A Private Dance with Cinderella... Our Surprise Trip Jan 2011

BigTex71 · Feb 17, 2011

Cosmic Commando said:
I'm batting about .900 with all of the geekdom references so far! Woot!

I need to kick it up a notch. I am not sneaking in nearly as many as I had in my PTR!

BigTex71 · Feb 17, 2011

foreverbelle said:
Great trip report thus far. I am in love with your kids, your daughter and her Princess moment was absolutely adorable and brought tears to my eyes. And ok, for a minute it made me really want a little girl. LOL.

Sounds like you guys had a great time, its good to know about the condo thing, I had always wondered about it. I agree, I don't know how I would feel about staying off site, I know several do it, but for us, the convience of the transportation and all is worth it.

Keep it coming I can't wait to read more...and your leaving us in suspence.

Thank you!

s.ollie said:
Ohhhhh Sarah and Cinderella....... dreams definitely do come true.

She has to be one of the cutest little princess's ever. Love the Green tee's from epcot day.

You are too kind. :animwink:

BigTex71 · Feb 17, 2011

Chapter 5: The Wizarding World – where wonders will willingly wake weary wanderers

January 31, 2011 – Day 4 (Universal Islands of Adventure Day)

I really wanted to leave the condo at 8:00am to ensure we could be at the Islands of Adventure gates before they opened at 9:00am. This was one of my most worrisome mornings, since we had been late to all the other rope drops. We almost made my departure goal, for a change. We were parked by 8:55am, but DW needed to stop at the Cinnabon shop at Universal CityWalk on the way to the park entrance for breakfast – she was rushed to leave the condo for some strange, unknown reason. (Hi, I’m strange and unknown BTW, nice to meet ya.) We were at the gates around 9:15am. Crap! I was sure the Wizarding World would be full by now, considering people staying at a Universal hotel were able to enter at 8am. Hopefully the wait for The Forbidden Journey wouldn’t be too bad by the time we got there.

We quickly slithered our way past Seussland and The Lost Continent to make our way to the back portion of the park where the Harry Potter area was. It was hard telling DS that she would have to wait for Seussland until after Wizarding World – you know how little ones are. She saw the way Seussland looked and just had to stop and see it all. I explained to her we would be back really soon after we went to the Harry Potter section. When she heard the words ‘Harry Potter’ she immediately changed her mind. She was now fine with coming back a little later. (Ah, I have raised her right!)We made it to Hogsmeade and I was surprised that it didn’t look more crowded.

The kids posed for a picture with the conductor of the Hogwarts Express.

We then made our way over towards the Hogwarts castle to ride The Forbidden Journey. When we got there, I had to get a picture of the wait time at 9:23am:

10 minute wait for what has been considered one of the best theme park rides ever! We made our way in and I was giddy as a school child. The strange thing about this queue – it appeared to be backed up a bit with a wait in the greenhouse area outside. Once we made it to the actual door to the inside of the castle, it was walk-on. But the bad thing about that (yes, I was a little disappointed that we rushed in to the ride) was that you couldn’t just look around and enjoy the paintings that talk and move and some of the other great themed stuff they had inside. We slowed down a few times to take it in, but there were streams of people starting to come behind us so I didn’t want to back up the line. Keep it moving! There’s nothing to see here… keep it moving! (But there was actually PLENTY to see.) Once we got to the loading area, we informed the person that worked there that we were doing a child swap. I let DW ride first (DS got scared and decided not to ride.) We waited in a room that had several benches along the walls to sit down and a flat panel TV playing parts of the Harry Potter movies. When DW returned it was my turn! I tried to ask DS to ride with me, but he declined. Looking back, I am glad he ended up not riding – I know him too well and he would have been terrified.

Wow!

THE. BEST. ATTRACTION. EVER! I had a huge smile on my face the entire ride! Universal really hit a grand slam homerun with this one! Anyone going to Disney World – you MUST go to Universal, even if only to ride this one ride! And remember - this is coming from a self-confessed Disneyholic! (Should I put more exclamation marks to emphasize the excitement?!)
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We met back up and browsed the store at the exit of the attraction and I got a picture of DS in front of Hogwarts:

Then we went over to ride Flight of the Hippogriff. The queue had some nice details including Hagrid’s Hut:

I would equate that rollercoaster to a Goofy’s Barnstormer on steroids. It was faster and exerted more g-forces on you than the relatively tame Barnstormer. DD usually giggles the whole time through Barnstormer. She was a little timid during this one. She said she really liked it and wanted to ride it again, but I could tell she didn’t like it nearly as much as Barnstormer.

After riding Buckbeak, we made our way over to the line for Olivander’s Wand Shop. The line looked kind of long, but the UM (Universal Member) said it would be about a 25 minute wait. He was pretty accurate with that assessment. I think it actually was a 22 minute wait, all be told. I snapped a few pictures of Hogwarts Castle while waiting in said line.

DS used his money he had been saving to get his own wand that he picked out. I don’t have a picture of it right now, but it is cool. It has a skull at the hilt of it – kind of Knockturn Alley-ish. Then we stopped in to the Hog’s Head for some Butterbeers:

Mmmm. Those are good! It is like a cream soda with a foamy head that tasted like a butterscotch whipped cream. We bought them in souvenir mugs so we could remember our trip. (You thought Disney was expensive? Try $10.50 each – and they don’t have alcohol in them!)

We then walked through HoneyDukes Sweetshop:

Zonko’s Joke Shop was next. Here is a gag gift I just had to get a picture of: (You DISdads Club guys should really enjoy this one)

We then said farewell to The Wizarding World, we still had more of the park to explore!

Up Next: The rest of Islands of Adventure and a Disney vs. Universal comparison

Raven66 · Feb 18, 2011

I just LOVE how your daughter kicked up her little leg in the picture with the conductor. So cute.

StillerGirl · Feb 18, 2011

Loving your report! You make it so much fun to read...I cant wait to go..only have a little over a week left!!

Be waiting for more! Your family is adorable!!

MrsWhiffo · Feb 19, 2011

Love this report xx

jenseib · Feb 20, 2011

I am loving your report. your family looks so familiar. Maybe I have read something you wrote on Dis.
My DD had a similar experience with Cinderella. We were one of the last families in for the day and she had to wait for the last one to come, so she came over and sat with my DD for about 5 minutes and talked to her. My DD just LOVED it. It was our first day there as well, so it started the trip off with a bang.
I can't wait to visit Harry Potter. We have decided to wait a year or 2 though, since we hope crowds will eventually die down a bit. We are going to try Sea World this time around.
I also wanted to add that I am working on becoming a home based, Disney exclusive TA as well. Just finished up the disney college!! :wave:

BigTex71 · Feb 20, 2011

jenseib said:
I am loving your report. your family looks so familiar. Maybe I have read something you wrote on Dis.
My DD had a similar experience with Cinderella. We were one of the last families in for the day and she had to wait for the last one to come, so she came over and sat with my DD for about 5 minutes and talked to her. My DD just LOVED it. It was our first day there as well, so it started the trip off with a bang.
I can't wait to visit Harry Potter. We have decided to wait a year or 2 though, since we hope crowds will eventually die down a bit. We are going to try Sea World this time around.
I also wanted to add that I am working on becoming a home based, Disney exclusive TA as well. Just finished up the disney college!! :wave:

Yeah, I cross-post on the DISboards as well as this one. :drevil:

Congrats on the Disney College graduation! :sohappy:

BigTex71 · Feb 20, 2011

angelbunni said:
Love this report xx

Thanks!

BigTex71 · Feb 20, 2011

StillerGirl said:
Loving your report! You make it so much fun to read...I cant wait to go..only have a little over a week left!!

Be waiting for more! Your family is adorable!!

Wow, have fun!!! I so want to go back, but it looks like we won't be heading back until June 2012.

Unless my side business as a travel agent really takes off (pun intended.) :lol:

And thanks!

BigTex71 · Feb 20, 2011

I had a hectic weekend and worked (the full-time job) part of the day yesterday and all day today from home.

I am hoping to get the next chapter out as soon as I can.

One of these years I will be able to work on my travel website. :shrug:

Southern_Tink · Feb 21, 2011

Waiting for the rest! Your kids are too cute! The way your daughter poses in all of her photos is precious, she really looks like a princess!

corey154 · Feb 21, 2011

I know exactly what you mean when you say children have different cries! I'm so sorry your little one hurt her head, I'm glad she was fine!

Can't wait for the rest!

BigTex71 · Feb 21, 2011

Southern_Tink said:
Waiting for the rest! Your kids are too cute! The way your daughter poses in all of her photos is precious, she really looks like a princess!

Thanks and welcome!

corey154 said:
I know exactly what you mean when you say children have different cries! I'm so sorry your little one hurt her head, I'm glad she was fine!

Can't wait for the rest!

Thanks for the kind words. Still super busy with work, but will try to make time tonight for the next chapter.

BigTex71 · Feb 23, 2011

Chapter 6: Islands and Africa

We left Hogsmeade and walked through The Lost Continent area of the park to get to Seuss Landing. I have to give some props to Universal for the really great theming they accomplish throughout the park. Actually, I guess they already have plenty of props – and that is why the theming works so well. So I give accolades instead. Yeah, accolades… that’s the ticket. Wait, where was I? Oh yeah – walking through The Lost Continent. This area of the park houses the restaurant Mythos – consistently named best theme park restaurant for something like 6 years straight or some nonsense. I wanted to try it for lunch, but when DW saw the burger was $12… well, I’ll just say we ate somewhere else. But the outside of it is like a rock mountain with stuff carved into it. Looks really cool… here is a picture:

We made our way over to the Dr Seuss-inspired land named, appropriately, Seuss Landing. The colors and architecture here are also really great stuff. We first rode the sky tram thingie-ma-bob named High In The Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride (sounds like a name I would come up with.) Think Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover with a kid theme. It stretches, twists, and turns through all of Seussland overhead. Next we went to the carousel – The Caro-Seuss-El.

By now it was lunch time, so we went to the big top: The Circus McGurkus Café.

I had the fried chicken… not too bad. DS had the pizza and I tasted it. It was one of the better theme park pizzas I have tasted - much better than the kids pizza at Disney. It almost pains me to admit Universal does some stuff better than Disney – a pain similar to me admitting the iPad is actually a cool device.

The kids posed on the way out of Circus McGurkus:

We then went over to ride One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. This is like the Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride, but you get a little (or a lot) wet from the fish spewing water, strategically placed around the edges of the ride. And just when you think you are getting away from the water at the lower level by flying high – they have some surprises in store for you up there, too. Fun ride. The kids loved it. We then went to ride The Cat in the Hat. This is like a Many Adventures of Pooh or a Snow White’s Scary Adventures, but longer. The kids had to ride this one twice before we were allowed to leave Seuss Landing.

DD was getting tired, so we decided we would leave after I got to ride The Amazing Spiderman. We actually talked DS in to riding this one – a major accomplishment. I had heard so many great things about this ride - and it was a great ride, don’t get me wrong – but if you are going to come to Islands of Adventure please ride this before you ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The Forbidden Journey puts all other interactive dark rides to shame. I think I would have thought much more highly of Spiderman if I had not been spoiled by The Greatest Theme Park Ride On The Planet. (Yes – again, it is that good!)

I will break down the Universal vs. Disney comparison using terminology of my favorite sport - baseball. If Six Flags is the minor league AA ballplayer, then Universal is an everyday Major Leaguer (maybe even an All-Star.) Disney, however, is the Major League first-ballot Hall of Famer. They have both made it to ‘the show’, which - in itself – proves how good they are. But there is clearly a difference in the two, even at that high level. Universal hit a Grand Slam with Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. But a Grand Slam does not a Hall of Famer make. I can’t wait for Disney to make a ride with the Kuka Robocoaster technology – if they even will. There is so much potential for that kind of technology using the Disney license.

So we finished Universal and ended up going over to Animal Kingdom Lodge for our dinner ADR at Boma. Something I learned about (and tested this night) was that the resorts offer free valet parking when you have the Tables in Wonderland card and have an ADR at a restaurant in that resort. Pull up at the lobby entrance and get curbside valet service – frakking cool. (Did you geeks get that reference?) On to the restaurant:

We had a really good meal – as usual at Boma. I love the soups – they are souper! We were seated near the windows and it was kind of dark in there, but that may have been like a Jedi mind trick – causing the kids to not be too loud since it wasn’t real bright. Darkness usually seems to evoke memories of the movies or bedtime – times when you should be quiet. Disney may be on to something there – or I could be over analyzing that way too much and made a coincidental connection. Either way, dinner was nice.

After we were filled to capacity and on the brink of supernova if another crumb crossed the mouth-based boundary, we waddled out to get our vehicle. I tipped the guy a fin and we were off to the condo. Needless to say, the kids drifted off to Neverland on the way. I dropped off DW and the kids at the condo and made my way to Orlando International to pick up my mom (did you read my PTR?) She made it out on the last flight out of DFW to Orlando before the ice storms made their way there the next day.

Next chapter: Diners, Drive-Ins, and Drives

WDW_Emily · Feb 28, 2011

*anxiously awaiting next chapter*

MrsWhiffo · Feb 28, 2011

I love the way that your little girl doesn't take her ears off

She is a gal after my own heart xx

joannecasey · Feb 28, 2011

I am so enjoying reading this !! Your kids are super sweet !

Soaringirl · Feb 28, 2011

Just got all caught up and I'm really enjoying the report! The cookie idea was great, Cinderella dance - so sweet. Can't wait for more...

BigTex71 · Feb 28, 2011

OK, this is a shameless plug (if this is allowed here): I was on the panel for the first DIS Dads Podcast. It was posted yesterday and should be on iTunes. It can also be found here.

Lots going on around here lately, but I hope to have the next chapter posted soon!

A Private Dance with Cinderella... Our Surprise Trip Jan 2011

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