I intended to post my trip report when I arrived back home from my WDW/Universal trip last fall, but time got away from me. Fortunately, I still have my notes! I thought they might be helpful for those planning a Disney adventure for this fall.
When: October 19-26, 2012
Attendees: Me and my girlfriend plus (from 10/20-10/23) my parents, brother, sister-in-law, niece (age 8) and nephews (ages 3 and 5). I am the big WDW fan in the group (though I think my niece is ready to join me after our trip). My girlfriend is not a WDW fan, but was kind enough to indulge my WDW fascination for a week.
Hotels: Grand Floridian at WDW from 10/19-10/24. Portofino Bay at Universal from 10/24-10/26.
Highlights (in no particular order):
(1) MNSSHP - This is a must-do. Very short lines for rides. Best parade by far. Best Wishes show. With the short lines, you can see the almost all of the Magic Kingdom if you stay the entire evening.
(2) Epcot Food and Wine Festival - Loved it! Try to go on a weekday when lines are shorter. I don't think I would have enjoyed it on a weekend. Make sure to start your day by getting a fast pass for Sourin'.
(3) Wild Africa Trek at AK- A ton of fun. Expensive, but worth doing once.
(4) Dinner at Jiko at AKL - Great food that you likely won't find elsewhere.
(5) Universal Halloween Horror Nights - Not for the little ones, but this was a blast. I felt like I was in the middle of a horror movie. Terrifying (in a good way)! I highly recommend purchasing an Express Pass for HHN.
(6) Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Amazing! Disney needs to step up their game and build a land with this kind of immersion (and a ride like the Forbidden Journey).
(7) The more time you can plan to spend at the parks on the weekdays, the better. Lines for attractions on the weekends were very long.
For those that want more details, here they are ...
Friday October 19
After barely arriving at the airport on time to make our 9:00 am flight (there was a coyote carcass in the middle of the highway causing major delays), we arrived at the Orlando airport around Noon. We took the Magical Express to our hotel and arrived around 1:30.
At this point, I was eagerly anticipating a Sleepy Hollow nutella and fruit waffle sandwich so it was off to MK. MK was very crowded Friday afternoon and wait times were long. We waited over an hour for Space Mountain.
After a couple rides at MK, we headed to DHS (walked to the Contemporary followed by a bus to DHS) to see Fantasmic. I love the show every time.
After the show, we took a nice long walk to Todd's Bluezoo at the Dolphin Resort. I thought the food was above-average but not worth the price tag. This was my first time at Todd's Bluezoo and I will not return on my next trip. There are other restaurants at WDW which I enjoy more.
Saturday October 20
We woke up and hopped into a cab to head to Boma at AKL for breakfast. Breakfast buffet was similar to those at the other WDW resorts with the addition of some food item with an African twist. I'm glad we tried it, but not sure I would go back unless I was staying at AKL. After breakfast, we walked around AKL. I enjoyed seeing the various animals outside the resort. Very cool and was definitely worth our time to explore the resort.
We headed back to the Grand Floridian to meet up with the rest of my family and then we headed to the Magic Kingdom. Again (like Friday), the lines were very long and we tried to make use of fast passes when possible.
Saturday night, my girlfriend an I had a late dinner at a California Grill after watching Wishes from their deck. Tip - go to the second deck by the wine room (it was much less crowded than the other deck). I love the food every time I go to California Grill and it is a must do on every WDW trip for me.
Sunday October 21
After brunch at the Grand Floridian with the characters, the whole family headed off to AK. Of course, each of the kids wanted to go on different rides so the adults split up so we could take each kid on the rides that were age appropriate and held his/her interest. Lines were short for the most part and we experienced the entire park (except for a couple shows) in 1/2 day.
We had dinner at Jiko. Great food and I highly recommend. I will go back there on my next WDW trip.
After dinner, we went to DHS for Extra Magic Hours. Most rides had a relatively short wait (except for a long wait for Midway Mania). We went on Star Tours four times in a row with no wait. We rode most of the rides in the park in just a couple hours!
Monday October 22
We spent Monday at Epcot for the Food and Wine Festival. We had a great time and I highly recommend. As for the attractions, Soarin' had a long line (we used fastpasss), but the other rides had short waits. We had dinner at Tokyo Dining. Very good meal, but nothing out of the ordinary. We ended the evening with Illuminations ... one of my favorites!
Tuesday October 23
We lounged around the resort during the day and then went to MNSSHP. Loved it! In contrast to the long MK lines over the weekend, all the lines were very short. We rode Space Mountain and Big Thunder many times. The Boo To You parade is a must see. I don't like parades, but I loved this one. Get set up early to see the Headless Horseman! Halloween Wishes is also amazing! A step above the usual Wishes show.
Wednesday October 24
A long, but fun day. It started with an early rise to go to AK for Wild Africa Trek. I highly recommend this tour (as most of you know, it is a separate ticket which you need to purchase in addition to normal AK admission). You get closer to the animals, have a small tour group, and have two guides who give all sorts of details on the animals. On our tour, a giraffe walked right up to our jeep!
After our trek, we headed back to Grand Floridian, grabbed our luggage, and took off for Universal Studios. We checked in to the Portofino and took the water ferry (a great feature at the Universal hotels) to the park for Halloween Horror Nights. HHN would not be good for kids, but my girlfriend and I loved it! We felt like we were inside of a horror movie. Characters dressed as all sorts of monsters and creatures roamed the streets and would jump out at you from all directions. Lines for the haunted houses were very long. I would highly recommend purchasing an Express Pass. Even with our Express Pass on a Wednesday night (which is supposedly less crowded), we still didn't have time for all of the Haunted Houses and rides.
Thursday October 25
We woke up early to get to the WWOHP by 8:15 am (before the big crowds). We loved it! Very immersive experience and the Forbidden Journey is unlike any other ride I have been on. With our early start we were able to see most of the Islands of Adventure in 1/2 day and then spent the afternoon at Universal Studios. We dined at Emeril's Tchoup Chop ... very good food.
Universal is doing things right and I enjoyed this visit much more than my prior visits to Universal. Next trip I will likely spend an extra couple days there!
Friday October 26
Time to depart
When: October 19-26, 2012
Attendees: Me and my girlfriend plus (from 10/20-10/23) my parents, brother, sister-in-law, niece (age 8) and nephews (ages 3 and 5). I am the big WDW fan in the group (though I think my niece is ready to join me after our trip). My girlfriend is not a WDW fan, but was kind enough to indulge my WDW fascination for a week.
Hotels: Grand Floridian at WDW from 10/19-10/24. Portofino Bay at Universal from 10/24-10/26.
Highlights (in no particular order):
(1) MNSSHP - This is a must-do. Very short lines for rides. Best parade by far. Best Wishes show. With the short lines, you can see the almost all of the Magic Kingdom if you stay the entire evening.
(2) Epcot Food and Wine Festival - Loved it! Try to go on a weekday when lines are shorter. I don't think I would have enjoyed it on a weekend. Make sure to start your day by getting a fast pass for Sourin'.
(3) Wild Africa Trek at AK- A ton of fun. Expensive, but worth doing once.
(4) Dinner at Jiko at AKL - Great food that you likely won't find elsewhere.
(5) Universal Halloween Horror Nights - Not for the little ones, but this was a blast. I felt like I was in the middle of a horror movie. Terrifying (in a good way)! I highly recommend purchasing an Express Pass for HHN.
(6) Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Amazing! Disney needs to step up their game and build a land with this kind of immersion (and a ride like the Forbidden Journey).
(7) The more time you can plan to spend at the parks on the weekdays, the better. Lines for attractions on the weekends were very long.
For those that want more details, here they are ...
Friday October 19
After barely arriving at the airport on time to make our 9:00 am flight (there was a coyote carcass in the middle of the highway causing major delays), we arrived at the Orlando airport around Noon. We took the Magical Express to our hotel and arrived around 1:30.
At this point, I was eagerly anticipating a Sleepy Hollow nutella and fruit waffle sandwich so it was off to MK. MK was very crowded Friday afternoon and wait times were long. We waited over an hour for Space Mountain.
After a couple rides at MK, we headed to DHS (walked to the Contemporary followed by a bus to DHS) to see Fantasmic. I love the show every time.
After the show, we took a nice long walk to Todd's Bluezoo at the Dolphin Resort. I thought the food was above-average but not worth the price tag. This was my first time at Todd's Bluezoo and I will not return on my next trip. There are other restaurants at WDW which I enjoy more.
Saturday October 20
We woke up and hopped into a cab to head to Boma at AKL for breakfast. Breakfast buffet was similar to those at the other WDW resorts with the addition of some food item with an African twist. I'm glad we tried it, but not sure I would go back unless I was staying at AKL. After breakfast, we walked around AKL. I enjoyed seeing the various animals outside the resort. Very cool and was definitely worth our time to explore the resort.
We headed back to the Grand Floridian to meet up with the rest of my family and then we headed to the Magic Kingdom. Again (like Friday), the lines were very long and we tried to make use of fast passes when possible.
Saturday night, my girlfriend an I had a late dinner at a California Grill after watching Wishes from their deck. Tip - go to the second deck by the wine room (it was much less crowded than the other deck). I love the food every time I go to California Grill and it is a must do on every WDW trip for me.
Sunday October 21
After brunch at the Grand Floridian with the characters, the whole family headed off to AK. Of course, each of the kids wanted to go on different rides so the adults split up so we could take each kid on the rides that were age appropriate and held his/her interest. Lines were short for the most part and we experienced the entire park (except for a couple shows) in 1/2 day.
We had dinner at Jiko. Great food and I highly recommend. I will go back there on my next WDW trip.
After dinner, we went to DHS for Extra Magic Hours. Most rides had a relatively short wait (except for a long wait for Midway Mania). We went on Star Tours four times in a row with no wait. We rode most of the rides in the park in just a couple hours!
Monday October 22
We spent Monday at Epcot for the Food and Wine Festival. We had a great time and I highly recommend. As for the attractions, Soarin' had a long line (we used fastpasss), but the other rides had short waits. We had dinner at Tokyo Dining. Very good meal, but nothing out of the ordinary. We ended the evening with Illuminations ... one of my favorites!
Tuesday October 23
We lounged around the resort during the day and then went to MNSSHP. Loved it! In contrast to the long MK lines over the weekend, all the lines were very short. We rode Space Mountain and Big Thunder many times. The Boo To You parade is a must see. I don't like parades, but I loved this one. Get set up early to see the Headless Horseman! Halloween Wishes is also amazing! A step above the usual Wishes show.
Wednesday October 24
A long, but fun day. It started with an early rise to go to AK for Wild Africa Trek. I highly recommend this tour (as most of you know, it is a separate ticket which you need to purchase in addition to normal AK admission). You get closer to the animals, have a small tour group, and have two guides who give all sorts of details on the animals. On our tour, a giraffe walked right up to our jeep!
After our trek, we headed back to Grand Floridian, grabbed our luggage, and took off for Universal Studios. We checked in to the Portofino and took the water ferry (a great feature at the Universal hotels) to the park for Halloween Horror Nights. HHN would not be good for kids, but my girlfriend and I loved it! We felt like we were inside of a horror movie. Characters dressed as all sorts of monsters and creatures roamed the streets and would jump out at you from all directions. Lines for the haunted houses were very long. I would highly recommend purchasing an Express Pass. Even with our Express Pass on a Wednesday night (which is supposedly less crowded), we still didn't have time for all of the Haunted Houses and rides.
Thursday October 25
We woke up early to get to the WWOHP by 8:15 am (before the big crowds). We loved it! Very immersive experience and the Forbidden Journey is unlike any other ride I have been on. With our early start we were able to see most of the Islands of Adventure in 1/2 day and then spent the afternoon at Universal Studios. We dined at Emeril's Tchoup Chop ... very good food.
Universal is doing things right and I enjoyed this visit much more than my prior visits to Universal. Next trip I will likely spend an extra couple days there!
Friday October 26
Time to depart
