Redwes25
Footballguy
I saw it on Sunday as an activity to avoid the brutal temps and it was pretty good. Really glad James Earl Jones was still in it. No one else can do that voice/role.
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Disney Vacation (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter DOVCommish
- Start date
Capella
Footballguy
Universal thoughts that nobody asked for:
I thought it was just ok. We did Islands of Adventure today. Almost nothing to do for a toddler, which I understand, it’s almost literally in the name of the park, but still it was a little disappointing. Why have multiple rides in Dr. Seuss land a 2-year-old can’t ride? He couldn’t even go on the Seuss people mover for God’s sake.
The employees are nowhere near as friendly as Disney. Sometimes at Disney it comes off fake-ish, and I’m sure it is, but still better than getting a stoneface from an employee you say hi too.
No photographers annnnnnnnywhere. Multiple points you want to take a photo (especially at Harry Potter) with nobody to be found. What the #### did I buy this photo pass for? Also, the fact you can’t view the photos on the app in 2019 is embarrassing.
We have 3 more days on our pass and are going back tomorrow. The rides are a lot of fun but disney has their ### kicked logistically. It’s really startling just how you notice things.
Spider-Man ride rules. Holy ####. Did that twice.
I thought it was just ok. We did Islands of Adventure today. Almost nothing to do for a toddler, which I understand, it’s almost literally in the name of the park, but still it was a little disappointing. Why have multiple rides in Dr. Seuss land a 2-year-old can’t ride? He couldn’t even go on the Seuss people mover for God’s sake.
The employees are nowhere near as friendly as Disney. Sometimes at Disney it comes off fake-ish, and I’m sure it is, but still better than getting a stoneface from an employee you say hi too.
No photographers annnnnnnnywhere. Multiple points you want to take a photo (especially at Harry Potter) with nobody to be found. What the #### did I buy this photo pass for? Also, the fact you can’t view the photos on the app in 2019 is embarrassing.
We have 3 more days on our pass and are going back tomorrow. The rides are a lot of fun but disney has their ### kicked logistically. It’s really startling just how you notice things.
Spider-Man ride rules. Holy ####. Did that twice.
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glvsav37
Footballguy
Sorry to hear. Universal should come with a declaimer: This park is not intended for children under 8. Unless you intend on splitting up your party all day, stay away.
The photopass things is poop compared to Disney. However, at https://presale.amazingpictures.com/UniversalFlorida.aspx there will offer discounts periodically. Its best to follow their FB page https://www.facebook.com/myuniversalphotos/ to see when they post them. We buy it mainly for the on-ride photos.
Where Univ Does eat WDW's lunch is the express pass. That thing is worth its wait in gold.
Funny, we went to the Monster Make-up show while there, and my 9 year old got singled out in the audience, it was a joke but they blamed him for something that happened in the show as part of the joke. The lady on stage said to him "Remember, this isn't Disney.....We don't have to be nice to children!"
Capella
Footballguy
Ha that’s funny. Yea we wouldn’t have gone until he was older but my wife’s family was in town and wanted to go. At the least I expected Seuss land to be more kid friendly.Sorry to hear. Universal should come with a declaimer: This park is not intended for children under 8. Unless you intend on splitting up your party all day, stay away.
The photopass things is poop compared to Disney. However, at https://presale.amazingpictures.com/UniversalFlorida.aspx there will offer discounts periodically. Its best to follow their FB page https://www.facebook.com/myuniversalphotos/ to see when they post them. We buy it mainly for the on-ride photos.
Where Univ Does eat WDW's lunch is the express pass. That thing is worth its wait in gold.
Funny, we went to the Monster Make-up show while there, and my 9 year old got singled out in the audience, it was a joke but they blamed him for something that happened in the show as part of the joke. The lady on stage said to him "Remember, this isn't Disney.....We don't have to be nice to children!"
Peak
Footballguy
Agreed. This was the one thing that made my family trip to Universal worthwhile. I couldn't have imagined how the day would've went without the express pass.
MTskibum
Footballguy
I will be going next month with a 2 year old and a 4 year old; 3 days at disney and 1 at universal.
I would really like any tips you have related to universal with young kids.
Ramblin Wreck
Footballguy
Haven't done Universal but Disney really does destroy any other park I've been to in terms of cleanliness, helpful employees, and customer service. We all pay for it but at least you know they will do it right when you shell out that much money.
jb1020
Footballguy
Without fail, ever time we walk up to the main gate at MK there will be a little old man polishing a trashcan. Its almost a game with our family now to find that guy.
That sums up the cleanliness of Disney.
Capella
Footballguy
Bob Sacamano
Footballguy
Something to consider: iirc the ticket for that claims it starts at 7pm. You can get into the park at 4, though, using it.
For both the xmas party and the halloween party, we skipped the park during the day that day and just went at 4pm. Saves you a day on your multi-day ticket (so we got a 4 day park hopper instead of a 5 day) and can make for a nice break from the parks if you're going for 5 straight days or so.
glvsav37
Footballguy
on the flip side, if you are not worried about 'waisting' the ticket day (those with annual passes, or length of stay passes), this strategy can work in your favor. On party days, the MK generally has the lowest daytime attendance of all the parks. Technically the MK closes early, so people will avoid MK all together and look to maximize their park day elsewhere, or just not visit any parks that day (as Bob mentions) if they are attending that night.
glvsav37
Footballguy
Here is my (try to be quick) write up on the trip.
We did Universal 1st for about 2 ½ days. Stayed on site at the Royal Pacific, which was one of the 3 resorts that had the Express Pass as a perk. Resort is nice, very Asian/Buddha flair which I don't really mind, wasn't spending much time there. Easy access to the parks via a boat or 5 min walk. Room overlooked the parks, so the kids got a kick out of that.
Express pass is worth its wait in gold. There was nothing we waited over 15-20 mins for and you can use it on every ride except the new Hagrid’s coaster. We rode everything multiple times, esp on our full day where it was a bit overcast and it seemed like no one was on the US side, while IOA was much more crowded each day.
My oldest has become a roller coaster junkie, and for that, you really can’t beat US/IOA. My wife and 9 year-old love the screen based rides (Transformers, Spiderman) so there really was something for everyone in my family.
Hagrid’s was pretty damn cool. I’m not a potter fan, but I respect the creativity and the theming they put into these lands. I followed the issues with the opening, delays and wait times leading up to our trip. When we left, they were not opening it until at least 11am, and sometimes later, with constant 2-3 hour waits. So our plan was to hit that day 1, where we wouldn't be in the parks until about 4:30/5 and we would just kill the night there and do everything else the next 2 days. Get our room, get settled and head over to the ride at about 5:15 and (screeching breaks) “sorry, closed for capacity today” Grrrr. So looks like tomorrow.
We get up and out early, plan on doing rides and then be around the coaster for 11 when they open it, only to have an employee inside the park tell me that today was the 1st day they were opening it at park opening, and there was already a huge line…..so F that.
We did gauge the times and after some fun at US, we found a time where the wait was posted at about 2 1/4 hours, and the weather seemed clear (they shut it down at the first sight of rain), so we decided to give it a try. While on line, I asked a CM about how realistic we were on time from that spot, and he kind of confessed that they over estimate on the app to try and scare people away b/c it has been so busy and they have had so many issues. So what we thought what was going to be a 2+ hr wait was really about 1 1/2 start to finish.
Ride was pretty cool. I got on the bike while my 9 year old was in the side car. They add in lots of secondary motion into the ride so you really feel like you are on an old motorcycle. It has about 4-5 instances (if I remember correctly) where they launch you mid ride and man its fast!! The sensation is heightened b/c you are literally on a bike and not just strapped into a seat. Its not a long ride, but with all the stuff to see and the multiple launches, you get the most out of your time on it and then some. There is a surprising, almost full free fall drop which I was not ready for and did not expect on a coaster like this. Normally whenever you change track it's a pretty slow and mechanical process, but this felt like the floor fell out from under you…in the dark. Pretty wild.
Unfortunately, my son didn't like it so I was 1/2 enjoying it and 1/2 trying to comfort him. He doesn’t have much hair on his balls yet….well until we get to Disney but I’ll talk about that later.
The rest of the trip there was mostly uneventful but very fun. We planned on leaving on Sunday at park close (we arrived on Friday), but with the express pass we hit everything multiple times, and him not enjoying Hagrid’s, we decided to bail at about 4pm which is when our room would be ready over at WDW.
The down side of splitting up and doing a UO trip is transportation. We miss out on at least one trip on the free magical express, and then still need to get to WDW. We used Uber this time vs a private car service last year and it saved a ton of money. I think it was about $40 from airport to UO and $30 from UO to WDW. By contrast, the car service cost me about $100 each trip last year. Down side was that neither driver spoke very good English, so the conversation en route was a bit awkward.
I’ll add the WDW report soon.
We did Universal 1st for about 2 ½ days. Stayed on site at the Royal Pacific, which was one of the 3 resorts that had the Express Pass as a perk. Resort is nice, very Asian/Buddha flair which I don't really mind, wasn't spending much time there. Easy access to the parks via a boat or 5 min walk. Room overlooked the parks, so the kids got a kick out of that.
Express pass is worth its wait in gold. There was nothing we waited over 15-20 mins for and you can use it on every ride except the new Hagrid’s coaster. We rode everything multiple times, esp on our full day where it was a bit overcast and it seemed like no one was on the US side, while IOA was much more crowded each day.
My oldest has become a roller coaster junkie, and for that, you really can’t beat US/IOA. My wife and 9 year-old love the screen based rides (Transformers, Spiderman) so there really was something for everyone in my family.
Hagrid’s was pretty damn cool. I’m not a potter fan, but I respect the creativity and the theming they put into these lands. I followed the issues with the opening, delays and wait times leading up to our trip. When we left, they were not opening it until at least 11am, and sometimes later, with constant 2-3 hour waits. So our plan was to hit that day 1, where we wouldn't be in the parks until about 4:30/5 and we would just kill the night there and do everything else the next 2 days. Get our room, get settled and head over to the ride at about 5:15 and (screeching breaks) “sorry, closed for capacity today” Grrrr. So looks like tomorrow.
We get up and out early, plan on doing rides and then be around the coaster for 11 when they open it, only to have an employee inside the park tell me that today was the 1st day they were opening it at park opening, and there was already a huge line…..so F that.
We did gauge the times and after some fun at US, we found a time where the wait was posted at about 2 1/4 hours, and the weather seemed clear (they shut it down at the first sight of rain), so we decided to give it a try. While on line, I asked a CM about how realistic we were on time from that spot, and he kind of confessed that they over estimate on the app to try and scare people away b/c it has been so busy and they have had so many issues. So what we thought what was going to be a 2+ hr wait was really about 1 1/2 start to finish.
Ride was pretty cool. I got on the bike while my 9 year old was in the side car. They add in lots of secondary motion into the ride so you really feel like you are on an old motorcycle. It has about 4-5 instances (if I remember correctly) where they launch you mid ride and man its fast!! The sensation is heightened b/c you are literally on a bike and not just strapped into a seat. Its not a long ride, but with all the stuff to see and the multiple launches, you get the most out of your time on it and then some. There is a surprising, almost full free fall drop which I was not ready for and did not expect on a coaster like this. Normally whenever you change track it's a pretty slow and mechanical process, but this felt like the floor fell out from under you…in the dark. Pretty wild.
Unfortunately, my son didn't like it so I was 1/2 enjoying it and 1/2 trying to comfort him. He doesn’t have much hair on his balls yet….well until we get to Disney but I’ll talk about that later.
The rest of the trip there was mostly uneventful but very fun. We planned on leaving on Sunday at park close (we arrived on Friday), but with the express pass we hit everything multiple times, and him not enjoying Hagrid’s, we decided to bail at about 4pm which is when our room would be ready over at WDW.
The down side of splitting up and doing a UO trip is transportation. We miss out on at least one trip on the free magical express, and then still need to get to WDW. We used Uber this time vs a private car service last year and it saved a ton of money. I think it was about $40 from airport to UO and $30 from UO to WDW. By contrast, the car service cost me about $100 each trip last year. Down side was that neither driver spoke very good English, so the conversation en route was a bit awkward.
I’ll add the WDW report soon.
glvsav37
Footballguy
We got to WDW staying at Bay Lake Tower. It’s not the most Disney ‘themed’ resorts, but we love the proximity to the MK and the access to the monorail. We get a DVC 1 bedroom which, for our family of 4, is perfect for a longer stay. It has a full kitchen (that we don't use beyond the fridge), 2 full bathrooms (one of the few 1 bdrms with 2 baths), and a sleeper sofa and a sleeper arm chair. My kids are different genders, so we got away with them sleeping together for a few years, but at 13, my daughter doesn’t want to sleep with her little brother anymore.
This trip was intentionally planned to maximize relaxing and enjoying the resort. We planned most of our park time after 3pm, with no Fast Passes before 4. We also went to the quick service dining plan (2 QS, 2 Snacks per day), vs the standard plan (1 TS, 1 QS, 2 Snk) we normally do. We realized that while we really enjoy dining at WDW, we were rushing around to get from one reservation to another. Plus they kind of force you into at least 1 sit down meal per day which really cuts into your day. We did plan 3 table service/buffet meals—1900 Park Fare at GF (my wife’s parents and aunt were there a the same time although not traveling with us, so we planed a meal together), Kona Café (b/c I needed my Tonga Toast) and Chef Mickey’s (which is our traditional ‘last meal’ at WDW).
That said, we still found ourselves again with a ####-ton of QS and snack credits left over that we wasted on packaged candy and crap. With the 4 of us, and the 3 sit down meals planned, that 16 meals we were not using, and we get so full that no one wants to eat 3x that day, plus snack. I found myself forcing a cookie or some fattening dessert into my face at the end of the day back at the resort just to ‘kill a credit.’ I had fantasies of eating all this fun food and snacking around the world, but with the heat and being in the pools for most of the day, eating hot food was the last thing on my mind. My wife and I think we are done with the dining plan now. Yes, food items are expensive there, but I think we forced ourselves more then we wanted to just because we already paid for it. Our next trip will not be for a long while, but I think one of my friends has it right—they buy a gift card equal to what the dining plan would be and use that for food. If they break even, cool; if they go over, OK; and if they spend less, they roll it into the next trip.
As for the parks, they were mostly crowded. IDK if I was just picking the wrong park on the wrong day, but we only ran into smaller then normal crowds a few times. MK was always crowded.
We did have 2 special events planned. Our 1st full day, we booked the early morning magic at Studios. This was mainly to ride Slink Dog and Midway Mania a few times. We were not planning a lot of overall time in Studios given its one of my least favorite parks until the rest of it is done being constructed. So we got in early, did 3x on SD, 2x on TSMM and 1x of Alien Saucers. We then skipped the included breakfast b/c the menu didn't appeal to us, and went straight to RockNRoller Coaster as the park opened. Now my 9 y/o who hated Hagrid’s was 100% set on riding RnRC! Why? B/c some stupid YouTube family he watches rode it and their kid who is younger then mine loved it…so he can’t be weaker then him, right?? Me, the wife and the daughter were all like “you sure dude?” but he was determined. And guess what…he loved it! We did it again right away and if it wasn't for a now 60+ minute wait, we would have done it a 3rd time. Someone just got a little hair on their balls. We bailed right after that.
The other event was a free DVC event at AK after hours. For the party, they had FOP, Navi River (pass), Tough to be a bug, night safari, Everest and Dino planned to be open. No shows (Lion King or Nemo), but some street entertainment, and a few unique characters. We also got free meal tickets and free ice cream (more dining plan credits not being used), and some free passes for the midway games in Dinoland. We ate first while they cleared out the day guests then headed over to the night safari….honestly, it was total waste, couldn't see much of anything. I thought they had some low level lights, but nothing. After that, we found out EE was down (and stayed that way for 80% of the night). Crap, we had planned on riding EE (best coaster on property and I’ll fight you if you think differently) until we couldn't walk. We planned on getting there early and had FP’s booked for FOP, Safari and Dino before the party, so that didn't really leave us much else to do. The lines for the characters were very long, and I really don't care to meet them anyway. Being the other E-ticket thrill ride was down, most people went to FOP which stayed at a constant 90-min wait, so no real benefit of the being at the party. So to have EE down really hurt, esp when you consider there really isn’t anything else to do in that park. Kids did win some cheap stuffed animals at the free midway games, but even that place was overrun b/c no one had anywhere else to go. By the time EE opened, my daughter was running on fumes and we decided we didn't want to wait the 30mins it quickly grew to.
The rest of the week was pretty non-eventful. My kids also did Space Mountain for the 1st time and both enjoyed it.
Only PIA was Splash Mtn. We passed on our FP b/c it was after a huge rain storm and the FP line was insane—it stretched over and down the splash bridge and was easily 45 mins for the FP line!!! So my daughter and I decided we would rope drop MK our 2nd to last day and just ride it, so we did….annnnd it was down! Grrrrrr. We stuck around and waited by the ride, and it finally—after almost 2 hours—it finally opened, so we got our ride, but it cut a bit into the days’ plans.
We did something I really dislike and booked our flight home very late in the day, but it was cheaper. So we planned on staying in the MK that day, but I’m a sweat hog and I pity the poor person sitting next to me on the plane. However, the Contemporary pool has a small locker room with a shower, so I packed a change of clothes in my carry on and showered up before the bus picked us up. Thank god for that.
My deep seeded pet peeve in WDW is people who stop in the middle of rows in a theater. I have what my kids call my ‘coach voice’ where I’m pretty loud and booming from coaching and refereeing ice hockey for years. They know I’m not afraid to us it when a family is playing dumb and jamming up the row. I had to use it 1x at Philharmagic, the poor CM was asking them to move down and they were ignoring her, and I belted our a “Mooooove the hell down” from a few rows back, that got their attention and brought applause from the audience. It happened again at Tough to Be a Bug, but this time the woman right in front of me was holding up the row. Along with the people they were holding up, we added in the ‘move down’ chorus until she turned around and told me to “F(word) off and shut my F’in mouth” then told my ’13 yr old daughter to “b(word), you need to shut the F up”…Soooo I guess its on. I got up and her and I went at it for a few mins, but they were not budging. It was a good verbal scrap, but man its good she was a female b/c it may have went to blows. Lol
I go back solo in late September, but I’m gonna say that I think I’m sort of Disney’ed out right now. I really love it there, but the excitement really kind of leveled off this trip. IDK if its just the same old same old, or that this is my 1st year where I’m working for myself and there was no vacation check to come home to? But we found ourselves looking forward to getting home. Also I think this is the 1st year I really felt trapped in the Disney bubble. IDK, I usually love being in it, but I noticed more transportation issues and hiccups and more work getting around.
Regardless, it was great to be with the family and overall had a great time.
This trip was intentionally planned to maximize relaxing and enjoying the resort. We planned most of our park time after 3pm, with no Fast Passes before 4. We also went to the quick service dining plan (2 QS, 2 Snacks per day), vs the standard plan (1 TS, 1 QS, 2 Snk) we normally do. We realized that while we really enjoy dining at WDW, we were rushing around to get from one reservation to another. Plus they kind of force you into at least 1 sit down meal per day which really cuts into your day. We did plan 3 table service/buffet meals—1900 Park Fare at GF (my wife’s parents and aunt were there a the same time although not traveling with us, so we planed a meal together), Kona Café (b/c I needed my Tonga Toast) and Chef Mickey’s (which is our traditional ‘last meal’ at WDW).
That said, we still found ourselves again with a ####-ton of QS and snack credits left over that we wasted on packaged candy and crap. With the 4 of us, and the 3 sit down meals planned, that 16 meals we were not using, and we get so full that no one wants to eat 3x that day, plus snack. I found myself forcing a cookie or some fattening dessert into my face at the end of the day back at the resort just to ‘kill a credit.’ I had fantasies of eating all this fun food and snacking around the world, but with the heat and being in the pools for most of the day, eating hot food was the last thing on my mind. My wife and I think we are done with the dining plan now. Yes, food items are expensive there, but I think we forced ourselves more then we wanted to just because we already paid for it. Our next trip will not be for a long while, but I think one of my friends has it right—they buy a gift card equal to what the dining plan would be and use that for food. If they break even, cool; if they go over, OK; and if they spend less, they roll it into the next trip.
As for the parks, they were mostly crowded. IDK if I was just picking the wrong park on the wrong day, but we only ran into smaller then normal crowds a few times. MK was always crowded.
We did have 2 special events planned. Our 1st full day, we booked the early morning magic at Studios. This was mainly to ride Slink Dog and Midway Mania a few times. We were not planning a lot of overall time in Studios given its one of my least favorite parks until the rest of it is done being constructed. So we got in early, did 3x on SD, 2x on TSMM and 1x of Alien Saucers. We then skipped the included breakfast b/c the menu didn't appeal to us, and went straight to RockNRoller Coaster as the park opened. Now my 9 y/o who hated Hagrid’s was 100% set on riding RnRC! Why? B/c some stupid YouTube family he watches rode it and their kid who is younger then mine loved it…so he can’t be weaker then him, right?? Me, the wife and the daughter were all like “you sure dude?” but he was determined. And guess what…he loved it! We did it again right away and if it wasn't for a now 60+ minute wait, we would have done it a 3rd time. Someone just got a little hair on their balls. We bailed right after that.
The other event was a free DVC event at AK after hours. For the party, they had FOP, Navi River (pass), Tough to be a bug, night safari, Everest and Dino planned to be open. No shows (Lion King or Nemo), but some street entertainment, and a few unique characters. We also got free meal tickets and free ice cream (more dining plan credits not being used), and some free passes for the midway games in Dinoland. We ate first while they cleared out the day guests then headed over to the night safari….honestly, it was total waste, couldn't see much of anything. I thought they had some low level lights, but nothing. After that, we found out EE was down (and stayed that way for 80% of the night). Crap, we had planned on riding EE (best coaster on property and I’ll fight you if you think differently) until we couldn't walk. We planned on getting there early and had FP’s booked for FOP, Safari and Dino before the party, so that didn't really leave us much else to do. The lines for the characters were very long, and I really don't care to meet them anyway. Being the other E-ticket thrill ride was down, most people went to FOP which stayed at a constant 90-min wait, so no real benefit of the being at the party. So to have EE down really hurt, esp when you consider there really isn’t anything else to do in that park. Kids did win some cheap stuffed animals at the free midway games, but even that place was overrun b/c no one had anywhere else to go. By the time EE opened, my daughter was running on fumes and we decided we didn't want to wait the 30mins it quickly grew to.
The rest of the week was pretty non-eventful. My kids also did Space Mountain for the 1st time and both enjoyed it.
Only PIA was Splash Mtn. We passed on our FP b/c it was after a huge rain storm and the FP line was insane—it stretched over and down the splash bridge and was easily 45 mins for the FP line!!! So my daughter and I decided we would rope drop MK our 2nd to last day and just ride it, so we did….annnnd it was down! Grrrrrr. We stuck around and waited by the ride, and it finally—after almost 2 hours—it finally opened, so we got our ride, but it cut a bit into the days’ plans.
We did something I really dislike and booked our flight home very late in the day, but it was cheaper. So we planned on staying in the MK that day, but I’m a sweat hog and I pity the poor person sitting next to me on the plane. However, the Contemporary pool has a small locker room with a shower, so I packed a change of clothes in my carry on and showered up before the bus picked us up. Thank god for that.
My deep seeded pet peeve in WDW is people who stop in the middle of rows in a theater. I have what my kids call my ‘coach voice’ where I’m pretty loud and booming from coaching and refereeing ice hockey for years. They know I’m not afraid to us it when a family is playing dumb and jamming up the row. I had to use it 1x at Philharmagic, the poor CM was asking them to move down and they were ignoring her, and I belted our a “Mooooove the hell down” from a few rows back, that got their attention and brought applause from the audience. It happened again at Tough to Be a Bug, but this time the woman right in front of me was holding up the row. Along with the people they were holding up, we added in the ‘move down’ chorus until she turned around and told me to “F(word) off and shut my F’in mouth” then told my ’13 yr old daughter to “b(word), you need to shut the F up”…Soooo I guess its on. I got up and her and I went at it for a few mins, but they were not budging. It was a good verbal scrap, but man its good she was a female b/c it may have went to blows. Lol
I go back solo in late September, but I’m gonna say that I think I’m sort of Disney’ed out right now. I really love it there, but the excitement really kind of leveled off this trip. IDK if its just the same old same old, or that this is my 1st year where I’m working for myself and there was no vacation check to come home to? But we found ourselves looking forward to getting home. Also I think this is the 1st year I really felt trapped in the Disney bubble. IDK, I usually love being in it, but I noticed more transportation issues and hiccups and more work getting around.
Regardless, it was great to be with the family and overall had a great time.
jb1020
Footballguy
@glvsav37 that entire review speaks to me. We've become one in the same kind of Disney guy. I still get giddy over Disney stuff, but overall our last couple of trips have been pretty meh. I really don't have much excitement over Star Wars land.
The best take aways for us now are relaxing at the pool and watching our kids have a blast and being best friends for a week.
The best take aways for us now are relaxing at the pool and watching our kids have a blast and being best friends for a week.
glvsav37
Footballguy
One more fun note: When we got to AK on that party night, FOP was at capacity so our FP converted to an anytime FP. So we audibled to see the Lion King show until they opened FOP back up
Now my wife and I know the parks well enough that if we get split up its no big deal, we know where we are going. So on our way, I was with my son while my wife and daughter were about 20 yards behind me. Out of the blue, about 100 yards away from the LK show, a super cute CM with a to-die for Australian type accent approaches me and asks "Hello, are you going to the LK show?"
Me, trying not to stutter "Ummm, yes"
Her: "Oh, great....follow me."
So now i'm thinking how can i loose the kids and wife, so her and I can go play a little 'Circle of life' in the break room, I mean why else would she pick ME out of everyone here? Right?
Well the wife catches up...i guess b/c she saw some hottie mac'in on her man obviously. As she led us right trough the line, inside the theater, past people flowing into the rows and sat us right in the very front row. I mean so close that i could trip the performers. Of course, thats how I got picked to represent my section in making the animal noise, and my kids were getting high fives from the performers all show long. What a crazy, great experience!!.....and I still think she wanted me! (at least thats what I'm telling myself) lol
Now my wife and I know the parks well enough that if we get split up its no big deal, we know where we are going. So on our way, I was with my son while my wife and daughter were about 20 yards behind me. Out of the blue, about 100 yards away from the LK show, a super cute CM with a to-die for Australian type accent approaches me and asks "Hello, are you going to the LK show?"
Me, trying not to stutter "Ummm, yes"
Her: "Oh, great....follow me."
So now i'm thinking how can i loose the kids and wife, so her and I can go play a little 'Circle of life' in the break room, I mean why else would she pick ME out of everyone here? Right?
Well the wife catches up...i guess b/c she saw some hottie mac'in on her man obviously. As she led us right trough the line, inside the theater, past people flowing into the rows and sat us right in the very front row. I mean so close that i could trip the performers. Of course, thats how I got picked to represent my section in making the animal noise, and my kids were getting high fives from the performers all show long. What a crazy, great experience!!.....and I still think she wanted me! (at least thats what I'm telling myself) lol
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MTskibum
Footballguy
I want to read your posts, because I am going to Disney in a little over a month. But I have no idea what half your acronyms mean and you use 2-3 in every sentence.
jb1020
Footballguy
AK- Animal Kingdom
FOP- Flight of Passage
FP - Fast Pass
You'll figure most out pretty easy now.
glvsav37
Footballguy
lol sorry..disney nomenclature.
Most Acronyms are for Parks
MK: Magic Kingdom
HS: Hollywood Studios
EP: Epcot
AK: Animal Kingdom
or rides:
FOP: Flight of Passage
EE: Expedition Everest
PotC: Pirates of the Caribbean
TSMM: Toy Story MidwayMania
Then there are others like
FP: Fast Pass
AP: Annual Pass
Sorry, when you write about this stuff enough, the place names just get so long, so I abbreviate. I'll try not to as much, or at least mention the full name first.
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glvsav37
Footballguy
jb1020
Footballguy
this is too much. haha
You mentioned your oldest was a roller coaster junkie now. I think my 9 yo is gonna be the same and I want to put him to the test. Our best option is Six Flags over Georgia. Casually mentioned it to my wife the other night and I got the death stare. She muttered something about the kids being used to Disney then compared Six Flags to a carnival.
I think my best option now is just to steal my kid and head over early one morning.
In The Zone
Footballguy
The wife and I were lucky enough to ride this 7 times back in 2000.
Will be scouring YouTube for this video.
Ramblin Wreck
Footballguy
Does anyone think the Quick Service Meal Plan is worth it?
It's going to be $55/day per person. Assuming the two snacks are $5 each that's $45 for the two meals. Most QS meals are $15 tops, right? I feel like I'm missing something
It's going to be $55/day per person. Assuming the two snacks are $5 each that's $45 for the two meals. Most QS meals are $15 tops, right? I feel like I'm missing something
glvsav37
Footballguy
You are also getting an alcoholic drink with each QS meal where available. We are not big drinkers but did get a glass of wine a few times at the resort location and a mixed drink or 2 when ordering at the pool bar.
That said, I still don’t know if it’s worth it. As I said in my review post, we tried the QS plan and it was still too much food.
glvsav37
Footballguy
My oldest is 13 and she didn’t really hit her stride until a year ago. I’m shocked my 9 year old went on RnRC But it was funny bc he watched some 3d renderings of the ride inn youTube and could tell you exactly how many curves there were and knew where the upside down parts were.
6 flags is fine, but you know your kid best. If you take them and they start to #### themselves them I say back off before you ruin them.
I remember my father throwing me over his shoulder and physically dragging me on my 1st coaster...the big bad wolf in Lake George NY.
That one guy
Footballguy
2 shot in the dark options if your scenario provides for away time from Disney/rest of family and money:
Groupon currently has SeaWorld Aquatica tix for sale at $34.99/ea; valid thru August 30th. It’s not actual coasters, but they’ve got some butt-clinching options for even the most seasoned coaster enthusiast. Plus, if it is within that valid date period, water park in Orlando is worth about any price. I can’t speak too much to the adult options as been twice now with my 4 year old daughter. We did stuff her speed, and I got a good giggle out of it
Groupon also has single day tix to Fun Spot (it’s hhuuugggee!; locals will understand) for $44/ea. Couple smaller coasters, the wooden one is all kinds of fun. There’s also a steel one, doesn’t loop but still fun; my wife, anti coaster person, rode it 8 times in a row after only 3 WhiteClaws. It’s an endorsement? The boy would also love, I think, the 3 different go cart tracks. Further up on the danger scale for a newbie, they have a sky coaster (giant bungee swing).
SeaWorld itself doesn’t have any deals that I know of, just $100/ea I think. If you’re down to splurge, their 3 coasters and 2 water rides are fantastic! I’ve ridden Mako over 100 times by now (work allows me over there for business reasons and then I have lunch and a ride or 4). Mako, hands down, the best coaster in FL. Universal and Legoland also have no fears that I know of.
One more potential option: both Pointe Orlando (IDrive central) has a slingshot and the new giant swing (400ft).
Groupon currently has SeaWorld Aquatica tix for sale at $34.99/ea; valid thru August 30th. It’s not actual coasters, but they’ve got some butt-clinching options for even the most seasoned coaster enthusiast. Plus, if it is within that valid date period, water park in Orlando is worth about any price. I can’t speak too much to the adult options as been twice now with my 4 year old daughter. We did stuff her speed, and I got a good giggle out of it
Groupon also has single day tix to Fun Spot (it’s hhuuugggee!; locals will understand) for $44/ea. Couple smaller coasters, the wooden one is all kinds of fun. There’s also a steel one, doesn’t loop but still fun; my wife, anti coaster person, rode it 8 times in a row after only 3 WhiteClaws. It’s an endorsement? The boy would also love, I think, the 3 different go cart tracks. Further up on the danger scale for a newbie, they have a sky coaster (giant bungee swing).
SeaWorld itself doesn’t have any deals that I know of, just $100/ea I think. If you’re down to splurge, their 3 coasters and 2 water rides are fantastic! I’ve ridden Mako over 100 times by now (work allows me over there for business reasons and then I have lunch and a ride or 4). Mako, hands down, the best coaster in FL. Universal and Legoland also have no fears that I know of.
One more potential option: both Pointe Orlando (IDrive central) has a slingshot and the new giant swing (400ft).
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
We stopped the dining plan years ago. We just figured out how to get what we want with cash and the dvc and annual pass discounts.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
doowain
Footballguy
Have they just raised the rates to cover the loss of giving it away to so many people?
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
No. They have raised the rates because somehow they can just keep charging tons more and people keep going.
doowain
Footballguy
Any idea when reservations should come available for non-passholders staying on property? Does reservation = fast pass?Galaxy’s Edge reservations are up if you are a passholder. Got mine.
Capella
Footballguy
Yes we have a pass for the falcon ride. I haven’t heard anything about people on property or DVC, which is surprising.
Capella
Footballguy
Oh yea technically it is a “reservation”. They said they will email us details 3-5 days in advance.
doowain
Footballguy
Has anyone ever used the Extra Magic Hours at Hollywood Studios? I missed out on getting Slinky Dog Dash fast passes, even though I was on the ball at 7:05 the morning they opened up.
EMH for the day we are going are 6am-9am.
Hoping to ride that and visit Galaxy's Edge during the EMH.
EMH for the day we are going are 6am-9am.
Hoping to ride that and visit Galaxy's Edge during the EMH.
Osaurus
Footballguy
Osaurus
Footballguy
I have. Rope drop and then rope drop. You’ll be in line for less than 20 minutes for Slinky Coaster. Just follow the herd (the smaller one)
glvsav37
Footballguy
they are all pretty standard there. However from what I understand, the big thing is the SunPass toll fees. Apparently they vary. I have not rented a car in years, but this site looks like it breaks down the fees pretty well. I think at a minimum, you should ask about any 'fees' when booking. Seems there are even fees at certain agencies for declining it (F'ing companies)
I don't know if your trip falls within this time frame, but I know that the SunPass dept (whatever they are called) was allowing you to borrow a SunPass and picking it up right at the airport.
If the times fit, you can register here
Boom! not a single acronym used!!
Capella
Footballguy
So all done. I would say make sure you schedule frequent breaks for the kiddos and uhhhhhhh...spend as much time at Disney as possible. There is just really nothing at universal for kids. I guess your four-year-old will get to do more than your 2 (and my 2 did) but it’s really slim pickings at both parks. And that’s cool, I get it, that’s what Disney is for.
We have two more days at universal later in the year so we are leaving our son home for those and buying the fast passes.
ThreeThousand
Footballguy
Agreed with all this. I like Universal a lot for what it is, and I'd say they do some things better than Disney (much prefer their security screening process). What they don't have, however, is stuff for young kids. My youngest is 4 and there is virtually nothing there that she loves (or really even likes a lot). She's still terrified at some of the screen rides that are 3D and stuff jumps at you. I would hard pass on Universal with kids that are 4 and 2.
Capella
Footballguy
Oh yea my wife and I commented on the security every time. Really awesome. Way better than Disney. Makes up for the 5.5 mile walk from the car to the park entrance (I kid. Sort of. #### it’s far).
wlwiles
Footballguy
I haven't seen a 3 hour Extra Magic Hour window before, but if that's true then surely you'll be fine to do SDD in that amount of time, especially if you go there first. There's no way I'd be able to get our family up and to the park for a 6 am rope drop, so you'd beat most folks I'd think.
We were there in May and went to HS during the 1 hour Extra Magic window day (8 AM - 9 AM). We got to the park at 7:50 (from the Boardwalk boat), and as we walked up to the security/portal area they were already letting people in. We got through fairly quickly, and walked fairly fast (didn't run) to the back of the park. Just as we made the right turn into Toy Story Land there was a cast member holding a sign that marked the back of the SDD line, and it said 85 minute wait already. I looked at my watch and it was 8:06, six freaking minutes after Extra Magic Hours started, and already an 85 minute wait. We went ahead and rode Alien Saucers as a walk-on, then went to the Midway Mania shooting gallery ride and it was 15 minutes. When we got off that, I looked again and SDD was up to 125 min wait.
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glvsav37
Footballguy
Universal Orlando has invited media to an August 1st meeting at the Orange County Convention Center. No word on what will be announced, but it is casually just a few hundred yards away from the newly purchased and cleared land that is rumored (worst kept secret) to be the site of their 3rd theme park.
We will see.....
We will see.....
jb1020
Footballguy
glvsav37
Footballguy
Universals Fantastic Worlds. Supposedly, it will have a Nintendo themed land, as well as a Universal Monsters (Dracula, Frankenstien, Wolfman), Dreamworks theme land with Kung Fu Panda, how to train your dragon, et al, and Fantastic Beasts.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
Honestly, unless you are going to Universal for you and your wife or other adults/older kids then I wouldn’t even bother. Almost all the rides they either can’t ride or would be scared. I mean it’s not even close - I’m not sure you can come up with 2 hours worth of stuff to do with kids that old.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
Should have kept reading but Cappy is right - it’s not an exaggeration, if you are going for the kids then do 4 days at Disney and 0 at Universal if that’s an option
AAABatteries
Footballguy
The only time the QS meal plan is worth it is if you get free dining during Food and Wine - then it’s money (assuming you can still convert QS to Snacks)
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