Carathryn
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2015
If you can't tell by now I am a huge BOG fan, I have never had a bad time there!Sounds like a great time all around at BOG! The little girl sounds so cute
Who Needs Self Control At Disney??? - A Slightly Solo Feb 2016 Trip Report COMPLETED 4/24
- Thread starter Carathryn
- Start date
Carathryn
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2015
Day 2 - Part 5: Tomorrowland and back to the Poly!
Next up I was ready to leave Fantasyland and make my way to Tomorrowland. I had a FP for SM and waited less than 5 minutes to get on. Once again, I got someone else's ride photo. After that I decided to do some first time rides. Everyone in their trip reports really seems to love the peoplemover. I had never taken the time to ride it but now I know why. It does give a fun tour of Tomorrowland and it is cool to get a bird’s eye view and go inside space mountain, and it goes faster than I anticipated! Next time I will give it a try at night.
The people mover gives you a nice, brief view of the castle and the crane!
After I disembarked I made my way to the Carousel of Progress, another first. I have the theme song on my phone and listen to it in my Disney loop so I was prepared to sing along. I really enjoyed the show. It is a nice air conditioned sitting break and has so many great one liners. I found it surpisingly entertaining and will definetly be doing it again. It really seems to sum up what Walt Disney was all about, looking for technology to inhance the future, which is just a dream away. I didn't take any pictures and just enjoyed the show. My one recommendation is to make sure you don't sit right behind two very tall people.
I got off and figured I would do another show to avoid waiting in any long lines.
I got a seat at the Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor in about 15 minutes. This one will always make me laugh. I love the cheesy jokes and dream of being chosen to get made fun of by monsters some day. Once the show was over I saw I was right next to a fastpass station. I walked over to make another selection and got a Winnie the Pooh fastpass that opened up in 5 minutes. I trekked back over towards Fantasyland and took a journey with Pooh and friends. Right as I got off my mom called me and said she was heading towards the Poly for our dinner reservation so I went grab a monorail and meet up with her. Her flight had landed earlier in the afternoon and she had taken an Uber over to the Poly from her hotel to meet up with me.
On my way to the front of the park I saw this beauty. It made me a little sad I hadn't planned to see FoF but I was happy to catch a glimpse of it.
My mom brought a coworker along to join us for drinks and dinner. We got to Trader Sam’s right as it was opening at 4 and got seated right away. Unfortunately the volcano projection screen next to use wasn’t working and all of our drinks were really over iced but it was still a fun time.
My beloved Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum, which I refused to share. We also got the HippopotoMai Tai and the I believe the Castaway Crush but not positive on that one. I am normally a wine drinker but I love the sweet drink options at the Poly.
After our slightly disappointing drinks we decided to try again and got the always delicious Lapu Lapu drink at the Tambu Lounge upstairs. We grabbed our pineapple cups and it was time to check in for our 5:40 dinner reservation at Kona Café.
This may be the one Disney drink that is totally worth the money, love my Lapu Lapu
The restaurant was empty and we got seated right away. I ordered the Pan-Asian noodles with tofu and really enjoyed them. I can’t remember what my mom ordered but she also liked it. Her coworker ordered the sesame seared sea scallops and sent them back because she didn’t like them. I don’t know her well enough to know if she is a really picky eater but she doesn’t normally eat bread or butter in her diet so that may tell you something about her food selections. My mom's coworker was a nice, easy to talk to person but she did not understand "the Disney thing" so I didn't want to seem like even more of a Disney freak and refrained from taking pictures of everyone's dinner entrees.
I was very pleased to find out that I could order my beloved Ohana bread pudding at Kona. I had found somewhere online that a lot of the times if you asked for it your server will bring it. We got lucky with a fantastic server who went above and beyond to help make menu reservations and brought us a second loaf of the delicious bread without us having to ask. She also easily agreed to bring me my bread pudding as long as I didn’t shout to everyone around me that I had ordered it. So I don’t know if it is a secret item that they really don’t want to serve you or if anyone can always order it at Kona, but it worked for me. You can also get it at Tambu Lounge now but it was easier to just get it with our dinner rather than going over to Tambu. Does anyone else have experience ordering Ohana bread pudding at Kona?
My precious... I begrudgingly shared a bite with my mom but then devoured the rest of it.
Following all of that food I was really full. We decided to take a leisurely stroll over to the Grand Floridian and boy was I glad we did because the Wedding Pavilion was open! I am looking at getting married at WDW next fall so I was really excited to take a look inside. I love the soft pastel colors and the ceiling as well as the subtle Cinderella nods. It is very classy and does not scream Disney but you also get that beautiful view of the castle. It fits in very nicely with the GF.
Up Next: One more night at the MK
Next up I was ready to leave Fantasyland and make my way to Tomorrowland. I had a FP for SM and waited less than 5 minutes to get on. Once again, I got someone else's ride photo. After that I decided to do some first time rides. Everyone in their trip reports really seems to love the peoplemover. I had never taken the time to ride it but now I know why. It does give a fun tour of Tomorrowland and it is cool to get a bird’s eye view and go inside space mountain, and it goes faster than I anticipated! Next time I will give it a try at night.
The people mover gives you a nice, brief view of the castle and the crane!
After I disembarked I made my way to the Carousel of Progress, another first. I have the theme song on my phone and listen to it in my Disney loop so I was prepared to sing along. I really enjoyed the show. It is a nice air conditioned sitting break and has so many great one liners. I found it surpisingly entertaining and will definetly be doing it again. It really seems to sum up what Walt Disney was all about, looking for technology to inhance the future, which is just a dream away. I didn't take any pictures and just enjoyed the show. My one recommendation is to make sure you don't sit right behind two very tall people.
I got off and figured I would do another show to avoid waiting in any long lines.
I got a seat at the Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor in about 15 minutes. This one will always make me laugh. I love the cheesy jokes and dream of being chosen to get made fun of by monsters some day. Once the show was over I saw I was right next to a fastpass station. I walked over to make another selection and got a Winnie the Pooh fastpass that opened up in 5 minutes. I trekked back over towards Fantasyland and took a journey with Pooh and friends. Right as I got off my mom called me and said she was heading towards the Poly for our dinner reservation so I went grab a monorail and meet up with her. Her flight had landed earlier in the afternoon and she had taken an Uber over to the Poly from her hotel to meet up with me.
On my way to the front of the park I saw this beauty. It made me a little sad I hadn't planned to see FoF but I was happy to catch a glimpse of it.
My beloved Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum, which I refused to share. We also got the HippopotoMai Tai and the I believe the Castaway Crush but not positive on that one. I am normally a wine drinker but I love the sweet drink options at the Poly.
This may be the one Disney drink that is totally worth the money, love my Lapu Lapu
I was very pleased to find out that I could order my beloved Ohana bread pudding at Kona. I had found somewhere online that a lot of the times if you asked for it your server will bring it. We got lucky with a fantastic server who went above and beyond to help make menu reservations and brought us a second loaf of the delicious bread without us having to ask. She also easily agreed to bring me my bread pudding as long as I didn’t shout to everyone around me that I had ordered it. So I don’t know if it is a secret item that they really don’t want to serve you or if anyone can always order it at Kona, but it worked for me. You can also get it at Tambu Lounge now but it was easier to just get it with our dinner rather than going over to Tambu. Does anyone else have experience ordering Ohana bread pudding at Kona?
My precious... I begrudgingly shared a bite with my mom but then devoured the rest of it.
Up Next: One more night at the MK
Carathryn
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2015
Day 2 - Part 6: Wishes Nighttime Spectacular
Next I was ready to get back to MK so I said good bye to my dining companions and took the monorail over to the park. I stopped for more photopass pictures ob my way to my next ride.
I started my evening with a ride on Buzz. I had looked up tips for getting a higher score and figured I would max out my score with a 999,999. Let’s just say I still did not get close to that so I sulked off and refused to ride again because I am a sore loser. I also took a fantastic ride photo that didn’t get linked to my magicband for some reason so that was another reason to be mad at Buzz.
I decided to cheer up with another voyage under the sea with everyone’s favorite mermaid. This was the only ride I did twice. I can now sing the whole entire ride music loop if anyone is curious to hear it.
After Ariel helped cheer me back up I saw that Enchanted Tales with Belle had no wait so I decided to go say hi to one of my favorite princesses.
The mirror effect is really cool on this story adventure. I won't ruin it for anyone who hasn't been through this yet.
I got some great CMs and some great participants!
The technology behind these interactive characters like Lumierre is really cool
It was time for Celebrate the Magic. I got a pretty good spot in front of the castle about 5 minutes before it started. I watched CtM and then retreated towards the main entrance so I have an easier exit after Wishes.
Herei s my required crappy cell phone firework picture!
I had done all the rides I wanted to do after two days at MK so I watched Wishes and made my way to the All Star Sports bus stop. I walked right on a bus and went to go collect my bags from bell services. I then called an uber to take me to my second hotel of the trip, the Rosen Centre. The uber driver was a very friendly older seasonal character attendant who chatted with me about working in the parks. I really enjoyed the conversation and her Orlando knowledge. Once I made it to the Rosen Centre I got a glass of wine and shared some of my travel stories with my mom before calling it a night as I was contemplating some unplanned adventures for the next day.
Next Up: Do I give in to Harry Potter temptation??? And we finally made it to Day 3!
Next I was ready to get back to MK so I said good bye to my dining companions and took the monorail over to the park. I stopped for more photopass pictures ob my way to my next ride.
I started my evening with a ride on Buzz. I had looked up tips for getting a higher score and figured I would max out my score with a 999,999. Let’s just say I still did not get close to that so I sulked off and refused to ride again because I am a sore loser. I also took a fantastic ride photo that didn’t get linked to my magicband for some reason so that was another reason to be mad at Buzz.
I decided to cheer up with another voyage under the sea with everyone’s favorite mermaid. This was the only ride I did twice. I can now sing the whole entire ride music loop if anyone is curious to hear it.
After Ariel helped cheer me back up I saw that Enchanted Tales with Belle had no wait so I decided to go say hi to one of my favorite princesses.
The mirror effect is really cool on this story adventure. I won't ruin it for anyone who hasn't been through this yet.
I got some great CMs and some great participants!
The technology behind these interactive characters like Lumierre is really cool
It was time for Celebrate the Magic. I got a pretty good spot in front of the castle about 5 minutes before it started. I watched CtM and then retreated towards the main entrance so I have an easier exit after Wishes.
Herei s my required crappy cell phone firework picture!
Next Up: Do I give in to Harry Potter temptation??? And we finally made it to Day 3!
missangelalexis
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2012
I love both the Peoplemover and Carousel of Progress. Glad you enjoyed them!
Sounds like a nice dinner! So cool that you got to see the Wedding pavillion!
What a great way to end your day at MK!
Sounds like a nice dinner! So cool that you got to see the Wedding pavillion!
What a great way to end your day at MK!
Carathryn
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2015
My previous MK days have all been so rushed that I didn't have time to try the Peoplemover and the Carousel of Progress but I am so glad I finally did!
It really was a great entire day!
That's so cool you got to see the Wedding Pavilion, it looks so beautiful inside! I think it would be awesome to be married there
It was a very nice surprise to see that it was open! We are still looking at our options but the wedding pavilion is a top pick!
Carathryn
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2015
Day 3 - Part 1: An Unplanned Park Day
I woke up around 7:00 am fully rested and ready for the day. I was feeling too impatient to sit around the hotel all day and being a five minute drive from Universal gave me an idea. How could I be so close to Harry and not stop to say hi and enjoy a butterbeer? I made a last minute decision to buy a ticket, picked up a shift at work to cover a good chunk of the ticket price, and called my uber ride to get me out of the muggle world and to Diagon Alley.
Hello Universal!
I got to universal about 20 minutes before park opening at 9:00am. I decided to start at Universal Studios and was let into the park about 10 minutes early.
On my way to Diagon Alley!
Getting closer!
Hello wizarding world!
By 9:00 I was in Diagon Alley and waiting for my food to get to my table at the Leaky Cauldron. This was a much quicker wait then when we visited Universal in Fall 2014 so it let me get my hopes up that maybe the parks wouldn’t be insanely crowded on a Saturday in February. I really love this restaurant. It is so well themed and although the food is a little pricey, for theme park food it is a good deal.
Breakfast menu
Breakfast is always better with some butterbeer!
My egg, mushroom, and leek pastry which I really enjoy. The breakfast potatoes and fruits were also really good
And here are a couple more pictures of the restaurant
Next Up: More Wizarding World of Harry Potter
I woke up around 7:00 am fully rested and ready for the day. I was feeling too impatient to sit around the hotel all day and being a five minute drive from Universal gave me an idea. How could I be so close to Harry and not stop to say hi and enjoy a butterbeer? I made a last minute decision to buy a ticket, picked up a shift at work to cover a good chunk of the ticket price, and called my uber ride to get me out of the muggle world and to Diagon Alley.
Hello Universal!
On my way to Diagon Alley!
Getting closer!
Hello wizarding world!
By 9:00 I was in Diagon Alley and waiting for my food to get to my table at the Leaky Cauldron. This was a much quicker wait then when we visited Universal in Fall 2014 so it let me get my hopes up that maybe the parks wouldn’t be insanely crowded on a Saturday in February. I really love this restaurant. It is so well themed and although the food is a little pricey, for theme park food it is a good deal.
Breakfast menu
Breakfast is always better with some butterbeer!
My egg, mushroom, and leek pastry which I really enjoy. The breakfast potatoes and fruits were also really good
Carathryn
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2015
Day 3 - Part 2: Doing all the Wizarding things
After I finished eating I made my way to Gringotts. The posted wait was already 40 minutes. I recommend going through the regular stand by line if you have never done it before because it is really nicely themed and the goblins are great but I had already experienced that and instead hopped in the single rider line. I walked right on. For anyone that has not been on this ride it is described as a roller coaster but there is really only one decent drop. The rest is similar to a motion simulator ride with the use of screens and special effects. Bill Weasley, Ron’s older brother helps guide you on your journey to escape Gringotts and avoid the wrath of Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange. The lady sitting next to me asked if Harry was Bill. I wanted to kick her out of Harry Potter world for not knowing that Harry has black hair and not red hair but unfortunately not everyone has my same Harry Potter obsession so they let her stay. After I got off I got right back in line to ride once more. This signature ride is not a disappointment but twice was enough for me so I moved on to Ollivander’s to pick out a wand. My last wand had had some problems with the sensor so I was hoping a new one would work better. It was a good purchase and even though it is expensive, I do think I got my money’s worth out of it. I made sure to try every magical location in both parks and really improved my wizarding skills by the end of the day.
The suit of armor is probably my favorite magic experience.
I am pretty good at getting that one to work and it is cool to see the armor take form and stand up
Following my magic practice I decided it was time to go to Hogsmeade so I grabbed the Hogwarts Express. The wait time was only ten minutes and I got lucky with an uncrowded train cab.
Once I got to Hogsmeade I made my way to Hogwarts to ride Forbidden Journey. This ride is one of my favorite rides ever even though it does make me a little motion sick. The castle is gorgeous and really brings you into the wizarding world. I had to wait ten minutes in the single riders line. The ride attendant let three people from the single rider line ride together when they asked to, which I thought was a little unfair for adults to take advantage of the clearly marked single rider line and then ask to be together but whatever.
I stopped for some photos with the girls of Beauxbaton Academy of Magic and the guys of Durmstrang Institute and a picture with a Hogwarts Express conductor.
Up Next: What to do outside of HP world
After I finished eating I made my way to Gringotts. The posted wait was already 40 minutes. I recommend going through the regular stand by line if you have never done it before because it is really nicely themed and the goblins are great but I had already experienced that and instead hopped in the single rider line. I walked right on. For anyone that has not been on this ride it is described as a roller coaster but there is really only one decent drop. The rest is similar to a motion simulator ride with the use of screens and special effects. Bill Weasley, Ron’s older brother helps guide you on your journey to escape Gringotts and avoid the wrath of Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange. The lady sitting next to me asked if Harry was Bill. I wanted to kick her out of Harry Potter world for not knowing that Harry has black hair and not red hair but unfortunately not everyone has my same Harry Potter obsession so they let her stay. After I got off I got right back in line to ride once more. This signature ride is not a disappointment but twice was enough for me so I moved on to Ollivander’s to pick out a wand. My last wand had had some problems with the sensor so I was hoping a new one would work better. It was a good purchase and even though it is expensive, I do think I got my money’s worth out of it. I made sure to try every magical location in both parks and really improved my wizarding skills by the end of the day.
The suit of armor is probably my favorite magic experience.
I am pretty good at getting that one to work and it is cool to see the armor take form and stand up
I stopped for some photos with the girls of Beauxbaton Academy of Magic and the guys of Durmstrang Institute and a picture with a Hogwarts Express conductor.
missangelalexis
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2012
What a spontaneous decision! Sounds like a great Harry Potter filled morning
ariane37
Dis veteran
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2012
This ended up being all of our favorite ride when we went last August. Luckily crowds were almost nonexistent and we rode like 7x over the 3 days we were there. The goblins are awesome!
LMAO! This is how I feel sometimes when people ask me, or I hear people asking, what I consider basic Disney knowledge questions. I've read all the HP books but DH has absolutely NO knowledge of him whatsoever so I was answering some questions for him last Aug. that you probably would've wanted to slap him for!
Carathryn
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2015
I am a huge fan of the ride and the line for sure! Now if only they could add more awesome HP rides!
LMAO! This is how I feel sometimes when people ask me, or I hear people asking, what I consider basic Disney knowledge questions. I've read all the HP books but DH has absolutely NO knowledge of him whatsoever so I was answering some questions for him last Aug. that you probably would've wanted to slap him for![/QUOTE]
A couple years ago I was in line to meet Goofy and the middle aged woman behind me kept calling him Pluto, I wanted to kick her out of that line. How do people get through life without having basic Disney knowledge like that!?!?
I am glad your DH has you to enlighten him!
Stay tuned for why we DISers should stick to our planning ways! Any day with Harry Potter is a good day but my spontaneous decision did come back to get me in the afternoon.What a spontaneous decision! Sounds like a great Harry Potter filled morning
DnA2010
Rope Drop!
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2010
Just jumping on board but so glad I found your report! I would love to do some solo touring some day!
Love all your MS photos- oh the crane!
Your character interactions sound great, isn't it great to have a family into Disney!
Would love to hear more about your WDW wedding!
Love all your MS photos- oh the crane!
Your character interactions sound great, isn't it great to have a family into Disney!
Would love to hear more about your WDW wedding!
Victoriasmom98
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2009
I loved how you just decided to go to a park today. It looks like you are having so much fun!!! Ok, don't kill me, but I'VE NEVER READ ANY OF THE BOOKS OR SEEN THE MOVIES OF HARRY POTTER.....
I'm going to leave you with that mind-blowing statement now.......
I'm going to leave you with that mind-blowing statement now.......
Carathryn
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2015
Welcome aboard! This was my first mostly solo trip and I really did enjoy it. There are definitely pros and cons to traveling solo vs with the family but it was a lot of fun!
Thank you! I had a ton of fun character meet this trip! I felt the solo meets where extra special, a lot of the characters really tried to have a conversation or engage with me which I really appreciated.
As my wedding gets closer (still have over a year, trying to save up money
) I will most likely make a detailed planning report somewhere!Thanks for encouraging my self indulgent park adventure! I was so giddy and excited to be there without any set plans or desire to try and do everything, just being able to take in the wizarding world atmosphere was great.
HOW HAVE YOU NEVER EVEN SEEN THE MOVIES???? I hope that some day you will be enlightened to the wonderfulness that is the Harry Potter stories. They really offer something for everyone. I won't kill you, but I may have to recommend that someone locks you in a room until you read the books or watch the movies
Carathryn
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2015
Day 3 - Part 3: Continuing the Wizarding World Tour with a brief step into Jurassic world
Following my Hogshead visit I took a temporary leave from the Wizarding World, yes apparently Universal has more to offer. I stopped by my second favorite section of Islands of Adventure, the Jurassic Park area.
Unfortunately my favorite ride was closed, the Jurassic Park water ride, which is what happens when you go to a park without checking a refurbishment schedule. I still sat around and enjoyed the music of the area. They added a new raptor interaction experience but the line was really long and barely moving so I opted out of that. There wasn’t much else I was interested in so I went back to Hogsmeade. I played with my interactive wand some more and walked through the shops. My mom had asked me to find some individually wrapped candy that she could hand out at her conference table so I looked around Honeydukes. I decided on a couple boxes of salt water taffy since it was relatively cheap and pretty much the only individually wrapped small pieces of candy. I didn’t want to carry it around with me so I asked if I could get it later in Diagon Alley. The employee told me that I could find almost all of the candy in both parks so I left and went to find the Hogwarts express.
I waited about 10 minutes for my train ride. I like this way better than the trip from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade. Both have similar concepts but are a little different. Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley has Fred and George with fireworks and the knight bus and an overall happier, exciting feel.
Once back in Diagon Alley I stopped by Florean Flortescue’s Ice Cream parlor where you can find the world’s most delicious, soft served butter beer ice cream. This stuff is literally the best and beats out both the regular butter beer and the frozen butter beer for right around the same price. You get a very generous serving and it tastes like a rich, creamy custard, melt in your mouth ice cream with a hint of butterscotch.
The ice cream parlor also has some more interesting flavors that I have yet to try because I can’t turn down butter beer ice cream.
After devouring my ice cream I walked through the shops on my search for individually wrapped candy. Turns out there is no individually wrapped candy in all of Diagon Alley so I went back to Kings Crossing to take the Hogwarts Express back to Hogsmeade.
There was a longer wait this time and it took about 20 minutes to get on a train. I got my honeydukes salt water taffy and got back to the train station to find a 45 minute wait. At this point I was really starting the feel the crowds. I arrived at a jam packed Diagon Alley and decided it was time to leave the wizarding world.
The crowds had arrived
I wanted to ride the Mummy ride and Rip Ride Rockit before I left and since both of those rides have single rider lines I didn’t think it would be too bad. I ended up waiting 40 minutes in the single rider line for Revenge of the Mummy. The standby wait time was 60 minutes so I did save 20 minutes by going single rider but this still took a lot longer than I thought it would.
As I exited the ride I finally realized why the parks were so crowded.
Anyone that does any research into visiting Universal during Mardi Gras season knows that they offer free concerts that bring in big crowds. There was a free Fall Out Boy concert that night at Universal Studios. I had seen a lot of people walking around wearing Fall Out Boy tshirts but I had just figured that Orlando had a high population of FOB fans. This is what happens when you don’t plan out your park days! For anyone reading, I would not recommend going to a free Universal Studios Mardi Gras concert unless you want to face really large crowds and line up to wait to get into the concert 6 hours early. I love concerts and have seen FOB play before, but I would much rather shell out $50 for a concert than deal with the mass, chaotic crowds I felt at Universal. Maybe the free concerts are normally better organized and I just went on an off day but just maneuvering around the parks was a mess.
I made my way to the front of the park to check out the wait for Rip Ride Rockit. There was an estimated 30 minute wait just to get a locker and a 70 minute wait for the ride so I chose to skip it and just leave the parks. I had a fun day in the Harry Potter sections and having been to Universal Studios a couple times, I did not feel the need to do everything.
I walked to the passenger drop off/pickup and waited 5 minutes for my uber driver. While I waited I dug into my HP world treats.
$10 for a solid chocolate frog
Getting a new card with my chocolate frog makes the $10 worth it
This stuff is so good! Even if you aren't a huge pumpkin fan I still recommend trying it!
Up Next: One Horrible Dinner Show
Following my Hogshead visit I took a temporary leave from the Wizarding World, yes apparently Universal has more to offer. I stopped by my second favorite section of Islands of Adventure, the Jurassic Park area.
I waited about 10 minutes for my train ride. I like this way better than the trip from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade. Both have similar concepts but are a little different. Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley has Fred and George with fireworks and the knight bus and an overall happier, exciting feel.
Once back in Diagon Alley I stopped by Florean Flortescue’s Ice Cream parlor where you can find the world’s most delicious, soft served butter beer ice cream. This stuff is literally the best and beats out both the regular butter beer and the frozen butter beer for right around the same price. You get a very generous serving and it tastes like a rich, creamy custard, melt in your mouth ice cream with a hint of butterscotch.
The ice cream parlor also has some more interesting flavors that I have yet to try because I can’t turn down butter beer ice cream.
After devouring my ice cream I walked through the shops on my search for individually wrapped candy. Turns out there is no individually wrapped candy in all of Diagon Alley so I went back to Kings Crossing to take the Hogwarts Express back to Hogsmeade.
There was a longer wait this time and it took about 20 minutes to get on a train. I got my honeydukes salt water taffy and got back to the train station to find a 45 minute wait. At this point I was really starting the feel the crowds. I arrived at a jam packed Diagon Alley and decided it was time to leave the wizarding world.
The crowds had arrived
I wanted to ride the Mummy ride and Rip Ride Rockit before I left and since both of those rides have single rider lines I didn’t think it would be too bad. I ended up waiting 40 minutes in the single rider line for Revenge of the Mummy. The standby wait time was 60 minutes so I did save 20 minutes by going single rider but this still took a lot longer than I thought it would.
As I exited the ride I finally realized why the parks were so crowded.
I made my way to the front of the park to check out the wait for Rip Ride Rockit. There was an estimated 30 minute wait just to get a locker and a 70 minute wait for the ride so I chose to skip it and just leave the parks. I had a fun day in the Harry Potter sections and having been to Universal Studios a couple times, I did not feel the need to do everything.
I walked to the passenger drop off/pickup and waited 5 minutes for my uber driver. While I waited I dug into my HP world treats.
$10 for a solid chocolate frog
Getting a new card with my chocolate frog makes the $10 worth it
This stuff is so good! Even if you aren't a huge pumpkin fan I still recommend trying it!
Carathryn
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2015
Day 3 - Part 4: Al Capone's Dinner Show
I got back to the hotel and relaxed for about an hour before it was time to leave for dinner. Some people at the conference my mom was working at had got a group together to go to Al Capone’s dinner show. As much as I wanted to run away and get dinner at Boma, I figured I would stick with my mom since her being in Orlando for work was what made this trip possible. The show encourages you to dress up in 1920s/1930s gangster and flapper attire. We went with some fedoras and my mom wore a suit and suspenders outfit. Several people in our 23 person party dressed up and got really into it with flapper dresses and feather boas.
Now if anyone is considering venturing outside of Disney for a dinner show, do not go to this one. We may have gone on an unusually bad night but I cannot recommend this dinner show at all. The food made multiple people in our party sick. The waiter would not refill my glass of water, despite having asked him twice, but every time I turned my back he had topped off my wine so I have a feeling that a lot of the positive reviews on the Internet are from people who drank too much to remember how bad the food and entertainment was.
Only the alcohol gets refilled, no one checked my ID, and no one was limiting anyone's alcohol consumption
I hate to sound like an overly harsh critic, but our experience was just that bad. They managed to ruin pizza and pasta, that is hard to do. We also had some terrible customer service when they couldn’t find our tickets and overall the entertainment was boring and dragged on too long. If anyone reading this had a good experience here please chime in, but just thinking back on this night makes my stomach hurt, and I am 100% positive it was the food, not the alcohol that made me sick.
Ok, I am done complaining but I felt that this should be shared in case anyone stumbles across this and was considering the dinner show.
Up Next: On to happier memories of checking in at the Poly!
I got back to the hotel and relaxed for about an hour before it was time to leave for dinner. Some people at the conference my mom was working at had got a group together to go to Al Capone’s dinner show. As much as I wanted to run away and get dinner at Boma, I figured I would stick with my mom since her being in Orlando for work was what made this trip possible. The show encourages you to dress up in 1920s/1930s gangster and flapper attire. We went with some fedoras and my mom wore a suit and suspenders outfit. Several people in our 23 person party dressed up and got really into it with flapper dresses and feather boas.
Now if anyone is considering venturing outside of Disney for a dinner show, do not go to this one. We may have gone on an unusually bad night but I cannot recommend this dinner show at all. The food made multiple people in our party sick. The waiter would not refill my glass of water, despite having asked him twice, but every time I turned my back he had topped off my wine so I have a feeling that a lot of the positive reviews on the Internet are from people who drank too much to remember how bad the food and entertainment was.
Only the alcohol gets refilled, no one checked my ID, and no one was limiting anyone's alcohol consumption
I hate to sound like an overly harsh critic, but our experience was just that bad. They managed to ruin pizza and pasta, that is hard to do. We also had some terrible customer service when they couldn’t find our tickets and overall the entertainment was boring and dragged on too long. If anyone reading this had a good experience here please chime in, but just thinking back on this night makes my stomach hurt, and I am 100% positive it was the food, not the alcohol that made me sick.
Ok, I am done complaining but I felt that this should be shared in case anyone stumbles across this and was considering the dinner show.
Up Next: On to happier memories of checking in at the Poly!
Carathryn
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2015
Day 4 - Part 1: Poly time + Beaches and Cream!
The next morning I woke up super excited because today was the day we checked into the Poly! While my mom finished up with her work duties I packed up our room and managed to get all of our bags down to the lobby.
Yes, I did get three rolling bags down a never-ending hallway and an elevator ride
Around noon my mom was all done with work. I had not ate anything because my stomach was still not feeling so good from the night before but I was starting to get a little hungry so I snagged up a late lunch reservation at Beaches and Cream. We grabbed an uber and were on our way.
Hello Poly!
We made it to the Poly and walked in to the lobby. We had to track down a cast member to take us to the club building. We could feel the cut backs of greeters at the resort that had been made in the last week. But once we found a cast member to escort us to the club building to check in we were on our way. We were welcomed into the Poly ohana and received our leis. We already had our dining reservations in place but the concierge cast member asked if we needed any help changing times or reservations so that was nice. Our room wasn’t quite ready yet but we stopped in the concierge club to grab some snacks before leaving for the Beach Club.
View from the Poly CL lounge
I didn’t do much research on the best way to get there or else we would have taken an uber but we had good transportation timing with a monorail to Epcot, a bus to Hollywood studios, and a boat to the Beach Club waiting for us.
Brief stop in front of HS
It took about an hour to get there even with our great timing. We had never ventured out to the Epcot area resorts so I was excited to get a quick glance at the Boardwalk and Beach and Yacht club. We found our way to the Beach club and after asking a CM for directions we found B&C.
Stormalong Bay!
Our reservation was at 2:00 and we got seated right on time. We had a dinner reservation coming up so we had originally planned on splitting a meal but we walked in and everything smelled so good and we were hungry so decided to order the grilled cheese and the veggie burger. Both were really tasty. We decided to hold off on the ice cream and save room for desert later but we will definitely be back on a future trip to try the kitchen sink.
I love the pastel colors and decorations
I was not prepared for how small this restaurant is
The grilled cheese did not disappoint!
The veggie burger doesn't look as appetizing but it had a really nice flavor!
Up Next: Our Poly Room!
The next morning I woke up super excited because today was the day we checked into the Poly! While my mom finished up with her work duties I packed up our room and managed to get all of our bags down to the lobby.
Yes, I did get three rolling bags down a never-ending hallway and an elevator ride
Hello Poly!
We made it to the Poly and walked in to the lobby. We had to track down a cast member to take us to the club building. We could feel the cut backs of greeters at the resort that had been made in the last week. But once we found a cast member to escort us to the club building to check in we were on our way. We were welcomed into the Poly ohana and received our leis. We already had our dining reservations in place but the concierge cast member asked if we needed any help changing times or reservations so that was nice. Our room wasn’t quite ready yet but we stopped in the concierge club to grab some snacks before leaving for the Beach Club.
View from the Poly CL lounge
I didn’t do much research on the best way to get there or else we would have taken an uber but we had good transportation timing with a monorail to Epcot, a bus to Hollywood studios, and a boat to the Beach Club waiting for us.
Brief stop in front of HS
Stormalong Bay!
I love the pastel colors and decorations
I was not prepared for how small this restaurant is
The grilled cheese did not disappoint!
The veggie burger doesn't look as appetizing but it had a really nice flavor!
missangelalexis
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2012
Mmm the butterbeer ice cream looks and sounds delicious!
I'm sorry you had to go all the way back to get the candy, how annoying.
Ah, makes sense why it was so crowded! Sorry you ended up leaving, but your time in the HArry Potter sections sounds like it was fun enough!
Doesn't sound like a fun night at the dinner show, bummer
Love Beaches & Cream, but I totally agree- I was not expecting how small it was!!
I'm sorry you had to go all the way back to get the candy, how annoying.
Ah, makes sense why it was so crowded! Sorry you ended up leaving, but your time in the HArry Potter sections sounds like it was fun enough!
Doesn't sound like a fun night at the dinner show, bummer
Love Beaches & Cream, but I totally agree- I was not expecting how small it was!!
Carathryn
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2015
I highly recommend going to Diagon Alley solely for some butter beer ice cream! SO GOOD!
It did give me another excuse to go on the Hogwarts Express so there is that! But I was not happy about the wait times for the train.
Yeah there was a light bulb going off in my head when I finally realized why it was so crowded!
With how small it is I have no idea how I was able to get a reservation! I really enjoyed it though and will for sure be back for ice cream
MickeyReeds
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2007
Beaches and Cream looks delish! We are trying it for the first time on our summer trip. I know I won't be able to pass on the ice cream though!
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