How Universal saved our vacation...DAYS 1 & 2 & 3!

I swear I'm not ignoring the thread! Its just hard to type on the phone or iPad. I will have a full trip report soon! We are having a BLAST! Volcano Bay was epic!
 


I swear I'm not ignoring the thread! Its just hard to type on the phone or iPad. I will have a full trip report soon! We are having a BLAST! Volcano Bay was epic!

I totally understand that.
I'm forced to use my iphone more than i want to and usually stay brief and don't correct the typos.

too much work...

So looking forward to when you do have access to tell us all about your fun time at the Darkside!


don't hurry back but stay and do everything you can there
 
I swear I'm not ignoring the thread! Its just hard to type on the phone or iPad. I will have a full trip report soon! We are having a BLAST! Volcano Bay was epic!

Glad to hear it........look forward to your updates!
 


It's time, y'all! Time to recap one heckuva trip...so sit down, strap in and hold tight cause here we go!

Monday 11/6/17...
We woke up at 6am so we could take care of the usual morning farm chores (that's feeding 29 horses and turning them out in the pasture for the day). When DH and I tag team, we can get the whole thing done in just over 30 minutes. And, being the nervous nellies we are, this gives us a chance to have eyes on every horse one last time before we leave. We had packed the car the night before, so all we had to do was change into our "driving" clothes and get the girls loaded into the car. The "girls" are our two dogs...a bluetick coonhound and a greyhound. The boarding kennel doesn't do Sunday drop offs so we had to schedule a drop off time at 7:15am. We were worried about this only because we usually get on the road at 6am which affords us the ability to avoid horrible Charlotte rush hour. Dropping the girls off at 7:15 would now put us smack in the middle of it. But we had no alternative....so we kissed those wonderful cold noses goodbye and headed south! (PS, the girls LOVE the kennel. They practically dragged us into the front doors and were so excited to see the manager. It's such a relief to know they aren't stressed about boarding there).

So begins the 9 hour drive to Orlando...


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As expected, Charlotte traffic was pretty gnarly. Ultimately it added about an hour to our arrival time...though I like to think the real reason our arrival time was so late was because DH insisted on driving the whole way. I'm sure I could have Mario Andretti'd some serious time off our ETA, but I digress...I'm sure you'd all love to hear about our bathroom breaks and gas-up stops, but I'm gonna jump right to that magic moment we pulled off I-4 onto the Universal exit...

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Did anyone else hear the choir of angels singing?

Man that volcano looks amazing! I do have to wonder how often there are fender benders right there from people staring at the volcano and not at the road? DH and I were bouncing around the car like two little kids! In fact, we were so excited that we blew right past the very obvious entrance to Cabana Bay and had to go up to the light and make a U turn. The front entrance was super cool! We parked in front and headed inside to check in.

The lobby? Adorable. We totally got the whole late 50's/early 60's vibe. I was amazed at how big and airy it was. Luckily, as it was around
4:45pm, there wasn't a line at check in. So we went up to the next available Team Member and she got us all set up. I had our celebrations noted on the reservation and she gave us buttons that said we were celebrating our birthdays and anniversary. Gonna pause here to say, I don't think celebration buttons are as big a thing here as they are at WDW. We wore them our first day and mostly got quizzical looks from the TM's. So after the first day, they stayed in the hotel room. The check in TM DID give us 2 vouchers for a free Starbucks beverage which I thought was very sweet of her! She then got out the resort map and showed us where our room was...AMERICANA building, standard view, room 5715 (7th floor). At first I was a bit skeptical as I realized the standard room would be facing the parking lot AND the massive construction zone for Aventura.

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But then we went and moved our car into the lot for Americana and unloaded our luggage...while still staring skeptically at the construction of Aventura. Took us a moment to figure out how to open the card reader gate to let us in (hint, the actual reader isn't on the door...it's on a post across from the door). Some kind guests showed us how to do it and then we were in. Took the elevator up to the 7th floor and found our room...

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If we stay here again, we would actually ask for this exact room every time. The construction outside is temporary, and when it's complete it's going to be a lovely view. We couldn't hear any of the noise from it when in the room. I liked that this building has interior corridors and the convenience of the location was unbeatable. About 4 doors down from the elevator and the bottom of the elevator practically puts you IN the pool. The walk to Volcano Bay was maybe 5 minutes and it was like 2 minutes to the Bayliner Diner and the bowling alley and the bus stop etc. The Americana building is where it is AT!

We dropped our luggage, dropped our "car" clothes and threw on our bathing suits and headed down to the pool with our pool noodles. Naturally we had to get in the lazy river first. Oh what fun! It wasn't crowded in the pool or the lazy river, and there were lovely views of the volcano from in the river. We floated happily for about an hour before deciding to go back to the room and change for dinner.

I changed pretty quick and then had some time to unpack. I always feel better once I've "moved in". For two adults, storage in the room was ample. If there were more than 2 adults, finding room for everyone's stuff might prove tricky. Also a quick note, the water pressure and temp in the shower weren't great. The water got warm but not nice and steamy, and the pressure was meh. I'm also not a fan of the in-room blow dryer. I should have brought my own. I have super short hair that takes about 30 seconds to dry at home with my dryer, but the one in the room (like the crummy ones at WDW) were about as useful as having Dh blow on my hair. I made do with it, but it was frustrating.

Once dressed we headed to the bus stop, planning to hit City Walk for dinner. We only had eyes for Toothsome this night LOL!

We never waited for a bus at any point during the whole week. Every time we walked to the stop, there was a bus waiting to roll out. The drive to CW was short and pleasant, though the onboard video was a bit repetitive after a while. We made a slight miscalculation, arriving at CW at 7pm...just as the parks were closing, so it was wicked crowded. We had to wait about 35 minutes to be seated at Toothsome, but the way they do it, taking your phone number and texting you when it's your time is great! While we waited, we wandered the VERY CROWDED gift shop and took pictures outside. So much cool merch in there! Makes me wish I was totally into steampunk! We even checked out the candy making through the window and the ice cream shop on the other side of the lobby. After walking around outside for a bit, my phone chimed and it was our turn to be seated. The host took us to our table on the first floor and we were delighted to find that the waiter was someone we knew from the Disney podcast community!

The meal was good. Not great, but I think it was because I didn't order the right thing. The chocolate almond bread and salted caramel butter were to die for! I ordered the chicken and wild mushroom risotto and DH got the chicken bourguinon (sp??). The risotto was very bland, and the texture wasn't as creamy as I'd expect from a risotto. DH liked his chicken dish but I don't care for things that use wine in the sauce. I should have ordered one of the burgers or flatbreads, but I was actively trying to avoid eating burgers all week (also knowing we were going to be going to Cowfish). However, dessert more than made up for the lackluster entree. I had the Chocolate x5 shake and DH got the brownie shake.


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Sweet baby Jesus-in-the-manger! These were AMAZING! I am a lover of all things chocolate and these shakes did not disappoint. The brownie shake literally had a whole brownie blended into the shake itself. The x5 shake was really chocolatey too. I'm fairly certain I may be a diabetic after drinking those things! Here's a quick look:
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We also got to have a nice chat with the proprietor of the restaurant, Miss Penelope Toothsome. She was hilarious! We explained to her that we decided what to have for dessert first and then figured out dinner based on that. She very much approved.


After dinner we were pretty wiped out and so full of chocolate that we were more candy than human, we decided to take the garden walk path back to Cabana Bay. It was maybe a 15 minute walk back on the well lit path, and it made us feel a bit better about that huge dessert! The weather that night was lovely and we were very happy with the walk. We did get back to the resort and had the chance to wander around a bit more of the resort. It's such a lovely place. Got back to our room and hit the hay around 10pm with dreams of Volcano Bay in our heads.

Up next, our day at Volcano Bay! (spoiler alert...it was fabulous!!)
 
Those shakes look amazing. I’ve looked at the menu and I’m still trying to decide which one to get.
 
SO THRILLED to see your trip report! We leave in a few days for our first ever visit to Universal and we are staying at Cabana Bay. So needless to say, I will be hanging on your every word and picture. :yay:
 
Joining in since I'm getting into planning mode for next year. The shakes look amazing Jennasis. Your sense of humor is contagious. Can't wait to hear more. So, Toothsome is now on my list and I may need to pool hop over to Cabana Bay for that lazy river. Looking forward to the rest of your report.
 
Fabulous start........glad you`re happy with the room and you got to meet the lovely Miss Penelope........

Those shakes do look good!!!!
 
Day 2...TUESDAY 11/07/17...

Volcano Bay...just...dang.


I don't even know where to start?? Okay, we knew we had early entry to VB so we got up early and donned our swimsuits, ate breakfast in our room (a delicious pecan coffee cake from Publix that we brought with) and headed out. Early Entry for the day started at 8:30am, and we were a little worried since it was supposed to be a wee bit cooler in the morning. But it turns out it was already 68 degrees as we stepped off the elevator at 8am. I'm sure the native Floridians would consider this too cold for a water park, but as i said in my pre-trip-report, I would swim on an ice flow at this point!



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The walk to VB from our room in the Americana building was maybe 5 minutes. The path has it's own security check there and the TM's were super nice and efficient. We rolled up to the entrance and turned into two googly eyed kids! There's a cool tiki statue that sings/hums etc. We were the first ones at the entrance and we struck up a conversation with one of the TM's. When he found out we were total noobs, he gave us a fantastic primer on the park and how everything works. His suggestion (which proved VERY right) was to skip getting a locker or beach chair at the front of the park and head to back of the park and score a locker there. Seating around the park was more than ample...seriously it was almost comical how much seating there is. Chairs are everywhere...in little nooks and crannies...in huge sandy patches. Take your pick. But more importantly, when they announced that the park was open at 8:30, we were literally the first ones into the park! that's never happened to us before...anywhere! They scanned our ticket and gave us each a Tapu Tapu bracelet and a park map, and as we walked in, our room tix were checked again. Then...we saw this:


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Technically it was this view with nobody in it LOL as we were first in! But we did as we were told and went all the way around the park (to the left) to the back of the park and got a locker near Krakatao. We only needed the small locker, which was $8 for the day. After stowing our gear...here is the best part...I'm totally not lying...are you ready??

WE WALKED ON EVERY SINGLE RIDE.


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I know, right?? We did every ride in the park with no wait. Most twice! Before 11am!! This alone is reason enough to stay onsite and take advantage of early entry. We got on Krakatao first. tapped our bracelets (yes you still have to "tap in" at every ride even if there is no wait) and hopped on board. It was crazy awesome...and when it was done they let us stay on the canoe and ride again! The TM's are hilarious and awesome. At every slide they clap and cheer for you when you splash down like you just conquered Everest! Adorable.

We then hit Ohyeah and Ohno drop slides...heads up, they take your picture on Ohno and it ain't always a flattering angle LOL. Then on to Taniwha Tubes, Maku Puihi (heads up again, the rafts here are very odd. You feel very much like your going to fall out of them backwards very easily and you MUST literally hang on for dear life to avoid doing so), then we did TeAwa the Fearless River and on to Honu IkaMoana (the big blue wall slide you see in the promos...and it's terrifying!)

At this point I was starting to feel a little green around the gills. Seems my motion sickness patch was VERY expired and not working so well. So we hit the wave pool for a bit and then went to the volcano walk through. This is a hidden gem...literally. As we were walking through the mist and twinkle lights in the caves I heard a voice calling out..."Hello??? Is anybody there??" I yelled back "Helloooooo!!" then the voice yelled "When I say Marco, you say Polo...Marco!" So naturally I answered "Polo!!" This continued on for a few moments as I followed the voice to the center of the volcano where I came face to face with VOL:


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Vol here is the spirit of the volcano. And she is a delight! It's a talking interactive tiki god and we had a hilarious interaction. She asked me my name, how I was enjoying my day and where I was from and if I was celebrating anything, and just then DH came up next to me. So she asked who he was and I joked that I had never seen this guy before, so she started picking on him for being a stalker (he had his arm around me) and then he said he was my husband and Vol scolded me for being a naughty fibber and she squirted me with a water jet hidden in the ceiling! Then she told us the story of how Volcano Bay came to be and bid us a happy day...as we walked away we could hear her telling other guests to watch out for that "sneaky Jennasis...out there making up stories"!

By this point it was around 11:30 and we had done everything we wanted to do. We can't do the trap door slides or the body slides that start at the top of the Volcano as there is no way DH could make the climb to the top (he is only 7 months post total knee replacement) and I was afraid my back would not be able to handle the slides (two back surgeries). So we grabbed our stuff and headed back to CBBR and grabbed lunch at the Bayliner Diner. We both got the brisket grilled cheese and homemade chips which was quite yummy.


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And then we thought we'd head to the parks to finally get to experience the Hogwarts Express. So we caught a bus to CW and headed into US. I'd like to pause here again to say we picked perhaps the most magical week to go. We walked on every ride at both parks the whole week! I think we maybe waited 20 minutes for Transformers once, but otherwise not a wait longer than 10 minutes to be had. We hit Diagon Alley and got on the Hogwarts Express. Very well done! Then we got back on heading back to Diagon Alley. Grabbed some ice cream from Florean Fortescue's (the chocolate chili was weird but good). We hit MiB, Simpson's, and Transformers before heading out for the day. We were in desperate need of a nap!

Back at the resort we grabbed a good long snooze. About an hour or so later we got up and went down to the pool for a bit before showering and changing for dinner. On tonight's menu...


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We were seated outside after a short wait. The food and service here were both wonderful. We split the Boursin Burger and an order of the cheeseburgushi. I wish I could eat the cheeseburgushi every day at every meal! It was so good!! Th burger was awesome too.


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It was getting late and we had a very full day, so like the two little old farts we are, we decided to call it a night. Back to Cabana Bay for us and to prep for tomorrow....where we had plans to go full on HUFFLEPUFF and hit the Wizarding World HARD!! We've got the t-shirts...we've got the wands...are you ready to get magical? Stay tuned!
 
Your husband did a lot after his tkr was done!
I still struggle with mine at times
 
Your husband did a lot after his tkr was done!
I still struggle with mine at times
He was so worried that the knee would slow him down or ruin his good time, but he did great! The only thing we had to do was go slow and steady when climbing all the stairs at Volcano Bay. Oddly it was ME who had the harder time with it LOL! All his physical therapy really paid off. We are both in pretty good shape for being in our forties. I'm 41 and DH is 43. Though I did hurt my back a bit...after we go at home...shaving my legs in the shower Hahaha!
 
What a fun report on Volcano Bay. Looks like a half day for us will be plenty. Thanks for the detailed report on the spirit of the Volcano.
 
What a fun report on Volcano Bay. Looks like a half day for us will be plenty. Thanks for the detailed report on the spirit of the Volcano.

Totally half day. It may be different during more crowded times of year, but I swear the park was a ghost town until 11am and even then it was by no means crowded. That was when SOME of the rides started showing return times instead of "ride now". We did everything and at a leisurely clip. And the day we were there was BEAUTIFUL weather-wise. It was 67 or so when we walked out of our room at 8am and when we left the park it was pushing 80.
 
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