Happy Anni-birth-aversary...A 33 night Celebration & HHN too.....SF & RPR September 2022 TR

[DoryGirl1963]

LOL, the whole time you were talking about cooking your own food at that Kpot place, I could just see myself at that place thinking, "WHAT? So...I work here now?"

Love seeing all the interesting places you all visit while you're here !

 

[disneyseniors]

LOL, I agree with DoryGirll963! I don't care too much for cooking either, but have to do it! I like to be spoiled at a restaurant so it doesn't sound like one we would do. I'd be too confused on what to do with all those things! I'm glad you did like it though and it did look good.

I have never been to Celebration, but the photos I have seen of it kind of give me the creeps . It looks like a staged disney main street to me. So perfect looking around the lake and other areas. I wonder what it costs to buy a home there? I bet it's very pricey with the disney name.

 

[keishashadow]

For us, it was the busiest most congested crowds we had ever seen there, and we`ve seen it busy!!! I can`t speak for all the park as we never went to the other areas, but in that moment where we were it was horrible. We spoke to several folks who said similar things and I know social media covered it too, so I know it`s just not us.

U seems to have experienced off & on issues with crowd management over the last 10 years or so…

especially During holiday events. . An area that needs to be addressed. My thot, it’s the seasonal employees not being up to speed as to training.

Have to chime in…

Orlando (particularly WDW related restaurants) has been one of the worst offenders as to the rushed pacing of dinner. More bodies, more money but, for the prices they charge in the theme parks for often sub-par food, I do expect to be able to relax at a TS venue for an hour if i choose.

celebration puts me a bit ill at ease in general, just a bit too sanitized, stepford wife sort of thing.

I suddenly spotted 2 familiar faces walk into the bar......I immediately hot footed it over and hijacked them to come sit with us....it was Mr & Mrs Keishashadow themselves.......woooooo!!!

Lol it was sort of surreal to walk in and see you two. Appreciate you collecting us and offering a seat, especially after a rather challenging travel delay full of delays. Thanks for not sharing a pic, felt like road kill at that hour lol

 

[schumigirl]

I'm so sorry Tom felt poorly. It is hard when you want to go and do everything and you just don't feel well. I'm glad the chicken noodle soup fixed him right up!

I wouldn't have the first clue what to do at that KPot place! I'm glad you were able to somewhat work it out for yourselves. What a shame you didn't get a better introduction. That can make or break an experience like that.

I agree. I've never been in person, but Celebration just seems to fake, and this is from someone who loves theme parks LOL I don't think I would want to live there, but it does seem like a visit now and then is not a bad idea.

Going back to your Hogsmeade photos, it seems like you had spectacular timing for getting them in without the crowds. I love that you can just wander and see what there is to see. Plenty of details to keep you occupied

I am a Rose person so I'll definitely be trying that in the lounge. Love that they have something for just about everyone! I do agree that Beef Fajita would not do much for me, but Mr. Worfie would love just the beef and no rice/bean mix.

Of all the little towns you visit, if you had to choose just one, which would be your favorite and why?

I think that`s when we`re so grateful for longer trips, it doesn`t affect us unlike if we were there for 3 or 4 days which would be horrible. Chicken noodle soup is the answer to a lot of what ails us!

Celebration is an odd place for sure, it`s a little too artificial for us I think and I`m not surprised our friends only lasted a couple of years there, but an ok place to spend an hour or so.

I think we were unlucky with our server we had there, well, not even really a server as she only brought us drinks.....lol.....

There are certainly times where some areas are just empty around the parks.....go back a few minutes later and you`d think the gates had just been opened and everyone had streamed in.....lol......

lol......I`m not a Rose gal......not a fan of sweet wine in general, but my niece weirdly loves it and she`s more a cocktail gal. That beef was not good, unlike their Beef Bulogi which was lovely!

Oh......there`s a question!!!

Favourite town would probably be Mount Dora....or Winter Park! Not sure I could choose between the two....and then there`s Dunedin.......nope, I`m stuck....can`t just pick one, but if you forced me to I think it would be Dunedin which wins by one point as it`s on the ocean. But......hard choice

 

[schumigirl]

LOL, the whole time you were talking about cooking your own food at that Kpot place, I could just see myself at that place thinking, "WHAT? So...I work here now?"

Love seeing all the interesting places you all visit while you're here !

That`s what my thoughts were!!! I don`t work here....why am I cooking when I don`t even make a cup of coffee on vacation.....lol.....

I do prefer getting my food cooked for me when I`m in a restaurant, but it was different for sure.

Thanks, I`m glad you`re enjoying seeing it through a visitors eyes.

 

[schumigirl]

LOL, I agree with DoryGirll963! I don't care too much for cooking either, but have to do it! I like to be spoiled at a restaurant so it doesn't sound like one we would do. I'd be too confused on what to do with all those things! I'm glad you did like it though and it did look good.

I have never been to Celebration, but the photos I have seen of it kind of give me the creeps . It looks like a staged disney main street to me. So perfect looking around the lake and other areas. I wonder what it costs to buy a home there? I bet it's very pricey with the disney name.

It was ok......but not somewhere I`d particularly rush back to. I love cooking and think I`m very good at it, but on vacation it`s not something I want to do.....and all the steam from that Hot Pot was bloomin hot!!!

Yes, it is a little creepy, not somewhere I`d choose to live at all. Our friends were a little unlucky with one of their neighbours too, they were the epitome of someone you expected to see on The Truman Show.......we saw them once, I`d have moved too!!

It`s nice for a short visit and that`s it

 

[schumigirl]

U seems to have experienced off & on issues with crowd management over the last 10 years or so…

especially During holiday events. . An area that needs to be addressed. My thot, it’s the seasonal employees not being up to speed as to training.

Have to chime in…

Orlando (particularly WDW related restaurants) has been one of the worst offenders as to the rushed pacing of dinner. More bodies, more money but, for the prices they charge in the theme parks for often sub-par food, I do expect to be able to relax at a TS venue for an hour if i choose.

celebration puts me a bit ill at ease in general, just a bit too sanitized, stepford wife sort of thing.

Lol it was sort of surreal to walk in and see you two. Appreciate you collecting us and offering a seat, especially after a rather challenging travel delay full of delays. Thanks for not sharing a pic, felt like road kill at that hour lol

I agree with the seasonal employees issue and same with restaurants, I think they`re taking on folks not suitable for the jobs concerned. Not everyone suits being in Customer facing jobs for sure.....and I think people are cooking who are certainly not chefs.

Yes, we like to relax and take our time when eating out, I hate that rushed feeling in places.

Stepford Wives yes! It is creepy in certain ways and we both said I doubted wed go back after this visit, there`s no restaurants there we really want to eat in, although they do have a very good dentist there....hopefully not needed again!!

You both looked great!! And it was a lovely surprise seeing you both walk in, we did enjoy those couple of hours with you, glad we hadn`t left early

 

[schumigirl]

I did some laundry this afternoon, coming for any length of time, laundry is essential for us and it really doesn`t take long. The laundry room in T3 is on the second floor and although I don`t mind doing laundry, the second floor with no windows by the elevator is quite depressing, it is dull down here.

There are only 3 washers and 3 dryers in the laundry rooms over here, if you catch it lucky you`re fine, so I try to go during the day when most folks are at the parks as it seems to be less busy then.

The day whittled away and later we went to the lounge and sat with our ipads and chatted too. Matt and Rob sat with us for a while and then they headed out to HHN....we still hadn`t decided whether to bother going tonight so we hung around a little longer.

A man sat close to us and began a conversation with Tom.....being honest I was completely bored with this guy...Tom is very polite and chatted away to this guy who was, let`s just say not my cup of tea. He seemed to feel the need to inform us of his income from being a carpenter despite not having an education, but it wasn`t said in a friendly way, he seemed to be bragging, or felt he was bragging as he seemed overly proud of what he perceived to be a high income. It was just odd....I couldn`t give a rats patootie what anyone else has so it is odd when folks feel the need to share that kind of info.

I passed the time chatting to Raphael and Alex then finally dragged Tom away to get the boat and thought we`d head into horror nights for an hour.

Well, bad timing or what but we ended up behind them in the line.......not sure what triggered what came next but I should add I thought this guy was in his 60`s....he started asking if it was true we stayed so much, I never really answered him as I felt he was being beligerent now, Tom answered vaguely and then he suddenly announce that we were old and he was still young enough to enjoy all the parks unlike us as he was "only" 48!!!!!

​

I looked at him and very politely told him I`d take that as the insult it was intended to be and file it appropriately.........idiot.

Ever wanted to wipe the floor with someone but decided he wasn`t worth it......yep.....that old phrase never argue with an idiot......

​

It became a bit of a joke, but something like that is not something we`d ever let bother us.

So, we got on the boat and went into HHN for probably the shortest amount of time ever........it was just heaving with people and after we saw the Pumpkin Lord, we just headed back out to Citywalk.

I think we were done with HHN this year.

Fat Tuesday`s in the middle of Citywalk is a lovely place to sit and enjoy a couple of drinks, and they are very nice with a decent pour and you can get a tooter to add to the drinks......why not....

I had the Cat 5 Hurricane which was rum based and topped off with a tropical punch and fruit juices which is very easy to drink, Tom opted for the Margarita which was very strong!!

It was a beautiful evening, not too humid but the heat was still high so it was perfect sitting here listening to the music and just enjoying that lively atmosphere.

We just had the one here for now and headed over to Cowfish for maybe an appetiser each, we really didn`t feel hungry enough for a meal, but they do have some nice apps.

The bar was busy but we did manage to get 2 seats, we much prefer sitting at the bar and it`s usually much quicker than waiting on a table, although they didn`t look to be full when we went up there tonight.

For drinks, Tom asked for the Buffalo and Bacon which I did like the sound of even though it was Bourbon based but came with cherry liqueuer, angostura bitters, orange, honey and a piece of candied bacon.....sounded ok if a little odd.

I`m quite dull in here with drinks, I always order the same thing, the Mango Ginger, but instead of using tequila I have them make it with rum instead and it is gorgeous.......comes with lime juice, agave and a very fresh mango ginger puree which does come with little chunks of real ginger which I love.

They are both gorgeous!!

This place is noisy, no escaping it even when it`s not full everyone`s voices just echo in here...not somewhere you want to go for a quiet meal.

We quite like the burgers here, the ones we had tried were all lovely, and well cooked as required. They were also very good with allergy responses which is something we have always found to be excellent anywhere in UOR....chefs will always be happy to come out and chat about any issues you may have. Some of our friends kids have serious allergy issues and not only do the contact Universal before they travel, but once there they speak to a chef at every restaurant to explain the issues and everytime they said they have been brilliant.

I do not like the sushi here at all. I find while it does look good on the plates, taste wise I found it bland and completely underwhelming. Not something I`d ever order again from here when I can get much better sushi 5 minutes away.

But, for tonight we only wanted a taster, so Tom ordered the Spicy Togarashi Shrimp which is allegedly tossed in a spicy chilli sauce with some slaw and pounded ginger.

When it came out, it was distinctly lacking in the aforementioned chilli sauce.....we asked the barman if we could get some more sauce, he looked at it and said oh yes, they missed the mark there and he very swiftly brought out a little pot with some sauce.....not a lot, but just enough.

When I had ordered this in the past, there was a lot more sauce on the dish.

It was an easy choice for me, The Tuna & Avocado Tini.....and this was a decent little dish from them. Plenty of tuna and avocado which were coated in a ginger dressing and this was lovely....I wish their sushi was as good as this!

We enjoyed this and had a lovely chat with the couple to the side of us who were Canadian and immediately asked us where we were from as one thought we were from England and she thought we were Scottish. Well, yes, Scottish but lived in England for a long time......we all agreed they were both kind of right.

I can sometimes recognise a Canadian twang over American voices, but I couldn`t pinpoint any specific area the way you can with American voices from certain areas....but they had a lovely lilt to their voices and I didn`t hear where they said they were from, but they were very nice. She also regretted ordering sushi and sent her plate back to then order a burger.....I did say!!!

We headed back out and had a wander round that top part of Citywalk before heading along to the Dead Coconut Club.

This place was a little busier tonight than the previous night and there was an atmosphere and everyone was having a lot of fun, many were up dancing and the drinks were seemingly flowing!

We saw one of our favourite barmen from Vivo was working tonight alongside Brooklyn who he said we had met several times before, I wasn`t sure till she spoke then I did remember her from before.

Sean is a lot of fun and a very good barman, he has always been good to chat to and pours a very good drink!!

We met someone we know from Universal tonight and he was chatting about how succesful this place was with the Halloween theme and how they were planning to retheme it for Christmas which was a brilliant idea to keep this space filled and also very lucrative for Universal. You can see it easily themed for anything from Christmas to Mardi Gras to Halloween again and anything inbetween.

We spent an hour or so in here and then it got incredibly busy, so we headed back down to Fat Tuesdays and we ordered two different drinks, I think Tom got the strawberry flavoured one and I went for the Pina Colada one, both were very nice and we managed to find some seats too which we were lucky as it was so busy.

And we got to listen to some decent music from the stage.....they were very good and everyone around seemed to enjoy it.

I forget what time it was we left Citywalk, but it was late and we noticed the lines for the boats were just getting longer and longer, so we were happy to walk again, it would probably be quicker anyway, and it was still so warm that it was just lovely strolling on the path by the waterway to get home.

As we passed through the lobby one of the night crew we knew and hadn`t seen for a while stopped to say hello and asked us what we were doing if the hurricane caused any issues.......honest answer, we hadn`t given it a thought.....would think about it if it happened...

For now, all we wanted to do was crawl into that lovely bed of ours and walking in to the suite that had been left cosy with low lights and drapes closed is always nice, I did like turndown service.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

I have never tried Korean BBQ and really want to but I agree I would probably go with someone who knows what they are doing.

My parents would’ve shut that human down so fast. If I were not near them then I definitely would’ve shut that human down (I try not to be impolite in front of them unless I really am fired up!) I will never understand people commenting about peoples wants and experiences! Drives me up a wall!

Really impressed by Dead Coconut Club this year.

 

[disneyAndi14]

I had some time to catch up today, wow I’m sorry the HHN event ended up getting way to crowded to enjoy it. I’m glad we went early in the month and had 2 relatively quiet nights.
I’m also sorry Tom had a few days of feeling yucky! He sounds like quite the trooper! He is always smiling no matter what.
I’m enjoying all your different restaurant reviews some great some not so.
I think I have mentioned to you before I also enjoy Red Lobster it is usually my choice for my Birthday dinner. I love the biscuits and have made these little beauties at home as well!
I’m enjoying hearing about the Dead Coconut Room. I’m really bummed I didn’t know about the Halloween version, my sister would have loved this!
Andi and I really like Fat Tuesday drinks! Yummy and strong!

 

[keishashadow]

As we passed through the lobby one of the night crew we knew and hadn`t seen for a while stopped to say hello and asked us what we were doing if the hurricane caused any issues.......honest answer, we hadn`t given it a thought.....would think about it if it happened...

Hey, you were busy enjoying your vacation, who worries about a little rain?

 

[SCDizFan]

I've loved reading your trip report so far! You do such a fantastic job!

Also, your photo from the flight to Orlando have me so excited about flying MIA-LHR tomorrow in premium!

 

[Pumpkin1172]

Finally caught up again!

I'm glad Tom wasn't sick for too long. That always puts a damper on a trip!

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[schumigirl]

I have never tried Korean BBQ and really want to but I agree I would probably go with someone who knows what they are doing.

My parents would’ve shut that human down so fast. If I were not near them then I definitely would’ve shut that human down (I try not to be impolite in front of them unless I really am fired up!) I will never understand people commenting about peoples wants and experiences! Drives me up a wall!

Really impressed by Dead Coconut Club this year.

Dead Coconut was a lot of fun, they really do these things so well.

I think my days of keeping my mouth shut when someone is rude to me are long gone, I can be tactful if necessary, but I`m losing the desire to be tactful with certain people.

I did like the Korean BBQ idea, and we will hopefully go again sometime.

 

[schumigirl]

I had some time to catch up today, wow I’m sorry the HHN event ended up getting way to crowded to enjoy it. I’m glad we went early in the month and had 2 relatively quiet nights.
I’m also sorry Tom had a few days of feeling yucky! He sounds like quite the trooper! He is always smiling no matter what.
I’m enjoying all your different restaurant reviews some great some not so.
I think I have mentioned to you before I also enjoy Red Lobster it is usually my choice for my Birthday dinner. I love the biscuits and have made these little beauties at home as well!
I’m enjoying hearing about the Dead Coconut Room. I’m really bummed I didn’t know about the Halloween version, my sister would have loved this!
Andi and I really like Fat Tuesday drinks! Yummy and strong!

Sorry for the later reply Caroline.......

Yes, it wasn`t too bad some nights early on, and we didn`t hate the event, but so many of us were all saying the same thing this year. I`m so glad you enjoyed it though.

Yes, Red Lobster is a decent place, but it does seem to get made fun of by some folks.....we`ll still go! Yes, restaurants varied so much this trip, it was certainly obvious some places need to improve a lot.

And I`m so gutted you didn`t know about the Dead Coconut Club.....yes, you`d both have enjoyed it a lot, it was just fun! And yes, Fat Tuesday`s........yum!!!

It was unusual Tom being poorly, thankfully it was short lived!! He got back to smiling very soon......

 

[schumigirl]

Hey, you were busy enjoying your vacation, who worries about a little rain?

lol....isn`t that the truth!!! If we get wet, we soon dry off.......

 

[schumigirl]

I've loved reading your trip report so far! You do such a fantastic job!

Also, your photo from the flight to Orlando have me so excited about flying MIA-LHR tomorrow in premium!

I missed wishing you safe travels!!!

Well, I hope it was a good flight and you arrived safe and sound and hope you`re wrapping up warm! Hope you have the best time and thank you for your lovely comments......can`t wait to hear you had a blast!!!

 

[schumigirl]

Finally caught up again!

I'm glad Tom wasn't sick for too long. That always puts a damper on a trip!

Can't wait to hear more!

Glad you`re all caught up Pumpkin......no it was a short bug whatever it was thankfully, nothing worse than being poorly on vacation!

More coming up soon.......

 

[schumigirl]

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 24TH​

So, time to get this back up and running. I do try to finish these TR`s in a timely fashion, but you never know.......even so, I`m quite surprised to see we`re already up to the 24th of September.

This morning we were planning a half lazy day, parks in the morning and this afternoon we were meeting a lady who we have known a long time for coffee, she used to work in the hotel and we still keep in touch as we do with some others too.

We took our time with breakfast this morning as we usually do most days, chatting and laughing were becoming our perfect start to the day with either Matt and Rob and add in the club folks and it was an ideal blend of fun.

Tom had some fizzy this morning as we had no plans to leave property today, and it was nice the four of us sipping bubbly together instead of Tom having coffee......it felt very social!!

I can`t remember what the boys were doing today, but we soon left and headed for the boats....today was a hot one!!

We went through the gates saying Good Morning to America, one of the lovely ladies who has worked there for what seems like forever, very nice lady and one of the many who thank you for being a Passholder as you enter the parks.

Today we planned to buy some more little gifts from the Universal store, we would get everything sent back to the room to save us wandering around with them which is ideal. And at this point we were thinking we would be running out of days to pick stuff up.....who knew!!

These displays are excellent! Even if you don`t like Halloween very much they are very arty and have some good humour throughout them, so they`re very popular for photoshots, and as someone who does enjoy Halloween, we loved seeing them and the detail they included in every one of them.

I bought more than I planned to this morning in here, but I remembered a couple of things I wanted for folks, some caps and a couple of tee shirts for others, I picked up the red HHN mug and the one that has Michael Myers on it....they were just for me! I have to admit, we have far too many mugs that either have HHN decor on them or are designed from rides or movies from the Universal collections. We do of course have regular cups and mugs and of course proper china tea services, but we do like our Universal merchandise.

The lady wrapped everything up well, especially the perishables as she knew they were going in checked luggage, and although I do wrap all our stuff up well, the added paper they used helped keel them from breaking. We`ve been lucky over the years, everything has made it back in one piece, except a bottle of shampoo that somehow burst, I was so glad I had put it in a plastic bag within another plastic bag.

We were enjoying this heat as we always do and strolled pleasantly throught the park and as always spotting things we had never noticed before, of which there are many. The detail around both parks are incredible and we love finding new detail we have missed over the many years.

We did the Bourne show again today, and if you haven`t ever seen it, you should.....it is very clever and a mix of real actors and special effects which is amazing and much better than the previous Terminator show which I always used as a snooze time.....amazed the heck out of my two I could sleep right through that very noisy show.....

​

I love a nap, moreso in winter, there`s something very cosy about snuggling down on a sofa with a fleecy blanket for half an hour or 3.......lol.....

We didn`t bother with the Horror Make up show today, and instead wandered some more.

I always feel bad we don`t enjoy Mel`s Diner, it is one of the worst places within the parks for food, but the theme is excellent and very classic for a theme park, it`s just not food we have ever enjoyed. I don`t know anyone who has ever enjoyed a meal from there which is a shame.

I wish they would bring back the live bands they used to have play outside the restaurant too, they had a very good band for a few visits we had and it attracted a load of folks to watch them, and maybe some inside to eat too. It felt a little unloved looking at it now.

I loved this picture, seeing the dragon from outside the WW is quite cool....and impressive.

We went in quickly to do Gringotts, and we did get on quickly for a Saturday, it didn`t seem as busy as we imagined it would be today, we usually avoid weekends in the parks, but it hadn`t been too bad this trip.

The screen was a little off this time, but not enough for it to stop and restart again, but it`s a fun ride and we always enjoy the stuff before the ride too.

We were glad the HE was back up and running again, although it`s not essential from getting park to park as they really are very close together and it`s so easy to switch from one to the other.

Even if you are at the back of either park, it`s not too long a walk to get to the front, exit and walk to the other entrance, but the train is a must for any Potter fan, or non Potter fan even as it quite unique. It is strangely reminiscent of the type of trains we had in the UK back in the 1970`s before they changed and updated them all. We used to love when we got the train as children and you could get your own compartment and it was identical material on the seats and windows were exactly the same too. So, in a strange way, for me and most folks who grew up in our area with the same type of trains, it is like a walk or train ride down memory lane.

The little town I grew up in had a beautiful old railway station, where the waiting room had a real fire that was always burning, even till late at night, there were two station masters and it felt very welcoming. This was up until the late 1970`s. Now, today, you have an area you step off the train and a machine to buy your tickets, the buildings have gone and you feel part of the community disappeared when the station did. It looks very cold, almost industrial and it has lost all of the history that was attched to that beautiful traditional building. All in the name of progress.

Although I am too young to remember steam trains I will say....I`m not that old!! But the HE is very beautiful and it is impressive to see it roll very slowly into the station here at UOR.

You can get some excellent pictures of the train as it reloads the next set of folks in Hogsmeade station.

We headed down to the HHN Boutique....this is an amazing little place that changes it theme by season too.....and the Halloween theme is another that is so well done with interesting little artifacts and decor around the compact little building, to their credit they do manage to display a lot in there.

We did manage to pick up over our trip, candles and room sprays all with the Halloween theme, some were nicer than others and some I`ll give away as gifts in with Christmas parcels for friends, btu you are spoilt for choice with ideas and they also have bbq sauces and so on for sale too. We didn`t buy any of their sauces, but I wish we had.

The staff are happy to chat about their products and it`s nice to hear their opinions of HHN this year which they are happy to share, some interesting views from them and a couple are very knowledgeable about previous events too, most of them have been here a very long time though.

I`m not a fan of fudge so didn`t try this one, but have bought some to pop in Christmas boxes, so I`m sure I`ll hear how it tastes in due course.

We were wandering round heading to the exit when we were delighted to see our friends Mr & Mrs Keishashadow who had just come in.......well, this was brilliant! We chatted for quite a while and I apologise if we got in anyone`s way as we chatted, we did move to the side but it is a small place and we were just so happy to see each other....

I always love to run into folks I know here, it still feels a bit odd at times when someone recognises us and shouts our name, but it`s always nice and especially nice when it`s friends you aren`t expecting to see.

We said our goodbye`s and said we`d see them tomorrow for Howl O Scream, now that, we were excited to do for the first time!




More to come....

 

[KathyM2]

As always enjoying your TR and pics. HHN looks like so much fun...I do hope to make it for that one day! I love the way you bring gifts back for people. I think it's a nice habit to have!! Do people give you requests for stuff from the US since you go so often from the UK? I get that even from Canada.