Trip Report Using Our Golden Ticket: A Poly, MK, and Universal Trip Report (October 2018) [completed]

First time in a long time…but wanted to get a trip report started ahead of our upcoming second trip to WDW (and first time to Universal). Last time (3 years ago) I definitely considered myself a Disney Newbie. While I wouldn’t be confused with an expert now, I felt like I learned lots of valuable lessons the last time and shared them in my first trip report, complete with beer suggestions…because come on, who doesn’t need beer suggestions?!?

Here's my previous Wilderness Lodge trip report from October 2015

A meandering but entertaining story on why we are going:

I mentioned this in my last TR, but we had a customer service issue/inconvenience at Wilderness Lodge that really irked me. To make a long story short, (the details are in my previous TR) we experienced a customer service issue related to check in that could have been prevented. It wasn’t a huge deal and we didn’t make it out to be a huge deal, but it should have been avoided and had the CM fixed the problem with a smile or apology, it would’ve been forgotten. Instead, I decided to send a cordial but honest letter to Disney Customer Service to let them know of the less than satisfactory experience at check-in.

Likewise, I also sent a separate letter of praise for a CM who responded well to another service issue we experienced (I swear we are not high-maintenance people!). A server accidentally spilled hot chocolate on my daughter at Be Our Guest (thankfully she wasn’t burned but it did ruin her outfit). A cast member sprung into action to make things right: gave us a complimentary gift receipt to get free replacement clothes inside the park and some extra fastpasses for our trouble. That was excellent service that deserved to be recognized!

About a week later, I got a call about both letters from a manager in Disney Customer Service. I explained both issues and answered his questions. I was surprised and pleased that someone took the time to address the concerns and that was really enough for me.

Instead, he went the extra step to offer us 2 FREE nights at a deluxe resort along with 2 FREE days of parkhopper passes! Jaw. Dropped. I felt like this was too much and initially declined, but nevertheless he persisted. And persisted. And I’d be a fool to not accept. He mailed a letter with a special code to reference and said it had no expiration date.

So we hung onto the “golden ticket” for 2+ years. This spring we decided that we should combine the WDW trip with a visit to Universal now that my oldest daughter (and now the rest of the family) have become Potterheads and my youngest is now old enough to probably remember the trip.

So, here we are: 2 days and nights scot-free at Disney with 2 days and nights at Universal to follow. Living a dream!

(our last trip, about 20 minutes before the hot chocolate spill)​

Who are we?

• Me, 40. Second trip to WDW (not counting some childhood trips I barely recall). Not a “Disney guy” but am definitely a fan of incredibly intricate trip plans. Also will give beer/alcohol recommendations throughout the trip report. As Homer Simpson once said, alcohol is “the cause of and solution to all of life’s problems.”

• Wife, not 40. Also second trip to WDW, though she went in her teen years. Thrillseeker. Completely content to let me plan our trips and doesn’t want to think about planning. Additionally, sometimes enjoys complaining about the trip plan during the middle of the trip. That's a good lesson in marriage for you.
• Oldest daughter, 11. Was 8 on the last trip and had a blast (of course) and still lots of vivid memories of the trip. Huge Harry Potter fan and has made a convert out of me. Loves coasters and could ride Space Mountain all day long.
• Youngest daughter, 7. Was 4 on the last trip. Was all about the princesses back then. Informed me recently that “Mickey and the princesses are for little kids” though she still wants to meet Belle. Was petrified of 7DMT last time…we’ll see how she does this time around. Doesn’t really remember the last trip except for riding Dumbo and meeting Ariel at the grotto. Pretty sweet things to remember, actually!
• All from the Nashville area...a grueling 13+ hour drive to Orlando, or an easy 90 minute flight.

Where are we staying?

2 nights at the Polynesian. Park view room. Hey, it’s free!
2 nights at the Loews Royal Pacific at Universal Studios

When are we going?

October 7-12

next up: the plan for a busy but balanced trip, itinerary, FPs, and suggestions needed.

 

[DRD]

Following along.. looks like a great time so far!

Thanks...we had an absolute blast!

I just wrote a thank you note to the gentleman I spoke to 3 years ago who worked with me on the service issue that gave us the Golden Ticket. Still amazed that he would do such a thing...and still grateful.

 

[DRD]

Day 2: Magic Kingdom part 1

I woke up somewhat early and thought I’d snuck out of the room without waking anyone to go get coffee and milk. Apparently I’d woken up my light-sleeping youngest daughter a few minutes after I left and she decided she’d join me. My wife woke up (thankfully) to hear the door shut and realized she was on her way to the elevator in her PJs and bare feet to follow me! She almost made it to the elevator too! I guess the good news is that close call got everyone else’s blood flowing that morning and by the time I returned with coffee and milk, everyone was up.

We stopped in Captain Cook’s on our way to the monorail for the famed Tonga Toast. Yes, I know it’s not exactly the same as Kona’s but I figured since it was a little cheaper here, if we liked it we could order it again tomorrow for our ADR at Kona. My wife and I both had the Tonga Toast.

She didn’t care much for it, but she also does not like “real” banana. I, on the other hand, liked it more than she did but generally prefer hearty/savory over sweet for breakfast. Maybe we should’ve tried it at Kona (spoiler alert: we didn’t…more on that later) but I’d say it’s something you should definitely try but for us at least it wasn’t something we’d probably order again.

I was surprised at how quickly we got started that morning and we made it to MK just after rope drop. We headed to Fantasyland in hopes that 7DMT wasn’t a terrible wait – surprise, it was – and decided to do Winnie the Pooh instead. We really liked the queue for this one…great way to distract little ones (and adults) with the interactive things in line.

At this point, my oldest proclaimed she wanted to ride 7DMT no matter what. So we split up and my wife and she stood in line for 7DMT (posted 70 minutes wait time) while me and my youngest basically did whatever she wanted to.

Dumbo again? Check:

Mad Hatter again? Check:

She said she wanted to try and meet Gaston, since we didn't have any luck the previous day. We went by his tavern...no Gaston. I asked a Disney photographer if she knew his schedule and she said she didn't. I asked someone inside a store and she said that "he had some skunky beer earlier this week and we haven't seen him all week." Ha! I can identify with that. Oh well, no Gaston for us this trip.

We walked past Ariel’s Grotto and I didn’t ask if she wanted to meet her, since she rejected me pretty quick yesterday. But I was surprised when she asked if we could stop in and meet her! I was really happy about that as meeting Ariel is one of the few things she remembered from our last trip.

We managed to fit in Small World and I got a text at the end of the ride that my wife and oldest had finished 7DMT after just a 40 minute wait. I think they were both a little disappointed in the ride this time around as compared to our last trip. I think they remembered it being more thrilling than it actually is. Our last trip we had FPs but couldn’t score them this go-around, so maybe the wait had something to do with it too.

It was time for our first FP of the day: Big Thunder Mountain. I’d hoped that my youngest, after showing an uncharacteristic streak of bravery the previous day, would want to ride it again today. Nope. Not a chance. I promised my youngest a special treat after I rode it to give her something to look forward to while we rode BTM. So we rider-swapped and enjoyed it every bit as much as the previous day.

While we waited for my wife and oldest to ride, we walked over to Sunshine Tree Terrace to grab a Citrus Swirl (knowing that we’d be enjoying Dole Whips later that evening at Pineapple Lanai). She didn’t care too much for the orange part, but did like the vanilla. I wish I’d grabbed a picture of it because I was surprised at how large the portion was. It began melting almost right away and we struggled to find a shady spot to eat it down to a more manageable size before meeting everyone else after their Big Thunder ride.

Maybe it’s the natural contrarian in me, but I think I slightly prefer the Citrus Swirl to the Dole Whip. Both are fantastic, though. My wife said it was a toss-up. My oldest daughter preferred the Dole Whip. My youngest…well, she just liked the vanilla ice cream in both.

We decided to head back towards Tomorrowland since our next 2 FPs were Space Mtn. and Buzz. But first, we walked by the Hall of Presidents. Time to exact retribution for Carousel of Progress! I love studying and reading about history and have always wanted to check out HoP. Alas, I was outvoted 3-1 against the stop. Probably for the best.

By this time it was about noon and I knew it would be crazy-busy wherever we decided to eat. I thought we should give mobile ordering another try. After looking again at the menus, we chose Cosmic Ray’s. I’d read on other blogs that Cosmic Rays was probably the best use of mobile ordering so we gave it a go.

After placing our orders, I went ahead and marked that we were ready for pickup so they would have our food ready. Thinking, perhaps incorrectly, that was what caused the holdup from the previous day’s experience at Pinocchio Village Haus. Fifteen minutes later we arrived at Cosmic Ray’s. The app said they still didn’t have our food ready. Another 5 minutes later, no luck. We decided to try to find a place to sit and just as I walked over to the mobile ordering pickup, I heard someone holler my name for our order.

My take on the mobile ordering experience is that it must still be a work in progress. Our experience was that it only meant that we waited at a table for our food rather than waiting in an actual line. I am not sure it saved us any time at all. I suspect it probably works better at snack stops rather than actual dining stops. Not to mention the various issues we had with the Disney app and wifi while we were in the park. Overall...I'd say A for effort, D+ on execution thus far.

As for the meal at Cosmic Ray’s…we weren’t able to find a seat in the performance area, which was fine since we saw it last time. The food was really quite good there we thought and I can see where the toppings bar makes it a better value.

Next up: adults versus kids in Buzz Lightyear, an afternoon storm, and would we get to experience the awesomeness of Trader Sam’s?

 

[KellBelle]

Thanks...we had an absolute blast!

I just wrote a thank you note to the gentleman I spoke to 3 years ago who worked with me on the service issue that gave us the Golden Ticket. Still amazed that he would do such a thing...and still grateful.

I am so happy that they did that for you! I also had a few small issues on my visit last December, which I wrote to them about. I was given 3 complimentary nights to return, which I felt was more than fair. Have not used yet, hoping to make it there sometime in 2019.

 

[DRD]

I am so happy that they did that for you! I also had a few small issues on my visit last December, which I wrote to them about. I was given 3 complimentary nights to return, which I felt was more than fair. Have not used yet, hoping to make it there sometime in 2019.

Wow! It is a very very easy process to redeem that voucher. If you got a letter like mine, it basically spells out what number to call, what code to tell the cast member, etc. It works just like they said it would. If you're like me, I was a little skeptical that I might have issues but there was only a very small thing. I made 2 calls to the reservation center. First to just see what was available at the Polynesian and Contemporary...what kind of room could I expect, etc. I didn't want to be greedy but I just wanted to know what my options were.

The first person I called when I was preparing to book the trip walked me through the whole process and was amazing. She told me how many rooms in each resort with park views and urged me to go to the Poly since the pool was amazing. (She was right!) After talking things over with my wife, I called again the next day and spoke to a different cast member to reserve the Polynesian. He was going to just put me in a standard Poly room. I had to ask for the park view (it was clearly spelled out in the letter I had...and again I hated to sound greedy...but I'm glad I insisted). Aside from that, no problems at all. Magic Bands arrived like normal. MDE linked up to the reservations easily, etc. Just like you'd book it yourself or go through a travel agent.

Our trip was great pairing it with Universal...which I eventually will get to in my review hopefully before you go.

 

[Mrhappyplace]

Day 2: Magic Kingdom part 1

I woke up somewhat early and thought I’d snuck out of the room without waking anyone to go get coffee and milk. Apparently I’d woken up my light-sleeping youngest daughter a few minutes after I left and she decided she’d join me. My wife woke up (thankfully) to hear the door shut and realized she was on her way to the elevator in her PJs and bare feet to follow me! She almost made it to the elevator too! I guess the good news is that close call got everyone else’s blood flowing that morning and by the time I returned with coffee and milk, everyone was up.

We stopped in Captain Cook’s on our way to the monorail for the famed Tonga Toast. Yes, I know it’s not exactly the same as Kona’s but I figured since it was a little cheaper here, if we liked it we could order it again tomorrow for our ADR at Kona. My wife and I both had the Tonga Toast.

View attachment 320653


She didn’t care much for it, but she also does not like “real” banana. I, on the other hand, liked it more than she did but generally prefer hearty/savory over sweet for breakfast. Maybe we should’ve tried it at Kona (spoiler alert: we didn’t…more on that later) but I’d say it’s something you should definitely try but for us at least it wasn’t something we’d probably order again.

I was surprised at how quickly we got started that morning and we made it to MK just after rope drop. We headed to Fantasyland in hopes that 7DMT wasn’t a terrible wait – surprise, it was – and decided to do Winnie the Pooh instead. We really liked the queue for this one…great way to distract little ones (and adults) with the interactive things in line.

At this point, my oldest proclaimed she wanted to ride 7DMT no matter what. So we split up and my wife and she stood in line for 7DMT (posted 70 minutes wait time) while me and my youngest basically did whatever she wanted to.

Dumbo again? Check:

View attachment 320654

Mad Hatter again? Check:

View attachment 320656

She said she wanted to try and meet Gaston, since we didn't have any luck the previous day. We went by his tavern...no Gaston. I asked a Disney photographer if she knew his schedule and she said she didn't. I asked someone inside a store and she said that "he had some skunky beer earlier this week and we haven't seen him all week." Ha! I can identify with that. Oh well, no Gaston for us this trip.

We walked past Ariel’s Grotto and I didn’t ask if she wanted to meet her, since she rejected me pretty quick yesterday. But I was surprised when she asked if we could stop in and meet her! I was really happy about that as meeting Ariel is one of the few things she remembered from our last trip.

View attachment 320655

We managed to fit in Small World and I got a text at the end of the ride that my wife and oldest had finished 7DMT after just a 40 minute wait. I think they were both a little disappointed in the ride this time around as compared to our last trip. I think they remembered it being more thrilling than it actually is. Our last trip we had FPs but couldn’t score them this go-around, so maybe the wait had something to do with it too.

It was time for our first FP of the day: Big Thunder Mountain. I’d hoped that my youngest, after showing an uncharacteristic streak of bravery the previous day, would want to ride it again today. Nope. Not a chance. I promised my youngest a special treat after I rode it to give her something to look forward to while we rode BTM. So we rider-swapped and enjoyed it every bit as much as the previous day.

While we waited for my wife and oldest to ride, we walked over to Sunshine Tree Terrace to grab a Citrus Swirl (knowing that we’d be enjoying Dole Whips later that evening at Pineapple Lanai). She didn’t care too much for the orange part, but did like the vanilla. I wish I’d grabbed a picture of it because I was surprised at how large the portion was. It began melting almost right away and we struggled to find a shady spot to eat it down to a more manageable size before meeting everyone else after their Big Thunder ride.

Maybe it’s the natural contrarian in me, but I think I slightly prefer the Citrus Swirl to the Dole Whip. Both are fantastic, though. My wife said it was a toss-up. My oldest daughter preferred the Dole Whip. My youngest…well, she just liked the vanilla ice cream in both.

We decided to head back towards Tomorrowland since our next 2 FPs were Space Mtn. and Buzz. But first, we walked by the Hall of Presidents. Time to exact retribution for Carousel of Progress! I love studying and reading about history and have always wanted to check out HoP. Alas, I was outvoted 3-1 against the stop. Probably for the best.

By this time it was about noon and I knew it would be crazy-busy wherever we decided to eat. I thought we should give mobile ordering another try. After looking again at the menus, we chose Cosmic Ray’s. I’d read on other blogs that Cosmic Rays was probably the best use of mobile ordering so we gave it a go.

After placing our orders, I went ahead and marked that we were ready for pickup so they would have our food ready. Thinking, perhaps incorrectly, that was what caused the holdup from the previous day’s experience at Pinocchio Village Haus. Fifteen minutes later we arrived at Cosmic Ray’s. The app said they still didn’t have our food ready. Another 5 minutes later, no luck. We decided to try to find a place to sit and just as I walked over to the mobile ordering pickup, I heard someone holler my name for our order.

My take on the mobile ordering experience is that it must still be a work in progress. Our experience was that it only meant that we waited at a table for our food rather than waiting in an actual line. I am not sure it saved us any time at all. I suspect it probably works better at snack stops rather than actual dining stops. Not to mention the various issues we had with the Disney app and wifi while we were in the park. Overall...I'd say A for effort, D+ on execution thus far.

As for the meal at Cosmic Ray’s…we weren’t able to find a seat in the performance area, which was fine since we saw it last time. The food was really quite good there we thought and I can see where the toppings bar makes it a better value.

Next up: adults versus kids in Buzz Lightyear, an afternoon storm, and would we get to experience the awesomeness of Trader Sam’s?

Nice on-ride pics of the younger one.

 

[DRD]

Nice on-ride pics of the younger one.

Thank you sir. They're not up to Mrhappyplace and Myhappyplace standards, but I thought they turned out pretty well. She freaking loves the spin rides.

 

[KellBelle]

Wow! It is a very very easy process to redeem that voucher. If you got a letter like mine, it basically spells out what number to call, what code to tell the cast member, etc. It works just like they said it would. If you're like me, I was a little skeptical that I might have issues but there was only a very small thing. I made 2 calls to the reservation center. First to just see what was available at the Polynesian and Contemporary...what kind of room could I expect, etc. I didn't want to be greedy but I just wanted to know what my options were.

The first person I called when I was preparing to book the trip walked me through the whole process and was amazing. She told me how many rooms in each resort with park views and urged me to go to the Poly since the pool was amazing. (She was right!) After talking things over with my wife, I called again the next day and spoke to a different cast member to reserve the Polynesian. He was going to just put me in a standard Poly room. I had to ask for the park view (it was clearly spelled out in the letter I had...and again I hated to sound greedy...but I'm glad I insisted). Aside from that, no problems at all. Magic Bands arrived like normal. MDE linked up to the reservations easily, etc. Just like you'd book it yourself or go through a travel agent.

Our trip was great pairing it with Universal...which I eventually will get to in my review hopefully before you go.

Happy to hear that they made it easy for you to redeem! I have learned of so much that I missed in December by reading these reports, I am excited for the rest of yours!

 

[DRD]

Happy to hear that they made it easy for you to redeem! I have learned of so much that I missed in December by reading these reports, I am excited for the rest of yours!

Thanks!!! Yes, there's so much to do, but at least for us we decided to just focus on one park. Which made us feel like we didn't really miss out on anything and got to max out everything in Magic Kingdom. Our last trip (4 nights/5 days) we hit every park and wore ourselves out. But every family is different and as you'll see on these TRs, some do exactly that and have a blast!

 

[DRD]

Day 2: Magic Kingdom (continued)

Another trip on Space Mountain was in the immediate future. The FP line seemed to be longer than usual, so they moved us over to the standby line at the last minute, which actually added a few minutes to our wait I thought. Oh well, I always enjoy this ride because I know my oldest loves it so much. While she and my wife rode after rider-swapping, I told my youngest I had a surprise for her (and crossed my fingers that the app was right). It was time for her to meet Stitch:

She was really excited. Before we left she said she didn’t want to meet any of the non-face characters as they were for “babies”. But she admitted that she wouldn’t mind seeing Stitch. It (he?) is a good interaction…we had a previous good time with he (it?) on the Disney Dream about 5 years ago. He stole her Pluto doll and had fun with her. Great interaction with a character with a lot of personality.

By that time the rider swap was over and we rode Tomorrowland Transit Authority again to cool off and kill a little time before our next FP: Buzz Lightyear.

My girls were beginning to move from playful teasing about who would score more to bickering with each other. Mom had a great idea…why don’t you see if you can beat the adults instead?! An epic 5 minutes of smack talk ensued between the 4 of us.

Historically, my wife is terrible at these rides. I think last time on Midway Mania she scored less than my then-4 year old. So I knew I’d be doing the heavy-lifting in this battle royale. We had a great time and I’m happy to say the adults absolutely destroyed the kids thanks in no small part to my performance:

I hate to brag, but when pride is on the line, I have no mercy.

One last ride on the Mad Hatter and I began to detect that the energy level was dropping pretty quickly. We still had about 2 hours before being pushed out to make way for the Halloween party, but I took a vote and everyone was ready to head back to the resort to relax and enjoy the pool, especially since my wife and oldest didn’t get in the previous day. I had hoped we might blitz through Adventureland before leaving and maybe ride Pirates, but no one seemed too interested. I had to admit I was also ready to head back as well.

We had one last bit of pixie dust before leaving…everyone wanted to get some popcorn on the way out and we found a popcorn stand. She must have been getting ready to shut down, because she offered us each a small sized popcorn for free! Pretty sweet!

We were able to catch a few minutes of the Muppet Show at Liberty Square as we left. I’d like to have seen more of this as it looked like pretty entertaining show.

We bade a final farewell to the Magic Kingdom for at least a few years, and headed to the monorail.

No sooner than we boarded the monorail, it began to rain. Then really rain. Then pour. We couldn’t have timed our exit any better as it turned out.

We’d planned on stepping in Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto this afternoon/evening to enjoy that experience. This seemed like an even better idea now as the rain was really pouring down and the pool was closed. Trader Sam’s is a little secluded and you kind of have to know where to look for it. But this afternoon, there was no mistaking where it was: the line to get in was about 40 people deep! I guess everyone else had the same idea as us. So we decided to bypass it and get in line at Captain Cook’s and eat in the room. We decided to check out Trader Sam’s a little later in hopes that the crowd died down and enjoy our dinner back at Tuvalu:

Unfortunately I forgot to get pictures, but my wife got the Aloha Pork Sandwich which she thought was really good. My oldest got the hot dog, which was surprisingly good…it had a rather complex flavor to it…almost like a kielbasa. I got the Thai coconut meatballs which I thoroughly enjoyed. While everyone else in the room thought it smelled bad, they were fantastic. A little spicy, as you might expect with a Thai dish, but very flavorful.

We waited out the storm and caught a beautiful rainbow over The Contemporary:

By this time, everyone had caught up on resting and we hoped maybe we could run by Trader Sam’s on the way to the pool. Uh, no. Trader Sam’s was slammed. And with us wanting to go to the pool, it didn’t seem likely that we could go before 8:00 when the bar doesn’t allow minors. Too bad…I’d like to have experienced that. I did ask a few people I saw at the pool with Lapu Lapus what they thought: all of them said it was fun but kind of overrated (both Trader Sam’s and the Lapu Lapu). Still, I hope to check it out in the future.

While Trader Sam’s wasn’t an option, the pool had just opened up and we got to pick any spot we wanted! I was so thankful to the lifeguards who reopened the pool and gave all 4 of us a chance to have fun there together. My lovely wife, who knows me well, got a Kentucky Mule for me at the pool bar while getting herself a margarita. It was pretty tasty, though not something I'd order often

My youngest daughter went down the slide at least another dozen times. Maybe more. I went down twice (it gets easier after the first time) and tried to get my oldest to go down. She wouldn’t do it. She’s a thrillseeker, she should love this! There were kids of all ages (including her age) going down the slide. I chalked this up to her being in that tween phase of life where sometimes you just can’t win as a parent. Finally, I dropped it and a little while later she accompanied her sister up to the top of the volcano and rode it down. She enjoyed it but was too cool to do it again.

Since she finally rode the slide, I told her I’d reward her with a Dole Whip at Pineapple Lanai. By this time the tiki torches were lit:

Pineapple Lanai was having some technical issues and didn’t have the Dole Whip Float available, only the soft serve. We were wanting to try both, but settled on the soft serve variety. I got me and my wife a Dole Whip with rum to share. She took one bite and it wasn’t for her. It seemed like a good idea on paper, but I have to say the rum addition isn’t a great compliment to the Dole Whip. The soft serve variety was delicious and my oldest proclaimed it the best dessert at Disney, including the O’Hana bread pudding.

After an evening of fun at the pool and great weather, it was time for us to head back to Tuvalu…and to begin packing. Once again, my youngest passed out before the fireworks began, but the rest of us enjoyed watching them a second time on the patio. Man…what an amazing resort and view.

Next up: Kona Café, transitioning to the Royal Pacific and Universal Studios, and a big pink box of donuts.

 

[myhappyplace]

Nice on-ride pics of the younger one.

Agreed. P's face says it all! Pure Disney magic, that face.

I'm SO jealous of your stay at the Poly! Someday...maybe sooner rather than later depending on the MegaMillions numbers they call Tuesday night

Seriously, so glad you got to experience it!

 

[DRD]

Agreed. P's face says it all! Pure Disney magic, that face.

I'm SO jealous of your stay at the Poly! Someday...maybe sooner rather than later depending on the MegaMillions numbers they call Tuesday night

Seriously, so glad you got to experience it!

Yeah she truly basked in the Disney magic all around.

And once you taste the Poly, I think it’s probably hard to go anywhere else. Let’s say this, if you guys hit the Mega, carve out a weekend for us to join y’all to experience it together.

 

[myhappyplace]

Yeah she truly basked in the Disney magic all around.

And once you taste the Poly, I think it’s probably hard to go anywhere else. Let’s say this, if you guys hit the Mega, carve out a weekend for us to join y’all to experience it together.

That's a plan!

 

[lebeau]

Looks like a fun trip. The Poly is my "dream" Disney resort. Haven't been able to justify the expense yet, but maybe someday.

 

[DRD]

Looks like a fun trip. The Poly is my "dream" Disney resort. Haven't been able to justify the expense yet, but maybe someday.

It certainly is a dream resort and I've got some thoughts on whether or not the cost is justified in my next post here in a few minutes. Thanks for following along!

 

[DRD]

Day 3: Kona Café and Royal Pacific Resort at Universal

It was tough leaving the Polynesian. Though we’d enjoyed a good amount of down time at the resort, it still felt like we just scratched the surface. I and my youngest woke up early to walk around and soak up as much ambiance as we could before our ADR at Kona and checkout. Here are a few pics:

We packed everything up in our room so we could grab the luggage after our ADR at Kona Café. Kona is one of those restaurants that even casual Disney folks like me have heard of. I have to say, at first glance, I wasn’t super impressed. It just seemed so open and, well, not that thematically special. Maybe a step up from the hotel restaurant at the Holiday Inn (which, to be fair, was very nice).

We were seated at a table right next to the walkway outside the restaurant which made for some interesting people-watching. Chris was our server and he was fantastic! I had been looking forward to the Kona French press for months. I plead guilty to being a coffee snob and had high expectations for this coffee. It definitely delivered! Great flavor…pretty close to perfect.

My wife ordered the Polynesian Egg platter with bacon which she was pleased with. My oldest opted for French toast over Tonga toast, my youngest got the Mickey pancakes (ate a bite and then ate the rest later that afternoon). I ventured out and got the Loco Moco. The picture doesn’t make this look appetizing, but trust me: it is. Rice, grilled hamburger, chorizo gravy, eggs over medium, with tomato salsa:

As I said, it is really delicious though it looks…well…not terribly great. If you want to try something a little outside-the-box that is really hearty and tasty, give it a try!

We headed back to the room to collect our luggage and took one long last look on the porch…and then we headed back to the lobby. I ended up having to change the credit card I gave them for incidentals, which was an easy experience. While I was doing that, my wife and girls looked through the gift shop to see if they could get a Polynesian Resort Christmas ornament, but alas, they were sold out.

A quick concluding thought about the Polynesian: I’ve thought a lot about the Polynesian since we left and it certainly was an amazing resort. Probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience to have a park view room for us (certainly once-in-a-lifetime to have one for free!). And I guess that leads me to the next natural question: having experienced it, would I have paid for it? It depends. I certainly could see if you’re a hardcore Disney fan that the experience would probably be worth splurging for 2 nights. It would be unforgettable and would be even more special to someone like that. But, when I compared it to our Wilderness Lodge room and experience, I am not sure the extra cost can be justified for anything longer than 2 days. So…would I pay for it next time as a casual Disney traveler: maybe if we were planning another short stay. If we plan on staying 3+ nights, I can’t see that the cost is justified, personally. Still, I’m incredibly grateful and thankful to have been able to experience the amazingness that is the Polynesian.

As we left, I got on Lyft and our driver was there within 2 minutes. It was an easy (though longer than expected) ride over to Royal Pacific Resort. The driver was great…just the right amount of conversation. He was from Sao Paolo and definitely was the nicest Brazilian I encountered on the trip.

We chose the Royal Pacific at Universal because it not only gave us early park admission (as do all the Universal resorts) but also it gives its guests automatic Express Passes (the equivalent to unlimited Disney Fastpasses) at all Universal and Islands of Adventure rides. The next lower-level resort did not offer the Express Pass benefit. I did the math and it ended up only being about $100 extra for us to have the nicer resort and room versus the standard passes plus adding the extra cost for Express Pass on to each ticket.

I also thought it would be kind of interesting to compare it to Polynesian since it was Universal’s South Seas/Polynesian style resort.

We arrived and our room was available right away! We got a standard, non-view room, which was a way to cut down on costs and, let’s face it, we knew nothing was going to compare to that room view at Poly. It was a fine enough room…felt like a standard sized double queen hotel room. We weren’t super-wild about the bathroom. There was only one sink and the toilet and bathtub were separated from the sink with just a sliding door.

Really, it’s just not fair to compare the Royal Pacific at all to the Polynesian. But we found it to be a very good resort and it met all of our needs. Think of it like comparing a high octane sports car to a sedan. The sedan is practical, functional, and actually very nice. But it’s not as sexy or fun as a Porsche. And the Poly was definitely fun.

Bad comparisons aside, it was time for us to hit the pool at the RP. The videos and pictures I’d seen made the pool look amazing, maybe even within striking distance of the Polynesian’s? The reality is, it’s a step down from the Poly, but still a very nice pool. Water features for the little ones, a sandy area for sunbathing, plenty of space, complimentary sunscreen, and best of all – bar service! The poolside Bula Bar is great. You can walk up and order (they do not skimp on the tequila in the margaritas) but there also are servers making the rounds to take care of drinks and food orders. They were out of their local craft offering (Big Storm Florida Ale from Tampa) so I settled on my old friend Sam Adams and picked up a Blue Moon for my wife. As you can see we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves:

I will say that the RP pool had a lot of debris floating in it; however, it should be noted that the outer band of Hurricane Michael grazed the area this day and the wind was rather high at times (though nothing remotely what the Panhandle received of course). So I chalk the debris in the pool to that, not to some fundamental issue with cleanliness.

We had planned on this day being a relaxing way to transition between the 2 parks and planned on spending several hours lazing at the pool. It was definitely needed.

The wind began to pick up even more and I could smell rain in the future, so we headed back to the room. Just like the previous day – we came in just in time as the rain began to pour.

After another hour or so of rest, and waiting for the rain to go away, we decided to check out Universal City Walk. We decided to follow the river walk path (about a 10 minute walk) versus taking the River taxis. I’d read a bunch about Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and we initially decided to check it out. But after reading the menu in-person, we decided it probably wasn’t a good fit for dinner since the prices were really high and neither of my kids found anything they would eat. Remembering @lebeau ‘s experience at Cowfish, I tried to convince the rest of the family for us to walk across the river to check it out. No takers. The rain began once again, so glanced next door at the Hard Rock. Ugh. So be it.

While I wasn’t super pumped about the Hard Rock, I have to admit we had a much better than expected meal there. Service was great. Secondly, they seated us in a side-room that wasn’t so loud. And the parmesan truffle fries…clearly I was not expecting gourmet fries at a tourist trap like Hard Rock, but yet there they were. Again, no local beers that I could discern but I got the trustworthy Sierra Nevada Pale Ale while my wife got a Shocktop. It wasn’t an inexpensive stop, but I was surprised that we enjoyed it.

The rain finally seemed to be past us, so we walked across the bridge to Voodoo Donuts. I probably wouldn’t have noticed this place if it weren’t for @lebeau ‘s recent trip report…so hopefully they sent him a finder’s fee for my order. By this time, we felt like salmon swimming upstream because thousands of people were heading into Universal for Halloween Horror Nights. That meant less of a wait to get into Voodoo for us! We waited about 5 minutes and were summoned in.

My girls are crazy for donuts (I mean – who isn’t?) and really loved this place. From what I can tell, we ordered a Dirt (Oreo topping), The Loop (Fruit Loop topping), Chuckles (peanuts, caramel, mocha), The Homer (strawberry and sprinkles), Peanut Cake, and I think just a Chocolate Ring. They were almost all delicious (the Loop was a mistake) and made a good afternoon snack the next day. Expensive? Yes, but not outrageously so. Here’s our pink box below:

The crowd was still pouring into HHN and we still felt like spawning salmon. Being Universal rookies, we somehow missed the river taxi loading/unloading area and ended up close to the walking path back. By the time we realized our error, we were ready to just hoof it on back to the hotel rather than fighting the crowd.

We ate another round of donuts that night and hoped the sugar rush didn’t keep us up. Because tomorrow we had a date with Harry James Potter!

Beer review: Again, nothing too spectacular today (more coming in the next posts). Sam Adams Boston Lager is still pretty solid after all these years. You know what you’re getting and it’s got more flavor than Bud. Not that there’s anything wrong with Bud. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale holds a special place in my heart as the first beer I had (way back in my early 20s) where the lightbulb went on: OH! So this is what beer can taste like! I’ve since moved on to bigger and better, but for awhile, Sierra Nevada was my pal and helped me develop my palate. A tip of the frosty mug to you guys in Chico, CA.

Next up: the moment my oldest had been waiting for: Diagon Alley, spending my retirement savings on interactive wands, enjoying a Duff or three, and we are thankful for Express Passes at Universal Studios.

 

[DRD]

Day 4: Universal Studios

We were up before dawn to get an early start at Universal Studios and Diagon Alley. Since Halloween Horror Nights shut Universal down early, the early park admission for both days was for Universal instead of IoA at 7 AM! Yikes, that’s early. After a quick breakfast at the Orchid Lounge we were on our way to the river taxi.

While we didn’t quite make it on time for rope drop at Universal, we didn’t miss it by much and headed straight for Diagon Alley, making mental notes of where other rides were along the way, as it was our first time visiting.

Our first order of business was to soak in the ambiance of Diagon Alley for a few minutes and just appreciate the theming. Pictures really don’t do it justice…it truly feels like you’re in the books and movies (at least when you’re there early before the crowds hit).

Our second order of business: accio wands! We headed over to Ollivander’s for the wand selection ceremony. This is probably one of the things I had been looking most forward to. My oldest is a big HP fan and I had hopes that she’d be selected. Our initial group looked promising…only 2 other kids (both quite young) other than my own. Then the ringer showed up: full robes, about the same age as my oldest, and most importantly: an “its my birthday” button. Hard to compete with that, and she was selected. While I was disappointed, my daughter told me she wasn’t upset at all and after seeing the ceremony she was kind of relieved she wasn’t selected. I guess it all worked out.

She loves all things Weasley and wanted to get a Fred Weasley wand. While they have the wands for every character imaginable, not all character wands are interactive (meaning not all have the infrared dot on the end that allows you to cast spells). Unfortunately, Fred’s wand is not interactive. She was far more upset about this than being passed over for the selection ceremony. She settled on Neville’s wand instead, while my youngest quickly chose Luna Lovegood’s wand. My wife and I couldn’t decide if we wanted wands or not before entering Ollivander’s, but the temptation was too great and we each decided to get one (McGonnagall for her, Sirius Black for me). In retrospect, the two of us shouldn’t have purchased wands. I’m not sure my wife cast more than 2 spells and while I did a few more, it still didn’t justify the expense. But your mileage may vary.

One thing I was not prepared for: stowing the wand boxes. The boxes are rather bulky (especially when you have 4) and didn’t fit in our already-stocked backpacks that well. They also barely fit into the ride lockers, but it’s a small hassle all things considered.

After Ollivander’s, we saw the walk on wait for Escape from Gringott’s was only 5 minutes, so we decided to hop on and experience the queue before maybe going back to re-ride using Express Passes later. It is a very cool queue and the ride itself is very entertaining. It was a little much for my youngest, though.

We headed out to test our wands and continue exploring Diagon Alley. While there didn’t seem to be any witches or wizards to help teach the spells before 9 am, both of my girls picked up on it pretty quickly (more quickly than I did).

We headed over to Knockturn Alley and checked out the dark magic in Borgin & Burkes. This is a great area to beat the heat as it seemed to be semi-air conditioned and is definitely out of the sun. Then we decided it was time for the refreshment we’d read so much about: Butterbeer! We read that the parks served their 20 millionth Butterbeer while we were there. I certainly can see why. While I think it’s too sweet to drink a whole regular one on my own, the frozen Butterbeer was incredible, especially on a hot day. Definitely one of the best theme park treats I’ve ever tasted.

By this time, the shops were really beginning to fill up and Diagon Alley was getting crowded. We thought it was a good time to explore the rest of Universal and come back later in the evening to take the Hogwarts Express over to Hogsmeade since we wouldn’t be doing Halloween Horror Nights.

The Knight Bus waited for us outside of Kings Cross Station. What a fun interaction!

We decided to go for our first express pass experience at Men In Black. Just as expected, it operated just like a Disney Fastpass and we were set to walk right on the ride. Unfortunately, the ride had other plans. They informed us just as we got to the front that the ride was having technical issues and they weren’t sure when it would be back up. Since we had express passes, we decided to go ahead and leave and come back when it was running again. Turns out, that was a great decision as the ride was closed each time we checked the Universal app.

We pressed on to Springfield, the area of Universal I’d been looking forward to almost as much as the Wizarding World. I was a huge fan of the show in college and still catch some of the classic episodes when they’re on. My oldest and I rode the Simpsons Ride first. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed more on a ride. I’d read that some people experience a degree of motion sickness on the ride…while I didn’t get that I certainly could see where that might be the case.

While we were riding, my wife and youngest were off playing games at the midway. She actually won a couple of prizes along the way. We traded off and my wife joined my oldest to re-ride the Simpsons. Me and my youngest rode Kang & Kodos (again, some funny jokes in there) and got to meet the Simpsons:

At this point it was nearly 11:00 and though we weren’t hungry, my wife and I were ready to try Duff.

I got Duff while she tried Duff Light. More thoughts below in the beer review, but suffice it to say it was a refreshing break in the midday heat.

We all really loved Springfield. Fantastic theming and lots of fun little experiences all around.

By this time, my youngest had been asking for us to ride Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem for an hour or so and we decided to head back towards the front of the park to check out this popular ride. A quick side stop to hear the tail end of the Blues Brothers (wish I’d seen more of this show) and we were in line to be shrunk down as Minions. The express pass wait for this ride was a little longer than I expected, but still only about 10-15 minutes (compared with 60+ minutes for standby). I thought this was a pretty clever and fun-for-a-tame-ride experience. My youngest loved it!

Next, my wife and oldest ventured off to ride Rip Ride Rocket. I was thoroughly intimidated by this ride. I’m scared of heights and the thought of going straight up and nearly straight down didn’t appeal to me in the least. But, I told my wife that if she thought I could handle it, I’d ride it again with my oldest.

Meanwhile, me and my youngest ventured across the way to Shrek 4D. I wasn’t a fan of the pre-ride portion of this experience. They basically cram everyone into a small dark room for the pre-show. Unlike Minion Mayhem, there were no rails or other queue-ing methods. Just a mosh pit of sweaty people and a few crying kids. The theater experience with Shrek was kind of fun. Again, my youngest enjoyed it and the sprays, etc were a great touch.

By this time, my wife and youngest had finished Rip Ride Rocket. My daughter pronounced it the “scariest ride” of her life. She felt like the safety harness wasn’t secure and was afraid she was going to fall out the entire time. Totally understandable! My wife concurred it was a crazy ride and that I had no business riding it. I know my limits, and I wasn’t going to test them on Rip Ride Rocket if she didn’t think I could handle it. As you can tell, my daughter's fear is pretty well captured here:

By this point, we were getting hungry. We also wanted to try to spend a little time in the Woody Woodpecker Kidzone area in hopes my youngest would ride the Woody Woodpecker coaster…so we decided to head back to Springfield for a bite and then over to see Woody.

This was a really bad idea as we were arriving at the peak time for the Springfield food court. Though employees were trying to regulate the line and stagger the orders to allow seats to open up, it didn’t quite work. Thankfully, we found a place to sit. I ordered the Chicken & Waffle sandwich from Cletus’ Chicken Shack. My wife got the “Chicken Thumbs” (nuggets) and my oldest grabbed a slice of pizza. My youngest was content snacking on some peanut butter we brought along. The food was just okay, though the tater tots were really quite good. I was a little disappointed as I’d read some fairly positive reviews of Cletus’ Chicken Shack. It also is hard to divorce the quality of the food with the chaos of the experience. I would highly advise to only go to the Simpsons Food Court early or late and don’t even try it close to peak time. Rookie mistake by me.

The only good thing that the Food Court provided us was shelter during a downpour. By the time we were done, the rain had mostly stopped. We checked the time with Doc Brown…

And then headed over to Woody Woodpecker Kidzone. Unfortunately, the Woody roller coaster was shut down due to the rain. Also by this time, my youngest was tiring out. We managed to visit Spongebob though, and that gave us one of my favorite pictures of the trip:

We decided that it was time to head back to the resort, rest for a little while, then come back just before Halloween Horror Nights began to take the Hogwarts Express over to Islands of Adventure and Hogsmeade.

Beer review: Duff and Duff Light. Duff is an American pale ale (4.8% ABV from what I read) produced by Florida Beer Company in Melbourne FL. A really approachable pale ale with some character, but just enough to be interesting to beer snobs (like me) and not too much for more tame palates. I know it is because it was so very hot outside, the beer was so very cold, and the crowds and kids were on my nerves, but at the time I proclaimed it one of the top 25 beers I’d ever had. Now that I’ve had some time to cool off, I think that’s just a little optimistic…but it still was a very good beer. My wife had the Duff Light and I only had a taste of it. Seemed to be like a standard Bud/Miller Lite pilsner. Maybe a little more character, but nothing too special. I didn’t get to try the Duff Dry (they were out the following day at Moe’s…more on that later). I do really love the fact that Universal chose a nearby local brewery to create and make these beers. How much easier would it have been for them to just partner with a macrobrewery rather than support a local company? Cheers to Universal to creating a unique adult beverage experience in Springfield!

Next up: The Hogwarts Express, more Butterbeer, and would I chicken out or would I man up and ride The Hulk?

 

[PacNWTigger]

I am definitely enjoying your TR, and I'm glad that I wasn't the only one who got snowed with the Twilight Feast at the Poly...LOL! The way they explained it on the phone was that the portions were going to be pretty small, but we ended up munching on it for almost our entire vacation. @lostpro9het even warned me about it before we left... *sighs*

 

[DRD]

I am definitely enjoying your TR, and I'm glad that I wasn't the only one who got snowed with the Twilight Feast at the Poly...LOL! The way they explained it on the phone was that the portions were going to be pretty small, but we ended up munching on it for almost our entire vacation. @lostpro9het even warned me about it before we left... *sighs*

I know! I wish I'd done more research on that. It was waaay too much food. They told us something similar on the phone as well. I guess all we can do is keep spreading the word and maybe someone else will avoid the gluttonous mistake we made!

Glad you're enjoying the TR!

 

[DRD]

Day 4 (continued): Universal Studios, Hogsmeade, and Islands of Adventure

We got back to the hotel around 2 or so and enjoyed some time relaxing. It rained off and on for another hour and according to the Universal app, several rides were closed because of the weather, including Hulk. The sun began to come out again around 3:30 and started packing up again to head over to Universal.

Our plan was just to walk back to Kings Cross, hop on the Hogwarts Express, and spend the evening at Hogsmeade and IoA.

Walking through Universal, it was clear they were setting things up for Halloween Horror Nights even though the park was supposedly still open until 5 (which was 45 minutes away). People seemed to be rushing out and more than one employee let me know that if we didn’t have HHN passes, we needed to be heading to the front of the park. That kind of bothered me.

Nevertheless, as we walked by The Mummy ride, I thought we had time for both me and my wife to ride it separately (neither of the girls wanted to try it). I basically walked on through the Express Pass. What a blast of a ride…probably the most exciting indoor coaster I’ve been on! (See my previous TR for the aborted Rock N Roller Coaster experience) Great special effects (the fire was working this time), and the coaster itself was really thrilling. By this point it was nearly 4:30 and I was beginning to wonder if we had time for my wife to ride it and for us to make it to Kings Cross on time. My wife decided to pass on The Mummy and we hustled over to Kings Cross.

The Express Pass definitely saved us time on the Hogwarts Express wait, however it still took much longer than I expected. I’d guess we waited 30 minutes in line, though the standby was close to 90. I suppose everyone else still in Universal with park hoppers had the same idea that we did…head to IoA for the evening.

The Hogwarts Express is definitely a neat experience. As you may know, there are different experiences going from Kings Cross to Hogsmeade and back. Thankfully the dementors on board to Hogsmeade were kept at bay during our trip over. One thing that was a little surprising to me was that about 8 people ride in the compartment together. So we had another family in the room with us…which wasn’t bad, but just wasn’t something I’d expected.

Upon arriving at Hogsmeade, we tried to soak in the ambiance again like at Diagon Alley. It is a little disconcerting seeing snow-covered roofs in 92+ degree Orlando heat at first, but you eventually get used to it.

As the stores and stands of Hogsmeade seemed to be very busy, we decided to walk back to try and hop on some rides. I’d hoped my youngest would join us for the Flight of the Hippogriff, but she just wasn’t having it. Maybe she was still a little shellshocked from Big Thunder Mountain? In any case, my oldest and I rode it and bowed to Buckbeak. Pretty fun family coaster…nothing that is going to thrill a coaster enthusiast. We didn’t get the chance, but I wish I’d ridden this at night with the castle lit up.

My wife and oldest set off for The Forbidden Journey. While they rode it, my youngest and I set off to explore Hogsmeade. She had lots of difficulty with spell casting here, as did I. I assume this is because the infrared cameras were more obscured maybe? Has anyone else experienced this? Nevertheless I am not sure we cast more than 1 or 2 spells during our whole time in Hogsmeade. We also explored the candy mecca of Honeydukes where we picked up a couple of non-meltable candies to take back as souvenirs.

By this time, they’d finished The Forbidden Journey and said it was fun, but “a little rough”. I had read that the ride is not comfortable for bigger riders and that it was advisable to try out the sample seat they have out in front of the castle. While I was able to get the harness to secure (barely), it was extremely tight on me. The attendant suggested that as long as I could stand the discomfort for 5 or 6 minutes, I should be okay. I didn’t relish that idea. Plus my oldest said she just didn’t care to ride it again, so I decided to pass.

We continued browsing through the Hogsmeade shops and I thought we might stop in the Three Broomsticks for dinner, but no one seemed to be hungry. Those frozen Butterbeers stuck with us, I guess! I took the opportunity to try a Pumpkin Juice:

If you’re a fan of pumpkin spice drinks and/or cider, then you’ll probably enjoy it. Can’t say that anyone in our family liked it, though it was worth a try.

The crowds seemed to be getting worse as it was now nearly 6:00 and everyone with park hoppers had migrated over from Universal. We decided to head out of Hogsmeade and explore the rest of Islands of Adventure.

I found the theming of IoA (and Universal too) to be exceptionally well done overall. One of the critiques I’d read was that it was jumbled. While, yes, there are lots of different “lands” within both parks, I felt like each was unique and immersive. The only area I was a little confused on was the Lost Continent area. Maybe because there wasn’t a signature attraction or ride (I’d never heard of Poseidon’s Adventure until a week before our trip).

The big thing we wanted to do this evening (other than Hogsmeade) was to ride the Hulk. Obviously, my youngest had no interest in doing so, but the rest of us decided it was time to give it a go. My oldest and I went first while my youngest and my wife explored Seuss Landing. Our express pass wait was about 20 or so minutes. We observed that Hulk is one of the handful of rides that Universal restricts to just one express pass use per day (courtesy of an upset family who were in front of us and none too happy about this policy). So we tried to do a rider swap; however, since my wife wasn’t there, they wouldn’t let us do that. Looks like she was going to have to ride it solo.

While I’d watched on-ride videos several times, nothing can really prepare you for your first ride on Hulk. The launch, while I was ready for it, was so different than any coaster I’ve ridden on. You know how on most upside down rides the second or third loop isn’t quite as thrilling as the first? That’s not the case with Hulk. The thrill doesn’t really wear off until just a few moments before the end. While it was an amazing ride, one ride was enough for me! After we exited the ride, my daughter turned into a chatterbox and relived just about every twist and turn.

We hustled back to Seuss Landing so my wife could ride the Hulk. My youngest told my wife (in a sweetly sincere tone) “I hope you don’t die on the ride.” Ha!

By this time, the sun was beginning to set and the vibrant colors of Dr. Seuss really sprung to life in the lights. My oldest was a good sport and patiently joined us as we rode Cat in the Hat, the Caro-Seuss-el, and the High in the Sky Trolley Train Ride which gave us a great view of the Hogwarts Castle lit up at night.

I was a little surprised that my wife hadn’t returned from her Hulk ride at this point. My youngest was too as she asked if I thought Mommy was safe on the ride. I assured her that she was and distracted her with the offer of candy at Honeydukes in Hogsmeade. I wanted to see the castle at night and wanted my oldest to experience the light show.

After a brief Honeydukes stop, we made it to the back of Hogsmeade for the Hogwarts projection show. I should’ve known better, but my youngest daughter’s noise anxiety began to kick in and she became scared. I then remembered that there were fireworks in the show, and while they’re very tame by Disney standards, I knew it would only add to her stress. We were hurdling towards full on meltdown when I got a call from my wife. Apparently the Hulk had some technical issues and she didn’t get to ride it even though she was next in line on the platform. Bummer! She tried to wait it out a little while but she got the impression that it might be awhile longer and decided to meet up with us.

I was able to find a relatively out-of-the-way spot for my youngest and I to stand to shield her view of the fireworks while I was still able to keep an eye on my oldest who was really enjoying the show and started live streaming it to her group of friends back home. Still, I hated it for my youngest and vowed to make it up to her by bribing her with another treat: more frozen Butterbeer.

At this point it was close to the park’s closing of 8 pm and we headed towards the front gates. We spotted a few more rides to check out for tomorrow on the way out. My wife and I were also reminded of our past as former employees of a theme park (Opryland USA…may it rest in peace) as we spotted employees shutting down stores and trying to gently persuade guests to continue towards the exits. I certainly empathized with them!

Back at the hotel, we all talked about what we wanted to do for our final day in the parks and began working on a strategy to check off as many boxes as we could before we would have to leave to catch our return flight home that night. Also, I began to worry just a little bit about us not having an afternoon break/cool down for the last day since we’d have to check out of our room. I certainly didn’t want to get to the airport straight from a day of walking 8-10 miles in the parks in 95 degree heat. I figured our fellow passengers would also appreciate that as well.

We decided to sleep in a little bit, grab a late but big breakfast, and go to the parks around 10 am…trusting that our express passes would allow us to do everything we wanted to as quickly as we needed to.

Beer report: You know, it sure seems like I would’ve had a beer that evening at IoA, but I sure can’t recall doing so. Probably because I kept chugging frozen Butterbeers every chance I got.

Next up: we experience the Marvel Universe, the brews at Hog’s Head, and bid Universal a fond farewell.

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

Nevertheless, as we walked by The Mummy ride, I thought we had time for both me and my wife to ride it separately (neither of the girls wanted to try it). I basically walked on through the Express Pass. What a blast of a ride…probably the most exciting indoor coaster I’ve been on! (See my previous TR for the aborted Rock N Roller Coaster experience) Great special effects (the fire was working this time), and the coaster itself was really thrilling.

Total agreement on The Mummy. What a delightful ride. I’d say easily my favorite at either Universal park.

Also thanks for the great TR so far.