“Would You Like an Adventure Now?" A July PTR *Updated 8/1

[luvpoohandcompany]

I am loving your plans. So good you’re getting to see all sides of the family. Landon will be so chuffed to be the pilot. It all sounds fab!

 

[vamassey1]

Not only did they purchase the tickets, but Alex’s brother has been actively planning the day with us. He’s called multiple times with a to-do list and on our 60 day window, woke up early to coordinate with me on booking everything he wanted.

Wow he is really comitted.

It’s just when you expect one thing and then get dealt a change, you have to step back and reassess your plans.

I can understand this. Hopefully you can do some of the regular DHS stuff on your first day. I'm sure it will be hard to keep everyone out of GE.

Now, however, Day 7 is about doing all the Star Wars things. It’s going to be a Star Wars filled kind of day.

This does sound fun.

At 1ish, Alex’s brother booked a lightsaber build and then at 3ish a droid build. He can take one guest with him to each experience, so we’ll let him take Landon to one and Evie to the other.

The kids are going to love this. I haven't done the droid build but I did watch Danielle and Dennis build lightsabers.

Then, I was able to snag a 4:55 Oga’s Cantina reservation for our large group.

That's perfect! I can't remember what I had last time but it was good. The first drink I had was just ok.

Alex and I are going to try and buy ILL’s for Rise for everyone as a birthday gift to his brother, but if we can’t get them then hopefully in the evening the wait won’t be astronomical. And fingers crossed the attraction will be out of B Mode by then!

This is a great treat for everyone. Fingers crossed you get the complete ride.

Since Alex’s brother is buying a lightsaber, I’m hoping to bring Evie’s costume along and capture some nice shots of her in front of the Millenium Falcon at night with her holding the saber.

This makes the best pictures especially at night.

And finally, we’ll eat too many Ronto Wraps.

Love the Ronto wraps.

This is the day my mom, my brother, and my sister in-law arrive!

This down day truly should be what it’s called. A “down day,” a time to slow down and breath and actually rest on our vacation.

You can escape work and carpool and appointments, but you can’t leave laundry behind.

It finds you.

It’s always there…

Very true, sad but true.

 

[suse66]

I might have done that with two of Alex’s siblings in regards to our last Disney day with the kids. I never in a million years thought they would buy one day Disney tickets and come join us for our second day in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

You ae a brave woman! Kudos to you for reaching out and inviting them. Hope you all have fun!

Then, I was able to snag a 4:55 Oga’s Cantina reservation for our large group.

Please, give me your drink recommendations here. I know the costs are high and you might end up standing, but when in Rome, right? We’re going all in on this Star Wars experience.

Oga's will be a great time! We loved the Fuzzy Tauntaun if you drink alcohol.

It was only recently that she confirmed she was coming down for a few days, and my brother put in for the time off from work, so I can officially get excited about their involvement in the trip.

Nice! I love how close you are with your mom.

And because he’s much younger than me, my kids have always loved spending time with him, as well. He’s the “fun uncle.” I mean, he was 18 years old when Landon was born.

Alex gets along well with him, too. He used to come crash at our apartment on weekends when we were first married, and he was still in school. Alex was touched that my brother asked him to be a groomsman in his wedding last summer.

That's awesome! So fun for Evie and Landon.

 

[amazingact21]

Landon will be so chuffed to be the pilot.

Somewhere among all his school papers is a drawing he made of himself driving the Millenium Falcon. It was pretty cute and that's when I discovered riding Smuggler's Run is what he wants to do at Disney.

Hopefully you can do some of the regular DHS stuff on your first day. I'm sure it will be hard to keep everyone out of GE.

The other parts of DHS are what I'm more interested in, so at least this way I get to do what I want on the first day.
Plus, our Galaxy's Edge day is the first day of the Food and Wine Festival, so I'm hoping some of the crowds will be over in Epcot experiencing that.

The kids are going to love this. I haven't done the droid build but I did watch Danielle and Dennis build lightsabers.

This is going to be so fun for them. Plus, it gives them a chance to go off and do something cool without their parents. They're starting to get to that age where that adds to the fun factor.

That's perfect! I can't remember what I had last time but it was good.

Hopefully, whatever I end up picking is good. If nothing else, I'm sure the kids will have a blast trying their fun mocktails.

This makes the best pictures especially at night.

I need to refresh my memory on what settings take the best nighttime shots on my camera so that I'm ready!

 

[amazingact21]

Kudos to you for reaching out and inviting them. Hope you all have fun!

If nothing else, I'm sure the kids will have a great time, participating in all these Star Wars experiences with their uncle. Memories I'm sure they'll remember.

We loved the Fuzzy Tauntaun if you drink alcohol.

Is this the drink that makes your mouth numb? That one scares me a bit!

 

[rdkeim]

I'm looking forward to seeing her so many times this summer, especially because next summer we'll be moving (have no idea where yet) and so who knows the next time I'll get to see her.




You've got to add Gideon's to your must-try next time! It's so decadent and delicious.




I appreciate you sticking around for all my rambling. Hard to believe I've been writing trip reports for that long.




I'm hoping if I go in with a go with the flow attitude, I won't be disappointed. Really, after three years away, I think Alex and I will be happy just to be inside the parks again.




I'm not sure how the rest of the country is faring, but if it's anything like my area, the weather has been beautiful! Truly, this sunny and 60s is so unusual. Hope you are enjoying your trip. Some of these roads can be terrifying, but the final destinations are usually worth it!

We had beautiful weather! The locals all told us how lucky we were - we were prepared for rain so we were pleasantly surprised.

 

[rdkeim]

Your plans sound great! Uh oh on the in-law's but it should be fun going with people who are really into it. I usually end up doing all the planning. It would be kinda nice for a change to have a planning partner. Nice your kids can do a fun activity sans parents. I think you will love having the AirBnB. Especially on your down days - much better than sitting in a hotel room. If I can ever get my son, d-i-law and grandkids there again, I would definitely go that route. You're going to have lots of quality time with the family which is what it's all about!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Somewhere among all his school papers is a drawing he made of himself driving the Millenium Falcon. It was pretty cute and that's when I discovered riding Smuggler's Run is what he wants to do at Disney.

Awww it's so good that there are enough of you to ensure he gets to be the pilot. Very cool to make dreams come true.

This is going to be so fun for them. Plus, it gives them a chance to go off and do something cool without their parents. They're starting to get to that age where that adds to the fun factor.

It's a great age and it cuts both ways as you get to do a day or two without them and don't have to worry that they're fretting. Everyone's a winner lol

 

[vamassey1]

The other parts of DHS are what I'm more interested in, so at least this way I get to do what I want on the first day.
Plus, our Galaxy's Edge day is the first day of the Food and Wine Festival, so I'm hoping some of the crowds will be over in Epcot experiencing that.

Sounds like it will work in your favor for both days.

This is going to be so fun for them. Plus, it gives them a chance to go off and do something cool without their parents. They're starting to get to that age where that adds to the fun factor.

Perfect opportunity for you and DH to enjoy an adult beverage.

 

[amazingact21]

We had beautiful weather! The locals all told us how lucky we were -

I'm so glad to hear you got to experience the nice weather! It was fabulous.

I think you will love having the AirBnB. Especially on your down days - much better than sitting in a hotel room.

I agree. Having our own pool and space to decompress will make our rest days truly "rest" days.

Awww it's so good that there are enough of you to ensure he gets to be the pilot. Very cool to make dreams come true.

Now, hopefully he's kind to all the adults and doesn't crash us too many times.

Perfect opportunity for you and DH to enjoy an adult beverage.

A sneak away to Baseline Taphouse sounds like the perfect idea while the aunt and uncle have the kids!

 

[amazingact21]

Days 9 and 10:


To say the kids are excited about these Universal days would be an understatement. Just yesterday Landon asked if we could take away a Disney day and add a day to Universal. Both are bursting with anticipation at seeing the Wizarding World.

We have told them some of the attraction names because we had to brace Evie with the hard truth that she won’t be able to go on several of them, but we’ve kept most other information a secret.

For instance, neither kid knows there’s a Wheezly Wizards Wheezes shop or that you can buy Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Jelly Beans.

They do know about Butterbeer, because I’ve mentioned on multiple occasions how much I look forward to drinking some again. And they also know about the fire breathing dragon. Both are things they cannot wait to experience themselves.



The logistics of our Universal days will be a bit tricky, though.

We’re a big group.

Much bigger than I was expecting.


7 adults and 2 kids.

Holy smokies!



It’s going to be us four, Alex’s brother and sister, my mom, and my brother and sister in-law.


The positive side to this is that there will be an abundance of people to hang out with Evie while others take Landon on the attractions he wants to do. There will be no shortage of adults willing to take Evie into a shop or let her practice magic with her interactive wand, hopefully distracting her from any disappointment she’ll feel at not getting to go on Forbidden Journey or Hagrid’s.


*I’m so bummed she’s two inches too short to ride Hagrid’s. The magical creatures are her favorite part of Harry Potter. She’s obsessed with Buckbeak the Hippogriff and the blast end screwts and nifflers. She’s basically the female Newt Schmander.*



However, the downside to having 7 adults in our group is that….

There will be 7 adults.


That’s A LOT of opinions and wants and people to herd. Simply walking through those narrow shops is going to be a challenge!

Everyone’s coming along because they all want to see the kids’ reactions to the HP stuff. But with that many people, it’s going to be hard for anyone to see anything.


People are going to have to take shifts.
“Okay, Nana, you walk with the kids through the rest of Hogsmeade, then switch off with Isaac and Carly when we board the Hogwarts Express.”



Alex and I pretty much figure the two days at Universal will be centered around the WWoHP, but Alex does hope to break away and ride the Hulk and Velocicoaster. I told him I’d ride the Hulk with him, but he would need to get my brother to go on the other with him.

That ride just looks too intense for me!

(Did you know Landon is tall enough to ride it?!!! Not that he will, I just find that crazy.)



I’m not sure what the food situation will look like on these days. For lunch, we’ll most likely go to the Leaky Cauldron one day and The Three Broomsticks on the other.

Because what does one who is away from England need to do on vacation? …..Eat British food, of course.



Snacks will be in the form of Voodoo Dougnuts, macarons from Toothsome, and butterbeer ice cream. But dinner is a mystery.

Any places in Universal that would be worth a visit? Would we be better going back to the AirBnB and cooking ourselves? Restaurants in CityWalk that would easily accommodate a group of 9?


It’s so funny to me that the least days I have concrete plans are the ones that Landon and Evie are most looking forward to. They want to don their favorite HP shirts, pick their wands (that’s going to have be one of the first things we do) and look at every little detail in the land. No Pigmy Puff will go unseen, no shelf in Diagon Alley unlooked. My kids are going to live their best HP lives, and I can’t wait to go along for the ride. As long as I get to see their happiness and share in their joy, that’s all I want out of our Universal days.



Goals for Universal:
- Buy the kids wands
- Both kids ride Escape from Gringotts
- Alex ride the Hulk and Velocicoaster
- Drink frozen butterbeer

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Not only did they purchase the tickets, but Alex’s brother has been actively planning the day with us. He’s called multiple times with a to-do list and on our 60 day window, woke up early to coordinate with me on booking everything he wanted.

He’s taking this day very seriously.

At least he is taking it seriously and trying to plan with you.

Please, give me your drink recommendations here. I know the costs are high and you might end up standing, but when in Rome, right? We’re going all in on this Star Wars experience.

I always recommend the Fuzzy Tantaun. That is the one with the foam on the top that makes your lips a little numb. Def something you can't get elsewhere! There is also a jello shot thing, that is kind of fun. It has bobba balls in it. There is an alcholic and non alcholic version. Both are def unique to being there.

I think you will like Oga's. DJ Rex is cool to see and he play some good tunes! It is def worth going at least once.

And fingers crossed the attraction will be out of B Mode by then!

B Mode isn't too bad. there is so much to that ride, that it doesn't take away from it. Like if the animatronic is gone on Navi, it really brings that ride down.

Plus do several loads of laundry.

Boo. No laundry.

ust yesterday Landon asked if we could take away a Disney day and add a day to Universal. Both are bursting with anticipation at seeing the Wizarding World.

What has happened to Landon!!! Take away a Disney day!!!! How dare he!

*I’m so bummed she’s two inches too short to ride Hagrid’s. The magical creatures are her favorite part of Harry Potter. She’s obsessed with Buckbeak the Hippogriff and the blast end screwts and nifflers. She’s basically the female Newt Schmander.*

Bummer. Maybe she will have a growth spurt! You guys will be back, I am sure!

Everyone’s coming along because they all want to see the kids’ reactions to the HP stuff. But with that many people, it’s going to be hard for anyone to see anything.

Just let the kids decide what you do! Hopefully all of the adults will be happy just to see the magic of the kids experiencing everything!

Because what does one who is away from England need to do on vacation? …..Eat British food, of course.

Ha! Hilarious.

It’s so funny to me that the least days I have concrete plans are the ones that Landon and Evie are most looking forward to.

Maybe that is a good thing. Just let the day unfold naturally. I am kind of sad that we didn't get to do Universal this trip. I keep secretly hoping I can convince Andy to do a trip this summer. But I don't think that will happen.

 

[vamassey1]

Your Universal time sounds so fun. The kids are never going to want to leave.

Someday I'm going to make it there. Danielle has an annual pass and loves it.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

You are going to have so much fun at Universal. I think you have the perfect attitude and just go with whatever the kids want to do. They will love all the HP stuff. It is so well done

 

[cindianne320]

As you know- I just got back from Disney and Universal!

I've ridden Rise lots of times, and never got the B-mode!

Hagrid's is the best coaster I've ever been on, and I loved Velocicoaster WAY more than hulk- I can only handle that one once/trip.

Good luck with all those Adults... I was happy to be on my own. LOL

 

[amazingact21]

I think you will like Oga's. DJ Rex is cool to see and he play some good tunes! It is def worth going at least once.

I forgot about DJ Rex and the music. You're right, it'll probably be something I'm happy I experienced once.

What has happened to Landon!!! Take away a Disney day!!!! How dare he!

I know, I know! He used to be my little Disney buddy. I'm hoping once he's back in the parks he'll remember why Disney is so great.

Just let the kids decide what you do! Hopefully all of the adults will be happy just to see the magic of the kids experiencing everything!

I'm hopeful that everyone is going in with the right mindset. Every single one of them has said to me that they are perfectly happy hanging out in the WWoHP and doing whatever the kids want. Honestly, I think it's Alex who is going to be most disappointed not to wander off more.

I keep secretly hoping I can convince Andy to do a trip this summer. But I don't think that will happen.

Maybe one day! Maybe when the girls are both teenagers and want to try bigger rides. And if nothing else, Butterbeer is worth trying. One of my favorite park snacks.

 

[amazingact21]

Someday I'm going to make it there. Danielle has an annual pass and loves it.

I hope so. It's worth checking out at least once.

You are going to have so much fun at Universal. I think you have the perfect attitude and just go with whatever the kids want to do. They will love all the HP stuff. It is so well done

Everyone else in the party keeps talking about how excited they are for Universal, so if nothing else it's been fun experiencing other people's excitement. And truly, I feel incredibly lucky that so many of the kids' relatives want to share in that time with them.

 

[amazingact21]

Hagrid's is the best coaster I've ever been on

I'm so excited for it! We were talking about the trip the other night, and I said that Hagrid's is one of the things I'm most looking forward to trying.

Velocicoaster WAY more than hulk-

Oh gosh, don't let Alex hear that. He'll try and use it to convince me to go on Velocicoaster. You are way braver than I am!

Good luck with all those Adults... I was happy to be on my own.

Haha, it'll be an adventure, that's for sure.
Alex and I are thinking we might go back to Universal one morning when it's just us to get to do some of the things we weren't able to with our large group.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I know, I know! He used to be my little Disney buddy. I'm hoping once he's back in the parks he'll remember why Disney is so great.

I mean he can like both....

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Alex and I are thinking we might go back to Universal one morning when it's just us to get to do some of the things we weren't able to with our large group.

Great idea!