Home for the Holidays-Wizards-Grinches and Sparkles. 14 nights @Royal Pacific Resort, Nov/Dec 2021
- Thread starter schumigirl
- Start date
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
When I woke up, we chatted to Kyle on Facetime for a while....we were excited to be seeing him soon, but he had enjoyed a lovely couple of weeks without us and was doing good.
I freshened up and we headed down to meet our friend and he always makes us smile! We had a gift to share with him so this would be an ideal time for a meet and proper catch up.......which we did. He asked what time we were leaving tomorrow and he`d be there to see us off......well, that always takes the edge of the disappointment of leaving for us.
We headed up to the lounge and enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine and the staff handed us a lovely Bon Voyage card where they had all signed and wrote something rather lovely inside. How sweet!!!
Another friend of ours Samuel, came up to say goodbye too......and he was wearing a purple shirt as he knows it`s my favourite colour and I had told him he looks so good in it. Although he is the kind of man that looks good in anything to be honest. We were so glad he had come up to see us, as we don`t always get the chance at checkout if he`s busy. We hugged and said we`d catch up soon as we do email in between visits too....he is such a lovely guy too.
We said our goodbye`s to those we wouldn`t see tomorrow and then we headed off down to walk over to Strong Water. We were looking forward to eating here tonight for our final evening.
We knew Lenny was working tonight and was on with Sattina and Anthony so we sat at the bar and looked forward to a lovely last evening........we knew food was going to be so nice and drinks too......
We had tasked Lenny to come up with a cocktail for us with a special ingredient and he had promised us for our last night he would.......and he didn`t disappoint.....
This was delicious and exactly the kind of cocktail we like......well, he knows us so well by now, but even so this was delicious and we thanked him for creating it......sadly he didn`t name it after me as I keep banging on about......lol.....one of these days!!!
Fernando came over to say hello and as always it`s a true pleasure to spend time with him, he is such a gentleman and such a lovely man who is the perfect host for Strong Water.......we always have such a good time talking to him and have got to know him and some of the others so well after so many visits....they really are the nicest group of people.
We were ready to order food and we always look through the menu, although I think we know it inside out now......I opted for Seafood Tostado, Tom opted for Arroz con pollo and we would share the Camarones al Ajillo as that is our favourite dish of all in here I think.
The seafood dish is cold and has a mix of Shrimp, scallop, snapper, red onion, garlic, avocado and we omit the cilantro crema as we don`t like it......but we don`t need to ask now as they do know we hate cilantro.
I don`t really like rice, but I tried Tom`s dish and it was actually very tasty....I wouldn`t order it, but I could see why he ordered it.
And the nicest of dishes......the camarones.....they are beautiful, minus the extra cilantro of course.......white wine and garlic enhance the sweetness of the shrimp and even the bread is delicious as I mentioned before.
And of course some favourite cocktails along the way too.......the Rum Revival is one we always choose over any evening.
Blueberries and basil shrub make this a drink to savour.
We hadn`t planned on dessert again, but as Chef Carlos came out to say hello and goodbye for this trip, we couldn`t resist........I loved his recipe for this cake as it is out of this world with the lightest and tastiest meringues ever!!
The coconut flan is also beautiful, and hard to resist. We shared both these desserts between us........despite feeling quite full we managed most of these and eventually begged Lenny to take the plates away from us before we burst!!! He was laughing as he did remove them while we tried to take a last bite......lol....
The rest of the evening passed and eliminated the utter nightmare of a morning we had endured........we laughed, laughed again and laughed some more.......the chatter was a lot of fun and we were so glad to be here.....sad to know we were leaving tomorrow, but we`d think about that tomorrow.
Anthony who is one of the newer crew is a lot of fun too.....he loves cameras and photography and was enamoured of our camera and did take a few pics himself tonight with it of around the bar and came back to have a selfie with us too......
We didn`t want this night to end to be honest.
But, eventually we started to say our goodnight to everyone, and Lenny especially we would miss as well as Fernando......but we knew we would see them in May and it wasn`t too far away......so with the biggest hugs we said goodbye to Lenny and went to the top of the bar to find Fernando as we couldn`t leave without seeing him.
Brittney and Maggie were there and we would miss them too.....they said Fernando wouldn`t be too long as he was downstairs and would be right back......we chatted while we waited, glad the place wasn`t mobbed as we wouldn`t have the chance to chat to the ladies as they are always so busy.
Fernando appeared at that point and had a bottle of wine in his hand that was a gift for us to take home. It was a special bottle that had been brought in for a promotion and we had enjoyed a couple of bottles over the last few visits and he had actually sent one to our room once as a treat......he knew we loved it and he said there were only two left and he wanted to gift one to us for being (his words) such lovely guests and it was a thank you from all of them.......
Well, Fernando spoke so kindly about us, I did fill up and the tears were falling down my cheeks by now. I had to say they mean the absolute world to us too and we do cherish the time we have. It`s a busy bar but they always make time to make everyone so welcome and special. You`ll never get a better welcome anywhere.
More hugs and farewells and then sadly it was time to walk back home, carefully carrying our lovely gift. We would enjoy that wine on New Years Day.
The walk back was uneventful and we got back to our room quite quiet tonight......despite feeling shattered, we sat on the sofa and enjoyed our last view of rides like Dr Doom lit up and illuminating the skyline for the last time this trip. It`s a lovely view and one we do enjoy.
Tom did break the silence reminding me we hadn`t bought a 4th suitcase.......lol...... oh dear.
I freshened up and we headed down to meet our friend and he always makes us smile! We had a gift to share with him so this would be an ideal time for a meet and proper catch up.......which we did. He asked what time we were leaving tomorrow and he`d be there to see us off......well, that always takes the edge of the disappointment of leaving for us.
We headed up to the lounge and enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine and the staff handed us a lovely Bon Voyage card where they had all signed and wrote something rather lovely inside. How sweet!!!
Another friend of ours Samuel, came up to say goodbye too......and he was wearing a purple shirt as he knows it`s my favourite colour and I had told him he looks so good in it. Although he is the kind of man that looks good in anything to be honest. We were so glad he had come up to see us, as we don`t always get the chance at checkout if he`s busy. We hugged and said we`d catch up soon as we do email in between visits too....he is such a lovely guy too.
We said our goodbye`s to those we wouldn`t see tomorrow and then we headed off down to walk over to Strong Water. We were looking forward to eating here tonight for our final evening.
We knew Lenny was working tonight and was on with Sattina and Anthony so we sat at the bar and looked forward to a lovely last evening........we knew food was going to be so nice and drinks too......
We had tasked Lenny to come up with a cocktail for us with a special ingredient and he had promised us for our last night he would.......and he didn`t disappoint.....
This was delicious and exactly the kind of cocktail we like......well, he knows us so well by now, but even so this was delicious and we thanked him for creating it......sadly he didn`t name it after me as I keep banging on about......lol.....one of these days!!!
Fernando came over to say hello and as always it`s a true pleasure to spend time with him, he is such a gentleman and such a lovely man who is the perfect host for Strong Water.......we always have such a good time talking to him and have got to know him and some of the others so well after so many visits....they really are the nicest group of people.
We were ready to order food and we always look through the menu, although I think we know it inside out now......I opted for Seafood Tostado, Tom opted for Arroz con pollo and we would share the Camarones al Ajillo as that is our favourite dish of all in here I think.
The seafood dish is cold and has a mix of Shrimp, scallop, snapper, red onion, garlic, avocado and we omit the cilantro crema as we don`t like it......but we don`t need to ask now as they do know we hate cilantro.
I don`t really like rice, but I tried Tom`s dish and it was actually very tasty....I wouldn`t order it, but I could see why he ordered it.
And the nicest of dishes......the camarones.....they are beautiful, minus the extra cilantro of course.......white wine and garlic enhance the sweetness of the shrimp and even the bread is delicious as I mentioned before.
And of course some favourite cocktails along the way too.......the Rum Revival is one we always choose over any evening.
Blueberries and basil shrub make this a drink to savour.
We hadn`t planned on dessert again, but as Chef Carlos came out to say hello and goodbye for this trip, we couldn`t resist........I loved his recipe for this cake as it is out of this world with the lightest and tastiest meringues ever!!
The coconut flan is also beautiful, and hard to resist. We shared both these desserts between us........despite feeling quite full we managed most of these and eventually begged Lenny to take the plates away from us before we burst!!! He was laughing as he did remove them while we tried to take a last bite......lol....
The rest of the evening passed and eliminated the utter nightmare of a morning we had endured........we laughed, laughed again and laughed some more.......the chatter was a lot of fun and we were so glad to be here.....sad to know we were leaving tomorrow, but we`d think about that tomorrow.
Anthony who is one of the newer crew is a lot of fun too.....he loves cameras and photography and was enamoured of our camera and did take a few pics himself tonight with it of around the bar and came back to have a selfie with us too......
We didn`t want this night to end to be honest.
But, eventually we started to say our goodnight to everyone, and Lenny especially we would miss as well as Fernando......but we knew we would see them in May and it wasn`t too far away......so with the biggest hugs we said goodbye to Lenny and went to the top of the bar to find Fernando as we couldn`t leave without seeing him.
Brittney and Maggie were there and we would miss them too.....they said Fernando wouldn`t be too long as he was downstairs and would be right back......we chatted while we waited, glad the place wasn`t mobbed as we wouldn`t have the chance to chat to the ladies as they are always so busy.
Fernando appeared at that point and had a bottle of wine in his hand that was a gift for us to take home. It was a special bottle that had been brought in for a promotion and we had enjoyed a couple of bottles over the last few visits and he had actually sent one to our room once as a treat......he knew we loved it and he said there were only two left and he wanted to gift one to us for being (his words) such lovely guests and it was a thank you from all of them.......
Well, Fernando spoke so kindly about us, I did fill up and the tears were falling down my cheeks by now. I had to say they mean the absolute world to us too and we do cherish the time we have. It`s a busy bar but they always make time to make everyone so welcome and special. You`ll never get a better welcome anywhere.
More hugs and farewells and then sadly it was time to walk back home, carefully carrying our lovely gift. We would enjoy that wine on New Years Day.
The walk back was uneventful and we got back to our room quite quiet tonight......despite feeling shattered, we sat on the sofa and enjoyed our last view of rides like Dr Doom lit up and illuminating the skyline for the last time this trip. It`s a lovely view and one we do enjoy.
Tom did break the silence reminding me we hadn`t bought a 4th suitcase.......lol...... oh dear.
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
lol.....it was a nightmare!!!
And I do thank you and Janet again as you both bore the brunt of that and listened to all my groans about the whole experience.......oh dear, I was so stressed over it all.
shh
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2013
That was one thing I always appreciated about Universal...seemed like far fewer strollers and ECVs than The Mouse - so even when crowded, easier to navigate. I guess that's changing.
DoryGirl1963
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2016
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
lol.....looking back it doesn`t seem so bad, but at the time I swear I was having palpitations over it all....and poor Tom was doing a marvellous job of keeping me from a total meltdown......
We do adore the staff we know well......and they really do want everyone to have a wonderful experience while they are staying there.
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
It really has changed over the last years......when we first visited there were hardly any of those things, but they really were everywhere.
We saw a standoff between 2 ECV`s who wouldn`t budge for each other.......it would have been funny if it had been in a movie. One was more stubborn than the other.
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
Same here...was so nice while it lasted, I guess
Yes, it`s different now, the stroller parking areas are growing every year, and huge strollers which really did make us look twice at them. As well as those ridiculous red wagon thingys folks pull along behind them.........I wish they would ban them for sure....
keishashadow
Proud Redhead...yes, I have some bananas!
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2004
Dolphins are lovely but, Manatees are my people.
any pictures of those adorable creatures
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
Dolphins are lovely but, Manatees are my people.
any pictures of those adorable creatures
Not really this trip, they didn`t show up in the pictures at all, looked more like a shade in the water.
We did capture a lovely pic of one in Cocoa Village a couple of years back.....I thought it was a giant mutant crocodile when I saw it in the water beside me as was just standing looking around........took to my heels like a madwoman!!!
They are beautiful though.
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
@keishashadow
Just for you.....not the clearest pics, but a couple from Cocoa Village in 2019......yes, I thought it was a large croc......
Just for you.....not the clearest pics, but a couple from Cocoa Village in 2019......yes, I thought it was a large croc......
keishashadow
Proud Redhead...yes, I have some bananas!
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2004
You have made my day!
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
I aim to please......
You`re right though, they are amazing creatures. I knew very little about them before visiting Orlando, not sure I even knew what they were before visiting there.
I do remember when I was younger I always thought a piranha was a huge creature similar to a monkfish....... did I get a shock and a half when I saw them for the first time.........
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
We slept well......as we always do to be honest, but always awake with a sense of acute sadness on our last day......2 weeks just isn`t long enough for all we want to do in our trips. Our first Christmas trip we had only come for a week, then upped it a little each time, but we still hadn`t done everything we wanted to do this one.
Although we seemed to have been busy most of the time, but we do like a lot of down time. My idea of hell is running from one ride to another and not taking time to sit and just people watch or enjoy an ice cream. So we enjoyed some Club Lounge time and it gives me a chance to write down some notes from our trip as we give ourselves plenty of time to sit and just chill.
I showered and then opened the drapes........and what a view this morning.....lol......we had seen fog a few times before but this was thick. Even driving to do our tests the other morning, it had been foggy, but not this bad.
As we hadn`t packed last night, we decided to leave it till after breakfast as we had no plans to go to the park today, we would be leaving the hotel around 1pm so although we maybe could have fitted in a quick rumble on the Velocicoaster.....we didn`t. I think we were feeling a little sombre in general and decided to give it a miss.
Islands breakfast buffet is alway nice. And we it had been 2 years since we did it, so that was our plan this morning and I was hungry when we down.....visibly ignoring the suitcases we would aim to pack succesfully later without them bursting open!!
Islands is quiet around 8am and we do get a nice table and tell our waiter we`ll be doing the buffet, order tea which comes one cup at a time, one thing I`d change with all the breakfast options.....we much prefer a pot of tea and don`t like teabags, but it`ll make do.
I was sorry we didn`t get Mustapha as our waiter as he is a real superstar and one of their longest serving members of the team, but the one we had was nice too.
I got some smoked salmon to start, which was very nice and then opted for some bacon, those gorgeous peppery little sausages and pancakes with a pot or two of maple syrup......all in all a very nice breakfast and something different for our last day.
They have a lovely selection of items including cereals, breads, pastries and an omelette station and I think Tom got 2 sunny side up eggs, I don`t really eat eggs so didn`t bother. I did try their biscuits and gravy too, but the gravy wasn`t for me.
Islands and Jakes are due for a refurb, postponed from 2020 so we did take a LOT of pictures as it`ll not look anything like this once it`s been refurbed. It is a lovely restaurant whether it`s for breakfast or dinner. Dinner menu is reduced right now as with many other places, but it`ll come back I`m sure.
After we had eaten, we headed back up to our room and began the dreaded task of packing........I genuinely dreaded this today as although we hadn`t been to a lot of our usual shopping haunts (thank goodness now) we still had a lot of stuff to pack!
Tom had the look of a man about to very bravely ask why we had bought all this stuff.....he got the look and I got my reply........lol......
He has the patience of a saint!!!
The decorations we had bought from the Christmas store all went into my hand luggage so we didn`t have to worry about them, and they wrap them up so well, and we were glad to see they had all made it home safely again. So far every year`s purchases had all made it home in one piece.
The suitcases seemed to mock us somehow as we began to empty out both closets and pile everything we could in them.....darn I wish we had went and bought that 4th suitcase.
I`m not quite sure how we managed it, well, we did leave a couple of items of clothing behind we decided we didn`t really need anymore, but not quite sure that made the slightest difference, but we did just manage to get the cases zipped up and Tom`s cabin baggage was filled to the brim too......yep, they were all full.
We headed down to empty our safety deposit box, thankfully that didn`t take up too much space in hand luggage, and bumped into Rob, one of the luggage guys who we`ve known forever but hadn`t seen him this trip, well we had but he was busy with a guest at the time, so it was lovely to see him and have a good old catch up with him. Such a lovely guy and so genuine. We mentioned to him we were concerned about our cases and would bring them down to weigh them, he said he`d be there. So after we got the items in the safe and handed the key back, we went back up and brought the cases down.
They were heavy, I could feel that just from wheeling them the tiniest of distance....
We handed them to the bell guy and when we told him what limit we had with weight, he raised one eyebrow and glanced at us and said, no that`s not what I`ve got here.......lol.......our cases were unsurprisingly overweight!
Well, as expected. So, we left the cases there and went back up to our room and headed up to the lounge to see a couple of folks there and two of the girls we had known from before, Alison and Katie had written a seperate card for us with some lovely words inside too, such a thoughtful gesture.
We did have a late checkout, but once we were organised we went back down to checkout so they could have the room for housekeeping as we really didn`t need it. Then again came back up to sit in the lounge as we waited for our friend to meet up before we left.
I will admit, I shed a few tears knowing we`ll be leaving soon, but pulled myself together before our friend appeared. He had txt to say he was on his way over from Sapphire and would be here soon. I do dread saying goodbye to him. He came up to the lounge and we headed down to the lobby and went over to pick up our cases when Marian appeared to say goodbye too.....she is a lovely lady who we have known for a while and we love to see her.
We chatted and passed some time and got the cases, but our friend was asking when we had to leave and we said well, in the next 15 minutes or so, he then disappeared talking into his phone. So we chatted to Marian and she looked at her phone and said, he`ll be right back......so once he came back, we all then headed out over the bridge and chatted some more. Tom headed down to get the car and while he was gone the lovely Mr Beiderman appeared to say goodbye to us as well. I was shocked as I saw him come down the bridge.....our friend had disappeared to call him to say we were ready to go.......we were thrilled he had taken the time out of his day to come and see us off......when Tom came back he also was surprised to see Mr Beiderman standing with us......we managed to have a nice chat with all of them, and many hugs and many, many thanks later we reluctantly set off on our journey to the airport, but did mention to my friend before we left, I hadn`t cried.......lol......that`s always an achievement for me!!
Once in the car however, the floodgates opened.
I think part of the issue for me this time was I was thinking about the last time we left this hotel......we never came back for 2 years. Now, my sensible head knew this wasn`t going to happen again, but it was still a thought that slipped in there now and again.
We got to the airport in nice time to return the car before the cut off time. As our flight was so early coming in, we had taken the car earlier than usual. So, handed it back and as is usual with Alamo, we had no hidden charges and everything was in place correctly.
Wandering across to the Terminal is like everyone else I`m sure, our least favourite thing to do.
Upstairs we found the VA check in and found the Premium check in lady......and armed with all our relevant info we hoped it was all in order. And they did check everything meticulously. The first thing they looked for was the Negative test result.......they checked us against our passports and then checked all the other info we had printed off.....anad again, like the lady in Manchester coming out, she commented she wished everyone would print all this info out, rather than faffing about trying to find it all on their phones which seemed to take longer for folks.
Now, once all our documents had been checked we headed down to the check in desk and the all important weigh in........the lady was lovely and very friendly saying how lovely it was to have the Brits back again and flights getting back to normal and then she stopped talking suddenly as Tom put the first case on........I burst out laughing at her face.......but she said oh wow, you`re well over......and that was only case number 1!!
Yes, almost $180 to pay. I think she was being generous and could have charged us more! Well fair enough, we were a lot overweight.......usually they don`t bother, well, we have never been charged for being a few kilos over, but I think we should have got a 4th suitcase........lol......
Thank goodness they don`t weigh us!!!!
But, we got our boarding cards and headed off through to the departure area.
I brought out my cousins in NY christmas cards, I would post them here before we left. I had meant to do it a few days ago, but another thing we never got round to.
Tradition is to take some pictures of the beautiful tree in the central area.......and of course the beautiful flag of the USA.
We had a look at some of the stores but to be honest we were beginning to get a little hungry. 8am was a long time ago now, so we headed up to McCoys in the Hyatt.
They serve a bar menu all day and sushi and more starts at 5pm, but there were plenty of options for us and it is place we kept saying we should eat in.
It wasn`t busy at all this time of day.......we ordered a bottle of red wine, to drown our sorrows I guess and we fancied it.......
It is a nice menu and once we had a look through, we ordered the crawfish chowder to share as we had heard it was out of this world......and I have to say, it really was the best crawfish chowder we had ever eaten!!!! Sorry to Jake`s, but this blew that one out of the water!!
Tom ordered the classic pizza and it did have a decent amount of meat on it, but the base was gorgeous......even I really enjoyed it, genuinely one of the nicest pizzas we`ve ever tasted.
I took a shine to the Hot Honey Chicken Club, Nashville chicken breast that came with a honey aioli and the usual mix of lettuce, tomato and bacon and even the fries were delicious too.
Both these meals were delicious and the wine was very nice too.
We sat to finish the wine and then very reluctantly headed down to go through the dreaded security......this can be a nightmare at times, and the lady at check in hadn`t added our Trusted Traveller number, so we didn`t have pre check that we should have. However it wasn`t too bad today and we got through in no time at all....but one of the most miserable parts of the journey, especially as you can see all the excited happy faces of travellers just arriving.
Once we got through we headed into Duty Free for some rum, Jack Daniels and anything else that takes our fancy, but we were disappointed with the choice available this time......I can`t remember what we did buy but there were 4 bottles and we`d pick them up before boarding the plane.
Our plane was showing on time which is always good. It`s at this point when you know the trip is finally over, you just want to get home so the quicker we could get this done the better.
We were among the first to board and got our seats, made ourselves comfy and enjoyed our little glass of sparkly........always a nice little way to start the flight off.
This is always a busy cabin and we had very rarely seen empty seats, well we had on the way out, but I think that was the first time.
Wearing the masks was a little annoying, but most folks took their time eating and drinking, but it wasn`t too bad and if you did forget, they did gently remind you and thankfully we had no one in this cabin who tried to be difficult.
We took off at 7.30pm which was only a few minuted late, and seeing the lights of Orlando for the last time is not as sad as I thought tonight......now we were excited to get home.
The Captain announced it would be a very short flight at 7hrs......crikey, that was fast......then he said it might be a little turbulent.......lol....I don`t mind turbulence at all, but most hate it. I didn`t care, the quick flight would be worth it.
We had our drinks service early in the flight and then had more brought with the meal. I would sleep!!
Tom and I both reclined as there was no one behind us and started to watch the same movie....The Hitman`s Wife`s Bodyguard that I had started to watch on the way out but didn`t get to finish.......it was hilarious, one of the funniest films I`d watched in a while. Tom liked it too.
We had eaten a larger meal earlier as sometimes the food from the American side can be completely inedible......but although we weren`t exactly starving, we managed to enjoy a little of the food. And Cabin crew were very generous with the wine tonight too!
There was little salad with olives, mozarella and artichoke, followed by teriyaki chicken for which I didn`t touch the rice or the dreaded veg of the devil.....green beans! And a very nice little cheesecake.......we both went for this tonight as the alternative was salmon, and although we both love salmon, we weren`t sure what would it be like after being zapped in an airline warming oven.
It was actually very nice to be honest, couldn`t have picked out it was supposed to be teriyaki if my life depended on it, but it was decent enough.
After we finished, we used the bathroom and settled down to finish the movie, then I planned to sleep......reclined fully, got my pillow, blanket, eye mask and feet warmer (they get cold on planes) and then seat belt over the blanket in case they wanted to check and closed my eyes as the seat belt sign went on and the pilot announced we were flying in to that turbulence he promised.
I felt a few rumbles and then I woke up almost 3.5 hours later having slept through it all again.......I think I was vaguely aware of it once or twice, but it didn`t disturb me at all. Tom marvels at how I can sleep through it every time.....doesn`t bother me and I tell him it feels like I`m being rocked to sleep......Cabin Crew always marvel too how I can do it........
It`s good to sleep through the night flight if you can though as it can feel longer.
About an hour before landing they brought round breakfast......we both enjoyed a just ok cup of tea and they offered a cheese or ham and cheese croissant with some fruit and and oatmeal something or other......I detest oatmeal and so does Tom, so that was untouched. The fruit was nice and we still can`t decide if we had cheese on the croissant or not....there was no ham for sure and not even a smidge of cheese, but it was supposed to have it. To be honest, we didn`t touch it after one bite.
We landed around 7.30am which was excellent, but then we had an airbridge issue again......we had to wait until they sorted it, which seemed forever, but eventually after about a 15 minute wait it attached and we were off.
With the new terminal immigration is now scanner only, we didn`t even see an officer so straight through and down to the baggage carousels where we usually wait for ages for the luggage to come out.
Everyone looks so tired and groggy and we ended up standing beside the one woman who was as fresh as paint and chatty!!
The carousel started and we were stunned to see our cases come off first, well in the first 10 cases.....all 3 of them!!! This was a first.......we grabbed them and hot footed it through to make the walk back to the Radisson where we planned to sit and enjoy their buffet breakfast as we waited on our car service come pick us up.
But, as always there was a sting in the tale.
The Radisson has a very good buffet for breakfast, and we were glad to see it being offered again. They always have very nice hot options with bacon and so on, so I got some toast and lots of bacon, would pop back up for some Brie and proscuitto after that.
Tom was up at the same time but had spotted Prosecco, and the bottle had just been opened.....so he came back with a glass each for us. Nice!!
We had about 90 minutes before our car service picked us up at 10am so we took our time and enjoyed several more proseccos and some nice food as we relaxed and reflected on the journey and how quick it had been....a 7 hour flight was wonderful.
On our last glass of sparkly, we got a txt from Sue to say she was stuck in traffic and might be a little late, maybe an hour. Well, that was ok, she said she`d keep us updated. We got chatting to the waitress who said although they stop serving in about half an hour we were ok to sit in there till the cleaners came in. Fine by us as we had more than enough by then.
Got another txt from Sue to say she was still stuck and it looked a bad crash, she hadn`t moved in 2 hours. oops. We had a bad feeling.
We moved through to the bar as we were going to be here a while longer, and yes, we decided to order a bottle of sparkly.....I think our liver would be glad when we got home......
Very long story short......Sue eventually said she was never going to make it to pick us up......the traffic hadn`t moved in over 4 hours and the air ambulance had arrived, gone and still nothing moved so we assumed someone had been killed and it was a very bad accident.
We then began to look at getting the train as the station is a short walk down the skywalk......so we decided that`s what we`d do. Sue felt dreadful for us, and we felt dreadful for her as she was stuck. She offered us some money back on what we had paid, but not a chance we`d take it, she`d still made the journey and these things happen. This was the first time it had happened to them and they`ve been doing airport runs a long time!
So, we saw there was a train in about 45 minutes, so we wandered down and asked if there were two first class seats available......when she saw the cost she said, oh lovey don`t you want to sit standard, that`s a lot of money......bless her. No, it was fine, we`d have a table and luggage would be close. We had to change further down the country, but that was ok. So we got our seats on the train and we set off home wishing we had done this about 3 hours ago....but we didn`t know she was going to be stuck all that time.
It was ironic our flight got in early, our luggage was first off but we were still at the airport almost 6 hours later. When we did get home, it had taken us longer to get there from the airport, than it had taken to travel from Orlando to Manchester.
Tom looked dreadful. He won`t mind me saying that, he hadn`t slept on the plane at all and although I had slept, I still had been awake for a ridiculous amount of time, so yes, we were shattered.
Usually we get home, sleep for a couple of hours, get up, eat and stay up till around 10.30pm. That way we don`t suffer too badly from jet lag. This was going to sting. We both closed our eyes on both trains, but never slept at all.....this was like torture and we still had quite a time to go before we made it home. We both felt sick and to be honest barely uttered a word to each other, but we were do glad of the first class compartments as having the table meant we could drop our heads slightly now and again.
Once we made it to the closest station we grabbed a taxi and made the final part of the journey home.
But, once we got home, I jumped straight in the shower and then by time I got out and hair dried, Kyle was home. And it was so good to see him!!! We had missed him a lot, and our last 3 visits at Christmas he was with us, so this felt good to be back home. And we were so glad we had put up all the trees, lights and decorations before we went as we could just switch them all on, then sit back and enjoy them finally.
We ordered Chinese food and we somehow managed to stay awake till around 10pm, then we were flagging completely.....I hadn`t even called my mum, but had sent a txt to say we were back. We were so tired our words began to not make sense, so that`s time to give up and go to sleep.
It did take us longer to get over it this time, but these things happen.
We were safely home.
------------------------------------------------------------
It was wonderful finally being allowed to travel back to the USA after 5 cancelled or rather postponed trips we had booked. It was a hard 2 years but looking back it actually passed faster than we though it would. Although macraven, keishashadow, worfiedoodles and Lori will have my gratitude forever. As well as being very, very good friends who I am genuinely grateful for, they helped keep me grounded and listened to my groans about not travelling over the last two years. Thank goodness for friends who understand!!!
Someone asked me what our highlights were, and I can honestly say.....absolutely everything.
Getting to fly again was emotional, and despite no denying it`s a long flight, we loved every second. Setting foot in RP again was the next most emotional thing for sure.
The hotel itself for us, is one of our most favourite places and it didn`t let us down again. After reading some apparent reports of lack of housekeeping/cleanliness we didn`t find that at all. We had housekeeping every day and our room was immaculate and well supplied with anything we needed, no complaints from us at all. The hotel was immaculately clean everywhere we went and as always as soon as we stepped back into it, we felt as though we had never been away, it really is a home from home for us.
Staff were just as amazing as ever. There had been a lot of changes and so many folks we knew had left, but there were still some of our favourite folks still there which was lovely, and it was lovely meeting new ones too. Spending time with our friend especially and everyone in Strong water were the absolute best times!!
Meeting up with friends was definitely a highlight!!! Meeting up again with Keisha and her lovely mister was a joy and we were so happy to have spent such a lovely time with them, and in Disney of all places......lol......but it was a gorgeous and stunning resort and we were so happy to have finally seen it.
Maria and her husband too were a joy and for our first meeting it was just lovely. And meeting other folks for the first time too, folks who recognised us and said hello......always nice.
The parks were at their best. All the Holiday highlights were so much fun and just wandering somedays was enough for us and enjoying the vibe around both parks was a joy. And of course the Velocicoaster was amazing!! Being there for the Holidays was an added bonus as we just adore the parks anytime of the year!!
The weather was incredible!!! We were so lucky and didn`t have any cold weather the whole 2 weeks, not a drop of rain and we didn`t need the jackets we had packed....just in case. The skies were blue and sunny every day and it was the best Christmas trip weather we had seen.
Restaurants were a complete joy with some incredible meals enjoyed.....and why the scales were so terrifying when we got home.......
We enjoyed everything, well almost everything we ate and yes, we do like food pictures too. I know some folks find it odd to take food pictures, but it is a "thing" now and I think most folks like to see food pics....I know we do. But, we enjoyed all the restaurants we went to and couldn`t believe how many we didn`t get to visit this trip. We`ll certainly try to remedy that in the next few trips.
So, once again, we are at the end of another trip report, and for us a much longed for trip after so long.
Thank you so much for all your lovely comments along the way.....it honestly and truly means a lot anyone reads it, and it is lovely having folks join in along the way and hopefully enjoying it too......I do ramble on so much at times, so it`s a lot to get through at times!!!
So until next time........as of today we have 91 days till we fly in May......we will be at Sapphire Falls for that trip and so excited to get back again. Looking forward to that gorgeous heat again!!!
Hope to see you all for that one too.......
Although we seemed to have been busy most of the time, but we do like a lot of down time. My idea of hell is running from one ride to another and not taking time to sit and just people watch or enjoy an ice cream. So we enjoyed some Club Lounge time and it gives me a chance to write down some notes from our trip as we give ourselves plenty of time to sit and just chill.
I showered and then opened the drapes........and what a view this morning.....lol......we had seen fog a few times before but this was thick. Even driving to do our tests the other morning, it had been foggy, but not this bad.
As we hadn`t packed last night, we decided to leave it till after breakfast as we had no plans to go to the park today, we would be leaving the hotel around 1pm so although we maybe could have fitted in a quick rumble on the Velocicoaster.....we didn`t. I think we were feeling a little sombre in general and decided to give it a miss.
Islands breakfast buffet is alway nice. And we it had been 2 years since we did it, so that was our plan this morning and I was hungry when we down.....visibly ignoring the suitcases we would aim to pack succesfully later without them bursting open!!
Islands is quiet around 8am and we do get a nice table and tell our waiter we`ll be doing the buffet, order tea which comes one cup at a time, one thing I`d change with all the breakfast options.....we much prefer a pot of tea and don`t like teabags, but it`ll make do.
I was sorry we didn`t get Mustapha as our waiter as he is a real superstar and one of their longest serving members of the team, but the one we had was nice too.
I got some smoked salmon to start, which was very nice and then opted for some bacon, those gorgeous peppery little sausages and pancakes with a pot or two of maple syrup......all in all a very nice breakfast and something different for our last day.
They have a lovely selection of items including cereals, breads, pastries and an omelette station and I think Tom got 2 sunny side up eggs, I don`t really eat eggs so didn`t bother. I did try their biscuits and gravy too, but the gravy wasn`t for me.
Islands and Jakes are due for a refurb, postponed from 2020 so we did take a LOT of pictures as it`ll not look anything like this once it`s been refurbed. It is a lovely restaurant whether it`s for breakfast or dinner. Dinner menu is reduced right now as with many other places, but it`ll come back I`m sure.
After we had eaten, we headed back up to our room and began the dreaded task of packing........I genuinely dreaded this today as although we hadn`t been to a lot of our usual shopping haunts (thank goodness now) we still had a lot of stuff to pack!
Tom had the look of a man about to very bravely ask why we had bought all this stuff.....he got the look and I got my reply........lol......
He has the patience of a saint!!!
The decorations we had bought from the Christmas store all went into my hand luggage so we didn`t have to worry about them, and they wrap them up so well, and we were glad to see they had all made it home safely again. So far every year`s purchases had all made it home in one piece.
The suitcases seemed to mock us somehow as we began to empty out both closets and pile everything we could in them.....darn I wish we had went and bought that 4th suitcase.
I`m not quite sure how we managed it, well, we did leave a couple of items of clothing behind we decided we didn`t really need anymore, but not quite sure that made the slightest difference, but we did just manage to get the cases zipped up and Tom`s cabin baggage was filled to the brim too......yep, they were all full.
We headed down to empty our safety deposit box, thankfully that didn`t take up too much space in hand luggage, and bumped into Rob, one of the luggage guys who we`ve known forever but hadn`t seen him this trip, well we had but he was busy with a guest at the time, so it was lovely to see him and have a good old catch up with him. Such a lovely guy and so genuine. We mentioned to him we were concerned about our cases and would bring them down to weigh them, he said he`d be there. So after we got the items in the safe and handed the key back, we went back up and brought the cases down.
They were heavy, I could feel that just from wheeling them the tiniest of distance....
We handed them to the bell guy and when we told him what limit we had with weight, he raised one eyebrow and glanced at us and said, no that`s not what I`ve got here.......lol.......our cases were unsurprisingly overweight!
Well, as expected. So, we left the cases there and went back up to our room and headed up to the lounge to see a couple of folks there and two of the girls we had known from before, Alison and Katie had written a seperate card for us with some lovely words inside too, such a thoughtful gesture.
We did have a late checkout, but once we were organised we went back down to checkout so they could have the room for housekeeping as we really didn`t need it. Then again came back up to sit in the lounge as we waited for our friend to meet up before we left.
I will admit, I shed a few tears knowing we`ll be leaving soon, but pulled myself together before our friend appeared. He had txt to say he was on his way over from Sapphire and would be here soon. I do dread saying goodbye to him. He came up to the lounge and we headed down to the lobby and went over to pick up our cases when Marian appeared to say goodbye too.....she is a lovely lady who we have known for a while and we love to see her.
We chatted and passed some time and got the cases, but our friend was asking when we had to leave and we said well, in the next 15 minutes or so, he then disappeared talking into his phone. So we chatted to Marian and she looked at her phone and said, he`ll be right back......so once he came back, we all then headed out over the bridge and chatted some more. Tom headed down to get the car and while he was gone the lovely Mr Beiderman appeared to say goodbye to us as well. I was shocked as I saw him come down the bridge.....our friend had disappeared to call him to say we were ready to go.......we were thrilled he had taken the time out of his day to come and see us off......when Tom came back he also was surprised to see Mr Beiderman standing with us......we managed to have a nice chat with all of them, and many hugs and many, many thanks later we reluctantly set off on our journey to the airport, but did mention to my friend before we left, I hadn`t cried.......lol......that`s always an achievement for me!!
Once in the car however, the floodgates opened.
I think part of the issue for me this time was I was thinking about the last time we left this hotel......we never came back for 2 years. Now, my sensible head knew this wasn`t going to happen again, but it was still a thought that slipped in there now and again.
We got to the airport in nice time to return the car before the cut off time. As our flight was so early coming in, we had taken the car earlier than usual. So, handed it back and as is usual with Alamo, we had no hidden charges and everything was in place correctly.
Wandering across to the Terminal is like everyone else I`m sure, our least favourite thing to do.
Upstairs we found the VA check in and found the Premium check in lady......and armed with all our relevant info we hoped it was all in order. And they did check everything meticulously. The first thing they looked for was the Negative test result.......they checked us against our passports and then checked all the other info we had printed off.....anad again, like the lady in Manchester coming out, she commented she wished everyone would print all this info out, rather than faffing about trying to find it all on their phones which seemed to take longer for folks.
Now, once all our documents had been checked we headed down to the check in desk and the all important weigh in........the lady was lovely and very friendly saying how lovely it was to have the Brits back again and flights getting back to normal and then she stopped talking suddenly as Tom put the first case on........I burst out laughing at her face.......but she said oh wow, you`re well over......and that was only case number 1!!
Yes, almost $180 to pay. I think she was being generous and could have charged us more! Well fair enough, we were a lot overweight.......usually they don`t bother, well, we have never been charged for being a few kilos over, but I think we should have got a 4th suitcase........lol......
Thank goodness they don`t weigh us!!!!
But, we got our boarding cards and headed off through to the departure area.
I brought out my cousins in NY christmas cards, I would post them here before we left. I had meant to do it a few days ago, but another thing we never got round to.
Tradition is to take some pictures of the beautiful tree in the central area.......and of course the beautiful flag of the USA.
We had a look at some of the stores but to be honest we were beginning to get a little hungry. 8am was a long time ago now, so we headed up to McCoys in the Hyatt.
They serve a bar menu all day and sushi and more starts at 5pm, but there were plenty of options for us and it is place we kept saying we should eat in.
It wasn`t busy at all this time of day.......we ordered a bottle of red wine, to drown our sorrows I guess and we fancied it.......
It is a nice menu and once we had a look through, we ordered the crawfish chowder to share as we had heard it was out of this world......and I have to say, it really was the best crawfish chowder we had ever eaten!!!! Sorry to Jake`s, but this blew that one out of the water!!
Tom ordered the classic pizza and it did have a decent amount of meat on it, but the base was gorgeous......even I really enjoyed it, genuinely one of the nicest pizzas we`ve ever tasted.
I took a shine to the Hot Honey Chicken Club, Nashville chicken breast that came with a honey aioli and the usual mix of lettuce, tomato and bacon and even the fries were delicious too.
Both these meals were delicious and the wine was very nice too.
We sat to finish the wine and then very reluctantly headed down to go through the dreaded security......this can be a nightmare at times, and the lady at check in hadn`t added our Trusted Traveller number, so we didn`t have pre check that we should have. However it wasn`t too bad today and we got through in no time at all....but one of the most miserable parts of the journey, especially as you can see all the excited happy faces of travellers just arriving.
Once we got through we headed into Duty Free for some rum, Jack Daniels and anything else that takes our fancy, but we were disappointed with the choice available this time......I can`t remember what we did buy but there were 4 bottles and we`d pick them up before boarding the plane.
Our plane was showing on time which is always good. It`s at this point when you know the trip is finally over, you just want to get home so the quicker we could get this done the better.
We were among the first to board and got our seats, made ourselves comfy and enjoyed our little glass of sparkly........always a nice little way to start the flight off.
This is always a busy cabin and we had very rarely seen empty seats, well we had on the way out, but I think that was the first time.
Wearing the masks was a little annoying, but most folks took their time eating and drinking, but it wasn`t too bad and if you did forget, they did gently remind you and thankfully we had no one in this cabin who tried to be difficult.
We took off at 7.30pm which was only a few minuted late, and seeing the lights of Orlando for the last time is not as sad as I thought tonight......now we were excited to get home.
The Captain announced it would be a very short flight at 7hrs......crikey, that was fast......then he said it might be a little turbulent.......lol....I don`t mind turbulence at all, but most hate it. I didn`t care, the quick flight would be worth it.
We had our drinks service early in the flight and then had more brought with the meal. I would sleep!!
Tom and I both reclined as there was no one behind us and started to watch the same movie....The Hitman`s Wife`s Bodyguard that I had started to watch on the way out but didn`t get to finish.......it was hilarious, one of the funniest films I`d watched in a while. Tom liked it too.
We had eaten a larger meal earlier as sometimes the food from the American side can be completely inedible......but although we weren`t exactly starving, we managed to enjoy a little of the food. And Cabin crew were very generous with the wine tonight too!
There was little salad with olives, mozarella and artichoke, followed by teriyaki chicken for which I didn`t touch the rice or the dreaded veg of the devil.....green beans! And a very nice little cheesecake.......we both went for this tonight as the alternative was salmon, and although we both love salmon, we weren`t sure what would it be like after being zapped in an airline warming oven.
It was actually very nice to be honest, couldn`t have picked out it was supposed to be teriyaki if my life depended on it, but it was decent enough.
After we finished, we used the bathroom and settled down to finish the movie, then I planned to sleep......reclined fully, got my pillow, blanket, eye mask and feet warmer (they get cold on planes) and then seat belt over the blanket in case they wanted to check and closed my eyes as the seat belt sign went on and the pilot announced we were flying in to that turbulence he promised.
I felt a few rumbles and then I woke up almost 3.5 hours later having slept through it all again.......I think I was vaguely aware of it once or twice, but it didn`t disturb me at all. Tom marvels at how I can sleep through it every time.....doesn`t bother me and I tell him it feels like I`m being rocked to sleep......Cabin Crew always marvel too how I can do it........
It`s good to sleep through the night flight if you can though as it can feel longer.
About an hour before landing they brought round breakfast......we both enjoyed a just ok cup of tea and they offered a cheese or ham and cheese croissant with some fruit and and oatmeal something or other......I detest oatmeal and so does Tom, so that was untouched. The fruit was nice and we still can`t decide if we had cheese on the croissant or not....there was no ham for sure and not even a smidge of cheese, but it was supposed to have it. To be honest, we didn`t touch it after one bite.
We landed around 7.30am which was excellent, but then we had an airbridge issue again......we had to wait until they sorted it, which seemed forever, but eventually after about a 15 minute wait it attached and we were off.
With the new terminal immigration is now scanner only, we didn`t even see an officer so straight through and down to the baggage carousels where we usually wait for ages for the luggage to come out.
Everyone looks so tired and groggy and we ended up standing beside the one woman who was as fresh as paint and chatty!!
The carousel started and we were stunned to see our cases come off first, well in the first 10 cases.....all 3 of them!!! This was a first.......we grabbed them and hot footed it through to make the walk back to the Radisson where we planned to sit and enjoy their buffet breakfast as we waited on our car service come pick us up.
But, as always there was a sting in the tale.
The Radisson has a very good buffet for breakfast, and we were glad to see it being offered again. They always have very nice hot options with bacon and so on, so I got some toast and lots of bacon, would pop back up for some Brie and proscuitto after that.
Tom was up at the same time but had spotted Prosecco, and the bottle had just been opened.....so he came back with a glass each for us. Nice!!
We had about 90 minutes before our car service picked us up at 10am so we took our time and enjoyed several more proseccos and some nice food as we relaxed and reflected on the journey and how quick it had been....a 7 hour flight was wonderful.
On our last glass of sparkly, we got a txt from Sue to say she was stuck in traffic and might be a little late, maybe an hour. Well, that was ok, she said she`d keep us updated. We got chatting to the waitress who said although they stop serving in about half an hour we were ok to sit in there till the cleaners came in. Fine by us as we had more than enough by then.
Got another txt from Sue to say she was still stuck and it looked a bad crash, she hadn`t moved in 2 hours. oops. We had a bad feeling.
We moved through to the bar as we were going to be here a while longer, and yes, we decided to order a bottle of sparkly.....I think our liver would be glad when we got home......
Very long story short......Sue eventually said she was never going to make it to pick us up......the traffic hadn`t moved in over 4 hours and the air ambulance had arrived, gone and still nothing moved so we assumed someone had been killed and it was a very bad accident.
We then began to look at getting the train as the station is a short walk down the skywalk......so we decided that`s what we`d do. Sue felt dreadful for us, and we felt dreadful for her as she was stuck. She offered us some money back on what we had paid, but not a chance we`d take it, she`d still made the journey and these things happen. This was the first time it had happened to them and they`ve been doing airport runs a long time!
So, we saw there was a train in about 45 minutes, so we wandered down and asked if there were two first class seats available......when she saw the cost she said, oh lovey don`t you want to sit standard, that`s a lot of money......bless her. No, it was fine, we`d have a table and luggage would be close. We had to change further down the country, but that was ok. So we got our seats on the train and we set off home wishing we had done this about 3 hours ago....but we didn`t know she was going to be stuck all that time.
It was ironic our flight got in early, our luggage was first off but we were still at the airport almost 6 hours later. When we did get home, it had taken us longer to get there from the airport, than it had taken to travel from Orlando to Manchester.
Tom looked dreadful. He won`t mind me saying that, he hadn`t slept on the plane at all and although I had slept, I still had been awake for a ridiculous amount of time, so yes, we were shattered.
Usually we get home, sleep for a couple of hours, get up, eat and stay up till around 10.30pm. That way we don`t suffer too badly from jet lag. This was going to sting. We both closed our eyes on both trains, but never slept at all.....this was like torture and we still had quite a time to go before we made it home. We both felt sick and to be honest barely uttered a word to each other, but we were do glad of the first class compartments as having the table meant we could drop our heads slightly now and again.
Once we made it to the closest station we grabbed a taxi and made the final part of the journey home.
But, once we got home, I jumped straight in the shower and then by time I got out and hair dried, Kyle was home. And it was so good to see him!!! We had missed him a lot, and our last 3 visits at Christmas he was with us, so this felt good to be back home. And we were so glad we had put up all the trees, lights and decorations before we went as we could just switch them all on, then sit back and enjoy them finally.
We ordered Chinese food and we somehow managed to stay awake till around 10pm, then we were flagging completely.....I hadn`t even called my mum, but had sent a txt to say we were back. We were so tired our words began to not make sense, so that`s time to give up and go to sleep.
It did take us longer to get over it this time, but these things happen.
We were safely home.
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SOME FINAL THOUGHTS
It was wonderful finally being allowed to travel back to the USA after 5 cancelled or rather postponed trips we had booked. It was a hard 2 years but looking back it actually passed faster than we though it would. Although macraven, keishashadow, worfiedoodles and Lori will have my gratitude forever. As well as being very, very good friends who I am genuinely grateful for, they helped keep me grounded and listened to my groans about not travelling over the last two years. Thank goodness for friends who understand!!!
Someone asked me what our highlights were, and I can honestly say.....absolutely everything.
Getting to fly again was emotional, and despite no denying it`s a long flight, we loved every second. Setting foot in RP again was the next most emotional thing for sure.
The hotel itself for us, is one of our most favourite places and it didn`t let us down again. After reading some apparent reports of lack of housekeeping/cleanliness we didn`t find that at all. We had housekeeping every day and our room was immaculate and well supplied with anything we needed, no complaints from us at all. The hotel was immaculately clean everywhere we went and as always as soon as we stepped back into it, we felt as though we had never been away, it really is a home from home for us.
Staff were just as amazing as ever. There had been a lot of changes and so many folks we knew had left, but there were still some of our favourite folks still there which was lovely, and it was lovely meeting new ones too. Spending time with our friend especially and everyone in Strong water were the absolute best times!!
Meeting up with friends was definitely a highlight!!! Meeting up again with Keisha and her lovely mister was a joy and we were so happy to have spent such a lovely time with them, and in Disney of all places......lol......but it was a gorgeous and stunning resort and we were so happy to have finally seen it.
Maria and her husband too were a joy and for our first meeting it was just lovely. And meeting other folks for the first time too, folks who recognised us and said hello......always nice.
The parks were at their best. All the Holiday highlights were so much fun and just wandering somedays was enough for us and enjoying the vibe around both parks was a joy. And of course the Velocicoaster was amazing!! Being there for the Holidays was an added bonus as we just adore the parks anytime of the year!!
The weather was incredible!!! We were so lucky and didn`t have any cold weather the whole 2 weeks, not a drop of rain and we didn`t need the jackets we had packed....just in case. The skies were blue and sunny every day and it was the best Christmas trip weather we had seen.
Restaurants were a complete joy with some incredible meals enjoyed.....and why the scales were so terrifying when we got home.......
We enjoyed everything, well almost everything we ate and yes, we do like food pictures too. I know some folks find it odd to take food pictures, but it is a "thing" now and I think most folks like to see food pics....I know we do. But, we enjoyed all the restaurants we went to and couldn`t believe how many we didn`t get to visit this trip. We`ll certainly try to remedy that in the next few trips.
So, once again, we are at the end of another trip report, and for us a much longed for trip after so long.
Thank you so much for all your lovely comments along the way.....it honestly and truly means a lot anyone reads it, and it is lovely having folks join in along the way and hopefully enjoying it too......I do ramble on so much at times, so it`s a lot to get through at times!!!
So until next time........as of today we have 91 days till we fly in May......we will be at Sapphire Falls for that trip and so excited to get back again. Looking forward to that gorgeous heat again!!!
Hope to see you all for that one too.......
keishashadow
Proud Redhead...yes, I have some bananas!
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2004
Thank you, for another enjoyable trip report!
I can say it now, was holding my breath all would do well the entire trip. You handled it all with admirable grace & aplomb
we’ve had the pleasure, these trying times have made us appreciate a professional server even more.
oh dear, glad he caught that cue lol
glad to see you mention this. I‘m sure they have their reasons but, I never have understood why more people don’t avail themselves of them when the need arises.
not self-imploding as you ventured into the other realm was a very good thing
Next time you can ‘catch us at another of our home bases, AKV
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
View attachment 643041
Thank you, for another enjoyable trip report!
I can say it now, was holding my breath all would do well the entire trip. You handled it all with admirable grace & aplomb
we’ve had the pleasure, these trying times have made us appreciate a professional server even more.
oh dear, glad he caught that cue lol
glad to see you mention this. I‘m sure they have their reasons but, I never have understood why more people don’t avail themselves of them when the need arises.
not self-imploding as you ventured into the other realm was a very good thing
Thanks Janet.....love the meme!!
I knew you were....it was nerve wracking wondering if something would go wrong......and thank you for the compliments, I take them all......lol.....
Yes, the safety deposit boxes are a godsend if you are worried about security in the rooms....we`re fine with the in room safe`s but well, somethings like passports and such are so valuable.
Oh we did enjoy venturing to Disney.......and yes, look forward to visiting another place too....AK does look lovely too.
But, glad you enjoyed reading and posting along the way, always enjoyed your comments and glad you were a part of this one too......
disneyseniors
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2014
As always, Carole, I loved your trip report. I am so glad you got all the travel home stuff fixed and could relax a little. I can't imagine having to do all that to travel out of country! I'm so glad you got to go back after these horrible 2 years of covid.
We havent been on vacation yet. But we are going to Arizona at the end of March, and are planning a trip to Tennessee to see my brother and some friends this year too.
I would love to set up a Universal trip too, so will see how it goes. I know we will stay at RPR, as we love everything about it too Your trip reports make me so homesick to go back to Universal, and it's nice to see Universal through your eyes.
Thanks again for the great TR and hope you have a better time making the arrangements for your May trip
I do want to comment on all the people now going to Universal. As a disney vet and yearly visitor, I am upset by the changes for the worse at disney. They seem to be on a money grab race which is quite obvious. It has been enough to kill the magic for us which is sad. We will not be going back. We will go to other Florida attractions now, including staying at Universal
So, that is why there are more strollers, ECV's and more people at Universal. The exodus to Universal has been going on for a while now due to what disney has become now. I don't see it slowing down either, as disney is only thinking about making their share holders happy and don't seem to care about the guests anymore. It's sad for them, but Good for Universal, Sea World, etc.
Ruth
We havent been on vacation yet. But we are going to Arizona at the end of March, and are planning a trip to Tennessee to see my brother and some friends this year too.
I would love to set up a Universal trip too, so will see how it goes. I know we will stay at RPR, as we love everything about it too
Your trip reports make me so homesick to go back to Universal, and it's nice to see Universal through your eyes.Thanks again for the great TR and hope you have a better time making the arrangements for your May trip
I do want to comment on all the people now going to Universal. As a disney vet and yearly visitor, I am upset by the changes for the worse at disney. They seem to be on a money grab race which is quite obvious. It has been enough to kill the magic for us which is sad. We will not be going back. We will go to other Florida attractions now, including staying at Universal
So, that is why there are more strollers, ECV's and more people at Universal. The exodus to Universal has been going on for a while now due to what disney has become now. I don't see it slowing down either, as disney is only thinking about making their share holders happy and don't seem to care about the guests anymore. It's sad for them, but Good for Universal, Sea World, etc.
Ruth
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puppawuppa
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2006
Always love reading your trip reports. Thank you for taking the time to write them and love the pictures as well.
Can't wait until the next one.
Kim
Can't wait until the next one.
Kim
I-4Bound
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2011
Wonderful, as always! ❤ May will be here before you know it!
I'm trip planning for summer right now, which always makes me happy. We won't be at Universal, but I'm itching to go back and try VC! Maybe next December. My hubby only has 2 more years of teaching before he retires, and we can travel outside of the school schedule!
I'm trip planning for summer right now, which always makes me happy. We won't be at Universal, but I'm itching to go back and try VC! Maybe next December. My hubby only has 2 more years of teaching before he retires, and we can travel outside of the school schedule!
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