WOW!! A Fabulous Fall Trip to HRH Sept-Oct '18-& Live TR's 8/5-8/7, 9/7-9/9!!Plus Bonus TR 11/1-11/3

[pattyw]

Speaking of R&R- we're taking a few days off before my son's big move to Ft. Lauderdale! We're visiting a very special place to us- Raleigh, NC and the Outer Banks! We are lifelong Buffalo, NYers and do love our home town, but as we grow older, we are growing weary of the LONG winters here. The cold begins in November and can continue well into April

A few years ago, we went on a quest to find a nice retirement area with mild winters. We ventured to N Carolina and fell in love with the Raleigh/Durham area. It's absolutely beautiful- has mild winters ,and is 3 hours from the mountains and 3 hours from the beach. We arrived today and had dinner at a local favorite, The Pit. Kyle saw this restaurant featured on Man vs Food a few years ago, so we tried it. It's fabulous! Wonderful southern barbeque!!


We made sure to take home some sauces and seasonings so we can have a little southern BBQ at home! and by the way, the portions here are, indeed, HUGE! so as it happens on Man vs Food- in the battle between Man and Food, tonight Food won!! We couldn't finish our dinners!



Tomorrow, Kyle and Erin are visiting family members who relocated here. So, Joe and I will go and check out some houses and neighborhoods. Retirement (or in our case relocation with new jobs until we are very old!) may be a few years off, but research takes time!

I might also mention that Raleigh is only a 9 hour drive to Orlando!! Much better than the 18 hour drive from Buffalo! We'd be able to drive to Orlando rather than fly!

 

[pattyw]

We definitely planned our trip to include HHN! I am the biggest horror wimp!! I don't watch anything scary and I hate to be scared! I only agreed to attend HHN two years ago because my sons wanted to go. I was a wreck the entire night, but.... I had a lot of fun!! We did a public RIP tour because I wanted to be able to see all the houses without waiting in long lines. Having a tour guide explain the story and details of each house was very nice. And we had pre-tour appetizers and soft drinks (cash bar too) as well as the ability to return for snacks and dessert all evening. Well worth it! They had some scareactors in the restaurant while we ate and got our tour group together!



Last year, we had extended family in Orlando so we did a private RIP tour! We had a blast!! The private tour is nice as it allows you to plan what your group wants. We let the guide choose the order of the houses, but we told him which rides we wanted to do. Our first priority was to do Gringotts and tour Diagon Alley. The HP section does not have any HHN scare zones so it closes early. Our guide took us behind the scenes so we didn't have to wait in any lines here either! We also did The Mummy, Transformers, and Men in Black. We also stopped at the private bar at Lombard's and went back to Cafe La Bamba for more food and soft drinks later in the evening.

So, this year I'm not sure if our extended family can come but I did book a private RIP tour for 9/29. So excited that Kyle and Erin will drive up for the day from Ft. Lauderdale. So I have at least 5 of us right now!!

 

[pattyw]

So, we're still away on our trip to N Carolina. We're in OBX and loving our beach days!! We climbed Jockey's Ridge this evening! It's so amazing to climb it and it seems like you're in the desert!




Here's a shot of Kyle & Erin climbing up! Joe and I are lagging behind!



Hard to believe we're still in civilization!


We've watched some of the Harry Potter movie marathon that's been on tv. Joe and I have never seen all the HP movies! We saw the first one but none of the others. The boys weren't big HP fans, but Erin is! She has been teaching all of us about Harry Potter! And the story behind the rides!! We may not know the details of Harry Potter, but we are blown away by the HP areas and rides at the parks! So even on our beach vacation, our thoughts drift to Harry Potter and Universal!!

 

[macraven]

You are a better mom than me......

That’s a big hill to climb

I would have stayed at the bottom and just waved



I’ll try to bring you a bottle of bbq sauce from Georgia since you like the good stuff

 

[pattyw]

You are a better mom than me......

That’s a big hill to climb

I would have stayed at the bottom and just waved



I’ll try to bring you a bottle of bbq sauce from Georgia since you like the good stuff

I almost didn't climb!! We didn't quite climb as far as we usually do- there's another hill once you get up the main one. Usually my guys want to go there, but Erin was fine with just the main climb! It's nice having a girl in the family now!!

We can do amazing food in Buffalo- chicken wings, beef on weck.. but BBQ is best done in the south!!

 

[pattyw]

So, as we watched parts of the HP movies with the marathon on tv last weekend, Erin suggested doing the audio books. We have a few drives down to Florida and back coming up as we move the boys back and forth so that means MANY hours in the car. I would really like to read or watch all the HP books/movies so that I understand all the details of the lands and rides at the park. So, I'm going to get an audio book for our trip down to Ft. Lauderdale this weekend! That and MUCH coffee should help us on the LONG drive!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

A little late to the party, but I'm finally following along. Your trip sounds like its shaping up to be AWESOME....though I am a tad bummed that our dates don't align this time.

So glad you've included HHN again this year! We're giving it a pass this time, so I'll be experiencing it through all your awesome pics .

 

[Monykalyn]

Erin suggested doing the audio books.

YES! this is the way to go-my DH isn't a big reader but audio books are a great way to "read" the books. And bonus for my DH-who does a lot of driving for work-the audio books work to keep him engaged and alert.
You will really really appreciate the HP areas after reading the books!

 

[pattyw]

A little late to the party, but I'm finally following along. Your trip sounds like its shaping up to be AWESOME....though I am a tad bummed that our dates don't align this time.

So glad you've included HHN again this year! We're giving it a pass this time, so I'll be experiencing it through all your awesome pics .

Hi Gina!! Glad you're reading along! Your TR writing has inspired me to start trying! I have a long, long way to go before my writing measures up to yours!! I'm still hoping that my sister plans a trip late October and I'll have a reason to wander back to Orlando I am racking up Southwest points with all the travel this year!
I'll try to take pictures this year at HHN! I've been so nervous in the past I was afraid to get my camera out and be scared silly!

YES! this is the way to go-my DH isn't a big reader but audio books are a great way to "read" the books. And bonus for my DH-who does a lot of driving for work-the audio books work to keep him engaged and alert.
You will really really appreciate the HP areas after reading the books!

Yep-I'm not an avid reader so I figured this will be good on a long trip- and as your DH - keep us alert!

We drive others crazy because we don't know the character's names(other than Harry!) - it'll be good someday to be an informed visitor!

 

[pattyw]

We try to add in new experiences on our trips. On our June trip, we visited the Velvet lounge at the Hard Rock for the first time! Even though we stay there often, we are usually on the club floor and enjoy drinks and appetizers there. But, we had a free night to use and a late flight in so we didn't upgrade to the club floor for our first night.

The Velvet lounge is nice! The night we were there they had a guitarist performing. We had a couple of drinks and appetizers while we enjoyed the entertainment!




We had the John Hancock and China Girl for drinks! Excellent!!



Our appetizers were the Fire Cracker shrimp and the Fried Mac & Jack cheese nuggets! Very yummy!!





This is the Ladykiller and a Merlot



We had a nice evening at the Velvet Lounge! We plan to go there one night even though we will be staying club level. Sometimes new experiences turn into future must do's!!

 

[Lynne G]

Lush! What a lovely way to spend the night, and the drinks and food look tasty. Great pictures, and thanks for doing this trip report.

 

[ckmiles]

Love the drink names at the Velvet lounge!

Great pics- thanks for sharing!

 

[pattyw]

Lush! What a lovely way to spend the night, and the drinks and food look tasty. Great pictures, and thanks for doing this trip report.

It was very nice! I could make dinner out of the shrimp!! a little spicy but not too hot! I was a little scared of it being named Firecracker!
Thanks so much for following along!

Love the drink names at the Velvet lounge!

Great pics- thanks for sharing!

Yes- very fun names!!
Thanks so much for following along!

 

[macraven]

You didn't have any drinks with umbrellas in them?

 

[pattyw]

You didn't have any drinks with umbrellas in them?

When we get together on our trip we'll have umbrella drinks! Probably quite a few!

 

[macraven]

 

[pattyw]

Dining is a big part of any trip! We're at that point that we don't make advanced reservations. Even at Disney, we have found that a few days before to the day of we can find most any restaurant available. Even as a family of all adults, we still do enjoy character dining at Disney and Universal. Universal is pretty limited with character dining, but we did try the Minion character breakfast in May and loved it. It was located at Sapphire Falls - it was on Saturdays and had 3 seatings. Here's a couple of pictures from the breakfast:




I just looked and it is now being held at Royal Pacific resort- still on Saturdays. I know last year it was at the Hard Rock hotel. So, it seems like they keep moving this to the different hotels. So, if you are interested in attending this, be sure to check the UO website for the location, days, and times. We did make a reservation for this breakfast a couple of weeks before as it's only available on one day and three times that day.

We had a great time- it was very organized, had a nice buffet, and great character interaction! It is a one hour time- so plan to get there about 10 minutes early to check in and get a picture with a minion- and you are definitely done in one hour after your seating. The pictures are included in the price.

I'm interested this time in the Marvel character dinner at IOA.

Here's the information from the website:

Feast With Marvel's Finest

Team-up with your favorite Super Heroes after a long day of adventures and defeat the most formidable foe of all—your empty stomach.

You’re dining at Cafe 4™ when in walk Captain America, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm and Rogue. This is no ordinary dinner. This is the Marvel Character Dinner, an experience that no true believer can miss.

Separate theme park admission is required. Characters are subject to change without notice.

LOCATION
Cafe 4™ Marvel Super Hero Island® at Universal’s Islands of Adventure™

DAY AND TIME
Thursday-Sunday
Begins at 5:00pm

ADULT PRICE (AGES 10+)

$49 .99
PER ADULT, PLUS TAX

CHILD PRICE (AGES 3-9)

$24 .99
PER CHILD, PLUS TAX

The menu looks good!

Pre-Made Salads
Orzo, Marinated Artichoke, Bow Tie Pasta, Fresh Fruit, Fresh Mozzarella & Tomato, Chef-Tossed Caesar, Tossed House

Assorted Breads
Pastas
Pasta (Tomato Basil or Alfredo), Penne Bolognese, Stuffed Jumbo Shells with Pesto

Meats
Roasted Rosemary Lemon Chicken, Chicken Scaloppini, Shrimp Scampi

Specialty Pizzas
Tuscan, Roman Bianco, Mediterranean Vegetable, Hawaiian, Cheese

Assorted Desserts
Assorted Non-Alcoholic Beverages

It would be fun to meet Captain America, Spidey, and the rest!

 

[macraven]

I the marvel heroes

And the minionions !

 

[pattyw]

Another new dining spot we want to include on our trip is the Hard Rock Cafe.

The menu looks great and varied. It will make a nice lunch stop between parks!

And, BONUS, we'll receive points on our Hard Rock rewards account for our dining purchase!

 

[pattyw]

The parks have many great restaurant choices, too! We have enjoyed Confisco Grill and Mythos at IOA. Mythos is actually our favorite!

It's a lovely restaurant!!

For appetizers, we've had the Spanakopita dip. Their salads- Caesar & Wedge are very good! The entrees we have had are the Seasonal Risotto, Gnocchi Bolognese, the Signature Burger, and my personal favorite- Pad Thai Our desserts were yummy as well!!

I make a reservation online either the day before or morning of online. This eliminates a long wait. We are seated within minutes having a reservation while walk-in wait times can be up to an hour during peak lunch times. This is especially true if a rain storm comes in. People will flock to the restaurants to have a meal while waiting for the weather to pass.

We've enjoyed Finnegan's at The Studios as well. One we have yet to dine at is Lombard's Seafood Grill. It's been on our to do list for a while- hopefully we can check it off our list this time. We are seafood lovers so the menu looks appealing!

Looks like a lovely spot for an afternoon lunch break!