Our National Lampoon Christmas Vacation~Day 17

[shadowryter]

Once DD and DH emerged they wanted to ride the Dueling Dragons…uh…Dragons Challenge. Hey come on…it will always be Dueling Dragons no matter how much they change it. I went through Hogsmeade with camera in hand and ventured into Zonko’s just to warm up a bit. I met up with my illusive family and we went to find Flight of the Hippogryth, a small family coaster. But it wasn’t the ride I was interested in, mostly the queue where you find Hagrid’s cottage and Buckbeak in a huge nest. Though I have to admit the ride was fun too. After which it was back to FJ where I rode with DD this time while DH took a break.
Zonko's

Had to have one of these

The train

The Owlery

This could have been real!

Hagrid's Cottage

Buckbeak

More Forbidden Journey

We left Hogsmeade and had our picture taken in front of Hogwarts, then we walked around IOA, stopping here and there. It was still cold and by now we were all wearing DD’s scarves. She with Gryffindor, DD wore Slytherin and I…Ravenclaw. Wherever we went cast members would comment….Hey…where’s Hufflepuff…where we would reply…in the bag. Got a few laughs from this one.
Leaving WWoHP

We stopped at Journey to Atlantis where it was nice a cozy inside but I wasn’t all that sure that we would make it to our ressie at Mythos. We made it out just in time and it was only a short distance away for our lunch. We absolutely love Mythos and highly recommend it to anyone who is visiting the parks. I love the atmosphere and the décor is fantastic not to mention the food. We were seated right away and waited to hear the specials as they are always good. Sure enough it was the special for me and DH and a steak Panini for DD. We didn’t go for apps here as we had something special planned for the evening after the parks close. But dessert was a given. The warm banana gooey cake is always a winner.
A few shots of IOA

Enhanced shot

Mythos menu

Cool lamps

Salted butter and warm rolls

Steak Panini with parmesan fries

Spinach and mushroom risotto with shrimp

Warm banana gooey cake…could go for some now!!!

Inside Mythos

To be continued...

 

[shadowryter]

After lunch, we headed over to Universal Studios where we caught the actors getting ready for the Macy’s Parade a little latter in the day. DH had an eye for Miss Cherry Pie. We rode the Mummy…twice, then it was Twister, making our way to Men in Black and then the Simpson’s.
Macy's actors

Garfield Balloon and others

As we made our way out of the park, I could hear the parade in the background. We took the boat back to our resort, where we changed and freshened up, then we called down for our car and went to pick it up but when we got there it was nowhere to be found??? I explained to the valet that I called and that we had a 6pm showing of the Arabian Nights horses followed by a 7pm dinner show. You pay extra for this and I didn’t want to be late. Well that poor valet literally flew over the fence ran down the street and vaulted over some bushes. In a few minuets we had our car but now we were running behind.
We had to wait while OnStar sent our directions and we were off problem was somewhere along the line OnStar disappeared and we ended out going the wrong way and no matter who I talked too, no one seemed to know what to do.


We arrived at Arabian Nights at 6:30 and ran to the front where we were told to get in line with the rest. I did at first but then explained that we were supposed to see the horses and OnStar was a problem…Blah..blah…blah. He grabbed the email paper I had and rushed us through only to find out that viewing was over…we missed it. DH was livid and when he gets upset he gets loud. Soon a young woman approached us and handed us a card saying that if we were in the area we could return for the viewing. She was nice….DH…not so much.


We were brought to our VIP table, DH skipped the complimentary drink as well as our Arabian Nights family photo and you know how I am about photo’s. LOL! The rest of our evening was kind of silent. DH was angry and DD was caught in the middle…literally, she was sitting between us.

The last time we took in this show was in ‘06. The show and the horses were magnificent. The music was done by Trans Siberian Orchestra and Manheim Steamroller with a few extra Christmas songs thrown it and we loved it. This time…OMG…not the show I remember. The story telling was basically the same but the storyteller changed drastically. It was told by the genie instead of the father and every….single….word….rhymed and the music was horrible. I know things change over the years but why this…Never again. And that also goes for the food. Gone was the yummy ribs and chicken, baked potato and veggies. Now you ordered from a set menu. DH and DD ordered the chicken tender meal while I ordered the roast pork with smashed potatoes and veggies. DD got a child s plate and when we complained our server seemed like we were bothering him eventually bringing her an adult plate which she plopped on top of the kiddie portion. My pork was disgusting, the potatoes were worse with a hard clump of something grayish in them….gross. Dessert barely passed and our server never refilled our soda’s or brought cream for the coffee…also yucky. It was a wasted night in my eyes. Something I will never do again. By the way our server was all nice and polite by the end of the night when we were supposed to tip him…which we did not.
Few photo’s of Arabian Nights

I have no idea why the nutcraker is transparent???

Horrible...(worth $60...nope!)

Horses were the best...they just let them run at the end of the show

We all left tired, angry and hungry and when we got back to our resort we sought out a little convenience store located inside the smaller of two gift shops. It was chips, dip, Smart Food and Coke or maybe it was Pepsi for the rest of our evening.

Next…Universal Studios…more Harry Potter, Butter Beer and Pumpkin Juice!

 

[MNTwinsMom]

LOVE the HP report! We can't get enough HP at our house lately. I started reading the books aloud to my 9-year-old twin boys at the start of the school year and we are 1/2 way through book 7 now! They're really into all the details and figuring everything out. . . I have to figure out the best way to work in a day at WWOHP on our trip next winter. . .

I have to laugh about your DD wanting all 4 scarves. I remember seeing lots of guests at Disney wearing HP hats and scarves that week. My husband had commented that Universal was making a lot of $$$ on scarves that week! I heard a few comments from Disney cast members telling people wearing HP gear that they were in the wrong park, so I guess that goes both ways. I heard a cast member tell a guest with a HP hat and scarf that was getting on Peter Pan that you need pixie dust not a broom to fly on this ride.

My boys want to be Harry and Ron for Halloween this year, so I started working on costumes by making scarves. The plan was to make 2 Gryfindor scarves for them. The first one I made was the one from the later movies (mostly maroon with thin gold stripes). Of course, since we've only let them watch the first 2 movies they wanted the OTHER scarf design from the first movies, so then I made 2 of those scarves. Then DH decided it would be fun to have a Slytherin scarf to wear when they wear their costumes! So we have 4 scarves at our house too! (but not all the houses are represented)

Does Universal have a system like photopass? Your cold in florida picture is priceless! The HP one turned out great too.

Looking forward to hearing about the Butter Beer!

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

Love the pics of Universal and IOA!!! Can't believe it was that cold down there!!!

Wow, what a horrible experience at Arabian Nights... Think they need to send their employees to get some Disney customer service training!!!

 

[GoofyWife]

I live in Virginia now but grew up in Northern Mass on the coast, my parents and sister live in S.E. Mass and when I saw the tornado, I couldn't believe it! I just finished your first day at Universal - how would you rate the new Harry Potter attractions compared to Disney? I have to admit I've only been to Universal once, about five years ago with our high school band, two of my kids were marching in that Macy's Parade and the Citrus Bowl parade and our day at Universal was New Year's Eve and it was packed, the weather was nice, but it seemed every other ride broke down and we either had to wait or get off, so I haven't rushed to go back there. And I'm not a big roller coaster fan so, (is it Islands of Adventure?) wasn't for us. However, I do love Harry Potter and think my 17 y.o. son (actually all the kids) would like to see it, and me too! And I would love to get some of those scarfs for the family.

 

[shadowryter]

LOVE the HP report! We can't get enough HP at our house lately. I started reading the books aloud to my 9-year-old twin boys at the start of the school year and we are 1/2 way through book 7 now! They're really into all the details and figuring everything out. . . I have to figure out the best way to work in a day at WWOHP on our trip next winter. . .

I have to laugh about your DD wanting all 4 scarves. I remember seeing lots of guests at Disney wearing HP hats and scarves that week. My husband had commented that Universal was making a lot of $$$ on scarves that week! I heard a few comments from Disney cast members telling people wearing HP gear that they were in the wrong park, so I guess that goes both ways. I heard a cast member tell a guest with a HP hat and scarf that was getting on Peter Pan that you need pixie dust not a broom to fly on this ride.

My boys want to be Harry and Ron for Halloween this year, so I started working on costumes by making scarves. The plan was to make 2 Gryfindor scarves for them. The first one I made was the one from the later movies (mostly maroon with thin gold stripes). Of course, since we've only let them watch the first 2 movies they wanted the OTHER scarf design from the first movies, so then I made 2 of those scarves. Then DH decided it would be fun to have a Slytherin scarf to wear when they wear their costumes! So we have 4 scarves at our house too! (but not all the houses are represented)

Does Universal have a system like photopass? Your cold in florida picture is priceless! The HP one turned out great too.

Looking forward to hearing about the Butter Beer!

We really are a Harry Potter family. My DD was around 10 when the whole movie thing started and she had to have the books as they came out plus DH and I took her to see the movies. So she's actually grown up with the HP gang. I really love them too though they get darker as they progress. DD had to have those scarves and by days end they were sold out. People kept approching us and asking about them. You are so ambitious making your scarves. I bet your boys will be the best Harry and Ron out there this coming Halloween. I had a chance to read your TR...though I couldn't comment. Some of our dates seemed to parallel except you got a nice warm day on your last and I was home freezing once more.You're a great tourer. You got to see so many characters and ride so many rides. I think we kind of bounced all over so our touring became limited. I've learned from this now and it will be more orgainized next time. Universal has something called Photo Connect. You have your pictures taken during the day but you have to buy one in order to get the days worth free. We had to sign up at a kiosk in the Universal store and when we got home I just logged on and they were there. Never bought a picture on our last day so we didn't get any freebees.Oh well.

Love the pics of Universal and IOA!!! Can't believe it was that cold down there!!!

Wow, what a horrible experience at Arabian Nights... Think they need to send their employees to get some Disney customer service training!!!

Oh I so agree with that.

I live in Virginia now but grew up in Northern Mass on the coast, my parents and sister live in S.E. Mass and when I saw the tornado, I couldn't believe it! I just finished your first day at Universal - how would you rate the new Harry Potter attractions compared to Disney? I have to admit I've only been to Universal once, about five years ago with our high school band, two of my kids were marching in that Macy's Parade and the Citrus Bowl parade and our day at Universal was New Year's Eve and it was packed, the weather was nice, but it seemed every other ride broke down and we either had to wait or get off, so I haven't rushed to go back there. And I'm not a big roller coaster fan so, (is it Islands of Adventure?) wasn't for us. However, I do love Harry Potter and think my 17 y.o. son (actually all the kids) would like to see it, and me too! And I would love to get some of those scarfs for the family.

First off I am and huge Disney fan and so is my family. But in 2004 we tried a trip to Universal since DD was getting into coasters. I was during the Christmas holiday season and we just loved it. So in 06, 08 and 10 we did a split trip...half Disney and half Universal. I loved the WWoHP but usually spend more time at Universal Studios. If a 20 year old flipped over HP than I'm sure a 17 year old would love it. No Universal for us next time. Disney and day at SeaWorld and then our second Disney cruise. But there's always next year.

 

[shadowryter]

December 15th…Day 3 of our Universal stay!

Today was going to be our last day at Universal and we wanted to make the most of every minute. Sunrise over Islands was beautiful but we decided to start our day at Universal Studios and bounce over to Islands of Adventure and back again if time allowed. It was a frigid morning as all the past mornings so we bundled up and started our day, first a chilly boat ride, then stopping at the Beverly Hills Boulangerie for a snack and some coffee. There was such a selection that it took a couple minutes to check everything out but one thing I noticed was that we wouldn’t get a chance to get warm here. For some reason both of the doors were wide open. The servers behind the counters were freezing as was the tables and chairs. We all grabbed a pastry…DH 2...and chose hot chocolate so at least the insides would be warm.
Macy’s Holiday sign and Elf

Many…many goodies

Napoleon

Cherry Danish

Cheese Danish

Very large Éclair

After our quick breakfast we walked down the street and saw that Scooby Do had just stepped outside of a building. I asked DD is you wanted to have a picture taken to which she shrugged her shoulders. So DH and I approached good ole Scooby and what do you know…DD joined in. We had our picture taken…it wasn’t a pro shot that you could buy rather a handler used your camera to take a shot. So next was Woody Wood Pecker, followed by Curious George. I must admit that I was a bit surprised though pleased that for once DD and DH were in the picture mood.
Our character shots

A neat thing at going this time of year is that they have their own little Macy’s Christmas Parade each night with actual balloons from the real Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. The balloons were huge and they were everywhere.
Macy's balloons

Next we rode the Simpson’s ride excited to see Homer when we excited. We posed for a group picture, as Homer blew kisses in my ear and then burped…rather loudly. LOL!
Homer

We made our way around, riding Men In Black twice, more Holiday decorations and then up to Twister and the Mummy.
Holiday Décor

Before we knew it lunch was fast approaching so we stopped by Lombard’s Landing, realizing it wasn’t opening for a few minutes but we were told to come on in and we’d be their first patrons of the day. We were seated at a nice table…(could have been any where really) and our server appeared, bright and cheery. We all decided to try something different…Calamari…I know, I know…but it was a first for us and then we were told how they did them differently and once we tried them we would never be the same. He was right. Though I have nothing to compare it to.
Lombard’s

To be continued...

 

[shadowryter]

Menu

Iced Tea

Calamari

Lobster Bisque

Clam Chowder

Fisherman’s basket with waffle fries and coleslaw

San Francisco stir-fry

Mini desserts…tiramisu…carrot cake & key lime pie

After lunch we slowly made our way out of the park, doing some shopping and seeing more balloons. We made a beeline through CityWalk and back to Islands, snapping some pictures along the way.
Random shots

Islands of Adventure

We were headed back to WWoHP to check out what exactly was Butterbeer and Pumpkin juice. We got in line at the little stand and stood while the couple in front of us tried to decide…frozen or not…cup or souvenir mug. They got the mug we got the cup….both frozen. It was interesting…maybe better on a hot day. Kind of like crème soda with a frothy head. It was ok. DD got a bottle of pumpkin juice…think spicy apple cider. The kind of spices you would put in your pumpkin pie. It was good.
The famous Butter Beer and pumpkin juice

Next...Part II...day 15...Dragons Challenge, Rip...Ride...Rocket and the horses of Arabian Nights!

 

[GoofyWife]

Love the update and especially the picture with Scooby Doo - one of my childhood favorites! I've already looked at the Universal Vacation packages for the week between Christmas and New Year's - DH just rolled his eyes, but I love to travel around the holidays - The Macy's Parade - that is one of the parades my son and daughter marched in while they were there - loved that parade - Think I will book a package

 

[MommaMouse411]

geeeeez everytime I read an update I'm exhausted...lol...what a cool vacation...I'm glad you posted about Arabian Nights..I've been wanting to do with Miguel but I'mthinking we will do Medieval Times instead.

Maybe, just maybe this year I might take the boys to Universal/IOA for Christmas since my Florida Seasonal Passes have blackout dates for christmas (never again).

 

[shadowryter]

Love the update and especially the picture with Scooby Doo - one of my childhood favorites! I've already looked at the Universal Vacation packages for the week between Christmas and New Year's - DH just rolled his eyes, but I love to travel around the holidays - The Macy's Parade - that is one of the parades my son and daughter marched in while they were there - loved that parade - Think I will book a package

Good for you. Universal is especially nice during the Christmas holiday. My DH always rolls his eyes when I'm planning a vacation but he enjoys it just as much maybe more.

geeeeez everytime I read an update I'm exhausted...lol...what a cool vacation...I'm glad you posted about Arabian Nights..I've been wanting to do with Miguel but I'mthinking we will do Medieval Times instead.

Maybe, just maybe this year I might take the boys to Universal/IOA for Christmas since my Florida Seasonal Passes have blackout dates for christmas (never again).

It was a bit exhausting...need to cut it back a bit I guess. Arabian Nights was disappointing for us due mostly because we were blown away from a past year. Though the food was gross, except for the chicken fingers. So kids made out great. That being said...we love...love...love Medieval Times. We've been to the ones in Orlando, New Jersey and Myrtle Beach, SC. and it was the same yet different each time. You'll really enjoy it.

 

[shadowryter]

Part II...Day 15 and Universal

Next DD and DH rode the Dragons Challenge as I did a walkthrough as far as I could go anyway. Lot’s of fun…me snapping photo’s…people going around me or even stopping while I shot. Then coming back and running into the crowd heading in. All for the sake of adding to my already 1000 plus pictures, stored on my laptop and copied to an external hard drive. This gal takes no chances of loosing precious images that can’t be replaced.
Dragons Challenge queue and others(so many to choose from!)Love the banners!

We made our way out of WWoHP and entered Toon Lagoon when DH spotted Betty Boop and hurried over to get a picture. Next it was Spiderman, Doctor Doom…(really cold up there) and finally the Hulk.

We did some shopping and saw that the Macy’s Parade was about to start. The cold was getting to me and all I wanted to do was hide in the shops but DD had talked DH into riding Rip, Ride, Rocket. I waited for them outside in a bit of sunshine but it was still so cold.
Window of Universal store

Trees covered from the cold

Macy's Parade

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity they returned so DH could give me his glasses. They hadn’t even ridden yet??? Then they were off returning in about 35 minutes and exclaiming how this was the best ride experience ever. I wish I had ridden it but I wasn’t feeling my best. I have no fear of coasters…after riding Millennium Force a Giga coaster at Cedar Point which stands at 300 feet…nothing really bothers me…except Mission Space…won’t ride that one again!
Rip…Ride…Rocket

We left the park saying goodbye to our Universal stay.

Another boat ride back to our resort just to run out again for our VIP viewing of the horses at Arabian Nights. Yes…all the way back there. We walked in and were escorted to the VIP room where finally we were led into the arena where we got to see some of the horses from the show. DD absolutely loved this as she has a huge love of horses. It only took about a half an hour and then we were out and headed back to the Royal Pacific where we picked up some snacks to take back to our room. I took some pictures on the way and started to pack as soon as we got through the door checking once again for DD’s missing pendant. No luck though.
To be continued...

 

[shadowryter]

Horses of Arabian Nights

Royal Pacific

Goodbye Universal and the WWoHP...get set for the Auto Train home!

 

[MommaMouse411]

I didn't mean exhausted from the length of the TR...I meant from like all you guys did!!!!!!! my measly vacation was only 5 days lol

 

[shadowryter]

I didn't mean exhausted from the length of the TR...I meant from like all you guys did!!!!!!! my measly vacation was only 5 days lol

No...I was referring to the vacation...though this TR is the longest I've ever done.We need to cut back from our vacation days...though you might notice a lot of the time was spent going to and from. Next time I'll pray for 2 hours and 55 minutes since we will be flying for the first time since 97.

 

[GoofyWife]

your pictures are beautiful! I rode the dueling dragons last time I was there, did okay on the ride but when I got off my equilibrium was shot! My DH and DS laughed as I had to sit in the shade with a coke for about 15 minutes to recover! Is the Harry Potter ride a rough ride or is it one of the motion rides? I can handle those (one or two of them anyway- I guess I'm getting old but my enthusiam is still young!); your trip report really, really makes me want to go back to Universal and see it again, especially the Harry Potter - definitely going to book a vacation this weekend.

 

[shadowryter]

your pictures are beautiful! I rode the dueling dragons last time I was there, did okay on the ride but when I got off my equilibrium was shot! My DH and DS laughed as I had to sit in the shade with a coke for about 15 minutes to recover! Is the Harry Potter ride a rough ride or is it one of the motion rides? I can handle those (one or two of them anyway- I guess I'm getting old but my enthusiam is still young!); your trip report really, really makes me want to go back to Universal and see it again, especially the Harry Potter - definitely going to book a vacation this weekend.

From what my DD tells me on the Dueling Dragons one has positive g's while the other has negative g's. The red side applies more pressure to your body that the blue. Note...I always ride blue. Forbidden Journey is different from anything I have ever ridden. The only issue I had was when you are flying on your broom with Harry. I felt a little woozy here but the rest was just fine. You'll get tipped on your side and on your back but that part never bothered me. You'll have a blast.

 

[GoofyWife]

sounds great, thanks!

 

[MommaMouse411]

I wish I can do 15 days of vacationing..but I will have to wait till my boys are older and can handle it...actually they probably can handle it now..they are always happy to go on a trip. My little one gets excited when I put him in a car seat.. like he knows!! but I know I will be overly exhausted if I try 15days.

 

[shadowryter]

December 16th…Vacation time is over…back to the Auto Train!

We all got to sleep in this morning since check out wasn’t until 11:30 and we didn’t have to be at the Amtrak station until around 1. I got my family up and while DD was in the shower I decided to take one last walk around the resort to get some more pictures…like I needed more, right? I was gone for only about a half hour and would you believe it started to get warm outside? Fifteen days of cold beyond belief and now it was time to go home (into the frozen tundra) and it was warming up. I returned to our room and got everything ready before making the calls to bell services and valet. Once our luggage was collected we loaded the SUV, got our OnStar directions to the train station ( which decided to work) and we were off leaving our cold yet fantastic vacation behind.
Our last pictures of the Royal Pacific

We got to the Sanford station in plenty of time. A matter of fact we were early but our car was accepted and taken away while we went inside to check-in, chose our dinner time and then just wait. We had the same dinner time 7:00 pm I believe. Now unlike the station in Lorton, the Sanford station is much smaller. There wasn’t really much to do to keep yourself occupied. There was a snack section, some sundries and drinks.(soda, juice and water)The station was actually being modified so you really didn’t want to wonder around with all the construction going on…so we waited.

At 1:00 the announcer said we could board the train. We quickly found our room and while DD decided to rest a bit DH and I went to check out the free wine, cheese and snacks. We grabbed a glass of white and blush, some cheese and crackers and little tidbit snacks along with a soda for DD. Once back to our bedroom we knew the drill and got comfortable while everyone else bordered. The train wouldn’t be leaving until around 4 so we still had a bit of a wait ahead of us.

Soon the train began to move and the announcements came over the loud speaker. We were on time, don’t forget about wine and snacks, first dinner at 5 pm, second at 7 and third at 9. We watched as we rolled out of the station and then set up the laptop to watch,
How to Train Your Dragon.

Not even an hour out of the station the train came to an abrupt stop. We had no idea of what was going on figuring a freight train was crossing our path so we had to wait. The time passed and we were still and then the announcement came. A truck tried to beat the train and we hit it in the crossing. It was one of those things that made you stop in your steps and think OMG…what did he say? Dinner was announced for 5 and then finally 7 and we were still not moving.

Once we were seated for our meal the conductor came through the dining area and explained that yes we did hit a truck and we could not move until an investigation was completed. During this time the power kept shutting down which was a little hard since we lost the air each time. It got a little warm from time to time. The power was off through our dinner and then around 8:30 it came back on and we started to move.
My dinner of steak which was good. DD & DH had the same meal back as they did down.

We finished our movie and then the porter came by to make our beds. We called it an early night and since we never really slept on the way down, we expected a repeat experience.
To tell you the truth I just passed out, probably from our extended vacation. Lol. But we did stop a couple of times during the night and you could feel the train was full out.

We woke early and DH and I went for breakfast while DD showered which by the way was a much better experience for her than on the way down. The announcer said that we were only about an hour behind and would arrive in the Lorton station around 9:00. No sooner said did the train stop. This time a freight train was using the tracks and they took their time. By the time we made it into the Lorton station it was 11:00. By the time we got our car, 11:45 and by the time we hit the road…noon. It was kind of crazy with people waiting to get in and people trying to get out. All I knew was we were on our way home.
Narrow Aisles

Inside our bedroom

I won’t bore you with the details of our trip home. We got a very late start, stopped for lunch at a King Phillip’s seafood, (very good by the way) got stuck in traffic especially crossing the George Washington bridge and getting through Connecticut. It was after 9 pm by the time we pulled into our driveway. We were tired, happy and home. I did some unpacking and finished the next day delighted when I opened the little zippered pouch inside my suitcase to discover…you guessed it…DD’s missing diamond dragonfly pendant. It was a perfect end to a great vacation.

So thanks everyone for riding along our National Lampoon’s Christmas vacation. What can I say to bring this lengthily TR to a close? The Auto Train was new and though I don’t think we will ride it again I believe it is something you should experience at least once. The Disney Wonder was more than I could have ever imagined. You must try a Disney cruise!! Disney World at Christmas time always a favorite of mine and Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Rip…Ride…Rocket, and the rest, fantastic. New places like the Royal Pacific and even the Radisson at the Port were wonderful and despite the chilly weather it was a great vacation. So now there’s only one thing left to do…start my PTR for our next adventure. Thanks so much for reading.
Linda