Universal Day One
The joys of the minimal plan
.
Yup, Universal was not obsessively planned except for our hotel and our Orlando Flex Pass Plus which we had already used for a day at Busch Gardens and two entries to Sea World. Oh, and I had to go to
HHN with Express
this was mandatory for DBF to even agree to go to Orlando.
We did not have a package at Universal because of the tickets we selected. We had a hotel reservation at Portofino Bay. Now I have travelled a lot. I would say my Condo in the Caribbean is number one. Our hotel in Florence Italy is number two ( 4 star European Hotel I won a trip (see photo)) and the Portofino Bay Resort at Universal is next. Wow! I am glad I spent the extra $ per night to be here.
My place in Belize
View from the balcony:
DBF in the sitting room of our suite at Plaza Luccecci in Florence: (I think thats how it is spelled)
Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando Florida:
We left the Hilton Garden Inn in the morning after having breakfast at the hotel. ($12 all you can eat buffet) and used the town car service conveniently parked outside. I dont remember the cost but it was reasonable. We arrived at Portofino by 11:30 AM. Our room wasnt ready (check in is 4PM) so we left our luggage with bag services, used the machines to get our Express Passes and toured the resort for a little while. We had a drink at the Thirsty Fish and wandered around checking out the amenities. We were tired from lots of park touring and enjoyed the laid back feel of just discovering Portofino. We were impressed with the authentic Italian touches. I enjoyed our stay at the Beach Club resort several years ago and the theming was appropriate. The fact that the resort shares space with the Yacht Club, Boardwalk, Swan and Dolphin makes it so much less immersive than the Universal resorts. You cant see the other resorts from here and you cant see the parks but its still close. The landscaping is very effective.
When we received our text that our room was ready, we moved in and decided to check out the parks.
Ahhh
where to go
DBF and I decided we needed a Roller Coaster fix after so many Disney days so we headed to IOA. After a little Hulk, Dragon Challenge and Forbidden Journey, we discovered a new favorite, Happy Hour at the Backwater Bar. Cheap but good beer, friendly bartenders and something I had never seen in a theme park
regular customers.
We were so overloaded with rich food from our Disney experience that we headed to City Walk for a basic taco or something. We found it in the food court area. Then we grabbed a frozen concoction from that daiquiri quick service place near the dock. We then boarded a boat back to Portofino
we were doing some serious Harry Potter stuff the next day.
I did purchase the photo package prior to arriving (before the price increase). I need to make those available for this report tomorrow.
