Taryn's Mad Hatter Adventures

Category: Uncategorized

• Universal’s Loews Royal Pacific Resort

  Posted at 9:45 am by taryngirl, on October 15, 2020

  January 2019

  I am using some of my free time to catch up on past trips! In January 2019, I was fortunate enough to receive training directly at Universal Orlando.

  We were able to tour a few different resorts on Universal Orlando property. This one is Universal’s Loews Royal Pacific Resort. This resort is set in the exotic South Seas with a tropical vibe. It’s a Premier level hotel that includes Universal Express Unlimited, which allows you to skip the regular lines (a value of $129.99 per person, per day). This is a HUGE advantage! They offer standard rooms, club level rooms, and suites.

  With 1000 guest rooms and suites available, there is a type of accommodation for everyone!

  

  

  

  

  

  Besides looking at the rooms, we were able to tour around the beautiful grounds. This courtyard was amazing! And yes, there were people just sitting out there relaxing.

  

  

  

  There are several different dining/beverage options at this resort. I didn’t take many pictures though because there were a lot of people sitting and eating! I didn’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable if they saw me…

  

  

  Overall I loved this resort! Of the three Premier level hotels available at Universal Orlando, Royal Pacific is the most affordable in terms of cost. The biggest benefit, as I mentioned before, is the fact that Universal Express Unlimited is included in the cost. If you are comparing pricing between the Value and Prime level hotels, factor in the cost of the Express pass. This allows you to skip the regular line on participating rides.

  Posted in Royal Pacific Resort, Uncategorized, Universal Orlando | 0 Comments | Tagged Royal Pacific Resort, Universal Orlando

• Grand Floridian Cafe Breakfast Review

  Posted at 11:07 am by taryngirl, on October 2, 2020

  1/30/2020

  I am writing this post Covid closure. This is from my trip in January! In looking at the current menu, it seems they have taken several things off of the menu for now. Boo! Hopefully they will be back!

  After briefly checking out the Club Level area at the Contemporary Resort, we hopped on the monorail, which is conveniently located right inside the resort, and headed to the Grand Floridian. Our breakfast reservation at the Grand Floridian Cafe was at 9:00 a.m.

  This is the glorious site when you are dropped off from the monorail and head inside the doors to the resort. It’s amazing!

  

  

  I wanted to get a glimpse of the new Enchanted Rose Lounge that opened just a few months prior.

  

  

  The entrance was roped off, so I couldn’t get inside to take any pictures, but here are a few from outside the rope.

  

  

  You can click my link above to check out the details and menu. It’s definitely on the pricier side, with just a few food items available, but lots of beverages.

  From there, we just walked down the steps to the Grand Floridian Cafe. Neither of us had ever eaten here, so it was on our list to check out. The menu was a brunch menu and looked really good!

  

  

  

  

  I started with a cup of hot tea, and Alex started with coffee.

  

  They brought her a whole pot, so that was nice!

  

  

  Complimentary biscuits with an orange butter were served. They were warm and good.

  

  Alex ordered the Brioche French Toast–Madagascar vanilla bean scented brioche French toast with bacon–$17

  

  Fun fact…if you ordered pancakes, waffles, or French toast, you could also order an “add-on.” We chose: Fresh blueberries, granola, lemon curd and blueberry sauce $3.50

  

  This was a fabulous addition and we were really happy we got it!

  

  

  I ordered the Steak and Eggs–sirloin steak, cheesy hash brown casserole, 2 eggs, housemade steak sauce $20

  

  This was so good! I would definitely order this again. All of it was wonderful.

  Overall, I give this breakfast/brunch a 10/10! I had a reservation set for May, but that trip was canceled due to Covid…and then I made a reservation for August, and that trip was also canceled. I will return! There was too much on the menu I wanted to try.

  Posted in Breakfast, Dining Review, Grand Floridian, Grand Floridian Cafe, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Breakfast, Brunch, Dining Review, Grand Floridian, Grand Floridian Cafe

• Disney’s Contemporary Resort – Theme Park View Atrium Club Level

  Posted at 11:45 am by taryngirl, on September 28, 2020

  1/30/2020

  Picking up where we last left off…

  We had been staying at All Star Movies, but were making a move to another resort. We woke up this morning pretty early, packed up and took a Lyft to Disney’s Contemporary Resort. We had breakfast reservations at a new-to-me restaurant, the Grand Floridian Cafe at 9:00 a.m. We wanted to get to the resort, check in if possible, drop our luggage, and head to breakfast.

  I had stayed in this resort previously in the Main Tower–Theme Park View. I personally love this resort! I love that the monorail goes through it, I love that you can walk to the Magic Kingdom, and I love the quick service Contempo Cafe! This time, because I’m a travel agent, I was able to secure a Theme Park View– Atrium Club Level room for an amazing deal. I have NEVER stayed Club Level at Disney, so was super excited to experience it!

  

  

  I had done some research and googling about what to expect when checking in, and kept reading to just go directly up to the Club Level check in desk. However, we were arriving here super early, and wanted them to hold our luggage while we went to breakfast, so I wanted to be sure. We checked in at the regular check in desk to make sure our MagicBands were working correctly and then she sent us on our way upstairs.

  

  To get to Club Level, we had to tap our MagicBands on the Mickey. Notice there is no floor 13!

  There are small check in desks as soon as you exit the elevator, so we stopped in there. They gave us some information and then told us to enjoy! Of course we had to check out the lounge before going to breakfast.

  The Lounge schedule was as follows:

  • Coffee 6:30-7:00 a.m.
  • Continental Breakfast 7:00-10:30 a.m.
  • Afternoon Refreshments 12:00-4:00 p.m.
  • Contemporary Flavors 5:00-7:00 p.m.
  • Desserts and Cordials 8:00-10:00 p.m.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  The view from this lounge is amazing, as you can see Magic Kingdom!

  

  

  

  I thought the selection for a continental breakfast was very good!

  We didn’t have a lot of time before we had to get on the monorail to head to the Grand Floridian for our breakfast reservation. That’s up next!

  Posted in Club Level, Contemporary Resort, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Club Level, Contemporary Resort, Theme Park View

• An Evening at Magic Kingdom

  Posted at 12:10 pm by taryngirl, on September 21, 2020

  1/29/20

  From Disney Springs, we took the bus to the Grand Floridian and then the monorail to Magic Kingdom. I think it’s super important to know your options for transportation ahead of time. Sometimes there is more than one option, sometimes things are not operating, etc. Also, don’t underestimate how long it will actually take you!

  

  

  

  

  I can honestly say in all of my trips to Magic Kingdom, I have never seen the Main Street Philharmonic band performing! This was quite a treat. Maybe because we always hit rope drop at Magic Kingdom, and they don’t perform until the afternoon? We are usually heading back to room at this time or busy on rides. This was a pleasant surprise!

  

  We had a FP+ for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, so headed there first thing. That’s my favorite ride in Magic Kingdom! From there we headed to Country Bear Jamboree since we had to wait a little bit for our next FP+ at Pirates of the Caribbean.

  

  

  When we exited the show, these characters were all out on the street having a dance party! I have never seen this happening, but have seen just random bear characters walking down the street.

  Our next stop was the Enchanted Tiki Room. Also a Disney classic! A great spot during a rain shower or a super hot day!

  

  

  Have I mentioned that I LOVE my iPhone 11? These pics were taken in very dark conditions with no flash. From there we headed to our Pirates of the Caribbean FP+. After leaving Pirates, we made our way toward Tomorrowland. The Move It! Shake It! Dance & Play It! Street Party was going on.

  

  

  We had a FP+ at Peter Pan, so I think we rode on the People Mover then made our way to Fantasyland. After Peter Pan, we went to the Haunted Mansion. I just LOVE how my pictures turned out here!

  

  

  

  

  After that, it was time to make our way to a spot to watch the Happily Ever After fireworks. Of course we had to walk past the Tangled bathrooms! This area is so gorgeous at night!

  

  

  Fireworks tip…to start, people seem to stay on the sidewalks and out of the streets. You CAN stand in the street. My tip is to stand either to the right or left of the castle on the street about mid-hub. Make yourself big, because people will start filling in and you don’t want to be squished! (Although with Covid right now we don’t really have to worry about this…but when things return to normal!). If you know you want to go to a ride in Tomorrowland, stand to the right. If you want to go to Adventureland stand to the left. It’s a complete mob scene right when they are over. We tend to stand still for a little bit until the crowd starts to disperse.

  

  

  After this amazing display, we did head back to our resort. We were checking out from All Star Movies and heading to the Contemporary Club Level! <—————–Up Next!

  Posted in Disney, Magic Kingdom, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Disney, Happily Ever After, Magic Kingdom, Touring Plan, Walt Disney World

• A Morning at Animal Kingdom

  Posted at 4:33 pm by taryngirl, on August 31, 2020

  January 29, 2020

  We arrived to Animal Kingdom in the morning, but not right at rope drop. The first thing I noticed once we exited the bus area, was the construction going on near the tram stop.

  

  

  

  Our plan was to go directly to Navi River and ride that. We went from there over to Kiliminjaro Safari. There are so many amazing photo opportunities! Here are a few I took on the way over.

  

  

  

  Our Safari experience was entertaining. We were riding this standby since our FP+ were in the afternoon for Magic Kingdom. I can’t tell you the last time I stood in this line! It was probably 45 minutes. All I will say is there was a family in front of us with children that were running all over the place…climbing over barriers that they weren’t supposed to, and at one point even sitting in the window ledge over one of the bridges. It was crazy! Anyway, here are some pictures from our ride:

  

  

  

  

  I always hit Zuri’s Sweets Shop for a snack. This time was no exception!

  

  

  We made our way over to Dinosaur, which is one of my personal favorites! Again, more beautiful scenery along the way.

  

  

  After Dinosaur, we took a little break near the stage. While sitting there, Kevin appeared!

  

  We had lunch reservations at Disney Springs, so we decided to take a bus so we could get a transfer since there were no direct buses to Disney Springs. We did wait a longgggg time for a bus here, but once he showed up, we were happy and he was fun!

  

  Overall, a great morning at Animal Kingdom! Up next, Disney Springs Enzo’s Hideaway!

  Posted in Animal Kingdom, Disney, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Animal Kingdom

• La Hacienda de San Angel Dining Review

  Posted at 2:39 pm by taryngirl, on April 9, 2020

  January 28, 2020

  After our jaunt on the Skyliner, we rode it back to the Epcot Station and entered through the International Gateway.  We had dinner reservations in Mexico at La Hacienda de San Angel, but before that, we made our way through the countries a little bit.

  It’s always a joy to listen to Mariachi Cobre located just outside the Mexico Pavilion!  They sound really good and are super talented!

  

  There are two table service restaurants in Mexico.  San Angel Inn is located INSIDE the pavilion.

  

  (By the way, I love my iPhone 11 Pro!  This pic was taken with it.   No flash!)

  

  We took a quick ride on the Gran Fiesta Tour before our dinner.

  

  From there, we headed outside of the pavilion and across the walk to the second table service restaurant…La Hacienda de San Angel.

  

  The view from our table (Yes we are inside!  We just had a window seat.):

  

  The menu:

  (A side note…I have only eaten at this restaurant one other time in my life, and it was several years ago.  I absolutely did not find the menu appealing at all, but my cousin wanted to try it.  It ended up being my favorite meal of the trip!  So I couldn’t wait to get back here.)

  

  Chips and Salsa come complimentary.  The salsa was really good!

  

  I ordered the Pollo al Pastor, which was adobe marinated chicken breast with vegetables.  It was spicy but delicious!

  

  My cousin ordered the Enchiladas de Vegetales.

  

  All entrees come with family style rice and beans.

  

  Overall thoughts…our server was a little crazy, but efficient.  One example, when filling my water, he basically dumped the pitcher onto me and my plate of rice.  The meal was so good, and I love the setting right on the lake.  If you have dined inside at San Angel Inn, give this a try!  I prefer the food here!  They only serve during dinner.

  

  Posted in Dining Review, Disney, Epcot, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Dining Review, Epcot, La Hacienda de San Angel, Mexico Pavilion, Table Service

• Disney Skyliner and Riviera Resort

  Posted at 3:23 pm by taryngirl, on April 1, 2020

  January 28, 2020

  From the Beach Club, we walked to the Epcot Skyliner Station.  We wanted to take a ride and check it out, as we hadn’t gotten to take a ride yet.  This station is located outside of the International Gateway, which is the back entrance to Epcot.  Our plan was to ride it to Disney’s Riviera Resort so we could also check that out!  That is Disney’s newest resort.

  You can see the Skyliner routes in the maps below.  These are not my pictures, but I love the satellite aerial view!  For our route, we took it straight to Riviera Resort without having to get off in between.

  

  

  Here you can see the Epcot Station.

  

  (Here’s France in the background, and you can see where they are building the new Remy attraction.)

  

  Once up in the Skyliner, you can really see some “behind the scenes!”  This is the construction of the new Remy attraction in France.

  

  Once we land at Riviera Resort, there are signs directing you where to go.

  Walking through this area, there are two AMAZING mosaic walls!

  

  The grounds are beautiful here!  It’s a very quiet, less bustling atmosphere.  You almost forget it’s a Disney Resort.

  

  I thought I took more pictures of the inside, but I guess not!  We walked into the lobby and checked out the store there.  It came across as a little more upscale than a regular Deluxe level resort.  Kind of like a mini Grand Floridian as far as “feel” goes.

  If you have an extra half hour or so, check it out!

  Up next…La Hacienda de San Angel Dining Review!

  Posted in Disney, Uncategorized, Walt Disney World Resort | 0 Comments | Tagged Riviera Resort, Skyliner

• Beaches and Cream Lunch Review

  Posted at 2:51 pm by taryngirl, on March 31, 2020

  January 28, 2020

  After the craziness of riding Rise of the Resistance, we headed out the gates and to the boat.  We took the boat to the Beach Club for our reservation at Beaches and Cream.

  Beaches and Cream had a makeover!  The seating area was expanded and the menu received a small makeover.  We couldn’t wait to check it out!

  

  The check in podium is located outside the restaurant.  Generally to dine here, you must have a reservation.  There is some counter seating that may be open for walk ins, but it’s tough to get in here!

  The menu:

  

  I can never decide what I want here, because I love this kind of food.  It’s usually a toss up between the burger or the chili cheese dog (which by the way is not on the regular menu anymore), and then a dessert decision is also a struggle!

  Here you can see he expanded seating area inside the restaurant:

  

  I ordered the chili cheese dog, even though it wasn’t listed on the menu!

  

  Alex ordered the Reuben.

  

  Both were delicious!

  And for dessert, we went with the no fail No Way Jose to share.

  

  This is probably my favorite ice cream sundae in Disney!  I love peanut butter and chocolate together.

  If you are staying in the area of Beach Club, Yacht Club or Boardwalk, this is a great lunch spot.  Or even if you are going between Hollywood Studios and Epcot as we were.  It’s reasonably priced for a table service, and the desserts available are fabulous!

  Next up…the Sky Liner and Riviera Resort!

  Posted in Beaches and Cream, Dining Review, Disney, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Beach Club, Beaches and Cream, Dining Review, Food Picture, Foodie, Table Service

• Rise of the Resistance!

  Posted at 9:06 am by taryngirl, on February 19, 2020

  1/28/20

  The time had finally come!  If you recall, we were boarding group #70.  We had been watching the app to see the groups being called.  We were in Frozen when our time had come. So upon exiting, we went directly to Galaxy’s Edge!  It was 12 noon by the way.

  There were cast members scanning people in with iPads.  The queue moved quickly, and we barely even stood still.  Here are some pictures from inside the queue:

  

  There were so many parts to the ride!  We all boarded this next:

  

  After a thrilling transport, we entered here:

  

  

  Next we were taken to the actual queue for the real ride.  The cast members here were amazing.  Everyone stayed in character!

  

  Here are just a few quick snippets from different parts of the ride:

   

   

  Now, I am no super Star Wars fan, but this ride really was amazing from start to finish!  I would definitely do it again, and I would definitely do the whole “try to get a boarding group” process again too.  It’s worth it!

  Up next…Beaches and Cream lunch!

   

  Posted in Galaxy's Edge, Hollywood Studios, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Galaxy's Edge, Hollywood Studios, Rise of the Resistance

• Exploring Galaxy’s Edge and Breakfast at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo

  Posted at 4:02 pm by taryngirl, on February 13, 2020

  1/28/20

  After Alex’s breakfast at Woody’s, we headed to Galaxy’s Edge through the entrance in Toy Story Land.  The sun was finally shining after being cloudy all morning!

  The attention to detail and theming all throughout the land are amazing!

  

  I had done some breakfast research prior to arriving, and decided I wanted to either eat at Ronto Roasters or Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo.  Since Docking Bay 7 was newer and had more options, I opted for that.

  This is the lunch menu:

  

  I’m just noticing this menu says Breakfast available until 9 a.m., but online I’ve seen 10 a.m.  I have no idea what time we got there, but there was a line and I MOBILE ORDERED!

  

  I’m also noticing the lunch entrees say available from 9 a.m. until close.  I did not see anyone with these entrees!  Only breakfast, soooo, I don’t know?

  

  The inside of the restaurant was really neat.  There were various seating options…high tables, low tables, etc.

  

  I chose the Bright Suns Breakfast Platter–three cheese egg bite, pork sausage, purple potato hash, mini mustafarian lava roll. $10.99

  

  This was really good!  And I liked the variety.  I’m funny about eggs, but this was great.  I also love Disney sausage!  The mini roll was actually like a cinnamon roll with frosting and cookie crumbs.  I would definitely get this again!

  We exited out a side door and found some outdoor seating as well.

  

  We looked for the Rise of the Resistance entrance so we knew where to go when we came back.

  

  Overall, if you are a Star Wars fan, there is more to check out than what we did.  We kind of whipped through quickly.  There were Storm Troopers walking around interacting with people, and you can also make a reservation to make your own light saber or droid.

  Up next…the rest of Hollywood Studios and riding Rise of the Resistance!

  Posted in Dining Review, Galaxy's Edge, Hollywood Studios, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Dining Review, Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo, Galaxy's Edge, Hollywood Studios

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