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Reports and Reviews for Dining and Restaurants Trip Reports |
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7 Aug 23, 06:18 PM |
#1
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VIP Dibber
Join Date: Nov 14
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Horror, Handbags & Honey Butter Buns: CityWalk, Disney Springs & Offsite in Sept 2023
Let’s try this again… I’m terrible at finishing these! I tried to keep up with a live trip report last time and failed miserably. We’ll see how I go this time as I'd love to have it to read back myself, even if nobody else reads it!
After two trips last year and saying we probably wouldn’t go back to Orlando for a while, my finger somehow managed to slip and accidentally hit that book button once again – so here we are, getting ready to go off on our 6th “once in a lifetime” trip. I do think this one will be the last for a couple of years, though. I think… Who? 2 adults – me (31) and OH (34). I do all the booking and planning, and OH more or less just turns up. As long as there’s a chance to buy some trainers and a promise of The Boathouse’s honey butter buns, he's happy to leave everything to me! When? 11th September 2023, for 10 nights. I wish I’d booked for longer, but I was freelancing at the time of booking, and 10 nights meant I didn’t need to take so many days off unpaid. Regretting that a little now that I have paid holidays to take for the first time in my life! Flying PE from LGW to MCO with British Airways. We’re on the BA2037 outbound and BA2036 inbound which are prone to cancellations right now, so fingers crossed all will go well… 🤞 With hurricanes, hotel fires, holiday companies going bust, getting COVID two days before travel, lost cases, chemical leaks and airports having power cuts all forming part of our last few trips out of the country, I’m hoping we can break the curse and have a trip that goes smoothly! Where? We’ll be staying at Sapphire Falls in a Lagoon View King Room… after our first visit last year, we’ll struggle to book anywhere else! We love it here. Have requested building 2 as we really liked this location for the pool last time, even if it’s a bit further of a walk to the water taxi. Can’t wait for that lobby smell to hit me… What? Well, this probably isn’t going to be the most exciting report as there’ll be no parks this time – unless you count HHN at Universal Studios, and a night at Seaworld for Howl-O-Scream. In between the scares, we’ll mostly be chilling by the pool, shopping at the outlets (read: buying more handbags I don’t need), or eating our way across Orlando… so this will mainly be a dining report with a few extra bits and bobs thrown in. Costs I’m keen to keep track of our costs as we go, as we’ve had super cheap trips and much more expensive trips over the years, and with finding everything more expensive last year we’ve no real idea how much to budget to “do Orlando” how we like to… especially as we tend to book and pay for things in drips and drabs! I’m a firm believer that Orlando can be as expensive or as cheap as you make it, but hopefully this report will help when we come back and I 100% absolutely under no circumstances book to go back again next year… 🙃 So far, we’ve spent:
Total running spend (pre-travel) - £3,748 and $886.35. Ouch… we’re not even there yet! Add-on a Bath & Body Works order of hand soaps ($45.52) and Walgreens order of all the weird and wonderful medication we can’t buy over here ($144.21) that I’ve placed ahead of arrival to get delivered to the lovely Debbie, and we’re up to $1076.08 – eek. I’m sure buying these bits in advance will make me feel like I have more money for spending in Kate Spade and Sephora when we’re out there 😂 Dining Plans... We’ve got these restaurants and bars on the list, but even we will struggle to hit them all in 10 nights, so we need to whittle it down… Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snacks DrinksFive weeks to go – the countdown is on!
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Sept 15 TwoGoTo Orlando - Avanti Resort/Cabana Bay/Wilderness Lodge Sept 16 TwoGoTo Orlando & Miami - Avanti Resort/Grand Beach Hotel Miami Beach Sept 19 TwoGoTo Orlando - Avanti Resort Sept 21 TwoGoTo Aiya Napa - Amarande Hotel Nov 21 TwoGoTo New York - The James New York Nomad Mar 22 TwoGoTo Orlando - Cabana Bay Sept 22 TwoGoTo Orlando - Sapphire Falls Nov 22 TwoGoTo Rome - 9Hotel Cesari July 23 TwoGoTo Kos - Mitsis Summer Palace Sept 23 TwoGoTo Orlando - Sapphire Falls |
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7 Aug 23, 11:20 PM |
#2
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Imagineer
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Sounds like a great trip! 😍 Very excited for you - I’ve also been looking at your room type at Sapphire Falls as a potential for next year, so would love to see some more of it!
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Food Reports: California: San Diego, Disneyland, Universal & LA - Oct/Nov 2023 (LIVE) *** Orlando - Nov 2022 (LIVE) *** Miami, Fort Lauderdale & Orlando - Nov/Dec 2021 (LIVE) *** Orlando - Sept/Oct 2019 (LIVE) *** Orlando - April/May 2018 *** Orlando - Aug 2016 |
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8 Aug 23, 07:18 AM |
#3
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VIP Dibber
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Love it!
I’ll be reading along for HHN tips as well as your food and shopping. You were very restrained on your Bbw order 😂 I’d like to try Howl O Scream at some point I just don’t want to give up an HhN night this time. Fingers crossed no dramas this time 🤞
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Rescuers Reports Lots of food and trip reports |
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8 Aug 23, 07:34 AM |
#4
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Thread Starter
VIP Dibber
Join Date: Nov 14
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Thank you. I’m looking forward to the extra space without the second bed. The two beds actually came in very handy last year though when OH had Covid 😂
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Sept 15 TwoGoTo Orlando - Avanti Resort/Cabana Bay/Wilderness Lodge Sept 16 TwoGoTo Orlando & Miami - Avanti Resort/Grand Beach Hotel Miami Beach Sept 19 TwoGoTo Orlando - Avanti Resort Sept 21 TwoGoTo Aiya Napa - Amarande Hotel Nov 21 TwoGoTo New York - The James New York Nomad Mar 22 TwoGoTo Orlando - Cabana Bay Sept 22 TwoGoTo Orlando - Sapphire Falls Nov 22 TwoGoTo Rome - 9Hotel Cesari July 23 TwoGoTo Kos - Mitsis Summer Palace Sept 23 TwoGoTo Orlando - Sapphire Falls |
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8 Aug 23, 07:38 AM |
#5
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VIP Dibber
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Looks like you have a fabulous trip planned, I can't wait to read about it!
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8 Aug 23, 07:38 AM |
#6
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Thread Starter
VIP Dibber
Join Date: Nov 14
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I was very restrained! I’m sure I’ll be placing another as they’ve sent me a voucher to use 😂 Was trying to strategically work out how many soaps we need to see us through to New York in March.
I’m looking forward to trying Howl o Scream, I think I’d we had park passes and could stay and scream at HHN every night we might not have bothered. Hopefully it’s good, I haven’t read much about it. Your next trip will be here before you know it!
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Sept 15 TwoGoTo Orlando - Avanti Resort/Cabana Bay/Wilderness Lodge Sept 16 TwoGoTo Orlando & Miami - Avanti Resort/Grand Beach Hotel Miami Beach Sept 19 TwoGoTo Orlando - Avanti Resort Sept 21 TwoGoTo Aiya Napa - Amarande Hotel Nov 21 TwoGoTo New York - The James New York Nomad Mar 22 TwoGoTo Orlando - Cabana Bay Sept 22 TwoGoTo Orlando - Sapphire Falls Nov 22 TwoGoTo Rome - 9Hotel Cesari July 23 TwoGoTo Kos - Mitsis Summer Palace Sept 23 TwoGoTo Orlando - Sapphire Falls |
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8 Aug 23, 09:38 AM |
#7
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Excited about Disney
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Really looking forward to reading about Howl o Scream as this isnt one ive done!
Trip looks amazing good luck picking where to eat.
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AnimeLover April 2001 , April 2002 , Oct 2003 , April 2005 , Sept 2007 Oct 2009 Sept 2013 June 2014Oct 2018(Disneymoon <3 )First DVC Dec 2019March 2022Jan 2023 |
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8 Aug 23, 10:37 AM |
#8
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Thread Starter
VIP Dibber
Join Date: Nov 14
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It’ll be our first time for it too, I’m not sure it’ll have the same feel as HHN but looking forward to trying it out. I have heard that it’s more intense, but we’ll see!
Thank you - we definitely need to be there for longer to get through all the restaurants 😂
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Sept 15 TwoGoTo Orlando - Avanti Resort/Cabana Bay/Wilderness Lodge Sept 16 TwoGoTo Orlando & Miami - Avanti Resort/Grand Beach Hotel Miami Beach Sept 19 TwoGoTo Orlando - Avanti Resort Sept 21 TwoGoTo Aiya Napa - Amarande Hotel Nov 21 TwoGoTo New York - The James New York Nomad Mar 22 TwoGoTo Orlando - Cabana Bay Sept 22 TwoGoTo Orlando - Sapphire Falls Nov 22 TwoGoTo Rome - 9Hotel Cesari July 23 TwoGoTo Kos - Mitsis Summer Palace Sept 23 TwoGoTo Orlando - Sapphire Falls |
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8 Aug 23, 11:04 AM |
#9
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Imagineer
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Looks a fantastic trip
We love HHN too 😈👻🤡 Nice choice of restaurants, my favs are Cheesecake Longhorns & cheap & cheerful Shake Shack 😋😋 Not long now |
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8 Aug 23, 01:05 PM |
#10
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Thread Starter
VIP Dibber
Join Date: Nov 14
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I think we might squeeze Shake Shack in at the airport on the way home, it’d be rude not to!
Cheesecake is a no-brainer, but trying to decide between faithful Longhorns and giving Saltgrass a try! Yep not long at all… I’m at the stage where my productivity at work is getting very low as all I can think about is getting on that plane 😂
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Sept 15 TwoGoTo Orlando - Avanti Resort/Cabana Bay/Wilderness Lodge Sept 16 TwoGoTo Orlando & Miami - Avanti Resort/Grand Beach Hotel Miami Beach Sept 19 TwoGoTo Orlando - Avanti Resort Sept 21 TwoGoTo Aiya Napa - Amarande Hotel Nov 21 TwoGoTo New York - The James New York Nomad Mar 22 TwoGoTo Orlando - Cabana Bay Sept 22 TwoGoTo Orlando - Sapphire Falls Nov 22 TwoGoTo Rome - 9Hotel Cesari July 23 TwoGoTo Kos - Mitsis Summer Palace Sept 23 TwoGoTo Orlando - Sapphire Falls |
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