Day 5: Sunday, Fathers Day and Royal Pacifc Photos.
Today is Fathers Day! The day when we honor the guy who (at least in our family) lives with four females: me, D14, D16 and our dog Lucky. He comes home every night even though two teen age girls live in the house. They are alternately the wonderful beings we hoped to raise, or creatures from the planet You-Cannot-Begin-To-Guess-What-Im-Thinking-So-Just-Leave-It-Alone. Or the planet Dont-Look-At-Me-Cause-I-Have-Lasers-For-Eyes. They really do. They have lasers for eyes.
This morning we head back over to Wet n Wild for the morning before check-in at Royal Pacific. I think the least populated time of the year at WnW must 9 a.m. on Fathers Day. Fine with us! No church or brunch with Dad for us were all about skimming over rushing water on a tube. Or the Lazy River. In fact, Jack & I spend about an hour there before we all go on The Flyer several times and defy gravity. Then we head to the wave pool just to chill before leaving when D14 says, Mom I cant see in front of me. I cant see where Im looking.
One of the many gifts I have bestowed on my daughters is migraines. Its the gift that keeps on giving. We all have them except Lucky. So, D14 is in denial about it, but I quickly pack us up because we need to get her some meds and in a dark room. The walk back was pretty painful to watch as the pain descends on her head in the bright, bright Florida sun. Thank goodness for two-room suites. I throw everything we need to pack into the bedroom, medicate, and put D14 on the pullout in the living room and close the curtains. Not quite what we planned, but what can we do? Its about 10:30 a.m. and Winslow is picking us up at 12:45 p.m. I pack really slowly, and D14 falls asleep after an hour. Thats GOOD news. If she can sleep it usually breaks the cycle for her. About 12:30 I check her, dreading to disturb her, but she says, Mom Im feeling a little better. The vacation gods are taking pity on us. We manage to get everyone in the car and over to Royal Pacific Resort where Im hoping they have a room ready.
And here is the entrance bridge:
No, they dont have a room ready. We signed up for Lowes First, so I take advantage of the Lowes line. Our check-in person was very nice, but she didnt have a room ready even after I explained about my daughters migraine (which is subsiding now). The RPR person says she will put a rush on the room and will call us when its ready. So we sit for a while here:
Then we go to lunch in the Islands Dining Room. I have Satay which is excellent, D14 has Shrimp cocktail (she goes between Mom Im going to throw up and Mom Im so hungry -- hunger wins out), Jack has a turkey sandwich and D16, I forget. All of it is well made with good quality ingredients. My beef satay, for example, is made with tenderloin. We envisioned eating here several times again, but it wasnt to be. I check back with the front desk, but still no room. Then we head up to check out the Club Lounge. And here it is:
And another:
And one of three flat screen tvs:
We think its pretty nice. About 3:30 p.m. the front desk calls and says our room is ready and we can go in. Its room 3704 and the tile portion of the floor is still wet from mopping I actually appreciate that because it means they really called moments after housekeeping was done. But even more, I appreciate the view!
This was taken during the day, right before they re-opened the pool after a rain.
We were prepared to look at the highway for four nights, but this is great. Especially because we can check how crowded the pool is (or if its closed due to rain) before we head down. So we realx and unpack and then head to the park for a ride or two (Migraine gone! We were really lucky on this one.) until our first evening appetizer/refreshment time in the Club Lounge. I had Pat OBriens in mind afterwards for Jack, but we are celebrating the Fathers Day part in the lounge. So I get the gifts together (2 t-shirts, a great Ron Jon Hawaian Shirt depicting the catching of needle-nose sharks!, and a Dr. Suess mug) and we head to the lounge. For those who want to know, I wrote down exactly what was offered all four nights:
Night 1: Appetizers
Warm dish: Farfalle pasta in an incredible garlic/chicken broth w/nut crusted salmon morsels on top.
Cold dish: Ham & macaroni salad (but its really good, trust me! I tried it and I dont like that dish)
Fresh veggies with two dips: ranch & thousand (homemade)
Asssorted cheeses and crackers/bread
Fresh tortilla chips with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.
Good wine: a Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Merlot, & Cabernet, and Amstel, Corona and domestic choices. Sodas, milk, & water.
While we were there, the staff came around and refilled wine/beer. Very nice. The appetizers were so good we had no room for dinner. Plus, we remembered that dessert was served from 8:00-9:30 p.m. Wow, what a savings, not paying for breakfast, water/soda during the day, afternoon snackbars/cookies, dinner, or dessert. I may get some grief for this, but lets add it up:
Breakfast: $35-40 minimum, if purchased
Water/Sodas/Cokes plus snack; $15
Dinner for four at Universal/Citiwalk: $60-80 minimum
Desserts: $25
Total: $135-160
So for us, club was totally worth it. Plus the convenience of just walking down the hall for everything, especially in the morning. Sure you could do it a lot cheaper with a cooler in the room, but this is just so easy. Ive read where this doesnt work out for families on the go or who sleep late, but for us it was perfect. While we were there, all we ended up buying was lunch and the occasional ice cream.
After Jack opened his presents, we decided to see IRONMAN at Citywalk. We thought it was pretty funny, but Im a fan of Robert Downey Jr.s acting. We got out just in time to make it back for the end of dessert time. There were big cookies, raspberry cheesecake and two kinds of other cake, plus ice cold milk and maybe coffee. Yum. We headed back to the room and D16 had a twin air mattress set up, so D14 and I shared and Fathers Day Dad got his own bed! Coming Up: Stranded at Portofino plus photos of the Gymnasium Hot Tub.
Today is Fathers Day! The day when we honor the guy who (at least in our family) lives with four females: me, D14, D16 and our dog Lucky. He comes home every night even though two teen age girls live in the house. They are alternately the wonderful beings we hoped to raise, or creatures from the planet You-Cannot-Begin-To-Guess-What-Im-Thinking-So-Just-Leave-It-Alone. Or the planet Dont-Look-At-Me-Cause-I-Have-Lasers-For-Eyes. They really do. They have lasers for eyes.
This morning we head back over to Wet n Wild for the morning before check-in at Royal Pacific. I think the least populated time of the year at WnW must 9 a.m. on Fathers Day. Fine with us! No church or brunch with Dad for us were all about skimming over rushing water on a tube. Or the Lazy River. In fact, Jack & I spend about an hour there before we all go on The Flyer several times and defy gravity. Then we head to the wave pool just to chill before leaving when D14 says, Mom I cant see in front of me. I cant see where Im looking.
One of the many gifts I have bestowed on my daughters is migraines. Its the gift that keeps on giving. We all have them except Lucky. So, D14 is in denial about it, but I quickly pack us up because we need to get her some meds and in a dark room. The walk back was pretty painful to watch as the pain descends on her head in the bright, bright Florida sun. Thank goodness for two-room suites. I throw everything we need to pack into the bedroom, medicate, and put D14 on the pullout in the living room and close the curtains. Not quite what we planned, but what can we do? Its about 10:30 a.m. and Winslow is picking us up at 12:45 p.m. I pack really slowly, and D14 falls asleep after an hour. Thats GOOD news. If she can sleep it usually breaks the cycle for her. About 12:30 I check her, dreading to disturb her, but she says, Mom Im feeling a little better. The vacation gods are taking pity on us. We manage to get everyone in the car and over to Royal Pacific Resort where Im hoping they have a room ready.
And here is the entrance bridge:
No, they dont have a room ready. We signed up for Lowes First, so I take advantage of the Lowes line. Our check-in person was very nice, but she didnt have a room ready even after I explained about my daughters migraine (which is subsiding now). The RPR person says she will put a rush on the room and will call us when its ready. So we sit for a while here:
Then we go to lunch in the Islands Dining Room. I have Satay which is excellent, D14 has Shrimp cocktail (she goes between Mom Im going to throw up and Mom Im so hungry -- hunger wins out), Jack has a turkey sandwich and D16, I forget. All of it is well made with good quality ingredients. My beef satay, for example, is made with tenderloin. We envisioned eating here several times again, but it wasnt to be. I check back with the front desk, but still no room. Then we head up to check out the Club Lounge. And here it is:
And another:
And one of three flat screen tvs:
We think its pretty nice. About 3:30 p.m. the front desk calls and says our room is ready and we can go in. Its room 3704 and the tile portion of the floor is still wet from mopping I actually appreciate that because it means they really called moments after housekeeping was done. But even more, I appreciate the view!
This was taken during the day, right before they re-opened the pool after a rain.
We were prepared to look at the highway for four nights, but this is great. Especially because we can check how crowded the pool is (or if its closed due to rain) before we head down. So we realx and unpack and then head to the park for a ride or two (Migraine gone! We were really lucky on this one.) until our first evening appetizer/refreshment time in the Club Lounge. I had Pat OBriens in mind afterwards for Jack, but we are celebrating the Fathers Day part in the lounge. So I get the gifts together (2 t-shirts, a great Ron Jon Hawaian Shirt depicting the catching of needle-nose sharks!, and a Dr. Suess mug) and we head to the lounge. For those who want to know, I wrote down exactly what was offered all four nights:
Night 1: Appetizers
Warm dish: Farfalle pasta in an incredible garlic/chicken broth w/nut crusted salmon morsels on top.
Cold dish: Ham & macaroni salad (but its really good, trust me! I tried it and I dont like that dish)
Fresh veggies with two dips: ranch & thousand (homemade)
Asssorted cheeses and crackers/bread
Fresh tortilla chips with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.
Good wine: a Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Merlot, & Cabernet, and Amstel, Corona and domestic choices. Sodas, milk, & water.
While we were there, the staff came around and refilled wine/beer. Very nice. The appetizers were so good we had no room for dinner. Plus, we remembered that dessert was served from 8:00-9:30 p.m. Wow, what a savings, not paying for breakfast, water/soda during the day, afternoon snackbars/cookies, dinner, or dessert. I may get some grief for this, but lets add it up:
Breakfast: $35-40 minimum, if purchased
Water/Sodas/Cokes plus snack; $15
Dinner for four at Universal/Citiwalk: $60-80 minimum
Desserts: $25
Total: $135-160
So for us, club was totally worth it. Plus the convenience of just walking down the hall for everything, especially in the morning. Sure you could do it a lot cheaper with a cooler in the room, but this is just so easy. Ive read where this doesnt work out for families on the go or who sleep late, but for us it was perfect. While we were there, all we ended up buying was lunch and the occasional ice cream.
After Jack opened his presents, we decided to see IRONMAN at Citywalk. We thought it was pretty funny, but Im a fan of Robert Downey Jr.s acting. We got out just in time to make it back for the end of dessert time. There were big cookies, raspberry cheesecake and two kinds of other cake, plus ice cold milk and maybe coffee. Yum. We headed back to the room and D16 had a twin air mattress set up, so D14 and I shared and Fathers Day Dad got his own bed! Coming Up: Stranded at Portofino plus photos of the Gymnasium Hot Tub.
