Welcome to another Universal Orlando podcast, I'm Nick.
And I'm Melody.
And there's no cat or baby.
For now.
Good night.
I haven't done one of these in so long I forgot what's next.
Oh my word.
Summary.
Ah, summary.
We're talking holidays.
We're talking Mardi Gras.
We're talking Rock the Universe.
We're talking Universal.
News.
It's a news episode.
Yeah.
That's what happens.
Oh well.
We are like news.
We're also recording this on the day that an episode was supposed to come out because
we're great with schedules.
You can thank my work schedule for this.
It's fine.
Oh well.
Socials?
Yes.
Socials.
We're on Instagram and Twitter slash X.
You can find us at another Universal podcast on Instagram and another UO pod pod UO pod
podcast.
Now I'm blanking.
Pretty sure it's pod.
I'm pretty sure it's pod.
Go to our Instagram.
It has a link tree.
You won't have to remember any of this other than the Instagram one.
Another UO pod on Twitter slash X.
Does anyone actually call it X or do people still call it Twitter?
Some people like to still call it Twitter.
Some people like to call it X.
I'll call it X.
Fine.
Because I don't think it's ever going to go back to Twitter.
I'll succumb to the X.
Even though we never really, I don't use the X.
I don't really either.
I respond.
We respond.
If you have grievances, go there and then Melody can deal with it.
Or Instagram.
Sure.
Nick will see them.
That is correct.
Anyway, back to the episode.
I thought this is the episode.
You went on tangent of social.
Whatever.
Are we getting right into it?
Yes.
That is what I just said.
Just making sure.
Alright, which one are we starting with?
Mardi Gras, Christmas, or...
No chronological order though.
That'd probably be best.
I guess we'll do Christmas.
Since you did all the research for Christmas, would you like to inform the people of Christmas?
No.
The Hoolidays as they like to say.
Because it's who-centric.
Yes, who's.
Yes.
Who are the who's?
They're Dr. Seuss characters.
Ah, you didn't get it.
You're a noob.
Yes, I got it.
Who are the who's?
Sorry, my brain even broke.
I just want the Dr. Who instead, but that's fine.
Okay.
Yes, Christmas time.
It is my favorite time of year.
Okay.
I like Halloween.
Yeah, I know.
It's spooky.
I like all the lights.
It makes everything pretty and just festive.
It's definitely cheery.
Halloween has lights?
It's spooky.
Halloween makes it spooky.
It was very cheery in that one scare zone.
Which one?
Get the name.
Was I there?
Well, then it wasn't torture fair.
Oh, it was torture fair.
Oh, was it?
Yeah.
Oh, with the music.
The music.
They had like the festive lights.
Very nice.
We technically didn't go through it.
I thought we did.
No, we went by it.
We never went through it.
Oh, well, we should have.
I blame you.
HHN is over.
Move on.
Christmas time.
I can never move on.
There is stuff happening.
Is there?
Besides just lights.
Is there actually stuff happening?
Yes.
Or is it all sold out?
Both.
We'll start with the sold out thing then I guess.
The Grinch and Friends character breakfast.
It's funny.
Which makes people annoyed and happy at the same time.
Yep.
According to Facebook.
To think I was like, oh, maybe we'll go to that this year.
Never mind.
I don't think we even had the chance to even think about going.
I thought about going.
When I saw it was first announced, I'm like, do I want to do Grinchmas or do I want to
do the Riden Dine from Mardi Gras?
We didn't really get an option.
So I guess now it's the Riden Dine.
Because the Grinch and Friends character breakfast, which on the website says join the mean green
one himself and the who's too for a morning feast.
Start your day with a sit down meal, a festive food and fun for everyone.
And apparently you wait in line to go meet the Grinch instead of the Grinch coming to
meet you.
So basically you get food, particularly, I think a breakfast.
Not a buffet anymore.
Unfortunate.
And then you go meet the Grinch.
So there's some gripes this year.
I've been reading on various past year.
I didn't see this gripe.
Apparently the meet and greet for the Grinch is exceeding two hours for the people who
get the breakfast.
Now granted, I've only seen a handful of these posts, but usually when you see posts like
this, they're pretty loud and drum up a lot of stuff.
So you see it first.
So for all I know, this is a fluke and it's not normal.
And it's not like this every time.
At the start of it, sometimes it for some people or like some workers, it you got to
crank out the ring.
Nope.
That's that phrase didn't come out.
No, it didn't.
I don't even know.
Iron out the wrinkles before you get smooth sailing.
There you go.
You use two different analogies.
Ironing and sailing don't really go together.
I don't care.
Are you going to iron the sail so you can sail smoothly?
Sure.
Okay.
So you pay for this breakfast and then last year you really didn't have to wait that long.
People from what I remember, it was like 10 or 15 minutes to go meet the Grinch.
It was pretty fast.
And then also the Grinch was walking around to tables.
Ish.
People were complaining that it took them like an hour to meet the Grinch.
No, no, no.
Last year.
Yeah, I am talking about last year.
No, last year.
He also walked around to the tables.
Oh.
And you would interact with him while you were eating too, while also going and meeting
him after your meal.
Fine.
Whereas this year it still states in the fine print that he's supposed to be walking around
as well with the Whos, but he's not according to one Facebook post.
So.
Well anyway, if you were planning on doing that, they're sold out.
So keep your eye if you want to do that again, if they open up availability or people cancel
because a lot of people are talking about how they might cancel their bookings if this
is really the truth that it takes two hours to go meet the Grinch.
Because honestly, I'm not booking for the food.
I'm booking to go meet the Grinch because almost every single day, the wait time for
the Grinch is getting up to like three hours right when the park opens.
I get that.
It's a mixture if I get it, but also at the same time, I worry that it's overhyped.
But then again, I haven't met the Grinch.
I would like to do it at least once.
I would love to do it, but I don't want to stand in a three hour line.
I don't think it's worth the line.
Like I think it'd be really cool, but it's not worth how long you have to wait to do
it.
Yeah.
For me at least.
Watch this episode is going to come out and they're going to iron out all the wrinkles
and all of our information is wrong.
There's countless dates up to buy it.
It only takes 15 minutes to go meet the Grinch if you buy this breakfast thing.
So let's just move on to the next thing.
What else do we have for the holidays?
The universal holiday tour.
Oh, interesting.
See the season come to life with Grinch greetings, reserved show seating, tasty food, and after
hours showing of the magic of Christmas at Hogwarts castle and much more.
So you, do you get to meet the Grinch on this?
I guess so.
Interesting.
That might also be a better way to meet the Grinch.
There is stuff available for this.
And how much is it?
The dates for this is November 25th through December 29th.
For us, it's currently the 23rd.
So but currently the only dates that are actually available as of today are December 16th through
the 19th, the 23rd and 24th, and then the 27th through the 29th.
And the price ranges from 100 to 120 per person.
Well, that's not even that bad.
So do we know how much the breakfast thing for the Grinch was?
I think it was about 60 at least.
I would rather do this, the VIP tour, because you get reserved seating for the show.
They walk you around.
I think it also says somewhere that you get priority access to minion blast.
I just read the little description though.
Does it say anything about priority access to a ride while you're on a tour?
Priority access to one pre-selected attraction subject to tour itinerary at Universal's discretion.
I wonder where I heard that it was minion blast then.
It could have been someone who did that and.
Because why would they give you priority access to minion blast?
That'd be a dumb ride to go on.
Because like, yeah, it's the new ride, but like.
That's probably the only reason why.
It's never long, the wait.
I don't think I've ever waited more than like 10 minutes for that ride.
Yes, I have a little more information.
It's basically just more expanded of what I said.
Exclusive meet and greets with the Grinch and his faithful dog Max and small plates,
desserts and non-alcoholic beverages.
Reserved seating for the Grinchmas hula day spectacular.
Meet and greet at Universal Studios Florida with Santa, pre-selected attraction, and then
an after hours showing of the magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle.
That's a lot more beneficial and more bang for your buck than the breakfast.
Even if the meet and greet for the Grinch was a typical 15 or 20 minute wait to meet
him for the breakfast.
I'd much rather pay the extra 40 or 50 dollars and get all of that than have the breakfast
food.
I don't care the most about the Harry Potter show because I have not seen it ever.
What do you want Kat?
I'm also rarely at Universal at night.
That is true.
Anyways, anything else for Christmas time?
Kind of.
What else do we have?
Oh, there's also going to be themed food, like food booths apparently, but they haven't
really released any information.
There's like-
That we can find easily.
I've been seeing like scattered screenshots, but it's nothing that Universal has posted
so I'm not going to cover that because I don't know if it's one, true or not, two, it's pretty
much just eggnog at various bars.
Anyways, baby woke up momentarily.
It is all sorted.
She scared the poop out of me.
And apparently scrambled his brain and made him forget what we were talking about.
Yep.
We have this new baby monitor for our vacation for two weeks from now.
Yeah.
About-
Staycation kind of thing.
A little staycation because we can't, don't really want to take a real vacation because
Jack is terrible on a plane and I don't want to subject other people to that.
Okay.
I don't want to subject other people, but I also don't want to subject him to the plane.
Yeah.
We just want to go to Universal and find stuff that Jack would like.
Bars, aquariums, small kid rides, parks.
Hopefully.
Just let him loose out in the wilderness and let him run around because that's all he really
wants to do.
Yes.
Anyway.
He doesn't care about toys.
He's like, just let me play with a stick.
Baby monitor.
Anyway, so we got this new baby monitor that was $200, but it doesn't require wifi.
And it's sitting right behind me and I forgot I turned the volume up and she started crying
and it scared me because I've been playing a lot of Phasmophobia.
My life has changed ever since playing that game.
Anyways, I was ranting about not finding it.
It was basically just eggnog that I found various like alcoholic eggnogs.
I'd like to be able to find regular eggnog at a store, please.
You have to wait till December.
That was pregnant last year.
Could not have eggnog.
And then the year before that.
I don't know why.
Maybe I did have it.
I think you just forgot.
Forgot.
But I definitely did not have it last year.
I would like eggnog this year, please.
Let's hope you don't forget again.
I didn't forget.
Rose was just born so late, but that by the time I could have it, the stores didn't have
it.
Yep.
So anyways, once actual food gets fully announced, I read somewhere that it's going to get announced
maybe next week at the time of this recording sometime in like December 1st.
So once that gets announced, we'll probably either, we'll probably just do a whole episode.
If it's substantial enough, we'll do a whole episode on it.
Next holiday thing.
Tribute store.
Oh yeah.
So it's book themed.
Pop-up book.
Yes.
I think it's cool.
I like it.
Especially since I'm, well, I've been dealing with this type of book lately with our kid.
So very thematic to me.
He does not fare well with pop-up books.
No.
They do not last long in our house.
They do not.
If you ever get a pop-up book, it's just ripped to shreds.
This is like, I'll start reading them a book and then there's like a page bitten off.
And I'm like, oh okay.
Even our wooden books are not faring too well.
They've ripped the paper off the cardboard.
We have feral children.
They like eating paper.
Anyways, pop-up book.
Cool.
Looking forward to going to it.
Hopefully we will be able to go soon and also grab our pass holder magnets.
We'll probably do that in December.
Yeah.
That's it.
For the holiday stuff.
Where you don't even know what it's themed to.
I just told you pop-up books.
Well, it's Grinch, Earl the Squirrel.
And Harry Potter.
And more apparently.
And more.
But those are probably going to be like a little, the and more might be like little
additions.
Probably.
I wonder if there's a Jurassic Park Christmas portion.
Ooh.
A velociraptor with a Santa hat.
Yes.
Same thing except more T-Rex.
Or that.
That'd be funny.
Anyways, moving on.
Mardi Gras.
Yes.
Right.
Mardi Gras.
The dates for Mardi Gras is February 1st through March 30th.
Woo.
Go for my birthday.
So we may or may not do the float ride and dine this year.
Depending on what time the floats go out.
And whether we can find a babysitter or not.
That too.
If the floats go out at a reasonable hour and we'll get home before, you know, dark,
preferably, then we'll probably do this.
Because I would really like to do this.
I said to myself last year, I'm going to do that.
And I never did.
I just am not too keen on being on a float and having people look at me.
I'd rather be in the crowd to catch the beads, but that's fine.
Just throw beads at people.
If someone gives you a stink eye, just throw it at them.
No you just, you ball it up and you throw it as hard as you can.
Same for the babies.
What is wrong with you?
It's a joke.
For legal reasons, that is a joke.
You do not ball them.
Or eat them.
Yeah.
I thought that was obvious.
Well, the don't eat the baby thing from last year.
Remember?
Oh, I thought you meant don't eat the beads.
Babies.
The little plastic babies.
Yeah.
Don't eat the baby.
I found that funny.
They handed it to me and they're like, don't eat the baby.
And I'm like, I don't think I would.
It feels like plastic.
I guess they have to tell people for legal reasons.
Just like for legal reasons, I have to tell you I was joking about throwing beads at babies.
You underhand toss the beads to people.
That are looking at you.
Kind of reminds me of basketball all over again.
You pass to someone who's looking at you.
You don't just throw it at their head.
I never played basketball because I sucked at it.
Well, I didn't say I was good at it either.
Moving on.
Float Riding Nine.
It's from $89.99 or let's just be normal and round up to $90.
And the max price I saw was a hundred bucks.
So to me, a variable, very affordable for what you get.
Which is?
You get to choose from one restaurant of the following.
You can go to Cowfish, NBC Sports Grill and Brew, Finnegan's, Lombards, Pat O'Brien's,
Anahito's, Bob Marley, and Confisco.
You get to choose one of those restaurants.
I have not been to some of these that I would like to go to.
You get to choose one of those restaurants and you get to choose one appetizer, one entree,
one dessert, one non-alcoholic beverage per person.
So you get an appetizer.
And as of today, dates are still available.
Every date is available.
So the thing that I love about this is you get an appetizer to pick.
I get an appetizer to pick.
You get an entree.
I get an entree.
You get a dessert.
I get a dessert.
And a share.
No.
Yes, share.
At least appetizers.
No.
Then you get to try two different things.
That's the best way to do it.
You choose like seafood or spicy.
Fried pickles doesn't fit in either though.
And I don't like pickles.
You say that, but the last time I got fried pickles, you wouldn't stop eating them.
And for some reason I like the Cracker Barrel Fried Pickles.
Anyways, I think I'll be doing this because you can easily almost make up to a hundred
bucks in food.
It's not that hard.
And also the experience of being on the float.
And if it's anything like last year, from what I heard, it is the entire menu.
There's nothing taken off.
You can get the entire menu at any of these restaurants.
It's not like a select menu.
That's nice.
If I find out it's a select menu, I will correct myself.
But for now, it is the entire menu.
Okay.
I also didn't fully read the fine print.
So for all I know, it's sitting right in front of my face and I just didn't read it.
Anyways, all dates are still available.
We already said that.
Yes.
The end.
That's it for Mardi Gras because they have not released food nor the concerts.
I forgot something.
What'd you forget?
The pass holder perks.
Of course, Melody forgot something.
Good job.
Pass holder perks for the holidays.
Melody's going to read this to you because I don't have it pulled up on my phone.
I sent it to you.
And I'm too lazy to pull it up.
Anyway, holidays at Universal Orlando, November 22nd, yesterday to December 31st.
Cool.
Okay.
$10 off Universal's Holiday Tour.
Okay.
This one sold out, but there was 20% off the Grinch and Friends Character Breakfast.
Premier and preferred only.
Oh.
But that sold out.
Your exclusive UOAP magnet, which I still want.
Mainly because there's a gingerbread for the O and even though it's holiday themed, it's
still very Shrek-y to me.
Okay.
What?
Yes, that is very Shrek-y.
Yes.
And it has the bite bitten out of the corner, which I think is cute.
Pass holder holiday resort rates, special holiday parade pass holder viewing area, lounge
hours extension.
The pass holder lounge hours.
I should note.
It will be open from park open to park close.
Oh.
Yes.
Need.
Exclusive holidays food, beverage, and fudge offers.
Oh, I like fudge.
I'll try to go through the food as quickly as I can.
I don't know.
Oh, here it is.
The location at the bottom.
At Lombard.
Oh.
Well, that was.
Shut up.
At Lombards.
Lombards.
Seafood Grill.
There's the crispy soft shell crab appetizers for $17.
Ew.
I'm just going to go through it quickly.
I'm not.
If you want to know what it is, look into it yourself.
We're trying to make this episode short.
How rude.
Fine.
Crispy soft shell crab.
You just read it.
Sweet potato noodles.
Adame.
Nope.
Edamame.
Maybe you should be reading this.
Asian vegetable slaw.
Calamansi dressing.
Spicy chili aioli.
Neat.
Like I said, for $17 plus tax.
Then at Confisco Grill, you got pimento sliders, Wagyu beef sliders with pimento cheese, crispy
bacon and arugula on brioche rolls served with french fries for $18.99.
$18.95 plus tax.
Why the five?
Just rounded up to 99.
You know you want to.
And then my favorite, buy four pieces of fudge, get three pieces free.
At Universal Islands of Adventure Island Market and Export Candy Shop.
I feel like I know why they did the buy four get three free.
So people can't say, oh, why can't it just be buy one, get one?
It's basically the same thing.
So that they sell more.
Anyway, Snookers and Snookers, sweet candy cookers.
Oh, that I did say that right.
Sweet candy cookers.
Candy Dukes.
And then in Studios.
Oh, okay.
I see they just, that was a typo.
So it's Universal Islands of Adventure Island Market and Export Candy Shop.
It's just a bad typo.
Anyway, in Studios, sugar plums in Niagara and Alley, San Frisco Candy Factory and Studio
Sweets.
That's where this fudge thing is not available at Two Thumbs.
And you got pass holder exclusive merchandise offers.
In an exclusive ornament at the UOAP Lounge at Toon Lagoon and Islands of Adventure.
Personalization services will be available at an additional cost.
The personalization is at the UOAP Lounge or year round at Island Market and Export
Candy Shop in Islands.
And you have seasonal and power pass holders receive 10% off purchases in the UOAP Lounge.
There you go.
I'm not used to talking this much.
You normally take over.
Leave me alone.
And exclusive pass holder holiday merchandise.
You got an adult tee for $30, an ornament for $12, and a pin for $13 at the UOAP Lounge
in the Five and Dime.
Ta-da!
Got it.
Early access to Holiday Tribute Store, which was two days ago, so oh well.
And then going early to Volcano Bay, which is kind of pointless at the time of year.
Because we are cold.
I don't even want to walk outside right now.
Granted, we haven't turned on our heater or anything, but we are wearing jackets when
we go outside.
I don't want to turn on the heater.
It's nice and cold in the house.
Doesn't it make your house sound like it's burning?
Well yeah, it's because dust collects on the heater and then because we live in Florida,
Florida is its own heater.
You don't really need a heater in Florida, except for what, two months out of the year?
Not to mention we didn't have our heater on and then after coming inside from our walk,
I was like, it's hot in here.
Anyways, is that it for the pass holder stuff?
Yeah.
So that's it for Rock the Universe, it is January 24th and the 25th from 4pm to 1am.
There you go.
Don't have any other information.
Well we do, there's tickets.
Well, we don't have any information about who's going to be there, which is kind of
the main thing.
It's going to be a dates episode pretty much.
Yep, it's kind of a, this is when you get stuff that you want.
So they have a Rock the Universe 3 Park Rock Your Weekend Base ticket, all day visit on
January 24th through the 26th, enjoy one park per day, studios, islands, and volcano bay,
and that is $163.99 per person.
And we probably won't do this until our kids are like teens, maybe.
That's true.
Up to them.
Then you have the Rock the Universe 3 Park Rock Your Weekend Park to Park ticket, same
dates as before, but you get to move freely between studios, islands, and volcano bay
for $203.99.
I think my youth group did that because I remember going from park to park throughout
the day.
You got, not this one, there is a Rock the Universe 2 Park Rock Your Weekend Base ticket,
same dates as before, with only studios and islands, and that's $163.99 per person, plus
tax.
What you probably got was the Rock the Universe 2 Park Rock Your Weekend Park to Park ticket,
and you get to move freely between islands and studios for $203.99.
But then they also have the One Night, where you get to visit just studios for $89.99.
Oh, but that is after 4pm.
Then there's the Two Night Rock the Universe After 4pm ticket.
You only get access to studios for $129.99.
And you get to go the 24th and the 25th.
Then they have the After 4pm One Time Per Ride Express Pass for $35.
That's honestly not that bad.
And then they have the Unlimited Express Pass after 4pm for $45.99.
Which also isn't bad.
And that's only for studios, both of those.
Oh.
Just go on mummy over and over and over and over again.
Pretty much.
Anyways, anything else Dan?
Nope.
Alright, short episode, there you go.
And hopefully I'll get this out before the next episode is supposed to come out.
Hopefully.
Alright.
Adios!
Bye.