Just back from Potter Paradise.....AGAIN! April 2017 trip report starting post #28

I just had the sticky toffee pudding ice cream a couple weeks ago. It. Was. Amazing. I think it changed my life. HaHaHa!
 
Updating to say we are going again in April! This time we will be staying at Portofino in a deluxe room. Can't wait to be back!

Yippee! I am late to the party so I hope you don't mind me commenting on your April 2016 trip. (I am trying to catch up on Trip Reports since we haven't been for two years.) Your comments about Diagon Alley being incredible is so true! Glad that you and your family had a good time. I look forward to reading about your adventures from your April 2017 trip - thanks for sharing! :)
 




Well, we're back.

There were definitely some ups and downs on this trip. I'll break it down by days. Overall, an excellent trip and we left feeling like we should have stayed another day or two. Since we stayed Sunday-Thursday that's saying something. Universal USED to be a two day park experience for us, no question. Now with Volcano Bay opening in May it will easily be a full week. It's funny how that happens.

Day ONE, Sunday, or the day I realized DD is probably getting sick

Anyway, so on Sunday we arrived at Orlando airport at about 2:30pm. Anyone who read my last trip report knows what a disaster the Universal shuttle was for us and I'm happy to say we did NOT repeat that experience because we booked with Tony Hinds. Tony's driver was waiting right there when we stumbled off the plane (I have dreadful ear issues when flying and basically lose hearing in one ear after flights routinely but for some reason this time was especially bad. Maybe it's allergy season? All I know was during the descent it felt like someone was sticking a knife in my right ear. Ugh.) We were SO happy to see him! We had emailed Tony before our flight and asked if we could do the grocery stop at Whole Foods because we needed sunscreen and as it turned out, some cold meds for DD7. In a spectacular case of very bad timing, she got sick with what I was hoping were just some bad allergies but was more likely a cold. She started coughing and sneezing that Saturday. So we picked up some stuff from Whole Foods and were on our way to the Portofino Bay hotel for an afternoon of relaxing by the pool. When we arrived, DS, DD and I checked out the sundry shop (I bought some Tylenol Cold for DD in case we needed some stronger meds which turned out to be a good move) while DH checked us in. We got a Deluxe room which was very nice with a very large bathroom. It was also located right next to the pool which was a good thing for my crew. I knew they would probably love the pool and I was not wrong.

We arrived at the pool and the kids immediately took to the water slide. I don't know how many times they rode it but they were basically on a loop from the time we got there until the time we left, three hours later. Except for when DS10 decided he was going to win the poolside musical chairs competition and get a free smoothie. He's not the world's biggest kid and he was up against some stiff competition but he totally won it. And I was totally THAT mom who was yelling "WHOOO HOOOO!" by the side of the pool. He also was eying these giant orca pool floats which we bought him as a surprise. He loves orca whales ever since our vacation last year kayaking with orcas on Hanson Island in British Columbia. Anyway, we ordered poolside dinner that evening which was very good. I felt we were very well taken care of by the Portofino crew. They even blew up the orca pool float for us.

Unfortunately, after we returned to the room, DD was coughing more and more and just generally did not seem well at all. We bought lanyards for the parks the next day and she coughed so much and looked so miserable in the store I knew we would have to break out the Tylenol. If worst came to worst, we were prepared to tag team with DS in the parks the next day, with the other parent staying in the room with her. But we decided to just wait and see what tomorrow would bring before making any decisions. I will say I tend not to cope with these types of situations well at all. I HATE getting sick, how you have no control over it and it is very hard for me to just go with the flow. I need to know what we are going to do and of course there is no way to know. I was envisioning emergency room visits and the like because that's just the way I am. So while that first afternoon was super fun there was a pall of stress cast over it due to poor DD's illness. At least for me.....But onward to Day two!
 
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Day TWO, Monday, or the day we discovered DS is, in fact, 54 inches tall.....

So the next morning, I'd like to say I woke refreshed and ready to go. But I can't. I can say that DD slept pretty well except for coughing once or twice in the night. However the reason I can say that is because I barely slept at all. DH kept the room a bit too hot for me because he didn't want DD to be chilled. I'm not sure it had any effect but I was just happy she slept comfortably. However when she woke up she did not seem well at all. So DH decided to stay in the room with her until she felt well enough to get up and DS and I took off for Universal Studios, bypassing the boat because we just missed it, and taking the walkway instead. We decided to eat breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron, which was my all-time favorite restaurant last trip. Sometimes, I think splitting up is just plain easier. DS and DD are constantly squabbling and DD can be a very stubborn, challenging child. Sometimes I think DS feels he gets the shaft. Sometimes he DOES get the shaft. So I like those moments when I can focus on him. He tore through the American breakfast while I had the egg, mushroom and leek pie. We had no wait and the food was out immediately. It was absolutely just as good as I remembered.

Gringott's was a 75 minute wait, so DS and I decided to hop aboard the empty Hogwarts's express and head over to Islands of Adventure to see if he met the height requirement for Dragon Challenge. Last year, he hit 51 inches and was able to ride Rip Ride Rockit. This year I was pretty sure he was 54 inches but you never can really tell until Universal measures. What I say with my tape measure is hardly going to matter if Universal's measurements are different. The verdict was yes, he was permitted to ride. It was a great moment for me because I was sure he would love Dragon Challenge. We waited to ride Ice (the blue train) but unfortunately it broke down before we got on. We switched over to Fire and....yeah. I could tell the minute the ride started it might be a bit too intense for him. He was howling and not in the whoo, this is so fun way. Maybe it wasn't such a hot idea to ride that after a big breakfast? I'm not sure but he was definitely not enthused about his first ride on the big boy coasters. So we wandered into Jurassic land to get some Coke to settle his stomach and see what the line for Kong looked like. It was a decent length, and we had Express Pass so we decided to go for it. I'm glad we did because for one reason or another Kong eluded us for the rest of the trip. Well, not me....but poor DH who just could not get the timing right to get on Kong. I'm not saying he missed much because I thought it was a nice ride but not a mind-blowing one. Good not great. But I wish he could have at least seen the queue because it was the best part. DS was scared the whole time thinking someone was going to leap out and scare him. Very atmospheric and creepy, especially the animatronic.

After that DS decided he had his heart set on one of the Kong stuffed animals at the kiosk by the ride exit. I told him to wait a few days to make sure that was absolutely what he most wanted. We jumped on River Adventure, one of our favorite rides, since we were in the area.

DH texted me that DD was up and about and they were headed to Islands so we decided to meet in Hogsmeade. I couldn't believe DD would feel well enough to ride the Hippogriff but she did. Last year, she wouldn't set foot on it and this year she got right on and then after we got off, asked if we could ride it again! What a difference a year makes. She seemed to be feeling better although she was quieter and more low energy than usual. However she wanted to ride rides and ride them she did. After we got off Hippogriff again we noticed that Hogsmeade was really packed and decided to head to Suessland instead. We rode the Suess Trolley and then DD and I went to One Fish Two Fish while DH and DS made the inexplicable yet brave decision to ride the Hulk. I know. After DS's less than enthused reaction on Dragon Challenge, I wasn't sure this was the wisest course of action. DS isn't afraid of the rides but he doesn't like it if they are rough and rattle him around and after we explained that the Hulk had been refurbed, he decided he wanted to have a go. This ride went much better than Dragon Challenge, according to DH. I was happy to hear that because I wanted to have a chance to get on the Hulk and while I have no problem riding alone, I had hoped to ride with DS. But not that minute.

It was at this point that I really started to notice that the parks were crowded. We went at the end of April last year and the crowds were amazing. This year we were on our spring break and it felt like the rest of the world was too. There were large lines everywhere, even the bathrooms. We headed back to Universal and the Leaky Cauldron for lunch, since the Three Broomsticks line was a laugher, but I was dismayed to find a large line at Leaky as well. Oh well. The food was amazing once again and after lunch we bought DD a wand (she selected Hermione's wand) and let her try her hand at the spells around the park. She hadn't been interested in it last year but this year she was. I was amazed by DD. She had made it through the day remarkably well and at 4pm, we decided to head back to the room and to the pool, if she felt up to it (spoiler alert: she totally did). So we caught a boat back to Portofino and the pool.

We decided against having poolside service today since we had done it the day before, so my time at the pool was spent zonked in a pool chair. At one point, I lost a contact and then couldn't get it back in so I went back up to the room to shower and take out the other contact as well. When the kids and DH returned we decided on room service for the evening, especially when we discovered DD's favorite show, Wheel of Fortune, was on. My kids love room service, probably more than any restaurant to be honest. Once again we found the Portofino staff did a great job. Everyone was very friendly and went out of their way to make sure you were enjoying yourself. We even had a note from the housekeeping staff saying that they hoped our family felt better ("How did they know?" wondered DS and I told him the Claritin, the Tylenol and the vitamin C gummies were likely their clues) and to let us know she had dusted everything to make sure we wouldn't be sneezing from the dust. It was really awesome.

We decided to get to bed early to be sure DD got enough rest. She was still coughing a bit and was a bit lower energy wise but she was so good and so very non-whiney about the whole thing we were really happy. She wanted to go on this vacation and she let nothing stop her. We went to sleep and I slept much better, confident that tomorrow would be even better. I was.....not really right, but more on that later.....
 
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Day THREE, TUESDAY, or the day when everyone was in a bad mood for one reason or another.....

Looking back on this day, I feel like it's pretty obvious where we went wrong and where we could have done better. It mostly breaks down to hunger and over tiredness not just for the kids but for the adults as well. But for many reasons, Tuesday had the ups and downs. It wasn't all bad but it definitely wasn't all roses either.

Tuesday the kids woke up early, like 6:30am. DS had a stuffed up nose, which is not unusual for him because he does suffer from seasonal allergies. He used to snore like a freight train but we had his tonsils and adenoids removed and the snoring disappeared. This morning though, DS decided since he was up, we should all join him so up we got. We had already determined if we were to ever make it on Gringott's it was going to need to be first thing in the morning. So we decided to eat a quick bite a Starbucks and then get over to Universal before the parks opened at 8. We got to Starbucks and nothing appealed to me, so I decided to forgo breakfast. This probably wasn't a great move but I'm not a coffee person and I don't like the food at Starbucks in general. We managed to make it to the entrance about twenty minutes before 8 and got in the park and the line for Gringotts easily. Once again, DD didn't want to ride. She was concerned it would be dark, fast and scary and it kind of is all three of those so we just did the child swap again. Ominously, I felt a little motion sick not on the ride but on the elevator leading down to the ride. That didn't seem like a great sign to me. My ears didn't feel right from the airplane even on Tuesday so that may have contributed to it. However, I was ok on the ride. I just can't help wishing it was actual coaster more like the Mummy though. I just don't love the screens and 3-D glasses, even though I do like the ride (and especially the queue). After DH rode, we headed out to the Hogwart's Express and Islands of Adventure again. I'm not sure why we kept heading to Universal only to go to Islands forty-five minutes later but I can say if you want to get on the Hogwart's Express with no wait at all that's the time to do it. We're the only family who gets to a park and decides to switch immediately, I suppose.

Once we got to Hogsmeade I was hungry so we sent DH and DS off to ride Kong while DD and I stayed and got watermelon and water from one of the Hogsmeade kiosks. It was exactly what I needed, refreshing and sweet but not a muffin or a piece of cake like Starbucks would have been. DD and I rode the Hippogriff a few times in a row, with DD determining it probably is faster than Woody but that it is much more fun because it's longer. We decided to ride the Pteranodon Flyers after this and texted DH and DS, who were riding the River Adventure yet again. It's pretty fortunate that the River Adventure always is an Express walk-on for us, at least to this point. DS loves it and tries to chat up anyone in our row. DD and I got in line for the Flyers and it was 45 long minutes, like it usually is, but the weather was so nice it really wasn't bad. Or it shouldn't have been. Midway through our wait, DH texted us that the Express line for Kong alone is 50 minutes so he and DS are going to just ride the River Adventure again. And again. At this point, DD is starting to act up in line. She kept sticking her hands in her eyes, nose, mouth, just to irritate me because I had been asking her NOT to do this, as it makes getting sick far more likely. She was getting obnoxious enough about it that I threatened to pull her from the line, but I think she could tell I couldn't possibly be serious. Even as I was saying it, I knew I wouldn't follow through. Until she did it again flagrantly and I yanked her from the line. We were about 10 people from riding as well, but I knew I needed to make a stand. So as she's hollering "Noooooooooo!" I pull us from the line and sit fuming waiting for DH and DS.

Things were going downhill fast so we decided to eat a super early lunch and try to get in at Toothsome. It was exactly 11am when we got there and we were seated immediately. DD at this point was in full whine mode.....she liked nothing on the menu (she hadn't seen the dessert menu yet), it was too hot (it wasn't), where was our food (we hadn't even ordered yet), etc. etc. Everyone is in a bad mood at this point, especially me. I guess watermelon just doesn't cut it as a filling breakfast? Maybe because I wasn't sleeping well? Who knows. Anyway, Toothsome was empty except for us and a few other tables. So I could not for the life of me understand why it was taking them so long with our order. Our waitress was attentive and we put in our order in a timely way, but it just took so long to actually get the food. I knew from reading these boards that the waits could be extreme here and I guess I can completely vouch for this fact. What I can't figure out is why. I ordered the fried zucchini as an appetizer and a flatbread. It was ok, not bad, but nothing memorable either. DH had a pork entree that was super spicy, DS ordered a burger and DD had the chicken fingers, which she actually enjoyed a great deal, despite her insistence that chicken tenders are generally terrible. She also is the world's only kid who hates french fries. So you can see why restaurant ordering with her can be a giant pain.

It was then that I noticed the Penelope and Jacques characters going table to table and here I have to really hand it to these actors. Because even though I am sure we were all just sitting there waiting for our desserts quietly, somehow Penelope sensed not to linger at our table. She was awesome at sensing the bad vibes. She lingered at a table before us for ten solid minutes, while I sat and wondered what on earth we would say to her and sorely wishing she would bypass us because we were so not in the mood. But somehow she knew. She breezed by and remarked that the kids' wands were oversized chopsticks and that was it. It was exactly the right note to strike with us because we must have looked like a very sour bunch at that point. The desserts were taking as long as the food. When they arrived though, they were really good. I mean, really good. The waitress told us they were huge to warn us and we told her we knew we wouldn't finish them but it was ok. But even that warning didn't truly convey how enormous the sundaes were. One of them could have fed a family of four. The kids ordered one each. I ordered the brownie milkshake and I thought it was great (DH shared everyone's desserts). However after the fifth or sixth drink I suddenly realized how incredibly sweet it was and just couldn't eat another bite. DS was so impressed by his sundae and his general meal though, he told us he wanted to compliment the chef, which was really cute. He went down to the seating hostess and paid his compliments, and I could tell from her face (and the face of the waitress standing next to her) that it made their day. So the 10 year old gave it two thumbs up. I think the desserts are amazing and should probably be tried at least once, but the food is just OK. It isn't bad by any means, but there is no way lunch should have taken the hour and twenty minutes it did at 11am in a mostly deserted restaurant.

After lunch we made the tactical error of the day.....we returned to Islands of Adventure. I don't know why, I guess we figured everyone was cranky from not being well-fed? And that a giant meal of immense sugar would do the trick? Not sure what I was thinking. It was the hottest part of the day and even though it wasn't too hot, it just feels different in a sea of people when you are exposed fully to the sun. So we decided to ride Popeye, another ride DD refused last year but decided to try this year. She didn't want to get wet (Which is weird considering how she loves the pool) so we bought her a poncho. I'd like to say she had a great time, but she didn't like it. She was tense about hills the whole ride, and I couldn't remember if there was a big dip or not in the ride. Plus when that water hits you, it's pretty forceful.We all got absolutely soaked and she was mostly dry in her poncho. After Popeye, DH and DD decided to go back to the Hippogriff again and DS and I went on River Adventure again because why not. You're already absolutely soaked, how much worse can it get. We got an unpleasant surprise in that the Express line was snaking out of the entrance. This has never happened to us before in the history of going to these parks. I was so confused by it I asked the attendant if he was sure it was the Express line even I know darn well where the Express line is. It was about a 15 minute wait, which is maybe the longest I've waited for this ride in 15 years.

Then DS and I went to the Hippogriff to ride with DH and DD and DS said he felt sick on the ride. He was grumbly about riding the Hippogriff anyway so I wasn't sure if he was being surly or not but I have to say the immense crowds of Hogsmeade were starting to get to all of us. The final straw for me was the enormous line to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. So we decided to get out of Islands.....and go to Universal. Tactical error number two. I don't know why we did this instead of just leaving and coming back later. After a very grumbly ride on the Hogwart's Express, I took DS to get some water and find a bathroom while DH and DD went to ride Woody Woodpecker and Men in Black. DS just wanted to shop in Weasley Wizard Wheezes and in the sweet shop, which was fine, but considering the lunch we had, there was no way I was going to let him get anything. Then he wandered around doing spells, but even those got old once he saw the enormous lines. Incidentally, the one in Knockturn Alley where you have to make the rat climb the little chimney is one that almost never has a line. I don't think most people see it's there.

I asked DS if he wanted to ride anything, but he nixed the Mummy and Rip Ride Rockit because he just didn't feel great. At this point, I said let's just return to the room. DS made some noise about wanting to watch TV which I was really annoyed about as we obviously don't go on vacation to sit in a room and watch TV. So he huffed all the way back to Portofino and sat sulking in the room until he suddenly announced he felt just fine and wanted to go back to the parks. At this point, DH and DD were on their way back, I was in a late afternoon coma and there was absolutely no way I was going back to the parks. We needed to decompress and maybe make a plan for a quiet dinner. I had hopes to eat somewhere in Portofino or maybe CityWalk. However, DS and DD announced they wanted room service again. DH and I didn't want to do this because you're at Universal and while room service is nice to do once, you don't make it a nightly event. Then DD decided she wanted to go to the pool AGAIN and this is where I drew the line. I knew if we went to the pool, it would be poolside service or room service and I wanted to go to dinner and not do those things again. But only DH was on my side and eventually, I just gave in to the pool because I was at about zero in terms of patience. At this point, the sugar high from Toothsome was long gone, I was hungry (we were all hungry, I think), everyone was angry at each other and DS was loudly complaining that he didn't even want to go to the pool, and why couldn't he just watch TV. It was a low point, for sure.

At the pool, only DD played while everyone else sulked and I think I fell asleep at one point, which was welcome. DS read a book. DH dozed off. When I woke up we decided to go to the Trattoria del Porto, which you don't need to be dressed up for and was about a 50 foot walk from the pool. We brought down clothes to change DD, and ate a nice, not spectacular, but very solid meal that was sorely needed. Everyone's mood improved drastically once we got some food. Even though Toothsome was an enormous meal, it had been hours and hours ago and everyone really needed to eat. At this point it's around 8:00pm and I make a remark to DS, who is now in a happy mood, that the parks are open till 10 and if he's up for say, the Hulk, I am too. He jumped at the chance. Everyone decided to head back to the parks at night, which was the smartest decision we made all day.

Back at the parks, DS and I rode the Hulk which was an incredible ride at night. The evening really energized everybody....the parks were emptying out, there was no more sun.....amazing what a difference that makes. DS wanted to ride the River Adventure again and so we did. DD and DH rode the Hippogriff (anyone surprised?) and the Pteranodon Flyers successfully, which must have been super cool at night. DS and I made it back to the room well before DH and DD did. I was feeling very pleased about salvaging the day, and already making a plan for the next day that included park time at night and NOT in the afternoon. I realize this concept has already occurred to just about everyone else that goes to Disney or Universal who reads these boards, but to this point we just haven't done it. This is the vacation where I finally realized it's beyond silly not to, it's not worth trying to force fun in the parks, especially when you are packed in like sardines. Yay for revelations!

The last park day coming next.....
 
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I'm so glad you came back to share with all of us

I've been in your shoes before taking 3 of my sons, all under age 9 to the darkside

So I totally understand the ups and downs with tired kids and hungry adults
(Mr Mac never does orlando vaactions with us so he misses out on the whining...)

A genius idea to return to the parks in the evening
Sound like it was a great time period for the family

You all had fun switching around park time schedule
Bet you were sad to leave Orlando
 
Day FOUR, Wednesday, or the day when we put it all together, more or less...

The best thing you can do in life is to learn to make lemonade when you get a bunch of lemons. Or you can bypass lemonade because of the sugar content and just learn to efficiently squeeze the lemons into your water, thereby making lemon water, which isn't quite as glorious as lemonade, but is handy in a pinch and a great way to up your citrate intake. But I digress...

Wednesday was the day where I knew we needed to have some goals. Rides we wanted to do, things we wanted to eat, that sort of thing. On the last park day you need to be sure you have your priorities in order. For me, I was quietly mulling another ride on Forbidden Journey. As I've mentioned, I suffer from motion sickness now and the first time I rode Forbidden Journey was more an endurance test than a great time. But this was years ago at this point, and I haven't been on it, or been in the amazing queue since and I decided I might be game to give it another go. DH wanted to get on Kong and the Mummy, DS wanted to ride Rip Ride Rockit at night and DD just wanted to ride the Hippogriff as many times as humanly possible. Oh, and we all wanted Florean Fortescue's. Goals set.

Everyone slept in a bit today, which meant we missed the early entry to the parks, which was a tradeoff I was willing to make seeing as our early bird special did us no favors on Tuesday. We got to Universal Studios at about 9:15 and I told DS we needed to get in an insurance ride on Rip Ride Rockit in case for some reason we couldn't get on it later. It's a bad idea to save your one and only ride for the night before you leave. I think Confucius said something like that once, more elegantly. Anyway, we jumped on the ride after another great breakfast at Leaky (where DD discovered that if you actually try sausage you might just like it) and it didn't disappoint, except for the ride video machines being down. One of the things we love best is seeing our goofy expressions during the ride, but not this time. After this, DH wanted to ride the Mummy but DS bowed out, citing his No Coaster Rides Back to Back rule, which I think he just made up right then. Truthfully, the Mummy freaked him out the first time he rode it last year and I don't think he was up for it yet. Still too early in the morning. While DH was riding, I wandered over to the climbing wall thing wedged in by the arcade and decided to give it a try. The truth is, I belong to a climbing gym and climb all the time but I was curious to see what they considered challenging. And it wasn't challenging at all, not even in bare feet because I couldn't wear my Birks. They actually let me go twice I went up so fast. Not really worth the five bucks, but again, my gym has setters who set for competitions. It's not really a fair comparison. Anyway, once DH emerged, we decided to go over to Islands again, which should be a familiar refrain. Even writing about it feels repetitive. But DH was determined to get on Kong.

Once we were in Hogsmeade, again, I took DD to the Hippogriff while DH and DS went to Kong. It's beginning to feel like Groundhog Day. DH texts me that Kong is down. Bummer. His timing just wasn't right for Kong at all. He did buy DS his little Kong stuffed animal because DS decided that was really what he wanted. But that was the only Kong DH got to see. I'm sure they both rode the River Adventure again because DS just can't walk past it and not ride it. When we all met up, DD wanted to ride One Fish Two Fish with DH this time while I hunted for a kiosk without a huge line for some water for DS, who was getting hot and surly. Then we wandered over to Suessland where I decided DS and I would ride the Cat in the Hat just to get inside since DS's attitude was sliding downhill. It did the trick. DH and DD met us in the gift shop which is one of my favorite places. DS likes to go on about how uncool Suessland is because it's for babies but it's so totally not. But damn if he doesn't love that gift shop. Both kids do, actually.

DH and I announced that we are going to eat lunch at Cowfish and then head back to the resort, applying our lessons learned from the day before. Cowfish was great the last time we ate there and it was just as good this time. No wait, seated right away. wonderful food (I got the Angry Lobster roll and DH got a bento box), and best of all DD cleaned her plate and it actually had carrots and apples and good things to eat. It's true she hates french fries but the upside is she'll eat the apples, grapes, carrots and whatever else they substitute with if its an option. DS got another burger and ate nearly the whole thing, He doesn't order off the kids' menus anymore at his insistence and he actually does eat the adult meals enough to not make it a waste of money. Cowfish was a hit and a satisfying lunch.

We jumped on a boat to go back to the pool and this time I was determined not to fall asleep in the pool chair. OK, the truth is I did fall asleep because it's so nice and relaxing but I woke up after 10 minutes and got in the pool to ride the orca float, which we creatively named Float. I rode the slide with the kids and even DH got in the pool to play. Everyone's moods were about 180 degrees from the day before, we stayed a nice long time because we weren't rushed and it was the right way to spend the afternoon. Lesson properly applied.

At about 5, I got out to shower and get ready to go back to the parks. We decided to eat at Leaky Cauldron one last time because if you get in without a line the service is amazingly fast, the food is great and we wanted Florean for dessert. But first, I needed to squeeze in a ride on the Mummy. I asked DS if he wanted to go this time and he agreed. This time he enjoyed it far more. If we hadn't wanted to get to dinner I think he would have ridden it again with DH. Anyway, off to dinner we went. It was a perfect meal at Leaky again and while Florean's had a long line, it was doable long, not ridiculously long. I had the Chocolate Chili, which was better than I even remembered, and DD and DS had plain chocolate with toppings. DH got a strawberry peanut butter sundae. So one goal met, eating at Florean's.

It was at this point that I decided if we were going to go back to Islands, which everyone wanted to do, that I might be game to try Forbidden Journey again. DD only really wanted to ride the Hippogriff, DH had given up on Kong, which was still a crazy line at this point and DS just wanted to ride River adventure again but was open to Forbidden Journey. Once we saw the wait listed at 30 minutes, it was a no-brainer. Except the wait was totally not 30 minutes. More like 45, which was annoying. DD was tired, it was getting darker and darker, DS was whining about the line which just took forever especially in the greenhouse part. However once the queue moved into the castle I was amazed....it's only the second time I've been in the castle and the first time we just ran right though because we were doing early entry to the park and getting on the ride first thing. So I never got to appreciate it. This time I did. Best queue ever. It truly is.

However, that was the high point. Once I got on the ride, I was motion sick in all the same places and wishing desperately for it to just end, just like last time. I didn't puke or anything but it's an unpleasant feeling and truthfully, I don't understand how everyone isn't motion sick on that ride. Apparently, I'm the only one though (well, me and DH). I heard people just raving about the ride in the child swap area after the ride (DD didn't want to ride) and I just don't get it. DH doesn't like the ride at all. He doesn't get sick like I do, he just hates the screens. He actually came off muttering "I HATE that ride" which was sort of funny after the raves which preceded him. He was done for the day and so was DD, who was very tired and just wanted to ride Hippogriff. So he took her on the ride and back to the room while DS and I rode the dang River Adventure for approximately the tenth time. DS decided he didn't want to ride Rip Ride Rockit at night after all. When it came to that or River Adventure, Jurassic won every time. He made a suggestion about the Hulk earlier in the evening, but I had to decline after Forbidden Journey and he was too tired anyway. We had considered Dudley Do-Right as well, as it would be an easy walk-on but we were both way too chilly to chance that. So back to the room went. Well, almost. As we walked by Kong, we saw the standby was 10 minutes. 10. I asked DS if he wanted to ride it although my stomach was not doing so great and he jumped at the chance so I rode it again, feeling horribly guilty that DH wasn't there. We walked right on. Cruel fate for sure. There's always next time I guess!

Back to the room where we fell asleep in record time. And realized we could really have used just one more day....
 
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You packed a lot into the time you had for vacation this trip


Are the wheels in your head spinning for planning a repeat this year?
 
And finally, Day FIVE, Thursday, or the day we went home....

Everyone slept in again on Thursday, since there was no real reason to get up early. We didn't have to leave for the flight until noon, leaving us plenty of time to wake up and pack, and get breakfast somewhere. DH needed to get on a conference call for work so I took the kids to breakfast. I decided on Trattoria again, since it's a buffet and everyone could just get whatever they liked and as much as they wanted, but DD threw a fit that we weren't going to her beloved Starbucks. She declared she would not eat one thing and indeed, nothing for the entire day, but I was unmoved. And as it turns out, we all really enjoyed this breakfast. DS got an enormous mountain of food and of course DD gave in and ate a wide variety of food as well....bacon and sausage and waffles and fruit. Once she discovered the mini M&Ms at the pancake station, Starbucks was completely forgotten. Trattoria is a solid choice....there's never a wait, always availability and the food is pretty good.

After this we headed to the Universal store to get some Fizzing Whizbees for DS. Then we wandered around the resort until DH was finished with his call and joined us in the lobby to wait for our driver from Tony Hinds. He showed up early, so we headed off to the airport, saying goodbye to Portofino and mulling what we should do on our next trip.

DH's main thoughts were that we needed a longer stay and we possibly needed to look into getting a suite. The thing about these rooms is, no matter how big a deluxe bathroom is, all of us crammed into one room is definitely not as relaxing as the 1 bedroom DVC villas we usually stay in when we visit Disney. Practically everyone had a snoring issue on this trip, except for me, who was up for a good deal of each night listening to everyone else saw wood. So that's going to be something we are going to have to discuss. I am a light sleeper anyway and I'm used to running an air cleaner in my room so the change in scenery affects my sleep and not in a good way. It really doesn't seem to matter how worn out I get from the parks.

Secondly, we'll try to avoid spring break from now on, but this one may be pretty hard to do. Spring break has a lot to recommend it, the weather is perfect and the kids are out of school. Plus they keep the parks open late, unlike in late April last year, when they closed way too early. So that one is negotiable, I suppose. But I will say the crowds irritated me this time and not at all last time. I was far less patient this go round and I'm sure there were a lot of things that contributed to this, but the crowds most certainly exacerbated it. It would also have helped if everyone had been completely healthy but you can't really control those things, much I would dearly love to.

So all in all, a great trip, and I would definitely recommend Portofino over Royal Pacific. The pool slide makes a big, big difference for us. I also found that everyone at Universal seemed to be really focusing on customer service, which is something I found lacking in some ways at Disney the last few visits we have had. Not so much at Grand Floridian, which was a fabulous trip but our stay at Bay Lake was rife with issues that I am still grumbling about. Universal is really making a push with this and they are doing a good job. I know there's a lot of threads on these boards arguing over the superiority of Disney or Universal, with both sides having their ardent fans. It seems to come down more to nostalgia than anything else. I will say that the Harry Potter areas have tightened the gap by a lot. For me, Disney nostalgia was about the animation buildings in the parks and they are all gone now. Harry Potter is better than any single thing they have at Disney right now. The immersion, the food, everything is pitch perfect. It's not even about the rides. And when they open Volcano Bay, DS is going to go nuts. He already can't wait and that was just seeing the area under construction.

So next time we've decided....it'll be a week long stay so we don't need to cram everything in during the hottest, most crowded part of the day. As for when that will be, well, DH is open to returning again in the fall but we also have DVC points stocked up to use and had planned on Aulani. Then today I just read about Harry Potter Christmas and of course Volcano Bay.....so we're going to have to wait a few months and then see what everyone wants to do.
 
Thank you for such a detailed and very honest trip report!

I like how you made the best of everything, and so glad you had such a lovely time.........PB is such a beautiful resort and yes, a suite would probably suit you for a week long visit.

Really enjoyed reading it..........:)
 
The trip was very fresh in my mind and I really wanted to detail the good and the bad, for myself just as much as anyone reading. I think I didn't go enough detail last year and might have skewed my own perspective a bit on certain things that you deal with when you vacation as a family. Next time when I read this as a refresher I'll be more prepared!
 
I usually don't comment on trip reports. However, enjoyed your honest review. With three kids I feel your pain. A week will be great! We usually do at least 7 days. I go often with just my oldest son because, as you said, he does get the shaft often.
 
I usually don't comment on trip reports. However, enjoyed your honest review. With three kids I feel your pain. A week will be great! We usually do at least 7 days. I go often with just my oldest son because, as you said, he does get the shaft often.

Seven days sounds perfect, especially when Volcano Bay opens. It's nice to not have to get up early EVERY morning and to have the freedom to just relax for several afternoons as well.

eta: We also witnessed several interactions between parents and children which reminded us we were not the only ones who experienced some painful moments. Several of them happened to 10 year old boys like DS and it was good for him to overhear it, IMO, and know that he is certainly not the only kid who gets lectures about his behavior. He is generally a very good kid but he is also the family smart aleck for sure.
 
Seven days sounds perfect, especially when Volcano Bay opens. It's nice to not have to get up early EVERY morning and to have the freedom to just relax for several afternoons as well.

eta: We also witnessed several interactions between parents and children which reminded us we were not the only ones who experienced some painful moments. Several of them happened to 10 year old boys like DS and it was good for him to overhear it, IMO, and know that he is certainly not the only kid who gets lectures about his behavior. He is generally a very good kid but he is also the family smart aleck for sure.

We were on the mini golf course at Citywalk a couple of years back, when this angelic little 5 year who had been a delight in front of us........suddenly became Damien from the Omen in a split second. Screaming and shouting and then lay down and wouldn't move........he went like a board and his mortified parents could hardly move him! His parent just told him his sister had to take a turn.......lol.......

It happens........kids will be kids........
 
I totally feel the same way op

A longer stay onsite will allow you to be able to see everything in the parks, hotels and city walk

Next trip you will find more things you did not know existed

Mystic fountain takes up a good 30 minutes of my time

I get a kick out of the "fountain's" comments to the peeps around it

I stay for about two weeks onsite which gives me plenty of down time just to take in little events in the park that I could not do if I had a short stay

Truly have enjoyed everything you shared with us
 

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