Trip Report *COMPLETED* 6 Parks, F&W Fest, MNSSHP & One HUGEEE Surprise!!!

Hi everyone! We got back from our Disney vacation two days ago and I am still exhausted and unfortunately sick, but I wanted to jump right into the report because if I don’t do it now, it will never get done!

You can find my pre-trip report here, http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/first-trip-in-6-years-with-a-wdw-first-timer.915675/ but here is a quick recap:

Who: My boyfriend, Mark, and yours truly

What: 5-Day Park Hopper Tickets, Food & Wine Festival, One night at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party, One day at Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure and one HUUUUGE surprise, but I’m not giving anything away just yet!! You’ll have to follow along J

When: September 26th-October 3rd

Where: POP Century

Why: Mark’s first trip to Disney, and my first time back since being an AP 6 years ago!

Now that we have the particulars out of the way, let’s dive on in!

 

[Second Star to the Right]

Congratulations! That was some awesome last-minute planning, esp. from your brother who just happened to come along, too. Also:



Yeah, that show's kinda scary but I think a gal who can handle Hulk might be able to handle the Twilight Zone.

Thank you! And I think you give me too much credit, I am such a baby! I can handle roller-coasters all day long, but scary movies or TV shows, and I won't even enter the room

 

[Second Star to the Right]

OH MY GOODNESS! What a perfect proposal, SO happy for you

Thank you!! It's been almost exactly a month and I still can't believe it happened.

 

[Second Star to the Right]

Congratulations!!

Thank you!!

 

[Second Star to the Right]

I want to see you in your dress! I am laying on my couch and I think I may have watched your video a good 10 times! It is seriously perfect, I can feel my heart beating so fast so I can't imagine what was going through your mind at that minute!!! I love it so much!!! Congrats again! And how sweet are you to think of me after you got engaged! See! These forums really impact our lives! I feel like we are friends I love this so much!!

Hahah thank you again! I don't think we are looking at getting married until 2018, so the dress shopping won't be happening for awhile, but I'll totally share pictures on the site when I do! Mark isn't on here, so I won't run the risk of him seeing me before the big day! We both want a Fall wedding, and in New England (where we live) all the good place have already been snatched up for 2017, so 2018 it is! It's a bit of a bummer, but that gives plenty of time to plan and also time for us to just enjoy the house!

I've tried explaining these forums/boards and he doesn't really get it. I think it's hard to understand unless you are on them and love Disney (or Universal). It's so true, I feel like I have a bunch of additional friends to share in the excitement! I really cannot wait to read your upcoming report!!

 

[Second Star to the Right]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations to the both of you! How romantic--a marriage proposal!!

Thank you!!! It was amazing!

 

[Second Star to the Right]

So Amazing!!! Congrats on the engagement!!!

Thank you!!!

 

[Second Star to the Right]

I can't believe it's almost been a week since my last post!! At least I finally got the surprise out there, but then I just left everyone hanging! It has been a crazy week at work and then this weekend we went to Salem for Halloween weekend. We went there for the first time last year ON Halloween, and we think we will make it a tradition

Now, back to the report! I swear, other stuff happened after the proposal. But in all honesty, I did not give a single hoot about what we did for the rest of the day. I was on cloud nine. I could have been rolled over by a million strollers and wouldn't have cared

Earlier, I had mentioned being hungry, so we did head over to the Three Broomsticks. Of course, after all the excitement, my hunger pretty much disappeared! I also had my mom telling me I needed to send a text to all of my aunts and her cousins about the engagement while we were waiting in line to order. That was 12 people, and I had 3 of their numbers. Gotta love mothers.

Ava's turn to be the Burger King

I just had to take this picture. This is the most jewelry you will ever see me wear in one shot.

I love the Three Broomsticks, the theming is excellent. There's also a nice seating area outback that gives you a nice view of the castle, but it's not always open.

I ordered the Shepherd's pie, and seriously ate 4 bites. I finished my salad, but I was too excited to eat, which is a shame because I love their Shepherd's pie!

First butterbeer of the day. I did find a way to finish this I've snuck in vanilla vodka nippers into the park before when I was on a girl's trip, and it is amazing in the butterbeer. Just in case anyone wants to try it Mark doesn't approve of that tomfoolery, so I didn't dare do it this time haha

Mark finally got his Pumpkin Juice. One of the most important tips I can give to anyone going to the Wizarding World is to only drink the pumpkin juice on draft. Do not get it in the bottle. All of the flavor sediments stay at the bottom and they never really blend back into the drink well, no matter how much you shake the bottle. The pumpkin juice on draft, is delicious. It doesn't taste only like pumpkin, but like Fall in a glass

He ordered the roast chicken platter. He had no problem finishing his food lol

They really do have some excellent food at the Three Broomsticks, and the service is quick. I would definitely recommend it, even if you aren't a Potter fan. You just have to like good food

 

[Second Star to the Right]

After lunch, we decided to head to the Diagon Alley side. My mom hasn't been on the train yet, so we were excited for her to see the Hogwarts Express.

Beautiful view of Hogsmeade

I can't remember why we didn't stop in at Honeydukes while we were on this side because that's usually a stop I have to make. I love the chocolate frogs. The inside is just awesome too, so sorry I don't have any pictures!

Waiting to board.

She LOVED the train!

Since we were taking the train from Hogsmeade, it was like we were leaving Hogwarts, so we got to say goodbye to the castle on our way out. For anyone who doesn't know, the train shows something different on the way to Diagon Alley and the way to Hogsmeade, so it's highly recommended to ride it both ways!

 

[Second Star to the Right]

We departed King's Cross station and immediately headed for Diagon Alley. This is absolutely my favorite between the two Wizarding Worlds. There is just so much to see.

This is my mom's reaction when she first walked in. That's her going "Whoaaaaa"

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. The arm at the top really does move like in the movie.

And there is Gringotts at the center

Mark casting spell with his interactive wand at one of the wand spots

I had him cast a protective enchantment on my ring. I'm such a dork.

We really just walked around the area and let mom take in all the different shops and sights. Mark, my sister-in-law and I had just been there in February, so we wanted her to be able to enjoy it.

Mark, my brother and I went on Escape from Gringotts because it was only a 20 minute wait, and mom and sister said they didn't mind waiting for us. I didn't bring my phone in with me, so I don't have any pictures from this trip, but I can definitely find some from our trip in February if you guys want to see it, but at the same time I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet (@prfctlyximprct - don't forget, try to sit in the front row and the back row if you get a chance to ride it twice).

 

[Second Star to the Right]

There is a fun interactive wand spot in this area that makes the lights and chandeliers inside the connecting area turn on, but we didn't stop to attempt it because there were a few people already waiting.

I have to share this video because it makes me laugh so hard every time I watch it. It's from our first trip to Universal together, exactly a year ago to the day from the picture above.



It was perfect timing with the dragon going off. I think Mark thought he made that happen with his wand

The Magical Menagerie

After perusing the shops and checking out some of the different sights, mom decided to she wanted ice-cream, and none of us were going to argue with that!
I love Florean Fortescue's!

It was a bit crowded in there, so I only took a quick picture of my ice-cream. Of course, I got the butterbeer ice cream. It is incredibly rich, but oh-so-good!

We found a bench heading into one of the entrances to Knockturn Alley so we plopped down for a bit to enjoy our treats.

I think, Ava enjoyed hers the most!

 

[Second Star to the Right]

I've never caught the dragon breathing his fire in a still picture before, I've only ever taken video, so I'm glad I caught it this time!

This isn't the picture lol

Here it is!

Quality Quidditch Supplies

We exited Diagon Alley so mom could check out the Knight Bus. This is a fun interactive spot with Stan Shunpike and the talking head from the movie.

This is where you can spot Kreacher peaking out from behind the curtains of #12 Grimmauld Place. I've taken several pictures in the past, so I didn't bother taking the picture this time, but mom did get to see him.

 

[LeighM]

I remember one where the conceit was that a girl had disappeared into a dimensional door in her bedroom and her dad had to go into the wall to get her out. My older sister pranked me after we saw that episode by hiding under our bed and pretending the same had happened to her. I was so mad at her at the time!

I so remember that episode! I still love watching reruns on the Sci Fi channel during the holidays Now if only I can convince my husband to watch them. He normally refuses to watch anything that's in black and white. It goes without saying that he's missed a lot of good shows and movies!

 

[LeighM]

I was so behind on your trip report so glad to finally be caught up - and to confirm what the surprise was LOL. Congrats on your engagement!!!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

I am loving your Uni days! I am trying to take in all your tips and tricks! Butterbeer ice cream? YES PLEASE. Three broomsticks? YESSSSSSSSs. I would eat what your FIANCE' is eating in a heartbeat! (see fiance') I can't wait to go on the rides! It's so much fun to do something for the first time... ah!!!

 

[WildcatDen]

Major congrats. I am absolutely sure my oldest would want hers to play out the same way. Of course, in a more greenish Slytherin way. . . Now she just needs to find that special someone. Congrats again.

 

[blreinsel]

Congratulations! What a fun and special addition to your trip! I have my fingers crossed for @prfctlyximprct on her trip and for myself in June!

 

[Ciara]

Come back

 

[Second Star to the Right]

Guys! I totally ghosted on you!!!! The last 2 months of 2016 were INSANE at work and then we had a million house projects going on that I completely forgot to finish the report, and there is only like a day and a half left to report on!! I'm so sorry!

For the even worse news...my phone that had all the pictures from our trip died on me recently and I am having an issue retrieving the pictures. This is pretty much devastating and is the main reason I NEED TO BACK UP MY PHOTOS!!! Or, invest in an actual adult camera, but at the same time, I don't feel like carrying one around at the parks. What are your thoughts on that? I see people go back and forth on this topic quite a bit.

 

[Second Star to the Right]

I'm going to try to type up the rest of the report, and hopefully be able to go back in and add any pictures I can retrieve later. I do have some from my Instagram page that I can upload, but it's definitely not even close to all of them.

After we left the Diagon Alley side we headed over toward the Simpsons area because my brother loves that show but had never taken the time to appreciate the detail they put in that area. If you like the Simpsons, you have to stop in at Moe's Tavern. It's like you have been transported into the cartoon! Plus you can buy a Duff beer, and that's just fun!

The next stop was something that Mark had wanted to do the last few times we went, but we always missed the show. It's the Horror Make Up Show. He loves everything about scary movies, especially the makeup and effects. Again, I'm a big baby so I avoid them like the plague. We finally timed it where we would have a few minutes to spare before the next show so we figured why not.

Well, let me tell you...it is NOT what we were expecting. It was 20 minutes of corny jokes with a few snippets about makeup in horror movies. As soon as we all exited the theater we started laughing because it was just so bad. Needless to say, I'm happy we got to see it so we don't ever have to do it again!

At this point, we wanted to go back to King's Cross Station outside of Diagon Alley so my mom could see the effects of the train ride back into Hogsmeade. I pulled up the Universal App to see how long the wait would be and it said the train was closed. We still had at least an hour or two before the Universal Studios side closed so I couldn't understand how the train wouldn't be running. I asked one of the cast members and they confirmed they there was some mechanical or technical things happening and it most likely wouldn't be up for the rest of the day. HUGE bummer. I really wanted my mom to experience both train rides, but that didn't happen this trip.

At that point the rest of the crew figured my niece was probably pretty tried anyways, and they had an hour and a half car ride home, so they decided to start heading back home.

We knew we wanted to stay a bit long and head back to the Islands of Adventure side to ride the new Kong: Skull Island ride. The last time we were there we saw all of the construction so we couldn't wait to see what the ride entailed.

 

[Second Star to the Right]

I think I have said this before, Mark doesn't have much patience for waiting in lines, but the posted wait for Skull Island was 75 minutes. I couldn't believe he said he would wait that long. I think it was just because we were there having a fantastic day, and didn't know the next time we would be back. Fun fact, we will be back at Universal in 11 days. But, we didn't know that at the time!

The queue for Skull Island is pretty darn cool. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't give too much away. It's fairly immersive and if you have to stand there for 75 minutes, it's not the worst line to be in. However, I think our wait ended up being closer to 90 minutes in all honesty. The ride was totally worth it though!! It was SO cool. There was so much to see on all sides of you, it was slightly terrifying, but overall I really enjoyed it. I can't wait to go on it again now that I know what to expect. Again, I don't want to give anything away for those who haven't seen it yet!

After we got out of the ride, it was POURING out!! The sky was actually this crazy red/purple color because it was happening right around the sunset. I think this was the one day I didn't have our ponchos either, so we had to laugh at that. There was just no escaping getting soaked at that point.

We had done everything we wanted to do at the parks and we were starving, so dinner time it was! Every time we have gone to Universal we have eaten at Anojitos in CityWalk at least once so we thought it would be cute/nice to go there that day for dinner. So, we walked as quickly as we could out of the park and into CityWalk and arrived to Anojitos soaking wet. We both went into the bathrooms to try and dry off a bit, but it was useless haha. Again, I didn't care about anything bad that happened that day lol.

I don't remember any of the particulars from that dinner other than the fact that we were seated right in front of the mariachi band and they were fantastic. It was incredibly LOUD, but they were great so it was a fun end to the night. After dinner, we perused some of the shops again and then heading to pick up our Uber back to the World.

So, to sum up, our Universal Day was pretty much the most amazing day ever. Mark has said we need to make it a point to go there at least once a year every year now...don't have to twist my arm!!!