New York or Orlando?? Heck, let`s do both.....12 nights NYC & Sapphire Falls...July 18 Trip Report

[schumigirl]

Twilight is my favorite time at the parks as well!
Beautiful photos!

I had to google "goujons". Never heard that before, lol!

Lol.......I’m so British at times!!!! Maybe fish fingers..........

Didn’t realise that isn’t an American term.........I’m always amazed at the different terms we use for things despite speaking the same language........love it!!!

Isn’t it just beautiful at that time........well anytime but as the light changes and darkness falls, it gets prettier than ever..........

Glad you’re enjoying it though.........

 

[angryduck71]

Last time we were at Mythos, I'm sure I've mentioned, we were not impressed. It was about our 2nd time with food that was meh and service that was slow (and FREEZING inside). Davy would eat every meal at Three Broomsticks if he could. I, too, find it OK (cool looking place though!).

 

[schumigirl]

Last time we were at Mythos, I'm sure I've mentioned, we were not impressed. It was about our 2nd time with food that was meh and service that was slow (and FREEZING inside). Davy would eat every meal at Three Broomsticks if he could. I, too, find it OK (cool looking place though!).

It is unbelievably cold in there!!!! I’ve had to go outside to warm up a few times.......

It seems it’s either very good or very poor in there.........we are definitely giving it a miss for a few years........I do remember now you said a Davy loved the 3B’s.........it is very popular.........and yep, it’s a fab design.

We do like to wander around it...........

 

[schumigirl]

We had a quick bathroom visit and had only maybe 10 minutes till the show was starting...…..we had seen it before and it was alright, not as good for us as the Christmas nighttime show, but worth watching if you were around that area...…..

Hogsmeade is beautiful at night, well, we love all the parks at night, but it is a remarkable place all lit up at night...…..and well worth visiting at night if you can as it does feel slightly different at night.

We turned the corner to where the castle was and it was incredibly busy, we did find the first show of the evening was always the busiest, you certainly don't need to be there ages before the show starts, turn up as it starts and you`ll still be able to see the castle just fine......we stood between the left of the stage for the frog choir and the snowman...….we had a great view. For some reason folks in front were dwindling away so we managed to make our way forward slightly...….but we would still have seen it from further back...……

I love seeing this majestic sight as we turn the corner...…..and at night it looks even better...…….

The lights dimming signals the show is about to start and a little cheer goes up as they do indeed dim...…...the music they play is still impressive and gives me goosebumps whenever I hear it...…..

Although I say it`s not an essential show to see, after watching it we really did enjoy it...…...and everyone seemed to love it, especially the fireworks......they were good too, just a little limited. We didn't move with the masses that were leaving the area, but sat on the stage until the next show started and we watched this one without taking any pictures. It was a little quieter and less busy than the first show, and the third showing was similar again...…..so to avoid the crowds, stay for the later shows as crowds did diminish somewhat later.

After watching the show three times, we headed back into Hogsmeade and took our time and admired all it had to offer...…...and bought some more water as it was hot!!!

Tom thinks I have a gremlin behind me here!!!!!

One of my wonderful and very sarcastic friends said something rather unrepeatable!!!! Thanks H

I loved the way Tom picture the HE here...…..it was so quiet by now, hardly anyone around so we managed to get some unique pictures...….

We were feeling the heat now and eventually decided to head out of the parks and back to the hotel where we had some nice wine chilling in the fridge...….so through Seuss we went and towards the front of the park.

It didn't feel too crowded despite the thronging crowds all heading towards park exit...…...but wow it was hot...……

I greedily eyed the cotton candy machine trundling out those giant balls of spun sugar in bright and varied colours…….but, again, I just wasn't hungry enough...…..one day I will get one of those!!! But seeing a little girl of around 6 trying to manipulate one in her hand when it was almost the same size as her was so cute...…..

Out of Seuss and into one of my favourite areas of the park...…...Port of Entry...…...beautiful any time of the day or night...……

And the famous cat balcony I hadn't noticed for years!!!!!

We do have a wander in the Christmas shop and again, admire the scents and sights that really does transport you to that special time in December we all love, but maybe not so much in July ...….

It seemed much quieter here now.....I don't think we had dawdled too much, but the masses seemed to have passed us by...…..the lighthouse is quite iconic to Universal and it was lovely to see it shining in all it`s glory again. It had retained some damage last September during Irma, and hadn't shone during our stay then, so it was lovely to see it back to normal again.

The Hogwarts Light show is visible for miles, and you can still hear the bangs of the fireworks in Citywalk……..

Toothsome looks incredibly pretty at night. We really must give this place another chance......we hadn't really enjoyed our food there, and not really being sweet toothed the desserts didn't really appeal........some of the desserts were genuinely over the top sugar laden!!!! But, maybe we would go back someday. The problem is there are so many fabulous places to choose from, both onsite and more so for us offsite that we enjoy so much.

We walked down to the boats where we waited no more than 10 minutes for ours to arrive...…..it was fairly busy at this time of night but the boats are fairly frequent.

Our boat captain was Roberto...…..anyone who has been on his boat will know how much fun he is...….he does love some YMCA and has some fabulous moves!!!!

​

The boat ride was fun and everyone joined in...…..except that one guy...…..there`s always one...……


Safely deposited back at the boat dock, I got a high five from one of our favourite boat Captains...…….we headed straight up to our room and I genuinely can`t remember what time it was at this point...….maybe 10.30pm...……

The rooms were as always lovely and cozy as turndown had been and we popped the water they left in the fridge and poured ourselves a glass of wine each...…..it was lovely...….we did have some snacks from Publix...…..Lays potato chips and some dips...…..so, tv switched on and we plonked ourselves down in front of the tv to finish off our day.

We must have sat till around midnight, then got ready for bed...…..I had felt tired soon after we got to the room, but seemed to pick up as were watching a funny film...….and as always I have no memory of what it was.....neither does Tom!!!! But the wine and snacks were nice......



Tomorrow we planned some park time in the morning, lunch out, Mall at Millenia and hopefully some pool time at night!!!! Finally!!

 

[I-4Bound]

Gorgeous photos! I liked the castle show a lot, even though it's short. Thanks to you, I was able to go see those cats on the balcony on our last visit! Thanks for the tip

 

[schumigirl]

FRIDAY JULY 20TH............…

(We seemed to have taken hundreds of pictures today!!!!!)



We slept like babies again last night.......this was the best bed to sleep on.......apart from our own of course .......but even though we are up fairly late for us, we always seem to be awake really early.........our time in Orlando is very reminiscent of children on Christmas mornings........cannot wait to get up to see what treasures the day was going to bring........we did always plan to sleep late, but it just never happened...…..

So, showered and dressed we had the weather channel on as usual, and it was forecasting heavy rain and thunderstorms this morning by 10.30ish.......well, we would make the best of it when we could.

Once we are ready we walk over to RPR for breakfast........and as we walk into lounge one of the staff squeals with delight.......one poor woman jumped out of her skin......oops!!! But, plenty of hugs around, quick catch up and we head for the coffee........I like the coffee here.......

The lounge is not too busy this morning so it`s nice to be able to chat to a few that we had missed last night........the staff here are so lovely, and we do enjoy the offerings they have........this morning Tom has his usual croissant with honey.......and I had quite a boring choice of white toast and grape jelly.......and maybe we had a few little mini donuts!!! They do have a lovely cinnamon bun, which I love, but surprisingly don't really love Cinnabons.....yep, I`m weird apparently........but, we thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast.

Quite like the view you get from the Club Lounge too...…...you can see as far as down to where the balloon ride is at Downtown Disney.

It was very nice and we got a chance to talk to one of the supervisors again, she is so lovely.......one of the other supervisors we adore was away on vacation, so we were sad to miss him this visit, but we would see him in September.

We didn't sit long this morning as we wanted to get to the parks before the projected downpour...…we love the pool here...…..and it was so quiet this morning we began to wish we had come over for the pool...…

But, not today........we headed down for the boat and I think we had missed the bulk of the crowds as there was hardly anyone there.........quick security check and we were on the next boat which was only a few minutes away......the boats really are frequent and we never usually wait long......the only exception being when park closes at night........lines can be extremely long then as everyone seems to leave at the same time........but for this morning it was a few moments wait.

We were going to The Studios this morning, which is why we got the boat.......when we go to IOA from RP we usually walk as it is so close and takes just over 5 minutes at a regular pace. And is a lovely walk. But, when we go to The Studios we tended to take the boat...….

It was busy. I keep saying it was busier than we are used to and it really was...….September can be busy on occasions but certainly didn't feel anywhere near as busy as this...….still it was July so we weren't surprised...……

We had a bit of a line to get in this morning, but it moved fairly quickly and soon we were walking through the Universal Store which we usually do to cool down....I know, we always claim to love the heat, but we do like the aircon all around us...….

We go straight to Minions......the regular line was already 80 minutes...….wow!!!! But with EP we were on in just over 5 minutes......thank goodness for that......it`s a lovely little ride, no doubt, but I wouldn't wait 80 minutes for it......actually wouldn't wait 80 minutes for any ride!!! Especially in this heat.....but, we get in and as always enjoy it a lot.

Next up is RRR...…...I can`t remember how long the line was but we waited maybe 10 minutes and as always, we ask for the front row......we will take the second row as a choice if we have to, but much prefer the front...……not only does it make it less bumpy and much more fun, but it does give you a bigger thrill seeing nothing in front of you except the beautiful drop ahead of you...….of course that's after you get over the first climb...…..I wasn't sure at first and have documented a few times I stood for ages watching it before I would go on...…..and the first time was terrifying...…..then I loved it. Tom and Kyle were huge fans too and Kyle on one trip stayed in the park after we left and rode it more times than he could count...…...I think hailstones and lightning finally brought his endurance ride to an end that day!!!

Many people think it goes upside down, but it doesn't...…...it just goes up and over....you never do go upside down. But so much fun!! Today we only do this ride once...….some days I can do it once, others a few times, but it wasn't rough today, we just wanted to get through the park before the weather hits...…...

We keep meaning to go back into Monsters Café, not because of the food, but the décor is second to none and has some really cool objects in there......it`s well worth a walk around it if you haven't been before...…….

It is incredibly breezy today, which helped with the heat......it was quite refreshing...…..but you can feel the weather is going to change soon...….we just wanted to be able to spend at least a couple of hours today in the park. It was strange because when you looked one way it was gorgeous and blue...….the other way was grey and miserable...……

It was so quiet around the fake New York library apart from the one Japanese couple that strangely seemed to turn up wherever we went for an hour or so...….I don't mean close by, they seemed to be following us...…..or maybe I was just imagining it......but even Tom mentioned how close they were at times...…this was the only picture we got of the fake façade without this couple in our pictures.

The Mummy is a must do ride for us...….they have replaced the old lockers with newer ones and removed the old ones altogether...….it looks so much more open there now...…..

The new lockers are much the same as the old ones...….but it does feel more spacious......and of course if 8 folks still collect around one locker it will get congested......but it felt spacious...…….

This was a great ride again...…...The Mummy never disappoints...…..and again, today it felt incredibly fast...…...we love this ride and wouldn't miss it.....the theming is incredible and of course the ride is one of the best in the parks!!!

If you have read any of these reports before you`ll know this guy below is someone we have had our pictures taken with every single year since 07...….and I`m always amazed at how young Kyle looks in those early ones too!!!! But, this guy has hardly changed at all...…...and gave me a good scare once!!!

He is so cool though...….one year we were standing in a fairly short line to get our picture taken with him...….this very rude guy just barged forward as it was our turn to jump the line...…..the Mummy guy shook his finger at the rude guy to go back and gestured over towards me to let him know there was a line, albeit a very short one......I liked that!!!!

It wasn't too busy in this area this morning, so we got a few pictures with areas that were practically empty...……

We wander around and as Tom goes for a bathroom break, I catch the Hogwarts Express going from park to park...…..I did get a big smile out of someone when they looked to see what I was taking a picture of...…..they had no clue they could see the train from there...…….

Louie`s is a fabulous counter service restaurant here...…..although we didn't manage to eat here this time...….but we usually did at HHN at some point.....one of the best pizzas in the park and Universal!!!!

We pass by Fast & Furious again...…..this ride was a real disappointment to us, and many others...…...they could have done so much more with this, but it felt so fake and forced with all the "family" stuff in it...…...the two real TM who were acting parts were cool though...…..but, apart from December when Kyle will be back and will want to ride it, apart from that we wont be doing it again. Bit like Jimmy Fallon which was another disappointment for us...….but then we cannot abide Jimmy Fallon!!!

We went into buy some water in the store in the same building as Richter Burger...…..how had I never noticed this before...…..I think I must walk around with my eyes closed half the time...…..

And why have I never bought this shirt!!!!! Always reminds me of Mad Hattered……..miss that guy!!!!

I did mean to pick one up for Kyle, he had a really cool Jaws tee shirt, but it was really needing replaced......it was the one that said "gonna need a bigger boat" but I would get this for him in our next visit...…..he is a big Jaws fan too!!!

We drank our water and then Tom snapped a few pictures around the San Francisco area as I sat for a few minutes...…...there is so much to photograph in the parks...…..he did go over and take some pictures of the cars outside F&F then we were heading to Potter.

 

[schumigirl]

Gorgeous photos! I liked the castle show a lot, even though it's short. Thanks to you, I was able to go see those cats on the balcony on our last visit! Thanks for the tip

Thanks Andrea!!!

10 years we`ve been visiting and I couldn't believe we had missed it every year...…of course now we always stop for a picture of it...……

And our DVD of Reginald Owen version of A Christmas Carol arrived yesterday...…..and yes, Tom has put it away so I`m not tempted to watch it yet......and I would!!! So thank you!!!!

 

[macraven]

Your pictures always are super
Never get tired of them

I don’t know how you clear the areas so you can get pictures with no one or maybe a few peeps in them

So do you throw a $10 bill on the ground and yell free money so all clear the way to rush grab that money and then take the pics ?

 

[schumigirl]

Your pictures always are super
Never get tired of them

I don’t know how you clear the areas so you can get pictures with no one or maybe a few peeps in them

So do you throw a $10 bill on the ground and yell free money so all clear the way to rush grab that money and then take the pics ?

Thanks mac..........

Lol.......we do get lucky at times with empty spaces.........think I’d need to throw more than $10 bill on the ground to get folks moving...........

I do have some amazing pictures from our September trips where there’s genuinely no one there yet...........

 

[pattyw]

Just love the stilt walkers at The Mummy! It's our family's favorite ride!!

We used to eat a The Monsters' Cafe all the time. I guess I'm just getting over the counter service and worrying about getting a seat! But yes, I agree, the decor is great! Maybe a visit when they're not busy to look around and take pictures is in order.

 

[schumigirl]

Just love the stilt walkers at The Mummy! It's our family's favorite ride!!

We used to eat a The Monsters' Cafe all the time. I guess I'm just getting over the counter service and worrying about getting a seat! But yes, I agree, the decor is great! Maybe a visit when they're not busy to look around and take pictures is in order.

Yep, we did that on our December trip last year.........it was practically empty so we got loads of pictures of everything they have including through the back area we had never gone in before. We don’t eat there though, we just went in for drinks. Food never appeals to us in there.

 

[macraven]

Thanks mac..........

Lol.......we do get lucky at times with empty spaces.........think I’d need to throw more than $10 bill on the ground to get folks moving...........

Lol
That is a sure way to get peeps to move away for your picture taking time

I’ll follow you next time you plan a picture day in the park

So bring a large supply of tens so I won’t be able to photo bomb your shots

 

[schumigirl]

Lol
That is a sure way to get peeps to move away for your picture taking time

I’ll follow you next time you plan a picture day in the park

So bring a large supply of tens so I won’t be able to photo bomb your shots

Oh I love photobombs!!!

So much fun.........

That would be an expensive way to get crowd free pics though........

 

[schumigirl]

Next up was one of our favourite areas in the whole park...…..Diagon Alley and Kings Cross...……

The detail in these part of the parks is incredible...….it`s beyond anything anyone expected I believe, and continues to excite and fascinate the thousands of visitors every day. Seeing reactions for these parts of the park is fabulous.

The Knight Bus is a must do...…...if even just for the humour of the shrunken head!!!! Another very funny meet and greet I suppose you could call it as the interactions here are very funny...…..the shrunken head really talks to you and reacts to anything you say...…...he was very funny with us being Scottish this time...…..

Walking through the brick wall anytime is lovely...….and again any time you see a first timer, it is extra special...…..but, today I think most had either been before or maybe hard to impress...…...but, we still love it!!!

We don't always wander into all the stores, but we did today as we wanted to get a couple of gifts sent back to the room and the pink puffy thing down below was the purchase we were making......times three!!!!

So into Weasleys Wizard Wheezes and we have a good wander around today...…...colourful is one word!!! If not a little psychedelic…….

We make our purchase and one of the excellent things about staying onsite is you get items purchased sent directly to your room. The exception being if you are leaving the next day.....they can`t guarantee it`ll be there before check out time...…..however, ours have always been in the room around 9.30am......it really is ideal. If you are not a hotel guest, you can have purchases sent to the front of the park and you can pick them up as you leave the park at the end of the day.

Tom did ask if we should buy four and I could get one as I did think it was incredibly cute...…..but, no...…..I was happy buying them for the gifts we planned to give.

I wasn't convinced I had seen this fireplace before...…...I think I would have noticed as it was purple, of course...….however Tom said we had definitely noticed it...…

I am known among friends for having a deep love of anything purple and most variations of purple...…...I genuinely do have an inordinate amount of purple in my home, love it!!!! It`s not that it`s too much or everywhere, that would not be so nice......but more little touches. But, a purple fireplace wasn't on my list of things I`d like!!!

I still think this pink looks like something you take for a stomach disorder!!!!

This spell below was frustrating a small child...….and at one point just threw her wand on the ground and gave up...….a wandering witch tried to help her but to no avail......and then another family came along and did it first time.....the first little girl and her family were a little annoyed, but didn't try again...…..the witches roaming around are incredibly helpful with anyone who needs it...……

We were just in time to see The Tales of Beedle the Bard show to start...…...this is a little odd if you dnt know the tale......but incredibly well acted and with so much enthusiasm...…….we had sometimes watched a few moments and walked on, but today we saw the whole thing...….

It is worth watching at least once...…...and Death is quite spectacular to watch appear...……..

They do get a rousing round of applause when they finish, it is so well done...…...the other show to catch is Celstina Warbeck and the Banshees.....they have quite an amazing show and they are amazing singers...…..again, it`s well worth a watch.

There is so much to photograph in Diagon Alley and all my previous trip reports have numerous images...…..I never tire of seeing these areas and taking pictures of them...…..and always see something new every time...…….

Love seeing the dragon breathe fire...…...even from this angle it is still quite impressive...……

We do go in to do Gringotts and we go in the EP line where you do miss some of the experience...…...we have done the ride many times and have taken many pictures of the full line...….but, if you haven't done it, take the time and go through the whole thing...…..

The Gringotts ride is so much fun...…..no real thrills as the so called drop isn't really a drop at all...…..but, it is a good ride and has a few different elements in it to amuse everyone...….just because there are screens doesn't automatically make it bad...…….


It takes less than 15 minutes till we are back out and the sunshine has come out properly...…….it is beautiful now...….


I`m quite unusual in that I don't love these ice creams from Florean Fortescue`s...…...yes, they are a little different, but for us, not as nice as they should be and much prefer other ice creams. However, the butterbeer ice cream we quite like...…...but we have tried most of the flavours, and now don't buy them.

We were standing enjoying the sunshine when we heard a man start screaming at a young lad of around 7 who obviously wanted to go home...….this was horrible to see. The poor little boy didn't look very well and was crying, but to see this man lose such obvious control was extremely disconcerting and very upsetting. I could see folks around wanted to tell him to calm down, and his wife seemed to be quite oblivious...…..a TM approached him and spoke to him, but we had wandered off and only saw them walk off fairly calm. But, it was so early in the day to be in such a state and have lost that much control. Not a nice thing to observe. Poor little guy.

We have a quick wander into The Fountain of Fair Fortune...…...confession time......we don't really like butterbeer...…..in any variety. But, we do like to have a wander in here......it is quite cool, and also cool in temperature as it was already boiling hot today.

Next is Knockturn Alley coming up and 4Rivers for lunch...……….

 

[schumigirl]

Knockturn Alley is fabulous!!!!

It is so dark as you first enter, and has just that right eerie feeling despite knowing you are in the centre of the one of the biggest theme parks in the world...…..and the best one of course...…..


We love it in here...….not only is it so cool it`s almost cold, but the theming is top notch!!! The attention to every little detail is magnificent and if you have seen the movies you are instantly transported back to them...…...detail.

Knockturn Alley of course has a reputation for being where shady, deviant and scurrilous characters are known to dwell and not somewhere any decent and clean living witch or wizard would frequent...…...but for us muggles it`s like walking in to a piece of the movie itself.

We love these double doors...…..

My imagination comes up with so many stories for what this little alleyway could lead to...…….I love it!!

Borgin and Burkes is a curious and dark little store...….a little bit of an apothecary in some ways...…...and full of superlative items and curiosities...….

The first time I saw this hand from the movie, I did indeed stare at it close......and yes, it did smash forward when I didn't expect it too...….lol.....and yes, it was funny...…….it does seem to catch a fair few people out...…..

You can also see the Vanishing Cabinet that Draco Malfoy uses in one of the later movies, and the store is full of curiosities like Death Eaters mask and jewllery…….you can of course buy regular items like mugs and tees...……

We didn't spend a long time in here today as we wanted to head out of the park before the storm hit...….although at this moment it didn't feel like it was close, but we trusted the locals with their forecasts......they were usually right...…..we did laugh at times to see things posted like...….rain in 71 minutes...….how precise!!!!!

It was oppressively hot right now...…..and you can feel the impending storm right about now...…...I did have an umberella……..but, it was nice and dry in my suitcase back in the hotel right now...….of course...…..

We began to wander a little quicker now, however we did still stop for the requisite pictures...…….

I loved this image of the fisherman who had once stood so proud in Amity, in the long gone days before Potter......and I had always wondered what happened to him, then one of our recent trips we finally spotted him......I`m not sure if he`s been there since Amity was removed, but this year was the first we had seen him since 2013.

This is another "office" that I think would make a lovely home...…..it looks so peaceful and tranquil, but of course noisy neighbors and folks constantly walking past being noisy would be an issue...….

​

We were admiring the new viewing area for the new night time cinematic show in the Studios in Central Park area when we could see the actual weather front come in...…….

But, we did see the viewing area looked to be a big success...…..there were tiers of viewing areas and seemed to be a fair size...…..it was a shame to lose a bit of Central Park, but this made sense...……..

The humidity was dreadful right now, and we felt it quite badly this morning, I think this was the worst of the whole trip...…..so we began to head out the park for the day...…….

We did get to the Hello Kitty store when it started...…...and it didn't seem too bad at first...….so we hopped across the street to the Universal store......and then the heavens opened, the thunder roared and the lightning started its imperious flashing...….even in day light hours, it was quite clear...…..

We stood among the throngs of other folks sheltering from the offending downpour.....and many were buying ponchos and brollies alike...….it was quite the line to the checkout!!!!

It was bouncing down and we all looked at each other sympathetically...…..although we were fortunate, we were heading out of the park!!!! It just got heavier and heavier and we were reminded of the night we got soaked at Mardi Gras in March...….we thought we`d wait till it eased off...…..it didn't. So we got wet...….only difference was March was quite cool, this was still hot!!!

Eventually it did ease a little and we set off for the walk, as the boats were suspended due to lightning...……

We decided to take the long route back home, only because we had never done it ...….the path is quite pleasant...…..and it was a nice walk as the rain was off now......we were just getting splashed from drops from the trees...……..

We walked past Royal Pacific and then turned down the main road towards Sapphire Falls...……..

Seeing Aventura is quite impressive...….it does look a lovely hotel and we are keen to explore when we are back in September...……I don't think we want to stay there but it does look lovely...…...and the rooftop bar will be a real draw!!!

We see our car parked right at the head of the VIP valet area...…...and our camera did go a little muggy here with the humidity...……

Up next...….lunch, StrongWater Bar and pool time...…….

 

[macraven]

With all the trip reports w/ pictures, I don't know how you do it without repeating pictures in your past trips for us.

You always come up with new pictures each visit to share with us.

And, very much appreciated!

 

[schumigirl]

We wandered up to our room and headed straight for the shower......we hadn't been soaked with the rain, but we felt bad enough to want to get freshly showered again...….our room of course had already been done. Kymara was our lovely housekeeper again......she was so lovely and always chatted when she saw us...….nice young lady who remembered us from our last stay in May...….

The view was lovely out of our window, although we couldn't quite make up our mind what the weather was going to do today...…..it looked like it was going to clear up, but you never could tell...….it was Florida after all...…….


When we came back down we saw the lobby was incredibly busy with folks either still sheltering from the rain or just passing some time in the middle of the day, and some were ready to leave...…..and it is a nice, big airy lobby with plenty of room for a lot of people...……

One of the nice things about having the car so close was we didn't have to call ahead or wait too long to get the car when we wanted it......and the Valet guys soon got to know us well...…..

We got the car and drove up to Winter Park where the 4Rivers we like is there...…..we had been a few times before and food is always amazing......really amazing...….and it`s always busy which is a good judge of a restaurant...…..the road up there right now isn't fun as we go the I4 and the turn off we usually take is gone, so we follow the satnav which doesn't seem to be sure...…..so we trust our own judgement and turn where we think we should......and we are right. It just takes us in the back side of Winter Park...…..goodness knows where the satnav would have taken us......with all these road works it is a nightmare. I can`t imagine dealing with this road day in day out...…..

Winter Park itself is beautiful...…..we had been many times and always enjoyed our time there...…..there were a few things in the town we still wanted to do and see, but for today it was just for lunch.

4Rivers is on the main road and as expected is extremely busy...……

We go in and joint on the end of the line.........finally get to the front of the line and we have had time to study the menu, but we both knew what we were going to have today...…...last visit Tom had the Brontosaurus Beef Rib......we thought it was huge when it was delivered to the table...….but then they appeared with another one as the first wasn't deemed big enough by their standards...…..original one we thought was massive!!!!!

We told him two brontosaurus beef ribs...…..both guys said "nice" at the same time...…...we really didn't need sides, but the cornbread here is gorgeous......really gorgeous...….so we both went with that and coleslaw...…

After we had ordered I spotted these bacon wrapped cheese stuffed jalapenos...…..we would get them next time!!!! They looked lovely...….

You pay and tell her what drink you want at the till......there is a soda machine in the main dining area and they have a good variety of drinks available...… you also get a number to put on your table and they bring your food over if you haven't already got it...…….

Staff are so friendly...…..and very genuine. We had sat on a table with others but one young lad was cleaning a proper table so we went down to get it before anyone else did...…..as we approached us he said oh hello...…..we of course said hello back...….then he said, I served you recently...….oh my goodness he did as well!!!! I remembered then him talking to us about a few things one of them being Universal...…….how strange he remembered so clearly...…..still at least it wasn't a barman this time!!!!! He mentioned they do get occasional tourists, but by and large they serve locals more than anyone else...….Winter Park isn't too far away from Universal, but if you were concentrating on the parks for days at a time, I can see why folks wouldn't wander far. But, this place was absolutely worth taking time out of the parks...……..


We had turned up at the busiest time and by the time we got a seat most of the line had gone and it wasn't just as manic. They do a lot of take out food too so half the folks were leaving anyway...…….

The same young man brought our food out and we had a quick chat with him as we admired our rather large lunch...…….although I will say the pictures genuinely don't do them justice...…..they are rather large.

They were delicious...….absolutely delicious...…..the sweetest meat I ever tasted and so unbelievably juicy...…….although eating them with plastic knives and forks wasn't easy, but as they were so tender it wasn't as bad as it could have been...….and we did struggle. Really struggled. Tom had said we should have had one between us...….nah.....that's for amateurs...…….

I think Tom ate slightly more of his than I did of mine......but I had eaten the cornbread and the sweet coleslaw too...…...it really was too much for lunch I suppose......but so good!!!!! The sauces they have on the table are sweet and spicy and both are mouth wateringly delicious......not too spicy, but a little zing which was a lovely compliment to the sweet meat...……

The young lad came and cleared our trays away before we could do it, and we were beat!!!! He did smile and say the loved when folks ordered them as they were so lovely...…..but most were beaten by them...…..and we certainly were...….but Tom would get it again, I would maybe go back to brisket or similar normal sized portions...…..

We did go over to have a look at the cakes...…..we really just planned to look and not buy.........…

​

The cakes and bakery items are all so tempting......even for me who doesn't really enjoy desserts...…..I think Kyle would have loved the chocolate cake they had...…...but...…...coconut...…….cannot resist!!!!!

Well, we did purchase, for later a slice of coconut cake and a piece of the salted caramel square...…...both we just couldn't resist...……so, cakes boxed up we set off for back to the hotel...…...our guy waved to us as we were leaving and said he hoped to see us soon...…..said we would see him in September hopefully...….

We drove back to the hotel, both of us feeling like we wanted to lay down...….the old "stick a fork in me I`m done" sprung to mind...…..we were stuffed!!!

We did plan to go and have a quick visit to Mall at Millenia......but we thought just head back to the hotel for today...…..the weather looked to be turning for the better...…..so pool night tonight would be on for us...……

A young valet guy took our car that we hadn't seen before...…...and as we gave him the keys, I turned and watched him drive off to the garage......oops.....he didn't realise it was to be parked out front. At that point we saw Frederick whose face always lit up when he saw you...…..we told him a young lad had moved the car...…...at that point he came running back...…...frederick told him it was to be put out front all the time...….so then had to go move it again...…..bless them they are as fit as fiddles with all the running they do back and forward all day...…….I was glad we had waited as Tom then realized we had left the cakes in the car...….oops!!!!

We got the boxes out and thanked the guys and headed up to our room...……..

It was only around 4pm by now, so we dropped the stuff off and had a quick freshen up and went to our favourite haunt here...…..Strong Water Bar...…..

We absolutely love this place since we were first introduced to it by a friend who gave us a tour of the hotel the year it opened...…...I never really used to be a rum drinker, but I have developed a good taste for it ...…….and this bar is exceptional at making and producing the freshest tasting cocktails around...…..all their juices are made from scratch every day....and it shows in the taste. Incredibly fresh. And strong, incredibly strong.

Our drinks today would be 2 last typhoons, their special new mix cocktail which involved lemongrass and I forget what else, and a tavern grog which Tom loved!!!!!

The special with lemongrass wasn't my favourite, but it was still nice...……

The staff here are phenomenal...…...I think most knew our names by now which was lovely to go in as friends...…...we had been introduced to Fernando who is the manager a couple of times but it had been very brief the last time, but he came over to talk to us today as he saw us come in...…..we reintroduced ourselves as it must be hard to remember every single person you meet...……

We chatted for a long time to him today, and he is just the nicest man...…..he has an only son too and his and ours sounded very similar with work ethos and a determination to succeed. It`s always lovely to hear of kids succeeding and doing well...…….

We told him of how much we loved this place and when and where we were staying...…..he was quite enthralled by how often we were visiting...…..but of course he was happy when we mentioned several members of staff who we had got to know fairly well.

He very kindly bought us two of our drinks, which was lovely of him and not necessary...…..but he is a very nice man who runs a fabulous bar. It was lovely to hear him talk with genuine concern for his staff

Tom was very happy with his tavern grog though...……….

We sat for a couple of hours and then told Fernando if it rained we`d be back...…...but we really wanted to have a pool night...…...with our fair skin we don't really sit around the pool during the day, but love night times around them...…..

We went up and got changed into our costumes and headed down to the pool...……..

Tom went and got lounger covers and towels...…….and we found where we thought would be nice and got ourselves comfortable...…..well, as comfy as you can be on a lounger...….

It`s a pool that divides opinion...….we like it...…..I like it`s fairly shallow and you can wander across it as it is so shallow in bits...…..they do have a slide which is very popular...….and it does have a nice ambience about it...…….

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The lady who takes our drinks order is Meghan...….super lovely girl who smiles when we tell her what cocktail we`d like...…….a rum runner which has Strong Water Rum, Crème de Banana, Blackberry Brandy, OJ, and Lime juice...…..all in the 45oz super bowl cup!!!!! It was large...……..and super fruity!!!!

I think I finally found my perfect glass!!!!!! At least there were two straws, so I didn't have to drink it all on my own...…….

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Tom did enjoy it too!!!!!

It seems the couple sat dangling their feet in the water forgot to put their plastic cups in the trash...…….

As it got darker it got much prettier...…..we were enjoying this so much...….we managed to spend some time in the water which cooled us down a little as it was blazing hot...…….the pool was lovely and we could sit on the bottom nicely as it was fairly shallow where we were sitting.

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This was turning out to be a glorious night......….the Drhum Club Punch which was a mix of a very generous measure of Strong Water Rum, Rum Haven Coconut Rum, Pineapple, OJ, Grenadine......right up our street!!!!! ​

As we ordered the second drink from Meghan, we mentioned some food as we felt we could eat something now...…..Tom fancied the spicy shrimp dip which came with tortilla chips, I was looking at the jerk chicken sandwich......but it came with pineapple salsa...….which was usually made with onions, so I asked if it could be made without...….of course I omitted the caramelized onions and cheese anyway...…….she went to speak to the chef and the lovely Juan came out for a chat about what I could and couldn't have...…...he was incredibly nice and came up with a type of salsa that was still pineapple flavoured but no onions...…..I always feel I`m being difficult asking for exclusions with food, and I was thankful my allergies were fairly mild. And relatively easy to deal with. We thanked him for taking the time to come out and talk to us all the same.


The food took around 20 minutes to come out which was perfect for us...…...and when it came out it was really lovely...……

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Being honest, the shrimp dip would have done both of us...….I don't think we were as hungry as we thought we were...…...but it was all lovely, and we thoroughly enjoyed what we did eat...…...the chef had made a good job of the sandwich and we were very grateful. It did come with fries, but we didn't touch them as we were too full...…...we were once again stuffed!!!! ​

We sat till throwing out time...….and got chatting to a nice couple who I don't remember their names...….although we saw them the next night in the bar and they didn't remember us...…..lol...….I think they had enjoyed a few more drinks than we had...…..

When the pool finally closed we had enjoyed several dips back and forward into the pool...…..it was lovely...…….and an evening we had long wanted, we could finally say we had enjoyed a pool evening at Sapphire.......….

We got to our room just after 11pm and put the tv on and then put it straight off as we both realized we were shattered...…...staying up late, getting up early and not napping in between could be quite tiring...………

I was out like a light...…..Tom said once he laid down he kinda woke up...…...and apparently I was sound asleep...…..so sound asleep this happened...….

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Yep, I allegedly took root in the middle of the already very large bed and wouldn't move...…..I did try to tell him I was asleep it wasn't on purpose...….. not sure he believed me or not...……...but he did try everything and eventually took to just moving the sheets with me on it...….not an easy task!!!!!

But, after that we did have a peaceful nights slumber...……

And we still weren't sure what we were doing tomorrow...…….we would decide in the morning...…..we honestly don't plan much at all, that's not the type of vacation we want...….folks ask how we do it, and the answer is easily

 

[schumigirl]

With all the trip reports w/ pictures, I don't know how you do it without repeating pictures in your past trips for us.

You always come up with new pictures each visit to share with us.

And, very much appreciated!

Thanks mac!!

We do take rather a lot of pictures.........lol........

Thankfully my lovely husband enjoys taking most of them for me........

I’m always glad to know you enjoy them.........

 

[J'aime Paris]

What a perfect evening by the pool! Yummy looking drinks!
That's how I enjoy ending a park day. So relaxing and rejuvenating to the muscles and feet.

 

[Tgrgrl]

Ok, your pics have talked me into heading to Winter Park one day this week after school drop off so I can eat lunch at 4Rivers!!!