Day 8, Wednesday, It Can't Be Wednesday Already!
We slept in until 8 a.m. today. Breakfast in the lounge, as usual. I wonder how Im going to get to this lounge every morning when I get back home to Illinois. Who will say Good Morning!, who will arrange the breakfast choices, who clean up after me and my family? Oh, right, thats me. And we certainly know whos gonna do dinner.
So we head to the parks and Grace has her photo taken with Marilyn (who may be named Mark in real life):
We ride the rides we must do again and then head to lunch at Thunder Falls. My chicken & greens salad is really, really, good! Its a bed of fresh greens & veggies with boneless, wood roasted chicken on top served with a citrus/cilantro dressing on the side. Jack & the girls also enjoy their bbq ribs & chicken. I was impressed with this place. The setting is cool and airy, with the Jurassic River meandering around the restaurant. So today is water ride day. We wore our suits, its hot and we have FOTL! Lets go. First we do Jurassic, then Ripsaw The FOTL line at Ripsaw is the only one where we encountered a 20-minute wait, but how long was it for non-FOTL? LOOOONG. And heres a photo:
Then we do Bilge Rats twice. Its a walk-on, no wait at all. The great part of this ride is seeing who gets soaked and its better if they arent expecting it. And the little darlings on the ship gleefully aiming at you. After getting thoroughly soaked we head back to RPR for, what, pool time! Then I walk around RPR and take photos which come next. I feel almost weightless, just wandering around and looking for lovely views.
RPR Outside of Emerils place:
RPR grounds by water taxi:
RPR Artwork:
RPR Artwork 2:
RPR Courtyard:
As Jack and I walk to the lounge for appetizers we notice we are missing something.
Oh right, there they are!
D14 is the queen of funny faces:
Night 4: Appetizers
Warm dish: Asian Terriyaki Wings (yum!)
Cold dish: Potato salad with red bell peppers & chives(?)
Fresh veggies with two dips: ranch & thousand (homemade)
Assorted cheeses and crackers/bread
Fresh tortilla chips with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.
Wine: a Chardonnay, Sauvingnon Blanc, Pinot Noir, & Cabernet, and Amstel, Corona and domestic choices. Sodas, milk, & water.
After dinner we head back for a last couple rides and thats all we get because theres a storm coming up and we want to make it back to the boat before the close the service. One more lovely dessert hour and off to bed for the BREEEP!! 5 a.m. wake-up call. We have a 7 a.m. flight.
Heres the one sour note of our stay: From our room I called the bell station and asked them for a taxicab. They said give us ten minutes. We went down and they had a non-metered van for us instead, even though there were taxis waiting (even at 5 a.m.). Through my sleepy haze we get in the van and he pulls away. I notice theres no meter and he says, no meter, its a flat rate AND THEN DOESNT TELL US THE RATE! I say, stop, how much is it? He says $50. I tell him to back up, were getting out. He does. As we get out, the woman who made the call for us asks, rather irritated, whats wrong. I told her we asked for a taxicab and then we got into one of the waiting taxicabs. The fare was $38. The driver told us the RPR lets the others in and they kick back to the front lady. Hmmm. I really dont know what the situation was, but the lady didnt want to help us get a regular cab.
So we get to the airport, coffee, wait. Earlier in the TR I told you our daughters have lasers for eyes, and heres proof:
If you look really closely at D14's Starbuck's cup, you can see my Vacation Starbuck's Name written on it!
End Notes:
While we were there we mostly observed Universal and the hotel have employees that really just wanted to do a good job. They appreciated a thank you, a please, and patiently answered questions.
One nice thing the RPR employees did: if you came into Tower 3 on the ground floor from the pool and they saw you, they would push the elevator button ahead of you. It didnt save much time, but it was gracious.
We spent six days in the parks and still didnt see everything. We never saw Sinbad. We didnt see the animal show. I never spent time looking at all the details in Suess Landing. For heavens sake we never went on One Fish, Two Fish! So, I guess some folks can see two parks in one day, but for us this was a real vacation so pool time was not negotiable.
We checked in Sunday, and as of Tuesday, we hadnt recd our Loews First gift -- we had originally chosen wine & nuts, but with Club Lounge access we found that wasnt necessary. So we switched to the local gift. Wow. It included the following: Spiderman Beach Towel, a pretty white & black shell lei threaded on a cloth ribbon, a big brown & cream spotted shell with Royal Pacific Resort etched into it, two RPR potpourri sachets, an RPR glass bear jar filled with Gummie Bears (Just like the stock market! gummie & bear!), and about two pounds of full-size candy bars. I love the RPR embossed keepsakes.
One day, in the lobby there was employee behind a long wood table with a juices and a metal cocktail shaker. He asked me if Id like a something-or-other, no alcohol, so I said sure. He poured pommegranate and leechee juice in the shaker over rocks, shook it, and then gave me a glass. Did I owe him anything? No! It was just something RPR did to welcome their guests. Lovely.
The friendly folks on this board made preparing for this trip so much easier. Thank YOU for being patient and kind. Some boards can get a little snarky.
We loved, loved, loved the Club Level and found it to be a good deal. If you have questions, please feel free to ask.
Karen
We slept in until 8 a.m. today. Breakfast in the lounge, as usual. I wonder how Im going to get to this lounge every morning when I get back home to Illinois. Who will say Good Morning!, who will arrange the breakfast choices, who clean up after me and my family? Oh, right, thats me. And we certainly know whos gonna do dinner.
So we head to the parks and Grace has her photo taken with Marilyn (who may be named Mark in real life):
We ride the rides we must do again and then head to lunch at Thunder Falls. My chicken & greens salad is really, really, good! Its a bed of fresh greens & veggies with boneless, wood roasted chicken on top served with a citrus/cilantro dressing on the side. Jack & the girls also enjoy their bbq ribs & chicken. I was impressed with this place. The setting is cool and airy, with the Jurassic River meandering around the restaurant. So today is water ride day. We wore our suits, its hot and we have FOTL! Lets go. First we do Jurassic, then Ripsaw The FOTL line at Ripsaw is the only one where we encountered a 20-minute wait, but how long was it for non-FOTL? LOOOONG. And heres a photo:
Then we do Bilge Rats twice. Its a walk-on, no wait at all. The great part of this ride is seeing who gets soaked and its better if they arent expecting it. And the little darlings on the ship gleefully aiming at you. After getting thoroughly soaked we head back to RPR for, what, pool time! Then I walk around RPR and take photos which come next. I feel almost weightless, just wandering around and looking for lovely views.
RPR Outside of Emerils place:
RPR grounds by water taxi:
RPR Artwork:
RPR Artwork 2:
RPR Courtyard:
As Jack and I walk to the lounge for appetizers we notice we are missing something.
Oh right, there they are!
D14 is the queen of funny faces:
Night 4: Appetizers
Warm dish: Asian Terriyaki Wings (yum!)
Cold dish: Potato salad with red bell peppers & chives(?)
Fresh veggies with two dips: ranch & thousand (homemade)
Assorted cheeses and crackers/bread
Fresh tortilla chips with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.
Wine: a Chardonnay, Sauvingnon Blanc, Pinot Noir, & Cabernet, and Amstel, Corona and domestic choices. Sodas, milk, & water.
After dinner we head back for a last couple rides and thats all we get because theres a storm coming up and we want to make it back to the boat before the close the service. One more lovely dessert hour and off to bed for the BREEEP!! 5 a.m. wake-up call. We have a 7 a.m. flight.
Heres the one sour note of our stay: From our room I called the bell station and asked them for a taxicab. They said give us ten minutes. We went down and they had a non-metered van for us instead, even though there were taxis waiting (even at 5 a.m.). Through my sleepy haze we get in the van and he pulls away. I notice theres no meter and he says, no meter, its a flat rate AND THEN DOESNT TELL US THE RATE! I say, stop, how much is it? He says $50. I tell him to back up, were getting out. He does. As we get out, the woman who made the call for us asks, rather irritated, whats wrong. I told her we asked for a taxicab and then we got into one of the waiting taxicabs. The fare was $38. The driver told us the RPR lets the others in and they kick back to the front lady. Hmmm. I really dont know what the situation was, but the lady didnt want to help us get a regular cab.
So we get to the airport, coffee, wait. Earlier in the TR I told you our daughters have lasers for eyes, and heres proof:
If you look really closely at D14's Starbuck's cup, you can see my Vacation Starbuck's Name written on it!
End Notes:
While we were there we mostly observed Universal and the hotel have employees that really just wanted to do a good job. They appreciated a thank you, a please, and patiently answered questions.
One nice thing the RPR employees did: if you came into Tower 3 on the ground floor from the pool and they saw you, they would push the elevator button ahead of you. It didnt save much time, but it was gracious.
We spent six days in the parks and still didnt see everything. We never saw Sinbad. We didnt see the animal show. I never spent time looking at all the details in Suess Landing. For heavens sake we never went on One Fish, Two Fish! So, I guess some folks can see two parks in one day, but for us this was a real vacation so pool time was not negotiable.
We checked in Sunday, and as of Tuesday, we hadnt recd our Loews First gift -- we had originally chosen wine & nuts, but with Club Lounge access we found that wasnt necessary. So we switched to the local gift. Wow. It included the following: Spiderman Beach Towel, a pretty white & black shell lei threaded on a cloth ribbon, a big brown & cream spotted shell with Royal Pacific Resort etched into it, two RPR potpourri sachets, an RPR glass bear jar filled with Gummie Bears (Just like the stock market! gummie & bear!), and about two pounds of full-size candy bars. I love the RPR embossed keepsakes.
One day, in the lobby there was employee behind a long wood table with a juices and a metal cocktail shaker. He asked me if Id like a something-or-other, no alcohol, so I said sure. He poured pommegranate and leechee juice in the shaker over rocks, shook it, and then gave me a glass. Did I owe him anything? No! It was just something RPR did to welcome their guests. Lovely.
The friendly folks on this board made preparing for this trip so much easier. Thank YOU for being patient and kind. Some boards can get a little snarky.
We loved, loved, loved the Club Level and found it to be a good deal. If you have questions, please feel free to ask.
Karen
and I have been debating whether or not to spring for club level. Your report convinced me! We are not big eaters and the convenience of being able to eat light and the abundance of fresh veggies and fruit (and wine!!) is a real plus for us. I think in the long run, it will save time and $$.
. My oldest son, now 27, still makes faces when I get the camera out! Takes two or three shots to get a decent picture!
