pozey
Mouseketeer<br><font color=blue>I think I would ra
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2005
- Messages
- 6,379
Day 1 Say goodbye to Disney, hello to Universal
Well, sad to say .but we must leave Disney for Universal today. I must admit that we all were kind of excited to see the Hard Rock Hotel, though.
We were scheduled to be picked up by Happy Limo at 9:00 a.m. I had called the front desk the night before asking how much advance notice that I need to give Bell Services to come pick up our luggage. She told me about 15 20 minutes. So, about 20 minutes before I think we will be completely ready to leave the room, I call. He says they will be right over. About 30 seconds later, there is a knock on the door. (okay .maybe it was a little longer than 30 seconds ..but not much!)
So, we hustle up to get everything packed. We tell the bellman that we want to store it until our ride arrives. No problem.
So, its about 8:20 a.m. and we have 40 minutes to kill before the van arrives to pick us up. But being the guy who hates to be late, coupled with the fear that we will miss our van, we decide to get some donuts from Captain Cooks and go wait outside. Not exactly the wonderful breakfast it could have been, but ..we are officially still at Disney!
About 5 minutes before 9:00 a.m., I begin to have thoughts of where is the van? and are they going to show up? So, I call Happy Limo. What kind of van should we be looking for? The dispatcher lady says hes on his way. It isnt 9 oclock yet. So, precisely at 9:00 a.m., the Happy Limo van pulls up. 9:00 a.m. on the dot hes freaking late!!! (according to me)
So, we load up in the van and head over towards the Hard Rock bye Disney!! See Ya Real Soon!
We pull up to the Hard Rock ..very impressive looking resort. The valets open the van doors and grab our luggage and tell us to go on inside and they will bring our luggage in.
So, we tip the driver and head on in. Very nice lobby. I go check in while DW and the kids look out the back at the pool area. There is no one at the check-in counter, so check in is fast and smooth. Room is not ready yet. The girl tells me they will call my cell phone when its ready. I say we are going to Sea World today, so its no biggie. So, we go tell the bellman that we need to store the luggage since we are going to Sea World. We go over to our luggage and DW notices something is missing. She has a small green bag that she puts all of the bathroom items in shampoo, conditioner, etc . Its not with the luggage. She freaks out .wheres the green bag. The bellman says I saw a green bag, and asked the driver if it was his and he said yes. So, he left it in the van. DW is just about as upset over this missing bag as the missing suitcase from the other day .
The bellman asks if I have Happy Limos phone number yes, I do .They call. They will get in touch with the driver and have him bring it back ..DW is relieved.
Now, we have to go get the rental car I rented just to drive over to Sea World ..In retrospect, I might have just called a cab, but whats done is done. We had to have someone drive us over to the Portofino Bay resort to the Hertz place to pick up the car. I had already reserved it on Hertz.com, but it took FOREVER. Probably 25 minutes to get the car.
Anyway .now we are off to Sea World. It takes us about 10 minutes to drive over to Sea World. We waited to buy tickets because you can get a 20% discount if you have a Southwest Rapid Rewards card.
Now comes the first (and only) meltdown of the entire trip ..
DS(6) says he just cant go any farther. (we havent even gone anywhere yet) Its so hot my feet hurt He is all but sitting down in the middle of the walkways.
We tell him that he can sit down and rest when we get to one of the shows. He cant make it. So, I decide to just put him on my shoulders. So now I have a 6 year-old growth on the top of my head .
We go to the Clyde and Seamore show. The kids really like the show. DS(6) is better, but still hot. It is very hot, so we decide to buy them some tank tops. So, we go to one store and get all 3 kids tank tops and some water ..that helps A LOT! DS(6) is much better now.
So, now we go see the Shamu show. We sit in the Splash Zone, but up high. We get splashed a little, but very little. The last time we were here, we got SOAKED.
Now as we leave Shamu, DS(6) has another small meltdown. He complains that his feet hurt. So, we stop and take off his shoes ..his socks had fallen way down inside his shoes (he wears real low cut socks). And his heels are raw. So, we get some band-aids that we carry with us and put on his heels. Thats better ..Hes better now.
Due to our late arrival and DS(6)s issues, we didnt see everything we wanted to, but we saw most everything. The only thing we missed that we really wanted to see was Blue Horizons.
Anyway ..it was now almost time for our Dinner With Shamu. We had the early seating .I think it was 5:30 p.m. So, as we are walking over there, it begins to cloud up and sprinkle. DS(6) needs to stop and use the restrooms. I tell DW to take DS(9) and DD on to the place where the Dinner with Shamu takes place and we will meet them. DS(6) goes and we start walking and it starts raining a little more .and then the deluge .. Just as we arrive .it absolutely POURS!! We are hiding under an overhang, but still need to go up to where the dinner is. It slacks up just slightly and we make a run for it ..
We get to the place where the dinner is and it is right beside the pool that is behind Shamu Stadium. And now it is REALLY POURING!! And lightning and thunder. The tables, chairs, plates, silverware, glasses ..everything is soaked. They take us to the table and we use what napkins are on the table to wipe down our chairs and stuff. It is still just coming down in buckets and thundering like crazy. DW and the boys go up to the buffet and get their food. When they get back, I go get me and DD some grub ..
The rain has lightened up to just a steady rain now. They open up the drapes so we can see the whales. Then the hard rain comes again.
FINALLY, the rain stops. And they begin the show portion of the dinner. Some of the trainers describe what goes on during a typical week with the whales. They have the whales do some tricks and stuff.
All-in-all it was a wonderful experience. DW thought it was one of the highlights of her trip. She just absolutely loves whales. She got to talk with one of the trainers while I took the boys to the bathroom after dinner.
Before leaving the park, we went to see the manatees, shopped a little, and fed the dolphins.
We drove back over to the Hard Rock and got our room assignment. I told DW that I would go ahead and drive back over to the Portofino resort to drop off the rental car.
Back over at the Hard Rock, I go up to see our room .We had booked a Club Level room at the Hard Rock, so we were on the 7th floor.
A couple of disappointments here ..
First, I was VERY disappointed in the location of the room. We were about as far away from the Club Lounge as you can get. We were 1 room away from the very end of the building. PLUS, we had really hoped to have a Pool/Theme Park view. Nope. We could see one of the intersections of the roads from our room. I wanted to call and see if there was a pool view room available, but DW told me not to bother.
Also, coming over from the Polynesian, the size of the room was a little disappointing. Oh well ..
Its been a long day, so we decide to go ahead and hit the hay. We give the kids a bath and we are in bed by 10:30 p.m.
Up next ..Day 8 (Day 1 at Universal) - The Hulk and the slide .
Well, sad to say .but we must leave Disney for Universal today. I must admit that we all were kind of excited to see the Hard Rock Hotel, though.
We were scheduled to be picked up by Happy Limo at 9:00 a.m. I had called the front desk the night before asking how much advance notice that I need to give Bell Services to come pick up our luggage. She told me about 15 20 minutes. So, about 20 minutes before I think we will be completely ready to leave the room, I call. He says they will be right over. About 30 seconds later, there is a knock on the door. (okay .maybe it was a little longer than 30 seconds ..but not much!)
So, we hustle up to get everything packed. We tell the bellman that we want to store it until our ride arrives. No problem.
So, its about 8:20 a.m. and we have 40 minutes to kill before the van arrives to pick us up. But being the guy who hates to be late, coupled with the fear that we will miss our van, we decide to get some donuts from Captain Cooks and go wait outside. Not exactly the wonderful breakfast it could have been, but ..we are officially still at Disney!
About 5 minutes before 9:00 a.m., I begin to have thoughts of where is the van? and are they going to show up? So, I call Happy Limo. What kind of van should we be looking for? The dispatcher lady says hes on his way. It isnt 9 oclock yet. So, precisely at 9:00 a.m., the Happy Limo van pulls up. 9:00 a.m. on the dot hes freaking late!!! (according to me)
So, we load up in the van and head over towards the Hard Rock bye Disney!! See Ya Real Soon!
We pull up to the Hard Rock ..very impressive looking resort. The valets open the van doors and grab our luggage and tell us to go on inside and they will bring our luggage in.
So, we tip the driver and head on in. Very nice lobby. I go check in while DW and the kids look out the back at the pool area. There is no one at the check-in counter, so check in is fast and smooth. Room is not ready yet. The girl tells me they will call my cell phone when its ready. I say we are going to Sea World today, so its no biggie. So, we go tell the bellman that we need to store the luggage since we are going to Sea World. We go over to our luggage and DW notices something is missing. She has a small green bag that she puts all of the bathroom items in shampoo, conditioner, etc . Its not with the luggage. She freaks out .wheres the green bag. The bellman says I saw a green bag, and asked the driver if it was his and he said yes. So, he left it in the van. DW is just about as upset over this missing bag as the missing suitcase from the other day .
The bellman asks if I have Happy Limos phone number yes, I do .They call. They will get in touch with the driver and have him bring it back ..DW is relieved.
Now, we have to go get the rental car I rented just to drive over to Sea World ..In retrospect, I might have just called a cab, but whats done is done. We had to have someone drive us over to the Portofino Bay resort to the Hertz place to pick up the car. I had already reserved it on Hertz.com, but it took FOREVER. Probably 25 minutes to get the car.
Anyway .now we are off to Sea World. It takes us about 10 minutes to drive over to Sea World. We waited to buy tickets because you can get a 20% discount if you have a Southwest Rapid Rewards card.
Now comes the first (and only) meltdown of the entire trip ..
DS(6) says he just cant go any farther. (we havent even gone anywhere yet) Its so hot my feet hurt He is all but sitting down in the middle of the walkways.
We tell him that he can sit down and rest when we get to one of the shows. He cant make it. So, I decide to just put him on my shoulders. So now I have a 6 year-old growth on the top of my head .
We go to the Clyde and Seamore show. The kids really like the show. DS(6) is better, but still hot. It is very hot, so we decide to buy them some tank tops. So, we go to one store and get all 3 kids tank tops and some water ..that helps A LOT! DS(6) is much better now.
So, now we go see the Shamu show. We sit in the Splash Zone, but up high. We get splashed a little, but very little. The last time we were here, we got SOAKED.
Now as we leave Shamu, DS(6) has another small meltdown. He complains that his feet hurt. So, we stop and take off his shoes ..his socks had fallen way down inside his shoes (he wears real low cut socks). And his heels are raw. So, we get some band-aids that we carry with us and put on his heels. Thats better ..Hes better now.
Due to our late arrival and DS(6)s issues, we didnt see everything we wanted to, but we saw most everything. The only thing we missed that we really wanted to see was Blue Horizons.
Anyway ..it was now almost time for our Dinner With Shamu. We had the early seating .I think it was 5:30 p.m. So, as we are walking over there, it begins to cloud up and sprinkle. DS(6) needs to stop and use the restrooms. I tell DW to take DS(9) and DD on to the place where the Dinner with Shamu takes place and we will meet them. DS(6) goes and we start walking and it starts raining a little more .and then the deluge .. Just as we arrive .it absolutely POURS!! We are hiding under an overhang, but still need to go up to where the dinner is. It slacks up just slightly and we make a run for it ..
We get to the place where the dinner is and it is right beside the pool that is behind Shamu Stadium. And now it is REALLY POURING!! And lightning and thunder. The tables, chairs, plates, silverware, glasses ..everything is soaked. They take us to the table and we use what napkins are on the table to wipe down our chairs and stuff. It is still just coming down in buckets and thundering like crazy. DW and the boys go up to the buffet and get their food. When they get back, I go get me and DD some grub ..
The rain has lightened up to just a steady rain now. They open up the drapes so we can see the whales. Then the hard rain comes again.
FINALLY, the rain stops. And they begin the show portion of the dinner. Some of the trainers describe what goes on during a typical week with the whales. They have the whales do some tricks and stuff.
All-in-all it was a wonderful experience. DW thought it was one of the highlights of her trip. She just absolutely loves whales. She got to talk with one of the trainers while I took the boys to the bathroom after dinner.
Before leaving the park, we went to see the manatees, shopped a little, and fed the dolphins.
We drove back over to the Hard Rock and got our room assignment. I told DW that I would go ahead and drive back over to the Portofino resort to drop off the rental car.
Back over at the Hard Rock, I go up to see our room .We had booked a Club Level room at the Hard Rock, so we were on the 7th floor.
A couple of disappointments here ..
First, I was VERY disappointed in the location of the room. We were about as far away from the Club Lounge as you can get. We were 1 room away from the very end of the building. PLUS, we had really hoped to have a Pool/Theme Park view. Nope. We could see one of the intersections of the roads from our room. I wanted to call and see if there was a pool view room available, but DW told me not to bother.
Also, coming over from the Polynesian, the size of the room was a little disappointing. Oh well ..
Its been a long day, so we decide to go ahead and hit the hay. We give the kids a bath and we are in bed by 10:30 p.m.
Up next ..Day 8 (Day 1 at Universal) - The Hulk and the slide .
