TRIP REPORT UNIVERSAL ORLANDO AND PORTOFINO - JULY 5 JULY 10 2004.
Rather than give a daily report on our trip, I have decided to give a synopsis of the trip providing for Highlights, Observations, and lowlights of the different areas of our trip.
BACKROUND - . We booked the trip back in late May. Using the USFanclub card we given the opportunity stay at the Royal Pacific for $219 per night or the Portofino Deluxe room for $232 per night. Purchased 5 day for 2 day passes online, Booked flight with JetBlue from JFK to MCO. Limo transportation was booked with Happy Limo.
HAPPY LIMO . Requested Town Car for three passengers. Driver was not waiting for us at airport got luggage went outside and called Service. This was not a problem since my wife and I are smokers who were doing our best to catch up on fours of no nicotine. A super stretch Caddy pulled up. The large family of six waiting with us at the designated space was all excited and started getting all their luggage ready to start their vacation. Opps, the rather large limo was for that small family of three. So we got in and went NA ,NA to the disappointed large family of six moving their luggage back to the curb. The limo was very nice and a pleasant start to the Vacation. We stopped at the Wallgreens on the Corner of Universal Blvd and International Drive for Some Water, Soda, and Snacks. On the ride back our driver was waiting for Us at the agreed upon time and was very pleasant. He was a native of Brooklyn and had no idea who Robin RS was.
PORTOFINO CHECK IN - . We arrived at about 4:30 PM and there was no line, just stepped up to Hannah and gave her our information. Requested upgrade to club and gave Loews first number. Was pleasantly informed that since we got a discount for the room we were not entitled any Loews first amenities. I didnt press the issue since I was not really looking for the upgrade and I already had snacks and water. We were booked in a Deluxe Room and had requested smoking. Problem, Deluxe rooms are in the main wing and Smoking is only available in the West Wing. They were going to give us a Bayview room in the West Wing until I asked about the rate reduction. Finally, we were given a Deluxe Room in the main wing with a Patio that we could smoke on. So now when you get a non smoking room and it smells of smoke dont blame the occupants right away. We smoked on the patio, however with the doors open the smoke did make its way back into the room. I was not about to Secure the room every time we went for a smoke. We had made our reservations and had requested what we wanted.
TRANSPORTATION - . We used the water taxis for all of our trips to the parks and Citywalk. Plenty of boats and never had to wait long. Usually always made first boat except for once when we stayed at USF until closing, that time we had to wait for the second boat which came as the first boat left the dock. On our first day, they had three boats down and were only running two, the wait at the Portofino dock was about 40 minutes. Since this only happened once it was not really a problem. The Hotels really need to put a public address system at the docks. Since these are not manned you never really know what is going on with the boats. When there is a storm the boats dont run and you really are sitting there fat, dumb and stupid waiting for something that will never come.
VIP TOUR - . Friends of ours were taking a cruise and were taking a shore excursion to Universal, Our son was traveling with them, so we thought it would be neat to surprise them at the park, since we had not told them about our trip plans. They only had seven hours to see the parks so they opted for the VIP tour. We checked with guest services and they told us where they were going to check in. I called them on the cellphone and told them there was a webcam focused on the Universal Globe. We were by the Universal Arch and I told them to wave to see if I can see them. It is very funny to see 14 grown people jumping up and down making fools of themselves not knowing where the camera is. Anyhow they started walking towards the three producers building and we jumped out and surprised them.
Since they were only a party of 14 our daughter was invited to go with them. We tagged along but had to use express and could not use the tours entrance to the rides. The tour can be adjusted to your preferences. The tour guide provides a spiel about the attraction and gives the ride ops information about the size of the party. I learned that the Portofino Resort was at the request of Steven Spielberg. He loved the Italian Portofino and wanted the resort to build one here. Using Express we were able to beat the VIP tour onto Jimmy Neutron, Shrek and the Mummy. They beat us on Spiderman. On must other rides some of our friends didnt ride so we used their VIP Lanyards for the Hulk, Dudley Do-Right, Dueling Dragons, Popeyes, Dr Doom and Blutos Bilge Rat Barges.
The VIP tour uses special doors or the ride exits to get into the rides. If you wish you can ride the attraction more than once. To get from USF to IOA we used an exit near Nickelodeon walked past to sound stages and entered IOA by the Cat in The Hat. The tour takes a break for an hour for lunch at Mythos.
The tour seemed Ok. Our friends were on a tight schedule so there was a lot of brisk walking. The tour guide estimated that we had walked eight miles. The only trick that I learned was to go to the left of green eggs and ham to cut through Suess land. The tour guide said at least three times that she has been tours of both parks for 11 ½ years. Thats pretty good since IOA has only been open for five years.
CITYWALK - . We had five dinners at Citywalk during the trip. Two at Jimmy Buffets Margritaville and three at the Hard-Rock Café. We love Buffets and I must say that they have the best Nachos My wife loved the Jerk Shrimp and Pasta and the Chicken and Pasta. I had the Crabcake Sandwich which was yummy. At the Hardrock my wife loved the Stacked Roast Beef Sandwich and had that all three times. At the Hardrock Café, our server told us that they didnt take the USFanclub card, but gave us a 10% discount anyway. Needless to say the discount was given back to her in her tip both times we had her. She was great. At Buffets the Fanclub card got us 15% off one night and 10% the other. One day we thought of eating at Emerls. I called the restaurant at 10:30 AM and was able to get reservations for 5:10 PM at the bar area. My daughter didnt like anything on the menu so we canceled. Moral of the Story is it may never be to late get reservations, just call and ask, and leave your kid at home. Dinners four three were about $44. We always ate about the same time, 4:30 PM, and never had a wait. Citywalk always seems so alive, it really does give you energy after a long day in the park.
PARKS - . Both Universal and IOA were open from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM. The parks were crowded and there were many of those dreaded South American tour groups. I have never had a problem with them and they never bothered me, must be a pixie dust and fairytales thing. One time at MIB the tour guide was taking sixty people through express. I made sure we jumped in front of them. Parks were very clean. Some of the rides in IOA were showing their age. Noticed some fading on the Hulk Coaster and saw Duct tape holding on a piece to MIB ride vehicle. Also found a gum wall on Dueling Dragons. Seems that behind a sign next to the front row gate for Ice there is a good collection of those spent wads. A lot of younger girls were wearing Bikini tops, didnt mind it all. On MIB we were behind a family where the teenage daughter was wearing the Bikini top and Bottom. I think this was a bit much. Not the kids fault the mother was wearing a cover-up and kept on pulling it up to reveal her bikini bottom. The father kept on sitting on the rails as we waited on line. Acorn didnt fall far from that tree. Another thing that I noticed that about 50% of the males that use the restrooms, dont wash their hands after their done. Note to self, When at Universal refrain from shaking any other males hands.
The Staff was kind and courteous. In the five days we did not experience one rude employee at the parks or in Citywalk. Everyone knew the information we asked them. If they didnt they found out the information and got back to us quickly. These people made for a very enjoyable stay.
I would say the parks were moderately crowded. Spiderman waits were always at least 60 minutes, Hulk never exceeded sixty minutes, One time I saw Shrek at 100 Minutes, Jimmy Neutron hit 90minutes a few times. Dueling Dragons was never more than 20 Minutes, MIB was always between 60 and 90 minutes.
FOTL is no more and has been taken over by express. Jimmy Neutron seemed to always have the longest express line sometimes reaching the express pass distribution area. Spiderman on average was about a 5 to 10 Minute wait. One time the line was all the way to the entrance lobby. MIB express line seemed to average about 5 to 10 Minutes also. The longest I saw the line was the door just as you enter the Alien Processing Center. Most of the time it was in the weapons room. The mummys line was always the shortest, this is most likely due to the fact that they were restricting hotel guests to only one ride before 3:00 PM. The line always seemed to start just before the stairs up to the loading areas. Cat in the hat never had a long express line, nor did Hulk, Dudley Do Right, Jurassic Park, or Popeyes and Blutos bilge rat barges. It was hit or miss with ET and Back to the Future.
The best kept secret is to always use the Hard Rock Café Entrance and Exit when traveling between IOA and USF. There was never a line and generally there was no one there when we used it, of course the gatekeeper and the security guard with the backpack probe were always there. The gate is open from 11:00 AM till park close. Saves a few steps also.
ATTRACTIONS - . The mummy was excellent. That take off is one of the best. A little air time and then that banked turn is great. Disappointed with the Scarab room thought it would be a little more real. That quick stop, the small riser in the middle of the seat, and the male anatomy had me singing like a soprano if you know what I mean. Again an excellent ride. Spiderman is still the best, the drop scene always gets me. For two days the 3D effect where Spiderman jumps on the car was not working. The movie portion worked fine, the car bumped when he jumped on it, but no finger in the face. All other effects were working sometimes the Spider Signal and the Garbage Trucks were sometimes. Dueling dragons front row on Ice is still the best. We have not been Poseidons Fury since 99. It has been updated a pretty good show if the line isnt that long. Dudley Do Right and the Bilge Rat Barges are the best water rides around. The new Drop on Dudleys was good, to tell you the truth I didnt notice any difference. Cat in the Hat is just damn cute. It has to be the coldest ride there. It was nice relief from the 95 degree heat and the feels like 110 degrees weather. Back to the Future seems to get rougher and rougher as I get older. We only rode it twice this time. I guess I am getting tired of getting my head wacked on the side of the car. We never did Jaws, Earthquake, Storm Force and Flying Unicorn. Jaws and Earthquake are like Disney rides. You can only do them so many times before they get stale. We did not see any shows. Caught some of the Blues Brothers Show and a Dance Group next to Monster Café.
MIB, alas failed to get 999,999 but did get some good scores. My goal was to beat my sons high score of 625,000. Closest I got was 597,000 rode the express track all of the time except once. Had noisy cricket twice and bad guns twice. Must have ridden this ride 40 times and never got tired of it. At night we were doing at least six runs, our fastest run rate was four in one hour. My favorite target was the parking meter after shooting the exhaust port. I could just keep hitting it. This ride you never get tired of. Always trying to get a better score.
Other highlights were Shrek, the chicken dancing Jimmy Neutron and the Hulk. Somehow we never did T23D. With the Mummy we always seemed to go to MIB Via Amity. The only time we passed T23D was when we were leaving the park.
All in all the attractions are great and we had a lot of fun. We never tired of the Parks and we spent the most time here we ever did. We had five full days at the parks and had a great time every day.
WEATHER - . It was hot, every day was 93 to 95 degrees with High Humidity. The feels like temperature was between 105 and 110 degrees. Rained in the afternoon one day for about two hours. Otherwise quick storms on a couple of days and no rain on two days. But it was hot. Stopping a Wallgreens for Water and cooling them in the Honor fridge at Portofino was the way to go.
PORTOFINO - .Words can not describe this Hotel. Service is great. Love the turndown service and filling up the ice bucket every night. Rooms were cleaned well and a Call to Star Service was always quickly responded to. Beds are so so comfortable, want to take one home. As stated before we had a Deluxe Room with a patio overlooking the Villa pool. Nice view and a lot of snails at night. Air conditioning worked good and there was no problems with the bill.
We had room 2248 which was close to everything. Second floor witch is slightly above the Villa pool. About four doors from the exit door that allowed us access to the small walkway between the west wing and the main wing. Short walk to the docks, restaurants and the pools.
Beach pool was open to 10:00 PM. Pool was great and never crowded. We tried to use the pool every night from about 8:30 PM till closing. Slide was great and we all got several trips down it per night. Its a pleasure to sit on the seat on the island by the 5 foot area and just relax. We would sit in the shallow area and watch the fireworks. Plenty of towels and a short walk from the room. Only problem with the pool was the Hot Tub, just didnt seem to have the power. I would equate it to a toy poodle with bad gas as opposed to the Villa Pools Hot tub which had the power of Shrek after a three alarm chili dinner with side of baked beans.
We used the Villa pool once when we were making a run at the record on MIB until park close. Very nice. As stated the Hot Tub was great. Very quiet until Beach pool closes. Villa pool is open until 11:00 PM.
We had several meals at the Trattoria del Porto three breakfasts and one dinner. It was very nice. Dinner was Chef Silvos Pasta Buffet. Price was $17.50 for adults and $ 12.50 for children. Included was salad, entre, and desert. Pasta was penne and spaghetti with Pesto, Bolognese, Alfredo, and Marinara Sauce. You could add Mushrooms, Chicken, Peppers, Suasage, pees, artichokes, cappers, tomatos and other stuff to sauce as the chef prepared your plate pan cooking your pasta, sauce and ingredients as requested. For Dessert a choice of cookies, brownies or Blondies. The Breakfast buffet was a nice way to start your morning. Custom omelets or eggs cooked to order with Bacon, Suasage, roasted potatoes, biscuits with Sausage gravy, fresh fruit with cream was available. I think the price again was $16.50 for adults and $7.50 for children under 12. We had breakfast on two other occasions which I just had coffee and my daughter had pancakes or waffles. Very inexpensive. The coffee bar a large coffee was $ 3.25 and a large milkshake at Gelatoria (sp) was $ 5.50. This was the same price as Corona at the Thirsty Fish.
We were offered a late check out of 12:00 PM on our last day but our plane was not leaving until 9:25 PM. We were allowed to use the fitness center to shower and change so that we could use the pool one last time. Our luggage was held and we were allowed to get certain pieces when we needed them.
All in all a first class hotel. Service was impeccable and all of the representatives were kind and courteous. Worth the extra bucks to stay there. It just makes the Vacation so much better.
Well thats it. Another great Universal Vacation. Our second trip without going to the Mouse House and it wasnt missed at all. Any Questions please drop me a line.
Rather than give a daily report on our trip, I have decided to give a synopsis of the trip providing for Highlights, Observations, and lowlights of the different areas of our trip.
BACKROUND - . We booked the trip back in late May. Using the USFanclub card we given the opportunity stay at the Royal Pacific for $219 per night or the Portofino Deluxe room for $232 per night. Purchased 5 day for 2 day passes online, Booked flight with JetBlue from JFK to MCO. Limo transportation was booked with Happy Limo.
HAPPY LIMO . Requested Town Car for three passengers. Driver was not waiting for us at airport got luggage went outside and called Service. This was not a problem since my wife and I are smokers who were doing our best to catch up on fours of no nicotine. A super stretch Caddy pulled up. The large family of six waiting with us at the designated space was all excited and started getting all their luggage ready to start their vacation. Opps, the rather large limo was for that small family of three. So we got in and went NA ,NA to the disappointed large family of six moving their luggage back to the curb. The limo was very nice and a pleasant start to the Vacation. We stopped at the Wallgreens on the Corner of Universal Blvd and International Drive for Some Water, Soda, and Snacks. On the ride back our driver was waiting for Us at the agreed upon time and was very pleasant. He was a native of Brooklyn and had no idea who Robin RS was.
PORTOFINO CHECK IN - . We arrived at about 4:30 PM and there was no line, just stepped up to Hannah and gave her our information. Requested upgrade to club and gave Loews first number. Was pleasantly informed that since we got a discount for the room we were not entitled any Loews first amenities. I didnt press the issue since I was not really looking for the upgrade and I already had snacks and water. We were booked in a Deluxe Room and had requested smoking. Problem, Deluxe rooms are in the main wing and Smoking is only available in the West Wing. They were going to give us a Bayview room in the West Wing until I asked about the rate reduction. Finally, we were given a Deluxe Room in the main wing with a Patio that we could smoke on. So now when you get a non smoking room and it smells of smoke dont blame the occupants right away. We smoked on the patio, however with the doors open the smoke did make its way back into the room. I was not about to Secure the room every time we went for a smoke. We had made our reservations and had requested what we wanted.
TRANSPORTATION - . We used the water taxis for all of our trips to the parks and Citywalk. Plenty of boats and never had to wait long. Usually always made first boat except for once when we stayed at USF until closing, that time we had to wait for the second boat which came as the first boat left the dock. On our first day, they had three boats down and were only running two, the wait at the Portofino dock was about 40 minutes. Since this only happened once it was not really a problem. The Hotels really need to put a public address system at the docks. Since these are not manned you never really know what is going on with the boats. When there is a storm the boats dont run and you really are sitting there fat, dumb and stupid waiting for something that will never come.
VIP TOUR - . Friends of ours were taking a cruise and were taking a shore excursion to Universal, Our son was traveling with them, so we thought it would be neat to surprise them at the park, since we had not told them about our trip plans. They only had seven hours to see the parks so they opted for the VIP tour. We checked with guest services and they told us where they were going to check in. I called them on the cellphone and told them there was a webcam focused on the Universal Globe. We were by the Universal Arch and I told them to wave to see if I can see them. It is very funny to see 14 grown people jumping up and down making fools of themselves not knowing where the camera is. Anyhow they started walking towards the three producers building and we jumped out and surprised them.
Since they were only a party of 14 our daughter was invited to go with them. We tagged along but had to use express and could not use the tours entrance to the rides. The tour can be adjusted to your preferences. The tour guide provides a spiel about the attraction and gives the ride ops information about the size of the party. I learned that the Portofino Resort was at the request of Steven Spielberg. He loved the Italian Portofino and wanted the resort to build one here. Using Express we were able to beat the VIP tour onto Jimmy Neutron, Shrek and the Mummy. They beat us on Spiderman. On must other rides some of our friends didnt ride so we used their VIP Lanyards for the Hulk, Dudley Do-Right, Dueling Dragons, Popeyes, Dr Doom and Blutos Bilge Rat Barges.
The VIP tour uses special doors or the ride exits to get into the rides. If you wish you can ride the attraction more than once. To get from USF to IOA we used an exit near Nickelodeon walked past to sound stages and entered IOA by the Cat in The Hat. The tour takes a break for an hour for lunch at Mythos.
The tour seemed Ok. Our friends were on a tight schedule so there was a lot of brisk walking. The tour guide estimated that we had walked eight miles. The only trick that I learned was to go to the left of green eggs and ham to cut through Suess land. The tour guide said at least three times that she has been tours of both parks for 11 ½ years. Thats pretty good since IOA has only been open for five years.
CITYWALK - . We had five dinners at Citywalk during the trip. Two at Jimmy Buffets Margritaville and three at the Hard-Rock Café. We love Buffets and I must say that they have the best Nachos My wife loved the Jerk Shrimp and Pasta and the Chicken and Pasta. I had the Crabcake Sandwich which was yummy. At the Hardrock my wife loved the Stacked Roast Beef Sandwich and had that all three times. At the Hardrock Café, our server told us that they didnt take the USFanclub card, but gave us a 10% discount anyway. Needless to say the discount was given back to her in her tip both times we had her. She was great. At Buffets the Fanclub card got us 15% off one night and 10% the other. One day we thought of eating at Emerls. I called the restaurant at 10:30 AM and was able to get reservations for 5:10 PM at the bar area. My daughter didnt like anything on the menu so we canceled. Moral of the Story is it may never be to late get reservations, just call and ask, and leave your kid at home. Dinners four three were about $44. We always ate about the same time, 4:30 PM, and never had a wait. Citywalk always seems so alive, it really does give you energy after a long day in the park.
PARKS - . Both Universal and IOA were open from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM. The parks were crowded and there were many of those dreaded South American tour groups. I have never had a problem with them and they never bothered me, must be a pixie dust and fairytales thing. One time at MIB the tour guide was taking sixty people through express. I made sure we jumped in front of them. Parks were very clean. Some of the rides in IOA were showing their age. Noticed some fading on the Hulk Coaster and saw Duct tape holding on a piece to MIB ride vehicle. Also found a gum wall on Dueling Dragons. Seems that behind a sign next to the front row gate for Ice there is a good collection of those spent wads. A lot of younger girls were wearing Bikini tops, didnt mind it all. On MIB we were behind a family where the teenage daughter was wearing the Bikini top and Bottom. I think this was a bit much. Not the kids fault the mother was wearing a cover-up and kept on pulling it up to reveal her bikini bottom. The father kept on sitting on the rails as we waited on line. Acorn didnt fall far from that tree. Another thing that I noticed that about 50% of the males that use the restrooms, dont wash their hands after their done. Note to self, When at Universal refrain from shaking any other males hands.
The Staff was kind and courteous. In the five days we did not experience one rude employee at the parks or in Citywalk. Everyone knew the information we asked them. If they didnt they found out the information and got back to us quickly. These people made for a very enjoyable stay.
I would say the parks were moderately crowded. Spiderman waits were always at least 60 minutes, Hulk never exceeded sixty minutes, One time I saw Shrek at 100 Minutes, Jimmy Neutron hit 90minutes a few times. Dueling Dragons was never more than 20 Minutes, MIB was always between 60 and 90 minutes.
FOTL is no more and has been taken over by express. Jimmy Neutron seemed to always have the longest express line sometimes reaching the express pass distribution area. Spiderman on average was about a 5 to 10 Minute wait. One time the line was all the way to the entrance lobby. MIB express line seemed to average about 5 to 10 Minutes also. The longest I saw the line was the door just as you enter the Alien Processing Center. Most of the time it was in the weapons room. The mummys line was always the shortest, this is most likely due to the fact that they were restricting hotel guests to only one ride before 3:00 PM. The line always seemed to start just before the stairs up to the loading areas. Cat in the hat never had a long express line, nor did Hulk, Dudley Do Right, Jurassic Park, or Popeyes and Blutos bilge rat barges. It was hit or miss with ET and Back to the Future.
The best kept secret is to always use the Hard Rock Café Entrance and Exit when traveling between IOA and USF. There was never a line and generally there was no one there when we used it, of course the gatekeeper and the security guard with the backpack probe were always there. The gate is open from 11:00 AM till park close. Saves a few steps also.
ATTRACTIONS - . The mummy was excellent. That take off is one of the best. A little air time and then that banked turn is great. Disappointed with the Scarab room thought it would be a little more real. That quick stop, the small riser in the middle of the seat, and the male anatomy had me singing like a soprano if you know what I mean. Again an excellent ride. Spiderman is still the best, the drop scene always gets me. For two days the 3D effect where Spiderman jumps on the car was not working. The movie portion worked fine, the car bumped when he jumped on it, but no finger in the face. All other effects were working sometimes the Spider Signal and the Garbage Trucks were sometimes. Dueling dragons front row on Ice is still the best. We have not been Poseidons Fury since 99. It has been updated a pretty good show if the line isnt that long. Dudley Do Right and the Bilge Rat Barges are the best water rides around. The new Drop on Dudleys was good, to tell you the truth I didnt notice any difference. Cat in the Hat is just damn cute. It has to be the coldest ride there. It was nice relief from the 95 degree heat and the feels like 110 degrees weather. Back to the Future seems to get rougher and rougher as I get older. We only rode it twice this time. I guess I am getting tired of getting my head wacked on the side of the car. We never did Jaws, Earthquake, Storm Force and Flying Unicorn. Jaws and Earthquake are like Disney rides. You can only do them so many times before they get stale. We did not see any shows. Caught some of the Blues Brothers Show and a Dance Group next to Monster Café.
MIB, alas failed to get 999,999 but did get some good scores. My goal was to beat my sons high score of 625,000. Closest I got was 597,000 rode the express track all of the time except once. Had noisy cricket twice and bad guns twice. Must have ridden this ride 40 times and never got tired of it. At night we were doing at least six runs, our fastest run rate was four in one hour. My favorite target was the parking meter after shooting the exhaust port. I could just keep hitting it. This ride you never get tired of. Always trying to get a better score.
Other highlights were Shrek, the chicken dancing Jimmy Neutron and the Hulk. Somehow we never did T23D. With the Mummy we always seemed to go to MIB Via Amity. The only time we passed T23D was when we were leaving the park.
All in all the attractions are great and we had a lot of fun. We never tired of the Parks and we spent the most time here we ever did. We had five full days at the parks and had a great time every day.
WEATHER - . It was hot, every day was 93 to 95 degrees with High Humidity. The feels like temperature was between 105 and 110 degrees. Rained in the afternoon one day for about two hours. Otherwise quick storms on a couple of days and no rain on two days. But it was hot. Stopping a Wallgreens for Water and cooling them in the Honor fridge at Portofino was the way to go.
PORTOFINO - .Words can not describe this Hotel. Service is great. Love the turndown service and filling up the ice bucket every night. Rooms were cleaned well and a Call to Star Service was always quickly responded to. Beds are so so comfortable, want to take one home. As stated before we had a Deluxe Room with a patio overlooking the Villa pool. Nice view and a lot of snails at night. Air conditioning worked good and there was no problems with the bill.
We had room 2248 which was close to everything. Second floor witch is slightly above the Villa pool. About four doors from the exit door that allowed us access to the small walkway between the west wing and the main wing. Short walk to the docks, restaurants and the pools.
Beach pool was open to 10:00 PM. Pool was great and never crowded. We tried to use the pool every night from about 8:30 PM till closing. Slide was great and we all got several trips down it per night. Its a pleasure to sit on the seat on the island by the 5 foot area and just relax. We would sit in the shallow area and watch the fireworks. Plenty of towels and a short walk from the room. Only problem with the pool was the Hot Tub, just didnt seem to have the power. I would equate it to a toy poodle with bad gas as opposed to the Villa Pools Hot tub which had the power of Shrek after a three alarm chili dinner with side of baked beans.
We used the Villa pool once when we were making a run at the record on MIB until park close. Very nice. As stated the Hot Tub was great. Very quiet until Beach pool closes. Villa pool is open until 11:00 PM.
We had several meals at the Trattoria del Porto three breakfasts and one dinner. It was very nice. Dinner was Chef Silvos Pasta Buffet. Price was $17.50 for adults and $ 12.50 for children. Included was salad, entre, and desert. Pasta was penne and spaghetti with Pesto, Bolognese, Alfredo, and Marinara Sauce. You could add Mushrooms, Chicken, Peppers, Suasage, pees, artichokes, cappers, tomatos and other stuff to sauce as the chef prepared your plate pan cooking your pasta, sauce and ingredients as requested. For Dessert a choice of cookies, brownies or Blondies. The Breakfast buffet was a nice way to start your morning. Custom omelets or eggs cooked to order with Bacon, Suasage, roasted potatoes, biscuits with Sausage gravy, fresh fruit with cream was available. I think the price again was $16.50 for adults and $7.50 for children under 12. We had breakfast on two other occasions which I just had coffee and my daughter had pancakes or waffles. Very inexpensive. The coffee bar a large coffee was $ 3.25 and a large milkshake at Gelatoria (sp) was $ 5.50. This was the same price as Corona at the Thirsty Fish.
We were offered a late check out of 12:00 PM on our last day but our plane was not leaving until 9:25 PM. We were allowed to use the fitness center to shower and change so that we could use the pool one last time. Our luggage was held and we were allowed to get certain pieces when we needed them.
All in all a first class hotel. Service was impeccable and all of the representatives were kind and courteous. Worth the extra bucks to stay there. It just makes the Vacation so much better.
Well thats it. Another great Universal Vacation. Our second trip without going to the Mouse House and it wasnt missed at all. Any Questions please drop me a line.
Thanks for taking the time to post.
