GaDawgFan.....Kelly

What's the Universal equivalent of pixie dust?  I'm sure he'll remember that for a long time. 

On 4/22/2018 at 3:31 PM, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

 

 

On 4/22/2018 at 6:38 PM, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said:

Great updates!  Your pictures almost make me want to go to Universal.

We enjoyed it more than we expected. 

On 4/22/2018 at 6:56 PM, dblr....Rennie said:

I don't know I think there might be quite a few people that might go for a change. It does look tempting 

It was a LOT of fun! 

On 4/22/2018 at 8:45 PM, Beckers said:

We keep talking about eventually going to the dark side. 

Do it! 

On 4/23/2018 at 7:35 AM, h2odivers...Ray said:

Go. It’s worth it. 

Agreed! 

On 4/23/2018 at 7:39 AM, h2odivers...Ray said:

Great tip going to Ollivanders first thing in the morning.  The line was around the corner and we were in line for 45-60 minutes.  We made the rookie mistake of going to gringotts first.  Lol!

That is so cool that Z got chosen.  

 

Yes, it gets CRAZY.... even crazier than Gringotts. We're heading there next. 

On 4/23/2018 at 11:59 AM, Tri-Circle-D said:

It is good to be Z. He wanted a wand, and thanks to some good planning, he got one. Good  job! It's pretty obvious that the banshees in Pandora at AK are Disney's attempt to copy Universal's wizard wands. But Universal does it so much better. 

TCD 

It is good to be Z. His level of excitement for that was something I will remember forever. He told EVERYONE who would listen about it on the trip and still does. I think the shirt was key. 

What a beautiful day! I’d love to spend the day at Serenity Bay!

With all the rain and still cool weather we’re having, these pictures are killing me.

I need that out of office hat!


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The next day was Easter morning. At the Fort we usually chill and enjoy the activities, but Touring Plans said this would be the least busy day in the parks, so we decided to make it a Park day. By the way, the Touring Plans was right about their prediction.

Z was excited that the Easter Bunny found us!

We got ready and headed to the boat dock. A boat arrived after a few minutes.

Family boat selfie!

The plan was to hit Universal Studios, starting with the Harry Potter stuff. The nice thing about Express Pass is that we didn’t have to plan too much.

From the boat dock at City Walk, it was a quick walk over.

Like at Disney, people seem to like to stand in line. We were able to walk up to the scanner even though there were some long lines at the others.

Before long, it was go time. Most people were heading to ride Escape from Gringotts, but we were heading to Ollivander’s because Z wanted a wand more than anything. He was also hoping to be the person chosen to have the wand choose the wizard. They have about 20 people per show, but only 1 gets chosen for that. I’d heard the morning can be the best time, but I was also preparing him for it to not happen.

Brisk walk! Good thing we have experience.

When we reached Diagon Alley, I was in awe. The theming is incredible. You really feel transported to the movies. I highly recommend taking advantage of the early access for Universal resort guests, because this place was slammed later that day.

We were the first people in line for the wand show. Check! We have the birthday shirt. Check! I chatted with them about how excited Z was to see the show. Fingers crossed he would be chosen.

I might have even said a prayer. When the man came up to us and started talking to Z, I not sure who was more excited... him or me. He was chosen!

It is really hard to take pictures in there because it is dark and you aren’t allowed to use a flash. Basically they had him try several different ones until one was the right one for him.

It was awesome!!! Once the wind it shows him, we went into the shop where we got to pay for it of course. One really cool thing is that the person who is chosen gets a wand that has never belonged to another wizard. They said it was his job to make it famous. Everyone else chooses ones from characters from the books and movies. My step daughter was super excited that we let her get her own wand as well.

Ugh.... tapatalk is killing me. I thought photobucket was bad. I can’t load pics right now.

This is the shortest update of all time, but I do not want to lose what I already wrote and loaded.

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We are definitely going to have to go visit that resort. As well as the hard rock resort.  Next month unfortunately our budget is such that we are getting a family suite at cabana bay again  
Last year we stayed at universal cabana bay resort and we visited the sapphire and royal pacific resort and they were awesome.  We took the boat from city walk and walked across the street from the Sapphire to cabana bay  
But portofino looks even better.  We are going to have to catch a boat over there for some drinks  
Did the swimming pool have under water speakers?  
Was there a lazy river? 
Kids activities?
food court?
Cabana bay has a great food court. (Think of AoA’s food court.) lazy river and waterslide, two pools, fire pits to make s’mores and bowling alley with a restaurant and a bar. 
 

Margherita!  That looks delicious.  

Let’s finish up the evening. After getting the room checked out and situated, I headed back to the pool.

You can kind of see the slide here.



I checked out the cabanas you can rent. Similar to the Disney resorts, these come with nonalcoholic drinks, a fridge, TV, and fruit.





Here’s an example of the water stations.



Splash area



After that exploring, I relaxed.



Eventually, we decided we’d grab some dinner at the casual eatery, Sal’s Market Deli. They have pizzas, a few other items, and some cold deli selections like salads. It’s in the harbor area of the resort and you can either eat in or take out. There are some tables in the courtyard area, we decided we’d eat there and enjoy the pretty evening.

This was our view from dinner.



One super cool feature is that they have opera singers come out and sing on a balcony every night. Hopefully I can download my video of that.

We ordered a large pizza for $18 and got a Caesar salad to split for $9. Since we were carrying outside, we might have brought some adult beverages with us. I’d heard great things about the pizza here, so I was excited to try it.

These pizzas are wood fired and delicious.



A little salad to make it healthy...



This deal is as good as a GAG. We chowed down for about $30. I would highly recommend taking the boat over to Portofino Bay if you want to get dinner after visiting a Universal park. It’s all so worth a visit if you were staying at one of the other Universal resorts. They run a dining shuttle that will take you there.

After dinner Z ran around some of the kids in the harbor area, and we played around with some Harry Potter robes in the gift shop.



We headed to bed pretty early. The next day was Easter, and we were planning on hitting a park. Z was a little worried that the Easter bunny wouldn’t be able to find us, but I reminded him that he had found us plenty of times at Disney World. He agreed that he could probably find us at Universal as well. We will pick up with Easter morning in the next update.



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I thought that too. Put your feet up on Micky and enjoy your Universal resort. 
Both times we went Royal Pacific was the least expensive resort with the Express Pass. And with it being by room and 5 of us in the room was relatively reasonable for the amount of time we saved. The room was nothing special but I really liked the resort.  If money weren't an object, I would have wanted to stay at Portofino though.

I'm confused though.... It's more than 60 days from the opening....

2 hours ago, dblr....Rennie said:

Why does the foot hassock look like a hidden Mickey 

I thought the same! 

2 hours ago, WannaBeImagineer said:

That's a good size room!  It looks pretty good too.

Can't beat that balcony and view!

WBI

It really is a beautiful place. 

1 hour ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Wow, that room is much bigger and nicer than I expected. Is this a Loews property? 

TCD 

It is a Loews property. The room is 490 square feet. I had to look it up because I got curious.... a Fort Wilderness cabin is 504 square feet, and a room at the Grand Floridian is 440 square feet. With 4 of us in the room, the extra space was really nice. 

Ok, I’m typing all this in tapatalk because I’m not paying for a hosting service anymore. That’s making this a bit of a challenge though.

Moving on, I got the text that the room was ready. It was a bit before the official check in time. I was excited to see the room, but everyone else was pretty content at the pool. I decided to head up and check it out. I figured I could have our luggage delivered and that would help if we decided to have dinner somewhere other than the pool.

While at the pool, we had been admiring some larger balconies on the top floor. Guess what? We got one! Woot! Woot! Maybe celebrating your 15th anniversary at a theme park has some perks.

Let’s check out the room. It’s a deluxe room that comes in at almost 500 square feet. The entryway is pretty standard with the coffee maker.

Two queen beds

Table area

There’s a mini fridge.

I think the bathroom was about the size of our entire RV.

Closet with robes

Let’s check out that balcony and view!

I spy Z.

At some point bell services delivered our luggage. I put a couple things to bed and headed back to the pool to see what the family wanted to do for dinner.

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Ugh... Tapatalk difficulties.... 

5 minutes ago, momof3kids-Yvonne said:

Now that I am no longer lounging around, eating, drinking and laughing with the Womenz I am in as well.
The only Universal park I have been to is the one in California. That was back in 90 or 91.

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Welcome!!!! I can't wait for the 2019 edition of that trip! 

7 minutes ago, Katman1356...Jason said:

Did you think it could go any other way?

Excellent point! 

11 hours ago, ependydad...Doug said:

Thinking about it- we are a bit of the oddity with only 2 kids. 3-4 is much more common. 5+ isn’t super unusual. You see more of that than families with just 1 kid.

You are an oddity??? 

Man, this thread got nerdy! 

23 hours ago, wdwpoohbear...Jennifer said:

I can't wait to see the rooms!  What a great feature texting with the front desk is.  That would come in handy.

It came in super handy, and all Universal resorts have that.... not just the fancy ones. 

23 hours ago, DaveInTN said:

This hotel looks great so far.  

20 hours ago, WannaBeImagineer said:

This resort looks great!  I didn't realize they consider it the flagship, for some reason I was thinking the hard rock was.

That text feature alone gives it a very high end concierge type fill to me.

WBI

It does give it a high end feel. It's pretty cool they offer that to all resorts. It's probably quicker for them too vs. answering a lot of phone calls. 

20 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

I'm guessing that you scored some kind of travel agent rate on your room. What kind of price range are regular folks looking at for this place?

 TCD 

I did score a TA rate. Rack rate the week we stayed was pricey.... around $500 a night. However, just like Disney the prices range a good bit. This resort usually falls between $300-500 a night. I checked next week, and it would be $400 a night (still spring break pricing). Passholder rates for the Disney deluxe resorts were higher than that for the same week. So, it's cheaper than Disney deluxe hotels, and I'm not just talking about the Grand. 

Okay, sorry for the delay. We were out of town this weekend, and actually life is crazy in general right now, but I do want to do this report. I’m hoping I don’t have to move too slowly.

So our first big decision was which hotel we would choose. It being Easter week, Express Pass was pretty much a must in our opinions. We considered Cabana Bay where we would have to pay for Express Pass. To contrast, I decided to look for the least expensive option that would include Express Pass Unlimited. Universal includes that with their top three hotels at no additional charge. Because some categories are already sold out, I was surprised to find that Portofino Bay was our least expensive option that included Express Pass. Portofino Bay is their flagship resort. It would kind of be like staying at the Grand Floridian. My stepdaughter decided to come with us on this trip, so with four people, it made the most sense to stay at Portofino Bay. Luxury here we come!

Portofino Bay is modeled after an Italian city. The hotel is beautiful, but it is pretty spread out. This didn’t bother us at all as we enjoyed looking around.

We left at 5:30 AM on a Saturday to avoid traffic. The ride was mostly uneventful except 1 accident close to home.



There are some differences with the Universal hotel check-in. There was no online check-in, but I did call and request a balcony room. I also knew that these are very limited, so I didn’t have a ton of hope. I think we arrived at the resort around 1:00.



I was hoping that we would be able to check in early, but our room wasn’t ready. The nice lady at the desk did mention our balcony request, so I started to get excited that we might be getting one. We had packed bathing suits in our carry-on, so we went to the restroom and changed and then headed to the pool.



The pool at Portofino Bay is amazing. Well there are actually three pools. The main pool is called the beach pool. There is also a quieter pool nearby. And then the other side of the resort also has a quiet pool. The music, games, and action are all at the beach pool. There is also a restaurant there with food/drink service. The beach pool has real sand around it and a zero entry area. One of the things that I thought was super awesome is that they provide sand toys, noodles, and tons of beach balls for people to play with. They also provide water infused with fruit, sunscreen, and reading material. Disney deluxe resorts should take note of that. Those are all little things, but they are very nice perks that make us stay more enjoyable.



One thing to note is that this fancy resort does not allow coolers at the pool. We were able to get around that a bit by using our yeti cups. But we also took advantage of the $10 drink special. That does potentially get pricey, so I was hoping we would get a room close to the pool.



The beach pool has a waterslide and two hot tubs.



One of the hot tubs.



Z jumped right in while the adults... yes my stepdaughter is 22... enjoyed some relaxation.



Before too long I got a text that our room was ready. One super cool feature that Universal resorts offer is texting with the front desk. You can text them any question, and you have an answer within minutes. It was a feature we used several times, and I loved it! For example one night we had leftovers that we really didn’t want to throw away. I texted and asked if microwaves were available, and we had one in our room before we got back there. Now that is service!



We will pick up with room pictures and the rest of our evening in the next update.


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BTW is Z a Gryffindor?
did you have him tested?
have you taken the test?
I did and I'm a Ravenclaw.  Lo!

Your pictures Kelly has my mom wants to stay at the hotels you did.

8 hours ago, Robin said:

I'm in Harry potter stuff there is amazing in my opinion. The other rides we can take them or leave them.

I'll agree about the Harry Potter stuff for sure. 

2 hours ago, DramaMama .......... Janet said:

I'm in!  We have had Universal seasonal passes this year along with WDW water park passes.  Of course, we have stayed at the Fort the two times we have gone.  Planning to make it back at the end of May before the passes run out.  Eight nights at the Fort, though!!!   

Looking forward to your thoughts on it.  We absolutely love all the Harry Potter World stuff!!!  Of course, it looks like it was designed by an imagineer.  There is no comparison to Disney in their theming at all anywhere else.  I got heartedly sick of simulator rides.  Pro on those is that they can run in FL's rain.  Still, it got old.  That and the constant jabs at Disney - blowing up Tinkerbell in the Shrek pre-show room, etc.  I just shook my head and whispered, "Disney doesn't NEED to compare itself to you."  

There were some rides we missed - water rides mostly - and we want to go back to the HP stuff so we'll head back to finish out the passes.  

Carry on!

Welcome! I bet that combo was cheaper than a Disney AP. I haven't been to a Disney water park in ages either... maybe I need to change that too. 

On 4/12/2018 at 2:38 PM, DaveInTN said:

In!

And first!  

And BTW...I've never been there either.

First place!!! Impressive! Really, you too?

On 4/12/2018 at 3:08 PM, BigTom said:

I am in

Awesome! 

On 4/12/2018 at 3:11 PM, Travisma said:

I haven't been there in forever.  Waiting to see what's changed!

Thanks for coming aboard! 

On 4/12/2018 at 3:29 PM, h2odivers...Ray said:

I’m in and forth. You do know that fourth is the new first correct? Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Universal Studios and Harry Potter world.

LOL! I have lots of thoughts to share.... I know you're surprised. 

On 4/12/2018 at 3:32 PM, Grumpy and Grandma said:

All aboard......

In with a graphic! 

On 4/12/2018 at 3:43 PM, Beckers said:

I’m in. Last time I was at Universal it was the early ‘90s and most rides scared me 😂

I lived there then and never went.... weird.

On 4/12/2018 at 3:50 PM, DaveInTN said:

You know, when I read that I wondered why you'd be scared of rides in the early 90's....and then I realized it's because you were a child then!  

I feel old.  

Well....

On 4/12/2018 at 4:19 PM, Seals said:

In and I love the cake!  We went to US in 2011 and 2012 when my kids were the right ages and into Harry Potter. I actually read the whole series between those two visits, motivated in part by going there.  Haven't been to the "new" part though. Interested to read your comparison. I found a lot to like at US, even though it's not Disney. 

The cake is awesome, and I think you should plan another trip... yes that's a spoiler. 

On 4/12/2018 at 4:21 PM, Grumpy and Grandma said:

Cause you are......

Funny! 

On 4/12/2018 at 4:45 PM, WannaBeImagineer said:

I was hoping you would share some details on this trip!  

I really want to go see all the Harry Potter stuff but I think I'll wait until W has at least watched a movie.

How old was Z when he started watching the movies?

WBI

I think it's smart to wait. Z still hasn't watched them all because they get more and more intense. I think he watched the first one a couple of years ago, and we've let him watch up to #4 so far. 

On 4/12/2018 at 4:50 PM, Tony said:

I'm in and looking forward to the comparison between the two Love the cake!!

I'll be comparing for sure! Isn't the cake awesome? 

On 4/12/2018 at 5:00 PM, slices said:

I'm in, did both Universal parks in a day the last time we were in Orlando. Of the 8 of us in the group, 4 were either too short it too scared to do the roller coasters which is most of the HP stuff, interested to see what you thought.

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We spent 6 days there.... we do relax a good bit though. 

On 4/12/2018 at 5:02 PM, dblr....Rennie said:

I'm in also, last time there was 2004

I'm surprised there aren't more Universal fans in the group. It gets expensive to do both in 1 trip though. 

On 4/12/2018 at 8:46 PM, Memphis said:

I'm in. 

Welcome! 

On 4/12/2018 at 9:06 PM, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said:

I'm in too!

Awesome! 

On 4/12/2018 at 9:29 PM, Beckers said:

I think you’re old enough to be my dad 😂

 

or not. Either way it’s funny 

Nooooooooo

On 4/12/2018 at 10:34 PM, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Oh gosh... I'd love to follow along, and will do my best on the road but, tough to say with some long days ahead.  I'll try to catch-up on it, soon!!!

Well, I'm pretty slammed so it might be easy. Have fun on the trip! 

On 4/13/2018 at 9:15 AM, Tri-Circle-D said:

I'm in!

 I can't believe Z is 9. Wow. 

His costume is great, and that cake is amazing. 

The last time I was at Uni, the new HP stuff in the Studios part was built and having soft openings. I didn't didn't get to ride. But, I did ride Rip Ride Rockit. That was pretty intense. 

Bring on the Butter Beer mustache photos.

 TCD 

Isn't it crazy? Last year in single digits. We'll get to the roller coasters later, LOL! 

On 4/14/2018 at 9:27 AM, Starbuc71 said:

Last time I was at universal, they had just opened up back to the future. I think I was 20. I’m now almost 50.  I guess a lot has changed. Have fun

Yep, that ride doesn't exist, but we did see something related to that movie. 

On 4/14/2018 at 9:54 AM, Beckers said:

When we went there was some huge soccer thing going on and there was a ton of Dutch (I think?) people wearing these neon orange soccer jersey and  clogs. We were on Back to the Future with them and the whole ride they were chatting in Dutch and then all the sudden the lady yells “oh sh*t” and it was clear as day. Being in 5th grade I thought this was pretty funny, we still laugh about it.

LOL

No, this isn’t a Star Wars reference. My family spent Spring Break at Universal Orlando! Can you believe it? Can you also believe I’d never been there? Yep, it’s true.
 
Z turned 9 the day before we left. He’s into Harry Potter now, and he’s tall enough to ride most of the rides. As a result, we decided it was time. And what’s more romantic than spending your 15th wedding anniversary at a theme park? Ha!
 
We celebrated Z‘s birthday with a HP themed party a week before we left. Here’s a picture from that day.
 

 
I also have a weakness for over the top cakes.
 

 
I don’t have as many pictures as I would usually take for a trip report, but I have a good number. I can also share my thoughts on how Universal compares to Disney World. There are some things they do way better, and some things not so much.
 
If it sounds OK, come hop on the Hogwarts Express!
 
 
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Time for an off site excursion.
 
https://www.sunshinestateeggfest.com/
 
Nows the time to jump in and purchase an egg!
 

 Sunshine State Eggfest • April 28, 2018

The 2018 Sunshine State Eggfest will be held at the Indian River County Fairgrounds & Expo Center in Vero Beach, FL

You can purchase ahead of time and pick up at the festival

Purchase Demo Eggs (Discounted prices for Big Green Eggs used at the Eggfest)

(All Demo Eggs Come With a FULL WARRANTY)

Two FREE Taster Tickets with purchase of Big Green Egg!

---

Large Big Green Egg in Nest with Plate Setter - $689.00

The Large EGG is the most popular size and a favorite to handle the cooking needs of most families and gatherings of friends. Accommodates all EGGcessories for baking, roasting or smoking - and it's versatile enough for weekend cook-outs or pizza parties, large enough for eight steaks at once, and efficient enough for an impromptu meatloaf for two!

Specifications:

• Grid Diameter: 18.25 in / 46 cm
• Cooking Area: 262 sq in / 1688 sq cm
• Weight: 162 lbs / 73 kgs

The Large EGG can cook:

• 20-pound turkey
• 12 burgers
• 6 chickens vertically
• 8 steaks
• 7 racks of ribs vertically
• =============================================================================================

 

X-Large Big Green Egg in Nest with Plate Setter - $939.00

The XLarge Big Green Egg provides a cooking area that can easily accommodate meals for large families and cookouts with all your friends - and you can efficiently prepare several meals over the coals at once. Ready to serve up fourteen racks of ribs, twenty-four burgers or a couple of holiday turkeys with all the trimmings? No problem!

Specifications:

• Grid Diameter: 24 in / 61 cm
• Cooking Area: 452 sq in / 2919 sq cm
• Weight: 219 lbs / 99 kgs

The XLarge EGG can cook:

• 2 20-pound turkeys
• 24 burgers
• 11 whole chickens
• 12 steaks
• 14 racks of ribs vertically

Bummer... I had a ghost post recently. Hadn't seen that in awhile either.