“Our Trip Behind the Bricks---- A Darkside Redux… “

[coastgirl]

THanks for the great update! I admit my own rotors revved when you said you let the boys off on their own. We are bringing our 17 yo niece, so hope to get some mileage out of that.

I read your beer description to dh and he said "sounds like he knows what he's talking about". That's a compliment, trust me!

So it sounds like the Leaky Cauldron is better than the Three Broomsticks? I remember the Three Broomsticks cornish pasties were more like perogies size-wise, and left me feeling unsatisfied.

I am really hoping they are opening the Studios for EE by the time we get there in two weeks.

The interactive wands...do you have many choices? I still don't have a wand, while the kids both have theirs from previous visits (got picked for the wand show, both of them on different visits) so I'm buying the interactive one. I'm hoping I get some choice! They are welcome to buy their own, but they have to use their own money, and I think they would rather hound me than use their money! ("Own money" of course being a relative term! )

 

[Monykalyn]

Nice description of the beers! Going on the to-do list for June. I am not a "hoppy" beer person either-but I love my stouts! offtopic: If you ever have the opportunity to be in the Midwest check out Mother's Brewery stouts-particularly Winter Grind available seasonally- if you like stouts. And some night if you are bored check out their you tube videos-especially the knock off of Laverne and Shirley...)

Cannot wait to experience HE in person! Looking forward to next installment.

 

[LuvEeyore]

I really enjoyed Leaky Cauldron as well. I wish my pictures had turned out as good as yours. We only had breakfast there. We really do wish that we had had time to ride both gringotts and forbidden journey again.

 

[clsteve]

THanks for the great update! I admit my own rotors revved when you said you let the boys off on their own. We are bringing our 17 yo niece, so hope to get some mileage out of that.

I read your beer description to dh and he said "sounds like he knows what he's talking about". That's a compliment, trust me!

So it sounds like the Leaky Cauldron is better than the Three Broomsticks? I remember the Three Broomsticks cornish pasties were more like perogies size-wise, and left me feeling unsatisfied.

I am really hoping they are opening the Studios for EE by the time we get there in two weeks.
The interactive wands...do you have many choices? I still don't have a wand, while the kids both have theirs from previous visits (got picked for the wand show, both of them on different visits) so I'm buying the interactive one. I'm hoping I get some choice! They are welcome to buy their own, but they have to use their own money, and I think they would rather hound me than use their money! ("Own money" of course being a relative term! )

Put that helo back on the tarmac!

Just joking a bit. I know it's tough from the Mom's perspective. And for good reason, this day and age. But it was a great, enclosed environment to test where they were with time management. Make no mistake, I caught Mom spending as much time looking out the windows of the shops, trying to catch a glimpse of the boys as she did checking out the goods. It was a good exercise for everybody.

As far as the wands, it seemed that all of the wands belonging to known witches and wizards were also interactive - the Harry's, Dumbledore's, etc.. I'm no expert, so I could be wrong - but I didn't notice any of the un-named wands as interactive.

And I appreciate your husbands compliment! I'm no expert, but I keep practicing.....

Nice description of the beers! Going on the to-do list for June. I am not a "hoppy" beer person either-but I love my stouts! offtopic: If you ever have the opportunity to be in the Midwest check out Mother's Brewery stouts-particularly Winter Grind available seasonally- if you like stouts. And some night if you are bored check out their you tube videos-especially the knock off of Laverne and Shirley...)

Cannot wait to experience HE in person! Looking forward to next installment.

I will, most definitely check out those videos - beer with old Laverne and Shirley refs..? can't get much better than that.... And, craft brewers these days need to remember that hops are for hiding beer imperfections....

I really enjoyed Leaky Cauldron as well. I wish my pictures had turned out as good as yours. We only had breakfast there. We really do wish that we had had time to ride both gringotts and forbidden journey again.

It was good. They really have put the effort into the theme and the food quality. I completely understand that pub food isn't something some search out. And there isn't much of anything beyond it on the menu (but stew, fried fish, sausage, mashed potatoes, etc., aren't that exotic, are they?). And, some of the offerings didn't seem as authentic as I remember. But the quality of ingredients surprised me for quasi-quick service, no doubt.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Nice update.

I have been know to have beer FOR breakfast on vacation so you're fine with having one before 11am IMO.

Can't wait to see more DA!

 

[clsteve]

Nice update.

I have been know to have beer FOR breakfast on vacation so you're fine with having one before 11am IMO.

Can't wait to see more DA!

Thanks! I feel much better now...

 

[clsteve]

So it sounds like the Leaky Cauldron is better than the Three Broomsticks? I remember the Three Broomsticks cornish pasties were more like perogies size-wise, and left me feeling unsatisfied.

Forgot to answer your question. We've never eaten at Three Broomsticks, so I don't know. But, the Leaky Cauldron is worth the effort, definitely....

 

[ArwenMarie]

Great update! Really nice pictures of all of you at the IoA entrance.

Kudos to you and your wife for letting the kids have some free time. They have to learn at some point, right?

We just got back from a quick President's Day trip. One day Uni, one day MK, one day Seaworld. Oh my goodness, so. unbelievably. crowded. I think that weekend is out for us from now on, which is a shame because my kids have off from school that week and my middle schooler hates missing school now due to having to make up the work. We did the same trip last year, but I don't remember crowds like that. But we enjoyed the weather!

Looking forward to the rest of your report!

 

[clsteve]

Great update! Really nice pictures of all of you at the IoA entrance.

Kudos to you and your wife for letting the kids have some free time. They have to learn at some point, right?

We just got back from a quick President's Day trip. One day Uni, one day MK, one day Seaworld. Oh my goodness, so. unbelievably. crowded. I think that weekend is out for us from now on, which is a shame because my kids have off from school that week and my middle schooler hates missing school now due to having to make up the work. We did the same trip last year, but I don't remember crowds like that. But we enjoyed the weather!

Looking forward to the rest of your report!

Yes, they most definitely do...

Sorry to hear about the crowds. That really is getting to be a tough time to go. I'm very glad our school district has moved the kids' mini-winter break to around MLK Weekend. That week after seems to still be good. I hope it stays that way. But I was surprised at the uptick in Tour Groups we encountered.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Yes, they most definitely do...

Sorry to hear about the crowds. That really is getting to be a tough time to go. I'm very glad our school district has moved the kids' mini-winter break to around MLK Weekend. That week after seems to still be good. I hope it stays that way. But I was surprised at the uptick in Tour Groups we encountered.

That's a better week for sure. We saw a lot of tour groups too. Not annoying, but just added to the crowded feeling.

Apparently it was a convergence of President's Day weekend, Mardi Gras (the real Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday week which I think some states get off?) and Valentines Day weekend! I think people are feeling better about the economy too and are more able/willing to travel.

 

[clsteve]

That's a better week for sure. We saw a lot of tour groups too. Not annoying, but just added to the crowded feeling.

Apparently it was a convergence of President's Day weekend, Mardi Gras (the real Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday week which I think some states get off?) and Valentines Day weekend! I think people are feeling better about the economy too and are more able/willing to travel.

That was the perfect storm! And, yes, lots of people flee from Mardi Gras. We have lots of friends in NOLA who've started doing just that now that they have kids....

 

[Laketravis]

Great trip report! We stayed at RPH last month for 6 nights and did AP's as well - it was our first time at USO but we are heading back again next month. It's DS9's new favorite. I especially liked the food choices at the resorts and at Citywalk. The TS's didn't remind me of central-kitchen type fare.


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[clsteve]

Great trip report! We stayed at RPH last month for 6 nights and did AP's as well - it was our first time at USO but we are heading back again next month. It's DS9's new favorite. I especially liked the food choices at the resorts and at Citywalk. The TS's didn't remind me of central-kitchen type fare.


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That's a really excellent point. Universal going with partners, like Cowfish and Vivo, really goes a long way towards keeping the quality level high. As opposed to owning everything, which means, not only are you the only "chef" and centralizing your buying and prep, you're also only competing against yourself. Easy to start looking at margins versus quality. And that's never a good thing for us, the consumer.......

 

[WDWAtLast]

Great update! We are 12 days out from our first trip to Universal and I am really enjoying your TR! We plan to let our girls explore some on their own, too. (13 and 11) My biggest worry with them is that they will get into an argument with each other and not stick together! Purchased Photo Connect based on your last TR and glad to see that you enjoyed it enough to get it again this trip!

 

[clsteve]

Great update! We are 12 days out from our first trip to Universal and I am really enjoying your TR! We plan to let our girls explore some on their own, too. (13 and 11) My biggest worry with them is that they will get into an argument with each other and not stick together! Purchased Photo Connect based on your last TR and glad to see that you enjoyed it enough to get it again this trip!

Hah!

That's pretty close to the one worry I had when we sent them off on their own- that some robe wearing TM would come strolling down Carkitt Market dragging both boys along by their ears because one of them dared the other to climb up on the back of the Dragon....!

We've enjoyed PhotoConnect, very much. I do wish they had more strolling photogs. But it comes with some great hidden deals on in DA that I hope to get in the TR before you leave. It's $20 off a really incredible video of the family thing I'll post so you can check it out. It was really a blast for the whole family - my souvenir for the trip....

 

[WDWAtLast]

Hah!

That's pretty close to the one worry I had when we sent them off on their own- that some robe wearing TM would come strolling down Carkitt Market dragging both boys along by their ears because one of them dared the other to climb up on the back of the Dragon....!

We've enjoyed PhotoConnect, very much. I do wish they had more strolling photogs. But it comes with some great hidden deals on in DA that I hope to get in the TR before you leave. It's $20 off a really incredible video of the family thing I'll post so you can check it out. It was really a blast for the whole family - my souvenir for the trip....

You can't just leave us hanging like that! I can't wait to hear about it - we leave in 10 days - no pressure or anything!

 

[Lisa0620]

Kind of a frustrating start with all the misinformation about early entry, but it looks like it didn't derail you too much. Did the wand experience meet the boys' high expectations? Did they share a wand or each have their own? Great tip about buying wands at the less busy cart, I'm writing that down!

 

[clsteve]

You can't just leave us hanging like that! I can't wait to hear about it - we leave in 10 days - no pressure or anything!

I won't - I promise...!

We did it the last day. But, I'll put it in the TR ahead of time with a link prior to you leaving. It was so much fun and came out beautifully!

 

[clsteve]

Kind of a frustrating start with all the misinformation about early entry, but it looks like it didn't derail you too much. Did the wand experience meet the boys' high expectations? Did they share a wand or each have their own? Great tip about buying wands at the less busy cart, I'm writing that down!

It was frustrating. But you're right. It didn't cause any serious issues. More the fact that it kept changing each day.

And yes. The whole wand experience more than met their expectations. there are A Lot of wand spots. Some of which are really creative and well implemented. The boys each got their own (they'd each saved up money for them.) The wand spots in DA are much better since they were designed in from the beginning of the build. And the ones in Knockturn Alley are really good. That Kiosk for the wands is right across from the Hopping Pot. It's the one you see Russell coming out of with the map in that picture, above...

 

[snoopboop]

It was frustrating. But you're right. It didn't cause any serious issues. More the fact that it kept changing each day.

What was frustrating for us was that team members were woefully misinformed about Early Entry. One morning of our stay, a team member actually came to find us in line to apologize after giving incorrect information to us (and insisting that he was right, even though I was certain he wasn't, LOL!). It's strange that they don't have a consistent method for relaying the important information to team members in a reliable fashion.