It's All Happening! Mission: DGE 2014 is a GO! A June-tiful PTR (COMPLETE: TR POSTED)

[PlutosRHM55]

Once upon a time, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was desperate, desperate for something. Something vital to survival, something he has always needed...

And what was that exactly?



A TRIP TO WALT DISNEY WORLD, OF COURSE!

And if you weren't aware, this wasn't just any kind of trip. This Prince was approaching a big step in life, heading off to higher education and adulthood. With so many plans, he could only focus on one thing before that big step and that was this trip. It would have been three years now since he had been to the even-more-beautiful-than-his-castle castle above. It was imperative he return.

Now I'm sure you're all wondering who this Prince is. He goes by many names:

PlutosRHM55
Goofy_DisNerd
Pluto's Agent
Pluto's Right Hand Man
The Diva
The DisNerd
Timmy

But I know him personally as... MYSELF!



So adorbs, right?

Yes, I am the Prince (shocker). Thought it would've been much more interesting if I inserted myself into a fairy tale setting. Gotta love those fairy tales!

*ahem* Introductions, yes! Hi DISBoards! My name is Timmy and I will be your host, your GHOST HOST for this pre-trip report, taking you through the haunted halls of the planning of a trip long (and don't take that word too lightly here) in the making. Spook it up, ya know? (;

I am 17 years old, heading into my SENIOR YEAR!!! (Class of 2014, WHADDUP?!) This is a pretty big part of why this is such a special trip. I'm graduating this year and to go to Disney one last time before I hit that landmark and move on to "bigger better things", one of those being my DCP. There will be a lot of decisions to be made that will impact my future a lot so I'm hoping this trip will give me the boost I need so I can feel confident about those decisions.

ANYWAYS...

Like most, I'm a huge Disney Freak. I've been a fan of Disney my whole life, watching the films probably before I could even comprehend what was happening on screen, and an even bigger fan of the parks long before I actually went. I watched the heck out of a Disney Trip Planning Video I acquired from my Aunt who got it after taking my cousins down in the year 2000. Yes, the Millenium Celebration, Tapestry of Nations... Knew all about that! I also watched the Disneyland Sing-A-Long videos for years. This led to a near ten year struggle involving me begging my parents to take me to Disney and them continuing to prolong a direct answer. I am the oldest of three siblings and actually much older in age to my sisters, not by a huge margin but to the point where it was a long wait for that first trip to Disney. My parents wanted to make sure we were all old enough to appreciate/remember a trip, which probably was a good decision in the end I have to admit. I was going into my last year of middle school, thirteen years old, and by then I'd about given up on trying, when my mom finally said the five most magical words:

WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!


My first day ever in EPCOT and the only photo we got with the whole family! It was our Christmas card the following year. Donald helped set up the photo. (April 2010)

And BAM, a monster was created!

I am one of the rare few who can look fondly back on that first trip and remember how it was when I truly fell in love with Disney and why I fell in love with the place, the company, EVERYTHING. Not many seem remember their first trip or the trip where you finally rounded that corner in full-on Disney love, but thanks to my parents waiting until I was a teenager to take me, I will always remember how amazing that trip was. How it felt, what I saw, those moments of pixie dust, why I love Disney, why my outlook on life is so positive even when I'm feeling negative because of Disney, etc.: EVERYTHING Disney had blessed me with. It was because of that first time I felt the magic. This trip then led me to join the DIS Community and to write my first trip report so now I can even go back and read about it when everything that happened was so fresh in my mind! You can read about it too, if you so please at the aptly named When I First Felt The Magic... FINALLY! April 2010 Trip Report.

After that, my Disney obsession just grew and grew. I was having Disney Movie Marathons, spending free time just learning about everything Disney online, joining other Disney fan sites, watching ride-throughs and trip videos, reading trip reports, etc. It literally happened like that and luckily I was going back soon after with my school's chorus and band. It was another shorter trip (well... by DIS standards), but it was completely different from the first and another incredible experience. It was my first trip as a DISer so the perspective has changed a bit even then, especially since it's written more classic TR style for the whole thing. You can read that one here: Cheerleaders! Blisters! Oversized Water Bottles! ...It Must Be Disney! February 2011 Trip.

Oh and a picture from that trip!


Morning Extra Magic Hours at Hollywood Studios and we said hello to Minnie! She was the only character we met on that trip. (February 2011)

Then, I went a bit insane and tried to get another trip to happen. This resulted in a TR that kinda became one LONG real life update with other non-Disney trips sprinkled in. If you would like to read about my Disney deprived life over the last two years, here is a link to that too: Even Miracles Take A Little Time... A Beyond Birthdays PTR.

After so much talking about my Disney journey, I think I should tell you more specifics. In true trip reporting fashion, I present to you, My Disney Favorites:

ATTRACTIONS: The Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Expedition Everest & Tower of Terror
PARK AND LAND: Magic Kingdom and Tomorrowland
MOVIES: Princess and the Frog, The Lion King, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sleeping Beauty & Beauty and the Beast
RESTAURANTS (CS & TS): Golden Oak Outpost and Garden Grill/Sanaa
CHARACTERS: Pluto, Sebastian, Belle, Lottie, Tiana, Maleficent, Merryweather, Prince Naveen, Judge Claude Frollo & Lumiere
RESORTS: Animal Kingdom Lodge, Yacht Club & The Polynesian Resort
SONGS: Part of Your World, Bella Notte, A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes, I'll Make A Man Out Of You, Be Prepared, Friends on the Other Side, Almost There, If I Can't Love Her (from Beauty and the Beast the musical), Be Our Guest, Go The Distance, Zero to Hero and... SO MANY! (I'm a theater kid, what can I say?)

I tried to keep it at a minimum, honestly.

Aside from my Disney obsession, I'm just as nerdy about everything else (hence the nickname DisNerd). The things that bring this out fall under three main categories: Theater, Movies and Literature. There also is a little bit of TV, Music and Swimming. I mean, I did have to lifeguard to raise enough money so I could convince my dad to let me go back to Disney. I'm also in the midst of trying to catch up on Breaking Bad before the final episode ever. AND once my final paycheck comes in I'm probably going to go on an escapade to buy all of Taylor Swift's albums, but the other three are where the "real nerdiness" lies.

What is real nerdiness you ask?

Well, I'll tell you in a moment. While I'm thinking, I'll tell you the names of various Broadway stars, their every role and how many Tony nominations they have; discuss with a few of you why Al Pacino totally deserved his Oscar win for Scent of a Woman and why he should have won for The Godfather Part II and why that movie is far superior to its predecessor; write a short story continuing the Harry Potter legacy with the story of Remus Lupin's son, Teddy Lupin, while trying to hold back tears; then we can talk about Disney for three hours straight after, sleep when it's all done and I'll tell you my answer in the morning.

Yeah, exactly. Me in a nutshell. I might have over-exaggerated a bit, but now you have been warned. The random rants will arise soon enough and I encourage you to follow along. They are quite insightful and enlightening.

At the same time, I think I should get back to the originally scheduled PTR, don't you? OKAY! Okay then, sheesh...

Continuing with my personal venture with Disney, I end up at this PTR for a vacation that's been in the making since before I probably even wrote a TR or was on DISBoards. Going back to that first Disney trip, my family's last full day in Disney, we had decided to go to EPCOT for the day, we met up with my cousin who was graduating that year and went with her school to Disney. She told us a lot about staying in the parks with just her school and other kids her age along with other special privileges and it got me thinking about how I'd like to do that my Senior year too. To be clear, my cousin participated in what was probably the last GradNites Disney World ever hosted before they discontinued them the following year. Very unfortunate, but I was still bent on doing something big for a Disney trip senior year. When I joined the DIS and began hanging around the Teen board, I began thinking up this idea, learning most of the DISTeens over there weren in my graduating class that we would have a huge meet-up during our senior year. A lot were for it and it seemed realistic at the time and probably would've happened if I'd been in more close contact with that group. Of course, time goes by, things change, people lose contact, real life, etc. You know what I'm talking about. The original plan has kinda fallen through, but I tried to keep it alive as much as I could talking with all my non-DIS friend about doing this and now it's actually happening! I dubbed this trip early on as The DisGraduation Extravaganza 2014 or DGE 2014 for short, hence the title. Of course, the idea has been greatly diminished, but the intention was to get a group of graduating seniors down to the World one last time before heading off to college and I'm gonna go with it! As this PTR goes on, maybe it will be fully realized to its original plan.

WHO KNOWS?!

Here's some of the deets for this trip and yes, this is DEFINITE. (NEW DEETS! PLEASE BE AWARE THE DEETS BELOW HAVE CHANGED BUT ARE STILL NECESSARY FOR FOLLOWING ALONG WITH THIS PTR AND NEW DEETS ARE LINKED IN THESE PARENTHESE.)I am taking this trip with my high school chorus and band once again so it's basically a repeat of the 2011 trip, but I'm a senior this time and there are many new faces to my trip report series so it's bound to be quite a different type of trip. This extravaganza will be taking place at the end of February (See: FEBRU-Lous), lasting from February 20th until February 24th. We'll be staying in Disney all five days, four of which we'll have Park Hopper passes unless... well I'll get into that later.

So that's the basics of this trip so far. I'll be going into more depth once I get confirmation of certain things. I hope you'll all follow along with the magic, the adventure and the beauty that this PTR aims to become. I promise to make this one exciting and fun adventure as you follow me into the world of tumultuous planning. With that, a formal greeting in true Ghost Host style:

Welcome, Foolish Mortals, to...

It's All Happening! Mission: DGE 2014 is a GO! A June-tiful Pre-Trip Report

Kindly step all the way in please and make room for everyone,
there's no turning back now.​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Table of Contents

Introduction to PTR (Page One)
So... How Will My Life Begin - Trip Specifics (Page One)
Knowing Your Enemy and A Sudden Change In Plans: We'll See How This Goes! (Page One)
Unleash The Updates - Real Life Update (Page Two)
Y'All Ready For This? - The Real Introductions (Page Two)
But You'll Be In My Heart, From This Day On! Everyone Hail to the Pumpkin Song! - Real Life Update/Game Time! (Page Three)
The Time Has Come! The Moment's Here! The Black of Night Draws Ever Near! (Page Three)
It's Delicious! Don't Believe Me? Ask The Dishes! - ADR Planning! (Page Three)
A Whole Lot of Holiday! - Real Life Update (Page Four)
Magic Bands, ADRs, Mary Poppins and Olaf the Snowman?! I'm Living On Pixie Dust! (Page Four)
Once Upon A Christmastime (Page Four)
Hello The Most Magical Year Yet: 2014! (Page Four)
Yo Ho! Yo Ho! A Pirate's Life for Me! - Real Life Update/Quick Planning Update (Page Five)
The Character Calvacade - Top Ten Character Must-Meets (Page Five)
Beef, Pork, Chicken, MMM!!! - Top Ten Snack Must-Eats (Page Six)
Tale As Old As Time (Part I) - Real Life Updates (Page Six)
Tale As Old As Time (Part II) - Disney Updates (Page Six)
When Dreams Come True (Part I) - Real Life Updates/Rough Itinerary (Page Seven)
When Dreams Come True (Part II) - Rough Itinerary (Page Seven)

FINAL UPDATE: So Long, Farewell, Off to Disney We Go! (Page Seven)

THE TRIP REPORT: Characters vs. Pin Traders: It's Heated War! A Pixie-Dusted Nerdventure​

 

[Tink2Day]

Subscribing
Uh Oh I'm first! That means I'll get squished in the back of the ride and last off sometimes never shows up again!
Like reading your adventures, they're similar to my own grandsons, especially the eldest.

 

[BOG Obsessed]

Following along...... keep the updates coming

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Subscribing
Uh Oh I'm first! That means I'll get squished in the back of the ride and last off sometimes never shows up again!
Like reading your adventures, they're similar to my own grandsons, especially the eldest.

So glad you could join me over here again! It's the best being first trust me. Bragging rights, you know? And I mean, you get to be the 1000th happy haunt too.

And I love reading your comments too. It's so great to know there seems to be a growing number of guys my age who are very much into Disney.

Following along...... keep the updates coming

Glad you could join in! I'll definitely be keeping the updates coming.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

So... How Will My Life Begin?

Hello and welcome again!

I apologize for not getting another update up as early as I wanted to or promised, but better late than never. I also have a hard print copy of these plans from my choir director, meaning these are set-in-stone official plans.

So...

If you are still here, you survived my very extensive and detailed introduction to the point that you would actually like to hear more about this trip. I would like to thank you for sticking around! It makes me so overjoyed to have some readers because I write these TRs not for just the purpose of personal amusement, but so I can have reader input. I like to think of myself as an expert on Disney, but fact is I've only been here twice before staying for a total of only 11 days, two of which were not spent in a park at all. In retrospect, my expertise really doesn't go beyond reading and learning through a computer especially in comparison to most on the DIS. Reader input is important and I need lots in that regard. I also love meeting new DISers. I sadly live in a world with not many friends or family members who particularly enjoy Disney and despise my obsession with it so it's nice to not feel like I'm annoying others when I go on and about it. So again, to my readers, lurkers and non-lurkers alike, thank you for staying with me! You guys are the best.

Okay, where was I? Yes, the trip details. I gave you some basic groundwork in the introduction, but everyone knows there is a whole lot more to the basic groundwork in planning a Disney trip and going on one as well. Yessiree! A whole HECKUVA lot more.

As I mentioned before, this trip is a five day trip from the 20th of Febru-lous February until the 24th. We will be flying down on the 20th, which will also be the first park day and then flying back on the 24th which is the non-park day and full-on departure day. I also said we would have four day park hoppers. Well... that's sorta changed. For those wondering, why it's four day, the reason behind it is that between chorus and band, there is quite the large number of people heading off to Florida and on departure day, we need to utilize as much time as we can to prepare to leave. It's not as easy getting a family to up and leave, we have to take time so there is no park on the last day, but I made the best of the time I had so it's not big deal. BUT... this is where this trip is a little different.

On my first trip, we stayed on Disney property the entire time we were there including when the chorus and band performed (we also performed in Downtown Disney, which is going to be well under way in terms of Disney Springs construction so I'm not sure how that changes things...). This year, since the next trip wasn't supposed to happen until next year after I've graduated, they took out the last of those days at a Disney park and instead we are spending a day at...

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS!

(Credit to Google Images)

Yup, I'm venturing into enemy territory for the first time. And I'm actually really excited. I'm going to make a separate post to talk more about Universal, but when my parents originally discussed our first Disney trip they brought up about visiting other places in Orlando and Universal was one of the first that came to mind. My mom had gone there so much for her work along with her various Disney trips during the 80s and early 90s, some with my dad too and she raves all the time about some of the classic Universal rides (one of which was recently removed and it kills me so much I never got a chance to ride it even though one of my friends was one of the last riders EVER on it -_-). Then, being a HUGE Harry Potter fan, I've got to see the new... well, it's not so new anymore, but new to me...

WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER!

(Credit to Wired.com)

There is just almost a whole other Disney to explore there. It ain't no Disney, I know that, but just this whole other world to enjoy and I'm not going to throw it under the bus for not being Disney but embrace it since it's a strong competitor and follows what Disney has done. It will definitely be a nice long post talking about Universal, that day will be some crazy hectic fun.

With the Universal day in place and no days added on, it also makes things different in terms of how much time I'll have in Disney parks. Versus the just enough four days, I have three. This is where it gets tricky considering how two of the days are more-so half days then the one full day... it's definitely a huge diminish from the four park days. I'm not complaining, but it's a bit frustrating considering how long I haven't been in Disney and how much I want to do in the parks and outside of. Four days is do-able considering how much time I spent wandering the monorail resorts on my last trip, but three... not sure. Especially since I've always been quite strong-willed when it comes to having enough time since I've seen too many vacations not turn out the way they wanted to do because they don't have enough time and feel as if they didn't do enough. For a huge Disney Fanatic like me, that feels like double considering again, it will be exactly three years Post-Disney before this one. That may sound like I'm asking for a lot, but take this into account:

My first trip, I was down in Disney for six days and we had five days with regular MYW passes so that because it was our first trip, we could do one park per day then have an extra day for the park we liked the most and want to go back to. That was really what dreams were made of right there. Especially since I got to really enjoy our resort that first night. On my second trip, it was one day short with five days, the last day being just leaving and then four days in the parks. It worked out nicely since I wasn't planning on doing much in AK or DHS with my friends but ride the rides and we were able to get a lot done thanks to Extra Magic Hours and being very quick within the get-go of arriving. EPCOT kinda was put on the back burner so I could have my MK time, but we got to experience at least a good overview. I also was able to visit DTD multiple times, which I would like to do again but may not be the case this time considering that whole last MK day is cut, meaning some of that time in Magic Kingdom is gone along with DTD that day altogether. I've kinda gotten to the point where I can accept I'll lose DTD time and am still willing but then another thing, pretty big aspect of why I wanted to return, came up that has me thinking of alternatives.

Remember the photo I posted from the previous band & chorus trip in my introduction. If you forget, here's a re-pic for good measure:



As far as I know, none of the original fab four (and what became fab five too) are not going to be on this trip. Yes, all of them, including my best friend Jocelyn, who I've mentioned many times and who I wanted to come most of all isn't coming. She alerted me to that earlier. I didn't know then or later if I could convince my parents to let me go another time so I could make sure to go with Jocelyn since I had other friends who were very much set on going. Then, those friends including the one friend I probably would've ended up with in a new fabulous group has most recently told me she can't go. And that's where I'm not sure it's worth it. I talked to my mom and she said I probably could convince my dad if I told him that none of my friends were going. I haven't said anything yet because I'm not ready to totally blow off this trip because I said I'd be going since I was told that the chorus and band would be returning and I like having new experience. My recent trip to NYC, I ended up traveling the city with a group of girls I barely knew and had a wonderful time. Maybe that will be the case again, take my chances, but because I've been thinking about alternatives here are the trip time frames and trip months I'm thinking of:

ALTERNATIVE TIME FRAMES FOR TRIP

-5 Days with One Day at Universal and Four at Disney
-6 Days with One Day at Universal/One Day at Sea World maybe and Five/Four at Disney

ALTERNATIVE TRIP MONTHS

-April 2014
-June 2014

I'm really digging the idea of June and so are my friends since it would be immediately following graduation and would be a nice first/last thing to do as college kids and holding onto that attachment to High School. A nice way of saying goodbye to the life as a teen and saying hello to life as an adult. Also, June is a time when I've never been and I'd love to see what I think of a Florida summer since I've always gone in spring and a pseudo-winter. Also, a lot of the refurb in the parks will be done and maybe the summertime events would be beginning. Just LOTS of new experiences and I could try and get some friends that don't live near me anymore to come too.

I'm still sticking with February since it is so soon and the anticipation has already been killing me, but what's your opinion on this situation? What do you think of only three days in the parks? Could I make due with that? Anything you would like to interject on. Next time, we'll be venturing into enemy territory again but this time we'll be walking through.

Until then, have a magical weekend and for those who just started school that you had a wonderful first week and especially for the college freshman! I know you guys will do great things in the world.

Happy Thoughts and Pixie Dust to all!



More Planning​

​

 

[Tink2Day]

So I'm confused. Are the other trips alternatives to the February trip?

3 days in Disney and one at Universal if you go in February?
Really Timmy I think you'll be happier with more days and time will fly , if you postpone your trip until April you will have more time to plan and save. One thing to think about though is, what if the friends you want to go with still don't go? Then you're out in the cold unless you go alone.....

I get the thing about people getting tired of hearing about Disney..



By the way you'll love WWoHP, NOTHING at Disney compares to that area of IOA. Total immersion in Harry's world.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

So I'm confused. Are the other trips alternatives to the February trip?

3 days in Disney and one at Universal if you go in February?
Really Timmy I think you'll be happier with more days and time will fly , if you postpone your trip until April you will have more time to plan and save. One thing to think about though is, what if the friends you want to go with still don't go? Then you're out in the cold unless you go alone.....

I get the thing about people getting tired of hearing about Disney..

By the way you'll love WWoHP, NOTHING at Disney compares to that area of IOA. Total immersion in Harry's world.

Yes, they are alternatives. Not another trip. If I got two trips that would be a miracle.

Yup, exactly. And yeah, that's the idea. I was thinking about the possibility my friends would drop out last minute but the thing is they are pulling out or being pulled out for the same reasons as me. They want to go but either they can't or the trip doesn't seem worth it.

It's unfortunate, but I have been able to adapt so I am really good when I do bring it up... Most of the time.

I am so excited for that! I mean, I am excited for Universal in general but that section... I know it will be the big highlight for me.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Knowing Your Enemy and A Sudden Change in Plans: We'll See How This Goes!

Updated only a day after the previous? WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?! Yeah, but I felt this was better due sooner than later. Because it's BIG news! BIG BIG news!

The last update I started writing right after the opening one so I've had considered an alternative trip for days. It was on my mind for awhile. I even brought it up to my friends. That was how I got two alternatives instead of the one in April. Then, the extra day came because with a price being split up between more people, it seemed an extra day would be nice, like maybe we could use that for another day in the parks, go to Sea World along with Universal, ANYTHING! A non-park day since any of us would totally be okay with just resort hopping, riding the monorail, it all seems like an extra day would add extra umph and not be too bad on the bank. Of course, I still wasn't entirely sold since I knew I would miss some aspects in the chorus trip that I wouldn't get in a regular one with friends. Also, it's daunting doing all of this by ourselves, having to check-in, get to our flights on time, working with the Magical Express rides and taxis in Universal's case, it's a lot.

For those who caught on to the juxtaposition of the previous two paragraphs, know I was convinced.

(See ya! Off to Disney! Credit to Google Images)

I am completely set. I actually was convinced two nights ago. I stayed up a bit late talking with a good friend of mine who was on my last trip in 2011 as a freshman, but who has now moved away to another state and I brought this up. I got to thinking since we're both going to be graduating and since this would be after graduation, we could be free from all holds and I could bring him on this trip. And what's more? He was all for it! He was a bit apprehensive considering he hasn't been as in close contact with my other two friends as with me over these past few years, but I knew the other two would've been okay (especially since they could probably split off from me by way of him haha). It lowers the cost too so why not? And bibbidi bobbidi BOO, I was pricing for this trip all night long.

I'm sure you're wondering why I'm being so vague... well because I wants it to be a surprise when I reveal the cast list. Though I might have mentioned one or two of these friends already, which leaves only one you definitely don't know, but maybe I didn't mention any names earlier. Hmmmm??? Anyways...

So, I've been pricing a little bit today and last night even though it's many months in advanced, but my mom (yes, you are reading this correctly) told me to get a jump on it to be ready for when we do book it, which we're thinking is gonna be about January or December. Earlier if I run into a good deal before then, but if it gives us a lot of time to take our time and make the right choice.

The actual trip dates. I'm bouncing between June 16th through the 21st or June 23rd through the 28th. I'm trying to avoid July as much as I can as well as weekends weighing prices. I'm crossing my fingers that my graduation doesn't get moved back so far that I end up having to do that or rescheduling. But I doubt it would be moved back too far.

The plan I have so far is all four of us will be going with just each other. NO PARENTS! Yeah, craziness. But because all of us are going to be 18 by this trip (I'm the last one to turn sadly lol), my mom agreed and I know most of my friends will too. At the same time, we do want to be with each other so after graduation, I'm going to head down to visit the friend I mentioned earlier to hang out. He's been begging me for awhile to come visit and we've always been too busy to go down or have other vacations planned, now we have a vacation planned at the same time and it can all work out. If this doesn't work, or flights out of his state are more expensive than in the New England area, he could come up here and then I'll fly home with him, but I think the coming down to hang with him before sounds better.

So we'll all fly down on the same day, my friends in New England from where they are and then my friend in another state and myself from said state. We'll meet up and head right into the parks. About midway through, we'll take a break from Disney and head to Universal! Yup, it's still happening and finish off the week at the parks. I'm also steering away from the CS only motto that the chorus and band trips had and using the Disney Dining Plan. It's adding a lot to the price, but I'm still just starting this planning so Tables in Wonderland is always a consideration. Either way, I'm so excited to be getting back into the TS world. It's been far too long.

Yeah, it's definitely happening. I'll be doing a lot of research this weekend and trying to figure out ways of getting the price down without any discounts. And I'll probably update more on the specifics on the trip and our cast so stay tuned for that!

And in respect of the change of months, season, etc. A little tweaking to my lovely PTR title. It's no longer Febru-lous, it's now JUNE-TIFUL!

It's All Happening! Mission: DGE 2014 is a GO! A June-tiful Pre-Trip Report

Now, for the original purpose of this update: Universal.

I cannot last another year without going here. I've missed so much and Universal is on this huge tirade tearing down old attractions and making new ones. I got to get there before any other classic is gone. Again, Jaws, I'm so sorry! Miss ya.

And... I NEED TO FINALLY ACCEPT MY LETTER FROM HOGWARTS AND BEGIN MY WIZARD TRAINING!

(RE-PIC ALERT! Credit to Wired.com)

I could go on and on about WWoHP and how excited I am that this is going to be a bonus to the Disney magic. I've been in dire need of trying that Butterbeer, buying myself a new wand (Yes, a new wand. Ronald Weasley wasn't fooling around when his broke, they are fragile), riding the Forbidden Journey, visiting Hagrid's House and Buckbeak, riding the Hungarian Horntail, etc. WWoHP is in itself, the number one thing I HAVE no NEED to do at Universal.

But since I don't want to be exclusively stuck in there and branch out, get a feel for the whole park, which, when I say that, is a combination of both the regular Universal and Islands of Adventure where WWoHP is. Now, to go through everything that captures my eye would probably send me over some word limit or start defying gravity (see what I did there?) and possibly drive those who barely made it through the other half of this update into madness at my vagueness and detailed ways so let's get right down to it. Time to start knowing the enemy with, in true Disney fashion, the Top 7 Must-Dos of Universal (excluding the league of its own, WWoHP)!

Starting with:

NUMBER SEVEN

The Amazing Adventures of Spider Man

(Credit to Google Images)

I've heard so many great things about this ride. Next to the Forbidden Journey this seems like the most acclaimed ride at Universal! I've never done one of those extremely immersive 3-D experiences where you are actually moved around and it's not just a theater show like in Disney so I'm excited to ride this out.


NUMBER SIX

Popeye & Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges

(Credit to About.com)

I'm a huge sucker for water rides. I know, it's a bit weird, but I love them so much! The Log Flume at Canobie Lake Park, the closest theme park to myself, was the ride that got me over that huge fear of thrill rides and roller coasters. Ever since then I'm always bursting at the seams to try one out. Sad to say, in terms of the raft water rides, I was disappointed with Kali River Rapids. It seemed a bit below the bar for Disney, but this one looks really cool and the theming to Popeye is extremely intriguing so I'm super excited to see how fun this is and how wet I will get when I come off.


NUMBER FIVE

Revenge of the Mummy

(Credit to Flickr)

I'm a bit apprehensive about this. I'm a thrill seeker in the works at the moment, keen on going on some crazy rides, but still very reserved. This one I've heard has a launch at one point in the ride and that kinda uneases me since I've never been on a ride with a launch. But I love creepy rides especially ones that look like there is a lot to see. And maybe this will be the gateway ride to push me to ride Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, one of the only rides I have yet to try in Disney.


NUMBER FOUR

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem

(Credit to OrlandoFlorida.net)

I love Despicable Me. I love Minions (I want one as a birthday present!). I love Mayhem. The exterior is Gru's house. You can meet minions in Universal now. WHA?!?! This ride is perf. The end.


NUMBER THREE

Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls

(Credit to Fairegoodmother of DeviantArt)

Same reasons as for the Popeye ride. The theming looks awesome, the ride seems a bit longer and a bit different than the average log flume ride. I'm there!


NUMBER TWO

E.T. Adventure

(Credit to Wikipedia)

E.T. Oh E.T. I love love love E.T.! It seems his status as the most adorable alien ever has changed drastically, people now more-so thinking the guy is a bit creepy. But not me. No, never. I'm pretty sure I have an E.T. plush lying around somewhere and after this update, I will most likely spend a few minutes scavenging for it. I've loved the movie forever and this is one of those classic attractions my mom has raved to me about from Universal. I can't pass up the opportunity to see this one especially considering how many classics are being torn down. This is my chance to fulfill a childhood dream and I'm not gonna waste it!

And now for the big one! The one you've all been waiting for...





NUMBER ONE!!!!

Jurassic Park River Adventure

(Credit to Coaster One)

As I said before, I love the water rides! Always ready and rearing to get wet so no doubt what is considered one of the best water flume attractions in the world would be on this list. Number one nonetheless. Also, I love Jurassic Park! I'm not really into the sequels, but the original is one of my all-time faves. Probably the reason why I like DINOSAUR so much too, though the film that it is based off of is crap. But this is a similar idea just a better film! So I have HIGH expectations for this one and for this park and ride together being Disney's fiercest competitor, I expect something amazing here.

Those are my top 7 must-dos. No way they will be the only rides I go on especially since all of WWoHP was excluded from this list, but I also want to see at least one of the special effects shows (i.e. Poseidon's Fury, Twister, etc.) and spend some time in Seuss Landing, though these are the ones I hope/cannot afford to not miss.

Everything seems pretty set in terms of a Universal day. All day, pay OOP for food and then probably return for a late dinner in Disney to use up another TS credit. The only issue is transportation. I've heard mixed to negative reviews of taxis in Orlando, which seems to be our only bet. My mom does have a good friend who lives only about fifteen minutes from Disney who she said would probably be willing to drive us, but I'm not sure that would fly with my friends or their parents. Good thing any expense for that will come from whatever money each of us brings and won't be a "plan six months in advanced" deal.

That's all the Universal this year will have for now. We've got to get back to Disney and with the scale of this trip having grown so much, there is a lot to think about. I'm getting that cast list ready for y'all and doing some more pricing so I can make something of a secondary introductory post for this new trip. Stay tuned for that!

Happy Thoughts and Pixie Dust to all!



More Planning​

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[Tink2Day]

Sounds great so far!

If you book far enough out you can do the payment plan.

Hope you have planned for a park to park ticket for Universal and IoA. It's expensive, no more so than Disney for a day though.
I think I know of two of your friends going but I won't spoil the surprise.


BE PREPARED! You will get DRENCHED on the water rides at IOA.
Bilge Rat Rapids, you will come off a drowned rat! If the ride doesn't get you someone will surely hit you with the water cannons from the bridge. Can't imagine who would do that to a total stranger....

Be sure to get a good look at the Jurassic Park River Adventure, there's an area you can stand and watch near the Thunder Falls Terrace (grab a chicken wrap in there, yummy). Yep there's a fine viewing area right near there....

The theming is great especially in WWoHP but keep in mind most of the rides are for adrenaline junkies. Some have great special effects and some are just all about the thrill.

 

[emmysmommy]

Hey there Timmy! Love your ghost host and HM references!

A June trip with no parents? I bet you are looking forward to that one!! Are you going to tell us everything that happens or is this going to be like the what happens in Vegas.....

I wish you all the best with your wizarding training! I've never been to US so I have no frame of reference.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Hey there friend

I'm along for all of the planning and mayhem.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Sounds great so far!

If you book far enough out you can do the payment plan.

Hope you have planned for a park to park ticket for Universal and IoA. It's expensive, no more so than Disney for a day though.
I think I know of two of your friends going but I won't spoil the surprise.

BE PREPARED! You will get DRENCHED on the water rides at IOA.
Bilge Rat Rapids, you will come off a drowned rat! If the ride doesn't get you someone will surely hit you with the water cannons from the bridge. Can't imagine who would do that to a total stranger....

Be sure to get a good look at the Jurassic Park River Adventure, there's an area you can stand and watch near the Thunder Falls Terrace (grab a chicken wrap in there, yummy). Yep there's a fine viewing area right near there....

The theming is great especially in WWoHP but keep in mind most of the rides are for adrenaline junkies. Some have great special effects and some are just all about the thrill.

Awesome!

I am trying to wait until January to book since that's when they will release the new promotions. Should I book earlier?

Yup, I even have the price memorized lol

I had a feeling you would know, considering how you've been such an avid reader. And I think two seems logical since the third I am not sure I have mentioned.

Haha, that's awesome! I love getting drenched and seeing others get drenched too and that will be perfect as summer starts.

Cool! I am not familiar with the dining options at Universal minus Bubba Gump Shrimp (Forrest Gump ) so it's nice to hear about other ones to check out.

Yeah, but that will be good for some of my friends who are total adrenaline junkies and I like having more thrills sometimes too. It will be a nice change though I will still miss Disney nonetheless.

Hey there Timmy! Love your ghost host and HM references!

A June trip with no parents? I bet you are looking forward to that one!! Are you going to tell us everything that happens or is this going to be like the what happens in Vegas.....

I wish you all the best with your wizarding training! I've never been to US so I have no frame of reference.

Hi Brenda! I am glad you like them! HM is my fave so there will be a lot of Ghost Host references when I can fit them in.

Oh yes, very much! And no, never. Being the big Disney blabber mouth I am, I probably won't stop talking about it for years. I might edit out certain non-Diserly things but they aren't big things probably mostly to do with certain words.

Haha, thanks!

Hey there friend

I'm along for all of the planning and mayhem.

Hey Danielle!

Glad to hear that! There will be a lot coming this way!

 

[Tink2Day]

Awesome!

I am trying to wait until January to book since that's when they will release the new promotions. Should I book earlier?

Yup, I even have the price memorized lol

I had a feeling you would know, considering how you've been such an avid reader. And I think two seems logical since the third I am not sure I have mentioned.

Haha, that's awesome! I love getting drenched and seeing others get drenched too and that will be perfect as summer starts.

Cool! I am not familiar with the dining options at Universal minus Bubba Gump Shrimp (Forrest Gump ) so it's nice to hear about other ones to check out.

Yeah, but that will be good for some of my friends who are total adrenaline junkies and I like having more thrills sometimes too. It will be a nice change though I will still miss Disney nonetheless.

Maybe wait to book, prices are not discounted yet, but maybe an account where each of you contributes a certain amount per month to make sure it's covered? Also your Mom will have to make ressies I think since you are under 18?

I did see your transportation dilemma. We had a rental car but since that won't be an option, another friend took a town car over and another took the Mears shuttle. Both said that worked well.
Being a Harry Potterhead I'd say you probably must try The Three Broomsticks. At least go in and grab a Butterbeer. I've heard it's insanely busy in the Summer at WWoHP so good luck with that.

 

[Sandite]

I am so happy to hear your trip is a definite!

I have read your other trip reports and can see your love for Disney. I was hoping it would finally work out for you

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Maybe wait to book, prices are not discounted yet, but maybe an account where each of you contributes a certain amount per month to make sure it's covered? Also your Mom will have to make ressies I think since you are under 18?

I did see your transportation dilemma. We had a rental car but since that won't be an option, another friend took a town car over and another took the Mears shuttle. Both said that worked well.
Being a Harry Potterhead I'd say you probably must try The Three Broomsticks. At least go in and grab a Butterbeer. I've heard it's insanely busy in the Summer at WWoHP so good luck with that.

I actually have heard that even with booking you can still get discounts some way through a friend of my mom's so I probably will book early to ensure the room but jump on the promotions when they come. And yes, I am aware of that. I am booking it under my name but will use my mom's name for the payments.

Okay, that's reassuring. *phew* I'll have to look into the mears bus because I don't know a lot about that.

That's one of the number one things I have to do at Universal. Butterbeer, I mean. So I will definitely be booking it there when we get there.

I am so happy to hear your trip is a definite!

I have read your other trip reports and can see your love for Disney. I was hoping it would finally work out for you

Awww, thanks! I appreciate it. And so glad you decided to comment on this one.

 

[Tink2Day]

Timmy I had to tell you that I thought of you today. I see you're into Breaking Bad. Well they're auctioning off a trailer full of props and memorabilia from the show to benefit the Goodwill. They also will be renting the apartment when the show is over and I think selling one of the cars......
It's filmed near my town.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Timmy I had to tell you that I thought of you today. I see you're into Breaking Bad. Well they're auctioning off a trailer full of props and memorabilia from the show to benefit the Goodwill. They also will be renting the apartment when the show is over and I think selling one of the cars......
It's filmed near my town.

I LOVE Breaking Bad! I just started watching it and am totally obsessed.

That's so cool! You literally live in the greatest town on Earth. Right next to DLR and where Breaking Bad is filmed... I need to figure out where this place is! lol I would love to get my hands on some BB memorabilia.

Thank you for thinking of me!

 

[cindianne320]

Congrats on your new plan!

While Universal is no Disney, it is still an amazing Theme Park. You have Spider-man way too low on your list- that ride is AMAZING! It's hard to describe how fabulous it is! And HP is also a true art- I have never screamed so much on a ride!

Can't wait to hear more about your plans!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Unleash The Updates!

Hello my fellow DISers!

I'm sorry this update is coming a bit late. I had a bit of a crazy week. School is definitely in full swing and four AP classes is nothing to joke about. So far, the best thing to come out of those classes is I got an A on my first AP Calc quiz! Now, for the AP Physics quiz that is coming up... not so sure how that will go.

I've been meaning to mention this in the past few updates but I'm pretty active online most anywhere. If you want to keep up with all the best and worst of times in my life, you can follow me on twitter @Goofy_DisNerd as well as on Instagram for my continuous slew of Disney photos, same username as my twitter. If anything, you'll probably have a sneak peek to what I will write on here and if I don't have enough time to pop over here, you'll pretty much know what I'm going to talk about just scrolling through my twitter feed.

Anyways, before I get into the trip, I have some exciting news!

So on the website, AllEars.net, which I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with, I play this game on their Disney Photo Blog called "Where In The World", where one of the photographers posts a piece of a whole photo from somewhere in Disney and you have to guess where it is. If you get it right, you are entered into the monthly drawing to win a prize pack. The more you get them right, the higher your chances are of getting drawn. It's really fun. I've been doing it for years and kinda took a break for a bit after they switched who runs it, but I jumped back on into it last month and guess what?

I WON!!!

I couldn't believe it. I was jumping out of my skin AKA staring at my computer in utter disbelief. The woman who runs it emailed me about it, I emailed back with all the mailing information and VOILA, I received a package yesterday with a tote bag inside brandishing this familiar logo:



I went through and there was SOOO much stuff inside. A lot of it was pretty random, but a lot was so cool. Like I got a nice little booklet filled with screen captures of Brave and reviews of the movie(one of which was from Roger Ebert, may he rest in peace). I also received an Art of Animation mouse pad, which I loved because I want to stay there so bad (*hint, hint*). Lots of AllEars merchandise too including some lanyards that I'll be taking with me to hold my KTTW cards (even if I get MagicBands) and the list goes on and on. Here are photos from the package I got. Thank you once again to AllEars for sending me these wonderful gifts:















The night before I was on Twitter following with some villainous festivities from the Friday The 13th event at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Disney World and Disneyland, UNLEASH THE VILLAINS! I'm sure a lot of you already know a ton about this and probably followed along like I did. I wish I could've been there. Yeah, both parks were EXTREMELY crowded and you had to wait 3 hours in line just to see one villain, but the energy from those videos was off the charts and I loved the fact it very much was a modern dance party. It just seemed to be the place to be and both that and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party were trending on twitter! The last time something Disney related trended over twitter was during the D23 Expo and that's a given, but this WHOA! I really hope Disney is seeing this as a big push to implement more villains into the parks because I totally would make an annual trip out of going to this party. I mean, I heard Megara and Hades were slaying it at the stage show. And the Tremaines were going insane over at Disneyland! AND VILLAINY IN THE SKY! Ugh, I wish I was there!

You're probably wondering why I'm just summarizing about something I wasn't even there for, but I have some more announcements. After this event, I found out the limited edition shirts they were selling became available for a limited time on the DisneyStore website. They'll only be available until Tuesday and I'm really wanting one. The problem is they would cost a near $40 to get and that makes a big dent in my Disney fund. Also, it's another one of those limited time things where I'm going to have to wait forever to receive it like with the Hatbox Ghost t-shirt I'm still waiting for. BUT I'm a huge villains fan and can never find any villains merchandise in the parks so I really would love to have SOMETHING. So... do you think it's worth it for me to get one and in terms of one, which one should I get (there are two designs, one for Disneyland and one for Disney World)?



Either way, I think I might be set as a result of other big news: I got feedback today I won another giveaway from one of the Disney bloggers I follow on Twitter and Instagram who was giving away some of the villains autograph cards from the event! I'm not sure if I'm getting both of these cards or only one, but this is what is going to be coming my way soon (hopefully with my Hatbox ghost shirt right behind it):



I honestly am feeling so lucky and so blessed receiving all these Disney gifts. Really hoping this is a sign for what is to come!

About the trip, everything is going exactly as planned. We still haven't booked the rooms or anything yet, but everybody but one person has talked to their parents so I'm set to book! With that, I have some more news.

A few days ago I sent in an application to a Frozen Yogurt place that's opening up near us. Tomorrow I have an interview and hopefully I'll get the job. If that happens, one of my friends was asking if we could add a day to make this a weeklong trip. Right now, that wouldn't work, but if I had a job and was getting income definitely. I probably could pay for the whole trip then. So that's a possibility, but we'll book for the six days then maybe add one more day for a full week once everyone is sure they can pay the extra how ever much money. But that will be awhile.

And I still haven't introduced you to this cast! Well, I guess that means I'll have to post another update for a double update day... UNTIL THEN!

Happy Thoughts and Pixie Dust to all!



More Planning​

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