1975 & 2010 A double trip report. Day 2 - Islands of Adventure - The DIS Discussion Forums

Latte Lover · 11-15-2010, 01:34 PM

Pre-trippie here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2558071
Day 1 here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2594850

We are:

Me, Theresa
My DH Tony (Tony64)
My sister Mandy (MandyJane)
My Brother-in-law Peter (FleetPete)
My Nephew Andrew (16)
My Nephew Kieran (12)
And dd Maddie (MaddieB)

Sunday 17th October

Despite having quite a late night, we woke up at 4.15 and couldn’t get back to sleep. We poked our heads out of our room (our Master suite was next to the lounge) and saw that Kieran was already up, so we made pots of tea and coffee and popped some cinnamon rolls in the oven for breakfast.

It wasn’t long before everyone was up and we were out of the door by 7.30 am, arriving at the gates of Islands of Adventure by 8.30.

Nearly there:

Eagerly awaiting rope-drop:

We were let through the turnstiles almost straight away. There was a rope drawn across the far end of Port of Entry, however we were allowed through after just a few minutes wait. With the rest of the hordes, we raced through Suess Landing (some people were sprinting like their life depended on it), taking a short cut around the side of Green Eggs and Ham, to Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The theming is fabulous, but we tried hard not to stop and look at anything as our goal was to get to The Forbidden Journey as quickly as possible. We grabbed a locker, threw our things in, and joined the queue.

There are so many great features inside Hogwarts as you queue – talking pictures etc, but the queue was moving too fast to take it all in, plus we had put our cameras in the locker so couldn’t take photos anyway!

Near to the front of the queue, we were split into two groups as Mandy thought she would be more comfortable in the modified seats (in fact, I think she would have been ok in the regular ones), so they were ahead of us in a different line. As Tony, Maddie and I got to the front, the ride broke down. Knowing the others were already on it, we laughed at the thought that they could be stuck in the spider part we had heard about – and they were! Mandy hates spiders so had to keep her eyes tightly shut until it moved again. Apparently, she was right next to Aragog!

We all enjoyed the ride and agreed we would come back to it another time, as the queue was lengthening rapidly.

After that, we did the Hippogriff ride (no wait) and then Dragon Challenge (5 min wait). So by 10 am we had done all three rides in Wizarding World. It’s definitely worth getting to the park early as by now the place was absolutely heaving with people.

The queue for Olivanders was ridiculous and there was also a slow-moving queue to get into Dervishes and Banges, so we gave them a miss for now.

We looked around Zonko’s and Honeydukes, where we bought chocolate cauldron cakes to have with our butterbeer!
We all tried it and took the necessary photos of foam around our mouths.

Cauldron cakes:

Me:

Maddie:

Mandy:

Tony:

Peter:

Somehow, the boys managed to avoid the indignity.

We had our photo taken with the Station Master by Hogwarts express. We are all attempting a magic spell. It didn’t work – the masses of people remained. Too many muggles watching us, apparently.

Maddie and Kieran outside Honeydukes:

As everywhere was now extremely busy, we decided to come back to Wizarding World later in the day and made our way around the rest of the park; Jurassic Park, Suess Landing and Spiderman, stopping for lunch at midday and splitting into two groups. Tony and I went to Mythos and Maddie went with the others to Burger Digs.

Our lunch at Mythos was excellent as usual. I had crab cake sliders with watermelon salsa and creamy potato salad – so delicious. Tony had the filet steak and we shared the gooey chocolate banana cake, which we love.

We met up with the others and for some crazy reason thought it was a good idea to go on Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge Rat Barges. We know you get soaked on this ride, and we didn't want to get soaked, but we did it anyway!

Andrew, very sensibly, decided to sit out this ride and took a photo of us instead:

We really were completely drenched.

We had to walk up to Wizarding World, dripping all the way. We went into the restrooms to try and wring out our clothes, but it didn’t help much.
We squelched around the shops at Wizarding World, which were probably even busier than before, but at least people gave us a wide berth when they saw how wet we were.

Maddie bought a quidditch shirt, a gryffindor crest banner and some Harry Potter tumblers, then some of us joined the queue to get into Dervish and Banges, and in fact it was the longest queue of the day!
It’s such a cramped shop so it can’t accommodate many people at a time. We bought some postcards (surprisingly there are only four different ones, so we bought them all) and Maddie bought a photo frame. We had all the postcards stamped with the owl post postmark when we got outside.

Then it was time for wand-buying! It's a serious business, making sure you get the right one. Here's Kieran trying them out before settling on Dumbledore's.

We were still very wet and tiredness was beginning to creep in by now and we decided to go back to the villa. After showering and changing into dry clothes we popped out to Walmart and picked up ribs, chicken, pizza, salad and garlic texas toast for dinner, plus a tray of mixed cheesecake slices and some Ben and Jerry ice-cream that we can’t get in England (Peanut Brittle and Milk and Cookies). There were lots of other lovely flavours including one called “Everything But The” which really did seem to have everything yummy in it.

We’d had a really lovely day and the only bad bit was when I dropped my camera getting out of the car and it no longer focused properly. Maddie said to leave it as she’s always dropping electronic things(!) and they usually work fine by the next day.

We watched a bit of American football then fell into bed.

Tomorrow: Typhoon Lagoon and the Mystery of the Disappearing Family Members.

jockey · 11-15-2010, 03:19 PM

Great day fab pics too, I can't wait to try butter beer

Mrs Doubtfire · 11-15-2010, 03:32 PM

Sounds like a great day - you sure did get wet

SusanEllen · 11-15-2010, 03:40 PM

Theresa,
I don't mean this as hollow flattery to you and Mandy and certainly don't mean to indicate that Maddie looks older than her years but honestly, take a look at the sequence of beer lips and tell me, doesn't it look like you're three sisters? WDW seems to work like a time travel tonic for you and Mandy. Don't they say that a genuine smile works like a good face lift?

Ware Bears · 11-15-2010, 04:51 PM

I love all your butterbeer photos.

Chilly · 11-16-2010, 05:45 AM

Love the butterbeer photos

Tammy Stringer · 11-16-2010, 07:47 AM

A great day Theresa. Sounds like you enjoyed some tasty food too at Mythos and from Walmart. Lovely sounding Ben & Jerrys
- I love peanut brittle.

Can't wait to visit WWoHP sometime in the future it looks amazing

Tam

dixonsontour · 11-16-2010, 08:16 AM

great update - some lovely pictures

taylor91 · 11-16-2010, 10:18 AM

Looks like you had a great day, I love IOA, it is an amzing park, especially with WWOHP now within it

Looking forward to day 3

Muscateer · 11-16-2010, 10:27 AM

Great day, love all your photos

UKDEB · 11-16-2010, 10:52 AM

What a fun-packed first day. Your comments about the rope drop sprint, made me wonder if that still happens at other parks. For years our MO was to arrive before official opening, but I can't remember the last time we did it. I can't wait to visit WWoHP, but I'm praying it will be quiet for us when our time comes.

The others don't know what they missed by passing over Mythos for Burger Digs! It's too long since we last ate there.

We always say we'll leave the wet rides until last, but then end up not doing them at all. I think the only thing for it is to get drenched and to hell with it. Maddie looks about as impressed as I do when I get my hair wet, though!

I hope there will be some photos of the villa at some stage. I love to see the accommodation and you always seem to strike lucky on that count.

mandymouse · 11-16-2010, 02:30 PM

Another great day Theresa, your photos are lovely

I can't believe how busy WWOHP still is

I look forward to your next update

Latte Lover · 11-17-2010, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SusanEllen

Theresa,
I don't mean this as hollow flattery to you and Mandy and certainly don't mean to indicate that Maddie looks older than her years but honestly, take a look at the sequence of beer lips and tell me, doesn't it look like you're three sisters? WDW seems to work like a time travel tonic for you and Mandy. Don't they say that a genuine smile works like a good face lift?

That's such a sweet thing to say, Susan. Thank you. I think you are quite right about it being a tonic though. It does seem to make us feel younger!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tammy Stringer

Lovely sounding Ben & Jerrys
- I love peanut brittle.

Tam

They had so many delicious flavours, Tam. I wanted to buy them all, but I knew we'd never get round to eating them all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by UKDEB

What a fun-packed first day. Your comments about the rope drop sprint, made me wonder if that still happens at other parks. For years our MO was to arrive before official opening, but I can't remember the last time we did it. I can't wait to visit WWoHP, but I'm praying it will be quiet for us when our time comes.

The others don't know what they missed by passing over Mythos for Burger Digs! It's too long since we last ate there.

We always say we'll leave the wet rides until last, but then end up not doing them at all. I think the only thing for it is to get drenched and to hell with it. Maddie looks about as impressed as I do when I get my hair wet, though!

I hope there will be some photos of the villa at some stage. I love to see the accommodation and you always seem to strike lucky on that count.

There's definitely still a rope drop sprint at Hollywood Studios, Deb. Everyone races to get to Toy Story Mania before all the fast passes run out! It's not quite so bad at the other parks.

Mythos was fab. We never pass up a chance to eat there.

irongirlof12 · 11-17-2010, 02:21 PM

Theresa the tash looks quite good on you...ya wear it well.

fab day and you managed to avoid the long queues.

mark&sue · 11-17-2010, 04:47 PM

I always end up buying a new dress when getting wet at IoA. I must remember to pack an spare dress with me next time.

Great photos

Susan

11-15-2010, 01:34 PM	#1
Latte Lover in charge of the credit cards and plotting quickest routes to the shopping malls Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hampshire, England Posts: 1,324	1975 & 2010 A double trip report. Day 2 - Islands of Adventure Pre-trippie here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2558071 Day 1 here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2594850 We are: Me, Theresa My DH Tony (Tony64) My sister Mandy (MandyJane) My Brother-in-law Peter (FleetPete) My Nephew Andrew (16) My Nephew Kieran (12) And dd Maddie (MaddieB) Sunday 17th October Despite having quite a late night, we woke up at 4.15 and couldn’t get back to sleep. We poked our heads out of our room (our Master suite was next to the lounge) and saw that Kieran was already up, so we made pots of tea and coffee and popped some cinnamon rolls in the oven for breakfast. It wasn’t long before everyone was up and we were out of the door by 7.30 am, arriving at the gates of Islands of Adventure by 8.30. Nearly there: Eagerly awaiting rope-drop: We were let through the turnstiles almost straight away. There was a rope drawn across the far end of Port of Entry, however we were allowed through after just a few minutes wait. With the rest of the hordes, we raced through Suess Landing (some people were sprinting like their life depended on it), taking a short cut around the side of Green Eggs and Ham, to Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The theming is fabulous, but we tried hard not to stop and look at anything as our goal was to get to The Forbidden Journey as quickly as possible. We grabbed a locker, threw our things in, and joined the queue. There are so many great features inside Hogwarts as you queue – talking pictures etc, but the queue was moving too fast to take it all in, plus we had put our cameras in the locker so couldn’t take photos anyway! Near to the front of the queue, we were split into two groups as Mandy thought she would be more comfortable in the modified seats (in fact, I think she would have been ok in the regular ones), so they were ahead of us in a different line. As Tony, Maddie and I got to the front, the ride broke down. Knowing the others were already on it, we laughed at the thought that they could be stuck in the spider part we had heard about – and they were! Mandy hates spiders so had to keep her eyes tightly shut until it moved again. Apparently, she was right next to Aragog! We all enjoyed the ride and agreed we would come back to it another time, as the queue was lengthening rapidly. After that, we did the Hippogriff ride (no wait) and then Dragon Challenge (5 min wait). So by 10 am we had done all three rides in Wizarding World. It’s definitely worth getting to the park early as by now the place was absolutely heaving with people. The queue for Olivanders was ridiculous and there was also a slow-moving queue to get into Dervishes and Banges, so we gave them a miss for now. We looked around Zonko’s and Honeydukes, where we bought chocolate cauldron cakes to have with our butterbeer! We all tried it and took the necessary photos of foam around our mouths. Cauldron cakes: Me: Maddie: Mandy: Tony: Peter: Somehow, the boys managed to avoid the indignity. We had our photo taken with the Station Master by Hogwarts express. We are all attempting a magic spell. It didn’t work – the masses of people remained. Too many muggles watching us, apparently. Maddie and Kieran outside Honeydukes: As everywhere was now extremely busy, we decided to come back to Wizarding World later in the day and made our way around the rest of the park; Jurassic Park, Suess Landing and Spiderman, stopping for lunch at midday and splitting into two groups. Tony and I went to Mythos and Maddie went with the others to Burger Digs. Our lunch at Mythos was excellent as usual. I had crab cake sliders with watermelon salsa and creamy potato salad – so delicious. Tony had the filet steak and we shared the gooey chocolate banana cake, which we love. We met up with the others and for some crazy reason thought it was a good idea to go on Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge Rat Barges. We know you get soaked on this ride, and we didn't want to get soaked, but we did it anyway! Andrew, very sensibly, decided to sit out this ride and took a photo of us instead: We really were completely drenched. We had to walk up to Wizarding World, dripping all the way. We went into the restrooms to try and wring out our clothes, but it didn’t help much. We squelched around the shops at Wizarding World, which were probably even busier than before, but at least people gave us a wide berth when they saw how wet we were. Maddie bought a quidditch shirt, a gryffindor crest banner and some Harry Potter tumblers, then some of us joined the queue to get into Dervish and Banges, and in fact it was the longest queue of the day! It’s such a cramped shop so it can’t accommodate many people at a time. We bought some postcards (surprisingly there are only four different ones, so we bought them all) and Maddie bought a photo frame. We had all the postcards stamped with the owl post postmark when we got outside. Then it was time for wand-buying! It's a serious business, making sure you get the right one. Here's Kieran trying them out before settling on Dumbledore's. We were still very wet and tiredness was beginning to creep in by now and we decided to go back to the villa. After showering and changing into dry clothes we popped out to Walmart and picked up ribs, chicken, pizza, salad and garlic texas toast for dinner, plus a tray of mixed cheesecake slices and some Ben and Jerry ice-cream that we can’t get in England (Peanut Brittle and Milk and Cookies). There were lots of other lovely flavours including one called “Everything But The” which really did seem to have everything yummy in it. We’d had a really lovely day and the only bad bit was when I dropped my camera getting out of the car and it no longer focused properly. Maddie said to leave it as she’s always dropping electronic things(!) and they usually work fine by the next day. We watched a bit of American football then fell into bed. Tomorrow: Typhoon Lagoon and the Mystery of the Disappearing Family Members. __________________ Theresa 1975 Royal Plaza 1997 Master's Inn Kissimee 1999 Clarion Universal 2001 Howard Johnson Maingate East 2003 Econolodge 2005 Howard Johnson Maingate West 2006 Our Timeshare at Sheraton Vistana Resort 2007 Club Sevilla 2008 Sheraton Vistana(May), Terrace Ridge (Aug)Nov 2009 Barefoot'n' in the keys, Kissimmee2010 Cumbrian LakesOct 2011 Sheraton & Disney MagicNov 2012 Florida Keys, The Sheraton, and OKW

11-15-2010, 03:32 PM	#3
Mrs Doubtfire DIS Veteran Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: UK Posts: 2,867	Sounds like a great day - you sure did get wet __________________ Samantha

11-15-2010, 03:40 PM	#4
SusanEllen DIS Veteran Join Date: May 2004 Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.A. Posts: 1,706	Theresa, I don't mean this as hollow flattery to you and Mandy and certainly don't mean to indicate that Maddie looks older than her years but honestly, take a look at the sequence of beer lips and tell me, doesn't it look like you're three sisters? WDW seems to work like a time travel tonic for you and Mandy. Don't they say that a genuine smile works like a good face lift? __________________ A few words about the place where the Magic began: Yet Another Happiest Place on Earth Report Disneyland, June, 2008 Pre-trip w/index to the entire report

11-15-2010, 04:51 PM	#5
Ware Bears Elvis Fan Fridge Magnet hoarder Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: England's Sunny South Coast Posts: 26,563	I love all your butterbeer photos. __________________ Elaine WDW Holiday Inn Nikki Bird Easter 2004 DLP Explorers August 2005 DLP Explorers Christmas 2005 DLP Explorers August 2006 WDW Comfort Suites Maingate East/Grand Plaza, St Pete Beach Easter 2007 DLP Explorers Halloween 2007 DLP Explorers August 2008 WDW Comfort Suites Maingate East/Disney Wonder/Yacht Club Christmas 2009 New Year 2010 DLP Disneyland Hotel May 2011 DLP Newport Bay Club August 2012 Moderator Disneyland Paris

11-16-2010, 05:45 AM	#6
Chilly I was having a bit of a blonde moment D'oh! Married my prince at WDW Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Essex, England Posts: 12,618	Love the butterbeer photos __________________ Claire 2012 May Alternative West Coast & DCL Alaska 2011 Mar/Apr Disneyland via a road trip 2010 Sept/Oct WDW POFQ 2009 Dec/2010 Jan DFTW WDW GF, Poly & AKL + DCL Wonder 2008 Jul Engaged DLRP Santa Fe 2007 Sept WDW Pop 2006 Sept WDW Offsite 2005 May Disneyland Offsite

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11-15-2010, 03:19 PM	#2
jockey Repeat after me....I LOVE CROC's, I LOVE CROC's, I LOVE CROC's!!!!!! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: N.Ireland Posts: 7,270	Great day fab pics too, I can't wait to try butter beer

11-16-2010, 07:47 AM	#7
Tammy Stringer I love babies - all milky and baby powdery Do you knit, Barbara? Up for the marquee option Join Date: May 2002 Location: Gloucestershire, England Posts: 1,502	A great day Theresa. Sounds like you enjoyed some tasty food too at Mythos and from Walmart. Lovely sounding Ben & Jerrys - I love peanut brittle. Can't wait to visit WWoHP sometime in the future it looks amazing Tam

11-16-2010, 08:16 AM	#8
dixonsontour DIS Veteran Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: lancashire uk Posts: 3,877	great update - some lovely pictures __________________ 16 trips to US 1997 onwards including All Star Movies Dec 09 with DDP, OKW Oct 10 with DDP, Floridays Resort Oct 2011, Bahama Bay resort May 2012, OKW Oct 2012 with DxDDP DH 38 Me 38 DD 7 Perfectly Princess Tea Party Review Disney Dining 2010 Review Dining on a budget - $100 a day with coupons All new Dining on a Budget of $100 May 2012 Dixons go Deluxe Oct/Nov 12 Next trip October 2013

11-16-2010, 10:18 AM	#9
taylor91 DIS Veteran Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Uk Posts: 2,603	Looks like you had a great day, I love IOA, it is an amzing park, especially with WWOHP now within it Looking forward to day 3 __________________ Taylor xx Jun'01 1st Trip to WDW Dec'04 WDW Jul'07 WDW Feb'08 DLP Jul'09 WDW Jul'10 WDW Jul'11 WDW Nov'12 POFQ

11-16-2010, 10:27 AM	#10
Muscateer DIS Veteran Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Sandpit Posts: 7,056	Great day, love all your photos __________________ Sandra

11-16-2010, 10:52 AM	#11
UKDEB Found the Tag Fairy's hangout All whacked up on Scooby Snacks Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Gloucester, UK Posts: 11,954	What a fun-packed first day. Your comments about the rope drop sprint, made me wonder if that still happens at other parks. For years our MO was to arrive before official opening, but I can't remember the last time we did it. I can't wait to visit WWoHP, but I'm praying it will be quiet for us when our time comes. The others don't know what they missed by passing over Mythos for Burger Digs! It's too long since we last ate there. We always say we'll leave the wet rides until last, but then end up not doing them at all. I think the only thing for it is to get drenched and to hell with it. Maddie looks about as impressed as I do when I get my hair wet, though! I hope there will be some photos of the villa at some stage. I love to see the accommodation and you always seem to strike lucky on that count. __________________ October 1992 ~ Enclave Suites, I-Drive May 1996 ~ Omni Rosen, I-Drive October 1998 ~ Villa-Clear Creek August 2000 ~ Beach Club/Villa-Sunset Lakes July 2001 ~ Animal Kingdom Lodge/Hard Rock Hotel/Villa-Formosa Gdns Christmas 2001 ~ Villa-Formosa Gardens October 2002 ~ Hard Rock Hotel/Villa-Formosa Gdns May 2003 ~ Portofino Bay/Villa-Cumbrian Lakes January 2004 ~ Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes/Villa-Formosa Gardens July 2004 ~ Grand Floridian/Portofino Bay/Villa-Formosa Gardens December 2004 ~ Villa-Rolling Hills/Disney Wonder Cruise/BoardWalk Grand Villa/Contemporary April 2005 ~ Washington DC, Shenandoah, Blue Ridge Parkway, Charleston, Savannah, Royal Pacific Resort/Villa-Acadia Estates January 2006 ~ Reunion Resort/Royal Pacific Resort April 2006 ~ Celebration Hotel/NCL Jewel Cruise/Hotel Victor, Miami/Beach Cottage-Disney's Vero Beach October 2006 ~ Reunion Resort/BoardWalk Villa/Rosen Shingle Creek August 2007 ~ Saratoga Springs//Reunion Grande January 2008 ~ Saratoga Springs/Beach Club Villas/Reunion Resort November 2008 ~ BoardWalk Villas/Royal Pacific Resort/Saratoga Springs March 2011 ~ Celebrity Cruise/Veness Towers, a stone's throw from the Magic Kingdom November 2012 ~ Bay Lake Tower/Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota/Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, Jupiter/Saratoga Springs September 2013 ~ Kidani Village, Bay Lake Tower, Saratoga Springs

11-16-2010, 02:30 PM	#12
mandymouse If It's Not A Bahama Mama Then I'm Not Interested Can I put my Christmas Tree up yet ? Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Nuneaton U.K. Posts: 71,920	Another great day Theresa, your photos are lovely I can't believe how busy WWOHP still is I look forward to your next update __________________ Mandy xx

11-17-2010, 02:21 PM	#14
irongirlof12 Am I the only one who loves Quorn Sausages? I would love to be at Ghiradelli's ice cream parlour with a massive choc sundae Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK. Posts: 5,499	Theresa the tash looks quite good on you...ya wear it well. fab day and you managed to avoid the long queues. __________________ Andrea xxx 1994:Grosvenor 1996:POFQ 2002: Comfort Inn LBV 2007: CSR 2009:OKW 2011:POFQ&Dream HNY DLP 2012

11-17-2010, 04:47 PM	#15
mark&sue I keep trying to convert everybody, but they just don't want to be converted I can only get a tag if its near the weekend. a monday, tuesday and some wednesdays are definately no tag days Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: London,England Posts: 5,491	I always end up buying a new dress when getting wet at IoA. I must remember to pack an spare dress with me next time. Great photos Susan __________________ Oct 1992: off site - April 1998: Dixie Landings - Oct 1999: DL California - Oct 2000: Grosvenor Resort - Oct 2001: POFQ - Dec 2001:Disneyland Hotel - Oct 2003: Davy Crockets Cabins - Oct 2004: Grand Floridian -May 2005: SSR (DVC) & HRH - Oct 2005: New York Hotel - Oct 2006: SSR and BCV (DVC) - Aug 2007: SSR (DVC) and 1st Disney Cruise - July 2008: Sequoia Lodge - July 2010: Treehouse Villas - Sequoia Lodge: Oct 2010 - April 2011 Treehouse Villas/Portofino Bay 2012/13: Several trips to our Dream holiday Home in Spain

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