"One Step Ahead of the Slowpokes!"- A Dec '10/Jan '11 Trip Report! FINISHED 3/9 pg 38

[sbprincess]

Awe, it sounds like you made the right decision to head back to the room. Since you weren't able to eat much of your dinner at POP I'm sure it wouldn't have been very different at Le Cellier. I am jealous of the tye-dye cheesecake though! For the one non-breakfast meal we ate at POP in December they were out (it was late)! I was bummed. Maybe another time though.

I am a late comer to the Harry Potter craze. I haven't read any of the books or saw any of the movies. I know, where have I been?? But I've been thinking that I want to do one or the other this summer. Which would you recommend?

 

[onelilspark]

Joining in!

Being sick at Disney is the worst! I got sick during our October trip last year...during Food & Wine! So sad! Making that decision to leave to rest is the worst decision to make, but ultimately it makes the rest of the trip better!

 

[wahoostampingirl]

I just spent my day reading your TR between errands and house stuff. I'm really enjoying it and it's putting me in the Disney mood for our fast approaching trip.

We had a trip a few years ago where everyone in our group of 6 got sick or hurt on the trip. We also had to skip out on a Le Cellier ADR that time, but got to go on our last trip. It was worth the wait! I have another ADR scheduled there for our upcoming Aug. trip and the whole family is so looking forward to it. I hope you get to go on your next trip, but you made the right decision to go back to the hotel and rest.

 

[Nermel9]

LOL, I remember you texting me about Le Cellier that night, I was shocked!!! But you made the right choice, Le Cellier will always be there to try another time, and you don't want to be sick for the rest of your trip, there is seriously nothing worse than being sick and dragging yourself around Disney!

That was so sweet of John to try to cheer you up! I would have been sad about leaving Epcot too!

I love Norway!! I think it's so weird that the wait to Maelstrom can get so long, I mean, I love it, but it doesn't seem like something a lot of people would like, it's just so strange!

Oooh, SoG looks so pretty! Those are the first pics I've ever seen of the inside of it!

That cheesecake looks great, I had no idea it had red velvet cake on the bottom, I have to try it sometime!

Can't wait to read about your Universal day, I'm still debating on whether or not to go there in October!

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Loved the update and I totally agree with your decision to go back and rest up. I hope you felt better soon. Le Cellier will be there on your next trip.

Your pearl looks lovely. I hope you were able to find a setting you like. My daughter did that when she was 8. She named her pearl Shinky. Not sure where that came from. We had rabbit ears drilled into it and it is somewhere in her room. I completely forgot about Shinky until I read about it in you trip report.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on WWOHP. I am really looking forward to visiting during our December trip.

 

[therussells08]

I'm glad you decided to go back!

You still got to see so much of WS on your way out!

John is such a sweetheart, he was so nice for trying to cheer you up! What an angel.

Love that Christmas tree!

Your PP pics are adorable! I have that shirt you're wearing!

OMG, Shades of Green is beautiful! I never really saw pics of it before, but now I really want to stay there. My Dad has and he loves it there! If Disney doesn't extend the 2012 military discounts to the Disney resorts, and I don't go out West to Cali/DLR to visit my Dad next summer, then I definitely want to stay there! At least for part of my trip! Maybe a split stay between CR or Poly and SoG! Or if we ever go down at Christmastime with him. Sorry for planning my trip on your TR, but it just inspires me!

If I ever stay at POP, I am definitely going to try that tie-dye cheesecake! Red velvet and cheesecake are my favorites, so together they are just

Good for you for getting to bed so early! And squeezing in some Stacey!

Can't wait to hear about WWOHP!

Thanks! He is a sweetheart. I'm lucky to have him!

That's so cool that we have the same shirt!

Don't apologize, I love hearing your plans! I would love to stay at SoG someday...it's just always booked when we plan our trips!

You would definitely love the tie dye cheesecake!

Good thing you went home! You needed the rest! When I was 12 I was sick in Epcot too I ended up leaving and I had tonsilitis for the rest of the trip! It was so sad! Hopefully you'll be able to get back on your feet faster than I was able to!

LOL at that lady in Norway buying the entire store. I'm sorry but if I had that kind of money to spend, I definitely would have picked a different store to spend it at

Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get back to Le Cellier on your next trip! It's good... but going back to the room was definitely a better idea.

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear about your sick experience at Disney! I hope that never happens again! It's awful being sick, especially at Disney!

That's exactly what I was thinking! There's now way I would spend all my money there!

You're right about Le Cellier. Anyway, there's no way I would have enjoyed it since I felt so bad.

I agree, going back to the room was a much better idea than trying to make the ADR I hope you felt better

Thank you! I did feel better pretty quickly, thank goodness!

Aw Joni you sounded so sick I'm glad you decided to go on back to the room. You still got to see so much on your way out, though. Oooh the tie dye cheesecake has a red velvet bottom!? I must try it now!

I felt pretty awful, but luckily I got better soon after! Yes, you need to try the tie dye cheesecake! The red velvet bottom is awesome!

Great trip report! I started reading in the afternoon (the chapter links) and got to the end of Decisions Decisions and was afraid I would have to wait awhile to see what happened with your LeCellier reservation. Luckily, DD14 had come in and started reading with me a few chapters back and reminded me that I should try and refresh the page. Woo Hoo! Bonus chapter! I am sorry that you weren't feeling well, but you made the right decision to relax and try to get better for the rest of your trip.

Madame Leota's "at" drives me nuts every time I hear it, too.

I'm so glad you are enjoying my TR! I hope the chapter links have been helpful.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets mad at Madame Leota's grammatical error!

I'm glad you decided to go back to your room - seems like you made a good call and at least resting meant you could enjoy the rest of your trip.

Yay on still getting to see the rest of WS and how sweet of John to try and cheer you up

I love the PP pictures and you look great in them considering how you felt. I can't wait to try the tie dye cheesecake and look forward to reading all about WWoHP!

Thanks! John is very sweet. He always knows how to make me feel better!

Thank you so much! That is very sweet of you to say. I felt so cruddy, and I felt like the pictures reflected that!

I am going to post the WWoHP update very soon!

 

[therussells08]

Awe, it sounds like you made the right decision to head back to the room. Since you weren't able to eat much of your dinner at POP I'm sure it wouldn't have been very different at Le Cellier. I am jealous of the tye-dye cheesecake though! For the one non-breakfast meal we ate at POP in December they were out (it was late)! I was bummed. Maybe another time though.

I am a late comer to the Harry Potter craze. I haven't read any of the books or saw any of the movies. I know, where have I been?? But I've been thinking that I want to do one or the other this summer. Which would you recommend?

I hope you are able to try the tie dye cheesecake next time! It is really tasty and fun to eat!

I would definitely recommend reading the books before you see the movies! The movies are great but they leave a lot of the story out. With the books you will get the whole story, then you can watch the movies afterwards!

Joining in!

Being sick at Disney is the worst! I got sick during our October trip last year...during Food & Wine! So sad! Making that decision to leave to rest is the worst decision to make, but ultimately it makes the rest of the trip better!

Thank you for joining in!

You're right, being sick is the worst! I'm sorry to hear that you were sick during F&W! I hope you got better quickly!

I just spent my day reading your TR between errands and house stuff. I'm really enjoying it and it's putting me in the Disney mood for our fast approaching trip.

We had a trip a few years ago where everyone in our group of 6 got sick or hurt on the trip. We also had to skip out on a Le Cellier ADR that time, but got to go on our last trip. It was worth the wait! I have another ADR scheduled there for our upcoming Aug. trip and the whole family is so looking forward to it. I hope you get to go on your next trip, but you made the right decision to go back to the hotel and rest.

I'm so glad you are enjoying my TR and it is helping you get in the Disney mood!

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear about the bad luck you had on your trip a few years ago! I'm glad you were about to go on another trip and that you are getting to go again in August!

LOL, I remember you texting me about Le Cellier that night, I was shocked!!! But you made the right choice, Le Cellier will always be there to try another time, and you don't want to be sick for the rest of your trip, there is seriously nothing worse than being sick and dragging yourself around Disney!

That was so sweet of John to try to cheer you up! I would have been sad about leaving Epcot too!

I love Norway!! I think it's so weird that the wait to Maelstrom can get so long, I mean, I love it, but it doesn't seem like something a lot of people would like, it's just so strange!

Oooh, SoG looks so pretty! Those are the first pics I've ever seen of the inside of it!

That cheesecake looks great, I had no idea it had red velvet cake on the bottom, I have to try it sometime!

Can't wait to read about your Universal day, I'm still debating on whether or not to go there in October!

I remember when we decided not to eat at Le Cellier texting you was the first thing I did! I remember telling John, "Jen is going to be so mad at me for this!"

It was very sweet of him! He always tries to cheer me up!

I know what you mean; I would never expect Malestrom to be a really popular crowd, but it's always got a huge line when we go!

SoG is gorgeous! It has a really cozy lobby, especially at Christmastime!

I am getting ready to post our Universal day in a little bit! I hope it helps you decide whether or not you want to go!

Loved the update and I totally agree with your decision to go back and rest up. I hope you felt better soon. Le Cellier will be there on your next trip.

Your pearl looks lovely. I hope you were able to find a setting you like. My daughter did that when she was 8. She named her pearl Shinky. Not sure where that came from. We had rabbit ears drilled into it and it is somewhere in her room. I completely forgot about Shinky until I read about it in you trip report.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on WWOHP. I am really looking forward to visiting during our December trip.

Thank you! You're right, Le Cellier isn't going anywhere!

Honestly, I still haven't found a setting. I put my pearl in my jewelry box when we got home from our trip and it's still there in the little plastic bag it came in! I'm glad my TR reminded you of Shinky!

I am about to post the WWoHP update now!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I love all of your pictures of the holiday decor around World Showcase! I am wishing now that I had of taken a little more time to take it all in. Everything is so detailed and beautiful!

I think you definitely made the right decision by skipping Le Cellier and heading back to Pop. I don't know how you made it so long! I am such a wimp when it comes to being sick and in pain so I am in awe of your determination!

 

[therussells08]

I woke up the next morning at 6 o’clock feeling rested, refreshed, and SO much better! I was still a little sick, but it was nothing like the day before. What a relief! I had gone to bed really worried that I was going to be too sick to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Plus, we had other big things planned for today! This was our special romantic evening when we would be eating at Artist Point and going on a private sleigh ride!

So relieved that I could enjoy the day, I showered and got dressed quickly and we headed to the POP food court for breakfast. It was pretty early still, so there wasn’t really anyone around. As a matter of fact I think we had to wait a few minutes for all of the food places to open because it wasn’t quite 7 yet. After they opened we grabbed our breakfasts. John got a French toast breakfast platter and I got a POP waffle with sausage and a cheese danish. We each used a meal credit from the DxDP. We filled our mugs with soda and got some juice and water with our meal credits.

We were both so excited for the WWoHP so we ate quickly and hit the road. It’s a pretty quick drive from WDW to Universal, so before I knew it we were seeing this:

I was so excited I almost forgot we had to pay for parking at Universal! Yikes! It was $15! That seems so expensive, but I’m not even sure how it compares to Disney’s parking prices. We never pay to park at Disney because we always stay at a Disney resort. Universal also offered preferred parking for $20. We decided to spring for the extra $5 so we would be able to park closer. It ended up being a great idea! Even though we were there before park opening there was still a ton of people arriving, and we got to park really close!

We parked and headed into Universal as quickly as possible. It took us about ten minutes to walk to Islands of Adventure. It was already obvious that there was a steady stream of people heading into IOA and straight for the WWoHP. Once we got through the IOA gate it turned into total chaos. People were surrounding us on all sides and literally RUNNING to get to the WWoHP. They had certain areas of the park closed of so the crowd had to go through the Jurassic Park area to get there. It was so crazy! There were people everywhere and they were all running as fast as they could. John and I stopped in the Jurassic Park area to use the bathroom because we knew it would be almost impossible to get into on once we got in the Harry Potter area.

After about ten minutes of running, pushing, and shoving we finally got our first glimpse the entrance to the WWoHP and Hogsmeade. It was amazing! I have been a Harry Potter fan since I read the first book when I was eleven years old, so seeing the novels come to life before my eyes was truly amazing! I actually teared up a little!

We raced into the WWoHP and I resisted the urge to stop and look at everything. It was insanely crowded, and it took us about five minutes to find the end of the line for our first goal: The Forbidden Journey. I had heard this was the most amazing ride ever so we wanted to ride this first. When we finally managed to find the line we realized it was already wrapping completely out of the Harry Potter area and back into Jurassic Park. Oh well, we didn’t care! We hopped in line and started our journey.

The line moved really quickly, but it was still long enough to give me plenty of time to take some pictures of the absolutely gorgeous Hogwarts castle!

I spent a lot of time texting pictures of the castle to my mom and sister who are also huge Harry Potter fans. The line didn’t take long at all and before I knew it we were making our way through the Hogwarts gates!

Even though the line was so long it really wasn’t a bad wait because there was so much to look at! Every few feet the view totally changed and you got to see something new!

I loved this sign they had posted!

Part of the queue for the Forbidden Journey ride takes you through the Hogwarts greenhouses. This was so cool!

Here are the Mandrakes! Does anyone know what they cured in the second book?

Before we knew it, it was our turn to enter the castle! Once you got inside it was about a five minute walk where you got to see all of the different rooms of the castle. This was almost as cool at the ride itself! They had all of the characters projected at random places so it looked like they were really there, and the different rooms looked just like the movies! Unfortunately it was really dark so I couldn’t take any pictures inside.

After about a 50 minute total wait it was our turn to ride the Forbidden Journey. All I can say is OH. MY. GOSH. This ride was AWESOME! It was like nothing we had every experienced before. Trust me, if you like thrill rides with a little bit of a twist to them I highly recommend this one!

After we finished our ride we went through Filch’s Emporium. This is the gift shop you exit through. We stopped to see our ride photo, but the machine was down so they gave us a ticket to come back and see it later.

Next we decided to go ride Flight of the Hippogriff, which is a smaller roller coaster. Luckily there was only a 10 minute wait so we hopped right in line!

Here is Hagrid’s cabin!

Once your board the ride there is a moment when you stop to see Buckbeak, the famous Hippogriff from Harry Potter. It’s really cool because he bows to you, which means you can move forward!

This roller coaster was really short but it was fast and a lot of fun! After we finished this ride it was time to brave the crowds and accomplish our next must-dos in the WWoHP!

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST…

 

[therussells08]

We hopped off of Flight of the Hippogriff and joined the throngs of people surging through Hogsmeade. I tried to take some pictures but it was really difficult with the crowds. I did manage to get a few.

Pumpkin Juice! I made a mental note to get some of this for my sister later (and myself)!

All of the Hogsmeade storefronts were really cool!

It actually felt almost cold enough for some of that snow!

We made our way to the front of Hogsmeade so we could get in line to go into one of the gift shops, Honeyduke’s and Zonko’s. That’s right, we got in line for a gift shop. That’s how crowded it was. Not only was it a line, but it was about a 45 minutes wait!

While I waited I took a picture of the Hogwarts Express!

Here is the Honeyduke’s shop front:

Chocolate frogs!

While I waited in line John went to buy us Butterbeers from a cart nearby!

Now, anyone who is a Harry Potter fan will understand my obsessive desire to try Butterbeer. I have read about it in all of the books and it always sounds so delicious! When I heard they were making it for the WWoHP I knew I had to try it!

John came back a few minutes later with two Butterbeers. You could choose between frozen or just cold, so he got me a frozen and himself a non-frozen.
I took my first sip and I was instantly in a nostalgic and magical childhood Heaven. It was SO good! It was like nothing I had every tasted before, but if I had to compare it to something I would say it was a mixture of shortbread and butterscotch.

John really liked his too, but he agreed that my frozen kind was better. It only took me a few minutes to finish the whole glass. That’s how good it was! Oh man, I wish I had some right now…

Anyway, with my Butterbeer to keep me busy it wasn’t long before it was our turn to go in Honeyduke’s and Zonko’s!

I’m sorry, but I wasn’t able to get any pictures inside the stores. It was just way too crowded. You could barely even turn around or reach the shelves to pick up merchandise. After about thirty minutes I was able to get everything I wanted from that shop. I got John and myself some Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans and a chocolate frog. Then I got my mom and sister a sugar quill and acid pop each.

We left that store and headed straight to another one- Dervish & Banges. This shop had a line just as long as the other. While we waited in line they came out to tell us that they were completely sold out of Hogwarts scarves. Darn it! I really wanted to get a Hufflepuff scarf. I took a really long quiz online once to see what Hogwarts house I would be in and it said Hufflepuff, so I love that house and I wanted to get something that represented it!

We waited in line some more and I busied myself with more pictures.

When we were next to go in the store the lady by the entrance showed us the Monster Book of Monsters she was holding. It was so cute!

Finally it was our turn to go inside. Woah, the crowd in this place was even worse! I literally couldn’t even turn around. It was so hard trying to look at the merchandise and pick things out. We were probably in there for an hour just trying to move around. Finally we got everything we wanted. I got a Hufflepuff shirt and keychain for myself; a quill, keychain, and postcard for my sister; a Quibbler (Harry Potter magazine), keychain, and postcard for my mom; and John got himself Voldemort’s wand! I won’t say how much money we spent in there, but I will say it was WAY too much!

After we finished forcing our way through the crowd we went back to Filch’s Emporium to look at our ride photo. Okay, here is a piece of advice to anyone going to the WWoHP: don’t waste your time in Dervish & Banges trying to buy merchandise. There was no wait at all for Filch’s Emporium and they sold the same merchandise and even a little bit extra. I guess no one thinks to go there because it is at the exit of the Forbidden Journey, but it is a great shop! We decided to buy our ride photo to remember our awesome “forbidden” journey!

After we left Filch’s Emporium it was almost lunchtime and we had seen all we wanted to see of the WWoHP. The crowds were really overwhelming and we were ready to get out of them. On our way out we stopped at a cart so I could get a pumpkin juice for my sister and myself.

I drank mine right then and I really liked it. It tasted just like pumpkin pie. I still prefer the Butterbeer, though. I think I will crave that stuff forever!

After our very full morning in the WWoHP we decided to leave. They had the entrance to this area of the park roped off, and people were lined up all the way through IOA to get in. Apparently they had been given return times like Fast Passes. As we left they counted us off and let two people in line come in. It was so crazy!

On our way out of IOA John decided he wanted to stop and ride the Jurassic Park water ride before we left. I had forgotten exactly what this ride was like, so I agreed. BIG mistake. I got completely soaked and so did my brand new Dooney & Bourke purse! It was still really cold out, so I was not a happy camper!

Up Next: Universal was fun, but it’s time to get back to WDW!

 

[therussells08]

I love all of your pictures of the holiday decor around World Showcase! I am wishing now that I had of taken a little more time to take it all in. Everything is so detailed and beautiful!

I think you definitely made the right decision by skipping Le Cellier and heading back to Pop. I don't know how you made it so long! I am such a wimp when it comes to being sick and in pain so I am in awe of your determination!

I'm glad you like the pictures! I couldn't believe how much work they put into decorating everything!

Thank you for saying that! I am usually a wimp too but I was so desperate to have as much fun as possible and not waste any Disney time! I ended up doing more harm than good because I pushed myself to hard!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I'm not really a Harry Potter fan, but the WWoHP looks amazing! It seriously looks like something right out of a storybook, so I'd say they did an excellent job!

 

[Cat0727]

Loved your update! The crowds sounded insane I can't believe it got to the point they were at capacity and had to wait for people to leave to let others in. But despite the crowds you and John still saw more than I did I didn't even go in all of the shops That's what I get for trying to do 2 parks in 1 day But how cute they sell the house scarves! I'm definitely getting one of those next time I visit WWoHP

 

[onelilspark]

I was terrified by the Forbidden Journey...with the spiders that spit in your face. I spent the whole ride gripping my fiancé's leg!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Yayyy for feeling better!

I am so excited for WWOHP!!! I can't wait for Forbidden Journey and Butterbeer!!!!

The mandrakes made the students un-petrified!

Can't wait for you to get back to WDW!!!

 

[wahoostampingirl]

Great update on WWoHP. We've never been to Universal, but we're going for two days in the middle of our August WDW trip. The kids are so excited since we've just started reading the HP books. It looks amazing.

 

[sticks7107]

Part of the queue for the Forbidden Journey ride takes you through the Hogwarts greenhouses. This was so cool!

Here are the Mandrakes! Does anyone know what they cured in the second book?

I believe they cure Petrification

PS Just tuning into your trip report, it looks amazing!

 

[shelbys mommy]

Ok, I am so not a Harry Potter fan. Never watched the movies or read the books, have no desire to, but that really looked like fun. Even though I had no idea what you was talking about lol

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Man, I can't wait to go to WWOHP...

 

[janeybabydee]

Wow, I love all your photos. I've been reading the Harry Potter books since I was 14 (obsessed!!!) and I'm so excited and can't wait until we're there in September! It's going to be my 28th birthday on our trip too (but I'm spending that day in MK, I want a birthday button ).