Trip Report The Princesses Take On Disney!

We have returned from another magical, pixie dust filled trip to WDW! We accomplished A LOT considering the time of year we visited, including some new things!

If you didn't get a chance to read my PTR and would like to, you can find it here:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/the-princesses-return.908683/

And now, without further ado...

Day 1: Travel Day, 6/7/16

Being that we don't live together, we finished packing at our respective houses and then met at my parents' (which is right in the middle) to put things in our big, shared suitcase. We struggle every year to be under the weight requirement lol. Our airline has a 40 pound limit or else you have to pay an additional fee, so we take carry ons (as big as permitted) and stuff them full as well. :rolleyes: Anyway, we got everything packed and weighed our suitcase to see where we stood... 48 pounds. Not even close. :hilarious: So we started unloading and putting things in our carry ons, deciding that some things could be left behind, etc. Finally we got it down to 39 pounds and were ready to go!

This was one of the things that had to stay behind. :( Everybody kept asking me who I would miss more: my boyfriend, Dylan, or Tink. The jury is still out on that one. ;)
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Ready to roll!
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We had a 7:00pm flight out of Latrobe, PA so got on the road at 3:00pm. It takes just under 2 hours to get there from home and the airport only has one gate, making security a breeze. We stopped near the airport and grabbed dinner at Denny's.

We arrived at the airport at 6pm and had checked our bag, gone through security, and used the restroom all by 6:15pm. Gotta love it! Our flight actually took off at 6:54, so just a few minutes ahead of schedule which was nice.

Peace out PA!

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I sat next to this lady on the plane that I will absolutely never forget. I don't even know how to begin to describe her! She was probably in her 60's or 70's and was an absolute diva - LOVE IT. She talked to us the entire flight and we pretty much learned her life story lol. She has a house here in PA and another in FL. She was flying down for the week to attend her granddaughter's preschool graduation. Like I said, we literally talked about everything, but once she found out we were heading to Disney she shared that she worked as a CM for her first job in 1971. She alternated between playing Dopey and working concessions (sometimes in the same day). She went to college and worked as a nurse for 30 years. It's hard to describe here, but she was HILARIOUS and we quoted her throughout our trip lol. Just to give you an idea.. At one point the lady in front of us turned around and said, "Could you talk quieter?" We were honestly not talking loudly, and certainly not as loudly as the man behind us. But she looks at us and goes, "I know enough to not cause trouble on a plane, but I've done my service to this country and I don't have to listen to her!" And then after getting off the plane, she saw the lady bending over getting something out of her bag and she goes, "I oughta go over there and kick her right in the ***." :hilarious: She was something else. Sorry, that was more wordy than I anticipated!

Anyway, we landed at 8:46, also ahead of schedule! The flight was a little bumpy due to the storm, but nothing major! We headed right for my favorite thing at MCO...

I GET SO EXCITED ABOUT MAGICAL EXPRESS. :D
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We boarded immediately and pulled out right away at 9:20pm.
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Magical Express selfie! The excitement is evident!
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We stopped at Coronado Springs first, and then our stop, All Star Sports! We arrived at 10pm.

Last year our pin numbers weren't setup properly and we had major issues at the end of the week sorting it all out. So the first thing we did this year upon arrival was head straight to the front desk to make sure they got setup the right way. We talked with Rachel who was an absolutely magical first CM to interact with. I made the comment that she should be working as a princess because she just had the energy and silliness for it. The CM's really do make all the difference!
 

lostpro9het

Well-Known Member
There was a show getting ready to start, so we sat down and waited. Also waiting for the show was the Shiny Shoe Family. @lostpro9het a new fashion statement for you and your family? I bet you'd slip right through security wearing a pair of these babies.
The irony is I actually own a a pair of these and there is no telling what Disney Security would do to me if they saw me in them!
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blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Loving this! :)
You're bachelorette inspired beach picture, hah! You'd blend right in on the show ;)
I was last in Universal almost 10 years ago - Ripsaw Falls & Jurassic Park were two of our favorites, even in February! You would have liked Ripsaw Falls, a reason to go back :)
Your Dr Seuss & Thing 1 (and a half) selfie is too cute!!
I've never read Harry Potter and have only seen maybe 2 of the movies, but still would really like to check out the park!

Looking forward to more!

Always a reason to go back. ;) I love the selfies, too! I think they're hilarious lol. And being a teacher, they will be fun to share during Dr. Seuss week. :) I think you can definitely still appreciate the parks without having read all the books or seeing all of the movies. Dylan and I were the only ones in our party that knew anything about it, but the rest of my family still really enjoyed the areas and rides!

Loving your universal report!!! It looks like you're having a blast! I'm a new fan to Harry Potter, just read the books and watched the movies last year, so I'm glad you enjoyed it with just watching the movies recently too! For some odd reason I keep thinking the Harry Potter section will have employees outside testing my knowledge and know I'm a fraud! Lol

The castle on the beach is pretty impressive! A trip to Florida wouldn't be complete with at least one castle glimpse! A castle all for you!! :)


Hahaha! I'm happy to report that nobody quizzed me on my HP knowledge so my secret is still safe. ;) The personalized castle was a perfect remedy to no Cindy castle. He knows me so well. :rolleyes:

Great Uni report! I was there that day as well. So far, I haven't photo-bombed any of your pictures. I will keep looking!! :)

I actually liked Kong. I thought it was a little short and could have used one more "scene", but overall it was pretty good.

I did discover that after one day at Universal, I don't need to do any 3D motion simulator rides for a while. In fact, I almost passed on Star Tours when I got to HS. Of course I didn't skip it, but I only rode it once.

You should have done Ripsaw Falls. The queue line is horrible, but the ride is so fun. You get soaked!!

Haha! You just may turn up in a picture before it's all said and done. :)

I am totally in agreement with you about the 3D rides.. It got very old very quickly. And that may be part of my problem with Kong. I was just tired of it. I didn't feel that it ended rather abruptly. The last scene was possibly my favorite, but I did expect to enter into another room after that and was surprised to see it was the end of the ride instead.

I wish we could have ridden Ripsaw Falls! It looked like so much fun! Next time. :)

The irony is I actually own a a pair of these and there is no telling what Disney Security would do to me if they saw me in them!
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Hahahaha OF COURSE you have a pair. :hilarious: Yours aren't nearly as obnoxious as the others though. Yours can pas for "normal." Cool, even. Those others? Eh not so much.
 

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We finished up in the shops and then made our way out of the park for dinner at City Walk around 5:30pm. We were meeting friends who live in Florida that we only see a few times a year.

On our way out, we passed this sign and I was forced to pose for a picture. Dylan wrote a song about me called "Indecisive Brittany" and my family thinks it's hilarious. I'm not THAT indecisive. :rolleyes: At least not as indecisive as @prfctlyximprct with her ADR's. ;)
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Where are we going, you ask?
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:D:D:D I seriously LOVE this place and it's been 6 years since my last visit. Plus, I had not seen Forrest Gump until about a year ago (I know, I know :eek:) so I never fully appreciated it!
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I now understood all of the things in the restaurant, plus I was able to be an active participant in Forrest Gump trivia! Lol.
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I swear to you that I did not do this. It was on the table this way when we sat down. :inlove:
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Everybody enjoyed their food and spending some time away from the park crowds. It was nice to sit down in the AC for awhile!
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What's a meal without a character interaction? :rolleyes:
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We said goodbye and made our way back into the park around 7:30pm. The Dragon Challenge had a 10 minute posted wait time, so we decided to ride again. It ended up being a little longer because we chose to wait for the front row, but it was so worth it!

I had been dying to try the butter beer, so that's where we headed next. I got a frozen one and oh. my. It was AMAZING. I was hooked.

The Uni version of my dole whip/castle picture. ;)
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We walked around the HP area for a little while until we finally decided to head out around 9pm. It had been a long, full day and we were exhausted. My dad was at the house when we got back, so we said our hellos and quickly got to bed to get rested up for our second park day!

18.22 miles walked
38, 578 steps
 

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
HEY GIRL! Haha I can't help my indecisiveness!! Most of my questioning came up after reading your trip report!!! Tell your man to put in a lyric about a girl name nicole who is much more indecisive than you into that song! Lol! Loving your uni insight! Can't wait to get my hands on a butterbeer!

Hahaha :hilarious: I'll let him know! But seriously, my ADR indecisiveness for next trip is almost as bad as yours so I can't say much. I need all of our meals to be perfect so Dylan falls in love with WDW and wants to go back every year. :D

I can't wait to read your TR and see what you think of Uni. But one thing's for sure.. You will be a butterbeer-aholic like me. :p
 

prfctlyximprct

Well-Known Member
Hahaha :hilarious: I'll let him know! But seriously, my ADR indecisiveness for next trip is almost as bad as yours so I can't say much. I need all of our meals to be perfect so Dylan falls in love with WDW and wants to go back every year. :D

I can't wait to read your TR and see what you think of Uni. But one thing's for sure.. You will be a butterbeer-aholic like me. :p

I feel your pain. My boyfriend enjoyed Disney back in 2011, but he didn't snort the pixie dust and become addicted quite like I am... YET. This trip I am determined to make him understand that we just have to go here every year, for every vacation, for the rest of our lives. Is that too extreme? I'm glad you understand the amount of pressure there is when picking ADRs to please a non-pixie duster!

And mmmmmmmm I am drooling dreaming about Butterbeer already, and I haven't even tried it yet!
 

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I feel your pain. My boyfriend enjoyed Disney back in 2011, but he didn't snort the pixie dust and become addicted quite like I am... YET. This trip I am determined to make him understand that we just have to go here every year, for every vacation, for the rest of our lives. Is that too extreme? I'm glad you understand the amount of pressure there is when picking ADRs to please a non-pixie duster!

And mmmmmmmm I am drooling dreaming about Butterbeer already, and I haven't even tried it yet!

Omg.. Snorting pixie dust. I'm rolling. :hilarious: And hopefully for both of us, a very big milestone will occur at Disney, making them love it solely for that happy memory! :inlove: But I mean seriously.. There aren't many places to eat in Disney that aren't amazing. Can we really go wrong? I need some Disney food in my life!!!
 

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 4, 8/1/16

We didn't head to the park until around 10:30am, putting us there at 11:30am. We had plans to stay until closing, so chose to sleep in a little that morning. Now don't get me wrong, it was quite miserable fighting the crowds during the busiest part of the day, but it did start to clear out a bit in the evening, which was nice.

Today was Universal day!
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Our first stop once inside the park was to meet Shrek and Donkey! :D While we were waiting in line, this guy came walking past.
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I love Beetlejuice! There used to be a Beetlejuice show at Universal and I absolutely LOVED it! Even as a kid, it was one of my favorite things to do at this park. I'm super bummed that they got rid of it. :(

Anyway, it was our turn to meet the guys! Donkey talked.. Think Turtle Talk with Crush. It was a lot of fun and he was, of course, hilarious! My mom was wearing a Steelers shirt and he made a huge deal out of it.. Donkey is apparently a Steelers fan. ;)
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Naturally, I asked to take selfies with them. :rolleyes: Donkey said he hates selfies because he always looks weird haha. I took them in Snapchat, and when Donkey noticed that's what I was doing he said, "Are you doing a face swap with me?" I told him I could do that if he wanted and he warned me that I would have nightmares haha.
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They were a really fun meet and greet! I recommend meeting them if you happen to catch them with a short line. :)

Next, we headed for the Terminator 3D show and waited 20 minutes. It's okay.. Nothing spectacular. I remember thinking it was a lot cooler when I was younger. It's definitely reaching the end of it's time, in my opinion.
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blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
After the show, we spotted Scooby Doo, so hopped in line to meet him! He liked my hair and wanted to know if we could do his to match. :rolleyes:
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After that, we went to the Simpsons area for lunch. I'll just include some pictures of Springfield here.. Not a whole lot to say. :)
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I liked the theming here.. It was pretty spot on! However, try to avoid ending up here right in the middle of the afternoon. It seems to be where everyone ends up at that time and was pretty overwhelming.
 

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We went into the food court that encompasses all of the QS locations in Springfield..
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It was PACKED. You think the All Star resort food courts are bad.. There was a line that we had to wait in to get in line for the lines that were actually at the counters. No that wasn't a typo.. We waited in 2 lines before even getting to the line that you see here. It was chaos. I wouldn't recommend going here, even though the food was pretty good. The CM's did the best that they could, but it wasn't a pleasant experience.

Dylan and I's meals, though I don't remember exactly what they were called. A burger and chicken fingers, we'll say. ;)
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When we finished eating, the app said that Rip, Ride, Rockit had a 20 minute wait, so Dylan, Michael, and I made our way over to ride. It was actually less than 20 minutes.. they load this ride really quickly which was nice!
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We loved it! It's fun that you get to choose the music that you listen to during the ride, but the best part was the ride videos! Have you ever paid attention to the faces you're making on a coaster? Me either. It was hysterical. :hilarious: I wish Disney would do this! I can't believe I just admitted that Uni has something that Disney doesn't. :eek:

We met back up with my parents and Peyton to ride Shrek 4D, which was posted at 45 minutes. They had fans running in the queue, as well as water spraying through the fans. It was so refreshing!

Peyton took my mom's camera while we were waiting to entertain himself, which meant that we all became his models. ;)
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My mom took a pretty neat picture of me putting my hand up to Shrek's, but it must be on her phone so I don't have it to share. :(
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A nod to Disney. :)
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blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Loving the Universal report! We are going for the first time at the beginning of our June trip, so I am soaking up as much info as possible!

I do enjoy Uni, but it's really difficult to not compare it to Disney. It lacks so many things that Disney has, but nothing can compare to my beloved. :inlove: Going in with an open mind and knowing it's not going to be Disney goes a long way toward really enjoying your time in these parks.:)
 

TheMouseFan

Well-Known Member
I do enjoy Uni, but it's really difficult to not compare it to Disney. It lacks so many things that Disney has, but nothing can compare to my beloved. :inlove: Going in with an open mind and knowing it's not going to be Disney goes a long way toward really enjoying your time in these parks.:)
That is exactly why we decided to go at the beginning of the trip! Then we could end on a high note at Disney!!
 

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Universal has an evening parade, and throughout the day, the floats will come out for short periods of time in the middle of the park. The characters come off of the floats and stand in the streets for meet and greets, which I think is awesome! We met a large number of characters in a matter of 5 minutes. I wanted to catch the Despicable Me characters, but it's unannounced when they'll actually be available and we never saw them. :(

We did, however, catch these guys!
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Unfortunately, we didn't catch Spongebob in time before he got back on his float, but this one does the job. :)
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Next up, we waited 15 minutes for The Mummy Returns. This is one of my favorite rides at Uni, so I was really excited! It did not disappoint, and Dylan loved it too. :)
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After that, we waited 30 minutes for Transformers. Peyton LOVES everything Transformers, and he was extremely excited about this ride. It didn't do much for me.. It was just another moving 3D ride, and by that point in the trip I'd had enough of those to last me. It was fun, but nothing spectacular.
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Scoppin

Well-Known Member
After the show, we spotted Scooby Doo, so hopped in line to meet him! He liked my hair and wanted to know if we could do his to match. :rolleyes:
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After that, we went to the Simpsons area for lunch. I'll just include some pictures of Springfield here.. Not a whole lot to say. :)
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I liked the theming here.. It was pretty spot on! However, try to avoid ending up here right in the middle of the afternoon. It seems to be where everyone ends up at that time and was pretty overwhelming.

Scooby Doo is one of my all time favourites! :D No Mystery Machine? :(
 

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Shortly after we exited the Transformers gift shop, the parade was starting so we stood on the corner to watch.
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The parade ended and we headed for a family favorite.. E.T.! We've all loved this one for as long as we've been going to Uni, and it's become very nostalgic.
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They ask for your name at the beginning of the queue, and at the end of the ride E.T. says everyone's name. My dad always chooses to give a random name that is not actually his name, and then we all crack up when E.T. says it. This time was no different lol.

It really is a neat ride and, at least for me, it's a must do!
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