You are never to old to be a kid again at Universal.....Nana’s solo trip....kind of live from Universal Orlando and elsewhere in the Universe.

[schumigirl]

That is a good deal to get the wand......very easy to spend that amount of money in the store, plenty of merchandise to choose from.......

 

[Jane Miller]

Awesome, Robo56! Will be there in two weeks with a friend who has never been. Getting even more revved up with your terrific trip report.

 

[Robo56]

Awesome, Robo56! Will be there in two weeks with a friend who has never been. Getting even more revved up with your terrific trip report.

Thank you so much Jane. You all will have a wonderful time. I’am so glad you are enjoying the trip report.

 

[Robo56]

Friday, October 9th

I woke up and it was almost 9 am. I must have been tired. That is pretty late for me to be getting up.

The curtains keep the sun out completely when closed. There is a back curtain that is a heavy material that keeps the sun out totally and a sheer curtain in front of that. Both can be opened and closed separately.

I showered and made the bed and decided to take to pictures of my room.

I had a room with a king size bed since I was traveling alone. The couch can roll out into a bed if needed.




There is a nice table and chairs. There are plug ins and USB ports on both ends of the black and white strip by the table light.




A nice size dresser with plenty of deep drawers for storage of clothes.



The beds, pillows and sheets are very comfortable. There are USB ports and plug ins on the front of both bedside tables.



There is a small refrigerator and single cup Keurig coffee machine and coffee supplies in the center of the dresser.



There is plenty of space in the refrigerator to store some items that need to be kept cool.

There is a nice size closet with plenty of storage. There is a safe in the closest.

There is a large sink and counter and the shower and toilet area are separated by a sliding door.

The shower is fantastic. All your toiletries are provided. Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, face soap, body soap and lotion. Q tips and cotton balls are in a decorative container on counter.

The towels, wash rags and hand towels are nice and soft.

There is no maid service during your stay. So your used towels are put outside your door as is any trash you have and it is collected.

Just call Star services on your phone in your room before you leave in the morning and fresh towels, any of the above toiletries, coffee supplies will be delivered in a bag to your door.

The room was spotless when I arrived. Did I bring bleach wipes with me. Yes I did. I clean door knobs and all hard surfaces at home with them. I was not going to change the game plan here.

I change my sheets at home every 7 days or sooner if I decide too. I called for fresh sheets and pillow slips to be delivered on day 7 and changed my sheets and put the used sheets in the large bag that the fresh sheets had been delivered in and put them out outside my door the next morning to be collected with towels and trash.

Now the big question. Did I mind not having maid service. No. I understand why it was not being provided.

Universals Resorts are trying to protect their employees and their guests.

I ‘am so thankful for all the Resort employees and park TM’s that are coming to work. Without them people like me and others who are looking for a place to get away for a while and shut out the world would not be able to.

After taking some pictures of my room I showered got pulled together and picked a mask for the day and off I went.

I made a mask for everyday I was on vacation here are a few.



I stopped at the front door and had my temp check and received my wrist band. Then off to the parking lot.

I needed go back to Disney Springs and exchange a Mickey light Pumpkin that I had purchased for my younger sister. I had been repacking all the purchases and found a large crack in the plastic.

I always take what I call the back way to Disney Springs. Turkey Lake road to The light at Apopka-Vineland left at the light and right at hotel row. There is a big welcome to Disney signs there.

I was glad the Lime parking garage was open. This meant a shorter walk to the world of Disney Store.

I parked in the 3rd level of the Parking garage. Elevator takes to second level and everyone’s temperature is taken before you can go down and enter Disney Springs.

Temperature taken and all well. I took the escalator down and over to The World of Disney Store.

I exchanged the pumpkin and back to the garage I went.

I decided to go to “Hash House a go go” for lunch. I had read about the restaurant in one of Gina Gina bo bina’s trip reports.

I went there with my older sister a couple of years ago and we had a nice lunch.

Their food theme is twisted farm food.

When your leaving RPR....you turn right at the light on Hollywood Way......right on Universal Boulevard........left on International Drive and it’s about 2 miles down on the right.

It was about 11:30 and it was not busy. I was seated right away. I chose the Kokomo meatloaf sandwich. They are known for their large portions and it looked like a manageable sandwich.



The sandwich and fries came to the table piping hot. As you can see it was served with a knife because this sandwich needed to be cut to eat. It was big. The fries had a nice coating and were mildly crispy and very good.

My waitress was very nice and attentive.

There is a large bar area to the left of the dining area when you come in. There is a large cocktail and beer and wine selection.

I noticed they had Nashville hot chicken sandwich on the menu. If this is anything like the Nashville hot chicken in Nashville beware. You need a cast iron stomach a mouth lined with heat resistant coating to survive that chicken.

I remember seeing an episode of a cooking show talking about this chicken and how nuclear hot is a nice word to describe it. Not for me.

After lunch I needed to make a trip back to Mall at Millenia to pick up something I had ordered from Tiffany. I received an email telling me my order was ready to be picked up.

I went inside the Mall and went to Tiffany. I noticed a man standing outside the door waiting to get in. I knew the store hours and it should be open.

I saw the security guard at the door and he unlocked the door and told me the store was at compacity. I told him I received a email to pick up an order. He asked for my driver’s license and closed the door.

A few minutes later a man came to the door with my bag and my drivers license. I told him I thought the box was to small to contain what I ordered. He assured me it was all there.

Package in hand I told the guy waiting to get in that I hoped his wait would be short and off I went.

I was almost to my car in the parking lot when I received a call from the guy at Tiffany who brought my bag to the door.

He told me that he relooked at my order after I left. He said it indeed it was not everything I had ordered.

He became defensive with me and told me the email sent to me said it was half the order to be picked up. I told him I looked at the email again and it just said your order is ready to be picked up period. He then told me that happens.

It was agreed that the remainder of the order would be shipped.

I have to admit this experience left me pretty unhappy with the whole ordeal.

First off the store appeared to be empty. So my guess is there was a celebrity inside and the store Closed to accommodate them or their Covid capacity number were all huddled in the back of the store. No problem. I just wanted to pick up my order and I would be on my way.

Then the off putting behavior of the person who I dealt with was not good. At this point I not sure I will ever shop there again.

I have always had a wonderful experience there in the past with everyone I have encountered.

Everyone has an off day......I understand that, but the guy I dealt with was a bit over the top.

This was my vacation time and while I like Tiffany and Mall at Millenia I did not want to keep coming back there multiple times to pick up pieces of an order.

Ok......rant over

I only had two days left of vacation and I wanted to enjoy what time I had left.

I headed back to RPR. It is always nice to walk through the front door. The scenery is beautiful, the security folks are always so nice. I held up my wrist to show I had the temp check wrist band for the day and they always say welcome back.

I went to my room my took my mask off and put my things in the closet.

I needed to do my laundry. I had put it off as long as I could. A few years ago I bought a box of small Tide liquid laundry soap travel packets. I put a few of these in a small zip lock bags with some dryer sheets to have on vacation.

I also carry a Tide pen in my purse for quick stain removal. The pens are very compact. If you can’t find those small alcohol swabs do the trick also.

I gathered my laundry went to the laundry room that is near the pool.




The door to the laundry room is closed. You need your room key to get in.

There is a television on the wall and as laundry rooms go it’s pretty nice.

The washers and dryers are set up to take coins or credit card.

I was lucky it was not busy. So put the laundry in the washer in and did some reading.

While I was sitting a nice man came in and moved his families laundry to the dryer. We talked a bit. He told me he and his family like to vacation a few times a year at Universal.

After my laundry was done I went back to my room and put things away.

I wanted to go to the pool for a little while. So swim suit and swim cover on, book and sunscreen in bag and off I went to the pool.

Side note on the elevator. When I first arrived at the start of my stay at RPR the resort didn’t appear to be busy. I noticed on Wednesday things starting to pick up and by Thursday it was noticeably busy over all.

I was pretty sure a lot of folks had put these few days together with the weekend and Monday Columbus Day for a nice stretch of days off.

That said, when I was going out or returning to the Resort. I pushed the button to call the elevator and if it opened and someone or a family were on it I would just wait push the button again and wait to get the next one. For the most part others did the same.

I had a couple of incidents were I had called the elevator and was leaving to go to the boat and as soon as the elevator doors opened on another floor a large family walked in and some in the group had pulled their masks off. I stepped out of the elevator and just called for another one. They did not care at all.

I realized that as the resort got busier that being able to get an elevator alone was not possible. I was ok with that. I didn’t mind sharing one with a couple of people who were wearing their masks, but 5 or six and add to that those who had removed their masks Nooooooo.

Over all the elevator situation worked at the resort with the exception of a few occasions. This is not the fault of the resort, as there are signs everywhere about social distancing and hand sanitizer provided everywhere including by the elevators.


to be continued

 

[Disbug]

Made it back, Robo56 and you were right! The Southwest Chicken Salad at Confisco's was wonderful! Mythos (my normal go to lunch) was off the mark. I ordered the Butternut Squash ravioli and received the Pad Thai?? Should have been suspicious when the waiter (whom I just loved!) brought me chopsticks, lol! When my check arrived it included both entrees... Yikes! I thought the parks were busy on Tuesday and Wednesday. Super hot in the sun... and I am a Floridian. Loved staying at the Endless Summer Surfside Resort for the first time. As much as I love Royal Pacific and Hard Rock hotel, the price could not be beat! Can't wait to read the rest of your report!

 

[Robo56]

at Confisco's was wonderful!

So glad to hear you enjoyed Confisco Grille

Loved staying at the Endless Summer Surfside Resort for the first time. As much as I love Royal Pacific and Hard Rock hotel, the price could not be beat! Can't wait to read the rest of your report

Thank you Disbug.

I have seen Surfside Resort from the road and in pictures. I have never been inside. Nice to hear you were so pleased with your stay there.

Yes, there some really hot sunny days while I was there too.

I was so glad the restaurants and shops were so cool with airconditioning and there were plenty of U-rest areas to take the masks off for a break. it really helped.

 

[Jane Miller]

Robo56, might seem like a silly question, but are the only cups in the rooms at RP to go with the Keurig paper cups? Hate my first couple,of morning cups out of paper and just want to know if need to bring my own mug. TIA!

 

[Robo56]

Robo56, might seem like a silly question, but are the only cups in the rooms at RP to go with the Keurig paper cups? Hate my first couple,of morning cups out of paper and just want to know if need to bring my own mug. TIA!

Good morning Jane. Yes, at this time the only cups available in the rooms are the to go coffee cups. They are individual cups in plastic. There are some by the sink and by coffee maker.

Typically before Covid there were glasses by the ice container and two glasses by the sink.

I always make a supply stop at the Walmart on Turkey Lake Road.

I bought one at Walmart or there are plenty of cups and glasses to buy in parks. If you are a Potter fan there are cups and glasses for purchase. As well as a lot of HHN cups and glasses for sale.

So yes, bring your own cup and glass or you can buy one when you get there.

 

[Jane Miller]

Great idea to get at Wally World!

 

[Robo56]

Thursday, October 9th continued.

I didn’t stay at the pool very long. So back up to my room and a shower a snack looked at the TV for awhile and off to sleep I went.


My thoughts on masks and mask making, types and care.

I had the advantage of making my own masks to fit my face. I used 2 layers of 100 % cotton. I washed the material in hot water with dye free and sent free liquid detergent then dried the material on high heat and ironed it on high cotton setting.

After the mask was made I ironed it again.

All the surfaces I work on when making my masks are cleaned with bleach wipes and my husband and I don’t smoke.

I wash my hands multiple times with antiseptic liquid soap during the mask making process.

That all being said, I wanted to make sure that the quality of masks I was giving to family, front-line healthcare providers and schools were the best I could possibly make for them.

I don’t sell my masks. I enjoy making them and giving them away to family, friends and the above noted organizations.

There are many others that are making masks and giving them away. Thank you for all you are doing to help.

I make what I call a modified Olson mask and a Universal fitted mask of my design. The modified Olson mask is a mask that needs to be fitted to the person. Those are the masks I made for myself.

The universal masks I make are in child size, adult small and large. These are the ones I give away now in individual packages.

Bring plenty of homemade, store bought or paper masks for yourself and your family.

On the store bought masks. Bring some plastic clothes pins from home. I would wash them in warm soapy water and rinse throughly and hang to dry on the retractable clothes line in your shower at resorts after use. Then iron them before putting them on.

I used one or two of my masks per day depending on how hot it was. I carried small baggies to put used masks in until I returned to resort to wash them.

I have tried the paper masks verses the cotton masks and I feel like the cotton ones feel better to me.

Try out a few and wear what’s comfortable to you.

Is there such a thing as Maskne? What is it. Irritation, redness and possible acne breakout brought on by wearing masks for long periods of time. I’am beginning to believe there is such a thing.

I have noticed as I experimented with different mask materials (paper vs cotton etc) that I noticed redness and sensitivity on my face after the mask was removed no matter what material I was wearing. This would go away in a couple of hours after the mask was removed.

Throw out paper masks after use and wash any material mask after use and hang to dry. Moisture is a breeding ground for bacteria so wash your material masks before reuse.

All that being said. Would I let having to wear a mask stop me from going on vacation. I didn’t and I won’t.

After talking with my granddaughter yesterday. She pointed out that she had become used to wearing a mask when out and almost feels like it a part of clothing that has to be worn.

This all frightens me a bit in that we have become accustomed to this life change and it is being Socially Psychologically ingrained.

I pray we will be able to get back to no masks again soon, but until then wearing them for protection is a must.

Universal has provided plenty of U-Rest areas for breaks to remove your masks and rest. I really liked these and was happy they were available.

A quick note on the paper masks. So sad that I have seen paper masks on the ground at the shopping centers and I saw a couple of them on the ground when leaving the parks. There are plenty of waste bins around the parks and in the shopping centers to dispose of the masks.


Ok, next up my last day at Universal.

 

[Robo56]

Saturday, October, 10th

Yeah!!!!!! I woke up this morning........as you get older you celebrate life’s minor accomplishments more I believe......LOL

Again the room was completely dark.....these curtains are awesome.

I looked at the clock and it was 8 am. I don’t usually sleep this late at home, but the extra walking must have pooped me out enough to sleep in a little.

I stay busy at home, but still my eyes usually pop open at 6 or 6:30 am.

I showered dressed and gathered used towels and bagged them and picked up trash bag and put them out side my door.

If I see the maid still on the hall I usually go and put the towels and trash in the bags on the dirty laundry and trash cart like she showed me.

I went back in my room put things in my mini pack and off I went to have breakfast at the Islands Dining room. I had felt like a nice breakfast this morning.

When I arrived I was promptly seated. I requested a table by the window so I could people watch while I was enjoying my breakfast.

By the looks of it, it looked like it was going be a busy day. There were lots of people passing the windows heading to the boat.

I had a very nice waiter. I ordered mango juice and coffee.



The coffee was hot and the mango juice was tasty.

I ordered eggs and grilled ham as my meat choice.

The breakfast was served piping hot.
The ham was folded and it was a big piece. The eggs were cooked as ordered. The potatoes and toast were included in the breakfast. I chose wheat toast and the needed accompaniments were provided.


The Restaurant was not to busy. There were families scattered throughout. Tables are well spaced apart. The food was delicious, service was great.

I enjoyed people watching and ate what I wanted of my breakfast and now if was time for the boat.

side note: I keep a small plastic bottle of hand sanitizer with me at all times. After touching any surfaces, before eating, after eating etc....I use it.

When I checked into RPR there were some small bottles of water on the beside table and and small bottle of sanitizer. That was a nice touch.


It was warm this morning and according to weather predictions it was going to be hot.

I strolled to the path that leads to the boat and there was a line waiting. Things moved pretty quickly. There were boats waiting to dock and take on more passengers as one pulled away.

I think I mentioned before that people were seated with a empty seat row in between. The seats are numbered and a lot of the times the captain would tell you which seat number to go to.

It all works very efficiently and off we were to the parks.

I started at Universal Studios this morning. The lines were long this morning at the ticket/pass scanning booths. I went to the far right of guest service Building to see if the area were onsite guests can scan during HHN was open and it was. The line there was shorter.

Once I scanned in I looked to see if the haunted houses were up in the virtual Line venue on the Universal App. The Haunted Houses weren’t, but Hagrids, Jimmy Fallon, Escape from Gringotts, The Mummy and Minions were.

I decided to wonder around a little and went back to the Five and Dime to look at the Monsters on display a little closer. They are very well done. The bride of Frankensteinstein is pretty striking when you stand back and look at her facial features. I love the details.








I had not noticed the Bates Motel merchandise the other two times in there.



I bought a HHN Pin and back out to the street I went.

 

[disneyseniors]

I love love, love your trip report. There are so many places to visit that I have never seen! I can't wait to get back to Universal and to our favorite resort, Royal Pacific. I'm glad you had a wonderful time

 

[Robo56]

There was a parade







Sponge Bob parade was cute to watch.

Universal has done a wonderful job of having the characters and parades out about for people to enjoy.

If you look closely at the TM on the float above she is wearing a pink mask to go with her costume.

It was getting pretty hot out already. So I went for a mask rest at a U-Rest area. I called my hubby and he asked me if I had been to the nest to ride Transformers yet. I told him that was my plan after we finished talking



Then I went to Transformers and the line for EP was out the door and around building. It moved fairly quickly. Lines can be exaggerated in appearance somewhat do to the 6 foot distance requirements.

The regular line was really long.

I like this ride a lot.




After Transformers I went to ET. I was thankful for my EP because the line here was long also.


to be continued

 

[Robo56]

I love love, love your trip report. There are so many places to visit that I have never seen! I can't wait to get back to Universal and to our favorite resort, Royal Pacific. I'm glad you had a wonderful time

Thank you. I’am so glad you are enjoying the trip report. It was a wonderful vacation.

Even though I have been going to Universal for a number of years I still have not explored all the places to eat and there are still little places I have missed I’am sure.

I always like reading others trip reports. It’s fun looking at Universal through their camera and their words.

So glad to hear you are going to be going back to Universal and RPR.

 

[DisneyLifePapioNe]

 

[Robo56]

Hey....DLP...........hope you and the family are well.

 

[Robo56]

Saturday, October 10th continued.

I did bring my map to complete my ScareCrow Stalk today. I remember showing some of them, but here are some more












After completing the Scarecrow stalk you pick a small bag of candy and you can also get 30% off on a bulk candy purchase. If grandson was here that would have been nice to use. My gummy worms in the bag and off I went.

The park was getting really busy so I decided to make a quick last visit to Diagon Alley.

I passed 12 Grimmauld Place on the way and gave a look at Kreacher the Black family elf peeking out of the window.



Then through the brick wall

 

[Robo56]

People were standing in the middle of the street waiting for the Dragon to breathe fire.




I looked up the species of the Gringotts Dragon and it says its suppose to be a Ukrainian Ironbelly.



Walked around to the Magical Menagerie. Looked at the Parseltongue snake.




Walked in the shop



I remember when you could only buy the Pygmy Puffs. Now they have slippers, night shirts, key rings.

Hedwig





I wanted to get an ice cream at Florean Fortescue’s. There were social distancing strips on the floor inside. It wasn’t busy. I noticed a lady in front of me with a clip board. She went up to the counter and spoke to the TM’s in the shop and asked them how things were going with the social distancing and if there was anything she could do to help. She was obviously a park supervisor. She seemed genuinely concerned and I could see the TM’s felt valued when she asked them for their opinions. I thought this was just another example of how Universal was trying to make sure Covid restrictions were being followed to provide safety to guests and employees.

I went up and ordered the Strawberries and cream soft serve in a waffle cone and went to one of my favorite places to eat it.



To be continued.

 

[macraven]

Your pictures get better and better!

 

[disneyseniors]

I love strawberries and cream ice cream. It is my one weakness, ice cream that is. I am on a diet most of the time, but at Disney/Universal, I have an ice cream treat or two a day. It's heaven!
I loved looking at those amazing scarecrows, but would expect the best from Universal.
I just watched behind the scenes of the Bourne Adventure, and I think it looks better than disney's new star wars ROTR.