WHO YA GONNA CALL" 29 NIGHTS OF GHOSTBUSTERS, MONSTERS & MORE - A 2019 HHN/SFR/RPR TR

[schumigirl]

Curious, did you find the posted wait times for the houses a bit all over the place this year too?


...from your lips! Yes, please, B&T need to return

Agree 100%, was so pleasantly surprised


See above lol, such a ‘fun house’.


They aren’t my favorite either although for some reason I do enjoy the double Ferris wheel types. Have you seen the type they have at Disneyland’s California Adventure? I nearly passed out the first time I felt the car move/slide lol

Yes, they weren't always as accurate as you`d think. When GB was showing as 25 minutes, the regular line looked far longer....but the night it showed 55 minutes, it looked much shorter.

I wish I had the power to bring it back!!! Bill & Ted when it was at it`s peak was hilarious......with a couple of good writers and a few obvious digs at Disney, of which they do have a lot of ammunition right now.....lol.....it would be fabulous!!!!

I do like to be pleasantly surprised and the Klowns house did just that....and the water show was incredible.....I think everyone said it`ll be back next year. I hope so.

No, never saw the things you mentioned.....I`ll have to go Google.....don`t like the sound of that.....

 

[schumigirl]

We are great! We were so, so busy with all the October/Halloween activities & now jumping right into the Holiday season but I wouldn’t have it any other way with my Littles! Enjoying your wonderful trip report so far........

Glad to hear it, I can imagine the fun you`ve had.....kids and Halloween are perfect together...…..

And I`m glad you`re reading along and enjoying it......

 

[schumigirl]

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 19TH​

It was a fairly early rise this morning, and as always, the forecast was telling us it was to be a beautiful day again.......that was what we loved to see......sunny all day.

Up in the lounge, we saw an Australian family who we had chatted to a couple of times, looking a little perturbed. Turns out they were going to a villa for two weeks, but found out this morning it had been cancelled!!! I couldn`t even imagine what they were going through. It had been booked through AirB&B......they were checking if there was any rooms if they needed to stay another night or at another hotel......what a nightmare.....we discovered later they had found something with the Villa people, so we were glad to hear all was well in the end.

Breakfast was short as we had chatted a while to the family, so we ate and left and headed to IOA.

When we walk to IOA we always cut through the pool. We love this pool.......for us, it`s perfect.....always have plenty of loungers and when we are here, it`s never too busy. We like the ambience of the pool area...there`s a lot going on for kids and adults during the day and it never feels too boisterous or wild. It can be lively of course and the music they play makes the atmosphere even better.

It`s deep enough to swim in, and shallow enough for the non swimmers to be able to paddle around without feeling too out of their depth.

The splash area is incredibly popular with kids......of all ages it seems!!! We`ve seen many dads enjoy the splash area too.

Once on the path, you get a beautiful view of Sapphire and Aventura and of course the boats that run frequently, and at this time of the morning you`ll never wait too long for one as there`s usually one following as one leaves.

Although the boat is a very nice way to get to Citwalk, and convenient too, the walking path is beautiful. There are some lovely areas of shade which helps in this heat and is nice to get a reprieve from the sun.

Once in the park we headed into the store for a cool down, and then after five minutes of examining the stock we knew so well, headed back outside.

Hulk is incredibly impressive as you turn to see it in all it`s majesty....it is an impressive coaster, and even better when you`re on it. The take off on this one is worth the head banging

Our favourite restaurant in IOA.

We again, go down to the lagoon and have a look around to see everything that`s visible from the edge...…..it is a very pretty area, and I`m not sure what they could do with it, but it seems a shame to not do anything, although it is a little on the small side I guess for them to do anything that would be impressive, and the new coaster going in over the other side may take up some of that area too.

This little area has a few little wonders for kids and adult to enjoy a quick look at.......they don`t do anything, but fit in well with the theme of the area.

Wandering into Seuss is an absolute joy, with all the colours and vibrancy of everything.

Someone recently commented the parks were badly in need of being painted and hadn`t been kept to a standard...…well, we`re still looking for that.......paintwork everywhere looked fresh and bright, and we saw several areas that were being worked on while we were there...….they really do a good job of keeping everything fresh and bright, and the parks looked great to us who know them very well and would notice any lack of upkeep if it was there.

But, I digress........

It is incredibly bright here......and some lovely little rides for kids and adults.....even if they are a little out there.......CiTH for one...…..

This area again, was very quiet this morning, but it was still quite early

We did CiTH and marvelled again at the brain behind such creatures, and the ride is now less spinny than it used to be, so a little more pleasant than it was. I did find the spins a little much even on such a kiddy ride back then.

The trolley train is also almost deserted this morning.....we didn't get a train to ourselves like the last time, but there were only three other folks on it. It`s a fun little ride and you do get to see the park from a nice angle....

Heading towards the Lost Continent is a complete change of pace......while Seuss can feel frenetic and vibrant, although maybe a little quiet this morning, Lost Continent stands proud with some amazing and majestic buildings.

And the flame was back this morning...…..

Mythos is as impressive at the front as it is at the rear of the building, and surely must win the prize as one of the most photographed buildings in the parks.......it is stunning. We will go back and eat here at some point. Just not yet.

Poseidon`s Fury is another thing we don`t do anymore.....if you haven't done it and have some time go for it.....the water vortex at the end is quite impressive, but it`s not something we ever feel the need to do again.

But, the building itself is stunning. And huge...….perfect for future expansions when they finally get around to it. I think the new park has taken away from any early plans they may have had for this building. There`s always been rumours, but for now it seems to have died down.

This is a lovely little store to walk around......we didn't go in today, but I posted some pictures of the inside in a previous post.......

Fire Eaters Grill is somewhere we haven't eaten in for many years...….but we did love the Chicken Stingers......and they were surprisingly hot!!! Kyle enjoyed the plain chicken ones as he doesn't like a lot of spice......he doesn`t take after us at all with that!!! He has never liked food that is too spicy, although I do make a southern fried chicken that I do add an awful lot of pepper and Cayenne pepper to, and he loves that.

I am always careful though as I once completely forgot one friend didn't eat any spicy food and when they were over for dinner, I had made the food all spicy.......he started eating and then it hit him......and me.......

Everyone else loved it except him...….oops!!!! I did have food he liked in the fridge and rapidly whipped him up something else!!! And even though it was around ten years ago now, he never, ever lets me forget it.......

As we passed the Fountain we saw there wasn`t going to be a relaxing time watching him interact with folks this morning......

This was the line for folks waiting to get into Hagrid`s ride......

We`d wait for another day thanks. Although at least the sun wasn`t too hot right now and blazing down on everyone, that must be awful...….and now, despite what the weather folks had said earlier.....it was looking distinctly like rain as we headed in to Hogsmeade.


More coming up............

 

[schumigirl]

We passed by the line for Hagrid`s and headed into Hogsmeade.....again, today there was no conductor to enjoy pictures with, there usually is and they are incredibly engaging. And very much into the character.

One of the nicest wand spells there is, sits above the candy store.....and it is enchanting to watch little ones manage the spell...….

The water pours and when they manage the spell, the cauldron tips over displaying more of these delightful if a little mischievous creatures......who can forget the scene in the first movie with Neville Longbottom!!!

The 3 B`s is also impressive from the exterior, as is everything in Potter areas.....the incredible detail in everything her still blows us away every single time.

Sometimes trying to get pictures of some of the buildings can be hard with crowds, but today we got a little lucky even though there were a few crowds around.

Wandering round to the Castle is always a pleasure. It is beautiful, even today when it was decidedly dull. We did wonder where the blue skies we were promised were!

We did a quick ride on FJ which was fabulous as always, we dropped off the camera and bag as we were both riding it today......we got on incredibly fast and thoroughly enjoyed it today. And a once only today.

As we came off the ride and back outside the rain did start and it got quite heavy......we made it in to the Hog`s Head just before it got really bad.

Not too many people come in here for Butterbeer, but if the line is long outside at the cart, coming in here is usually a lesser wait.

I think this is my favourite area of this pub...….to stand and listen at the bottom of the stairs is very entertaining......I love listening to the house elves rumble about above.

We shared a pumpkin fizz and sat the rain out while we enjoyed the surroundings, and for a while the rain was fairly heavy, but it didn't last long.....maybe ten minutes max.

Back outside and it was already dry...….considering how heavy the rain had been we were surprised, but the heat certainly dried it up in no time.

This little display hadn`t been here last time we were here in May.

Coming up.......lunch and another quiet evening.

 

[keishashadow]

Nice to see so many of our favorite little gems pictured above.

Too many guests rush through the parks to HP & other headliners, never botherig to stop & smell the roses.

 

[schumigirl]

At this point we decided we would head out of the park and back home to shower and head out for lunch. During the walk back we did feel as though we were actually melting.....and it wasn't just as hot today as it had been......I think it got to around 88F.

It was a relief to get back into the cool of the room and once we were showered we headed down to get the car. Tom walked down to the car park and I waited as I was chatting to one of the Valet guys.

Before Tom came back I got a couple of snaps of the area...….

Today we were going to another old favourite……Teak Neighborhood Grill.

A short ten minute max drive from here, we have been visiting this place for many years and it has always been exceptional. They have had a couple of changes of management, but standards have always been high and it`s such a friendly place, and a very local place although they do get a lot of tourists.

The Metro West area is very nice, and there are some lovely little areas around, mostly gated communities around this part.

It`s usually seat yourself during the day and it can be really busy most days, today it`s not too bad so we get a far table and we are handed menu`s and she asked what we wanted to drink.

Tom gets a lemonade and I have some water and a Chardonnay.....

Staff here are consistent and very friendly. Some have worked here for a long time and there are sometimes a few new faces.....and I guessed our waitress was new as we didn`t recognise her at all. But she was very nice........

I`m very boring here, and always order the Donut Burger......same way......medium well, no cheese and add a side of jalapeno......and served with sidewinders.....

Tom opted for something rather different today, he went for the mac n cheese skillet and added a grilled chicken breast.......and it came with a salad........

The chef came out a few moments later and asked how I wanted the jalapenos......well, no one here had ever asked me that before!!! Did I want them raw or sauteed, on the side or on the burger...….so I asked if I could have them lightly sautéed and on the burger....easy.

Tom`s salad was fresh and tasty and not completely filled with lettuce which was nice.......plenty of tomatoes, onion and other tasty items.

If he had known the size of the portion he`d never have added the chicken breast.....it was huge!!!! And would easily have fed three people comfortably........he barely made a dent in it being honest. The picture doesn’t show how huge it was.

But, it was delicious......very creamy and full of sauce that tasted so good!!

My burger was as lovely as always...…..and with the donut, it was a gorgeous mix of meat, sweet, spicy and full of flavour. And burgers are always well cooked, just as you ask for.

Sidewinders might just be my new favourite way of eating potato!

We have a very relaxing lunch and spend some time chatting to the owner who is always keen to know everyone enjoys their food...and we had. In 12 years of eating here, even before it was Teak, food has always been amazing. He asks if i belong to a British site that`s like this one, I say I used to be but haven`t been for many years...…and he said they get a lot of Brits who read about it on there. I do remember folks there mentioning it, but we heard of it from someone local who worked at Disney all those years ago.

So, our time passed as we chatted away after our meal. I knew we`d be back again, and maybe even at night, although live music can be so loud in here....you can barely hear yourself think. But, it had been a while since we were here at night.

We paid our check and headed out into the heat of the afternoon.

It is a beautiful little area round here.

We drive off and head to the Post Office on Turkey Lake Road. I still send my mum and my aunt on Long Island a postcard.....they do like to get them, I never send them to anyone else though.

Wal-Mart is on the same road, so, we pop into for a few items......I always seem to spend so much money in here despite only coming in for bits and bobs!!! And we forget to leave at times it seems. But, we do enjoy wandering around.....which is strange as I hate grocery shopping back home.

Driving back home we park the car and decide we are staying onsite tonight again.

The sun isn`t just as bright, so we go up to the room to drop our purchases off and get into our swimming costumes.....we decided to have an hour or so in the pool.....

Sitting by the pool during the day is something we very rarely do as it`s usually too sunny or too warm. Today was neither so we took advantage of it. We did find an umbrella to sit under and we had put more sun screen on.

We each had a coke from the Bula Bar and only Tom went in the water for a swim. But, it was a lovely way to spend a relaxing hour or so. And it wasn`t too busy either, we had our choice of loungers and areas too.

Once we had showered, again we went up to the lounge where again it was one of the nicer dishes, chicken mac n cheese and my favourite dish of potato salad.

It was a little busier tonight, of course it being a HHN too......we just didn`t feel like going tonight. So we passed our time chatting to folks who sat beside us or the lovely staff. And time always passes so quickly.

We did feel like a change of scenery tonight, although not much of a change......so we went down to Orchids which was temporarily located in the private dining room where the Club Lounge had been relocated last year while it was being refurbed. We thought we`d have a couple of drinks and then order some food later when we were hungry.

It was freezing when we walked in, absolutely perishing.........so much so I almost walked straight back out.......











Almost!!!!

I think they adjusted the heating as a few folks mentioned how cold it was.....it hadn`t been this cold last year in here.

It soon warmed up.........wine will do that for you

Easy choice for a drink tonight, we ordered a bottle of cabernet to share...

Talon was our waiter tonight, and we knew him from previous visits up in Orchids, nice guy.

They always do a special dish, and the one they had just now, I wasn't overly keen on the sound of it, so I had asked if they had the previous special which had pineapple in it, but Chef Dan said no, they didn`t have all the ingredients......shame as it was lovely.

There is plenty of choice on the menu and we decide on the quite spicy Mexican Roll, and the not so spicy Volcano roll......

It hadn`t changed since last year, and did look a little dated now, especially with all the changes upstairs. I`m sure it will get revamped eventually. Probably when Island`s gets done.

Volcano Roll........

And our favourite Mexican Roll...….

The sushi here is incredible. There weren't many places around better than this. We had tried Cowfish Sushi, and it didn`t compare in the slightest to this place. I never think of Cowfish as selling real sushi.

We got chatting to Talon and spoke about Chef Dan`s plans for th enew menu, seems there weren`t going to be changing much and only adding a few new items. We were still looking forward to it opening back up.

As we chatted he mentioned a dish we have never tried, eel.

Just the sound of it makes me think of horrible slimy creatures...…he laughed and said yes, he understood.......but would we like to try a taste.......I did hesitate, but he assured me we`d love it........well, ok then.....but I was a little nervous........

A few minutes later he did bring it over......and it did look nice........

It wasn`t nice........it was delicious!!!!

Nothing like we expected it to be.....it was surprisingly delicate and very tasty......yep, we`d order that another evening! And Talon was pleased we`d liked it. He was very chatty and full of info and told us a few places to go in St Augustine we didn`t know about...…him and his wife loved going there too. So, we kept chatting for ages about St Augustine which was lovely.

We enjoyed the wine and finished the bottle slowly........and Tom mentioned the famous magic words.......did we want dessert!!!!

That would be a yes......especially as I knew the one dessert we loved from here.......

Yes, mango tempura cheesecake!!!! But we do ask if we can get it with coconut ice cream instead of vanilla, which is fine of course......

This dessert is divine!!!!

It sounds as if it`s going to be heavy, but it`s really not. And so full of flavour.......I loved the hot with the cold of the ice cream....although not so great if you have sensitive teeth!!!! I know.......

We demolish the dessert and the plate looks as if it has been licked clean.....I promise we didn`t! But now we were completely full and so glad we had come down here tonight for some sushi and dessert.

Check paid, we did go into Jake`s for an hour or so, and basically sat at the bar and chatted to the staff over a glass of wine. We stayed till around 10.30 and then decided we should go to bed. Although I may have suggested going into HHN for an hour...…..the look Tom gave me suggested that may well be a no...….he looked tired too.

An ealry night was a good idea. So, once up in the room we put the tv on for half an hour before we were in the land of zzzzzzz`s before we knew it.

 

[J'aime Paris]

There is plentiful choices of fantastic food all around Orlando!
My DH's favorite sushi order here at home is the Lobster Fantasy roll with eel. So good!
I usually opt for the mango shrimp roll. And we usually end up ordering a third choice and sharing it all, Yum!

 

[AprilDreamsOfDisney]

Hulk is incredibly impressive as you turn to see it in all it`s majesty....it is an impressive coaster, and even better when you`re on it. The take off on this one is worth the head banging

Looking forward to seeing this in person myself! I remember from your previous trip reports that Tom and Kyle once rode it multiple times in a row, didn't they? My daughter tends to be enticed by thrill rides and so I'm thinking she'll want to ride this one. Is it really terrible?!? I'm a bit nervous, but if I remember from my younger days, rollercoasters with upside down loops tend to go so quickly that you barely realize you're upside down before it's over!

The trolley train is also almost deserted this morning.....we didn't get a train to ourselves like the last time, but there were only three other folks on it. It`s a fun little ride and you do get to see the park from a nice angle...

Love your photos of the Suess area! It's so bright and colourful! I think my son, although 12, will love this ride as he is absolutely still obsessed with trains of any sort. I think we'll end up riding it many times, even for a brief break

This was the line for folks waiting to get into Hagrid`s ride......

Oh my! That is long! I've seen on the app that wait times have been 3-4 hours ... where can they even queue people up in a line that long?! I wonder if they'll open an Express Pass line in the coming months. Have you heard anything about that? You do seem to have an inside scoop with these things!

Keep up the wonderful updates, Carole! I'm so enjoying reading them (and salivating at all your food pics! That donut burger looks divine!)

 

[schumigirl]

Nice to see so many of our favorite little gems pictured above.

Too many guests rush through the parks to HP & other headliners, never botherig to stop & smell the roses.

I agree, there are so many wonderful little things to see around parks out side of Potter.......of course Potter is amazing, but we love taking our time and just catching sight of things we have rather miraculously still missed......I’d have thought we’d have captured it all by now......but, every trip we catch something we haven’t seen or maybe noticed before....

 

[schumigirl]

Looking forward to seeing this in person myself! I remember from your previous trip reports that Tom and Kyle once rode it multiple times in a row, didn't they? My daughter tends to be enticed by thrill rides and so I'm thinking she'll want to ride this one. Is it really terrible?!? I'm a bit nervous, but if I remember from my younger days, rollercoasters with upside down loops tend to go so quickly that you barely realize you're upside down before it's over!


Love your photos of the Suess area! It's so bright and colourful! I think my son, although 12, will love this ride as he is absolutely still obsessed with trains of any sort. I think we'll end up riding it many times, even for a brief break


Oh my! That is long! I've seen on the app that wait times have been 3-4 hours ... where can they even queue people up in a line that long?! I wonder if they'll open an Express Pass line in the coming months. Have you heard anything about that? You do seem to have an inside scoop with these things!

Keep up the wonderful updates, Carole! I'm so enjoying reading them (and salivating at all your food pics! That donut burger looks divine!)

Hulk is amazing. It’s very smooth, but the very last parts which are a little twisty can still bash you around a little...... and yes, the upside down parts are quick, and they are smooth. Yes, Kyle and Tom ride them numerous times.......Kyle‘s best was around 24 times on a row on Duelling Dragons.......my limit was four or five on that. Hulk I manage, or used to manage 4 or 5. Once is usually enough now......

Yes, the trolley train is fun, and he’ll see lots of adults on there too, so he won’t feel out of place. Seuss is just so cute.

I wouldn’t wait longer than 20 minutes for any ride....I admire anyone who does, very patient people. I haven’t heard anything directly, only that they hoped it wouldn’t be a long time till EP kicked in......but that was before it opened......who knows what issues they have......I wish I was in the know......lol......

I’m so glad you’re enjoying the report, and yes that donut burger was divine!!

 

[schumigirl]

There is plentiful choices of fantastic food all around Orlando!
My DH's favorite sushi order here at home is the Lobster Fantasy roll with eel. So good!
I usually opt for the mango shrimp roll. And we usually end up ordering a third choice and sharing it all, Yum!

Yes, spoilt for choice doesn’t begin to describe the food choices in Orlando and beyond.......

Oh they both sound lovely.......I’d like those dishes I think......yes, we usually have a third (or fourth) dish.....but as we’d had a big lunch and unusually wanted dessert we stuck at two.

We don’t have good sushi places here.....well apart from a well known chain that isn’t very good.....it’s like calling Burger King gourmet food! Yes, it’s that bad........couple of hours into London and you have a good selection......so quite a way to go for food, you’re so lucky where you live.....

 

[schumigirl]

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 20TH​

Our usual early rise today, and it was, yes, you guessed it, another lovely day.

I checked my ipad as I usually do and saw Kyle had sent an email. I will say, we very rarely glance at news items or anything that might interrupt or little bubble of happiness here, but he had sent a link to an article saying Thomas Cook may be going bust. Before we left we knew the vacation side of the business were in trouble, but by all accounts a Chinese investor was going to take over the apparently lucrative flight only side. We always book flight only and have never used a package, no need really as our hotel is always taken care of separately as is everything else, must be over twenty years since we used a travel agent. It really is easy to do everything on our own.

We would deal with it when it happened.

Today was going to be very tame with no plans other than meet up with a young man and his wife over at Sapphire Falls later this morning. We got to know Bryson when he first worked in Concierge in the CL, then he moved to Front Desk....then sadly moved companies and also States. He is just the loveliest young man and we so looked forward to meeting him and Jenna, who we had never met before. So, that was our morning.

Up to breakfast and we took our time today, breakfast was relaxed and chatty as Kayla came up after her meeting and we chatted about a few things and again, the time passed. She had another meeting to go to, so we set off too and walked the short distance over to Sapphire Falls.

Bryson and Jenna were staying at Cabana Bay before moving over to Disney with her family, so we took the chance to catch up this morning before they went. We had missed Bryson when he left and kept in touch with an email every few months since he moved to Nashville.

We had arranged to meet in the lobby, and as always we are early.....

I sit down by the window and Tom goes to take some pictures as the place is almost deserted......it is very quiet this morning...

Our favourite bar!!!!!

The lobby is bright and airy and very pretty...….it really is one of the nicest and lightest of all the hotel lobbies.

And of course the view over the lagoon is one of the nicest views around at Sapphire Falls. The water wheel is very picturesque and when you come in on the boat, especially at night it is extremely beautiful.

We like the pool here, it is very shallow and is ankle deep across the middle which adds something to the look of the pool too. And it has the much wanted slide that many crave as an essential to book a hotel, and it is very popular.

We saw Bryson come in from the front doors, they had a quick look around and spotted us......it was so lovely to see them, and lovely to finally meet Jenna who had always wanted to meet us!!! She had always heard about us from Bryson and had wanted to meet us before they left, but it hadn't happened.

The conversation flowed and flowed and we had a really good catch up with how their lives were going and what their next plans are......Jenna used to work for the vip tours in Disney, so they both have a hospitality background.

A few hours passed so quickly...…we had so much to catch up on and we couldn't believe how fast time went...…..and when it was time to say goodbye, we of course had to take a load of pictures each.......

Bryson, being very tall was perfect for taking a picture of all of us, as I wanted Tom in it too...….

We wished each other a wonderful rest of vacation and safe travels home, then we both set off.

It was a visit we so enjoyed, Bryson we had always looked on the way we would look at Kyle, similar age and we only wished them happiness in whatever they chose to do. Lovely, lovely young couple and we were so glad we had managed to meet up.

We set off back home and wandered through the almost deserted convention and ballroom area.......it`s fine during the day, but I always think of The Shining when are walking through late at night and no one is around.....of course there are security cameras everywhere, but it feels very still.

Of course it doesn't help when I scare myself half to death by doing the Danny "Redrum" voice thing as we walk through the cavernous and empty ballroom area in the middle of the night...…...

It was around 1pm now, so time for some lunch.....we didn't want a lot as we were going out for a nice dinner tonight, so something light would be ideal.

We both looked at one another and at the same time said......Jake`s.

Ideal. You cannot go wrong with Jake`s for lunch, dinner or just drinks at anytime. They have a decent menu with plenty of choices for almost everyone, even the fussiest of folks should find something.

Funnily enough we get this table often......

A strawberry lemonade for me, and regular lemonade for Tom.

Our usual waiter wasn't on today, we had a lovely lady called Bubbles look after us today. We both asked for our favourite item in here...the Crawfish Chowder.....funny thing is I never, well, very rarely ever have soup of any kind back home, it`s not something I really enjoy. I do make butternut squash and sweet potato soup every now and again, and I like that, or a chicken noodle soup that is wonderful.....even if I say so myself.....but this chowder is divine.

It was delicious. We took our time and passed the time chatting about everything and how much we were looking forward to dinner tonight.

We paid the check and headed up to the lobby...….we chatted to Joanna for a while and then our friend came out to say hello. Always love to see him anytime.......we again, had a good old chat for a while, and he showed us his new iPhone for the first time......I was very impressed with the camera on this one.

We chatted for ages, when I heard a voice behind us say well, hello......it was one of our favourite people and someone who Tom calls my longtime penpal, Larry Beiderman.

He is such a lovely man and always chats whenever we see him......I always joke my emails to him personally are like War and Peace!!! We hug and have a good old catch up......we mention how our airline might be going bust and they hadn't heard about it.....I don't think like a lot of people they never expected a company like TC to go bankrupt. Both our friend and Mr Beiderman assure us if we need to stay longer it will be fine, and not to worry. Of course that was a concern as there was now a rumour that if they do go bust, if you don't leave within 24 hours you are on your own. We had looked at the cost of flights to get home one way if this did happen, as we weren't leaving early under any circumstances, and they were sky high!!! So at least knowing if we needed to extend the trip (yay) we could. We were incredibly grateful of the reassurances we`d have a bed to sleep on.

We began to chat about the refurb and how we were already looking forward to getting back to see it all complete, Mr Beiderman asked if we had seen the rooms yet, we said no, apart from a little peep if the doors were slightly ajar.

He very kindly said he`s take us and show us the Grab and Go and what was going to be the new Orchid Lounge. He spoke to the guys and we went in and had a look around......it wasn't complete, but we did get a good idea of how it was going to look and we were impressed. Starbucks, pizza, breakfasts and many other items would be available from 6am through till 11pm…..similar to Dutch Trading at Sapphire......then he took us behind the doors to Orchids........and wow.....we were instantly impressed by how large it looked now all the old furniture had been removed and the sushi bar and floor was in place......he showed us where the large tv screen was going to be at the other end where the bar used to be. This was going to be amazing.

The large chandelier that is going in was going to be delayed, but you can imagine how it would look when it was complete from the renderings we saw, but seeing the size of the room now and what was in place already we thought it was going to be absolutely beautiful.

We thanked him for taking the time to show us both places, he is just the nicest man, and he again said anything they could do help if the worst happened with the airline, they would. Everyone at this hotel is just amazing. They genuinely care you have a wonderful time while in the hotel, and it shows.

After again, many thanks, we set off upstairs and had a chill out for an hour or so........well, I did a bit of ironing.....very exciting!!!!

We loved the view from the windows on this side of the hotel...….all rooms along this side have a lovely pool and park view, and today it looked wonderful as always.

I hadn't unpacked all our purchases from last few shopping trips, but did come across the seasoning from JB Fish Camp and the avocado accessories I had wanted to try.

The seasoning is excellent made the same way they did it, with melted butter, and it was also excellent in crab or fish cakes.

And surprisingly the avocado saver does actually work, sometimes the larger avocados are too big, so I`d love to save half but of course it goes brown, and Tom hates them.......so I was happy it worked. The masher I haven`t used yet.

We would go sit in the Club Lounge soon before going out to dinner at Eddie V`s tonight. We were so looking forward to this evening.

 

[schumigirl]

We enjoyed our little time up in the lounge, Kayla was still here and the girls who were on tonight were lovely......so as always our time passed so quickly. And we didn't even have a snack tonight, which was a shame as it was orange chicken.....but we did want to save our appetites for later.

One of the Concierge Supervisors came in and heard where we were going and said she hoped we got one of the best tables tonight, right beside the window overlooking the lake, and when it`s dark you see the Eye all lit up and it looks so pretty. I guessed we wouldn't be so lucky as to get such a table......but she said they loved Eddie V`s and she knew we would too.

We, at that point said our goodnight`s to everyone and headed down to the room to get ready.

Our friend had very kindly made the reservation at Eddie V`s for 7.30, so once we were showered and changed we headed downstairs to get a car as Tom and I planned to share a bottle of wine tonight. So no driving for him. Outside we saw Daniel the Valet guy who had taken us to Ocean Prime last week, we asked for an ODC but he insisted he would take us instead of waiting for a car......we were happy to have him drive us, we preferred to give him a good tip to be honest.

He chatted the whole way and again, it`s always interesting to hear about their lives and how things are with them.....they work very hard and are always so helpful.

It only takes around ten minutes to get to Eddie V`s, it`s right across the street from Ocean Prime so, very close. We thank Daniel once again and get out of the car.

I`m not really sure why we haven't been here before, but we hadn't. I think we were always such fans of Ocean Prime and The Palm for special meals, we did overlook it. But, we were excited for tonight.

We checked in at the desk and saw immediately it was incredibly busy, well, being Friday night of course and prime time...….but the staff were incredibly welcoming and the lady on the desk immediately wished me a Happy Birthday! That confused me a little, but I immediately guessed our friend who had known how disappointed we were with my actual birthday meal, had decided I`d celebrate it again......we did adore him so much, and things like this made us adore him all the more.

And......we were taken to our table, which absolutely was the one by the window we had hoped we would get......and the table was absolutely beautiful and such a surprise!!!! I did well up a little.....but with happy thoughts.......

And the view was lovely, I could picture how lovely it would look when it was dark.

Our waiter, well one of three staff looking after us, was just lovely. His name was Nick, and he was assisted by Katie and Lindsay...….

One brought bread and asked if we were ok with Cayenne Pepper as there was some on the butter, but we could have regular butter if we preferred, no we were fine with a little spice added to it. Then Nick returned and asked if we had decided what we wanted to drink tonight.......I had looked through the wine list before we arrived and had already decided it would be a bottle of the Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay.....one of my favourite wines...….he`d be back in a few moments with the wine.

Immediately from the moment we walked in here we felt incredibly comfortable and very much welcomed, we both knew instantly we would come back here.

Yes, I did like the table with the rose petals...….

At that point, one of the ladies brought us two glasses of champagne as a birthday treat.......and wow.....it was beautiful!!!! Another lovely surprise we didn`t expect......

We knew we`d enjoy tonight, but it was extra special with all the little touches I knew our friend had arranged with making the reservation for us. We were incredibly grateful.

Tom does love his bubbly too!!!!

Our lovely waiter had gone through several items on the menu, and we had more or less decided already what we were going to choose.....Tom opted for the Lobster Bisque which we had heard was incredible here...

I went for one of my favourite appetisers, despite there being many choices I would have enjoyed......jumbo shrimp cocktail...….

And it came with three little side sauces, Atomic Horseradish, cocktail sauce and a little sauce we would have at home with shrimp.....all beautifully served.

Yes, they were all beautiful. Tom said this was the best Lobster bisque ever, even compared to The Palm...….quite the accolade indeed.

The shrimp were incredibly plump and flavoursome, and I did try a tiny smidge of the horseradish.......er, no maybe not for me, it was nuclear hot...…..I didn`t want to lose the flavour of the shrimp. But the two sauces were perfect accompaniments.

There was a lovely gap between courses, and we had a very relaxing evening just enjoying the lovely atmosphere in this wonderful restaurant.

And the wine was delicious of course...…..

Although Eddie V`s is primarily a seafood restaurant, they are also well known for steaks, and that was what we both decided we would have tonight.......

Tom rather oddly went for the filet too, but his was medium......I as always asked for medium rare...…..I don't mind if it does come out rare though, either way is fine with me.

We had asked for the au gratin potatoes but the steaks all automatically come with a little ball of mashed potato too...….

And they did come out perfectly just as we had asked........

We as usual, probably ordered too much food.......and we had decided to have an addition to the steaks, and I went for the stuffed shrimp as an extra......they were gorgeous!!!! And very large...….

Tom didn`t want to get the same, so he asked for the scallops as an enhancement.......and wow they were perfect!!! So far everything had been completely perfect.

Everything tasted amazing.......the steaks were amazing, sublime taste as well as perfectly cooked, the shrimp and scallops and the au gratin potatoes were simply divine.

We were planning to have dessert, but asked Nick for a little break before we ordered.......no problem of course. So we finished the wine at this point and slowly decided what we were going to have from the dessert menu.......and both of us decided to each have Crème Brulee. We usually order a different dessert just so we can share each other`s but we do both love Creme Brulee.....so, that's what we order...…..

As soon as the desserts were sat down, we admired how pretty they looked then Nick appeared with another lovely surprise......one of their special birthday desserts which had the banana foster, which was flamed table side, raspberry sorbet and a chocolate pie dessert.....and it was very impressive as he flamed it. And they all looked delicious.....

A Creme Brulee each and sharing the dessert dish, was just lovely.....and we were completely full when we were done. This meal had been a completely special experience.

At this point a lady came over and introduced herself as the person our friend had contacted to make our evening so special.....she was one of the nicest people we had ever met.....a genuinely nice person who emitted such enthusiasm and was so happy we`d had such a lovely evening in the restaurant. We honestly couldn`t thank her enough for our wonderful evening and we were so happy she had come out to introduce herself.

We thanked everyone who had taken care of us tonight and went to the front and saw the bar area that we had missed as we came in, that was something else we might consider doing, is eating at the bar.....it was very lively!!!

Outside the valet guys called us a car, and a few minutes later it arrived, and we asked to go to Sapphire Falls and a few minutes later we were there.

We sat at the bar in Strong Water and just had one glass of wine.....we had such a fun time here too and Ashley happily told us that several folks had ordered the drink she had created, the Fools Gold after reading it on this trip report.......I was glad to hear it.

Fernando came over to chat and we always enjoy seeing him too, and we told him we had enjoyed a meal at Eddie V`s, he said he really liked it there too.....so many folks afterwards said, yes, it was one of their favourite places to eat too.

It was around an hour or so later, we decided it was late enough and we still had to walk back home, so we said our goodnights and began the walk back over to RP.

Once we were in the room we went over the evening and discussed how wonderful it had been…..this was my real birthday celebration as far as I was concerned.....and it had been absolutely perfect and we were so grateful it had been as lovely as it had been.

I would email our friend in the morning to let him know how how fabulous our evening had been and to thank him once again for being so special.

 

[Dooda]

I love your review!!! We've stayed at RP several times and your pics and "story" take me back there. Have always wanted to do HHN and you make me want to go even more! Can't wait for the rest of the story!!
Thanks for taking the time to do this!!!

 

[schumigirl]

I love your review!!! We've stayed at RP several times and your pics and "story" take me back there. Have always wanted to do HHN and you make me want to go even more! Can't wait for the rest of the story!!
Thanks for taking the time to do this!!!

along Dooda…..

I`m so pleased you`re enjoying this one, and happy you posted!!!

Isn`t RP just the nicest hotel!!! Oh you should try HHN......it is pure fun.....scary fun of course......lol......with next years being the 30th anniversary, we`re all hoping it will be an absolute classic year!!!

Thank you for your lovely comments, and glad to see you here......

 

[Minnie17]

So happy for a true a birthday celebration dinner for you! Looking forward to more

 

[disneyAndi14]

I didn’t really like the movie US either, I would think the house would be creepy!

Sorry the scare zones and show were not the best this year. The atmosphere during HHN is really cool and the low crowds in DA are so nice for a wander in.

I like how you can spend a few hours at HHN on Nights you choose, that is really nice. You aren’t rushed to see it all in 1 night.

I agree, the convention goers, so loud!

The dinner looks wonderful, a great extra Birthday experience! Yum.

 

[schumigirl]

So happy for a true a birthday celebration dinner for you! Looking forward to more

Thank you.......it really was one of the best nights we had. And it really felt like a proper birthday celebration.

More coming up soon........

 

[schumigirl]

I didn’t really like the movie US either, I would think the house would be creepy!

Sorry the scare zones and show were not the best this year. The atmosphere during HHN is really cool and the low crowds in DA are so nice for a wander in.

I like how you can spend a few hours at HHN on Nights you choose, that is really nice. You aren’t rushed to see it all in 1 night.

I agree, the convention goers, so loud!

The dinner looks wonderful, a great extra Birthday experience! Yum.

It was creepy.......lol.....but good creepy!! In the end I preferred the house to the movie!

Scare zones were definitely a bit of a disappointment, SA were still excelling in what they do, but some lacked the horror we expect. But a couple of the zones were brilliant! Yes, we much prefer going for a few hours each evening, folks always ask why we don’t do a RIP tour, they are excellent but no need for us to do one, we have Express and can go multiple nights......perfect! And yes, DA almost completely empty is marvellous.......

I think there‘s a training course some convention people go on to be louder than anyone else.......lol........

And yes, thank you, we just had the best night!!!

 

[schumigirl]

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 21ST​

The days were really passing quickly now, and as today was a Saturday we had no intention of going anywhere near the parks today. We made that mistake last week!!! So, a lazy relaxing day was on the cards today.

Once we were dressed, we facetimed Kyle who was now on vacation for 10 days......he had plenty of plans while he was off, so we were glad he had made time for us this morning.....lol.....he was doing great and was looking forward to his days off, and his next vacation would be with us in December.

Once we chatted, we set off for breakfast and yes, we took our time....and it was a little busier this morning again. Breakfast was nice and we spent some time again chatting to Kayla, she is so nice. And we could have chatted all day, but for the fact she had things to do......

As we came down through the lobby, the front desks had all been completed last night and now matched the theme of the new décor...although the carpet and the pictures on the walls still had to be removed you can see the new theme take shape.

We set off and went for fuel, then drove to Winter Garden which again, isn't too far a drive away. It`s a beautiful little town and we recently discovered a wonderful restaurant there, Chef`s Table at the Edgewater. Although we wouldn't make it back there this trip, we certainly planned another meal there at some point.

The journey there is also very pretty and we always love seeing parts of the country we wouldn't normally see.

Once we arrive in the town, we see it`s Farmer`s Market day.....and the main street is already full, but as there is an event on later parking is already limited. So, we pull into the public parking area, and of course it is mobbed!!! Not a space to be had....so it`s a case of driving round until we hit lucky before someone else does........and eventually we turn as someone is pulling out and we get a parking space.

We hadn't spent a lot of time around the town, so we were looking forward to seeing a bit more of it today.

The car park was very close to the area where the market was being held, so we didn`t have far to walk to find the stalls.

Stalls galore, and plenty of variety as to their wares. There were the usual variety of food items, crafts, art stalls, clothes and anything else you can think of...….this was one of the better markets around. Not as large as Lake Eola, but much easier to navigate.

There is a wonderful water play area for little ones too. And it was so busy.

I did think of our very own @keishashadow when I saw this sign...….....

The dips this guy sold were lovely....I don't normally sample where you can see others have raked about the food, but these had been freshly put out, so I did sample a couple of them, they were very nice. There was even a Key Lime Dip we liked, but not something we`d buy to eat here.

We liked this market a lot, and at one of the craft stalls we saw a little bracelet that would make a lovely gift for someone. It was her colour, she was the first person we thought of when we saw the sets. So we did buy that for her and I think that was all we bought today.

There was a whole section of produce under cover and we did have a wander around as it was a little cooler in there...…..but the produce was lovely and very tempting......

We had a good wander around then wandered the short distance into town and roamed around a good bit in the very pretty little town.

We really liked the central area in this town........they had musicians on the other occasions we were there, some of them were very good. But today it was just families enjoying the day. And it does have that family feel about the town, very friendly place.

We did think about going to Chef`s Table for lunch, as they do a tapas style regular menu, but there was nothing I was really in the mood for, and Tom was the same, so we passed today.

Heading back up the street we stopped into a few stores and didn't actually buy anything today, for a change......but it was nice to wander in and see the offered merchandise.

We came back down the far end, and ended up going to this place for lunch.......Moon Cricket Grille.

I had no idea what it going to be like, but the menu looked nice and the inside and out were busy, so we hoped that was a good sign.

We sat at the bar and the staff were very personable and we did like it immediately......

I ordered a glass of chardonnay, but the one I wanted they didn't have so she poured me another and said if I didn`t like it she`d change it, but it was fine. Nothing special, but very drinkable. Tom had lemonade.

It was a friendly place and the barmaid said they had live music on at nights too, so I can imagine it`s very popular. They also have a very good selection of beers from around the world, and some were very unusual.

The menu was nice and we really didn't want too much, so I went for an appetiser of Bam Bam Shrimp with coleslaw, and Tom decided to have the Chef`s Salad...….nice and simple today.

The food was very nice, I think we`d come back here and try some of the food going to tables and beside us as it all looked delicious, burgers especially looked impressive! We were glad we chose this place today.

We paid the check and headed back up to the car park which was still heaving with people vying for spaces, so we quickly retreated and headed back home.

Winter Garden is a lovely little town, it`s not very big but perfectly formed......lots of little stores that we love and very friendly people around.

Back home we saw one of the concierge supervisors and chatted to her for a while, then we went up to the Club Lounge to have some coffee for Tom and I wanted a sprite. I had sent our friend an email thanking him for again making the Eddie V experience so special, and mentioned we were in the lounge. Around 10 minutes later he appeared with one of his assistants....we were over the moon to see him!!! Of course we went over the previous evening and said we`d definitely go back to Eddie V`s.....they sat for quite a while just chatting, of course we could chat to him all day and it`s always a delight to see him.

Once they left, we weren`t sure what we were going to do the rest of the day. We thought we may go and see the Hogwarts Night Show later......or maybe the pool......

We`d decide that later.