Magical May Solo Adventures, updated 2/8

[Saphire5742]

Cute ride.

I then made the obligatory stop by Honeydukes and after looking around for a bit chose Butterbeer Fudge (not recommended. I did not care for it at all. Way too sweet and didn’t taste the butterbeer), chocolate fudge “flies”, and a chocolate frog.

About the chocolate frog- I didn’t open it until I got home and then only to see it. I don’t know that I’ll actually eat it. I mean I probably will at some point but for now I can’t bear to. Anyway when I opened it I noticed a collectible card underneath it. So, earlier in the day I took the Pottermore quiz and the end result was Gryffindor. But I’ve always felt more Hufflepuff for some reason and as I recall the Hat takes requests into consideration. Anyway, what figure should be on my chocolate frog card? None other than Helga Hufflepuff! And get what it says: “Helga Hufflepuff was particularly known for her dexterity at food-related Charms. Many recipes traditionally served at Hogwarts feasts originated with Hufflepuff”. See, I knew there was a reason I gravitated more towards Hufflepuff! Definitely my kind of House!

Made my way towards Hogwarts Express to catch a ride back to Diagon Alley while photographing some more:
















As I exited the train station I noticed this sign that made me laugh:




I was hoping to catch the dragon breathing fire but no such luck:




Continued next post...
​

 

[Saphire5742]

Went to the bank to get some souvenir cash for fun:




And then decided I needed some ice cream from Fortescue’s. There were some interesting flavors but in the end I opted for the butterbeer one. BIG MISTAKE! It was just plain vanilla with some swirl in the middle. Apparently the drink is the only Butterbeer worth having. But I don’t understand, if they can make the drink taste so awesome how can they fail so spectacularly at everything else so called butterbeer flavored????????

At this point pick up time was rapidly approaching so I hurried out of Diagon Alley:



Made my way around to the entrance of Universal quickly through the areas I hadn’t seen yet. Unfortunately there was no time for any more rides. But before leaving I had to stop by Rip Ride Rockit for my ride DVD. I gave my name but the DVD could not be found. I totally forgot that I tried to be all cute with the name earlier. I was starting to panic a little. Eventually the woman behind the counter gave me the DVD’s she had so I could look at the names and fortunately I recognized mine. Phew! Turns out I named my DVD ‘Sky Rockin’. Learn from my mistake people! I was really kicking myself for not riding again before while my DVD was being processed and then just picking it up straight away.

Out of the front gate I waved goodbye to Universal:




I ended up getting to the parking lot 10 min late because I did not take into account City Walk, but everything was fine. Donna was there waiting for me. We had a nice chat as she drove me back. As we were getting closer to the Disney sign I got my camera out to get a better photo than when I arrived and all of a sudden I felt the van slowing down some. Turns out Donna heard me turn on my camera and figured what my intentions were. It was very much appreciated. And actually that’s the photo I shared in my arrival post.

So, when I booked the transportation I requested to be dropped off at Fort Wilderness for Hoop Dee Doo, but the message was not passed on and I forgot to double check until it was too late. Luckily there was a cab waiting by Art of Animation so I jumped right in and was arrived at Fort Wilderness. From there caught an internal bus to the show venue. Hoop Dee Doo was entertaining and funny. I enjoyed it a lot.

After the show buses dropped us off at MK and from there I caught the bus back to AoA.

Another long day but I had such a blast at Universal. And while I don’t regret Hoop Dee Doo, next time I’ll spend 2 full days at Universal and not have anything scheduled in the evenings so I can better enjoy it and not have the added pressure of time.


Until next time…..​

 

[missangelalexis]

Glad you had a fun day at Universal and fun dinner at HDD!

 

[SarahDisney]

I love that you got Helga Hufflepuff as your chocolate frog card - so appropriate for someone who is a Hufflepuff at heart!

I love all of your pictures from Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. I really think I could look at Wizarding World pictures forever ... it really is such a beautiful area!

 

[Saphire5742]

I love that you got Helga Hufflepuff as your chocolate frog card - so appropriate for someone who is a Hufflepuff at heart!

It definitely helped confirm that I am indeed a Hufflepuff. Was great to get that validation

 

[Saphire5742]

Hollywood Studios


Welcome to Day 5. Another early start as I head on over to Hollywood Studios. Bus was nearly empty, there was just one other family. I’m guessing they were Star Wars fans judging from their shirts. It was a family of 5 with 3 young boys. We arrived in no time and as we exit the bus one of the boys yells “Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!”. That was so funny.

I myself saw no reason to run as it was still an hour until park opening. I was also 2nd in line. We were let in 10 min before opening and held at the intersection by Hollywood and Sunset until official park opening. I continued on with the group towards:



I was so excited for this ride and it did not disappoint. Would have preferred it a little longer though. And I enjoyed the cute preshow as well. Loved it so much I rode again immediately after.


First ride photo (9:05):





Second ride photo (9:17):




(PS – Goodness gracious, look at those chins! But at least I look like I’m having a blast, right?)


And then I spotted my first PP photographer of the day:



(Classy pose)


(Awkward rocker pose)


(Attempted Hollywood glamour pose)


I did have a TSMM FP scheduled from 9-10, but as I still had time I made my way to ToT first as it’s right next to RnRC, even though I also had a FP for a little later:







I LOVE this ride so so much. I would be devastated if it was replaced like in Disneyland.

Now before I share my ride photo, wanna hear a funny story? Well, funny to me at least. So when I was last here at 16 one of my sisters who was nearly 12 at the time decided to join me on ToT. I don’t know why because she does not like thrill rides. Anyway as we made our rapid descent she grabbed my arm in fright and I being the “caring” older sister that I was like “get off of me” while physically flinging her arm off. Ahhhh, good times! It still cracks me up. For some reason to this day she does not find it as amusing.

Took advantage of the fact that I was last row to raise my arms in the air:



Now it was really time to scoot over to TSMM. Cute, fun ride. Ended up scoring 76,000 with 42% accuracy. I am satisfied with that as a first timer.

Next I needed to meet some characters. While on my way trying to find my next location I spotted some more PP’ers, yay!

By Pixar sign (and some surprise guests):



Continued next post...

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[Saphire5742]

In front of theater:












By Echo Lake:








After some confusion I finally found who I was looking for:




OLAF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!​

 

[Saphire5742]

As I was waiting for Minnie and Mickey there was a family in front of me with a sign announcing their 7th pregnancy. I thought that was a cute idea.

Getting my glam on with Starlet Minnie:





Can I just say, I absolutely ADORE her dress.


Fierce sorcerer pose with the ONE and ONLY:





Made my way back to ToT for my FP. On the way saw a Citizens of Hollywood processional drive by:










and stopped for more photo opps:




(A pose that would have more successful had the photographer not zoomed in thereby cutting off the Hollywood Studios sign. Now it just looks weird and makes me wanna cringe)

Continued next post...​

 

[Saphire5742]

This time the ride felt even more awesome:





Some pics in front of ToT:










Ok, now I needed to make my way to 50s Prime Time where I had an 11:30 lunch reservation. When I checked in, the woman behind the counter noticed my tiara and so after a few minutes I was called to my table as “Princess”. I LOVED that! Major bonus points. My meal there was PERFECTION and afterwards I was so happily stuffed that I sat myself down on the nearest bench for ½ an hour to rest and digest.

Stay tuned next time for more of my day.​

 

[missangelalexis]

Lots of cute PP and character photos on this morning!

 

[SarahDisney]

I love your pictures from Rock n Roller Coaster. The look on your face is basically "THIS IS THE GREATEST RIDE EVER!!"

All of your photopass pictures are beautiful! It looks like you found a lot of photographers and got some great shots!

On an unrelated note ... how was sufgie season? Did you have any good flavors this year? I thought of you as I had my boring caramel donut.

 

[Saphire5742]

Lots of cute PP and character photos on this morning!

Thanks!

All of your photopass pictures are beautiful! It looks like you found a lot of photographers and got some great shots!

Thank you! I made sure to take full advantage of my memory maker

On an unrelated note ... how was sufgie season? Did you have any good flavors this year? I thought of you as I had my boring caramel donut.

Let me tell you all about my Sufgie saga this year (btw I must have left quite the impression if you remembered from last year, lol): I went to the same place as last year and the year before since I really enjoy the flavors there. On Sunday after work I bought 2 flavors: poppy seed (my favorite) and halva. Tuesday morning I bought two more: cookies'n'cream and Ferrero rocher. I planned to make one more trip Thursday morning for the rest of the holiday but on Wednesday night I was requested to come into work the next day since one of the nurses wasn't feeling well. I ended up leaving work a little late and when I got to my Sufgie place they were out of my beloved Sufgies! Unfortuantely they only receive a morning shipment from the main bakery in Haifa, they do not bake on premises. And at that point I was just too tired and exhausted to get them from another bakery. So I only had Sufgies the first half of the holiday. Suffice it to say I was not thrilled but it is what it is. Next year I'll know better and plan accordingly....

 

[ariane37]

I am so, so embarrassingly behind I'm sorry!
I haven't seen the setups for Minnie and Mickey's new meet areas in HS, they both look so adorable! I wanted to meet them in Nov. but Chris was being a poop the day we were there lol, and when Ricky was with us their lines were actually really long. And yay for 2 early morning rides on RnRC! It's always a good day when you can ride that and TOT a couple times, especially early on. For whatever reason it used to be easier before FP +, but I won't go there

Ugh that really stinks about the butterbeer fudge and ice cream not being any good. I love my sweets and hate when I waste calories on a snack/dessert that ends up not being worth it! But hey, now you know for next time

 

[Saphire5742]

I am so, so embarrassingly behind I'm sorry!

No worries! We all catch up when we can. I actually do so when I have some downtime during my night shifts.

I haven't seen the setups for Minnie and Mickey's new meet areas in HS, they both look so adorable! I wanted to meet them in Nov. but Chris was being a poop the day we were there lol, and when Ricky was with us their lines were actually really long.

Hopefully you'll get to meet them next time

And yay for 2 early morning rides on RnRC! It's always a good day when you can ride that and TOT a couple times, especially early on.

Absolutely!

 

[Saphire5742]

After giving myself that much needed rest and digest after that very satisfying lunch at 50's it was time to head on over to the Frozen Sing Along. It's cute and the historians telling the story are really funny, but it's definitely a one and done for me.
Next some more character meets.
First Donald:



Then I waited in line for Daisy in her cute yellow sundress but then they switched her out for Stitch. I only saw Lilo&Stitch once and hardly remember the movie but decided to stay in line anyway. Because hey, the more character meets the better right? I remember there was someone if front of me who was super excited about this switch up, her "ears" revealed her to be a big Stitch fan.



After meeting Stitch I noticed that Donald had been switched for Goofy so I waited in line again:







I have to say that the above photo with Goofy here ended up being one of my favorites. If any of you recall this was my profile photo for a while when I came back.

Rode Great Movie Ride next. Or actually maybe I rode before the characters. Don't remember now. Anyway the truth is I didn't much care for the ride. The only part I absolutely loved was the movie montage at the very end.

Right about now is when the day unfortunately started to go downhill somewhat. My contact lenses were starting to bother me a little. I wanted to remove them, but guess who forgot not one but both pairs of glasses at the resort???? I did contemplate going back to the resort but I didn't have the energy. This was around 3-4ish. It felt so brutally hot that point that I felt sapped of all energy. This was also the only day I got sunburned out of the whole trip. Definitely not a highlight of this trip.

Got myself an ice water and wandered around trying to find a place to sit. And while there were benches around, all of them were out in the sun and I desperately needed shade. While walking around I snapped some photos (because being me I can't seem to help myself):









and caught a humorous Citizens of Hollywood performance which managed to distract me for a while.

As soon as it was over though I bought a frozen lemonade and continues my search for somewhere to sit and regroup out of the sun. Lo and behold I found it:



I sat in front of the store as close to the wall as I could so as not to block the entrance. This ended up being a good spot as not only was it shaded I could also feel the AC from the store. Sat there gratefully while eating my frozen pink lemonade. It was very much needed and I felt better afterwards.

Continued next post.....​

 

[Saphire5742]

As I was finishing up my lemonade I scrolled through the MDE app and realized that I had completely forgotten all about the Muppet Movie. I remembered it being so delightful from my previous trip so obviously I made my way there next. What can I say? It is an amusing and very cute show and I'm glad I saw it but I left with the feeling of "that's it?". Can't really explain the discrepancy with my previous memory. It just felt more "WOW" before. Or maybe I still was not 100% recuperated from earlier.

Some photos from the Muppet area:





















Continued next post.....

​

 

[Saphire5742]

I think it was around this point I did some shopping. Bought this cute Minnie top:

,

the blue sequined/white star Minnie ears (which I'm so going to wear on Independence Day here since blue and white are the flag colors), and a simple gray cotton dress (which I ended up wearing to AK the next day).

Visited One Man's Dream next



where I watched a preview of "Alice Through the Looking Glass". After that took some photos around Pixar Place:











I headed towards RnR next but when I got there I decided against riding since it was getting close to dinner time and I didn't think it would be the best idea to ride before eating. Instead I browsed the gift shop and ended up buying this rockin top:



Ate dinner with Minnie and Friends at Hollywood and Vine. The food was ok but I was still rather full from lunch so couldn't really enjoy it unfortunately. The characters in their spring finest were the real reason I was there though. Character photos can be found in my Dining Report (link in signature). I also booked it as a Fantasmic package.

After dinner I made my way to Fantasmic. It was still a little early but I wasn't feeling up to doing anything else. Plus I noticed a lot of people were heading there anyway. Sat in the middle section about 2/3 of the way up. I don't remember much of the show now but I do remember it being spectacular and I enjoyed it very much.

And that concludes Day 5 of my trip. Join me next time for Day 6 and Animal Kingdom. If I have a chance I'll do that update later today or Friday. ​

 

[missangelalexis]

So many cute character photos, especially the ones with Goofy!

I'm sorry the heat was getting to you, good thing you found some shade and AC!

You made some very cute purchases!

 

[SarahDisney]

I love all of the characters pictures!!

Heat can definitely be a mood-killer, even at Disney. I'm glad you were able to get some AC and a frozen drink to help with the heat.

 

[ariane37]

I love all the "Hollywood" inspired outfits the characters wear in HS, it's been years since any of us have had our picture taken with characters there! Might have to remedy that in March.......
I also like all the upwards pictures you took outside around Pixar Place. So many objects up there I've never noticed that now I want to look for