Wine and Dine...to the Finish Line! Fall 2017 TR NEW 1/25 The Last Day - THE END!

[MeghanEmily]

Then I found real Hello Kitty! I dunno, it's weird to see her actually tall and with long limbs.

Yeah woah! I think the long thin arms are the thing that bugs me the most.

I did not want to leave without going on E.T. I was a child in the 80s and it is really fun to do stuff that reminds me of that time period. I love everything about this ride!

Nathan makes fun of me, but I think E.T. is my favourite ride at Universal! Such a great little gem.

The interior is great to look at. Wish the food we had was better.

Yeah, you really had terrible luck with the HP restaurants! We haven't found them to be on par with our favourite Disney places, but definitely still good, but I've always eaten the same things there and none of the things you had. At Leaky Cauldron I used to get the fish and chips, and now that I'm gluten free I get the turkey sandwich which has some kind of apple butter mayo or something like that on it, and both those meals were typically good. And at Three Broomsticks I only ever get the roast chicken meal, which has also typically been good. The breakfasts we had there were also relatively good, except for the gluten free pancakes which are seriously like a mush of cardboard and paste, grilled. Totally disgusting.

We left Hogsmeade and went over to Seuss Landing and got on the ride that is like the Peoplemover of Universal. It was so cute and fun, I loved it!

I love this!! One of my new favourite things to do at Universal is to ride this at night when everything is lit up, which we did on our December trip during Marathon Weekend. So fun and beautiful views!

I guess we just need to try more stuff next time.

I recommend Mythos. I don't know that it deserves the hype it gets because we've had better meals at Disney, but our meals there have been consistently good and we've found the value really good for the price. I usually pre-book a reservation there, but only a few weeks ahead. I think you can only book it a month out online? Not sure.

I know Orlando Informer has another event coming up in June - it definitely sounds like something I'd do again although not sure if I will be doing the June one or not.

Shoot! I just looked this up and it's only 2 days after I fly out of Orlando after my solo time!! But there's no way for me to swing it to stay any longer than I am. Oh well. As long as everything goes as planned, we'll be at Universal in August.

 

[KailaH]

Then I found real Hello Kitty! I dunno, it's weird to see her actually tall and with long limbs

I feel like meeting characters outside of Disney is a weird experience.

the food we had wasn't so great

I have found that the food at Universal is not great; however, I do like the burgers from the Simpson area.

Btw the Yacht club looks AMAZING

 

[pkondz]

I spotted the Hello Kitty store and I was very excited!

No offense meant... but I'd probably run in the opposite direction.

I ended up with a T-shirt of E.T. with Hello Kitty that was really unique.

I assume it's like the one pictured above. In which case... okay, I like that one.

Then I found real Hello Kitty! I dunno, it's weird to see her actually tall and with long limbs.

Thought she'd be a bit shorter?

Then we found the Madagascar penguins. (That's where they are from, right?)

I believe that's right.

I did not want to leave without going on E.T. I was a child in the 80s and it is really fun to do stuff that reminds me of that time period. I love everything about this ride!

I haven't ridden it since... 1992.

At the Three Broomsticks I tried the Cornish Pasties, which are these meat pies, served with a salad. They weren't very good at all, I did not like the filling (had a tinge too much rosemary which I don't like) and thought it was very underwhelming.

Well.... you're not having much luck with the food, are you?

After that, we did a bunch of rides on the Hulk. Express pass rocks.

Woot!

I dunno why the Universal coasters are ok with me and some of the Disney coasters are not.

That's... odd.

the food we had wasn't so great, which is one of the highlights usually when we're at Diney.

Possibly the best typo ever?

a lot of ride are the movie/simulation rides

Same in California. Seems kinda like a cop-out a bit.

I also like having a tub as I like to soak in mineral salts after a long day at the parks.

Who doesn't love a tub?!?!?

Ok this closet is genius, The rods light up when you open the doors.

Huh! Never seen that. Smart.

Here was our view. We got standard view, so nothing special but it was a lot better than a parking lot or construction which was what I expected.

Not bad at all!

 

[Raeven]

I did enjoy the Lemon Squash drink I got though, it tasted like a fresh lemonade.

Josh loves those!

I thought it was just ok, I think I liked waiting inside Rockefeller center more!

The queue is better than the ride (although I say this as someone who can't go on the ride )

Here was my outfit for tonight. Dress is from Hot Topic. I should have worn sneakers though, as it was damp from rain in the afternoon and I kept feeling like my feet were sliding everywhere. Steve wore a Hogwarts t-shirt with all the different house insignias - an equal opportunist!

I have that dress, and the Slytherin version of the shirt you were wearing earlier in the day!

Men in Black though, and I would totally go on them multiple times

Men In Black is so fun!

Overall I really enjoyed Universal - it doesn't suck me in as much as Disney, and the food we had wasn't so great

There is some really good food at Universal, but it's mostly at Citywalk and the resorts. We haven't found much in the parks we liked as much, and Cowfish can be kind of hit or miss.

Bathroom: Love the double sinks and the glass shower doors. It felt so much cleaner. I also like having a tub as I like to soak in mineral salts after a long day at the parks.

I love that too! I really want to stay at YC someday, and I love the look of the remodeled bathrooms they have in a lot of the hotels now.

 

[DLo]

Hopping over from the last report. Thanks for including the Universal part. Going there for the first time in two weeks . YC is probably my favorite resort . I love being able to walk to EPCOT during Food and Wine. Looking forward to more chunky adventures .

 

[Momee]

Following along! I love reading your TRs (and seeing your adorably coordinated clothes)!

 

[annie170]

Following along from the last trip report!

Thank you for including you Universal days to this report. I haven't been to Universal since the 90's and I'd love to see the WWoHP. Everything looks so amazing!

That's too bad that the food you tried was underwhelming. That's disappointing.

I really love how Express Pass works there. No worrying about picking out rides in advance.

Cute picture with Hello Kitty!

Your room at YC is gorgeous! Nice view, also!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Woohoo! Following along for another report. I do miss the Sienna commentary.

Hi!! Welcome to my new TR!
I kinda miss the Sienna commentary too, it was so fun to do, she has hilarious expressions.
Maybe I'll have to interject some Steve commentary here and there.

I'm here! Can't wait to hear about another trip!! First, you have the best outfits. Love the BB8 shirt and your dress for the party! at the comment that Steve was still tired from the family trip. I bet that took a lot out of you! Super fun to go to Universal. I've only been once and like you, it was an odd experience to just wander without much of a plan or knowing where anything is when trips to WDW are planned with such precision and I have the map committed to memory. I was too chicken to try the Harry Potter rides but loved walking around and soaking up the details. I had lunch at Leaky Cauldron and while not something I crave it was reasonably good. Looking forward to hearing more!!

Aww thank you! It's fun to dress up at Disney and theme parks!
We were definitely still recovering from that trip!
Universal was a really fun experience and it was nice to have a break from Disney - I don't have to do much planning and it's just chill. Really love the Harry Potter stuff and it was a really fun weekend event.

Thanks for the link now I have to go back and read
We went to Universal last month enjoyed it so much we upgraded to AP’s.
We just booked a 7 day trip in May as well as over Thanksgiving.

Awesome! How many days are you doing Universal vs Disney?

I do love EP it’s great to be able to take your time and know you’re not going to be waiting in a long line.
Loved Escape from Gringotts but Forbidden Journey make me feel

Yeah that ride is so nauseating! Gringotts all the way!

RPR is so pretty and I love your Marauders Map dress

Thank you!

How did you score these tickets?

orlandoinformer.com click on "Meetup"
And there's another meetup event in June - looks so tempting!

It does look pretty tiny.

It's an ok size.

Kinda in love with your relaxed pose here.

I didn't have to herd 15 people into a park on time so I'd say we are good and relaxed!

Wait a second! This is the same pose!!! Did you even go on this trip? Or is the whole thing just green screen????

This is actually my back yard...

Love this shot.

Thank you!

Eat it!!!!

I tried! We did in fact finish it by the time we left Universal LOL.

Great shots!

Thanks!

Cute! So pretty!

The mural is nice, too.

Love your dress.

Thanks!!

I really liked it. Wonder if it's the same on both coasts?

I think it is. I like it too just sweeter than I remember it to be.

Nice one. Haven't seen that angle before.

Thanks!

Did he make it?

Barely. Think he was off by .25 cm.

Hi Su-Lynn!

Hi @MeghanEmily !!

I love this! You guys look great. Little Mermaid meets Tangled!

Thank you!! It sounds like a cool crossover movie!

I really liked the rooms at RPR too...but also found them small. Something about the hallways and rooms there just felt a bit claustrophobic to me. But I'd definitely go back!

Yeah they were - but they were nice and fun and I like the decor!

I love how laid back we can be at Universal!

I know, complete 180 from Disney! It was nice!

I'm a big fan of this drink. I try to get it whenever we go. I wish they sold it more places. I asked a team member about it and he said he was pretty sure the only place to get it normally was inside the Leaky Cauldron.

It's really good!!

Perfectly themed!

Thanks!

Poor Steve! Understandable.

Haha, true.

Great timing! I'm sad to see this leave, even though I can't ride it anymore these days. But I'll be interested to see what gets put in there in its place.

I know, I'm interested to see what they come up with!

This is perfectly my speed! Such a cute little coaster ride

It is!

Regular water...that's like $12 a bottle! Ok really though, probably like $4 a bottle. But still. Good call on stocking up!

Haha yeah you're right! But in NYC that's about the price for water so it's not as shocking to us.

Finally able to catch up ........ going back to read, so will comment later.

Hi Karin!!

I love hearing about the universal side of your trip. I really like the rides at universal, but I love the feel of Disney more. I am new, and I love your trip reports!

Thank you so much for reading! Glad to have you along! It was really fun at Universal and a nice change of pace!

I’m here and ready to read about your awesome adventures!

Hi!! Thanks for coming over to the new TR!!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Me tooooo!!!! My favorite store to visit when I was a kid was ALWAYS the Sanrio store! (Lived in dallas then San Antonio and both cities have the Sanrio stores) it’s like pure heaven to be surrounded by Sanrio stuff. And you got a pic with hello kitty?!? I’m 34 but I would be hard core fan girling there!!! We had a hello kitty cafe tour bus stop here but my husband and two boys were NOT down for it. So I just sadly looked at the pictures online about it. Huge FOMO! Next time, I’m just gonna drag them to take me!

I love the Sanrio store! I also used to live in Tokyo when I was a kid and I loved seeing so much Sanrio stuff around me. I'm sad they closed the one in MCO!
Yes i think you should take your boys there, LOL. The Cafe truck has 2 hours lines though! And no Fastpass lol!

Ohhh that’s how you’re supposed to use them! I have a couple of these that I got cheap on amazon but use them in the hallway where there’s no outlet to plug in a night light. Awesome for finding out how to properly use these!

It was so cool, I really want all my closets to have these lights!

Universal studios look fun but not a must do every time in Orlando. Nope, not like WDW with sooo many must dos! The room at YC look great! I keep contemplating staying there in 2020 when Star Wars land is open.

I know! I am a Disney girl 100% but the bit of time spent in Universal was refreshing too!

Wow! That's a fantastic standard view!! I'm a bit shocked it's not classified as water view since you can sorta see the lake through the trees. I really like the Yacht Club too. And with the new quick serve and Ale & Compass - both lounge and restaurant - it's even better. I haven't stayed in a refurbed room - those look great. Especially that closet feature! It's totally the little things.

I was surprised too! We got a peek a boo view of the water. We were pretty far from the lobby though but a quick exit down some stairs brought us right to the boardwalk, it was nice! The room was so nice and new - it was lovely!

Yeah woah! I think the long thin arms are the thing that bugs me the most.

So weird right? Haha.

Nathan makes fun of me, but I think E.T. is my favourite ride at Universal! Such a great little gem.

I love that ride!! It might be my favorite too! So much fun and nostalgia!

Yeah, you really had terrible luck with the HP restaurants! We haven't found them to be on par with our favourite Disney places, but definitely still good, but I've always eaten the same things there and none of the things you had. At Leaky Cauldron I used to get the fish and chips, and now that I'm gluten free I get the turkey sandwich which has some kind of apple butter mayo or something like that on it, and both those meals were typically good. And at Three Broomsticks I only ever get the roast chicken meal, which has also typically been good. The breakfasts we had there were also relatively good, except for the gluten free pancakes which are seriously like a mush of cardboard and paste, grilled. Totally disgusting.

We did, it was disappointing. The best food we had was during the meet up and it was all catered anyways. I guess we'll just have to keep trying different things. Those pancakes sound awful!

I love this!! One of my new favourite things to do at Universal is to ride this at night when everything is lit up, which we did on our December trip during Marathon Weekend. So fun and beautiful views!

It's so cute and I love how relaxing it is but it still takes you around so you can see different things...just like the peoplemover!

I recommend Mythos. I don't know that it deserves the hype it gets because we've had better meals at Disney, but our meals there have been consistently good and we've found the value really good for the price. I usually pre-book a reservation there, but only a few weeks ahead. I think you can only book it a month out online? Not sure.

We were thinking about Mythos too! I guess next time we will try it!

Shoot! I just looked this up and it's only 2 days after I fly out of Orlando after my solo time!! But there's no way for me to swing it to stay any longer than I am. Oh well. As long as everything goes as planned, we'll be at Universal in August.

Oh too bad, it was a fun event. I was thinking of just flying down for a weekend just to go to this event and no other parks. Hmmm...tempting.

I feel like meeting characters outside of Disney is a weird experience.

It is a little weird, I mean why in the world would I want to meet characters which are non-Disney characters?!? Haha.

I have found that the food at Universal is not great; however, I do like the burgers from the Simpson area.

Ah ok good to know, thanks!

Btw the Yacht club looks AMAZING

It is gorgeous! It might slowly take over as my favorite resort...I mean I love the Poly and all but my love with the Poly has to do mostly with sentimental reasons. I think their rooms could definitely use a renovation esp after seeing these gorgeous Yacht Club rooms!

No offense meant... but I'd probably run in the opposite direction.

Haha I kinda expected that. No Hello Kitty for you!

I assume it's like the one pictured above. In which case... okay, I like that one.

You know if they had that graphic on a t-shirt, I would buy it in a heartbeat. The one I have is a little different. It looks like this:

Thought she'd be a bit shorter?

Yeah, no she's like...HUMAN sized.

I haven't ridden it since... 1992.

Hmm, think it's about time to ride it again!

Well.... you're not having much luck with the food, are you?

No, absolutely not at Universal! I need to try more stuff!

Possibly the best typo ever?

Haha, yes!! I have corrected it, but coulda just left it. Everyone would know what I was talking about anyways!

Same in California. Seems kinda like a cop-out a bit.

Yeah I had the same thoughts. I mean they were all well done I just thought they were rather similar.

Josh loves those!

They are sooo yummy!

The queue is better than the ride (although I say this as someone who can't go on the ride )

Haha, that is true.

I have that dress, and the Slytherin version of the shirt you were wearing earlier in the day!

I remember from your TR!! Honestly I would have just bought them in every color if I went to Universal more! They are so comfy.

There is some really good food at Universal, but it's mostly at Citywalk and the resorts. We haven't found much in the parks we liked as much, and Cowfish can be kind of hit or miss.

Ah yeah that's what I expected. Think we need to try more stuff!

I love that too! I really want to stay at YC someday, and I love the look of the remodeled bathrooms they have in a lot of the hotels now.

It's gorgeous! I think you'd really like it.

Hopping over from the last report. Thanks for including the Universal part. Going there for the first time in two weeks . YC is probably my favorite resort . I love being able to walk to EPCOT during Food and Wine. Looking forward to more chunky adventures .

Hi!! thanks for coming over! Oh wow first time to Universal? I think it'll be a nice fun trip and different from Disney!
Love the YC!! I love the location, the decor, everything!

Have a great trip!

Following along! I love reading your TRs (and seeing your adorably coordinated clothes)!

Aww thank you and welcome!

Following along from the last trip report!

Thank you for including you Universal days to this report. I haven't been to Universal since the 90's and I'd love to see the WWoHP. Everything looks so amazing!

Hi Annie! WWoHP is amazing, the attention to detail is wonderful. I really enjoyed all the parks have to offer.

That's too bad that the food you tried was underwhelming. That's disappointing.

Yeah...maybe I'm just spoiled by Disney park food - they really have set the bar high.

I really love how Express Pass works there. No worrying about picking out rides in advance.

It was wonderful! So easy to not have to plan!

Cute picture with Hello Kitty!

Thanks! Although she is way too big for Hello Kitty! I always think she's like the size of a basketball at MOST.

Your room at YC is gorgeous! Nice view, also!

It was lovely, I really enjoyed the room and would love to stay there again.

 

[Tracy161]

Love this!

42-yrs old

I know I say this every time I see your age... I don't believe you! Must be Disney keeps us looking young, right?

He's currently trying to do some hydroponics in the basement using a Nutrient Film Technique. Now can someone tell me where you've seen that before?

where we became official DVC Owners at the Polynesian!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope you're in for this tale.. as we Wine and Dine our way to the Finish Line!!

This TR title is amazing!

When I saw the donut in the box, it didn't really look that big, but holy cow! It looks SO good!!!

Super cute!

I think he's still tired from our August trip with the family, LOL.

 

[kastoney]

I'm here!!!!!!! While the food doesn't interest me too much at Universal, I can't wait until Casey is a little bit older and we can introduce her to Harry Potter and discover the other side of Orlando.

Your Yacht Club room looks gorgeous. We're staying at beach club in August for the first time and I'm so excited!

 

[mommaof3boys]

I'm here! I enjoyed reading about Universal. We've never been but might someday when the kids are a little older. I'm wanting my boys to get into Harry Potter. I love the books. I might be waiting awhile.

 

[Woth2982]

Joining in! Love your Universal stuff. That event looked like fun! We didnt do a ton of rides when we went in January outside of the HP stuff because Andrew got food poisoning when we landed! He ate nothing but saltines for 24 hours. He is queesy on rides to start with so I didn't want to push. But I still enjoyed the atmosphere.

Love the yacht club photos! Love hearing stories of people who went to college in Boston (my hometown). The yacht club is definitely reminiscent of the ports. Funny enough I am doing my bathroom over the exact way of the yacht club! Im gonna have a disney bathroom without trying! Looking forward to reading more! I enjoyed your last couple reports!

 

[mamamelody2]

Joining in! Looks like another amazing trip!

 

[Monykalyn]

We are doing Universal in June so nice to see more pics. Won't be onsite though, and debating annual passes-will see if DH goes for the one that has EP after 4. Kids this time are more excited for Universal than Disney-we don't normally do so many Disney trips so close together.
I don't remember the food we had at Universal-has been 3 years-but I don't think we had anything we hated. Wonder if they changed the menu at 3Broomsticks? Have never done anything in seuss land-that might have to change.

New Yacht club rooms look gorgeous. Score for the "secret" door to boat dock LOL! Last time we were at Beach club -I think I was the only one who didn't request a reburbished room-(they were in middle of reno) my only request was full balcony. We ended up on 2nd floor overlooking the small pool (score for view!! when paid for standard through Orbitz and had 50% off), the room was a few doors down the hallway from the "secret" door that was just step from Epcot IG. When I showed the kids that door and how to get to Epcot they would routinely disappear and come back with food (France and great Britain).

MMM more Food&Wine....

 

[pkondz]

orlandoinformer.com click on "Meetup"
And there's another meetup event in June - looks so tempting!

well whadyaknow.

I didn't have to herd 15 people into a park on time so I'd say we are good and relaxed!

I get that!

This is actually my back yard...

I knew it!!!!!

I think it is. I like it too just sweeter than I remember it to be.

Ah.

Barely. Think he was off by .25 cm.

Ouch!

Haha I kinda expected that. No Hello Kitty for you!

More like Goodbye Kitty.

You know if they had that graphic on a t-shirt, I would buy it in a heartbeat. The one I have is a little different. It looks like this:

Not bad... but yeah, I like the other graphic more.

Yeah, no she's like...HUMAN sized.

Could've been worse.... just look what happened to that nice little lizard Godzilla.

Hmm, think it's about time to ride it again!

Haha, yes!! I have corrected it, but coulda just left it. Everyone would know what I was talking about anyways!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Joining in, we just got back from a trip and I agree with many of your comments about USO, fun but not Disney!
The rides just don’t give me that special feeling like the Disney ones, except E.T., love it!

 

[ONUAtrain]

Woo! Another Trip Report!! The Yacht Club looks amazing, would love to stay there some day. And hard to beat the Epcot Area for Food and Wine.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Following along!

The reason we went back to Orlando so soon after our big family trip in August was because I got tickets to attend the Orlando Informer Meetup event at Universal Orlando's WWoHP. It included all the Harry Potter rides and attractions in both parks plus dinner and beverages (non-alcoholic), and ice cream. Sounded like fun!

I've seen the ads for these events and they seem like an awesome deal! If I was visiting at a time with one I would totally do it!

Here was my outfit for tonight. Dress is from Hot Topic. I should have worn sneakers though, as it was damp from rain in the afternoon and I kept feeling like my feet were sliding everywhere. Steve wore a Hogwarts t-shirt with all the different house insignias - an equal opportunist!

Very cute!

Here was our view. We got standard view, so nothing special but it was a lot better than a parking lot or construction which was what I expected.

I think that is a pretty nice view actually!

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

So glad you started your next trip report.