Oh It's A Jolly Holiday With Katie! - Beach Club / Grand Floridian

[bbak30]

Oh wow, so jealous of that room, it looks incredible!
We enjoyed the Grand Floridian Café, especially the fondue as well!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

OMG the GF pics are just I mean talk about perfection! It's now one of my new life goals to stay there even if it's just one night

Sorry you didn't enjoy the salmon @ GF Cafe! I have heard really good things about that place - I am not a big miso fan though so I may not have enjoyed that either. Miso is for soup, not for salmon, wouldn't you agree?

Ok...that video cracked me up! Is it weird I watched it like 3 times? You two are seriously the MOST adorable! And also, if that's how Jamie dances on IASW I would love to ride with ya'll - he would be very entertaining

Can't wait to read more girly!

Hey sis!!! Jeez this is a late reply, I'm sorry. I haven't been on the DIS properly for a while! But I KNOW, the room was so perfect!!! Aw I know, it was a shame about the salmon, although I definitely think it was just a personal preference thing. To be honest I'd never even had miso soup, although I have heard of it. I don't know, I'm just a bit picky!!! I'd definitely go back and try something else though, even just to have the fondue..

Hahah I love that video of Jamie's IASW dance too I think it's the face he pulls as well as the dance itself. He's so goofy! I love it though, because I can imagine a lot of guys would be sat on It's a Small World like "*** is this " - I'm glad Jamie embraces it..!!

Yayy I finally have a couple of updates written out, I'll hopefully get them posted today

As one who will likely never ever set foot in a Grand Floridian room (nor would they probably let me), it is just awesome to see. Classy!! But you know what's even better? You're reaction to it. Love it!!!

I have to admit, that my one and only Deluxe stay was possibly topped by just the fact that there was a coffee maker. Even wth a refillable mug I put that bad boy to much use. Sometimes it's the little things.

These are the kind of views where, if you weren't actually in Disney, you would never leave the room. PLUS you can see the monorail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


For the record, I've never heard this in Canada either.

I am ashamed to admit it, but in all my years of Disney, I have yet to see the Water Pageant. At least that I can recall.


I can't help but notice the Mickey sticker on the back of the computer, and of course I love it. Yes, beautiful, elegant room, and all I see is a Mickey sticker.

Hey Rob!! Jeez it's a been a while since I've sat down and caught up on the Dis. It's been a busy month, but I'm excited to get straight over to your TR and read about your time at the Wilderness Lodge!

YESSS I was so ecstatic to stay at the Grand!!! I remember visiting as a kid and my family would swan around pretending we lived there Like you say, staying there made me completely reevaluate my Disney mantra.. Usually I'm GO GO GO all the time (which I still was I guess), but staying at the Grand made me want to just sit around the hotel all week! I loved watching the monorail go by from the balcony!!

I can't believe you haven't seen the water pageant!! But (in my personal opinion), there is much better nighttime entertainment at Disney The water pageant is pretty random and weird!

YES I love me some Mickey stickers! It's still here on my laptop, with another one in the other corner

Love the new updates! The Grand Floridian looks amazing. You are lucky to get to stay there. After seeing your buttons for Buzz Lightyear I had to go look up how to max out a score. My oldest so and I watched a you tube video showing where to shoot. I told him to keep it a secret next time we go so we can beat my dh! We are so excited to get a button! Can't wait to see Universal.

That's such a great plan! Imagine if you get 999,999 and hubby only gets like 20,000 He'll be so confused! (And if he's anything like Jamie, he might throw a bit of a tantrum!) Too funny! Let me know how it goes!! Yay, I have a couple of Universal updates written out, so hopefully I'll be able to get them posted today

Just joined in, but am enjoying your report immensely. Thanks for sharing with us!

Hello and !! I'm so glad you're enjoying it It's been a busy month, but I've finally got a couple of updates to post later today Thanks for reading!

As much as I swear I'm not a fan of the Grand Floridian, your photos are making me VERY excited to stay there (in just a few weeks!).

Is that "Once Upon a Time" pillow in every room? If so, Anika may flip out as she LOVES that TV show.

Your view was PHENOMENAL!

Your pictures at night are wonderful, too. I especially love the picture you took looking into the room from the balcony.

OMG.. You are in Disney RIGHT NOW! I hope you're having an incredible time!!! You have no idea how genuinely excited I am to read your TR! You have such a great selection of hotels and activities! I've not been able to get on the Dis much lately, but now that my schedule has cleared up I'm so excited to go catch up on your PTR I did catch the couple of photos you put on Facebook, and I'm already greatly anticipating hearing about your California Grill experience! Have fun my dear!!

I am actually not very technical myself so I am not sure if you can share an actual playlist. Maybe you can take a screenshot of your Itunes (I'm assuming you used Itunes) playlist so we can see the songs listed? Let me know. I'd love to update my playlist!!!!

Hey! Sorry this took so long, it's been a busy few weeks! But this is a good idea, and of course I can screenshot my playlists! Is it just the parks music you're interested in? Here's my parks playlist, but I also have a lot of music from the movies if you wanted those too, just let me know!

I tend to just listen to this playlist, but I also like to search 'Disney parks music' on Youtube, there are loads of playlists on there with area music loops and general background music from the parks

 

[TheLittleKatie]

We will be staying at the VGF next month and you have got me getting even more impatient for our trip with those pictures.

That's so exciting! I'd love to stay in the villas one day. The villas building is so perfect! By the looks of your ticker, your trip is only 2 weeks away! I hope you have an amazing time!!

The Grand looks so incredible! Amazing that you could see the water pageant from your room.

It was so beautiful! Haha I know, only in Disney can you look out of your window and see a light-up sea monster swimming by

THIS. I need this for my house. Immediately. I can't believe you didn't think to steal this for me in anticipating of "meeting" me, Katie. Geeze.

Aww I do apologise my love It would look great for your next Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party By the way, if you do throw any kind of Disney themed birthday party again, I hope to be invited. I probably definitely won't be able to come, but still

Also, this is exactly why I read your TRs. PRICELESS!!!!

Hahaha, I love the IASW dance so much! And I love that Jamie embraces his silly Disney side

I just found your trip report and read the whole thing (so far) today! Just a few thoughts:
1) You two are too precious for this earth.
2) I am so envious of your trip, it's kind of hard to handle.
3) There is a special place in heaven for reporters like yourself who make TOCs for their reports. THANK YOU!
4) I can't wait to read what's next! Keep the magic coming!

Hey! And Thanks for reading!! Hahaha I love your notes THANK YOU! And I'm really glad you're enjoying it I have some more free time now, so I'll get a couple of updates posted later on today

Agreed that does sound odd. I can't say I would have tried it. I commend Jaime on his daring choice.

We thought the lobster burger was an American thing, you'd never find that here in England! Thankfully he enjoyed it though

Katie, I love this trip report! You take fantastic photos and you and Jamie are such a sweet couple! Looking forward to your next update

Hey, thanks so much! That's so nice I'm really glad you're enjoying it! I'll get a couple of updates posted later on today

This is the most entertaining trip report I have ever read! I was dying laughing, you're hilarious and I love all your Arrested Development gifs.

We just moved back from London, lived there for a year and loved every minute of it. I miss the accent so much I fall asleep to iTV and BBC at night. No joke.

Since you live in the UK y'all should do a disney cruise out of Barcelona sometime! You'd love it!

We will be at DW in September too , but the beginning. I am hoping for good weather, we will see!!

Anyway, can't wait to read the rest of your report!

Hey, thank you! This message made me smile so much I'm also really glad that the Arrested Development references aren't completely lost on everyone I love that you've been living in London! And that's so sweet that you fall asleep to ITV and BBC Although I'm sure sometimes they show Jeremy Kyle in the middle of the night on ITV.. It would be pretty frightening to be woken up by those screaming families..!

I would LOVE to do a Disney cruise!!! It's definitely on the bucket list! Have you done many of them? I always thought about doing one before/after a trip to WDW leaving from Port Canaveral, but a European one would be fun too, and probably much more convenient!

Yay for Disney in September! I hope you get as lucky with the crowds and weather as we did

Thank you! I will finally get this TR updated later on today

 

[TheLittleKatie]

First things first. You must check this out! In the search type in 'Disney' and there will be tons of radio stations that plays background music from the parks, the attractions, the busses, monorails, etc, etc, ETC!! My two fav stations are MouseworldRadio 2 and Reedy Creek Radio. It's free and I love just having the music up on my iPhone or computer while i'm cleaning or cooking.

His face is amazeballs.

Absolutely gorgeous.

Ooh, slanted ceiling?! Adds a ton to the room!

We didn't get those special tissues

Aw, if we had stayed at the same time, I could have waved to you from our balcony!



I was hoping to see more of the ceiling, I find it fascinating! It really does add to the beauty of the room, IMO.

I would have known! Harry Potter movies and Keeping Up Appearances have helped me for sure

Speaking of Harry Potter, there he is!

Seriously, I can't get over the resemblance. Even DH agrees with me.

We were very on the fence about dining here, mainly due to location for staying at the GFV. But the reviews were so mixed so in the end we ended up canceling our reservation here. When we were looking at the menus though, it was this burger that stuck out to us. Hmm, maybe one day!

Oh my gosh, how fun is that!

Are you DIS'ing and drinking a beer?!?

I'm so like this on vacation! The room needs to be in tip-top condition in order for the fun to proceed!

Spectacular view!



I need to pay attention more to the floors I walk on. I NEVER noticed these! I'm such a floor failure

OK, you are officially the best person ever. THANK YOU for introducing me to the Disney stations on Live365!!! That is so so cool! I know everything on my Disney playlist so well, now I can listen to some new Disney music YAY!

The slanted ceiling in our GF room was because we were on the top floor I think, we loved it!

OMG, I wish so much that we had been there at the same time and we could have waved across the lagoon! You guys could've held a giant mirror up so that we could watch the fireworks too

Hahaha I love that you guys both think Jamie looks like Harry Potter! That's too funny. I can't really see it, but maybe I'm too used to his face, I might need to look at him from a new perspective. Maybe I'll shave his facial hair off while he's asleep

And yes, I was absolutely Dis-ing and drinking beer I never usually drink beer, but it was actually so nice after a day out in the heat!

I have a bit more free time now, so I'm excited to go catch up with your TR!

Just got home. Let the dog out (who let the dogs out? Me! Just now!) and fed her.
But then I watched the video!

So funny!

Although I almost liked hearing "do it" as much.

Haha! My voice is so weird Now that you can embed videos into posts, I'll probably take more videos this year! So you can mock my accent

Just caught up on your whole trip report! You seemed to have a great time and it shows in your photos. Thanks for sharing! Look forward to more updates.

Hey, thanks for reading! I'm really glad you've been enjoying it I'll get some more posted later on today

I can't even begin to tell you how much I would love to go to Disney with you both! I love Arrested Development and your sense of humor is great! Thanks for the amazing read! So fun!

Aww this made me smile!! That's so nice thank you!! I'm glad you're enjoying it

This has been one of the best and most entertaining TRs I've ever read. Loving reading along!

Thanks so much!!! It makes me so happy that you guys have enjoyed reading it I'll be updating later on today, yay!

Oh wow, so jealous of that room, it looks incredible!
We enjoyed the Grand Floridian Café, especially the fondue as well!

The room was so beautiful, I miss it so much! And that fondue is delish! Looking back, I have no idea why we shared one, we definitely should've had one each!!

 

[pkondz]

My voice is so weird

If by "weird" you mean adorable... then, yes.

I'll probably take more videos this year! So you can mock my accent

That'll be fun!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 9
(September 10th 2014)
Magic is everywhere, if you know where to look.
Part 1 – Accio Adventure!

Good morning world! It’s a beautiful day!

Of course, the first thing I did when I got up was take more photos from the balcony

(Yes, I’m obsessed.)

The camera lens was fogging up because it was so hot and humid outside! But it was a really beautiful morning.

But I couldn’t bask in the amazing-ness for too long, because we were going back to Universal and Islands of Adventure today!



Late last night we realised that we didn’t really want to pay another $80 in taxi fares like last week, so this morning I got up at around 8am and went to the concierge desk to see if the Mears shuttles had any availability.

Usually people book onto the shuttle a couple of days in advance so I was a little concerned that they might not have any space until around 11am.

But the woman at the front desk was really helpful and got us booked onto a shuttle at 9:30am

I headed back to the room to get Jamie up and ready (like the toddler that he is).

We still had an hour to kill so we had some breakfast and watched some TV.

(I don’t think I’ve mentioned yet, but we’d brought some Kellogg’s cereal variety packs from home that we had for breakfast each morning. This is one of my favourite travel tips!)

I also had a couple of the Grand Floridian chocolates that we’d been given yesterday!

We left the room at about 9:20am and walked through the lobby to the front entrance of the resort.

The shuttle pulled up at 9:30am, and we hopped on and buckled up, along with just one other couple.

Whilst our driver was sorting out our payments and return tickets, I realised…

I’D LEFT OUR UNIVERSAL TICKETS IN THE ROOM.

My reaction when I realised:

I had to run back, and it was pretty embarrassing. I felt really bad for holding up the other family, but I didn’t take long, and thankfully everyone was nice about it.

Before this trip, I wasn’t a fan of this Mears shuttle..
Previously when I wrote about our first visit to Universal I mentioned this story:

“In 2012 we also had a bad experience with the Mears shuttle bus that took us to Universal from Port Orleans Riverside.
It was cheap at $20 each return, but it seemed to take aaaaaaaaaages to get there.
I think we got the shuttle at about 9:30am. Between picking people up from a bunch of other resorts, and dropping off at Sea World, Discovery Cove AND Aquatica, we didn't get to Universal until around 11:30am!”

Well I’m pleased to say that this was a much better experience!
We only stopped at two other resorts to pick up. We dropped a group off at Aquatica first, and we arrived at Universal at 10:20am.

I think I was enjoying the balcony a bit too much this morning, because as well as forgetting the tickets, I’d forgotten about my “no bags at Universal” rule, so I had a bag to lock away before every ride.

Face-palm!

But it’s OK, Jamie and I were both SUPER EXCITED. We were not phased by anything!

…

Here we are again!!

Today we were visiting Islands of Adventure, then heading back over to Universal Studios.

We decided to head round to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to ride Forbidden Journey first thing, so we walked straight through Seuss Landing.
This is our strategy because Seuss Landing and the Lost Continent don’t interest us much, so after Harry Potter we continue around anti-clockwise to Jurassic Park, Toon Lagoon, and Marvel Island.

But I actually think the theming in Seuss Landing is quite precious, so maybe we’ll explore it more this year!

Hogsmeade YAY!

The Hogwarts castle is SO BEAUTIFUUUUL.

I bet the big guys at Disney are kicking themselves for letting this go to Universal!!

I had to wait to put my bag in a locker at Forbidden Journey, which is the reason I don’t take bags to Universal!! It seems to add a lot of time onto everything..
Plus I left my phone and my camera in there so I didn’t get any pictures of the queue.
This was such a rookie mistake, I'm ashamed of myself!
It happened several times throughout the day too!

The ride was posted at a 15-minute wait, but we actually walked straight on!

It was so so good, again. I think it’s my favourite ride at Universal
It's just so crazy, you can never tell which direction you're going to go, or what giant creepy creature is going to jump up in front of your face next!

After the ride I went to get my belongings from the lockers, and it was CHAOS!
The locker area at Forbidden Journey is so tiny, and there were SO many people there. I was face-palming so hard.

Dis-folk, please hear my cries.
Do anything you can to not bring a bag to Universal!!!
Last week we had everything shoved into our pockets. It was a little uncomfortable, but SO worth it!

When I finally retrieved my things, we went over to Dragon Challenge!

There are some cool things in the queue here, like the whomping willow and the blue Ford Anglia!
And the ride was fun!
I remember riding back when it was part of the Lost Continent, and both dragons would run at the same time.
I was always super freaked out because at one point your legs felt SO close to the legs of those on the other dragon!

Next we headed round to Jurassic Park!

(Raise your hand if you're excited for Jurassic World this summer... )

I think this is the same area that the new King Kong/Skull Island attraction is coming..
MY FACE IS MELTINGGG.
It’s going to be so goooood.

This might sound weird considering it’s right nextdoor to the much-loved Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but I think the Jurassic Park area is my favourite area in Islands of Adventure.
It’s hard to explain because the ride is not one of my favourites by any means.
And there isn’t really anything else to do there.
I don’t know, I just really like the music and the atmosphere.

Jamie and I were able to mimic one of our favourite videos:

And the real music that plays really excites me.
I’m actually listening to it as I write this, and it’s making me smile!

I didn’t take many photos for some reason, but now that you can embed videos into trip reports, I’ll definitely be filming a bit of atmosphere when I go this year!

We were obviously both extremely excited, because we both needed a bathroom break already.
So we went to the Discovery Centre first.
We laughed at these dinosaurs, because for somewhere as well-themed as Universal, they do look a bit pathetic.

THIS GUY on the other hand, he’s pretty badass.

We went to ride Jurassic Park River Adventure, and were put on the front row!

FOR GOODNESS SAKE.

(Universal water rides are no joke…)

I had my camera out to take photos, but a team member asked me to put it away. Universal are pretty strict about loose items. Like, I just wanted a couple of photos of the dinosaurs during the river part.
But whatever, I respected their rules and put it away.
Plus, when I was a kid, my mum’s hat flew off on the big drop never to be seen again, and I did not want that to be my camera flying out of my hand!

Needless to say, we got absolutely SOAKED!
But it was fun.
I find the bit in the dark building a bit scary, but I really like seeing the dinosaurs in the first bit.
It’s like the Jungle Cruise for dinosaurs!

We headed out of Jurassic Park and walked around to Toon Lagoon!
We decided to skip the two water rides here because we were already soaked.
So we explored the area a little, and continued on our travels.

We spotted a place called Blondie’s where we fancied getting lunch, but we wanted to ride Spider-Man first, so we walked around to Marvel Superhero Island!

The wait time said 20 minutes but we only waited about 10

As we loaded into the ride vehicle the team members kept repeating,

“Please wait for everyone in your row to be seated, then pull down the row’s lap bar”

But OF COURSE while we were still walking towards our seats, the woman on the end who had sat down pulled the lap bar down and rammed it hard into the side of Jamie’s leg!

We obviously could have laughed this off, but this woman just turned away and completely ignored us, and didn’t apologise or anything!

(Again, raise your hand if you're excited for the Full House reboot - Fuller House!!... )

We had a great time on Spider-Man!! I love love love this ride!
Before Harry Potter arrived on the scene, Spider-Man was my favourite ride in this park.
I think that's true of a lot of people.
Maybe now we know who sent all of those giant spiders to Hogwarts..

ANYWAY.

Afterwards we were HUNGRY, so we headed back to Toon Lagoon to eat!

Click for Day 9, Part 2!​

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 9
(September 10th 2014)
Magic is everywhere, if you know where to look.
Part 2 – That red button? Don’t even DREAM of pushing it…

It was around 12:20pm when we left Spider-Man, and our stomachs had started to growl.

So where better to eat than THIS place!

That photo makes me hungry!

We walked into Blondie’s and it was completely empty! So we walked straight up to the counter

But unfortunately, we were fooled once again by the fries/chips/crisps language barrier!!!

We ordered our sandwiches and the guy asked us if we wanted chips with them.

In our British minds, chips = fries. So we excitedly said YES PLEASE. Only to be presented with, what we would call CRISPS. AKA, potato chips.

FACEPALM!

Our sandwiches were really good though!! We were in the mood for something a little healthier than last weeks Krusty/Clogger burger! So these really hit the spot!

Jamie had the “World Famous Dagwood Sandwich”, which was baked ham, turkey, roast beef, American and Swiss cheese, topped with lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise and mustard.

Yum!!

And I got the regular smoked turkey sandwich.
It was reallyyy good for something so simple, but it was a little small.
I probably could have eaten two of them!
It also came with a tasty potato salad that I enjoyed!

We really enjoyed sitting around the corner of Blondie’s and taking in the atmosphere!

There was a funny music loop playing the whole time that was quickly imprinted into our brains and pretty soon we were singing the whole thing.

(I’ve just driven myself crazy trying to find this loop on Youtube, and it just doesn’t seem to exist. However, I DO remember that there were dogs barking CONSTANTLY throughout it, because we were sat right next to the fire hydrant water feature that has a bunch of dogs playing in it!)

After our tasty lunch we headed back to Marvel Island to look for a t-shirt for Jamie. He’s a big Marvel fan!
However, he likes his t-shirts to have a subtle design rather than being super bold and colourful. So although he loves superheroes, he often has trouble finding clothes that he likes at Universal.

We looked in a few shops but he couldn’t really find anything.
We did LOL at this t-shirt though.

As you can see, this is an IRON Man shirt.

But, you know… That slogan works too I guess..?!

Edit: As @pkondz has pointed out, Iron Man's suit is not actually made of iron.
Jamie also acknowledged this at the time, but also said he was pretty certain it wasn't made of steel either.

Regardless, we found it amusing, because surely the slogan:

"My boyfriend's abs are made of iron!"
goes better with a picture of Iron Man

than the slogan:

"My boyfriend's abs are made of steel!"

.... and a seemingly random picture of Iron Man..

It just doesn't make much sense.




ANYWAY!

Since we’d just eaten neither of us really fancied going on the Hulk coaster, so we just headed out of the park to go over to Universal Studios.

As we walked through Marvel Island towards the exit, THE GREEN GOBLIN just appeared out of nowhere and jumped right in front of our faces!
He then ran over to another couple nearby who were taking a selfie, and grabbed the guy in a headlock! That must have turned out to be a funny selfie!

Then he grabbed the girl’s handbag and wrapped the strap around her neck while her superhero of a boyfriend laughed and took photos, and then he just sort of, ran off into Marvel Island!!

It was perfect!

As we left Islands of Adventure we had a little look around another store, and Jamie fell in love with this giant minion!

He LOVES giant plush toys.

Side story: A couple of years ago we went to a theme park here in England called Alton Towers, and Jamie spent a FORTUNE winning THIS GUY.

I think if it weren’t for the obstacle of shipping them home, Jamie would’ve bought several giant plushes on this trip.

He also fell in love with a ginormous Stitch toy, but I’ll save that for tomorrow’s updates

Back to the Studios!!

I don’t know why I look so serious in this photo?!

I was giddyyyy!

First we had a look in some more stores.

Jamie finally found a t-shirt he liked!
I didn’t get a photo of it, but it was white with the black outline of a transformer on the front..

BUT WHEN YOU GO IN THE SUN, THE TRANSFORMER FILLS WITH COLOUR.

It was really cool!

We left the store and just wandered around, trying to decide what to do.

We thought this minion looked slightly like Walter White?!

And we saw some cool decorations for Halloween Horror Nights!

It was about 1:20pm, so we decided to cut over to Animal Actors to catch the 1:30pm showing!!
We loved this show so much last week, and we couldn’t resist seeing it again!

Before this video, the trainer asks the little kid volunteer to tell a dog to fetch an item of clothing of their choice. The dog runs off and retrieves a bra from backstage, and takes it to the trainer, and the trainer shames the kid for suggesting something so crude to the dog!

And then this happens!!

This show was so so cute again!!! WE LOVE IT!

And this time when the show ended, I got to pet this gorgeous pooch!

Amazing!

Next up, we headed to the Spongebob store and I bought my brother a Spongebob mug!

(He’s 17 and loves it with no shame )

Then we cooled off, and walked up to The Simpsons ride!

During our time at Universal I noticed a bunch of things that seemed like passive mockeries of Disney!

Most are questionable, but the following one inside the Simpsons ride is extremely blatant!!

The Simpsons was just as good as the first time we rode it.
It always has a pretty long wait, but I think it’s absolutely worth it!
The storyline and dialogue is just as entertaining as the ride itself

Our next activity changed both of our moods DRASTICALLY.
One for better, and one for worse….

It was time to ride..

MEN IN BLACK.

As you may remember, this is a shootout ride similar to Buzz Lightyear, which Jamie and I get SUPER competitive about!

Anyway, as the Men in Black ride begins, Will Smith says something like,
“Oh, and that red button in front of you? Don’t even DREAM of pushing it…”

Somehow last week, both Jamie and I completely zoned out of every mention of this red button, we didn’t even acknowledge it..
But this week we both heard it, and we were like WHUT.

Anyway, as we go through the ride I’m winning 30,000 to 22,000.
Then towards the end, Jamie had overtaken me with 100,000 to 60,000.
And jeez, he was gloating so hard.

But right at the end, I (and only I) heard the voiceover say,
“There’s only one thing left to do: PUSH THE RED BUTTON.”

So I gambled with my life.

And I pushed the red button…

And BOOM…

100,000 BONUS POINTS!!!

I cheered a huge “OMG YAAAAY!!!”

Jamie looked at my score, AND HE WAS HORRIFIED.

It was hilarious.
Neither of us had a clue what was going on.

Jamie was so mad. He said “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME TO DO THAT!”

And I was just like “Dude, why on earth would I tell you”

It was GREAT.

We disembarked, and I cheerfully dragged a slightly disgruntled Jamie over to Diagon Alley!

Click for Day 9, Part 3!
​

 

[Angeejoe]

Great updates!!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Hi Katie! I just read through your whole report and I am loving it! You enthusiasm shows in your writing and in your pictures making for an engaging and enjoyable read.

I am very jealous of your split resort stay. Right now I am booked at Beach Club after changing my reservation three times. I was briefly booked at GF but then switched but I am still torn over that decision. Which did you like best? Do you think the GF is worth the extra money over Beach Club?

 

[Sailormoon2]

Fab update as always! You've got me so excited for FJ and Jurassic Park. Can't wait to see the new film too and the experience Raptor encounter in August. That's going to be awesome. You guys went in September right? It always seems like you accomplish so much regardless the time of day you arrive.

 

[hogwartsdropout]

I had no idea you could get a Mears bus from the resorts to Universal!! So you just book it at your resort a few days in advance and its still $20 return?

 

[jandlinz]

Great update! I love reading about Universal. I went when I was a teen with my parents, but that was a long time ago. Things have definitely changed. I want to take my kids, but the whole no bag thing scares me. Sounds like a pain. I think we may have to wait until they are older. I'm loving all your pictures.
-Lindsey

 

[STLMickeyMom]

What a fun update! I love the Simpsons ride pokes at Disney. Disney is my happy place, but I can appreciate the humor. Especially the hall of secretaries zero wait time!

Yay for pushing the red button!! I had forgotten what it even did. I'm gonna have to remember that for a future visit!

I can't believe you're going to be at disney so soon! I'm actually on my way there RIGHT NOW! I take one of the kids I nanny and his friend on a road trip every summer and this summers trip got cancelled due to floods in Texas. His parents said we could go somewhere else and ok'd Disney! We're all so excited! And his friend has never been before so I'm super happy to take her for her first visit!

Anyway, can't wait for your next update!

 

[ursalita]

Late last night we realised that we didn’t really want to pay another $80 in taxi fares like last week, so this morning I got up at around 8am and went to the concierge desk to see if the Mears shuttles had any availability.

I had no idea that there was a shuttle to Universal. Thanks for the tip!

Love this photo!

I also had a couple of the Grand Floridian chocolates that we’d been given yesterday!

Even the chocolates are beautiful at GF.

I’D LEFT OUR UNIVERSAL TICKETS IN THE ROOM.

My reaction when I realised:

Dis-folk, please hear my cries.
Do anything you can to not bring a bag to Universal!!!

Another great tip!

We really enjoyed sitting around the corner of Blondie’s and taking in the atmosphere!

I haven't seen much of this area but it looks really cute. Thanks for sharing all the pics. And those sandwiches look yum.

I cheered a huge “OMG YAAAAY!!!”

Jamie looked at my score, AND HE WAS HORRIFIED.

It was hilarious.
Neither of us had a clue what was going on.

Jamie was so mad. He said “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME TO DO THAT!”

And I was just like “Dude, why on earth would I tell you”

It was GREAT.

You two are adorable.

 

[pkondz]

Of course, the first thing I did when I got up was take more photos from the balcony

(Yes, I’m obsessed.)

And I'm glad you're obsessed! You take such great photos!
I may not say it very often, but I love 'em!

I headed back to the room to get Jamie up and ready (like the toddler that he is).

Typical man.

I also had a couple of the Grand Floridian chocolates that we’d been given yesterday!

Mmmm.... chocolate.
And morning chocolate. That's the best kind.

Whilst our driver was sorting out our payments and return tickets, I realised…

I’D LEFT OUR UNIVERSAL TICKETS IN THE ROOM.

Whoops! You must've been on the verge of hysterics.

Well I’m pleased to say that this was a much better experience!
We only stopped at two other resorts to pick up. We dropped a group off at Aquatica first, and we arrived at Universal at 10:20am.

Not bad! I didn't even know you could do that.
Good to know for future reference.

Here we are again!!

Where?
Where?!?!

Behind the couple with the strollers???

I bet the big guys at Disney are kicking themselves for letting this go to Universal!!

But we'll have Avatar Land.... oy.

Oh! There you are!

Dis-folk, please hear my cries.
Do anything you can to not bring a bag to Universal!!!

Okay! Okay!

I remember riding back when it was part of the Lost Continent, and both dragons would run at the same time.

But two accidents in a row spelled the end to that, unfortunately.
Still, when someone loses an eye, I suppose changes have to be made.

(Raise your hand if you're excited for Jurassic World this summer...

I just don't know. The first one was soooooo good. I'm a little afraid, actually.

MY FACE IS MELTINGGG.

Jamie and I were able to mimic one of our favourite videos:

I watched/listened to it twice! That's so funny!

We laughed at these dinosaurs, because for somewhere as well-themed as Universal, they do look a bit naff.

They do look a little like something a kid in school might do.

And I had to Google the word "naff".

THIS GUY on the other hand, he’s pretty badass.

I see a slight difference, yes.

We decided to skip the two water rides here because we were already soaked.

Why? You're already soaking wet. What are you afraid of?

Love that picture!

But OF COURSE while we were still walking towards our seats, the woman on the end who had sat down pulled the lap bar down and rammed it hard into the side of Jamie’s leg!

We obviously could have laughed this off, but this woman just turned away and completely ignored us, and didn’t apologise or anything!

Probably clueless. Dumb and clueless.

(Again, raise your hand if you're excited for the Full House reboot - Fuller House!!...

Nope. Never seen a single episode.

That photo makes me hungry!

You know, at first it made me hungry too... but then...
Those noodles kind of look like worms.
And do I really want to eat that entire fish? Head and tail included?
Not to mention the crawfish/lobster.... still in its shell!!

In our British minds, chips = fries. So we excitedly said YES PLEASE. Only to be presented with, what we would call CRISPS. AKA, potato chips.

FACEPALM!

Uh, huh. And I notice there is no evidence of said chips on either plate?

Jamie had the “World Famous Dagwood Sandwich”, which was baked ham, turkey, roast beef, American and Swiss cheese, topped with lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise and mustard.

Yum!!

That looks huge!... and delicious!

However, I DO remember that there were dogs barking CONSTANTLY throughout it, because we were sat right next to the fire hydrant water feature that has a bunch of dogs playing in it!)

However, he likes his t-shirts to have a subtle design rather than being super bold and colourful.

I will withhold comment on this for a bit...

As you can see, this is an IRON Man shirt.

But, you know… That slogan works too I guess..?!

You do know his suit's not made of iron though, right?
Probably not steel either, though.

Since we’d just eaten neither of us really fancied going on the Hulk coaster,

Didn't wish to see the chips again?

As we walked through Marvel Island towards the exit, THE GREEN GOBLIN just appeared out of nowhere and jumped right in front of our faces!
He then ran over to another couple nearby who were taking a selfie, and grabbed the guy in a headlock! That must have turned out to be a funny selfie!

Then he grabbed the girl’s handbag and wrapped the strap around her neck while her superhero of a boyfriend laughed and took photos, and then he just sort of, ran off into Marvel Island!!

It was perfect!

That's so terrific! I love it when stuff like that happens!
I have a similar moment (although completely different... but a character interaction) in an upcoming chapter.

As we left Islands of Adventure we had a little look around another store, and Jamie fell in love with this giant minion!

Awwwww.... A man and his minion. A love story for the ages.

Jamie spent a FORTUNE winning THIS GUY.

That's bigger than you are!

I don’t know why I look so serious in this photo?!

I was giddyyyy!

You look like you're posing for a model shoot.
"Okay. Now glare at the camera. Give me some attitude!"

That's so cool!

Jamie finally found a t-shirt he liked!
I didn’t get a photo of it, but it was white with the black outline of a transformer on the front..

BUT WHEN YOU GO IN THE SUN, THE TRANSFORMER FILLS WITH COLOUR.

Ah yes. A shirt filled with colourful transformers.
Very subtle.

And then this happens!!

Cute!

And this time when the show ended, I got to pet this gorgeous pooch!

Nice pup!
But what's with the sign in the background?!?!?

Jamie looks like he's being given the cold shoulder by that woman.

Most are questionable, but the following one inside the Simpsons ride is extremely blatant!!

I love the "Wait time 00:00 minutes"...

So I gambled with my life.

And I pushed the red button…

And BOOM…

100,000 BONUS POINTS!!!

Score!!!

Jamie was so mad. He said “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME TO DO THAT!”

And I was just like “Dude, why on earth would I tell you”

Why indeed?

Thanks for the fun updates!

 

[nilla]

Simpsons have done some great parodies of Disney over the years. "Soarin' over Springfield" was a pretty obvious one, and the closing credits of that episode played very similar music

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Great updates!!

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed them

Hi Katie! I just read through your whole report and I am loving it! You enthusiasm shows in your writing and in your pictures making for an engaging and enjoyable read.

I am very jealous of your split resort stay. Right now I am booked at Beach Club after changing my reservation three times. I was briefly booked at GF but then switched but I am still torn over that decision. Which did you like best? Do you think the GF is worth the extra money over Beach Club?

Hi! And !! Thanks so much for reading, I'm really glad you've enjoyed it so far

I totally understand changing your resorts a bunch of times, it takes me SO long to decide on a final plan! That is such a difficult question for me! I really struggle to pick a favourite because I love them both for different reasons The GF was extremely fancy and special, but we felt more at home at the Beach Club - it has a lovely 'vibe' to it that's difficult to explain.
It probably depends on the price difference and what you are comfortable paying too If it were me, and there wasn't much difference in the prices, I'd maybe go with the GF?! But if it was A LOT more than the BC, and I didn't feel entirely comfortable with the price, I wouldn't hesitate to switch to the Beach Club! Especially because they've had the rooms renovated since we stayed last year and they look gorgeous!!!
I don't know if this makes any sense Basically I love both of them. Considering the fact that I just stayed at both a few months ago, if someone told me to choose between the BC and GF for our next trip... I'd probably.. say.. Beach Club?! ....I DON'T KNOW!

Fab update as always! You've got me so excited for FJ and Jurassic Park. Can't wait to see the new film too and the experience Raptor encounter in August. That's going to be awesome. You guys went in September right? It always seems like you accomplish so much regardless the time of day you arrive.

Thank you! Yeah the Raptor encounter looks amazing!!! I've seen a couple of youtube videos, I think she's going to make me jump Yeah we were there in September We did get so much done! It was really quiet, particularly in the first week we were there

I had no idea you could get a Mears bus from the resorts to Universal!! So you just book it at your resort a few days in advance and its still $20 return?

Yes you can! You can go up to the concierge desk in your hotel and ask them to book you onto the Mears Shuttle Bus for tomorrow/a couple of days time, and they'll make the call right then and there to book you in super easy! Yeah, $20 return per person, so it cost Jamie and I $40 total, rather than the $80 in taxi fares the week before! The only thing to remember is that it's quite popular, and you may be the first pick up, and the last drop off! So they could pick you up, then pick up 3 other families from 3 different hotels, then drop those 3 families off at Discovery Cove, Sea World, AND aquatica, before dropping you off at Universal... (Our 2012 experience was similar to this ) So I recommend booking a couple of days in advance and getting booked onto a nice early bus

Great update! I love reading about Universal. I went when I was a teen with my parents, but that was a long time ago. Things have definitely changed. I want to take my kids, but the whole no bag thing scares me. Sounds like a pain. I think we may have to wait until they are older. I'm loving all your pictures.
-Lindsey

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy reading about Universal, I was worried it might get some hate Oh yeah, I can imagine you would have to take a bag if you've got kids with you. Still it's not impossible to do!! I don't want to make it seem like a complete nightmare, but it does add quite a bit of time onto everything, especially when the locker areas are crowded (like at Harry Potter). I've never used a locker at Disney so I don't know if it's the same system, but the lockers are electronic, and there are only a handful of screens to type in your code and scan your finger print. So imagine the lines that can build up Maybe it would be worst purchasing a 'Universal outfit' prior to a trip, that consists of a lot of big pockets to stash all of your belongings

What a fun update! I love the Simpsons ride pokes at Disney. Disney is my happy place, but I can appreciate the humor. Especially the hall of secretaries zero wait time!

Yay for pushing the red button!! I had forgotten what it even did. I'm gonna have to remember that for a future visit!

I can't believe you're going to be at disney so soon! I'm actually on my way there RIGHT NOW! I take one of the kids I nanny and his friend on a road trip every summer and this summers trip got cancelled due to floods in Texas. His parents said we could go somewhere else and ok'd Disney! We're all so excited! And his friend has never been before so I'm super happy to take her for her first visit!

Anyway, can't wait for your next update!

Hey Lori, thank you! Haha yeah I'm the same, I appreciate that the Simpsons pokes fun at everybody, OF COURSE they're going to poke fun at Disney from Universal
OMG amazing!!! Have a great time!!!

I had no idea that there was a shuttle to Universal. Thanks for the tip!

Love this photo!

Even the chocolates are beautiful at GF.



Another great tip!

I haven't seen much of this area but it looks really cute. Thanks for sharing all the pics. And those sandwiches look yum.

You two are adorable.

The shuttle is a pretty good option if you can get the timing right! I just posted a reply to hogwartsdropout above about how to go about it

Yeah there isn't really much to do at Toon Lagoon other than the water rides, but it's a fun area I guess. And the sandwiches were good!! We actually find that there isn't a whole lot that interests us at Islands of Adventure, but we do love the atmosphere!!

Aww thanks so much!!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Hi! And !! Thanks so much for reading, I'm really glad you've enjoyed it so far

I totally understand changing your resorts a bunch of times, it takes me SO long to decide on a final plan! That is such a difficult question for me! I really struggle to pick a favourite because I love them both for different reasons The GF was extremely fancy and special, but we felt more at home at the Beach Club - it has a lovely 'vibe' to it that's difficult to explain.
It probably depends on the price difference and what you are comfortable paying too If it were me, and there wasn't much difference in the prices, I'd maybe go with the GF?! But if it was A LOT more than the BC, and I didn't feel entirely comfortable with the price, I wouldn't hesitate to switch to the Beach Club! Especially because they've had the rooms renovated since we stayed last year and they look gorgeous!!!
I don't know if this makes any sense Basically I love both of them. Considering the fact that I just stayed at both a few months ago, if someone told me to choose between the BC and GF for our next trip... I'd probably.. say.. Beach Club?! ....I DON'T KNOW!

That does actually help. I'm looking for that homey feel. We had that when we stayed at WL and it made that trip extra special.

 

[DisneyJo]

OMG thank goodness you remembered you'd forgotten your tickets before you left the GF!

I'm loving how quiet Universal was, we're venturing over there for the first time next September so fingers crossed it's that quiet for us too

How funny about the red button

 

[TheLittleKatie]

And I'm glad you're obsessed! You take such great photos!
I may not say it very often, but I love 'em!

That means a lot coming from you! Thank you!! Although I'm sure you'd get a better photo than I could

Mmmm.... chocolate.
And morning chocolate. That's the best kind.

Even at 23 I felt kind of naughty eating chocolate in the morning.. My mother would not approve..!!

Whoops! You must've been on the verge of hysterics.

I'm just so glad I remembered them before we'd set off, and not when we were at the front gates of Universal...!!

But we'll have Avatar Land.... oy.

Oh my, tell me about it... Avatar does not interest me in the slightest.. But hopefully I'll still appreciate Avatar Land?! I don't know.

But two accidents in a row spelled the end to that, unfortunately.
Still, when someone loses an eye, I suppose changes have to be made.

Oh yes, I have heard about that actually!!! Ugh imagine.. << (kinda looks like he's lost an eye..)

I just don't know. The first one was soooooo good. I'm a little afraid, actually.

I love Jurassic Park, and I also love Chris Pratt, so I'm hoping I'll love Jurassic World!! After all this time, it better be good!

I watched/listened to it twice! That's so funny!

Hahaha isn't it the pathetic-ness of the tune goes so well with the epic-ness of that scene

And I had to Google the word "naff".

I think the meaning tends to differ, I meant it in terms off.. poorly made / poor quality I didn't know naff wasn't universally known.. maybe I'll change it.

Nope. Never seen a single episode.

You do know his suit's not made of iron though, right?
Probably not steel either, though.

I do! I actually just edited my post to include this, and a bit more of an explanation as to why we found it funny

I have a similar moment (although completely different... but a character interaction) in an upcoming chapter.

Ooh ooh ooh, bonus points for guessing..?!??! Gaston maybe?!

That's bigger than you are!

Oh I know, I learned this when I had to try to carry it around the theme park..!!!

Ah yes. A shirt filled with colourful transformers.
Very subtle.

Hahaha, he'll just have to stay indoors when he wears it so that it stays black and white, right!? Nahh, it was just the one transformer in the middle of the shirt, so it wasn't too bad

Nice pup!
But what's with the sign in the background?!?!?

Hahah my parents said the exact same thing!! It says "pigs rule" - but I do understand the confusion!!!