Trip Report Trip report!

I went to Orlando from Thursday to Sunday and have never written a trip report so I thought I'd share. I went with a friend who had never been to the parks for his bday (this was my 19th or 20th trip, I lost count). We stayed at Art of Animation which was sooo cute! I had never visited before but it was a lot of fun and perfect for a first-timer! We booked The Little Mermaid standard room which I was really excited about bc it's my favorite movie of all time (obviously lol) but they upgraded us to a Cars family suite. I wasn't stoked about the theme but the room was great! 3 beds, 2 bathrooms, a living room, kitchenette, and dining table. The extra room was great!

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After we checked into the hotel, we took the Skyliner to Riviera. It was my first time on the Skyliner and I loved it! So fun and it faster than I expected. We first had a gondola with no character wrap and the view was great. Our second gondola had a wrap and we could barely see out. It was cute but not as fun. I had never been to Riviera so we walked around and it was really pretty! It definitely felt more like a more basic but upscale hotel than a "Disney resort" but that was probably the vibe they were going for.

Then we went to Disney Springs which was actually pretty empty and tried The Polite Pig. It was awesome!! I ordered wayyyy too much food haha. Got the slider trio (bbq, brisket, fried chicken), mac n cheese, a local beer, and we shared a big cookie. Everything was amazing but the mac n cheese was stellar! We shopped around, got some chocolates at the Ganachery, had a few cocktails at Jock Lindsay, and met up with a friend that works at World of Disney for a bit.

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On Friday we went to MK! I had heard that they open an hour earlier than the posted time for social distancing. Our bus got to MK at 8:10 and we were 5th in our line. They let us in at 8:15 and we were some of the first people in the park which made for some awesome pics! We were in line for Mine Train before it was even operating and rode it with a 20 min wait. Small World and Haunted Mansion were walk ons (Peter Pan was down) and at that point the park opened. We rode Big Thunder, Jungle Cruise, and Pirates (Splash Mountain was down the first half of the day and by the time it opened the line was insane so we didn't get to ride it). We had lunch at Pecos Bill - I got the nachos, always good! For dessert I got the Kakamora Float which I've had before and is the best version of Dole Whip I've ever tried! I hope they keep it around, it's soo good!

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By then Peter Pan was open so we rode that, Ariel, Pooh, Dumbo, Teacups, and did PhilharMagic. Then onto Tomorrowland for Carousel of Progress, Buzz Lightyear, and Space Mountain. By then it was time for our dinner reservation at Skipper Canteen, my first time! It was a lot of fun but I we were seated in the main room which wasn't as cool as the other rooms. Our service was just okay - I loved the corny jokes but the service could have been better, especially considering there weren't that many people there. My friend and I shared the Brazilian cheese bread which was awesome, the Tastes Like Chicken which was pretty good (the sauce was really good!), and the coconut bar which was pretty good just tiny. And we had some drinks! Then we did the Tiki Room and Flying Carpets and by that time we didn't have long so we re-rode Haunted Mansion and Ariel.

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LittleMerman

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
PART 2:

After MK we took the monorail to Grand Floridian and had a few drinks at Enchanted Rose. It was a really pretty bar but so tiny. It was a lively atmosphere which was fun and the cocktails were pretty decent. Our bartender was really great! Afterwards we Uber-ed back to Art of Animation.

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The next day (Saturday) was at Universal Studios / Islands of Adventure. I don't know if anyone on here cares about that but here I go. I had only been to Islands like 15 years ago so I was excited to experience the parks. Overall, they were okay. They were better than most theme parks but I really do prefer Disney and SeaWorld. The rides were pretty good. We rode Hagrids (twice with virtual queue), King Kong, Spiderman, Hulk, and Jurassic Park at Islands. I can see why Hagrids is so popular - it's an amazing coaster! Full of surprises. We had lunch at Mythos which was awesome! The atmosphere was okay, the natural aspect was pretty calming which was cool. Our service was great and the food was awesome! I had the beef medallions and we shared the banana cake - sooo good! I can see why it was voted one of the best theme park restaurants. The food was great quality. We also got butterbeer which I'd had before at Universal Hollywood but it's pretty good! Then we took the Hogwarts Express to US for Jimmy Fallon, ET, Rip Ride Rocket, The Mummy, and Escape from Gringott's. Dinner was at a Mexican restaurant in CitiWalk which was very good!

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We had to leave early the next day so it was a short trip. Overall, I had a ton of fun at Disney but don't know if I'll ever go back to Universal. There were some fun rides (I loved Hagrids, Mummy, Hulk, and ET!) but overall it wasn't my cup of tea. The employees were terrible - I can't tell you how many times I was barked at for literally no reason. Just way different than Disney. And the clientele was also different. At Disney, people were very respectful of distancing and wearing masks. Universal people were more trashy and there were a lot of people who weren't respectful and a lot of the employees weren't enforcing any of the rules. It felt unsafe so I was uncomfortable. I just prefer the Disney bubble.

My friend's opinion was that Disney was really clean, pretty, well-themed, and their employees were great. He thought Universal was more basic with rude employees and clientele but the rides were better and more thrilling - a valid point. But overall it was a really great trip and fun to experience some things I had never tried!
 

LittleMerman

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Really nice quick trip report! We've got a trip coming up in May. (AoA) Cars suite, and we're spending a couple of days at Universal ( Royal Pacific Resort) So this was a nice "hype" report.
I'm glad! I don't know if you've stayed at AoA or a Cars suite before but you're going to love it, especially if you are going with a lot of people and/or kids. We didn't have enough time to explore the actual resort but we loved what we saw and the suite was large and really convenient with two bathrooms! Report back afterwards!!
 

ShookieJones

We need time for things to happen.
I'm glad! I don't know if you've stayed at AoA or a Cars suite before but you're going to love it, especially if you are going with a lot of people and/or kids. We didn't have enough time to explore the actual resort but we loved what we saw and the suite was large and really convenient with two bathrooms! Report back afterwards!!
We've stayed at AoA before. Finding Nemo suites last time. Our "kids" 21 & 25 along with their significant others voted for Cars suite, so we're gonna check it out. Can't wait. :)
 

macefamily

Well-Known Member
You really seemed like you squeezed the most out of a short trip...lots of rides and lots of great dining. I totally agree with you on the parks assessment. Disney seems to be under some control, but Universal is like the wild west. But we did see some messed up people cursing and stumbling around at the Epcot Arts Festival earlier last month. We still did not see any Disney security walking around the park, but there were probably 40 officers standing at the entrance gate. Although I do love Universal and I'm very glad that you posted the pics and commentary.
 

Trust2deal

Member
Thanks for sharing - sounds like a great and smart trip. Is it true? that most of the Disney resort rooms are similar in size? meaning a basic room (King or two twins) are measured similarly? The theme is different and they have multiple levels of service but you really can't go wrong.
 

LittleMerman

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks for sharing - sounds like a great and smart trip. Is it true? that most of the Disney resort rooms are similar in size? meaning a basic room (King or two twins) are measured similarly? The theme is different and they have multiple levels of service but you really can't go wrong.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Honestly I don't know about the different room sizes but the family suite was a great size!
 

DryerLintFan

Premium Member
Thanks for sharing - sounds like a great and smart trip. Is it true? that most of the Disney resort rooms are similar in size? meaning a basic room (King or two twins) are measured similarly? The theme is different and they have multiple levels of service but you really can't go wrong.

I know there are comparison floorplans around here, but I can say without a doubt that the Little Mermaid value rooms at AoA are some of the absolute smallest hotel rooms I've been in.
 

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