Sweet Pea UK
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2007
Can't wait to read more!
15 Days, 6 Parks and 1 Couple- Our June 2010 Trip Report and Dining Review in One!
- Thread starter wishspirit
- Start date
gemmybear83
<font color=royalblue>I would blame it all on Bob<
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2007
Great trip report!
I'm 26 (27 next month) and still get asked for id! Its getting to the point where it is flattering now though!
I'm 26 (27 next month) and still get asked for id! Its getting to the point where it is flattering now though!
tinks_1989
<font color=teal>need a <b>like</b> button<br><fon
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2007
Yes More!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes Kate, more please!
tinks_1989
<font color=teal>need a <b>like</b> button<br><fon
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2007
- Joined
- May 2, 2004
Great start and really looking forward to reading more
wishspirit
When you wish upon a star!
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2005
So sorry this has taken so long to put up! I have had a busy couple of days, going to my graduation and all, plus photobucket has been messing me around. Plus the Dis only allows 25 photos per post, so this is in three parts! Worth the wait eh? Now all the problems are dealt with and I have nothing better to do, onto day three!
After a really good sleep in the lovely beds at Royal Pacific (we ended up asleep by 9.30 the night before!) we were up and awake, ready to leave the room around 7am! We were almost earlier, since the clock in the room was inexplicably set 15 minutes early?!?
Maybe it was to get people out earlier at check in, I honestly dont know!
We walked from Royal Pacific, and ended up at the front of the turnstyles for the 8am resort guest opening for Harry Potter! It was slightly annoying that they only let us in for 2 hours, but it was 2 days before the Grand Opening, so we didnt feel too hard done by. We had booked well before Harry Potter was announced, so all of this was just an added bonus! Anyway we were very glad we got there earlier as it did start to get more crowded the nearer it got to opening, plus the staff working the turnstyles were lovely to talk to.
Here is the pictures of Murray and I waiting at the turnstyles.
At 8am, they let us all through, and we got a stomp on to the WWOHP! We had to walk through Seuss Landing and the left-overs of Lost Continent and all of a sudden we were back in London!
We decided to make a bee-line for Forbidden Journey, with all the hype we were not going to miss that! The ride is inside Hogwarts Castle, and looks very cool from the outside, except you could see the back building if you moved further to one side, which ruined the illusion. Hopefully they will do something to block this.
So we rushed up to the gates, where a crowd was gathering, just to be told that Forbidden Journey wasnt working!!
The staff member dressed in Hogwarts robes said they didnt know how long it would be down, and I guess just expected us to disperse. Errrr NO! 
There was already a larger queue forming behind us, and we knew if we got out of the line now, we would be waiting a long time later! The staff member then scuttled back in, I guess to tell her manager that an ever growing collection of muggles, baying for blood, were about to storm the gates! 
I, as per usual, started talking to the people in the queue around me and found out that one family had tried three times to get on in the last few days, always unsuccessfully. 
It didnt bode well! Anyway about 10 minutes later another staff member popped out and said that although the ride was down, we could experience the queue. Since I had been informed (through the DisUnplugged) that the queue line was half the experience, we decided to give it a go! 
As you can see, we spent a while taking pictures, and there is a lot to see! Unfortunately the talking pictures and holographs didnt come out well on the camera, but it was amazing to stand and watch. I kind of wished we could of spent longer looking around, loads of detail! We let loads of people pass us whilst we were just taking it all in.
However, when we got to near the end of the queue line another member of staff popped out saying the ride had started! She then gave me ticket to let me back in the front of the queue whilst I popped out to put the bags in a locker, and by the time I got back Murray was waiting for me right at the front! We walked right on!
In case you didnt know, the ride has you sitting in rows of four on an enchanted quiditch bench (but you are firmly strapped in). You then follow Harry being chased by a dragon, attacked by the whomping willow and some dementors. It uses a mixture of screens and animatronics, as well as a ride seat which moves around, to create the effect of flying. I enjoyed the ride, but it is quite intense! If you suffer from motion sickness, then maybe avoid! I felt a bit dizzy coming off. Murray was very impressed! He thought it was really good! So did I, but maybe not the game changer Universal is proclaiming it to be!
Afterwards we headed back to Hogsmeade and towards Olivanders! I had heard this drew big crowds, but due to our success on forbidden journey, it only had a few people queuing. Even at 8.30 in the morning, it was warm enough outside there when waiting, I cant imagine waiting hours to see it during the hottest parts of the day!! This was all very nice, and a young boy was allowed to have his wand chosen, which was very cute, but also a great way for them to sell their wands!
Murrays expertise with the camera shows again!
Arent I mean? 
Olivanders leads into the Owl Post and Bourkin & Burkes, which has lot of merchandise and quirky bits and pieces. We also popped into Honeydukes and Zonkos, which had some cool items, but smelt very funny!
Like burnt plastic! A few items looked like any old sweets with Honeydukes stuck on, but most looked nice.
Next: Harry Potter- Part Two!
Now all the problems are dealt with and I have nothing better to do, onto day three!After a really good sleep in the lovely beds at Royal Pacific (we ended up asleep by 9.30 the night before!) we were up and awake, ready to leave the room around 7am! We were almost earlier, since the clock in the room was inexplicably set 15 minutes early?!?
Maybe it was to get people out earlier at check in, I honestly dont know!
We walked from Royal Pacific, and ended up at the front of the turnstyles for the 8am resort guest opening for Harry Potter! It was slightly annoying that they only let us in for 2 hours, but it was 2 days before the Grand Opening, so we didnt feel too hard done by. We had booked well before Harry Potter was announced, so all of this was just an added bonus! Anyway we were very glad we got there earlier as it did start to get more crowded the nearer it got to opening, plus the staff working the turnstyles were lovely to talk to.
Here is the pictures of Murray and I waiting at the turnstyles.
At 8am, they let us all through, and we got a stomp on to the WWOHP! We had to walk through Seuss Landing and the left-overs of Lost Continent and all of a sudden we were back in London!
We decided to make a bee-line for Forbidden Journey, with all the hype we were not going to miss that! The ride is inside Hogwarts Castle, and looks very cool from the outside, except you could see the back building if you moved further to one side, which ruined the illusion. Hopefully they will do something to block this.
So we rushed up to the gates, where a crowd was gathering, just to be told that Forbidden Journey wasnt working!!
The staff member dressed in Hogwarts robes said they didnt know how long it would be down, and I guess just expected us to disperse. Errrr NO! There was already a larger queue forming behind us, and we knew if we got out of the line now, we would be waiting a long time later! The staff member then scuttled back in, I guess to tell her manager that an ever growing collection of muggles, baying for blood, were about to storm the gates! I, as per usual, started talking to the people in the queue around me and found out that one family had tried three times to get on in the last few days, always unsuccessfully. It didnt bode well! Anyway about 10 minutes later another staff member popped out and said that although the ride was down, we could experience the queue. Since I had been informed (through the DisUnplugged) that the queue line was half the experience, we decided to give it a go!
As you can see, we spent a while taking pictures, and there is a lot to see! Unfortunately the talking pictures and holographs didnt come out well on the camera, but it was amazing to stand and watch. I kind of wished we could of spent longer looking around, loads of detail! We let loads of people pass us whilst we were just taking it all in.
However, when we got to near the end of the queue line another member of staff popped out saying the ride had started! She then gave me ticket to let me back in the front of the queue whilst I popped out to put the bags in a locker, and by the time I got back Murray was waiting for me right at the front! We walked right on!
In case you didnt know, the ride has you sitting in rows of four on an enchanted quiditch bench (but you are firmly strapped in). You then follow Harry being chased by a dragon, attacked by the whomping willow and some dementors. It uses a mixture of screens and animatronics, as well as a ride seat which moves around, to create the effect of flying. I enjoyed the ride, but it is quite intense! If you suffer from motion sickness, then maybe avoid! I felt a bit dizzy coming off. Murray was very impressed! He thought it was really good! So did I, but maybe not the game changer Universal is proclaiming it to be! Afterwards we headed back to Hogsmeade and towards Olivanders! I had heard this drew big crowds, but due to our success on forbidden journey, it only had a few people queuing. Even at 8.30 in the morning, it was warm enough outside there when waiting, I cant imagine waiting hours to see it during the hottest parts of the day!! This was all very nice, and a young boy was allowed to have his wand chosen, which was very cute, but also a great way for them to sell their wands!
Murrays expertise with the camera shows again!
Arent I mean? Olivanders leads into the Owl Post and Bourkin & Burkes, which has lot of merchandise and quirky bits and pieces. We also popped into Honeydukes and Zonkos, which had some cool items, but smelt very funny!
Like burnt plastic! A few items looked like any old sweets with Honeydukes stuck on, but most looked nice.Next: Harry Potter- Part Two!
wishspirit
When you wish upon a star!
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2005
Next, Murray headed off to Dragon Challenge (I still prefer the name Dueling Dragons!), whilst I just walked around looking at the details and regretting that Murray went off with the camera! I also decided to buy a Butterbeer to really get a taste of Hogsmeade. I decided I didnt need a souvenir mug, so it was only around $3. It was really odd, like a fizzy Werther's Original, with a creamy head to it (which was added after, it isnt natural). Luckily Murray got back from Dragon Challenge just in time to share! He really enjoyed both the butterbeer and the ride, especially since he literally walked on and in the front row!
And us with butterbeards as we call them:
After a little more wandering around, and picture in front of the Hogwarts Express, we decided to head out to the rest of the Islands of Adventure.
We decided to work anti-clockwise from where we were, so heading straight to Jurassic Park. We of course headed straight to the Jurassic water ride, which is where I have to admit a small secret to you.... I am still scared of dinosaurs!
Its something I never really grew out of, but as I am getting older and braver I will do these rides.... as long as Murray agrees to sit on the end, so if a dinosaurs attack they will eat him first! 
Well, it wasnt as scary as I remember, but it was a lot wetter than my previous recollections! It was also enhanced by the people who we on the ride with, who were hilarious and really got into it!
We decided, since we were already wet, that we might as well get all of the wet rides out of the way in one go. So we headed off, already more than a little soggy, to Dudley Do-Rights Rip Saw Falls. This is one of my favourite rides at IOA for the sheer thrill, but I have to say I am not a big fan of the theming. Maybe its just because I have never seen Dudley Do-Right (its not shown in the UK), or that I am comparing it too much to Splash Mountain, but I feel it just needs to be made more immersive than it is. Murray thought it was ok, but not his favourite ride.
So after another big splash, and even more soggy socks, we headed over to Bilge Rat Barges (not before stopping for Murray to have a snickers- we hadnt had a proper breakfast, and he was needing a pit stop). This was when having a front of the line pass really helped, since by this point the park was starting to fill up, and BRB had a 20 minute queue. We just whipped our out room keys, and we walked right on!
Fantastic! Plus I love this ride, and Murray and I seemed to get hit every single time!! We ended up without a dry spot on us! I had to take off my socks to ring them out afterwards! Seriously squelchy! 
We walked through Superhero Island, but I didnt really want to do any of the rides since they all seem to make me dizzy! Murray didnt want to wait alone, especially since the queues were getting longer. So we decided to head over the Seuss landing to see what else we wanted to do, and decided to go on Cat in the Hat. The ride was lovely, less spinning than I remembered, but boy was that air-con working! That, combined with wet clothes meant we were very happy to see the sun when we got out.
Sorry for the drowned rat look photographs!
Next- Part Three!
And us with butterbeards as we call them:
After a little more wandering around, and picture in front of the Hogwarts Express, we decided to head out to the rest of the Islands of Adventure.
We decided to work anti-clockwise from where we were, so heading straight to Jurassic Park. We of course headed straight to the Jurassic water ride, which is where I have to admit a small secret to you.... I am still scared of dinosaurs!
Its something I never really grew out of, but as I am getting older and braver I will do these rides.... as long as Murray agrees to sit on the end, so if a dinosaurs attack they will eat him first! Well, it wasnt as scary as I remember, but it was a lot wetter than my previous recollections! It was also enhanced by the people who we on the ride with, who were hilarious and really got into it!
We decided, since we were already wet, that we might as well get all of the wet rides out of the way in one go. So we headed off, already more than a little soggy, to Dudley Do-Rights Rip Saw Falls. This is one of my favourite rides at IOA for the sheer thrill, but I have to say I am not a big fan of the theming. Maybe its just because I have never seen Dudley Do-Right (its not shown in the UK), or that I am comparing it too much to Splash Mountain, but I feel it just needs to be made more immersive than it is. Murray thought it was ok, but not his favourite ride.
So after another big splash, and even more soggy socks, we headed over to Bilge Rat Barges (not before stopping for Murray to have a snickers- we hadnt had a proper breakfast, and he was needing a pit stop). This was when having a front of the line pass really helped, since by this point the park was starting to fill up, and BRB had a 20 minute queue. We just whipped our out room keys, and we walked right on!
Fantastic! Plus I love this ride, and Murray and I seemed to get hit every single time!! We ended up without a dry spot on us! I had to take off my socks to ring them out afterwards! Seriously squelchy! We walked through Superhero Island, but I didnt really want to do any of the rides since they all seem to make me dizzy! Murray didnt want to wait alone, especially since the queues were getting longer. So we decided to head over the Seuss landing to see what else we wanted to do, and decided to go on Cat in the Hat. The ride was lovely, less spinning than I remembered, but boy was that air-con working! That, combined with wet clothes meant we were very happy to see the sun when we got out.
Sorry for the drowned rat look photographs!
Next- Part Three!
wishspirit
When you wish upon a star!
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2005
For some reason, for which I cannot seem to recall, we headed back to Superhero Island for lunch to the Captain America Diner. This is where I rejoiced in my first proper meal in a while! Murray had the Double Cheeseburger with Bacon, and I had the chicken finger plate (which didnt actually come with a plate)
More drowned rat photos!
My chicken was nice, if a bit chewy, but by this point I was just glad I felt hungry enough to eat! Murray thought the burger was ok, but the Whopper yesterday was better, but the fries were just as good. We also refilled the mug with Fanta Orange, which tastes different to the stuff in the UK and tastes weird to me, but Murray couldnt tell the difference.
At this point we were pretty tired, so decided to head back to the resort for some TV and a nice afternoon nap!
Just when we were refreshed and ready to head back out to find something to eat, the heavens opened!
An absolutely huge thunderstorm rolled in, leaving us pretty much stranded at our hotel. As Brits we are not afraid of a little rain, but this was biblical, with lightning to boot! So we decided to see what the hotel had to offer in the way of food...
So we decided to try Jakes, which is a nice little bar and restaurant, with very friendly service and a relaxed atmosphere. The server was very polite, if a bit shy, but recommended Murray an excellent cocktail which I think was called a Pacific Paradise, which was very fruity and had rum in it, so Murray was happy!
Murray ordered the fish and chips (which I thought was a little crazy considering it is the British national dish!)
Murray thought this was great, excellent batter, with lovely tartar sauce and coleslaw. I ordered the chicken noodle soup, as I was still full from lunch, and most items on the menu involved cheese somehow!
Considering this was meant to be a starter, it wasnt a bad size. The soup was really nice, and the bread was crunchy and yummy (as you can tell by the bite I already took out of it!). Perfect for someone with a reduced appetite!
Next was dessert, which only Murray had (well I had a couple of spoonfuls). He ordered strawberry cheesecake with dark chocolate bits and mango puree, as well as another cocktail.
Now it looks beautiful, amazingly constructed, but all together pretty sickly, especially since there was quite a lot of it. Murray finished it of course, but felt pretty full afterwards! All together our meal at Jakes was nice, especially the service, but not all that memorable. I would go there again, but there are other places higher up my list.
As it had mostly stopped raining, and we were wearing our gorgeous anoraks (luckily no photos were taken) we decided to walk off the full feeling by getting another drink refill at citywalk and then toddled back to the room for some more trashy American TV and to rest up for tomorrow!
Next: Day four- The Studios and Spaghetti!
More drowned rat photos!
My chicken was nice, if a bit chewy, but by this point I was just glad I felt hungry enough to eat!
Murray thought the burger was ok, but the Whopper yesterday was better, but the fries were just as good. We also refilled the mug with Fanta Orange, which tastes different to the stuff in the UK and tastes weird to me, but Murray couldnt tell the difference. At this point we were pretty tired, so decided to head back to the resort for some TV and a nice afternoon nap!
Just when we were refreshed and ready to head back out to find something to eat, the heavens opened!
An absolutely huge thunderstorm rolled in, leaving us pretty much stranded at our hotel. As Brits we are not afraid of a little rain, but this was biblical, with lightning to boot! So we decided to see what the hotel had to offer in the way of food...So we decided to try Jakes, which is a nice little bar and restaurant, with very friendly service and a relaxed atmosphere. The server was very polite, if a bit shy, but recommended Murray an excellent cocktail which I think was called a Pacific Paradise, which was very fruity and had rum in it, so Murray was happy!
Murray ordered the fish and chips (which I thought was a little crazy considering it is the British national dish!)
Murray thought this was great, excellent batter, with lovely tartar sauce and coleslaw. I ordered the chicken noodle soup, as I was still full from lunch, and most items on the menu involved cheese somehow!
Considering this was meant to be a starter, it wasnt a bad size. The soup was really nice, and the bread was crunchy and yummy (as you can tell by the bite I already took out of it!). Perfect for someone with a reduced appetite!
Next was dessert, which only Murray had (well I had a couple of spoonfuls). He ordered strawberry cheesecake with dark chocolate bits and mango puree, as well as another cocktail.
Now it looks beautiful, amazingly constructed, but all together pretty sickly, especially since there was quite a lot of it. Murray finished it of course, but felt pretty full afterwards! All together our meal at Jakes was nice, especially the service, but not all that memorable. I would go there again, but there are other places higher up my list.
As it had mostly stopped raining, and we were wearing our gorgeous anoraks (luckily no photos were taken) we decided to walk off the full feeling by getting another drink refill at citywalk and then toddled back to the room for some more trashy American TV and to rest up for tomorrow!
Next: Day four- The Studios and Spaghetti!
wishspirit
When you wish upon a star!
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2005
Why? Are you embarrassed of me!?!LOL
Great second part of your report Kate! You have a great way of writing that is very entertaining (PS Don't tell everyone I am your mom!!)
Thank you! I have had a lot of experience reading other people's, so I thought I better share!
It was lovely meeting you too! I am sorry for being so lax recently, I will try harder I promise!Kate! This is fantastic~ I can't wait to read more...so please type fast!
Thank you again for arranging the Dis meet~ I loved meeting you and everyone else.
Thanks!Enjoying your report Kate.
I've stayed at both hotels. Despite RPR being cheaper, I much preferred it to HRH and I'm staying there again next month!
I hope you have a fantastic time! Are you going to write a trip report by any chance?Enjoying your report, cant wait to read the rest
Thank you!Sounds like a good start
I'm glad I am not the only one! Then again, one of my friends got ID'ed for a 15 movie recently, at the age of 20!
Aww, thank you!
Hi Becx!But your such a lovely Mom
Great update, I'd like to try Universal for the resorts but not the parks so muchMaybe one day when we're Disney'd out (if that would ever happen)
Glad you made the flight ok, I hate travelling - all the waiting around and the long flight, it's about the only time I get impatient
My mom is lovely, when she isn't trying to disown me!
I would give universal a try, even if it just lets you appreciate Disney more! I am a terrible traveller too! But I will put myself through it all for Disney!
Thank you!Your trip report is great
wishspirit
When you wish upon a star!
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2005
We could start a club... oooh we could have jackets!I'm 25 and I still get that!
Thank you! I am glad you are enjoying it!Fab trip report - I'm in
When it comes to TRs, I'm often a lurker - but I really loved this one so far, so I'm sure I'll be dropping by often!
x
I would really recommend the Sofitel, takes a lot of the stress out of travelling for me.Hi there! Great trip report so far - your room at the Sofitel looks amazing, would love to stay there one year! Looking forward to reading more
Thanks for reading!
Don't worry, my mom nags me to do it all on her own!I've just caught up with this and am now itching for more.
Don't think you can just tease us all with the first couple of days then disappear without trace.
Either give us what we want or I'm telling your Mum
I promise to try harder!Thank you!
Hopefully it will happen the same way for me!
Thank you! I am glad you like it so far!
That would be cool Reid!
Thank you, I hope to get Day Four up tomorrow!
daneenm
Just call me Pollyanna ...
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2007
Well, see that you do
Enjoying your report Kate!
Missish
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2006
Yayyy, my threatening worked 
I've still never been to Islands of Adventure but I think it's going to have to be done next time I go to Florida ... even though not being a Harry Potter fan will probably mean I'll be hopelessly lost in WWOHP!
P.S. I'm disappointed there's no pictures of you two in your anoraks.
I've still never been to Islands of Adventure but I think it's going to have to be done next time I go to Florida ... even though not being a Harry Potter fan will probably mean I'll be hopelessly lost in WWOHP!
P.S. I'm disappointed there's no pictures of you two in your anoraks.
tinks_1989
<font color=teal>need a <b>like</b> button<br><fon
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2007
love it gets better with every update
Jordanblackpool
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2010
Loving your trip report, great day at IOA...its makin me jealous now *** im sat here in Blackpool and i wanna be there! haha
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