PTR: Finally making this trip happen!

[scrabblegirl]

Hi all,

My name is Amanda, and I'll be travelling next week with my husband, Evan, and our two nephews, Addison (15) and Cam (11). We had planned to take this trip in 2012 with my sister (Cam's mom) but she was diagnosed with A.L.L. leukemia. She passed away in 2013 at the age of 27.

This isn't a sad trip, though! My nephews have never been to Florida before, and they've never stayed club level anywhere before, so we're trying to make it a big deal. We're spending Super Bowl Sunday at an airport park-and-fly hotel near Detroit, then we'll be at PBH next Monday through Friday. I have to admit, I was getting kind of nervous over the cost, but I just got rehired in at my old job for more money than I was making before. (I was laid off in 2006.) Crazy, but I'll take it! It also means that we won't be fretting over the price of every meal. I mean, we're not getting gold-plated personally autographed Harry Potter wands or anything, but I think we'll have a nice time.

My nephews aren't huge HP fans (my grandpa's brother was actually named Harry Potter. lol) but they're looking forward to Marvel Island, Men in Black and Transformers. My husband is an encyclopedia of Simpsons knowledge, so we're looking forward to seeing how Springfield has changed since we were last there. And my personal favorites are The Mummy and Jurassic Park (if it's not being refurbed next week.)

Our plans are kind of up in the air right now because of two things: the weather and potentially upgrading our UT tickets to AP's. (I got the ones that don't expire). I'm bringing ponchos, but I really hope the weather's not too bad. Unless it is unreasonably expensive, we'll upgrade to AP's on Monday and spend a little bit of each day in the parks. If we can't upgrade for some reason, we may just chill out at the pool on Monday and monitor all the treats in the club lounge.

Day 2 will definitely be a US day so we can see what all the HP fuss is about, then hit all of the major rides at least once before deciding what the boys want to repeat. We were planning to go to NASCAR Cafe because Addison is a fan, but you know that's closed now.

I guess I should also point out that my nephews are two of the pickiest eaters on the planet. The only people who are pickier are my sister (Addison's mom) and my mother. So I think this is going to be a tour of chicken fingers from around the world. I think Margaritaville may be a safe bet for Tuesday night. Addison is a fiend for banana cream pie, though, so we may have to go to Emeril's just for dessert. Our only other planned meals are at least one trip to the food court in Springfield, and either the Kitchen or NBA. We are easy going, but if we don't have SOME plan, our family tends to sit in the hotel room playing on cell phones the entire trip. I will not let that happen!

We'll likely spend the morning of Day 3 at IOA, and then we'll see where the boys want to revisit. Depending on the weather and the movie options, we may see a movie or try to make our way to CBBR for bowling and dinner. I'm even considering Wonderworks if the weather is truly terrible on Thursday. (This is especially true if we aren't able to upgrade to AP's.)

Our flight home leaves after 8pm on Friday, so we may be able to go to a park again or enjoy the pool and club lounge throughout the day.

I know, this is not the most exciting pre-trip report, but I'm hoping the after-trip report is more colorful. I bought the Photo Connect pass, so maybe we'll get some good pics to share!

 

[schumigirl]

Sounds like a lovely trip with your nephews..........I'm so sorry about your sister. Can't have been easy for anyone to cope with.........both your nephews will love Universal I'm sure.

Even non HP fanatics can enjoy everything it has to offer........so it'll be fun alongside all the things they are so looking forward to.

Wish you a wonderful trip and look forward to hearing about it

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Sounds like a marvellous trip you have in the works, and how wonderful to share that time with your nephews. Hugs to you on the loss of your sister . Cancer is a horrible disease.

I am very much looking forward to reading all about your Universal adventures!

I will also agree with schumigirl....the Harry Potter areas are so incredible, they really make an impression on ALL guests (not just Potterheads). On our first Universal trip, I hadn't ever read an HP book nor watch any of the movies....yet I was still blown away. It really is that well done.

 

[Lynne G]

Talk about picky, my DD, now 13, still has not met very many chicken nuggets she has not liked. Good thing, there's a variety of food both in the parks and at CityWalk. We also liked eating at the Hard Rock and Finnegans. Check out the food stickie at the top of the forums, most menus are there.

Have a great time. Sounds like a very fun trip.

Hugs, to you, as so sad to read about your sister's loss.

 

[dsmom]

So sorry for the loss of your sister. My husband lost his sister to cancer last year, it is a horrible disease.

How nice of you to treat your nephews! They will love PB, it is our favorite resort.

If they love chicken fingers definately try NBA, they have the best chicken tenders EVER!

Enjoy your trip, look forward to following along...

 

[coastgirl]

Aww, sounds great! What fun to be able to treat your nephews like that. We are bringing my 17 yo niece on our trip next month; she lives on the other end of the country, so we don't get to see her much. I think it will add a lot of fun--both your sister's kids and my sister's kid!

You must be there now, I'm a little jealous--but looking forward to hearing about your trip.

 

[scrabblegirl]

I have been too tired to think. I really wanted to write while we're here. I'll try to think of some highlights.

• PBH club is the greatest. Well, I haven't been in the other two. lol
• My younger nephew got lost. He ran ahead and got on the elevator, then got off on the wrong floor. We found him in the lobby. I almost had a nervous breakdown.
• We spent two nights at an airport hotel in Detroit before flying here to avoid driving down in the storm on Sunday. Our brains were fried before we even got on the plane.
• Guest Services upgraded our Buy 2 days Get 1 Free UT tickets to Power Passes for about $9 each. The man accidentally voided the transaction after we had been there a long time. We had just gotten into town, and US was closing in 1 hour. So when he finally gave us our tickets, we didn't stop to check the spelling on them. The next day, waiting in line I noticed he spelled our last name wrong and my nephew's first name. We got it taken care of, but I'm glad I noticed.
• I hit my shin on JP River Adventure really hard. My foot slipped on the final drop. I thought the bone was going to be sticking out, but there wasn't even a mark. lol Now I know why they lock your legs into some of the other rides.
• I fit in Gringott's after the TM almost had to sit on the thing to push it down, but my shins were killing me. I didn't fit in the FJ test seat, so I just waited in line with younger nephew. I was able to ride everything else I tried, so I'm not too disappointed.
• We have the Photo Connect Star Card and LOVE it. We also got a caricature of the nephews, and it's wonderful.
• This has been our best trip ever in terms of crowd levels and weather (so far). We have walked onto every express pass ride with zero people in front of us, and the lines for the non-express rides have moved steadily so you never notice you're waiting. When I was a kid, we would wait out in the blazing sun at Cedar Point for hours, riding every ride only once. Why did we ever put up with that?

 

[schumigirl]

How scary to lose your nephew! Even just a few seconds is nightmare time when you can't find them.

But glad you are having so much fun already

 

[scrabblegirl]

As I'm re-reading what I wrote, it sounds kind of grumpy, but it's not intended that way. We are having the best time. We usually need a vacation from our vacations, but the kids have loved everything so far.

I planned to take pictures of the club lounge, but there hasn't really been anything different than what has already been posted. We've only made it for one evening offering, and that was Mexican rice, guava(?) empanadas, salad with raspberry or Caesar dressing, and something else I can't remember. Last night, they told us it was going to be meatballs with marinara, and I can't remember what else. I have a terrible memory.

Some other pics:

This is us on the bridge to IOA, captured from the Amazing Pictures app.

Banana cream pie from Emeril's at CityWalk

Me, cracking my shin on JP River Adventure.

 

[HM]

Thanks for checking in with us while you are there! So glad you are having great weather, low crowds, and a good time!

 

[coastgirl]

I'm glad you're having fun! I always love a live report, thanks for checking in.

The first time we were at Seaworld, my friend lost her 7 year old in the crowd as we were exiting one of the shows. Awful. I'm glad your nephew wasn't separated from you for long. Clever of him to go to the lobby!

 

[scrabblegirl]

I slept most of the day away. We got home around 2am Saturday morning. I hope i can get back on my sleep schedule before starting my new job Monday.

The boys had a great time. They really didn't seem too excited when I first told them about the trip, but they never wanted to leave. I suggested RPR next time, and they said they only want to stay at PBH. I don't think that's going to happen for various reasons, so I guess I'll have to convince them again.

I would love the convenience of Tower 3 at RPR for the club level, pool and boat dock. PBH was just too big for me. I would also love having access to the laundry at RPR. Our suitcases weighed so much that we had to scramble to fit some items into our carry-on bags or else pay $100 extra (Spirit Airlines). I would love to pack much lighter next time. We'll probably only stay 3 nights instead of 4 next time. We were ready to come home. And I'll NEVER fly out at night again. That last day we spent after checking out just didn't work out for us. We hung out by the pool, then in the club room. Everyone was really nice, but if we would have just gone after checking out of the room, we could have gotten home at a decent hour and felt better. We just didn't have the energy to go to the parks all day, then deal with flying. Lessons learned!

One of my nephews is a little shopaholic. I think he may be better suited for Vegas. He was more interested in the shops instead of the rides (His mother was the same way). Not sure what to do about that. I just let him spend his money on this trip, but I'll have to have some sort of strategy next trip. I set limits for each day, but when he would run out of money, he would sulk for the rest of the day. It was kind of scary.

Also, they said they want to try Disney next time, but I only suggested another trip since we have the annual passes and it would be a lot cheaper next time. Maybe once I get settled into my new job, we'll think about Disney next year. But I'm thinking maybe a HHN trip this October.