"Do We HAVE to Go to Mexico? Velocicoaster and That Halloween Party Look SO COOL!" - first HHN, second UOR vacation PTR UPDATE 7/2

[tri-ingTheBigSky]

Hello, all! I've lurked these boards since the Dream construction over 10 years ago, and always wanted to try my hand at one of these amazing trip reports! You guys and gals really know how to get us GP excited for our vacations, and I'm just as excited to share our adventures with you now. Once my account is able, I'll add photos to make this more interesting.

A (not so) quick introduction:


Kerry, myself. I grew up near King's Island in northern Cincinnati. Of course, back then it was soy fields and an amusement park. But, I went to WDW twice as a kid. Once when I was barely old enough to have fuzzy memories of Dumbo and a roaming Mickey M&G. I also have a few pictures of me driving a Tomorrowland Speedway car. The other time we went was for one day shortly after the opening of MGM, now HS. All I really remember from that day was the Backlot tour, Roger Rabbit, and just eeking out a director's snap board photo frame for my souvenir.


Stephanie, my wonderful wife of nearly 20 years. Her paternal grandparents lived in FL for most of their retirement before returning to Southern IN's Louisville suburbs at the end of life. Notwithstanding, she didn't go to WDW, or UOR, as a kid, either. FL vacations for both of us consisted of a couple beach days, roadside attractions, and fighting with siblings in the back seat up and down I-75.


Montgomery, our 13 (?!) year old sweetheart. An empath in every sense of the word, Monty has taught his trauma/surgery profession hardened parents a thing or two about what it means to truly feel other's sorrow and joy. He's a Hufflepuff through and through, and I'm pretty sure J.K. Rowling met his soul when she was inspired to create his house. Outside of being a walking Lucasfilm encyclopedia, Monty is involved in an online architecture club, D&D/MTG, and his local BSA troop.


Keegan is our 11 year old spitfire. His name means "fiery" in Gaelic, and he was aptly named before we knew him . He does anything he does 100%, and that's a trait we hope to see him continue throughout life. Keegan is our athletic one, and was getting pretty good at gymnastics before being diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos a few years back. He's still involved with swimming, and is looking forward to middle school cross-country next year.


Stephanie and I grew up in coaster country, and are definitely more thrill seeking than our boys! So, how did a couple coaster chasers end up in love with Disney, and just more recently the Universal parks? Kids. It's always their fault . For the first 6 years of our marriage, we could hardly afford occasional weekend road trips, let alone "big" vacations. But, way back in 2007, we took a 4-night Carnival cruise on the cheap (oh, the stories!). Then, we road tripped the US from Ohio out to New Mexico, then back to West Virginia while she worked as a travel nurse and I finished a small string of externships - and a wanderlust was lit. It would be another 4 years, and 2 kids later, before we could really vacation again. What to do? Monty by then was reintroducing the two of us to Disney via Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Special Agent Oso. We had always priced anniversary trips to WDW, but didn't fully see the appeal as a childless couple (we all make mistakes, right?). By then, we had settled in Atlanta and Orlando was a reasonable drive away. Then, we remembered that gorgeous DCL ship across Port Canaveral from the Carnival Fantasy. We talked that whole first cruise about how we'd one day be able to afford to be on that beauty. I don't remember if it was the Magic or Wonder that caught our eye that day, but we discovered that the Dream was under construction. We booked right away! It was then we discovered what customer service in the travel industry could truly be, and we haven't looked back.


We're in the intermountain west now, so getting to Orlando is a whole-day affair, but we still get there when we can. Including our first Christmas trip during a pandemic. Oh the stories we'll tell years from now!


And, we still sprinkle in as much natural beauty as we can out here (sorry this one's upside down).


Up next: How did you "discover" Universal, though?

 

[AuroraluvsPhillip]

Hello to fellow medical people! Recently retired CRNA and fellow Uni fanatic here. I'm looking forward to more of your family's travel stories.

 

[tri-ingTheBigSky]

Hello to fellow medical people! Recently retired CRNA and fellow Uni fanatic here. I'm looking forward to more of your family's travel stories.

Welcome! I've worked with some wonderful CRNAs in my career. Happy to share!

 

[tri-ingTheBigSky]

So - How did we "discover" Universal Parks?

I think, like many many families who discover the joys of Disney Parks and Experiences first, Universal always seemed to us to be a bit more of the "big kid" park. As such, we always thought we'd eventually get there. We just weren't in any rush, because we wanted to enjoy as much as possible together. Universal Orlando has more attractions with height requirements, and Keegan has always been smaller as a preemie (31 weeks).

Nonetheless, from the time Stephanie and I started dating, she made no bones about the fact that I better get in line with the whole Harry Potter thing. When HP and the Sorcerers's Stone was released theatrically, she had a few college girlfriends convince her to go. What was supposed to be kind of a fun night out and nothing more turned into the birth of a fangirl. This was about four months before we met.

Of course, she was right. By the time WWoHP was announced way back in 2007, we were both full-blown Potterheads. In fact, had Keegan not been born a few months before Hogsmeade opened, we may well have gone to Universal long before WDW. We'd have needed a personal loan to do it, but by golly ...

Fast forward to 2018, and Montgomery discovers the joy of the Harry Potter books. As he's diving in to Goblet of Fire, it's also time for us to be planning our 2020 Summer vacation. It was supposed to kick off the week after Memorial Day: a week split between WWoHP and WDW, then a 7-night Eastern on the Fantasy to get us to Gold Castaway. We presented the trip to the boys as their big Christmas gift 2019. Well, I'm not here to relive what happened next.

Come June 2020, when the Orlando theme parks reopened, we had a very difficult decision to make. Should we travel? The money was spent, but we could just keep postponing. We decided to wait a little bit, see how parks and flights were operating, and make a decision by July. A couple weeks in, and Universal was killing it! At least from afar, they seemed to be doing everything to the best of their ability. Plus, we had decided that I could bring home this new plague from work at any time. Stephanie also lost a dear aunt in that time to cancer complications and a long Hep C battle, so it was definitely time for a breather. We firmed up a week at RPR, boarded a plane, and had a wonderful time!

The boys had just binged The Mandalorian. These "Yoda Potter" shirts were a hit!

There may be some Fire Whisky in that Orange Fizz (life hack. You're welcome )

Watching Celestina. The joy in that face comes through the mask.

They have no idea what these are, but kids are always drawn to pay phones.

Can we talk about just how good Volcano Bay truly is?

Keegan is an aspiring marine biologist (for now). We made it over to Sea World for the first time, and it was his Best. Day. Ever.

Of course, a quick Uber ride over to build droids. 'Cause they had Disney GC's burning holes in their pockets from Christmas.

Seriously, even Seuss Landing was amazing. I don't say that about "kiddie lands." But this one is gorgeous.

When we got home, the fur babies were happy to have us (Nala and Ruby). But we had our socks blown off, and Stephanie and I knew we'd eventually be back.


Next: gratuitous explosions for our nation's 245th, and we can't get away from amusement/theme parks!