Did you say nose picker or nose peeker? Our April 2021 trip! Update 8/19** complete!

[pkondz]

Andi laughs at the amount of cream I put in my coffee.

More cream than coffee?

We saw Goofy in the lobby before we left. He was waving goodbye to us, it was a nice send off from Disney.

I like that. That is a nice send-off.

We took a Lyft xl over to Pacific Resort.

XL... because of the bags, I presume. Did you feel it wasn't going to fit in a "regular" Lyft?

We entered the hotel lobby and had our temp checked right away. They give you a wrist band and you wear this for the whole day, and each morning you are checked and given a new wrist band.

"No temp here! I'm good to go! Disregard the dry cough, tiredness, aches, pains, sore throat, runs, headache, loss of taste and smell, rash, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, chest pain and loss of speech."

In April, Universal was keeping the rooms unoccupied for at least 24-48 hours between guests.

Really! I like that a lot.

went down to upgrade our tickets to passholders

You practically have to. I mean... it's such a no-brainer.

We are let in 1 hour early with resort guests. This worked great in June and gave Andi a chance to ride Velocicoaster twice with minimal wait.

Nice.

Andi did Hulk next, I sat this one out, remember ride chicken here and I had the important job of holding all the belongings.

For sure. I mean... you certainly can't trust those lockers now, can you?

Universal has metal detectors on some of these big rides so no phone allowed. Andi does not like that. I mean the phone is glued to her hand so I get it. Rolls eyes.

We walked further into the park and went into Hogsmeade and it was so busy. We didn’t feel comfortable in Hogsmeade.

Ugh. I totally get it. I haven't been in a crowded environment in over a year and a half. I'm sure I'd feel uncomfortable too.

We went to Suess Landing and rode the trolley in the sky and cat in the hat, these rides are so much fun and silly.

Thrill rides they ain't... but I really like them too!

Our room was very quiet overall, which I always love.

Niiiice.
Ahhhhhhh...

We walked back and stopped at the Toothsome Chocolate Factory to pick up Macarons.

mmmmm...

I got the 6 pack with a variety of flavors, Birthday cake, Tiramisu, s’mores, red velvet, blueberry/lemon, and salted caramel. I love these and highly recommend.

All of those sound good. You get to pick the flavours?

We were wiped out, almost 10 days of touring after being in lock down for months was taking its toll on us.

Can see that.
Guess you'll just have to go back more often to get back in the swing of things!

 

[CruellaNY]

I haven't stayed at Portofino yet but I really like Royal Pacific! And I LOVE Mythos, after a few experiences not finding food I liked at Universal it was the first restaurant that I said I'd go back to again lol

Toothsome Chocolate Factory to pick up Macarons.

A little macaron shop just opened by us and I went with my DIL last week; they're really good! Red Velvet, Birthday Cake , Pistachio, Dragon Fruit. But as much as I enjoyed them they really don't hold a candle to those Toothsome ones!

 

[buzzrelly]

Disney has a new change to transferring luggage and items from one resort to another. Bell Service will only transfer luggage now, no food, grocery items, I mean really!

I saw that, what a pain! I'm not a big fan of split stays in general, but we have done them in the past where they transferred everything over.

I'm wondering if it would be easier to leave your groceries at the first hotel BS in the morning, hit the parks and then go back later to get them and then do ride share. At least then you wouldn't waste precious rope drop time in the morning. Ugh…either way, it stinks

I have a California grill reservation for us close to fireworks time. I’m excited about this one.

Lucky you! I haven't been able to get CG for any of our October days

Okay let’s explore the September trip. I made ADRS on Monday and the system at Disney was so glitchy and annoying!

Yup. We ran into the same issues.

One really big change is Andi won’t be coming to the 50th with me. She has some school obligations in September that are just to hard to miss

Aw, that stinks but understandable. Allie was thinking maybe she could come for a couple days but with her dance team and school schedule, I don't think it'll happen.

We will be meeting up with Liesa and I hope other Dis friends from our Epic trip!

Me!

Yup! We're doing MK the 1st but Epcot the 2nd

We have the same

 

[cindianne320]

We also stayed at Royal Pacific in April, and I loved the walking path! Can't wait to hear what you thought of Hagrid's!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Great first day at universal. Shame they close so early but I guess it wasn’t too bad for you this trip as you need to rest for your early morning the next day.

It was fun! The parks were quite busy! Yes, the hours for as busy as the parks are was dumb!

Not too shabby.

Well that is good to hear!

More stuff being taken away?
Maybe... just maybe... they should try adding a service. Just a thought.

I know, what is left for staying on site, a measly 30 minute early entrance at each park starting in October. This is crazy! I think they should be giving FP to people staying on site since there are no other amenities to paying triple what you would pay off site

I hadn't heard this! Not good!!

I haven’t seen a good review yet for Ohana. I think it should have stayed close from what I have read.

Oh, that's too bad.

It will be odd without Andi, especially for the 50th!

But that's good!

Yes I am so happy she is coming along!

I'm a huge fan too. I'd miss not seeing Boo

We have tickets for the Boo Bash in August, I’m interested to see how this is compared to the traditional MNSSHP

Not for me. I'll rope drop... and then skip anything with a prohibitive wait time.

Same here except everyone rope drops now since there isn’t any EMH.

No such thing as an unflattering People Mover foot shot.

That is true! The ride is such a nostalgic part of MK

Frustrating... I feel like there should be a stronger word there

Yes, it is way more than frustrating

She's practically a genius!

Ha! She sure is. I may need to join the no coconut band wagon, not because I don’t enjoy it more because it doesn’t enjoy me!

 

[disneyAndi14]

More cream than coffee?

It looks like it my cup! I find some of the cold brew and regular coffee at coffee shops is so strong!

I like that. That is a nice send-off.

Yes, it was fun to see Goofy waving goodbye!

XL... because of the bags, I presume. Did you feel it wasn't going to fit in a "regular" Lyft?

Yes we had two huge suitcases and several carry bags so we thought it was best to do the sl

No temp here! I'm good to go! Disregard the dry cough, tiredness, aches, pains, sore throat, runs, headache, loss of taste and smell, rash, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, chest pain and loss of speech."

I think the only way to know if someone has COVID is to test and that ain’t happening at theme parks. I’m glad the temperature checks are gone now.

Really! I like that a lot.

It was nice because your room was actually waiting for you instead of you waiting for it!

You practically have to. I mean... it's such a no-brainer.

Yes, the APH at US is much less price prohibiting as Disney!

Nice

For sure. I mean... you certainly can't trust those lockers now, can you?

Exactly, you need ride chickens!

Ugh. I totally get it. I haven't been in a crowded environment in over a year and a half. I'm sure I'd feel uncomfortable too.

The HP areas are so small and it was noticeable how close to other people we were!

Thrill rides they ain't... but I really like them too!

Yes, we always ride a few in Suess landing.

All of those sound good. You get to pick the flavours?

Yes, there are so many flavors and just delicious

Can see that.
Guess you'll just have to go back more often to get back in the swing of things!

We will try!

 

[disneyAndi14]

haven't stayed at Portofino yet but I really like Royal Pacific! And I LOVE Mythos, after a few experiences not finding food I liked at Universal it was the first restaurant that I said I'd go back to again lol

We have stayed at both. Portofino has larger rooms but a little more dated. The resort is lovely as is Royal Pacific. You can’t beat the price especially with an AP and getting EP, wish Disney did this with deluxe resorts, one can wish!
Mythos was very enjoyable on a hot busy afternoon

A little macaron shop just opened by us and I went with my DIL last week; they're really good! Red Velvet, Birthday Cake , Pistachio, Dragon Fruit. But as much as I enjoyed them they really don't hold a candle to those Toothsome ones!

That’s nice to have one close by but you are right the Toothsome’s macarons are the best! I have had others and still none are quite as good!

 

[disneyAndi14]

saw that, what a pain! I'm not a big fan of split stays in general, but we have done them in the past where they transferred everything over.

We have as well and it has been no problem

I'm wondering if it would be easier to leave your groceries at the first hotel BS in the morning, hit the parks and then go back later to get them and then do ride share. At least then you wouldn't waste precious rope drop time in the morning. Ugh…either way, it stinks

That is a good idea, we can put the water and non perishable in our suitcases I do like to get cold brew, cream, cheese sticks, and yogurt so not sure now!

Lucky you! I haven't been able to get CG for any of our October days

I had to keep checking many times to get the CG

Yup. We ran into the same issues.

Ugh for the ADR system, just another thing Disney isn’t working on just charging more for every restaurant

Aw, that stinks but understandable. Allie was thinking maybe she could come for a couple days but with her dance team and school schedule, I don't think it'll happen.

I know, she is a TA now and is very busy with finishing up her degrees!

Me

I hope we can meet up!

We also stayed at Royal Pacific in April, and I loved the walking path! Can't wait to hear what you thought of Hagrid's!

We loved the walking path, what time in April? Review is coming soon!

 

[amazingact21]

I second getting a suitcase and storing your groceries in there. When Landon was a baby, my mom came up with that idea. We put all his snacks, a case of water, and some breakfast stuff (all non-perishable though) in an extra case we had, and it made lugging our stuff so much easier.
But really...you can either have housekeeping or transfer services.


Sorry Andi won't be joining you for the 50th, but I'm glad you found a travel buddy to compensate.


Those macarons at Toothsome are so good! I bet they tasted even better in the comfort of a clean and cool resort room. I didn't know Universal was keeping rooms unoccupied for 24 hours between guests. That's pretty genius, and honestly, I'd probably have considered booking there last year because of that. (I'm assuming it has since gone away.)

 

[cindianne320]

My son and I were there April 8-10, with Disney before.

 

[disneyAndi14]

second getting a suitcase and storing your groceries in there. When Landon was a baby, my mom came up with that idea. We put all his snacks, a case of water, and some breakfast stuff (all non-perishable though) in an extra case we had, and it made lugging our stuff so much easier.

I think will do this for the non perishables and I’m not sure if I will buy perishables this trip. I do love cold brew at Disney especially in August! We would have to move the fridge items twice if we do this ugh!

But really...you can either have housekeeping or transfer services.

I know, really Disney! My how you are cutting corners for the old almighty dollar.

Sorry Andi won't be joining you for the 50th, but I'm glad you found a travel buddy to compensate.

I know, it will be odd not to share this trip with her. We will likely go together in January when she has the month off. She will graduate in May with honors and 2 degrees so I can’t blame her for not wanting to screw that up!

Those macarons at Toothsome are so good!

They are by far my favorite Macarons. I hope to have these delicious treats in about 3 weeks!

I didn't know Universal was keeping rooms unoccupied for 24 hours between guests

I know that was such a treat and a good idea! Unfortunately, that practice is over now.

 

[disneyAndi14]

My son and I were there April 8-10, with Disney before.

Ahh right before us!

 

[Steppesister]

I went to the Barcelona coffee bar and got a cold brew.

I wished I'd known about this option when I was at the CSR in April.

We had a standard view, nothing great to look at but the room was very clean. Tower 2 Room 2530. The room is smaller than the Destino room. It was fine for 2 of us. The room has 2 Queen beds.

I looks really nice! That is the next resort I want to stay at when I go next time.

Universal has metal detectors on some of these big rides so no phone allowed. Andi does not like that. I mean the phone is glued to her hand so I get it. Rolls eyes.

Silly. I didn't care one bit for that locker system. At all.

We decided to try a walk up At Mythos. We got right in and sat outside on the patio. This was very nice, we had a good view of the new Velocicoaster.

I think when (not if) I get back to US I will try this place. I wanted to last trip, but I just didn't have enough time to try all the places I wanted to.

I have such a fear now of loud neighbors after our stay at Old Key West, we had the loudest neighbors ever!!

This reminds me of my last update chapter. UGH!! I HATED that room I got at AoA!

We walked back and stopped at the Toothsome Chocolate Factory to pick up Macarons.

It was so fun to browse in there. I didn't get any sweets other than a milkshake for my desert, but sure loved "window shopping".

We headed back to the room via the awesome walking path!

I'm getting the feeling you really liked that path.

Stay tuned for a ride review of Hagrid’s it is intense for a ride chicken

I adored this ride!! Absolutely loved it!

 

[schumigirl]

“Look Goofy came to Destino to say goodbye to us”

4/27/21. We Woke around 7:30am, I went to the Barcelona coffee bar and got a cold brew. Andi laughs at the amount of cream I put in my coffee. We packed everything up and were ready to head over to Universal around 10:30. We saw Goofy in the lobby before we left. He was waving goodbye to us, it was a nice send off from Disney.
View attachment 593567

We took a Lyft xl over to Pacific Resort. This was very easy and cost around 30.00 with the tip. We entered the hotel lobby and had our temp checked right away. They give you a wrist band and you wear this for the whole day, and each morning you are checked and given a new wrist band.
The lobby was looking very clean and beautiful. I went to check in and our room was ready. In April, Universal was keeping the rooms unoccupied for at least 24-48 hours between guests. This was great for us. It was only 11:30 and we were able to go right to our room and unpack. We had a standard view, nothing great to look at but the room was very clean. Tower 2 Room 2530. The room is smaller than the Destino room. It was fine for 2 of us. The room has 2 Queen beds.
View attachment 593568

We organized our stuff and went down to upgrade our tickets to passholders
We decided on the preferred ones. It did not cost much more to upgrade, and with preferred we do get discounts and early entry. This helps if staying at an offsite hotel. We are let in 1 hour early with resort guests. This worked great in June and gave Andi a chance to ride Velocicoaster twice with minimal wait.
Once we had our AP and express pass, it was time to head out to Islands of Adventure. We took the walking path over. I need to give this path high praise. It is so convenient and never very crowded. Once we got into the park we noticed it was quite busy.
We did Spider-Man first, minimal wait with EP. Andi did Hulk next, I sat this one out, remember ride chicken here and I had the important job of holding all the belongings. Universal has metal detectors on some of these big rides so no phone allowed. Andi does not like that. I mean the phone is glued to her hand so I get it. Rolls eyes.
We walked further into the park and went into Hogsmeade and it was so busy. We didn’t feel comfortable in Hogsmeade.
View attachment 593570

We decided to try a walk up At Mythos. We got right in and sat outside on the patio. This was very nice, we had a good view of the new Velocicoaster.
View attachment 593571

They were testing the ride. We shared the spinach dip with pita chips and the grilled chicken sandwich with fries. I had a Diet Coke and Andi had water. The food was very tasty. We enjoyed the down time and the quiet area.
View attachment 593572

View attachment 593573

We went to Suess Landing and rode the trolley in the sky and cat in the hat, these rides are so much fun and silly. We enjoyed the less crowded Suess Landing.
View attachment 593574

We decided to head out for awhile and hit up Universal Studios a little later.
We walked back, again, really loved the walking path so quiet and a easy walk. We took a nap in the cool and clean room. Our room was very quiet overall, which I always love. I have such a fear now of loud neighbors after our stay at Old Key West, we had the loudest neighbors ever!!
We headed to Universal around 3:30, the only bummer was the parks closed early 6pm for Universal and 7pm for Islands.
We went in and did ET, Men in Black, Mummy,(just Andi), and Rip ride Rocket (just Andi). Mardi Gras was still going on here and we looked at the Mardi Gras booths but didn’t see any food calling out to us.
View attachment 593575
View attachment 593576

I was still full from lunch. We decided to do The Minions ride before heading out. We walked back and stopped at the Toothsome Chocolate Factory to pick up Macarons. These are so delicious. I got the 6 pack with a variety of flavors, Birthday cake, Tiramisu, s’mores, red velvet, blueberry/lemon, and salted caramel. I love these and highly recommend. The outer layer is light just like it should be and the inside is so smooth and tasty.
View attachment 593577

We headed back to the room via the awesome walking path! We were wiped out, almost 10 days of touring after being in lock down for months was taking its toll on us. We decided to mobile order take out from Islands Dining Room at our resort. We shared the vegetable spring rolls and General Tso Chicken. Both of these tasted very good. I can’t find a picture of our food, I guess I didn’t take any.
We ate in the room and watched some dateline, love this show! We wanted to get to bed early so we could head out at 7am for Hagrid’s!

Stay tuned for a ride review of Hagrid’s it is intense for a ride chicken

Being a bag holder is indeed a very important job!

I am loving your Universal/RP pictures.....

We do love the walk from the hotel to the parks, it is quite secluded in parts, and yes, very rarely busy. I`m glad your room was ready when you checked in, always good. We have the Preferred AP too, it`s ideal for us.

Looking forward to your opininion on early entry. In all our visits we have never once made EE, with Express Pass we`ve never felt the need, but many enjoy it for Potter areas.

Glad to hear you also enjoyed Mythos......we will go back at some point, but the food did look good for you. And you did do quite a lot in your time so far.

I hope your stay at RP continues to be as positive....I agree, noisy neighbours are the worst. You have to wonder why some are so inconsiderate to others.

We`ve never tried the Macarons from Toothsome, we don`t like their chocolate so never gave them a chance, but they look gorgeous....will rectify that next trip.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Disney has a new change to transferring luggage and items from one resort to another. Bell Service will only transfer luggage now, no food, grocery items, I mean really! This stinks or us. I’m trying to figure a work around, the only thing is taking a ride share to the new resort and having bell service keep the items until we are able to check in, kinda a pain if you ask me!

This is sad news!

I’m not sure how I will handle this. I do love getting some groceries and a case of water. I will figure something out!

Def pack most of it in your bags! I have to think most of this is about the persible items. Which is a shame, as we always like to get milk and cream cheese for bagels and coffee in the morning.

I want us to get the noodles and bread pudding at Tambu lounge and I want to try and get in Trader Sam’s. I hope we can check it out!

Sounds like a great plan!

 

[kastoney]

Disney has a new change to transferring luggage and items from one resort to another. Bell Service will only transfer luggage now, no food, grocery items, I mean really!

Well that is certainly a bummer though I gotta say I had no idea they would even do that in the first place.

Now my friend Melinda has suggested I bring an extra duffel bag and ziploc bags and pack it full of ice and my perishables I may do this, but this is likely what would happen lol

That sounds like a very Melinda thing to do. If there is a hack out there she will find it!

One minute the website would say there was nothing available at all and once I would o it over all the reservations would show up! It was very frustrating. Despite all this stress I did get some good ADRS.

The Disney website is so horrible. For a multi-gazillon dollar world conglomerate you'd think you could make a dining reservation without an act of god

We will return to The Swan at Disney for 1 night for the 50th.

We loved our stay here in June. It was our first time and the pools, food, rooms, and of course walk to 2 parks were great

We saw Goofy in the lobby before we left. He was waving goodbye to us, it was a nice send off from Disney.

Such a fun send off. We saw the busses they travel on but never saw any of the actual characters

 

[disneyAndi14]

looks really nice! That is the next resort I want to stay at when I go next time.

It is a beautiful resort and having the EP is such a bonus and the walking path!

I wished I'd known about this option when I was at the CSR in April.

The Barcelona has weird hours, we finally went on our last day, the cold brew was good!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Silly. I didn't care one bit for that locker system. At all.

I agree, the lockers are a pain!

I think when (not if) I get back to US I will try this place. I wanted to last trip, but I just didn't have enough time to try all the places I wanted to.

Mythos is a great in park option, better than the standard park fare

This reminds me of my last update chapter. UGH!! I HATED that room I got at AoA!

I know! OKW is beautiful but we are scarred now it was awful!

It was so fun to browse in there. I didn't get any sweets other than a milkshake for my desert, but sure loved "window shopping".

We love checking out all the delicious treats in the cases, get the macarons

I adored this ride!! Absolutely loved it!

My thoughts coming up!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Being a bag holder is indeed a very important job!

I agree! One way to get around being called a ride chicken, lol

I am loving your Universal/RP pictures.....

We do love the walk from the hotel to the parks, it is quite secluded in parts, and yes, very rarely busy. I`m glad your room was ready when you checked in, always good. We have the Preferred AP too, it`s ideal for us

We loved the walking paths, we didn’t use the boat at all this trip and it was just fine! I really liked the policy Universal had about keeping the rooms unoccupied at that time. The preferred pass works well for us as well.

Looking forward to your opininion on early entry. In all our visits we have never once made EE, with Express Pass we`ve never felt the need, but many enjoy it for Potter areas.

It worked great for us and in June is was so nice to use it. We had the Lyft driver drop us off at Royal Pacific and we used the walking path, it worked great!

Glad to hear you also enjoyed Mythos......we will go back at some point, but the food did look good for you. And you did do quite a lot in your time so far.

I think being able to relax and be away from the crowded areas was a nice break!

hope your stay at RP continues to be as positive....I agree, noisy neighbours are the worst. You have to wonder why some are so inconsiderate to others.

I know! Noisy neighbors are the worst! Our room at RP was so nice and quiet, even during the day.

We`ve never tried the Macarons from Toothsome, we don`t like their chocolate so never gave them a chance, but they look gorgeous....will rectify that next trip.

I highly recommend the macarons so yummy!

 

[disneyAndi14]

This is sad news!

I know, it makes resort changes that much more of a inconvenience

Def pack most of it in your bags! I have to think most of this is about the persible items. Which is a shame, as we always like to get milk and cream cheese for bagels and coffee in the morning.

Yes definitely! I will have to decide if I will just pass on cold items this trip.

Sounds like a great plan!

We will need to get a Lapu Lapu while we are at it!

Well that is certainly a bummer though I gotta say I had no idea they would even do that in the first

It is especially because we have used it many times and it worked great!

That sounds like a very Melinda thing to do. If there is a hack out there she will find it!

Yes, she has a solution for everything

The Disney website is so horrible. For a multi-gazillon dollar world conglomerate you'd think you could make a dining reservation without an act of god

I know what the heck, Disney your website is awful!

We loved our stay here in June. It was our first time and the pools, food, rooms, and of course walk to 2 parks were great

This is good to know especially since Jenny hated her stay. We just have 1 night here. It works for our Epcot day!

Such a fun send off. We saw the busses they travel on but never saw any of the actual characters

It was fun to see Goofy, we didn’t see any other characters with him. I did see the bus a few times!