Escaping Snowy New England for Freezing Florida Feb 2015 Final Hours 11/17 p. 23

[Wood Nymph]

A
Some of these trips were very wet, and all of them were HOT!


When we planned this years’ trip to Universal Studios during the boys’ February school vacation we were really looking forward to touring the theme parks in cooler weather.


Be Careful What You Wish For!!!

I already know what kind of weather you had. We just got back on Sunday from our four day trip with our son, two grandsons and my two sisters and we had a cold and rainy trip. We made good use of the Disney ponchos and the washer and dryer in the 2 BR villa at OKW, though.

 

[mickeystoontown]

What great introduction pictures. The boys look exactly the same...well....except, of course, in height.

Recently, I started watching the Harry Potter movies on my lunch hour and I've finished them all! Now, I am super excited to see Universal Studios (the Harry Potter part of the park) and actually know what I am looking at.

 

[MEK]

Checking in!

 

[jwwi]

"touring the theme parks in cooler weather", hmmm.
After the winter you have been having, I'm sure you were hoping for "unseasonably warm......"

 

[natebenma]

first page responders!

i'm in!

You're first!

I'm in! I love Universal, although I haven't been there in few years... not since Transformers and Diagon Alley. I look forward to your TR!



Great picture!

This was our 3rd trip to US. We were last there time just after Transformers opened (although with frequent breakdowns, I'm not sure I would call it "fully opened"). Diagon Alley was all new to us.



I adore that picture as it just perfectly depicts life with a teen.

I'm here, LOVED the Mickey Bat signal We are doing Universal next year. Our family are Dark Side peeps (except me of course ) What DH forgets is I bought WDW APs so even if we are at Universal...we will be visiting my happy place too. Can't wait to hear all about your trip Dee!!!

I loved the refused to participate

The internet is a great thing! I loved being able to find that bat-signal.

I know your family loves Universal- have you been since Diagon Alley opened?

We actually have Annual Passes for US because we needed 5 days of park admission.

The "Refuses to Participate" is one of my favorite photos!!!

I'm in! I am also from New England and I'm leaving a week from tomorrow to get away from all this snow and get to the warm weather! Can't wait to keep reading!

Wishing you fantastic weather on your trip. Hopefully by the time you are back some of the snow will be melted away.

:

Subbing in Dee. And I don't care how cold it got, you know it was still better than home.

Hey Rob- that is too true!!!

Cool. Count me in.

I wanted to add Universal to the beginning of this year's trip. It looks like I'll be planning a separate trip just for this on some long weekend early 2016 instead, to include DH. I'm excited to read all about your same time of year trip report.

Glad to have you here!!!

It can be tough to do a split Disney/US stay. We did a one day trip to MK in 2011, and it was expensive to get there and for admission to the park.

In 2013, we did 3 nights US/4 nights Disney and that was a good amount of time at each place. Having US be its own trip is a great way to do it, especially if you can stay on site.

Dee, I'm here. As I told another DIS friend, I've not visited Universal in years (and no desire), but I enjoy reading others reports on it so I'm here to follow along. Great intros!

Hi Kathy! If you are not into extreme thrill rides and Harry Potter, the Simpsons and Marvel comics, then US/IoA is not the best place for you.

I'm in. You are my portal to the dark side.

looks exciting!

Thanks for joining in!!!

:

Found my way over here can't wait to read all about it Amazing to see how the boys have grown over the course of your travels.

It was fun pulling out the old photos. What happened to those boys???

Dee - I am here and ready to read!

Rebecca

YAY!!!!

Here! Can't wait to read more.

Thanks for joining in.

So looking forward to this!! I wish the weather would have been a little warmer for you guys. We were in Florida last Feb. and it was in the mid 80s. You just never know.

Me, too, but at least we got out!

Look forward to reading more

Thanks you! Glad to have you along.

I'm in, Dee!

Your 2011 Universal report was SO HELPFUL when I was planning my day at Universal in 2012 that I'd love to read another one! I look forward to hearing about your experiences with the Harry Potter expansion!

Thanks for the kind words about my previous report.

Hope I can deliver some helpful info in this one.

Hi, Dee! I'm looking forward to reading your TR. I've never read one of your trip reports before but I have a hunch it'll be a good read. I "know" you from the BC/YC thread and really appreciate the work you do over there.

Glad you find the FAQ helpful. Thanks for reading along.

Dee. Can't wait to hear all about your trip!

Thanks, Robyn! I know you appreciate the Dark Side.

 

[natebenma]

friends!!!

I already know what kind of weather you had. We just got back on Sunday from our four day trip with our son, two grandsons and my two sisters and we had a cold and rainy trip. We made good use of the Disney ponchos and the washer and dryer in the 2 BR villa at OKW, though.

Thanks for joining in!

I think your weather was even worse than ours. We had one afternoon/evening of heavy rain, but other than that it was clear. Just cold.

What great introduction pictures. The boys look exactly the same...well....except, of course, in height.

Recently, I started watching the Harry Potter movies on my lunch hour and I've finished them all! Now, I am super excited to see Universal Studios (the Harry Potter part of the park) and actually know what I am looking at.

Glad to have you here, Lisa!

Isn't it funny to see photos of the kids when they were little?

Glad to hear you are immersing yourself in Harry Potter's world! As you know, you can still enjoy Star Wars attractions even if you don't know a wookie from a ewok, but it is so much better when you know the backstory.

Are you venturing over to the Dark Side in May?

Checking in!

Thanks for being here!!!

I know you will empathize with the weather challenges we had on the trip.

"touring the theme parks in cooler weather", hmmm.
After the winter you have been having, I'm sure you were hoping for "unseasonably warm......"

We definitely hit some "unseasonable" Florida weather.

 

[pas130]

The internet is a great thing! I loved being able to find that bat-signal.

I know your family loves Universal- have you been since Diagon Alley opened?

We actually have Annual Passes for US because we needed 5 days of park admission.

The "Refuses to Participate" is one of my favorite photos!!!

We haven't been since Diagon Alley, or the HRH refurb which I am constantly reminded of LOL. I was supposed to plan it this year..I did book it, then changed to WDW....hoping that next year my DD7 will finally hit the 48 inch mark. I broke my heart that she couldn't do Forbidden Journey (my DS6 is more than happy on Hippogriff (did I spell that correctly)

 

[pellegirl]

Looking forward to reading about your trip!!! We went down from 2/16 to 2/20 (from Michigan -driving no less) and we too had cold weather. We left the house and it was -15 outside. It didn't reach 0 until we got to Kentucky. Nice weather the first two days and then 40's the last two days there!

 

[saintstickets]

No doubt I'd be here!! Looking forward to your TR!

 

[eandesmom]

I'm here! Ah...February in Florida. It's own kind of adventure for sure

 

[SarahDisney]

I stumbled on your TR (and I actually do recognize you a little from your comments on other TRs), and I want to follow along and hear all about your escape from the snow! I also had the opportunity to escape the snow (I'm in NY, so a little less snow than you) to get down to Florida and it was such a relief to be away from the snow, even if the weather was cold! (Although we were probably there a little later than you (we got there the 19th) and it started to warm up while we were there).

We haven't done Universal in a few years (our last few trips have been Disney-only), so I'm really looking forward to reading all about Universal and seeing how much it has changed since I was last there (I'm really looking forward to Diagon Alley parts, because I'm a huge Potter fan and despite having been to Florida twice since it opened, I still haven't been)!

 

[natebenma]

We haven't been since Diagon Alley, or the HRH refurb which I am constantly reminded of LOL. I was supposed to plan it this year..I did book it, then changed to WDW....hoping that next year my DD7 will finally hit the 48 inch mark. I broke my heart that she couldn't do Forbidden Journey (my DS6 is more than happy on Hippogriff (did I spell that correctly)

I'll have some pictures of the newly renovated HRH rooms soon (in fact, I have already posted them over on the US forum). I definitely think Universal is better appreciated when the kids in the family are old enough, and daring enough, to go on the extreme rides.

Fortunately everyone in the family likes both Disney and US/IoA, although each of us have different favorites.

Looking forward to reading about your trip!!! We went down from 2/16 to 2/20 (from Michigan -driving no less) and we too had cold weather. We left the house and it was -15 outside. It didn't reach 0 until we got to Kentucky. Nice weather the first two days and then 40's the last two days there!

Thanks, and

Oh, wow! What a drive!

That's cool that we were in the Orlando area at the same time. Weather sounds familiar. US was pretty crowded. I overhead other guests saying that Disney was pretty packed, too.

No doubt I'd be here!! Looking forward to your TR!

So glad to have you joining in!

I'm here! Ah...February in Florida. It's own kind of adventure for sure

We knew we had to be prepared for any type of weather. It was just a bummer that I only had the opportunity to wear one pair of shorts during the trip and I was in jeans the rest of the time. And you couldn't see my 3 Harry Potter shirts under my sweatshirt.

I stumbled on your TR (and I actually do recognize you a little from your comments on other TRs), and I want to follow along and hear all about your escape from the snow! I also had the opportunity to escape the snow (I'm in NY, so a little less snow than you) to get down to Florida and it was such a relief to be away from the snow, even if the weather was cold! (Although we were probably there a little later than you (we got there the 19th) and it started to warm up while we were there).

We haven't done Universal in a few years (our last few trips have been Disney-only), so I'm really looking forward to reading all about Universal and seeing how much it has changed since I was last there (I'm really looking forward to Diagon Alley parts, because I'm a huge Potter fan and despite having been to Florida twice since it opened, I still haven't been)!

Sarah

Thanks for joining in! Yes, it was starting to warm up on the day we left. And after I got home, a friend that lives in Florida kept texting me pictures of the thermometer in her car reading 70's and 80's.

I'll be returning to Disney in June to chaperone a class trip. I have told the principal that if I start complaining about the heat, he should shut me down.

I am amazed at how quickly Universal makes major additions and changes to their theme parks. We went first in 2011, after WWoHP opened. On our next trip in 2013, the Simpsons area was under expansion, Transformers and Despicable Me were added. This time- Diagon Alley and more Simpsons stuff. And they are bringing back King Kong to the park.

 

[natebenma]

Is it still a PTR if you write it after you are back home?


I realized in my introductory post, I didn’t really give any actual introductions or any details about our trip.



Sorry about that!

Feel free to skip ahead a few paragraphs if you already know us or don’t really care.

My name is Dee. Many of you know me from the Beach and Yacht Club FAQ in the resort forums here: “The happiest thread on the DIS”, which I manage in my “spare time”. Some of you know me from past trip reports. I am pleased to make the acquaintance with anyone I have not met before.

I work very part time at a historical farm/museum. I also volunteer at my boys’ schools. I have been president of the middle school parents’ organization for the past 6 years. I have been treasurer of the PTA, and a few other groups, as well.




That's me on the right

Oh, and I have to include the picture of me singing Hakuna Matata last week as both Timon and Simba in front of 600 people at my son's middle school (with my buddy John).









I have known my husband Mark since 7th grade. We started dating when we were Sophmores in High School and have been married for 28 years. He is a manager of a programming/development team for a large software company. He has a nightmare commute from our home into Boston, 2 hours each way, on a good day. This winter, we have not seen many “good days”





My two sons are Nate (16) and Ben (13). Nate is a junior in High School so we are in the vortex of very scary experiences like driving lessons and looking at colleges. Nate has always been a smart but carefree *cough* lazy *cough* kid. He was an annoying teen for a couple of years, but nothing too horrifying. Now he is starting to really come around, getting motivated at school and is fun to be around. I am starting to miss him already!






Ben is a smart and talented kid. He is an excellent student in all of his subjects at school and he has been performing with a community theatre group and his middle school drama club for the past few years. His last role was the Black Knight in Spamalot.





Details, Details!

The trip was Monday February 16- Friday February 20, 2015, during the boys' winter vacation.

Our flights were on Jet Blue, scheduled to leave Boston at 7:35 am and arrive in Orlando at 10:57. Our return flight was 6:35 Friday night, arriving in Boston at 9:24.

We don’t like to drive on vacation, so we arranged round-trip transportation from MCO to the Hard Rock with Ed Korgan travel for $95 plus tip. This was the 3rd time we used Ed’s company.

As I mentioned, this was our third trip to Universal Orlando. I remember being on a plane to Florida on our way to Disney several years ago, sitting next to a family with a teen boy and girl. They were only going to the Universal parks. I didn’t understand how someone would go to Orlando and not visit the mouse at all. I get it now. Although I will definitely admit to wishing Disney had been part of this most recent trip…

Our first trip, July 2011, was 4 nights at the onsite Portofino Bay. We did 3 days at US/IoA, 2 half days at Sea World and we surprised the boys with an all-day visit to Magic Kingdom in the middle of the trip. We stayed club level at Portofino, which was a rookie mistake. We love club level because of the quick and convenient pre-park breakfast, but the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at 7 am to onsite guests, the same time as the lounge opened.

In July 2013 we did a 3 night Hard Rock/4 night Beach Club split stay. LOVED the Hard Rock, but we didn’t book club level because once again, the park opening coincided with breakfast.

This year, we booked a standard room at the Hard Rock for 4 nights ($350/night). Because we had 5 days planned visiting the parks, and US/IoA only sells 4 day tickets, we purchased Annual Passes, which were just $20 more than the 4 day tickets ($220 per person, I think)

I stalked the US website and the US Resort forum on the DIS so that I would be able to pounce on an AP discounted rate for the room when it was released. In mid-December, the discounts were released, however there were no regular rooms available. BUT, club level was just $9 more per night from what we booked. During our trip, Islands of Adventure opened at 8 am and breakfast started at 7 in the lounge.

No-brainer!!!

We changed to club level room, but we decided to keep that secret from the boys, who would not be expecting that at all.




Well, I think we are finally ready to start our journey.

Oh, except I forgot to warn you… I can get pretty wordy. My last trip report, which was a 2 day solo trip to the Beach Club for an EPIC DIS meet, was 33 chapters long.

Hope you will stick around anyway.


Next up: Are We There Yet???

 

[afwdwfan]

Looks like a good game plan to me! I did a couple of visits to Universal without any Disney time back in the early 2000's. You know, when I was still kind of in that stage where I was more interested in thrill rides and I hadn't rediscovered the magic of Disney. I can really see where it might make more sense to do a week at Universal with your boys being 13 and 16.

 

[Wood Nymph]

As I mentioned, this was our third trip to Universal Orlando. I remember being on a plane to Florida on our way to Disney several years ago, sitting next to a family with a teen boy and girl. They were only going to the Universal parks. I didn’t understand how someone would go to Orlando and not visit the mouse at all. I get it now. Although I will definitely admit to wishing Disney had been part of this most recent trip…

We had our two grandson, age 11 and 8, on this last trip and all the 11 year old wanted to do was the roller coasters and other similar thrill rides. It was the first trip where I was outnumbered by males. Luckily my two sisters were with us and the three of us took off to see the Frozen Sing Along while the guys did Star Tours. But I could see that the boys would have liked Universal better.

 

[SarahDisney]

While I am a Disney nut and it's hard for me to imagine going to Orlando and not doing Disney ... it makes a lot of sense. It's really hard to do both, especially when you only have 5 days. Doing a Universal-only trip means you have enough time for everything (hopefully) - and with it being school break, the crowds probably made it harder to get things done.

 

[nco91590]

We've planned our 10 year anniversary trip 2/1 - 2/8 next year. I've never been to Florida in Feb so I'll be tuning in. Can't be worse than Upstate NY in Feb. But I don't know if I'll like being cold AND wet.

 

[natebenma]

Looks like a good game plan to me! I did a couple of visits to Universal without any Disney time back in the early 2000's. You know, when I was still kind of in that stage where I was more interested in thrill rides and I hadn't rediscovered the magic of Disney. I can really see where it might make more sense to do a week at Universal with your boys being 13 and 16.

Nate, the 16 year old definitely is biased to Universal right now. Ben loves both, and since he (and I) will be going to Disney in June, a trip with just Universal made sense. Plus, it can be a pain- and by that I mean expensive- to do both in one trip.

:

We had our two grandson, age 11 and 8, on this last trip and all the 11 year old wanted to do was the roller coasters and other similar thrill rides. It was the first trip where I was outnumbered by males. Luckily my two sisters were with us and the three of us took off to see the Frozen Sing Along while the guys did Star Tours. But I could see that the boys would have liked Universal better.

Disney really does cater to all different tastes and ages. I find that Universal has some stuff that is only interesting to kids under 8 or so, a little bit for the mid-ranges, and a lot for the thrill-seekers. The Harry Potter stuff is good for all ages, but the two headliners have height, motion and nausea restrictions.

Glad you were able to manage some Frozen fun! I am constantly outnumbered by males and have yet to see The Little Mermaid ride at MK.

While I am a Disney nut and it's hard for me to imagine going to Orlando and not doing Disney ... it makes a lot of sense. It's really hard to do both, especially when you only have 5 days. Doing a Universal-only trip means you have enough time for everything (hopefully) - and with it being school break, the crowds probably made it harder to get things done.

We did a split in 2013: 3 nights Hard Rock/4 nights Disney- that was an awesome trip, but it is expensive, because we needed to pay for transportation from MCO to HR and HR to Disney. Then you don't get the advantage of long-term ticket prices with short stays at both.

It was crowded, but we had the express (Front of the Line) pass because we were staying on site. You would think with that much time at the parks and having been there twice before we would have lots of time to do all sorts of new things or things we have only done once or twice...

We've planned our 10 year anniversary trip 2/1 - 2/8 next year. I've never been to Florida in Feb so I'll be tuning in. Can't be worse than Upstate NY in Feb. But I don't know if I'll like being cold AND wet.

February can be a mixed bag, even within the same week. You can have days in the 80's and days in the 30's. Sometimes in the same week. We did have one evening that was a washout, but other than that, thankfully it was dry during the rest of our trip.

Like you said, at least we got away from the snow!

Where are you staying for your anniversary trip?

 

[natebenma]

I am going to push through with another update. I am anxious to get to the parks!!!

 

[nco91590]

Nate, the 16 year old definitely is biased to Universal right now. Ben loves both, and since he (and I) will be going to Disney in June, a trip with just Universal made sense. Plus, it can be a pain- and by that I mean expensive- to do both in one trip.

:




Disney really does cater to all different tastes and ages. I find that Universal has some stuff that is only interesting to kids under 8 or so, a little bit for the mid-ranges, and a lot for the thrill-seekers. The Harry Potter stuff is good for all ages, but the two headliners have height, motion and nausea restrictions.

Glad you were able to manage some Frozen fun! I am constantly outnumbered by males and have yet to see The Little Mermaid ride at MK.






We did a split in 2013: 3 nights Hard Rock/4 nights Disney- that was an awesome trip, but it is expensive, because we needed to pay for transportation from MCO to HR and HR to Disney. Then you don't get the advantage of long-term ticket prices with short stays at both.

It was crowded, but we had the express (Front of the Line) pass because we were staying on site. You would think with that much time at the parks and having been there twice before we would have lots of time to do all sorts of new things or things we have only done once or twice...








February can be a mixed bag, even within the same week. You can have days in the 80's and days in the 30's. Sometimes in the same week. We did have one evening that was a washout, but other than that, thankfully it was dry during the rest of our trip.

Like you said, at least we got away from the snow!

Where are you staying for your anniversary trip?

BEACH CLUB VILLAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOO! Also, we're doing DxDP 7 nights of signature, kid free dinners (our kids anyway).....can.not.wait.