RPR 06/28 07/02/04 (SORRY
.VERY LONG!)
Cast of Characters
Me (Candice)
Niece (Siena age 11 going on 30)
Nephew (Chase age 7 but acts like he is 3 out of jealousy over his 1 year old brother)
I do not have children of my own so I love to spoil my niece and nephews (I have 1 niece and 4 nephews). I started planning this trip back in August after you guys all got me so excited about staying on site. I kept my tongue until Easter but had to tell Siena & Chase where we were going. They have never been on a plane or to Universal and I have never taken them away alone so it was bound to be an adventure. I chose Southwest Airlines because they were offering $176 roundtrip. I did just like you guys said and got separate reservations for each of us and was able to check us in online at 12:01 in the morning (we got A passes). I tried to sleep since I had to be back up at 3:30 but I was too excited. My sister took us to the airport at 4:30/5:00 and we arrived in Orlando about 9:30 AM. What an adventure the plane ride was .have you ever tried explaining to a child how to operate the bathroom from outside of it??? Then of course he decided to push pass everything to get back into his seat and knocked my juice into my seat. Anyway, we got on Mears and made it to RPR around 10:45 AM. I headed straight to the Loews desk. When I approached, I saw the famed Pia but Clay grabbed our attention first. He said that we were not eligible for the welcome gift since I had a reduced rate (entertaiment $168). I wasnt disappointed as you guys had already warned me about that. Our room wasnt ready so we headed to Universal.
Remainder - Monday 06/28
Unfortunately I couldnt find anyone with a hole punch so I had to carry our room keys around in my pocket. I went to the machine to pickup our 5-day pass that I got online back in December for $82 each. The kids and I couldnt wait to try out FOTL so we headed to the back of the park to ride Jaws. How long did we wait you ask??? .well, it took exactly 10-15 seconds to walk from the front of the ride to the boat and we were on. Siena couldnt believe it and her nose never came down after that. She had no problem walking past the same people to ride the same ride over and over again. We then head to MIB. Took me a while to catch on but I was able to beat them once my niece told me about the bonuses. We were all getting hungry but I knew better than to ride BTTF on a full stomach so we headed there first. I got stuck in the back but remembered to keep my head forward so I came off unharmed. The kids didnt want to stop long so we just grabbed hot dogs and icees ($22) and continued on. We rode WW Nuthouse coaster and T2 without any wait. We headed to Jimmy Neutron and had to wait about 5 minutes to get on. Loved the chicken dance although the ride designers certainly didnt take into consideration riders with a little extra in the front on that one. And of course Siena & Chase made me ride more than once! Before heading back to the resort, we rode Shrek. I was freaking out because I didnt see the express and had forgotten what you guys said but was quickly calmed down when I was directed to a separate line. Can you say SPOILED! I know, but it is the power of FOTL. The regular line was 75 minutes but we waited only 15-20 minutes. This was the only wait that we had the whole trip. We headed back to the resort and stopped at the front desk to pick up the kids pails and shovels and got our room number. I was happy to hear that they had honored my request for a non-smoking, not pet room/floor. Unfortunately, they had given me the wrong room # and after trying desperately to get in to someone elses room with my key, I called downstairs. They apologized and gave me the correct room number which was just across the hall. LOVED IT .LOVED IT .LOVED IT . DID I SAY I LOVED THE ROOM? I booked just a standard view room as I am not one that is concerned about a view unless I have a balcony but that isnt what I got. When I opened the door and saw the view, I almost fell over. We were on the 6th Floor in Tower 1 (rm 1640) with a dead center view of the hulk, dr. doom, and deuling dragons. The kids and I started jumping for joy. It was a nice surprise. I loved that the ice machine was just outside so Chase could go alone. He loved that. I pressed the * service button to get our lugguage brought up and a box that I had shipped to myself (thanks imgonnabe40 for the tip). I shipped snacks, water, juice boxes, cereal, hot chocolate, etc. in a box to myself for the room. There was a knock at the door but it wasnt what I expected. Instead, in walks a waiter with a tray of chocolate covered strawberries, a tray of huge chewy cookies, and a ice bucket with a pitcher of milk. There was a welcome card and note from someone in concierge. Then the waiter came back with a bottle of wine for me on ice. I said thank you but informed him that I didnt drink and he offered to bring me something else. He returned a few minutes later with a bucket of ice and 3 16oz apple juices for me and the kids. The kids were so impressed. Before anyone asks, all I did was send a note to the resort about my requests and this being our first trip as suggested by another poster on these boards. It truly made a great first impression. My lugguage and box arrived with no problems and the kids and I unpacked and headed to the pool. We returned to the park and had dinner at Mels Diner ($22) and then rode Twister, Earthquake, and dare I say it ..Jimmy Neutron again! We ended the night with a dip in the pool. Score 1 for Aunt Candy, as I let them swim until 10:30. My sister is going to kill me.
Tuesday 06/29
We had breakfast in the room (cereal and granola bars) and then headed to IOA to get on the water rides. I was very hot and we couldnt wait. We rode Spiderman first on our way to Popeye & Bluto BRB which we got soaked on. Of course, Siena & Chase wanted to ride again so we stayed on. When then continued on to DD Ripsaw Falls and Jurassic Park. After that we were still way too hot so we bought icees and headed back to the resort to get in the pool. The kids loved the ship and water guns and we headed back up to the room for lunch. I had packed bread and peanut butter & jelly so we had sandwiches and chips in the room and made certain to put juice and water on ice everytime we left the room. After showering, we all took a quick nap and then got dressed and headed back to IOA. We did Seuss Landing and the Lost Continent stuff, Spiderman again, and Siena got on Dr. Doom. Chase was too short so I took him in the arcade. After that, we headed to Hard Rock Café to use one of my GCs that I got online. Siena and I got burgers and fries and Chase got the kids chicken finger meal. Siena was all too happy to tell the hostess that she needed an adult menu but of course this same person went back up to the front later when she didnt have the color crayon she wanted. Chase loved that his chicken fingers were in the shape of guitars. The meal cost $32 so I only used one $25 GC. The kids were tired so we headed back to the resort for you guessed it, another late night swim, Score 2 for Aunt Candy. We just finished the night up with cookies and hot chocolate in the room.
Wednesday 06/30
We slept in late this morning. I think that I have been tiring them out way too much or maybe it was the other way around. We had cereal and granola bars again. I got milk from the Orchid Lounge (16oz - $2.13). We packed PB&J sandwiches and our pool stuff and headed over to Hard Rock Hotel for a swim. The kids really liked the pool and slide there but I didnt as I kept scraping my knees, toes, and butt on the bottom of the shallow pool. The kids did say though that the kids at the HRH pool were much more approachable and they got along really well with the lifeguards. Before I knew it, all of the lifeguards were calling Siena & Chase by name. Siena disappeared for a while and turned out she was at the top of the slide working the slide for the lifeguards. They told her and Chase to come back the next day and work the slide for them again. She had a lot of fun and got the name of every kid before they could go down the slide. SHE IS VERY BOSSY I WONDER WHERE SHE GETS THAT FROM! I have to admit though that the wait staff at HRH was much more attentive and they had water balloon and hula hoop contests for the kids while we were there. When we left, the staff was all saying Bye Siena, Bye Chase see you tomorrow! They had a blast. We headed back to RPR because I had a 5:00 reservation for Chase to go to the Mariners Club while Siena and I rode the coasters. Siena dragged me to the Hulk, which we rode twice and then on to Deuling Dragons which we rode 3 times. I love FOTL but this is one time I needed more time to recover before getting on again. The park wasnt too crowded this day and we kept getting on and on. The guy working the express line was laughing as I got greener and greener every time I passed him. We headed to Café 4 to pick up a pizza ($14) and headed back to get Chase. I only kept him there for 2 hours and it cost just $20. He loved it and begged me to let him go back every day but of course I didnt. We just spent the rest of the night at the pool and got 2 smoothies and a scoop of ice cream from Emack & Bolios ($14).
Thursday 07/01
The kids really wanted to go to Green Eggs & Ham for breakfast so we headed over when they opened at 10:00 AM. After that we shopped for a while and rode Cat in the Hat again (scared I was going to see those green eggs again but I didnt)! It was so hot and only 11 AM but we needed to go back to the pool. We stayed there all day and again had smoothies and ice cream from Emack & Bolios. Score 3 for Aunt Candy, she let us have ice cream before lunch. We had sandwiches in the room again and changed and headed to Universal. We tried to go in Nickelodeon but missed the show so we ran over to Beetlejuice. Got in 5 minutes late but the kids didnt care. We came out and ran (poor Chases little legs) back to Nickelodeon. The woman closed the doors again 5 minutes early and we couldnt get in. We headed to ET and it started pouring. We put on our ponchos and made it back to Nickelodeon. JACKPOT .we finally made it in of course they didnt open the doors until 5 minutes after the start time. Yes we hated any wait at this point but Siena & Chase got involved in one of the stunts so they had fun. After that we headed back to Hard Rock Café. Surprise .our meal was again $32 so I used the other $25 GC. I didnt feel well after dinner so I didnt want to ride anything. We headed back over to Shrek since this is all that my stomach could handle. After that, I let Chase get a tattoo ($8) and Siena get a hair wrap ($30). We were all exhausted and Siena and I had to stay up and pack so we headed back.
Friday 07/02 LAST DAY
We had cereal in the room again and I called down to get our check out time moved to 12:00 since the shuttle wasnt coming right away. The kids didnt want to go back to the parks even though we still had another day on our ticket (I CERTAINLY CANNOT BE RELATED TO THEM) so we took the water taxi over to check out Portifino and the kids regretted being too lazy to go to their pool on Thursday. After that, we just headed back to RPR and watched a movie and relaxed in the room until it was time to leave. It was sad leaving and I did a little chant in front of the window looking at my amazing view for a quick return.
Thanks to all of you for every tip and suggestion. The kids and I had a trip we will never forget! Feel free to ask me any questions.
Cast of Characters
Me (Candice)
Niece (Siena age 11 going on 30)
Nephew (Chase age 7 but acts like he is 3 out of jealousy over his 1 year old brother)
I do not have children of my own so I love to spoil my niece and nephews (I have 1 niece and 4 nephews). I started planning this trip back in August after you guys all got me so excited about staying on site. I kept my tongue until Easter but had to tell Siena & Chase where we were going. They have never been on a plane or to Universal and I have never taken them away alone so it was bound to be an adventure. I chose Southwest Airlines because they were offering $176 roundtrip. I did just like you guys said and got separate reservations for each of us and was able to check us in online at 12:01 in the morning (we got A passes). I tried to sleep since I had to be back up at 3:30 but I was too excited. My sister took us to the airport at 4:30/5:00 and we arrived in Orlando about 9:30 AM. What an adventure the plane ride was .have you ever tried explaining to a child how to operate the bathroom from outside of it??? Then of course he decided to push pass everything to get back into his seat and knocked my juice into my seat. Anyway, we got on Mears and made it to RPR around 10:45 AM. I headed straight to the Loews desk. When I approached, I saw the famed Pia but Clay grabbed our attention first. He said that we were not eligible for the welcome gift since I had a reduced rate (entertaiment $168). I wasnt disappointed as you guys had already warned me about that. Our room wasnt ready so we headed to Universal.
Remainder - Monday 06/28
Unfortunately I couldnt find anyone with a hole punch so I had to carry our room keys around in my pocket. I went to the machine to pickup our 5-day pass that I got online back in December for $82 each. The kids and I couldnt wait to try out FOTL so we headed to the back of the park to ride Jaws. How long did we wait you ask??? .well, it took exactly 10-15 seconds to walk from the front of the ride to the boat and we were on. Siena couldnt believe it and her nose never came down after that. She had no problem walking past the same people to ride the same ride over and over again. We then head to MIB. Took me a while to catch on but I was able to beat them once my niece told me about the bonuses. We were all getting hungry but I knew better than to ride BTTF on a full stomach so we headed there first. I got stuck in the back but remembered to keep my head forward so I came off unharmed. The kids didnt want to stop long so we just grabbed hot dogs and icees ($22) and continued on. We rode WW Nuthouse coaster and T2 without any wait. We headed to Jimmy Neutron and had to wait about 5 minutes to get on. Loved the chicken dance although the ride designers certainly didnt take into consideration riders with a little extra in the front on that one. And of course Siena & Chase made me ride more than once! Before heading back to the resort, we rode Shrek. I was freaking out because I didnt see the express and had forgotten what you guys said but was quickly calmed down when I was directed to a separate line. Can you say SPOILED! I know, but it is the power of FOTL. The regular line was 75 minutes but we waited only 15-20 minutes. This was the only wait that we had the whole trip. We headed back to the resort and stopped at the front desk to pick up the kids pails and shovels and got our room number. I was happy to hear that they had honored my request for a non-smoking, not pet room/floor. Unfortunately, they had given me the wrong room # and after trying desperately to get in to someone elses room with my key, I called downstairs. They apologized and gave me the correct room number which was just across the hall. LOVED IT .LOVED IT .LOVED IT . DID I SAY I LOVED THE ROOM? I booked just a standard view room as I am not one that is concerned about a view unless I have a balcony but that isnt what I got. When I opened the door and saw the view, I almost fell over. We were on the 6th Floor in Tower 1 (rm 1640) with a dead center view of the hulk, dr. doom, and deuling dragons. The kids and I started jumping for joy. It was a nice surprise. I loved that the ice machine was just outside so Chase could go alone. He loved that. I pressed the * service button to get our lugguage brought up and a box that I had shipped to myself (thanks imgonnabe40 for the tip). I shipped snacks, water, juice boxes, cereal, hot chocolate, etc. in a box to myself for the room. There was a knock at the door but it wasnt what I expected. Instead, in walks a waiter with a tray of chocolate covered strawberries, a tray of huge chewy cookies, and a ice bucket with a pitcher of milk. There was a welcome card and note from someone in concierge. Then the waiter came back with a bottle of wine for me on ice. I said thank you but informed him that I didnt drink and he offered to bring me something else. He returned a few minutes later with a bucket of ice and 3 16oz apple juices for me and the kids. The kids were so impressed. Before anyone asks, all I did was send a note to the resort about my requests and this being our first trip as suggested by another poster on these boards. It truly made a great first impression. My lugguage and box arrived with no problems and the kids and I unpacked and headed to the pool. We returned to the park and had dinner at Mels Diner ($22) and then rode Twister, Earthquake, and dare I say it ..Jimmy Neutron again! We ended the night with a dip in the pool. Score 1 for Aunt Candy, as I let them swim until 10:30. My sister is going to kill me.
Tuesday 06/29
We had breakfast in the room (cereal and granola bars) and then headed to IOA to get on the water rides. I was very hot and we couldnt wait. We rode Spiderman first on our way to Popeye & Bluto BRB which we got soaked on. Of course, Siena & Chase wanted to ride again so we stayed on. When then continued on to DD Ripsaw Falls and Jurassic Park. After that we were still way too hot so we bought icees and headed back to the resort to get in the pool. The kids loved the ship and water guns and we headed back up to the room for lunch. I had packed bread and peanut butter & jelly so we had sandwiches and chips in the room and made certain to put juice and water on ice everytime we left the room. After showering, we all took a quick nap and then got dressed and headed back to IOA. We did Seuss Landing and the Lost Continent stuff, Spiderman again, and Siena got on Dr. Doom. Chase was too short so I took him in the arcade. After that, we headed to Hard Rock Café to use one of my GCs that I got online. Siena and I got burgers and fries and Chase got the kids chicken finger meal. Siena was all too happy to tell the hostess that she needed an adult menu but of course this same person went back up to the front later when she didnt have the color crayon she wanted. Chase loved that his chicken fingers were in the shape of guitars. The meal cost $32 so I only used one $25 GC. The kids were tired so we headed back to the resort for you guessed it, another late night swim, Score 2 for Aunt Candy. We just finished the night up with cookies and hot chocolate in the room.
Wednesday 06/30
We slept in late this morning. I think that I have been tiring them out way too much or maybe it was the other way around. We had cereal and granola bars again. I got milk from the Orchid Lounge (16oz - $2.13). We packed PB&J sandwiches and our pool stuff and headed over to Hard Rock Hotel for a swim. The kids really liked the pool and slide there but I didnt as I kept scraping my knees, toes, and butt on the bottom of the shallow pool. The kids did say though that the kids at the HRH pool were much more approachable and they got along really well with the lifeguards. Before I knew it, all of the lifeguards were calling Siena & Chase by name. Siena disappeared for a while and turned out she was at the top of the slide working the slide for the lifeguards. They told her and Chase to come back the next day and work the slide for them again. She had a lot of fun and got the name of every kid before they could go down the slide. SHE IS VERY BOSSY I WONDER WHERE SHE GETS THAT FROM! I have to admit though that the wait staff at HRH was much more attentive and they had water balloon and hula hoop contests for the kids while we were there. When we left, the staff was all saying Bye Siena, Bye Chase see you tomorrow! They had a blast. We headed back to RPR because I had a 5:00 reservation for Chase to go to the Mariners Club while Siena and I rode the coasters. Siena dragged me to the Hulk, which we rode twice and then on to Deuling Dragons which we rode 3 times. I love FOTL but this is one time I needed more time to recover before getting on again. The park wasnt too crowded this day and we kept getting on and on. The guy working the express line was laughing as I got greener and greener every time I passed him. We headed to Café 4 to pick up a pizza ($14) and headed back to get Chase. I only kept him there for 2 hours and it cost just $20. He loved it and begged me to let him go back every day but of course I didnt. We just spent the rest of the night at the pool and got 2 smoothies and a scoop of ice cream from Emack & Bolios ($14).
Thursday 07/01
The kids really wanted to go to Green Eggs & Ham for breakfast so we headed over when they opened at 10:00 AM. After that we shopped for a while and rode Cat in the Hat again (scared I was going to see those green eggs again but I didnt)! It was so hot and only 11 AM but we needed to go back to the pool. We stayed there all day and again had smoothies and ice cream from Emack & Bolios. Score 3 for Aunt Candy, she let us have ice cream before lunch. We had sandwiches in the room again and changed and headed to Universal. We tried to go in Nickelodeon but missed the show so we ran over to Beetlejuice. Got in 5 minutes late but the kids didnt care. We came out and ran (poor Chases little legs) back to Nickelodeon. The woman closed the doors again 5 minutes early and we couldnt get in. We headed to ET and it started pouring. We put on our ponchos and made it back to Nickelodeon. JACKPOT .we finally made it in of course they didnt open the doors until 5 minutes after the start time. Yes we hated any wait at this point but Siena & Chase got involved in one of the stunts so they had fun. After that we headed back to Hard Rock Café. Surprise .our meal was again $32 so I used the other $25 GC. I didnt feel well after dinner so I didnt want to ride anything. We headed back over to Shrek since this is all that my stomach could handle. After that, I let Chase get a tattoo ($8) and Siena get a hair wrap ($30). We were all exhausted and Siena and I had to stay up and pack so we headed back.
Friday 07/02 LAST DAY
We had cereal in the room again and I called down to get our check out time moved to 12:00 since the shuttle wasnt coming right away. The kids didnt want to go back to the parks even though we still had another day on our ticket (I CERTAINLY CANNOT BE RELATED TO THEM) so we took the water taxi over to check out Portifino and the kids regretted being too lazy to go to their pool on Thursday. After that, we just headed back to RPR and watched a movie and relaxed in the room until it was time to leave. It was sad leaving and I did a little chant in front of the window looking at my amazing view for a quick return.
Thanks to all of you for every tip and suggestion. The kids and I had a trip we will never forget! Feel free to ask me any questions.
We didn't make it into Nick Studios on our June trip, but am hoping to if I can arrange a November trip for us. Thanks for taking the time to let us peak into the great time you all had.
