Tuck your elbows in - a September / October trip report - day 5

[lumosq102]

Day 4 is here

Monday 25 September

Waking up in our lovely comfy beds was a delight this morning. Really, the Portafino beds are worth the price of the hotel, pillows like clouds, mattresses that are soft but supportive… If I could smuggle a whole bed home I would.

We had places to be, so after a super relaxing night the night before we were out of bed at 5:30 and out of the hotel a little before 7am with a wee squabble over how early we were leaving the room. I thought we were running late (we were) R thought we were going to be just fine (we were).

We headed first to the Portafino boat dock but the boat was just pulling away. Bother. So a power walk to Universal Studios it was, according to the times on my photos we were heading away from our room at Portafino at 6:50 and arrived in Diagon Alley at 7:20. The actual path isn’t too long, you walk along the river, crossing by the Hard Rock Hotel and going through security just by the exit form the Hard Rock Hotel which spits you out just around the corner from the entrance to Universal Studios. When you’re not power walking to avoid missing your early entry advantage it’s a lovely stroll. Today, we power walked.

Arriving in Diagon Alley it was pretty chilled – we had clearly missed the initial rush of hotel guests who were let in at 7am, now it was just the stragglers arriving in dribs and drabs which meant I could get a few pictures of a somewhat peaceful area. And breath…

Apologies if you had your fill of Potter on Day 4…

There are always new details that I haven’t noticed before

Location of disappointing and overpriced beverages

But very pretty

The day is starting to warm up

Grumpy kitty

After my little Potter photoshoot we walked on to Escape from Gringotts which was indeed a walk on. However something was very wrong with the audio on the ride, the visuals and audio were completely out of sync so it was just really confuddling.

[lumosq102]

Still scratching our heads, we left Diagon Alley and headed over to the little Starbucks in the San Francisco / New York cross over area for what was becoming our usual breakfast – sausage, cheese and egg muffin without the sausage for me; the Chorizo, egg and cheese for R along with a couple of cold brew vanilla cream coffees for a nice caffeine boost.

Hand sanitiser always at the ready

I know, they look unappetising. They really are rather yummy though!

I am used to Americans spelling my name wrong, I usually end up as Kristy rather than Kirsty which is somewhat amusing. Today’s misspelling was quite impressive – Kurtiy.

We say and communed with the pigeons for a while (do the birds of prey scare them away from Walt Disney World? I never see pigeons on property) before we decided our breakfast was settled enough for a couple of runs through on the Mummy.

Breakfast still in tummies, we wander back to Kings Cross to take the Hogwarts Express to Islands of Adventure. Worth noting – there is now an express pass line that we have not seen in previous years. It wasn’t in use this early (though bad queuing was plentiful)

Oh Hedwig. That scene in Deathly Hallows still turns me into a puddle of tears.

We were at the station a little before 9am but didn’t make it on the first train out this time. I think if you were planning on being on that first train an 8:40 arrival would probably be sensible. We were on our way by 9:10 and arrived into Hogsmeade Station at 9:20.

A slow stroll around a lovely peaceful Hogsmeade followed and reminded me how much I love that area. Its just magic, the details are perfect.

One in a series of thousands – R wanders off bored whilst W takes photos

I do confess to missing Dragon Challenge / Duelling Dragons, but I’m looking forward to seeing what goes on its place, their Potter rides have all been exceptional and I’m sure this will be no different. I’ve heard it will be some sort of dark ride / family coaster hybrid, but nothing confirmed so far.

Forbidden Journey remains my favourite ride here – Universal wide, not just in the Wizarding World. We utilized the new Express Pass line and we were boarding our flying bench in a jiffy. Have I mentioned how much I love that the Express Pass is now being used for the Wizarding World rides? So handy.

We used to go round and round in the single rider line (highly recommended for those who aren’t staying at Universal, its not like you can see your travelling companions whilst you are on the ride anyway) but the Express Pass line was even shorter! We went round again. And again. And again. Most of the effects were working today too which was great to see – even the Whomping Willow was whomping! The Dementors only took a picture of us once though. They always manage to get you at the most unflattering angle.

Heading out of the castle before our brains gave in on us, we went on the obligatory trip with the Hippogriff (it’s a rough little ride) before nipping in to the Hogs Head for a frozen butterbeer, enjoyed in the lovely garden area in the back.

Happy R

The view from the patio – soon my pretty

[lumosq102]

It was now coming up to 11am and starting to get busy in the village so time to be moving along - to Seuss landing! I didn’t read the Dr Seuss books as a kid (I was more a ladybird book fan which I think still influences the dress sense) but I am utterly smitten by this area. It is just such fun.

Starting with a quick ride on the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley, then around to board the Caro-Seuss-el. Hopping over to Cat in the Hat for a blast of that icy cold air conditioning. All three rides had no wait with our without Express Pass. Perfect. Cat in the hat was… odd. Have they slowed down the spinning? We didn’t feel quite as tossed around as usual.

Sky high views

Next up was the first water ride of the day, and a first for us - One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. Essentially it’s Dumbo with water spraying at you. You are supposed to be able to avoid the water if you follow the instructions in the song but as is usual with Universal, they never avoid an opportunity to get you wet.

Leaving Seuss Landing a little damp but happy, it was time to be reunited with an old friend. Hulk. It was down the last time we were here for its huge refurb and was greatly missed. Islands without that roar of the tracks is just odd.

Belongings swiftly placed in lockers we were soon walking up to the loading area, missing most of the new queue theme in our haste. No matter how many times we have ridden this ride it gives me such butterflies in my tummy (read – mind numbing terror) and as I am being strapped into my seat I’m always questioning my sanity. Then the ride catapults you up the launch hill and you remember why you put yourself through the terror and the nerves. Its just brilliant, best coaster I’ve ridden and I always disembark feeling jubilant.

I was hoping that the refurb would have ironed out the rocky second half of the ride but alas… the first part is smoother than ever and just a delight… then you take that lift hill and its time to pay the piper. Not as bad as it used to be, but still I’m not as young as I was and the poor old noggin can’t cope with repeating Hulk these days. That’s one of the things they don’t tell you about the aging process – reduced tolerance for the good coasters. Bah.

As we were in the neighbourhood it was only right that we head off to see Spiderman next. It was another super short wait – just 5 minutes posted on the door but the wait in the Express Pass line was more like 10 minutes.

Once we got to loading it seemed that the Team Members were attempting a speed loading record and our lapbar was being lowered before we were seated & the TM loading us clocked me around the head which was unpleasant. He didn’t seem to notice either, or was feeling particularly annoyed and couldn’t bring himself to apologise.

In the hurry the lap bar wasn’t pushed down far enough and we were off before I could correct it, meaning that we were all tossed around the vehicle much more than usual, as was my camera bag which made me very cranky. Stumbling off the ride at the end, we scooted outside to one of the always so hot concrete benches where I discovered that camera had suffered an injury – thankfully just cosmetic, the mode dial plate had been knocked off. I could have cried.

The plan was now to complete the rest of the water rides, so we started with Jurassic Park, again a walk on - after we had paid $4 for a locker. I know they are not obligatory here, but as wet as I have got in the past I wouldn’t risk riding without one. Today was no different – we visited our cranky dino friend and disembarked a little damp in the seat area.

Walking back towards Toon Lagoon we notice that the line for the new Kong ride was rather short, so why not? Being a massive chicken and hating things jumping out at me, I was a little nervous boarding the ride, but you know? It was fine. I few jumps here and there, the effects were impressive, as was the big fellow himself. If you don’t like creepy crawlies I would say don’t sit in the window seat, but overall? It was fine. Better than Fallon, but I don’t have any strong feelings about it either way.

We then hopped over to ride Dudley Do Right’s Ripsaw Falls, unfortunately it was down, as were Pluto’s Bilge Rat Barges. Such a shame as by this point it was hot hot hot. Defeated by our water rides challenge, we left the park in search of lunch.

Stuck on the way out thanks to a superhero calvacade (dodgy iphone snaps)

Its an odd mix of characters

We wandered into City Walk & decided on Breadbox for sandwiches. It’s a bit of a hidden gem. The dining area is lovely and cool, never seems to be crowded and is always clean. The food is prepared fresh and neither of us have had a bad meal here. R had the hot turkey sandwich with tater tots, I went with the 4 cheese and fries. My only mistake was getting the fries instead of the tots. The fries were fine, the tots were fantastic.

With a couple of soft drinks the total was $28.29. It did take a while for the food to come out but that is not a complaint, I was more than happy to wait for a fresh meal, but if you plan on eating here you might want to allocate a little more time than you would to the food court upstairs.

Tummies full and happy, we head down to the boat dock to head back to Portafino. The wait at the dock was much faster today and before we knew it we were floating in the pool. Heaven.

Hot & sweaty after a morning in the park

We used the main pool as the closest quiet pool was still closed following the hurricane. Normally we avoid the main pools due to, well, we don’t have kids so we don’t need to swim with them and their loud pool games. All I want is a frozen cocktail, a pool that goes deeper than 4 foot and a place to lie in the sun.

The pool here was busy, but in no way Disney busy. There was plenty of space to swim and float away from the kids who were enjoying games at the other end of the pool, far enough away that we could barely hear them. The attendants were super and had our frozen cocktails to us with no wait. We did get convinced to go with the souvenir cups though which was a waste of time and the cups themselves weren’t quirky enough to warrant holiday keepsake value – in fact I don’t remember unpacking them. Perhaps they were discarded in Orlando? Regardless, get the drinks, don’t bother with the cups and enjoy the super soft and peaceful waters of the Portafino pool.

We had to drag ourselves away from the pool area early evening to go back to the room and get ready for dinner. Ahh pool, we could have spent days with you…

Finally chlorine free and somewhat presentable, we head down to the courtyard a little before 8pm to get a table to watch the opera singer that comes out very evening to serenade the bay. It was a really relaxing place to spend a little time, the sun setting in the background, singer on the balcony… lovely. I wouldn’t say she was an opera singer though, she sang a lot of old jazz standards (think Frank Sinatra), perfectly fitting and a great start to our evening.

Serenade over it was time to head into City Walk for dinner, this time taking the boat rather than walking.

The parks closed at 7pm tonight so we were hoping that we would have missed the worse of the rush for tables. It was still pretty busy however, we were quoted 40 minutes at CowFish and dutifully left my name and mobile number so they could text us when a table was ready.

We head off to walk around City Walk at night, enjoying the view and watching the hussle and bustle of the theme park crowds. That gets old after 20 minutes so we head up to the bar at CowFish to grab a drink whilst we wait for our table.

Water play areas are always popular, no matter the hour

We spot a couple of seats at the bar and get settled in with the drink menu. I’m feeling cocky as I have a go to drink at CowFish that I adore – the Back Yard brew. This is a heady mix of cinnamon, bourbon and apple and it is heaven in a glass. This thing has knocked colds out of me on two separate trips it is so potent, and I have been looking forward to coming here for this drink alone.

Unfortunately it has also been taken off the menu. I think our bartender must have noticed my disappointed face and quickly offered to see if she could whip one up for me anyway – they didn’t have any of the decorative elements but who cares? Just give me the booze and I’m happy. R was much less high maintenance and went with the Ruby Panther. Mine was delicious and was savoured slowly in case this was my very last backyard brew. Sob. I assume R’s was good, she didn’t complain whilst I was enjoying my alone time with my drink.

Our bartender offered to put in our food order for us but we declined, preferring to wait for our table. That there was out mistake this evening, we should have just hung out at the bar with cold and cold running backyard brews in our kitchen adjacent location. Instead we wait for our table and are called just over an hour after we put our names on the wait list downstairs.

We head back to the podium (leaving a good tip for that superstar bartender) with what was left of our drinks and are seated on the patio to the right of the building. It’s a lovely evening so its no bother sitting outside to enjoy the Florida night air. Our server is Jason who was just lovely and quickly puts in our order for our second cocktail – a Nice n Rosey for me which was delicious (no Backyard Brew, but a good drink nonetheless) and a Strawberry and Fig for R. The cocktails here are solid, and don’t skimp on the liquor.

This did mean I was getting just on the hangry side of hungry but our order was taken quickly so all seemed well. I ordered the new veggie sushi they were offering which looked lovely, the edamame with siracha salt and a side of the loaded fries (with no bacon, obviously).

This was one of R’s favourite places to eat in Florida & she had had her order ready for weeks – Dougs Fillet Roll and the Geisha Rolls.

The sushi comes out quickly which is appreciated and was devoured with gusto. The new veggie sushi was super, much better than the one they used to offer here. R’s steak was unfortunately overdone on the fillet roll, perhaps due to feedback from other patrons? It was a shame though, they were perfectly pink last time she had them, now there was barely a spot of pink to be seen and a were a little more like shoe leather surrounding her sushi. The geisha roles were a huge hit though, a triumph in her words.

I had long finished my sushi when Jason next stopped by to see how we were getting on. He was suitably aghast when he realised that our hot items were yet to arrive. Unfortunately it took a few trips back and forth before they finally got to the table, by which point the fries were cold and the toppings congealed and quite frankly disgusting. I gamely tried a few but it was not to be – and I never turn down plastic cheese. Disappointing. The edamame was great though, and the siracha salt was nice and spicy. Thankfully the edamame portion here is massive and filled a hole. Jason kindly took the fries off the bill without prompting.

Overall, it will be a while before we make it back to Cowfish. We have made this a regular spot when in Universal since it opened a few years back, and whilst the food has always been a bit average for veggies (last time my bento box arrived with a meat hamburger, despite triple checking with the server that the veggie option came with a veggie hambuger…) but the cocktails have made it worth it for me, and R always loved her options. This time it left both of us disappointed, and it is just not worth the price. Like Disney Springs, there are plenty of other options in City Walk & if Cowfish can’t get its offerings out consistently after a number of years in place then, well, we’re done. We’ll keep an eye on the reviews and might pop back in a few years if the consistency issues are ironed out. Until then, so long Cowfish.

We stumble back to the boat dock, lighter of pocket and unsteady on ourfeet. The boat journey back was amusing, the boat captain had a sense of humour & his passengers had all been enjoying the adult beverages. The evening playlist was pretty much exclusively disco music & the captain started flashing the boat lights as if we were aboard the good ship studio 64. It had us in stitches.

Despite the drinks we managed to find our way through the labyrinthian corridors and were back at our room with minimal fuss after another super day, falling into bed after a large glass of water and a couple of painkillers in the hopes that it would make tomorrow morning a little easier to bear.

[MrsSilverStar]

Loving the sound of that boat captain! You got lots of great Potter photos, looks so beautiful.

[Goldia]

We too will miss the red and blue Dragon challenge, DS in particular isn't a massive fan of all the simulators so the idea they've taken away a 'proper' ride really upset him when he found out.

A shame about Cowfish. We loved it there last summer. The cocktails and sushi looked yummy though.

[Flimsey]

Love your pictures, they are fantastic.

[lumosq102]

Originally Posted by MrsSilverStar

Loving the sound of that boat captain! You got lots of great Potter photos, looks so beautiful.

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he was very memorable - clearly loved his job!

And thank you, most appreciated - its a glorious subject. I really did whittle down the number I posted here from the number I took - believe it or not!

Originally Posted by Goldia

We too will miss the red and blue Dragon challenge, DS in particular isn't a massive fan of all the simulators so the idea they've taken away a 'proper' ride really upset him when he found out.

A shame about Cowfish. We loved it there last summer. The cocktails and sushi looked yummy though.

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I sympathise with your DS - it was a great coaster & whatever ends up in the space we can be fairly confident it won't be another white knuckle ride

I think Cowfish can be amazing - we've had great meals there too. It was probably the meal R was looking forward to the most, other than the V&A. But it was just super disappointing. If we end up there again we'll stick to sushi and cocktails only.

Originally Posted by Flimsey

Love your pictures, they are fantastic.

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Thank you very much

[collybird]

A real shame about Cowfish, it's always sad when an old favourite lets you down.

[lumosq102]

Originally Posted by collybird

A real shame about Cowfish, it's always sad when an old favourite lets you down.

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It really is. I hold out hope that it will improve but it will be a while before we risk it again.

[a11mark]

those pictures are great