Can We Do Magic Now? A 2016 TR Adventure. *Complete and DL Paris TR Link Added

[amazingact21]

Still following along, but am a couple of updates behind....

It's on my list of threads to catch up on and hope to early this coming week!

No worries here. I got into the bad habit of reading your updates but not replying. Things have just been so busy here that I tend to forget to comment on everything I've read. But just know I'm still there and loving all your posts!

I love that everything worked out so well with your "native guides." It's definitely hard to get a group of adults to agree on things,a dn when you factor in kids ... I'm really impressed that everything ran so smoothly! And I love all of the family pictures! (For the past few years I've been the one behind the camera when I travel with my family, so I definitely get the frustration of not having everyone in the pictures)

Also ... I love your decorative chopstick display!

I was shocked at how well our Universal trip went. Never in a million years did I imagine it would go that smoothly. It was nice leaving my in-laws on such a high note, and it really makes me want to do more Orlando-centered stuff with them. They apparently make great guides!

I'll have to let Alex know his chopsticks display was well-received on the boards. He sure was proud to have built something for the souvenirs.

So it has been awhile since I have been here to read- but let's not say I have been neglectful, let's say I waited until the anniversary of your Universal day.

Happy Universally!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!



Can I just say I loved the way you were fan-girling when you first stepped into the Wizarding World. I get it! The theming is just so fabulous!

Glad you had a meal at 3 Broomsticks. Love the food and atmosphere there. And that house elfs/elves find a table for you.

And butterbeer!!! I prefer the frozen, too, and the hot is really good (in the winter). We would split 2 butterbeers for breakfast every morning we visited Hogsmeade.

I LOVE the birth of the trip report title!




That is really a cruel trick with the Gillywater. We fell for it too! When we ate at Leaky Cauldron I remembered to ask for ice water and they gave us plastic cups with water. Then I ordered water another time at 3B and they gave me the $4 bottles of Gillywater. Which we ended up tossing in the recycling without even opening because we were going on a ride and didn't want to do the locker thing.

I think you were sent through either the Castle Tour line or the Single Rider Line at Forbidden Journey.

LOL on Landon and the Talking Fountain. The first time my son Ben (age 10) went over to talk to it, it wouldn't say anything. Then as he turned and walked away, it soaked him. He was mad! Then the following trip, he went back to get his revenge. And the fountain got him again!

We don't go there anymore.


I did not know that about the phone booth. Cool! I remember when you could actually call the ones in UK/EPCOT, sad that you can't do that anymore.

How bizarre with a single room for nursing moms.



Evie looks really cute and happy, so good thing it wasn't mission critical.

That is hilarious about your "Chopsticks" display


GREAT UPDATES! Glad you had a fabulous day at Universal.

It is my Universalversary! Aw man, I can't believe it's been a year since I've had butterbeer. Too long!

Poor Ben and that fountain! Maybe one day he'll get his revenge.

I do remember that UK phone booths! I loved calling them. That was one of my favorite things to do in the WS. I would sit over by the bathrooms and call. I'll never forget some of the interactions I had.

 

[amazingact21]

It’s almost May, you guys!

One of my favorite months to be at Disney World. Of my 12 trips to Walt Disney World with Alex, 4 of them have been during the month of May. There’s something about experiencing the Flower and Garden Festival, the warm weather, and the lack of summer crowds that makes me happy.

I love that time of year so much, that’s I’m going back this year.

Wait, what?!

You read that right. Most of you guys already saw my blog post on social media explaining in detail my reasoning behind my trip, but I’ll go ahead and give a condensed version here, as well.

Alex is deployed again.

It stinks, but thank goodness I have an amazing network of friends, neighbors, fellow spouses, and moms that are helping me survive. Seriously, you don’t know compassion and outreach until you are stationed overseas while your husband is away. If I didn’t love where I live before, this would have sealed the deal.

However, as well as I am doing here, I still miss my loved ones. My brother and his family live about an hour and a half away, but that is far enough to not make drop in visits easy. We tend to be more of holiday and birthday visit kind of relatives. (There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, I’m just including that to drive my point home.)

My obligations to the groups I’m part of end in about a month, Landon will *fingers crossed* start preschool in late August, and one of Alex’s coworkers graciously agreed to housesit and watch Buster for me should I need him to.

The travel agency on base managed to score me a decent military discount for plane tickets. The only caveat is the cost was cheapest in May. I would have preferred to go home in August, when it’s hottest in Germany and farther into Alex’s absence. Not really that big a deal, though. A discount was a discount.

And for less than 2,000 U.S. dollars for 3 tickets AND airport parking….I would have been a fool to pass it up.

So!


The kids and I are going back to the states for 3 weeks.

I am actually going to fly internationally by myself with two toddlers.

Holy cow.

This will – hands down – be the craziest and scariest thing I have ever done in my life.

The preparation I have put into training for this VERY long day has been intense. I am pretty sure I’ve made the journey as easy as possible. I bought two carseats and shipped them to my parent’s house so I wouldn’t have to worry about transporting seats on the plane. (I am going to use the C.A.R.E.S. harness instead.) I have created a long chart detailing exactly what I will pack in my carry on backpack and Landon’s backpack. I’ll have a baby carrier and our City Mini single stroller to confine both children if need be.

I’ve got this.

I have to. It’s too late to turn back now.


But what does me going back to the states have to do with Disney and the boards?

Well, as a lot of you guys know, my family lives in one part of Florida and my in-laws live in another. What better way to Segway between the two families than with a stop in the middle at Disney?


Yay!


My mom and I will be going to Disney May 21st through May 26th.


I can’t believe I’m going back to Disney. It’s like a dream.

Landon’s at 39.5 inches with shoes right now, so I’m hoping and hoping he grows that final half an inch and I can take him on Thunder and Soarin’. Evie already has a passion for animals that I can’t wait to foster at Animal Kingdom. And my mom and I are getting more time together; our trips have always been quite memorable.


We are staying at:

Shades of Green.

Our trusted resort. While it doesn’t have the Disney touch that other on-property resorts hold, we cannot beat the price/space ratio. The rooms are massive; there’s two queen beds and a pull out sofa AND a table with chairs. It’s a ten minute walk to the Polynesian and Disney transportation and Extra Magic Hours are available for guests at Shades.

The number one clincher for staying at Shades over a moderate resort, though, was the kid’s pool.


The last time we stayed here, Landon loved that pool and wanted to play in it more than he wanted to be in the parks. My mom and I are really hoping the kids enjoy it just as much this time around; we plan on spending many afternoons in that water!


Because we aren’t technically “on site” I am having to book our Fastpasses at the 30 day mark for each day. Meaning, every day at 1:00 pm my time, I am signing on to MDE and booking our 3 passes for the day. It’s tedious, but at least we are getting something. My mom was gracious enough to go and buy our military tickets a few weeks ago so that we could get them into the system. The tickets now come with a 5 day option, which is fantastic. It means we get an extra day at Disney!

Hooray!


But because of that, my day to day plans are still being formed and tweaked. Once the dust settles, and I have a clear picture of what we are doing, I might write a post with the details. But if I don’t, just know we have a lot of character meets planned (thank you, my outgoing 4 year old) and a nice combination of time together and solo fun.


All right! Now, back to my final Universal day. No one had a camera that day, so the pictures are really minimal. I’ll try to keep it short so it’s not too wordy but it’s me.

I make no promises.




April 25th, 2016:

As guests of Cabana Bay, Alex and I had the option to attend early opening of the parks. This sounded extremely appealing to Alex. It was Diagon Alley that morning, and he REALLY wanted to go.

Really, really wanted to.

But his siblings promised the night before that they’d be at our room early. I really didn’t want to trek to Universal, spend an hour there, then hoof it back to Cabana just to turn around and go back.


You may be asking yourself, But why were they meeting us at the resort and not the park?

Because.

Exciting plans were underway!


Alex’s mother had agreed to come over to Orlando and spend the day with Landon at the resort. She met up with the siblings, had one of them hop in her car, and used their Annual Pass to park at Universal for free. Then, they all took the shuttle over to Cabana to meet up with us.

My mother in-law was going to take Landon to the pool, have lunch at the food court, and watch over him while he took his afternoon nap so that we could all go to the parks. Evie still had to tag along with us because I was nursing her, but at 6 months, she was the easiest baby around. We brought along the baby carrier and took turns passing her around.

It was a win-win all around. Landon would have a billion times more fun exploring Cabana Bay than he would spending another day watching everyone go on rides. Alex and I would get a break from the toddler. My siblings would have more of our attention, and my mother in-law would get some one on one time with her grandson.

It was perfect!


We just had to wait for them arrive.

They ended up arriving late. Like, 10 o’clock late. It drove Alex nuts knowing he could have gone to Diagon Alley and been back in time, but I wasn’t sweating it.

He ended up using that time elsewhere...


I had woken up that morning at a crossroads. We had two nights at a WL villa ahead of us, but I was actually not feeling very enthusiastic about it.

I wanted to be back at home.


Look, we all love Disney. It’s our happy place.

But in this situation, the price of going to Disney was two less days with my family right before I was about to move overseas. In my heart of hearts, I knew seeing Cinderella’s Castle wasn’t going to be as fulfilling as eating dinner with my parents and brother.

I confided this to Alex, and he was very understanding and supportive. We talked it over and agreed on a compromise. We’d only go to Disney for one night before heading back to my parent’s place.

I could live with that.

Alex called Disney reservations.

And couldn’t get through.

He kept getting a busy signal.

Over and over again.

The call WOULD NOT GO THROUGH.

What?!?

This had never happened to us before. Ever.

Alex began trying at 7a.m. and still could not get through when his family arrived at 10 a.m.

This was unheard of! We were beginning to think we were going to be stuck with those two nights at WL whether we liked it or not.

(The Disney bit was still a secret from his family, so we couldn’t try calling back while they were around.)


I said goodbye to Landon, showed my mother inlaw where all his things were, and rushed out of the room. We had more Universal to explore! In our haste to leave, though, we had forgotten our bottle of sunscreen.

Oh jeez.


Alex and I couldn’t spend the hottest part of the day out in the Florida sunshine with no protection. We had to have something.

So we bought a bottle from the little shop right next to the security checkpoint.

It cost 12 dollars.


12 DOLLARS!!!


I mean….REALLY?!

Guys, I spend the money to eat at O’hana, I buy souvenir pin after souvenir pin, I have 2 Disney Dooney’s. I know theme parks upcharge. I accept that.

But 12 dollars for sunscreen?

I about had a heart attack.

You better believe Alex and I found a place in our suitcase to take that bottle with us to Germany. That sucker was gold.

(And guess how much we had to use it last summer? NONE.)

The running joke for the rest of the day was, “Use the sunscreen! You just put some on? Put some more on!”



My group decided to start in Diagon Alley this time and work our way back to Hogsmeade, which meant we were in the Universal half of the parks. Leslie checked her phone and saw that some of the attractions had low waits, so Alex and I decided to hit a few of them. We went to Transformers first, because it was only a 10 minute standby.

The ride was OK, but nothing to write home about. Alex was losing his mind at the costumes the Team Members were wearing.

The military branch Transformers use is the Air Force.

They wear what’s called ABUs.

The Team Members were all dressed in ACUs.

That’s Army.

So all throughout the queue and after the ride I had to listen to Alex go, “That’s not accurate. They’re representing the wrong branch. C’mon, guys!”



After that Leslie mentioned she would really like to take us on her favorite ride at Universal…the Mummy.

Sure, I was game for anything that day.

The wait for it was substantial, but we ran into the same incident as at Forbidden Journey. The Team Member at the entrance let us go through a separate line and told us she’d radio her coworker at the end to clear us.

When we were sent into the waiting room, we all began the crisscross game of taking turns riding the attraction. I want to say it went: Leslie and me, Alex and Leslie, and then Leslie, me and Alex. I really enjoyed the Mummy. I thought it was a good mixture of storytelling and thrill. A bit more intense than Thunder Mountain but not as coaster as Rock N Roller Coaster. It is definitely one I’d go on in again should I ever return.


With those two attractions knocked out, it was time to head to Diagon Alley and eat.



3 year old- free and it felt so refreshing!


We ate lunch at the Leaky Cauldron, where the food was delicious. I can’t remember what I ordered. Guess that’s the price I pay for not snapping a quick picture of it. But I do remember I ordered another frozen butterbeer and if possible, it was better the second time around.


After lunch, we went inside Gringotts bank.











I knew you could interact with the goblin by asking him simple questions, but when I was standing in front of him my mind completely blanked. I couldn’t think of ANYTHING to ask. I felt ridiculous, standing there racking my brain for something.

I gotta be more prepared next time…

Alex “exchanged” some Muggle money for wizard coins. Should we ever find ourselves in the Leaky Cauldron again, we will have some galleons to buy ourselves a refreshment.


So far, the four of us were having a blast.




It was finally time to try out Escape from Gringotts. I was a little hesitant to go on it after the Forbidden Journey trouble. We once again had amazing luck and were sent through a second line. Guests in the queue were a lot more vocal this time around about the unfairness of it. The wait time was at 90 minutes and you could tell people were getting impatient.

Sorry, guys. We didn’t force our way into the line. This is where the Team Member directed us.

Escape from Gringotts was amazing.

Everything from the queue to the story to the actual ride.

It was unbelievable.

I would wait an hour to ride it. It’s probably the only ride anywhere I would wait that long for.

Scary to say, but it’s quite possibly my favorite ride anywhere. It is so unique and different and it genuinely made me feel like I was part of the Harry Potter world. That scene with Bellatrix…..wow.

I got off the ride and was almost teary eyed. Ever since I read the final book, I hadn’t experienced anything new in the Harry Potter universe. It was my last time feeling like I was diving into that world and revisiting my favorite characters and beloved settings. But when I rode Gringotts, I really felt like I was getting new content. To have that happen 9 years later was a special feeling.

Hands down, the best part of our Universal trip.



A visit to Knockturn Alley was next.





Where we listened for the bird in the vanishing cabinet.





And bought Landon a shirt.




Then, Leslie and Eddie suggested we hit up Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour and try the butterbeer ice cream. Leslie said the best thing to do was get a cup and then eat it while you wait in line for the Hogwarts Express.


Sounded fun. First, though, Alex got a wild hair and bought a shot of Firewhiskey.

When you don’t have a kid, you gotta enjoy yourself a little bit.

We all had a taste, and I actually liked it.

It wasn’t worth the 9 dollars it cost, but it was fun to say we gave it a try.

The butterbeer ice cream was delicious, and the perfect way to pass the time in the long queue for the Express. Leslie was definitely right on that front.


Of the two experiences on the Express, I liked the one to Hogsmeade the best. Neither were bad, but the trick with the demeantor was unique and creepy.


Back over at the Islands of Adventure side of things, Leslie and I went into Honeydukes and got some Butterbeer fudge to take home while the boys checked out the Jurassic Park section.

That meant, in the two days we were there, Alex and I tried regular butterbeer, frozen butterbeer, butterbeer ice cream, and butterbeer fudge. I think we did pretty well.

We would have tried the warm version but that wasn’t available in April.


It was getting close to when we needed to meet back up with Landon. We were all having a family dinner at a restaurant in Orlando and needed time to get back to Cabana and drive there. But Alex really wanted to go on Dragon Challenge since the Hulk was down for refurb. The wait was listed at 20 minutes; I wasn’t crazy about giving the ride a try, but he and Leslie convinced me to go. We gave Eddie the baby and got in line.

We made it to almost the front of the line before the ride stopped. We didn’t have our phones, so we couldn’t let Eddie know what was happening and after fifteen minutes of waiting we had to cut our losses and leave.


At that point, we were cutting it close and had to hurry back to the resort.


Dinner accomplished and back in our room, Alex tried calling Disney back. He was on hold for an hour before getting through to an operator.

Turns out…free dining had been released that morning.


So, lesson learned. Never try to make resort changes on free dining day. We did eventually cancel the extra night and we moved our reservation over to the Boardwalk.


Up Next…Disney Time

 

[JessH87]

It’s almost May, you guys!

One of my favorite months to be at Disney World. Of my 12 trips to Walt Disney World with Alex, 4 of them have been during the month of May. There’s something about experiencing the Flower and Garden Festival, the warm weather, and the lack of summer crowds that makes me happy.

I'm usually just a lurker but when I read this I had to comment. I LOVE going to Disney in May for the same reasons! I'm much more of a Flower and Garden person than Food and Wine. The weather has always been perfect for us in May and the crowds are usually not an issue. So exciting that you get to head there in just a few weeks! I've enjoyed following along on your Disney and Universal trips and I'm excited there will be more coming hopefully!

 

[vrajewski10513]

First off, its a real bummer about Alex being deployed I'm sure its always tough having your spouse gone, but to also be so far from family I can only imagine. BUT, I would say that a trip to Disney and a nice visit with family can definitely soften that blow! How exciting! You're really brave to travel alone with the two kids. I'm sure everything will go smoothly. Its also really exciting that Landon is almost tall enough for BTMRR and Soarin'! Were in the same boat with my nephew for our December Trip. He's at 37.5" so we're hoping he can sprout the 2.5" by then! Fingers crossed for Landon to grow that extra half inch! Or maybe just get him some particularly cushy shoes lol

I've been reading all of your Universal updates, just haven't had a moment to comment until now. Its funny reading your reactions to your first time there, and the nostalgic feeling it brought you because I literally could have written it the exact same way (minus two kids ). From reading your trip reports I'm assuming you and I are right around the same age. When people don't understand my love for Harry Potter I have to remind them.. I quite literally grew up WITH Harry Potter. I was 9 years old when the first book came out. Followed along with every new book and every new movie. So when you speak of your giddy-ness the first time you entered Hogsmeade, believe me, I COMPLETELY understand

It was really nice you guys got a semi-kid free day. I imagine it would be very exhausting keeping up with an energetic 3 year old, especially when the poor little guy couldn't go on any of the rides.

I look forward to seeing what you do with your one day in Disney and more about your plans for May!

 

[Steppesister]

I am actually going to fly internationally by myself with two toddlers.

Holy cow.

You got this!! If I can do it, you can do it! I did it with 2 toddlers and an infant, and everyone was so helpful. Just be organized and stay calm.

This will – hands down – be the craziest and scariest thing I have ever done in my life.

No. Not crazy, brave. You can do it!

My mom and I will be going to Disney May 21st through May 26th.

Yay you'll have help. Awesome!

Loved the update about Potter Land. I'd love to go there someday!

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Sorry to hear that Alex is getting deployed again. Please thank him for his service.

Yay for going back to Disney so soon. May is my favorite month to visit as well. With EPCOT being my favorite park I just adore the Flower and Garden Festival. I was there in March this year so I got to see if at the beginning instead of the end. I can't wait to hear all about it.

Oh and I have to agree with you on Escape from Gringotts. Best ride for sure!

 

[MeghanEmily]

I love that time of year so much, that’s I’m going back this year.

Oh my goodness, yay!

Alex is deployed again.

Sorry to hear that. But how wonderful that you've had such amazing support. And this trip is going to help soften the blow for sure!

This will – hands down – be the craziest and scariest thing I have ever done in my life.

You can do it! As Mr. Rogers said (Am I the only one who watched Mr. Rogers?) "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'"

My mom and I will be going to Disney May 21st through May 26th.

So exciting! And great to have time with your mom and to have help with the wee ones.

They ended up arriving late. Like, 10 o’clock late. It drove Alex nuts knowing he could have gone to Diagon Alley and been back in time, but I wasn’t sweating it.

This would be very frustrating for me. I try not to be a control freak on vacation, but I hate wasting time.

So we bought a bottle from the little shop right next to the security checkpoint.

It cost 12 dollars.


12 DOLLARS!!!

That's pretty wild. Though in Canada it would probably be a good $8-9 at least depending on the brand and size. I'm looking forward to having a car on our next trip and picking some things (like sunscreen! And food/drinks!) along the way for cheaper than we'd get them on our side of the border before we get to the parks.

Escape from Gringotts was amazing.

Everything from the queue to the story to the actual ride.

It was unbelievable.

Agreed. So glad you had such a great experience!

But when I rode Gringotts, I really felt like I was getting new content. To have that happen 9 years later was a special feeling.

This is a great way to describe it. As HP fans, it was a similar feeling for us.

We would have tried the warm version but that wasn’t available in April.

Warm was very different in my opinion, but tasty! It almost had like a french-vanilla-capuccino-with-butterscotch kinda vibe, we thought.

 

[Dugette]

Whew, all caught up on the Universal updates! Great to read about, even though I am one of those non-HP folks you mentioned. I wouldn't mind trying that Butterbeer, though - and was just thinking Izzy would want to as well, because it has "butter" in the name.

I've definitely been there on the overpriced sunscreen thing.

Yay for your trip back to FL! I am hoping everything goes smoothly for you and that Landon can gain that extra .5 inch!

 

[toomuchtv]

Somehow, I had gotten way behind, but I got all caught up with all the Universal stuff. I loved it, mostly because I'm a big Harry Potter fan. We spend 1 day at Islands of Adventure a few years ago when Hogsmeade was the only part open, and we absolutely LOVED it! I dream of butterbeer. Yuengling makes an ice cream now that I really want to try, and there is a non-alcoholic "beer" by Flying Cauldron is supposed to taste similar. I am dying to get my hands on some!

I hate how much they hit you with stuff like water and sunscreen. We had to buy some sunscreen on our honeymoon because we went to the park before our luggage showed up in our room, and we couldn't fly with it. Ridiculous.

How exciting that you get to go back in May! We are there the 15-19, but my birthday is the 21st, so have some extra fun for me

 

[natebenma]

Again, my thanks to your family for Alex's service and your sacrifices. I'm glad to hear your positive comments about your support system in Germany.

I knew you were coming back to the states to visit family and Disney with the kids. I didn't know it was NEXT MONTH!!!



You got this!

 

[natebenma]

I love that you got a chance to experience Universal/IoA as (mostly) "adults"

Sounds like a wonderful, magical experience! Except for $12 sunscreen, when you already have some. I don't mind spending money, but I don't like overpaying. So I totally get it. At least you had a running joke- that's something...

That's stinks that Alex had so much trouble getting through to Disney but I'm glad he did at the end.

I'm glad you went on The Mummy- that is my favorite ride anywhere.

Sounds like Escape from Gringott's is yours. Not a bad choice! I'm glad all went well. That ride is prone to breakdown.

 

[toony]

Alex is deployed again.

It stinks, but thank goodness I have an amazing network of friends, neighbors, fellow spouses, and moms that are helping me survive. Seriously, you don’t know compassion and outreach until you are stationed overseas while your husband is away. If I didn’t love where I live before, this would have sealed the deal.

To be alone with two little ones in a foreign country sounds hard. Great that you have that support network. I definitely would offer some help too, if you lived in my neighbourhood.

My obligations to the groups I’m part of end in about a month, Landon will *fingers crossed* start preschool in late August, and one of Alex’s coworkers graciously agreed to housesit and watch Buster for me should I need him to.

Doesn't Landon visit german "Kindergarten"?

The travel agency on base managed to score me a decent military discount for plane tickets. The only caveat is the cost was cheapest in May. I would have preferred to go home in August, when it’s hottest in Germany and farther into Alex’s absence. Not really that big a deal, though. A discount was a discount.

Oversea flights really cost a fortune. Awesome that you got a deal!

The number one clincher for staying at Shades over a moderate resort, though, was the kid’s pool.

The pool looks amazing for Landons age.

Landon’s at 39.5 inches with shoes right now, so I’m hoping and hoping he grows that final half an inch and I can take him on Thunder and Soarin’. Evie already has a passion for animals that I can’t wait to foster at Animal Kingdom. And my mom and I are getting more time together; our trips have always been quite memorable.

I would love to ride Soarin' with my family in October. My kids are pretty tall and DD is 3 years and 9 months by October. She is almost 100 cm now and she only needs 1.6 more till October. So that will work. But she only rode merry-go-rounds and smaller rides but never bigger ones and I hope she's not scared because of the height when she's riding Soarin'. Well I will see how she does on Barnstormers and Seven dwarfs mine.

 

[vamassey1]

I love when characters really into their roles, but then I always feel super silly, because I tend to have no idea what to say. It's nice having Landon around; he'll talk anybody's ear off!

I'm not good with the interacting either. Kids have no fear. Danielle use to talk to the people going down the same aisles as we were at the grocery store.

In all my childhood pictures, my mom is in maybe 10% of them. And when is, they are usually off center or blurry, because someone not accustomed to the camera was taking the shot.

It's the same for me. I'm so glad there is photo pass or I wouldn't be in very many family photos at all.

completely understood why Landon was becoming upset at Men in Black. It'd have been like someone having a cup of Butterbeer in front of me and not sharing!

Good analogy.

 

[vamassey1]

I love that time of year so much, that’s I’m going back this year.

Best news ever! I'm sorry Alex is deployed again but I'm happy you get a visit with your family and Disney!

The kids and I are going back to the states for 3 weeks.

I am actually going to fly internationally by myself with two toddlers.

Holy cow.

This will – hands down – be the craziest and scariest thing I have ever done in my life.

You can do this. Let people help you if the offer and stay calm.

My mom and I will be going to Disney May 21st through May 26th.

Perfect timing. We need to compare schedules and try to meet up.

They ended up arriving late. Like, 10 o’clock late. It drove Alex nuts knowing he could have gone to Diagon Alley and been back in time, but I wasn’t sweating it.

This would have driven me nuts.

Alex was losing his mind at the costumes the Team Members were wearing.

His nerdiness is showing

3 year old- free and it felt so refreshing!

Yes! Wait until you get to do this without teenagers. I'm looking forward to that.

So far, the four of us were having a blast.

Great that you enjoyed an adult day.

 

[SarahDisney]

Yay for another Disney trip!! Hopefully the solo flight with the two kids won't be too bad and the time with family will make it a little easier to deal with Alex being deployed.

I'm kinda cracking up at Alex's comment on the Team Member costumes at Transformers. I get it, you want the uniforms to be accurate, but ... really, that's something only a military person would notice (and be upset about). I'm guessing your average theme park guest wouldn't know the difference. And that's why they can get away with it.

Reading this update really made me want to go to Diagon Alley. I love that it made you feel like you were experiencing something new in the Harry Potter universe. That's such a special experience.

 

[Kristi.M]

This was such a great read (and pretty much all I did with my day off, haha)! Best of luck to you on your upcoming trip From the sound of it, it seems like you will do just fine. I hope you enjoy every moment you get to spend with your family and I look forward to your next update!

 

[amazingact21]

I'm usually just a lurker but when I read this I had to comment. I LOVE going to Disney in May for the same reasons! I'm much more of a Flower and Garden person than Food and Wine. The weather has always been perfect for us in May and the crowds are usually not an issue. So exciting that you get to head there in just a few weeks! I've enjoyed following along on your Disney and Universal trips and I'm excited there will be more coming hopefully!

Thanks for commenting! I'm happy to see I'm not the only one who loves Disney in May. It's absolutely gorgeous with the Flower and Garden Festival, and much more relaxed than Food and Wine. As much as I love the holiday season, I think May will always be my favorite month to visit the parks.
Thank you for the kind words. I am hoping to begin a Disneyland Paris report, and I'm sure I'll write one for this upcoming trip. Poor Evie only has 2 trips compared to Landon's, like, 10. I need to include her in a bit more!

First off, its a real bummer about Alex being deployed I'm sure its always tough having your spouse gone, but to also be so far from family I can only imagine. BUT, I would say that a trip to Disney and a nice visit with family can definitely soften that blow! How exciting! You're really brave to travel alone with the two kids. I'm sure everything will go smoothly. Its also really exciting that Landon is almost tall enough for BTMRR and Soarin'! Were in the same boat with my nephew for our December Trip. He's at 37.5" so we're hoping he can sprout the 2.5" by then! Fingers crossed for Landon to grow that extra half inch! Or maybe just get him some particularly cushy shoes lol

I've been reading all of your Universal updates, just haven't had a moment to comment until now. Its funny reading your reactions to your first time there, and the nostalgic feeling it brought you because I literally could have written it the exact same way (minus two kids ). From reading your trip reports I'm assuming you and I are right around the same age. When people don't understand my love for Harry Potter I have to remind them.. I quite literally grew up WITH Harry Potter. I was 9 years old when the first book came out. Followed along with every new book and every new movie. So when you speak of your giddy-ness the first time you entered Hogsmeade, believe me, I COMPLETELY understand

It was really nice you guys got a semi-kid free day. I imagine it would be very exhausting keeping up with an energetic 3 year old, especially when the poor little guy couldn't go on any of the rides.

I look forward to seeing what you do with your one day in Disney and more about your plans for May!

Thank you for the encouragement. It's been a long few weeks with Alex gone, but we're hanging in there. I am sure I'll become more nervous the closer our flights get, but right now I'm more excited than anything else. Knowing that I'll be back in Disney and around family/old friends again has really taken away the nerves!

Harry Potter was such a way of life for our generation. I almost felt as if I were growing up with Harry. Books 5, 6 and 7 came out when I was 15, 16, and 17 so I related to them in a big way. For as many summers as I can remember, getting that latest HP book was part of the season.
I'll keep my fingers crossed your nephew hits a growth spurt before your trip!

You got this!! If I can do it, you can do it! I did it with 2 toddlers and an infant, and everyone was so helpful. Just be organized and stay calm.

No. Not crazy, brave. You can do it!

Yay you'll have help. Awesome!

Loved the update about Potter Land. I'd love to go there someday!

Flying with 3 kids?! Wow. Now THAT had make for a long day.

I think the thing that makes the trek easier is knowing my family will be on the other side. So long as I can make it through the international flight and layover, once we get off that final plane I can pass my luggage and the kids to the grandparents and pass out in the car.

 

[amazingact21]

Sorry to hear that Alex is getting deployed again. Please thank him for his service.

Yay for going back to Disney so soon. May is my favorite month to visit as well. With EPCOT being my favorite park I just adore the Flower and Garden Festival. I was there in March this year so I got to see if at the beginning instead of the end. I can't wait to hear all about it.

Oh and I have to agree with you on Escape from Gringotts. Best ride for sure!

Epcot is prettiest during the Flower and Garden Festival. As much as I love the holidays and the decorations, there's nothing like seeing those floating flowers under a clear blue sky. That's quintessential Epcot to me.

Gringotts is so unique. I am keeping my fingers crossed Disney took a page out of Universal's book and made one of the new Pandora rides really one of a kind like U.S. did with Gringotts.

Oh my goodness, yay!

Sorry to hear that. But how wonderful that you've had such amazing support. And this trip is going to help soften the blow for sure!

You can do it! As Mr. Rogers said (Am I the only one who watched Mr. Rogers?) "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'"

So exciting! And great to have time with your mom and to have help with the wee ones.

This would be very frustrating for me. I try not to be a control freak on vacation, but I hate wasting time.

That's pretty wild. Though in Canada it would probably be a good $8-9 at least depending on the brand and size. I'm looking forward to having a car on our next trip and picking some things (like sunscreen! And food/drinks!) along the way for cheaper than we'd get them on our side of the border before we get to the parks.

Agreed. So glad you had such a great experience!

This is a great way to describe it. As HP fans, it was a similar feeling for us.

Warm was very different in my opinion, but tasty! It almost had like a french-vanilla-capuccino-with-butterscotch kinda vibe, we thought.

I loved Mr. Rogers! He was part of my toddler years. The older I get, the more I am less reserved about asking for help. My poor friends here, once a week, they meet me at the post office and gas station so that they can keep an eye on the kids while I run in and fulfill those errands without having to drag them out of their carseats. At first, I wasn't going to have anyone help me with it, but after that first week, I was like, "I need to start making some calls."

I think I was most shocked at the price of the sunscreen, because I knew what I could pay for it 5 miles down the road. If sunscreen at the regular stores only cost a few dollars less, I'd be more inclined to pay the up-charge without complaint. But I knew that same bottle would have cost me 5 dollars anywhere else.

That's a great way to describe the warm version of butterbeer! Now, I really want to try it!

Whew, all caught up on the Universal updates! Great to read about, even though I am one of those non-HP folks you mentioned. I wouldn't mind trying that Butterbeer, though - and was just thinking Izzy would want to as well, because it has "butter" in the name.

I've definitely been there on the overpriced sunscreen thing.

Yay for your trip back to FL! I am hoping everything goes smoothly for you and that Landon can gain that extra .5 inch!

Haha, oh Izzy and her love of butter. I'm pretty sure if/when I ever go on another Disney cruise, I won't be able to look at the butter on the dining table without thinking of her.

 

[amazingact21]

Somehow, I had gotten way behind, but I got all caught up with all the Universal stuff. I loved it, mostly because I'm a big Harry Potter fan. We spend 1 day at Islands of Adventure a few years ago when Hogsmeade was the only part open, and we absolutely LOVED it! I dream of butterbeer. Yuengling makes an ice cream now that I really want to try, and there is a non-alcoholic "beer" by Flying Cauldron is supposed to taste similar. I am dying to get my hands on some!

I hate how much they hit you with stuff like water and sunscreen. We had to buy some sunscreen on our honeymoon because we went to the park before our luggage showed up in our room, and we couldn't fly with it. Ridiculous.

How exciting that you get to go back in May! We are there the 15-19, but my birthday is the 21st, so have some extra fun for me

Thanks for reading! Diagon Alley is the perfect addition to Hogsmeade, so if you ever get a chance to check it out, definitely do so! There is something about butterbeer that makes you miss it when you're away from Universal!
Yuengling ice cream....interesting! Back in the states, that's my brother's favorite beer; I'll have to let him know about that for when he goes back stateside.

Oh bummer, we'll just miss each other!

Again, my thanks to your family for Alex's service and your sacrifices. I'm glad to hear your positive comments about your support system in Germany.

I knew you were coming back to the states to visit family and Disney with the kids. I didn't know it was NEXT MONTH!!!



You got this!

Thank you, Dee.
Yes, I was hoping to come back later in the summer, but I had to go when the flights were most affordable. But I look at it on a positive note at least it won't be ridiculously hot in FL by May. At least not compared to July/August temps.

I love that you got a chance to experience Universal/IoA as (mostly) "adults"

Sounds like a wonderful, magical experience! Except for $12 sunscreen, when you already have some. I don't mind spending money, but I don't like overpaying. So I totally get it. At least you had a running joke- that's something...

That's stinks that Alex had so much trouble getting through to Disney but I'm glad he did at the end.

I'm glad you went on The Mummy- that is my favorite ride anywhere.

Sounds like Escape from Gringott's is yours. Not a bad choice! I'm glad all went well. That ride is prone to breakdown.

I don't think I'll ever take the kids back to Universal until they are preteen/teenagers. Too much work to entertain them with not enough outside stuff to help.

The Mummy was awesome! If Gringotts was my favorite, the Mummy was definitely second!

 

[amazingact21]

I'll be back later today to finish replying. I thought I could finish before the DIS went to sleep for the night, but alas...I was typing too slow this morning!