We're here! Just waiting for my best friend to pick us up.
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Trip Report It has begun
- Thread starter Songbird76
- Start date
Wicked Sisters
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
We are using an I Apple phone for the first time this year so hopefully we will not have any problems when we arrive from the UK in 3 weeks. We will obviously have roaming on it so
no problems.
MinnieM123
Premium Member
Wow, time flies! It's only 3 weeks now that you'll arrive at WDW. You both must be very excited.We are using an I Apple phone for the first time this year so hopefully we will not have any problems when we arrive from the UK in 3 weeks. We will obviously have roaming on it so
Wicked Sisters
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
We still cannot believe we are really going soon since we have waited so long. We have already got our cases down in the back room but obviously not started packing yet.Wow, time flies! It's only 3 weeks now that you'll arrive at WDW. You both must be very excited.
Minnie1986
Well-Known Member
Your friend's husband sounds like an absolute nightmare! Sorry you had to go through that.
Ok, so now that we're back and school has started and we're back into the swing of things, I can finally get back here. The question is, should I start a whole new TR to go more in depth into each day of our trip? Or just post some highlights and final thoughts here?
I will say the weather did not play nicely, and really had a major effect on our trip. 2 days in a row at the beginning of the Disney part, it POURED for HOURS to the point that we couldn't do anything...we had ponchos AND umbrellas, but it rained so hard that they really didn't help much and our feet got SOAKED in seconds and we ended up with blisters. Then the entire last week we were there, there were excessive heat warnings every day...like, excessive even for Florida, which you know is bad. The heat index on the night of the Halloween Party was still over 100 even at 1am. It just never cooled down. It was dangerously hot during the day, so we couldn't really do a whole lot of moving through the parks. The air was so thick with humidity, it was hard to breathe at times and you felt exhausted just walking from one pavilion to the next at Epcot. We couldn't stand to be outside for more than a couple minutes at a time, which put a real damper on food and wine festival. None of this could have been helped...there was no way to know this was going to happen and no way to prevent it, so we just had to change our priorities. We spent a lot more time watching Voices of Liberty, or watching the circle vision films than exploring the outdoor stuff and enjoying the food and wine festival. What we DID get from F&W was mostly good, but we just couldn't do everything we wanted to do because it wasn't worth risking heat exhaustion. We still had a fantastic time, though, and we were SUPER glad the boys weren't with us, because they would have been miserable and it would have made us unable to enjoy ourselves. You know the stereotypical "man cold" where a man turns into a complete baby when he's sick? Mine doesn't do that when he's sick, but he gets EXTREMELY cranky and turns into a jerk when it's too hot. That, plus an autistic teen would have been less than fun. Without them, we were able to have a great time despite the change in plans and the limited offerings.
I will say the weather did not play nicely, and really had a major effect on our trip. 2 days in a row at the beginning of the Disney part, it POURED for HOURS to the point that we couldn't do anything...we had ponchos AND umbrellas, but it rained so hard that they really didn't help much and our feet got SOAKED in seconds and we ended up with blisters. Then the entire last week we were there, there were excessive heat warnings every day...like, excessive even for Florida, which you know is bad. The heat index on the night of the Halloween Party was still over 100 even at 1am. It just never cooled down. It was dangerously hot during the day, so we couldn't really do a whole lot of moving through the parks. The air was so thick with humidity, it was hard to breathe at times and you felt exhausted just walking from one pavilion to the next at Epcot. We couldn't stand to be outside for more than a couple minutes at a time, which put a real damper on food and wine festival. None of this could have been helped...there was no way to know this was going to happen and no way to prevent it, so we just had to change our priorities. We spent a lot more time watching Voices of Liberty, or watching the circle vision films than exploring the outdoor stuff and enjoying the food and wine festival. What we DID get from F&W was mostly good, but we just couldn't do everything we wanted to do because it wasn't worth risking heat exhaustion. We still had a fantastic time, though, and we were SUPER glad the boys weren't with us, because they would have been miserable and it would have made us unable to enjoy ourselves. You know the stereotypical "man cold" where a man turns into a complete baby when he's sick? Mine doesn't do that when he's sick, but he gets EXTREMELY cranky and turns into a jerk when it's too hot. That, plus an autistic teen would have been less than fun. Without them, we were able to have a great time despite the change in plans and the limited offerings.
lindawdw
Well-Known Member
I had read several Live TR's the weeks you were there, and everyone complained about how unbearable the heat was day and night but it seemed that you still got things done that you wanted and enjoyed your time together! Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!!!
amjt660
Well-Known Member
@Songbird76
I think your live report was very comprehensive - perhaps a summary of each park / resort/ etc would suffice at this point?
Just my two cents
Max
I think your live report was very comprehensive - perhaps a summary of each park / resort/ etc would suffice at this point?
Just my two cents
Max
Tuvalu
Premium Member
I agree with Max, @Songbird76!
Ok, things I meant to post along the way, but forgot or was too tired to.
So we had an 18 hour layover in Philly. It was that or only an hour and a half, which is just not enough time to make it through immigration and customs and get to the gate for a connection. So I went with the longer one and we stayed at the double tree and got ourselves a nice warm cookie! So good!!
We were starving (no restaurants at the international arrivals terminal), and had no American phones set up to call an uber, so we just ate at the bar there in the hotel. You can't really go to Philly for the first time and NOT try a cheesesteak, right? We asked what was customary....what kind of cheese, etc. We also ordered a pizza and we shared everything. Those fries were soooooo good!
Our connecting flight left at something like 7am, so we were out the door early early and took the shuttle back to the airport. We were some of the first in line to check our bags, and got through security relatively quickly. We had a couple of hours before our flight, and we needed breakfast...there wasn't much, but there WAS a Chickie and Pete's, which had been recommended. Yes, technically it was like 5:30am, BUT, our stomachs were still on Dutch time, making it much closer to lunch time. We were told we MUST get the crab fries, so we did. We also got Mozzarella sticks, because we can't get them here, and chicken strips because they seemed more substantial than fries and mozz sticks. Should have left the chicken strips...they weren't that great and it was way too much food.
So we had an 18 hour layover in Philly. It was that or only an hour and a half, which is just not enough time to make it through immigration and customs and get to the gate for a connection. So I went with the longer one and we stayed at the double tree and got ourselves a nice warm cookie! So good!!
We were starving (no restaurants at the international arrivals terminal), and had no American phones set up to call an uber, so we just ate at the bar there in the hotel. You can't really go to Philly for the first time and NOT try a cheesesteak, right? We asked what was customary....what kind of cheese, etc. We also ordered a pizza and we shared everything. Those fries were soooooo good!
Our connecting flight left at something like 7am, so we were out the door early early and took the shuttle back to the airport. We were some of the first in line to check our bags, and got through security relatively quickly. We had a couple of hours before our flight, and we needed breakfast...there wasn't much, but there WAS a Chickie and Pete's, which had been recommended. Yes, technically it was like 5:30am, BUT, our stomachs were still on Dutch time, making it much closer to lunch time. We were told we MUST get the crab fries, so we did. We also got Mozzarella sticks, because we can't get them here, and chicken strips because they seemed more substantial than fries and mozz sticks. Should have left the chicken strips...they weren't that great and it was way too much food.
July 26th
Flight was relatively uneventful. It was nice not to have to go through immigration anymore, so it didn't take long once we landed in Florida to get our bags. We did notice that our tilemates were gone. We had attached them to the outside of the bag, thinking if the luggage got lost, someone could scan the QR code on them and it would be easier to get back. They must have broken off with rough handling. At first we thought the airline workers took them off for some reason, but hers never left the Philly airport and mine ended up first in the UK, and eventually in Argentina, so it probably broke off in the cargo hold and went with the plane on its next journey, while hers probably broke off at the baggage carousel in Philly because it still says it's at Terminal C where we came in. We bought new tilemates for the trip home and put them INSIDE the bags this time. Lesson learned.
Shasta came and picked us up from the airport and we went to Dockside Inn to check in. I had requested rooms near each other and we were right across the hall from each other...totally handy, though adjoining would have been more fun.
Nothing special, but we only needed a place to crash and shower, really. One nice thing was that the suitcases fit under the beds, so you didn't have to have them out in the middle of the floor. Very handy.
Then we headed to Walmart/target to get the basic necessities like shampoo, and the phone cards for the US phones. And we went to the outlet stores at some point, but I don't remember if we did that before or after dinner. I don't remember what we did for dinner, to be honest....I know we did KFC for lunch, and then E and I went to meet @Darstarr really quicklike, and had forgotten to apply sunscreen, so E wore a sweatshirt the whole time so she wouldn't burn.
Flight was relatively uneventful. It was nice not to have to go through immigration anymore, so it didn't take long once we landed in Florida to get our bags. We did notice that our tilemates were gone. We had attached them to the outside of the bag, thinking if the luggage got lost, someone could scan the QR code on them and it would be easier to get back. They must have broken off with rough handling. At first we thought the airline workers took them off for some reason, but hers never left the Philly airport and mine ended up first in the UK, and eventually in Argentina, so it probably broke off in the cargo hold and went with the plane on its next journey, while hers probably broke off at the baggage carousel in Philly because it still says it's at Terminal C where we came in. We bought new tilemates for the trip home and put them INSIDE the bags this time. Lesson learned.
Shasta came and picked us up from the airport and we went to Dockside Inn to check in. I had requested rooms near each other and we were right across the hall from each other...totally handy, though adjoining would have been more fun.
Nothing special, but we only needed a place to crash and shower, really. One nice thing was that the suitcases fit under the beds, so you didn't have to have them out in the middle of the floor. Very handy.
Then we headed to Walmart/target to get the basic necessities like shampoo, and the phone cards for the US phones. And we went to the outlet stores at some point, but I don't remember if we did that before or after dinner. I don't remember what we did for dinner, to be honest....I know we did KFC for lunch, and then E and I went to meet @Darstarr really quicklike, and had forgotten to apply sunscreen, so E wore a sweatshirt the whole time so she wouldn't burn.
93boomer
Premium Member
HouCuseChickie
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I have to buy AirTags for some upcoming sports travel (bats have to be checked) and those tags are going inside the bag. At least you got your luggage...although it sounds like your tag had quite a journey!
Our Universal time really went soooooo fast. I thought my best friend was staying the whole 3 days with us, but it turned out that she had some appointment to get to and they hadn't been home since May. She and her daughter live in Denver, but her husband lives in Florida. He works for a huge international company and gets transferred all over the place. They were in Australia for a few years and then the company decided to stop sending Americans overseas and hire their international employees from people who were already in those countries, so my friend's husband was transferred back to Denver. It was really sad because they were trying to get permanent residency in Australia. They loved it there so much, and the company was sponsoring them to stay there, but the paperwork hadn't been signed before they were bought out and that all changed, so they had to move back. But one of the things they stipulated was that they didn't want to have to move again once they got back. Addi was in junior high and they didn't want her to have to keep transferring schools anymore. The company promised this was it...they would be staying in Denver. So they bought a house. 2 months later, they transferred him to Florida. She refused to follow. So he lives there, she lives in Denver, and they go back and forth a few times a year during school breaks and whatnot. So they had been in Floriday and Oklahoma visiting family since May. I get why they wanted to finally get home, and I'm so glad we at least got to see them, but I was so sad that we only got 2 days with them.
We did have an absolute blast. It was nice for E that she and Addi get along really well, and they did some coasters together and just had a great time. Addi would go on any of the rides with her that I wouldn't, so she got to do a lot more than if she had just been with me.
On the morning of the 27th, we took it really easy. We got up for Early entry, but we weren't really worried about riding every ride or anything. It was mostly just an excuse to spend time together. And as much of a planner and list-maker as I am, Shasta is a more go-with-the-flow person, and really hadn't looked into anything or made any sort of a plan of what they wanted to do. So we went to a starbucks to grab some breakfast. I don't drink coffee, so I was wanting hot chocolate instead, but the only thing on the menu was something mocha, which I don't like, as that's coffee flavor. So I asked about it and the gal said something like, it's not coffee, it's mocha, so it's just the chocolate, which confused me. I don't think she knew what mocha was? Anyway, she told me it wasn't coffee, so I ordered it and a breakfast sandwich and the mocha went into the trash because surprise, it was coffee flavored. So gross!!! Then we just kind of strolled around and decided what we wanted to do. I don't even really remember what we did....I think we did ET maybe? I know we went to the Wizarding World because pretty much the only pictures I have from this day are from there. And I think we also did the jurassic park river adventure ride? I'll have to go look at my posts from then, but for now, enjoy the few pictures I took.
We did have an absolute blast. It was nice for E that she and Addi get along really well, and they did some coasters together and just had a great time. Addi would go on any of the rides with her that I wouldn't, so she got to do a lot more than if she had just been with me.
On the morning of the 27th, we took it really easy. We got up for Early entry, but we weren't really worried about riding every ride or anything. It was mostly just an excuse to spend time together. And as much of a planner and list-maker as I am, Shasta is a more go-with-the-flow person, and really hadn't looked into anything or made any sort of a plan of what they wanted to do. So we went to a starbucks to grab some breakfast. I don't drink coffee, so I was wanting hot chocolate instead, but the only thing on the menu was something mocha, which I don't like, as that's coffee flavor. So I asked about it and the gal said something like, it's not coffee, it's mocha, so it's just the chocolate, which confused me. I don't think she knew what mocha was? Anyway, she told me it wasn't coffee, so I ordered it and a breakfast sandwich and the mocha went into the trash because surprise, it was coffee flavored. So gross!!! Then we just kind of strolled around and decided what we wanted to do. I don't even really remember what we did....I think we did ET maybe? I know we went to the Wizarding World because pretty much the only pictures I have from this day are from there. And I think we also did the jurassic park river adventure ride? I'll have to go look at my posts from then, but for now, enjoy the few pictures I took.
So yeah....pretty much Harry Potter stuff, and then I started feeling weird. Not BAD per se, just...off and a little dizzy. But I didn't take many pictures at all. I looked at the ones I sent to Shasta, and I commented that these were the only pictures I took, and she sent me the one of us all together. (The ones in my previous post) And then we went to the outlet malls and I got a Haunted Mansion tshirt that you'll see later on. And then we went to Cold Stone and got some mint ice cream to satisfy the cravings since we can't get that here.
Fun fact: I almost named this Trip report "That's a choice" because we kept seeing these outfits....wow. The things people choose to wear. There was a woman who was wearing a tshirt and like....Spanx? I'm not sure what they were, but they were skin tight and nude-color, so it didn't look like she had pants on at all. And the seam in the back was quite visible and looked like her crack, so it wasn't until you got a lot closer that you could tell she had anything on at all. I commented "Well, that's a choice." From that point on, every time we saw a more....unique fashion ensemble, we said "That's a choice." I'm all for wearing what makes you feel good, makes you comfortable, even if other people don't like it. But I can't imagine being comfortable in that or feel like I looked good. Some other woman was wearing a bright orange top, and she had on brown shorts that were almost the same color as her skin, but at least those weren't quite skin tight, so you could see they were actual shorts, but they weren't really flattering. I also saw a teenaged girl who was spilling out of her top AND out the back of her shorts. I don't think she'd even have been allowed in at Disney, but Universal must be more lax with their rules? Anyway, absolutely her choice if that's what she thought looked nice and if her parents were ok with it, but I would have been VERY self-conscious and constantly tugging at everything to make sure I wasn't exposing myself to the world.
lindawdw
Well-Known Member
Glad you got to spend at least two days with your friends! I actually felt so sick from quite a few of the rides in Harry Potter land so I won't be going back to Universal any time soon. I agree with you on the outfits some people wear. I often comment to my DH when in the Parks "did that person actually look in the mirror before they left their hotel room'???? 
I mean, it's totally their choice what they want to wear, and if they are comfortable, great. I just don't see how they could be comfortable with things hanging out, clothing so tight that they spill out the top or the back...I mean, doesn't that dig in horribly? Especially in the heat, where you sweat, and then things stick. I had to use a zinc salve because some of my clothing chaffed and it wasn't NEARLY as tight as some of the things I saw people wearing. Again, totally their choice, but I do wonder if they regretted those choices. Hence my comments "Well, that's a choice."Glad you got to spend at least two days with your friends! I actually felt so sick from quite a few of the rides in Harry Potter land so I won't be going back to Universal any time soon. I agree with you on the outfits some people wear. I often comment to my DH when in the Parks "did that person actually look in the mirror before they left their hotel room'????
We were a bit more ambitious on the 28th. Having seen all the stuff we really HAD to see, it was just kind of looking around at other options. I forgot to mention that one of the things we got to do on our first day was the new Minion thing with the shooting? It's really cool. It's still in a beta testing phase, but I'm glad we got to do it. I think the wait time was only like 20 minutes, and we were curious, so we went ahead. But I SWEAR we got to use our express passes, and then when we went back the next day, they told us they didn't have express pass for it, but I was sure we did the first day. But basically, it's kind of like Buzz Lightyear, but you have a loose gun and you are standing on a moving sidewalk, so you can turn and shoot on either side and you aren't really competing with anyone in a car or anything. Sometimes it was hard to stay on your mark, because it turns slightly, so my feet would eventually slide off as I was turning. But it wasn't a huge deal to just adjust my feet. It's a cute attraction, but I wouldn't wait much more than 30 minutes for it. The waittime was never below an hour again, so we only got to do it the one time. I'm hoping that over time, they will have an express pass lane for it that will reduce the wait times. I don't do thrill rides, so it would be nice to have another non-thrill attraction I can do without waiting forever.
Anyway, we did ET and gave fake names to see if ET would say them at the end, we did MIB, which was super fun but it made us a bit woozy with the spinning so we couldn't do it again. Not to mention stupid people at the lockers...there was a family just standing there in front of my locker so I couldn't get to it, and they couldn't figure out how the lockers worked so it took them ages.
Addi did a couple of coasters by herself that E wasn't up for yet, and she said she thinks she maybe passed out for a second or two on the one right at the front of the park where you have a virtical rise and then it drops...I want to say like Rip Rocket or something? It looked terrifying, but she loved it.
It was really muggy and we did Popeye to cool off and got absoluely SOAKED. I don't think there was a centimeter on me that wasn't drenched. Somehow Addi had a couple of dry patches on her shirt, but the rest of us were wet rags. I think the worst thing for me was my shoes because I ended up getting blisters that affected me the rest of the trip. We went back to Wizarding World because they wanted to check if Hagrid's motorbike ride would have a somewhat reasonable wait time....spoiler alert: It never did. It never dipped below like a 2 hour wait, and they just weren't willing to wait that long, so they never got to do it. But they did the "kiddie coaster" and the idea was that E would let me know if it was doable for me. I saw right away that it was a no, and she came off saying absolutely not. And they decided to do the river adventure again because it was so much fun, but I didn't go again because I was FINALLY starting to dry a bit and didn't want to get wet again. They all got soaked again.
At some point, we ate at Toothsome chocolate imporium...not sure which day even. I'm a huge fan now. LOVED it.
I loved the decor here...so neat. And the food was all amazing. We LOVED those Zucchini fries, and while I only ate a few, the truffle fries were fantastic. E and I were being SO good this trip, sharing entrees and trying to keep the carbs and sugar intake relatively low. So I only ate a couple fries, and we ordered a
Vegetable Pasta(GS, V)- zucchini and eggplant noodles served with portobello mushroom steak, carrots, sweety drop peppers, heirloom tomatoes, roasted Romesco sauce. It was so good!! The onion soup was Shasta's. E and I shared the mint chocolate shake, which was SOOOOOOO good.
Anyway, we did ET and gave fake names to see if ET would say them at the end, we did MIB, which was super fun but it made us a bit woozy with the spinning so we couldn't do it again. Not to mention stupid people at the lockers...there was a family just standing there in front of my locker so I couldn't get to it, and they couldn't figure out how the lockers worked so it took them ages.
Addi did a couple of coasters by herself that E wasn't up for yet, and she said she thinks she maybe passed out for a second or two on the one right at the front of the park where you have a virtical rise and then it drops...I want to say like Rip Rocket or something? It looked terrifying, but she loved it.
It was really muggy and we did Popeye to cool off and got absoluely SOAKED. I don't think there was a centimeter on me that wasn't drenched. Somehow Addi had a couple of dry patches on her shirt, but the rest of us were wet rags. I think the worst thing for me was my shoes because I ended up getting blisters that affected me the rest of the trip. We went back to Wizarding World because they wanted to check if Hagrid's motorbike ride would have a somewhat reasonable wait time....spoiler alert: It never did. It never dipped below like a 2 hour wait, and they just weren't willing to wait that long, so they never got to do it. But they did the "kiddie coaster" and the idea was that E would let me know if it was doable for me. I saw right away that it was a no, and she came off saying absolutely not. And they decided to do the river adventure again because it was so much fun, but I didn't go again because I was FINALLY starting to dry a bit and didn't want to get wet again. They all got soaked again.
At some point, we ate at Toothsome chocolate imporium...not sure which day even. I'm a huge fan now. LOVED it.
I loved the decor here...so neat. And the food was all amazing. We LOVED those Zucchini fries, and while I only ate a few, the truffle fries were fantastic. E and I were being SO good this trip, sharing entrees and trying to keep the carbs and sugar intake relatively low. So I only ate a couple fries, and we ordered a
Vegetable Pasta(GS, V)- zucchini and eggplant noodles served with portobello mushroom steak, carrots, sweety drop peppers, heirloom tomatoes, roasted Romesco sauce. It was so good!! The onion soup was Shasta's. E and I shared the mint chocolate shake, which was SOOOOOOO good.
Addi's salad:
Chocolate creme brulee:
And more of the decor:
I don't think there was anything we wouldn't get again. It was all delicious and the atmosphere was fun.
This was me after Popeye, though it's hard to see how wet I am, because there's not a dry spot to be found:
And what I could get of the Harry Potter kiddie coaster "Flight of the hippogyff" maybe?
Shasta and Addi left, and E and I ordered dinner from Chuy's. Wish we could do that over. Next time.
Chocolate creme brulee:
And more of the decor:
I don't think there was anything we wouldn't get again. It was all delicious and the atmosphere was fun.
This was me after Popeye, though it's hard to see how wet I am, because there's not a dry spot to be found:
And what I could get of the Harry Potter kiddie coaster "Flight of the hippogyff" maybe?
Shasta and Addi left, and E and I ordered dinner from Chuy's. Wish we could do that over. Next time.