bochnikm
Disney Birder
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2011
This will be part one of a two part trip. I will only include our time at Universal. Part two will on the Disney trip report forum.
Pre-trip
We had originally thought of not heading down to Disney this year; but as most of you know, any excuse is a good one. We both wanted to see the expanded Harry Potter Diagon Alley area at Universal Studios and September sounded like a great time to see it when the crowds are at their minimum. We decided to stay on site at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort for the Universal part, then switch to Pop Century, we also decided to add two nights at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villa to see if we would like it. Kelli also decided to go to one evening of the Night of Joy to see Francesca Battistelli, MercyMe and other groups.
We had some minor negatives on this trip but overall it was a great vacation.
Wednesday September 9
Friendly but Incompetent
We woke up at 3:15 AM; Scott, our brother-in-law picked us up at 4:05 for a quick drive to LaGuardia.
We used curb side check-in and were through security by 4:40 AM. Breakfast was at au bon pain; oatmeal and a bacon egg and cheese on a bagel.
Our 6 AM Jet Blue plane’s name was “Here’s Looking at Blue Kid”. We paid extra for more leg room and that made for a very comfortable flight. We landed on time and picked up a Honda Accord from Enterprise snagging a “Free Upgrade”
As tradition and as birders, we both tried to guess what bird we would see first. Kelli guessed Great Egret and me, Cattle Egret. We were both wrong as the ponds at the airport were empty of birds. Our first bird was a Northern Mockingbird while on I-4. We did see a Wood Stork fly over the car on the way to Publix Super Market at Lake Cay Commons to get water and wine coolers.
My GPS had me take some back roads instead of I-4 which had traffic. All the lights on W Sand Lake Road probably didn’t help me save anytime.
At Publix something unusual happened that never happens in NY. The lady who checked us out offered to help take our groceries out to the car. We politely declined since our car was so close.
We found the Loews Royal Pacific Resort which is associated with Universal Studios. I was really hoping to like this hotel, especially with the free Express Pass, easy walk to their parks and early entry. But our stay was marred by a number of issues. In short, they have a very friendly but incompetent staff. After dropping off our luggage and self-parking the car, we tried to check in. Their computers were having problems. That’s not the fault of the staff, but how they dealt with it was. Since we could not check in we were unable to get our Express Passes for the parks. The front desk told us to go to one of the parks with our temporary hotel keys to guest relations to pick up temporary Express Passes. The front desk lied to us saying that guest relations were well aware of the check-in problem at the hotel and that they would take care of it. We checked our bags with bell services and headed to Isle of Adventure by boat, if we could find it. This hotel lacks clear signage and added to our frustrations. We eventually found the boat, and made our way into the park. We spent a valuable 30 minutes in the heat waiting on line at guest relations. And it turns out, they had no clue about our problem and nobody knew of the problems the hotel was having. The attendant disappeared with a manager into the back for another 15 minutes before anything started to be done. We did eventually get our temporary Express passes but it was not a pleasant way to start a vacation or a way for a hotel to make a decent first impression.
We were hot, starving but we put the problem of the hotel behind us and started to enjoy the park. I had my picture taken with some very tall ladies and looked for a place to eat.
We grabbed a bite at the Comic Strip Café for a couple of poor quality cheeseburgers and a soda for $22. Then it was straight to Hogsmead, to soak in some Harry Potter.
As we entered we stopped and listen to the Hogswart School Choir with the singing frogs. I went on the Dragon Challenge coasters and rode the Chinese Fireball side while Kelli did some shopping.
We were eager to see the new section so we took the Hogswart Express Train. This was very well done. The scenes outside the train’s window featured Hagrid, the Weasley brothers, Mad-eye Moody and the Knight Bus making its way through downtown London.
After exiting we stopped and watched people interacting with the Knight Bus’s conductor.
The entrance to Diagon Alley is just like the movie, you enter through an open brick wall.
We shopped and explored a little then entered Gringotts for the ride. Kelli does not do thrill rides but here you can walk through the detailed and magical queue. She will exit before we get to the actual ride. The first room is the bank itself. There are over a dozen Goblins working behind the tall desks, all animatronic but incredibly life-like. They occasionally peer up from their work and give you a look.
Past this the queue is full of detail and things to looks at, such as newspapers with moving images. They take a “security” picture which you can purchase later. Ours were a bit overexposed so we passed on it. There is a great elevator ride deep into the caverns and after this is where Kelli took our bags and exited the line.
I had trouble fitting in the seat in the second row due to my bum hip and had to exit and enter through the handicap line to the higher seats in the back row. I was just able to fit, but the ride was a bit uncomfortable for me. The ride reminded me much as the Spiderman ride, but with the Harry Potter theme. It was well done and enjoyable, but a bit jerky.
It took a few moments outside to find Kelli, I took that time to get pictures of the dragon atop Gringotts spewing fire.
We shopped and explored. We bought a Pygmy Puff for our grandniece Maddy back home. She named him Apple. I like that when you pay by credit card the wizard cashier calls it muggle plastic and to please sign for the ministry of magic.
We were getting tired from our travel so we headed out. I did do the Simpson Ride, getting right on with the Express Pass. Things happen fast and furious on this ride and it was enjoyable to pick up new things I missed on my previous ride from a couple of years ago. I found Kelli sitting outside, near where the phone is, just outside the Quickie-Mart. When it rang we each took turns picking it up and listening. On the other end for me was Professor Frink looking for some radioactive material he lost. Kelli got Ralph looking for his police officer dad.
We spent some time getting pictures around Springfield.
We passed some early Halloween decorations of bats and jack-o-lanterns in the trees.
In the Hollywood section we ran across Lucy Ricardo pitching her Vitameatavegamin and I got a great picture with her.
Near the front of the park we met Curious George and Woody the Woodpecker.
We browsed the store at the exit and I took a picture with a large stuffed unicorn from the Despicable Me movie - It’s so fluffy!
We took the boat back and shopped at a couple of the hotel’s boutiques and tried to check in again. Things went slowly but a little more smoothly and we got an older room in tower two. Having real hotel key cards we were able to get our real Express Passes at the hotel kiosk. After our bags were delivered we rested a while then had dinner at Emeril’s Tchoup Chop.
I tried the Florida Lager to take the edge off of a stressful day. Kelli had the Korean Fried Chicken – with kim chee, spring onions, smashed potatoes, garlicky spinach and sesame garlic butter.
I ordered the 3 Lil Pigs – Lemon grass mojo pork chop, pork belly chicharone, kalua pork manapua, maui onion salsa, pineapple edamame fried rice with chocolate mole sauce. The meal was excellent and the came to $80.41. We stopped at a gift shop to return an item Kelli brought earlier as it did not fit right, before heading back to the room.
We watched Big Brother and relaxed in the room before calling it a night. We had a king bed but it sagged in the middle. We were so tired it did not matter.
Thursday September 10, 2015
Mythos and Minions
The plan for the day was for me to make the most of early entry for hotel guests to Isle of Adventure, while Kelli had a relaxing morning. We will regroup and head back out to the park later and have lunch at Mythos.
We tried the continental breakfast at the Orchid Court lounge - not much of a selection plus we had a very slow person working the register. We both opted for cereal and ate outside in the courtyard.
Kelli stayed to relax and read while I walked to Isles of Adventure. It was a good ten minute walk in the already humid weather.
On my way to Hogsmead you could see the new King Kong Skull Island attraction rising beyond the construction walls. I did some shopping and road the Flight of the Hippogriff coaster; getting a great look at Hagrid’s hut. Then onto the Dragon Challenge, this time riding the Hungarian Horntail (the old Ice Dragon Coaster). I noticed more people with interactive wands where you can cast a spell for special effects. The locations are around both Potter areas, mainly in store fronts. This is similar to the Agent P game in Epcot, except that you must purchase a special wand.
I headed out to the front of the park and road Spiderman, no wait with the Express pass. The Hulk was down for rehab and photo texted Kelli that I was on my way back. I walked backed to the hotel and met Kelli in the courtyard.
We rested in the room a bit then took the boat to Isle of Adventure. We rode Cat in the Hat and the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride before heading to Mythos. We had a 15 minute wait and had a nice table in one of the alcoves. Weird thing about Mythos, they have incredibly heavy chairs! They seemed to be made out of lead. If you are in need of a headache, check out the restrooms, same tiles floor to ceiling.
For appetizer we shared the Mediterranean Meatballs - ground lamb, tomato-pepper ragù, falafel waffle, frisée salad, with mango-créme fraîche dressing. Kelli had the Mythos Signature Lamb Burger- hand-packed ground lamb with grilled onion, shredded lettuce and fresh tomato topped with feta-olive aioli served with French fries.
I had the Crab Cake Sliders - Chesapeake crab cake sautéed and served on mini rolls, lettuce and remoulade sauce with potato salad and watermelon-tomato medley. Another great meal!
We walked to Hogsmead and took the Hogwart Express to Universal. We stopped and watched the Street Breaks, Break dancers with some fun audience participation. They were good and worth the watch.
We caught the last part of Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue Graveyard Mashup, then listened to the beginning of the Beat Builders, Universal’s answer to Epcot’s Jamminators, they pose as a construction crew.
We had a great time shopping in the Irish store “Rosie's Irish Imports” It’s nice to have this variety in a theme park.
I rode the Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket coaster. It starts by going straight up before plunging nearly straight down. I was on and off quickly using the Express pass. It looks a lot scarier than it is. The straight up beginning and near vertical drop didn’t seem too bad but the G-forces on the very tight turn was awesome.
The Minion ride was down so we saw Shrek 4D and really enjoyed it. Parts of it seemed new to us but we are not sure if they upgraded the show since the last time we saw it. By the time we got out, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem was back up. The two pre-shows were good. We opted for the non-moving seating for Kelli. These stationary seats are available for those prone to motion sickness and for children less than 40 inches tall; just ask an attendant what row to get in. The attraction was great without it! I will try the motion seating tomorrow. There is a photo opportunity afterwards with an oversized minion. The dance party they tout was really just the exit area to the gift shop.
We watched Donkey, from Shrek, at the Meet and Greet for a while. He talks and interacts with the guests and was hilarious. We headed back by boat around 5:30, rested in the room before heading out to dinner.
We decided on Jakes in the hotel and met Scooby Doo and Lisa Simpson in the lobby.
Their signature drink was $20, others were $15 and up, I stuck with soda. Our waiter was friendly and reminded us of Manny from the Modern Family TV series. We shared the Mediterranean Appetizer Platter - roasted bell pepper hummus, smoked eggplant dip, Kalamata olives, grilled flatbread. Kelli had the Burrata Cheese and Tomato Salad - fresh burrata, heirloom tomatoes, arugula, crispy proscuitto balsamic glaze, and extra virgin olive oil. I tried the Juan Tripp’s Fish & Chips - battered fish, French fries, cole slaw, tartar sauce. Our entrees were quite good. Dessert was a shared Jumbo Dark Chocolate Cupcake, filled with Nutella.
Friday, September 11, 2015
More Incompetence then on to the Night of Joy
We didn’t have a great night’s sleep due to the sagging mattress. The bed was so bad it we laughed about it. We opted for the breakfast buffet at Islands Dining Room. We had a very friendly waitress which is a great way to start the day.
I headed back to Isle of Adventure for early entry, saving my energy by taking the boat. My goal was to take a ton of pictures and re-ride the Minion attraction. I walked to Hogsmead and again took the Hogwart Express to Universal to be ahead of the other park’s crowd. Diagon Alley was empty and I was welcomed by some witches. I got great shots of the dragon from the side and a Stewed Eel Pie in a window.
I was able to enter Gringot’s Bank to leisurely take some pictures of the Goblins.
Back outside I saw two girls trying the demo seats for the ride. It’s a tight fit. One could not fit and I saw the disappointment that she was going to sit it out while her friend rode. I quickly walked over to them and told them that they can both enjoy the awesome queue together before separating before the ride load area, just as Kelli did before. They thanked me knowing they could enjoy part of it together.
Done with my good deed of the day I continued to explore the new area. I went down Knockturn Alley and found the darker side of the wizarding world.
In other areas I found the owlry, Weasley’s warehouse and a wizard restroom.
I stopped at the Knights Bus to listen in on the fun interaction with guests and Dre Head, the talking shrunken head.
I decided to ride Transformers. I again found it similar to the Spiderman ride. Finally it was back on the Minion ride. In the second room the high powered scan of the crowd revealed I was in the group that did not shower. But I swear I did! Watching the movie the seats toss and turn you in motion with the screen. Surprisingly I preferred the non-moving seats! You still get the feel of motion, but it was easier to view the screen without getting jostled about. I wonder if they could do the same with the Simpson Ride.
I headed out and just missed the boat. The wait wasn’t too bad and it turned out lucky. The next one was the maiden voyage of a new boat, Isla Nublar. The crew gave out cake to everyone onboard to celebrate.
Kelli did a great job packing, so after I freshened up we called bell services and left the room just before 11 AM. The bell hop gave us a ticket and told us that someone else will retrieve and load our car once we were ready. I walked to the parking lot but my room key would not open the gate to leave. I had paid the parking fees when we checked in, $20 a night, and the front desk said that all I needed was the room key – NOT.
I had to alert security by intercom and they eventually let me out after about 10 minutes. Back at the hotel entrance I stormed back in to find out what was wrong with my bill. The front desk claimed everything was fine and the parking fees had been billed to my credit card! They gave no explanation and didn’t really care that I had trouble. More incompetence somewhere.
Back out at the entrance we could not find any bell service personnel. After waiting a while we took our luggage off the unattended cart and loaded the car ourselves. Thank God we were not thieves, it would have been so easy.
Next up: Pop Century, Night of Joy and Animal Kingdom Villa.
Thanks for reading.
If you would like to see more photos, visit our web page about this trip at
http://www.bochnik.com/disney2015/disney2015.htm
Pre-trip
We had originally thought of not heading down to Disney this year; but as most of you know, any excuse is a good one. We both wanted to see the expanded Harry Potter Diagon Alley area at Universal Studios and September sounded like a great time to see it when the crowds are at their minimum. We decided to stay on site at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort for the Universal part, then switch to Pop Century, we also decided to add two nights at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villa to see if we would like it. Kelli also decided to go to one evening of the Night of Joy to see Francesca Battistelli, MercyMe and other groups.
We had some minor negatives on this trip but overall it was a great vacation.
Wednesday September 9
Friendly but Incompetent
We woke up at 3:15 AM; Scott, our brother-in-law picked us up at 4:05 for a quick drive to LaGuardia.
We used curb side check-in and were through security by 4:40 AM. Breakfast was at au bon pain; oatmeal and a bacon egg and cheese on a bagel.
Our 6 AM Jet Blue plane’s name was “Here’s Looking at Blue Kid”. We paid extra for more leg room and that made for a very comfortable flight. We landed on time and picked up a Honda Accord from Enterprise snagging a “Free Upgrade”
As tradition and as birders, we both tried to guess what bird we would see first. Kelli guessed Great Egret and me, Cattle Egret. We were both wrong as the ponds at the airport were empty of birds. Our first bird was a Northern Mockingbird while on I-4. We did see a Wood Stork fly over the car on the way to Publix Super Market at Lake Cay Commons to get water and wine coolers.
My GPS had me take some back roads instead of I-4 which had traffic. All the lights on W Sand Lake Road probably didn’t help me save anytime.
At Publix something unusual happened that never happens in NY. The lady who checked us out offered to help take our groceries out to the car. We politely declined since our car was so close.
We found the Loews Royal Pacific Resort which is associated with Universal Studios. I was really hoping to like this hotel, especially with the free Express Pass, easy walk to their parks and early entry. But our stay was marred by a number of issues. In short, they have a very friendly but incompetent staff. After dropping off our luggage and self-parking the car, we tried to check in. Their computers were having problems. That’s not the fault of the staff, but how they dealt with it was. Since we could not check in we were unable to get our Express Passes for the parks. The front desk told us to go to one of the parks with our temporary hotel keys to guest relations to pick up temporary Express Passes. The front desk lied to us saying that guest relations were well aware of the check-in problem at the hotel and that they would take care of it. We checked our bags with bell services and headed to Isle of Adventure by boat, if we could find it. This hotel lacks clear signage and added to our frustrations. We eventually found the boat, and made our way into the park. We spent a valuable 30 minutes in the heat waiting on line at guest relations. And it turns out, they had no clue about our problem and nobody knew of the problems the hotel was having. The attendant disappeared with a manager into the back for another 15 minutes before anything started to be done. We did eventually get our temporary Express passes but it was not a pleasant way to start a vacation or a way for a hotel to make a decent first impression.
We were hot, starving but we put the problem of the hotel behind us and started to enjoy the park. I had my picture taken with some very tall ladies and looked for a place to eat.
We grabbed a bite at the Comic Strip Café for a couple of poor quality cheeseburgers and a soda for $22. Then it was straight to Hogsmead, to soak in some Harry Potter.
As we entered we stopped and listen to the Hogswart School Choir with the singing frogs. I went on the Dragon Challenge coasters and rode the Chinese Fireball side while Kelli did some shopping.
We were eager to see the new section so we took the Hogswart Express Train. This was very well done. The scenes outside the train’s window featured Hagrid, the Weasley brothers, Mad-eye Moody and the Knight Bus making its way through downtown London.
After exiting we stopped and watched people interacting with the Knight Bus’s conductor.
The entrance to Diagon Alley is just like the movie, you enter through an open brick wall.
We shopped and explored a little then entered Gringotts for the ride. Kelli does not do thrill rides but here you can walk through the detailed and magical queue. She will exit before we get to the actual ride. The first room is the bank itself. There are over a dozen Goblins working behind the tall desks, all animatronic but incredibly life-like. They occasionally peer up from their work and give you a look.
Past this the queue is full of detail and things to looks at, such as newspapers with moving images. They take a “security” picture which you can purchase later. Ours were a bit overexposed so we passed on it. There is a great elevator ride deep into the caverns and after this is where Kelli took our bags and exited the line.
I had trouble fitting in the seat in the second row due to my bum hip and had to exit and enter through the handicap line to the higher seats in the back row. I was just able to fit, but the ride was a bit uncomfortable for me. The ride reminded me much as the Spiderman ride, but with the Harry Potter theme. It was well done and enjoyable, but a bit jerky.
It took a few moments outside to find Kelli, I took that time to get pictures of the dragon atop Gringotts spewing fire.
We shopped and explored. We bought a Pygmy Puff for our grandniece Maddy back home. She named him Apple. I like that when you pay by credit card the wizard cashier calls it muggle plastic and to please sign for the ministry of magic.
We were getting tired from our travel so we headed out. I did do the Simpson Ride, getting right on with the Express Pass. Things happen fast and furious on this ride and it was enjoyable to pick up new things I missed on my previous ride from a couple of years ago. I found Kelli sitting outside, near where the phone is, just outside the Quickie-Mart. When it rang we each took turns picking it up and listening. On the other end for me was Professor Frink looking for some radioactive material he lost. Kelli got Ralph looking for his police officer dad.
We spent some time getting pictures around Springfield.
We passed some early Halloween decorations of bats and jack-o-lanterns in the trees.
In the Hollywood section we ran across Lucy Ricardo pitching her Vitameatavegamin and I got a great picture with her.
Near the front of the park we met Curious George and Woody the Woodpecker.
We browsed the store at the exit and I took a picture with a large stuffed unicorn from the Despicable Me movie - It’s so fluffy!
We took the boat back and shopped at a couple of the hotel’s boutiques and tried to check in again. Things went slowly but a little more smoothly and we got an older room in tower two. Having real hotel key cards we were able to get our real Express Passes at the hotel kiosk. After our bags were delivered we rested a while then had dinner at Emeril’s Tchoup Chop.
I tried the Florida Lager to take the edge off of a stressful day. Kelli had the Korean Fried Chicken – with kim chee, spring onions, smashed potatoes, garlicky spinach and sesame garlic butter.
I ordered the 3 Lil Pigs – Lemon grass mojo pork chop, pork belly chicharone, kalua pork manapua, maui onion salsa, pineapple edamame fried rice with chocolate mole sauce. The meal was excellent and the came to $80.41. We stopped at a gift shop to return an item Kelli brought earlier as it did not fit right, before heading back to the room.
We watched Big Brother and relaxed in the room before calling it a night. We had a king bed but it sagged in the middle. We were so tired it did not matter.
Thursday September 10, 2015
Mythos and Minions
The plan for the day was for me to make the most of early entry for hotel guests to Isle of Adventure, while Kelli had a relaxing morning. We will regroup and head back out to the park later and have lunch at Mythos.
We tried the continental breakfast at the Orchid Court lounge - not much of a selection plus we had a very slow person working the register. We both opted for cereal and ate outside in the courtyard.
Kelli stayed to relax and read while I walked to Isles of Adventure. It was a good ten minute walk in the already humid weather.
On my way to Hogsmead you could see the new King Kong Skull Island attraction rising beyond the construction walls. I did some shopping and road the Flight of the Hippogriff coaster; getting a great look at Hagrid’s hut. Then onto the Dragon Challenge, this time riding the Hungarian Horntail (the old Ice Dragon Coaster). I noticed more people with interactive wands where you can cast a spell for special effects. The locations are around both Potter areas, mainly in store fronts. This is similar to the Agent P game in Epcot, except that you must purchase a special wand.
I headed out to the front of the park and road Spiderman, no wait with the Express pass. The Hulk was down for rehab and photo texted Kelli that I was on my way back. I walked backed to the hotel and met Kelli in the courtyard.
We rested in the room a bit then took the boat to Isle of Adventure. We rode Cat in the Hat and the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride before heading to Mythos. We had a 15 minute wait and had a nice table in one of the alcoves. Weird thing about Mythos, they have incredibly heavy chairs! They seemed to be made out of lead. If you are in need of a headache, check out the restrooms, same tiles floor to ceiling.
For appetizer we shared the Mediterranean Meatballs - ground lamb, tomato-pepper ragù, falafel waffle, frisée salad, with mango-créme fraîche dressing. Kelli had the Mythos Signature Lamb Burger- hand-packed ground lamb with grilled onion, shredded lettuce and fresh tomato topped with feta-olive aioli served with French fries.
I had the Crab Cake Sliders - Chesapeake crab cake sautéed and served on mini rolls, lettuce and remoulade sauce with potato salad and watermelon-tomato medley. Another great meal!
We walked to Hogsmead and took the Hogwart Express to Universal. We stopped and watched the Street Breaks, Break dancers with some fun audience participation. They were good and worth the watch.
We caught the last part of Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue Graveyard Mashup, then listened to the beginning of the Beat Builders, Universal’s answer to Epcot’s Jamminators, they pose as a construction crew.
We had a great time shopping in the Irish store “Rosie's Irish Imports” It’s nice to have this variety in a theme park.
I rode the Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket coaster. It starts by going straight up before plunging nearly straight down. I was on and off quickly using the Express pass. It looks a lot scarier than it is. The straight up beginning and near vertical drop didn’t seem too bad but the G-forces on the very tight turn was awesome.
The Minion ride was down so we saw Shrek 4D and really enjoyed it. Parts of it seemed new to us but we are not sure if they upgraded the show since the last time we saw it. By the time we got out, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem was back up. The two pre-shows were good. We opted for the non-moving seating for Kelli. These stationary seats are available for those prone to motion sickness and for children less than 40 inches tall; just ask an attendant what row to get in. The attraction was great without it! I will try the motion seating tomorrow. There is a photo opportunity afterwards with an oversized minion. The dance party they tout was really just the exit area to the gift shop.
We watched Donkey, from Shrek, at the Meet and Greet for a while. He talks and interacts with the guests and was hilarious. We headed back by boat around 5:30, rested in the room before heading out to dinner.
We decided on Jakes in the hotel and met Scooby Doo and Lisa Simpson in the lobby.
Their signature drink was $20, others were $15 and up, I stuck with soda. Our waiter was friendly and reminded us of Manny from the Modern Family TV series. We shared the Mediterranean Appetizer Platter - roasted bell pepper hummus, smoked eggplant dip, Kalamata olives, grilled flatbread. Kelli had the Burrata Cheese and Tomato Salad - fresh burrata, heirloom tomatoes, arugula, crispy proscuitto balsamic glaze, and extra virgin olive oil. I tried the Juan Tripp’s Fish & Chips - battered fish, French fries, cole slaw, tartar sauce. Our entrees were quite good. Dessert was a shared Jumbo Dark Chocolate Cupcake, filled with Nutella.
Friday, September 11, 2015
More Incompetence then on to the Night of Joy
We didn’t have a great night’s sleep due to the sagging mattress. The bed was so bad it we laughed about it. We opted for the breakfast buffet at Islands Dining Room. We had a very friendly waitress which is a great way to start the day.
I headed back to Isle of Adventure for early entry, saving my energy by taking the boat. My goal was to take a ton of pictures and re-ride the Minion attraction. I walked to Hogsmead and again took the Hogwart Express to Universal to be ahead of the other park’s crowd. Diagon Alley was empty and I was welcomed by some witches. I got great shots of the dragon from the side and a Stewed Eel Pie in a window.
I was able to enter Gringot’s Bank to leisurely take some pictures of the Goblins.
Back outside I saw two girls trying the demo seats for the ride. It’s a tight fit. One could not fit and I saw the disappointment that she was going to sit it out while her friend rode. I quickly walked over to them and told them that they can both enjoy the awesome queue together before separating before the ride load area, just as Kelli did before. They thanked me knowing they could enjoy part of it together.
Done with my good deed of the day I continued to explore the new area. I went down Knockturn Alley and found the darker side of the wizarding world.
In other areas I found the owlry, Weasley’s warehouse and a wizard restroom.
I stopped at the Knights Bus to listen in on the fun interaction with guests and Dre Head, the talking shrunken head.
I decided to ride Transformers. I again found it similar to the Spiderman ride. Finally it was back on the Minion ride. In the second room the high powered scan of the crowd revealed I was in the group that did not shower. But I swear I did! Watching the movie the seats toss and turn you in motion with the screen. Surprisingly I preferred the non-moving seats! You still get the feel of motion, but it was easier to view the screen without getting jostled about. I wonder if they could do the same with the Simpson Ride.
I headed out and just missed the boat. The wait wasn’t too bad and it turned out lucky. The next one was the maiden voyage of a new boat, Isla Nublar. The crew gave out cake to everyone onboard to celebrate.
Kelli did a great job packing, so after I freshened up we called bell services and left the room just before 11 AM. The bell hop gave us a ticket and told us that someone else will retrieve and load our car once we were ready. I walked to the parking lot but my room key would not open the gate to leave. I had paid the parking fees when we checked in, $20 a night, and the front desk said that all I needed was the room key – NOT.
I had to alert security by intercom and they eventually let me out after about 10 minutes. Back at the hotel entrance I stormed back in to find out what was wrong with my bill. The front desk claimed everything was fine and the parking fees had been billed to my credit card! They gave no explanation and didn’t really care that I had trouble. More incompetence somewhere.
Back out at the entrance we could not find any bell service personnel. After waiting a while we took our luggage off the unattended cart and loaded the car ourselves. Thank God we were not thieves, it would have been so easy.
Next up: Pop Century, Night of Joy and Animal Kingdom Villa.
Thanks for reading.
If you would like to see more photos, visit our web page about this trip at
http://www.bochnik.com/disney2015/disney2015.htm
