I managed to have a bit of a lie-in today (finally!) as I knew check out was only at 11:00 and that was when I had arranged to meet Lauren. So I literally just took my time packing everything up, watching some TV (TLC "Say Yes to the Dress" this time ) and having my breakfast.


I tried to strategise my packing - meaning I packed everything properly in my big suitcase and then only packed the bits I'd need for the next few days at Universal in a packing cube which fit nicely in my rucksack. I didn't want to have to pack everything up, unpack at RPR and then re-pack again in a few day's time.

I got a message from Bernie saying everything had gone fine with their DME pickup. He also sent me some pictures - if you thought we were done with "Inappropriate places Tig falls asleep in" you'd be wrong! We have one final installment - it's a double whammy


At 11:00 I left the room and went to meet Lauren at the Mercado. It was absolutely RAMMED in there with cheerleaders!



Luckily we found a table at the very back just by the exit.

We spent the next few hours having a chat about the trip, using up our last remaining credits and eating some food.


I also forgot to mention that I loved my refillable mug - I think I got lucky as I never saw these available again after I got mine and people kept asking me where I got it etc


Soon it was time to say goodbye to CSR. It really is a beautiful resort but I'm not sure I would stay again. There are just so many other resorts I would like to try. Maybe it was the cheerleaders that put me off (and you can never really know if something like that is going to be on I guess) but everything felt quite spread out and I realised I never even went into the pool while I was there and that's normally something I love doing. I think subconsciously I knew it was such a trek from my room that it didn't even enter my mind. The rooms were definitely nice though (small things I appreciated like the fact the shower had a removable shower head which isn't that common in the US) and once the tower and new restaurant open it will all look really lovely!


I bid a fond farewell to Lauren and then ordered a Lyft to take me to RPR.

It was really strange - even though I had done a full solo trip before and had a whale of a time, I couldn't help but feel sad that everyone was leaving and I'd be on my own for the last few days. This surprised me as I remember when I was planning this trip I was thinking it would be better to be alone for the last few days (vs the first few) as by then I will have had a week in a group so might want some time to myself. I guess you never really know how you're going to react. It really felt like the holiday was over and I had to keep reminding myself I still had 3 days left and all of Universal to do!

Unfortunately I never quite managed to shake the feeling, although I did have an awesome time at Universal over the next few days

Before long we were pulling up to RPR. I just love this hotel! Even though I arrived well before the 16:00 check-in time (it was 14:15), my room was ready. Bonus!


My room was in Tower 2, Floor 7. As always, the room was immaculate and I had a nice view too!


I know I've said this before but there's something about the onsite Universal hotels that just have that more luxury feel. Things are a bit more user friendly (so many more outlets, USB charging points, drawers etc) and let's not even talk about the wonder that is Mr. Shower. The showers at RPR are amazing - great water pressure and temperature!

I decided to head over to Universal Studios and got straight on a boat.





On my way in I was surprised to see that both US and IOA closed at 18:00 today. I found out later it was for the Grad Bash events. That meant I only had a few hours. I knew crowd levels were low when I walked in and saw this.



I don't think I'd ever seen Despicable Me with anything less than a 30 minute wait! And I was right - crowds were low so I actually managed to get loads done.






I rode Jimmy Fallon which I enjoyed more this time than when I was here last. I also got to see the Ragtime Gals beforehand which was good fun. They were doing a medley of hip hop songs

I also rode Fast & Furious for the first time. I had seen lot's of bad reviews about it on here but I didn't think it was that bad. It's certainly not the most innovative or exciting ride but it was pretty fun. I also enjoyed the music in the queue area. Everyone was dancing along in the queue and I joined in until I realised I was probably about 20 years older than everyone else (they were all in their grad bash matching t shirts) and then I didn't care and started dancing again

Just before 18:00 I decided to head back to RPR and go to the pool. I think it was my realisation this morning that I hadn't been in a pool yet


The pool area was actually really busy but I managed to find a nice spot and focused all my attention on the important things.

Decisions decisions...

I decided to try the Maui Sunset Colada which was AMAZING and became my drink of choice whenever I was at the pool.


I spent a very relaxing few hours alternating between the pool, the hot tub and my sun lounger reading a book and having my drink.

By 20:00 it was starting to get dark so I decided to get the boat over to City Walk and see what I fancied for dinner.



I decided to go to Bread Box as when I was here last time on my solo trip it was really tasty, really cheap and not crowded at all.


I was undecided between the "4 Cheese Melt" which is what I had eaten last time and enjoyed, and the "Tuna Salad Sandwich". So I got both

Bread Box is great value - I can't remember the exact total but I think it was around $15 for both of these plus fries and a drink.


I also stopped by Voodoo Doughnut to buy something for breakfast tomorrow.




By now it was getting late so I hopped on a boat back to RPR to enjoy dinner in my room whilst watching TV.




I managed about 3/4 of the "4 Cheese Melt" and half of the "Tuna Salad Sandwich". If I had to pick, the cheese melt is still the winner but I also enjoyed the tuna. I always forget how much they fill the sandwiches in the US!

Tomorrow I visit both US & IOA and eat at NBC Sports Grill and the Hot Dog Hall of Fame.

Thanks for reading

Day 8 is HERE.

Really looking forward to trying Bread Box 👍

Loving your report thanks for sharing

We love Breadbox too. Great price and plenty of choice.
We’ve stayed at RPR twice and really enjoyed it. I love the theming. I’ve booked HRH next year for a change, hope we like it there too.

Good for you, singing and dancing in the queue. We’ve not tried Jimmy Fallon or the Fast and Furious ride so looking forward to a spin on those next year.

Breadbox looks awesome. Hope to be able to try it in October. We're staying at RPR as well this time so its great to read another good review.

Bread Box is really nice - no frills, cheap and tasty. Every time I've been in there it's practically empty which always baffles me. Definitely give it a try

Thanks so much!

Nice to see you managed to get to pppl

Joan