Fun, Sun & Strong Water Rum...*Yo-Ho*...23 Nights @ Sapphire Falls...A May 2022 TR

[heidijanesmith]

That is too bad that Tom did not get his mussels, as they were my favorite! That was the only dish that my DH and I liked. We are not too keen on going again.

 

[schumigirl]

FRIDAY MAY 20TH​

We didn`t sleep late after all....no surprises there for us. I always say I would love just once to sleep till around 10am.....our housekeeper wouldn`t be very pleased though. Even at home, we just get up early all the time as it`s what we`re used to, and we prefer it that way, get up and get the day started.

Yesterday we had emailed Samuel who worked in the offices at RP, we had managed to see him once already, but wanted to catch him as I knew he was off from today and we wouldn`t see him if we didn`t catch him today. So, we had arranged to stop off and ask someone to let him know we were in the front desk area. We met Samuel several years ago and clicked instantly with him, we keep in touch over email usually, but we think the world of him and always enjoy seeing him.

So, today we had planned to do the parks, but the weather wasn`t looking so good so we had a quick change of plan and decided to pop to the Mall then go to Winter Park where when the weather didn`t look so good, we emailed and arranged to see a lovely lady who used to work Concierge and again, we kept in touch over the years and she was off work this afternoon so she said she was home today and asked if we were free to pop in to see her, so our day was pretty much set despite the bad weather.

We walked over to RP and found Samuel immediately and we did have that good catch up again and we looked forward to seeing him next time too, but we`ll email in between of course.

Rob from Bell services also had some free time so we chatted with him too......Rob knows everyone and everything about the hotel and parks too....he is a font of knowledge and a heck of a nice guy too.

We made it up for breakfast and it was raining heavy at this point so we had made the right decision to not go into the parks. It was a little later than usual for us, so we didn`t sit too long, and I had some fruit and croissants while Tom had his usual croissants with honey.

I have no idea why we went to the Florida Mall today, but we did and I don`t remember buying anything which must be an unusual occurrence surely!!

We left the Mall and took a turn we don`t usually take and ended up on S Orange Blossom Trail

There were some sights on that street I don`t care to see again!! Certainly not where tourists would want to be. But we eventually made it to easily recognisable areas to us and didn`t take us long to drive into Winter Park, get parked and head into town.

The parking lot we used today was the other side of the train station and takes moments to get to the shopping area but first you pass through their very lovely park.

Today we didn`t plan to do any of the things we said we`d do the next time we visited as we had plans to visit someone this afternoon. We said we would take the boat trip round the lake which had some very good remarks from folks we know that had done it. But, not today.

I wanted to pop into the Olive Oil store, their oil wasn`t as good as Mount Dora`s oil store, but they do sell other products too we wanted to pick up.

It`s set back in a little mews area, if you didn`t know it was there you`d miss it. Weirdly, every time we had gone in it was being run by very different people.

We did have a good few tastes of some of the balsamic vinegars which were very nice, but we only purchased some spicy sauces and seasonings they sell at the back of the store.

I think this was the least amount of time we had spent in town......but we did enjoy a little wander through the park area before heading back to the car. It felt incredibly humid today, we could feel there would be more rain coming.

As a Brit, we love the huge Amtrak trains and we were delighted we could see one about to pass, well we heard it before we saw it. I knew this wasn`t the great big ones that go great distances, but it was big enough for us to see. Very reminiscent of watching old movies set on trains, it always looks like something we would love to do one day......it would have to be luxurious of course!!!

Before we went to visit, we stopped off for lunch at 4Rivers....one of our old favourites for lunch, always busy and the line can be out the door some days, but it`s worth the wait.

There are so many choices on the menu we like......I don`t think there`s one dish we wouldn`t eat. I`m not the biggest sandwich fan, but Tom is and I guessed he would order one today, and he did, he went for the brisket sandwich as one of the staff members walked through with a huge hunk of meat to start carving it and he asked what it was as whatever it was he wanted it.......lol....he`s so easy to please. So, brisket sandwich, mac n cheese and coleslaw for him.

For me, I chose the half rack with coleslaw, sweet potato casserole and cornbread, we also ordered a side of smoked jalapenos which were delicious. Ribs slid off the bone.

We love the sauces they have on the tables, spicy and sweet which I do like to just mix together on the tray, they are lush!

Food is delicious and we almost clear the trays dry. The meat here is divine.....I have no idea how vegetarians could turn this down, the smell alone is tempting enough!

I will say this time the coleslaw was disappointing from what we remembered from our last visit. Same really with the cornbread which we have always raved about, it seemed dryer than usual and lacking in the jalapeno department.

4Rivers is an incredibly friendly place, staff are genuinely keen to make sure you have the best experience you can have. Seats are communal tables in the middle of the restaurant with some booths to the side, so you could easily be sat beside someone else if you don`t get a booth as it genuinely does get incredibly busy.

They have the best bakery here and some of their treats are a complete delight. We have sampled the coconut bombe and the salted caramel bar which are both divine!!

We picked up a couple of items to take to Joss`s home, I knew she and her husband both had a sweet tooth and I was sure they`d enjoy them too.

We knew roughly where we were driving too and only took about 15 minutes to get there and we passed a lovely few hours and time did pass quickly again. We didn`t get to sit out as it rained back and forward, but we did enjoy our time catching up again as it had been a while. I do like Winter Park and the folks we were visiting had a stunning home I would happily have moved into......very beautiful area.

They did ask us if we wanted to go to one of the Disney parks tomorrow as they had complimentary tickets we could use, I could see Tom show a slight interest........

I however had a different view.......

(sorry )​

It was very kind of them of course, and they said they`d have been shocked if we had said yes......lol....they are huge Disney fans and both work for Disney so it`s a huge part of their life and their eldest daughter is planning to work there for a while too till she finds something permanent.

Driving home we experienced some of the worst driving we have ever seen around the Orlando area......goodness me, especially as the rain was on back and forward, but we made it back in one piece and headed to our room to get ready for dinner tonight, we were going to Nagoya Sushi again.

We didn`t go to the Club Lounge tonight, and they almost sent out a search party for us apparently.......lol......

As we passed Strong Water, one of the ladies who is a greeter waved us over and asked if we wanted to reserve a table for later as it was going to be busy, we said yes we`d probably do that as we would come back here tonight looking at the weather, so we said around 9.30ish, but we might be early or late we weren`t sure, she said that was fine and we`d see her later.

It was raining lightly when we left the hotel and 10 minutes later as we parked to the back of Nagoya and as we got out the car, the heavens opened and the downpour began. I was immediately reminded it was a Grad night.....bless them, if it was still going ahead they would be drenched!! However we did find out later it did indeed go ahead.

We had booked a table tonight, and we got one near the bar, we did plan to sit up there one night and watch the chef`s the way you can do in Orchids too. We absolutely love this place and can`t say enough good things about it, especially as you don`t see too many tourists in there!!

As soon as we entered the restaurant, the thunder and lightning began in earnest.....holy moly the rain was bouncing down and every few moments we saw the intense lightning strikes and heard the thunder cracking as if we were sitting outside listening to it. I have to admit part of us wished we were in our suite watching it again. We were in BigFire last time there was a huge storm so we missed that one too, but it was so nice to be inside watching it out there and not out in it the way some poor folks would be tonight.

We only ordered cokes to drink tonight, and after studying the rather large menu, we opted to share the Tuna Tataki which was a dream of a dish....the tuna was so fresh and delicate and I think we should have had one each as we eyed one another up for the last pieces as we worked our way around them!!!

With the entrees you get onion or miso soup to start which were both delicious, I think I`d get the onion one again instead of my usual miso, but both are gorgeous.

After much perusing, Tom decided to have Teriyaki Beef Bento Box, again a real Bento Box not one that was filled with edamame beans and french fries!!! What is that all about........

He asked for his beef to be rare and it was gorgeous. Alongside the beef in sauce, you have tempura veg, butterflied shrimp, onion ring, stir fried veg, rice and a sushi option with some beautiful dipping sauce. This was perfect.

I normally get the same thing in here, so decided tonight to order something different, so went for Chicken Sukiyaki which was thinly sliced chicken on top of noodles and vegetables and it was all cooked in a sweet sukiyaki sauce which was broth instead of sauce but my goodness, it was one of the most flavourful dishes I`d ever eaten.

Our waiter was very observant and saw me wonder how I`d eat these large chicken slices with a spoon, he brought me a fork, but I wished he`d also brought a knife, but it was fine with the fork and spoon. There were some vegetables I don`t eat in it, brocolli for one and those dreadful edamame beans......but everything else was a treat.

The staff in here are exceptional, very polite and so friendly, we heard several folks make some odd requests and they were very responsive to them all.

We had thoroughly enjoyed our meal tonight, and fortunately after we paid the heavy rain had ceased a little so we got out to the car more or less dry.

Although it did start up again, so driving wasn`t fun.

This is where it went a little strange......

We went to turn into Hollywood Way from Turkey Lake Rd to get to Sapphire and we saw the police had blocked the whole right turn off for the usual Friday night grad bash....usually they block one lane and you can still turn in, but we were directed round the back and had to take the turn passing PB and HRH so we could turn into Hollywood Way from that side.

So we went to turn only to see they had blocked that entrance also!!! We put the window down and asked the community officer why we couldn`t go in....he said it was his job to make the road safe and we couldn`t go in that way??? He directed us to go back around, telling us to go via International Drive onto the I4 and we`d get in that way....we said he`d given us directions to get back to where we were right now.....he looked a little vague and then said no, you`ll come in off of Turkey Lake Road, We sighed and said we had just tried that way and it was blocked off.

At that point he turned and said the road was partly opening up but it was being split for all traffic to go one one side......odd but we turned, only to discover we could only go as far as the entrance to RP.

We stopped and asked another community officer sitting in a car why couldn`t we drive to Sapphire where we were staying....she was very abrupt and not at all helpful repeating we couldn`t drive to Sapphire Falls and only to RP and at that she put her window up again.......

​

Well, there was only one thing to do.....we drove into RP and Tom dropped me off and went to park the car in the lot and we`d get it in the morning.

I spoke to a young valet guy and he said it wouldn`t be an issue getting the car in the morning, just to explain what happened and we wouldn`t be charged. I wasn`t worried about that, it was just an inconvenience and couldn`t imagine how much of a mess this Friday night bash was causing for so many others.

We walked over to Sapphire through the conference/ballroom area and we were glad to be inside as the rain was still heaving down and we were also late for our table. You do get 20 minutes I believe and then they give the table away, but we were confident ours would be ok. And it was, she did say she wondered as we are never late, but she knew we`d be there at some point.

We got our table and were chatting to the staff explaining what had happened and several of them mentioned how much disruption it caused them leaving at night too, not very good especially as they leave late as it is, never mind being diverted somewhere....but seems to be allowed as I`m guessing they pay a lot of money for the parks to be closed to everyone but the grads.

We didn`t stay annoyed for long and we had dessert to look forward to now and a cocktail or two.

Tom nipped back to the room to get the gift for Chef Carlos, we really hoped he`d like it.....if he didn`t we`d blame Fernando.....lol......he was genuinely surprised and asked what it was for, when we told him he said the pleasure was all his, what a gent. He thanked us and chatted for a time, but he headed back into the kitchen as it was getting incredibly busy with everyone seemingly heading in here due to the weather.

We both got the same dessert tonight and it is gorgeous. I was glad we weren`t ordering food as folks were being told 40 minutes or longer for food!! I`d hate to be hungry coming in tonight.

We only had one drink tonight, there were a lot of folks waiting for a table to eat, so we headed back to our room and watched the remnants of the storm that had mainly passed over now, but there were the odd flashes to watch.

Tonight we were both shattered......I think the heat and how busy we had been was finally catching up with us. Staying up till midnight and up at 6am was also catching up I think too......but, we weren`t done yet!!!!

Tomorrow is another day.....and how many days did we have left here now.......

​

 

[schumigirl]

That is too bad that Tom did not get his mussels, as they were my favorite! That was the only dish that my DH and I liked. We are not too keen on going again.

That seems to be a common theme for that place.....not many want to go back again after they visit.

Yes, the mussels looked good, I`m sorry to hear you didn`t enjoy your meals either, such a shame as it should be an amazing place in a prime location.

 

[schumigirl]

SATURDAY MAY 21ST​

This morning I was up with the birds as usual, Tom slept while I managed to go do a load of laundry and he was quite amazed when I appeared with clothes that had been washed a dried already. He assumed I was just through in the sitting area as he slept. We were planning an early morning chat on Skype with Kyle before we headed out for the day.

Yesterday had been his last day in the job he`s had for just over 4 years. Last night a group of friends had been going out straight from work, so we never got a chance to chat to him and see how his last day had went. His boss and her boss made a point of coming in as it was his last day, both work from home most of the time only being in the office for a week every 6 weeks, so he was delighted when he turned in one office and saw them both there. His immediate boss he especially gets on with and they`ve worked well together all this time with Kyle being her go to guy in the office. He had given her a gorgeous and huge bouquet of flowers 3 weeks before when he thought it would be the last time he saw her, but was glad she had come in today to see him off.

He was sad at leaving the folks he had worked with, but wouldn`t miss the job itself as it had changed a little due to the pandemic, but he was very excited for Monday. They gave him some very thoughtful leaving gifts and some of the comments on the card were very touching to read, they thought a lot of him.

So, he was out with his running club on a Saturday, by the time we were getting up, he`d be back home so as soon as we were showered and dressed we Skyped and he was incredibly happy and it was fabulous to see him so excited. He was full of tales of the last few days and he had plans for today and back out tomorrow night for dinner with other friends...we could have chatted for hours but he was busy and we wanted to start our day too.

We did wish we were going to be there on Monday when he started the new job, but we`d absolutely chat first chance we could that afternoon.

We said our goodbyes and wished him a lovely weekend, then we set off over to RP not only for breakfast but to retrieve our car and get it back to Sapphire. We also weren`t sure what to do today as the weather didn`t look great, so we thought we`d go offsite and do something else.

Coming down on the escalator right at the back of the hotel where they both join up for conference area, we saw a family come in the doors that tourists really shouldn`t be using and looking at the vague map on the wall. We asked them if they were lost and they said yes, they really were. I asked where they had parked and they said the car park, so couldn`t work out how they had ended up round there. Turned out they had parked in the convention car park, if you put the address into the gps, it does take you to that area apparently.

So, we said to follow us as they were looking for the check in desk at RP. Bless them, as we walked they said they`d never have found it without us. We took them to the elevator and walked them to the check in desks, they were grateful and said they were only there for one night so wanted to make the most of it. We were glad to have been there to help them....it`s horrible being lost!

We then went up for breakfast and enjoyed a lovely relaxing time as it wasn`t too busy again, I spoke to the concierge manager Jen as she was in and told her our tale of woe with the car, she said she`s give us a parking validation to get the car out. We knew they would of course, it was just annoying. She said to pick it up from the concierge desk downstairs when we were ready to leave. We thanked her and headed off downstairs to pick up the parking validation ticket.

I love the entrance to RP.

As we were getting in the car, the weather cleared and it looked much brighter than it had, so we decided to go to the parks after all. Once we had parked we went back to the suite and got changed into park clothes and headed to the boat as we thought we`d go to the Studios this morning.

It did seem quiet today for a Saturday, and we weren`t early at all, it was fairly late on for us to arrive in the parks, but we wondered where the crowds were today.

We turned right today instead of straight on and came across this marching band heading our way.....they were very good!!

I don`t have a musical bone in my body, not a single one.....so I do admire folks who can play instruments, especially while walking at the same time.....it`s a talent.

It really was quiet.....usually Saturdays are heaving, but we did wonder how many would be in IOA compared to the Studios. IOA seemed to have more going on for it right now, especially with The Mummy being closed for a refurb.

We wandered into Five and Dime for a look around....they have some lovely classic monster memorabilia in there and although I think they could make it a little more atmospheric given the genre.

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However, they do have a good selection of Classic Monster products for sale.

I did like this little area that are just offices for TM in The Studios, but it always looked like it would make a lovely Spanish style home somewhere. The garden area is beautifully kept and have a lovely array of flowers and plants on display.

Our main reason for hanging around this area this morning was to finally do The Bourne Stuntacular.

We hadn`t managed this trip, so wanted to make sure we did it before we were headed home. I forget the times but we knew it wouldn`t be long till the show started so headed in and wen through the regular line, but it`s one of those that you don`t really miss much at all in this line.

It was still identical to how it was when this was The Terminator ride "Welcome....to Cyberdyne" anyone?? she was such a hoot as a character.

The show itself is phenomenal....stunts, pyrotechnics, actors...this show has them all and it is amazing, one of the best live action shows they`ve had. And I don`t even like the movies, but this works so well.

It was almost lunchtime by the time we got out, we forgot how late we had arrived and we were kind of hungry now......

I was never keen on mobile ordering and had never done it before, but we thought we might try it today. One of the things we really don`t want to do is use a phone for anything apart from txt or call friends. But, we`d give it a go and Tom had set up an account yesterday so we were set to jumble our way through this new technolgy......

It was easy peasy.....if we could do it, anyone could.

We thought we`d try Louie`s for a couple of slices of pizza, so we sat on the bench close by and ordered our slices and some fanta, pressed the button to say we were close and went in to the restaurant expecting to wait a little bit.

The regular line was huge......exceptionally long and we were glad we didn`t have to stand in that line.

The mobile ordering counter was completely deserted and our slices of pizza were waiting for us.

Usually I complain the pizza from here is never as hot as it should be when we get them.....this time I almost burned my mouth eating that first bite, the slices were sizzling hot which was a first and although I think they are a little too big as slices, they were very nice.

We had complained a few years back as they had changed the dough and seemingly were using a cheaper pepperoni, but they seemed to be back to their usual standard and we did enjoy them. And more importantly, we were happy to use mobile ordering. Wouldn`t choose to do it all the time, but on occasion it would be handy.

Louie`s was in the middle of a refurb, so there was less seating around but they were still operating as normal, but it did feel busier and a little cramped.

We headed down towards Mummy where we wanted to see the exterior of the new Tribute Store. And it still seemed so quiet.

 

[Deb1993]

Carole - OMG that photo of you in the white floral dress! Gorgeous!!!

 

[Elsaspiritanimal]

Carole you look so lovely in this dress! Not that you don't always look lovely, but this is especially stunning on you. Still loving your great trip report!

 

[schumigirl]

Carole - OMG that photo of you in the white floral dress! Gorgeous!!!

Awww.....thank you so much! You made me smile reading that......

 

[schumigirl]

Carole you look so lovely in this dress! Not that you don't always look lovely, but this is especially stunning on you. Still loving your great trip report!

And thank you too Elsa.....I know what you mean....I often say to folks they look so good then wonder if they think they haven`t looked good before lol......

Glad you`re enjoying it, and glad to see you post, hope you`re doing good......

 

[schumigirl]

We headed down to see the new Tribute store, stopping to look at the little display outside that we think we may have missed the last time.

This place feels so deserted right now while Mummy is being refurbed, folks only walk past heading for Potter usually.

We headed to the store when we heard a voice say "Carole"......and we turned and a lady introduced herself as being a Dis member, queenofthehill who had read these trip reports and was visiting the parks again......well it was lovely to meet them both.....and we had a lovely little chat which was so nice and of course we got a picture.......I`m glad Tom mentioned it as I forgot to say about a picture.....

So, here we are.

It is lovely when someone sees us and says hello.....someone at the hotel asked if it`s strange being so far from home and someone shouts your name when they see us......lol.....no, not really, it`s rather nice and we meet some lovely folks too!!

The Tribute Store wouldn`t be too long till it was up and running again, but we`d just miss it changing themes again. They do a decent job of this store for whatever event.

Today we didn`t feel like doing much at all.....we considered heading round to Potter and doing Gringotts, thought about doing ET.......nah......

Tom came up with a brainwave and asked if I wanted to go to Finnegans for cocktails......

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Finnegans is not a place we like for food.....we`ve never been impressed with anything in there and the theme isn`t one we like very much either. But, the bar is a different story......

They always have very good staff and it`s almost like a real bar and not one in a theme park.......one of the best barmen Jim, retired a few years ago now, he was a classic.....deadpan humour and could mix a mean cocktail and he had a heavy hand with his pours, which to be fair they all do in there.

Today we got a seat at the bar as soon as someone moved.....the bar does get busy for good reason. And Kat was looking after us today and she was marvellous, just as you hope bar staff are going to be....full of fun and have some character about them.....

She asked what we`d like and what we really wanted was a drink they used to do when Jim was there, but it was no longer on their drink options. So we asked if she could make and old drink on the menu called a Rum Neuralyser......her face lit up and said she`d make us the best one we`d ever had......and hardly anyone asked for them anymore......

They were delicious!!!

So delicious, we had another round after this one......this lady knew her drinks too! And in chatting we asked if she had ever been to Strong Water, she said she hadn`t but did plan to.....we told her she`d be blown away by the cocktails there......she`d heard they were out of this world and was looking forward to trying it at some point.

So, although we don`t like Finnegans as a restaurant, as a bar it is a very good one. At HHN you usually can`t get near the bar any night it`s on, the line is back outside from the bar of folks trying to get drinks. We have tried a few times.......lol.......

We had a wander round the parks, not doing much really, just enjoying the park while it was fairly quiet for a change and enjoying the heat which was fabulous.

Williams of Hollywood was a lovely place to wander round and look at some classic memorabilia and items that had been in movies from a long time ago and they sell everything in there including old props from HHN....some of which are quite spectacular.....Tom would have loved the full size statue of Chance.......but, no, wouldn`t be able to get it home was my excuse......

Sadly Williams of Hollywood has now closed, it is a shame as they did have some completely unique items.....I always wanted to buy a vintage hat from there, I love hats.......but never got round to it, now I won`t be able to.

It was late afternoon before we headed out of the park.....and as we walked out, Tom stopped to take a picture and I heard a man talking on the phone, quite animated telling someone on the other end at that moment in time he was walking to the gates of IOA and why couldn`t they see them.......his wife looked fed up......lol.......I stopped by them and said he was walking towards The Studios not IOA.......oops. He immediately said thank you and told the person on the other end he`d find IOA. We then pointed them in the right direction for IOA.....I think he was a little annoyed he`d got the wrong park.

We got the boat and went back home to shower and change and decide what we wanted to do tonight. We were planning to stay onsite as we had both enjoyed some cocktails, but would decide later.

We wandered over to the Club Lounge and we had no Lindsey for a few days, but we still enjoyed sitting and chatting with the other TM`s.......they are a very good bunch and it was a pleasure to spend time with them.

The lounge is a lovely space to chill out in. Outside of when they serve food, it`s usually fairly quiet and a nice relaxing place if you wanted an hour on your own, or like us sometimes just go up to chatter away and have a soft drink or tea which are available all day while the lounge is open.

We sat and thought about our food options for tonight.....we did have a little taster of the club offerings tonight which were the meatballs and garlic mash, so a couple of meatballs and salad washed down with several glasses of red wine was just nice.

But, we finally opted to do the Wok Experience which is in Islands restaurant opposite Jake`s. It`s now running Friday`s and Saturday`s only and we had always enjoyed it whenever we had done it.

Although we did have a little dessert taster before we left as the supervisor gave us some mini key lime pies and something chocolate......the key lime were very nice and Tom seemed to enjoy what he had.

You really don`t need a reservation for this as it`s never really filled up, but there were a few tables filled when we went down tonight.

Our favourite waiter from here has left and is working elsewhere now, and we did miss him as he was so lovely.

Our waiter tonight was just ok.

We told him we`d be doing the Wok experience and ordered 2 cocktails which we knew came from Jake`s. He never asked if we had eaten there before but wandered off, which was ok but the wok had changed since last time so we did wonder how the soup worked now.

When he brought the drinks back we asked him where the soups were, there used to be two options....he said now you had one soup and they brought it from the kitchen.....fair enough....it was egg drop soup. I asked what happened to the green curry and coconut ones, he eagerly informed us if we wanted to order them seperately we could......no thanks.

I wish we had though......the soup tasted of nothing at all. It was completely flavourless and was quite greasy which was unusual, but we barely touched them.

We left the soup and were still waiting on our drinks......Jake`s is not that far but we weren`t in any hurry really......

The counter for the Wok had moved and there were 2 chefs and looking at the veg there were some missing that used to be an option for the stir fry and now there were only four sauce options instead of six.

We both chose our meats, chicken and shrimp for me and beef with chicken for Tom.

Usually when you started they asked if you wanted garlic, ginger, peanuts and scallions at the end....they only offer garlic now which is a big difference to the little touches that makes the final meal.

The meal was just ok. Nothing special but not as good as before, portions were smaller....now I know you can go up as often as you want to, but we only ever have one bowl as that is more than enough for us.

The chefs weren`t interacting with anyone the way they used to either. No friendly chatter or banter, and one looked distinctly annoyed at everything.

Our drinks finally arrived and I can honestly say the soup had more taste than they had. A teetotaller could have drank them and been fine.......so we left them too and would tell our waiter if we ever saw him again they were poor.

There used to be a selection of desserts on offer....similar to the mini ones in the Club Lounge, but they no longer offer that option which is a shame.....you can order desserts of course.

The whole thing felt like they have cheaped out on this now. I didn`t mind the desserts not being there, but I did miss the soups and some of the touches with the food. Tom wasn`t too bothered, but I felt a little annoyed that I felt this way, so finally found our waiter......not a joke, I forgot what he looked like as we had seen so little of him......and asked to speak to the manager, something that hurts me to do. I hate complaining.

The manager was lovely, we told him what our issues were in a very calm way and explained we had been visiting the Wok experience for many years and this had been such a disappointment to what we were used to. We also mentioned the almost full glasses contained cocktails with no flavour and we couldn`t taste the alcohol.

He apologised and explained the issues they were having which is understandable and he very kindly took care of us with the check.

But, we just felt annoyed that it had been so poor.....not dreadful, but not great. I have no clue what the cost is now, but it wasn`t worth it to us tonight at all and I was gutted we`d had to complain.

I hope it does improve and get back to the same high standard it used to be as I detest complaining especially in RP or Sapphire as we usually have nothing to complain about.

We walked back to Sapphire and we had said we might pop into Strong Water, but we headed back to our suite and had some wine and watched a movie.....again, I have no memory of what it was.

I sat and wrote a few emails too while the movie was on and before we knew it, we were already at midnight.

Time for bed and those beds are incredibly comfortable and the bed is huge......so we were both zonked out before we knew it!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

All caught up!


I hope the prop shop returns in some way shape or form. There used to be one at Disney's Hollywood Studios but that sadly has gone the way of the dodo now too! And I am loving these tribute stores!


Your experience at Wok was similar to ours at Jake's (although I am happy to say we did see our waiter more than twice! And for the most part the food was not bad-minus the pizza being undercooked-it just was lacking something you know?) I'd still go back and try Jake's again, but I am happy we opted for that as opposed to the wok.

 

[schumigirl]

All caught up!


I hope the prop shop returns in some way shape or form. There used to be one at Disney's Hollywood Studios but that sadly has gone the way of the dodo now too! And I am loving these tribute stores!


Your experience at Wok was similar to ours at Jake's (although I am happy to say we did see our waiter more than twice! And for the most part the food was not bad-minus the pizza being undercooked-it just was lacking something you know?) I'd still go back and try Jake's again, but I am happy we opted for that as opposed to the wok.

Oh that`s a shame about Jake`s. I don`t think they have recovered from the pandemic yet with staffing issues. We didn`t have the best food in Jake`s either this time, it wasn`t as good as it has been in the past. Disappointing. This is the first trip we have experienced several meals that weren`t as good as they should have been.

Jake`s and Islands have always been staples for us....but not so good this trip.

The Tribute Stores are so good. Someone told us a year ago the parks would soon be filled with classic monsters.....they were right!

Glad you`re all caught up.....

 

[schumigirl]

SUNDAY MAY 22ND​

We were up far too early this morning, not unusual for me but even Tom was wide awake early doors. But, both of us felt quite tired today, so instead of our original plans, we thought we`d have another quiet day and head to Lake Eola which is very tranquil and also Sunday is Farmer`s Market Day which we have enjoyed a couple of times before.

We walked over for breakfast and it was so quiet in the lounge this morning.......we saw a lady ask for champagne as it wasn`t set out, she was a little abrasive, but she was told due to licencing laws, they couldn`t serve it till 9am on a Sunday......seems an odd one but our licencing laws in the UK for a Sunday are crazy too.....she wasn`t too happy though.

I think we chatted for quite a long time this morning as we were in no rush to go anywhere, but we did leave before the champagne was served.....first time I missed it....lol......

Walked back to Sapphire for the car and drove the 20 minutes or so to Downtown Orlando. Roads are fairly quiet and we find a place to park very close to the park. There are several parking buildings and some small open parking lots that you can pay $5 for some and others can be more.....but you`ll be able to find somewhere to park as there are loads around.

Lake Eola is very beautiful and this morning it was the busiest we had seen it, but there was a kind of park run on where there were hundreds of runners everywhere. I mean everywhere!!!

One upon a time they would have irritated us.....but as Kyle had become a serious runner this last year, we had to be more tolerant.....or so we were told!!

There are some paddle boats that look like swans you can hire to go on the lake with......looks like it would be a lot of effort for not very much, we are not paddle boat fans as we are far too lazy!

Lake Eola isn`t really a lake, it`s a giant sinkhole and around 80 feet deep. The sink hole appeared on the outskirts of land owned by the Cattle King Jacob Summerlin in 1873, due to a natural aquifer below ground and storm water, Sandy Beach as it was known then was an ideal spot for locals to enjoy.

Some time later, the Summerlin family donated land around the lake to the public and was then renamed Lake Eola in memory of Robert Summerlin`s late wife which is quite cute thinking about it, and it has been a public park as far back as 1888.

The rainbow coloured building on the other side of the lake is the Walt Disney Amphitheatre and was built in 1886, also known as the Band Shell where you can see live concerts and events.

We don`t know Downtown Orlando very well at all, but we hope to rectify that in the next few trips.

There are a lot of homeless folks around both outside and inside the park, they aren`t threatening in any way, well, we haven`t seen anything to make us concerned. But, if you`re not used to seeing homeless folks it might be a concern. Where we live we just don`t see it at all, but I can honestly say whether it be in Manhattan, St Augustine or here, it wouldn`t put me off visiting again. It`s not nice to see folks living like that though and you just wish you could do more at times.

This picture is a little dark, but it`s the Chinese Ting, donated as a token of friendship by a powerful man called Nelson Ying. Although it was built in China and had to be disassembled before being shipped to Orlando and then rebuilt.

It is very pretty.

There are so many stalls out on Sunday`s, most of them food I have to say, and this one really caught our eye the first time we came here and again, everything they cook looks amazing.....and the aroma coming from this food was lipsmackingly good!

If we were folks to eat outside, we`d definitely try something from here.....but we`re wimps who like to eat in airconditioned buildings out of the heat. And today again was a sizzler.

This odd little house seemingly abandoned in the middle of the park is Eola House originally built in the 1920`s and is considered one of the newer additons to the park!!

It`s now offices for folks that run the park and I think you can have small events there, you can certainly take a tour of it every day. It looks lovely and hasn`t been changed in any way since it was built.

We were so tempted with the Cheesecake!!!

This stall was Tom`s idea of heaven.......honey.

He loves honey, I don`t...unless it`s in honey mustard dressing or if I have a sore throat, nothing better than honey for that of course. So they have so many flavours and you can taste them all before you decide, although I think Tom wanted to buy one of every kind.

These ladies have a real passion for their product and could talk at length about the process and end product, finally thinking about weight limits on our luggage he opted to buy three different ones, raspberry, hot and plain old regular. I have to say, I have tried them and they are actually very nice.

With all the food options around they do have an open seating area in the centre, it gets incredibly busy though and far too many bugs around for us to want to be eating there.

It was blazing hot by now, so we saw a stall that sold fruity rum drinks, so Tom bought me a pineapple-mango concotion and we decided to sit down on a little wall while we drank it. Tom bought himself a non alcoholic version which was equally as delicious.

As it was so hot and it was too early for lunch, we sat on that wall for maybe half an hour or so.....it was obviously comfortable enough for me not to move!!

When we moved off, we walked past a man I had noticed, but hadn`t noticed what he was doing. Tom glanced over his shoulder as we passed and smiled. When we sat down further along to watch some swans he told me the man had drawn me from the side and wished he`d asked to see it properly...it was only a sketch but he said he could see it was me. Tom then went back along to ask the man if he could see it......the man explained he tried to draw without anyone noticing, Tom said he thought it looked good so could he take a picture of the drawing and of course the man said he could. He did offer to scan it when it was done and email it to us, but Tom said the picture would be enough and not put him to any trouble.

I must say, I did like it.....lumps, bumps and all . He had captured me sitting on that wall.

I`m not artistic in any way....can`t sing or play a musical instrument and I certainly can`t draw to save my life.....so I genuinely admire folks that can do. I think this man was a real artist and this was just a doodle to him, so I`m sure his real artwork would be something special.

A woman approached us as we sat on the bench beside the swan handing us a sheet of paper with some words on it.....the lady was very obviously a trans woman but was incredibly polite, not forceful or aggressive in any way and the writing on the sheet was all about love and tolerance, nothing provocative in any way. We said thank you and wished her a good day and she wandered on.

A man behind us took incredible offense at this and we heard him shout disgusting things to this woman, way over the top from what she was actually doing. This was honestly horrible to see and the anger in the man`s face was scary, we were still close enough to see it. The woman remained calm and just said he was entitled to his opinion but maybe cursing in front of his kids and other folks kids wasn`t the best idea. Thankfully it didn`t erupt further, but everyone around us were all horrified at the man`s reaction. Regardless of your personal opinion, this lady was not doing anything to deserve such an attack.

And the swan`s babies appeared at that point. I did turn to see how the lady was, but she was much further round the path by now and the angry man was headed the other way.

These were so cute......and we were amazed how tame the swans were. Swans here are something we don`t get too close to, especially if they have babies....they`ll break your arm with one swipe of that wing.

It was getting near lunchtime now and I was starting to feel hungry, so we headed for where we were eating today. It was just off the park and although we didn`t know anything about the place we`d give it a try.

Persimmon Hollow Brewing Co looked very nice and as soon as we walked in, we liked it.

We were seated and Tom went into picture taking mode, we loved the natural look and having the beer vats with pumps in the Taproom added to the atmosphere of the place.

Staff were lovely and although the menu wasn`t huge, there were a lot of items we could enjoy.

My first mimosa of the day......this one was pineapple-jalapeno and it was very refreshing and did have a little kick to it which was nice.

We would share the Pear-Tridge in a Fig Tree salad for lunch which was a pear soaked in red wine, pine nuts, chopped figs, tomatoes, balsamic drizzle and a red wine vinaigrette with mixed greens. We did omit blue cheese crumbles which neither of us like.

The other item we`d share is the Dark and Stormy flatbread with added chicken which had pepper jack cheese, arugula and pineapple pico and our favourite bbq sauce base. Not everyone`s idea of a perfect pizza, but it is for me....if it had jalapenos on it of course it would have been completely perfect!

Both these items were beautiful. The salad was incredibly fresh and the flavours worked so well together and the flatbread was lovely too.

I had another mimosa, this time trying the blackberry-basil which was just ok, it was nice but I preferred the pineapple-jalapeno one from earlier.

I did snatch the camera to get a picture of my lovely husband enjoying his ginger ale......

We had enjoyed this lunch, light enough but we felt full enough that would keep us till dinner tonight. In fact as we were eating this meal Tom was asking where we would eat tonight!!!! Men.

Traffic was different on the way home, and it took ages to get back, but we made it and showered and changed and headed over to the lounge to sit for a while.

Second nasty incident of the day here, but I kept my mouth shut on this one.

Lady sat at the table beside us was ranting about something, I had noticed her in the morning and several times over th elast two days and we had never spoken. While she was ranting she said a word out loud you don`t hear very often describing people with reduced mental capacity, she was describing the folks around her so I guess I was included too. My face displays every emotion I`m feeling and I was genuinely shocked. She did have the grace to look rather embarrassed I had heard. I didn`t say a word but did mention it to the Club Staff later who were horrified as they had been so nice to her. Not nice to hear though.

We had another chatty evening and chatted to some other guests who had been staying a few days and a British couple who remembered us from when the Club Lounge was being revamped several years back. I didn`t remember them, and they said we were travel agents or something like that.......lol.....er no. Not sure who they were thinking of but it wasn`t us. He did remember us though.

We headed off and went to get the car as it was quite late now and we wanted to eat in the Ale house on Kirkman tonight....being a Sunday night it would be busy and we do like to sit at the bar in there.

It was good timing we got two seats at the bar when we went in, a couple just left and I think their seats were still warm when we sat down!

This is an incredibly friendly place....staff are brilliant and we like how folks sitting beside you will just start up a conversation and you get to know their whole life story at times.......people do like to share. But, we`ve always met such lovely folks sitting at the bar in here, but we`ve been incredibly lucky meeting lovely folks through all our trips over here.

Just the odd nasty pasty now and again in the past........

Dinner was an easy choice tonight, we would share the fried potstickers to start which we usually get every time, or maybe it just seems like it, but they are nice.

Food in here is cheap and cheerful, have never had a bad meal here and we`ve been many times.

We had a gap between appetiser and entrees tonight.....we were so enjoying just sitting here and soaking up the atmosphere which is pure fun, despite it being predominantly a sports bar, which we are most definitely not fans of....although we did see an F1 race on the faraway screen......so we squinted our eyes to watch that....

We both wanted steaks tonight and they`ve always been wonderful here and when I asked for rare or medium rare, they have turned out perfect.

Tom went for the ribeye and asked for it rare, which it was and it came with a sauce which I forget what it was, maybe garlic and something, but he liked it.

I went for the filet which I always get in here, with fries and salad. I also got rare and it was perfect, couldn`t have done better myself.

Again, the food was perfect and I had a couple of Blackberry Smash cocktails......they were nice, but very artificial compared to Strong Water......I had been spoiled.

We sat for a long time as we had some very nice folks around us and we just chatted the night away.....I think it was almost 11.15 before we thought we should make a move.

I think our day had been very relaxing, we had loved wandering around with no timetable or agenda to fill.

Back in our room, we went straight to bed, after I sent Kyle a good luck email for tomorrow.....first day in his new job and we were so excited for him.

 

[Cara]

Hello, Carole! I love the look of that fig salad and am much-impressed by photos from the Ale House. I would not have expected such yummy-looking food! I am sad that your trip is nearing the end...

 

[disneyseniors]

Carol, Wow, I just finished your last 3 reports. Don't know how I got so behind!
A few things that stood out for me: The Eye in Orlando!!! I don't know how you did that at all! I got sweaty hands just looking at the pictures. I could only focus on the picture that showed the steps running below the cars. I just pictured having to get out and walk/climb/crawl down them. Did I mention that I am afraid of heights and a chicken too, LOL. You were very brave to even do it.

About your Studios day: We actually like the Studios areas better than IOA. I don't know why? Maybe just the atmosphere and we love the attractions there too. We do like IOA, but find ourselves going back to the Studios side. I'm glad you go t to do the Bourne Experience too.

Speaking of being a chicken? I wouldn't venture out to downtown Orlando. I guess it's because I don't know the area, and usually big city downtown areas are not the best to visit in the US, IMO. Lake Eola does look beautiful though.

Again, I immensely enjoy the photos that Tom takes. It's like being on the trip too

 

[schumigirl]

Hello, Carole! I love the look of that fig salad and am much-impressed by photos from the Ale House. I would not have expected such yummy-looking food! I am sad that your trip is nearing the end...

Thank you Cara......

That salad was beautiful and got me back into eating fresh figs again.....and yes, the Ale House serves very good food and has a lovely varied menu. We keep saying we need to try more new restaurants but some we don`t want to give up and that`s one we want to keep going back to.

Yes, it is getting close to the end of this one.....only a few more days and then I can think about September TR........one of my lovely Goddaughter`s has already inadvertently named it......

 

[schumigirl]

Carol, Wow, I just finished your last 3 reports. Don't know how I got so behind!
A few things that stood out for me: The Eye in Orlando!!! I don't know how you did that at all! I got sweaty hands just looking at the pictures. I could only focus on the picture that showed the steps running below the cars. I just pictured having to get out and walk/climb/crawl down them. Did I mention that I am afraid of heights and a chicken too, LOL. You were very brave to even do it.

About your Studios day: We actually like the Studios areas better than IOA. I don't know why? Maybe just the atmosphere and we love the attractions there too. We do like IOA, but find ourselves going back to the Studios side. I'm glad you go t to do the Bourne Experience too.

Speaking of being a chicken? I wouldn't venture out to downtown Orlando. I guess it's because I don't know the area, and usually big city downtown areas are not the best to visit in the US, IMO. Lake Eola does look beautiful though.

Again, I immensely enjoy the photos that Tom takes. It's like being on the trip too

Glad you caught up tonight. It is easy to miss a few days and think....how`d I miss so much.....lol......

I won`t post it as it is ridiculous, but Tom took one picture of me that shows how I was really feeling up there. I don`t like heights at all, but force myself to go up there and cling for dear life onto the middle part.....lol....they think it`s funny, but they have no fear of heights, it is horrible but understand your hand sweating, mine do that too and legs just crumble......

I do love the Studios....I agree, and for a long time we always said the Studios was our favourite as we seemed to spend more time there out of the two parks. It still does have it`s attractions though and it is lovely in certain parts.

Well, after several nefarious outings we had in the past, friends at the hotel have told us we`re not allowed to go anywhere new without running it past them first....but they`ve all said the parts of Downtown we`d be going to are all right in the evenings...but, when we do go, we will ask first to check it`s ok with them......lol......

Thank you, I`m so glad you`re enjoying this one and the pictures too......

 

[schumigirl]

MONDAY MAY 23RD​

I went to sleep really quickly, but woke up around 1am our time, weirdly around the same time Kyle gets up in the UK at around 6am, and usually just before that. I knew he`d be looking forward to starting his new job today and would be up with the birds and full of excitement. This job was an amazing opportunity for him and we know what a star he is, and we knew the firm he was going to work with would be wonderful for him, and them too. To be asked to go join them was something we were very proud of.

And then I couldn`t get back to sleep......so I got up and went through to the sitting room and sent him a good luck email....not that he`d need it of course.....he replied with a "go back to sleep mum" lol.....he was so looking forward to this.

Eventually I did fall back over and woke to knowing he`d be well into his first day.

We got up and it was still early, I think I maybe slept for a couple of hours at best. I came back through to get some orange juice out of the fridge and saw it was another beautiful day ahead, and going to be another hot one!

We love the lagoon view at Sapphire, it`s such a pretty view of the boats coming and going and of course you can see just how many folks are waiting for the early boats.....something we never do......we like to be up early, but not for early entry.

We were quite early this morning heading over for breakfast and the place was so busy we had to sit on the high tops. It can vary so much as to how busy it can be, it can be full capacity but the lounge isn`t obviously busy, or at other times it can be quite full, it did clear fairly quickly after 15 minutes or so.

We do enjoy our breakfast here, we don`t really look for cooked items in the morning, so this works nicely and fruit with either toast for me and croissants for Tom and our morning tea and coffee, and yes of course......champagne........

We took our time as usual and we chatted to the couple who remembered us from several years back, they were nice and we chatted about the changes in the hotel last few years. Some folks love it , some don`t.

We headed down to get the boat eventually, we do chat a lot....and it was meltingly hot and I already looked hot and bothered and I had only got to the boat dock!

The boat was only a few minutes wait this morning and then we were enjoying a slight breeze as the boat moved along the water which was very welcome. It is a beautiful little ride along to Citywalk, all the hotels have a lovely little route by boat to the parks I have to say and is a good alternative to walking if you don`t feel like it. We tend to get the boat back after a day at the Studios, and most certainly after an evening at HHN if there`s one waiting, if not sometimes it`s easier on the feet to keep walking that to stand for a long time.

The walking path is also very beautiful and very safe if you`re walking at night or alone, it`s well lit and there are always folks milling around and we always see families too, even very late.

It dawned on us this morning watching the hordes of folks scrambling for a spot in front of the Universal Globe, it had been years since we took a picture in that spot for some reason.....maybe it was just too busy whenever we passed. It`s a classic picture though for any family to have.

There were lines at the gates, I wished they had an AP holder entrance here like IOA had right now, it did save some time, not that we were in any rush though.

Tom asked if there was anything else we needed to buy as gifts for folks as this would be the last day we could get items delivered to our room, I couldn`t think of anything to be honest and if I did we could pick it up on the way out today or tomorrow.

We headed down to the right today as we weren`t doing Minions, and there`s nothing else down that way right now for us to do. Next time we visited Mummy would be back up and running and we were so looking forward to that as we had missed it this trip.

We meandered around Five and Dime and as we headed out we saw Ms Marilyn had appeared for pictures.....well, I kind of pushed Tom forward and she joked I was throwing my husband at her.....I kinda did I guess......she was brilliant and very funny too and eventually I did get my husband back.

It wasn`t too early, but the park still looked incredibly quiet, even for a Monday morning, we had seen it much busier, but it was nice not having to trawl through people in this heat.

I heard a voice at this point ask why I wasn`t taking his picture....I turned to see Shaggy and Scooby heading down to their meet and greet point. This guy did not look like Shaggy at all, but he did sound like him, remarkably so.

A deserted park is always good for pictures and we did get a few this morning, Cafe La Bamba was deserted and of course it was too early for Horror Make up Show yet.

We cut through Springfield area, it`s not an area we are very interested in to be honest......we aren`t really fans of The Simpson`s as a show and that fairground feel doesn`t appeal at all, so we go through it without stopping today.

Diagon Alley is of course much busier, but not too bad.

This is such a lovely area and loads to snap pictures of. The first time you walk through those bricks and see Diagon Alley is a moment you do remember, well, we do. To see it come to life for yourself after reading the books or seeing it in the films, well, it is rather special.

We did plan to buy an orange drink from The Hopping Pot, but the line was so long we decided not to bother, we hadn`t managed one this trip but would make sure we`d try in September.

I did find this face a little creepy to be honest......

Gringotts was on our agenda this morning and the regular line was fairly long. It`s a good ride, but not one I`d wait any length of time for.

With EP we managed to do this ride twice in a row, and it is a fun ride for sure. Folks say there is a drop, but it really isn`t a drop in the sense of the word.

When we come out of the ride and retrieve my bag we have a good look at the telescopes on the upper shelves which I`m sure I mentioned some of them are made from the old Jaws track and items from the line which is a lovely nod to the old Jaws ride that was replaced by this wonderful addition to the parks, Diagon Alley.

At this point there were a lot of folks starting to head in to DA so for us, that usually means it`s time for us to head out.

Lunch coming right up........

 

[keishashadow]

Carole you look so lovely in this dress! Not that you don't always look lovely, but this is especially stunning on you. Still loving your great trip report!

She always looks as tho she’s stepped off a runway there. How, I cannot imagine…I’m the one who often looks as tho they were fished out of a swimming pool.

all caught up, had to lol when i saw the FL tray…found similar one when I was clean out my mom’s stuff a few years ago. Yes, I did box it up, to keep

those potstickers looked good. Wanted to mention that we did order takeout from Millers next WDW recent trip for lunch. Would you believe half of the potstickers were empty? everything was tasty tho, go figure lol

 

[schumigirl]

She always looks as tho she’s stepped off a runway there. How, I cannot imagine…I’m the one who often looks as tho they were fished out of a swimming pool.

all caught up, had to lol when i saw the FL tray…found similar one when I was clean out my mom’s stuff a few years ago. Yes, I did box it up, to keep

those potstickers looked good. Wanted to mention that we did order takeout from Millers next WDW recent trip for lunch. Would you believe half of the potstickers were empty? everything was tasty tho, go figure lol

I take any and all compliments……lol……thank you….

Janet, it was the strangest thing…..I saw it and it immediately took me back. It was odd. Oh I’d have kept it kept that one too if I’d found it the way you did.

lol…..I’d have been laughing so hard at the potstickers being empty……then instantly annoyed Glad the food was good though, can’t go working really with their food.

Glad you’re all caught up……..

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

All caught up again!

If it weren't for you I wouldn't know where to look! Never knew there was a dementor like figure atop one of those stores.


I want to say thank you for being kind to that trans woman. I don't want to get political on here, but I hate to hear that these things happen. Let people live their lives! From the way you described she did nothing horrible and was very polite. I just wish others could understand that.


That drawing of you at Lake Eola was also very well done!


Hope Kyle is loving his new job!