Trip Report *COMPLETE* The Wanderer Returns - April 2016 Trip Report

I’ve been reading these boards and enjoying so many of the trip reports on here since I booked my trip back in August, so I thought I’d join in and share how it went! This is my first trip to WDW in 17 years and my first trip as an adult. So much has changed (and not changed) in the time I’ve been gone and it's been such a different experience getting to plan it myself, but i’ll get into that later!

Here’s the details:
Dates: 18th - 28th April 2016
Resort: Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter
Travellers:
Peter (me, on the right), 3rd time visitor:
Ben (on the left): 1st timer!

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Itinerary:
Day 1: Fly in from London Gatwick / O'hana Dinner
Day 2: Animal Kingdom / Tusker House Breakfast / Boma Dinner / Magic Kingdom
Day 3: Universal Studios
Day 4: Magic Kingdom / Be Our Guest Breakfast / Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner
Day 5: Epcot / San Angel Inn Dinner
Day 6: Day Trip to Miami
Day 7: Islands of Adventure
Day 8: Blizzard Beach / Epcot / Biergarten Dinner
Day 9: Disney's Hollywood Studios / Mama Melrose Lunch / Sci Fi Dine In Dinner
Day 10: Typhoon Lagoon / California Grill Dinner / Magic Kingdom Extra Magic Hours
Day 11: Epcot / Fly Home

I’m not sure why it has taken me 11 years of adult life to finally get around to going back to Orlando. It’s always been somewhere I’ve been desperate to back to but things just never lined up. Happily, last year my friend Ben expressed an interest and I started looking into packages. A couple months later after far too many glasses of red wine we were looking at a booking confirmation and doing a little happy dance in my living room.

We got a great package direct with Disney staying at French Quarter including flight, park tickets, dining plan, memory maker, gift card etc for what I would have paid just for hotel, flight and tickets separately. I was pretty excited about the free dining because when i was a kid my family had always stayed and mostly dined off property. I remember looking at a guidebook when I was 11 and desperately wanting to eat at Sci-fi Dine in.

Pre-trip I went into slightly obsessive planning mode and read so many reviews, touring plans, crowd calendars. Ben is more laid back than me so he was happy for me to do the research legwork, which I was happy to do. I definitely overplanned each day and the dining plan probably complicated things a bit with all the reservations but I was determined to make sure we didn’t waste a single minute. Let’s see how it worked out!


Day 1: Travel/Check in/O’hana

We arrived in Orlando at around half 5 from Gatwick. The flight was uneventful but made slightly less enjoyable by the cheerleading team sat all around us. They weren’t too rowdy but there’s something about a big group altogether that really changes the atmosphere on a plane.

Customs didn’t take too long and we went and found the Magical Express to take us to our hotel. The bus was waiting for us and we only had to wait for 20 minutes maybe before we were on our way. We were the 3rd stop and arrived at the hotel at around half 7. Check-in were lovely and very quickly we had our magicbands with just enough time to shower and change before our first ADR: O’hana!

After hopping on a bus then monorail from the Magic Kingdom we were a few minutes early for our 21:30 reservation so we checked in and grabbed a couple of Lapu Lapus from the Tambu Lounge to get into proper holiday mood.

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We were seated and quickly given pineapple coconut bread. Delicious, but i’m not here to fill up on bread. The salad was fairly standard but the dressing really elevated it.

Noodles, dumplings and wings arrived. Really fresh and tasty. I don’t have a huge appetite so at this point I was starting to feel pleasantly full, which is where i’d usually stop. (I would have taken pictures but we basically inhaled the food as soon as it arrived - a recurring theme on this trip).

Then the steak/pork/shrimp started coming round.
I had a few pieces of each, really delicious, definitely full at this point, Ben has a bigger appetite than me and he was completely stuffed at this point too. We decided to ask them not to bring dessert.

“You all done here?” our waiter asked
“So done”
“Well here comes the main course” he said, before slapping down the biggest portion of bread pudding i’d ever seen in front of us, then covering it in bananas foster sauce.
“....”

I think we managed to force down a couple of bites down before we were defeated. I really hate to waste food. It was pretty good though.

At some point during the meal they piped in the music for Wishes and but we were quite far from the window so we decided not to give it that much attention and enjoy it fully on our Magic Kingdom day.

After dinner we were dead. The combination of long flight, big meal and coming from a different timezone meant we were shattered. We thought about getting an uber but decided to do the monorail/bus combo again instead. Mistake - in our tired state it felt like it took so much longer to get back to the hotel than it had before. As soon as we got back to our room we went to bed and I was out light a light. The next morning would be an early one as we had an 8.05 reservation at Tusker House!
 
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Barcoco

Active Member
Original Poster
Day 5 - Epcot

After the previous night’s late finish we allowed ourselves some extra time in bed this morning. When I had planned out the day initially we were going to rope drop future world and then do World Showcase from 11ish. Instead we went straight for World Showcase when we arrived at around half 11.

We were hungry, and keen to try the Flower and Garden outdoor kitchens so we worked our way around a few of them and use up some snack credits, stopping in on the countries on the way. We kind of walked right past Canada, we meant to go back and have a little look around but never did.

First up was Urban farm eats where Ben had the Vegetable and White Bean Naanwich and I had the Seared Pork Tenderloin. Famished as we were, we didn’t stop for pictures. Mine was fine, not outstanding, Ben enjoyed his.

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We strolled through the UK but didn’t spend a lot of time there as it seemed to be mostly shops. In France we went to the Fleur de Lys kitchen and shared the Onion Tart, the Duck Confit, The Raspberry Macaron and each had a La Vie en Rose Slushy. All really good, the Duck Confit and Macaron were standouts and the slushy was so refreshing as the day heated up, it was very strong too!

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As we sipped our cocktails we watched this performer. The whole act made me very anxious, I wonder if he’s ever fallen.

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We did a little loop through the streets of Morocco but didn’t find anything much of interest. In Japan we spent some time in the gallery then the department store. The pearl lady is so funny, love her enthusiasm.

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At The American Adventure we stopped at the Smokehouse for some more food and drink. We split the Pulled Pig Slider, Beef Brisket Burnt Ends and the beer flight. Both were really delicious, I love burnt ends, these were my favourite dish from the Flower and Garden kitchens. Really tender and a good mix of flavours. At this point we were full, and a bit bloated, so we half heartedly waddled through the next few pavilions. We had dinner reservations in Mexico later that day and Germany a few days later so we knew we’d be back.

A gentle ride was in order to get off our feet for a little while so we headed to The Land pavliion, stopping off at Club Cool on the way (the Beverley as nasty as expected). Ben wasn’t that impressed with the boat ride. I was more into it during the first part with the rainforest and the farm but when it got into the greenhouses it lost my attention a bit. It was really dead, we were the only people on the back half of the boat. We got a wave from Mickey at Garden Grill though, which was cool.

In need of something more thrilling, we boarded Mission Space. I’d been worried about this one because I do get motion sickness sometimes but I ended up being ok. It was kind of a weird ride, the sensation is kind of cool but it’s kind of an empty experience. Ben didn’t fare as well as I did and needed a little sit down after.

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Spaceship Earth was a better experience, though I think it needs a bit of an update. Also, the film at the end glitched and cut off my head so we saw what the future would be like for Ben and his torso.



Speaking of rides needing updates, we rode Ellen next. I would have been ok giving this a miss but Ben was desperate to go on ‘That Ellen Ride’. This thing has not been updated since my last visit in 1999. In fact it’s in worse condition. I’m sure I recall Ellen swinging like Tarzan in the dinosaur scene which didn’t seem to be there anymore. I think I ended up liking the ride more than ben anyhow. He hated it.

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Test Track was a better experience. We tried to make the most eco friendly, sleek, efficient car possible and it looked beautiful, but came last in all but one of the tests. We decided to create a gas guzzling SUV monstrosity next time. The little girl next to us was really sassy. Her mum kept checking on her to make sure she was ok and the girl was like “chill, I got this.”

We headed to Mexico for our dinner at San Angel Inn. We were a little early so we rode the Gran Fiesta Tour. It was pleasant but left no lasting impression. I liked the bit with the Pyramid.

Dinner was great but we were so tired by this point we didn’t talk much. Luckily there was so much to look at in the restaurant. We were seated at a table overlooking the ride which was lovely, except when a woman got off one of the boats on the ride and tried to exit right next to us! One of the servers was like “you can’t be here”, but she said something quiet to him that I didn’t make out and he said “oh ok, I’ll see what I can do.” so maybe she had some legitimate reason for getting off early.

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I love Mexican food so everything worked for me. We had salsa and guacamole, then I had the Carne Asada. The steak was a good size and the accompanying enchiladas, rice, refried beans and guacamole were all great. I was really full but managed to squeeze in the chocolate mousse, which was not too sweet, which I enjoyed. The brittle that came with it was a bit too thick and hard to do anything with though.

When we left the pavilion the ground was wet and loads of people were wearing ponchos. In a stroke of luck we had missed the only rainstorm of the whole holiday. Since there were no windows it completely passed us by without us realising. We were shattered though and decided we had done most of what we wanted to do in this park, we also wondered how we would fill a half day later in the week when we came back.

Back at the hotel we had a swim then an early night in preparation for our trip to Miami the next day. We had to be up at 5am!
 

Barcoco

Active Member
Original Poster
Day 6 - Miami

I’ll limit the amount I write about this day as it’s not really Disney related. It was a very long day! Up at 5am or so and we got an Uber to the Swan where we were picked up for our Miami trip. The day consisted of an airboat ride through the Everglades, Miami Beach, and finally some time at Bayside and a boat trip around Star Island. It was nice to get out of the theme park bubble for a day but it was a very long day. We got back to the Swan at 10 or 11 and had to walk over to the Boardwalk to use their wifi to order an Uber (The Swan isn’t on the free resort wifi). Our Uber driver that night was really weird and played Christmas music the whole time (it was April).

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Day 7 - Islands of Adventure

We got to Islands of Adventure for just after 10 and headed straight for the water rides. After having to walk around with wet shoes the last time we were here, we brought flip flops and a change of clothes with us. Bilge Rat Barges was a walk on again, then Jurassic Park was another short wait, then Ripsaw Falls which was a little longer. I didn’t get to go on Jurassic Park on my last trip as a kid so it was cool to finally get to go on it. It was shorter than I expected but the thrill at the end was great.

Next up we rode Forbidden Journey. The lockers in this area felt especially stressful and claustrophobic. I hope they sort this at some point, the same with Dragon Challenge where there didn’t seem to be enough lockers for the ride, they kept running out. The queue for Forbidden Journey is very impressive. There seemed to be a lot of people in line, the wait was posted at 25 mins, but once we’d gotten past the switchbacks in the greenhouse it was nice to leisurely walk through the castle and take in all the details. I especially liked the talking portraits and the sorting hat. The ride itself was good fun, there were a lot more physical set pieces than I was expecting.

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We wandered around for a while trying to find somewhere that looked appealing for lunch. On our way we rode Spiderman, which I thought was superior to Transformers, even though it’s older (the dramamine may also have helped on this day), and then the Cat in the Hat, which I felt hadn’t aged especially well. Have they toned down the spinning on that one? I remember getting hurled all over the place during one scene when I was younger. In the end we came back to Hogsmeade to eat. There was a bit of a line but it moved quickly, and I appreciated the staff who were there to find you a table. The theming of the Three Broomsticks was very impressive, it was a huge space but they made parts of it feel intimate. The food, however, was pretty bad. I had the chicken and ribs platter - it was all just really bland. There wasn’t much meat on any of it either. Ben had the turkey leg and felt the same about his, which was a shame as we were really impressed with the food in Springfield. Oh we had butterbeer too, which was alright, it took us a while to get through as it was so sweet.

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After lunch we strolled over to Universal Studios. I can’t remember the order of events but we did Men in Black again, and I think this was the first time Ben beat my score at one of these! We really liked that ride, we also rode The Mummy two or three times that day. Definitely our favourite ride there. For a change of pace we rode E.T. which was cute, I liked the queue with all the trees. The whole ride has a really nostalgic atmosphere.

In Springfield we looked at the merch in the gift shop. 12 year old me would have loved this if it had been open back then, I was such a Simpsons obsessive and would have bought so much. 29 year old me is less into the merch, but more into the beer, so we had a seat by the water and got ourselves some duff beers and another of those huge donuts, which went down nicely.

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On our way to Diagon Alley we got some slushies which were kinda gross. I had raspberry, Ben had cherry, both tasted of nothing. We finished up the day with a ride on Gringotts. I think I liked this one more than Forbidden Journey, the initial drop was great and the bank was beautiful, if less to look at than the castle. After looking at a few of the shops in Diagon Alley and taking some pictures we were done. I considered buying a chocolate frog but everything was pretty expensive. Who buys the every flavour beans? I would not want to risk getting vomit or earwax.

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I had intended we stay for the nighttime show but I was wiped out by 5-6 so we headed back to the hotel for a bit of pool time. Afterwards we got some dinner at the food court and took it back to our room. We had individual pizzas, which were not bad, and some chocolate covered mickey shaped brownies which were really nice. We also picked up some bottled drinks for the fridge and filled up our mugs. After dinner we started watching Wreck it Ralph and I passed out somewhere halfway through. Luckily it wasn’t such an early morning the next day - we were going to Blizzard Beach!
 
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ScarletBegonias

Well-Known Member
I thought the lockers in all of Uni were AWFUL. Most stressful part of our trip. It got to the point where I had to make my husband do it because I couldn't handle it.
 

Barcoco

Active Member
Original Poster
Day 8 - Blizzard Beach and Epcot

We made it to Blizzard Beach for about 10am and headed straight for the chairlift to the slides. Summit Plummet and Slush Gusher were both down, which I didn’t mind because it meant I didn’t have to psych myself up to go on the only ride that really scares me at Disney. Our first ride was Teamboat Springs, we shared our raft with another party of 2 and it was great fun, such a long slide! Runoff Rapids were also really fun and seemed to never have a big line, there was always one which had no line - we tried each of them a few times. The longest line was for Downhill Double Dipper which was good but short so we only rode it once. The Toboggan Slides were really fun too.

We found that Blizzard Beach was a nice change of pace from the theme parks as we didn’t feel like we had to plan anything out. There were no fastpasses or reservations to worry about which made for a relaxing time. We spent the day going from chilling in the lazy river, riding slides, bobbing around in the wave pool then lunch, and repeat.

We ate lunch at Lottawata Lodge. I had the bruschetta flatbread which was really good - very light with tomatoes and a balsamic glaze. After lunch we had some lazy river time, and relaxed until some someone inevitably annoyed me by splashing around or being too loud. I’m a real lazy river grinch.

A few more slides and some pool time and we were ready by around 2pm to move on. We had 6pm dinner reservations in Epcot but we fancied a bit of a thrill beforehand so we decided to make a surprise trip to Hollywood Studios. We had a ride on Tower of Terror and a little look around but decided not to do too much as we had a whole day planned at Studios the following day. Tower of Terror was one of our favourite rides of the trip. The themeing is top notch and the ride is really fun. I think we went on it 5 or 6 times that week.

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We rode the boat towards Epcot which was a nice way to get off our feet for a while but it moved really slowly so we got off at Beach Club and walked the rest of the way.

At Biergarten we were seated with a family who mostly kept to themselves, and a couple from Long Island who were really nice and chatted with us a lot. We each ordered a Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen before we were unleashed on the buffet. Nice beer, floral and not too heavy for a wheat beer. The food was good but heavy so it didn’t take me long before I was really full. I managed to fit in a couple of salads, most of the meats, and the pretzel bread, and the dumplings, a bit more meat - ok I think I managed a taste of almost everything. I initially turned down dessert as I couldn’t move from my chair but Ben brought over a little sample plate and somehow I managed to cram a couple more things in.

I was so busy stuffing my face that I remember nothing of the performers, but Ben got some pics. The building had a great atmosphere on the inside, I love the detail they went to.

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After dinner we did some of the pavilions we’d missed the previous day. Journey into Imagination was really bad. We both came out of it wondering what the point of the ride was. It seemed like some effects weren’t working because there didn’t seem to be a lot to look at most of the time. This really needs a replacement.

We enjoyed the seas. The Nemo bit was cute, if short. I do think it's an improvement on what used to be there. I know a lot of people miss the old seacabs but I remember going on them as a kid and wondering why I was on a relatively unthemed car looking at an empty tank. The tanks still seem quite empty though. The big tank was impressive but seemed quite bare. Ben had never seen a manatee before and loved it.

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We had a fastpass for Test Track next so we did that again before going to find a spot for Illuminations. Since our last car came last in pretty much every category we decided to make the ugliest, most gas guzzling SUV we could. It won pretty much every test this time. I see your game, Chevrolet.

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My sister used to work in the UK pavillion years ago and she told me that the bridge between the UK and France was a good spot for Illuminations so we went there. The show was great - i think we liked Wishes more in terms of spectacle but this was beautiful in it’s own way.

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I had read that taking a slow stroll out through World Showcase was a nice way to end the day and avoid crowds heading for the busses so we did that. We walked towards France and you could see the Star Wars fireworks from Studios over the Eiffel tower which looked beautiful.

We really enjoyed the slow walk through World Showcase. We had kind of rushed through the countries before as it had been very warm in the daytime and we had limited interest in shopping and only so much of an appetite, but the atmosphere at night is so different. We were able to slow down and take in all the details and admire the lighting. I think the park is missing a trick in closing at 9 as there’s so much to enjoy about World Showcase when the sun goes down. We did see a rat in Mexico though.

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Next up: A full day at a “half day park”. Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
 

Barcoco

Active Member
Original Poster
I thought the lockers in all of Uni were AWFUL. Most stressful part of our trip. It got to the point where I had to make my husband do it because I couldn't handle it.

Agreed. I found them so stressful. We gave up on the ones at Dragon Challenge the first time we tried. It was only a 15 min wait for the ride but somehow all the lockers were full. Chaos.
 

jrogue

Well-Known Member
Your Splash Mountain pictures are excellent and hilarious :)

Those donuts from Universal's Springfield are seriously impressive. I'm definitely going to try it next time. enjoying your report so far!
 

Barcoco

Active Member
Original Poster
Day 9 - Disney’s Hollywood Studios

We had every intention of arriving for rope drop but ended up getting to Studios at around 9.05. It didn’t seem too busy though. Our first destination was Rock’n’Roller Coaster. I think this opened very shortly after our 1999 holiday so it was a new one for me!

A bit of backstory. On our day trip to Miami we spent a little too long on the beach and Ben quite badly burned his shoulders. He wore a t-shirt in the pool at Blizzard Beach to protect himself but a couple of days of carrying a bag on his shoulders meant he’d formed quite a few blisters. In retrospect he probably shouldn’t have gone on an inverted roller coaster with shoulder harnesses. Long story short, when we went on the ride, I was screaming because the ride was so thrilling, he was screaming because all his blisters had burst. When we got off the ride the top of his shoulders were damp. It was pretty gross but he soldiered on.

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We headed to Tower of Terror next (lap restraints, thank god) and rode it a couple times before we got hungry and decided to go to Starring Rolls. We each got a coffee and a healthy breakfast treat. Ben had this brownie covered in chocolate chips. I had the Butterfinger cupcake which was amaaazing. It was huge, probably better for sharing, but I made a good attempt on it. The cake was moist and delicious and the frosting was really good - especially the white stuff in the middle.

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It was time for our Toy Story Midway Mania fastpass. We had good fun on this game, it was another new one for me, Ben ended up beating me! My wrist was pretty sore after. We would have liked to go on again but the standby was far too long and there were no more fastpasses.

While we waited for our next fastpass we had a look around One Man’s Dream. I was a big fan of this. I love learning about the history of Disney and how the theme parks came to be. I especially liked the scale models of the rides and castles. Luckily they were also showing the One Man’s Dream film instead of a movie preview. We both really liked it. I hope this exhibition survives at Disney World in some way with the overhaul Studios is going through.

Ben was still feeling sore at this point so we went to find some sort of bandage in one of the shops on Hollywood Boulevard. There wasn’t anywhere obvious but the staff at the gift shops had some band aids behind the counter when he asked (they got a bit confused when he asked for “plasters”, which is what we call them in the UK)

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With Ben somewhat more comfortable we went for our Star Tours fastpass. It was fun but after the likes of Transformers and Spider Man it felt a little low-tech. Indiana Jones was next - we were cutting it a bit fine but we managed to make it in just before it started. I know this show is getting on a bit but we both really enjoyed it and i’d see it again. It would be great if they could create an Indiana Jones mini land with a re-imagined stunt show, a ride using the Shanghai Pirates tech and an immersive restaurant.

For Lunch I had booked us the Fantasmic Dining Package at Mama Melrose. It made for good value on the dining plan as it also included an appetiser and meant we didn’t have to worry too much about getting decent seats for the show. I had the Fresh Mozzarella and Vine-ripened Tomatoes followed by the Strip Steak and then we were given an assortment of 3 mini desserts. Everything was good. The Steak and the macaroni cheese it came with were both excellent.

After lunch we watched Muppet Vision 3D which we enjoyed. I know they’re not that popular any more but I really like the 3D shows. Long may they continue. After the show we managed to nab a fastpass for The Great Movie Ride. We still ended up waiting a little while but the standby line was quite large. This annoying French woman behind us kept complaining that we should get on the ride straight away. She went to complain to a member of staff and then somehow ended up standing in front of us in the line. Rude. We ended up sitting next to her on the ride. She took off her shoes and put her feet up over the front of the ride vehicle - the cast member made her put them down but she just put them back up a minute later. Rude.

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Around mid afternoon we started to feel like we were running out of things to do. We had dinner at 6 and Fantasmic later but there was definitely a bit of sitting around between things. We had a look around Launch Bay but neither of us found it that interesting. Ben isn’t into Star Wars (too much dry ice he says). I used to be a big fan but there was nothing in Launch Bay that was really a draw for me.

We did the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast Shows and both felt a little dated. Little Mermaid was weird. It’s very short and misses a lot of story. Prince Eric has the easiest job in the world. He’s in it for the last 2 minutes and basically lies down the whole time. Beauty and the Beast was better but the Beast acting was more angry teenager than fearsome beast.

At some point we also rode Tower of Terror several more times. It never gets old.

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We had dinner at Sci-Fi Dine In and we were glad for a bit of movie distraction. It had been a long day and both of us get a bit quiet when we’re tired. Ben had the haloumi burger and I had the Sci-fi Angus Burger which was delicious but I was still too full from lunch to finish it. We both turned down dessert but our server said she could get us a couple of milkshakes instead to take away so we wouldn’t waste dining plan credit.

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We wandered around with our milkshakes and took in some sights then headed to Fantasmic. It was earlier than the ticket said but Ben said we should try and just sit down anyway. He was right - when we got to the auditorium our section was already mostly full. The two rows at the front were mostly empty - i guess a lot of people don’t want to get wet - we didn’t mind though. It had been such a warm day we were happy to get misted.

I liked the scale and spectacle of the show. I’d never seen it before! I think it got rained off when we visited in 1999. Its very light on story and the bits with the villains laughing then being defeated were a bit weird, but everything else was really impressive. I still catch myself humming the music.

It took a little while to file out but we managed to get to Hollywood Boulevard just in time for the Star Wars fireworks. I love the music from Star Wars to it was cool to have a display alongside that soundtrack. We lingered a bit on the Boulevard after the display while the crowds left and I picked up my Hollywood Studios mug. This is another park that really changes at night time - I wish it was open later.

Next up: Our last full day! Typhoon Lagoon, California Grill and Magic Kingdom Extra Magic Hours
 

Barcoco

Active Member
Original Poster
Your Splash Mountain pictures are excellent and hilarious :)

Those donuts from Universal's Springfield are seriously impressive. I'm definitely going to try it next time. enjoying your report so far!

Thank you! It was really fun having a whole log to ourselves. I don't think we saw anyone in the other logs around us either!
The donuts are pretty tasty! Definitely one to share.
 

Barcoco

Active Member
Original Poster
Day 10 - Typhoon Lagoon and California Grill

The original plan had been to rope drop Typhoon Lagoon this morning but we slept in a bit instead and arrived around 11. I saved this park for last as I remembered loving it when I was younger, and it did not disappoint this time around. Aside from the Crush’n’Gusher, lines were largely nonexistent for the slides. Our favourite part was the wave pool though, so much fun trying to swim out to the deepest water before the big waves hit. Fun but exhausting!

For lunch I went down the traditional theme park food route and got chicken tenders and fries, and a chocolate chip cookie. It seemed to be real chicken in the tenders and they were pretty tasty with some bbq sauce.

We stayed at the park until just before closing It's definitely still one of my favourite parks.

After an afternoon of wave jumping and lazy river floating we got the bus over to Disney Springs. We had been given a gift card voucher as part of our holiday package but somehow we’d lost it on a previous day. After turning the hotel room upside down to find it I almost gave up, but Ben suggested seeing if front desk could do anything. They were really helpful and told us that the World of Disney at Disney Springs would be able to give me the voucher if I provide a passport. We went down there and it worked perfectly. They were really nice about it.


We took the boat from Disney Springs back to the resort, which was a nice ride, then we took a short nap and got dressed for our dinner reservation at California Grill.

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There was a little wait for our table at California Grill, but when we were seated the service was outstanding. There was a small issue when we ordered wine and neither of us had brought our passports with us, but I remembered I had a photocopy in an email on my phone, and Ben had his driving licence so we were able to order a bottle in the end.

I ordered the Bison Striploin which was delicious, and a nice sized portion. It was quite nice to have a smaller plate as it meant I was pleasantly full by the end of the meal instead of completely stuffed and lethargic. Ben had the Pork Two Ways which he enjoyed. He had initially thought about getting the vegetable curry but our server warned him against it. She asked another server for a second opinion on it and he just walked by shaking his head.

She also suggested we go to the terrace closest to the bathrooms when the fireworks start, which was a nice tip as the other terrace was pretty busy and we ended up having our terrace to ourselves. It was lovely to enjoy Wishes with a glass of wine.

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For dessert we both ordered the chocolate pudding cake, which was less of a cake and more of a thick mousse, it was really good, and the only thing I remembered to get a picture of.

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We both agreed that this restaurant was our favourite of the trip, and the service and food were a real step above the others. I’d love to try some more signature restaurants on my next trip. The brunch at California Grill looks amazing too.

After dinner, with a little wine buzz, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom for extra magic hours. The park was open til 1 so we had time to ride all our favourites again. The only thing we didn’t get to go on was Splash Mountain, which wasn’t open for extra magic hours. It was really sad to see it all dry. Aside from Seven Dwarves Mine Train and Peter Pan i’d say the lines were just as short as they were during Disney After Hours. At the end of the night we said our goodbyes to the park.


Day 11 - Lunch at Epcot, then the long trip home

The next morning we checked out and had a half day for a park. Epcot seemed the best option for getting lunch so we headed over there and got the lamb/chicken shawarma from Tangeriene Cafe. Big portions, really filling. The meats weren’t amazing but I love hummus and tabbouleh and flatbreads.

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It was a really hot day so we didn’t hang around the park that long. We used up the last of our snack tokens on some bags of Reisen and we had a couple of quick service tokens left which we used for bags of goofy candy from the hotel.

The Magical Express came and we bid farewell to our home for the last 10 days. After an uneventful flight home the pilot welcomed us back to London. “You’ve been to Sea World, you’ve been to Disney World, but now it’s time to get back to the real world.”

Thanks for reading everyone. It’s been really nice to relive the trip and read your feedback. Ben and I have been feeling very “homesick” since our trip so last week I booked us a late November trip to Disneyland Paris! I’ll be sure to write a report when I get back.
 

prfctlyximprct

Well-Known Member
I'm so sad your trip is over! You managed to fit it all in! Loved your splash mountain picture! Id love to have a log all to myself! Thanks so much for sharing, I am so getting that donut at universal! :)
 

Barcoco

Active Member
Original Poster
I'm so sad your trip is over! You managed to fit it all in! Loved your splash mountain picture! Id love to have a log all to myself! Thanks so much for sharing, I am so getting that donut at universal! :)

Definitely get the donut! It's so good. Thanks for posting! I read a couple of your trip reports before I left and was counting down the days to go. They were really fun! :)
 

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