GaDawgFan.....Kelly

Is it possible to actually be left at Castaway? I’m thinking no because they know who gets off the ship. I might be willing to try.... ha ha ha


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Booooo

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Oh wow. I bet we’ll never see it in action again.


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Here’s an article with pictures....

http://blogmickey.com/2018/05/more-permits-filed-for-potential-river-country-area-hotel/

Good catch Fiends!


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3 hours ago, Beckers said:

I’m moving to castaway cay. I wonder how long I could stay before being discovered

I'm willing to do that research with you! 

19 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

This board would be nothing without DIT. 

TCD 

You know that's going straight to his head. 

On 5/6/2018 at 4:19 PM, DaveInTN said:

You better watch that Mama Della.  She's got her hand pretty far around Jason.   What exactly is she reaching for?  

Now that you mention it..... hmmmmm..... 

3 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

The pool day seems like it was a total success. It also seems like Universal has more food options and at better prices. The pizza menu certainly puts Trails End pizza to shame. But that's not saying much. 

TCD 

The prices on food are definitely lower. I was VERY impressed with the food at the resorts. The pizza is along the lines of Via Napoli quality but I think half the price. Food in the parks was kind of mixed, not really bad but some was just OK. 

I think people pack up early because they have the early dinner seating. That's why we prefer late seating.

We rented a cabana on Royal's private beach once, but it was half that price. My mom and brother were with us, and I did it as a splurge for my mom (mostly). It was nice, but I can't see spending $500 for one. LOTS of people do though. 

Day 3 was a relax and enjoy the pool day. Here’s the morning view from the balcony. We debated doing a big breakfast, but decided to go to the pool. One bummer about Universal is that their character dining is very limited. I would’ve loved to do a meal with the minions but it’s only offered Saturday morning, so we could not do it this trip.



We had seen that Sal’s had breakfast sandwiches, so I decided to walk over and see what the details on that were.

Here are some pictures of inside Sal’s.









There is some indoor seating if you want to eat there.





I ordered us breakfast sandwiches to go. They were croissants with bacon egg and cheese on them. Delicious and made to order!



Back at the pool we swam and lounged around.



I like the padded loungers with towels that fit them.



Cheers!



We spent the bulk of our day there and really enjoy the downtime. When we got back to the room there was a surprise waiting on us.



The details are getting a little fuzzy now, but based on the pictures were the kind of awesome parents who take our kid to get gelato right before dinner.







We had dinner reservations at Mama Della’s, one of the highest rated restaurants on Universal property. It was at our hotel, so trying it out was a no brainer. Z had his gelato, and we enjoyed the harbor area.

To the left here is where you would take the boat to City Walk and the parks.





At Mama Della’s singers come around to your table. The atmosphere is pretty cool.

Our food was delicious. I got chicken Parmesan. Jason got lasagna, and I tried a bite. It’s the best lasagna I’ve ever tasted actually.







The portions were huge and so good that we did not want to throw them away. This was when I use the texting feature and asked the resort if we could have a microwave in our room. One was delivered before we got there. Very cool!

They brought the kids a birthday dessert. Like Z needed anymore sugar! Oh well, it’s vacation.



Mama Della comes around and meets guests.



We left completely staffed. The opera singers were serenading the crowd outside.





They do that every night, and it adds a great ambience to the place.

We headed to bed because the next morning was another early entry day. Islands of Adventure is up next!


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Loving all the pix.  It’s getting me excited for our up coming trip in 3 weeks

I agree way to many simulators! I don't blame your daughter for sitting one out! I'm also afraid of rip rocket but the rest of my family loves it!

I’m in! We’ve never done LEGO Land.


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Very cool! Sorry I missed this post. I have friends that use Instacart at Disney a lot because of allergies. 

12 hours ago, Beckers said:

Adam has informed me he’s read/watched that when Nintendo Mario land comes to US The American Tail playground is getting removed. No idea if any of the above is true but he’s following the rumors pretty hard as he’s hoping for the Mario land to happen.

silly question but did Z get wet on the raft ride?

does ET still say your name at the end? That’s the one thing I remember and the distinctive smell it had, like woodsy/pine.

Interesting. It's a cool area, but I doubt many kids know the movie. 

He got a little wet. Adults got more wet.... it just kind of depended. 

I didn't see our names at the end of ET, but they did ask our names when we entered. Maybe that part was broken or we missed it? 

12 hours ago, Beckers said:

Oh and what on earth is the Jimmy Fallon ride about?

You race through New York. It's pretty funny. 

8 minutes ago, Seals said:

I ordered one annual pass ahead of time and used it to make the discounted hotel reservation. Then when we got there I used it to buy 4 other discounted 2-day tickets. Also used it to get food discount for the whole family. 

It was 7 years ago, but I didn't think the quick service food was too bad. We also went fairly leisurely. The Jimmy Fallon ride wasn't there then. The space was Twister (I just looked that up) and I didn't go on that although the rest of my family did.  Minions had just opened and I thought it was way too frantic and fast. I liked the Simpsons but overall thought there were too many simulators. Men In Black, Forbidden Journey and Spiderman were my favorites that I remember. 

Very smart. I've heard the discounts for passholders are very good. 

Liking the photos of the America Tail area, the two times I've been we've never made it over that way. What happens when you try to do two parks in one day I guess. This is making think we'd take more time next time and consider passes. Food at the resort restaurants looks good as well, I haven't manged to eat anywhere other than quick service in the parks when we did Universal, again there definitely something to be said for having more time.  Although I did like the quick service restaurants in the parks there, I'm just overly fussy with restaurants that claim to have 'English' food.

Great update!
You are echoing what I hear a lot of, too many simulators or screens. 
I still want to go though and I really like how you don't seem rushed, was that really the case, most people i know that go to Universal don't stay long, I like the idea of staying longer to enjoy the resorts.
WBI

The rest of the day....

We rode ET. The ride is dated, but we had never written it and they’re a good childhood memories there, so we were glad we rode it.



Next up we headed to the Simpsons area, which is themed pretty funny. Hailey decided to sit this ride out because she was finished with simulators for the day, so just Z and I rode.





Men in Black was our next ride, and Jason decided he’d try it. This ride is best comparable to Buzz at the Magic Kingdom I guess. We all really enjoyed it, and Jason killed us with the score. There are no pictures because this is one of the rides they make you use the lockers for. That is a bit of a pain.



We attempted to ride the Hogwarts Express, but it broke down as we were about to get on, so that was a big fail. I guess the one bonus was that we hadn’t waited an hour like the people without Express Pass.



The pool was calling our name so we decided to head toward the exit. We caught the parade on the way. It’s no Disney parade, but it is cute and worth seeing if you have kids.





We hit the pool for a bit and then got cleaned up for dinner. I had booked reservations at The Kitchen at the Hard Rock Hotel. One cool feature of Universal resorts is that they offer a shuttle between the resorts for dining purposes in the evening.

The hard rock definitely has a more adult feel to it.





We had a little bit before reservation, so I took time to check out the kids club because we plan to use it later in the week.

It was fairly similar to what you see at the Disney kids clubs.







Dinner at the kitchen was delicious. I chose it because we were doing some splurge meals later in the week, and this one was pretty reasonable. There are several entrées under $20.

My chicken dish... great flavor!



Huge fish tacos



Giant burger



Kids chicken tenders



Well not your typical Easter dinner cuisine, we really enjoyed our meal and I highly recommend this restaurant.

After dinner, we put Z to bed, and Haley and I went over to the hot tub for some girl time. It’s pretty cool to have an adult child.



That is all for day two. Day three coming soon.


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Sorry this report is moving so slowly. I don’t know how many pics I have of the rest of this day, so moving on....



I’m afraid of the Rip Ride Rockit, so sorry, that didn’t happen. If it weren’t for the beginning....



I’m not sure if I mentioned that Jason had to have surgery a few weeks before this trip. He couldn’t really ride anything the first few days, but he said it was still weirdly fun. Haley and I decided to ride The Mummy. Z said no because of the scary theme. As a coaster, it’s pretty tame, but it is pretty scary. Haley was not a fan. I think some of the effects are really cool.

Check out the top right. Funny stuff. I almost bought that.



Jason enjoyed street performers with Z, and then we headed to the Jimmy Fallon ride.



More live performers while waiting a few minutes for the ride. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of those in the parks. The ride was a good simulator, nothing earth shattering but we all enjoyed it.

Next up was Despicable Me... another simulator. Now is a good time to mention one of my US complaints. There are A LOT of simulators. I think they need to mix in some other kinds of rides.



The queue is themed nicely.







It was a decent simulator, but after 2 we needed a break from that. We did get to meet a minion in the gift shop with no wait.



Banana!



Jason needed some chill time, so we headed to the America Tail play area. I was a big fan of the movie as a kid. I’m not sure kids now know what it is, but the play area is AWESOME! Z had a blast. We had an adult beverage.









There was a raft ride in the playground that adults could ride too. There was no line for it, so Z rode it several times, and we basically had to drag him out.



I just lost the rest of this. Ugh. I was going to finish the day, but will do that later. I guess my post was too long.


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On 4/27/2018 at 11:34 AM, slices said:

 

Well they try


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For theme park quick service meals, we enjoyed our food there. 

On 4/27/2018 at 11:35 AM, Robin said:

Did you have the butter beer frozen? We liked it this way. How great for your son to be picked!

You know what.... I can't remember if it was frozen or not. I don't think so. 

On 4/27/2018 at 4:54 PM, DramaMama .......... Janet said:

We haven't eaten at the Leaky Cauldron but we have had lunch twice at Three Broomsticks.  We really liked it.  Both times we got a pumpkin juice and a butter beer to share between the 4 of us.  That's about all I can take because it is so sweet, but both are tasty.  Congrats to Z for being picked - how cool!

I'm with you on those drinks. Z is still over the moon about being picked. 

On 4/27/2018 at 8:36 PM, dvccamper said:

Joining in! I haven’t been to Universal in probably 25 years. But every time we’ve offered to do a Universal trip the kids have opted to do Disney (again!). Maybe your trip report will help me convince them.

Maybe! We had a really good time. 

On 4/29/2018 at 10:04 AM, Beckers said:

So I’m all about theme-ing things to the max, but they’ve crossed the line by not serving Diet Coke 😂

You should have seen my face..... LOL! I love my morning DC. 

On 4/28/2018 at 3:04 PM, Grumpy and Grandma said:

Get a popcicle and send Jason to homedepot for a bag of sand to dump on your feet. Wala..

 

Ha ha ha! Not quite the same, but..... I just might. 

Looks similar to the allergy menus they're doing at QS and TS. 

I would love a frozen drink and some sand between my toes right now. That drink you describe sounds awesome. I wonder if I can find the recipe online.


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2 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

Generally speaking, does it feel like US crams guests into the parks like Disney does these days?  Or can you walk, breath, and sort of enjoy yourself?  

The Harry Potter areas later in the day were PACKED. The rest of the areas were fine. Early entry is a nice perk for sure and worth it even if you have Express Pass because we were able to experience the HP areas when they weren't slammed. We went back to re-ride some stuff and see the night show.... WOW, it was busy. 

13 hours ago, Cortezcapt (Derek) said:

Ok I'm very late but I'm in. Looks like y'all had a great time so far. If US had a campground they might be in the running for us, or a every other year thing. Unfortunately we love the Fort to much. 

Thanks for joining in. I wish they has a campground too. Our resort was pretty sweet though! 

12 hours ago, slices said:

The potatoes look the same as I had in the three broomsticks at lunchtime in January. Does the Leaky Cauldron promote itself as having 'English food' as much as the three broomstick?

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We had them both places, and I think they are the exact same. I really liked them though, so I was OK with that. They are both English food places. 

1 hour ago, h2odivers...Ray said:

What did you think of the butter beer?

we thought it was to sweet. 

Btw. DD was reading your last update with me and she wants to know if her wand will work on our upcoming trip?

did they mention anything about how long they last?

I thought it was too sweet as well. Z loved it. 

I've heard the wands will last multiple trips, but I didn't ask about battery life. How long has it been? 

5 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Can you explain how the Front of Line privileges currently work for hotel guests?  My last hotel stay at Universal was before the HP stuff. Back then, your room key meant you could skip every line. Things must have changed since y'all waited in line for the HP ride. 

TCD 

Express Pass Unlimited comes free if you stay at Hard Rock, Royal Pacific, or Portofino Bay. Early entry comes with a stay at any of those resorts plus the other resorts, Sapphire Falls and Cabana Bay. For whatever reason, they weren't creating an Express Pass line during early entry. I asked and was told everyone would have it that was allowed in early... not really true. 

Until fairly recently, the HP attractions did not participate in Express Pass at all. That has changed, but Express Pass doesn't guarantee you 0 wait. It guarantees you a shorter wait. We were able to basically walk on almost all attractions, but there was still a bit of a wait at the HP stuff and Kong... kind of like how those FP lines get long during peak times of year (Thunder Mountain, Toy Story, and Buzz are great examples of that). Honestly, we moved about the pace I'd want to to see all the stuff in the queue. There were times where I had actually wanted to stay longer but needed to keep moving. 

After Z’s wand chose him and we purchased said wand plus one for Haley, we headed to Escape from Gringotts.

The wait said 40 minutes, I think. I really didn’t want to backtrack, so we figured “What the heck” and got in line.

I’d heard that the queue is cool, and it really is.

It seems that Universal inflates their wait times kind of like Disney does. I think we were really in the line less than 20 minutes. It was enough time to get to check out all of the cool elements, although I’m sure you would notice new things each time.

The ride is a fairly tame rollercoaster with 3D and other elements. It’s really well done and in my top 5 rides of all time.

After the ride we let Z and Haley play with their wands. It was still early, so Diagon Alley wasn’t crazy busy yet. The wands interact with different areas of the land.

I love how immersive this land is.

At this point we were hungry. Where do you eat Easter breakfast? The Leaky Cauldron! This is a quick service dining option. If you book a Harry Potter package, you can make reservations for breakfast. All others are walk in. We went pretty early, so there wasn’t much of a line to get in. That wasn’t the case later in the day.

The folks stay in character here. Much to my dismay, they don’t stock muggle drinks like Diet Coke. Interestingly, they do offer beer, but it was too early for that.

There’s a lot of attention to detail here.

Butter beer is one of the included beverages, so Z was the was excited to try it. This ended up being a huge blessing because the butter beer lines out in the main area were insane later in the day.

Happy Easter cheers!

They give you a number on a stick and bring the food to your table.

The food was pretty decent for quick service. I wasn’t crazy about the eggs but the rest was really good.

Obligatory cauldron picture with our adorable shirts.

After breakfast, we watched a puppet show and Z and Haley planned more magic stops. It was cute.

We headed out of Diagon Alley and saw the Night Bus.

We’ll pick up with more of Universal in the next update.

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