FAMILY'S FIRST TRIP TO HOGWARTS - a Fall 2019 PTR

[polarama]

Lol. Can I admit I am more obsessed with the notion of getting diff flavored ICEEs?

Before I start this PTR I want to thank everyone who has posted a trip report - I devoured them all as I was planning this vacation! I especially am grateful to people who posted their experiences with kids who are in the tween/elementary range and anyone who has posted food pics and their experiences at RPR.

We might be the only parents left in the world who haven't taken our kids to Orlando - well, scratch that, we took DD (now 12) to WDW when she was 4, but we've never taken DS (7). Our only visit to WDW wasn't fun - it felt too regimented and the fond memories I had from the 90s and early 2000s didn't seem to hold up. So I've sort of avoided Orlando...but I did visit WWoHP shortly after the Hogsmeade side of it opened with a friend and LOVED it. I've been waiting YEARS for my kids to be into Harry Potter. WE ARE FINALLY AT THAT POINT!

I started planning this trip last December - we will be going in the late fall. The kicker is...this is going to sort of be a surprise. I ordered a Hogwarts letter from Legendary Letters that we will give her as her birthday gift in July. Park tickets have been purchased. Hotel has been booked (RPR Club Level here we come!). Flights have been booked.

Now I am just obsessing about the Hagrid ride, getting ICEEs and getting myself a not-ugly fanny pack.

 

[PoohIsHome]

Surprise trips are the best!! The first time we took our now 17yr old son, he was 10yrs old and in the 4th grade. I picked him up early from school as we were on our way to the airport. He had this horrible look on his face...he thought he was going to the dentist! LOL!! He'll soon be 18 and we're booked at HRH over Thanksgiving week for our 4th trip. We're HP fanatics....that's him with me in my avatar.

You'll have such a great time!!! It's just such a great time!

 

[Lynne G]

Oh, my DD always teases me about my fashionable fanny pack. At least mine does convert into a regular purse. I do like the hands free ability, and well, I seem to have not many shorts with a pocket, let alone secure enough one.

But yay, for a surprise trip. Sounds like fun for all, including the kids.

Following this pre-trip report. While my kids are adult and almost adult, we still enjoy the parks, and well, we have been vacationing in Orlando area for years, mostly at the end of summer, when there was no summer camp, and no school starting. Now, we get to travel at the beginning of January. I do enjoy the Fall time though.

 

[schumigirl]

I have never tried an Icee????

Kipling Multiple are ideal.....not too ugly as fanny packs go.....let's be honest, they ain`t pretty......

Sounds like a nice trip you have planned......and of course RP is a fabulous choice, glad to hear you`ve opted for Club.....I can`t say enough good things about the folks in there...….

Look forward to your updates!!!

 

[bobbie68]

Hi glad to see you posting your pre-trip report. Your kids are at a great age to enjoy it. We first took my DD when she was 12 and she loved it. She also is a big HP fan. She is now 17 and we still love vacationing in Florida. We did take time off this year and did the Sea World Parks and Discovery Cove. We all kept saying how much we missed Universal. We love to stay on site and Portofino Club level is our new favorite. I have had great experiences at all the resorts there.

I love the surprise feature you have added. There is nothing like seeing their face light up, it is priceless.

Frozen butterbeer is our favorite!!

Oh and check out the Kipling convertible on Amazon. I bought it a few years ago and love it. It is fashionable, as one can be.LOL!

Happy planning!

 

[macraven]

How many days left before your vacation?

 

[polarama]

Surprise trips are the best!! The first time we took our now 17yr old son, he was 10yrs old and in the 4th grade. I picked him up early from school as we were on our way to the airport. He had this horrible look on his face...he thought he was going to the dentist! LOL!! He'll soon be 18 and we're booked at HRH over Thanksgiving week for our 4th trip. We're HP fanatics....that's him with me in my avatar.

You'll have such a great time!!! It's just such a great time!

I had originally hoped to keep it a surprise up until departure day, but realized quickly that the person who would be most tortured by that is...ME. I want to be able to talk about it and get excited about it!

 

[polarama]

Oh, my DD always teases me about my fashionable fanny pack. At least mine does convert into a regular purse. I do like the hands free ability, and well, I seem to have not many shorts with a pocket, let alone secure enough one.

But yay, for a surprise trip. Sounds like fun for all, including the kids.

Following this pre-trip report. While my kids are adult and almost adult, we still enjoy the parks, and well, we have been vacationing in Orlando area for years, mostly at the end of summer, when there was no summer camp, and no school starting. Now, we get to travel at the beginning of January. I do enjoy the Fall time though.

I'm glad we had this tiny window in the school calendar - I am immensely jealous of those who can travel to Orlando on the off-season! I went to Universal and WDW a lot in my 20s and it was so nice to travel in the fall or early in the year. One day that day will come again for us.

 

[polarama]

I have never tried an Icee????

Kipling Multiple are ideal.....not too ugly as fanny packs go.....let's be honest, they ain`t pretty......

Sounds like a nice trip you have planned......and of course RP is a fabulous choice, glad to hear you`ve opted for Club.....I can`t say enough good things about the folks in there...….

Look forward to your updates!!!

ICEES strike me as a very American thing...we love our ice cold drinks so much we mashed up the ice and just drink it flavored!

 

[polarama]

Hi glad to see you posting your pre-trip report. Your kids are at a great age to enjoy it. We first took my DD when she was 12 and she loved it. She also is a big HP fan. She is now 17 and we still love vacationing in Florida. We did take time off this year and did the Sea World Parks and Discovery Cove. We all kept saying how much we missed Universal. We love to stay on site and Portofino Club level is our new favorite. I have had great experiences at all the resorts there.

I love the surprise feature you have added. There is nothing like seeing their face light up, it is priceless.

Frozen butterbeer is our favorite!!

Oh and check out the Kipling convertible on Amazon. I bought it a few years ago and love it. It is fashionable, as one can be.LOL!

Happy planning!

The newly minted 12yo made a list of all the different Butterbeer formats she wants to try, with frozen in the top spot!

 

[polarama]

How many days left before your vacation?

We've got a ways to go...November.

 

[macraven]

November will come quicker than you realize

It might seem slow right now, but when it hits October, time will fly

 

[polarama]

...and in less than a month, we will be there!

We told DD in the summer, on her birthday. We had a Hogwarts letter made up and a "Hedwig" delivered it. What's sort of funny is that DS thought he was going to be left at home since he didn't get a letter. We quickly cleared that up!

It feels weird not to plan, but really, what more do we need to do? We have our tickets, hotel, flights, and I snagged Hogwarts house-themed lanyards and shirts for all of us. I am staring down the barrel of some pretty intense work weeks including two back to back trips right before we go to Orlando so I don't have the mental capacity to even think about packing until I'm back from my work travel.

The kids have been watching ride POV videos to get a sense of what they want to do. We have also been looking at other people's trip reports to see food pics!

Each kid is getting a Universal gift card + the opportunity to earn more $$ to add to their gift card. We've said we will buy a wand each but anything above that is up to them.

 

[Templemom]

Excited to read about your trip.

 

[Vicki Rickerd]

I have never tried an Icee????

OMG! Coke Icee's are very good, but nothing beats a banana Icee from 7.11. Wish we had those here.