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Orlando Unplugged: Life In Living Color
Welcome to Orlando Unplugged, hosted by the dynamic duo Dustin and Ashley! This podcast takes you on an audio journey through the vibrant city of Orlando. Whether you're a local seeking new adventures or a visitor planning your next trip, Orlando Unplugged is your ultimate guide to the City Beautiful.
Join Dustin, a new Orlando resident with a passion for adventure, and Ashley, a food lover and event enthusiast, as they uncover Orlando’s hidden gems, from quaint cafes to the worlds most known theme parks. Discover Dustin and Ashley's favorite culinary spots and get an insider look on what it's like to be a millinial living in the sunshine state.
Orlando Unplugged captures the essence of Orlando, offering a lively and entertaining podcast experience. Tune in every week for new episodes filled with insider tips and local stories to help you unplug and enjoy Orlando to the fullest. Subscribe now and get ready to unplug Orlando like never before!
Orlando Unplugged: Life In Living Color
Unplugging Staycation Delights: Volcano Bay Fun, Magic Kingdom Surprises, and Dining Pleasures
What do you get when you mix spontaneous staycation decisions, the charm of Universal Volcano Bay Water Theme Park, and a dash of Disney magic? The answer unfurls in our latest podcast episode, where we recount tales from a whirlwind adventure right in the heart of Orlando's excitement. From the serene moments at Universal's Lowe's Portofino Bay Hotel to the unexpected delight of a surprise visit to Magic Kingdom, we share the nitty-gritty details of our experiences—complete with the good, the quirky, and the tasty.
Picture this: Italian serenades as a backdrop to a gastronomic indulgence at Mama Della's Ristorante, and a breakfast buffet that satisfies more than just your morning hunger. But our journey is about more than just food; we delve into the resort's amenities, like themed pools that cater to every mood, and activities that bring the magic of the movies to life. And let's not forget the challenges, like that pesky parking garage incident, which offers a real-time example of the resort's top-notch customer service—proving that it’s not just the happy moments that make a stay memorable.
For those of you who relish in the details, we've got you covered. We take you through the legend that breathes life into Volcano Bay, share our savvy tips on navigating the park's features, and even spill on our personal exploits among the thrilling rides and relaxing rivers. And because no staycation is complete without a little spontaneity, we wrap things up with anecdotes from our impromptu Magic Kingdom escapade. So buckle up, listeners, as we bring you a story of laughter, surprises, and the joys of embracing the unexpected on a staycation that brought more than just rest—it brought a treasure trove of memories.
Today's episode contains information about Universal destinations and experiences. The host's opinions may not align with the opinions, values or ethics of NBCUniversal or its affiliates.
Speaker 3:We've never had a free show guest. Contains information about universal.
Speaker 2:Becoming social media account holders.
Speaker 4:You're listening to Orlando, unplugged, celebrating life in living color with Dustin and Ashley. Grab a cocktail or a mocktail and let's get unplugged. Orlando cocktail and let's get unplugged.
Speaker 2:Orlando. So this is literally our second attempt at doing our intro. We did a whole intro and realized that the audio was set up to only play out of one speaker. So if you're listening in like a car or headphones, it would only play out of, like the driver's side or your left ear.
Speaker 3:You know what I could go for, though right now? What one of those volcano bay cocktails? Well, we'll talk about that later I know, but I want one right now what did we talk about in our original opening? Oh, our new intro yeah, it was really good. Um, let us know your thoughts on it and how you feel I really like it. I don't know, I just I was playing.
Speaker 2:I was playing a couple weeks ago and I just wanted. I was like how funny would it be if our show opened. Like people are tuning in on the radio and they're channeling through like all these random channels and see this is when I'm happy that, like I, I do really well when it comes to our social media.
Speaker 3:But when it comes to like our vibing for our, our intro shit and our music and stuff like that, I am so glad you've got this so what you're saying is I am the creative hire and you are the personality hire and the financial hire okay, I'll give you that thank you. Um so, typically we would have started off our podcast with some pre-show topics wait, wait we're now on the pre-show segment.
Speaker 3:Well, typically we would have started off our show with some pre-show topics. However, this week we've decided to take a little pause from that, because I don't know about you, but I really needed a mental break.
Speaker 2:This week has been the whole world. This week has just been rough, Very, very, very rough.
Speaker 3:So it was kind of nice to unplug, unwind and just kind of take a break. Oh my god, unplug. I did not do that on purpose, so thank you very much. So this is going to be just kind of us talking about our vacation, talking about what we did no, no, our staycation, our staycation, correct what we did, what we liked, what we didn't like, and um if we would do it again so come hang out week ish.
Speaker 2:It was what thursday, friday and saturday oh my god, it was.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was, it was so weird um we decided to have a little staycation, uh, with some friends, so we stayed at two universal resorts, two, uh, we went to universal, we went to volcano bay and we went to magic kingdom yeah, just a little of a spur of the moment which that one, that one, was very spur of the moment which we'll get into all of that. Um, but to start off for our fun week, on thursday I got off work no, no, you could.
Speaker 3:We have to back up. We have to back up to wednesday. Because I'm at the office and you call me and go hey, what are you doing tomorrow? And I was like, um, I don't know why. Well, guess what, you're now staying with us at a universal hotel.
Speaker 2:I was like, okay, I'll pack my stuff, yeah so then thursday thursday, yes um, I went to work and I got off work, packed up my stuff and then we headed to universals. Uh, one of their premier resorts, which is Lowe's Portofino Bay which was the very first resort Universal and Lowe's Hotel and Company ever partnered on together and it was the first resort we had here at the uh Florida campus for Universal.
Speaker 3:I don't think I knew that you did not. No, I've never stayed at Portofino, so this was my first time. I'm a Royal Pacific kind of girl, so, um, it was my very, that was my very first time staying at portofino so this is a random fun fact and I will say I cannot.
Speaker 2:It's a fast fact yeah, it's a universal fast fact fast fact um, I cannot confirm nor deny if this is like the actual truth, but this is what I have been told from several different people in my life was that ste Spielberg was the person who told Universal to build Portofino Bay for the resort.
Speaker 2:So, evidently Universal like wanted to build a resort, but they didn't know what they wanted to build. So they called Steven Spielberg, who was a major key player in Universal Studios Florida, and they said, hey, what should we do? And evidently he took that phone call while he was sitting in Portofino Bay, italy, with his wife on vacation and he said why don't we build Portofino Bay? Look at Steven but, again.
Speaker 2:I don't know if that is true. That's what I've heard, but I've never like heard it from someone that I know is a good, good source for the like Universal Studios. So that's a folklore that I choose to believe because I think it's cool.
Speaker 3:I love that he plays such a factor. I mean, he really does play such a factor at Universal. So that would not surprise me that if his opinion was something that was taken into effect.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so what we'll do is we'll break down our stay and everything towards the end, but to start off, we want to tell you guys about the resort and some of the amenities that it has. So, ashley, I think we'll just bounce off of each of these, yeah we'll go back and forth. So Portofino Bay has the Lowe's title in front of it because it is a Michelin star resort. It's one of their Michelin star resorts.
Speaker 3:Good for them.
Speaker 2:It is one of three premier resorts at Universal Studios. What are the other two? Ashley?
Speaker 3:My favorite hotel, royal Pacific and Hard Rock.
Speaker 2:Hard Rock, which is a partnership between Lowe's Universal Studios and the actual Hard Rock company.
Speaker 3:What a trifecta.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm. And when you stay at a premier resort any of those three you get unlimited Universal Express for the dry parks, which is Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure.
Speaker 3:Which is great because this allows you to skip the line of all those excessive wait times, especially during spring break or during any holiday seasons or just on a slow day like we got to experience, which is pretty nice. So we got to back to back to back hit up a couple of rides, which was pretty cool.
Speaker 2:And to plus, I think, the way that Universal does their express with their resort guests and general, like the ones they sell in park. I think it's a great formula that they have.
Speaker 3:Oh, absolutely, I have never been upset over having to wait in line if I don't have express no and having expresses is great no, because I think the, the team members and obviously the, the corporate office have expressed on pat pretty well, so that you know ratio between regular and the express is is pretty down pat um, but you also get. My personal favorite is the early park admission, so I get to get in, we? I? You get to Resort guest.
Speaker 3:Correct. You get to get into the park an hour early before everybody else, and that is not just for a premiere. You also get that if you are staying at a value resort as well. So if you're staying at Dockside, at Cabana Bay or Surfside or many of their other hotels, you get that extra hour before everybody else. So you get to skip the line for a little bit when it comes to Haggard's or Velocicoaster, which tends to be my two that I run to when I stay at those resorts, or if I'm going over to Studios, it's heading straight over to Mummy, so that's pretty nice.
Speaker 3:I do like that. I also really love the fact that there is a water taxi and bus transportation, because I myself obviously hate driving and I don't have to pay to park at city walk because I'm already paying to park at my hotel so I get all those extra amenities, which is pretty nice and the boat and bus leave an hour after the park closes um or after city walk closes.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry, so you get plenty of time. Yeah, and the thing I like most, the so the water taxi, I think is really cool, um, because it's only available for four of the resorts so it's available for the three premier resorts yep and um sapphire falls, which I can't remember what that one falls under. Is it a?
Speaker 2:it's a value no, it's not value. Uh, it's higher than value. It's because cabana bay is uh value, premier value. I don't remember, but there's four, there's four levels. It's not value. Uh, it's higher than value. It's because cabana bay is uh value, premier value I don't remember, but there's four, there's four levels.
Speaker 3:It's level three yeah, because I know it's. It's the one right before you. You get um express. It's one of the ones where they they fight that, that persona, whether or not that hotel should get expressed or whether or not it should be considered a value um another great thing about uh portof Bay is the Mandara Spa.
Speaker 2:Oh, my gosh so this is the only resort on the campus that offers a spa, and guests staying at any universal resort can go to the Mandara Spa. They just have to make a booking ahead of time for spa treatments, facials, I mean. They've got everything there, as well as the resorts.
Speaker 3:I was so sad that we did not have time to do this and that also it was very much sold out. Um, well, I mean for me I would have paid the cost, but let somebody give me a nice massage. I'll pay you for it. Um, but it was nice that that. I like the fact that you can book that with the front desk agent too, or you can also do the text to that text with your your chat your.
Speaker 3:It's called chat your service yeah, so you could be able to do that, which was pretty nice.
Speaker 2:However, was not happy that they were sold out, but good for that hotel that they were they also have concierge at this resort, which is not something that all of the resorts at universal have no so that's nice, um, and then do you want to talk about the next one?
Speaker 3:about their themed kid suites. I mean, I know some of this but, like I, this was my first time, so I know that some of them are themed. I think it's themed after like minions.
Speaker 2:So Portofino Bay is minions. They have minions there and it's really cool because the beds are like the little rocket that the kids sleep in in the movie.
Speaker 3:Why didn't we sleep in those?
Speaker 2:Because we were not in a kid suite.
Speaker 3:That's ridiculous you guys need to do. But they do have the club level rooms, which are very nice. Very, very looking forward to needing to book one of those for my birthday.
Speaker 2:What was that suite that we were talking about, the presidential suite? I don't know if that's its formal name, but yeah, there is a really nice suite there. There's like a full suite.
Speaker 3:You get all these amenities that come into it. I feel like I need to just spend the $6,000 just to test it out.
Speaker 2:I tried to look online to see it, but I didn't see like it available for booking. No, um, so I don't, I can't, I don't know all the details you have to like call to book, like it's not one of those that you can just book online.
Speaker 3:I think it.
Speaker 2:I wonder if you have celebrity status yeah, a lot gotta or a gold amex, yeah, yeah um, and then they also have one of the great things about this resort that all universal resorts have is they have full and I mean full room service oh yeah breakfast, lunch, dinner. I think they even have overnight room service.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you could order a pizza at 2 am.
Speaker 2:It's beautiful they have steak, they've got breakfast they've got wine, all these things that you can be delivered to the room, and they get delivered on the platter with the little yes, the little lid that comes off we needed to spend more time, so then I could have done that, but I really also appreciate this priority seating now.
Speaker 3:This is for all restaurants, not just at a select, select restaurants, not all I think it's all fine dining restaurants at city walk I just looked it up online.
Speaker 2:It says it literally. It just says at um what, what did I just say? At select just says at what did I just? Say At Select. It says at Select restaurants in.
Speaker 3:I think the only one it doesn't do is Hard Rock and Bubba Gump's and Margaritaville, because those aren't universally owned, you don't get priority seating at Circus McGurkis. Well, circus McGurkis is a quick service restaurant. Yes, they have your own little spot at Cafe 4 just for you Get your pizza, rob would be over the moon. But I do know that you do get that at Vivo, big Fire and Twosomes I can speak for those three and this allows you to kind of get it's almost like an express access to the restaurant.
Speaker 3:So, you do get a shorter wait time, you're going to be the first one that is going to be seated, compared to those that are just now getting on the wait list.
Speaker 2:however, do you show like your room key you do yep.
Speaker 3:However, this does not get you to go ahead of those with a preset reservation, so my recommendation on this is to still make your reservation, because that guarantees you a spot at that time but, priority seating just guarantees you to be ahead of those that are on the wait list interesting, yes, um, so that was very.
Speaker 2:Can we, can we talk about this hotel, though? Like, yes, I I did, just guarantees you to be ahead of those that are on the wait list. Interesting, yes, so jumping.
Speaker 3:Can we talk about this hotel though? Yes, I did. Okay, we do have to preference that. Portofino Bay was going through a construction situation here. It was very heavily constructed, but we were warned and given a heads up prior to our booking and, once we did check in, that they were like hey, please pardon all of our't. I know they don't call it pixie dust, obviously, because that's disney's thing, but what's universal's? Is it just dust?
Speaker 2:uh, unit. Well, I don't know if they use it at the resorts, but it's a set enhancement in progress because it's a movie sets they did.
Speaker 3:They did kind of, you know, give us a heads up, but you know I didn't mind the fact that this was going on. I do need to stay once again after the construction is all done to kind of give a better. I want to see a lot more things, but I still think it was pretty easy to get from point a to point b. Yeah, like I don't feel like the construction was too much in the way of everything, I mean I don't think our view was as good as you you anticipated with this however, I don't think I had a struggle with getting my morning coffee or getting to our dinner reservation.
Speaker 3:We were right next to that Starbucks girl, yeah which was so great, but I don't feel like I was constricting on how to get to anything. It was very simple and very clear cut.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree with that. And to preface so Portofino Bay opened in the 90s. I don't remember exactly when in the 90s. So portofino bay opened in the 90s, I don't remember exactly when in the 90s, um, but if I'm not mistaken, she either is or, if she's very close to 30 years old oh, wow um, so you know, she definitely needs to be brought into the 21st, 21st century.
Speaker 2:Um, I mean, even like their hotel buttons and the lights on the elevator, like those are the old incandescent lights and everything. But it fits so well because it is a recreation of the real portofino bay in italy yeah, it was really pretty yeah, and that, that bay, that oh, it's just the bay is beautiful and I love it the bay, but okay, so let's talk about oh, is that the spot where we were sitting?
Speaker 3:the piazza, the piazza oh, with the boats that I I really wanted to get into but, but you did not.
Speaker 2:You would have stepped in that water and you would have slid right down that concrete and the algae and I would have laughed.
Speaker 3:Probably.
Speaker 2:So I want to talk about. There's a restaurant there that I have never eaten at before. I've stayed there once before and then I've resort hopped, as they call it, where you just kind of go and experience it. But there is a place called Mamadela's Ristorante.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:And it is one of the fine dining establishments there. Now they don't have like a dress code or anything. There is another restaurant we'll talk about in a minute that does, but it is considered fine dining where when you go into the restaurant, you go into Mamadela's home and this restaurant looks just like an actual home. There's different rooms and the thing I love about it is it's not formal dining in the sense of the chairs and the tables. When you go in, every table in there is a different type of table, every chair is a different type of chair, almost as if those chairs had been thrifted from old antique shops across the Bay of Portofino and that is the furniture that mama has in her home.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think it kind of vibes with that, like it matches the whole aesthetic of I'm in my house, because I remember growing up as a kid my furniture and my dining room never matched Like. My parents had different pieces of furniture in their living room and my grandmother's house was the exact same way, so it was kind of nice to like. Oh, this is kind of feels like homey house was the exact same way, so it was kind of nice to like, oh, this kind of feels like homey, like I'm getting like yeah, grandma's cooking hanging out here in in these funky chairs.
Speaker 3:I mean, the table we sat at two of the chairs didn't match, and then we had a booth on the side, so I kind of appreciated the fact that this was kind of just a little like yes, it was fine dining. I very much felt like, I mean, there was numerous forks, it was, it was you know the. The servers were wearing ties and suits, it was. It was very high class. However, it was kind of like high class laid-back class it was good.
Speaker 2:It was very thematic, and one of the things that is the coolest part about mamadela's is they actually have singers that stroll through the restaurant and serenade you to live music and there's no cost for it.
Speaker 3:It's, it's a part of that experience, I love it of mama della's love it, and I love that they weren't just singing like italian opera music they were singing like modern music as well like what was they sung?
Speaker 2:happy birthday to a couple tables. What was one of the songs?
Speaker 3:oh gosh, they sing so many I'm trying to think.
Speaker 2:I can't think of the name of any of the songs right now, because one of them was a song that we knew we're like wait a minute, that's not italian music, but it's kind of neat.
Speaker 3:It was kind of nice. Um, I did really, really love our server, though I really did like I can't remember his name and I'm so sorry, I feel so, so bad that I cannot, but I thought he was so good. Like we all know, when it comes to restaurants, they're, they're, they're my pride and joy.
Speaker 2:I love being at restaurants. You guys have got a huge background in it.
Speaker 3:I do, I really do. Um, so when we go out to eat, especially at those places, I tend to kind of take I don't want to say like control, but like I take a lead when it comes to that and I critique very, very aggressively. And this man kept up with me, dude, like he was like in the same vibe as I was, he was in the same mood that I was. It was great he was able to to meet up with our common like, with what we were looking for he was able to to.
Speaker 3:I felt like we didn't wait very long for our food. Everything came out piping hot, which was if it needed to be hot, it was hot. If it needed to be cold, it was cold.
Speaker 2:Um, I felt like we were never sitting there waiting longer than two minutes for refills, like I feel like he did very, very well for for that service yeah, and so while we were there, I had I'm going to try to say all of this stuff properly, but it's going to be a struggle the insalata mamadella uh-huh, which was dressing which was mixed green or it was. That was the dressing. Ok, so that was the dressing mixed greens, bell peppers, carrots, cherry tomatoes, which I picked off and a balsamic vinaigrette.
Speaker 2:Yes, it was delicious. I like I am really weird when it comes to vinaigrettes, but I was like I'm going to try this one one. I'm not a huge fan of dark vinaigrettes, but I'm gonna try. That was the best salad on par that beat out the salad that we talked about earlier in our seasons, that I had at ancient lore village. No shame on ancient lore village. That is a delicious salad, it's a dressing that was one of the best salads I have ever had to go back.
Speaker 3:Have to go back just for that salad.
Speaker 2:Go to lunch? Yeah, I'm here for it, just for the salad.
Speaker 3:They had an option of a take on a caprese salad. However, it wasn't your typical caprese it was a burrata caprese and it was sitting on the thickest piece of delicious Italian bread I've ever had.
Speaker 4:That was really good oh my god, it was so good, and it was good the amount of balsamic that was glazed all over that bowl.
Speaker 3:I could have put like. If it wasn't for the fact that the servers were staring at me and people were in that room, I would have looked at bowl head clean.
Speaker 2:It was so good uh yeah, and the thing I liked about my salad is it was gluten which I am no longer gluten free. I will fill you all in next episode. We have a life update.
Speaker 3:We need to do a life update and it was fully vegetarian.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and those. The only reason I brought that up is that they like advertise that in their menu, but that was really delicious. And then for my main course, or did you have any? Do you have anything else with your appetizer?
Speaker 3:Your wine and then for my main course, or did you have any? Do you have anything else with your appetizer? Yeah, I had a delicious, delicious glass of gas. I hate you.
Speaker 3:I had a delicious glass of Cabernet it was their house Cabernet which he was like this isn't just house Cabernet, like you're going to love this, and he did. It was a little on the sweet side and a little on the dry side, so it's a nice combination of both and it paired beautifully with that appetizer so it was great. I was really really happy with it yeah, oh and the bread wait oh, we have to talk about the bread.
Speaker 2:I love the fact that not just did they bring out this massive piece of bread like a loaf of bread, but they also brought out these delicious little garlic sticks yeah and then they brought out a whole bowl of roasted garlic and I was just so here for it and while we're here in this fancy restaurant, dressed all nice, I pick up one of those garlic sticks and I hold it and I look at your brother and I go I like I don't know him.
Speaker 2:It's the intrusive thought every male has when they pick up any form of stick or anything. That is long we just we have to do it.
Speaker 3:No, we don't have to, but we have to.
Speaker 2:It was a TikTok trend and now that we will do it for the rest of our world. It's a pop culture reference and you know Harry Potter is a part of Universal, so it fit. But for my main course I looked at several different ones and I really wanted to try something new. But then I thought they have spaghetti and meatballs, and it was a ground beef brisket, meatballs with marinara and sauce, and let me tell you, it was so good, it smelled delicious.
Speaker 2:It was. I was just like, just like I'm gonna be stereotypical and I'm gonna get the spaghetti and meatballs at an italian restaurant.
Speaker 3:Uh and it was really good and I enjoyed it.
Speaker 2:It was, it smelled delicious and I had a little bit of leftovers and I accidentally left them in the fridge when we checked out and I feel really bad I'm sad for you.
Speaker 3:I'm sad for me I had their fantastic veal piccata. I love piccata. Like I'm a big fan of chicken piccata, I'm a big fan of veal piccata. I just I love lemon and capers and capers are like how did I describe it to you?
Speaker 2:like a little salty, little little circles little salty circles I just love them because I was like is that like fish eggs or something?
Speaker 3:no, they're just like I don't know. I really don't know what they are the.
Speaker 2:The meal itself was good, but it was a little too salty for me. I think the capers just was too much of a bite for me. I don't think I'm a caper fan loved it.
Speaker 3:And then I paired so beautifully with a sauvignon blanc um, which is what they recommended. Uh, our server actually recommended it for me and it paired beautifully. I loved it yeah and rob and his fettuccine Alfredo.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 3:That whole bowl was gone.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 3:That thing disappeared. I don't remember what Jordan got.
Speaker 2:I don't remember either, was it lasagna?
Speaker 3:I don't know. No, the chicken parm. Oh yeah, the chicken parm. He got the chicken parm.
Speaker 2:I forgot, which they didn't call it chicken Parmigina, parmigina, yeah, parmigina, but that was. It was fun. We went at about nine o'clock, so we kind of went after the dinner rush.
Speaker 3:We did. It was nice. It wasn't super busy, it was very quiet Because we also got there as a big party was leaving, so that was nice.
Speaker 2:So it was good. We had a fun time. The bill was I wouldn't say it was a bit high it was, but it was it's more. It is a fine dining establishment so it's not a quick service, it's not, uh, you know, all of garden if you've been to vivo on city walk property, I would.
Speaker 3:I would compare the two of the prices being the same okay I. I would say they're relatively close to that. Even if you've been to big fire or twosome, I would say that's pretty much on the same range as this establishment and I'll say we didn't have any children in our group but I did see several families in there.
Speaker 2:I did Several families with children.
Speaker 3:I did notice that the mama had a kids menu option on there.
Speaker 2:Oh, she did oh okay.
Speaker 3:It consisted of spaghetti and meatballs. It consisted of chicken, parm and a fettuccine Alfredo. Okay, so children sizes, yeah, yeah, so I think that was pretty nice that she was able to, which makes sense for me because of the fact that you are going into mama's house, so it would make sense that mama would have options for just about anybody. But you know what I really loved? That there was only two pages in the menu.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:It was very clear, cut, very simple. It wasn't overwhelming. It was here's an appetizer, if you want it, or a salad, or they had minestrone soup, which we need to go back because I want to try, and then here's your entrees and that was it, and then, like they had a book, they had a little dessert. I think it was tiramisu and something else was. It was a dessert option and then, and I'll go like a wine, a cocktail list and that was it.
Speaker 3:And you're like this is so beautiful, like I feel like more restaurants should be like this. I cannot stand it when you walk into restaurants and it's like here's a 15 page menu, have at it.
Speaker 2:It's just so much, just it's overwhelming so we're going to continue to talk about mamadillos for just a moment. Um, there is another restaurant at portofino bay and it was my absolute favorite the last time I stayed there, because it's where I went to breakfast yes um now, this restaurant is currently closed. It is the. I can't pronounce that tar oh, oh uh.
Speaker 2:Trattatoro trattatoro I think del porto, I think it might be that um, which is considered a casual full-service restaurant um it's family-friendly, fair with a touch of italian oh um, their menu looks so good that is where they also typically hold the breakfast buffet. Yeah, um, or you can order a la carte. Well, it is closed as a part of its remodel, so mamadella's is hosting the breakfast buffet, right?
Speaker 2:now so I was so happy when I realized that they still had the breakfast buffet and it was at mam Della's and it was all the same foods yeah, um, that you would get if the at the other restaurant. So we went back the next morning for breakfast again. Server fan oh my god, he was great and when he learned that we were just locals here on a staycation, we weren't treated any differently than people who travel from around the world to go eat there.
Speaker 3:Um, as a matter of fact, we actually had several conversations with him about our favorite things here in this area, and he also recommended a couple things that we had never done, because we were headed to Volcano Bay the next day. So it was kind of nice that he was giving us recommendations on what to do and what not to do, because he was also a local that has done all these things.
Speaker 2:So that was kind of nice. We were heading to Volcano Bay that day, yes, but then he gave us fresh, squeezed orange juice and coffee and water and he was just. It was really great service, really good service.
Speaker 3:I highly recommend that buffet. That was fantastic. And the lady who made my omelet, oh my gosh. I, as many know, I'm not eating very much meat right now, except for chicken, if that so, it was so great to me that she was like, oh, you want every single cheese option and every single meat or every single veggie option? Okay, let me feel you should have seen this omelet. I wish I took a picture, but I was so hungry just scarfed the whole thing down. But it was huge and I thought the price of that was relatively inexpensive too. It came out to what? 32 per person for the buffet, 30, 30 dollars uh, I believe, I think it was 30, between 30 and 35.
Speaker 3:Let's go with that as a nice little range just in case I don't remember but I thought it was so good um it was scrambled eggs and potatoes and bacon and sausage they had watermelon, watermelon.
Speaker 2:They had an entire fruit section too.
Speaker 3:And the yogurts yep, you can make your own little yogurts.
Speaker 1:And fresh fruit yep I thought it was great biscuits and gravy and I like I am an appalachian boy and I like my biscuits and gravy.
Speaker 2:We make them with bacon grease and sausage grease and they're delicious. This is not how they make theirs. I don't think it has a very distinct and different flavor than what I'm used to in appalachia, but it's still so good and I love the flavor to it.
Speaker 3:It was so soft, it was great, I love breakfast, um, so at universe, so at portofino bay.
Speaker 2:One of the great things about this that we had mentioned is all of these restaurants that we're talking about.
Speaker 2:They are all just within a stone's throw of the piazza most of them are on the piazza, which is just this large area around the center of the resort that is at the bay, and we'll talk more about what happens on the piazza throughout the year. But as you wrap around the piazza there's also a starbucks which we went into and that was one of the most delicious peppermint white mochas with oat milk and no whipped cream that I have had in a long time I just love them.
Speaker 3:I don't always get starbucks like my hotel. One of my hotels obviously serves it, but it's not. It's an affiliate of starbucks, so it's not a full starbucks, so I kind of miss oh, it was yeah, we don't get like any extra stuff, like I can't get a brown sugar shaking espresso with gopher on top, which is, if you know, you know that's my go-to. I will be so sad if they ever get rid of that. I'll be like I don't know what to order anymore.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, but you know what I did, really like well, I was going to talk uh the the place inside the starbucks as well oh, the gelato place, yeah, the gelata, gelata, teria, yeah, which is a quick service restaurant that serves artisan gelato milkshakes, smoothies, biscottis, coffee and espresso I love that she let us the cast or the team member there, let us try those samples too she did, and it was, it was delicious and it was good.
Speaker 3:We gotta go back yes, um.
Speaker 2:Do you want to talk about vice?
Speaker 3:don't want to talk about vice. Yes, I would love to talk about vice. So vice is um, a fine dining dress code report, uh, resort or business casual attire. So they will look at you and tell you that if you are wearing a t-shirt and shorts, you are not allowed to come into that restaurant we gotta say it's legal name oh, the vice restaurant.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, which I will say on the universal mobile app it said it does say that, uh, resort or business casual attire is recommended. So I don't know what that I don't know. Don't show up not looking nice but yeah, it is a very nice restaurant correct now.
Speaker 3:This began in 1926 as a small trattoria in milan no, it's trattoria trattoria in milan which is now the international network of vice. Now it offers a northern italian cuisine and a sub perb service in an excellent and elegant atmosphere. Have you seen this menu?
Speaker 2:I had.
Speaker 3:I didn't even know this restaurant existed until this day okay, so because it's in a part of the resort that I'd ever go to okay, so we went, you, you left the resort for for a tad bit and we went over to the thirsty fish, which we will get into next. But you have to pass this restaurant in order to get to the thirsty fish.
Speaker 3:Each table has its own little like candle and like white linen was on top of this and it was like the waiters had like napkins over their arms and it was like they're wearing suit jackets and I'm just like I want to eat there by myself, alone, in an elegant silk dress. I want to drink a whole bottle of wine. It was so beautiful and it was like they had those, you know the Italian, like big candles that are like in wine bottles. And they're like overflowing. That was sitting on the tables. It was so pretty, like just passing by. It looked pretty and it smelled so good.
Speaker 3:I just I need to eat there now, yeah, so I am sad because one thing that I didn't get to do while we were there and it's my favorite thing to do when I go to portofino, even if I'm not staying there is get an espresso martini from the thirsty fish oh, we went to the thirsty fish and if you have not been, even if you're not staying at portofino, I recommend that you pop over there and get a drink and sit outside in the piazza, or even just sit inside of the thirsty fish, because this was such a fun experience when we went.
Speaker 3:The singers that were that were in mamas were getting a drink at the thirsty fish so they were singing inside the thirsty fish. It was so cute. They're like and we were talking to the bartenders who were wonderful, and he was like, yeah, they do this every night. Like literally, we get live music every single night and it's not on purpose and it's just so good, but it's, it's fantastic. It's like upscale meets downscale, a downtown kind of vibe, and it's like laid back, but it's, it's like higher end at the same time.
Speaker 2:It's really nice when there's no construction going on, because there is construction actually happening to the outside of the building, that that is, in All of the doors and windows in the Thirsty Fish are open and there's tables sitting outside and inside, so you can sit on the piazza and you can watch the water taxis come and go while you drink and socialize. It's a fun place.
Speaker 3:It was really nice because we got to get a nice little nightcap and we sat on the piazza as it was dark and they had like lights everywhere and it was really pretty and we got to hear the water and that's when I actively wanted to get in one of those boats.
Speaker 2:Yeah, now, one place you did not go while you were here and this is where somewhere I have eaten before is Sal's Market Deli, which is a quick service restaurant, and then the stairs to the lobby and then this house okay, yep, so this is more like what people are used to in resorts is the grab-and-go place?
Speaker 2:it's not a, it's not a quick service or a cafeteria, but they do pizzas, sandwiches, salads, meats, cheeses, fruits, and then they have like your grab-and-go so you can buy beer and wine, you can buy pop tarts, you can buy cup of noodle type things in there. So it's kind of like a convenience store and a pizza place and there is dining.
Speaker 3:There is dining in there, though, but it's very limited. It was I wouldn't say it's like a full sit down place yeah, I think there's like.
Speaker 2:I think there's like 10 menu items in total and that includes like all the pizzas. You can buy all the sandwiches and there's probably about 10 tables.
Speaker 3:Um, I feel like it's more. So take it with me.
Speaker 2:I've never been I've never been in the dining portion that they have, because it's that little separate room. I've never actually been in there so I have no clue how big it is. But I want to say I really loved when we rounded the corner and we saw the fam those three girls sitting inside eating and that one girl was just a big old bite of that sandwich dude like she, it was her whole personality trait.
Speaker 3:She was like, let me just it was and it was it was really funny so bad for her because there's this window where all these people are walking past and this poor girl just like body weight in that sandwich bite. I bet you that's what you and I look like, though, after we eat out, like somebody videotape us at mama mama, yeah, we'd be screwed.
Speaker 2:And then do you want to talk about the last, last food establishment we have?
Speaker 3:that's uh splendido's right. Um so splendido's bar and grill is a full service and bar. This offers appetizers, pizza, salad, sandwiches, wraps, tacos, um platters, platter, I don't know why the sevens in the notes? That was a mistake like you could get like seven platters. You can get like seven different platter, options.
Speaker 2:Kids, you can get like a chicken tender platter like big platters that can feed a family.
Speaker 3:Oh nice, yeah. So yeah, seven platter, seven people, makes perfect sense. I don't know where this one's located, though um, I think it's over near the beach pool.
Speaker 2:Well, there's three different pool locations at this resort. I think they have the most pools which we're about to get into, but I think it's over next to beach pool, which is the one that has the big water slide, uh, and it's like the family hangout place rob and I walked over to the villa pool and this one has the hot tub and it has a TV that you could like.
Speaker 3:They were playing movies on. They were playing alien versus monsters on this TV and it was super cute to watch.
Speaker 2:There should have been the beach pool.
Speaker 3:No, no, no, we saw the Villa pool. It was massive, huge, she said it was the biggest one in. Villa is the biggest one on property.
Speaker 2:It was it's over there by the I didn't know they did movies over there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's got a massive projection screen over there. It's so cute and they offer like different waters and stuff that you can get complimentary and they have sunscreen and tanning lotion complimentary as well. I did not know that.
Speaker 2:To preface. So there are three pool locations. And what's great is, they're all very different. So you've got the beach pool, which is kind of like the family pool. That's one that has the water slide. Family pool, that's one that has the water slide. It has a sandy beach. Um, that's where they do a lot of games, activities. That's where I know of them to typically stream movies. It sounds like they were streaming a movie at villa that day too yeah um the villa pools are a little more.
Speaker 2:I felt like this was more like adult vibe it's, it's the happy medium yeah it's the place that has the hot tub, but they also have rentable cabanas in the villa pool area where you can get a fan, refrigerators, a phone, a plasma tv, um, they have more upgraded lounge chairs just out on the lawn and it's also I think I already said just where they have the hot tub. And then there's hillside pool, which I've never been to, and portofino bay markets this as a quiet and secluded place to relax.
Speaker 3:This is not one of those ones that you go in there making a lot of noise and from what I was told from the lady she said that hillside there was a team member that we were speaking to rob as rob was watching the movie, um, and she was like, if you're looking for quiet away from I think she assumed that rob was my child. She was like, if you're looking for quiet away from your kid, she was like go to hillside. I was like why, what is that? She's like there's literally team members over there that would be like hi, you're being too loud, you gotta go or be quiet. I was like no way.
Speaker 3:Look at that I want that job, give me that job telling a whole bunch of children hi crotch gumballs quiet be quiet.
Speaker 2:This is the quiet place. Yes, um, and there's lots of shopping.
Speaker 3:Yes, but I like that it was not like an overwhelming shopping experience, like they had the universal store. Um, then they also had there was a beach store right across from, uh, the thirsty fish, which had, like some, some. I feel like this was kind of like the portofino shop so there's four stores located in portofino on the piazza.
Speaker 2:There's altamoda, la ancora sure which I think is supposed to be like the anchor memories, the portofino and obviously the universal store but I love how they call it uni Store. I called it Uni Store. Oh, I thought that's what it was called no. I abbreviated it to the Uni Store U-N-I, which is what a lot of Orlando locals will do. Instead of saying Universal, they'll call it Uni.
Speaker 3:Yes, because we're all very lazy.
Speaker 2:Yes so no, it's the Universal Store.
Speaker 3:We literally have a nickname for everything because we refuse to call anything by their actual name velocity instead of velocity coaster here, we could do a whole episode on that okay, we know what we're doing.
Speaker 2:Stop um. So the free amenities for this place. Do not stop with everything that we've been talking about, obviously not even food and beverage and shopping is not free.
Speaker 2:But one of the most amazing things that I think sets this resort apart from any resort that we have at Universal is the Musica della Nota, which is each evening at sunset. The Harbor Piazza comes to life with a complimentary showcase of classic opera and popera favorites sung by talented performers, and this is done for free. Usually it's done on the balcony that faces so like if they're in the lobby of portofino bay. They come out onto a balcony over the piazza and sing to you and the sun is fading behind you. And they're on this balcony and it's beautiful. Right now, with the construction, they have been relocated just down to the piazza and it looks like they were near the harbor line next to um the fish, the salty fish thirsty, thirsty fish.
Speaker 2:Thank you, um, and I didn't get to see it because, uh, we were at dinner or we were going to dinner, so we'd missed it. Um, but it is so cool, um, and I absolutely, absolutely love that I've never seen it, so now we have to go back, oh most definitely. And then obviously, that doesn't always happen every single night. It depends on if the performers are available and what the weather is like, true? And then another really cool thing that happens on the piazza is called harbor nights. Have you ever heard of this?
Speaker 2:no, I haven't tell me so harbor nights is a special event, nights that happen on the piazza, so, like New Year's, I know, is one they have every year and then they do a couple of different events throughout the year. It is a separate ticketed event so you can still get around the piazza and you can get to the restaurants and stuff. But in order to get into Harbor Nights it is a ticket, a ticketed event that ranges from $79 for Standing Harbor, $109 for VIP and $850 for a private table. That includes reserved seating for up to 10 people at a private table for your entire party. How.
Speaker 2:And there's music, there's all sorts of. I mean, when I first moved to Orlando, that was one of the things that I heard about. When it comes to the resorts at Universal is Harbor Nights parties. That's so cool and people dress to the nines. They're in evening gowns, suits, I mean. They're wearing. I can't think of a good brand right now. Gucci they're wearing. Gucci and Dolce Gabbana. I mean, it is legitimately like you're in la at a party.
Speaker 3:Love that and it's pretty cool I love that they also do weddings oh, really, tell me all about those she's like I didn't read that note no actually I just don't.
Speaker 2:I'm my thoughts on weddings, so you go ahead and talk about weddings um, so mediterranean is your experience at a stunning recreation of a seaside villa of portofino, italy, at lowe's portofino bay hotel, you can expect an exceptional wedding experience surrounded by unparalleled beauty, elegance and romance on the italian riviera. Um, so again, it's like it's out there on the piazza for the most part, um, and they do weddings and private events. They also have a convention and conference space on the other side of the resort that has its own separate entrance into the resort. Um, so they have ballrooms, escalators that go down, some beautiful artwork down there, and they've got several large ballrooms and conference spaces that they can hold events at, which is pretty cool.
Speaker 3:Happy for those people. So we did as we spoke about in the episode. About, well, in this episode is the all-out construction that Portofino has been going under. They're looking to do some. You could kind of tell there was some outside updating that was happening. It looks like they were painting, reconstruction some things. So the resort was built in the 90s, which makes sense as to why we're seeing all of this construction.
Speaker 3:I think they're looking to kind of reinvent the wheel a little bit here, update you know what's going on when you're gonna make epics opening soon so we're gonna, you're gonna see a huge spike in attendance.
Speaker 3:Oh, absolutely, so. It did take a while for us to get where we wanted to. However, you were still able to rock around the piazza, which was nice. And. I felt like we were able to still get, like I said, from point A to point B. So I don't think any of the construction was necessarily in the way. However, it did.
Speaker 2:You had to detour.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I do think it kind of takes away from like the look of the hotel. Portofino is very beautiful when it is not under construction. So this is just kind of. It's definitely one of those ones, as it was my first day, that I do need to stay there again after the construction is there, so I can fully appreciate all of the fact that I don't have to rock around some staffling.
Speaker 2:Also I forgot to mention there is also a VIP lounge in the lobby.
Speaker 3:I did see that. Forgot to mention there is also a vip lounge in the lobby.
Speaker 2:I did see that and we need to become vip members so we can sit in there.
Speaker 3:I don't know how that happens, but we can. Yeah, hey, universal, make us vip people. Hey, do you want to talk about the um? Wait, wait, wait. Before we get into this, can we talk about how comfortable, how that room was, please? Oh yeah, we didn't even talk about our room no, we need to talk about that first. I know we this is a very important thing and I want you to talk about it. However, that was probably one of the most beautiful rooms I've stayed in.
Speaker 3:In a while that bathroom oh, I could have lived in that bathroom yeah, so we had a reservation for a garden view room yes um, so it overlooked the garden which is kind of the piazza no, no no, no, is there a piazza view?
Speaker 2:it's called harbor view oh, a harbor view.
Speaker 3:I didn't know that. Yes, oh, I love that.
Speaker 2:Yes um, so we had two were they king size?
Speaker 3:they had to be. They were huge.
Speaker 2:I don't remember if they're king or queen I have a feeling they're king, because I feel like we were in smaller. We were on a smaller bed when we changed resorts yeah, definitely um, but it comes.
Speaker 3:It had mini fridge tv yep um desk but the bathroom alone carpeted, which I loved yes, it had a safe for for any of your valuables, which was nice, had an ironing board the bathroom was about as big as a room, as a like standard hotel room yeah, it was huge.
Speaker 3:I mean it had a bathtub, which was nice. I had double sinks, a toilet and also had a shower. Um, it also came with a whole bunch of towels and a full-size mirror was on the back of the door. Also came with your amenities of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion shower cap, shower cap cotton swabs ear, ear things your cotton.
Speaker 2:What are those called?
Speaker 3:Ear ear.
Speaker 2:I don't know, I just forgot what they were called.
Speaker 3:Ear ear cleaners no Cotton. I thought they were cotton swabs, no, maybe it is cotton, no cotton swabs, cotton pads cotton pads, cotton balls. They had pads, cotton balls they had there's a two glasses in the bathroom for when you brush your teeth and you have a little rinse.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was really nice and they give you like a little paper plate that you can set your jewelry, or yeah I put all my earrings on there, which is nice and I want to take a second to talk about the chat, your service that universal has at their resorts. So upon check in um, they send a welcome text message to the phone number registered to the person who had the reservation so it was for me.
Speaker 3:Did find out, though, that you can add phone numbers to that.
Speaker 2:You can, yeah um, you can change the phone number, do whatever you want. So they send you a welcome text message and say, if you want to accept, yes, or if you. If you respond and say yes, they send you a link that'll give you all the information about the resort, the restaurants and all of these things, literally, and then they tell you that link that'll give you all the information about the resort the restaurants and all of these things, literally right there.
Speaker 2:And then they tell you that you can text this phone number 24-7 while you're there for anything that you need. So we actively used that service because we wanted an extra blanket.
Speaker 3:Their blankets were fantastic by the way, oh, 10 out of 10.
Speaker 2:So we text them at like 11 o'clock at night and we said, hey, can we get an extra blanket to our room? And at night, and we said, hey, can we get an extra blanket to our room? And, um, I had two different agents respond. So one agent responded. They said yes, we'll send that right up, and I said thank you. And after I said thank you, another agent followed up and asked if there was anything else that they could assist us with for that night and I just I think it was great and I think it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed that oh, my god, it was fantastic.
Speaker 3:I love that, like I loved it. And those blankets I need them, universal. Please sell part of fiona's blankets to me, please, and thank you. Okay, so we check out we finish breakfast we check out yep, jordan, I head to my house because we have to check on baby b and you head home. But you didn't head home. No. Do you?
Speaker 2:want to what happened Ashley.
Speaker 3:What happened to your car?
Speaker 2:Oh, that was not what I wanted, so I you put a nice little dent in your car. I was parked in a compact car parking spot because I have a compact car.
Speaker 3:You no, you don't have a compact car, you have a two-person smart car. So it is, it looks like a go.
Speaker 2:It is a compact car it's a go-kart um your mic's cut now I think um I'm okay and I get out on the main road with you and jordan and I'm looking at you guys at a red light. I go through the red light and I look in my rear view mirror to change lanes and I realize I don't see my driver's rear view mirror. And I focused for a second and I realized that my mirror had been folded in and I didn't notice it while I was in the garage. So I'm immediately like oh no, because there was a large SUV that parked in a compact parking spot, clearly marked beside me and evidently in the morning when they went to check out they I don't know how my mirror got pushed in because there was no damage there but just behind my driver's side door is a big, huge dent the size of a basketball and they ingrate like it dig, dug into the car and scratched up my paint. And I didn't realize. I didn't realize the dent until I'd made it to my destination. So I got out, did what I needed to do and I called you guys and said I know I'll catch up with you. I'm going to head back to Portofino just so I can update them on the situation and get a report done In case I decide to fix this. I'll need it for insurance purposes.
Speaker 2:So I went back to Portofino and I have to commend the staff there. So I walked inside and I was greeted by their lobby person. They kind of have someone that floats around the lobby. I let him know that I needed to speak with security due to a vehicle accident happened in the parking garage. He first and foremost asked if I was okay, if I was involved. I told him I was, but it wasn't necessarily a car wreck. And he asked again if I was okay, if I was involved. You know, I told him I was, but it wasn't necessarily a car wreck. And he asked again if I was okay. And then he walked me over to the front desk where I had a front desk assist me. I just let him know.
Speaker 2:I said, hey, I need to speak with security. And she was like, can I ask what it's for? And I said, yeah, my car got hit in the parking lot overnight and I just need to do a report on it. So she she was like, yeah, let me, you know, take care of that for you. She said, do you mind if I step to the back and notify my manager of the situation? And I said absolutely, that's fine. So she walked to the back. She came back out a few moments later with a water bottle. That was so nice.
Speaker 2:And said that her manager wanted me to have a water bottle. And then her manager came out a moment later. They all asked if I was okay. I felt like I was royalty in this moment. They were so nice and so kind to me and I understand it, because you know we pay a lot of money to stay in places like this and something like that is not something that you want to happen when you're on vacation. But c'est la vie, is the world. It happened. It wasn't anyone at Portofino's fault. You know. It's a parking garage, vehicles are moving, it's what happens. Was I upset? Absolutely. Was it universal reporter pheno's fault?
Speaker 2:absolutely not um so parking compact cars I waited a little while for security to come and he came and we chatted in the lobby for a moment. We walked out, looked at the car. He took my registration and insurance information uh, gave me some resources that I could use for um the orlando police department if I wanted a formal police report, done um and things. And he took my information and you know, he he said he was grateful that I myself was okay, um, and that I think that really speaks volumes to me um to know that when you park in a parking garage and self-park, it is considered um at risk parking.
Speaker 2:Does you park anywhere in a parking garage? Um, and I feel as though they definitely went the extra mile to make sure I was taken care of and that I felt uh appreciated by them and I think they did a fantastic job. And whoever hit my car in the parking garage, you're a duty head. You um didn't even leave a note in my windshield to say you're sorry. I don't care if you would have left your driver's information and insurance information.
Speaker 2:If you'd have just left a note that said you were sorry, I would have been better, but it is what it is do better um so we did universal the day before so checked out of portofino, did what we need to do, and then we met up at universal's cabana bay beachort for our second leg of our journey yes, we did um and um, cabana Bay Beach Resort is a prime value resort, so it's going to be on the second of the four levels, so we're two below the premier resorts. Um, and it is, uh, within walking distance of Volcano Bay, which is pretty neat, uh.
Speaker 2:But the thing I like most about it is it is a vibrant retro style place. They have family suites, they've got standard hotels type rooms, they've got pools, all sorts of stuff, but the resort mimics a florida beach resort of the 1950s or 60s do you know, I heard the best thing to describe this hotel it is like hairspray. The movie threw up in this hotel I can see that it's like that and like fallout before the bombs drop.
Speaker 2:I've never seen it, so you're obsessed well, I have to say that because the fallout series released like two days ago, um welcome to the 50s.
Speaker 3:Is it the 50s or 60s?
Speaker 2:it's the 60s oh well, but stop singing before we get a cease and desist john travolta will come after me yeah, so we didn't really participate in a lot of the amenities at the resort for this day because our uh at this point all day at volcano bay we did.
Speaker 2:I was actually pleasantly surprised at how long we stayed at volcano bay, but we'll talk about that in a moment. So in port, uh, in portofino, in universal's Bay Beach Resort, which we are just going to refer to as Cabana Bay, moving forward, yes, but we'll not be saying entirely large. They have. Their newest addition is the Shake's Malt Shop, where you can get milkshakes and ice cream, and you can get adult milkshakes.
Speaker 3:Filled with booze.
Speaker 2:They have, we Filled with booze they have.
Speaker 3:We did not participate in this and I'm very sad we did not. I know.
Speaker 2:We looked at doing it and we thought about doing it that night, but we ran out of time because they closed before we got back to the hotel. Correct, they have Bayliner Diner, which is a quick service style cafeteria, so it's like a food court. Yep. So you go in. There's several different locations with different types of food that you can um get you meet up at the register's pay.
Speaker 3:The dining area for this place is massive it's like a cafeteria um like a school lunchroom, cafeteria size it's huge, oh yeah, size wise. Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:It's, but I love like the architecture, because they've got like the round tables and then they have square tables and boots the tvs that were playing all over the place. They have black and white movies that were playing. They're just projectors, but like of cartoons yeah, they played like 1950s commercials and cartoons. Yeah, that was cute. It's massive. I like that. They have the Hideaway Bar and Grill, which is out by the pools.
Speaker 3:Yes, jordan and I participated in this.
Speaker 2:That's usually where I get my piña colada, but I didn't get one this day A piña colada. If you like, piña colada.
Speaker 3:And he thinks I'm going to get the Z-Sin-A-Sist Lord.
Speaker 2:I also like Was that song by Jimmy Buffett?
Speaker 3:I have no idea.
Speaker 2:Because if so, then we won't get a Z-Sin-A-Sist. Oh rip. No, I just meant because he was wild and crazy, not because he's dead.
Speaker 3:There's also Atomic Tonic Galaxy Bowling, which we have participated in in the past, swizzle Lounge, which is very adorable, and they also have live music that plays at this at night. They also have a Starbucks and they have their room delivery pizza place, which is called.
Speaker 2:De Delicioso Pizza. Delicioso Pizza.
Speaker 3:Love it.
Speaker 2:It is the same pizza that they serve in the bay liner diner too.
Speaker 3:Yes, it is now. That's it, because we didn't really spend, we slept.
Speaker 2:No, we got to talk about the room, so we stayed in one of the towers yes, we did, and the towers were an addition to the resort. After the resort opened.
Speaker 3:And these are. I think these opened around the same time Volcano Bay opened.
Speaker 2:They opened, they started construction when.
Speaker 3:Volcano Bay was being when.
Speaker 2:Wet n' Wild closed.
Speaker 3:Yes. Because Wet n' Wild used to be where Volcano Bay is now, and I think the whole purpose of these two towers being built was so that you could get the view of Volcano Bay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we had an incredible view it was.
Speaker 3:It was very nice um two queen or it was two queen beds uh tv, mini fridge table uh smaller bathroom however, you know, what I did like about this bathroom was the fact that the shower and the bathroom were closed door, and then there's a separate area that had the sink in the mirror to get ready. Now the family suites there those are my favorites because when you go into a family suite.
Speaker 2:You walk in and you're in the kitchenette oh very nice. You turn left and you have a formal living room with a couch that actually pulls out into a sleeper sofa, and then you have this really cool wall with a sliding door. Behind that door there is two beds, and then there's the bathroom. But here's the cool part about the bathroom.
Speaker 3:Lay it on me.
Speaker 2:When you are looking at the sink so you've got the sink directly in front of you.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And if you step up to the sink you're right at the counter. Turn right, you have a door that goes to the toilet. Love that Turn left. You have a door that goes to the shower and another sink. That's nice. So the problem that everyone has when you stay in a hotel room.
Speaker 3:Especially with multiple people.
Speaker 2:People are trying to take a shower and you got to go to the bathroom. You either got to go all the way to the lobby or the pools.
Speaker 3:Or you wait until that person's done taking a shower.
Speaker 2:And you don't have to do that in the family suites. And they have a really cool. It's kind of like a walk-in closet there. That walk into this little tiny room and they have things. It's pretty cool that's gonna have to be our next room for the next vacation yep, and I wish I had thought ahead of time to find music to play for this next segment um but I don't okay.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that works. I think that's lilo and stitch's new song, but we're just gonna ignore it okay um one of the big things, wait, wait before we start volcano bay topic have you been here before? Was this your first time?
Speaker 2:this was like my third or fourth time okay, yeah being there um, but I I got to learn a lot more. So my.
Speaker 3:So when I go there, I usually do like three of the three same attractions, and then I leave buddy, give us the history of of EB, because I know you want to.
Speaker 2:I am going to. So there's two different forms of information here, and I had a feeling you were going to be like oh God, that's a lot.
Speaker 3:It's so much, it is a lot, but you are the only one I know. That is like I will talk about it all.
Speaker 2:Well, this is what I think is so cool. So Volcano Bay is a water park like you've never seen before. Because Universal doesn't tote this as a water park I'm so sorry, you're good, they tote it as a water theme park. A water theme park, and I think that I mean. In my opinion, I think that stands true, because it is completely unlike a water park I've ever been to before. So the lore of Volcano Bay.
Speaker 3:Are you ready? I'm listening. I'm listening.
Speaker 2:So it all began with a fiery god called krakatau. He, through his wrath and fury, dominated the land.
Speaker 2:He couldn't contain the adventurous spirit of his daughter, tainui she fell in love with a native youth named kala, and when her fiery, protective father learned of their romance, he flew into a rage and he banished kala forever to the sky, where he became the moon. Overcome with grief, tai nui's tears became the sea. It was then that krakatau realized that he had not only succeeded in destroying what mattered to him most, his daughter's happiness. So at that point, he was then determined to reunite the young lovers. So he reached into the sky, or, excuse me, he reached into the earth and pulled it into the sky, creating the volcano of volcano bay. Krakatau trapped the remains of his anger and jealousy, uh, in the form of a fire spirit, vol, whom is imprisoned deep inside this volcano.
Speaker 2:So this is how the sky, sea and earth unite to form the paradise of volcano bay oh, wow and what's really amazing about this and I didn't know this prior to this visit we went inside the volcano. You can actually go inside it and when you go inside, if you look hard enough, you can actually come face to face with Val.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we talked to him.
Speaker 2:We did, and that is what I thought was so cool. He's real, he's a real fire spirit that you actually get to speak to, and we held a conversation with him it was not a robot. It was a real thing.
Speaker 3:Correct and I really, really, really, really love the fact that he gave us the same history lesson that you just gave to us well, he didn't give us that history lesson but he gave us a similar he gave us the lore of the people do you have that listen? Do you want to know it?
Speaker 2:of course, okay, so the lore of the waturi people. Before they came to volcano bay, the waturi traversed the ocean in outrigger canoes in search of a new home. According to the, the legend, a mystical fish named Konoku Was destined to guide them. The voyagers took them To the far corners of the South Pacific and wherever they went, the Watsuri embraced the customs, music and art Of the many people they encountered. But, alas, nowhere did they find Konoku. On that search, on and on, they searched, until they came to every edge of the world. It was then there they found Kanuku playing in the waves. Within a day, kanuku and the winds of fortune led the travelers to the shores of Volcano Bay. The Waturi knew that at long last they had found home, and the Waturi believe in living life to its fullest and creating stories through adventure. So when you go to volcano bay, everyone that you see, there is a part of the watari tribe and they're welcoming you to volcano bay to enjoy and have fun that's so cute it is.
Speaker 2:I really like I'd been three or four times and I never had dug into that folklore and actually realized that there's a lot of in-depth storytelling with this place.
Speaker 3:I didn't know that. Look at me Learning something new every day.
Speaker 2:The ride names one of my favorite things. Do you know how they greet you?
Speaker 3:How do they greet you?
Speaker 2:Kia Ora.
Speaker 3:Didn't you tell me that's not actually Hawaiian?
Speaker 2:It comes from Australiaralia I do believe so. There's a several different phrases um that they use throughout volcano bay. I don't remember 100, what kia ora means, but it's a. It's essentially like welcome friends. Oh, very nice. Um, so it's fun to see that, but um, let's get in and talk about our day at volcano bay. Oh my gosh, I would love to do that because I had a blast I did um, so do you want to talk about how volcano bay is different from other water parks?
Speaker 3:and the fact that I have to have a band on me what is it called? A tapu tapu a tapu tapu I hate this thing. I love and I hate this thing. I wore this for 2.2 seconds, got yelled at for not wearing it.
Speaker 3:I actively wanted to throw it away because it was so big and bulky yet you wear an apple watch okay, but here's the thing though my apple watch is tiny a taboo taboo is not tiny and also the band, I think, is what is so uncomfortable with it. The band has this little notch at the very top of it that hooks into the strap. And then you have this silicone other strap that hooks on.
Speaker 2:It's literally an Apple watch, but it's all silicone, yeah, and I don't like it.
Speaker 3:Well, let's talk about the good things, about it, and I also was having this weird feeling that my wrist was vibrating, but it wasn't actually vibrating, so I had this like no, it probably was vibrating, because it does vibrate. I know, but I think because I thought it was my Apple watch and I was waiting for notification and then every time it would vibrate I'd look at it and go. Nobody's texting me.
Speaker 2:Oh, so the tapu tapu um is integral for your entire operation at volcano Bay. Um. So volcano Bay listened to guest feedback and to guest feedback, and when they were building this water park they were asking guests their opinions on things, and the number one thing that people said is they hated waiting in line at water parks. Are you okay over there? Yeah, I'm taking my earrings out because they're hurting my ears.
Speaker 3:Ah yeah, no, that's annoying. I think that's. The worst part about being at a water theme park is the fact that you do have to wait in line for things and those lines can get really long. Plus, it gets hot and your feet get hot because you're not wearing any shoes, so that gets hot and it's just like okay, I've spent four hours waiting for a ride and I've only done one thing.
Speaker 2:Well, the great thing about the Tapu Tapu is at Volcano Bay. They do not have the standard queue line that you see at water parks Nope. So they the standard queue line that you see at water parks nope. So they have what's called the virtual queue and that's one of the main top, or one of the main things that you use your tapu tapu for. You can, when you decide you want to go ride a ride, you go to the entrance of the ride and you tap in on a totem and it gives you a time to return, and then you go out and you do whatever else you want in the park yep, I love that.
Speaker 2:I thought it was great um, so you can go do like Te Awa, the fearless river, which is like a lazy river but not lazy or other things, while you're waiting and then it buzzes and it tells you when it's time for you to return to ride that ride. You can also you link your Express to it. So if you get Express or Express Plus, you can just go in and tap in at the rides immediately and you can use it to access your lockers. You can set up to four people. Give them access to a single locker, um, but then talk about like one of the coolest things that they do with tapu I don't know what's the cool thing they do, the tapu pay, or tap to pay, as they call it to pay.
Speaker 3:Yes, I like this because I'm not one that like likes to have my phone or my credit card or my ID or all these things that I need.
Speaker 2:Soggy money.
Speaker 3:Soggy money. Taputapu allows you to link your credit card with a PIN number that you set up prior to entering Volcano Bay, and I can pay using it. It's almost like if you goney world and you you link your magic band with a credit card to your magic band. Similar concept here, except it's all waterproof. Yep, so, and? And the other thing that I did read is that you can actually limit if you want your children to have access to this so like, say, if I put my credit card and I want rob to have access to it, I can go.
Speaker 3:Okay, rob only gets access to like 50 bucks, or I want him to only have access to like 20. Or if you got small children that are like, oh, I can have ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner tap, tap, tap. They can be like. No, you don't give them access to it at all, which I do like, so this allows you to go up to the bar. Yes, you will still need to have your ID with you. So until universal or the state of florida allows us to to have photos as a not just photos, but like some sort of way for us to to realize that people over 21 are here to purchase alcohol, you do have. You do are required to show your id, um, but you're able to pay using that. So it's one less card I have to get out of my locker yep, and you just link it through the Universal Studios mobile app.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's also nice to do that when it comes to getting food. So when we went to go get our tacos and our nachos, it was simple and easy for us to kind of boop done, ready to go, which I really appreciated.
Speaker 2:You want to talk about the festering frog. Is it festering or feastering? Feastering, feastering frog.
Speaker 3:I think Volcano Bay has one of the best water park food I have ever eaten.
Speaker 2:I have always enjoyed the food that I have eaten there.
Speaker 3:Oh my God, I love it. And if you go to Volcano Bay, get the tacos, get the tacos, get the nachos, get the poke bowl. It is so good.
Speaker 2:It's literally a little quick service spot that is shaped into a frog. Yeah, it's a thatched roof and it's in the shape of a frog.
Speaker 3:You cannot miss it, and next to it is a bar, so you're able to get tacos and then a drink, but their tacos are. It comes with two tacos, plantain chips and it's I think I want to say it was like $11.99, $12.99, something like that. It's very reasonably priced. They also offer a poke bowl which is loaded up with a whole bunch of things and a wonderful vinaigrette sauce that comes on top of that, which is also similar in the 13 to 15 range, which is great. And then they offer one of my personal favorites is the nachos. They're loaded up with all the fixings on top of it, and that ranges again in that 13 to 15 price range. They offer coke products, um, and bottles of water, and you can also get, um, some different kind of, uh, mexican beer, so you get modelo or corona, which is an option here.
Speaker 2:Love that, hmm so, yeah, the, the loaded nachos are topped with chili cheese, sour cream and jalapenos. Um, and I know you've had that before. For this particular day, we both got the same thing.
Speaker 3:We got the chicken tacos, which is marinated, grilled chicken, lettuce, onions, cilantro, queso fresco on a soft flour tortilla and it was like a purple tortilla yes, blue, no, it's blue blue yeah I recommend that you get the taco sauce that comes with that and x them for an extra side of sour cream and uh, the other they had was the taco carne asada. Yep, the carne asada option, for which is the same toppings, the same fixings and that same plantain chips that come along with it, but you get an option of either the carne asada or chicken yep, and it was really good.
Speaker 2:I was almost tempted to go back and get more it was so good.
Speaker 3:And then you do have that option of that poke bowl which is um a salmon poke bowl? I believe yes um, and it comes with, like I said, probably one of the best vinaigrettes I've ever had. It's very delicious um.
Speaker 2:And that doesn't mean they have more restaurants on park. They have sushi yes uh, in an area of the park they've got a social club up towards the front, which is where I used to always get this like coconut chicken thing they also have options for if you're not feeling super adventurous.
Speaker 3:They have, like, a pizza, burgers and hot dogs spot as well. So if you do have those picky kids that are just not so ready to try something crazy, they have that kid-friendly options, which is pretty nice. Yep and then we Can we talk about the very disappointing ice cream situation please.
Speaker 2:Okay, sure. So I wanted to try something called the Waturi Fusion, which is an ice cream that has four different flavors. It's got like banana, blue, raspberry, peach and strawberry. I think Something like that I may have it wrong, um, but it has like four different flavors. It's called the roteri fusion. It was really cool. I was super excited to get it it looks beautiful too.
Speaker 2:Um, apparently they're instagram worthy ice cream machines were broken and all they had available at that time was chocolate ice cream and I stood there for so long waiting for it before I realized what was happening and it was really sad. But that's okay, because I'll get a roteri fusion next time we go back, because it's the only place on the park that has like soft serve ice cream. They have like ice cream sandwiches and stuff throughout the stores, but that is the only location that has the soft serve there's a bug I'm really sad yeah, there is, and it keeps
Speaker 2:moving and it keeps freaking me out I really enjoyed the dancing dragons boat bar the dancing dragon boat bar. Yeah, that was pretty good, that's where we both got a drink, so we both this time around they have uh, it's a full bar, but they also have specialty cocktails that come in a volcano bay souvenir cup okay, I'm gonna do it.
Speaker 3:I'm gonna let them in on the little secret here. What if you don't want the souvenir cup?
Speaker 2:it is cheaper for you to put it in a plastic cup I already have the souvenir cup so I asked if I can get it in just like the regular cup, because, um, I already have a souvenir cup and I just I didn't want to pay for another souvenir cup because I don't need one, and he said that that was fine.
Speaker 3:So it's the same price as the refill. So the regular cocktail with the souvenir cup is 17. With the non-souvenir cup in the plastic cup it is 13.50i and it's the same size it's the same exact size, so get it in the plastic cup.
Speaker 2:We got the volcano bay rum punch oh so, which was cruisin, aged light rum, bacardi raz, fresh pineapple juice, grenadine, and topped with bacardi black and a flower it was so pretty it was, and it was so good oh, it was delicious until jordan knocked mine over grip, but that's okay, we forgive him because he bought me more drinks later, um, but I mean we went, we rode um krakatau which is the water coaster. I just realized we haven't talked about the rides um. We rode krakatau, which is the water coaster. Did we ride makapuiki?
Speaker 3:the tube ride. The tube ride, do you remember?
Speaker 2:I think that's what, when the one it was called was maka let me uh fill in the dead space while I pull this up oh, um, I do you know.
Speaker 3:What I really did. Like, though, that we did, that we didn't have to wait for, was the action lazy river.
Speaker 2:That was a blast uh teawa, the fearless river yes, so we.
Speaker 3:You have to wear a life vest for this.
Speaker 2:It is mandatory it is certified coast guard what it's a certain, it has to be a certified coast guard life jacket you have to wear a life jacket.
Speaker 3:It's mandatory. Don't get anything even adults yeah, literally you have to wear one um, because, and if I feel like, if you don't wear one, you were asking to drown and I did actively drown um, and there was.
Speaker 2:This is so fast, so quick, so fast, um, it is fantastic though has a tidal wave that comes down every little bit and it's got that, the beating of the beating of the drums right before the waves hit and it has waterfalls, which is pretty good.
Speaker 3:Um, no, this is great. I really really like that. I also. We also did their regular lazy river um low, you do not have to wear a life jacket for this. This is your typical lazy river. There's tubes. You don't have to have a tube, um, but it is very much chill this is a very 360 difference from um the action river. That is there. It is your typical hold on. Let me give you the legal name kopika y winding river.
Speaker 2:Love it, your typical lazy river. That's what this is. You go through a cave that has really cool lights yes, your typical. Hold on, let me give you the legal name kopika y winding river.
Speaker 3:Love it, your typical lazy river. That's what this is you go through a cave that has really cool lights yes, very pretty, very picturesque, I feel like every spot that we did, even like the rides, even the um, the action, or even the, the water coaster, even the tube ride that we did, it was very picturesque spots that we were going into.
Speaker 2:Um, tell them about the fun tap to play option of your tapu tapu and how that interacts with uh, the winding river so when you actually wear your tapu tapu, you get the option to do what's called tap to play.
Speaker 3:So this is like there's little spots that you can totems totems that you can tap your tapu on and then you can screw with people that are actively inside of these spots it triggers waterfalls fountains um one spot. We literally drowned that poor girl.
Speaker 5:We sure did. We killed, got her right in the face yeah, we did she, she was like how did that happen?
Speaker 2:these totems are also located all around the park, not just in capicola no, they're everywhere.
Speaker 3:So, um, we were able to do some in the cave, which was cool when you get to meet um the head, the, the vol thank you.
Speaker 3:When you get to meet him um, there's also moments that you can do that during um any of the two brides. There's some extra spots there. There's some extra spots when it comes to the action river and the lazy river, and there were some even spots during um, uh, just walking around that we that you could kind of like let up a geyser, you would let up um spots for like sprinklers and stuff like that.
Speaker 3:So it was pretty neat that everywhere you went you were able to to kind of interact with not just with your family, but with other families to to literally get them drenched yep and the other.
Speaker 2:I just looked it up. So the other ride that we rode was um puihi of the makapuiki round raft ride.
Speaker 1:So it's two slides side by side it was fun we had.
Speaker 2:We rode with two random strangers um and I said we all had a blast, though that was so much fun and so terrifying.
Speaker 3:Do you remember when we went down the drop? He was like whoo, yes, um and that was fun.
Speaker 2:So we did have a 200 minute wait for um the k of tau which is the big water coaster that they have. It's their like number one attraction, um. But the great thing about it is, once you wait in the virtual queue and it's time for you to ride, you go into what's called a buffer queue and that buffer queue can be up to 15 minutes long. Um, we got in line.
Speaker 2:It said it was time for us to ride after 200 minutes we it was walk on, we walked right onto our boat, our raft, and we rode and we were like in and out in no time and it was an absolute.
Speaker 3:I just wish that ride would go longer, because it is so good. It's a fun ride. I thought that was a blast you know what makes me sad?
Speaker 2:we got some air time too that you wouldn't ride koakiri body plunge with me.
Speaker 3:So maybe it was, I think it was just. It was a long day we were out in the sun.
Speaker 2:We didn't get sunburned, but we got right on, we got crisp and it was like okay.
Speaker 3:Also it was like one of those situations where, like you walk. Okay, here's my if you're going to vb. I would recommend that you buy some water shoes, because that concrete hurts.
Speaker 2:And here's the thing the concrete's not hot because at Volcano Bay they missed the sidewalks with water. It's the bridges and the sand everywhere that gets under your feet.
Speaker 3:And it hurts, like it actively hurts. So I will not be going to Volcano Bay without some water shoes the next time that we go. It was quite painful. My feet hurt.
Speaker 2:They're still recovering from it yeah, one thing we didn't do this go around, because we've done it in the past is which is the big beach when you first enter at the base of the volcano. That is also a wave pool. It's a giant wave pool and it has two different modes. It's got to like tame waves, which is like waves, and then it's got like raging waves like drown you kill, you waves but, I did like where we sat it was kind of like secluded off to the side, which is nice.
Speaker 3:We did have a very pretty view of the action river, which was great. We also got to see some of the um ika muana the rides, yeah, ika muana which one's that ika muana.
Speaker 3:That's the blue and green slide yep, we got to see some of those we said actually we sat under uh, but it's also kind of nice to kind of like take a break from all the the water in the rides and from from literally from all the people, and just kind of like we brought our books. We just kind of rested for a little bit huh.
Speaker 2:The area of the park that we were in is the river village love that so it's actually broken down. You've got wave village, river village and rainforest village. It's broken down into three sections. So we were in the rainforest or not rainforest we were in the river vidge because we were over next to the rivers that was really pretty.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, I was a big fan. The only thing that I felt like it was that I I wish wasn't was I felt like I was literally having to walk everywhere around my butt to get to my elbow, like I felt like I was going around in circles and I had no idea where I was like the whole entire time I was just like are you guys lost?
Speaker 2:because I feel lost I do realize now, since we, since this was the first time I went to the volcano, I just realized you can actually cut through the center of the park if you go through the volcano because, um, if you go in, you go in next to kira uh koakiri body plunge and you can come out next to kala and tainui. Serpentine body slides very nice um, and I wasn't.
Speaker 2:I didn't think that there was a cut through, but there totally is. Um, you can walk through the waterfall in the volcano we remember we did that I didn't.
Speaker 2:I didn't want to because I want to get wet again, because it was cold, but we did um, but we did um. And then they have other, um, other attractions there at the park. They They've got tons of other. They've got the oh yeah and oh no drop slides, where oh yeah drops you at the end of the slide, it drops you six feet into a pool, and then the oh no body slide drops you. I think it's like 10 feet into a pool.
Speaker 3:That was good, though I feel like that was we weren't. We did not open it, we did not close it.
Speaker 2:We were there, we got there. What about noonish?
Speaker 3:and we left probably about five or five or six somewhere. We left around five because it was before they closed. Yeah, so we, we were there, for I think that was enough time. I mean, you definitely could have done.
Speaker 2:I could have done a full day, but I'm glad we didn't do a full day yep, and then one last thing I want to touch base on volcano bay, and then we can move to what we had for dinner yes, please um.
Speaker 2:So, um, there are some premium services that volcano bay offers. I don't know the pricing of them off the top of my head, um, but they offer cabanas. They have private cabanas and family cabanas, um, if you rent those and it's like 600, I think they're going from anywhere between 600 to 900 right now, as we're in the summer um, but it's for the full day. You get a private cabana that you can close, the curtains on three sides, unlimited towel refills, a mini fridge, a tapu totem in your cabana, so you don't have to go to the ride to tap in. You can make your reservation from inside your cabana correct.
Speaker 2:You get a designated server who, when you order food you can mobile order food on the app they will deliver the food to you at the location just think about all the tacos I know and then they have, uh, premium seating, which gives you two lounge, two lounge chairs, a big canopy that you can open and close, a lock box between your lockers, a designated server to bring you food to your drinks your food or drinks to your location, and then they have reserved seating, which isn't. I think you get towels with it, but it's just like a couple of uh sun tanning chairs. There's not really shade.
Speaker 2:They have umbrellas in the area but you don't get like a designated shaded area correct but you do get designated seating um, and all of those are the premium and reserve seating are located at watsuri beach. The cabanas are located all across the property.
Speaker 3:They're everywhere.
Speaker 2:And they have two family cabanas and those fit like 16 people.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they're massive.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're huge, but that's cool. And to get in and out of Volcano Bay, we got to walk from Cabana Bay because we were staying next door. It's one of the amenities of Cabana Bay. You have walking access. Bring your room key. But if you, yes, bring your room key, but if you're not staying at cabana bay, oh my ashley, do you want to run through? Do you? Have you ever gone in?
Speaker 3:that way. Okay, that's the only way I've ever gone, because I've never seen a cabana bay, so this was this was easier than the normal way, so if you are correct, however, this was a process correct. So if you are attending volcano bay for the day, you start off your morning by parking at city walk in the south garage in the south garage, you'll let your person know, or the the team member know.
Speaker 3:When you go in and you pay to park, you'll let them know that you are visiting volcano bay and that is where you would need to park. They will assist you in showing you which garage you are headed to, and then you park your vehicle and you get on a bus, a specific bus only for an accordion bus, only for volcano bay gas.
Speaker 3:So this does not take you to city walk, this does not take you to islands or to studios. It only, only only takes you to volcano bay. You get on that bus, you head over to volcano bay, then you go through security, then you get to volcano bay oh, you know, you go through security and then you go down into the ground.
Speaker 2:Oh yes, down through a tunnel, through a tunnel escalator up an elevator?
Speaker 3:well, they do have elevators. So if you do have a wagon, stroller or a wheelchair or an ecv, you do have access to that, so it is a wheelchair accessible. They do have an elevator for you. However, if you do not need one of those, you are going up an escalator, then you're going through ticketing, then you go through the entrance, then you go through ticketing, then you go through the. Hey, you've made it.
Speaker 3:Scan your tickets and it's a tap, a tap, the most beautiful entrance, because you round the corner and you see waturi beach and that's gorgeous and at night, but it's such a process to go that way at night they shine red lights under the water so it looks like lava coming off oh, it's beautiful.
Speaker 3:It's so pretty um, but yeah, it's really cool um but I would definitely recommend staying at cabana bay because you get to walk and skip all of that mess, which was so much better I will say, though, I think it was a very innovative process for universal to come up with when they they built this in a small triangle up against i4 and I think they did a great job of being able to do that and to get you to and from volcano bay fairly quickly correct when we left volcano bay, we met up with rob and zach yes and, um, a couple days the day before that, uh, one of my bosses.
Speaker 2:I was like I really want good asian food in orlando and I just I haven't found a spot yet if anybody has any good recommendations on chinese food asian food please let us know yes, because we're still actively looking he did name a place that I think was pretty good a little pricey but still pretty good and it's called bento I've been here before of orlando, dr phillips yes it's its official full name if you are local to the area.
Speaker 3:This is right next to american social, or as, or as many of us know it as, amso um, it's also right next to chick-fil-a, chick-fil-a and bunt cakes yep, it's everything bunt cakes.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry, uh, it's actually located at 7335 west sand lake here bam plugged it. Um. So if you look on google, it says about 10 to 20 a person, which I do think is comparable, if you're not me and ashley, because we walked in and I was like I want a bento box and I want sushi and you were like I want a 20 sushi platter and I want soup and whatever it was that you ordered for rob. We were just like give us everything literally and in it was it was good.
Speaker 3:I, like you, know what my favorite part about it is is the five of us are sitting there actively eating. We're like, hey, what do we want?
Speaker 2:to do. Wait before you, before you said what did you eat?
Speaker 3:oh god, I had so much I had. So the sushi box comes with a Philly roll to start and then you get your option of two additional specialty rolls that you get to pick. So it comes with six pieces of each of those, and then I also got. It also comes with a ginger salad and a seaweed salad, and then I also got miso soup and additional and an additional sushi roll, which was their dynamite roll, and additional and an additional sushi roll, which was their dynamite roll. Um, and it was so good.
Speaker 2:And then I got a diet coke. I got the sweet and sour bento box, which came with sweet and sour chicken, white rice, lo mein or chow mein, depending on who you are a ginger salad. But I requested no ginger and I got what I call shrimp sauce, some Some other people call yum yum sauce.
Speaker 3:The world calls it a yum yum sauce.
Speaker 2:You're the only weirdo that calls it shrimp sauce, garlic, green beans and what I just call the crispies. If you go to an Asian restaurant and they give you little crispy crackers, they're crunchies. Crunchies, yeah, but they were like coated in sugar, they were like a dessert crunchy. They were good and then I got a spicy tuna roll. No, it was like spicy crab or spicy shrimp, I don't remember it was delicious it was delicious bites of it and you got miso soup, which was also good.
Speaker 2:Yes, it was um, but what? Oh, and an egg roll oh yeah.
Speaker 3:And we got an egg roll, oh yeah. Okay, now can I talk about what happened yes my favorite part about hanging out with all of these boys and always being the only girl, because julia works and I love her and I love when she hangs out with us and I miss the fact that she was not with us girl boss however, I really love the fact that these boys are just like, hey, let's do something fun. What should we do?
Speaker 2:well it was, it was early, it was only like 6 37 o'clock.
Speaker 3:Had closed early because they had grad bash going on which is massive very hectic.
Speaker 3:Try not to schedule your vacation around grad bash going on, um, which is massive. Very hectic, try not to schedule your vacation around grad bash. Um. So we were like, what do we do? What do we do? And um, all of a sudden, the next thing you know, we're in the car on our way to magic kingdom. We're going to magic kingdom and it was so much fun, it was such a spur of the moment decision. None of us were prepared for this whatsoever. It was insane. And it was so good, it was so fun. We got to park at the Polynesian because, um, you had dining reservations.
Speaker 3:I, I did, if you know, you know, and that's all I'm gonna say. So we headed into the Poly. It was cold that night. Yeah, it was so chilly, so I got a sweatsh Poly.
Speaker 2:It was cold that night.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was so chilly so I got a sweatshirt because it was cold. So, thanks to, I got a new little Disney sweatshirt.
Speaker 2:And then we headed into Magic Kingdom, took the monorail over, To preface, though, one of the main reasons we did this is Jordan and I went to Magic Kingdom last week, and we went late A couple days before this, I thought we went at, went, we went late.
Speaker 2:A couple days before this, I thought we went at like we got there at eight o'clock at night, yep, and the Happily Ever After fireworks show was at 845 that night, yeah, so we dashed around it and started riding rides, and then it ended, and then shortly after that.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:It died yeah, it died. The crowds they left by like 9 45. So the last hour and a half that the park was open, it was empty and we got to do everything that we wanted to. So I was like let's go, it's about to be fireworks time and it happened exactly as it is the fireworks happened and then the park cleared out it was so nice well, and we got to do everything.
Speaker 3:We hit up pirates of the well we first started at over in Tamarland.
Speaker 2:Well, we started at the Emporium no. Because Rob got you a surprise. He was like he goes, keep Ashley busy. And then immediately not 30 seconds later you're like where'd Rob go? And I was like don't worry, he's an adult. Help me find a sweatshirt, because I was freezing.
Speaker 3:He knows that. Suppose that every time I go to Disney World, I always, always, am wearing a pair of ears. I never go to Disney World without a pair.
Speaker 2:Not when you're doing a spur of the moment trip.
Speaker 3:But this was such a spur of the moment trip that obviously I didn't have time to come home and grab a pair. So when we walked into Magic Kingdom I felt naked, like I felt like people were staring at me because I wasn't wearing a pair of ears. And this kid you know, like of all this, like sibling times, that like I want to strangle him. Rob is a 10 out of 10 sibling and he picks up on things without having to be told anything and he is such a sweet kid he really is and he surprised me with probably now my new favorite pair of ears, which are Pirate of the Caribbean themed ears, and I have pictures.
Speaker 3:They are Pirate of the cataboon and I love them so much and they're. They have like the little pirates logo in the middle of them and they're probably my new favorite now that I have. And he was, oh my god, it was so cute because you guys are all gone and we were sitting in the emporium and I was waiting for you guys to join and he goes ash ash, I found these new pair of ears, what do you think? And he pulls them around, like from behind his back and he, well, wait, I have to go back up because he was like I have this new thing I want to show you. And I was like, okay, he goes close your eyes. I'm like okay, well, he takes my glasses off my face and he puts something on my head and I'm like what the frick is going on? And he puts these on and then he tries to put my glasses back on.
Speaker 3:But because the ear, where the ears were, he was having a hard time putting my glasses back on sounds right so I put my glasses back on and he goes look, I found these new pair of ears what do you think? And I put them on and he goes. And I was like stop. And he goes. I got you a new pair of ears. I know you said you felt naked, so now you don't feel naked anymore. Here you go. I hope they're okay. And I was like no, you didn't. He's like yeah, I did.
Speaker 3:And I was like stop I literally wanted to cry in the middle of the emporium. And then my favorite part is, jordan comes over and jordan goes are you buying this? I was like rob already did. He bought them for me. It was so cute. And then we headed to tomorrowland we did, we headed straight for yes carousel of progress because, I haven't gotten to attend it.
Speaker 2:The last three times I've been to magic kingdom and it upsets me because it's one of my favorites it is so good and I don't know if you notice this, but the best part is so we go in and we sit on the second to back row so we can see everything and the show starts up and you know there's, there's a great big, beautiful tomorrow.
Speaker 3:Shining at the end of every day. Every one in our group.
Speaker 2:We're trying to be quiet, to be respectful of everyone else in the theater, but we're all singing. Did you realize? The couple behind us started laughing at us Because they were like oh my God, these full grown adults are over here singing this word for word, Speaking the show lines word for word. Yeah, we were, and I'm really sad that I've never been on carousel when it messes up. I totally want to one day. But it was really good and it was fun because we got to journey with a family through um the last century and see how the world changed. And then what do we go ride?
Speaker 3:the people mover the tomorrow night. No, we were at space.
Speaker 2:No, we were at space. I'm sorry, we were at Space Mountain. And what did I finally get to do on Space Mountain?
Speaker 3:Have a whole entire train to ourselves.
Speaker 2:You got the front row, which resulted in me getting the front row.
Speaker 3:I'm so proud of you.
Speaker 2:I've always wanted the front row and do you know, because I've never gotten to ride in the front row.
Speaker 3:It was violent.
Speaker 2:Let me tell you something. I thought I was going to die because you do, because then I could see everything. Yes, and you realize you can see nothing but shadows of metal and rebarb going by your head at 30 miles an hour, um, and I just remember there were several times it was like oh god, oh god, I'm gonna die, oh god, and it was so much fun. I will say I do not like the back seat. I don't like any of that. If you are, if you are a man, do try not to sit in the back seat. You won't have to anymore because, yeah, you're, yeah it is, it's a man problem. Um, I, because I had to do that with jordan the other day. He was like I don't like the back, will you ride? And I was like sure.
Speaker 2:Then I rode back there and I realized it very quickly why jordan did not want to ride in the back seat because it's horrible and then afterwards is when we were the people mover and I got upset over this go ahead so the ride, he stopped or did whatever, and it stopped right as our group got to load separated so the four you, zach and rob all sat down in one car and you can only fit four people to a car, so we knew we were gonna have to sit me and jordan.
Speaker 2:We're gonna sit in the one right behind you guys, but the guy puts up the chain and walks away and then they restarted the ride, but the man took so long to get back we were all in our own separate car that you guys were on a different train or driven train.
Speaker 2:That's right we got set on a completely different train and I'm not gonna. I was a little irritated because the man knew that we were all a party yeah but was just like go here. And I was like, but okay, and we got to ride in the train all by ourselves, um, but I was a little upset that I didn't get to ride with you guys and then we hauled our booty over to haunted mansion on road. Haunted mansion I believe that that ride is haunted. You know why?
Speaker 2:it is haunted because every time hatchback hat box hat box every time I get into the scene with madame leota it just stops, because the world hates me it comes to a complete stop every time the world hates me. That's why um, but I also love that because I love madame leota and I love that scene. You, on the other hand, was screaming like a banshee because you didn't like that scene.
Speaker 3:I don't like that scene. I don't like on a mansion why, because it scares me I'm almost 28 year old woman come out to socialize they do?
Speaker 2:what did your hitchhiking ghost do to you guys?
Speaker 3:uh, put a beard on, robin, removed my head oh, he turned my head into a balloon love that took my head off and then went and it blew up like a balloon. Love that for you. And then you know what my favorite part about this whole night was what we got a Mickey on a stick.
Speaker 2:We did, we got. You got a Mickey on a stick, we Rob got a pretzel, a pretzel. And me and Zach and Jordan got and let me tell you that was the best coca-cola I have had in my life crispy sprite, dude. It was so crispy, those drinks were dude, it was so great. And then we rode pirates because I had the pirates ears. But wait, without giving away too much I had to have that candied bacon. If you know, you know I want the candy bacon um, I wanted it right now, then.
Speaker 2:No, we rode um, we rode we didn't ride pirates next we rode, oh no we did right.
Speaker 3:There is we rode pirates um we had an entire boat to ourselves.
Speaker 2:That was so cool we were in the middle of the boat, so we didn't get wet nope, it was great um, and the big scene with the big boat looked so cool.
Speaker 3:The mist was just on point. That was so fantastic. It was so good.
Speaker 2:The smells and then we went over to tiana's and we looked at tiana's new ride we saw some what we could see, and, um, they were not testing anything that night and rob beat zach's booty on checkers, which was very fun to kind of just get a little nice little break from for a second, a pay phone that still works we did um and then we rode big thunder mountain the wildest ride in the wilderness and I'm sorry but that was probably the worst ride of big thunder I've ever had, because of the guests um, I got to write yo.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there were some folks behind us that were just being obnoxious, I mean screaming like high pitch.
Speaker 3:We hadn't even started the ride or gone down like any point.
Speaker 2:That was terrifying, and you already go through a room where there's a really high pitch noise, and so they're screaming oh my god, it was horrible but the thing that irritated me and zach the most we were flying, I mean that thing was I was coming up out of my seat, it was in some good air time, rob and I were sitting next to each other and I was like lean, I was literally sliding the girl behind us every time, um, you would come to a place where it looks like you could reach up and touch something, she would tell her friends to jump and grab it stop it and her friend was like that's how you get a broken arm not just a broken.
Speaker 2:Oh god, I hate people and I was just like it was they were. They were really loud and obnoxious and annoying, um, but it was. One part was really funny, because jordan was sitting in the middle of his seat and it was me and zach in the back and then jordan in the middle and then he was just like he had both of his arms up and we hit one of those curves so fast.
Speaker 2:It was pitch black. So all I can see is Jordan's silhouette. The next thing I know, jordan's silhouette disappears. I see it rip off to the left side and then it was just gone and for a second I was like, oh my god, the turn was so sharp for him, his whole body collapsed into the seat he died and it was hilarious rip jordan and then we got to ride the monorail back.
Speaker 3:We rode the monorail, oh, wait, then we exited, but we went through all of the stores on the left hand side because I made you guys walk through all of them oh yeah yeah yeah, and I was like, actually I gotta go, I'll go take care of some doggies yeah, but you still enjoyed it because you got to see some bushy things that I know on your list that you want.
Speaker 2:I really want. So apparently Loungefly has come out with a new Tomorrowland bag and Tomorrowland fanny pack. Yes, and I couldn't find them that night.
Speaker 3:I think it's probably because it was in Tomorrowland and not in that store.
Speaker 2:I'm going to have to look for them. The only thing that sucks is they're gonna be like 89, hey you want to go?
Speaker 3:but I want them at 9 46 we'll get there we'll get there with just enough time to ride space mountain once let's go no, um no, gas prices are too high to do that this week and then we took the monorail back to our hotel back because we parked at the Polynesian.
Speaker 2:So and you made friends with people I always make, as you always do.
Speaker 3:I made friends with people in the Haunted Mansion too yeah, you sure did from. Michigan, love it, and then made friends with people in the monorail. That was fun, and then I make friends everywhere I go yeah, but then we.
Speaker 2:So after that, zach gave us all a ride back to the resort. He dropped us off. Me and Jordan stayed one night at Cabana.
Speaker 3:Bay. Oh, had a delicious McChicken we did.
Speaker 2:We got a McChicken and some fries on our way in that night and we watched Bluey. I love Bluey. I will wholeheartedly admit I'm a 30 year old and I will watch Bluey because it's adorable. And then we slept, ashley.
Speaker 3:Dustin. That's going to be our new intro guys.
Speaker 2:Yes, but we had a very good sleep. We slept till about 10, 9.30, 10.
Speaker 3:Do you know what happened when I came home, what? I took a nap until 5 o'clock.
Speaker 2:I went to work.
Speaker 3:I went to bed.
Speaker 2:I went to work.
Speaker 3:Must be nice. It was so nice.
Speaker 2:And that was, that was our staycation guys. We had.
Speaker 3:That was it.
Speaker 2:And you know what was great is as much food as we had and drinks and buying a shirt.
Speaker 3:I don't think I spent that much money.
Speaker 2:I spent less than $150. No, no, no, I take that back. I spent less than $200 because our dinners were a bit expensive. However, jordan technically played for my dinner at Mama Della's because we split the room.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:So I used. Well, I guess he didn't pay for it then, because I used what he paid me for his share of the room.
Speaker 3:Anywho, this is confusing.
Speaker 2:But yeah, so I spent probably around $200 over course of uh two and a half days, um, but I loved it because I got experiences that were amazing and I did get a t-shirt from disney, which I love. It's like an acid wash shirt with the castle on it um. But other than that, we paid for experiences and food and dining and fun, and I think that it was well needed and well deserved.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we got to hang out with friends, which is always a blast, and we got to celebrate Rob. Yeah. Because Rob landed his dream job he did this week.
Speaker 2:And we're super proud of him for it.
Speaker 3:I'm beyond proud. I'm beyond proud, like I am now representing uh, as I wore his t-shirt while we were playing in the park for where he's going to work.
Speaker 2:And I am a very, very proud big sister, and if I talk anymore I'm gonna start crying, because I did well, we want to hear from you guys is there a theme park that you want us to have our next staycation at?
Speaker 3:and by next staycation I mean just go spend the day at, because hotels are expensive, I would love to do have our next staycation at and by next staycation I mean just go spend the day at, because hotels are expensive. I would love to do a little mini staycation at my Disney resort because our annual pass holder stuff gets us a little discount. Okay, Better yet if between Universal Disney.
Speaker 2:Let us know. Is there a resort that you want us to go check out Do you want to know more about? Do you want to help us, help you plan your vacation? Let us know, we'll totally let you know, shan. If you want to be a sponsor of that episode, you totally can, and get us a hotel room can't wait for her to come back down.
Speaker 3:I'm really excited.
Speaker 2:I miss little shan we need to do sea world I'm waiting.
Speaker 3:We have to wait because you know what happens in two weeks for sea world what my favorite festival in the entire world, which is sea world seven seas festival is that the food one? That's the food one it is sea world's version of food and wine, and I think it is fantastic. I think, to be honest with you, I'm gonna probably get some crap for this, but I do think it's probably one of the best fest food festivals, because it is only local food here in the state of florida oh it's local local breweries, local wineries, local alcohol and local food.
Speaker 2:You know what all this talk about food's doing.
Speaker 3:Making me hungry. It's making me hungry.
Speaker 2:I think it's time for dinner. So, friends, we want to thank you guys for joining us today. I know this was a bit of a longer episode. We went on a tangent because we wanted to tell you guys about all of the fun and give you here at Volcano Bay. So until next time, stay safe, stay educated.
Speaker 3:And share our podcast with your friends, your family and, of course, your favorite bartender.
Speaker 2:Hey, don't forget, follow us on those social media channels. You can find a link to all of those social media channels at OrlandoUnpluggedPodcastcom.
Speaker 3:Oh, and don't forget to like and subscribe and make sure to keep an eye out for all our fun photos that we took of our little staycation, because I have a lot.
