As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
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There are other changes as well.
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We go on to the joy and through the tears
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Moving on with the current of the years.
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It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
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So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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This trip report is a continuation of the one for our Disney Cruise. I will be writing it in the same format - "bullet points" instead of a linear, here is what we did today report. I'll let you know when I am finished, and please let me know if I missed anything!
*****STAFF*****
Right off the bat, I want to address the staff at the Hard Rock hotel and the parks. I always said that I enjoy going to the Disney parks because the Cast Members make it so magical. Well, the staff here met or exceeded the experiences I have at WDW. First off, when I checked in, the lady behind the desk was very friendly. She was like "Ooh my gosh, this is so great! I have an upgrade for you and I think you are going to love your room!" They had upgraded us from a garden view to a pool/theme park view, and it was excellent!
Next, I told her that Fred had developed a sinus infection (had enough to know) and we needed a clinic or urgent care close by, since he would have to take a cab. She recommended East Coast Medical - the doctor comes right to your room, he brings a stock of common medication so he can dispense it on the spot, and they give you paperwork to send to your insurance company.
When we got to the room, we called and set up for a doctor to come out. A few minutes later, security called to see who was sick, what was wrong, and did we need anything! Apparently the clinic had called them to let them know they were sending a doctor.
I had to call housekeeping to get towels and kleenex, and they came up quickly with lots of them. He called me by name, and asked if there was anything else they could get me.
I took the boys to the pool to swim that night. One of the lifeguards was picking up used towels around the pool, and she asked me if she could get me anything to eat or drink from the Beach Club quick service near the pool.
The ride operators were very friendly in the park. Nick had a favorite ride (more on that later) and they were letting him stay on all the time. The ride operator even came over to talk to him about it.
So, in a nutshell (after my examples) everyone at Universal that I interacted with could have easily worked at WDW and met or beat their level of service. It was wonderful!
Jim led right into my next segment - the Hard Rock Hotel. Our favorite hotel was the Beach Club at WDW, but the Hard Rock met (probably exceeded) it. Yes, the BC has Stormalong Bay, but the Hard Rock pool, well, rocks!
*****HARD ROCK HOTEL*****
Here are some pictures of our room at the Hard Rock:
And Ethan's favorite - a Keurig coffee maker, just like at home!
*****HARD ROCK HOTEL POOL*****
The pool at the HR was everything that is good in a pool. From the music piped in underwater to the fact that it was nice and warm for the chilly days and nights we had. There was also a slide that the kids loved. And it was huge! Some pictures:
Hot tub (with sand on the bottom):
Beach volleyball:
One place where the HR exceeds WDW (in my opinion) is in the facilities for parents with small children. Ironic, isn't it? They had several fountains scattered around the pool in alcoves with lounge chairs around them.
Glad you had a great trip. When we stayed at HRH tropical storm Fay was in town and we never got to use the pool It looked nice! I also found the hallway really loud at HRH. Late at night when City Walk closed (I guess) you could hear everyone going down the hall. Echos. That was the only thing I didn't like.
Great report - thanks for sharing! I agree with you - I've always found the team members at Universal to be very friendly - after all, they know their competition! We found some great team members at MIB especially.
I have said many times that HRH is my favourite resort in the Orlando area. I've stayed at Disney's Polynesian Concierge and at AKL (as well as POFQ and POP) and at HRH (twice), and I agree with Jim that HRH is <gasp!> superior to them.
I think Michelle hit it on the nose. Universal knows that Disney is big competition and that Disney is renowned for amazing customer service. They know that if they don't meet or exceed, people like me who love Disney will not keep coming back.
I'm glad you had such a great experience there. And I hope your DH is all better by now!
I wanted to mention that the walk from HRH to the parks was not too far. You go out a gate at the corner of the building, by the pool, and just follow the signs. You can also take the water taxi, however, it drops you off on the City Walk side and you have to walk to a bridge, cross, then walk to the park. We did take the boat back to the hotel one night after dinner at City Walk. Also, near the bag check on the way back to the hotel, you will find bike taxis most of the time. These guys work for tips only, and it is a quick and easy way to get back if you don't feel like walking or waiting for a boat.
I am going to mention all of the rides/shows we did in the parks. Keep in mind Fred was out of commission the whole first day, and my kids HATE waiting for anything. In that sense, Express Pass was worth it's weight in gold. On most of the rides EP didn't make a difference (it was that slow) but it did help some, and I can imagine that at busier times, it would be well worth staying on site.
Also, Ethan and I have determined that pretty much everything at US/IOA involves getting wet, fire, or spinning around. Just an observation!
*****REVENGE OF THE MUMMY*****
Awesome! Ethan rode this over and over with me and Fred. I don't want to give away too much for those who haven't been on it yet - it is the kind of ride that is better if you DON'T know what will happen, but one of my favorite parts was when you turn, and go up really fast (hope you all know what I mean ). It gave me butterflies every time.
*****TWISTER. . .RIDE IT OUT*****
The preshow movie was almost more scary than the show - the dad gets sucked out of the cellar by a twister. Glad Nick wasn't with us! The show itself was really neat. Ethan and I were giggling like crazy when we came out - his hair looked like Farrah Fawcett's!
*****JAWS*****
Just as cheesy as the one I remember from Universal Hollywood in 1980. The kids got these cool pictures:
*****THE SIMPSONS*****
Absolutely hilarious, with a lot of digs at WDW. I was surprised that Nick was willing to go on this one. It was the hardest simulator ride on my stomach that I have been on, so if you have a weak stomach, you might want to pass. Fred is a HUGE Simpsons fan, so here are some pictures ;
*****MEN IN BLACK - ALIEN ATTACK*****
Similar to Buzz Lightyear at WDW. It was a fun ride!
*****E.T. ADVENTURE*****
For those of you who wondered about the "riding a bike" concept, it is a car with rows of 4 bike seats across. Somewhat similar to Peter Pan, but you do have some run-ins with speeding vehicles and police with guns.
*****WOODY WOODPECKER'S NUTHOUSE COASTER*****
A typical kiddy coaster; but it does build up a little speed.
*****RIP RIDE ROCKIT*****
I think it was open a grand total of 6 hours or so the whole time we were there (I am probably being generous). No Express Pass, so Ethan and I stood in line for an hour. Then we got on, and the music didn't work. They let us ride again immediately, and it did work that time. The coaster is AWESOME - I am amazed at the quality and volume of your music, yet you hear nothing of anyone else's. Thumbs up on that! The straight up part at the beginning is a bit scary (at least for me). There aren't any big drops or anything crazy, but it worked perfect - we came off with a huge smile on our faces! I hope they get the kinks out - and give us EP, please!
That's all we saw at US. We ate in the following places:
*****BEVERLY HILLS BOULANGERIE*****
We had breakfast here - breakfast sandwiches, cereal, muffins.
*****MEL'S DRIVE-IN*****
Tasty burgers, fries, and chicken sandwiches.
I need to address a few things here - make sure that if you are a AAA member, to show your card everywhere in Universal. Most places take it, and the discounts add up. I forgot a few times (once when I was buying a $35 sweatshirt) and I could kick myself for it. Second, the park restaurants we ate at did not offer kids meals. It made me sick to pay $8 for a chicken tenders combo when I knew Nick was not going to eat most of it. However, since Ethan will eat an adult portion, we weren't able to split a meal.
__________________
Jennifer
Last edited by jhoshowski; 12-30-2009 at 03:52 PM..
*****THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF SPIDERMAN*****
A really neat ride - more that a simulator, more than a 3-D movie - it was greater than the sum of it's parts. I don't know how else to explain it. You need to ride it and see!
*****THE INCREDIBLE HULK COASTER*****
Do not EVER ride this coaster when it is raining. Even if it is only sprinkling. The raindrops will feel like needles on your face. Also, the problem is compounded if you have contacts - they will start to come out of your eyes. Fred and I both had this problem. Seriously, though, it was a GREAT coaster!! Here is an idea of the rain we had our second day. It was awful:
*****DR DOOM'S FEARFALL*****
Fred and Ethan went on this - not my kind of ride. They seemed to enjoy it.
*****STORM FORCE ACCELATRON*****
Nick's all-time favorite ride, it is like the teacups on steroids. He rode it over and over - at least 15 times in one day (plus there was the next day). It got to the point where the ride attendants said to just stay on. One of them came up to him and was talking to him about it. Pictures:
*****JURASSIC PARK DISCOVERY CENTER*****
My kids loved this. I think Nick would have stayed all day, if we had let him. Some of their favorite things were turning yourself into a dinosaur, looking for fossils, and scanning eggs and doing tests on them to determine what type of dinosaur they held. I am so glad we didn't pass it by. It was a really neat experience.
*****CAMP JURASSIC*****
The kids went wild in here, and Fred was right there with them. Another place that they would have stayed all day. The bridges, stairs, forts, etc. were a big hit.
*****DUELING DRAGONS*****
For those of you who have been on the Raptor at Cedar Point, this is like the Raptor's older, meaner twin brothers. Fast, breathtaking, and FUN. Another one Ethan made us ride over and over. And this is the closest Nick got:
*****THE CAT IN THE HAT*****
Based on my other experiences at US/IOA, I was disappointed. It seemed like a cheesy carnival version of a ride like this. I mean, it was okay, but there wasn't a lot of attention to detail, if you know what I mean.
*****HIGH IN THE SKY TROLLEY TRAIN RIDE*****
This is not like the TTA at WDW. First of all, each row has two seats with lap bars. And when the ride starts, you understand why. You zip along at a pretty good pace, and in some spots, you can't see anything but the ground - your car covers the track and there is nothing else there. Even out over the water. . .there are some mild ups and downs, as well. Nick loved it and made me ride it several times with him.
*****CARO-SEUSS-EL*****
Nick went on this when Ethan and I were doing something else, so here's what I have:
*****ONE FISH, TWO FISH, RED FISH, BLUE FISH*****
As if I wasn't cold and wet enough - Nick purposely went AGAINST the song:
Where we ate here:
*****CROISSANT MOON BAKERY*****
Breakfast food, just like we got at US.
*****CAFE 4*****
Pizza; pretty good. It was raining and cold and so cold in here with all of the doors right by the tables.
__________________
Jennifer
Last edited by jhoshowski; 12-30-2009 at 03:57 PM..
There were characters all over the place. Since it wasn't busy, there really were not lines to meet them, to speak of. I tried to get Nick's picture with Barney, but he refused.
A couple of notes about the pictures above - Nick knew which of the penguins was not there (I think he said Rico?!?). He seriously watches too much TV. Also, Thing 1 and Thing 2 skeeve him out, so he wouldn't get a picture without me.
__________________
Jennifer
Last edited by jhoshowski; 12-30-2009 at 04:44 PM..
*****SNACKS AT THE HARD ROCK*****
For snacks the first evening, we checked out Emack & Bolio's. They don't have a lot of choices, and prices were crazy high. A bag of chips (smaller end of "regular" size) was $5. Small bags (the 99 cent ones) were $2.79. The second night, we found a better option. The Hard Rock store off the lobby has snacks in the back - chips, candy, pop, ice cream bars. The prices are still high, but more in line with what I expect to pay at a hotel.
We got a quick breakfast at Emack & Bolio's the last morning - 3 milks, 2 muffins, a bagel, and a pop (I am pretty sure that is what we got) was over $20. HOWEVER - they have the best ice cream ever. It's not cheap, but it is worth it. They have lots of toppings, and waffle cones that have toppings on them, too. The Almond Joy ice cream is to DIE for. They also have Starbucks coffee in Emack & Bolio's.
*****NASCAR SPORTS GRILLE*****
The boys and I got dinner here the first night (Fred was still in bed at the hotel). The food was very good, solid grill food. Portions were HUGE - I got a nacho appetizer for my meal since I wasn't too hungry, and it could have been a meal for 2 or 3 people. The boys got a kick out of the fact that we had a TV at our table. It only shows sports channels, but Nick found monster trucks and was a happy boy!
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It looked nice! I also found the hallway really loud at HRH. Late at night when City Walk closed (I guess) you could hear everyone going down the hall. Echos. That was the only thing I didn't like.
Michelle - with my step sisters!
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). It gave me butterflies every time.
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