MAYBE A MAY TRIP?? 3 WEEKS SAPPHIRE FALLS 2021

[schumigirl]

I just had a not so great day at work, and I came back here just to look at the photos again.

I’m sitting in my flannel jammies, with a cup of hot Earl grey and the Christmas tree twinkling while a Hallmark Christmas movie plays. I’m going to find some holiday cheer and lift my mood, and this is just the place to do it!

Oh no......don`t like to think of you having a bad day!!

You do paint a lovely image of the perfect cosy Christmas scene though......flannel pyjamas and earl grey sounds idylic!!! Bump up....you`ll have a few of us coming to join you there.......

Hope today is a better day for you work wise.......and look forward to next week....it really is just around the corner now.....

Plan to do some more over the weekend........☃

 

[schumigirl]

​

We slept amazingly well, as we always do here......the beds, I have to say are incredibly comfortable........

I heard Kyle rumbling about, he never sleeps late so if he was up, we would be getting up too.......we were all incredibly excited to get going into the park this morning, so up we went for breakfast and then set off and we did get there rather smart this morning. I did notice when Kyle is with us, we tend to walk a lot faster than our usual snail`s pace..........but it is also a little bit cooler than our usual September and May temperatures, but it`s very pleasant to walk in this morning as there is a lovely breeze.....we always think we`d so appreciate a little of that breeze the rest of our trips throughout the year.....but maybe not......

IOA was our choice today, well, it was Kyle`s choice really.......but we would have been happy wherever we went.

Port of Entry is gorgeous. At night lit up it is stunning, but even during the day it is one of the most beautiful areas of the park. Filled with colour and lots of hidden little details.....we spend a lot of time taking pictures are appreciating the details some obvious, some are very cleverly hidden among the obvious.......

One of the new additions for this year is the Christmas tree scavenger hunt. All round the parks and Citywalk, they had trees where you could get a stamp on a card once you found each one from a TM....at the end when you card was full you were rewarded with a gift......we got a little minion ornament, well we ended up with both of them which we were happy about.

We always say the heat, sunshine and sunscreen is a little confusing to our brains with all the decor around that screams Christmas at us......and the decor here is beautifully and tastefully done.

The early part of this morning was trees and superhero meets......we split up at first as they were going to The Hulk, I said I`d meet them soon and we`d go and do Dr Doom together.......

I could wander round this area for hours........

I met them off the Hulk and they had been on about four times, then we went on to Doom which is one of our favourites....yes, it`s short, but that first time being launched with abandon up to the heavens is quite the exhilerating experience.....but yes, very short!

Not exclusive to Christmas, but we did enjoy some character meets this morning, and as always they are all very personal and very entertaining. They are never rushed which is one other thing we do like about the meets in these parks.

Dr Doom loves Kyle`s tee shirt......and him and the Green Goblin have copious amounts of fun with it......they are very funny.

Other than Spiderman, I have no clue who most of them are.....well, maybe the next two......I do know Wolverine only through the gorgeous Hugh Jackman......

And Capt America.......yes, I know him! This was a very long interaction, there weren`t many people waiting at first so he chatted quite a time with us. He then insisted on Tom coming in to get a picture too.

The decorations vary so much around the parks.......most are very subtle, especially in Potter.......

Back in Seuss, it`s a little busier now than it had been earlier......we enjoy a ride on the trolley train and even with EP we have a..........4 minute wait!! That seemed quite long this trip as most of our rides were walk ons.

And I was just loving spending time with our boy!!

These guys were so much fun.........they encouraged you to take as many pictures as you liked and again, the interactions were amazing!

And always good to see Green Eggs and Ham open......up until this trip I could count on one hand how many times I had seen it open......I think the last time I have a picture of it open is from 2014.

My favourite store in POE, and probably the whole of Universal is without doubt the Christmas store.......all year round it evokes genuine memories of Christmas with the scent that permeates everywhere in the store.......it is Christmas.

We wait till nearer the end of our trip before we make our purchases, but we have eyed up so many additions to the purchases we have already made last couple of years, and this item below is one we do want, despite it weighing a ridiculous amount.

We did have a snigger at the health warning on the label......

We were with our friend when we came to buy our items and showed him the label......his eyes almost popped in surprise!! Yes, we thought that too......we did still buy it.......

And of course he couldn`t go a day without a photobomb or two.......one of our favourite things to do.........

Tom says there is not decoration in this store we don`t have now.......he`s not exactly correct, I`m sure there might be a few we don`t have! But, they are all so lovely.......

The walk back to the hotel is always one of our favourite walks, it is so beautiful.....

And it is warm enough to see folks in the pool today.......not warm enough for us.....it it`s not above 80F, we (or I) would be freezing.......but it was quite busy, and plenty of folks just sitting enjoying the sunshine.

The rest of the day we passed easily. Kyle got some desserts and we went up to the lounge while he went for a sleep.

In the lounge I saw a lady look at me and smile as if she knew me......I had no clue at first who she was, then when her sister popped over to say hello.....the Australian family from another year.......we were so surprised! Both sisters were there with their husbands and children and had recognised us instantly......it was so lovely to catch up with them again.......and we enjoyed many conversations with them over this trip. Heck of a journey for Australia, it makes our 9 hour flight look like a 10 minute journey.

It`s always nice when you make an instant connection with folks......and we do still keep in touch through emails with them.

We headed to Longhorn for dinner then a drink in Jake`s which ended a rather lovely day for all of us.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

What a wonderful day! I especially love all the Seuss decor, I bet you could easily create an entire tree of whimsy

The pool photos look so inviting... I would love to just wade in and feel the sun beating down on my face while the water swishes around my feet.

Great character interaction — I think they enjoyed meeting you!

Maria

 

[schumigirl]

What a wonderful day! I especially love all the Seuss decor, I bet you could easily create an entire tree of whimsy

The pool photos look so inviting... I would love to just wade in and feel the sun beating down on my face while the water swishes around my feet.

Great character interaction — I think they enjoyed meeting you!

Maria

Oh it really was a wonderful day Maria.....one of our trees, the purple decorated one is full of Universal ornaments from that store.....I think it`s my favourite one.

Tom kept saying we should go in the pool as yes, it did look inviting....but we are more night time pool people and it was just far too cool for us (me) then.....although don`t think Kyle fancied it much either. I`m a self confessed wimp!

The interactions at Universal are splendid. They really do spend time with every guest and have a real chat......you never feel they just say picture and done......it`s lovely to see kids faces light up completely when the characters spend so much time with them......I love watching them with most characters.

 

[Tracy161]

Oh we definitely need to get you back to Universal!!!

I am actually quite jealous you`ll get to see all the changes since then through fresh eyes....I`d love to see it all "as new" for the first time again.......my goodness the changes you`ll see!!!

I agree! And you're absolutely right--it would be so neat to see all the changes after it's been SO long since I've been back. When I went as a kid/teen with my family, Universal was always part of our agenda, so it's maybe time to reintroduce myself

Yes, a lot of the people at the hotel we`ve known for many years, some since 2009, so it really does like feel like seeing family again for some of them. And we keep in touch with many away from our trips, so we do know many well. I think you know what I mean since you`ve been in the hospitality industry.....you do get to know many folks, and it is lovely.

That is so wonderful! Yes, and there are some people who really stay with you long after the trip is over

Tom says there is not decoration in this store we don`t have now.......

And it is warm enough to see folks in the pool today.......not warm enough for us.....it it`s not above 80F, we (or I) would be freezing.......but it was quite busy, and plenty of folks just sitting enjoying the sunshine.

Same for me! You'd never know I was born and raised in New York and have survived nearly 40 years of NY winters ☃☃ Have you generally lucked out temperature-wise on your Christmas trips? I've been to Florida a few times around this time of year where it's absolutely frigid! A couple years ago, it was in the upper 30s and with Florida humidity it felt worse than that! But my sisters and brother-in-law still insisted on riding Splash Mountain... I passed

What a lovely day you had! The pictures really are beautiful - the one of the water is just stunning.

 

[schumigirl]

I agree! And you're absolutely right--it would be so neat to see all the changes after it's been SO long since I've been back. When I went as a kid/teen with my family, Universal was always part of our agenda, so it's maybe time to reintroduce myself


That is so wonderful! Yes, and there are some people who really stay with you long after the trip is over





Same for me! You'd never know I was born and raised in New York and have survived nearly 40 years of NY winters ☃☃ Have you generally lucked out temperature-wise on your Christmas trips? I've been to Florida a few times around this time of year where it's absolutely frigid! A couple years ago, it was in the upper 30s and with Florida humidity it felt worse than that! But my sisters and brother-in-law still insisted on riding Splash Mountain... I passed

What a lovely day you had! The pictures really are beautiful - the one of the water is just stunning.

Definitely plan a visit at some point, I`d bet you`ll love it.

I have family in Long Island and I always tell them I`d never last 5 minutes in the cold temps they get at times. I honestly don`t know how they survive.......yes, you expect folks raised in those areas are used to it.....

Most of the December visits have been in the 80`s, and high 80`s too, we have been very lucky. But on two seperate trips we had a very cold wind and it was around 48F for both mornings, but it felt so much colder. I didn`t leave the hotel at all....walked out the door, turned round and straight back inside when I felt the cold lol......we had brought warmer clothes and hats, but the wind was the problem.......no, I`m not meant for cold climates......

Oh heck, I`d have passed on Splash Mountain too .....anything water in December is a big no no....we never even go on Jurassic Park in December.....just in case! I really am a wimp

 

[schumigirl]

​

We all enjoyed another excellent sleep, but when I went through tot he sitting room, Kyle looked as white as a sheet. Headache. This was the norm for Kyle on most trips.....after day 3 or 4 he always has something that knocks him for a day or so......we`d get him some food and some paracetemol for the headache and see how he got on.

Today we planned a day of not very much......Mall at Millenia was the first thing we wanted to as Kyle had a purchase to make.

Every year he treats himself to something from the Mall.....last year it had been a Mont Blanc wallet which was lovely, the previous year he had treated himself to a Tag Heuer watch which is still his favourite of all his watches, so this year he was a little stuck on what to get. He does have a rather nice set of pens, so he came up with the idea of a Mont Blanc pen. Sounded good to us, in fact we had already thought of maybe getting him one as part of his Christmas this year, but he beat us to it.

After breakfast and pain relief, he felt fine to go to the Mall.....so we went downstairs and did our usual chat to folks we know......Kyle often tell us it takes us half an hour at least to leave the hotel each time.....we love it really! And it was lovely being able to introduce Kyle so some that had never met him before, but had heard all about him........and the same for him, it was nice to be able to put a face to a name.

The central pool in the hotel that hosts the elephants is a beautiful little area, sadly at times it is overrun with smokers, so we generally don`t go out there much, but this morning it was empty, so we did get a few pictures........

The Mall is a very short drive from the hotel, and they have the most beautiful of trees here as you enter the main doors.......

Father Christmas is located right in the centre of the Mall and there is a long line to see him....and it is beautifully done to enamour children of all ages, us adults too are equally delighted to enjoy the display.

We love this Mall. And we do visit it several times over our trips. It has everything we need here and a few luxury stores too we enjoy visiting.

We wandered round for a bit, then went into the Mont Blanc store and Kyle set about finding his gift to himself. He had it already narrowed down to one or two so once he held the pen`s he knew the one he wanted.......he`s like me in that respect, he knows what he likes when he sees it.

Easy purchase too. He did want it engraved, but they didn`t do it in the store, so we were supposed to take it back in May 2020, but, as that trip never happened, he didn`t get it engraved after all.......but it doesn`t need it, very nice pen.

We were planning on going to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch, but, Kyle at this point declared he didn`t feel like Linda`s fudge cake......

His headache hadn`t gone at all, so we just grabbed a Firehouse Sub and then headed back to the hotel. We knew if he was turning down chocolate cake, he must be feeling bad.

I had already purchased a lot of items from Bath & Body, so we left immediately and we were just back in the room when we had a delivery........

A gift from "friends from the front desk"

How lovely......again, another movie token and a tray full of goodies.......and little gestures like this are so appreciated from such lovely people.

Kyle wanted to sleep, so we went up to the lounge where we can easily spend hours chatting away the day.....and we did spend most of the afternoon here today, well we did say we wanted a quiet day.

The one and only tree in the Club Lounge........

Our lovely Australian friends were in this afternoon, so we had a lovely couple of hours chatting to them and really getting to know them much better, we found we had a lot in common and had such a giggle with them.....we seemed to like and dislike all the same people.

We were meeting a friend we had met through the Dis and we had met up on a previous visit. Lori....J'aime Paris.......we were meeting a little later so we were having dinner in Orchids first, but we went down to check on Kyle before we went anywhere.

He said he didn`t feel like coming down for dinner, so Tom went to Jake`s and yes, you guessed it....chicken nooodle soup.......the cure for all ails! The lady knows Tom and Kyle and said he was to call down if he needed anything else......as always they are so considerate to guest needs.

He was going to watch The Grinch and would probably be asleep by the time we came up.

We went down and it was lovely and quiet. I did like the new decor for the lounge, I know many don`t and prefer the original design for the hotel. It does have a very contemporary feel now compared to very obviously being a South Pacific design. There are still plenty of touches left behind to remind of the previous style.

We both enjoyed miso soup and shared some sushi which was top notch as always........and I think it was a bottle of wine we had that night.

Lori arrived right on time and it was so lovely to see her again.......we had met the previous year at Strong Water Bar and had a lovely evening.....so we had been looking forward to be able to meet up again.

And we did have a lovely evening.......we got some dessert and I think Lori had the best one out of all of us......we also ordered a flourless chocolate cake and Tom took it up to him which he really enjoyed.

Lori`s is the first one and was a gingered pear which looked delicious, I went for the key lime cheesecake which was weird.....it had the texture of blancmange which I hate......very odd for it to be so different.

As always time flies when you`re having fun and the evening was over before we knew it.......but we did manage to get a picture.......it was very late by now, although Lori looks as fresh as paint ........ I can`t remember the time but Kyle said he went to bed just before midnight......and we weren`t home by then.......lol........

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Poor Kyle! I'm sorry this happens every year. That's a tradition to break!

The decorations at Mall of Millenia really are spectacular. I love the photos you take there.

So glad you were able to work in a meet-up! Looks like you had a wonderful evening

 

[J'aime Paris]

I made it back into a TR! I feel very special

That was a gorgeous dessert!
Hopefully there will be another meet up someday soon.....You and Tom are a fabulous couple

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

We were planning on going to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch, but, Kyle at this point declared he didn`t feel like Linda`s fudge cake......

We were planning on going to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch, but, Kyle at this point declared he didn`t feel like Linda`s fudge cake......

That's my reaction too!!!! If Kyle turns down chocolate cake, you know he's not feeling well!!!

 

[I-4Bound]

Lovely updates! My hubby and I took a little 4-night trip to Orlando earlier in the month for a getaway. Universal was beautiful, but the park closed at 5 that day, so we didn't get the benefit of seeing all the Christmas lights It was a great trip, though! The Macy's balloon display they did this year was even more fun than the parade, I thought. Merry Christmas, Carole, Tom, and Kyle! Wishing you all the best!❤

 

[schumigirl]

Poor Kyle! I'm sorry this happens every year. That's a tradition to break!

The decorations at Mall of Millenia really are spectacular. I love the photos you take there.

So glad you were able to work in a meet-up! Looks like you had a wonderful evening

Yes, we said next time if he does come back with us, headaches are banned.....lol......

The Mall is so beautiful and the decorations are a little like Universal`s and understated, so it works well. I`m glad you like the pictures......

Yes, we had a lovely evening again......it`s always nice to meet folks we have gotten to know well.......

 

[schumigirl]

I made it back into a TR! I feel very special

That was a gorgeous dessert!
Hopefully there will be another meet up someday soon.....You and Tom are a fabulous couple

lol......of course you were in it again.......we so enjoyed that night again........

Oh we will meet up again I`m sure in Orlando, it`s just waiting for that to happen......thank you, we love spending time with you too......

 

[schumigirl]

That's my reaction too!!!! If Kyle turns down chocolate cake, you know he's not feeling well!!!

Funny thing is, sometimes in the past when he`s been poorly at home, he always said chocolate helped......not this time though.....he was chalk white, but again, it was almost like a 24 hour thing he had......glad it didn`t last too long

 

[schumigirl]

Lovely updates! My hubby and I took a little 4-night trip to Orlando earlier in the month for a getaway. Universal was beautiful, but the park closed at 5 that day, so we didn't get the benefit of seeing all the Christmas lights It was a great trip, though! The Macy's balloon display they did this year was even more fun than the parade, I thought. Merry Christmas, Carole, Tom, and Kyle! Wishing you all the best!❤

Hey Andrea.....good to see you!!

Oh how lovely......what a shame you didn`t get to see the lights, but I`m so happy you had a fabulous trip!! And glad to hear you enjoyed the Macy`s display, haven`t seen too many people mention it this year......it must have been lovely just having a nice break in Orlando and just the two of you.......

Hope you have a lovely Christmas too Andrea....all good wishes to you and your family

 

[schumigirl]

We all woke fairly early as usual, no parks today and we were glad as it was freezing, well freezing by my standards, it was going to be around 55F......so we had planned on a cooler day we`d go to the Andretti Driving experience.

We had never done it before so today was idea.

It was a stunningly beautiful day, just cold.

There is so much to do in this place aside the driving, we also did the ten pin bowling and we enjoyed that too. But there are plenty of games and other entertainments for all the family.

We did think this tree was a little paltry.

My guys loved this........and it really brought out their competitive side.......

And something extra for mum`s........

We headed to the Mall at Millenia again......someone had to get his fix of chocolate cake......

We both ordered meals, but Kyle`s lunch was an easy choice again.......

I do love this picture and have it in a frame with a mix of family pictures up on a wall in the sitting area of the kitchen....it always makes me smile when I see it.

We passed the rest of the day well and had a lovely dinner in the Orlando Ale House on Kirkman and enjoyed some pictures of the tree and gingerbread display before heading to bed. After checking the weather we saw tomorrow was going to be even colder than today. lovely.

The next day we did think it looked so gorgeous, maybe it wasn`t as cold as they said it would be......but one look out the window and the sight of the life guards wearing long trousers, jackets and looking cold, told us maybe not.

They however, decided to head to the parks for the morning (brave) and I passed my time again chatting and doing some laundry. I winced as they told me how cold it was on The Hulk as they were propelled around in the cold......no thanks.

We went to NYPD pizza for lunch which is always amazing, then off to the Florida Mall, which isn`t my favourite place, but it has got better over the last couple of years since they revamped the food court and other areas. There`s not much here that we`d choose to visit several times, once is enough.

They did have a nice little santa display........

We spent some time in the Tesla store which was a popular spot.....but I`m not convinced I ever really want one......

A quick wander round is enough for us here, so we head to ABC wines where we have a gift to buy and then it`s the Club Lounge for a few hours where we have a fabulous chat to the Australians and Kyle gives one of the sisters his top tips for MiB as he is brilliant at it......she is desperate to beat her husband.......lol......it was funny listening to them.

Then it was dinner at Red Lobster down by the Convention Centre which we do love.........

It`s always nice when folks strike up a conversation with us, and tonight as soon as the couple spoke to us I recognised the lovely Boston accent.....it is one of my favourites in all the States, and they were very distinctive, I can usually pick up where someone is from just by listening to the slightest of affectations, unless they are from Canada....I can`t work those out at all, but they are also lovely to listen to.

We had a lovely chat about the type of seafood we`d enjoy if we visited....I think we`d love it.

The next day was thankfully much warmer, but we would take hoodies with us today just in case....

There was to be a rocket launch around lunchtime today which we had worked out where to stand to hopefully see it. We thought in at the back of mythos might be a good spot. But, we had a few hours to go.

It wasn`t too cold thankfully, I knew I`d be ditching the hoodie soon......and it seemed a lot quieter this morning in the park, which we like.

I wasn`t feeling the rides today, so they headed off to do RRR as many times as they cared to do and also Minions which I don`t ride anymore since they removed the 3D effects.....now it knocks me slightly off kilter. We were going to meet at The Mummy where we would all ride.

My wander took us by the new Bourne Building and this street is always beautifully decorated too....

The place was deserted today which is lovely to walk around in.......and the practice for the night show was taking place which is always fun to watch and I captured many pictures, but, was happy to see I had captured a beautiful rainbow in the water image.......the light must just have hit it correctly.......

The area around the Mummy is always decorated well......and detailed too, I could again, wander around just soaking in the atmosphere......and I love that all TM stop to say hello, or say hello as they pass....it`s rare for one to pass you without a friendly smile.

I don`t think there is an area in the parks I don`t love........maybe the Simpsons isn`t a favourite of mine, but the rest of the parks are just totally engrossing to wander around, I do believe every single visit, I see or learn something I didn`t know....and I love that about them.....always something........

Tom and Kyle arrived at the same time as Marilyn and her gals.....they are very good and very Christmassy with their outfits, and it is a very good show......

I`m sure I`ve mentioned this guy before......we have a picture with him at least once a trip.......and have done since our first visit way back in 07.

More to come including Potter........

 

[Worfiedoodles]

These holiday decorations are so gorgeous! I love seeing your smiles among all the beautiful garland and trees

I also love that when you aren’t feeling like rides you wander and explore. I bet you find all kinds of hidden treasures!

Have you had any special holiday treats at Universal that made an impression?

 

[schumigirl]

These holiday decorations are so gorgeous! I love seeing your smiles among all the beautiful garland and trees

I also love that when you aren’t feeling like rides you wander and explore. I bet you find all kinds of hidden treasures!

Have you had any special holiday treats at Universal that made an impression?

I think we have explored every corner of both parks, and we still find something new every single time. Yes, we have found some wonderful little treasures over the years........yes, the parks are beautiful all year round, but the decorations add a new level to them. Anything Christmassy and I`m there........

I don`t think we tried many of the holiday treats.....but Lenny from StrongWater Bar made us up a cocktail not on the menu as I kept teasing him he was supposed to create a special cocktail just for us .......so he made up a kind of eggnog one, which I thought....oh I won`t like that, but it was gorgeous....and sadly drank it before we took a picture.....but it was lovely and I said it should go on the menu, as yes, it made an impression on us.

But, not being overly sweet toothed most of the treats passed us by.

Hope you have a lovely day today......

 

[schumigirl]

Universal over the last years have been phenomenal at improving entertainment around the parks, and the additions have all been excellent.......singing goups are always around this area, and of course this time of year......songs are Christmas themed and they are very entertaining.

Beat Builders are also very good.....high energy and they have some good audience participation. This is a show we watch maybe once or twice a visit, it`s not an essential must do for us every day we are in the parks.

Potter decorations are very understated, but lovely......and at night these do twinke very nicely and you can see them from a distance.

I do love the look of this hotel, it does depict some London hotels very nicely as we have some gorgeous architecture in this country. It`s one of the things we do best in this country......or rather we did...some of the modern stuff is not so classic. But our older buildings are stunning.

We did have a very weird conversation once with a man who said he heard Scottish homes don`t have inside bathrooms.......heck even the oldest ancestral homes have modern day plumbing..........you have to wonder how some folks think at times.

Although we don`t rate the food in the Potter restaurants at all, we do love the aroma that emits from the place....usually fish and chips, and it`s always nice to wander around and have a look at the place as there are so many things to see around it.

This was turning out to be a gorgeous day, it was getting warmer by the minute as we roamed around and enjoyed some rides today.

The decor around DA is beautiful......

Gotta love this pink!!

I spent some time on my own wandering around here this morning as Tom and Kyle wanted to go do Simpsons.....which I never ride, ever........that ride was just dreadful for me and I know many folks struggle with this ride.....so they love it and I`d hate them to miss it......we would usually wander round together, but as we were heading over to IOA for lunch and then we knew there was going to be a rocket launch and it was going ahead, so I said I`d stay here while they went off.

I did have a nice time while they were gone chatting to anyone around......I always find folks are keen to chat to others.

It must have been about haf an hour before they came back and we headed to the Hogwarts Express to get over to IOA.

We always enjoy the scene where you disappear into the wall just like Harry....this is an incredibly popular thing that people love to do, and most are very patient whilst others partake in the fun of doing it.

It is really hot by the time we get to IOA. Nice.

We head round the other side of Mythos to see the rocket launch which was coming up imminently........and as we wandered around, we saw the fish....there are always fish in the lagoon......but we had never seen them line up rather alarmingly like this........

It was a little disconcerting........

​

We did see the launch and were happy we`d seen it, albeit from quite a distance, and we were extra glad it hadn`t been postponed till tomorrow as we had our KSC visit planned for then, and if it hadn`t gone today it might have been tomorrow so our visit would be cancelled.

As huge space and SpaceX fans we were delighted to see this today.......

Sorry the picture doesn`t really show anything.......lol.......

Before we headed for lunch we had another wonderful meet with the latest meet and greet character.......She-ra......we had met her in September for the first time and she is fabulous. We were glad to see her again and hope she is a permanent addition to the regular meet and greets in Universal.We did stop in to Guest Services and make excellent comments about her, if more people did that she`ll definitely be staying as a character.

More to come........

 

[schumigirl]

Seuss is always a favourite place for holiday displays.....the stories certainly lend themselves to over the top colours and decor.....love it.

And fairly quiet today, I think we had left everyone back in Potter.

I think I mentioned before, we weren`t overly familiar with Dr Seuss as a child growing up, it wasn`t till I met my cousins from New York for the first time when I was 9 and they introduced me to the stories that I became aware of just how weird they were.

We did the usual rides and Kyle was reminded just how strange the mind of Dr Seuss is by riding CiTH again..........beyond odd!

The Who`s are always around in this area and they are very good at interacting with everyone who wants to. We were surprised so many people just walked past them and almost ignored them.....which is a shame as they are delightful, and wonderful with children as you`d expect.

And they also put on quite the show for guests everywhere.....

We are not the biggest fan of Mythos, we will go back at some point, but we much prefer Confisco Grille......hands down we have never been disappointed in here with the food. I find the menu far superior and service is always top notch.

I did like the little nod to santa......

Lunch was lovely and then we went back to do Hagrids, well they went on it and got on very quickly as they just timed it right after it had been down for a time. And thrilled to say Kyle loved this ride as much as we did.

Our afternoon passed and that evening we were going to Celebration where they made it snow in the centre of the town for the festive period.......we were very much looking forward to doing this.

It was beautiful......no doubt, they made a good job of it with everything from carriage rides to a little ice rink to water display......

We had been worried about parking, but we got parked very close by. They do close off parts of the town for this but there are plenty of areas you can park and walk to in about 10-15 minutes if you don`t find a parking space. We thought we had been very lucky.

Their tree is stunning and the whole area is gorgeous, but we did think they should have had some festive music playing through the speakers while everyone waited on the snow.....it felt a little lacklustre to be honest.

But, when it snowed.......it was lovely........

We have seen snow plenty of times but there were many kids there who had never seen snow at all.....ever....and even a couple of our "kids" in the Club Lounge confessed they have never seen snow either........

This was a one and done event.....yes, we enjoyed it, but we didn`t feel the need to go do it again.

We drove back after it was over and headed to Kobe on Kirkman for dinner this was Kyle`s choice I think as we couldn`t make up our minds, and we were glad we did as it was wonderful.

We didn`t do the tepenyaki tables as we had done that too often, and eating through here in the bar area was lovely.

And they did do well with their decorations.......

After dinner we went back to the hotel and went to see our "number 2 son" who works in Orchids now....we have known him since he started in Loews and he is like another son in many ways.......we wouldn`t see him now till our next trip........

This had been such a lovely day, and getting rather near the end of our trip now.....