PTR: A Spring Fling on the Dark Side ...2 Muggles Celebrate in Diagon Alley!

[bankr63]

Orlando is just saving up all the sunshine and warmth for the first week of May .

Ahem, 2nd/3rd week of March please....

-40 windchill this morning. That's basically the same either side of the border. I think the tires on the truck had frozen square. My -40 windshield washer fluid just kind of bubbled out like a gel... Oh, please get me out of here!


Well, it's forty below
and I don't give a (hoot)
got a heater in my truck
and I'm off to Or-lan-do

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

And the Orlando Eye looks like a lot of fun!! I think you could do it twice, especially since the other experiences will be new to you in December. Might be a nice memory for you and Steve to have on your own .

I think that's what we have decided as well. Now to settle on a day and time, then we can buy the tickets.

Did you guys get another whomping by Mother Nature last night? We got hammered again.....probably another 15 cm, at least. It was a little more moderate temperature-wise.... -8 is much better than -35 .... but we are seriously running out of places to put all this blasted snow!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hi Gina,
I read the article you included.....and promptly took two extra vitamin D's. I am an elementary music teacher. We've had indoor recesses more often than not these past two months and the kids are going stir crazy! My bus duty has me whining into my scarf with tears running down my cheeks!
Reading reports of others' warmth does my heart good.
Having a cold during this wretched weather is just torture. I hope you're feeling better soon.

Ugh, bus duty in this weather.........you make me seriously grateful for my indoor desk job.

The croup has passed and my voice has returned (thank the Lord) but I'm having a really hard time letting go of this persistent cough. Perhaps a restful long weekend is just what the doctor ordered. We managed to get all our must-do's (cleaning, groceries, taking care of mom) all done last night and today, so the next two days are ours to be lazy .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Ahem, 2nd/3rd week of March please....

-40 windchill this morning. That's basically the same either side of the border. I think the tires on the truck had frozen square. My -40 windshield washer fluid just kind of bubbled out like a gel... Oh, please get me out of here!


Well, it's forty below
and I don't give a (hoot)
got a heater in my truck
and I'm off to Or-lan-do

Oh, all right. I hereby authorize sun and warmth for your vacation too....as long as you promise me you'll bring some home with you.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

So, my Valentine brought home Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (did I spell that right?) this afternoon. Its movie night for these two love birds . Hope you are all enjoying a special Valentine's Day with your sweeties as well!

 

[twinkletoe]

Hi Gina,
Holy Freakin' Cold today, eh? We went into Toronto to see The Heart of Robin Hood (it was my Valentine's gift to my family!) and it was very enjoyable.....BUT.....the cold was unbelievable! The walk from the parking garage to the theatre was enough to make me crumble. Spring? Please?
I hope you enjoyed a little Harry Potter with Steve! We watched Men in Black last night in preparation for our Universal trip. Most enjoyable!
I have a question for you: I read your review of the Shrek Feast at the Gaylord Palms. Is this only available during Christmas? I know my crew would enjoy this but I can't figure out if it is a seasonal affair.
Thanks!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hi Gina,
Holy Freakin' Cold today, eh? We went into Toronto to see The Heart of Robin Hood (it was my Valentine's gift to my family!) and it was very enjoyable.....BUT.....the cold was unbelievable! The walk from the parking garage to the theatre was enough to make me crumble. Spring? Please?
I hope you enjoyed a little Harry Potter with Steve! We watched Men in Black last night in preparation for our Universal trip. Most enjoyable!
I have a question for you: I read your review of the Shrek Feast at the Gaylord Palms. Is this only available during Christmas? I know my crew would enjoy this but I can't figure out if it is a seasonal affair.
Thanks!

Ugh, don't even get me started on the cold!! Its ridiculous!! Yet, I am almost ashamed to be complaining after seeing our friends to the east get hammered by a "blurricane" yesterday. So much snow, they pulled the plows off the road in some parts of New Brunswick . Something like 43 cm of accumulation from 8 am to 3 pm alone. Absolutely crazy!!!

Shrek Feast, when we were last there at Christmas 2012, was offered from March to December on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Its an awesome meal and really great character interaction......definitely something I would recommend!!

Here are a few more articles on that particular dining experience:

http://www.examiner.com/article/shr...read-fit-for-a-hungry-ogre-neverending-buffet

http://www.babble.com/travel/shrekfeast-at-gaylord-palms-in-kissimmee-florida/

http://www.disneyeveryday.com/revie...lms-resort-christmassy-dreamworks-experience/

 

[schumigirl]

Just caught up........hope the cough is improving by now......sucks when you can't get rid of that!

Did you enjoy Prisoner of Azkhaban? I loved that book, but the movie wasn't as I imagined, much darker than the previous 2........but still a good movie.......although anything that has Alan Rickman in.....I'll watch. I could listen to him read a phone directory

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Just caught up........hope the cough is improving by now......sucks when you can't get rid of that!

Did you enjoy Prisoner of Azkhaban? I loved that book, but the movie wasn't as I imagined, much darker than the previous 2........but still a good movie.......although anything that has Alan Rickman in.....I'll watch. I could listen to him read a phone directory

Hey shumi, the cough still hangs on but then again, so does our sub-zero weather. I am guessing I might not be fully on the mend until we get some warmth and fresh air.....or at least air that doesn't freeze your throat when you take a breath. It was -30 yesterday, on our Family Day holiday. Other than a quick trip to the Y for a swim, we didn't even bother braving the outdoors. Despite the glorious sunshine, it was just to freakishly cold. The weatherman predicts at least another 2 weeks of unseasonable cold. Fingers crossed its just cold and no more snow. We have run out of places to pile it up.

I enjoyed Prisoner of Azkhaban quite alot, actually. Surprises even me.....this Harry Potter stuff is growing on me . And its so nice to know the significance, now, of things like the Knight Bus. I have a feeling that our visit is going to be so much more.....enriched?....by the fact that I have started to actually learn the Harry Potter storylines. Steve gets really into it (much more than I do), and he's been known to (ahem!) go around the house speaking in a very bad British accent in the hours following our movie dates . Methinks we'll have to have a little chat about that before we watch Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire .

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

In other news......I just bought our tickets for the Orlando Eye for May as well (just Eye tickets for our spring trip....still saving the SEA LIFE Aquarium and Madame Tussaud's to share for the first time with the kiddos at Christmas).

A big thanks to pigletto in particular, who helped talk me into it (not that I needed much of a push....but your comments, my friend, were just the little nudge I needed ).

While I would have LOVED to have been there on their opening day (May 4th), we wanted at least a couple of full days in the park at Universal before breaking for other activities, so I reserved for Tuesday, May 5tth instead (their second day of operation). Close enough for moi . I hope it will be kind of cool in, say, 25 years to tell our grandkids (when they travel to Orlando with their super-cool Nanna and Poppa) that we were among the first people to ride the enormous Orlando Eye. I hope Mother Nature shines on us that day, giving us a sparkling clear view all the way to the Atlantic Coast.

 

[Lynne G]

I'll be interested in how you like the Eye. I am not a fan of Ferris wheels. Kids would definitely go on it though.

We're still below freezing, and just shoveled 6 inches of snow. Since we will have record cold and more snow by Friday, it's getting to be a very cold February. Still thinking of where to go on vacation. No late summer vacation, as DD is going into high school sports, and they start even before school starts. Both kids are bummed at no summer vacation. Oh well, we may do a holiday one instead, but no one can agree on where. Both kids still want to cruise, but the price of holiday cruises are beyond crazy, and I will not pay the hefty up charge to go during the holidays so far. So, were are back to square one.

 

[pigletto]

So glad I could give you a nudge!! I hope you love it. We saw it still in the construction phase on our trip in December. It looks massive!!!
Aren't the Harry Potter stories fantastic? Some of the details in the Universal Parks just blew my mind. They did such an incredible job. I know you are a details gal and I suspect you are just going to be so impressed with all of the little details .

We are under four weeks until our trip to Universal and I'm already thinking of our 2016 trip lol. Dh and I sat down this weekend and plotted his remaining vacation days. We are using 6 for this trip in March, we've already used 1, so that left 8. We decided to use the remainder for a week at the cottage in the summer and to extend Thanksgiving and another long weekend for the cottage. So that means no more trips in 2016. We had been hoping for October, but I think it's best to let the vacation budget (and hopefully the Canadian dollar) recover a little bit .

So it's looking like a trip next winter. And so far I have no idea when or where exactly. I just know it needs to be somewhere warm and if next winter is anything like this one, I will need it to get me out of the snow and cold!

 

[Monykalyn]

Hi Gina! Enjoying your PTR very much. Also the descriptions of how cold you guys are help put our winter into perspective (Southwest Missouri-about an hour north of Branson). We finally got our winter-seems it is all coming this week alone-6-8 inches past 2 days of snow (with layer of ice under that). Thankfully I am off these 2 days so no having to drive with others who have no clue what to do with winter weather. Kids are on their second snow day out of school. From looks of weather forecast they may be out the whole week...But we did have a few upper 70's days in January-just enough to tease us for spring! It is actually a joke in Missouri-"don't like the weather? wait a few hours-it will change". We can literally go from 80's (F) one day to snow in 24 hours in the spring.

We haven't been back to Universal in 11!! years. Very much looking forward to our trip this year to see all the Harry Potter stuff. Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite book of the series.

I've done so much planning for the WDW part that I feel like I am missing something on the Universal side! Mythos is on our must do list too!

Will be living vicariously through all those whose trips come before ours-hoping that makes the time go faster (haven't quite hit the <100 day mark yet).

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I'll be interested in how you like the Eye. I am not a fan of Ferris wheels. Kids would definitely go on it though.

We're still below freezing, and just shoveled 6 inches of snow. Since we will have record cold and more snow by Friday, it's getting to be a very cold February. Still thinking of where to go on vacation. No late summer vacation, as DD is going into high school sports, and they start even before school starts. Both kids are bummed at no summer vacation. Oh well, we may do a holiday one instead, but no one can agree on where. Both kids still want to cruise, but the price of holiday cruises are beyond crazy, and I will not pay the hefty up charge to go during the holidays so far. So, were are back to square one.

I don't like Ferris Wheels either, Lynne. Or heights in generally (truth be told.....they terrify me). Yet, I have no problem riding the Niagara Skywheel, which is very similar to the Eye in the sense that they are glass-walled "pods" (albiet a lesser height.....175 feet versus 400). I think its the fact that its all enclosed. When you don't have the feeling that you could tip forward and plummet to your death, it really does make a difference.

I hear ya on the holiday pricing. The price gouging for people who want to travel during those times is just painful. Westjet just released their Christmas fares to Orlando, and it would be minimum $835 pp return, and that's not including seat selection or baggage. OMG!! I sure hope I can secure something more reasonable with Jetblue or Southwest for our December trip or we'll be eating kraft dinner in the villa every night!! lol

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

So glad I could give you a nudge!! I hope you love it. We saw it still in the construction phase on our trip in December. It looks massive!!!
Aren't the Harry Potter stories fantastic? Some of the details in the Universal Parks just blew my mind. They did such an incredible job. I know you are a details gal and I suspect you are just going to be so impressed with all of the little details .

We are under four weeks until our trip to Universal and I'm already thinking of our 2016 trip lol. Dh and I sat down this weekend and plotted his remaining vacation days. We are using 6 for this trip in March, we've already used 1, so that left 8. We decided to use the remainder for a week at the cottage in the summer and to extend Thanksgiving and another long weekend for the cottage. So that means no more trips in 2016. We had been hoping for October, but I think it's best to let the vacation budget (and hopefully the Canadian dollar) recover a little bit .

So it's looking like a trip next winter. And so far I have no idea when or where exactly. I just know it needs to be somewhere warm and if next winter is anything like this one, I will need it to get me out of the snow and cold!

Well, shoot. I guess this means no October Dismeet then, huh? Ah well, I will take a rain cheque for next time . We're hoping to go the last week of April 2016, to squeeze in one last trip with the Universal AP's before they expire. Wanna join us?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hi Gina! Enjoying your PTR very much. Also the descriptions of how cold you guys are help put our winter into perspective (Southwest Missouri-about an hour north of Branson). We finally got our winter-seems it is all coming this week alone-6-8 inches past 2 days of snow (with layer of ice under that). Thankfully I am off these 2 days so no having to drive with others who have no clue what to do with winter weather. Kids are on their second snow day out of school. From looks of weather forecast they may be out the whole week...But we did have a few upper 70's days in January-just enough to tease us for spring! It is actually a joke in Missouri-"don't like the weather? wait a few hours-it will change". We can literally go from 80's (F) one day to snow in 24 hours in the spring.

We haven't been back to Universal in 11!! years. Very much looking forward to our trip this year to see all the Harry Potter stuff. Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite book of the series.

I've done so much planning for the WDW part that I feel like I am missing something on the Universal side! Mythos is on our must do list too!

Will be living vicariously through all those whose trips come before ours-hoping that makes the time go faster (haven't quite hit the <100 day mark yet).

Welcome aboard Monykalyn, and thanks for joining in!

So sorry to hear about your miserable weather. A few of us on this thread can certainly relate!! lol Spring is set to arrive one month from Friday, but man....have we got a long way to go. I cannot even fathom upper 70's in January. I think I may consider a move to Missouri!!

So....if you are not quite at the 100 day mark, does that put you at travelling in June? Once the weather breaks and the poor weather is officially behind us, I'm betting it will feel like your dates roar up quite quickly. Its these long, dark, snowy days of winter that D-R-A-G on so pitfully slowly.

11 years since your last trip! Wow! We were there in 2012 and its changed so much even since then. It will be like you are first-timers again!!!

 

[Monykalyn]

Welcome aboard Monykalyn, and thanks for joining in!

So sorry to hear about your miserable weather. A few of us on this thread can certainly relate!! lol Spring is set to arrive one month from Friday, but man....have we got a long way to go. I cannot even fathom upper 70's in January. I think I may consider a move to Missouri!!

So....if you are not quite at the 100 day mark, does that put you at travelling in June? Once the weather breaks and the poor weather is officially behind us, I'm betting it will feel like your dates roar up quite quickly. Its these long, dark, snowy days of winter that D-R-A-G on so pitfully slowly.

11 years since your last trip! Wow! We were there in 2012 and its changed so much even since then. It will be like you are first-timers again!!!

Yeah we are travelling first 2 weeks in June. When we went last year Hubby and I were down for 4 days first for a business convention, then my inlaws flew down with the kids (late June). Inlaws stayed 3 days (at your favorite resort too!) and we stayed for another week. Just wasn't time for Universal last year as only my oldest remembers going to Disney (and first time for my son and basically middle kid too as she was 16 months last time) and we wanted to show kids Disney without having to rush. But that middle child and I are huge HP fans and so Universal is getting worked in this trip!!

We are timeshare owners too (here in MO at Lake of the Ozarks) and trade for Marriott when we go to Florida. Sheraton Vistana Resort was briefly available when we first started looking but I didn't pull trigger quick enough. At Sabal Palms this time-which is OK as the Marriott World center amenities are available for small fee (way less expensive than a water park-although now DH is talking about aquatica and see world too...had to talk him into this trip and now I have to hold him back on trying to plan everyday)

We did the High Roller wheel in Las Vegas last fall and it was amazing. I think our kids would love to do the Orlando eye so may have to look into that...

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We are timeshare owners too (here in MO at Lake of the Ozarks) and trade for Marriott when we go to Florida. Sheraton Vistana Resort was briefly available when we first started looking but I didn't pull trigger quick enough. At Sabal Palms this time-which is OK as the Marriott World center amenities are available for small fee (way less expensive than a water park-although now DH is talking about aquatica and see world too...had to talk him into this trip and now I have to hold him back on trying to plan everyday)

We did the High Roller wheel in Las Vegas last fall and it was amazing. I think our kids would love to do the Orlando eye so may have to look into that...

lol, that's the "problem" with Orlando, isn't it? There's just so much cool stuff to do....so much you WANT to do....and never enough time to squeeze it all in!!!

We always end up having to make a conscious (and sometimes painful) effort to build some downtime into our vacations. Otherwise, we come home so tired we need another vacation to recuperate!

 

[tristyp]

Hello hello hello
I was a bit disappointed as I have not seen a trip report. As we have been debating on Disney and Universal I ran into this tonight. I am all caught up and am so happy I ran into this report.

A couple of quick notes for you. Sweet tomatoes was our favourite meal when we went last year and is on our must do again. Fresh breads and soups. There is lots of coupons all over. I think I paid 35 for all five of us when we went last year. Worth every penny.

As you know I am always trying to find a deal especially with the Canadian dollar tanking. In saying that Aquatica had $19 days in September and October last year. Just some food for thought in case it doesn't work for this trip. I will be following religiously now that I know there is a trip report going. I may also have a few questions about sky auction of you don't mind helping out.

 

[schumigirl]

I enjoyed Prisoner of Azkhaban quite alot, actually. Surprises even me.....this Harry Potter stuff is growing on me . And its so nice to know the significance, now, of things like the Knight Bus. I have a feeling that our visit is going to be so much more.....enriched?....by the fact that I have started to actually learn the Harry Potter storylines. Steve gets really into it (much more than I do), and he's been known to (ahem!) go around the house speaking in a very bad British accent in the hours following our movie dates . Methinks we'll have to have a little chat about that before we watch Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire .

Glad you enjoyed the film, it is good. I do think you can absolutely enjoy HP areas without knowing a thing about them, but yep, if you know the stories and background it will enrich the experience.

Would love to hear his accent though lol.......I hear some corkers from people who "think" they can do a Scottish accent......... one guy was so alarming I backed away from him......don`t know why he was shouting....lol......all good fun though.....I do a mean New York accent according to my cousins who live there........maybe they were being nice though