"MAY INCLUDE RUM"..14 NIGHTS SAPPHIRE FALLS.. MAY `19 TRIP REPORT

I love reading your adventures Carole...you have a wonderful way of making your readers feel like they are going along with you...

Thanks Vicki.......nice of you to say........

Trying to get as much done as I can.....I feel as if it’s already been going forever......and I hate dragging them out!

I have time this week.....glad you’re still reading along though.....:wave2:
 


Sounds like you had a perfect travel day with lots of little happenings to amuse and distract you. I always love airports. I don't fly very often so I find it all so exciting!
 
Yay!!! The trip report has begun!!!!

I love airports!!!! I can just sit and people watch for hours and just pass the time with a book, tea and a comfy chair. There is just an excitement and buzzing energy in airports.

We just got back from our Mexico trip with the boys. They have never been on a big plane or in an airport. So it was a big adventure for us. We split up...each of us took one of the boys and gave them the window seat. We were lucky enough that the plane was not full on the way down, so we could spread out and were not so cramped. We kept watching them in awe of the whole day. They both loved it. We took many pictures...my youngest got some amazing pictures of different scenes, clouds, land, we even got one of us just starting to cross over the gulf by Texas and can see the land and water separation so clearly! It is just such an amazing thing that these " tin cans" are flying so high at fast speeds!

Can't wait to hear more!!!!
 
Woohoo! Another trip report.

You two always start vacation off right...especially the watching Midsomer Murders part. I've watched all available on Netflix, along with all the Poirot, all the Inspector Morse/Lewis/Endeavour available...I may have a problem but Midsomer Murders started it!
 


Sounds like you had a perfect travel day with lots of little happenings to amuse and distract you. I always love airports. I don't fly very often so I find it all so exciting!

:welcome: Along Dynamoliz........glad to see you!

Lol.....we always seem to find something to amuse or catch our attention......and airports are perfect for that! Yes, I love our airport time....except on the way home! That’s never fun......

Hope you like this one too......:wave2:
 
Yay!!! The trip report has begun!!!!

I love airports!!!! I can just sit and people watch for hours and just pass the time with a book, tea and a comfy chair. There is just an excitement and buzzing energy in airports.

We just got back from our Mexico trip with the boys. They have never been on a big plane or in an airport. So it was a big adventure for us. We split up...each of us took one of the boys and gave them the window seat. We were lucky enough that the plane was not full on the way down, so we could spread out and were not so cramped. We kept watching them in awe of the whole day. They both loved it. We took many pictures...my youngest got some amazing pictures of different scenes, clouds, land, we even got one of us just starting to cross over the gulf by Texas and can see the land and water separation so clearly! It is just such an amazing thing that these " tin cans" are flying so high at fast speeds!

Can't wait to hear more!!!!

Oh I’m so glad you had a fabulous time in Mexico......it sounds amazing and the boys must have adored their time on the plane and on vacation itself. I still find being on a plane an adventure......

I’m sure their pictures are lovely......

Airports are exciting places, and so much fun....you’re right, usually folks are buzzing and ready for fun........love it there........

Glad to have you back safely :wave2:
 
Woohoo! Another trip report.

You two always start vacation off right...especially the watching Midsomer Murders part. I've watched all available on Netflix, along with all the Poirot, all the Inspector Morse/Lewis/Endeavour available...I may have a problem but Midsomer Murders started it!

:welcome: Along smiths02........yep, another one........:thumbsup2

Love Midsomer Murders, especially the early episodes and maybe even the first 10 years......once John Nettles left, I lost interest.......love Poirot too.....two real favourite shows......

So yes, watching them is a nice way to fall asleep......lol......I usually snooze when Murder she Wrote starts......love that show too, but seen them often enough I could act out the parts....perfect for a snooze.

Hope you enjoy reading along with this one too........always nice to see you......:wave2:
 
We got off the plane incredibly quickly today. It was 3.45pm local time we landed, so we really had made good time today........Premium do get off first, and sometimes the folks in economy aren't happy and try to push past...usually CC stop them, sometimes they don't.....but today they were asked to wait till Premium were offloaded...….it doesn't take long and I would have no issues in us all getting off together......

We thanked CC as we left and proceeded down towards immigration.....and this is where we hit home run......

Global Entry.

This was fabulous...….the machines were empty and a swift glance to the regular immigration line made us so glad we had it......and the hall was filling up as more planes arrived...…..we walked up to the machine, didn't even need our passports.....looked into the facial recognition machine and we got our slips of paper......walked forward and got the nicest officer again......he was very jovial and checked our faces and stamped our slip and we were through...….quick as a flash.....it was now 4pm. Only 15 minutes tops since we landed......


Next up is luggage......and of course this is where the rest of the flight catches up with you......but not so much today......we stood for a while and not many folks arrived beside us...…..I got to go to the bathroom and as I came back, the carousel started up...….sent out 5 suitcases, none of them ours, then stopped. For around 20 minutes......so what we had gained we were slowly losing...….but at least we weren't slowly moving along the immigration line...…to be fair it`s better than it was 2 years ago by the looks of it…...

We had luck on our side, as just as it started up again, our cases were sliding towards us.....our luggage was among the first off as it was supposed to be...….so we grabbed ours and headed out of the area towards the escalator to the people mover...…..we got on one that was just starting to fill up...…..I never get a picture of this as we are always a little rushed and just want to get going...…..but the ride is a short one and soon we are walking into the main airport with a massive smile on our faces.

We then brave the car rental desk, which isn't really a trial at all now. We`ve been with Alamo for years now and never have any issues with them.....good service, and more important we had excellent service from them when we did have an issue.....would thoroughly recommend them to anyone...….there was no line as we went up to the desk......gave our details and his comment was, boy you guys are here a lot.......lol...….he asked if we needed to upgrade and I said well, if the price is right......so we asked for Maserati Levante again...….sure, they had the last one and it could be over in around 10 minutes...….fabulous!!! So we negotiated again a price we were happy to pay on top of what we had already paid.....some may think we are crazy upgrading like that, but we do like that car...…...and we were happy he matched the price we paid to upgrade in March.....thanked him and headed over to the garage.....

We saw the Maserati sitting and it was white, not as nice as we don't like white cars and on closer inspection it was a little weather worn with some scratches, lots of mileage and looked like there was a dent on the door......so we told them we wouldn't take that one.....he asked if we wanted the Audi (no) BMW (definitely no) or the Land Rover...…..(yikes run away) Wouldn't touch them with someone else`s bargepole...….then we saw the Maserati Ghibli....the sedan type of their range......although we usually have an SUV, we thought this might be a nice change......so we did a deal and ended up driving that one away...….it was very nice...and was immaculately clean with very few miles on the clock. We liked it.

So we set off and were out of the garage area in no time at all.....it was now around 5pm. If our luggage hadn't been delayed we would be gone by now...…..but, it was still good time...…..

Our drive to the hotel is a joy...….sun is shining, sky is blue and we have two weeks in front of us...….and as we (quickly apparently) make our way along the road, we decide, life is good.


We turn off as always on Universal Blvd...….and drive pass the Convention centre and the Orlando Eye...….then we approach the Universal area, and can`t believe the size of the new hotels.....Surfside we knew, but Dockside is huge!!! That is a lot of people.......

It is funny driving past the entrance to RP again...…..but a few moments later we pull into Sapphire Falls...…..yep, this feels like home too......

Once our luggage is out, one of the valet guys looks at us and says hey weren't you just here a few weeks ago...…..lol......yep, that was us.....he welcomes us back and we head into the very beautiful and bright lobby......head straight over to the check in desk and it`s not busy.....the check in agent is quite new and it took a little longer to check in than normal, but not too long......and she was lovely....we ask if our friend is around and she said no did we want to leave a message, I said no, we`d see him tomorrow...….so we headed round to the elevators which are so good...….they make RP elevators look ancient and so slow......these are fast......

We just love walking back in here again.....the fresh aroma is beautiful and everywhere is sparkling clean as always...…...soon we are on the 7th floor heading in to our beautiful rooms.

The Sapphire Suite is beautiful.....very spacious and so light and airy too....we have loads of storage and we love everything about it.....and the view is amazing over the lagoon to RPR......couldn't ask for more....

The sitting area is very comfortable and we love the large dining table and always have at least one breakfast here......and Tom loves the large tv in both rooms......




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The little kitchen area is small, but has all we need......a fridge!!!



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As you enter the suite, the little bathroom to the left is ideal.....we can have a bathroom each in here...….and that suits us both I think......



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The bedroom we love...…..the colours are so vacation like and the bed is super comfortable...….and turn down has been and left the water which we put straight in the fridge.....those little bottles are ideal. I was glad they hadn't pulled the drapes tonight yet...



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The bathroom is huge......just huge...….it has a tub with the shower over it and a separate shower in a decent sized area......and two sinks.....and yes, I use both...…



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The toilet in the main bathroom is separated from the rest of the room with a solid door, if you need or want privacy it`s ideal.....



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I just love looking out this window.... I could honestly stand here all evening...….watching the lagoon and the boats going back and forward and of course seeing RP with the sun setting on it...….



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Tom meanwhile put me to shame and had already begun unpacking.....yikes......so I made a start as the phone rang......I knew who this was!!!! And it was indeed our friend who is so special to us......we had just missed him earlier......darn it, I blame the baggage guys of course for the delay......so he was calling to check everything was good, which it was of course......it was perfect...….we chatted and said we`d see him tomorrow.....he said he had arranged a fruit plate to be sent to our room......awww!!! Love them...…..and it would be perfect to nibble on while we unpacked.....we chatted a bit more and then just as we hung up the doorbell rang and it was our plate from him...….

Lovely...……

The cheese and the fruit were delicious......the grapes were about the juiciest we had ever tasted which as we were quite dry was very much wanted and appreciated, he is so kind and thoughtful.......


So as we seemed to be taking forever to unpack.....we have a lot of stuff......this was a good diversion...….although I did go back through at one point and the grapes were all gone...….




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Guess we both love grapes……..

Especially when they turn into wine...…….::yes::

Once we were unpacked, finally......we freshened up and headed down to Strong Water Bar....our favourite bar in Universal Orlando Resort.....

We were welcomed like family as we walked in.....we know so many of them and we were immediately hugged by most of the team....they are so lovely and we do love seeing them too...…even a couple of staff we don't really know welcomed us back....they recognise our face even if they don't know us..


Tom asks if I`d like to order a bottle of wine...……

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We ordered a bottle of wine that Fernando the manager in here had sent us to our room in March.....it was beautiful and we had looked forward to enjoying it again. It wasn't one of their regular wines and it wasn't on the menu, but it was a special they had when the bellhop bar was there at Christmas and Fernando had ordered some more...….beautiful wine.




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Our first drink here is another toast to the beginning of our vacation.....….we toast anything to be honest......



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We order some Camerones, actually we order two as they are too gorgeous to share...... and the Mexican Ceviche to begin with....we do now feel quite hungry...

Before the food comes over some of the staff stop by to say hello which is lovely...….always good to catch up......we have known some of them for almost three years now…...but sitting in this bar which is so friendly and welcoming to everyone is fabulous.....we love this and feel so at home here.

Mike one of the managers who is so nice, comes over to greet us too and says Fernando will be over later to see us, we look forward to that as he is such a lovely man...


For now the food has arrived and we share our dishes...….they are supposed to be small plates, and I guess they are, but they are very shareable...….and delicious!!!!

The Camerones are delicious and full of fresh flavours and we had asked for no extra cilantro as we don't like it......but without it, gorgeous......


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The ceviche is a little spicy.….not too spicy, but full of flavour…..unbelievably delicious...….



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We do actually devour these, as soon as we started eating we felt more hungry...….this could get dangerous!!!!

So, my favourite ceviche was next, the Caribbean one.....beautiful.....full of lime zesty flavours and coconut cream.....truly divine...…..





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The evening was passing and we were doing amazingly well staying awake and alert...….chatting to everyone helps a lot of course.....

We thought we were done for the night with food, when Maggie brought us over a beautiful Tres Leche cake...….we love this dessert!!!! And it is a huge portion...…..this was a perfect way to end our evening...and sharing it is perfect...…...





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We had just finished the dessert when Fernando came over and sat down for a chat and a catch up...….a very genuine man who is so funny too....and has such pride in his family too.....we shared many stories of our boys. And we perked up for ages and sat till very late chatting about everything...…..the lovely Ashley came out from behind the bar to give us a hug too....she is the lady who created one of the newer fabulous cocktails.....lovely gal...…..

Around 11.30 we said our goodnights and we headed off up to our suite and immediately began yawning...….

Once we were in the room, it was hard to even reach the bed before falling asleep...…..now we were tired...….and climbing into that gorgeous comfortable bed was heavenly...…..

Sleep was instantaneous.....….we were just so happy to be here again.
 
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Woohoo! This trip is off to a fantastic start -- from your timely flight, to a nice upgrade for your transportation, and then lots of treats and conversation with the lovely folks at Sapphire Falls :jumping3: I can already tell this is going to be a good one! :D :love:

Maria :upsidedow
 
Such lovely food and drinks! (and especially nice company:flower3: when visiting with you and Tom)
Cannot wait to visit Strong Water again!!
 
Those ceviches and Camarones look absolutely wonderful I will for sure be checking those out next time I visit Universal! Also that tres leches cake looks amazing too! So glad this trip report is starting off with all of my faves - good food and drinks!!
 
Woohoo! This trip is off to a fantastic start -- from your timely flight, to a nice upgrade for your transportation, and then lots of treats and conversation with the lovely folks at Sapphire Falls :jumping3: I can already tell this is going to be a good one! :D :love:

Maria :upsidedow

Thanks Maria...….

It really was the best travel day we`ve had.....everything just seemed to fall into place...…..

We really did love every second of this trip....well, we do love all of them I guess....but, yes, a good start helps set the tone...…. :wave2:
 
Such lovely food and drinks! (and especially nice company:flower3: when visiting with you and Tom)
Cannot wait to visit Strong Water again!!

Aww thanks......you`re so sweet...…:daisy:

It really was lovely......well, you know how lovely the food is there too ::yes:: and .....I`m sure you`ll be there soon.......:-)
 
Those ceviches and Camarones look absolutely wonderful I will for sure be checking those out next time I visit Universal! Also that tres leches cake looks amazing too! So glad this trip report is starting off with all of my faves - good food and drinks!!

They really are some of the best dishes from Strong Water.....we haven't found one yet we don't like though......lol...….oh I`m sure you`d love them....and the tres leche is a dream of a dessert...….I could go one right now!!!

Thank you.....I`m so glad you are enjoying it already...….more to come soon.....:wave2:
 
Well the airport certainly wasn’t dull :rotfl2:. I’d have been super annoyed at the perfume spray guy IRL but admit I might have laughed at that part- you have a knack for telling stories!
Must get to Strongwater this trip- dying to try Ashley’s cocktail after your description!
 
Well the airport certainly wasn’t dull :rotfl2:. I’d have been super annoyed at the perfume spray guy IRL but admit I might have laughed at that part- you have a knack for telling stories!
Must get to Strongwater this trip- dying to try Ashley’s cocktail after your description!

Oh you have try Ashley`s Fool`s Gold.....and there will be a few new ones too coming up.....all are lovely!!!!

lol.....oh I was annoyed at the time and a bit bemused at his lack of awareness of those around him......for an asthmatic it wouldn't have been pleasant at all...….a few seconds longer to digest what he did and I`d have had a pop at him...….but, these things happen I guess...…

All part of the fun...…..:wave2:
 
Excellent start to the trip report! Sounds like a great time to get away with all of your home projects going on. Hopefully everything went well.
 

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