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

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.

It really was a lovely evening.........and the drinks were perfect.......fruity and strong!!!

We sat in the water a lot which was lovely.......I can’t swim so that pool is perfect for me.......lol.......Tom does like to swim but didn’t attempt it........so yes very relaxing evening.........:)
 
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!!!

Love 4Rivers!!!

We first went years ago and then missed it for a few years.......but it’s somewhere we love to visit..........problem is in Winter Park there are so many other beautiful places to eat too........but 4Rivers is hard to pass!!

Hope you enjoy it if you do go..........:thumbsup2
 
I love the pools at night, still so warm!

Carole which Walmart do you recommend? we won't have a car but will Uber to it for supplies :)
 
I love the pools at night, still so warm!

Carole which Walmart do you recommend? we won't have a car but will Uber to it for supplies :)

Matt, the one on Turkey Lake Road is only 5 minutes away by car.....and is huge...…...it has everything we need for our stays.

Yep, love the pools at night...…..best time for us...…..:thumbsup2
 


SATURDAY JULY 21ST


Saturday already!!!

We did sleep a little later today and woke around 7am...…..we were Skyping Kyle this morning so we got up and showered before we sent a message saying we were ready for him to call when it suited him...……

The best laid plans!!!

Clicked on Skype and they had changed it......you needed your Google account details and separate email!!! And had to invite someone to join the thing again...….What!!!! Well I didn't have my google account details with me and hadn't a clue what it was anyway...…..so sent Kyle an email to let him know what was happening and we couldn't Skype. He replied and said no problem...…..we would look at it when we got home. Although we had ipads, Kyle only has his desktop computer and a laptop.....he doesn't like Apple products so we couldn't facetime...…...emails would do and we were glad it was a short trip!!

We caught up a little by a few emails but he didn't have many stories anyway...…..so we logged off and had a think of what we might like to do today.

Funnily enough I got a pm from a board member asking how we do plan our trip, as they have notes and days all planned out to the minute...….honestly, we just go with the flow always!!! There`s nothing we need to plan ahead apart from when we meet up with folks, and that is usually done by email last few years with the people concerned.....easy to sort out. We have no desire to plan so far ahead of time for anything......but, we are lucky it`s just the two of us or three of us with no little kids. We have seen people over the years with military operations planned and that is not how we vacation, nor ever will!!!

We decided we would visit Mount Dora today again...…..we love it there and it is a perfect little place that we could envisage renting a home there for a few months at a time at some point. If we could ever drag ourselves away from hotel life...….we do like being looked after!!

So, downstairs for coffee and pastries again...……..we sometimes felt that we should go out somewhere for breakfast, we had enjoyed on previous visits a place called Peach Valley Café for breakfast......very local place with not many tourists which we liked. Food and service were amazing......we would go back one day. But, as I mentioned before, breakfast isn't a priority for us.....we much prefer a nicer lunch...….

So, for now it was Dutch Trading Co...…..and very nice it was too...……



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Tom got a little thing that was like cinnamon bun and he enjoyed it, I had a regular Danish pastry...….and again we shared a coffee...…..it was a nice start to the day and was very quiet sitting in the lobby area this morning...……there had been a few seats available in the coffee place, but we liked sitting out here...…...

We finished up and cleared the stuff in the trash and headed outside to get the car...….soon as they saw us they quickly got it for us......now that is service...…….we got a couple of bottles of water from them to go and they asked us if we needed directions, but we knew the road well...….or was that famous last words......…

Yes we liked this car!!!!



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Tom won the argument as to who was driving today......but, I would be glad of that decision later!!!!!

We set off on our usual route to Mount Dora, but almost immediately got off track...….don't even know how that happened!!!!! But, we did and ended up taking a different route......thanks satnav!!!! The road we ended up on had those unmanned tolls where it is your number plate that is recognized.....well, we couldn't avoid going through two of them...….we had no clue what the fine was for doing this as we had a rental. But, we would think about that later...….as it turned out the fine for both was around $7, so nothing at all. We had heard of people saying they had massive fines for something or other when driving, so we thought, well we have gone through an unmanned toll so we`ll just pay whatever it was anyway. But, $7 really was nothing. But, wasn't me today who took the wrong turn...…….:rolleyes1

We arrived and parked in our usual little parking place. But, it was blazing hot today......I said to Tom I was sure this was the hottest day I had ever felt in Florida in all our visits...….he said I might be right...…...I was glad I had my hat on......and sun screen...….but I had the wrong outfit on...….tee shirt was thicker than it should have been...…..oops!!!!

Mount Dora is adorable...…...very quaint little town that has a warm and friendly feeling about it...….people are genuinely nice and we had always felt very welcome here.

We didn't take a huge amount of pictures today like we usually do, purely because it was baking hot...…….




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We had a quick wander around the town and admired the many little stores they have...….they are all lovely and we could buy many things in these stores....it really does feel like time has stood still here...….

We wander down to where one of our favourite little wine places is placed, Maggie`s Attic is a small but has a lovely selection of wines and little novelty accessories mostly to do with wines......and the lady who owns it is lovely...…we did wander in but didn't purchase anything as we had plenty of wine in our fridge. We were tempted though...…...



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We had another wander around the stores for a while and then wandered down to the waterfront...…..it is a beautiful lake and last time we had met the guy who runs the boat tours and had given us a good talk about crocs and stuff around here...…….I hate things like that...….but he was very interesting and a nice guy...…..

So down to the front we went and of course I saw my favourite home in the town...……well, apartments or not, they were purple and very pretty...…….



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We spent a little time down here this morning...…..there were some seats in the shade at the end of the pontoon, and it had a little bit of a cool breeze flapping around down there......only slightly...…..but it was so relaxing to sit and watch the water and the very brave water skiers who I couldn't understand why you would do that in a lake festooned by crocs!!!! Crazy......you would have to be...…...I wanted to move now once I began thinking about them to be honest...….

We wandered back down and chatted to the man who remembered us from May...…..he was an incredibly friendly guy who had such a love of the area that it was quite contagious...…..although I still had no real desire to go out on such a little boat on a lake of creatures that will eat you in a heartbeat!!!

It was so hot today by now and the guy`s thermometer showed it was 95F...…….no wonder we were hot!!!!

We headed back up towards the town and saw a family come towards us...….mum, dad and two little kids aged around 5 and 6...…..as we approach them I see in between us this, what I originally described as a massive snake...…..just slither across the path in front of us...…...I hate snakes. Terrified of snakes...…..so I screamed like a racoon caught in a trap!!!!





I am a wimp...…..and may have let out a little expletive at the same time...….then I was mortified I had cursed in front of young kids......not the worst word in the grand scale of curse words, but even so...….I apologized while starting to move away very quickly...….they laughed......the dad said the kids could teach me some choice words if I wanted to and not to worry...….oh. Ok then...….he also said the snake was harmless...….really!!!! No, snakes are just horrible...….

Tom of course was a few feet behind me and was annoyed he had missed it...…..as I was making haste up the hill he asked where it had been so I pointed and at that it came back out of the grass and slithered back across the path......Tom was delighted to see it and began taking pictures of this huge thing that turned out to be apparently a tiddler at around 3 feet long!!!!!!

This was my very first encounter with a real life snake, out with seeing them in a reptile house in a zoo I was forced to go as a child...….hated that too!!!!



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Tom did make me stop though to take his picture here...…...he never asks for his picture to be taken, and I knew he was just trying to make me not run away......well, not run exactly...….but I think he hoped it would come back and I would see it harmless. hmm. No thanks. I could move when I had to...……………...








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We always take some pictures in the same place every trip, and today was no exception......I liked this tree and there was a lovely cool breeze swooshing past...….which is why I`m trying to cool down in this one...…….



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We headed back into the shops area. It was getting near lunchtime and we were both very thirsty and hungry now. We were right beside Pisces Rising where we ate last time, but today we thought we would try somewhere different this time.

A friend had told us about this little place and suggested we would like it...…..so we would!!! I do like to get a personal recommendation for places...….so we headed for it and knew exactly where it was...…..and it was, as named, One Flight up.




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This was a small family run place...…..it had several separate little areas with tables away from the main area......very cozy and very clean!!!

There seemed to be an art class going in the back and they do several different arty things over the day. Neither Tom nor I are in the slightest bit arty...….neither of us can paint or draw to save our lives!!!!


But, it looked lovely and the menu was simple and appealing…….it had sandwiches!!!!! Tom loves sandwiches a lot...…..me, I`m ok with them, but prefer something different. However, looking at the menu and what other folks had been given I thought I would like this place.

We both asked for water and strawberry lemonades, which turned up iced and looking a lot like mango!!!! But they were delicious...…..and very refreshing.....




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Tom had ordered a ham and cheese sandwich and I opted for the turkey...….both came with pickle and olives with a bag of potato chips...….



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What can I say...…...it was delicious...….for such a plain sandwich...….beautiful...….the turkey was buttery and so moist, and Tom`s ham was full of flavour and also moist...…...and I even enjoyed the cheese which is something I don't often have.

We had really enjoyed our lunch today and were glad we had come in here...…..although we did notice they did sangria and cocktails :scratchin...…...but, it was just too hot today to have any alcohol.

We finished up and paid, then headed back out into the baking heat......it was so hot!!!

Going into a few little stores helped cool us down, and in one we bought some lovely little candle holders.....Kyle thinks they look like they should be in Game of Thrones...…..they are a little medieval looking maybe, but nice......we bought three of different sizes, so they look nice sat in a little corner of the kitchen nook...…

A few more stores and then we went to purchase what we had actually come here for...…..olive oil.

We had discovered this store last visit and fell in love with the products they sell...…..I wasn't keen on straight olive oil till I tried theirs...….and absolutely adored theirs........also they have some amazing flavours of balsamic vinegars...….the products we had purchased in May were long gone, so we had to replenish our stock. Yes, we had counted down the days till we got back here. Our village deli sells some nice Italian ones, but these were nicer...….

It was very busy today...….so much so we didn't take any pictures, I have some in the May trip report...….but you can go around and have a little sample of everything they sell...….so many to choose from!!! We bought the same olive oil as before, the chipotle flavor, it`s not too spicy that it takes away from the olive flavour, but we got the largest size this time...….and 3 large bottles of fruity white balsamic vinegars......quince and pomegranate, golden pineapple and the other was cranberry pear white. The latter was the new one we hadn't tried, but we loved the first two a lot!!!!

We also picked up a couple of new pouring bottles for the oil and one for the dressing.

It`s a lovely store and staff are lovely, incredibly helpful and double wrapped our bottles as they knew they had to travel back home in cases...…..

With our purchases made and my face looking like a burst red apple by now we headed back to the car and got the aircon on as quickly as possible...…

We set off back to our usual route we knew well...…...as we left the town our outside temp showed 101F...…..so, Carole thought I`d take a picture as some folks didn't believe me it got that hot...…..well, took the lens cover off and promptly dropped it down the seat...….oops!!!! of course it had to be the new expensive camera didn't it......this was Tom`s new toy!!!! To his credit he didn't get annoyed (I would have been if it had been him) and said we would try and find it when we got back, if not we could order a new lens cover back home...…….so I didn't get a picture of the temperature as I sheepishly put it back in my bag and started chirping merrily about what we would do tonight...…..lol...…..I felt bad!!!

We drove to Mall at Millenia and saw it was mobbed...….really mobbed, so instead drove to Bed Bath and Beyond to have a wander. But, to be honest when we got there we couldn't really be bothered going anywhere...…

So, we turned around and came home. On the way though Tom had a brainwave of stopping in at WalMart and buying a bag for the camera...…..so that's what we did......….it is quite large for a supposed point and shoot camera, but because of the cost of it, Tom was looking to have it protected where it could be.

So, we did get the bag which was only around $25......so not exactly sure how we managed to spend $98!!!! Every time...…..

We drove back to the hotel and as we pulled in to the front area, Tom had a search for the offending lens cover down the side of my seat...…..he rummaged a little and decided it had indeed fell below...….then he felt it. He very carefully and slowly managed to retrieve it!!!

We had been lucky...….I did say there and then I wouldn't take any more pics while we were driving......Tom looked at me as if to say, of course you won`t......….that man knows me too well!!!! :D

We thanked the valet guy who was the same young guy who had taken it to the garage the day before......he did say he knew to put it out front from now on.....lol...…

Up to our room, but first we bought a coffee from the Dutch Trading co...…..

Our rooms were so cool...….this was wonderful...….. we then brought the cakes out of the fridge and planned to share them......we then saw she hadn't given us the coconut slice but the coconut bomb......I`m sure she had her reasons........and we did enjoy a share of both with coffee, but couldn't finish either.....and we were saving our appetite for later!!!!



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Both were gorgeous...…..but we ate around half of each of them...….slightly more of the coconut one, but we were eating an earlier dinner tonight as we planned to go into The Studios later for the new cinematic show...…….

But, for now, a half hour (maybe an hour) snooze...…….



Coming up......Red Lobster and Studios...…..
 
Ick on the snake!! When we went to Mt Dora, we walked along the water and were very afraid we would see an alligator! Luckily, none were visible at that time!

That purple house is just lovely!! You can't do a purple house just anywhere! It looks fabulous there!:)
 
OMG Snake! I am so there with you on that

On our trip last time, we were walking to the parks one morning on the path from RPR and one of those exact snakes (I think they are called racer snakes) slithered across the path in front of us, I probably woke Tower 1 up with my scream! Rob still laughs at me!
 


We have loads of alligators where we live, so they don't bother me so much, but if you aren't used to them, I could see how they would scare you. Mount Dora looks lovely. I have driven past the sign many times
 
Ick on the snake!! When we went to Mt Dora, we walked along the water and were very afraid we would see an alligator! Luckily, none were visible at that time!

That purple house is just lovely!! You can't do a purple house just anywhere! It looks fabulous there!:)

Hate snakes!

Yes, purple wouldn’t be my choice for house colour despite loving that colour, but it works there.
 
OMG Snake! I am so there with you on that

On our trip last time, we were walking to the parks one morning on the path from RPR and one of those exact snakes (I think they are called racer snakes) slithered across the path in front of us, I probably woke Tower 1 up with my scream! Rob still laughs at me!

I am howling picturing you screaming!!! :rotfl::rotfl:

Although I am now going to put this post out of my mind.........because Loews categorically do not allow snakes or anything like that on their property........anywhere.........you must have saw something else.........right ::yes:: ::yes:: :laughing:

Although that sounds hilarious!!! Not the snake part though..........wonder if someone was videoing out their window and have you on their phone somewhere........lol.......

Will look out for you on You’ve been framed!!!:happytv:
 
We have loads of alligators where we live, so they don't bother me so much, but if you aren't used to them, I could see how they would scare you. Mount Dora looks lovely. I have driven past the sign many times

Oh my goodness, I couldn’t imagine!!! Alligators and crocs are two of my worst nightmares.........it’s a long list though.........:laughing:

We don’t have to worry about things like that in the UK!!

Mount Dora is beautiful.........we’ve been many times, and it never loses its appeal........I could live there!!! I’m sure you would love it if you visited it.........it’s so cute ::yes::
 
All I have to join this discussion is to say we have fire ants which I will take over gators or snakes

Those fire ants do sound dreadful though!!!

But, yeah anything that can eat you or kill you in minutes with venom!!!! That’s always a big fat no!!!!
 
I remember the purple house from your previous trip report. LOVE IT!!

Lol......I am kind of addicted to that house!!! Well, apartments!!

If it ever goes up for sale............:scratchin

We would be tempted!!! Little holiday home..........
 
I liked the purple house!

Very cool looking

You know me and purple!!! Love it!!

Having a little closet clearout today.......going through all my winter scarves that are due to be washed........vast majority are purple and shades of purple or white.........occasional red.

Not sure if this is normal, I have 45 purple scarves :blush:

One is so deliberately oversized and quite thick, when my friend gave it to me for a birthday gift, I wasn’t sure if it was a scarf.........or a table runner.......:rotfl:and I didn’t want to ask..........:laughing: was quite embarrassing........lol......

Yes, that is a cool building.
 
I am howling picturing you screaming!!! :rotfl::rotfl:

Although I am now going to put this post out of my mind.........because Loews categorically do not allow snakes or anything like that on their property........anywhere.........you must have saw something else.........right ::yes:: ::yes:: :laughing:

Although that sounds hilarious!!! Not the snake part though..........wonder if someone was videoing out their window and have you on their phone somewhere........lol.......

Will look out for you on You’ve been framed!!!:happytv:

I thought the same as you till I saw it, I checked back on my pics and found this, Rob took this as I am sure I had run the long way round the path

I am sure someone somewhere has the footage, I was so nervous walking in the dark but tbf it did look very small and being tipsy helped!

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So, we did have a snooze...…..and a good one too!!! We even had trouble waking up a little this evening...…..but we did feel good after having a shower and changing...….I had a glass of wine while we got ready and seemed to finish a bottle somehow...…..oops!!! And rather weirdly, I did tell him it was so he could drive tonight...…..aren't I a nice wife...…….:rolleyes1

Usually on a Saturday night we avoid going down I Drive like the plague...…...traffic is usually beyond a nightmare, but we liked the Red Lobster down the bottom of it opposite the convention centre……..we had never had a bad meal here and it was worth the drive...……

Universal Orlando looks so impressive with Aventura rising above the other hotels...…...the Volcano also adds to impress passers by, especially at night where it really does look spectacular...…and when the hotels are completed top of I Drive it really will be quite the choice for folks wanting to visit Universal or just have a quick stay somewhere close to everything.



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There is a small wait for a table tonight, which I assume was down to being short staffed as there was plenty of empty tables...…..but a few minutes after we came in we got seated and began to study the very large menu as to what we might have tonight...……..

Crab fest was on so there were added dishes to choose from!!!!

But, as always......drinks first...……..Tom was of course on Strawberry Lemonade as he was driving...…...I usually opt for the large Strawberry Lobsterita but thought I would have something a little different tonight...…..so I chose the Alotta Colada...……..and it was just as large...…...



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Trying to look happy tonight with lemonade wasn't working...…….oops!!!!



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The Alotta Colada I have to say was lovely...…...but he forgot the added shot that was supposed to go in it...…..when I asked him where it was he didn't have a clue...…...the barman had sat the shot out, but I think the waiter was quite new and didn't know it went with my drink...…….so he did come back with the shot of rum that went on top...…...nice!!!!

We did get the cheddar bay biscuits but the picture I took was all blurry...…..yep, should leave pictures to the expert!!!! But, they were lovely.....and we were good and only ate one each...….self restraint is hard!!!!

I chose after a long deliberation the crab stuffed shrimp with the filet as I fancied a little steak too...…..asked for it rare tonight...…….and Tom chose the lobster feast which has garlic shrimp, fried shrimp and scallops...….he asked for mash with it, although doubt he would eat much of it...……

I had asked for lobster mash, and again didn't think it was up to much...…..but everything else was beautiful...…..and the steak was indeed rare as requested...…….



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We had loved this meal...….Red Lobster is cheap and cheerful but quality is always decent...…..one of our friends at the hotel had a daughter who worked at Bonefish, she had said it had improved massively over the years as we had gone many years ago and hadn't been impressed...but on her recommendation we maybe should give it a try again...….we would have a look at the menu when we got home. Always nice to have somewhere else to try...……..

We paid the check and headed back out to the car and back up I Drive...…..the eye looks nice, although not lit up yet properly, you could just see the coloured lights...…..but the Starflyer looks impressive now it was fully operational...……




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There was quite a line to go on it...….although it is very economically priced at around $12 a go...…..not that I`ll ever go on it...…...but it does look a lot of fun.....for those that indulge in such daredevil activities!!!!!



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The new hotels also have grown up from nothing...…..we will definitely go and have a look at these when they are completed...….




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We drive on to the hotel and for the first time we almost drive into RP!!!! Yep, we were in the lane to turn left on Hollywood way......oops!!! Thankfully there was no one in the other lane so we hopped back into the correct lane and down towards Sapphire Falls...……

We hand the car over to a very happy young valet driver, who does indeed park over in the front...……

Straight down to the boat we go.....and it is busy!!!! Very busy, I think everyone was heading into Citywalk tonight...…..we waited maybe ten minutes for the next boat, and we all got on......just.

Again, it feels incredibly hot...…..so when we get off the boat we take our time and head towards the Studios...…..

We did plan to just have a wander around and do a few rides tonight, but since we were there we thought we watch the new cinematic show......we had heard a lot of good things about it and were keen to see it...…..

But, first we were surprised how few people were going in to the parks tonight...….although the TM said Honey, they`re already in...…..lol......so we knew to expect the park to be busy inside. We love the atmosphere in these parks......folks that don't like Universal say it`s not there...….but it is...….and we loved it!!!!

We had a go on Minions...….at around 8pm it was 50 minutes for the regular line......we got on in less than 5 minutes...….EP line is supposed to be 20 minutes or under and we have always found this to be the case, unless there has been an issue with the ride...….then you expect a bit of a wait...…..but not tonight!!!!

It was fun and we did have a little dance with a minion afterwards...…..no pics of that dance!!!!!! Then a quick blast on RRR which is extremely quiet right now...…..we get the front easy...…...Tom chooses his usual KC and the Sunshine Band.....and I always opt for the reassuring tones of Gloria Gaynor telling me I will survive!!!! It was fun...…….we love this ride!!!!

Straight round to The Mummy which is arguably one of the best rides Universal has...…..this is a real blast when it`s on the coaster part...….but the themed parts are also phenomenal...…...it`s a ride you have to try even if you`re not too keen on coasters as it`s not as intense as Hulk or RRR, it`s a good coaster for beginners...……

We only do this once tonight as Finnegans Cocktails are calling us...……..

I`m not the biggest fan of Finnegans, but the bar is fun and we always enjoy the drinks here......and some of the bar staff have been there for years...…..especially Jim who is the very cool barman we have tonight...…….

We get seated at the bar on two seats that we seem to always end up in...…...and I don't bring my glasses out to read the rather minimal cocktail menu......but I know what I want and it`s the Rum Neuralyser I enjoyed a couple of times last few visits...…...so I order that and Tom I believe orders an IPA beer...…

Jim makes the cocktail in a very large pint glass...….I always say I never drink out of a pint glass...….but, there are occasions...….and this is one of them.....it is a lovely drink and although strong, its just as I like it with a very fruity flavor...…….



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We have a fun time with Jim and a couple who sit down beside us...….they were from New York but upstate......very upstate!!!! But, we had a good giggle with them and it passed a while as we waited for near the time for the show to start...……

AS we went to order another drink, I actually looked at the cocktail menu...…..the rum neuralyser was gone!!!! I said to Jim I was sorry, I hadn't noticed it was gone.....he said no problem...….they had all the ingredients and it was still popular...…

However at that point we decided not to have another after all...…..we would go back to StrongWater later after the show...…….

Love the parks at night...…..they have a totally different feel at night and we adore walking around at this time...….



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We did enjoy wandering around little areas that don't see as much crowds, especially at night...……



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Because of the new show and where they operate the firework display, the area to the side of Starbucks gets blocked off not long before the show starts for safety...….so we made it through easily tonight.



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The new viewing area on the other side of the lagoon is perfect for watching the show...…...but it looks mobbed already and you can see folks heading in to that area too...….so we stand down in front of the bandstand sitting area below......right by the water...…..it is classed as the splash zone saying you may get wet...….but we were only slightly misted by it a little...….we would have been happy getting a little soaked I have to say!!!




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Once the lights dim we know the show is about to start...…….and it looks good at the first few bars of music.




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I have to say this show is a big success!!!! It is a lot of fun and the movies are instantly recognizable to almost everyone.....we are among the few who genuinely loved the old cinematic show.....we recognized all the movies and enjoyed seeing all the clips......of course showing our age with that comment, but we also adore old black and white movies...….of course we could see a lot of younger folks didn't have a clue what some of them were.....but the new one, they were all going to be known.

I was stood beside a lady holding a toddler, who didn't speak a lot of English.....but we had passed pleasantries with each other with smiles and nods and the little girl had smiled away to us...…..all of a sudden about 5 minutes into the show, a young girl of maybe 18 tried to bash, and I mean bash between us......the lady and I both yelled out at the same time...…..I dreaded to think what would have happened if she hadn't been holding her daughter so tight!!! But we both let this young lady know she wasn't bashing between us...….how rude!!!! So she did go back, and to be honest it wasn't busy behind us, but everyone was already quite tight against the railings...….she went back to what looked like her parents and then they wandered off...….very strange. There was loads of room to see if they had wanted to. But, if she had asked or been a little one, we would have moved to let her see...….or squeezed up a little bit more...…




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We did enjoy it...….really enjoyed it. And we will watch it again in September if we are there when it`s on......and we would stand here again.....you can still see the projections clearly and don`t miss anything......and the benefit of not being so crowded as the viewing area...of course HHN will be on in September so this show won`t be on every night while that event is on.

We did get away smart and walked past Shrek and Minions to get out, we seemed to miss the bulk of the crowds who came down the old Terminator way, but being park closure time it was busy!!!!

Citywalk is lovely at night...….we like being here after dark, but we really just wanted to head for the boat...….if we had been staying at RP we would have walked, but Sapphire is just that little bit further......so boat it was tonight...….



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We did think of walking when we saw the line for the boats......and this was the downside of waiting till park closure......but the boats run as regularly as they can and do a good job of moving the hordes of tired folks as quick as they can...…..

I think we waited 15 minutes tonight......the longest we have ever waited for a boat outside of HHN. One boat left full......and the next one was only a few minutes...…..we were glad to sit down I have to admit.



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Before we went to StrongWater we went out to look at Aventura...…..most of the furniture was in the rooms and it really had progressed.....it does look imposing at night...…….



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StrongWater was busy, so we sat at the bar and Tom ordered a beer and I had a rum mule...…..they were both lovely and the mule did have a kick tonight!!!! This is a lovely bar and I could happily sit in here every night at some point...….the guy behind the bar had served us only once, but he did know our name......which may or may not have been a good thing...…...:rotfl:I think it was a good thing!!!

We only had one and then headed up to our room...….it was maybe 11pm by now...…..we had planned to have a glass of wine, but in reality we showered and climbed into bed...…..we were strangely zapped tonight despite having a snooze late afternoon...……

We did see the weather forecast for tomorrow.....and it didn't look good!!!


 
I thought the same as you till I saw it, I checked back on my pics and found this, Rob took this as I am sure I had run the long way round the path

I am sure someone somewhere has the footage, I was so nervous walking in the dark but tbf it did look very small and being tipsy helped!

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lol......being tipsy helps anything!!!!!!!

Oh that is the same snake isn't it!!!

I think we may be on the boat more often now ::yes::

OMG sorry I am still laughing at you "running round the long way"...…..:rotfl::rotfl:so I guess Tom and Rob would stop to admire the darn thing while we would be running the other way!!!!!

Snakes are just bleurgh...…..
 

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