Just some notes from my trip to USF August 6 - 13.
We (son - 13 and myself) stayed at the Royal Pacific, and as I had been warned there was a crazy line at check-in. But within a few minutes they added six more clerks and it went quickly. The room here was about the same size as at the Beach Club (small trip report on 5 nights at WDW on the Disney Trip board), although with only one sink so that area was smaller but the toilet/shower area was bigger. Bedroom area about the same, two queens. Parking was crowded but we always got a spot. The walk to the parking lot is indeed ridiculous, jumping down the two foot (?) wall to get to it, climbing back up later on.
I found the kids interactive area pretty annoying, in that the shortest way to the hot tub was right behind this. The kids seemed to be having a lot of fun, tho, so I took my grouchy self around the long way.
My son got the card (no bracelet) for good grades, and got wonderful drinks from the pool bar - he asked what came without alcohol, and the bar tender told him whatever he wanted. He's learned to love virgin strawberry daiquiris! They were very friendly and made him very comfortable.
It's only about a ten minute walk to Islands of Adventure, maybe 15 (if you're slow like me!) to Universal. The walk back would be much shorter if the far end of the closest wing could open from the outside. An elevator here would be nice, also.
Park purchases were delivered to our room, which was nice. WDW is only doing them to your hotel now, you need to go pick them up.
We ate at Mythos, after reading all the raves on these boards. Sorry to say this was a major disappointment for us. I told the waiter we were vegetarian, and asked about pizza for my son. He said that the pizza of the day had meat in it, but didn't offer any alternatives. I asked if he could just get a cheese pizza, and was told, "sure!" It came out very overcooked (no, I didn't complain, it was my son's and he didn't say anything til he was halfway thru. But then I took a bite, and it was just this side of burned). Even without the overcooking, it was nothing special. We had better pizza at the Monster Cafe - seriously, MC pizza was good, Mythos was not. I had the stacked tomato salad, very clever and attractive but not really flavorful. For dessert we got the banana gooey cake and the Taste of Chocolate. I wish our waiter had told us the same cake appears in both. They were tasty, tho.
Confiscos doesn't have the coconut onion rings any more - we asked, and were told lots of folks were requesting them. I'd seen those in a menu and wanted to try them. I did have the Greek Pizza flatbread which was good, very different!
Spiderman was lots of fun, and we rode MIB too many times to count. My son studied MIB99999's tips and got pretty darn good - my son's high score was about 850,000. I even got just shy of 500,000, and was quite proud.
This was our first time at IOA, and I was so impressed with the theming of it. I really felt like I was in a comic book in Marvel Super Hero Island, and in a Suess book in Suess Island. I do love Disney, but this is the best themed park in all of Orlando.
I'd heard Kong was leaving, so I made sure we rode that and I'm so glad I did. I'm gonna miss the big guy.
Anyway, I just wanted to share some of the ups and downs from my trip, hoping someone finds it useful
We (son - 13 and myself) stayed at the Royal Pacific, and as I had been warned there was a crazy line at check-in. But within a few minutes they added six more clerks and it went quickly. The room here was about the same size as at the Beach Club (small trip report on 5 nights at WDW on the Disney Trip board), although with only one sink so that area was smaller but the toilet/shower area was bigger. Bedroom area about the same, two queens. Parking was crowded but we always got a spot. The walk to the parking lot is indeed ridiculous, jumping down the two foot (?) wall to get to it, climbing back up later on.
I found the kids interactive area pretty annoying, in that the shortest way to the hot tub was right behind this. The kids seemed to be having a lot of fun, tho, so I took my grouchy self around the long way.
My son got the card (no bracelet) for good grades, and got wonderful drinks from the pool bar - he asked what came without alcohol, and the bar tender told him whatever he wanted. He's learned to love virgin strawberry daiquiris! They were very friendly and made him very comfortable.
It's only about a ten minute walk to Islands of Adventure, maybe 15 (if you're slow like me!) to Universal. The walk back would be much shorter if the far end of the closest wing could open from the outside. An elevator here would be nice, also.
Park purchases were delivered to our room, which was nice. WDW is only doing them to your hotel now, you need to go pick them up.
We ate at Mythos, after reading all the raves on these boards. Sorry to say this was a major disappointment for us. I told the waiter we were vegetarian, and asked about pizza for my son. He said that the pizza of the day had meat in it, but didn't offer any alternatives. I asked if he could just get a cheese pizza, and was told, "sure!" It came out very overcooked (no, I didn't complain, it was my son's and he didn't say anything til he was halfway thru. But then I took a bite, and it was just this side of burned). Even without the overcooking, it was nothing special. We had better pizza at the Monster Cafe - seriously, MC pizza was good, Mythos was not. I had the stacked tomato salad, very clever and attractive but not really flavorful. For dessert we got the banana gooey cake and the Taste of Chocolate. I wish our waiter had told us the same cake appears in both. They were tasty, tho.
Confiscos doesn't have the coconut onion rings any more - we asked, and were told lots of folks were requesting them. I'd seen those in a menu and wanted to try them. I did have the Greek Pizza flatbread which was good, very different!
Spiderman was lots of fun, and we rode MIB too many times to count. My son studied MIB99999's tips and got pretty darn good - my son's high score was about 850,000. I even got just shy of 500,000, and was quite proud.
This was our first time at IOA, and I was so impressed with the theming of it. I really felt like I was in a comic book in Marvel Super Hero Island, and in a Suess book in Suess Island. I do love Disney, but this is the best themed park in all of Orlando.
I'd heard Kong was leaving, so I made sure we rode that and I'm so glad I did. I'm gonna miss the big guy.
Anyway, I just wanted to share some of the ups and downs from my trip, hoping someone finds it useful
