we did.

We were lucky to get a table in the food court today as it was mobbed, I guess most were avoiding the rain too, but Tom went and ordered while I sat down, we got strawberry lemonade and shared the large one with Teriyaki Chicken and of course extra jalapenos with a side of cajun fries and can I tell you, this was a lovely little lunch.

We finished lunch and shopped a little more including some Olaplex products from Sephora and a few little pieces that would go nicely in Christmas Stockings for folks. I do like the store but my goodness I do lose patience when every single member of staff come up insisting they help you every two minutes. There is a fine line and they just go over the top, so I shop quickly and it`s amazing how much you can pick up in a few minutes!

We went back to Tiffany to get my jewellery and it was all gleaming and shiny and he had a piece to show us, it was a necklace and the pendant was the same design as the Lock design Bangle I got for our 30th wedding anniversary, but he didn`t get a sale today, maybe in 2 years time for my next special birthday!!

The rain had gone off by the time we came out of the mall and it was a fairly pleasant afternoon now, the skies were blue and all signs of rain were gone.

It was just after 4pm about now, so we headed home and put our purchases away, we looked at one another and thought should we go into the park now, finally it was dry, but being honest we couldn`t be bothered. I think we had enjoyed the parks enough for this trip.

So, we wandered down to the lobby and met one of the managers we hadn`t seen for a time, so we got a coffee from Dutch Trading and sat in the lobby for half an hour and had a good old chin wag, the lobby was fairly quiet now as most folks had headed back out again.

We walked over to the Club Lounge, it was around 5.30 by now and we got into trouble for being late lol....they had expected us earlier and wondered where we were, I think we`re too predictable at times!!

Tonight we really were lazy, yes we could have gone into the park for a couple of hours, but we were quite happy sitting here chatting to Bob and Caroline who we had enjoyed getting to know over the last few nights, they weren`t going anywhere tonight, so we each had a few sparkly`s and just enjoyed relaxing.

We did think about getting an Uber to go somewhere for dinner, Tom fancied a steak, but we ended up deciding to go to Strong Water, so Aspen managed to book a table for us and said there wasn`t much availability, so once we were ready we headed back over to Sapphire for dinner.

Bob and Caroline said they were going to bed as they were shattered after 4 full on park days, so we said our goodbyes as they were leaving early tomorrow morning, we`d miss them.

We arrived at Strong Water and the lovely young lady welcomed us and asked if we had a reservation, we said yes we did but I got the impression they couldn`t find it, the assistant manager who we do know appeared and seemed a little off, he was initially under the impression we didn`t have a booking and just expected them to have a table for us. He asked us if a large table would be ok, I said of course but if a normal table appeared we`d happily move if they needed that large table, he said yes, we could do that, so that`s why we started off on the large table.

The lovely Angel was looking after us tonight and we asked if Christian could make us two Carole`s Punches, he said he`d be happy to make them and very nice they were too!!!

Maggie came over to give us a hug and we had a chat, she is the nicest lady and again, we`ve known her for years and think the absolute world of her. We were looking at menu`s and she immediately took them off us and said Chef was again sending out something for us he had on tonight as a special, we always know we`re in for a treat when that happens.

We did ask what it was but Maggie said it was a surprise!!

At this point we were giggling at the woman beside us who was actively trying not to notice someone attracting her attention, they were a convention crowd and they are always fun to watch!!

Tom reminded me of the first time he ever saw me ignore anyone, it was in here and we were sitting at the bar. I had good reasons, when I saw her waving, I deliberately did not look. As I said, my excuse is I had very good reasons, I knew this person was not genuine, they enjoyed trying to one up me and mimic me all the time, well, they tried to as it never worked of course according to everyone who also saw it, lol. I certainly didn`t want to speak to anyone like that.

Back to tonight, we noticed the corner table by the window was free, so we said we`d move over to free up this huge table and it was filled up within a few minutes, this little table was much nicer for us.

I saw Maggie approach us with a huge smile and dropped off Chef`s new Tuna Tartare for us to share.....

This dish was absolutely beautiful, the tuna was fresh, perfectly chilled and full of flavour, the passion fruit ahi and honey added so much to the dish, this was better than the previous tuna dish he had, and I loved that one a lot!!!

It was a perfect little appetiser and Maggie said she hoped we were hungry which is a worry as to what size a plate of food was coming out, the answer....two plates!!

We thought we`d be sharing but nope.

Tonight`s special was a filet sandwich, the meat was beautifully medium rare and it had onions, mushrooms and I forget the cheese he used but it all blended beautifully together with a lightly spiced sauce and I always rave about their bread, it is so very moreish!!

These were gorgeous!!!

Well, one of the many reasons

I admit neither of us ate many of the fries, nice as they were, but we did almost demolish both sandwiches, I think at one point we were both full but we had to keep eating. Tom is more a sandwich guy than I am, but this was amazing.

Chef Carlos came out before he went home to check everything was good tonight, as always, it was perfect. We had a quick chat and then as he normally does, he waved and headed off quickly, he is one amazing guy!!

We thanked them for looking after us so well tonight as they always do and we headed to our suite and ordered a pot of tea from room service, we enjoyed that while watching some nonsense on tv, then we discovered Jaws was on, we had only missed about 15 minutes of it, so of course we had to watch it now, but we put the tv on in the bedroom and watched it through there.

Well until I fell asleep before they decided they needed a bigger boat!!

Tomorrow we fancied a drive to the beach!!









​

 

[schumigirl]

Well that brunch looked scrumptious! Spoiled for choice is right

I love that Tom surprised you, nice job!

And lucky you with not one but two Mother’s Day’s!

Your holiday shopping was fun, too.
Your friends are benefiting from your incredible thoughtfulness.

What a great time you are having!

It was lovely, we did enjoy it and yes it was a lovely surprise, he is very good at surprises I will say!

I often tell them I`m too generous with them......as I hand them very unglamorous Tide Pens .....I do make it up with nicer gifts too!! I was happy with the amount of gifts I managed to get to go into Christmas Stockings for folks this trip

We were having a fabulous time and I`m now getting through the TR as fast as I can do it!!!! Shouldn`t be long now till it`s done, hope it`s not dragged on too long

 

[keishashadow]

all caught up! Lovely pics, especially of the staircase area @ SF.

just don`t get the sangria!

Lately, has been my go-to in Orlando. Curious, what is off about their’s?

Mythos is allegedly the jewel in the crown of IOA

A long time ago, in an amusement park far-far away, it was truly the best out of all in Orlando.

Changes to staff, menu etc. has relegated it to run of the mill fare IMO.

they rented a wagon just to carry stuff

I don’t get how locals could possibly need all that stuff for a day trip

Tom did indeed have "resting Grinch face"

How have I never heard that one lol

I used to wonder what folks put in those huge rucksacks some folks dragged around

@ disney, not uncommon to see people lugging carry on size rolling luggage behind them.

Maybe not the prettiest of views but when you are in the pool area, you don`t notice anything except the greenery around you, they have designed it really well.

Do I spy top golf in the back ground?

one of our joint godchildren were getting married and we were so excited to see it, however fate stepped in and we ended up missing it due to Tom taking ill,

Aw, well you do have two lovely new hats for the next occasions! There is an art to wearing a fancy hat. Haven’t mastered anything more complicated than a bucket or baseball hat.

Yep, of course I can smell laundry powder!

Haha

so we turned down the chance to meet Rosie up close and personal!

Nope, just say no.

several folks we know have stayed in one or the other and did enjoy their stay, ideal for one or two nights seems to be their response when asked how it was.

A fair assessment. Perhaps as my bar was set so low for our two nights in June, found we really did enjoy TL. Especially, the GD as they had a state-of-the art gym!

My husband loves sandwiches and this is a huge sandwich!

The mr’s go to there too. Will say, apologies to Orlando, the pizza is normally less than…maybe something to do with the oven or the water…we often make the drive from Disney for their food.

SEAFOOD!!!!!

OMG drooling may dream of oysters tonight

haha......you and Janet will one day convince me I need to try them again, everyone seems to love them....maybe it is me lol.....

You just haven’t had the right green bean recipe yet.

 

[schumigirl]

all caught up! Lovely pics, especially of the staircase area @ SF.


Lately, has been my go-to in Orlando. Curious, what is off about their’s?

A long time ago, in an amusement park far-far away, it was truly the best out of all in Orlando.

Changes to staff, menu etc. has relegated it to run of the mill fare IMO.

I don’t get how locals could possibly need all that stuff for a day trip

How have I never heard that one lol

@ disney, not uncommon to see people lugging carry on size rolling luggage behind them.

Do I spy top golf in the back ground?

Aw, well you do have two lovely new hats for the next occasions! There is an art to wearing a fancy hat. Haven’t mastered anything more complicated than a bucket or baseball hat.

Haha

Nope, just say no.

A fair assessment. Perhaps as my bar was set so low for our two nights in June, found we really did enjoy TL. Especially, the GD as they had a state-of-the art gym!

The mr’s go to there too. Will say, apologies to Orlando, the pizza is normally less than…maybe something to do with the oven or the water…we often make the drive from Disney for their food.

OMG drooling may dream of oysters tonight

You just haven’t had the right green bean recipe yet.

Thanks Janet, glad you`re caught up!

We saw the "containers" both the wine and juice arrived in and thrown together and I`d be loathe to even call what they use red wine, not for me!! Their other cocktails are decent, I just avoid that one.

Agreed, we loved Mythos way back in 07/08, after that, it was one disappointment after another. I`m not sure where it all went wrong for them, budget I`m sure was a factor!

lol....we use that expression often if one of us is mithering about something, it is usually very apt with our expressions! Not often though, life`s too short to complain too much!

Those wagons are worse than any humungous back pack!!! Honestly they do need banning.....I`m sure folks would manage just fine without them, yes goodness knows what they need for a day!!

Yes, Top Golf is down there, right beside the Andretti Driving Experience....it used to be so quiet on that road!!

I do love a hat!!! Any excuse and I`m there adorned with a fancy hat....fancier the better!! But, day to day, yes, it`s usually a sun hat or baseball cap when suitable.

Agreed, pizza`s are ok in Orlando but nothing like we had in NYC, haven`t quite found one to match the ones we had there. Tom does love a good sandwich and yes, really enjoyed that one.

I have some oysters being delivered this weekend with a whole salmon from Scotland! I admit to not being the best at opening them, but will struggle through lol.....

I`m sure hell is going to serve me up green beans with the dreaded trifle if I end up there, which I have been assured I will be

 

[keishashadow]

I have some oysters being delivered this weekend with a whole salmon from Scotland! I admit to not being the best at opening them, but will struggle through lol.....

wowzers!

that will be an awesome treat!

 

[schumigirl]

Another little personal update.

Tom was called beginning of last week from the hospital, they had a cancellation and asked if he was available, so of course he said yes, he`d take it!

So, he has had his surgery and is doing amazingly well. His surgeon was thrilled how well it all went and said his was a text book surgery! He is home and looking at him you`d never know he had been through surgery at all, but now we start the build up back to full strength.

Trying to keep him from doing "something" is hilarious, he isn`t used to resting and taking it easy, but I`m being firm with him and he is listening and maybe quite enjoying being pampered by me full time.

Kyle took a few days off work and he has been brilliant

We have been inundated with good wishes from family and friends, everyone wants to visit which has been lovely. He is absolutely fine and amazingly, he has had no pain at all which is marvellous!!

We are so happy he is doing so well!!








Back to normal TR now and I have high hopes it`ll be finished in a few weeks, later than planned, much later, but getting there now!!












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[schumigirl]

wowzers!

that will be an awesome treat!

lol.....I made a booboo!!!

I really need to wear my glasses when ordering online, seems I didn`t click confirm after I pressed for a dozen oysters...oops!! It did make Tom laugh as I`m looking through the chilled box for those little guys!

Everything else was there so it was still a delightful box to open, but taught me a lesson to check again before I press the order button!

 

[iona]

Really pleased to hear that Tom’s surgery went well (and how great to have it done sooner, meaning that he’ll be fully recovered sooner!).

 

[disneyseniors]

lol.....I made a booboo!!!

I really need to wear my glasses when ordering online, seems I didn`t click confirm after I pressed for a dozen oysters...oops!! It did make Tom laugh as I`m looking through the chilled box for those little guys!

Everything else was there so it was still a delightful box to open, but taught me a lesson to check again before I press the order button!

Never fear! I am fed exing some green beans for your supper,

 

[schumigirl]

TUESDAY MAY 13TH






Another morning we were up with the larks, we went between going to the parks today or going to New Smyrna Beach, it was going to be blazing hot and was staying that way for the remainder of our trip, this was going to be the hottest May we had encountered in all of our visits at this time of year.

We honestly didn`t know what to do, but eventually decided NSB was a good option, we usually walk a few miles one way then turn around and come back depending on the tide of course, so that sounded like a plan for today and we figured we might go into the Studios tonight when it was a little cooler.

We headed over for breakfast once we were ready and as we hit Royal side of the ballroom areas, our eyes were indeed given a treat!!

There was a Brazilian Convention on and it was a huge one, we had seen them set up the main ballroom and a couple of the ones further back, but the huge ballroom had been set up as if for a very classy dinner, but.....as we walked through this morning we were swarmed by hundreds of families and they were dressed like I have never have seen anyone dressed for breakfast before.

The ladies were all in very formal long dresses, gents were in full dress suits and all children regardless of age were all immaculately adorned in the most beautiful outfits and most matched the parents outfits too!!!

The women were all, dare I say it, very slim and all seemed to have a look, very glamorous and every one was more stunning than the last, honestly we stopped at one point and let about a hundred families walk past as we admired them without looking as though we had come from Mars and had never seen people before!!

One manager who we didn`t know very well came and stood beside us to say hello and I commented I had never felt so underdressed in my life, he laughed and said the same lol, but it was quite the sight to see especially at 8am!

The manager said this was their yearly award ceremony and it was a huge deal and judging by the way they were all dressed, they certainly took it seriously! To come all the way from Brazil with kids in tow is a very serious appreciation of an award ceremony!!

We had a leisurely breakfast and one family walked in and the man did a double take when he saw us and yelled, actually yelled......you guys cannot still be here, come on.....what like do you live here or something!

You know when someone thinks they`re funny?

The family had been here for one night at the very beginning of our trip and seemed to think they were funny.....they weren`t. I did stop myself from making a smart remark, the words "be nice" were running through my mind!!!

At that point we left the lounge and walked back over to Sapphire, all the Brazilians were behind closed doors now and we could hear raucous applause from behind the doors, they were having a lot of fun!!

We popped back to the room to slop some sunscreen on, our housekeeper was just leaving so we timed it nicely as I never like to disturb them when they`re in working.

The drive to NSB is about an hour from home, and it`s a nice little drive once you clear Orlando and you know it`s not far once you pass Florida`s biggest white elephant, the building that looks like a sail....allegedly. All these years and it still lays empty and unfinished.

St John`s river is 310 miles long and the longest river in Florida, Lake Monroe where it runs into here is mahoosive and honestly, you`d think it was the sea when you first see it. Loads of activities to be enjoyed here, of course we don`t as we just see an Alligator convention when you look at lakes!

We enjoy the drive, especially listening to 80`s music and singing all the way, well, a good part of the way then I put on the chip that has all Queen music on it.....my favourite, love me some Freddie!!!

We drive through NSB and go to the far side which has Bethune Beach, we park here most visits and just wander along the waters edge, it was incredibly hot, insanely hot today so we did think twice about walking despite being smothered in suncream.


However we got out the car and today the water looked green and black in parts, but there were still loads of folks in the water, some surfing some just swimming.

There was a load of debris from the sea strewn around the normally clean and clear sand, so between that and the heat, we opted to sit on the bench and just soak up the sun and heat without exerting any energy.

People say the Atlantic side is always wild and woolly like it was today, but we had visited when it was as flat and calm as any Gulf beach and we have seen it worse than it today, either way it is usually a gorgeous beach that is beautiful to walk on.

After about 45 minutes basking in the heat, we headed back to the car and decided we would go back to our old favourite place for lunch here as we missed it last time, JB`s Fish Camp.

They still have one of the boats that a group of Cuban`s managed to arrive in Florida in, amazing how anyone could have survived for five minutes in this on open seas, never mind a crossing like that.

John A Bollman III bought this place in the 70`s and named it TurtleMound Raw Bar, but in 1987 he renamed it JB`s Fish Camp, one of the barmen who has worked there since the old days said they all chipped in to help build the place to what it is now and many of the staff are still the same, he said JB called them the Rolling Stones of the restaurant industry. They sound more like family than employees, sadly JB passed away in 2015 but his place lives on.

They have loads of seating indoor and outdoor and it was fairly quiet when we arrived so we wandered on to the Boardwalk, last time we were here it had been blocked off due to damage from the last storm.

It was nice to see it back to normal now.

No way in heck would I go out in that water, but they do rent Kayak`s and Paddleboards and there is a boat that you can go do a cruise around where you will see dolphins and manatees and not as common but you can see the odd alligator too, rare according to restaurant staff, but we all know they`re in there skulking under that murky water.

There was a load of activity today in the water we first saw two huge manatees sliding slowly through the water rather majestically and in a noble way, beautiful creatures and I remember the first time I saw one, I was genuinely shocked how huge they actually were.

They also do live music on evenings and weekends, we`ve visited once or twice when a band has been playing and they`ve always been really good.

There were several dolphins swimming and playing around today, they jump so darn fast but we managed to capture a few of them on camera, they are gorgeous when you see them in the wild.

I was looking in the water as we headed back and I thought I saw a gator, but wasn`t sure, at that point two men coming in to dock their boat shouted in a jokey way, it`ll snap at you for sure....lol....I headed swiftly further around and told Tom to hurry up!

We got chatting to the men, both from Orlando and had just taken off from work as it was so nice, they had beer, fishing rods and a happy attitude. I will say, people should always have a firm handshake, nothing worse than a wet lettuce type of handshake, but these guys.....










Holy smokes!!!

They had THE firmest handshakes ever and interesting guys, we chatted about some wacky topics for folks that had just met lol....

But, tummy was rumbling.....





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[schumigirl]

Really pleased to hear that Tom’s surgery went well (and how great to have it done sooner, meaning that he’ll be fully recovered sooner!).

Thanks iona, he is doing so well, much better than we expected so we are incredibly happy and relieved!!

Yes, we`ve just booked a week in Scotland in September, he should be completely back to normal by then and we`ll be ready for a getaway. I`m still convinced cancelling Orlando was the best plan for this year, just in case!!!

Appreciate the thoughts, thank you

 

[schumigirl]

Never fear! I am fed exing some green beans for your supper,

Darn it, we never heard the buzzer for the gates go........lol

Tom would love it though, I may get him some this week actually, our farm stores all have them in abundance!

 

[schumigirl]

We headed inside and one of the women who has worked here in probably forever has an elephant like memory and she did look at us for a second or two and said....Scotland!!! Yes ma`am, that`s us, amazing memory for a lady who sees hundreds of people a week but as she said, they don`t get too many Scottish people here.

We got a table inside and I popped to the bathroom and Tom ordered us water and two cokes, it was too hot for a cocktail today. I knew we wouldn`t take long ordering as we more or less knew what we wanted, but it`s just nice sitting in the cool while we perused the menu.

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One of their best known dishes was one one of the first things we ordered, Hush Puppies, these little bundles of delight were amazing and the ones from here are among the best we have ever tasted!!

However today, we had to admit they weren`t the usual high standard, a little overdone, maybe a little too crispy but the inside was still lovely and they had given us a double order, so we made a good effort to finish them but we did need the dipping sauces to help them along. ​

They used to give you a kind of herbed butter that was a little spicy alongside the cocktail and tartare sauces, but it wasn`t on the tray today.

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I was so hungry today but, once I`d had a couple of those little angel dumplings, I felt fine ​

Lunch was an easy choice today, Tom opted for the crab cake sandwich with fries, which are very nice as far as fries go.
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I am the most boring person on the planet at times, if I like a dish, I order it till the cows come home and the crab stuffed flounder here is beautiful. Although technically I wouldn`t describe it as stuffed exactly as the flounder is more placed on top of the crab stuffing, but I`m being pedantic here as it is beautiful. I went with no fries today as the Hush Puppies were incredibly filling. ​

Tom`s crab cake was very nice, not as nice as it usually is because it had a little more filler than usual, last time it was all crab, however he still enjoyed it, my flounder was perfect and it was a lovely meal, we were glad we had come back here today.

We paid the check and the waitress asked if we had seen any wildlife today, we told her what we had seen and she was amazed we had seen a gator, I said yes, it was clear as day and two fisheman spotted it too. She reiterated you very rarely see one of those nasty suckers around, but I`m surprised they don`t see more of them to be honest!!

We got back in the car, it was just too hot to wander anywhere today, we drove to ABC Wines and picked up a little something for one of our SA friends, it was his 40th birthday today and we dropped it off on the way home, had a quick soda and we were happy to hear the Death Eaters were coming back this year to HHN. Even though we weren`t doing them any more, I still hoped it would be a fabulous event after it being so bad last few years.

We got back home and had a half an hour snooze, well more of a resting of the eyes for a little time, well, that`s our excuse and we`ll stick to it

Sometimes a little 20 minute power nap does us well

We headed over to the Club Lounge and tonight we did make room for a little taster of one of the nicest dishes they served up here, Lo Mein and Teriyaki Chicken, it is lovely!!

Especially with some added Tabasco Sauce!!
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I wished we were a little more hungry tonight to enjoy a little more chicken and noodles, but the bowl we had was more than enough, we did however enjoy a few glasses of some fizzy and we really enjoyed those!!

The ladies working made sure our glass wasn`t empty for long, they look after everyone so well in the lounge. It is such a relaxing time up here and we always enjoy sitting chilling with a glass of something nice enjoying chatting with other folks or just enjoying each others company. ​

Tonight was fun, there was a nice crowd in and we got chatting to some lovely people tonight, but we weren`t hanging around as we wanted to go back into the Studios and get us some Jaws memorabilia!!!








More coming right up
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[schumigirl]

We left the lounge much earlier than we usually do, I think the staff were surprised when we got up to leave!! We got to the boat dock just in time to get on one that was waiting, so as soon as we were on, the Capt set off for Citywalk and it is a short ride there, but on an evening like this, it is so beautiful. The lighting was just perfect tonight and Royal looked gorgeous.

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It felt cooler which was why we decided to head in tonight, from memory it was around 90F right now and there was a lovely little breeze that just made it even more pleasurable walking around and it was lovely coming in early evening for a change.

We had plenty of time tonight as Studios were open till 8pm.

The park was fairly quiet, most folks were coming out of the park rather than coming in and now I wished we had done this more than once through this trip, we very rarely venture in on the evenings but when it`s like this, it`s just about perfect.

It`s going to be very odd when RRR is raised to the ground, it has been a staple of the park for such a long time, it has been quite a divisive coaster, some love it, some don`t.

I think for us it won`t be missed. When it was first built it had and still does have many issues, if you got the front row it was fine, no ill effects for me, but even Kyle and Tom decided it got too rough latterly regardless of where you sat. They made a mistake with this one and the company that built it, but hopefully the replacement for this will be something worth waiting for.

They have already began digging up the area beside Hard Rock Cafe in preparation for whatever is replacing it, can`t wait for that to be made public!!!

We had a quick blast on The Mummy, it was deserted and the ultimate in walk ons, we didn`t have the vehicle to ourselves but there were only two others on it.

I was a little concerned as it`s a similar harness to Gringotts and I was still a little wary of that type of ride after being stuck on Gringotts at the beginning of the trip, but I put the niggles to the back of my mind and hopped on.

Tom asked if I was ok as I was a little nervous as the harness was down and we weren`t moving...









I said I was fine, but I was giving it one more second and if we didn`t move off I was outta there!!! But, seconds later we moved off.

Mummy is a classic!! It is fun and has a good storyline all the way through and it has some fast moments and a semi decent drop, but we always think drops should be steeper!! But, such fun and we think about doing it again, but we decide we`d prefer to just wander around tonight.

Just off the main drag is a little area that has hosted a rock climbing wall for as long as we can remember it`s been there and years ago it was always utilised, latterly it never seemed to have anyone use it. There was another climbing wall in IOA but sadly they have both now closed pemanently.

On our first visit in 2007 Kyle did this and enjoyed it, it`s not a hard climb and kids loved it, but I guess it doesn`t make the grade for the way the parks are moving forward now and in the forseeable future.

I admit this sign always makes me smile, Escort Services in the parks just seems funny somehow.

Before you hit Louie`s Pizza if you turn down to the left there are bathrooms that are never too busy...









Yep, me and my big mouth again!!!

The entrance is beautiful though and like so many areas in both parks it`s filled with tiny little details that impress so much in places you sometimes don`t expect to find them.

We`re not folks who go out for coffee generally, I hear people saying they make a trip just to get coffee from Starbucks or similar, not something we ever do so having Starbucks in a park is not a priority for us. I don`t think we`ve set foot in this one since it was revamped many years ago.

You used to be able to walk through from their side to the Haagen Dazs store when it used to be there instead of Ben & Jerry`s but they blocked it off several years ago.

The lagoon is simply beautiful, again in certain lights and time of day it can look amazing, they do some very good light and water shows here during certain times of the year and they are worth taking the time to go see it if you can, we`ve certainly always enjoyed them.

Up next.....we get our memorabilia from a classic!!!




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