Escaping Snowy New England for Freezing Florida Feb 2015 Final Hours 11/17 p. 23

[natebenma]

Cool! Looks like it should be a lot of fun!

I'm lucky to have a few fun trips scheduled this summer. Plus, one middle school class trip.

I love, love, love JP!!!! It came out the summer after I finished 5th grade and a friend's parents took a group of us to see it. I was hooked. My mom had the book and I sat and read it cover to cover over the course of basically a weekend. One of my all time favorite movies. DW hates it and I managed to get her to go see it with me a couple of years ago when they did the 3D re-release in theaters. She refuses to go see Jurassic World. I might be going solo though because I'm not sure I can wait until it is on DVD.

If you were closer I would see it with you! In fact, my whole family would come with you.

The book is just amazing. As good as the movie is, they left out a couple of my favorite parts. "Count up one more"


NOOOOOO!!!!! That stinks! I'm sorry you missed out on it!

Other than the Harry Potter stuff, River Adventure is my favorite thing at IoA.


That. Is. Awesome!!!!

Looking forward to checking this out. Several years ago on our first family trip to IoA, they had a similar encounter with a triceratops. Ben and I went to see that, but Mark and Nate were off doing something else (Dragon Challenge, I think).


Oh thank you. JP and then Hulk. I'm in a better mood this morning already.

Glad I could help!

I can't blame them for not being interested. But it looks like it worked out well for everyone to split up for a while to do what they wanted.

I'm glad the boys are of an age when we can let them go off and do some things on their own.

Although my review of Seussland from our very first family trip is my favorite trip report chapter that I have ever written:


Oh, the Places we Didn't Go!

I'm glad to hear you have a Yellowstone Park trip planned and another Beach Club DISmeet. That's awesome, Dee.

We have a fun, busy summer ahead!

I don't think we ever got to Jurassic Park at Univeral or they were still working on it the last time we were there.

Just picture Splash Mountain with ferocious dinos instead of the Song of the South characters. Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, indeed!


And no way would you be getting me on the Hulk unless I was sedated.

I didn't make it on Hulk on our first trip. I was content to sit that one out with Ben. But I can handle it about once a day.

I swear, I have tried a bazillion times to post and whether it was the site or my computer I don't know. And by now any brilliant comments I had planned are lost to the ages. I wanted to look at all the HP stuff, but I didn't want to look. I'm getting excited about the idea of seeing it all. I think there will be more than enough to entertain my kid who won't ride anything remotely thrill-like. Amara and I watched youtube videos of RRR and the Hulk. I think I could do the Hulk. RRR is out, though. I have a really hard time with the big drops. Inversions and spins are just fine.

Rest assured, I have some really brilliant imaginary replies to your comments that are lost to the ages.

The Harry Potter stuff is simply amazing. Universal scored a home run (or goal, or whatever you do in Quiddich) with those areas!

Will Amara do RRR? I find that RRR and Hulk are smooth coasters, Dragon Challenge not so much.

Funny and sort-of-sad story about the Rip Rocket Ride and the metal detector. I have friends who took their two kids to US a few months ago. Both of their kids have the same heart defect Aria has (and both have pacemakers). Generally, metal detectors are a no-no when you have a pacemaker. Problem being, if you even hint at having a heart defect, you're told not to go on anything. I swear, some CMs at Disney will tell you to avoid Living with the Land. I know a lot of older kids with pacemakers and they go on anything and everything. Honestly, when you're main issue is a dangerously low heart rate, sometimes a roller coaster is just what you need. As long as there's no actual interference with the pacemaker, it's fine to ride. So these kids have been riding every ride at US all day long. They get to RRR and they mention not being able to go through a metal detector. They're told to go to guest relations. Where they are promptly told they can't ride anything else in the park. The younger child (who is about nine, I believe), promptly bursts into tears because he thinks they're being kicked out of US. To US's credit, they are refunded the entry fee and given a GC to buy souvenirs. Security followed them for a while, I suppose to make sure they were leaving or not going on any rides. Which is sort of ridiculous.

Oh wow! That story makes me sad.

The moral of the story for me is I hope once Aria is old enough to ride anything but the Barnstormer, she's stopped introducing herself as the princess with a pacemaker.

But that is funny!

Great news that you are down to single digits. The seniors at our high school went down on Thursday. I found out when 50 of the were getting breakfast at the bagel place I stop at each Morning.

I saw your post on FB. That is cool. Sounds like we will just miss them. Mark and I went to Disney on our senior class trip during April school vacation. Magic Kingdom, of course and EPCOT had just opened.

We have never done the Halloween party either. Need to figure out an easy to pack costume. I booked that for the last night of our trip.

I'll let you know if I think of anything.


We are currently booked at Saratoga Springs for the three nights we are at Disney. We changed to one bedroom suites over studios so we can have a king size bed. We are wait listed for one night at Villas at Grand Floridian and two at Boardwalk Villas. I so hope GF comes through so we can see Hallowishes from there. We got to see Wishes from Top of the World and it was amazing up there.

Sounds like a great trip!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Have a blast on the M.S. Trip Dee!! I have been MIA bc of so much going on. Work has been so hectic w/ evaluations and normal everyday stuff on top of that .
I've been planning my DS17's graduation party. I can't believe my baby is graduating!!! The prom was Friday night, AND both of my boys' birthdays are this week so we had family over last night for cake..... My head is spinning lol.
We leave for FL on July 4th bc of all the stupid snow days we have to make up!!!
A week later than we planned.

 

[natebenma]

Have a blast on the M.S. Trip Dee!! I have been MIA bc of so much going on. Work has been so hectic w/ evaluations and normal everyday stuff on top of that .
I've been planning my DS17's graduation party. I can't believe my baby is graduating!!! The prom was Friday night, AND both of my boys' birthdays are this week so we had family over last night for cake..... My head is spinning lol.
We leave for FL on July 4th bc of all the stupid snow days we have to make up!!!
A week later than we planned.

Thanks so much for checking in!!!

Congrats to your son!!! Have you said what he is doing next year?

Nate didn't go to his junior prom

Happy birthday to your boys!



GRRRR!!!! on the snow days. Ben gets out of school on June 25 and Nate has a half-day on Friday June 26.

Both boys are going to be together at the high school next year (1 year). I am going to miss the middle school. But I'll probably be back frequently to visit the statue they are sure to erect in my honor.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Thanks so much for checking in!!!

Congrats to your son!!! Have you said what he is doing next year?

Nate didn't go to his junior prom

Happy birthday to your boys!



GRRRR!!!! on the snow days. Ben gets out of school on June 25 and Nate has a half-day on Friday June 26.

Both boys are going to be together at the high school next year (1 year). I am going to miss the middle school. But I'll probably be back frequently to visit the statue they are sure to erect in my honor.

He is attending Seminole State and planning to transfer to UCF after a year or 2. We'll see how it goes.
My DS13 ( almost 14!!!) gets out June 23. I don't get out til the 29th!!!! And it's a half day! Do you think any kids will be there?.....NOT!!
Thanks for the b-day wishes I still can't believe the oldest will be 18. We made him go to the prom, but he had a blast!!

 

[natebenma]

He is attending Seminole State and planning to transfer to UCF after a year or 2. We'll see how it goes.
My DS13 ( almost 14!!!) gets out June 23. I don't get out til the 29th!!!! And it's a half day! Do you think any kids will be there?.....NOT!!
Thanks for the b-day wishes I still can't believe the oldest will be 18. We made him go to the prom, but he had a blast!!

Congrats again to your son!

Wow, that is super late for the end of school! And really, having you come in Monday for a half day? UGH!

 

[natebenma]

Wizards, Trains, Aliens, Seafood, Mummies and Ogres

We met back up with the boys in front of the Hogs Head Inn. We decided we would do Forbidden Journey, single rider, but I didn’t write down how long it took, who rode with who and I didn’t get the ride photos since we weren’t all together.


Trip report documentation fail!!!


But I do know we stopped for a butterbeer break at the Hogs Head after that. Remember, there is usually a shorter line to order if you get your butterbeer from inside the inn, plus you can get the AAA 10% discount which you can’t at the carts AND you can grab a seat while you are enjoying your brew.





















When we were finished, we moseyed on over to the train station and FINALLY the train to Kings Cross in Universal Studios was running.


You actually are park hopping, so you enter Universal Studios here. You need to show your admission ticket.





And then you walk to where you board the train. And walk. And walk. And walk!


I swear, it feels like you almost make the entire journey to Universal on foot and I even questioned whether the train indeed moves or if it is just an illusion.


We were very spoiled on this trip. Although the train compartments fit 8-10 people, we had a compartment to ourselves. This would not be the case on future train rides.


Here are a couple of crappy pictures! (You didn’t want me to spoil this for you, did you?)












You’re welcome!

Continued in Next Post

 

[natebenma]

Continued from Previous Post

We arrived at Kings Cross. We popped into Diagon Alley to check on the wait time for Gringott's but the line was too long or the ride was down so we didn't do it.











We headed to Men in Black.




When we were done blasting Aliens, it was time for lunch.


The boys wanted to see how we would make out if we tried to eat at Lombard’s Landing. I’m still not quite sure what the boys’ obsession with this place is, but as luck would have it, they were able to seat us. We ended up with a table near the fish tank, so we enjoyed looking at that while waiting for our food.


It looks like the only pictures I took at lunch were these, with my phone. I don’t remember, but my camera battery was probably low.

Nate ordered the Shrimp Mac & Cheese and a cherry Coke





Ben ordered the Lo Mein with a side Caesar salad.





Mark and I split a Lo Mein dinner and a Fisherman’s Basket (Cod, Shrimp, Calamari and Oyster in a Tempura batter)





Nate got some sort of shooter for dessert. The restaurant receipt says crème brulee, but I have my doubts.



Total bill, after $7.70 AAA discount, but before tip was $73.83.



After lunch, we went on Mummy, followed by Shrek.




Nate is obscured by the flames in the border. We don't add the borders to the pictures, this is done by the Photoconnect system, but I think if we wanted to stop at the end of the day and take some time to review the photos we could edit in new borders.


Shrek is a 4D show. It is good, but not great. The preshow reminds me of the Muppets preshow. Worth doing if the wait is 20 minutes or less.


We looked at the wait time for Despicable Me- Minion Mayhem, but the boys refused to do this attraction unless the wait time was less than 40 minutes (even though we have express pass). I don't think we ever saw a wait time less than 60 minutes during our visit this year. The one time we did it on our last trip, we waited around an hour, but I’m not sure if we were in the Express Line then.


We were ready for a break after Shrek.


We went into the large gift shop at the park entrance. We looked around but I don’t think we purchased anything. Ben may have pressed a souvenir penny.




Continued in Next Post- Photoconnect Pictures

 

[natebenma]

Continued:

We stopped for a few Photoconnect pictures at the entrance and out in the courtyard:














I really love this picture of the boys!




And this one of Mark and me is a favorite.


After our photo shoot, we made the short walk to the Hard Rock.


Next up:

The sun did not shine
It was too wet to play
So we stayed at the Hard Rock
The rest of the day

 

[Wood Nymph]

I forgot about your Yellowstone trip. When will that trip start? After all the activities this year, a nice trip out west sounds relaxing.

Ben's middle school is really going to miss you. Parents like you don't come along too often. They'll probably need three people to do everything that you did.

 

[afwdwfan]

But I do know we stopped for a butterbeer break at the Hogs Head after that. Remember, there is usually a shorter line to order if you get your butterbeer from inside the inn, plus you can get the AAA 10% discount which you can’t at the carts AND you can grab a seat while you are enjoying your brew.

Thanks for the tip... I'd heard it is faster to get it inside, but I didn't realize the part about the AAA discount.

You actually are park hopping, so you enter Universal Studios here. You need to show your admission ticket.

Is that a pretty seamless process? I've kind of wondered how it worked.

I swear, it feels like you almost make the entire journey to Universal on foot and I even questioned whether the train indeed moves or if it is just an illusion.

Kind of like the old Hydrolators at EPCOT, huh?

The boys wanted to see how we would make out if we tried to eat at Lombard’s Landing. I’m still not quite sure what the boys’ obsession with this place is, but as luck would have it, they were able to seat us. We ended up with a table near the fish tank, so we enjoyed looking at that while waiting for our food.

Well, at least you got to make up for the missed meal there.

Shrek is a 4D show. It is good, but not great.

Agree. Not a must do, but fun to see.

I really love this picture of the boys!

Great picture.

And this one of Mark and me is a favorite.

As is this one.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Getting your Butterbeer in the pub is a great tip. I was so thankful I'd heard that prior to my first WW visit. Saved a ton of time. Plus, it's darn cool in there.

I did think it was clever the way they incorporated the park hopper ticket to be the "train ticket". Not to mention how clever to basically almost force a person to get a park hopper ticket. Pretty smart.

Haha, the boys really do seem to like Lombard's don't they?

I agree on Shrek. I actually haven't done it in a while. But I do know when I do, I enjoy it.

Aww, that is a great photoshoot.


But... uh oh. Next up does not sound promising weather wise.

 

[SarahDisney]

We met back up with the boys in front of the Hogs Head Inn. We decided we would do Forbidden Journey, single rider, but I didn’t write down how long it took, who rode with who and I didn’t get the ride photos since we weren’t all together.


Trip report documentation fail!!!

Well, we can excuse it this once ... TR documentation fails happen to every one.

When we were finished, we moseyed on over to the train station and FINALLY the train to Kings Cross in Universal Studios was running.

Yay! I'm glad you finally got to ride the train, and the pictures look cool!

We headed to Men in Black.

You all seem very intense about killing aliens.

Nate is obscured by the flames in the border. We don't add the borders to the pictures, this is done by the Photoconnect system, but I think if we wanted to stop at the end of the day and take some time to review the photos we could edit in new borders.

Interesting. I was wondering why you would obscure your own son, but I guess it makes sense for them to add the borders automatically.

I love all of the family pictures! The one of the boys is really great, as is the one of you and Mark by the globe.

The sun did not shine
It was too wet to play
So we stayed at the Hard Rock
The rest of the day

A poem inspired by Seuss Landing?

 

[MEK]

You could never have a trip report fail! It's impossible!

So cool that you got a whole train car to yourself. Nice!

Love all the pictures you got of the various Harry Potter areas. Your PP (I'm sorry they will always be PP to me) turned out excellent. That mummy picture is a hoot!

Yummy lunch!

So what ARE the dates for your August trip? Do we align at all? I am there 8/15-22.

 

[pas130]

Glad I could give you a pick-me-up!

I don't mind the water rides (as long as I am wearing sandals), Ben enjoys them, but Mark and Nate do not like to be very wet.

Only DS14 has done the Universal Water rides, Our last attempt at Splash Mtn, DD9 (who was 4 maybe) was so upset at being wet my DH went and bought her new clothes and shoes at the nearest gift shop. I doubt she's attempted a water ride since I was on stroller patrol with my two youngest

 

[sharona]

Awesome pics! Isn't photo connect a great deal when you consider the outrageous prices they are asking for the individual ride photos! I believe I heard them telling someone $25 for one photo!!!! It was pretty easy to use as well. How do you remember to take your food pics before digging in? We're usually 2/3 of the way through eating when it occurs to me, lol.

 

[KatMark]

Sorry, Dee (I was missing a bit due to personal family stuff). Love the update and all the photos.

Have a great time on the school trip.

 

[tarak]

OOh - the train windows look cool!

I don't mind getting wet on rides as long as my feet stay dry. Last trip was our first going on Kali River Rapids. Amara and I wrapped our feet in ponchos. Teagan refused to and her feet were just soaked. After a few minutes, she started to get blisters. I swapped out her socks and, dear lord, you could have dropped a yak with the smell. I know some day I'll look back with fondness on the days they didn't have to spend forever getting clean. But for now, my kids just smell bad a lot of the time.

 

[Disney before Sally]

So cool you finally rode Hogwarts Express. Did they sell chocolate frogs and every flavor jelly beans?

 

[natebenma]

Still can't figure out why I am no longer able to multi-quote. Others have had this issue and we have posted on the technical board, but so far no response.

On the bright side, my post count is going to go WAY up, especially when I start catching up on the Beach Club FAQ thread!

 

[natebenma]

I forgot about your Yellowstone trip. When will that trip start? After all the activities this year, a nice trip out west sounds relaxing.

Ben's middle school is really going to miss you. Parents like you don't come along too often. They'll probably need three people to do everything that you did.

I keep forgetting, too! Aug 6-12, I think. I have been so busy that I haven't started doing any reading or research about the trip, which is really bad because this is our first time doing a trip like this.

Then two weeks later it is a family trip for a few days to Universal, the boys will go home and I will continue on to Disney for the Beach Club meet.



It has been fun walking through the hallways of the school this year and hearing from the teachers and administration when it finally occurs to them that this is my last hurrah. They will miss me and I will miss them and the school, too. Someone finally volunteered to head the parent group next year, and we have people to head the other committees so that is a relief. I will be helping her and the others next year until they get going, and I will be more than happy to help out with the Disney trip planning.

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