It's Good to be a Passholder :-) - a January 2020 Trip Report

[verleniahall]

She's a quick one!! lol

We are slowly working our way through the Orlando dinner show list. We have currently done:

Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
Capone's Dinner & Show (5 times, I think)
Outta Control Dinner Show
Pirates Dinner Adventure
The Rock Dinner Show

We plan to do Spirit of Aloha in October.

And we have done Medieval Times more than once in Toronto, so I doubt we will do Orlando's (I can't see it being much different).

So that will only leave.....Sleuths? I think that might be the only one left.

Save your money - Spirit of Aloha is NOT worth the cost - we did it in January and liked Ohana better - the food is better and they have shortened the Show

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

You've done more than me (and I live down here!). I've only done Hoop and Capone's (but I am content to do them multiple times, which I have). I do want to do Sleuths and the Titanic show (that is a dinner show, right?)

I totally forgot about Titanic! We visited the Exhibition (years ago.....maybe 2014?) but totally forgot they offered a dinner as well. Another one to add to the list!

Save your money - Spirit of Aloha is NOT worth the cost - we did it in January and liked Ohana better - the food is better and they have shortened the Show

There are few things at Disney that are actually "worth" the cost ;-) .... but yet, we are sucked in anyway!!!! ha ha! I'll be cringing more than slightly when I book Cruella's Hideway this week for our MNSSHP night. I just keep telling myself, it's only money (and we make more every day, right?).

We are actually pretty excited to give it a try.....it's another thing that's been on Steve's must-do list for the last while. We've never been to Ohana for dinner so we won't be comparing food between the two. We plan to book the earlier seating so that we can catch the fireworks from the Poly after dinner (and maybe grab a Dole Whip before heading back to our resort). As long as we have fun, it will be worth it. And I have even ordered myself a pair of custom Hawaiian Mickey ears for the event!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Sunday, January 26th: Universal! (but first, breakfast)



We had set aside this entire Sunday for Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Our UOR annual passes were one of the reasons we talked ourselves into the January trip: squeezing in an extra visit meant we could get more mileage out of those passes. Having used them already in May 2019 and October 2019, they had already paid for themselves in parking, dining and shopping discounts, and, HHN admission alone.....park admission was just a happy bonus.

Before we headed to the parking garage, we opted to stop and have a hearty breakfast on the way so we could arrive fully fueled and ready to enjoy the day. Steve was starving (and frankly, after our slim dinner the night before, so was I) so we opted for the ample and endless offerings at Golden Corral.



Now, Golden Corral is generally not one of my top choices for dining (they always seem to be chaotic, loud and dirty.....or at least the one near our home in Michigan is) but there is one location near the parks that is wonderfully NOT like the rest. It actually used to be a Wood Grill Buffet when it originally opened, then was bought out by GC a few years later and the management there has been able to keep it in tip top shape. It's quite close to SeaWorld (in the same strip plaza as the World of Chocolate Museum & Cafe) but far enough away from the main I-Drive/Sand Lake area that it doesn't seem to pull in as many out-of-control tourists as some of the other Orlando locations. It's only open for breakfast on the weekends, and we've never found it very busy so we knew we could get a hearty meal in a jiffy and still make it to the parks to savor those quiet early morning hours.



I'll never get used to the idea of fried chicken for breakfast, but apparently that's the American Way so I guess I'm just a weirdo that way. I'm happy with scrambled eggs and bacon, and because I was feeling indulgent (and naughty) I splurged on a cinnamon bun and some tater tots. Oh yes, and pancakes with berries....though my eyes proved bigger than my stomach on the latter and I could only stand a few bites (even though it was pretty darn good). Steve, of course, was quite on board with the fried-chicken-for-breakfast concept and as usual, his plate ended up being mostly meat. I swear that man has an iron stomach.



Steve also managed to source some no-sugar-added cake from the buffet, and decided to take advantage of his diabetic-friendly find by indulging in a little dessert-for-breakfast. Not exactly something I wanted to partake in (the Chocolate Wonderfall was also up and running, so my sweet tooth could have been indulged had I so chosen) but hey, it's vacation. He was entitled to a cheat or two, and this was at least one of the better ones. I savored an extra cup of coffee while he had his cake (and ate it too), then we headed to the Universal parking garage.



One of the things I love most about our Premier Universal AP's is the free preferred parking. We got a great spot close to the hub, which meant a super short walk to the security check (our tired legs would be VERY grateful for that short walk at the conclusion of our park day). Lines were pretty minimal and the security agents were working seamlessly to move people through the body scanners, so we hardly stopped walking from the time we left the truck until the time we breezed through the ticket turnstiles.

After stopping for a quick photo, we had a chance to say hello to the Yellow Taxi Driver. If you haven't had a chance to make his acquaintance before, he's quite an engaging character. He's always full of energy and ready to talk your ear off!



We then headed down a very empty Hollywood Boulevard, and ran into the beautiful Marilyn Monroe.



It was a SPECTACULAR January morning (and the forecast was calling for a very comfortable temperatures with nothing but sun), but there was a bit of a chill at that early point in the day. This was the first time we have seen Marilyn in her fur coat......she is usually strutting and spinning down the street in just her trademark white dress. I'm sure she shed that coat within a few hours, though!

We strolled on down to Springfield, and decided to grab a ride on the Twirl 'n Hurl. Despite the name, it was an easy ride for our stomachs which were still feeling the effects of our big breakfast!



And of course, Steve *had* to stop and try his hand at the Sledgehomer game.....for old time's sake. He didn't win a prize, but he DID hit 98 on the strength meter (which drew quite a fun response from the few folks that stopped to watch him swing the hammer). I swear that game is rigged now!! Back in 2015 and 2016, he could ring that bell without even blinking an eye.



More to come!

 

[mjhtvchick]

She's a quick one!! lol

We are slowly working our way through the Orlando dinner show list. We have currently done:

Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
Capone's Dinner & Show (5 times, I think)
Outta Control Dinner Show
Pirates Dinner Adventure
The Rock Dinner Show

We plan to do Spirit of Aloha in October.

And we have done Medieval Times more than once in Toronto, so I doubt we will do Orlando's (I can't see it being much different).

So that will only leave.....Sleuths? I think that might be the only one left.

Have you ever done the Wantilan Luau at Universal? I have heard some good things and bad things about that one and have often wondered about checking it out.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Have you ever done the Wantilan Luau at Universal? I have heard some good things and bad things about that one and have often wondered about checking it out.

We have not.....but definitely debated between the Luau and Spirit of Aloha for this trip. In the end, Spirit of Aloha won out as it seems to get better reviews overall, and we can watch the fireworks (assuming they have resumed those post-Covid 19) from the Poly beach afterward.

If Spirit of Aloha is a hit, though, I can see us trying the Wantilan Luau on a future getaway.

 

[JaxDad]

She's a quick one!! lol

We are slowly working our way through the Orlando dinner show list. We have currently done:

Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
Capone's Dinner & Show (5 times, I think)
Outta Control Dinner Show
Pirates Dinner Adventure
The Rock Dinner Show

We plan to do Spirit of Aloha in October.

And we have done Medieval Times more than once in Toronto, so I doubt we will do Orlando's (I can't see it being much different).

So that will only leave.....Sleuths? I think that might be the only one left.

Hey Gina! So, just curious, how would you rank the dinner shows? We've done Hoop-Dee-Doo, Shamu, Medieval Times, Outta Control, and Sleuths. I would probably put them in that order for our best to worst. I say "worst," but we did like Sleuths. It would have been even better with a more-involved table group. There was a 7-year-old at our table--he was well-behaved, but still a little distracted AND distracting. Hoop-Dee-Doo and Shamu are probably interchangeable for me at first place, depending on how I'm feeling! Hoop-Dee-Doo was a long time ago, but I still remember it as a great time. Outta Control is a favorite (the only one we've done twice), but it still falls somewhat short of Medieval Times just for the overall pageantry.

I guess I could have included Whispering Canyon and character meals at Disney too, but they are not quite the same as traditional dinner shows. The breakfast character meal at Polynesian was a big hit with my kids when they were very little.

The Rock is such a great concept. I hope they improve the food!

 

[Joanna71985]

I recommend Capone's! It's a really fun dinner show

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hey Gina! So, just curious, how would you rank the dinner shows? We've done Hoop-Dee-Doo, Shamu, Medieval Times, Outta Control, and Sleuths. I would probably put them in that order for our best to worst. I say "worst," but we did like Sleuths. It would have been even better with a more-involved table group. There was a 7-year-old at our table--he was well-behaved, but still a little distracted AND distracting. Hoop-Dee-Doo and Shamu are probably interchangeable for me at first place, depending on how I'm feeling! Hoop-Dee-Doo was a long time ago, but I still remember it as a great time. Outta Control is a favorite (the only one we've done twice), but it still falls somewhat short of Medieval Times just for the overall pageantry.

I guess I could have included Whispering Canyon and character meals at Disney too, but they are not quite the same as traditional dinner shows. The breakfast character meal at Polynesian was a big hit with my kids when they were very little.

The Rock is such a great concept. I hope they improve the food!

Great question!!

We would probably rate them in this order (Best to Worst):

1. Capone's
2. Hoop-Dee-Doo
3. Outta Control
4. Dine With Orcas/Shamu
5. Rock Dinner Show
6. Pirates Dinner Adventure

Capone's and Hoop-Dee-Doo would be REALLY close to each other though, and rank well above the rest of the list.

I didn't even think about including Dine with Orcas (formerly Dine with Shamu) in the list of ones we've done, but you're correct that we probably should have. So I've put it into my ranked list above.

The food (quality and/or quantity) are definitely what put #'s 5 & 6 in those slots. At #s 1 through 4, we were as well fed as we were entertained. While we have enjoyed all of them to at least some degree, the first 4 definitely stand out for best overall experience.

 

[JaxDad]

Great question!!

We would probably rate them in this order (Best to Worst):

1. Capone's
2. Hoop-Dee-Doo
3. Outta Control
4. Dine With Orcas/Shamu
5. Rock Dinner Show
6. Pirates Dinner Adventure

Capone's and Hoop-Dee-Doo would be REALLY close to each other though, and rank well above the rest of the list.

I didn't even think about including Dine with Orcas (formerly Dine with Shamu) in the list of ones we've done, but you're correct that we probably should have. So I've put it into my ranked list above.

The food (quality and/or quantity) are definitely what put #'s 5 & 6 in those slots. At #s 1 through 4, we were as well fed as we were entertained. While we have enjoyed all of them to at least some degree, the first 4 definitely stand out for best overall experience.

Ha! I remember you guys did not like Pirates! I think I had it on our "maybe to-do list," but your review (and others on TripAdvisor) steered me clear!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I recommend Capone's! It's a really fun dinner show

Capone's is great value for your money. The show is tons of fun, the food is good (and there's lots of it!), and the price is really reasonable for what you get. The staff/actors are great as well. We actually have gotten to know one of the 'gangsters' really well, and keep in touch with him regularly between visits.

 

[Joanna71985]

Capone's is great value for your money. The show is tons of fun, the food is good (and there's lots of it!), and the price is really reasonable for what you get. The staff/actors are great as well. We actually have gotten to know one of the 'gangsters' really well, and keep in touch with him regularly between visits.

Capone's is very underrated! I live literally 30 seconds away (so that's a plus). I also know several people who do the show, so it's always to see them when I go

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Sunday, January 26th: Universal, continued

We managed to catch a portion of the little fountain 'show' (for lack of a better word) in the lagoon once we were finished rocking around Springfield. I love that they have added an interest factor to that large, otherwise unused space in the park. It's picturesque, yes, but it was begging for something more. We really liked the Marathon of Mayhem fountain show during Halloween Horror Nights, and were super happy to see that they adapted the concept on a smaller scale for regular park days. Supe



Did that darn duck not realize I was trying to take a photo?? Sheesh! LOL



We were a bit early to ride ET, but that was our next must-do stop of the morning. Heading over toward the ride entrance, we found one of the Trolls out greeting guests so we stopped to say hello.



No farting glitter this time, and I think Steve was more than a little relieved about that!

Next, we took a walk around the kids area to get a better look at what is even back there. All these visits and we've never hardly given that whole space a second look, save for taking in the Barney show at Christmas 2016. It's HUGE!! Much more spacious than I would have guessed!



It was extra nice that it was completely deserted, so I could snap some pictures without freaking out any parents. I kind of wonder how many of today's little ones would even know who Curious George was, but his presence appealed to my inner child for sure!



The kids water ride (which, again, we had no idea was even there!) was running, but we wondered if they would have actually let anyone on it had there been kiddos willing to ride. Gorgeous day that it was shaping up to be, it was still pretty chilly for water rides at that point in the morning, even for us northerners!



We rode ET when it opened (no wait, and, unfortunately, no photos!) then headed back toward Hollywood Boulevard. My keen eye spied Doc on the vintage train near the Delorean......I have no idea why he was up there (and not down near the car) but no one else seemed to even notice him goofing around. He gave us a big wave and shouted for us to come over, so (of course) we did! He never did come down but we had a wonderful chat with him nonetheless LOL. And his antics made for a fun photo!



Heading back down to Hollywood Boulevard, we found a plethora of character friends out greeting guests and posing for pics. First, we said hello to Diego.......



.....and next, we ran into the lovely Betty Boop (who was conquering the chill of the morning by cuddling up in her sexy red fur coat).



We were delighted to find two of our favorite fellows, Scooby Doo and Shaggy, just chillin' in one of the doorways. Interaction with Scoob & Shaggy is ALWAYS comical (they are such funny characters!!), and once again they did not disappoint!



More to come....

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Sunday, January 26th: Universal, continued



Popeye was the next character we stumbled upon. Every time we meet Popeye, he tells Steve he looks like Bluto. Steve's never sure if he should find that funny or insulting ;-) .



Homer and Bart were also out, hanging out at the far end of the Simpsons bus. If you were heading from the park entrance toward Springfield, you may have almost walked right by them and not realized they were there.



While we had been milling around, the rest of the Scooby Gang had also come out to greet guests, so we popped back for a photo with the whole team of meddling kids! Jinkies!



More to come.....

 

[Joanna71985]

That is my goal picture (whenever I make it back to Universal)- the whole Scooby Doo gang!

 

[I-4Bound]

That train is from Back to the Future 3. I'm sure that's why Doc was climbing on it. I love all your character pictures! We hardly ever meet characters. Sometimes, I would like to, but my family usually vetoes it!

 

[DontRushMe]

I just wanted to say that we really enjoyed the Spirit of Aloha show. Yes the show part was short, but the food was delicious and refills were plenty. I Love the Poly and we enjoyed our time walking around the resort waiting for the fireworks. Yes we had a Dole Whip before we left and stick around for the lighted parade (whatever it is called) If you are up that late. Another thing we enjoy doing there is renting the Sea Do Racers at the marina, it is another good way to get a view from the water.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

That is my goal picture (whenever I make it back to Universal)- the whole Scooby Doo gang!

They are SUCH a fun group....and always wonderfully in character. We love talking with them about the entity that lives in our house, and how great it would be if they could drive the Mystery Machine to Michigan to investigate our ghost!

I hope you are able to get there soon!!

That train is from Back to the Future 3. I'm sure that's why Doc was climbing on it. I love all your character pictures! We hardly ever meet characters. Sometimes, I would like to, but my family usually vetoes it!

Ah, that would be it! I am not sure if I've ever seen the whole movie (bits and pieces, yes, but never the whole flick start to finish). Perhaps I need to make that a quarantine to-do!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I just wanted to say that we really enjoyed the Spirit of Aloha show. Yes the show part was short, but the food was delicious and refills were plenty. I Love the Poly and we enjoyed our time walking around the resort waiting for the fireworks. Yes we had a Dole Whip before we left and stick around for the lighted parade (whatever it is called) If you are up that late. Another thing we enjoy doing there is renting the Sea Do Racers at the marina, it is another good way to get a view from the water.

I checked to see if the Electric Water Pageant was being offered on our Spirit of Aloha, but sadly....it is not. We will happily catch the fireworks after dinner, though! Happy to hear you guys enjoyed both the food and the show. We have similar tastes, as you know ;-) , so I'm sure we will enjoy it as well.

Renting the water mice has been something we have looked at doing more than once, but Steve is too heavy for us to ride together LOL. I could definitely be convinced to have a ride in one of the amphibious vehicles at the Boathouse some day, though!! It's ridiculously pricey (something like $125 for 20 minutes) but some day we'll throw caution to the wind and do it anyway!

 

[Joanna71985]

They are SUCH a fun group....and always wonderfully in character. We love talking with them about the entity that lives in our house, and how great it would be if they could drive the Mystery Machine to Michigan to investigate our ghost!

I hope you are able to get there soon!!

I sure hope so! The last time I've gone was in 2016, so I miss it a lot (I especially want to go again to do Hagrid's)

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Sunday, January 26th: Universal

While we were on Hollywood Boulevard, I cajoled Steve into getting some silly photos in the Darkroom Studio. This was a fantastic addition to the My Universal Photo lineup, and doing some of the crazy poses definitely gives us both a good laugh.



None of the pics from that session turned out particularly well, but hey.....they only took 5 minutes out of the day and were definitely fun regardless of the less-than-appealing final products. They were amusing to have taken, even if we did look goofy in the final products. Happy memories and they didn't cost us a dime.







From the Darkroom, we headed over to Transformers to grab a ride while morning crowds were low and posted waits were at a delightful 10 minutes. After the ride, we joined the short line to grab a quick pic with ..... Megratron? (I think?)



I have zero interest in this movie so I never really know which gigantic heap of metal is who, but I do enjoy the ride and the character meets are always "larger than life". I'm actually a little sad that I avoided this ride for the first many years of our visits to Universal, thinking it would be too intense for me. I wish I had gave it a try long, long ago....it's really very fun!

We made our way up the little side street next to Transformers and had the opportunity to say hello to even more characters. Shrek & Donkey were out greeting guests, and we never pass up a chance for a hug from our favorite ogre!



Much like Popeye's regular comment that Steve reminds him of Bluto, Donkey never fails to point out that Steve bears a striking resemblance to his buddy Shrek. That poor man, its a wonder he tolerates any of these character meets with me when he becomes the brunt of so many jokes! But good sport that he is, he takes it all in stride.....and we always come away laughing at some off-the-cuff remark that Donkey made that could be taken much differently than it originally seemed intended. I think Donkey has a very adult sense of humor under all that kid-friendly silliness lol.

At that point in the day, with my character itch firmly scratched, we decided to hop the Hogwarts Express and spend a little time in Islands of Adventure. While Universal is definitely MY favorite park of the two, Steve's heart belongs to Islands of Adventure. With annual passes, we have park-to-park access on every visit so we generally try to split our day so that both of us get to be in our happy place for a while. And taking the Hogwart's Express is always a must-do on our visits, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.



The queue was pretty empty as we walked through after having our AP's scanned by the ticketing agent. There was no line of waiting guests, so we literally just had to keep walking until we made it up to Platform 9 3/4.



We thought perhaps we would encounter a line in the boarding area, but it too was completely empty.



We only had to wait long enough for the next train to pull into the station before we were being ushered into our car and preparing for our journey to Hogsmeade. All Aboard!



Next up: Islands of Adventure