A Magical 10 Night Trip, The 10th Month and The Orlando Trifecta- PTR - UPDATED 10/2 - Page 7 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Saturday, March 25th I cancelled my Royal Pacific reservation with a water view room. Perhaps, some of you may think I am crazy but there is a reason! I checked the Royal Pacific website and there are once again standard king bedrooms for $243 per night, which is what I wanted originally. The total is $108 less than my original booking, so that saves me a bit for a four night stay. I need to save a bit as there are other things I want to do such as the Halloween Horror Nights R.I.P Tour.
Sunday, March 26th I went on the SeaWorld website and purchased the Unlimited Quick Queue Ticket for $19.00, which is their version of the Express Pass. I’m not sure how crowded it will be here on my day, but I thought it would be a good idea to get this as I’ll get on the popular attractions rather easily with minimal wait. It will help with the assortment of roller coasters in the park and others.
I tried to link my resort reservation at the Dolphin on MDE and could not do it. It was getting quite frustrating. I called Disney reservations and they corrected it. The reason being is that I wasn’t using Google Chrome as my browser as it was Firefox. Weird! But, it’s all good now.
Sunday, April 2nd I changed the time of my ADR at Emeril’s Tchoup Chop at the Royal Pacific from 8pm to 7pm, on Open Table. I will have a long day and probably be up since 3am and I think it’s a good idea to go with an earlier time as I’ll probably be a bit tired by now.
After this, I wanted to look in to transportation options as there will be a few of them I will need. From home to the airport and the return home I’ve already set up with my work colleague Sharon as she has done this for me before, including my October trip last year.
I first checked Mears for town car, taxi and shuttle services. Unfortunately, you can’t book more than 180 days out and currently, I’m only a few days short of that. From Orlando Airport to the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal is $71.10 by town car including a 10% online discount, taxi is $44.60 estimated rate and shuttle is about $20. As I’ll be starting my trip, I want to go in style and will probably go by town car to my resort and the extra money is worth it. I used a Mears town car last year to the B Resort and enjoyed it. I also looked at Quicksilver and a town car and they are $70 from the airport.
I would also need transportation from the Royal Pacific to the Dolphin Resort on Sunday, October 8th in the am, when I begin my WDW stay. The estimated fare by taxi is just over $33. Shuttle service is not available from resort to resort. A Mears town car is about $42 and not too much more than a taxi and a better ride, so something to consider.
On my departure day, I will most likely use the Mears shuttle service as my trip is over and not concerned about traveling to the airport in a luxurious way. I can only book this by phone and can only make this reservation the day before at the earliest. Fare is about $20.
I still had one other transportation option I needed and that was from the Royal Pacific to SeaWorld. Universal does have transportation available but may be a bit of a hassle. There is a shuttle available from my hotel and stops at the other Universal resorts and dropped off at a central location. From there you take another shuttle to SeaWorld. There is no set schedule, so there may be a lot of waiting involved. A taxi would be $20. Another option is Uber or Lyft and should be somewhat cheaper and I think that’s the option I’m favoring. Tara actually suggested this to me to SeaWorld as she and Muffin did this from their Universal resort recently!
I decided I will book a Quicksilver Transportation luxury sedan from Orlando Airport to the Royal Pacific Resort. Cost is $70 not including tip. I booked this online. I will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours. I’m not ready to book my transportation from the Royal Pacific to the Dolphin yet as I’m still considering my options. I have plenty of time, so no rush.
I wrote up some of my daily plans for Universal including time spending in the parks, resort time, ADRs and after dinner plans. Except, for some of the bookings such as Halloween Horror Nights, many of the plans later in the day and at night after dinner will hopefully be at a relaxed pace. I also began my plans for WDW as well. The park hour schedules were not out yet for WDW, so I’m sure my plans may be a bit modified down the road once they are released.
I made an ADR for Emeril’s Restaurant at Universal on CityWalk. This is for lunch on Saturday, October 7th at 1 pm. I’m not sure if I’ll wind up keeping this as I plan on a big dinner at BICE this evening at the Portofino Resort, so we’ll see. There are also some other lunch options in Universal and CityWalk that aren’t quite as filling and may be the way to go. I still can’t make a reservation for BICE on Open Table. It seems you can only make these up to 60 days out, so I’ll wait until August for this!
NEXT: ADR Time and Why Can't I do This?
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Great plans, Dave!! I can tell you I have eaten at all three of the USF restaurants you have booked and they are wonderful!! We are huge Emeril fans!!
Glad to hear this as I'm looking forward to this. Not sure if I'll keep Emeril's on CityWalk as I'll be have dinner at BICE that evening and may be a bit much. I use to watch his programs all the time. BAM and 100 cloves of garlic!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lindawdw
It sounds like you've got all the transportation needs figured out! Plans are coming together.
All coming to together and happy with the transportation. I still have more to book on the transportation but I know what I want.
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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Yes it is and happy with the way my plans are falling into place!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Lots of progress made. I think you're doing the right thing moving dinner forward that day. My goodness, that will be a long day.
Quite happy with the plans and no credit card issues involved! I thought moving my dinner up was the best idea and even at that time I'll still be tired. But, I want to spend quite a bit of park time that day as well. I should sleep well that night!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Plans are looking great, Dave, even the room change sounds like the best plan for you.
Everything seems to be shaping up well. I'd like to have a water view room but I probably won't be spending much time in my room, so better to save a bit on this.
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Your plans seem to be coming together. I'm glad you're sharing your research into transportation. Sometimes you don't think things are possible in a trip because of transportation options, but you seem to find a way!
Your plans seem to be coming together. I'm glad you're sharing your research into transportation. Sometimes you don't think things are possible in a trip because of transportation options, but you seem to find a way!
All seems to be coming together well and no credit card issues! You just have to search around a bit for the transportation and see what works best.
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Hopping on a bit late, but your plans sound great! We're thinking of trying to go to HHN at universal next year so I'll be very interested in how you like it.
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Sunday, April 9th I wrote out a draft of my plans for the WDW portion of my trip. It’s my day to day plans including parks to visit, ADRs, dining without ADRs, FP+ and other things I may want to do. I also posted these plans on the plans section of MDE, so I can have access to it during my trip. This was a good day to do this as my ADR booking window opens in two days. I will be sharing my plans for all 10 days once everything is nearly finalized and probably near the end of my PTR.
On the Universal/SeaWorld portion of my trip, I will post some notes on my phone regarding my daily park plans, park hours, Halloween Horror Nights info, ADRs and other dining options. You don't have an MDE option on those sites or apps to do this.
Tuesday, April 11th I went on the WDW site at 7:10 am and begin making my ADRs for my trip. As I’m staying at the Dolphin, I saw all the days highlighted for my trip, so I figured I could book these for my length of stay. Well, I couldn’t and why can’t I do this? I guess since the Dolphin is a non-Disney resort may be the reason, although there are certain amenities you do get as Disney resort guests do. These include EMHs, 60 day window for FP+ and bus transportation. So, I will be making these ADRS on a day to day basis.
I made my first ADR for my trip. I want to go to Disney Springs my first night in Disney and I made an ADR at the revamped Paddlefish (formerly Fulton’s Crab House) for Sunday, October 8th at 7:30 pm. I’m looking forward to seeing this restaurant and the overhaul they have made there. It looks like quite something from the photos in Cheryl’s TR as she also gave the cuisine a nice review as well. I will certainly have to pay a visit to the rooftop bar after dinner for the views of Disney Springs.
Thursday, April 13th Well, I didn’t make an ADR for Monday, October 9th as I plan to spend a good part of my day at Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival. I may do one of the special meals that are offered at the festival instead. These won’t be released until sometime in July and hope there is one that I’m interested that will be offered on this day.
I was on the WDW site at 7:15 am and made an ADR at Tusker House in the AK for Tuesday, October 10th. I plan on attending the Rivers of Light Show this evening so I made my ADR a lot earlier than I usually have dinner at 4:10 pm. I’m waiting for ROL dining packages to be offered for my dates, but as of now, they’re only available through August. I will keep checking back and back and back………..! You know how this is going as I know many of you have experienced the same thing!
Friday, April 14th I’m at work early on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7 am, so I couldn’t go on the WDW site at 7 am and make my next ADR. I waited until I had a work break at 10:30 am to do this. I did this on the WDW app and was a pretty easy process. My ADR is for Wednesday, October 11th at Flying Fish for 8:35 pm. I was looking for around 7:30 pm, but there was no availability. There was a 5pm ADR available, but that was too early as I may not be back from the parks yet. I’m looking forward to a great experience as I haven’t dined here since the rehab of the interior, new menu and executive chef. I also plan on visiting the Abracadabar before dinner as Tara has raved about this place and their margaritas!
Saturday, April 15th I didn’t make any ADRs today for Thursday, October 12th as I plan on spending my second day at the Food & Wine Festival. It’s possible I may make one eventually as I will be going to Illuminations on Monday, October 9th and not tonight and could do a late dinner after the festival. I will probably end the food sampling by 4 pm or a bit later so I’m not too full for dinner. I will probably dine in one of the Boardwalk eateries and the likely choices are Yachtsman Steakhouse, Todd English’s BlueZoo or Kimono’s. We shall see.
Sunday, April 16th I got up at around 7 am and on the WDW site to make an ADR for Victoria & Albert’s for Friday, October 13th. I checked for Queen Victoria’s Room and the Main Dining Room and both had no availability for this day. This is the first time this has happened when I’ve tried to book an ADR for this restaurant. I had to go to my next choice and that’s the California Grill. The only ADR they had was for 9 pm as I was hoping for a bit earlier. I booked it with hopes of something a bit earlier opening eventually. Still a great second choice!
I made another ADR and this one for Thursday, October 12th at Todd English's BlueZoo in my resort for 8:15 pm. I think this will be late enough after indulging in eats and beverages at the F&W Festival. I’m contemplating about switching this for Yachtsman Steakhouse as they have a certified Wagyu beef entree on the menu as I want to try it here. It’s quite expensive but I may use my Disney Visa Rewards dollars for this. I've had the Wagyu beef at V&A's on a few occasions in the Main Dining Room and Queen Victoria's Room and what I can say is that it's one of the best things I've eaten in my entire life and that's a fact!
Monday, April 17th I made the final ADR for my trip. This one will be for lunch on my departure day on Saturday, October 14th as my flight isn’t until 5:30 pm. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Spice Road Table in the Moroccan pavilion in Epcot from Cheryl’s review and want to give it a try. It has a very good menu as well. I made my ADR for 12:20 pm.
Before lunch I plan to be in Studios and just get in my FP+s and then walk to Epcot for lunch. I just hope I can do this and won’t be cutting it too close. It will be around a thirty minute walk from Studios to the Moroccan pavilion. The other problem may be dealing with the large crowds (on the walk to Morocco) at the F&W Festival as it is a Saturday. I’m just going for lunch and no sampling at the booths. But it may take some time to get to Morocco going through the crowds! I may change this to Hollywood Brown Derby, if I don’t have enough time when I book my FP+s. I’m hoping my last FP+ will be around 11:10 or 11:20. My Mears shuttle pickup will be around 2:30 pm and I should get back to the Dolphin around 2 pm. We shall see and what do you think?
Other options for lunch include Big River Grill or Beaches & Cream. Although, the latter usually has limited availability for ADRS and may do a walk in and hoping they will have an opening at the counter!
So here are my ADRs as of now and we’ll see if they change!
Sunday, October 8th-Paddlefish, Disney Springs 7:30 pm
Monday, October 9th- No ADRS as at F&W Festival
Tuesday, October 10th- Tusker House, AK 4:10 pm
Wednesday, October 11th- Flying Fish, Boardwalk 8:35 pm
Thursday, October 12th- Todd English's BlueZoo, Dolphin 8:15 pm
Friday, October 13th-California Grill, CR 9 pm
Saturday, October 14th- Spice Road Table in Epcot’s Morocco 12:20 pm
NEXT: This is a Good Sign!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Last edited by SuperDave; 09-03-2017 at 11:11 PM..
Hopping on a bit late, but your plans sound great! We're thinking of trying to go to HHN at universal next year so I'll be very interested in how you like it.
Never too late as you can catch up at your own pace! Plans are coming into place and quite happy with them. I'm looking forward to HHN as I've heard a lot of good things about it and much more like a "Real" Halloween experience with the scare factor and something I've always wanted to experience at least once!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
I think your ADR's sound terrific!! I do think that it is cutting it tight for your lunch at Morocco but I plan on doing the same type of thing on one of my days as well, so I am no one to judge!
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I checked the Royal Pacific website and there are once again standard king bedrooms for $243 per night, which is what I wanted originally. 
I called Disney reservations and they corrected it. The reason being is that I wasn’t using Google Chrome as my browser as it was Firefox. Weird! 
But, it’s all good now. 
I can only book this by phone and can only make this reservation the day before at the earliest. Fare is about $20.
There is a shuttle available from my hotel and stops at the other Universal resorts and dropped off at a central location. From there you take another shuttle to SeaWorld. There is no set schedule, so there may be a lot of waiting involved. 
A taxi would be $20. Another option is Uber or Lyft and should be somewhat cheaper and I think that’s the option I’m favoring. 
I will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours. I’m not ready to book my transportation from the Royal Pacific to the Dolphin yet as I’m still considering my options. I have plenty of time, so no rush.
Except, for some of the bookings such as Halloween Horror Nights, many of the plans later in the day and at night after dinner will hopefully be at a relaxed pace. 
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We are huge Emeril fans!!
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I thought moving my dinner up was the best idea and even at that time I'll still be tired. 
TinkBrat
I guess since the Dolphin is a non-Disney resort may be the reason, although there are certain amenities you do get as Disney resort guests do. These include EMHs, 60 day window for FP+ and bus transportation. So, I will be making these ADRS on a day to day basis. 
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