The Walkers do Orlando 2018
- Thread starter Scott W.
- Start date
-
Signing up for a Premium Membership is a donation to help Inside Universal maintain costs and offers an ad-free experience on the forum. Learn more about it here.
It really is the happiest place on earth!
Currently in Finnegans for the first time. Beers and wines and foods trying to drink away the memory of F&F.
F&F didn’t pair well with Frozen Ever After? Not to worry, just run next door and ride that fabulous new Potter coaster. I’ve heard it is over the top!
It’s a weird time at Universal when I’m more excited about seeing the construction than riding the new rides.
So Thursday.
Breakfast at Kona Cafe which was very ok I guess but totally not worth the price. The guy made a mistake with our order so I got double bacon which was nice.
Went to Typhoon Lagoon for it opening and I have never seen it so quiet. Even by 12, the sun loungers in front of the wave pool we’re about 20% full. Every ride was a walk on. We left about half 2 as the heat got to us again.
We got lunch at the hotel which was surprisingly good again.
At night we went to Disney Springs and tried Wine Bar George and went for the Magic Dining menu which was excellent. The wine pairing was equally good and was probably my favourite meal so far and half the price of dinner at Be Our Guest.
Typically, my wife and I will spend about $400 at Disney on gifts, housewares and anything that pulls our fancy but the prices have shot up considerbly this visit and that’s the general consensus from everybody I’ve spoke to who have visited previously. I hate to go on about price and I know being tight with money is a Scottish trait but I think they’ve crossed over the point of charging because they can to being a complete rip off. We buy a Christmas decoration every time we visit Disney, last visit we paid $15, the same type of decoration stared at $22. My sister had a baby this year and I’ve got all my other nieces a Minnie or Mickey doll and last time we paid $15, they’re now $25. We’ve noticed a price jump of about 40% across the board.
The bus back to the hote was split between Pop Century and Art of Animation but it managed to fit everybody in comfortably except for a family who refused to board because they couldn’t get a seat and decided that if they couldn’t board, nobody else should be able to before the bus driver put them straight.
Breakfast at Kona Cafe which was very ok I guess but totally not worth the price. The guy made a mistake with our order so I got double bacon which was nice.
Went to Typhoon Lagoon for it opening and I have never seen it so quiet. Even by 12, the sun loungers in front of the wave pool we’re about 20% full. Every ride was a walk on. We left about half 2 as the heat got to us again.
We got lunch at the hotel which was surprisingly good again.
At night we went to Disney Springs and tried Wine Bar George and went for the Magic Dining menu which was excellent. The wine pairing was equally good and was probably my favourite meal so far and half the price of dinner at Be Our Guest.
Typically, my wife and I will spend about $400 at Disney on gifts, housewares and anything that pulls our fancy but the prices have shot up considerbly this visit and that’s the general consensus from everybody I’ve spoke to who have visited previously. I hate to go on about price and I know being tight with money is a Scottish trait but I think they’ve crossed over the point of charging because they can to being a complete rip off. We buy a Christmas decoration every time we visit Disney, last visit we paid $15, the same type of decoration stared at $22. My sister had a baby this year and I’ve got all my other nieces a Minnie or Mickey doll and last time we paid $15, they’re now $25. We’ve noticed a price jump of about 40% across the board.
The bus back to the hote was split between Pop Century and Art of Animation but it managed to fit everybody in comfortably except for a family who refused to board because they couldn’t get a seat and decided that if they couldn’t board, nobody else should be able to before the bus driver put them straight.
No, your feelings about pricing are very real. Disney Springs requires a huge amount of money to build and op er rate so the rents are high. Merchants price accordingly. Many feel WDW is pricing themselves out. The internet is a large part of that when a simple Google search finds a better price on the same product.
Friday.
Checked out of Pop Century in no time and was in Hard Rock in about 30mins. Checked in about half 11 and the room was ready about half 12, not bad considering that check in starts at 3 and it was the first night of HHN.
I’m still a bit pissed about the increased parking fee as I’ve mentioned before but it is what it is.
It has the feeling of a higher class Vegas hote with the price to match but with CityWak only a few mins, it opens up a ton of options plus within 5mins in the car, I can be at Walmart if I felt the need for cheaper essentials.
The room feels massive compared to Pop Century and the bed is incredibly comfortable. Best night sleep I’ve had in a long time. The room feels a little dated compared to Pop Century with limited USB ports for charging and the tv feels small and has a clunky system but I’m not there to watch tv. It could also use a lick of paint as well. The room has a few areas that might need fixing like the toilet can suddenly turn loud but I managed to fix it by turning the knob under it. The AC vent has water marks below it running down the wall and plenty of splashes down the wallpaper near the sink and fridge, I know this is all superficial but given the price, you’d maybe expect a little better.
We had an ihop while waiting for our room to get ready which was awesome, I love those cupcake sprinkle pancakes.
We travelled to Mall Milenia for a good shopping trip and about 4 candles for Laura. Cheesecake Factory for dinner which is always awesome and after looking at the menu it’s easy to see how some Americans can get so fat.
We spoke to an Irish woman while waiting for our table who was a seasoned traveller to Orlando and she had the exact same thoughts about the prices this year.
All in all, a good day. I’m growing to love Hard Rock and the relaxing pace is most welcomed after the week at Disney.
Checked out of Pop Century in no time and was in Hard Rock in about 30mins. Checked in about half 11 and the room was ready about half 12, not bad considering that check in starts at 3 and it was the first night of HHN.
I’m still a bit pissed about the increased parking fee as I’ve mentioned before but it is what it is.
It has the feeling of a higher class Vegas hote with the price to match but with CityWak only a few mins, it opens up a ton of options plus within 5mins in the car, I can be at Walmart if I felt the need for cheaper essentials.
The room feels massive compared to Pop Century and the bed is incredibly comfortable. Best night sleep I’ve had in a long time. The room feels a little dated compared to Pop Century with limited USB ports for charging and the tv feels small and has a clunky system but I’m not there to watch tv. It could also use a lick of paint as well. The room has a few areas that might need fixing like the toilet can suddenly turn loud but I managed to fix it by turning the knob under it. The AC vent has water marks below it running down the wall and plenty of splashes down the wallpaper near the sink and fridge, I know this is all superficial but given the price, you’d maybe expect a little better.
We had an ihop while waiting for our room to get ready which was awesome, I love those cupcake sprinkle pancakes.
We travelled to Mall Milenia for a good shopping trip and about 4 candles for Laura. Cheesecake Factory for dinner which is always awesome and after looking at the menu it’s easy to see how some Americans can get so fat.
We spoke to an Irish woman while waiting for our table who was a seasoned traveller to Orlando and she had the exact same thoughts about the prices this year.
All in all, a good day. I’m growing to love Hard Rock and the relaxing pace is most welcomed after the week at Disney.
That is disappointing about the room condition, each time I come in I wonder when they will replace or at least clean the roof. I wonder if a refurb is planned so they are not fixing the little things as usual. Be sure to hit the pool and listen underwater
Yeah, probably caught at the end of a refurb cycle for new rooms. That happened to me at Royal Pacific last time I was there, right as they were phasing in new rooms. The room was pretty nice, but it was obviously dated. The other tower already had a start on new rooms. I have a suite there for next May's vacation, so I'll get to experience the newer decor with the giant orchid painting/or paper on the wall....I've never stayed at Hard Rock. Looks nice the times we walked through, but that theme just isn't my thing. But a big plus is that it has the best looking women on Universal property, by far
.
I remember the one at Portofino a few years ago. It seemed to take forever. But then, they did work on the outside too, replacing most windows, repainting the entire outside using the tromp l'oel process , and taking the shutters off that had weathered really poorly, all warped and bent out of shape . And they went from a darkwood room look to a very white and light decor. It was a startling change that took a bit to get used to.
Saturday.
Finally get to head into Universal. The walk from the hotel was a lot closer than I thought. Our room is next to the stairway that leads to the parks which is a nice bonus.
Security is far better than Disney. Efficient and safer. I’ve got more thoughts on Disney’s security but I’ll get to that at a later post.
Having Express Pass has completely changed the way I view the parks. Nothing is out of reach and gone is the day when you pick and choose by the queue length. Having said that, the parks weren’t exactly busy but it probably saved a few hours over the duration of the day.
I’ll only comment on new rides.
Fallon was surprisingly good but with how quick the queue was moving, I never really got to see any of the queue but it’s not really a big deal. The rap safety video was great but I can’t help but feel the ride would be better if it didn’t feature Fallon. Overall it was good but it just feels unnecessary. Maybe once Shrek goes and some of the other 3D/simulator rides it will make more sense.
F&F. I still can’t believe how bad this is. Not only is it bad, the building is completely overkill and looks huge compared to what Kong managed with probably less room.
The locker situation is still awful. I had what I thought was a standard size of backpack which resulted in an incredibly tight squeeze. When I asked the woman if there was a bigger locker, she basically said I had to leave it with a non rider or I couldn’t ride. Didn’t seem to care much beyond that. As miserable as the Disney staff were this year, overall Disney is lightyears ahead of Universal with guest service.
I posted about Sindbad in its own thread.
Spider-Man is still the number 1 attraction at the resort as far as I’m concerned. It was also nice to see a new area of the queue with the Express Pass.
Dinner was originally meant to be Toothsome which was a 40min wait originally before using the hotel priority seating which took it down to 3mins. After a long day and drinking virtually nothing, we decided to have a Panda Express and retire to the room earlier than expected.
Overall a good day.
Finally get to head into Universal. The walk from the hotel was a lot closer than I thought. Our room is next to the stairway that leads to the parks which is a nice bonus.
Security is far better than Disney. Efficient and safer. I’ve got more thoughts on Disney’s security but I’ll get to that at a later post.
Having Express Pass has completely changed the way I view the parks. Nothing is out of reach and gone is the day when you pick and choose by the queue length. Having said that, the parks weren’t exactly busy but it probably saved a few hours over the duration of the day.
I’ll only comment on new rides.
Fallon was surprisingly good but with how quick the queue was moving, I never really got to see any of the queue but it’s not really a big deal. The rap safety video was great but I can’t help but feel the ride would be better if it didn’t feature Fallon. Overall it was good but it just feels unnecessary. Maybe once Shrek goes and some of the other 3D/simulator rides it will make more sense.
F&F. I still can’t believe how bad this is. Not only is it bad, the building is completely overkill and looks huge compared to what Kong managed with probably less room.
The locker situation is still awful. I had what I thought was a standard size of backpack which resulted in an incredibly tight squeeze. When I asked the woman if there was a bigger locker, she basically said I had to leave it with a non rider or I couldn’t ride. Didn’t seem to care much beyond that. As miserable as the Disney staff were this year, overall Disney is lightyears ahead of Universal with guest service.
I posted about Sindbad in its own thread.
Spider-Man is still the number 1 attraction at the resort as far as I’m concerned. It was also nice to see a new area of the queue with the Express Pass.
Dinner was originally meant to be Toothsome which was a 40min wait originally before using the hotel priority seating which took it down to 3mins. After a long day and drinking virtually nothing, we decided to have a Panda Express and retire to the room earlier than expected.
Overall a good day.
I forgot to mention, we tried Finnegans for the first time and it was awesome. The food was way better than it had any right to be in a theme park for the price. I had the steak tenderloin tips and Laura had the fish and chips. Both were great and it was nice to get a good drink on top of it as well. Might return before heading home.
Book with our Travel Partners
Latest posts
-
-
-
Halloween Horror Nights 33 (UOR) - Speculation & Rumors- Latest: TheCodeMan95
-
