lebeau
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2008
Universal Orlando Pre-Trip Report: Spring Break 2019
There’s a lot of excitement at the Lebeau house these days. We’re all looking forward to our up-coming Spring Break trip. If you read my trip report from last summer, you may recall that we planned to return to Universal Orlando to make use of our annual passes a second time. As winter wears on, we’re counting down the days to warmer weather and a fun-filled family getaway. Here’s a look at what we’re planning to do.
Back to Portofino Bay
Last summer, we stumbled upon a really good rate for Universal’s premiere onsite hotel, Portofino Bay. My family fell in love with the Italian-themed resort. Like the other deluxe hotels, Portofino Bay offers free Expresses Passes for the length of your stay. The hotels are on the pricey side, but for a family of four the inclusion of Express Pass is quite appealing.
Of the three deluxe resorts, Portofino Bay is the most remote. The distance from the parks is a double edged-sword. The location allows Portofino Bay to immerse guests more fully in the illusion of its Italian theme. It’s tranquil and relaxing in a way the Hard Rock Hotel doesn’t want to be. On the other hand, Hard Rock offers a very short walk to the parks.
The distance isn’t much of an issue for us. We enjoy taking the water taxis to and from the parks. When the boats are stopped for inclement weather, we are more likely to take a shuttle than to try to beat the storm on foot. The slightly longer boat or bus ride is a trade-off we’re willing to make for everything else Portofino Bay has to offer.
A key feature for our family is the pool. The kids like to take a pool break just about daily and Portofino Bay has our favorite pool in Orlando. We considered a stay at the Hard Rock this year just to be able to say we had visited all three of the deluxe hotels. But then I read that the pool at the Hard Rock was unusually shallow and that was a deal-breaker for the kids. They weren’t willing to give up the grotto and water slide at Portofino’s beach pool.
The one area in which I felt Portofino Bay came up a little short was food. The resort offers several sit-down restaurants two of which are supposed to be really good. They are all pricey even by Orlando standards. Sal’s Deli Market does offer pizza, salads, calzones and sandwiches at reasonable-for-Orlando prices. But you can burn out on Italian food pretty fast during a week-long stay.
For that reason, we have decided to upgrade to Club Level this stay. I have resisted the $100/night upcharge in the past because I wasn’t sure we would use the lounge enough to make it worthwhile. Split four way, that comes to $25 per person. I figure if we can make it to the lounge twice a day for breakfast and one other food offering we should just about break even. If we’re able to make full meals out of the club food, it could prove to be quite a good deal even at the high price tag.
Breakfast is pretty standard fare. It includes the menu items one would expect at a continental breakfast. There are also a few hot items. From what I have read, the menu typically includes eggs, a meat and a potato dish. While the Club won’t be as robust as the breakfast buffet at Trattoria Del Porto, it should be sufficient to fuel us for the day.
In the afternoon the Club offers light snacks. There are pre-packaged cookies and chips which you can take back to your room or to the parks. There’s also soda and bottled water. That could prove quite a savings considering the charges for drinks at the parks. They also offer quick PB&J sandwiches for a simple lunch.
Around dinner time, the Club serves a hot entree and sides. There is a rotation of themes such as Asian (sweet and sour chicken), Mediterranean (spaghetti and meatballs), Caribbean (jerk chicken), Tex-Men (steak fajitas) and European (shepard’s pie). My kids can be picky, so I don’t know how often we will be able to rely on the Club for dinner, but we’ll certainly give it a try and see how it goes. If they turn up their noses, we’ll grab a bite elsewhere.
If all else fails, we should be able to make back our value on the sweet treats at night. The kids are looking forward to dropping in for desserts like cookies, canoli and key lime tarts. The Club also includes a Happy Hour which we may take advantage of at some point.
The potential pitfall is timing of course. You have to be at the hotel to visit the Club and the hours are limited. That’s time away from the parks obviously. If you are the kind of tourist who spends all day every day at the parks, the Club probably won’t work out for you. We tend to spend a lot of time at the resort, so I don’t think that will be a problem for us.
Another factor is proximity to the lounge. Last year our room was in the East Wing of the resort. We had a Bay View on the ground floor which came with a nice enclosed patio. It was very nice. Unfortunately, we have no idea where we will be located this time around despite paying for a room upgrade.
The Club Level rooms at the other two deluxe hotels are all located on a dedicated floor near the lounge, but that’s not how Portofino Bay is set up. Instead, the lounge is in the main building and Club Level rooms are scattered throughout the resort. This allows greater flexibility to offer the Club Level upcharge to any room, but there’s no guarantee your room will be located close to the lounge.
From what I have read, most of the Club Level rooms are located in the West Wing in the general vicinity of the Villa or Beach pools. The resort is relatively compact, so I’m not terribly concerned with long walks to and from the lounge or any of the other amenities. But our room assignment enhanced our stay last year so I am hoping for a similar experience this time around.
Mardi Gras
This will be our first time visiting Universal during their Mardi Gras celebration. As theme park events in Orlando go, this one is relatively low key. There will be a nightly parade similar to the one in New Orleans without the same level of debauchery and drunken reveling. As annual passholders, I have submitted our names to possibly ride a float in the parade one night during our stay. If we are not chosen, I doubt we will make an effort to wait in the standby line but that’s an option if the kids really want to throw beads to other tourists.
Universal also hosts a series of free concerts. We are unlikely to attend. We aren’t familiar with the one act who will be performing when we might be able to see the show. We may just avoid the park that hosts the concert that night in order to steer clear of the crowds. Or we may listen in from a safe distance to see if the show draws us in. It might be a good night to take in Volcano Bay.
I have never been to New Orleans, but I am a fan of cajun food. Back in my college days, there were a couple of local restaurants that served up etouffee, gumbo and jambalaya. I was a frequent customer. I couldn’t say how authentic the food was, but I enjoyed it all the same. The meals were usually accompanied by jazz or bluegrass. I am by no means an expert, but I do have an appreciation for the food and music of Mardi Gras.
Universal’s event will have plenty of each. Aside from the big concerts, there will be street performers playing in the French Quarter Courtyard. The food usually consists of po boy sandwiches, red beans and rice, gumbo, jambalaya and beignets. All of those traditional favorites are back along with a crab etoufee, gator bites and a mini king cake.
In order to allow guests to sample as much of the food as possible, Universal is offering a tasting lanyard this year. For a set price, guests can order tasting samples of all of the entrees and desserts. Annual passholders can enjoy 15 items for $60 or $4 each. That strikes me as a pretty good deal since the lanyard can be shared. The beignets are $5 per order and I know the girls will want to sample those.
I will probably be the only one partaking of the savory menu items. That throws a wrench in the whole lanyard plan. There are other options available for less than 15 samples, but the price per item goes up to the point where it may not be such a good deal any more. There is a $30 lanyard that comes with five credits. For the math impaired, that comes out to six dollars per sample. An order of beignets costs $5, so we would lose money if that’s all we ordered.
For $50, you can get a 10-item tasting lanyard. That allows you to just about break even on most of the samples and even save a little on some of the higher priced items like Po Boys. But I figure by that point, you may as well just pay the extra $10 for 5 extra samples.
The good news is that the credits don’t expire after Mardi Gras. They would still be redeemable for a limited variety of snacks after the event is over. The question I will have to answer is whether or not I will eat enough jambalaya and etoufee to make the tasting lanyard make sense. It may be more sensible to buy a few items ala carte.
What About the Rides?
This will be our third consecutive year spending a week at Universal. By this point, we have experienced most of what I would consider to be the must-do attractions. We definitely have some favorites that we will revisit this year. For example, Men in Black is a ride everyone enjoys so we will probably ride it multiple times.
The top priority will be the Jurassic Park River Adventure. Last year, the kids promised to ride this with Mindy but got nerves and reneged at the last minute. As a result, Mindy still hasn’t had a chance to ride a boat through a dinosaur habitat. I’m fairly confident that Josie is ready to ride this year if for no other reason than to make her momma happy. The jury’s still out on Kara.
Kara is our timid rider. For now, she feels courageous enough to take on the Flight of the Hippogriff and maybe even Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. I think she’d enjoy the former although I have doubts we will even get her on the latter. It would be nice to be able to ride Jurassic Park as a family, but I won’t push the issue if she doesn’t want to.
Unfortunately, Universal’s latest attraction, the Hagrid Mototbike Coaster (the official title is much longer), opens in June. Even allowing for soft openings, we will miss it by a couple of months. That’s a shame. I hear it is going to be really cool. But that will just give us something to look forward to when we return.
I don’t really have a list of must-do rides this year. If Josie is up to it, I could see revisiting the Hulk. She has backed out on me in the past, but I got to ride it by myself last year so I don’t feel like I need to check that box again. I still haven’t experienced Rip, Ride, Rocket or Dr. Doom’s Fearfall so those are possibilities but they are not priorities.
The rides I am most looking forward to are Spider-Man and the Mummy. I also get a kick out of ET for all its cheesiness. Kara wants to spend more time in Seuss Landing although I think that has more to do with Honk Honkers’ cotton candy than the ride line-up. Josie has committed me to riding The Simpsons Ride with her and I am sure we will all become Minions again.
Weather permitting, I would like to check out Popeye’s Bilge Rat Barges. We have avoided this one due to its reputation for soaking riders. If there is a nice, hot day when that sounds appealing, I will try to convince everyone to check it out.
Shows, Characters and Other Attractions
Last year we finally checked out the Monster Make-Up Show for the first time and it was a hit with everyone. The kids have already asked to go back and see it again. We’ll probably also try to squeeze in the Animal Actors show because the kids love cute animals. So that seems like a can’t miss.
Time permitting, I would like to check out some of the other shows. I have caught bits of the Blues Brothers performance, but never hung around for the whole thing. I’ve seen Marilyn Monroe riding to her show, but never seen the show itself.
One of my goals this year is just to spend more time hanging out at and exploring the parks. The kids really liked the Curious George play area, so we will probably spend some more time in the KidZone and maybe check out Camp Jurassic at Islands of Adventure. Josie has asked to return to all the photo ops in Cartoon Lagoon and of course there is always more to explore in the Harry Potter areas.
I also have a few characters I would like to track down. Every year, I stop in and see Captain America, but I have yet to visit Spider-Man. If they are out, I wouldn’t mind seeing the X-Men just to check those boxes. At Universal Studios, I want to track down Beetlejuice. And the kids want to see the Troll that farts glitter. I mean, who doesn’t, right?
If the opportunity presents itself, I’d like to get pictures with the Simpsons or the Scooby gang. I have seen Marilyn and Betty Boop, but never stopped them for a full interaction. And of course it would be fun to run into Doc Brown again. The character interactions at Universal tend to be spontaneous. More often than not, we visit characters when we happen to see someone without a line.
The new nighttime show, Cinematic Celebration, opened not long after our trip last year. We will probably make an effort to see it this time around. From what I have read, it’s a big improvement over the previous show but still modest compared to the big productions Disney puts on. We’ll also try to swing by Hogwarts to see the projection show over there. Josie and I caught the end of it last year, but Mindy and Kara haven’t seen it at all.
People say that they can do both Universal parks in a single day or that two days is really all you need at Universal. That’s true if you run from one ride to the next. But we find we get a lot more out of the experience by taking our time and taking in some of the minor attractions Universal offers.
As a result of our leisurely pace, it turns out a week is never enough time for us to squeeze everything in. Getting around to two nighttime shows and the Mardi Gras parade will require us to stay in the parks later than we have in the past. We’ll see how that goes.
Volcano Bay
One of Kara’s favorite things about Universal is their newish water park, Volcano Bay. It’s funny because she doesn’t actually like water slide. She just loves the atmosphere, the wave pool and the lazy rivers. Unfortunately, she has very sensitive skin and is prone to burn easily.
Last year, after a pretty long day in the sun, she had a pretty bad sunburn. We’re hoping to avoid that this year, but no matter how much sunscreen we apply it never seems to be enough. So this year, our plan is to check out the water park later in the day. Volcano Bay does have some nighttime lighting we have yet to see, so that will be a side benefit to this approach.
Typically, it is advantageous to get to Volcano Bay as early as possible to beat the crowds. But we’re not really water park people and no one wants to ride the park’s largest slides. Kara says she is willing to try out some of the mid-sized attractions, but last year she backed out as soon as she saw them in person. The odds are pretty good that we will spend the majority of our time hanging out in attractions that don’t have lines, so a late start shouldn’t impact us all that much.
I would like to sample some of the food at Volcano Bay this year. In the past, we have stuck to hot dogs and mac and cheese. Maybe a nighttime visit will be more conducive to eating a real meal there. Maybe not. The kids definitely want to try out the park’s multi-colored ice cream treat, the Waturi fusion.
Speaking of Food…
What tends to happen is that the kids fill up on snacks and don’t have an appetite for full meals. It’s vacation, so I’ll allow it. That is part of the appeal of the Club Level plan. We’re going to be grazing anyway, so we don’t necessarily need to fill up on big meals.
I always set out to try as many new dining options as possible, but this is an uphill battle. Mindy and the girls have the exact opposite agenda. Once they have decided they like something, all they want to do is keep going back to their favorites. The list of must-do’s has gotten long enough that there isn’t a lot of room left for trying new things.
At some point, we will have to eat at Cowfish. The cheeseburger sushi, burgerooshi, is one of Mindy’s favorite dishes. She typically orders it multiple times per trip. The kids love the bento boxes which allow them to customize their meals. The menu is large enough that I will never have to worry about running out of new things to try there.
Last year, Josie fell in love with the chicken and waffles sandwich at Fast Food Boulevard. She has declared that she needs to go back for more. She also has to have a Simpsons donut every trip. And Voodoo Donuts. There will likely be a lot of dounts. Beignets are basically donuts too.
There have been some requests to go back to the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium this year. I suspect we will go back but I’m not sure it will be for a full meal. Kara is a big fan of macrons so even if we don’t eat at the restaurant we will probably drop in for a selection of colorful cookies.
We’re also expecting to visit with Mindy’s friends Larry and Janelle again this year. If you have read my previous trip reports, you may remember them. We usually meet for dinner and end alternate as to who picks up the tab. There is some jockeying for the bill between Mindy and Larry. Technically, this year Mindy should let Larry win but it’s never that easy.
Last year, we enjoyed dinner with Larry and Janelle at Cowfish and then went back to Portofino Bay so they could check it out. They liked it as much as we did and have expressed an interest in going back. So we may make plans to have dinner at one of the hotel restaurants this time. I’m thinking Mama Delia’s, but as I mentioned before the onsite restaurants are a bit on the pricey side. That could result in a more heated than usual battle over the bill.
Renewing Our Passes?
We’re all looking forward to our coming trip. I am sure it will be a terrific getaway. This will be our third week at Universal in as many years and I don’t anticipate that we will tire of it any time soon. That brings me to another decision we’ll be kicking around during our vacation… whether or not to renew our passes.
The plan was to use the passes for two vacations. This trip will fulfill that objective. We were thinking we would take a break from Universal for a while after this year’s vacation. It’s no secret that Universal is in the early stages of an expansion that will include a brand new theme park. We thought maybe we would wait a couple of years and give them time to finish that project before going back.
However, Universal is currently offering a deal on renewals. They are throwing in an extra six months. The offer ends while we are on vacation, so we will have to make up our minds about whether or not to renew before we leave. I haven’t crunched the numbers yet. We’ll need to figure out how often we expect to get back to the resort over the next couple of years.
My best guess at this point is that it probably makes the most sense to let the passes expire. If we do, we will probably buy new passes again in the future. One way or another, I am confident that there are more Universal vacations in our future.