I love that they have so much themed food at the Universal parks...while I'm a Disney girl at heart lol...this is really cool - do you remember what the sandwich was like?
......well Kyle and I prefer it, Tom loves good old tomato base, but as we were sharing one today we would go for the usual........BBQ Chicken with added pineapple and jalapeno, my favourite pizza ever!! 
Dh had commented when we were there that he can see why do many Canadians escape to Florida as " snowgeese" It won't be hard to keep that bug in his ear
Although we had done so much in our short trip, there is still so many things to see and experience yet. We loved Hagrid's ride. I loved Velocicoaster, but I know I could only ride it once maybe twice in a day. NO back to back riding it for me lol. Same with forbidden journey. I love it...but once is enough for me. I ruined our Universal trip when I went with dd, we did Forbidden Journey back to back to back, gulped down a butter beer, then onto dueling dragons! I was DONE!!!! I was moaning with Myrtle in the bathroom
numerous times 
I still apologize to dd for ruining our day there. Hopefully if we get to do our one last family vacation - we can make better memories than that lolSpider-Man then asked me if he should have a time out for forgetting mine.........I said yes, but he soon came back......
I laughed out loud at my desk reading that!!!!!!!!!!! What a great meet and greet! 
which makes me want to escape to warmer temps even more.
We’ve stayed there a couple of times, but always end up back at RPR. 
Finally caught up again! Your pictures really are amazing!!! And the food porn ...good thing I'm going to home whip up a meal to eat after a long day at work.
Dh had commented when we were there that he can see why do many Canadians escape to Florida as " snowgeese" It won't be hard to keep that bug in his ear
We loved Hagrid's ride. I loved Velocicoaster, but I know I could only ride it once maybe twice in a day. NO back to back riding it for me lol. Same with forbidden journey. I love it...but once is enough for me. I ruined our Universal trip when I went with dd, we did Forbidden Journey back to back to back, gulped down a butter beer, then onto dueling dragons! I was DONE!!!! I was moaning with Myrtle in the bathroom
Of course seeing your pictures and reading about the heat has me wanting to go back and experience it all over again. Especially since the warmer weather still has not quite made it to our part of the world yet. It has been cooler than normal for us
Can't wait to hear more
Ah, Sal’s and Portofino! We went there just to have lunch as well, and like you found an empty resort. I recommend the salads, Mr. Worfie and I both enjoyed them. Mine was more of a antipasto, and delicious— plenty of olives
I will say the pool slide was a big hit when Worfie Jr. was a youngling, so that is a nice feature.
I don’t know what to say about the cold food and less than stellar service overall. We noticed that as well. Everyone is not suited for hospitality
I’m glad you were able to spend some relaxing time in your suite. Of course you need down time before tackling all the adventures the next day!
Love seeing him in the bad-boy corner lol
I’ll pretend I didn’t read the aboveMy Italian relatives spin at us liking a bbq sauce base on our pizza`s
It’s my favorite Time at the resort…mine, all mine
i still find it interesting how the investors (Spielberg & Travolta) insisted it be so true to the original
standard presentation here, along its a meager cut & poor, chewy quality. Naturally, Longhorn is our closest chain steak joint. No idea how it remains in business
......but it is. They did a complete revamp several years ago and they did a spectacular job of it. There are so many more seating options now as the older lounge had much larger furniture and it all took up so much space. This was much better.
) but.........there is one phrase, made worse when an adult says it to another grown adult that makes me sigh with a deep and unending emnity. 
)
As a person who doesn't drink much, but likes to have the odd beverage, it is very overwhelming when making choices of what to buy. You had a picture of the red velvet Bailey's
that is a favorite, but it is a specialty one, so I have bought a couple extra for my weekend morning coffee. I also love it over ice 
Salads at Sal's are definitely worth getting.
I love days like this - relaxing with good food and good company. Love it!!TUESDAY MAY 10TH
This was probably the day we did the least ever on any of our trips. But, we still enjoyed it immensely.
It was a lazy day and we started off so slow, took our time and headed over for breakfast, the lounge was fairly quiet this morning which is quite nice. I think we had our usual offerings, I stuck to toast, cream cheese and they found some grape jelly pots that apparently no one likes!! I do........
We wandered back over to Sapphire and went to get the car and headed to Bed, Bath & Beyond, Bath & Body and Publix to pick up some bits and bobs we wanted.....well, ok I wanted!! And we did pick up what we wanted and some extra bits and bobs from Bath & Body.....well, they had some new summer fragrances in that I couldn`t resist, Summer Melody was one and it is very fresh and light. I was a very good friend and did pick up what my friends had suggested they might like......of course all the while saying not to go out of our way if it was too much trouble......I can imagine their faces if I had come home with nothing for them!!
We stopped in at ABC Wines & Spirits as we always buy someone a gift from here every visit, it seems to be the only place that stocks them now. But, we love this store.......of course we have wine merchants and stores that sell liquor, but this is slightly different to what we have and they have so many items in here.....it is like being a kid in a candy store for us!! And prices are so much cheaper than what we would pay if they were for sale in our country. I think we may have an alcohol problem if we lived here full time, maybe it`s a good thing we can`t!
Oh the cocktails we could make with all these flavours!
We do get some flavoured vodkas in the UK, but it`s nothing compared to what`s available here and although vodka is not our favourite cocktail mixer, I could be seriously tempted with some of these!!
We are more rum and gin drinkers when it comes to liquor and cocktails, but we do prefer wine for the most part, but I can mix up a good cocktail or two.......
Sonoma Cutrer is a wine we just cannot get easily in the UK, if at all, same with another called Hands of Time......so when we do see it over here, we do tend to pick up as many as we think we`ll drink, which is surprisingly less than we think. But seeing all the choice here is wonderful.
We get our purchases and drop them off at home before heading off for lunch and today we are driving to the little town of Gotha and Yellow Dog Eats.
This little out of the way place is fantastic!!! Quite unique in their food and their service, which is top notch, just a little quirky which we love, and we had never been disappointed with any meal we`d had.
It`s a nice little drive up here, you pass the huge Latter Day Saints Church which is incredibly beautiful and you can see it for miles away when you`re up on the Orlando Eye or Bar17, truly impressive. But, it`s only about 25 minutes away to get there.
And I`m driving today which is quite unusual. I used to love driving here, but last few years it`s become crazier than it ever was, so I tend not to want to, but we both do generally love driving in the States, so much fun.....sometimes!
There is parking at the rear and there is an overflow parking lot over the other side of the road, it`s an easy road to cross as it`s never really busy. Gotha in this area is very pretty with some gorgeous homes to see on the way!
There are two entrances and we have always managed to get parked at the back of the restaurant, and it is themed before you even get inside......it really is so unique.
The smoker is impressive and if you chat to the owner about it, it really is his pride and joy!!
The outdoor area is always so very busy, we got the snap of the empty bar as we went in, when we came out there wasn`t a seat to be found and the whole of the outdoor seating was full too, this place gets incredibly busy, I couldn`t imagine how busy it is at night, we had never visited later than lunch.
They sell all sorts of merchandise including their wonderful bbq sauce which is gorgeous and we make sure we pick up a few before we leave!
You can sit at the bar, and we have done in the past, there also used to be 2 small tables downstairs, they were gone this visit, but there is a large upstairs section if you`re like us and prefer to eat inside with the aircon on.
We LOVED this nod to Johnny Depp on the bar......and we were assured that barely a cent went into Team Amber Heard`s bucket!!! Good to hear......and I imagine having a Team Johnny Depp bucket would help tips too, as we certainly popped some in despite not sitting at the bar........
Soda machine is downstairs too beside the bar and I liked they have slices of lemon and lime already cut up to help yourself, I hadn`t seen a place do that before.
You order your food downstairs and they give you a buzzer to come back when it`s ready. They used to call your name over a tannoy and they always had something quirky and funny to say about the order, but the buzzer works just fine. I will say, you will have a very long line ahead of you to order at peak times, when we went in this visit there were around 25 people waiting to order. But, they are quick and you don`t wait as long as you might think, they have their ordering system mastered.
We head upstairs after getting our soda`s, we had never eaten up here before and it is quite nice with some very eclectic pieces placed around the building that seemed very random as well as the usual affection for dogs and kitties too.
There are so many choices for food, but eventually after a long deliberation Tom decided to have the Roast Malone which was wholegrain bread substantially filled with smoked roast beef, cheese, caramelised onions, jalapenos and the usual tomatoes and so on.
I went with the one I usually have for at least the last four times, The Rufus which was Pulled Pork...lots of pulled pork, Brie, cherry peppers, jalapenos, raspberry melba and their own bbq sauce.
OMG!!!
They were both delicious......the food here is original and darn tasty to say the least......everything is freshly made to order and worth the wait.
We tried their coleslaw and it was just ok. But, we had to try as I love the coleslaw we get in America, but wouldn`t get this one again. You get a bag of chips with the sandwich too, but we tend to just leave them as they`re not our favourites, but the lunch is filling enough. I always leave half my bun whenever I have one anyway, but here I wouldn`t have room for anything else as they are large.
Yes, I was enjoying this lunch!!
We finished and headed off back home......yep, this was a do nothing day for sure.
I caught up on some emails and Tom went for a snooze......this suite lends itself to be snoozed in as one of us can be in one room not disturbing the other, so I stayed at the dining room table for a while as Tom snoozed. I think the heat was catching us a little this time.......of course neither of us would admit to that as we weren`t allowed to!!
Freshened up, we wandered over to the lounge and we like that calm before the storm in the lounge before everyone comes in. We usually have a coffee or sprite and have a good catch up with whoever is working and it`s just a nice way to wind down the day.....not that we needed it today of course, but it was still nice.
The Club Lounge at RP is for us, the best of them all, I`m not in the least bit biased at all of course
It`s a good space to relax anytime during the day, you`ll always get a warm welcome. Teas, coffee, water, fruit and soda is available all day long too.
Staff have always been amazing. And they all offer concierge services in the lounge too, you don`t have to go down to the lobby for any help, staff here will be more than happy to assist you with dinner reservations or anything really, they have helped us on numerous occasions and are always just so lovely.
Although we tend to eat out for dinner, we do like a little sample of what`s on offer and tonight it was the meatballs and mashed potato which are both rather nice.
The salad too is always tempting to us to have a little with a glass or two of wine, unless it has blue cheese on it!!! Cannot abide blue cheese! But, everything is well presented and they do replenish when it`s needed.
I do like to add a splash or five of some Tabasco to the meatballs and they have the cutest little bottles on offer in the lounge. They used to have one large bottle in the back you had to ask for, I guess Covid changed that too.
The food is usually very popular with many making it their meal for the evening, and it`s certainly substantial enough you can do that if you wished, and many do.
Staff are also excellent if you have any allergies or intolerances, letting them know ahead of time is the best way, then they can work with the chefs to offer you alternatives if you need them, I can`t praise the staff highly enough in here in how hard they work to take care of everyone.
We had seen a couple from England almost every day since we arrived, and today we ended up chatting to them and they were very nice, and of course leaving the next day. They sat at the next table to us and I can`t remember how we started chatting, but once we started we never stopped.
And that`s another lovely thing about the lounge, you get to meet so many lovely people every day.
We sat chatting longer than we planned to, not that we were going far......tonight we just planned to go to Citywalk and eat in Cowfish.
There was a boat due, and it was boiling hot so we popped down to get the boat and there were a few folks already there so we went through the scanner, I got scanned again of course.......and we stood in line for the boat.
Now, you all (or most of you) know I love all things American, I love almost every American I have ever met (there are always exceptions of course
Picture the scene.....a couple in their maybe mid 40`s.......the wife says to the fully formed adult husband........"you wanna go potty when we get there"!!!!
What on earth is that all about!!!! As I said, I love everything American, I really do.....but that expression, and it`s only ever in Florida we hear it, has to be one of the worst expressions we`ve ever heard!!!
Apologies if I offended anyone and you say it too.........
I never did notice if they went to the bathrooms when we all got off the boat.......lol.....
We headed to Cowfish which we`ve always enjoyed, we both like the burgers a lot and tonight we said we`d go sit at the bar. One of the ladies in the lounge had said she could get us a reservation if we wanted it, but the bar would work for us tonight, we always enjoyed that bar.
It was busy....really busy and I think we got the last of the bar seating at that point.
The barman very kindly gave us paper menu`s which we much prefer, but he said they didn`t have the drinks on a paper menu, we`d have to use the phone for that, but I knew what I was having.
It was a mango ginger cocktail usually made with tequila, but I had it made with rum and it was delicious, full of real gingery bits and very fruity. He said he could do that no problem and Tom ordered rather unusually a Tequila Sunrise.
The cocktails were lovely.
Tom was an easy order tonight, The Rise and Swine for him........the burger came with cheddar cheese, black forest ham, sunny side up egg, bacon, grilled onions, their own cowfish sauce and an onion roll I think.
Tom loved his burger a lot!!!
I usually get the Jalapeno Popper Show Stopper burger which is spicy, tasty and always delicious......but tonight I gave myself a little challenge.
Since we have been coming to Cowfish, I have consistently mentioned how bad their sushi is compared to other places around. I found it to look pretty, but be bland and flavourless. I have never heard of a Bento Box be filled with Edamame Beans and French Fries???? So, I wondered if I was being unfair in my criticism of them, so decided to give them another chance and try one of their best sellers and ordered the Firecracker sushi.
We adore good sushi and often eat in Orchids at RP where Chef Dan has worked for many years, and more recently enjoyed Nagoya Sushi and previously Seito Sushi on Turkey/Sandlake Rd and all have been very impressive.
This did look pretty I have to say........and that`s where the compliments end.
It was everything I expected........it had zero flavour apart from a slight tingle from the spice which resembled Togarashi. There was no flavour in it at all and was incredibly disappointing. This wasn`t real sushi, and I have no idea why it`s so bland but I do know I won`t ever order sushi from here again. I`ll stick to the burgers.
Then a weird thing happened, our barman who I did not recognise in the slightest, asked me what I thought of the sushi as I did like the sushi from over there and gestured towards the hotel area........my brain went into overdrive trying to see if I could place him from once working there, but had no clue.
I did tell him it was nowhere near as good as Orchids and he nodded with a sage smile.........part of me wanted to ask what he meant, but I didn`t and now I wish I had. I`m not as good with faces as I used to be, I`m better with names, but I didn`t recognise his name either....Tom had no clue if we had seen him before at some point.
We paid the check and headed downstairs and walked to the boats. The line was so long for all the hotels, and I knew we`d never get on the Sapphire boat when it arrived as it had the longest line, so we popped on to the RP boat that was about to leave and we`d walk though the convention/ballroom area rather than stand and wait.
It doesn`t take long and the aircon is cool through the buildings too and soon enough we are in the suite. I glance out the window and there is the boat just pulling in....glad we hadn`t waited. They are a little short staffed right now with Captains, so the wait can be a little longer than usual.
We poured ourselves a glass of wine and watched some tv for an hour or so......yep, the high life!!!
Tom did mention (first time) that our shopping was already building up in the closet, down the side of the tv in the bedroom and in that giant hall area.......er, yes, well we had an extra suitcase this time didn`t we.........lol.......
Park time again tomorrow..........
FL has cheap booze vs the states that live to slap on the taxes. A case of beer can be had nearly half price what we pay in our state. Same goes for gas
Can’t say I’ve ever seen it. Now I’m going to have to Google it lol
As a person who doesn't drink much, but likes to have the odd beverage, it is very overwhelming when making choices of what to buy. You had a picture of the red velvet Bailey's
Sounds like a perfect day to me!!! Good food, chatting with people and a little down time instead of go-go-go!!!
Salads at Sal's are definitely worth getting.
In the end it was a surprisingly lovely day, might sound dull to some folks, but for us, yes, we did enjoy a day not doing an awful lot
