Coming to America... and Heading Straight to Orlando! A June 2016 PTR

[tortilla24]

Nice little update........hope your friend gets her visa with no issues..........

Yes, that's a good description of the little arcade.........years ago my DS loved the air hockey table, but haven't gone in there for years.......it's well used by little ones though.......

No slide which I'm glad about........makes it more peaceful for an oldie like me.......the water play is fun though in the RP pool........

I will also thoroughly recommend Cowfish..........nice atmosphere too and we are also fans of Margaritaville despite a big cut in the menu few years ago.......still decent though......something for most people....even the fussiest of folks..........also don't discount Orchids Sushi lounge at night........I actually think their sushi is better than Cowfish, and I did like Cowfish Sushi. There is a small other menu that doesn't include sushi, not huge but there's a burger in there too and it comes from Jake's Bar downstairs.........very nice!!

Glad to hear another positive opinion on Cowfish. I'll have to try the Orchid Sushi lounge if I can. I LOVE Sushi but Sus says she never gets full from it. I can't imagine why not? Sushi always makes me full

The pirate ship is my boys' favorite! When you get your towels, you can also request pool toys/noodles!
However, the RP arcade was expensive and most of the games were down when we went. My boys did enjoy the arcade next the The Mummy in US and the Kingpin arcade (Marvel area, IoA)

I haven't tried Cowfish yet. We always go to Margaritaville on our first night (tradition ) We enjoy the music and sitting on the "porch" to eat. Also, they sometimes have a stilt-walker hanging around that makes balloon animals/items for kids. JMO

I haven't ruled out Margaritaville yet. If I see the stilt walker and balloon animal guy, I'll definitely want-in, though!

I believe you have this option - I have not purchased regular tickets in the last couple of years, I've only done Christmas and Halloween party tickets but with those I had the choice of an electronic ticket I could print and take to will-call or have them mail me physical tickets, which are the plastic RFID cards. I went with that option but either way you will get physical plastic cards, it's just a question of when they're in your actual possession.

Very easy to link to the My Disney Experience account online and once you have tickets linked you can make FastPass+ reservations up to 30 days out. So if you buy the tickets in April and have them mailed to you, you can make the fastpass+ choices in May when you're at 30 days from your MK day.

Thank you for explaining that. I will definitely go with physical tickets. Our time is so limited - I really don't want to be wasting time at will-call

 

[tortilla24]

DAY 3: MAGIC KINGDOM!

Our first park day will be spent at Magic Kingdom. I do hope to get there on the early side... hopefully before rope drop but we'll just have see how that goes. Showers will need to have happened the night before after all that chlorine from that day.

This is definitely a trip on a budget. So some of our plans will be super budget friendly - especially in terms of our transportation (as you know, we're driving) and in food. Everyday we'll assess the budget and just determine what we can and can't do. For the first day at least, breakfast will be cereal in the room. I don't think the boys will have trouble waking up as they will still probably be jet lagged. Snacks and sandwiches will be ready to go and packed in small drawstring backpack for lunch time. We may bring 2 backpacks and have one be locked up for lunch and the other for waters and such.

I'll preface with this... This is our only day in MK and our only day at a Disney park. It seems like it'll be a jam-packed day, even for my standards, but I'm more than flexible to let the out-of-towners take the lead here with how they're feeling. I want our plans to be as go-with-the-flow as possible but I know none of them have any concept as to what to do next and Sus will always ask me to just make a decision so I just want to be prepared with options.

MK opens at 9am that day so we will wake at 7 and hop in the car by 7:30 at the latest. Doing some research today, looks like we'll be parking at the TTC and I hope we get there by 8:00 to park the car. We'll take the monorail from the TTC (on the way back maybe do the ferry) and be in MK by 8:30. We could try to do all of this earlier but since we're planning on being at the park from opening to closing at 10pm, I am not trying to push it!

Since we're not staying onsite, our FP+ reservations open up until May 15th but we'll surely make do. I'm hoping to FP+ Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Space Mountain and Splash Mountain - all for before 2pm. I have no concept as to wether or not these may even still be available by the time I make my reservations, as I know they're some of the most sought-after attractions in the busiest season, but I'll try my best. Space and Splash were the highlights of my trip when I was 8 years old (as was POTC and BTR), which was the last time I've been to MK, by the way.

No MagicBands but we'll all have lanyards and the boys will have some pins for pin trading throughout the day. If they're into it, super. If not, no harm done!

We'd also like to go on:

• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Big Thunder Mountain (trying to save it for the evening but if the line is short we may do it sooner)
• Tomorrowland Speedway

If we have enough time:​

• • Haunted Mansion (I'm slightly worried that Q may freak)
  • It's a Small World (A classic so we'll try to fit it if we can)
  • Peter Pan (if we can fit it in but it'll depend on what FP+ times I get because I hear the line fills up)
  • Monsters Inc Laugh Floor (wanted to do this over PhilharMagic but not sure how good enough Q's English is to enjoy this... thoughts?)
  • Barnstormer (if the wait is short, Q and O may want to go!)

Note: Neither boy has a huge connection to Pooh, Ariel, Snow White, Dumbo so we'll be skipping those unless lines are short or if they show interest.
​

And we hope to see:

• Mickey's PhilharMagic (Any thoughts on taking a teen here? Would he enjoy it?)
• Main street Electric parade
• Wishes

We may add Festival of Fantasy, but I don't want to stand in the heat watching them go by unless the boys or Sus really want to. Sorry - I love parades and all but this is going to be JUNE in FLORIDA, people.​

I will have a more clear plan as to the day's agenda once our FP+ are booked!

FOOD:
Breakfast: At the hotel (cereal)
Lunch: Packed lunch (sandwiches, fruit, chips)
Snacks: Dole Whips/ICEEs/Slushes, waffle fries (maybe at Golden Oak outpost), churros
Dinner ideas (really only trying to do QS, here):

• Casey's Corner for hotdogs/corn dog nuggets
• Cosmic Ray's for chicken/ribs
• Pecos Bill for Mexican
• Tomorrowland Terrance for burgers/lobster rolls (I'm skeptical about this... are the lobster rolls any good?)

Pecos Bills is looking like the winner here but we'll see what the boys are feeling.
Anyone have any suggestions for other QS at MK that I'm crazy to not consider?

 

[Kivara]

The Monsters Inc show was funny...we were so glad we did it; that being said, if Q's english isn't the best, it might be kind of dull, not getting the jokes. My boys loved walking through the Swiss Family tree house as a nice ride break, if you need one (wasn't a line at all when we went) and Aladdin's carpet ride was nearby I believe.

Only time I have been to MK as an adult was 2010, so I'm not sure if it's the same, but we thought the QS meals were rather large. I think we split 3 chicken finger & fries baskets between the 5 of us. Just a money-saving idea. That was a place near Dumbo I think...sorry, it's been a while!

 

[pepperandchips]

A couple quick thoughts... I am starting to feel like the bigmouth on your TR so feel free to tell me to butt out!

The monorail might not be running when you guys get to the TTC. There have been reduced hours for "beam maintenance" and "system upgrades" and honestly especially on a beautiful summer day, there is something truly breathtaking about that ferry ride across seven seas lagoon as the castle comes to center view and you see the water launches making their way to and 'fro... Okay enough of that. Just prepare yourself that sometimes the monorail isn't up until park opening (once we made the mistake of getting on one at 10 til 9 when the monorail was scheduled to start at 9 and it DID NOT MOVE until 9:00 am. Imagine a cattle car...)

If Seven Dwarves Mine Train isn't available for FP until late at night I would FP something else and plan to ride Mine Train later at night or first thing in the morning in the standby line. We've gotten in line at 9 or 10 pm when the posted wait was 40 minutes and waited less than 10 minutes. Seriously. I would start my FP+ for around 10:30 or 11 so that you can tour in the early morning rope drop low crowds as long as possible and hit the end of your first Fastpass window as the park starts to get really crowded. Do your FP three in a row, 10:30-11:30, 11:30-12:30, 12:30-1:30 and then either beeline to a kiosk or book the fourth on your phone if that's working smoothly by the summer.

One thing I might suggest if the heat is bad and the crowds are huge is to take your lunch on the monorail to the contemporary and eat in their food court in the air conditioning. It's one monorail stop away, the quick service is just one floor below the monorail stop, the boys will likely enjoy the monorail ride, and you and Sus will get a break from the heat and the crowds. The poly and the grand Floridian would also work but the grand flo quick service is much farther away from the monorail stop and the lobby is "girly" and the poly's quick service is kind of hidden away with a smallish seating area so I wouldn't recommend that one. You can get free ice waters and then get back on a monorail or water launch to the MK when you're done eating.

For dinner I would definitely choose Cosmic Ray's for one reason, and one reason alone: Sonny Eclipse. This corny, singing, alien animatronic might actually be my favorite thing in the magic kingdom. If you sit in the room with Sonny Eclipse you might just forget how much you overspent on theme park burgers.... Maybe not. The only place I see recommended a lot that you didn't mention is Columbia Harbor House. I'm not much for seafood so I can't imagine eating fried fish in the summer heat, but it's lauded for having a quietish upstairs seating area and better than average food choices. Pecos Bill would be my second choice after Cosmic Ray's but both have good toppings bars and decent theme park food.

The fries from Golden Oak Outpost really are good - we often share those as a hearty snack. I've also heard good things about the Friars Nook Mac N Cheese but have never had it myself.

Your attractions list sounds good - Peter Pan is one of my favorite rides but it's for nostalgia sake. If the line is longer than 30 minutes I would not wait. I usually FP it because I love it from childhood, but these boys won't have that. Don't forget about afternoon air conditioning gems Country Bear Jamboree and Stitch's Great Escape. Country Bears is hilarious (well at least to me) in a way I think still translates for kids. Carousel of Progress is also sometimes a sleeper hit for kids - at the very least there's usually no wait and it's good for a nap. I'd be remiss not to point out the opportunity to rest tired feet on the tomorrowland transit authority peoplemover - my favorite attraction! And my final tip... Especially in the height of a summer day... USE THE TRAIN! It's a nice rest, a nice breeze, and a way to get from point A to point B without walking.

 

[figmentfan423]

I agree with @pepperandchips go to CR's it's classic Disney! Go down and see Sunny he's worth the price of admission LOL

 

[tortilla24]

A couple quick thoughts... I am starting to feel like the bigmouth on your TR so feel free to tell me to butt out!

The monorail might not be running when you guys get to the TTC. There have been reduced hours for "beam maintenance" and "system upgrades" and honestly especially on a beautiful summer day, there is something truly breathtaking about that ferry ride across seven seas lagoon as the castle comes to center view and you see the water launches making their way to and 'fro... Okay enough of that. Just prepare yourself that sometimes the monorail isn't up until park opening (once we made the mistake of getting on one at 10 til 9 when the monorail was scheduled to start at 9 and it DID NOT MOVE until 9:00 am. Imagine a cattle car...)

If Seven Dwarves Mine Train isn't available for FP until late at night I would FP something else and plan to ride Mine Train later at night or first thing in the morning in the standby line. We've gotten in line at 9 or 10 pm when the posted wait was 40 minutes and waited less than 10 minutes. Seriously. I would start my FP+ for around 10:30 or 11 so that you can tour in the early morning rope drop low crowds as long as possible and hit the end of your first Fastpass window as the park starts to get really crowded. Do your FP three in a row, 10:30-11:30, 11:30-12:30, 12:30-1:30 and then either beeline to a kiosk or book the fourth on your phone if that's working smoothly by the summer.

One thing I might suggest if the heat is bad and the crowds are huge is to take your lunch on the monorail to the contemporary and eat in their food court in the air conditioning. It's one monorail stop away, the quick service is just one floor below the monorail stop, the boys will likely enjoy the monorail ride, and you and Sus will get a break from the heat and the crowds. The poly and the grand Floridian would also work but the grand flo quick service is much farther away from the monorail stop and the lobby is "girly" and the poly's quick service is kind of hidden away with a smallish seating area so I wouldn't recommend that one. You can get free ice waters and then get back on a monorail or water launch to the MK when you're done eating.

For dinner I would definitely choose Cosmic Ray's for one reason, and one reason alone: Sonny Eclipse. This corny, singing, alien animatronic might actually be my favorite thing in the magic kingdom. If you sit in the room with Sonny Eclipse you might just forget how much you overspent on theme park burgers.... Maybe not. The only place I see recommended a lot that you didn't mention is Columbia Harbor House. I'm not much for seafood so I can't imagine eating fried fish in the summer heat, but it's lauded for having a quietish upstairs seating area and better than average food choices. Pecos Bill would be my second choice after Cosmic Ray's but both have good toppings bars and decent theme park food.

The fries from Golden Oak Outpost really are good - we often share those as a hearty snack. I've also heard good things about the Friars Nook Mac N Cheese but have never had it myself.

Your attractions list sounds good - Peter Pan is one of my favorite rides but it's for nostalgia sake. If the line is longer than 30 minutes I would not wait. I usually FP it because I love it from childhood, but these boys won't have that. Don't forget about afternoon air conditioning gems Country Bear Jamboree and Stitch's Great Escape. Country Bears is hilarious (well at least to me) in a way I think still translates for kids. Carousel of Progress is also sometimes a sleeper hit for kids - at the very least there's usually no wait and it's good for a nap. I'd be remiss not to point out the opportunity to rest tired feet on the tomorrowland transit authority peoplemover - my favorite attraction! And my final tip... Especially in the height of a summer day... USE THE TRAIN! It's a nice rest, a nice breeze, and a way to get from point A to point B without walking.

You have been so completely helpful! Please never, ever feel like you need to butt out!!! It's so great having you here . Like I mentioned, I haven't been to MK since I was a child... I need all the help I can get!

Thank you for the heads up re the monorail - I easily would've stood there waiting and probably would've ignored the ferry altogether. As long as we get to the park, I can't imagine the boys caring one way or the other about the method of transportation.

Great FP+ strategy. I'm really hoping we don't have to FP 7DMT at night because then we'd be totally restricting ourselves from getting other FP+s for later in the day. I think if we can't get one at a time before lunch, we'll probably attempt to do it first-thing.

Your advice about eating lunch at the contemporary is genius I would have never ever considered that! I'm almost positive we will end up doing this. If it were a perfect world, we'd have more time in Orlando in general and could do mid-day breaks at the hotel but this seems like a nice compromise. Cosmic Ray's actually has a varied enough menu so we may consider it. I'm sure we'll end up making a choice based on location/convenience at that point. I did briefly consider Columbia Harbor House, but it sounds like a lot of sandwiches on the menu... and we'll have had sandwiches for lunch. But looking back again, there's a lot of fried seafood choices, and those handy chicken nuggets that I'm sure everyone could get on board with.

I've added the AC attractions to my shortlist - nice suggestions, thank you. We will try to use the trains too. I always avoid them at amusement parks but I can really see us needing to rest our feet. Thank you, thank you, thank you again for taking the time and effort to sharing your tips!

I agree with @pepperandchips go to CR's it's classic Disney! Go down and see Sunny he's worth the price of admission LOL

okay you guys have convinced me to just go look if nothing else!

 

[tortilla24]

The Monsters Inc show was funny...we were so glad we did it; that being said, if Q's english isn't the best, it might be kind of dull, not getting the jokes. My boys loved walking through the Swiss Family tree house as a nice ride break, if you need one (wasn't a line at all when we went) and Aladdin's carpet ride was nearby I believe.

Only time I have been to MK as an adult was 2010, so I'm not sure if it's the same, but we thought the QS meals were rather large. I think we split 3 chicken finger & fries baskets between the 5 of us. Just a money-saving idea. That was a place near Dumbo I think...sorry, it's been a while!

Thanks for the heads up! I'll check w Sus and see if Q has seen Monsters Inc before. If he has, he may get a kick out of it for the characters, if nothing else while we all enjoy some AC. I added the Tree House and Tom Sawyer Island both as options if the boys feel like running around, thank you for the tip. After your heads up about splitting food, I went to find pictures and it definitely looks like a few baskets of chicken fingers would be enough for the 4 of us. What a smart idea!

 

[tortilla24]

Hi everyone

Just wanted to check-in. Sus is in location, with O, for her visa appointment and is scheduled for Sunday! This is slightly but relevant to my report so what the heck.

I've sort of skirted around the details of Sus and the visa process. Mostly because I assume most of you aren't super interested in it. But also for Sus's privacy, I've kept her nationality vague. For those of you who know Middle Eastern politics super well, you'd likely be able to figure out where Sus is from.

Long story short here. Sus is unable to go to the city in which the US Consulate is located and where they process visas for people from her country. This is the location where Sus should go but someone of Sus's nationality must request permission to enter that city and she has been denied literally hundreds of times (no reasons ever given as to why). So while she can schedule an appointment there easily online, she has never once been able to visit. So how does Sus and people like her who get denied to said city, ever get to the US? She has to cross the border and go visit a US Embassy in a different country entirely. Sus has been to the US 3 times now so this isn't her first rodeo with this lengthy and ridiculous process. I'm fortunate Sus has the finances to be able to make a cross-country extended weekend trip to ensure she makes her visa appointment - many people accepted to education programs in the US don't have the finances to make this sort of trip and must forgo amazing opportunities. It reminds me how fortunate I am to live in a free country, here - people like Sus are so strong. For the record, Sus and the kids need to make the exact same trek when it comes to flying in and out of the airport.

Anywho... So Sus is settled in her hotel for her appointment on Sunday. She brought O with her who will also need to be present for the appointment. This is his first time leaving his country since he was maybe 6 years old (when he returned home from the US) and he is beyond excited. His first request once they crossed the border was for something they don't have in his country but he remembers fondly while in the US... Subway! I'll be honest, Subway is kind of my last resort place for subs. I think it's decent but I've never heard anyone get excited for it. So I hopped online this morning to help Sus find the closest Subway. Only a 10-15 min taxi ride away at a food court in the nearest mall and O is now is heaven. O has no idea that I have a subway across the street from me. I'm sure that growing boy will get his fix while he's here in the summer!

And now the countdown begins! Hopefully in a week or so, Sus and crew will have their visas in hand and I can finally feel confident in purchasing park tickets! If anyone wants to send good vibes/juju/pixie dust our way, I'd definitely appreciate that. Only 70 days until they arrive and 72 days before we take our road trip down to Florida! Thanks for hearing me out

 

[schumigirl]

Good luck to sus........I'm sure it'll be fine...yes that area is difficult. I only know Saudi Arabia and Dubai well, the latter for fun trips but SA only through husbands business. Been a few times........chose not to live there several times over the years.

But all going well you'll be buying tickets before you know it.......

Oh you should meet my son.......he adores Subway.......but we don't have a whole lot of options for sub places in the UK........lol........

Nice to read your updates.........

 

[tortilla24]

Good luck to sus........I'm sure it'll be fine...yes that area is difficult. I only know Saudi Arabia and Dubai well, the latter for fun trips but SA only through husbands business. Been a few times........chose not to live there several times over the years.

But all going well you'll be buying tickets before you know it.......

Oh you should meet my son.......he adores Subway.......but we don't have a whole lot of options for sub places in the UK........lol........

Nice to read your updates.........

Thank you for super sweet words! Sus had her appointment today and their visas were approved!

She may have walked out of there with visas in hand or may have to deal with mailing... not sure as she didn't give details yet. Either way, tickets will be bought really soon!

 

[schumigirl]

Thank you for super sweet words! Sus had her appointment today and their visas were approved!

She may have walked out of there with visas in hand or may have to deal with mailing... not sure as she didn't give details yet. Either way, tickets will be bought really soon!

Just logged on there.........

Fantastic news

Now you can really start making plans knowing everything is in place! Must have been a very stressful day for her..........

 

[macraven]

hooray!
sus got the visas!

 

[tortilla24]

Just logged on there.........

Fantastic news

Now you can really start making plans knowing everything is in place! Must have been a very stressful day for her..........

hooray!
sus got the visas!

Yep! She got verbal approval and now needs to wait about a week for the passports to be mailed back to her. This is such an exciting time for us both. Thank you both for cheering the victory!

 

[tortilla24]

Hi Everyone,
Back with another update! I am so super excited to report that Sus and boys have received their passports back and have their US visas!!
The two of us basically shrieked over the phone for a good 15 minutes and right after I hung up the phone, I booked our park tickets on Saturday!!!!! 1 Day peak to Magic Kingdom and 2 day base tickets to US/IoA (no hopping, no magical express but it's cheaper and our time is limited. Plus Sus says she's seen the Harry Potter movies and finds them boring. Whatever... I know O will be more than excited for HP right along with me. Sus is obviously an alien )

DAY 4: Islands of Adventure

We're doing Islands of Adventure for a full day. I selected this park before Universal Studios Florida because a) I think there's a bit more to do but mostly because b) The water rides are here. It's our last night at RPR and we'd like to shower comfortably in our room after being in that mucky water.

The game plan is to wake up early again as this is our only day at this park. Since we're staying on site at RPR, we're going to make good use of our early entry to Hogsmeade. We will walk from RPR to IoA, leaving our hotel at 7:15ish. I hoping that'll give us plenty of time to walk to the park and wait for rope drop. (Would love advice on this, though)

We're going to head first to Forbidden Journey. Then we'll head to King Kong if it's opened by that point (June 15th). The rest of the day will totally be up to the boys and Sus on what they'd like to do. I've done most every other ride in the park when I was there back in 2004, so I'll totally take a backseat here. I'm also super glad that we have unlimited express pass... I can't imagine going in June without it! I do think we will definitely try to do the following:

• Hulk: (if open) I hear they're changing it so I'm very excited to go again. I loved the shoot-off when I went in 2004.
• Spiderman: It was one of my all-time favorites when I went in 2004. Q also loves Spidey - anyone know where you can meet him?
• Ripsaw Falls: I think the character connection will go over everyone's heads but I do remember enjoying this! And June in FL makes this a MUST.
• Jurassic Park: Also a major favorite of mine from 2004. I sat in front and the T-Rex scared the crap outta me.
• Bildge-rat Barges: I have always enjoyed these raft-type rides.
• Dueling Dragons: I've been before it was Harry Potter-fied but I will see if I can managed to drag at least Sus if not the boys, too.

Secondary priority attractions will be:

• Dr. Doom: I usually do go on these big drop type ones but if Sus and boys chicken out, I won't mind much
• Cat in the Hat
• Flight of the Hippogriff
• Jurassic Play area
• Pteranodon Flyers
• Storm Forge Acceleration: I will absolutely not go on this but the others may want to.
• Eighth Voyage of Sinbad: I'd like to see a show for some rest time. I have no clue what this is but saw that there's stunts so it may be fun for the boys... anyone have thoughts? How does it compare to Poseidon's Fury?
• Ollivanders will likely be skipped if lines are nuts

FOOD:
Breakfast: At the hotel (cereal)
Snacks: Frozen Slushes (Moose Juice, Goose Juice), butterbeer, etc.

Lunch/Dinner ideas [I think they boys will likely be over sandwiches so lunch and dinner out if we can swing it money-wise]:

• Three Broomsticks (fish and chips, rotisserie chicken, chicken fingers, cornish pasties, corn on the cob) --> I'm very much leaning here mostly because I LOVE fish and chips
• Captain America Diner (for burgers and fries)
• Thunder Falls (ribs, roasted chicken)
• Hot Dogs @ Jurassic Park (that's if we didn't eat them the day before at MK)
• Anyone have thoughts on Comic Strip Cafe? Seems like a wide variety but I never see it listed as a favorite. Should we avoid it?

I'm keeping both Mythos and Confisco in mind as well. Food is really just going to be based off of where we are when we all get hungry. I'm also hoping that a smaller breakfast will make for an earlier lunch and less crowds. That could just be wishful thinking though.

Let me know what you all think of the lose plan. Always open to suggestions!

 

[tink1957]

Sounds like a great plan

 

[Kivara]

Sus says she's seen the Harry Potter movies and finds them boring. Sus is obviously an alien )

Couldn't agree more

We will walk from RPR to IoA, leaving our hotel at 7:15ish. I hoping that'll give us plenty of time to walk to the park and wait for rope drop. (Would love advice on this, though)

We usually leave RPR about 1 hour before EE starts. It's about 10 min walk tops & there is a security point. That usually gets us to the entrance 45 mins early. That way we are near the front of the line & sometimes they start letting people in even earlier than posted (once got in 20 mins early)

• Spiderman: It was one of my all-time favorites when I went in 2004. Q also loves Spidey - anyone know where you can meet him?

He does intractions and pictures in the back of one of the gift shops. I believe it is the shop that's across the "street" from the Spidey ride. If you see Spidey pulling up on his quad-bike thing, make for the shop. People start lining up before Spidey even gets off the "street"

• Eighth Voyage of Sinbad: I'd like to see a show for some rest time. I have no clue what this is but saw that there's stunts so it may be fun for the boys... anyone have thoughts? How does it compare to Poseidon's Fury?

I prefer it to Poseidon's Fury, but that's my opinion. Sinbad show is done in a shaded stadium style. Show your Express Pass and you usualy get better seats, if you are there before it starts filling up. It's a stunt show...there's fire, sword fighting, swinging on ropes, etc.

Sounds like you've got a good plan! And if you and Sus want to chill for a bit & the boys are itching to GO GO GO, I highly recommend the Jurassic Park playground...it is HUGE and awesome (DH & I love walking around exploring it too)

 

[schumigirl]

Fantastic news they have their visas!!! One big worry out of the way.......

Your plan sounds excellent!!!

Wouldn't eat in Comic strip cafe, cafe 4 or circus mcgurkus.........fish and chips is the only thing I would eat from the Potter restaurants apart from chicken and ribs, but we like chicken and ribs from Thunder Falls too.

I would choose Sinbad over Poseidon any day.

It's a good idea to just eat when you're hungry........we do that usually........wherever we are we find somewhere we like.

If EE is 8pm leave the hotel just after 7am........gives you loads of time if they do let you in a little early.

You all must be so excited!!

 

[tortilla24]

Couldn't agree more

How funny... I'll let her know she's not alone!

We usually leave RPR about 1 hour before EE starts. It's about 10 min walk tops & there is a security point. That usually gets us to the entrance 45 mins early. That way we are near the front of the line & sometimes they start letting people in even earlier than posted (once got in 20 mins early)

Thank you for the tip. I will try to make sure that we're up a bit earlier then!

He does intractions and pictures in the back of one of the gift shops. I believe it is the shop that's across the "street" from the Spidey ride. If you see Spidey pulling up on his quad-bike thing, make for the shop. People start lining up before Spidey even gets off the "street"

Thank you! I think Q may die of happiness. I got him a Spidey shirt from Target the other day. I can't wait to see his reaction.

I prefer it to Poseidon's Fury, but that's my opinion. Sinbad show is done in a shaded stadium style. Show your Express Pass and you usualy get better seats, if you are there before it starts filling up. It's a stunt show...there's fire, sword fighting, swinging on ropes, etc.

Sounds like you've got a good plan! And if you and Sus want to chill for a bit & the boys are itching to GO GO GO, I highly recommend the Jurassic Park playground...it is HUGE and awesome (DH & I love walking around exploring it too)

Ah love that EP tip. I will flash it wherever I can... no shame here lol and yes the playground is definitely going on the shortlist if/when Sus and I get tired. I think they could both really enjoy themselves there - even O who's 14 years old.

Fantastic news they have their visas!!! One big worry out of the way.......

Your plan sounds excellent!!!

Wouldn't eat in Comic strip cafe, cafe 4 or circus mcgurkus.........fish and chips is the only thing I would eat from the Potter restaurants apart from chicken and ribs, but we like chicken and ribs from Thunder Falls too.

I would choose Sinbad over Poseidon any day.

It's a good idea to just eat when you're hungry........we do that usually........wherever we are we find somewhere we like.

If EE is 8pm leave the hotel just after 7am........gives you loads of time if they do let you in a little early.

You all must be so excited!!

Thanks so much! We are so beyond excited and I'm so glad things are working out. The last thing they'll need to prepare for on their end is getting luggage (I think what they have is old and/or not large enough) and making flight seat selections (dumb British Airways is charging to make seat choices... it only becomes free 24 hours beforehand. How silly).

We'll see if we end up making Sinbad fit but I think we'll choose it over Poseidon. And Thanks for the restaurants to avoid. There's so many food options so it's helpful to know which ones make the seasoned veterans' lists.

I simply can't wait! I'm moving out of my apartment in early June so I'm avoiding buying stuff for the trip as much as I can as it will be less stuff to pack, but man is it hard.

 

[pepperandchips]

Exciting plans for IOA! I would recommend skipping Ollivander's here if there is a long line as the line in Diagon Alley at Studios seems to move faster and there are more rooms for the "choosing" there. We did it this past trip and it was our party, a family, and one solo traveler. We were chatting up the team members so I was really hoping my sister would get chosen but the solo traveler got chosen. Disappointing but it was still cool to be in that small of a group!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Congrats on the visas coming through.....what a great relief that has to be off everyone's minds .

Your plans are sounding excellent so far, and your time is passing pretty darn quickly too!

For in-park dining, I would recommend keeping Confisco's on the list as a possibility over the quick service options. We find their food to be VERY reasonably priced (not much more than many of the quick service meals) and much, much better quality. Its nice to take a break on a hot day and relax and enjoy full table service, too. I know the budget is always something to be kept in mind, but you might find some better value here than the counter service locations. Just my two cents, of course .

The Spiderman meet and greet is a TON of fun. Spidey is really personable and offers some great interaction with guests.....particularly the young ones. They also offer a fantastic photo opportunity here, where you get your picture taken with Spiderman on a green screen, then they put your photo on a comic book page. Its a great souvenir....though I have no idea what a print costs. If you have the PhotoConnect card, you will have the picture available to you as a download that you can print yourself at whatever photofinishing store you like to use. Here's a sample of the photo so you can see what it looks like: