An August Adventure with a Disney Sequel***UPDATED with UNIVERSAL***

[DisneyJo]

What a shame the weather scuppered your plans. Sounds like you had fun though

 

[thornton0511]

What a shame the weather scuppered your plans. Sounds like you had fun though

Sorry it has taken so long for me to reply! Weather can definitely be unpredictable at WDW for sure but you make the most of it because regardless it's Disney after all!!

 

[thornton0511]

New Adventures Await! Check in to RPR and Early Entry to WWoHP

Today was another early morning for us as we were leaving Disney and headed over to Universal for a few days. This was an entirely new experience for our family. The kids had never been to Universal before, and we felt that since they were now 13 and 9, it was a good time to go. Since we did not have a car for this trip we decided to hire Ed Korgan to transport us both ways. He came highly recommended here on the boards.

Once we were packed and ready to go, we headed downstairs to check out of the WL. It was bittersweet to be leaving such a fantastic resort, but we were also very excited to be doing something new. Check out was a breeze and Ed Korgan’s driver met us right outside, right on time, to take us to Universal. The entire transportation was super easy and really great. I would highly recommend using Ed Korgan if you ever need transportation around Disney.



We were doing fantastic on time. Our driver dropped us off at our new home for the next few days and made sure we were good to go before leaving. We would be staying at Loews Royal Pacific for the next few days, and for us, staying onsite at one of the 3 deluxe hotels was a no brainer. Having the front of the line pass was something we definitely wanted to have for this adventure. The price for all 3 really was nothing compared to how much a night stay at Disney’s deluxe hotels can be. I did have a hard time deciding which one to go with, but ultimately we went with RPH this time.



Once we arrived we immediately went to the lobby to get checked in. It was super early in the morning so we were not expecting a room to be ready for us. I was secretly hoping for a refurbished room though! As I was expecting a room was not ready yet, but we had no issue having them hold our luggage for us in the meantime. We all four were given our room keys, and told were we could find the park kiosk to get our front of the line passes on the other side of the lobby.

We left our bags and headed over to get our passes made. So far everything we had accomplished this morning was super easy, and that theme would continue as we got our passes. We each just put our room key into the machine, smiled for the camera, and then it printed out our passes. After this we headed downstairs to take the walking path to City Walk. The goal this morning was do what needed to be done to make early morning entry into Islands of Adventure. I am happy to say we managed to accomplish that and soon we had arrived at the turnstiles 30 minutes before the park was set to open for resort guests.



We were super excited to be here! They ended up opening the turnstiles a little early so I was so glad that we had gotten here with time to spare. There were not too many people in line when we arrived 30 min prior to official early entry time, however more people did seem to show up as we got closer to opening. 30min seemed to be the sweet spot. We had no issue getting through the turnstiles and getting our thumb prints to work with our tickets whatsoever.

We followed the line of people in the direction of WWoHP. Once we got to the entrance of Seuss Landing they did have CM’s checking everyone to make sure they were eligible for early entry. We weren’t sure exactly what they would want from us so we pulled out both our room keys and FOTL passes. We continued ahead towards Hogsmeade as butterflies started building up in my belly. DH and I had visited Universal for our Anniversary in 2010 and WWoHP had just opened that year. We had never seen anything like it before (this was pre Disney for us). We were super excited to be returning 5 years later with the kids. We finally made the turn and there is was (cue the music) as we were literally transported into the movie.


(Picture taken later in the morning)

It was just as awesome as I had remembered. Both kids were just in awe as we made our journey though the snow capped buildings of Hogsmeade and onward to Hogwarts to ride Forbidden Journey. First glimpse of Hogwarts just kind of takes your breath away I think. The kids were both just like “WOAH!!”



For our Universal touring we had opted for small “fanny pack” type bags instead of a backpack, so that we would not have to waste time with the lockers. I was still a little hesitant on whether or not they would allow us on some rides (including this one) with the waist pack, but it ended up not being an issue whatsoever. Inside we carried only our phones (which we would use for pics and video) our room keys and FOTL passes, and little things like sunglasses and chapstick. Since this was our first time on FJ I did not take any pics. Mainly because I was afraid if a TM saw me with my phone out in line they might make me check it in a locker lol. Seriously when it comes to Disney we pretty much know what is allowed what the rules are, but with Universal we really had zero experience and did not want to unknowingly mess up. So we were a bit more cautious with things.



There was no line whatsoever this time around and we literally walked continuously though the castle up to the loading dock for the ride. The kids could not get over how real everything was. It was awesome! We soon were buckled into our seats and off!! DH and I had both tried to explain this ride to our kids, but found it a bit difficult since there really isn’t a ride like this yet at Disney. I am happy to say everyone enjoyed the ride. IT WAS AWESOME!!



After we made our exit I was a bit fearful of Vertigo with at least 2 of my family members. Both DH and DS sometimes seem to get a bit dizzy and nauseous with rides, and in fact, back in 2010 after riding this very ride first thing in the morning, DH had become so dizzy and nauseous all he could muster for about an hour afterward was Cat in the Hat. Thankfully so far so good and no one seemed to be feeling ill from the ride.

At this point we could have easily gotten back in line to ride again, but we had other things to experience so we made our way over to Flight of the Hippogriff.



It was a walk on at this time and was a lot like Barnstormer, only a bit higher off the ground. It was not as exciting as FJ but still we enjoyed it!

After doing both of these it was getting close to regular park opening time, and we knew that meant that Diagon Alley would be opening over at US as well. Some had been reporting that Hogwarts Express sometimes starting running a few minutes early to get people over to Diagon Alley before official park opening time, so if that was the case we did not want to miss that.

We made our way back though Hogsmeade, at a little slower pace than our previous walk though, and took the time to appreciate the scenery and attention to details.



GAH! Could not get over how wonderful this place was!



We got in line at the train station and they did in fact, end up running the train a little ahead of regular park opening, so I was glad that we had made this decision.



It was so cool to see the train make its way into the station!



Soon we were in our seats and ready to make our journey over to London and King’s Cross.



I took a picture of the kids sitting by the interactive window before the train took off. I wasn’t sure if they were okay with video or pictures so I did not take any during the ride itself…lol I was so worried about getting in trouble! The ride itself was very cool and the technology behind the entire experience was amazing.



Soon we had arrived and were exiting off of platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross. Again the attention to detail was spot on and I could not get over how realistic everything seemed. We exited the train station and headed over to Diagon Alley. Around the bend we went and through the brick wall



…and then BAM there is was. Holy crap it was just….unreal. We were all a bit taken back to how true to the movie it all was. Universal has definitely hoped on board with their attention to detail and means of transporting you to a certain time or land. No doubt.

We made our way around to Gringotts and it was just around opening time at this point, however the crowds had not made it in quite yet and we had no issue walking on. Again I was a bit unsure about what their policy would be with my waist pack or having my phone out so no pictures or video this time around. No one said anything about my fanny pack lol.

With this ride, honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect and we were all a bit apprehensive. I did not even mention the drop to my family because well, I didn’t think it would be a big deal…so yeah I didn’t mention there was one. Goodness I was hoping I was right because they would never trust me again and take me at my word lol. When the ride took off and the vehicle leaned forward the graphics were so dang realistic I thought to myself “Oh crap I was wrong and this is going to be too much and my family is going to kill me”, but it wasn’t at all and we had a blast! Once we got off DH mentioned that at the beginning he thought it was going to be a big drop as well and was not prepared for that at all lol. Glad I got that one right!

After the ride was over we headed over to the hopping pot to try out some butter beer.



This area ended up being my favorite scenery wise. I dunno why I just loved sitting here and being surrounded by it all. I had vaguely remembered trying butter beer on our adults only trip years ago, but DH and the kids had never had it before. So we opted for one (frozen) and split it with 4 straws.



I had thought that the reaction to this would be more a “eh it’s okay but don’t know that I would get one again”, but to my surprise this drink ended up being like liquid cocaine because they could not get enough of it lol!

I was especially surprised to hear DH put this in the same category as his beloved smoothies from Auntie Gravities over in Tomorrowland because that is his holy grail of snacks at WDW. Obviously butter beer was a big hit here.

We spent a little more time wandering around DA, just because the crowds were not thick yet, and we wanted to see all of the details they had put in. Overall it was really neat and we enjoyed it all. Knockturn Alley was a bit too dark for our taste, but that’s not to say that is was not done well at all, just wasn’t really for us.

After we had our fill of Harry Potter we ventured out to see what other experienced Universal had to offer. ​

 

[thornton0511]

Morning at Universal Studios

Since we were currently at US we decided to stick with this park for now. I had read that Despicable Me tends to have long waits even for front of the line pass, due to its slow loading, so we headed in that direction. The standby was already quite long, but we really did not have to wait long at all using our passes.



The kids thought it was fun, as we did, however since DH and I had experienced the ride as Jimmy Neutron years ago, we liked that version better. Minions are great but nothing beats your spaceship violently jumping up and down during a chicken dance lol.



After the ride we did opt to get in line for meeting the minions. My Iphone did not want to cooperate however when it came to meet and greet time, and so I did not end up getting a great photo opt.

At this point we traced our steps back over towards Transformers. No one in our family had any desire to see Shrek 4-D. Transformers ended up being down so instead we headed over to the Simpson’s area. It had grown a lot since 2010, and even though we are not big Simpson’s fans, we still appreciated how well it was all put together.



First up was the twirl and hurl. I didn’t think it was going to be a big deal, but DH and I really ended up enjoying it, especially with the commentary from the aliens…they had us rolling with their sarcastic humor…..ah it was fun.



Next up was The Simpson’s Ride, which DH could not wait to ride.



This was definitely one that he remembered as being a favorite from his last trip here. He had been going on and on telling the kids how awesome it was. All I could think is how sad it was that he was not able to experience it as its glory days of Back to the Future. I still hold that as one of my favorite rides in the 90’s when I went to US as a teen. Simpson’s version is great too, but I still hold a torch for Back to the Future.

Our wait did seem a bit long for this one, but it still must have been faster than standby. Finally we were loaded on for our animated experience with the Simpsons. I mentioned earlier that we were not big Simpson’s fans. What that means is obviously DH and I know all about the Simpson’s from growing up around it in the 90’s, however our kids have never seen an episode of the show. That being said they still were aware of who the Simpsons are and what their characters are like. So that being said this ride was really the closest they had been to actually “watching” the Simpsons in action…..and they laughed the whole time. It ended up being a really fun ride.



We opted for a ride on MIB next since it was right there. This was another ride that both DH and I were excited about doing again. Hands down better than TSMM and Buzz Lightyear over at WDW. The wait was very short for us (which I have to tell you was really starting to spoil us being able to essentially walk on to almost any ride with little or no wait, despite the summer crowds starting to roll in). It was as great as we remembered and the kids loved it when we would get hit and spin around out of control.



At this point we were getting quite hungry, especially since we had been up since the booty crack of dawn at this point, so we headed in the direction of King’s Cross again to hitch a ride on a train.



I did like that it really is a completely different experience going from one land to the other. We made sure to experience the walk through the wall to loading dock 9 ¾ and that was really cool to experience.

Next up lunch!​

 

[thornton0511]

Lunch at Three Broomsticks


Once we had made our journey back to Hogsmeade we headed over to Three Broomsticks for lunch. The wait was not too bad, and we did end up purchasing a meal deal for our family of 4. We bought 2A and 2C worth. I will say despite the chaos one can have a lunch time at a QS, Universal has got a system in place to keep down on the chaos. Once we ordered our food we were directed to another area where we were given our food on trays. Then we walked over a holding area where a TM held us until a table was cleaned, and directed us to that particular table. No one was getting though without a tray of food so there was zero holding of tables until your entire party was ready to sit and eat. It worked out really well. We ended up with a table to the left of the main seating area and this place was just as well themed as everything else. We were very happy and honestly I cannot imagine a bad place to sit here either.



As far as food goes, DH and DS ordered adult meals, and DD and I ordered kids meals. No one said anything about this. As far as the meal deal, we were each able to order any entrée from the menu and a nonalcoholic beverage, which we used at this transaction, then we were each handed a card that contained another beverage each and a snack credit ( to use later).



The boys both went with a ribs platter that included corn and potatoes. They both said they were excellent and were surprised at the value for it being essentially a QS. For their beverages they both went with sweet tea….boring.



DD and I both went with the kid’s option of fish and chips with a side of grapes. They were really, really good and just the right portion for us.



We were a little more adventurous with our beverage options and DD went with some sort of special lemonade, and I went with pumpkin juice. I wasn’t sure if I would like the pumpkin juice at first but it was very, very yummy!



Somehow we also ended up with a bottle of gilly water. I think it was some sort of mix up when we were picking up our food and they told us just to keep it. Score.



The meal was really good, and we were happy with pick for lunch. Since we had not really spent much time yet in IOA, and we were here now, we decided to get a few rides in before heading back to the resort to see if our room was ready.

We stopped for a quick photo opt by Mythos. We had a ressie for here in a few days which I was super stoked about.



Despite our intentions of hitting several rides here at IOA, the combination of afternoon heat reflecting off of Seuss Landing and our full bellies, seemed to zap our energy as soon as we stepped into that once brightly painted land (it really had seemed to fade from the sunlight and I wish they would repaint the whole thing). So we decided to take a quick spin on Cat in the Hat and call it a break.



I took one quick shot of the kids when we loaded into our spinning car, and was quickly scolded from a TM for having my phone out. Note to self….Universal is not as relaxed when it comes to this sort of thing. I had tried to be so careful and not get in trouble for breaking rules all morning and finally I get called out on a kiddie ride lol.

The ride was fun, but I seemed to remember enjoying it more 5 years ago. It seemed like maybe it needed a bit of a refurb maybe? It was still fun though! Thing 1 and Thing 2 are the things that nightmares are spawned from though I think lol….very creepy.

After this is was definitely time for us to take a break. It was really hot and humid and we were just at the point of no return. We headed over to the water taxis to take a ride back to the resort. No way were we going to walk back lol.​

 

[thornton0511]

Our Room and Dinner at City Walk

Upon returning we were happy to find that our room was, indeed, ready. Thank you lord!



And we were told we were in tower 1, which had been reported as the tower with renovated rooms…whoohoo!! They must have known how exhausted we were because they put us on the first floor….no stairs or elevators for us. We literally walked a few feet from the lobby and turned left to our room lol. They went ahead and brought out luggage to us as well which was greatly appreciated.

We have not really had any bad experiences with resort CM’s at Disney, but I will say that Loews staff was just as wonderful and professional as Disney, and found everything top notch. At no time during our stay did we feel like we were lacking anything that we do not experience at Disney.

We did end up with a renovated room and it was fantastic! Very much felt like deluxe accommodations.

There was a very large entry way when you first walked in that provided more than enough room for our luggage to be stowed away.



Just to the right was a sink area and I was happy to see the bathroom split like Disney, having the sink separate from the rest of the bathroom. This whole area was huge and there was enough room for more than one person to stand here.



To the right of the sink area was a sliding door that contained the toilet and walk in shower. Oh this shower…..it was amazing! I much prefer hotel rooms with shower only options and no bathtubs.



The room itself consisted of 2 queen beds, that were very comfortable. I liked the modern décor to the room and did not find the gigantic hibiscus to be overbearing at all.



On the other side of the room was a table/chair combo and a dresser with a TV. A large window took up almost the entire wall and we had a ground view of some trees and other vegetation. It was a very nice room and we were very happy with our selection at RPR.



After freshening up a bit and getting the theme park funk off us, we all ended up crashing until dinner time lol. We were tired! Since we were going to have 3 days here to play around at the 2 parks I didn’t feel the least bit bad about the rest we took. Apparently we needed it!

After waking from our slumber we headed back to City Walk for dinner. Ultimately we decided on Margaritaville.



The wait was not too bad, and we ended up with a table right in the center of the room, with the famous erupting volcano. The theming here was fun and we enjoyed it.



As far as food goes, we had a coupon for a free appetizer, so we started off by splitting an order of Lava Lava Shrimp. They were very tasty.



DH and I both went with a Cheeseburger in Paradise for our meals.



DS ended up going with the kid’s Fried Shrimp Dinner. It was a good size portion and looked really great.



DD went with the Cavatappi Pasta with choice of butter sauce….which is basically butter noodles. This child will never pass up an option for any kind of pasta. It didn’t look like much for a dinner but she was very happy with it lol.



After dinner we did spend a little bit of time in the restaurant’s gift shop before heading back to the parks. It was quite late at this point and both parks really did not have late closing times despite it being summer.

We decided to go with US and headed over to ET.



This is one of my absolute favorite rides in the entire world. It is one of the few rides I distinctly remember from my trip in the 90’s with my family, and the movie is a classic from my childhood. The queue is one of the best ever and I just think it is a classic dark ride. Love it! I was super excited to be reunited with my ET. I really do hope that Universal will continue with this ride forever and it won’t be replaced with anything. That would be so incredibly sad. The kids really liked it….although they did think the end when you go to ET’s planet was a bit strange…I have to agree with that. I always did find that a bit odd lol. We were surprised to see that they ET at the end seemed to be working and was saying our names, and that was a cool surprising way to end the ride too!

After this one ride the park was getting ready to close so we headed towards the exit as the night time show was just getting started. I don’t know why but I just have absolutely zero desire to see this show.

We did make a pit stop in the Simpson’s area to use 2 of our snack credits for 2 Big Pink Donuts.



Great use of a snack credit! We also grabbed a couple of bottled sodas at a kiosk on our way out using our extra beverage credits, since we did not have any drinks in room other than left over bottled waters from Disney. No refillable mugs during this part of our trip so we had to improvise!



Day one of our newest adventure to Universal Studios had been very successful and we had a wonderful day! Tomorrow another adventure would begin!​

 

[nimbuscat]

Great TR so far! I'm following along...we will be at the Poly in August, so I am anxiously awaiting that part!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Catching up! Looks like you've had a lot of fun!

 

[dizzy daisy]

Hi OP I did a search for some August TRs (to get heat handling tips, lol) and came across yours. I've enjoyed what you've shared so far, thanks for taking the time to write it up! Looks like you and your family had a fun trip and it's good to see people survive August, haha.

 

[BellaBaby]

Great update! My kids are just starting to get into Harry Potter so I'm sure we'll end up at US sometime in the future.
Hope to see you back soon to continue the story!!