LiquidSunshine
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2013
- Messages
- 667
Hi all,
I have been meaning to do this post for a couple of weeks!
We got back from our 3 week adventure at the start of October, and I just wanted to share some of our highs & lows with you all.
Highs!
We also tried Uber for the first time, going to & from Universal. No problems. Both journeys costed around $12.50, and both drivers were friendly, one was able to tell us the night we experienced the lightening strike, there was over 960 strikes in the central Florida area.
We used the Revolut card which is completely controlled by an app, we would recommend it! Was very easy to use & the available balance updated as you used the card. The 3 payg sim was also great once again.
I have been meaning to do this post for a couple of weeks!
We got back from our 3 week adventure at the start of October, and I just wanted to share some of our highs & lows with you all.
Highs!
- POFQ was once again fantastic! Our stay coincided with the main food court being closed for refurbishment, and a temporary, smaller food court being made available. I had read on the POFQ thread of long queues, less choice etc, but it was perfectly fine. We always got a seat, yes there was less choice that the usual menus, but there was still some good choices, plenty of really nice grab n go meals, and the take away pizzas were delicious! There was also an internal shuttle bus available that went between FQ & RS. We ate one night at RS and experienced no problems.
- Aer Lingus. Our first time flying with them & the service was great. Flying from Dublin was great, from the self-serve check-in to the pre-us clearance which we moved through really quickly & was hassle free.
- Expedition Everest - my favourite Disney ride. On a couple of occasions it was only a 5min wait, so we were able to do multiple rides! The CMs were also great about being asked for the front seats, and riding it at night is brilliant - especially the view at the top!
- Car hire. We hired a car from the Alamo/Disney Car Care Centre for a few days. We were upgraded to a Ford Fusion hybrid. DBF really enjoyed it, a couple of minor mistakes but nothing serious or major. We would definitely hire again.
- Loews Royal Pacific at Universal. Such a beautiful room & the resort was amazing. We only stayed one night to take advantage of the express passes but would stay again. Loved the boat ride & walk over to CityWalk. Security/bag check being done as we left the hotel was excellent as it meant missing the main area.
- The new King Kong ride at Universal! We really enjoyed this. You are sat inside a vehicle similar to the ones used at Disney's Serengeti Safari. It is a 3D journey through a cave-like system, and it was fantastic! I don't want to give away too much as it is new, but we both really enjoyed it. The best bit was using the express passes, stand-by time was 60mins. With the express passes, we had a 10-15min wait!
- Toothsome's Chocolate Emporium at CityWalk. We ended up eating here on grand opening night, and wanted to try it after seeing one of the Tim Tracker's videos. We had a 35min wait for a table. Worth a visit for the crazy milkshakes (there is a separate, take-away milkshake bar), and the starter of Warm Chocolate Almond bread with salted caramel butter. Delicious!
- The weather. The first two weeks was very hot! Hotter than the last time we were there. We managed to just about cope, but still had a great time.
- We were really pleased that we booked during the Food & Wine festival. Highlights were the Loaded Mac & Cheese at the Farm Fresh stand, DBF loved the Cheddar Cheese soup from Canada, and the Ghirardelli's stand with free chocolate, coupons for the Disney Springs sundaes, and the fill a box for $15, provided the lid closed fully (but the fabulous CM at the till showed me how to maximise space for more chocolate!)
- We really enjoyed the new areas of Disney Springs. DBF loved tasting the different cokes at the roof top bar at the coke store, and Blaze fired pizza was delicious (the build your own option is the best, as it costs the same as one chosen from the menu) - it takes QS credits which DBF was pleased about as it meant a couple of trips (QS meal credit includes pizza, side salad or dessert, and a drink). The ATM at Sprinkes Cupcakes was pretty fun too.
- Breakfast at BoG. Great experience, lovely theming and the food was nice too! We sat in the Ballroom and it was really nice, loved watching the "snow" falling outside the windows.
- While the weather was hot the first 2 weeks, there were a few nights were it rained heavily all night along with thunder and lightening, so we had to head back to the room earlier than expected. We where soaked to the bones waiting for a bus back from HS one night, the buses seemed particularly slow that evening and the line for the bus was very, very long. Quite a few annoyed people in the line that evening. This was the same night we came off ToT just as the rain started, and took shelter under the wooden structure beside the waiting time for ToT, where the FP+ booths are. While preparing ourselves to make a run for the exit, the lightening rod on top was struck!
- We also experienced Tropical Storm Julia, who forced us to leave AK early, but we were doing the Safari just as she started, which made for some good animal spots - particularly the elephants deciding to take a swim! Not really a low, more a hiccup!
- Our flight out arrived 30mins early, but the 1.5hr wait for the luggage to start arriving in the luggage hall was pretty frustrating!
We also tried Uber for the first time, going to & from Universal. No problems. Both journeys costed around $12.50, and both drivers were friendly, one was able to tell us the night we experienced the lightening strike, there was over 960 strikes in the central Florida area.
We used the Revolut card which is completely controlled by an app, we would recommend it! Was very easy to use & the available balance updated as you used the card. The 3 payg sim was also great once again.
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