*7/31 Update: Our Intentions Were Good, But The Treats Were Better: One Month in Disney (4/21-5/21)

[ddluvsdisney]

No we haven't tried Fiesta. We used to go to Sam Diego's in Plymouth but that's closed and we used to like El Mariachi in Taunton but didn't have a great experience the last time we went so DH doesn't want to go there. We'll have to check out Fiesta! We have eaten at Pancheros recently and Jersey Mikes. That's the extent so far of our dining in Somerset. I think we need to branch out!

Love it!

Just a warning about Fiesta…. The parking sucks!

 

[mickey916]

Just a warning about Fiesta…. The parking sucks!

Good to know!

 

[buzzrelly]

we decided to see how long it would take us to walk there to MK from the TTC. We walked over to the Poly and then from there to the Grand Floridian.

That's quite a hike!

we decided to go get a different kind of treasure at Gaston’s Tavern: The Warm Cinnamon Roll.

Yum!

My original plan was to wait until our sons’ portion of the trip but we felt it was essential to make sure they were still good before our sons arrived. Yep, still warm and soft with lots of cinnamon, maple glaze and vanilla icing. Glad we verified that for the boys’ sake.

There's no end to the sacrifices we make for our children

This actually sounded and looked better than it was.

Aw, that's too bad because it looks really good!

He would scrunch down whenever a server would walk by. I think he thought he was being stealthy. Haha!

Ha, those Disney squirrels know how to work the system!

Since we are big fans of Tex Mex food, we made an ADR for the Maya Grill at the Coronado Springs Resort. It seems like you don’t hear too much about this restaurant so we weren’t sure what to expect.

Mike from Be Our Guest podcast talks about Maya Grill all the time so I've been wanting to try it. Three Bridges is over there though and I love their burger and sangria so I don't know if I'd be able to tear myself away from that if I ever get back to Coronado!

 

[mickey916]

That's quite a hike!

It didn't feel as far as I thought it would. It was a beautiful walk.

There's no end to the sacrifices we make for our children

They're so lucky to have us!

Aw, that's too bad because it looks really good!

It really does! We were very surprised at how flavorless it was.

Ha, those Disney squirrels know how to work the system!

It was really funny to watch him!

Mike from Be Our Guest podcast talks about Maya Grill all the time so I've been wanting to try it. Three Bridges is over there though and I love their burger and sangria so I don't know if I'd be able to tear myself away from that if I ever get back to Coronado!

Oh we haven't tried the burger at Three Bridges yet. We've only tried the apps there. I do need to get that burger sometime!

 

[mickey916]

5/9 A Slow-ish Day​

I woke up the morning of the 9th with a bad headache. It was a super hot day and we really had no concrete plans. I ended up going back to bed while DH walked over to Walgreens in the blistering heat to get me some Tylenol. After some rest and Tylenol I was feeling a little better so we walked over to Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ for lunch. This is a restaurant where you cook your own food at the table. We’ve never eaten at a place like this before so we weren’t sure what to expect.

We each ordered the “Create Your Own Lunch Gyu-Combo” which came with 3 BBQ items, miso soup, salad, and rice.

Here’s our soup:

I like miso soup but it’s pretty basic. DH wasn’t very impressed but he’s not a miso soup fan.

Our salads:

The salad was very fresh and we liked the house ginger dressing.

For my three BBQ items I chose: Angus Beef Rib, Chicken Teriyaki, and Shrimp Garlic

DH chose: Umakara Pork, Teriyaki Chicken, Angus Beef Rib

Here’s our first round of cooking:

Since we were newbies at this whole cooking at the table thing, we made one error right away. The server had given us each our own set of tongs which we used to put our raw meats on the grill. We both realized after we did it that we probably should’ve used one pair of tongs for the raw meat and one for retrieving the cooked meat afterwards to avoid cross contamination from the raw chicken. We had asked for silverware instead of chopsticks so we ended up using our forks to retrieve the cooked meat.

We both liked the teriyaki chicken and my shrimp was good. The Angus Rib Eye was way too tough and chewy. It was almost impossible to eat. The Umakara Pork was so thin that DH had a hard time getting it back off the grill without sticking. This was a fun way to eat lunch but overall just okay food. We probably wouldn’t do it again. We gave our meal a B.

Since I wasn’t feeling 100% we took a drive to the Florida Mall to check out Primark’s Disney section. We had watched a vlogger who showed there was a lot of Disney inventory at cheap prices. We made the drive and found the Primark store. There was a very small section of Disney items upstairs but nowhere near what the vlogger made it look like. It was mostly children’s clothing and trinkets. There were only two or three actual adult items. It was definitely not worth the drive there at all.

We’ve never ventured out to the Florida Mall before and we were shocked to see the crowds. It was a Friday afternoon in early May and most of the parking lots were completely full. As we walked through the mall there were so many people it looked like Black Friday shopping up here in the Northeast. I don’t know if they were mostly tourists or locals but it was packed! It was really something to see.

I thought the conveyor belt sushi restaurant was pretty cool to see as well.

I was feeling much better after our Florida Mall trip and needed to get some steps so we headed next to Disney Springs and walked over to Saratoga Springs Resort.

We picked up an old favorite from Artist’s Palette, the Bullseye Cupcake.

This is a yummy chocolate cupcake filled with peanut butter mouse and topped with peanut butter and chocolate buttercream. The peanut butter mouse and buttercream are fantastic, so full of peanut butter flavor!

Eventually we walked back to the Orange Garage and headed once again to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for a light dinner. I had read that we could order appetizers from the Sanaa Lounge so we walked over to Kidani Village from the main parking lot.

I was actually quite surprised at how very small the Sanaa Lounge is. There were only about three tables in addition to the bar which only had five or six stools. The tables were all occupied so we sat at the bar. We ordered the Indian Bread Service: Choice of Five Breads with all Nine Accompaniments - Traditional Naan, Garlic-Ginger Naan, Spiced Naan, Onion Kulcha, or Paneer Paratha. Accompaniments - Red Chile Sambal, Cucumber Raita, Coriander Chutney, Mango Chutney, Tomato-Date Jam, Garlic Pickle, Spicy Jalapeño-Lime Pickle, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, or Tamarind Chutney.

This bread service is phenomenal. The naan is warm and fresh and the sauces are very flavorful. This is our second time ordering this. Last time I liked all the spicier sauces (the bottom row) and DH liked the sweeter ones (the top row). This time however we both preferred the sweeter ones. Our favorite was the tamarind chutney in the middle of the top row and the tomato date jam right next to it.

We also shared the Samosas: Potato and Pea Samosa with Tamarind and Mango Chutney (Plant-based)

Neither of us have ever eaten samosas before so we weren’t sure what to expect. We didn’t like them. They were dry and flavorless. We’re not sure if it’s just that we don’t like samosas or if these weren’t good ones. Either way it was a miss for us.

While it was great being able to order the bread service without making an ADR, I don’t think we would go to this lounge again. It was a bit too tight quarters for us. The entire time we ate, a man stood directly behind DH, practically touching him. I think he wanted DH’s seat so he was “waiting” inches away from him. It was weird and uncomfortable. Despite that, we gave Sanaa Lounge an A- (A for the food, “-” for the ambiance).

After our meal we headed back to the hotel so we could rest up. Our sons were landing at midnight that evening and staying at the Springhill Suites Airport hotel. We couldn’t wait to pick them up the next day!

Total steps: 14888

Up next…let the family adventure begin!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

There’s a new restaurant like that in Warwick RI near the airport. I wasn’t a fan of cooking your own food. I didn’t think it was that great for the prices we paid. I don’t think I’ll ever try one again.

 

[mickey916]

There’s a new restaurant like that in Warwick RI near the airport. I wasn’t a fan of cooking your own food. I didn’t think it was that great for the prices we paid. I don’t think I’ll ever try one again.

That's kinda how we felt too. Glad we tried it but probably wouldn't again. We'll stick to cooking our own pancakes at the table.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

I think when I stop typing and leave my phone for a while I’m unable to finish.
Anyhow…. I actually love how the mall was packed. It’s so sad to me that the Swansea mall closed and the other malls close by don’t seem to have enough customers. I would much rather go to a store than shop online. I guess it really is a generational thing.

I love naan bread and any kind of bread for that matter. Haha
I’ve never heard of samosas either. Too bad they didn’t taste better. I was surprised by the A score for that dinner though if you didn’t like the samosas. ???

That Bullseye cupcake sounds heavenly! PB & chocolate yum!!

So excited about your 2 sons arrival! Can’t imagine how excited you both were!

 

[mickey916]

I think when I stop typing and leave my phone for a while I’m unable to finish.

I have been having some issues lately too. I keep getting the "oh snap" face on my phone.

Anyhow…. I actually love how the mall was packed. It’s so sad to me that the Swansea mall closed and the other malls close by don’t seem to have enough customers. I would much rather go to a store than shop online. I guess it really is a generational thing.

I miss the malls as well! I'm surprised the North Dartmouth Mall has still survived.

I love naan bread and any kind of bread for that matter. Haha
I’ve never heard of samosas either. Too bad they didn’t taste better. I was surprised by the A score for that dinner though if you didn’t like the samosas. ???

That tells you how good that bread service was, lol!

That Bullseye cupcake sounds heavenly! PB & chocolate yum!!

It is really good. Just the right amount of PB.

So excited about your 2 sons arrival! Can’t imagine how excited you both were!

We had a phenomenal time with them! Best trip yet.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

I was actually at the Dartmouth mall the other day. My sister recently told my youngest DS that they are getting a Boot Barn there. He is a cowboy living in MA.
The cashier confirmed that is coming soon and that her son was excited too. Lol
Good to know they are adding stores.

 

[happily single]

I was actually at the Dartmouth mall the other day. My sister recently told my youngest DS that they are getting a Boot Barn there. He is a cowboy living in MA.
The cashier confirmed that is coming soon and that her son was excited too. Lol
Good to know they are adding stores.

Boot Barns are popping up everywhere! There is one in Warwick. I was surprised to see one on Route 1 in Attleboro, Mass last weekend

 

[mickey916]

5/10 Day 1 of Our Family Trip​

We picked up our sons in the morning at the Springhill Suites Airport resort, letting them sleep in a bit after their late arrival. We didn’t have plans to go to a park so we took them to the Lake Apopka Wildlife trail so they could see some gators and birds.

There seemed to be less to see than when DH & I went but eventually we did see quite a few gators. After about 1.5 hours driving through the wildlife drive we headed to Disney Springs.

Our sons have never eaten at Polite Pig and DS-28 was feeling like barbecue so we headed there for lunch. We had a big dinner planned so we actually split meals.

DS-28 and DS-26 shared the Slider Trio: Southern Pig, Low and Slow Brisket and Fried Chicken.

They both really enjoyed these sliders. They ranked them from top to bottom: Chicken, Brisket, then Pork but they liked them all.

DH & I shared Smoked Chicken Salad Wrap: spinach, roasted tomatoes, dried cherries, sunflower seeds, avocado purée served with a Pickle Spear

This was a pretty basic chicken wrap but it was good.

We also shared two orders of waffle fries.

These were perfectly seasoned and very crispy. They were very good!

We really enjoy the Polite Pig. It’s a great go-to spot at Disney Springs. This time we ranked it a B but it certainly has earned an A on other visits. We love that after you place your order the servers help you find a seat and wait on you if you need anything. It’s kind of a mix between table service and quick service.

For this portion of our trip we wanted to share some of our favorite discoveries with our sons so you will see some treats and restaurants will be repeated. The first repeat item of this trip is the peanut butter cookie from Summerhouse on the Lake. We just had to have them try this!

They agreed this is a must get cookie! A+

After lunch and dessert we spent time walking around Disney Springs before it was time to head to church. After the past two experiences I had spent some time researching different churches and reading reviews. Many of the ones in the area mentioned crowded seating and needing to go very early for parking. That wasn’t what we were looking for. Eventually I found reviews about St. Andrew Catholic Community in Pine Hills. Reviews mentioned a welcoming community, great music, a great priest, and not too crowded. This sounded like it might fit the bill. So, we drove to St. Andrew’s Church. As we entered there were many people greeting at the door. It definitely felt like a warm community. We sat in a fairly empty spot in the back, along the side. At the start, the piano player played a familiar tune but he jazzed it up quite a bit. He definitely played and sang with a flair you don’t typically hear in a Catholic Church. The priest announced that Pope Leo had been elected that week and asked the congregation, “Can I get an Amen?” DH looked at me and whispered “This is Catholic, right?” Haha! I responded “well he did just mention the Pope so it’s a good chance it is.” The rest of the Mass was exactly as described in the reviews. The music was great, the community warm and engaging, and the priest was excellent. My younger DS said, “did we just stumble upon the best Catholic Church in the country?” After the previous two weekends, it was quite a relief to find someplace we felt comfortable and engaged. After Mass they even gave all the women a beautiful butterfly key chain to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Originally I had assumed we would be going to Corpus Christi in Celebration and I had booked dinner at Columbia Restaurant since it was right in that town. However after DH and I had tried dinner at Boma earlier in our trip, we just knew we had to bring our sons. So, I moved our reservation for Columbia to the next weekend, canceled the Il Mulino reservation I had in that spot, and booked Boma as our first night dinner with the boys.

As we drove to the restaurant DH kept telling the boys about the butternut squash soup and chicken corn chowder. I was a little concerned they wouldn’t be in the rotation for that night and DH was going to be disappointed. But, thankfully, they were both on the buffet. I was so busy enjoying dinner with our sons after not seeing them for three weeks that I apparently didn’t take any pictures. We all enjoyed the strip loin, ribs, chicken, salmon, soups, sides and assorted desserts. It was a great first meal. Boma once again earned an A.

We headed back to the Residence Inn, Flamingo Crossing for our final night of our 19 night stay at that hotel. It was a great stay!

Total Steps: 12189

 

[hpygrll]

Your Catholic Church experiments are cracking me up - we went to the national shrine the first time and have since called it "Circus Church" as we thought it was a little nutty. Now when we go, we attend Holy Family - much smaller and everyone was very nice. Glad you found someplace that you liked!

 

[mickey916]

Your Catholic Church experiments are cracking me up - we went to the national shrine the first time and have since called it "Circus Church" as we thought it was a little nutty. Now when we go, we attend Holy Family - much smaller and everyone was very nice. Glad you found someplace that you liked!

I think we should get extra points for effort, haha! We went to the Basilica many years ago and didn't care for it either. Also, DH says big church = long Mass so he doesn't want to revisit there. I've considered Holy Family too. Good to know it's a good one too. We were happy we found someplace we liked too (and a bonus...no lizards)

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

I could just eat the Sanaa bread service every day and be happy Glad your sons arrived safely!

 

[mickey916]

I could just eat the Sanaa bread service every day and be happy

So good!

Glad your sons arrived safely!

Thank you! It’s great they could fly together.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Polite Pig is a family favorite! I’ve gotten those sliders a couple of times.

Glad to hear church was a better experience this time. That DH’s reaction to “can I get an amen!?” made me LOL! That’s so funny! I probably would’ve said the same. Haha

Boma again was a win so that’s a bonus!

What a great way to start this part of your vacation!! Great food and even better company!!

 

[mickey916]

Polite Pig is a family favorite! I’ve gotten those sliders a couple of times.

We have too! They're so good!

Glad to hear church was a better experience this time. That DH’s reaction to “can I get an amen!?” made me LOL! That’s so funny! I probably would’ve said the same. Haha

It did make me hesitate for a second...haha!

Boma again was a win so that’s a bonus!

So good! DH wants to go again in October. And it's funny because initially he complained a lot when I made the reservation thinking he wouldn't like it.

What a great way to start this part of your vacation!! Great food and even better company!!

It was great!

 

[mickey916]

5/11 Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure​

We awoke early and checked out of the hotel. I had made a one night reservation at Portofino Bay so that we could get Express Passes. We’ve previously stayed at the Hard Rock and Royal Pacific hotels but, for some reason, this time Portofino Bay was substantially cheaper. We were excited to see what it was like. When we arrived at check in, the line wasn’t too long so we got our room key (express passes) and headed to the park. It was the week before the official opening of Epic Universe and I was counting on low crowds as I figured most people would be waiting until Epic opened to make their trips.

We went to Islands of Adventure first and the boys rode Hulk. DH doesn’t ride coasters and Hulk makes my neck hurt so I hung out with DH while they rode. DS-28, DS-26 and I then rode Velocicoaster. The first time I rode it I think I must have closed my eyes because I never saw the dinosaurs. This time I made sure to look around and appreciate the theming. It’s an intense but fun coaster.

We headed next to Seuss Landing so we could ride something as family. We love the theming in this area.



We rode the Cat in the Hat and the High in the Sky Trolley ride. The lines app indicated it was a good time to ride Hagrid’s so the boys and I headed to Hogsmeade and got in the standby line. (Express passes weren’t working yet on that ride.) DH spent the time exploring Hogsmeade. As we were on the final hill in the caves our motorcycles stopped for a few minutes. As we exited the ride the team members told us we could ride again since it had stopped on us. We were more than happy to get on again!

By this time it was time for lunch so we headed to Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-Pendous. The three men all ordered the Roast Beast sandwich: mushroom meatloaf, shaved ribeye, cheddar cheese, crispy onions, secret sauce on a pretzel bun with curly fries.



They had ordered it last year and loved it so much they wanted it again. They all really enjoyed this sandwich but thought it wasn’t served warm enough. They loved their curly fries too.

I ordered the Tamed Dragon salad: red dragon fruit, red quinoa, raspberries, mandarin oranges, almonds, baby spinach, cucumber and guava vinaigrette



It was a beautiful looking salad but I got tired of it as I was eating it. It was also missing some sort of protein. My sons asked me what I thought and I said it was too much spinach. They sufficiently harassed me for being surprised that my spinach salad had a lot of spinach. It was fine but nothing I would get again.

Circus McGurkus was a fun place to eat and the food was decent. It was cool to see the trolley go through as we ate our meal. We gave our meal a B-.

After our meal we decided to take another ride on the High in the Sky Trolley ride. We didn’t realize that there were two different tracks with two different narrations. It was fun to experience both.

Next we headed to Toon Lagoon to ride some water rides. I have a funny story about the lockers. Here’s a little background: The first time we went in 2010 we rented a locker, put our clothes and wallets in the locker and headed off to ride the water rides. When we got back to our locker, we had gone over the allotted time and I had to pay additional money to open the locker. The problem was all of our money was in the locker. I had to go find an attendant to open the locker to get my wallet so I could pay the fee. The next time we went, I kept trying to pay to open a locker and the kiosk wouldn’t work. I had to go find an attendant and he told me “oh yeah that kiosk never works, you need to use the one over there.”

So, this time I said to my family, “I’m going to get a locker this time and not have to find an attendant.” Famous last words…How the system works is once you pay, a locker door automatically swings open to your assigned locker. So, I paid for our locker and a door swung open. There was a 12-ish year old boy standing in front of that locker and as he saw the door swing open he leaned back and slammed the door shut. I had now paid for a locker without having put any stuff in it. I scanned to reopen the locker so we could put our things in but then the screen said “your rental has ended”. So, once again I had to go find an attendant to fix our locker issue. Next year I’ll get it right for sure!

My family’s favorite rides at IoA are the water rides. We first rode Dudley Doo-Right’s Ripsaw Falls. Since I am by far the shortest in the family (everyone else is 6’ tall), the ride operators always make me ride in the front. I dread getting in and out of the front seat of that log. However, to my pleasant surprise, with my weight loss and fitness efforts since last year it was way easier to get in and out this time. My boys have no idea who any of the characters are on this ride but they love it.

We took a ride on Bluto’s Bilge-rat Barges then the Jurassic River Adventure and one more ride on Dudley Doo-Rights before returning to our locker and retrieving our stuff before the locker rental ran out.

It was time for us to head over to Universal Studios so we took a ride on the Hogwarts Express.



Once in Diagon Alley, the boys and I got in line for Gringotts. There was some sort of issue with a guest that temporarily shut down the ride. We ended up waiting a long time in line but eventually got on the ride.

We headed next to the Leaky Cauldron for some hot butterbeer.



My sons and DH all love the hot butterbeer best. This was my first time trying the hot version. I liked it a lot but I still think I prefer frozen. We gave butterbeer an A.

After our treat, the boys rode Rip Ride Rocket for one last time before it closed. I opted not to ride since this one also hurts my head. The boys and I rode Despicable Me Minion Mayhem for our first time. It didn’t really make a lot of sense to us but it was kinda fun.

We had time for one last ride before dinner so the four of us rode ET. We like it, especially for the nostalgia and it’s also one of the few things we can do with DH.

As I had hoped, the crowds were very manageable and we rode pretty much everything we wanted to ride in both IoA and US, with the exception of Revenge of the Mummy. We probably didn’t really need the Express Pass but it saved us a few minutes in each line. It was a great day in the Universal parks.

Up next…having dinner at Toothsome Emporium for the first time.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

5/11 Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure​

We awoke early and checked out of the hotel. I had made a one night reservation at Portofino Bay so that we could get Express Passes. We’ve previously stayed at the Hard Rock and Royal Pacific hotels but, for some reason, this time Portofino Bay was substantially cheaper. We were excited to see what it was like. When we arrived at check in, the line wasn’t too long so we got our room key (express passes) and headed to the park. It was the week before the official opening of Epic Universe and I was counting on low crowds as I figured most people would be waiting until Epic opened to make their trips.

Wow I don’t realize you were doing Universal this trip too! It does make so much sense to stay a night for express pass! We’ve only stayed at Hard Rock. My sister stayed at Portofino last year and we visited them. It was beautiful.

We went to Islands of Adventure first and the boys rode Hulk. DH doesn’t ride coasters and Hulk makes my neck hurt so I hung out with DH while they rode. DS-28, DS-26 and I then rode Velocicoaster. The first time I rode it I think I must have closed my eyes because I never saw the dinosaurs. This time I made sure to look around and appreciate the theming. It’s an intense but fun coaster.

The Hulk was my youngest DS’s favorite ride. I love roller coasters but one year we were there it didn’t agree with me. I haven’t been on since.
I haven’t been to Universal since they got the velociraptor.

We headed next to Seuss Landing so we could ride something as family. We love the theming in this area.

View attachment 988970

We rode the Cat in the Hat and the High in the Sky Trolley ride. The lines app indicated it was a good time to ride Hagrid’s so the boys and I headed to Hogsmeade and got in the standby line. (Express passes weren’t working yet on that ride.) DH spent the time exploring Hogsmeade. As we were on the final hill in the caves our motorcycles stopped for a few minutes. As we exited the ride the team members told us we could ride again since it had stopped on us. We were more than happy to get on again!

I don’t think we spent much time in Seuss landing. I don’t remember much.

By this time it was time for lunch so we headed to Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-Pendous. The three men all ordered the Roast Beast sandwich: mushroom meatloaf, shaved ribeye, cheddar cheese, crispy onions, secret sauce on a pretzel bun with curly fries.

View attachment 988971

They had ordered it last year and loved it so much they wanted it again. They all really enjoyed this sandwich but thought it wasn’t served warm enough. They loved their curly fries too.

That sandwich does sound yummy!

I ordered the Tamed Dragon salad: red dragon fruit, red quinoa, raspberries, mandarin oranges, almonds, baby spinach, cucumber and guava vinaigrette

View attachment 988980

It was a beautiful looking salad but I got tired of it as I was eating it. It was also missing some sort of protein. My sons asked me what I thought and I said it was too much spinach. They sufficiently harassed me for being surprised that my spinach salad had a lot of spinach. It was fine but nothing I would get again.

Yeah I just can’t order a salad on vacation.
I get the too much spinach! Haha

Circus McGurkus was a fun place to eat and the food was decent. It was cool to see the trolley go through as we ate our meal. We gave our meal a B-.

After our meal we decided to take another ride on the High in the Sky Trolley ride. We didn’t realize that there were two different tracks with two different narrations. It was fun to experience both.

Good to know that there’s 2 different tracks.

Next we headed to Toon Lagoon to ride some water rides. I have a funny story about the lockers. Here’s a little background: The first time we went in 2010 we rented a locker, put our clothes and wallets in the locker and headed off to ride the water rides. When we got back to our locker, we had gone over the allotted time and I had to pay additional money to open the locker. The problem was all of our money was in the locker. I had to go find an attendant to open the locker to get my wallet so I could pay the fee. The next time we went, I kept trying to pay to open a locker and the kiosk wouldn’t work. I had to go find an attendant and he told me “oh yeah that kiosk never works, you need to use the one over there.”

So, this time I said to my family, “I’m going to get a locker this time and not have to find an attendant.” Famous last words…How the system works is once you pay, a locker door automatically swings open to your assigned locker. So, I paid for our locker and a door swung open. There was a 12-ish year old boy standing in front of that locker and as he saw the door swing open he leaned back and slammed the door shut. I had now paid for a locker without having put any stuff in it. I scanned to reopen the locker so we could put our things in but then the screen said “your rental has ended”. So, once again I had to go find an attendant to fix our locker issue. Next year I’ll get it right for sure!

I hate the lockers! I had issues at the locker for Tron too!! What a pain. They should be free!!!

My family’s favorite rides at IoA are the water rides. We first rode Dudley Doo-Right’s Ripsaw Falls. Since I am by far the shortest in the family (everyone else is 6’ tall), the ride operators always make me ride in the front. I dread getting in and out of the front seat of that log. However, to my pleasant surprise, with my weight loss and fitness efforts since last year it was way easier to get in and out this time. My boys have no idea who any of the characters are on this ride but they love it.

We took a ride on Bluto’s Bilge-rat Barges then the Jurassic River Adventure and one more ride on Dudley Doo-Rights before returning to our locker and retrieving our stuff before the locker rental ran out.

I don’t remember doing a water ride except the Jurassic one. Maybe DH took the boys without me.

It was time for us to head over to Universal Studios so we took a ride on the Hogwarts Express.

View attachment 988981

Once in Diagon Alley, the boys and I got in line for Gringotts. There was some sort of issue with a guest that temporarily shut down the ride. We ended up waiting a long time in line but eventually got on the ride.

We HP. The rides and theming of those lands are so amazing!

We headed next to the Leaky Cauldron for some hot butterbeer.

View attachment 988982

My sons and DH all love the hot butterbeer best. This was my first time trying the hot version. I liked it a lot but I still think I prefer frozen. We gave butterbeer an A.

I’ve never had the hot version either bc we were always there in the summer. I like the frozen one though.

After our treat, the boys rode Rip Ride Rocket for one last time before it closed. I opted not to ride since this one also hurts my head. The boys and I rode Despicable Me Minion Mayhem for our first time. It didn’t really make a lot of sense to us but it was kinda fun.

So like I said I love roller coasters but I could never get myself to ride RRR. I was so torn and part of me really wanted to but the other part couldn’t get past the straight up and then drop. I regret never trying it. Maybe if I was able to go when I was younger. Lol
Youngest DS loved it!!!

We had time for one last ride before dinner so the four of us rode ET. We like it, especially for the nostalgia and it’s also one of the few things we can do with DH.

I like ET too.

As I had hoped, the crowds were very manageable and we rode pretty much everything we wanted to ride in both IoA and US, with the exception of Revenge of the Mummy. We probably didn’t really need the Express Pass but it saved us a few minutes in each line. It was a great day in the Universal parks.

We love the Mummy ride! Too bad you didn’t get to it.

Up next…having dinner at Toothsome Emporium for the first time.