"Blame it on Carole" - a Feb 2023 trip report (with some lingering Dec 2022 vibes)

[DisGhost]

Your pictures are wonderful!
Absolutely stunning…

That movie of meet the parents is a fun one!!

Several scenes were filmed around various locations in town. We were not living here at the time but my husband grew up here so it was of course a big deal.

Many things have been filmed here over the years, and the famous "dream house" from the end of Miracle on 34th St is just about a mile away from me. A church down the block from us rents out their parking lot as a "staging area" so it is not uncommon to see the yellow signs directing people to various locations.

Adam Sandler has also spent a lot of time here filming several different movies, and lived here while doing so for about six months. He has been spotted on TV wearing a local sweat shirt on many occasions, it is clearly one of his favorites lol. Apparently he is an absolute dear man although I haven't run into him.

Here's Louie's as it looks in the film:



But here is how it looks in real life, as you can see they did quite a thing to it! There's no neon for sure, it has more of an old fashioned 1920's vibe to it than a neon kitsch 80's vibe.

 

[DisGhost]

Day 2 - Sunday February 19

Unlike during our December trip, we at least didn't have to wake up at an ungodly hour. And today, my friend Suzy and her husband Frank were meeting us! I've known Suzy since we were both in 2nd grade. She and Frank have no children by choice, but they do have 3 parrots who are like children to them - one African Gray named Bradley, a miniature macaw named Abbey, and a big green winged macaw named Cody - and they are quite the characters! All five of them live in a rather large RV although they also own a detached home that acts as kitchen and living area. Frank used to own a pizza restaurant in California, and one day they just decided to take to the road and never looked back. This does not surprise me - Suzy was always the type to just get in her car (in high school, it was an old tan Ford Escort named Chuck) and just drive until she ran out of road.

We try to see Suzy whenever we are in Florida - not every time, but enough. And every time we do see each other it's like no time has passed. And luckily, Jon and Frank get along like gangbusters and my kids like them too.

They were driving over from their house so arriving a bit later, so we did our early entry and I think rode Velocicoaster and Forbidden Journey. Anna wanted Butterbeer and the line wasn't long, so we got some of that and by that time the rest of the park was open so we went and rode "Spooderman."



"Spooderman" has a special spot in our hearts. In 2007, Jon and I went on a trip to Universal - my first and I think maybe his second. We stayed at RPR and got upgraded to a suite which was quite a nice surprise! Well, Spiderman and Mummy were our two favorite rides and at one point, Spiderman broke down and we were stuck in line with a family from New York - two boys and their parents. This was before we had kids, and Jon, well, he is SO good with them. He wanted to be a teacher at one point and he still loves working with kids - he coaches the local soccer teams and is very passionate about it. We got to talking and got along great. Well two days later, they saw us in line and let people go ahead so they could wait with us! We ended up spending the entire day together and Jon even got the youngest boy past his fear of the Jurassic Park ride. I got pregnant with Anna soon after but that was sort of the event that made me realize just how great a dad Jon would be. Then, years later when we took the kids to Universal for the first time, we talked up Spiderman to Finley SO MUCH (he was still fearful of rides back then) and dragged him on it first thing. He LOVED it. So I have a soft spot for Spiderman and we do it many times each trip.

By the time we got off the ride, Suzy had texted and they were HERE! We met at the Hulk and of course constant chatter ensued. The last time they had been to Universal was in 2015 when they were there for an event with Good Sam - basically an RV club I guess. But they had bought Annual Passes because with their Florida residency it was so cheap. So they have already gone back a couple of times!

Of course we had to go on Hulk and then we did Velocicoaster, Forbidden Journey, and then we took the Hogwarts Express over to the other park because we were starving.



We once again wandered the food booths. We ended up getting poutine, which is one of Finley's favorite foods, and it was quite good. We also got the bun sampler from Japan - quite filling as it's mostly carbs. We did Transformers, which is so jarring sometimes but Jon and the kids like it. Jon is a sucker for big, terrible action movies and loves that series. He also adores Fast and the Furious - well. The movies at least. He deeply resents the ride and is rather crabby about it to be honest!

I think we also did Gringotts and Simpsons and Men in Black and we explored some of the shops. By then it was hot and crowded and we were looking for a break so we went back to RPR and just hung out at a table in Orchid Lounge - the bar wouldn't open up until 4, and it was about 3:40 so not too long to wait but we just enjoyed chatting and the air conditioning.

Suzy and Frank were just so impressed by the place as it is so relaxing to just lounge there, and we did end up grabbing drinks when they opened up. They were setting up for dinner by putting out menus but there was no one there to dine yet and they were fine with us taking up one of the big couch areas in the middle.

Eventually it was time for us to head over to Sapphire Falls - Jon's sister had rejected it as her daughter does not eat pork (her first husband was Jewish) so felt like there wasn't much for Jess to eat. Well, fine by us!

We took the "secret walkway" over and there was a convention going on. Frank and Suzy thought they saw a friend of theirs, but never did figure out if it was here. But there were many groups of conventioneers hanging about and several times during the trip we saw them setting out special buffets for them.

We were a bit early for our reservation but that was fine, they sat us immediately and we had a lovely young man as our server. His name escapes me at the moment but I want to say Nic? Something short.

Frank and I both got Carole's Punch, totally by coincidence, and it was lovely. I was worried because it said something about bananas which I hate, but you couldn't taste that at all. I resisted telling them about the backstory.

We got SO much food - everything in the Little Havana section and of course the camarones are so good. We got extra bread to soak up that sauce. Finley really wanted the curry goat again, it was much spicier this time but he did eat his fill of it anyway.

We nonetheless made it to dessert because I wanted that tres leches cake (my favorite cake in the world) and when it came out it was basically an entire cake - the slice was gigantic. We also had the banana bread pudding which was also delicious. Both servings were so big there was no way we could finish it all but we did our level best.

We had been planning to go back to the park and see the Mardi Gras parade but we old people were all very tired and so we parted ways, sadly. We went back to RPR and I think we were all asleep long before 10pm.

Tomorrow, we would meet up with Jon's sister and her family - we see each other all the time in New York but hadn't seen each other since Thanksgiving so we were looking forward to this!

 

[schumigirl]

Day 2 - Sunday February 19

Unlike during our December trip, we at least didn't have to wake up at an ungodly hour. And today, my friend Suzy and her husband Frank were meeting us! I've known Suzy since we were both in 2nd grade. She and Frank have no children by choice, but they do have 3 parrots who are like children to them - one African Gray named Bradley, a miniature macaw named Abbey, and a big green winged macaw named Cody - and they are quite the characters! All five of them live in a rather large RV although they also own a detached home that acts as kitchen and living area. Frank used to own a pizza restaurant in California, and one day they just decided to take to the road and never looked back. This does not surprise me - Suzy was always the type to just get in her car (in high school, it was an old tan Ford Escort named Chuck) and just drive until she ran out of road.

We try to see Suzy whenever we are in Florida - not every time, but enough. And every time we do see each other it's like no time has passed. And luckily, Jon and Frank get along like gangbusters and my kids like them too.

They were driving over from their house so arriving a bit later, so we did our early entry and I think rode Velocicoaster and Forbidden Journey. Anna wanted Butterbeer and the line wasn't long, so we got some of that and by that time the rest of the park was open so we went and rode "Spooderman."

View attachment 744656

"Spooderman" has a special spot in our hearts. In 2007, Jon and I went on a trip to Universal - my first and I think maybe his second. We stayed at RPR and got upgraded to a suite which was quite a nice surprise! Well, Spiderman and Mummy were our two favorite rides and at one point, Spiderman broke down and we were stuck in line with a family from New York - two boys and their parents. This was before we had kids, and Jon, well, he is SO good with them. He wanted to be a teacher at one point and he still loves working with kids - he coaches the local soccer teams and is very passionate about it. We got to talking and got along great. Well two days later, they saw us in line and let people go ahead so they could wait with us! We ended up spending the entire day together and Jon even got the youngest boy past his fear of the Jurassic Park ride. I got pregnant with Anna soon after but that was sort of the event that made me realize just how great a dad Jon would be. Then, years later when we took the kids to Universal for the first time, we talked up Spiderman to Finley SO MUCH (he was still fearful of rides back then) and dragged him on it first thing. He LOVED it. So I have a soft spot for Spiderman and we do it many times each trip.

By the time we got off the ride, Suzy had texted and they were HERE! We met at the Hulk and of course constant chatter ensued. The last time they had been to Universal was in 2015 when they were there for an event with Good Sam - basically an RV club I guess. But they had bought Annual Passes because with their Florida residency it was so cheap. So they have already gone back a couple of times!

Of course we had to go on Hulk and then we did Velocicoaster, Forbidden Journey, and then we took the Hogwarts Express over to the other park because we were starving.

View attachment 744644

We once again wandered the food booths. We ended up getting poutine, which is one of Finley's favorite foods, and it was quite good. We also got the bun sampler from Japan - quite filling as it's mostly carbs. We did Transformers, which is so jarring sometimes but Jon and the kids like it. Jon is a sucker for big, terrible action movies and loves that series. He also adores Fast and the Furious - well. The movies at least. He deeply resents the ride and is rather crabby about it to be honest!

I think we also did Gringotts and Simpsons and Men in Black and we explored some of the shops. By then it was hot and crowded and we were looking for a break so we went back to RPR and just hung out at a table in Orchid Lounge - the bar wouldn't open up until 4, and it was about 3:40 so not too long to wait but we just enjoyed chatting and the air conditioning.

Suzy and Frank were just so impressed by the place as it is so relaxing to just lounge there, and we did end up grabbing drinks when they opened up. They were setting up for dinner by putting out menus but there was no one there to dine yet and they were fine with us taking up one of the big couch areas in the middle.

Eventually it was time for us to head over to Sapphire Falls - Jon's sister had rejected it as her daughter does not eat pork (her first husband was Jewish) so felt like there wasn't much for Jess to eat. Well, fine by us!

We took the "secret walkway" over and there was a convention going on. Frank and Suzy thought they saw a friend of theirs, but never did figure out if it was here. But there were many groups of conventioneers hanging about and several times during the trip we saw them setting out special buffets for them.

We were a bit early for our reservation but that was fine, they sat us immediately and we had a lovely young man as our server. His name escapes me at the moment but I want to say Nic? Something short.

Frank and I both got Carole's Punch, totally by coincidence, and it was lovely. I was worried because it said something about bananas which I hate, but you couldn't taste that at all. I resisted telling them about the backstory.

We got SO much food - everything in the Little Havana section and of course the camarones are so good. We got extra bread to soak up that sauce. Finley really wanted the curry goat again, it was much spicier this time but he did eat his fill of it anyway.

We nonetheless made it to dessert because I wanted that tres leches cake (my favorite cake in the world) and when it came out it was basically an entire cake - the slice was gigantic. We also had the banana bread pudding which was also delicious. Both servings were so big there was no way we could finish it all but we did our level best.

We had been planning to go back to the park and see the Mardi Gras parade but we old people were all very tired and so we parted ways, sadly. We went back to RPR and I think we were all asleep long before 10pm.

Tomorrow, we would meet up with Jon's sister and her family - we see each other all the time in New York but hadn't seen each other since Thanksgiving so we were looking forward to this!

Old friends like that are priceless! Glad you got to spend time with them on such a fun trip.

I’m still laughing at Spooderman!! But I can see why it evokes some special memories with your son riding it. It is fun.

You did well with your day and yes, it is lovely to sit in Orchids lounge even if it’s just to chill, and I’m so glad you liked the Punch!!! Oddly, I don’t like bananas either so when Anthony mentioned it was going to be in it, I made a face……lol…..but he said to trust him, and yes, you can’t taste banana at all, but it adds something.

The food is always amazing in there and yes……the Tres Leches is huge, and completely amazing.

Your trip has been wonderful to read about so far!

 

[DisGhost]

Day 3 - Monday February 20

Jon's sister is a doctor, the mother of three very different children, and her ex husband wasn't exactly the type to actually pull his weight. She is now married to a man we consider our brother, her kids are older than ours (19, 17, and 15.) I also want to say that, as an only child, I married into a pretty large family (Jon has a full brother, a half brother and two half sisters, and two step-sisters and a step-brother!) and I like to joke that I married him to get his family but that's sort of true. Amanda is the sister of my heart and we are quite close and I adore her and her entire family. Her youngest, Zach, is our god son. Her middle child Jessica was also going to be there for this trip but Nate, the eldest, had to work, sadly.

We were just about to leave RPR when we got the text that they had arrived at the Hard Rock. By the time we were in the HUGE LONG line at security by Margaritaville, they were waiting on the bridge for us. Yes, on the bridge from Margaritaville over to the entrance of IOA, a full 30 minutes before early entry. It was SO crowded, more so than even right after Christmas - we got there half an hour early then and were right near the front of the line. I guess the difference between a 7am early entry and an 8am early entry!

There was a family from our town right behind us in line - we had gotten to talking, found out were were both from New York, and then from Long Island, and then wow, we are both from the same town. We had mutual friends and our youngest kids were in the same grade but in different schools.

We got into line with Amanda and the rest - I felt a bit guilty to push into line but really, there were so many people just bunched up it didn't matter much. Their plan was to go straight to Hagrid's - which we knew from experience (and from how far back we were in the line) was a terrible idea. But Jon was determined not to try to take control because, well, family dynamics. So we shrugged it off.



They had been told by the check in people at HR that Express Pass at Velocicoaster would begin today - a rumor that started in a Facebook group about a week before our trip. I had seen a few posts about it but nothing substantiated. And Hagrid's was closing for maintenance after today so I wasn't sure I believed it at all. I tried googling on my phone but there was nothing - until around 10am when I saw a Reddit post that they were indeed doing EP!

Amanda mentioned they had picked up their tickets during check in and Jon and I both got a sinking feeling. They are a "Disney Family" and we were indeed right - they had been told at the front desk that their Express Passes were also their tickets. Which they found out when they tried to go through the kiosks. Amanda was understandably pissed, and they went to wait at Guest Services which had a huge line. So we decided to go with our original plan, which was to race for Velocicoaster because there was no way they were getting in at a reasonable time, and we were sure they would not want to wait in line for TWO HOURS for Hagrids.



I am pretty sure this was the day that the team member at the bridge over to VC was telling people it was a delayed opening, but we decided to walk over the bridge anyway and go to Forbidden Journey instead - but, BEHOLD! VC was indeed open, and was a walk on. We were off within 15 minutes and Amanda texted us to say they were already in the park. They didn't have to wait at GS, they went to the ticket booth, which was a much shorter wait.

Jon found a bench and said let's sit here and wait for them and right then Anna pointed out that they were in the Hagrid's line right behind us. So we got in line with them. Amanda was still in a bad mood, thinking we should have gotten in line for them to save time nd of course the ticket snafu. But really, it was probably a 15 minute difference at that point and the line was already over 2 hours long. Who in their right mind would do that?

Jessica was also crabby because according to her that delay had cost them hours. They didn't believe us that the line would die down around dinnertime.

It sounds like this day was not off to a great start - and it wasn't. But, we made the best of it and despite a few crabby ladies we still had a nice family chat and I did enjoy hanging out with my god son Zach. He's a very nice young man, a bit underrepresented because to be honest his older siblings are very good at taking attention, but he's very sweet and polite and good at just being in his own world and I enjoyed him letting me be in it. He and I are both laggards and spend a lot of time at the back of the pack. Usually it's just me trying to catch up to the rest of the fam. So we had a time to hang out and I could be his auntie for a bit.



We did get stuck indoors when Hagrid's inevitably broke down, for about 15 minutes, which did not help Jessica's mood. But FINALLY after about 2.5 hours, we boarded. Thank the lord.

Jess was hangry after that so we stopped at a random cart in Hogsmeade and got some snacks, then went on Forbidden Journey. Zach really wanted to go on Flight of the Hippogriff - poor kid gets VERY motion sick and enjoys the smaller rides (he notoriously puked in the car on the way to Thanksgiving with the grandparents, the day after Finley was born - we were still in the hospital and everyone was supposed to visit but Amanda instead had to go to Walmart for new clothes). But the line was 90 minutes and it's a very slow load, so we promised him tomorrow first thing.

Then we meandered over to King Kong, because Rich wanted a ride, and then Velocicoaster, which Zach sat out so he held on to our stuff for us. By this time EP was indeed open so we basically walked on. The others did get to briefly see the raptors chasing after the cars but we were rushed through that room. It was amazing how much time not stopping at the lockers saved, and amazing how many people had NO CLUE that they needed to dump everything there. The cast members were very good at shouting instructions and the people were very good at not listening!

JP River Adventure was back up and Zach mentioned wanting to go on that. So I made a mental note to make sure he got his ride. But we were all hungry now and needed to hop over to the other park for food.

That was quite a bit for a morning! More to come.

 

[macraven]

Quite enjoying your trip report!
Hope you have more to share with us tonight.

 

[schumigirl]

Day 3 - Monday February 20

Jon's sister is a doctor, the mother of three very different children, and her ex husband wasn't exactly the type to actually pull his weight. She is now married to a man we consider our brother, her kids are older than ours (19, 17, and 15.) I also want to say that, as an only child, I married into a pretty large family (Jon has a full brother, a half brother and two half sisters, and two step-sisters and a step-brother!) and I like to joke that I married him to get his family but that's sort of true. Amanda is the sister of my heart and we are quite close and I adore her and her entire family. Her youngest, Zach, is our god son. Her middle child Jessica was also going to be there for this trip but Nate, the eldest, had to work, sadly.

We were just about to leave RPR when we got the text that they had arrived at the Hard Rock. By the time we were in the HUGE LONG line at security by Margaritaville, they were waiting on the bridge for us. Yes, on the bridge from Margaritaville over to the entrance of IOA, a full 30 minutes before early entry. It was SO crowded, more so than even right after Christmas - we got there half an hour early then and were right near the front of the line. I guess the difference between a 7am early entry and an 8am early entry!

There was a family from our town right behind us in line - we had gotten to talking, found out were were both from New York, and then from Long Island, and then wow, we are both from the same town. We had mutual friends and our youngest kids were in the same grade but in different schools.

We got into line with Amanda and the rest - I felt a bit guilty to push into line but really, there were so many people just bunched up it didn't matter much. Their plan was to go straight to Hagrid's - which we knew from experience (and from how far back we were in the line) was a terrible idea. But Jon was determined not to try to take control because, well, family dynamics. So we shrugged it off.

View attachment 744999

They had been told by the check in people at HR that Express Pass at Velocicoaster would begin today - a rumor that started in a Facebook group about a week before our trip. I had seen a few posts about it but nothing substantiated. And Hagrid's was closing for maintenance after today so I wasn't sure I believed it at all. I tried googling on my phone but there was nothing - until around 10am when I saw a Reddit post that they were indeed doing EP!

Amanda mentioned they had picked up their tickets during check in and Jon and I both got a sinking feeling. They are a "Disney Family" and we were indeed right - they had been told at the front desk that their Express Passes were also their tickets. Which they found out when they tried to go through the kiosks. Amanda was understandably pissed, and they went to wait at Guest Services which had a huge line. So we decided to go with our original plan, which was to race for Velocicoaster because there was no way they were getting in at a reasonable time, and we were sure they would not want to wait in line for TWO HOURS for Hagrids.

View attachment 745023

I am pretty sure this was the day that the team member at the bridge over to VC was telling people it was a delayed opening, but we decided to walk over the bridge anyway and go to Forbidden Journey instead - but, BEHOLD! VC was indeed open, and was a walk on. We were off within 15 minutes and Amanda texted us to say they were already in the park. They didn't have to wait at GS, they went to the ticket booth, which was a much shorter wait.

Jon found a bench and said let's sit here and wait for them and right then Anna pointed out that they were in the Hagrid's line right behind us. So we got in line with them. Amanda was still in a bad mood, thinking we should have gotten in line for them to save time nd of course the ticket snafu. But really, it was probably a 15 minute difference at that point and the line was already over 2 hours long. Who in their right mind would do that?

Jessica was also crabby because according to her that delay had cost them hours. They didn't believe us that the line would die down around dinnertime.

It sounds like this day was not off to a great start - and it wasn't. But, we made the best of it and despite a few crabby ladies we still had a nice family chat and I did enjoy hanging out with my god son Zach. He's a very nice young man, a bit underrepresented because to be honest his older siblings are very good at taking attention, but he's very sweet and polite and good at just being in his own world and I enjoyed him letting me be in it. He and I are both laggards and spend a lot of time at the back of the pack. Usually it's just me trying to catch up to the rest of the fam. So we had a time to hang out and I could be his auntie for a bit.

View attachment 745011

We did get stuck indoors when Hagrid's inevitably broke down, for about 15 minutes, which did not help Jessica's mood. But FINALLY after about 2.5 hours, we boarded. Thank the lord.

Jess was hangry after that so we stopped at a random cart in Hogsmeade and got some snacks, then went on Forbidden Journey. Zach really wanted to go on Flight of the Hippogriff - poor kid gets VERY motion sick and enjoys the smaller rides (he notoriously puked in the car on the way to Thanksgiving with the grandparents, the day after Finley was born - we were still in the hospital and everyone was supposed to visit but Amanda instead had to go to Walmart for new clothes). But the line was 90 minutes and it's a very slow load, so we promised him tomorrow first thing.

Then we meandered over to King Kong, because Rich wanted a ride, and then Velocicoaster, which Zach sat out so he held on to our stuff for us. By this time EP was indeed open so we basically walked on. The others did get to briefly see the raptors chasing after the cars but we were rushed through that room. It was amazing how much time not stopping at the lockers saved, and amazing how many people had NO CLUE that they needed to dump everything there. The cast members were very good at shouting instructions and the people were very good at not listening!

JP River Adventure was back up and Zach mentioned wanting to go on that. So I made a mental note to make sure he got his ride. But we were all hungry now and needed to hop over to the other park for food.

That was quite a bit for a morning! More to come.

I`m glad you still managed to have some lovely family time with everyone while waiting in line.....2.5hrs is a long wait!!!

It`s so nice to chat to folks in line, and yes when you find them to be from the same place, that`s kind of cool.

Glad VC was a walk on for you too......and yes, it was quite a morning for you!!

 

[DisGhost]

I will say that we have ridden VC several times and the line always keeps moving - even though we go in the busy periods so it's not quite a short wait, it's always a lot less than posted and you never really feel like you're just sitting around. But when they opened EP both lines went much more slowly, standby exponentially so. Even though we were able to enter straight into the room with the raptor statue, you then kind of sit there for a bit. And the standby lines basically exploded because of it. So I feel sorry for anyone without EP now!

 

[DisGhost]

Day 3 - Monday February 20 (continued)

I'm not sure what we did when we got to Kings Cross but I think we must have gone to Diagon Alley for a bit. I know we missed the dragon fire several times by mere seconds, I am sure this was one of them. I think we poked around the shops a bit and then since it was after 1pm, went over the bridge and while the rest of us went to the restrooms there, the menfolk went to get chicken schnitzel. But then when we got out - Jon came over to say they were already out! Rich had gone over to get some Duff beer, so we walked that way and landed on Mexico for our first food booth stop. Both families ordered one of each - pork tacos (which Jess would not eat), street corn, and shrimp tostadas.



Happily there was seating at the tables in the courtyard - most of the food booths have stand up tables with no chairs and we had been walking for seeming millennia. The pork tacos and corn came up quickly but Jon heard the guy putting together the food tell the cashier not to sell anymore shrimp for a bit. So we ate what we had (the tacos were very small and not worth the $11 we paid but the corn was good) and waited some more. Finley really wanted poutine, so Rich, Jon, and Anna went over to get poutine and maple lemonade (Anna loves the stuff, the rest of us think it's way too sweet!)

Eventually our names were called again but he said, we are out of shrimp, I can give you tacos or corn. So I took another tiny taco and Amanda got corn. Eventually the poutine also arrived and finally everyone was full but it was a bit of an ordeal I must say.

Jess wanted a donut so Rich went over to Lard Lad to get one but came back quickly saying the line was insane. Meanwhile, Zach had spotted one of the characters from Madagascar, we saw them quite a bit this trip. So he and Jess went over to meet him (I have no idea the name, it was that king of the whatever animals they are! )

Since we were all full and no donuts to be had, we went and rode Transformers and then Jess wanted to ride Gringotts so we went back over there. But the EP line was literally out the door. I have never seen it so bad! We decided that was a sign and went our separate ways to rest for a bit at our respective hotels. We would meet up again at Cowfish at 5:45.



I think I soaked my feet in the tub for a bit - they were so sore! Jon dozed for a bit and the kids watched some sort of YouTube junk or other. But eventually we had to rouse ourselves and head back to CityWalk. Our December trip we went to Cowfish for lunch one day and it was terrible. The food was not great, the service ho hum, we were not excited to go back but the cousins liked it so it was fine. This time we were seated upstairs and had a terrific waiter. And the food was also much better this go round. And apparently having a big group also helps with the cheering up! So all in all we were happy we came back.

But this time, we really did make it to the Mardi Gras parade. It's one of my favorites so I was happy we got to go. In December, I missed the Christmas Parade entirely - we kept putting it off or being too tired and then they cancelled it on our last day and the one and only thing I really wanted to see, I missed. We found a great spot near the start of the parade route. Sadly, there was a loud group of teens sitting on the wall behind us and all of the float people tossed their beads over the kids heads to give to the louder bunch. Eventually they were told to move but my kids did not get nearly as many beads as in prior years.






Bonus picture from 2019 and our first Mardi Gras (they were so tiny back then!):


Once the show was over, we walked down the street where we hit the parade coming around the bend again. We watched for a moment and then Jess needed a restroom so we all, or so I thought, walked towards Transformers and stopped at the bathroom there. We were all grouped in front and I was getting ready to go in when Jon said "Where's Finn?"



Jon and I immediately ran back to where we had stopped to watch the parade - my heart was in my throat, I knew he would do what we always tell them to do - wait exactly where they were and if possible find a team member - but I could have sworn he was behind me and I was about to cry. But I rounded the corner and there he was, in the middle of a big open space right where we left him. He was about to cry and looked terrified, but he was fine. I have never in my life been so relieved. He got lots of hugs, praise for doing exactly what he should, and so many apologies from his terrible mother.

After we calmed down (and peed) we went on Transformers again, then Anna wanted to go on Mummy, Amanda and Jess wanted Rip Ride Rocket, and Finley refused to do either (he hates the Mummy and the scare effects plus he was milking his trauma as only he can and as well he should) so Jon and Rich and Zach decided to take him on Jimmy Fallon (if there is one thing you need to know about Finn, it's that he loves pandas with every fiber of his being...)

We agreed to meet in front of Fallon but Anna and I got to Mummy and it was closed! Argh. So we sat on the steps and I texted Jon. He said they would wait for us but Anna was against that. About 10 minutes later the Mummy opened back up so I texted him to say we were going on. We got out of the ride about 10 minutes after they finished Fallon - Finley was coincidentally wearing his "Dabbing Panda" Tshirt and so Jon got a picture of him dabbing, with Hashtag Panda.


Rich went and got everyone beignets, and then Jon and the kids wanted more sweets so we went over to the booths and got something from Canada, I forget what but I'm sure it had maple or something.

At that point, Amanda said "Jonathan if you come up with one more thing for my kids I will murder you because I'm tired."

Well then!


We came up with a plan for the morning - we felt our only chance of getting on Hippogriff was to go first thing, and Jon told Zach he would ride with him and scream the entire time. After that we would do VC and Hulk and then figure out what was next. So with that under our belts, we parted ways and I am sure we fell asleep instantly.

 

[DisGhost]

And Now for Something Completely Different



I absolutely adore light fixtures and tend to take lots of pictures of them. So here are some of my favorites - though some are at Disney I'm afraid. The moral of this post is, always look up. A good chandelier can make so much difference. They add drama and character and I'm always amazed by what I see in hotel lobbies, restaurants, bars, etc.

Universal:

These are on the stairs down from the lobby towards Jakes at Royal Pacific. I love how they are so dramatically in the tropical theme:



In the lobby of Sapphire Falls - so dramatic and beautiful! They remind me of my very favorite lights at the Polynesian at Disney:



This is at the Hard Rock, I believe in the lobby. Little saxophones!



I would have sworn I had a photo of the lights above the bar at Orchid Lounge, they are some of my favorites, but alas. I cannot find the picture. They are so dramatic and add so much sparkle and class. But here are some at Morimoto Asia in Disney Springs that are reminiscent:



More Disney:

And then we have other various Disney lights. My favorites are at the Polynesian:


Star Wars Land:





Animal Kingdom in the India section:



And finally, in Skipper Canteen, Parrot Tiffany-style lamps!

 

[DisGhost]

Day 4 - Tuesday February 21 (Last Day!)

Today would be our last day at Universal, but not our last day in Florida. Jon's dad and his wife Kathy live near Tampa and we would be visiting them for the latter half of the week. "Popsie" had agreed to come pick us up and chauffeur us back to their house (and drive us to the airport on Sunday...) So we were going to have a family dinner in at Vivo in CityWalk before leaving.

Today, Hagrid's was going to be closed for a bit for repairs - the queue line took damage in the hurricane and needed fixing. We never did really see what was damaged - they have sectioned that part off and we don't know the queue well enough to see what was really wrong. But it was to be closed for ages so I don't think that was the entirety of what they were doing! Anyway I think they are reopened now. With that being closed, and it was no longer the holiday (Florida kids were back in school) the crowds were CONSIDERABLY less. We got through security in no time, and made it through the gates within moments of opening. In fact, we had to wait a few minutes for Amanda and crew to show up but they were soon there.

Rich exclusively wears Hawaiian shirts if he is not in a suit, today he was wearing a bright orange one which made him very easy to spot in a crowd! Our first order of business was the promised Flight of the Hippogriff. Jon, Amanda, and Zach were to go on it and Jon promised Zach that he would scream at the top of his lungs. Finley and I had gone on it in 2019, back before Finn liked coasters, and he HATED it. It's an ok coaster just not very exciting and the load time is extremely slow as there is usually only one car being run. Jessica, Finn, and Anna wanted to go on FJ, Rich was sitting both out, and I elected to do FJ with the kids. Jess is 17 and can handle the kids on her own so I was redundant, but I much prefer FJ.



EP doesn't work on FJ before 9am - but getting into the regular line this early on just takes you on a more winding path through different rooms and it's as fast as EP first thing. We were soon off, and waited with Rich (standing, because the benches were wet) for Jon, Zach, and Amanda. They came off laughing. As promised, Jon had screamed at the absolute top of his lungs the entire ride. He's just so good at being goofy with kids - something I struggle with. They all come to me for comfort when they are upset, but he's the one who cheers them up when they are grumpy. Anyway he was happy to check that off his list and he has done every ride in the park now, but he doesn't need to go on it again lol.

Velocicoaster next - but my stomach and head had decided enough was enough, and so I told everyone I was not doing any coasters today. So Zach, Rich, Amanda and I decided to go on JP River Adventure - it had recently reopened so I wanted to see if they had managed to fix all the animatronics. They mostly did - but the first section in Ultrasaur Lagoon had nothing going. Here's the narrator telling us to beware, but... there was nothing to beware of. Everything else worked great, though I did hear that later that day, the TRex spewed some sort of fluid all over a rider and they had to shut it down again. Glad it wasn't us!

We wandered through the Discovery Center for a while - Amanda and Zach both got a kick out of the thing that "mixes" your "DNA" with a dinosaur's. We did the quiz show thing, and watched an egg being hatched, and then we were bored enough to see if the rest of them were off Velocicoaster. We wandered up to that area and were just looking for a place to sit when they came off. All of their stuff had been handed over to Rich who had a string bag, so once that was redistributed, we headed for Spiderman, then Hulk, which I again sat out with Zach. He and I sat in the shade and chatted, and caught some Pokemon in Pokemon Go - he never plays but does have an account, and I only use it on walks to keep myself motivated. We also talked about punk bands - he's apparently into that, and some of the more seminal California punk bands actually started in my home town, and I went to high school with several big names in the punk (and skateboarding, and surfing) world. So old auntie managed to impress him a bit!

At this point I think we were all hungry. I don't recall if we decided to traipse all the way back to Hogwarts Express or go through the gates but I am pretty sure it was the train, because we were after that chicken schnitzel and that was closest to Diagon Alley. We had also pretty much done everything we wanted except Simpsons and Bourne Spectacular, and Jessica wanted to GO SHOPPING.

Happily, the schnitzel was available - as I recall, we actually were a bit early and had to wait impatiently for them to open, so we got some of the first schnitzel to roll off the fryer. It is so good! Super crispy, although today it was a lot more greasy than the last time. But, super filling particularly with the kugel. We didn't need any supplement after that.

We must have gone on Men in Black again, Amanda and I both love that ride. And then I think we went on Gringotts - and FINALLY got to see the dragon flaming. We had missed it every other time.



The kids got butterbeers finally. The line was normal for once instead of around the block. Jessica got her shopping fix in - some cute PJs as a shorts set. People kept butting in front of us at the checkout line, the stores are so crowded it is hard to know where the line actually is, so I don't think it was intentional but it was irritating so finally I planted myself as close to the registers as possible and barged in as soon as something opened up. No more being polite!

Next up: Bourne Stuntacular, Doughnut Grumpiness, and dinner at Vivo.

 

[schumigirl]

Glad you finally got to see the dragon breathe fire and good for you not letting folks barge past you.....I swear people lose their mind and manners at times in the parks.

Loving the sound of the Hawaiian shirts!!

 

[DisGhost]

Day 4 - Tuesday February 21 - Part 2

We had decided, now that shopping was done, to go to Simpsons and then Bourne Stuntacular. rich was highly intrigued by it, and we had done it for the first time on our December trip. It really is quite interestingly done, a mix of live action, screens, and practical effects. It's like nothing I have ever seen before and it's fun to figure out just when things transition.

We thought we had just enough time between Simpsons and the next show but Jessica is the type who when she is hungry, gets hangry and she was a bit crabby about possibly missing the next show, so we moved on to Bourne and decided to go backwards to Simpsons again. Everyone loved it, though there was a hiccup when Jason is hanging onto the helicopter, and they had to stop the show for a minute. A managerial type in a suit came on stage, gave a bit of behind-the-scenes information, and then they were off again. It was very well done! Amanda even thought it might be part of the show. They really were very good at handling the glitch professionally.

Jessica was now officially beyond hangry, so Rich went in search of a donut for her and finally managed to procure one. So, now that her blood sugar was back into normal levels, we went on Simpsons, and then Transformers, and then we decided it was time for a break.

Since we had already checked out of our respective hotels that morning, we had decided to go back and hang out at Orchid - Popsie was going to meet us there - but Amanda and the rest of her crew decided to go to City Walk to pick up some more souvenirs and then dip their toes in the pool at the Hard Rock.

After procuring some caffeine, we went to the lounge and sat in the chairs along the side by the windows and watched the world go by. The kids played chess together on Anna's phone and didn't even fight - highly unusual!



I was watching the various team members at the bar setting up for evening service, and a woman in a suit walked past us a couple of times - she was clearly management as she consulted with several people, and eventually stopped by to say hello. We chatted for a bit - I never did catch her name, but she had a bit of an accent. I asked if the area we were sitting in was part of the lounge or if it was part of the lobby, not wanting to interfere with service, and she said it was perfectly fine to sit there and we could order from the menu if we wanted. We talked about Tchoup Tchoup, and how it was in the part that is now the conference center, and agreed that the resort was missing a bit of a middle ground as far as food service was concerned. I also told her that a waitress on Sunday had told us that we could get to go food from Jakes and bring it up, but she confirmed what Carole has always said, that they were happy to bring up food from the other kitchen.

Eventually we got some drinks - the kids love the Ramune soda they sell at the bar - and then Popsie showed up. We walked over to the boat and it was rather hazy and orange. I heard later there was a controlled burn in the vicinity.



We had made a reservation at Vivo for 9 people. Originally, we had wanted to go to Antojitos but they had said they had no tables available. When we checked in Amanda and her family were still on their way over, having gone to Sapphire Falls and gotten caught in a group of conventioneers at the boat. We could see a huge group gathering next door for some sort of shindig, so clearly people were arriving en masse. The man at the door said it was fine, they would seat us as soon as the next table was ready.

Well. We proceeded to wait for about 30 minutes. Amanda and crew showed up, and Jon went to ask the man at the door, who said they were just clearing a table on the patio. We could see the patio. There was no one ready to leave - though there were TWO people sitting at a table for 8. We waited. And waited. Jon went up to complain again. They said, just one more moment your table is almost ready. About 10 minutes later (about 45 minutes after our reservation) we were finally seated - inside!

Jon really doesn't like to complain but he made some remarks to the server who apologized. And proceeded to mostly ignore us, forget to bring out dishes, and just generally made a hash of things. It was very disappointing. But it was still good to be together as a family, so we made the best of it and everyone came out full.

And now it was time to say good by to Amanda, Rich, and the kids (but we would see them again soon enough in New York) and make our way back to the hotel to get our bags and start the drive to Popsie and Kathy's house.



It was a wonderful trip and our first time being at Universal with so many other people (Kathy and Popsie had met us there in 2019, Kathy is an enormous Harry Potter fan although she doesn't do rides, and Popsie, well, he's game for anything involving grandkids!) We had seen so many dear people and had so much fun. But now, it was time to not walk more than it took to get to the pool, and I cannot tell you how relieved I was!



Thank you so much for following along with my first trip report. Next time, I will remember to take more pictures! And thank you Carole for all your tips and tricks, and for writing such lovely reports that make me feel like I'm back there again! Our next vacation will be in August when we go to Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio. It's about an 8 hour drive which after our many drives from NY to FL, feels practically like a day trip!

 

[schumigirl]

Fabulous TR!!

That is such a shame about Vivo....no excuses really for bad service and that feeling of being ignored is dreadful, I`m sorry that was your experience of Vivo, but I agree, spending time with family is always nice.

You had some lovely family time and I enjoyed reading about your trip a lot and appreciate the mentions......I`m glad to have helped even in a tiny way

Thank you for taking the time to do the trip report and share it, and we look forward to the next one too, you have a lovely family and it was so nice to be along for this one

 

[DisGhost]

Fabulous TR!!

That is such a shame about Vivo....no excuses really for bad service and that feeling of being ignored is dreadful, I`m sorry that was your experience of Vivo, but I agree, spending time with family is always nice.

You had some lovely family time and I enjoyed reading about your trip a lot and appreciate the mentions......I`m glad to have helped even in a tiny way

Thank you for taking the time to do the trip report and share it, and we look forward to the next one too, you have a lovely family and it was so nice to be along for this one

We ate at Vivo in 2019 - with Popsie and his wife Kathy in fact - and had a wonderful experience. We also had a terrible experience at Cowfish in December, but a great one this time. It happens, although this was particularly terrible!

Jon is currently pushing for another trip at Christmas, since our AP's expire on the 28th. If so, I'm definitely getting my Christmas parade this time.