17 nights at Royal Pacific and still didn`t want to leave

[schumigirl]

that burger looks over cooked.
the times i went to that food court, it was packed.
the wait to order was about 15 minutes for me.
i did the hot dog and added extra onions and tomatoes.


it looks empty when you were there.

It was so overcooked and it had been sitting for goodness knows how long! I think if it had been fresh it would have been ok. I had onions and coleslaw on my dog.......

It was busier next time we went, we had to give it another go.......I just didn't have the burger

 

[zebsterama]

Great TR -- climbing aboard. Our family has never been to the Studios - planning our first trip this upcoming summer; a surprise for soon to be twelve and ten year old, son and daughter respectively.

Thank you very much for taking the time and sharing your experiences; the photos are great!

Cheers,
Zebsterama

 

[tink1957]

The only things I tried in the new Simpsons area were Duff Beer and a shared donut sundae at Lard Lad's....the beer was OK...the sundae was yummy...that burger reminds me of the one I had at the ABC Commissary called the Ugly Betty cheeseburger... it lived up to its name

Good job keep those updates coming.

 

[Metro West]

yeah.......we were all wondering where are you going to come up with next year......you set the bar high this year with RusTeak.............. You have to keep up the high standard

I'll really have to step up my game for next year.

 

[schumigirl]

Great TR -- climbing aboard. Our family has never been to the Studios - planning our first trip this upcoming summer; a surprise for soon to be twelve and ten year old, son and daughter respectively.

Thank you very much for taking the time and sharing your experiences; the photos are great!

Cheers,
Zebsterama

Welcome along .........Oh they`ll love the Studios.....what a great surprise

Thank you for the lovely comments, glad you`re enjoying it

Like your username too.....it`s cool

The only things I tried in the new Simpsons area were Duff Beer and a shared donut sundae at Lard Lad's....the beer was OK...the sundae was yummy...that burger reminds me of the one I had at the ABC Commissary called the Ugly Betty cheeseburger... it lived up to its name

Good job keep those updates coming.

Thanks Vicki..........we never had a doughnut this year.......maybe next year. I must have missed that burger before.......glad I did by the sound of it

I'll really have to step up my game for next year.

We have faith in you......you haven`t let us down yet

 

[schumigirl]

So after our not so good lunch, we went back outside.........they really have done a good job of this area









Always a classic pic to get



We headed around to do ET.........last year Kyle would only do this once for some unknown reason we love it..........such a simple ride but it always fills me with joy when I`m on it.......love the movie



Again it was so quiet. We stood for a few minutes till they opened the first set of doors then into the cool for the preshow.....then front row seats on the bikes. No matter how many times we do this ride we still enjoy it.....it`s just a charming little family ride. We went on twice and then headed to Ben and Jerry`s for ice cream. On the way around we spotted a fanny pack for Tom at the little stall near café la bamba.........a place we have never eaten in actually......got the waist pack and went around for ice cream and a coffee for me.

Despite not enjoying the lunch we had I was quite full so Kyle got his usual chocolate fudge brownie and Tom and I shared the caramel one........don`t know what caught Kyle`s eyes here......looks as if someone is about to steal his dessert....lol





We couldn`t finish our ice cream even between us which is unusual, Kyle however finished his. We left there and wanted to try Transformers again. It was back up and running so we got on and hoped it wouldn`t break down again.......it didn`t. We did enjoy it, the graphics are really good but we all prefer Spiderman. We don`t go on again and head to Shrek, but change our mind and head over to Rip Ride Rocket.......Kyle won`t go on. Last year unless you were at the front 2 rows it was unbelievably rough so he didn`t want to take a chance. That was fine so Tom and I went to go on, but we got the queue and they said it was going to be down for a bit. Wished we had gone on earlier now, but it can`t be helped.

It was getting a little bit dull now and windy so we decided we had done enough today, headed out of the park we thought we would get the boat for the first time this trip. We usually walk most days but it`s nice to hop on the boat now and again. When we get down the PBH was just leaving.......I couldn`t believe what I saw next.......what looked like 2 sisters, husband and kids arrived...........the boat had gone......she started having a go at one of the captains......why didn`t the boat wait for them......he must have seen them coming.....he should have known where they were going How he kept his patience with them I don`t know......he explained he couldn`t possibly know where they were going, they were quite far away when the boat left. Whatever he said to her she made a sarky comment back. Some people really do believe the world revolves around them!!!! Our boat arrived and we had a lovely little boat ride back home. It was getting really dull now but it never did rain so we went down to the pool and had half an hour in there.......it was empty again.

Got back up to our room and got showered and changed. It was early only around 4.30. Kyle announced he was really tired and wanted to go for a sleep, so we left him and went downstairs and had a wander around the lobby area, sat for a while just people watching.....took some pictures then went up to club lounge and had a couple of glasses of wine each and sat on one of the comfy sofas and watched some tv. It was quite busy tonight. We didn`t have any food as we were going to Citywalk to eat but there was a hot chicken and pasta dish, dips and chips, usual cheese and biscuits and a lovely looking salad.....it did all look really nice. We had told Kyle to join us when he woke up, but he hadn`t appeared so we assumed he was still asleep. Around 7.15pm we left the now empty lounge and went to our room to waken sleeping beauty.........he was out for the count.......never even heard us come in. He looked so peaceful.....so I took a pic of him.....I won`t post it ......woke him up and gave him some time to wake up properly before we headed out for dinner. We had decided on Nascar tonight.

We had eaten here a few years ago and had not enjoyed it, but after 5 years we thought we would give it a try again........we can hold a grudge But we had heard good things from friends that had gone so in we went. It wasn`t packed but it was busy, so we got our table and had a look at the menu. It is a nice menu with choices for most people. Kyle ordered his usual virgin strawberry daiquiri and I had strawberry lemonade as I had already had a couple of glasses of wine



Kyle`s meal was Teriyaki Chicken.....it was beautiful



I had the voodoo burger with grilled onions.....no cheese



Tom had the BBQ bacon brickburger with grilled onions




They were al gorgeous and we were so glad we decided to go back to Nascar, service was excellent as well we had a very friendly and chatty lady looking after us. We were all too full for any dessert tonight so we left and headed to the mini golf. Citywalk was as usual quite busy, it really is a fun place to be at night. We stopped off in at the Fossil shop. Kyle get a really good watch every year and was having a look in all watch places for the right one. He has some really lovely watches so it`s hard to find something different. I had gotten a Fossil watch in 08 and love it.....so had been thinking it was getting a bit scratched looking so I had been looking last few years as well, but hadn`t seen anything I liked more. But I wandered over to the ladies section and saw one immediately.........when I like something I know it straight away....so I got it and was happy with it. It`s very similar to the one I have it just looks newer and no scratches..lol.

Bag in hand we headed to minigolf. We decided to do the haunted side tonight. It`s really good especially at night













We loved this course, it is so much fun. I don`t know how I managed it as I`m rubbish at mini golf but......to the annoyance of my husband and even greater annoyance to my lovely son......I won I never even cheated with scores!!! So we handed the clubs back in and walked back to RP. It was such a lovely walk, it was still really warm but there was a little breeze so it was very pleasant. We got back and went to Orchids Lounge and Tom had a beer Kyle and I had virgin daiquiris. It was quite late now but it`s a lovely place to just sit and relax. There was only us and another family, but after half an hour or so we called it quits and headed back to our room.
Think it will be IOA tomorrow.

 

[SAHMKC]

I'm enjoying your review so much! Our family (DH, DS14, DD12 & Me) is going to Universal over the US Thanksgiving break for the first time. Your pictures are beautiful.

 

[Threeboysandachickie]

mini golf looks fun! Congrats on beating the boys

 

[Seeker615]

Thanks for posting the mini golf pics. We have the meal and golf package so it was great to see what the course looks like!

 

[disfanforlife]

Just found your report today and I am enjoying it very much! We are heading to Disney next weekend, but I am really thinking about visiting Universal soon. I have never been before, so it is very nice to learn more about it this way.

 

[schumigirl]

I'm enjoying your review so much! Our family (DH, DS14, DD12 & Me) is going to Universal over the US Thanksgiving break for the first time. Your pictures are beautiful.

Thank you......I hope you have a wonderful trip......first trips are extra special You have to come back and tell us how you enjoyed it!!

mini golf looks fun! Congrats on beating the boys

It is so much fun and I don`t win very often so I made the most of it

Thanks for posting the mini golf pics. We have the meal and golf package so it was great to see what the course looks like!

You`re welcome. ......I`m sure you`ll love it, it is so much better at night when it is all lit up

Just found your report today and I am enjoying it very much! We are heading to Disney next weekend, but I am really thinking about visiting Universal soon. I have never been before, so it is very nice to learn more about it this way.

Thank you so much .........Oh you would love Universal.....it is so much fun......but have a great time on your trip next weekend

 

[Jade's Mom]

Enjoying your report.

 

[schumigirl]

Enjoying your report.

Thank you so much......nice to have you reading along

 

[schumigirl]

MONDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER

We were all as bright as buttons this morning.....had such a good sleep......the beds are ridiculously comfy and those pillows

Showered and headed over to T3 to the lounge for our breakfast. One man said to us he thought it was such a hassle going from T1 to T3 it`s like a few minutes!!! It`s hardly Kilimanjaro!! So had our usual offerings, and the lounge was nearly empty today. We sat and too our time and looked out of the window at what is going to be Cabana Bay.......it`s monstrously big!! They sure are getting through building it quickly though, I`m sure it will be beautiful but don`t think we would stay there, we love it too much here to stay anywhere else.

So after chatting to the lovely Melissa for a while w headed down and got our suncream on. We disturbed the lady who was taking care of our room, so we quickly got out of her way after thanking her for the lovely verse she left for me on my birthday. This was the first time I had seen her since. One thing we were always happy with is housekeeping. Rooms were always done early and we had no issues with anything.

We walked again today.......again it was so hot, but lovely to walk to the parks and take our time. It`s one of the best feelings, not being rushed to do anything.....knowing we don`t have to be anywhere at a set time......but we had decided to do IOA today. We love this park, the themeing for us is spectacular.....there is so much detail if you look. We got through the turnstiles and there was only a couple of people there......looked very quiet.....yay.......it was. So as we always do we take our time and head round to The Hulk.......it was just after 9am but already we could hear the whooshing sound we love so much.......we walk straight on and get on the front row.......I always feel terrified at this point.....once I am harnessed in the feeling of trepidation takes over but excitement doubles at the same time....... both of them check I am ok..........as I said I love coasters but just before they set off I have an overwhelming instinct to get off......and quickly...........but I grip on for dear life and we set off. The take off on this ride is amazing...........before you know where you are you are whipped upside down and whooshing down towards the first big turn........it is amazing.....we are whooping with joy all the way around. All too soon it`s over.....but we whip around and go on again. We don`t get the front row this time but row 4......still amazing but we do prefer the front row.

So we wander around and do Dr Doom.......yes it is a short ride but we love it..........there is only one tower on so we still use EP and we go on about 8 times in a row before heading to Spiderman. Straight on again and it is as good as ever.......we did get sprinkled with a lot of water this time!! Do it again and then around to JP. Aswe walk we always take notice of just how colourful this park is.......We don`t stop and look for a lot of characters this year.......last year we saw more than we ever did and got pics with everyone, this year we decided not to bother with characters so much.

We were not doing the two water rides today that can drench you....well not can drench you.....they will drench you!!! We stop off at Popeye to put some coins in the machines that work the 3 showers as you go under the bridge.......last year I dread to think how much money we put in them.......it`s so funny.......but as the park was still quite empty there were not a lot of barges going around so we grumblingly left and headed round further. We stop for a bit and watch Dudley do right....then we decide we need to ride something........JPRA.........it`s a real walk on as well........the girl tell us we can sit where we like so we choose the second row and off we went. This is another ride we know word for word but it`s such a cute ride we go on many times. I love this drop..........I always try and keep the lapbar as loose as possible for a better feeling when dropping......and before I know it we`re down..........and barely a drop of water on us. We look at each other in amazement as we have usually got some water on us......varying from being absolutely soaked to a gentle sprinkle depending on the weight dispersion of the boat. But we had to go on again.........so around we went wishing we could just stay on but we could see there were a few people now waiting. We got a bit wetter this time but not soaked.

Now Harry Potter. We are not huge HP fans but we do enjoy this area of the park.....the castle is hugely impressive. I don`t know anyone who hasn`t thought it was amazing to see.



FJ wasn`t showing much of a wait.......can`t remember it may have been 15 minutes.......we don`t want to wait for any ride so if it`s long we usually do single rider. This is an excellent option as you don`t really see one another on the ride anyway......but if you want a ride picture then maybe not, but we have enough ride pics......another decision not to bother with this year, But we get on altogether and set off. I only do this ride once at a time as I can sometimes feel a bit queezy coming off and I don`t want to be the one who stops the ride after being "ill". We are not much into the ride when it stops.......just before you go backwards thankfully. So we all troop off and the TM tells us to check back later. We wander over to FoTH........oh my goodness I have been on this loads of times but today for such a little coaster it rocked us about a bit!! Didn`t do that one twice.

Duelling Dragons as usual had no real queue, I went on it once and they went on about 5 or 6 more times. I just didn`t want to get that dizzy feeling. So I sat in the Owlery and chatted to several people. One family were asking about Scotland.......then they asked when I was going back to Disney.......I explained we didn`t go to Disney and they were truly gobsmacked......I said we had plenty to do without going there and they didn`t really believe me I think. I said we got bored with it and had no intention of going back........and then they really looked like they didn`t believe me....lol........The grown up daughter informed me one of the things she didn`t like about Universal.....and there were a lot.......was that they had so few bathrooms!!!!! Really!!!!!!

Boys came back at this point and we headed off for some lunch. But not before we stopped at the talking fountain..........I could sit for hours usually but there was no-one there and he was snoring. So lunch it was then. I wanted to go to Mythos today.........we had given it a miss last year but wanted to go back this year, but we ended up in Confisco Grille.......we love it in here and it doesn`t always get the recognition it deserves. We have never had a bad meal in here and service is always excellent.

It`s so cool as we walk in......always welcome......and we get seated straight away. We get our drinks ordered and look at the menu. Kyle usually gets the chicken sliders but they are not on the menu anymore so he orders a chicken sandwich, Tom orders pepperoni pizza and I order Pad Thai







I thought the spicy sauce on the side was the pattern on the plate and put my finger in it......it was delicious......and nice and spicy!! The meals were all delicious......mine was Lush Todd .........Kyle usually got a dessert they had that was a chocolate muffin covered in sauce but they had taken that off the menu too so we paid and went next door to Croissant moon bakery for his dessert. He had a chocolate muffin that he enjoyed and we shared a cheesecake that was just ok........I think we left most of it.

Now we headed back into do Trolley ride and Cat in the Hat, the park was not busy at all







On to the trolley ride......well this is always a fun little ride and you get some good views of the parks from here too



More later

 

[macraven]

i'll be here waiting for when you continue................

 

[tink1957]

Me too

 

[nicole83]

I'm hooked!! I love how you write about the Royal Pacific, we will be staying there in Feb and reading your TR makes me more excited about the resort. It looks like an amazing trip so far, I cannot wait to read more!!!

 

[Planogirl]

I love the Royal Pacific and Confisco Grille! I also love your report!

 

[schumigirl]

Mythos is such an impressive building.

So we come off and head round to CiTH.......not before we admire the cakes.......we don`t get any just admire them







Parks are so quiet and we make the most of them as we are sure they will get busier as our trip goes on.

Love the Christmas store



So....we come off CiTH.......what the heck is that all about!!! He sure must have been on something to come up with that weird story!! Anyway we enjoyed it....sort of I think.

We decide now to head home and have a couple of hours by the pool before we head out tonight, it`s a little bit shady now so it won`t be blazing sunshine. We walk back and we feel a bit tired, I think the heat can affect us more than we know at times. But once we get to the pool we are fine.....we just have water and lots of it. We have a nice hour or so relaxing and chatting to a couple next to us who thought they recognised Tom from working in Saudi Arabia.......very coincidentally Tom knew who this guy`s boss was........what are the chances!!! We marvelled about how it really was a small world........then yes I admit it...... had THAT tune in my head and it wouldn`t go. I hate a small world at the best of times......all those spooky little dolls

Soon we headed up to get showered and changed.........we kind of hung about the room a bit and got what we had unpacked for our short stay in T1 all packed up as we would be moving to our room in T3 tomorrow. We just left out what we would need for the morning.

I had no idea what time it is at this point but we head up to the lounge to sit for a while before we head out for dinner. I have a glass of wine, Kyle has some water and Tom has a coffee. We have some cheese and biscuits while we sit. We see the food offering tonight is some kind of pork and rice dish, dips and chips and salad. Again it all looks lovely so we just have a little taste of cheese.......don`t want to ruin our dinner....we are off to Red Lobster.

This is another place we have to go to every year........food is usually very very good especially the cheese biscuits at the beginning. We go to the one near wet and wild usually. We had gone last year and had an issue with our server. He was rude and sullen and never acknowledged we paid the bill.....we always leave a good tip, and maybe we shouldn`t have as he was awful but the food was still good. We were left feeling disappointed as we have never had any complaints about this place, and it`s so handy.

Anyway, we went back thinking staff turnover is always high, he won`t be there. We got in and the place was empty......really empty.....we were shown to our table and looked at the menu`s............who came walking towards us........yep........guy from last year.........I couldn`t believe it...........and he was still sullen........Tom was looking at me and he knew what was coming..........we were leaving...........I grabbed my bag and just said to him we won`t be eating and left. He never even questioned why!! If the manager had asked why we were leaving I would have told him but they didn`t say anything......So we drove down to The Convention Centre at the bottom of IDrive, we knew there was a lovely Red Lobster there as we had been before.

It was busier, which is a good sign I think. We got a buzzer and were seated in 15-20 minutes. We had a lovely guy look after us called Aaron, he was so friendly and chatty.......we were hungry now so ordered our drinks....Kyle had his usual V strawberry daiquiri Tom had strawberry lemonade as did I and I also had a berry sangria.....now that was lush!!!







Kyle ordered Maple glazed chicken which tasted a bit like Teriyaki, he loved it



I had the Ultimate feast which has Lobster, snow crab, fried shrimp and garlic shrimp.......beautiful



Tom had the King Crab which was really nice too, but so hard to get into.......well for me.......he managed it ok



I think this may have been taken when he had finished....shells look a bit empty. We really......really enjoyed this meal and it was such a nice atmosphere in this restaurant. Aaron came back and asked if we wanted dessert...........I ordered a strawberry shortcake dessert which was nice and small.......they ordered one each.....the Chocolate Wave.......it`s a big dessert and I thought they might share one......no.....one each






They were lovely and we had such a nice evening in there. I think next year we will go back there rather than the one near w&w.



When we arrive after parking the car there are no cars......none at all!! Usually there is at least one, so we had to take a pic to show it empty



We decide we`ll get back to hotel and get the boat to Citywalk. We hadn`t really gone to Margaritaville yet so thought we would go for a cocktail. We should have walked but we waited for the boat once we were there

I have no idea what he saw here.....neither does he now.....lol



We wander around Citywalk just enjoying the atmosphere for a while then wander in to Margaritaville........it`s busy as usual. We get a seat at the bar area and order a cocktail....I had a volcano blast with take home glass....hope it makes it in one piece......... and Tom has a Landshark. Kyle doesn`t want anything. So we just sit and chat but it seems louder in here than usual.....they had a young guy singing........well his songs were a bit mourneful.......we wanted Jimmy Buffet on.........never mind. We didn`t stay that long by now we were quite tired and it was nearly midnight.....well past or usual bedtime!!!

Walked back home and straight to bed. Moving to T3 tomorrow.

 

[schumigirl]

i'll be here waiting for when you continue................

I knew you would be .....had to stop as my photobucket went all funny.....had a real panic as Kyle is out..........don`t ask how I fixed it........you know me.......I don`t know how I did it

Me too

Glad you`re still reading along

I'm hooked!! I love how you write about the Royal Pacific, we will be staying there in Feb and reading your TR makes me more excited about the resort. It looks like an amazing trip so far, I cannot wait to read more!!!

Thank you so much ..........You will love the RP.......such a beautiful resort and you are so looked after. Glad you are enjoying reading along

I love the Royal Pacific and Confisco Grille! I also love your report!

Thanks.....I do appreciate it........I remember reading you liked CG too from ages ago.......it never lets us down ........Glad you like the trippie too