It's Long Overdue.....Now the IIIEEEEEEEE Trip Report!! Come Find Me!

[Tiki_Sara]

What a beautiful family you have. The love shines out of you all.

I very much hope you enjoy your trip and I will be following this thread and will look forward to your updates

 

[DizNee Luver]

What a beautiful family you have. The love shines out of you all.

I very much hope you enjoy your trip and I will be following this thread and will look forward to your updates

Welcome Tiki_Sara and thank you!!

 

[kaoden39]

I'm sure there has to be threads somewhere on all the other big named cruises??

Oh there is but, honestly none of them are Disboards. They aren't as user friendly and when I tried to get involved on threads they kind of shut me out.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Oh there is but, honestly none of them are Disboards. They aren't as user friendly and when I tried to get involved on threads they kind of shut me out.

The Dis is pretty awesome!!

 

[kaoden39]

The Dis is pretty awesome!!

So are the members!!

 

[maryr1oz]

Ah so glad i saw your report - 1 month today for you!

Glad to read you and the family are well, and that you're getting a Disney break

 

[DizNee Luver]

So are the members!!

Awesome members!!

Ah so glad i saw your report - 1 month today for you!

Glad to read you and the family are well, and that you're getting a Disney break

Woohoo.......one month away!! ......a much needed break for sure!! Glad you're here!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Sorry for a quiet thread the last few days, it's been a busy time. Friday was Anthony's 17th birthday....we actually took him out last weekend for bowling, basketball and lunch. We ran some cupcakes to him at his place on his birthday. Yesterday was Mike's & my 34th Anniversary, the twins 9th Anniversary for the adoption finalizing and 2 of the girls Special Olympic's Basketball Regionals (all day).









The girls team played hard but took 5th (out of 5) in their division....but more importantly, their team won the Sportsmanship Award!! In the two games, they scored 30 total. Jasmin got 3 of those & Shyann (the youngest on the team) got 10 of them. The two girls play on an adult team but my 10 year old does just fine!!

Mike & I also tried our hand at making an Ombre Cake Friday and this is the results of it. IT WAS DELICIOUS!!! White cake with Mint Chocolate Chip frosting.





So that's what we've been up to......today is church and a memorial service......then laundry.

 

[kelmac284]

Sounds like a busy weekend but with lots of fun stuff. Hope you had a good one! We are supposed to leave this sunday for our trip. We orig were supposed to be going to Chicago this Thursday and taking Katy to visit 3 colleges but the financing didn't work out and we shifted gears about a month ago and are now using our air credits and taking her to visit UC Santa Barbara. That is now one of her top choices to transfer to after she complete 2 years of JC. She is pretty sure that is her top choice but she wants to go and tour it and find out more about the program. She will also be applying to UCLA, Berkeley and UC Davis. For UCSB though she is going to do a TAG program which is a guaranteed admittance. She has 2 years before she can transfer but she needs to look at the schools now so she can get a good plan and make sure she takes the correct courses over the next 2 years. Not to mention she will have to apply to these schools in the fall of 19 so only a year away and has to get organized. That is what happened now is she applied to all schools out of state and she got accepted to all of them but the money is just too much. So we had to shift focus and it was too late to go to any CA schools so she is now forced to go to JC which personally I think is a good thing and what I wanted her to do all along. Anyway since we will be down there anyway the girls really wanted to go to DL since they haven't been in a year (mom and I of course were just there on the diva trip but I am glad we are going back cuz we didn't have much time to do anything). So I am looking forward to it but it is very stressful because we have a lot going on at home. After this trip though that will prob be it until Oct when we are hoping to go for just a long weekend. Looking forward, as always, to your next update and so excited for you guys. It's getting close!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Sounds like a busy weekend but with lots of fun stuff. Hope you had a good one! We are supposed to leave this sunday for our trip. We orig were supposed to be going to Chicago this Thursday and taking Katy to visit 3 colleges but the financing didn't work out and we shifted gears about a month ago and are now using our air credits and taking her to visit UC Santa Barbara. That is now one of her top choices to transfer to after she complete 2 years of JC. She is pretty sure that is her top choice but she wants to go and tour it and find out more about the program. She will also be applying to UCLA, Berkeley and UC Davis. For UCSB though she is going to do a TAG program which is a guaranteed admittance. She has 2 years before she can transfer but she needs to look at the schools now so she can get a good plan and make sure she takes the correct courses over the next 2 years. Not to mention she will have to apply to these schools in the fall of 19 so only a year away and has to get organized. That is what happened now is she applied to all schools out of state and she got accepted to all of them but the money is just too much. So we had to shift focus and it was too late to go to any CA schools so she is now forced to go to JC which personally I think is a good thing and what I wanted her to do all along. Anyway since we will be down there anyway the girls really wanted to go to DL since they haven't been in a year (mom and I of course were just there on the diva trip but I am glad we are going back cuz we didn't have much time to do anything). So I am looking forward to it but it is very stressful because we have a lot going on at home. After this trip though that will prob be it until Oct when we are hoping to go for just a long weekend. Looking forward, as always, to your next update and so excited for you guys. It's getting close!!

It was busy but as you said.....fun!!

College planning and all the paperwork is not much fun but going to visit the colleges is!! Yay for another quick DL visit!!

30 Days!!

 

[jchurch0409]

Sounds like a fun weekend!So many celebrations!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Sounds like a fun weekend!So many celebrations!!

It was a fun time.....lots of celebrations also means lots of money all going out at once....lol

 

[DizNee Luver]

ITINERARY
(DEPENDING ON & IF KIDS HAVE TO WORK)

Wednesday, April 18: Fly In to Orlando, get picked up by the kids around 6pm
Dinner @ Toothsome Chocolate Factory

Thursday, April 19: Universal Studios Park
Dinner @ California Grill (we'll be able to see fireworks during our meal)

Friday, April 20: Islands of Adventure (early closing due to Grad Bash)
Dinner @ Teak Neighborhood Grill

Saturday, April 21: Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure
Dinner @ Margaritaville

Sunday, April 22: Animal Kingdom Park
Dinner @ Ohana

Monday, April 23: EPCOT
Dinner @ Flower & Garden Festival Kiosks (lots of sampling)

Tuesday, April 24: Magic Kingdom Park
Dinner @ Be Our Guest

Wednesday, April 25: Disney Springs/Universal CityWalk Shopping
Fly Out of Orlando around 5:30pm​

 

[CatNipRules]

Jimmy Buffet's restaurant is one of our most favorites. We love it when the volcano erupts. LOL!!

Butterbeer!! My son loves it. He compares it to cream soda. He always gets it frozen.

Our experience with Be Our Guest was mixed. I enjoyed the breakfast. However, dinner wasn't worth the prices that they were charging. My steak was quite dry and so was my sons. The service was mediocre. we waited 10 minutes after being seated before anyone came over to get our drink order.

I love Ohana, but I'm scared to eat there. Mostly it's because of my shellfish allergy and the way the food is cooked. I'm just so scared of cross contamination that it's hard for me to relax and enjoy the meal. So, we just tend to avoid it.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Jimmy Buffet's restaurant is one of our most favorites. We love it when the volcano erupts. LOL!!

Butterbeer!! My son loves it. He compares it to cream soda. He always gets it frozen.

Our experience with Be Our Guest was mixed. I enjoyed the breakfast. However, dinner wasn't worth the prices that they were charging. My steak was quite dry and so was my sons. The service was mediocre. we waited 10 minutes after being seated before anyone came over to get our drink order.

I love Ohana, but I'm scared to eat there. Mostly it's because of my shellfish allergy and the way the food is cooked. I'm just so scared of cross contamination that it's hard for me to relax and enjoy the meal. So, we just tend to avoid it.

I can't wait to go.....my favorite drink is the margarita, so the margarita flight is calling my name!! I don't tend to drink around the kids, so it will be a nice change to enjoy a cocktail or two on this trip!. They have a volcano?? AWESOME!!

That's what I've read about Butterbeer......Creme Soda like. The frozen sounds the best to me, but some swear by the hot version.

We've always had such a good experience at BOG. We've only done the dinner but have done it twice before. It was my favorite meal both trips. I see they are totally changing their menu and what they are charging.....so hopefully we can have one last hurrah before the change.

I'm sorry to hear that you can't enjoy Ohana......but I understand the food allergy fears. Shyann is allergic to wheat, egg, milk, soy, tree nuts, peanuts and now seeds (sesame, sunflower, etc). We have been working with an allergist so she now eats wheat and eggs that are baked into things (no scrambled eggs or egg salad sandwiches). She also does milk & milk products but takes Zyrtec every night to combat the extra histamine it produces in her. The nuts & peanuts are an epi-pen thing and we're not sure about the seeds. That is a new one for us. So Disney took really good care of her on every trip we've ever made (California or Florida). The shellfish one would be more complicated if they use the same cooking surface and oil when frying. I love shellfish....I would be super sad if I couldn't have it. My mom used to eat it but around the age of 60 she developed an allergy to it....weird!!

 

[CatNipRules]

I can't wait to go.....my favorite drink is the margarita, so the margarita flight is calling my name!! I don't tend to drink around the kids, so it will be a nice change to enjoy a cocktail or two on this trip!. They have a volcano?? AWESOME!!

That's what I've read about Butterbeer......Creme Soda like. The frozen sounds the best to me, but some swear by the hot version.

We've always had such a good experience at BOG. We've only done the dinner but have done it twice before. It was my favorite meal both trips. I see they are totally changing their menu and what they are charging.....so hopefully we can have one last hurrah before the change.

I'm sorry to hear that you can't enjoy Ohana......but I understand the food allergy fears. Shyann is allergic to wheat, egg, milk, soy, tree nuts, peanuts and now seeds (sesame, sunflower, etc). We have been working with an allergist so she now eats wheat and eggs that are baked into things (no scrambled eggs or egg salad sandwiches). She also does milk & milk products but takes Zyrtec every night to combat the extra histamine it produces in her. The nuts & peanuts are an epi-pen thing and we're not sure about the seeds. That is a new one for us. So Disney took really good care of her on every trip we've ever made (California or Florida). The shellfish one would be more complicated if they use the same cooking surface and oil when frying. I love shellfish....I would be super sad if I couldn't have it. My mom used to eat it but around the age of 60 she developed an allergy to it....weird!!

I grew up in Florida and until I was 21 I could eat shellfish. Went to eat with my dad for Father's day at an all you can eat buffet. On the way home I started itching and then at about 2 in the morning I woke up and was swollen. Ended up in the hospital and haven't eaten a bite since. It's so bad that I can't even smell it being boiled.

I love Disney for allergies. They are awesome! It's hard because most places fry their food in the same oil as the shrimp. So, I can't eat it. It was funny on our last trip we had the deluxe dining plan. Well, they were great about offering things that weren't traditional appetizers. A huge Caesar salad. This was bigger than my entree plate. I ended up having them box it up for me.

 

[DizNee Luver]

I grew up in Florida and until I was 21 I could eat shellfish. Went to eat with my dad for Father's day at an all you can eat buffet. On the way home I started itching and then at about 2 in the morning I woke up and was swollen. Ended up in the hospital and haven't eaten a bite since. It's so bad that I can't even smell it being boiled.

I love Disney for allergies. They are awesome! It's hard because most places fry their food in the same oil as the shrimp. So, I can't eat it. It was funny on our last trip we had the deluxe dining plan. Well, they were great about offering things that weren't traditional appetizers. A huge Caesar salad. This was bigger than my entree plate. I ended up having them box it up for me.

Yikes....that's scary!! When we went to Disneyland and Shy was about 5, we didn't get charged for any of her meals. The chef would come out and ask what she liked to eat and then he'd go back and do it. He even delivered the plate(s) to her. It was never on our tab. It was pretty awesome!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Ok, so if you have input on these attractions at Universal, please feel free to share!! Especially if you can compare it to a Disney ride as a reference for us.

So our first day will be spent at Universal Studios. I've gone onto the Universal sight and some YouTube to figure out if the attraction interests me or not. Mike doesn't do well with motion simulation rides so he will probably skip many of these. He will keep the camera and get pictures from around the area.

These are my Must Do Attractions (remember we will have 1 full day + we can come back on day 3 & split between the 2 parks):

Men In Black ~ I see this is similar to Buzz Lightyear. Mike will be able to do this one.

ET ~ I did see where this was compared to riding Peter Pan. Mike will be able to do this one.

Hogwarts Express Train ~ Should be good for Mike.

Escape from Gringotts ~ So we were told that this was like an indoor coaster but minimal movement?? I really hope Mike can do the Harry Potter rides, but I do question this one.......any help on this would be appreciated!!

Jimmy Fallon Race thru NY ~ Told this was like Soarin?? If so, Mike can ride it.

Revenge of the Mummy ~ This one sounds a bit intense....compared to Indy at DL/Dinosaur at AK & Rock-n-Roller Coaster at HS. So more info on this one would be nice. This one is out for Mike.

Transformers ~ All I could find on this one was it is intense motion, so definitely out for Mike. More information needed for me though.

Shrek 4-D ~ Love the Shrek movies, so this should be good for a A/C break. Mike does fine with the 3D shows.


If we have time, we can do these:

Kang & Kodas Twirl-n-Hurl ~ Looks like it's like Dumbo? Mike can do that!

Simpsons Ride ~ We actually did this one at Universal Hollywood. We did 2 rides on our visit and this was one of them & it made Mike pretty nauseous. I was more concerned how my twins were doing then actually watching the screen. Derek works this ride so if there's time, I'd like to do it again. I know it will be a big pass for Mike.....but he can capture Springfield in pictures for us.

Despicable Me ~ So I'll be honest, I don't think I've sat thru an entire Despicable Me movie......so seeing this isn't high on my list but again, if a A/C break is needed, we will go watch it.


So that only leaves one more attraction.......this is an absolute NO WAY JOSE!!!!!

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit ~ Nope, no thanks!!


Ok, now it's your turn to help me out on comparisons and descriptions for the above attractions. Ready, Set, GOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

 

[kelmac284]

Men In Black ~ I see this is similar to Buzz Lightyear. Mike will be able to do this one. We did Men in Black and I believe it was similiar. I have only ridden it once and I remember thinking it was kind of fun but it obviously didn't make that big of an impression because I don't remember shooting stuff but maybe we did LOL.

ET ~ I did see where this was compared to riding Peter Pan. Mike will be able to do this one. ET is a must do. So fun. Very easy and cute.

Hogwarts Express Train ~ Should be good for Mike. Really cool and like any other train. You will love it.

Escape from Gringotts ~ So we were told that this was like an indoor coaster but minimal movement?? I really hope Mike can do the Harry Potter rides, but I do question this one.......any help on this would be appreciated!! NOT minimal movement. I would compare it to Indiana Jones. I get motion sickness but was able to do it but def not minimal. They also have a king kong ride that is fun and similiar to both of these. This is a must do but if he is really sensitive maybe not.

Jimmy Fallon Race thru NY ~ Told this was like Soarin?? If so, Mike can ride it. This was not open when we were there so not sure.

Revenge of the Mummy ~ This one sounds a bit intense....compared to Indy at DL/Dinosaur at AK & Rock-n-Roller Coaster at HS. So more info on this one would be nice. This one is out for Mike. Agreed like Indy or Dinosaur. I loved it and it is fun but Mike maybe not.

Transformers ~ All I could find on this one was it is intense motion, so definitely out for Mike. More information needed for me though. The girls rode it I didn't because I knew it would be bad. They also have a spiderman ride that is similiar. Lot of movement plus 3 D which REALLY gets to me. Katy loved it Shelby gets sick like me and said while it was cool made her sick

Shrek 4-D ~ Love the Shrek movies, so this should be good for a A/C break. Mike does fine with the 3D shows. The seats do move but I think they have ones in the back that don't. If the 3D bugs you just close your eyes.

And just FYI the forbidden journey is amazing but it makes me sick. I do it once with dramamine but have to close my eyes in parts and once is all I can handle.

 

[kelmac284]

I missed this bottom part.


Kang & Kodas Twirl-n-Hurl ~ Looks like it's like Dumbo? Mike can do that! I don't even know what that is. I must have missed it.

Simpsons Ride ~ We actually did this one at Universal Hollywood. We did 2 rides on our visit and this was one of them & it made Mike pretty nauseous. I was more concerned how my twins were doing then actually watching the screen. Derek works this ride so if there's time, I'd like to do it again. I know it will be a big pass for Mike.....but he can capture Springfield in pictures for us. I can't do this one. Makes me super sick

Despicable Me ~ So I'll be honest, I don't think I've sat thru an entire Despicable Me movie......so seeing this isn't high on my list but again, if a A/C break is needed, we will go watch it. I didn't do this either because I wasn't sure about the motion. Katy said it was ok but she doesn't get sick. She loved it though so I would def try it. Maybe try and then you can determine if Mike can handle it.


So that only leaves one more attraction.......this is an absolute NO WAY JOSE!!!!!

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit ~ Nope, no thanks!! Yeah we didn't do it. Shelby did and she is pretty daring and it terrified her so.....