We started out our
holidays in Las Vegas since my brother lives there. Since we
were going to be gone for eleven days, we had lots of luggage for the
bellman at the new Virgin Hotels Las Vegas when we arrived!
The lobby for the Virgin
Hotel was nicely decorated for the holidays!
As a Diamond guest, we were given a food and beverage credit. We decided to enjoy some dessert at midnight after checking in! It's Vegas after all!
Since I am a Diamond guest, they upgraded us to a nice suite in their Ruby Tower. Joy is modeling here in the living room area.
The bedroom was nice too.
Our bathroom was large with both a rain shower and a tub.
We got my nephew a "magic" stocking and told him that stock stuffers would appear on a regular basis throughout the day on Christmas Eve when we arrived at my brother's place.
We also let him open one of his gifts on Christmas Eve. This one was a cool GI Joe "Snake Eyes" Lego. My dad is in the background.
Aakash knows how to make Nespressos! He is making me one here.
Time for another stocking stuffer, Aakash!
Uncle and nephew having a nice moment for the camera.
We ended up letting him open all of his gifts since we were flying out on Christmas for Florida. This one is a Pac Man arcade game.
Aakash is very active!
Joy and I enjoyed our Christmas Eve dinner at the acclaimed Momofuku at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas.
Momofuku is David Chang's creation, and the original restaurant is in New York. The ambiance is amazing!
I started off with Momofuku's Tamari Old Fashioned. However, I inquired about their Japanese whiskey selection too since they were an Asian fusion restaurant.
I ended up getting Kangakoi Sherry Cask whiskey served in a glass with a $2 ice cube! LOL. Life is good when one has money!
We enjoyed the Big Eye Tuna tartare as one of our appetizers.
The American Wagyu Ribeye was not cheap at $108, but it melted in my mouth! I got some crispy fried rice on the side.
The dessert is made by Milk Bar which is located next door to Momofuku. The cake paired so well with the soft serve that was served over corn flakes to mimic milk and cereal! AMAZING!
We went back to my brother's place so my nephew could open his final present from us which was a Star Wars lego! Spending family time in Vegas was great!
The next day, we flew to Tampa from Las Vegas. The Club @ LAS finally had their bar open to patrons now. I got a Grand Marnier over ice since the bourbon selection was not that good.
After spending the night at the Hyatt House by Tampa Airport, we picked up the rental car at the Emerald Club Executive Aisle the next day.
Since I am Executive Elite, they had nice cars for us to choose from, and although a convertible would have been nice, we had too much luggage so we got this one with a panoramic roof for the Florida sunshine!
We accidently went to the wrong Universal Orlando Resort when got there and tried to check in at Loew's Portofino. However, we got to pose by these cool Vespas. LOL.
We showed up at the right resort, the Loew's Royal Pacific, and the valet and bell staff took care of a seamless check in process.
The Loew's Royal Pacific Resort looks like a South Pacific resort!
Time to go check in and get our tickets which were part of our package. This resort was not cheap as we dropped about $1,200 for one night with two days of tickets to Universal theme parks, but it was worth it!
We had to pose by the Christmas tree of course!
The outdoor courtyard at the Royal Pacific was cool also,
We took the water taxi to Universal Studios from our resort after getting our tickets and our room keys which served as a the express pass for almost all the rides and attactions!
The water taxi ride from the Royal Pacific Resort was short, but it was really cool!
This tower is by the entrance to the Islands of Adventure park.
We passed the dessert factory and the Hard Rock Cafe also en route to Universal City Walk.
Joy and I are posing by the Universal sign here.
I was excited to the see the advertisemet for the Cowboys and Washington game later that night at the NBC Sports Grill & Brew at Universal City Walk when we got off the boat.
This is the entrance to Universal Studios Florida!
The park was pretty crowded, but we loved having our Express Passes to bypass the long lines!
That rollercoaster was super fun! I did it at night!
I did the Transformers Ride before at Universal Studios Hollywood, but as a Transformers fan, I always love this one! I even yelled out I won't let you down Optimus when he asked me to guard the Allspark.
This BRZ was in the Fast & Furious movie series.
We are outside "King's Cross" station here next to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! I have been to the actual King's Cross in London!
The kids were having fun all over the Harry Potter attractions doing spells.
I loved the frozen butter beer!
The Express Pass allowed us to do all these popular rides very fast!
The Holiday Parade was really cool. The Minions are shown here.
The parade was pretty long too! Joy and I loved it!
What is a holiday parade without Santa!
Watching the Cowboys and Washington game on those two large screens as we took the boat back to our resort was EPIC! Go Cowboys! We humiliated the "Skins" that day!
We went back to City Walk for dinner that night. Our concierge at the hotel made us reservations since they were so busy!
For dinner, we enjoyed a burger and sushi fusion at Cowfish at Universal's City Walk! My bento box featured a mini burger with sweet potato fries and paired with sushi!
We loved the other rolls too at Cowfish!
The next morning, Joy and I raced over to Universal's Islands of Adventure park to take advantage of our early access to ride Hagrid's Motorbike ride!
Although only guests of the resorts could get in early, the line for Hagrid's Motorbike was still long, but it was well worth it!
The Harry Potter World was cool!
The castle in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was SO COOL!
We took a short break after Hagrid's Motorbike to get doughnuts at Voodoo Doughnuts, a Portland donut store that has a location at Universal's City Walk!
Their donuts are displayed here. The big one is their famous Texas doughnut!
We got the Grape Ape and the Guava Colada doughnuts! They were both yummy!
After going back to the park, I did the Doctor Doom's Fear Fall. It was not epic! LOL.
This roller coaster in the backgroundcalled the Hulk was pretty crazy! I had a headache after it.
There was a section of Islands of Adventures that was dedicated to Jurassic Park also.
This rollercoaster near the Harry Potter castle was fun too. We liked the ride inside the castle too! Once again, the Express pass is well worth it!
We went to EPCOT Center at the Walt Disney World Resort for our third amusement park on this trip! This was the 50th anniversary of Disney World so the cake is in the background.
My buddy recommended we do the Mission To Mars ride so we signed up for that on the fast lane through our Genie Pass for the park.
We are waiting for Mission Control to let us board the space craft!
I was the Flight Engineer so I had specific buttons I had to push during the mission to Mars!
Pluto and Goofy are behind us here!
We loved having the Genie service so we could book our fast lane appointments. Our next ride was te Seas.
I visited EPCOT in the 1980s with my parents, and a lot of the attractions including the Seas were still around today!
The park was decorated well for the holiday season!
We started out to the World Showcase tour at Mexico. There was a pyramid inside the larger pyramid for the Mexico exhibit.
We took the boat ride in "Mexico," and the three bandoleros sang for us. I have been to Mexico a lot!
There was more dancing and music outside the Mexico pyramid. In this scene, the dancers are acting out La Posada, which is a Mexican Christmas celebration.
Welcome to Norway! That was our next destination. I have been to Sweden, but I have not explored Norway yet.
We visited China next! I asked Joy to write something in Cantonese on Facebook. LOL.
Bavaria or Germany was up next! Back in 2012, I enjoyed a beer in Munich at the Hofbrauhaus!
We took this cool selfie with Spaceship Earth (the large globe) behind us!
Morocco was my favorite world showcase, and we ended having lunch there!
The "casbah" feel of Morocco was super cool!
This is inside a typical Moroccan house which have an outdoor courtyard usually.
Viva La France! I got a drink with Grand Marnier when we got there. My brother and I went to Paris and saw the real Eiffel Tower!
This is England where we also ran into Father Christmas, who is their Santa Claus! I have been to the UK and explored the many castles!
Looking over the lake, one can see the tori gates over the water in Japan! I saw those on Miyajima Island in Japan!
These are the famous totem poles of British Columbia in Canada. Yes, I have seen the real ones too!
Spaceship Earth was all lite up at night! The colors kept changing too as the holiday music was playing throughout the park.
We had dinner at Jaleo at Disney Springs that night. This is a Jose Andres restaurant.
Cheers! I am enjoying this whiskey cocktail at the Spanish Tapas restaurant.
The grilled octopus was not bad!
I have been to Jose Andres' Bazaar Meat in Las Vegas. These potatoes were part of our tasting menu there as well.
We ordered this authentic paella with squid ink. Real paella is made of noodles and not rice.
Our dessert was designed by the restaurant to celebrate Disney World's 50th anniversary! We loved it!
Our next theme park was Sea World Orlando! Now, I have been to all of the Sea Worlds including the one in Ohio which closed.
The dolphins were really cool to check out when we got into the park!
Sea World was pretty crowded! We went to the Sea Lion & Otter Show early! People were just enjoying life in Florida unlike the doom and gloom of the Blue States like California!
The Sea Lions were funny, but the little otter eventually stole the show.
Joy said this shark reminded her of me since I am kind of lazy at home! LOL.
The shark exhibit was awesome! No masks were required at Sea World too!
I swam with rays in Belize before, but I keep my distance from these! LOL.
The penguins are always fun to observe as their march around their simulated environment.
The beluga whales were beautiful to watch swimming around. I joked with Joy that we kill these to get beluga caviar. LOL. I am NOT a PETA person.
The Orca Encounter was really cool! We saw this before at the other Sea World parks, but the "Shamu" show always is a highlight of a Sea World visit.
I saw real orcas in the wild when we went to the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington. They are magnificient animals.
At Sea World, I got a notice on my phone to preorder our meals on our first class flight home!
As the sun was setting, the holiday lights were visible over the large lake at Sea World.
We joined a friend of mine from Dallas and his son at the Four Seasons Orlando Resort at Disney World for dinner after Sea World.
The Four Seasons was beautiful both indoors and out!
We strarted out with some hamachi crudo.
A little tuna tartare followed the first appetizer.
The waiter made me a special plate so I could try two of their signature dishes at this Italian restaurant. I got the scallop risotto and the veal ravioli!
I got some gelato and sorbet for my dessert while Joy ordered aone of the Italian cakes! Everything was amazing!
The next day, we headed down the Gulf Coast of Florida and stopped for the night in Ft Myers. We had dinner at Pincher's Tiki Bar on Ft. Myers Beach.
The stone crabs were amazing!
After dinner, we went to the Hooters in Ft Myers Beach for dessert and drinks.
Our Hooter Girl is pouring my Maker's Mark.
We drove to Marco Island the next day. The drive in was scenic with all the palm tree lined roads.
We booked a night at the Hilton Marco Island Resort & Spa! Since it was New Year's Eve, it was over $1,200 a night!
After checking in with the front desk, I went down to the spa at the resort for my massage treatment. I was offered a mimosa before my session.
After my massage, my therapist brought me cucumber infused water and some fruit to help detox after the awesome 50 minute treatment.
The outdoor jacuzzi at the spa was so inviting that I had to go in after my massage.
The water was perfect! I love cucumber water too! I was able to charge this massage to my wellness account at my company!
We headed over to the Snook Inn on Marco Island for lunch after my massage. Santa likes Marco Island also!
People come in on their boats for a bite to eat or drinks at the Snook Inn.
Lunch was delicious! I loved the blackened grouper with the fried plantains!
I got some beach time in when we returned to our resort. The weather was epic on our whole trip with temperatures in the 80s!
I love collecting shells on the gulf coast of Florida.
Those blue umbrellas and chairs are provided to the guests of our resort for free.
Pina Colada time! Since I am a Diamond guest, they gave Joy and I two complimentary welcome drinks also.
Our oceanview room was pretty large and nice.
That was the view from our balcony!
The sunset from our balcony was EPIC!
Going.....
Gone!
I took this picture after sunset when I was leaving the fitness center. The iPhone 13 takes amazing pictures in low light!
Getting all dressed up Marco Island style (casual) for our fine dining experience at the Deck @ 560 Restaurant. Joy and I made some last minute checks in the elevator too. No masks are required of course in Florida!
They had party favors for us at the restaurant at the resort.
This is the menu for the five course meal we enjoyed on New Year's Eve!
Joy is posing by the Christmas tree at the restaurant. We were seated indoors, but it was nice to have the doors open to the outdoors for the ocean air!
This is the amuse course which was a sweet and savory macaroon. There is caviar on top of the sweet cookie for a salty taste.
We had a granita to cleanse the pallet after the salad course.
I had the filet mignon topped with foie gras for my entree! The foie gras was an amazing compliment to the filet.
Joy loved the dinner!
Dessert time! We got one of each!
I enjoyed the caramel buddino verrine the best!
Our bellman was very nice and provided us with great service including restaurant recommendations! He took this picture of us by the tree.
Joy and I partied at the hotel bar to ring in the New Year!
Happy 2022! May this Covid bull shit end so Joy and I can return to international travel!
We enjoyed New Year's brunch the next day at the Deck @ 560 restaurant at the resort.
The French toast was amazing!
I am enjoying my iced coffee on the beach. Joy and I went for a nice walk on the beach after we finished brunch!
The beach butler sets up the umbrella and chairs for the guest.
I am enjoying my time in the warm Florida sun under the umbrella! LOL.
We wore wristbands so they knew we were guests of the resort to take advantage of the resort amenties.
The resort had a nice heated pool too! I enjoyed swimming in it.
We found a Kilwin's in Naples so we had to stop there on the way back to Orlando after we checked out of the resort on Marco Island.
Naples was AMAZING! We saw so many exotic cars including Bentleys and Aston Martins. There is a lot of money in Florida unlike the Covid depressed Blue States like California!
Downtown Naples was so clean and safe too! That might sound strange, but we are used to dirty and unsafe in California now!
Joy and I loved lunch at this pizzeria in downtown Naples!
Joy and I made sure to have one Waffle House breakfast on this trip since we do not have them in liberal piece of shit California!
We flew first class on United back to Sacramento, but the first flight used the Polaris Business Class cabin for first class on the Boeing 767 from MCO to IAH.
We did not mind since we were able to sleep on the flat seats for the 7:00 AM flight to Houston!
The cabin is configured in 1-1-1 so each semi private cabin as access to the aisle.
The screen for the entertainment was pretty large, and there was a hook for my jacket.
The service was good as expected in first class, but they did not offer the predeparture beverage which was a disappointment.
We were served a small snack on the flight to Houston. I got the turkey and cheese croissant.
After a nice nap, I woke to some sparkling water.
I was quite hydrated with all the beverages on this flight. Masking is not really enforced in first class since one is eating or drinking a lot!
On the second flight, we were in the traditional domestic first class configuration on the Boeing 737. This is a cranberry mimosa!
We were served breakfast after taking off from Houston for Sacramento. I got the egg white bites with turkey sausage.
I asked the first class steward to make me an iced coffee with Bailey's. He came by after to make sure it was to my liking! I love being pampered!
To keep the masks off longer, why not keep ordering drinks! LOL. I had the steward get me a Buffalo Trace and diet!
We were able to keep ordering the snacks that the coach passengers have to pay for. Joy and I drank a lot of sparkling water to stay hydrated also.
United offers Directv in the air. We were given complimentary headphones also in first class.
Our driver for the car service was waiting for us in baggage claim. After getting our luggage, we headed out to the Lincoln MKT!
The United priority tags are still on our bags, but at least they came out very quickly!
Time to go home after a long and restful vacation! Life is good.
After seeing all these pictures, I doubt you want to read a long
summary of this EPIC trip! So, here is a brief narration!
Joy and I departed for Las Vegas on the evening of December 23rd
as my company gives us the whole week between Christmas and New Year's
off. Joy took extra PTO for the days she did not get off. We
enjoyed a short visit with my family in Las Vegas as my parents flew
out there too so we could all celebrate Christmas with my nephew!
Joy and I stayed at the Virgin Hotel, which is a Hilton Curio
property. As a result, I got my Diamond upgrade to a nice suite
in their Ruby Tower. On Christmas Eve, my brother and I enjoyed
lunch with my parents at a local Mediterrean restaurant near my
brother's house. We spent most of the day with my adordable
nephew letting him open up the presents he got him. Moreover, we
put up a "magic stocking," and we put lots of stocking stuffers in
there randomly throughout the day. Joy and I enjoyed our
Christmas Eve dinner at Momofuku at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Our
$300 dinner was amazing, and I loved the dessert which was from the
Milk Bar next door.
We departed for Florida on Christmas. The first two days were spent at the Universal Orlando Resort. I booked the Loew's Royal Pacific Resort so we could get the Universal Express pass so we could bypass the lines for the rides and attractions! We went to Universal Studios Florida on the first day. That night, we enjoyed dinner at Cowfish, a burger and sushi fusion restaruant at Universal City Walk. I also got to watch my Cowboys spank the Redskins. Since I was playing in the championship game in one of my fantasy football leagues, I was closely monitoring the Yahoo Fantasy Sports app!
The next day, we went to the Islands of Adventure park at Universal. We got in an hour early since we stayed at the resort on site. I loved the Harry Potter rides the most at both Unviersal Parks! Joy and I probably never walked so much in our lives than we did at both parks!
On Tuesday, we went to EPCOT at Disney World. This was my second visit to EPCOT, and it was Joy's first visit to Walt Disney World! That night, we loved our dinner at Jose Andres' Jaleo at Disney Springs!
Sea World was next for us! Sea World was the least enjoyable as it was very packed with staffing issues so we waited a lot for food even though I had the all day dining pass. That night, we met friends at the Four Seasons Resort at Disney World for an amazing dinner at the Ravello Italian restaurant.
On Thursday, we departed for the Gulf Coast. Joy and I stayed in Ft. Myers the first night. We enjoyed dinner at Pincher's in Ft Myers Beach where we got to eat some delicious stone crab claws!
For New Year's Eve, Joy and I spent it on Marco Island at a $1,275 per night resort. The Hilton Resort & Spa was right on the beach. I booked a nice massage to start out the day. My company allows me to expense massages and golf fees up to a certain amount each year as an added benefit! I love my company! We loved spending time on the beach that day as well as our five course gourmet dinner at the resort before we rang in the New Year at the hotel pool deck and bar!
We loved a walk on the beach on New Year's before exploring Naples. Naples was just amazing! I even got to get my favorite ice cream, Kilwin's!
After returning back to Orlando, we chilled on the last day and got some delicious sushi and did a lot of shopping! The sales tax is way lower in Florida too than California! Joy and I hate California with a passion! The leftists have ruined this state like other Blue States! We talked to two realtors in Naples during this trip for investment properties.
Our first class flights back on January 3rd were enjoyable as we had a Polaris seat for the flight from Orlando to Houston Bush Intercontinental so we were able to sleep on the flat seats! The second flight was just a regular first class seat! Aside from not being offered a predeparture drink like Delta does in first class, the service was not bad. Our dedicated first class steward in first class from Houston to Sacramento made sure we were well fed and hydrated! Our car service met us in Sacramento and brought us home. This was an amazing EPIC trip! Happy New Year!
We departed for Florida on Christmas. The first two days were spent at the Universal Orlando Resort. I booked the Loew's Royal Pacific Resort so we could get the Universal Express pass so we could bypass the lines for the rides and attractions! We went to Universal Studios Florida on the first day. That night, we enjoyed dinner at Cowfish, a burger and sushi fusion restaruant at Universal City Walk. I also got to watch my Cowboys spank the Redskins. Since I was playing in the championship game in one of my fantasy football leagues, I was closely monitoring the Yahoo Fantasy Sports app!
The next day, we went to the Islands of Adventure park at Universal. We got in an hour early since we stayed at the resort on site. I loved the Harry Potter rides the most at both Unviersal Parks! Joy and I probably never walked so much in our lives than we did at both parks!
On Tuesday, we went to EPCOT at Disney World. This was my second visit to EPCOT, and it was Joy's first visit to Walt Disney World! That night, we loved our dinner at Jose Andres' Jaleo at Disney Springs!
Sea World was next for us! Sea World was the least enjoyable as it was very packed with staffing issues so we waited a lot for food even though I had the all day dining pass. That night, we met friends at the Four Seasons Resort at Disney World for an amazing dinner at the Ravello Italian restaurant.
On Thursday, we departed for the Gulf Coast. Joy and I stayed in Ft. Myers the first night. We enjoyed dinner at Pincher's in Ft Myers Beach where we got to eat some delicious stone crab claws!
For New Year's Eve, Joy and I spent it on Marco Island at a $1,275 per night resort. The Hilton Resort & Spa was right on the beach. I booked a nice massage to start out the day. My company allows me to expense massages and golf fees up to a certain amount each year as an added benefit! I love my company! We loved spending time on the beach that day as well as our five course gourmet dinner at the resort before we rang in the New Year at the hotel pool deck and bar!
We loved a walk on the beach on New Year's before exploring Naples. Naples was just amazing! I even got to get my favorite ice cream, Kilwin's!
After returning back to Orlando, we chilled on the last day and got some delicious sushi and did a lot of shopping! The sales tax is way lower in Florida too than California! Joy and I hate California with a passion! The leftists have ruined this state like other Blue States! We talked to two realtors in Naples during this trip for investment properties.
Our first class flights back on January 3rd were enjoyable as we had a Polaris seat for the flight from Orlando to Houston Bush Intercontinental so we were able to sleep on the flat seats! The second flight was just a regular first class seat! Aside from not being offered a predeparture drink like Delta does in first class, the service was not bad. Our dedicated first class steward in first class from Houston to Sacramento made sure we were well fed and hydrated! Our car service met us in Sacramento and brought us home. This was an amazing EPIC trip! Happy New Year!