HO-HO-HO..We`ll put the RUM in Pa-Rum-Pum-Pum-Pum! 16 holiday nights at SF & RPR. A Nov/Dec 2023 Trip Report

[DisGhost]

Ah, the 21st, my son's 11th birthday AND the night we flew out of NY to Florida. So he had the worst birthday ever even though we got him a cell phone and he got to see his grandparents. You of course had a MUCH different day than we did!

 

[KathyM2]

I think I know which dish you mean, it`s the Camarones from Strong Water Bar....yes, lemon buttery sauce with beautiful toasted bread....it`s a gorgeous dish and the shrimp are always huge!!!

Yes!! This is it...looks amazing!! I will go just for that lol

But let us know what type of food you`re looking for. Yes, recommendations most welcome......

We are open to lots of different kinds of food, my mom's real concern is not having to walk far or a lot of steps from the parking...so ideally I think we want something either at a hotel that isn't huge and offers close parking or an easy to drop off place...or one of those little strip malls where you can park right out front of the restaurant...you know the type that's pretty common in FL lol...

We will be staying at Vista Cay - which looks to be right off Universal Blvd (too bad we'll be mostly driving back and forth to Disney parks lol...) but on some non park days we'll want to do dinner closer to "home" if you can think of anything there lol...quick service is ok too but my mom would probably want somewhere we can make a reservation so we don't have to wait....But also...if we can't find anything that fits the bill then we'll often do takeout or UberEats to wherever we are staying...

BTW LOVE California Pizza kitchen....that's always an idea lol...but I worry about mall parking and too much walking....

 

[keishashadow]

Beware rogue pizzas lol. That had to be something to see

Lovely pics in this update. The tree in the mall
Might be the largest I’ve seen in one

 

[schumigirl]

Ah, the 21st, my son's 11th birthday AND the night we flew out of NY to Florida. So he had the worst birthday ever even though we got him a cell phone and he got to see his grandparents. You of course had a MUCH different day than we did!

Oh no, it`s never fun to have a miserable birthday!! Sounds not too bad, flying to Orlando and a phone!! I do hope he had a wonderful trip once you arrived in Florida!!

Yes, we did have a good day thanks......

 

[schumigirl]

Yes!! This is it...looks amazing!! I will go just for that lol

We are open to lots of different kinds of food, my mom's real concern is not having to walk far or a lot of steps from the parking...so ideally I think we want something either at a hotel that isn't huge and offers close parking or an easy to drop off place...or one of those little strip malls where you can park right out front of the restaurant...you know the type that's pretty common in FL lol...

We will be staying at Vista Cay - which looks to be right off Universal Blvd (too bad we'll be mostly driving back and forth to Disney parks lol...) but on some non park days we'll want to do dinner closer to "home" if you can think of anything there lol...quick service is ok too but my mom would probably want somewhere we can make a reservation so we don't have to wait....But also...if we can't find anything that fits the bill then we'll often do takeout or UberEats to wherever we are staying...

BTW LOVE California Pizza kitchen....that's always an idea lol...but I worry about mall parking and too much walking....

Universal Blvd has some nice little places we enjoy. Beth`s Burgers, NYPD Pizza and a little place called The Diner are all close to Vista Cay, a few minutes drive away and they are all lovely. The Diner only opens till maybe mid afternoon???? It`s definitely not open at night, but it`s very good.

Cheddar`s Scratch Kitchen is maybe a 5-10 minute drive away, parking is right by the door, same if you went to a Longhorn Steakhouse for example, not much walking there. I completely understand wanting somewhere with as little walking as possible for your mum.

I`m not the biggest fan of I Drive but there are a few decent places in amongst the bad and parking is usually close. There are also a lot of new places that have opened on Daryl Carter Highway/Turkey Lake Rd if you were coming back from Disney that way it might be worth a look there too.

Uber Eats is a very good idea if you didn`t feel like going out after a long day too....

 

[schumigirl]

Beware rogue pizzas lol. That had to be something to see

Lovely pics in this update. The tree in the mall
Might be the largest I’ve seen in one

It was hilarious as it was almost in slow motion as we all looked at each other then back to watch the pizza.....lol......

That tree is mighty impressive, we never did get back at night but it`s even prettier then too.

 

[schumigirl]

I think the lounge was in full swing when we got there, we were still full from lunch but grabbed a picture of the Salisbury meatballs and garlic mash that was tonight`s hot option. I think I did have a couple of meatballs, sprinkled liberally with Tabasco sauce....everything is better with Tabasco!!! I do love those little bottles they have to help yourself with, ideal size for one person. Tom likes spice too, but doesn`t share my desire to have spice on absolutely everything.

The lovely Aspen asked if it was one or two of us having wine tonight, Tom gave a big smile and she laughed knowing he was having some wine and duly poured us two lovely glasses of Pinot and very nice they were too.

The Club Lounge is such a lovely relaxing and friendly place, and the ladies (and gent of course) look after everyone so well. It`s a lovely size of lounge so the staff can really see if anyone needs something and it is just the nicest place. We have made so many friends from here, both staff and guests that we still keep in touch with, some after many years, so it does feel like our sitting room at times as Kayla once described it as.

We spoke to the JP family for a time then went over to sit at another table as it was fairly busy tonight when a lovely lady spoke to me and said she knew us from the Dis Boards and we had "spoken" to each other online......

And it was the lovely Llama Mama and her husband!! I had noticed her husband a few minutes earlier and thought he reminded me of someone famous, but couldn`t think who it was....still can`t really!!!

But we got chatting and honestly, what a lovely couple!! We were like old friends within seconds and they were so easy to chat to, it was one of those evenings where we could have sat chatting and laughing all night, but, we each had our things to do...and of course we got a picture......not sure why Tom didn`t end up in it, we could have asked someone to take it I`m sure, but anyway, I did ask if I could post the picture and they both said it was fine......so here we are.....

We`d probably see them in the morning as they were leaving the hotel, so we were glad to have been able to meet tonight.

It really is lovely meeting up with folks at Universal that we have met through the Dis, whether it`s just a quick hello and a wave, or being able to sit and chat for a while or the ones who have become lifelong friends, we have been very lucky to meet some genuinely lovely people over the many years we`ve stayed here or at Sapphire.

And of course, can`t not take a pic with some of our favourite ladies!!!

Eventually we did drag ourselves away and got the boat to Citywalk, it was gloriously warm tonight so another evening we didn`t need a jacket or top of any kind , so with that we headed to Fat Tuesdays closest to the boat docks and got ourselves a cocktail each, found a nice table and perched their for a couple of hours which was lovely.

I had the Margarita with a tooter and Tom had the Strawberry Daiquiri again with an extra tooter....they are very nice!!!

It wasn`t busy here tonight, it was just lovely sitting on a late November evening knowing it was freezing back home yet, we were sitting with no jackets, outside sipping cocktails.....this is when you really feel you`re on vacation!!!

I was however glad we weren`t going for the boat right now....that is a line and a half!

For once we didn`t buy anything but we did have a wander round the Universal store and headed over to the Legacy Store which we had heard was closing early in the New Year, so we made sure we had a good last look around and got some pictures.

Wandering around Citywalk is always nice, there are a crowd of folks heading out towards the exit, but Citywalk itself is fairly quiet.

I was kind of peckish now, normally we`d have gone to Vivo tonight, but we didn`t feel like a full meal, so we headed up to the bar in Cowfish and thought we`d maybe share an appetiser and enjoy one of their cocktails.

Cowfish is somewhere that we don`t mind a burger, we like some of their appetisers, but we`re not impressed with their sushi, so we never order it here and I doubt we ever will again. But their cocktails are quite decent too....if you get what you ask for of course.

We opted to share the Crab Rangoon Dip which is lovely although we would have liked a little more sweet chilli sauce, but the dip itself is very nice and just enough for us tonight.

I ordered the mango ginger but with rum instead of tequila, but again, I don`t think she heard me and it came with tequila, which is fine I do like tequila, but prefer this one with rum, it is nice though.

Tom ordered the Buffalos and Bacon cocktail which is a mix of Buffalo Trace bourbon, cherry liqueur, angostura and orange bitters and honey with a thick slice of candied bacon as a garnish.

We were joined briefly by our friends Anna and Harry, they had arrived the day after us but we hadn`t caught up with them yet, so it was nice to see them, they were heading I think for the cinema, they are film buffs and would go watch anything that`s new!!! We`d try and meet up with them in the next few days too.

But, we came back down into Citywalk and had another wander round before deciding we were going to head home.

We headed down to the boats and waited a few moments for the Sapphire boat, by now again, I was yawning my head off, I truly did plan to stay up till after midnight at some point again.

Back home we popped the tv on for half an hour before I gave in gracefully and headed to bed.

Tom did ask me what we planned to do tomorrow, as always, we`d decide in the morning.

 

[KathyM2]

Universal Blvd has some nice little places we enjoy. Beth`s Burgers, NYPD Pizza and a little place called The Diner are all close to Vista Cay, a few minutes drive away and they are all lovely. The Diner only opens till maybe mid afternoon???? It`s definitely not open at night, but it`s very good.

Thanks so much for the recos!! I will definitely look into these!!!

It really is lovely meeting up with folks at Universal that we have met through the Dis, whether it`s just a quick hello and a wave, or being able to sit and chat for a while or the ones who have become lifelong friends, we have been very lucky to meet some genuinely lovely people over the many years we`ve stayed here or at Sapphire.

This is so true. It used to seem weird to "meet" people online and then meet them in person. But now I feel like it's a lot more common and I'm glad. I have made quite a few good friends that way and I do feel like you get to know people online first and then it always feels so comfortable when you meet them IRL.

 

[DisGhost]

My husband always gets the Buffalos and Bacon there, it really is quite good.

 

[saskdw]

That is hilarious that Kyle's cake radar was going off!!

Love the pictures of Citywalk at night. It's so beautiful. Makes me wish I was there right now!

Winter has finally arrived here. It's - 41 today!!

 

[schumigirl]

Thanks so much for the recos!! I will definitely look into these!!!

This is so true. It used to seem weird to "meet" people online and then meet them in person. But now I feel like it's a lot more common and I'm glad. I have made quite a few good friends that way and I do feel like you get to know people online first and then it always feels so comfortable when you meet them IRL.

I remember when I first told some of my real life friends way back in 2007/08 we were meeting folks from the internet, they were horrified....my mother even more so......lol......

I completely agree you get an idea of how folks will be from their online persona ...good and bad but yes, most meets have been wonderful thankfully.

 

[schumigirl]

My husband always gets the Buffalos and Bacon there, it really is quite good.

It is a good one!! Very, very strong but it has a lovely flavour.

 

[schumigirl]

That is hilarious that Kyle's cake radar was going off!!

Love the pictures of Citywalk at night. It's so beautiful. Makes me wish I was there right now!

Winter has finally arrived here. It's - 41 today!!

Hell`s Bells that`s cold!!! We have a real feel of 0c which is around 30F?? It is baltic, well for us it`s baltic. I physically wilt in the cold according to friends and some find it funny of course.....that`s what friends do when they don`t get it...... some of them love the cold and will happily walk even when it`s bitter!! I`ll hibernate thank you very much! I don`t think I`ll be visiting Canada in the winter!

Timing was everything, i had just said oh Kyle would love that one, when I heard the notification from him.....it`s almost as if he knew!!

Citywalk is beautiful at night, yes, with this cold weather I`d much prefer to be sitting at Fat Tuesday`s with a cocktail right now!

Stay warm and cosy!!!

 

[DisGhost]

I remember when I first told some of my real life friends way back in 2007/08 we were meeting folks from the internet, they were horrified....my mother even more so......lol......

I completely agree you get an idea of how folks will be from their online persona ...good and bad but yes, most meets have been wonderful thankfully.

The guy who acted as minister at our wedding was someone I had known/corresponded with online for years but never met in person. Everyone was convinced he would be an axe murderer and that this was an insane idea but he was perfectly nice and is still a good friend. He and my husband got along like gangbusters and we attended HIS wedding together a few years later.

 

[disneyseniors]

I remember when I first told some of my real life friends way back in 2007/08 we were meeting folks from the internet, they were horrified....my mother even more so......lol......

I completely agree you get an idea of how folks will be from their online persona ...good and bad but yes, most meets have been wonderful thankfully.

When I told my adult son and daughter about meeting up with you guys, they got into "protective mode" and questioned it. But I talked them down and told them I thought you were perfectly normal, LOL.
I had to lie a little, but it worked

 

[schumigirl]

The guy who acted as minister at our wedding was someone I had known/corresponded with online for years but never met in person. Everyone was convinced he would be an axe murderer and that this was an insane idea but he was perfectly nice and is still a good friend. He and my husband got along like gangbusters and we attended HIS wedding together a few years later.

That`s so lovely!! But, I hear you on everyone else worrying......it must have sounded dodgy to some folks I guess.

It`s so nice though you`re still friends.

 

[schumigirl]

When I told my adult son and daughter about meeting up with you guys, they got into "protective mode" and questioned it. But I talked them down and told them I thought you were perfectly normal, LOL.
I had to lie a little, but it worked

lol....I`ve been called worse and on here too

At least you had your daughter with you just to be sure!!! I can understand that worry for sure......I think it worked out ok

 

[keishashadow]

But I talked them down and told them I thought you were perfectly normal, LOL.
I had to lie a little, but it worked

Normal is decidedly over-rated

 

[schumigirl]

Normal is decidedly over-rated

I completely agree.....who wants to be normal, UNIQUE yes, normal......nah!!!

 

[schumigirl]

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 22ND




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Normally I wake early and go through and watch the sunrise over RP from the sitting room in the mornings, it is beautiful to watch and it`s quite different when you wake up and there is just a load of cloud to see like this morning, but given the time of year we weren`t doing too badly for weather, at least it was still going to be warm.

Showered, dressed and over to Club Lounge for breakfast where we met Llama Mama`s two daughters, lovely young ladies and it was nice to see LM again this morning before they left.

As we were going to IOA we walked and headed through the pool first which did have a few folks swimming this morning, although the life guards all had long trousers and jackets on, usually a good gauge of how cool or hot is depending on what those guys are wearing, bless them they did look cold, but it felt fine walking, I think it was around 76F today.

I think days like this where it`s not in the high 90`s reminds us of how much we love May and September where we are guaranteed hot weather, we have no complaints about this trip weather wise as we only had a couple of cool days, but overall, we prefer the searing heat of other months.

We were a little later again this morning, not sure exactly how late, but we were well after 9am as the pool was already open and there were long lines to get into the park even now when we reached the gates, . We`re really not used to this, but of course it is the week of Thanksgiving, so we did expect crowds, but strangely the parks didn`t feel overcrowded in most places.

Port of Entry is beautiful and has the most incredible details all around it, some get missed and I`m always appreciative we have the time to stop and catch everything they have so carefully designed into this and every other area of the parks.

Not a bad entrance for a Guest Services area.

We tend to pop into the stores on the way out and have a good look around, especially the Christmas store which leads into the store that sells fudge and other types of treats and very tempting they are too. I`m not really someone who likes fudge, but this isn`t bad in here.

It took us a few years to realise you could listen to the fake cats on the balcony above yowling away, some of the many sounds you can hear when you listen carefully. It is funny sometimes when we`re standing looking up and folks going past stop to see if we`re looking at anything interesting....

I love this little gem......the sheet is hanging down from a jail cell and a prisoner has escaped the guards of the Hoosegaw and wrote a cheeky "see ya" on the wall in chalk.

Wanton Mopery does sound a little obtuse as a crime but Pillockery does sound a little more intruiging!!!

It`s not till you walk down towards the door you start to hear the voices of the prisoners incarcerated above, I think there`s a sensor and it sets the recording off when you get close enough to hear it, it is something we pop down and listen to every trip, cute.

And another hidden little pathway to a mysterious doorway, maybe not too mysterious as it has it`s own little letter box at the bottom.

​

We were greeted by the Mayor and good folks who reside in the POE area this morning, it`s nice to have them welcome everyone in, this was the first we had seen them do this, usually they`re performing little scenes around POE and taking pictures with guests, I liked this.

Attached to Confisco Grille is Croissant Moon Bakery, somewhere we haven`t been in for years, but they did have some lovely food such as croissant sandwiches and very nice cheesecake, almost identical to what was sold in the Beverley Hills Boulangerie in the Studios which is now The Today Cafe. They are open usually from 8am till I believe 4pm. We keep saying we should go back as Tom always enjoyed eating there, but so far we haven`t managed it.

And it looked as if it just might be brightening up a little by now....but I doubted we`d be baked by the heat today.



More to follow.....