Trip Report The Princesses Take On Disney!

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

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

And now, without further ado...

Day 1: Travel Day, 6/7/16

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

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

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

Peace out PA!

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

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

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

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

WDWDarling

Well-Known Member
I've lost track of all the comments I had but I'll suffice to say that this was another great report! :)

Can't wait to hear about your trip to Universal! I've been once before but it was before the Harry Potter lands were added and I'd love to go back for those if nothing else. Also can't wait to hear about your plans for your next trip with Dylan! I'm sure it will be magical :inlove:.
 

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Such a wonderful trip report!!! Thank you for sharing! We leave in 112 days-- yes I am counting down:D So. loved that you gave your balloons away. We have a little guy and we are going to do the same and make it our tradition too!!!! Have a great time on your next adventure!

Thank you for following! :) I love my balloon tradition.. I think it's great! It really justifies the balloon price tag, at least for me. ;)

What a fun report! Looking forward to reading about your Universal vacay!

Thank you! :)

I finally got caught up on your TR. So many things to comment on….
Loved all your Disney birthday gifts! OMG I LOVE that Dylan replaced the golf clock with a princess clock :inlove:. I think he's a keeper ;)!
Congratulations to him on his great placement in the golf tournament.
How could Tink NOT want to look at a picture of your precious puppy :eek:?!
What a great idea to give away your balloons! I am a big kid and always want a balloon even though I know it's not practical. Now I can get one for myself and enjoy it during my trip and then sprinkle some pixie dust for a child when we leave :joyfull:.
Looking forward to hearing all about your experience at Uni. Are you a Harry Potter fan? I've read all the books multiple times, plus I listen to the books on tape on my way to and from school (when I am not listening to Disney music of course!). I loved WWoHP! I think the theming is top notch!
I also love how you get characters to sign postcards for your niece and nephew and mail them from Main Street. Great tradition!
Thanks so much for sharing your report with us. These TRs really do help keep the Disney blues at bay. Well done!
I will be on the lookout for your PTR for your trip with Dylan (he is adorable by the way!).

Dylan is so wonderful with my Disney obsession.. He has graciously allowed me to decorate our apartment with ridiculous amounts of Disney things, and for that I am grateful. :rolleyes: He IS a keeper! :inlove:

I'm still kind of bummed about Tink not wanting to see my baby! It totally caught me off guard!

Happy to pass along the balloon tradition. :) It's such a fun way to end the trip! And I love being greeted by a floating Mickey head every time I go back to my room. :)

I just watched the movies for the first time prior to taking this trip.. And actually I've only seen 6 of them so far (we ran out of time before we left lol!) I've never had an interest, but Dylan is a HUGE HP fan. I told him I wanted to watch the movies so I'd understand things at Uni/IOA and he jumped on the opportunity. I enjoyed them more than I expected to, and definitely had a greater appreciation for everything the parks had to offer than I would have otherwise!

My little ones love getting postcards from their auntie.. I always look forward to seeing pictures/videos of their reactions when they arrive in the mail. :)

I can't wait to start my PTR for Dylan and I's trip! But everything is still so up in the air right now so I have to wait. :( As soon as I start really narrowing and pinning things down, you can bet I'll get to posting all about it! :p

I've lost track of all the comments I had but I'll suffice to say that this was another great report! :)

Can't wait to hear about your trip to Universal! I've been once before but it was before the Harry Potter lands were added and I'd love to go back for those if nothing else. Also can't wait to hear about your plans for your next trip with Dylan! I'm sure it will be magical :inlove:.

Lol! Thank you! :) The HP worlds were awesome!! I can't wait for Dylan and I's trip.. I'm having so much fun planning all of the things I want to do! Though I'm definitely going to need to scale it back a bit or we won't have time for sleep. :hilarious:
 

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm home! Well, I've been home for a few days.. But have been busy. :) I'll get to posting my Uni TR soon! I need to upload all of my pictures, as well as go over to my parents' to upload the pictures that my mom took so I can include those too!

Can't wait to share another adventure with all of you!
 

deanna88

Active Member
I'm home! Well, I've been home for a few days.. But have been busy. :) I'll get to posting my Uni TR soon! I need to upload all of my pictures, as well as go over to my parents' to upload the pictures that my mom took so I can include those too!

Can't wait to share another adventure with all of you!
I'm looking forward to hearing all about your Universal trip!!:)
 

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Let's get this Uni TR on the road, shall we? ;)

Day 1, 7/29/16
Dylan's dad had agreed to keep Tink for the first couple of days we were gone (and then transfer her to his mom's for the remainder) so I dropped her off there while Dylan got ready and finished packing. He played in a golf scramble that morning, making us a little pressed for time (and causing a great deal of stress for me!) After a tearful goodbye with Tink, I headed home to get Dylan and our luggage and make our way over to my parents' since we were all riding together.

We were on the road just after 4pm, and realized our flight was delayed when we arrived. :banghead: It was currently 6pm and we would not be taking off until 8:35pm. Since Dylan is a golf fanatic, a picture with Arnold Palmer outside of the airport was a must. :)
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We had dinner at Pizza Hut and grabbed a snack from Rita's before making our way back to the airport. We went through security and boarded immediately.

We finally took off around 8:20pm and had an uneventful flight. This was Dylan and I's first time flying together.. He makes fun of me for pointing out all of the "firsts" for us, but that just makes me want to do it more. :p
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Getting the male population to smile (and look genuine about it) is next to impossible... :rolleyes:
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We landed in Florida just after 10pm and rode the closest thing we would get to the monorail this trip.. The Fonorail. :( We also had to stop for the only picture with Mickey we'd take this trip!
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And then this. SO DEPRESSING.:cry:
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It was seriously so hard to see the ME busses and not be getting on one! Nobody understood my sorrow, but I know all of you will. :) We rode a shuttle from the airport to Payless to pick up our rental car, which was a mess that I won't get into. We finally left the rental place at 11:15pm, putting us at my parents' house at 12:15am. We got settled in, showered, and got right to bed!
 
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blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 2, 7/30/16

We slept in today, knowing we wouldn't be on our upcoming park days. We were spending the day at Daytona Beach! We left the house at 11:15am, arriving just after 1pm. Dylan and I's first beach trip. ;) It was a beautiful day and the water was perfect!

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As this was taking place, I jokingly told him it was like we're on The Bachelorette (they ALWAYS do this in the water, am I right!?) Dylan doesn't take part in my viewing of this franchise. :rolleyes: He asked me if I was the bachelorette and my choices were him or Luke Bryan, who would I choose? I told him that of course I would pick him, though I'm not sure he believed me. ;)
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Dylan decided that he wanted to build a sandcastle, which made me happy because my life was severely deprived of castles by this point in the trip. :cry: I helped a little, but his biggest helper was this guy. :inlove:
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As you can see, I was not much help at this point. :p
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What's a castle without a moat!?
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A castle fit for this princess. :)
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We took a few more pictures before packing up our stuff and going in search of a shower to clean off all of the sand!
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We left the beach at 5:30pm and got cleaned up for dinner at Olive Garden once we returned home. After dinner we relaxed for a bit before getting to bed so we were well rested for our first park day!
 
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blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 3, 7/31/16

We were up bright and early for our first day at Islands of Adventure! We left the house at 7:15am, putting us inside the Uni bubble at 8:15am. I believe park opening was 8am. I really liked that there were parking garages, and also that the app has a feature that allows you to put in your section, floor, and row since nobody ever forgets where they parked. ;) It's nice that the car is out of the hot Florida sun so it isn't totally unbearable when you get in at the end of the day.

It took us about 15 minutes to get through security, which was also something I feel is worth acknowledging. They have conveyer belts like at the airport, so everything gets inspected. Also, every single person goes through a metal detector. This all takes place outside of City Walk, so nothing is getting into the parks either. It would be awesome if Disney could do this at Disney Springs, though I know the layout doesn't really allow for it. I'm just extra skittish after it was revealed that the Pulse shooter had originally targeted DS (which is where I was the night of the shooting).

Anyway, we all made it through security and started the walk toward IOA.
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We had to stop at guest services to exchange our ticket vouchers for actual tickets, which took a few minutes. After that, we made our way through the turnstiles and headed straight for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
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He was so sweet.. I asked him if he'd like to be in our picture and he looked around like, "Who, me?" :happy:
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So weird not having PhotoPass photographers everywhere, but my mom kind of serves the same purpose. ;)
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We rode the Dragon Challenge with a 5 minute wait. My brother didn't hear the warnings that all pockets had to be empty to ride, so when we went through the metal detectors inside the queue (yes you read that correctly), he set them off. He had to go back out and leave his phone with my mom, however the nice CM (? lol) Bridget allowed Dylan and I to wait there rather than have to walk back out with him. She also sent us through the express lane once Michael met back up with us. Thanks Bridget! We joked that we were going to say, "Bridget said we could go through the express lane" the rest of the day, on every ride. :hilarious: Obviously, I don't have any pictures of this ride but it was a fun coaster! I'm a huge coaster junkie, as are Dylan and Michael, so this was a great first ride of the trip.

We spent a few minutes walking around and trying to get acquainted with our surroundings. It was really frustrating having to use a map to get around when I'm so used to navigating WDW without one!
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Hogwarts is absolutely breathtaking! I had only watched the movies for the first time in the weeks leading up to our trip. Dylan is a huge HP fan, and I told him I didn't think I would appreciate the Uni/IOA areas as much without seeing the movies. He jumped on the opportunity to share them with me, and I'm really glad I made that decision!
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blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Next up was Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey with a 10 minute wait. I had actually ridden this one when I visited in 2010, but didn't really remember much other than it was a moving 3D ride. It was unclear if we were allowed to have phones on this one, so we left them outside to be safe. It turns out that we would have been fine, so I was bummed that we missed the opportunity to take pictures inside of Hogwarts. It was awesome!

The ride was SO GREAT.. It was actually scarier than I remembered! I won't ruin anything for those of you who haven't ridden, but this one is a must do!
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This would have been perfect if red shirt wouldn't have gotten in the way. :cautious:
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Next, we rode Flight of the Hippogriff with a 5 minute wait. This is basically just a kiddie coaster, so don't wait more that 5 minutes for it. Peyton loved it, though!

Some more WWoHP scenery. :happy:
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Definitely try to visit this area first thing in the morning and you'll have no problem getting to experience it all. We rode everything with wait times of 10 minutes or less.
 

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We left Harry Potter and ended up in the Marvel area to find something for lunch. No ADR's? What is this? :rolleyes:

We ran into Captain America on our way, and Peyton wanted to meet him. It's evident that these character performers aren't put through as rigorous of training as Disney character performers. He literally said the same thing to everybody. "Hi, what's your name? Peyton? Cool. Let's take a picture. Can you make a muscle?" It was extremely awkward and frankly, disappointing.
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We all shared a pizza at Cafe 4 and got refillable mugs. I forget the price, but it was reasonable. You could fill up your mug all day, and they had those cool Coke machines that have 100+ choices. Plus, we were able to reactivate them each day for like $6 or something.

After lunch, we got in line for the Spiderman ride. The wait time was posted as 40 minutes, but we actually waited at least 50. It was a pretty cool ride, but I'm not sure it was worth that long of a wait.
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I suppose weird faces are better than forced smiles. ;)
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After Spiderman, we continued walking and ended up in Toon Lagoon.
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We rode the Popeye water ride which was posted at 15 minutes, however it was basically a walk on. I really enjoyed this one! We didn't get overly wet, but some of the other people in our boat got SOAKED. Stay away from this one if you want to stay dry.. It's no Splash Mountain. :)
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Since we were already wet, we decided to head for the Jurassic Park water ride. We wanted to do Ripsaw Falls, but the wait was really long and it ended up being down when we got the opportunity again later in the trip. :(

Jurassic Park was posted at 35 minutes, but it was way less than that. This one was AWESOME! We really enjoyed it, and you actually barely get wet at all.
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DisneyPrincess5

Well-Known Member
Enjoying your Uni report so far! We love going there, but it does feel a bit strange when one is so used to Disney right? Yeah, the Popeye water ride is definitely the grossest "shower" we've ever taken!

Metal detectors? That's interesting. Never heard of this in ride queues? We just went to Uni in March and we rode everything with no problem, not detecting what we had. The whole day on every ride, I wore a thin waist pack under my shirt which held our phones and car keys. Will have to watch out for that next time-thanks!
 

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Enjoying your Uni report so far! We love going there, but it does feel a bit strange when one is so used to Disney right? Yeah, the Popeye water ride is definitely the grossest "shower" we've ever taken!

Metal detectors? That's interesting. Never heard of this in ride queues? We just went to Uni in March and we rode everything with no problem, not detecting what we had. The whole day on every ride, I wore a thin waist pack under my shirt which held our phones and car keys. Will have to watch out for that next time-thanks!

We saw the metal detectors on a few rides actually.. Strange! But they definitely aren't letting anybody through with things in their pockets!

Loving your report!

Thank you! :)
 

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
After Jurassic Park, we stopped at the Discovery Center for a few minutes. It was.. strange. Definitely not worth wasting time at, other than for the sake of getting out of the sun.
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We stood outside the Discovery Center for a few minutes, debating about what we were going to do next. We had done almost everything other than the Seuss area, aside from the new Reign of Kong ride. It had been posted at over an hour since the park opened, so we knew the wait was inevitable. We decided to just suck it up and hop in the 75 minute line. Let me tell you.. The outside and queue theming for this ride are incredible to see in person!
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I won't spoil anything, but there is a little "show" in one room of the queue. That lady(?) is fake, but she's CREEPY.
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This guy, however, was real! He hides in the walls of the queue and jumps out at passersby who are least expecting it. Quite funny when you know he's there, but I imagine terrifying if you're one of his victims! Lol.
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The ride vehicles are also pretty cool, but I didn't get a picture of them. We ended up waiting an hour, so a little less than what was posted. However, it was soooooo NOT worth it. This ride isn't worth a 10 minute wait, let alone an hour. It definitely didn't live up to the hype AT ALL. Unless it's a walk on, skip it. Seriously.
 

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
After our disappointing adventure with King Kong, we made our way to the Seuss area. This is my favorite area in the park! :inlove: In hindsight, we should have done this section early in the day because it was literally EMPTY when we walked through on our way to Harry Potter. Wait times still weren't terrible, but we could have walked onto everything earlier.
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Truffula trees!
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Green Eggs and Ham.. I believe this is a restaurant. One I wish we would have eaten at!
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There was a 20 minute wait for the train, but it was actually less than 10.
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This ride is neat because you're riding along in the sky above everything else, but definitely don't wait more than 10 minutes for it. This is the kiddie area of the park, so keep that in mind. ;)
 

blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
As we were walking along toward the next ride, I spotted the characters who I was determined to meet this trip! :D I was so excited!
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Fitting 3 characters into a selfie is extremely difficult! Lol. Sorry Thing 2. :(
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I was bummed that Peyton got in the way of this picture, but I still love it! Dylan shook his head at me as this was going on.. His first time experiencing me meeting characters. He has no idea what's in store during our Disney trip. :hilarious:
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There was a show getting ready to start, so we sat down and waited. Also waiting for the show was the Shiny Shoe Family. @lostpro9het a new fashion statement for you and your family? I bet you'd slip right through security wearing a pair of these babies.
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Soon, all of the Seuss characters came out and danced around. It was a cute show!

Same, Grinch.
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The girl started reading from her storybook, and the Things plopped down to listen. It was adorable!
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blreinsel

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
After the show, all of the characters scattered and were available to meet. YES! :D
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The Lorax was super fuzzy. :p
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The Grinch was hilarious! Exactly how you'd expect him to act. I honestly can't remember what inspired me to do this, but he looks thrilled. :hilarious:
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After we finished up with the characters, we walked onto the carousel. Now, most carousels are made so that both kids and adults can ride them comfortably. This one, however, was not. It was super uncomfortable, plus they made us buckle up! Lol. You can see the straps around our waists in this picture.
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Lastly, we rode The Cat in the Hat. I don't remember how long we waited for it. It was cute.. Just your typical dark ride!
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We looked around in the gift shop for a few minutes where I picked up a Thing 1 shirt for Tink :p I also got a pin with the design below on it!
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LOVE! How about you @LisaBelle !? I ended up getting a lanyard with this saying, too, for my school ID and keycard on our last night.
 

samantha788

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

Looking forward to more!
 

prfctlyximprct

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

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

DisneyJeff

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Great Uni report! I was there that day as well. So far, I haven't photo-bombed any of your pictures. I will keep looking!! :)

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

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

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

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