Sorry kids! We're going to the DARK SIDE!

[erinsmom03]

Can't wait to hear more!

We are going to Universal for the first time in 18 days! Very nervous, we love WDW and know it very well. I am a planner, too, and I just feel unprepared! But DD an I are big Harry Potter fans, and I am sure it will be great. Looking forward to more about your time there!

 

[mrsabbott]

I wish I could upload pics or that my phone would take a decent picture! I am hesitant to start a real trip report without pictures!

A few tips.. Getting to WWoHP first thing really is a must! Also, having the bright idea to go back by at the end of the day to purchase a ton of Honeydukes candy so you don't have to lug it around all day Is the SAME bright idea half the other people have too! Talk about CROWDED!

Forbidden Journey is kinda scary.. Not in a roller coaster kind of scary but in a nightmare inducing monster kinda scary.. Just sayin, if your child loves puppies, fluffy things, and claims that "Happy" by Pharrell Williams is her most favoritest song ever and all she wants is a stuffed unicorn like on Despicable Me... then Forbidden Journey MIGHT be a little to dark for her.

 

[macraven]

A few tips.. Getting to WWoHP first thing really is a must! Also, having the bright idea to go back by at the end of the day to purchase a ton of Honeydukes candy so you don't have to lug it around all day Is the SAME bright idea half the other people have too! Talk about CROWDED!

in case you plan to do more shopping on this trip, buy the items in the park store but have it sent to the front of the park.
just tell the TM when you are rung up at the register.

you will be able to pick up the merchandise/candy at the front store when you are ready to leave the park for the day.

it's a free service for all park guests.

 

[mrsabbott]

in case you plan to do more shopping on this trip, buy the items in the park store but have it sent to the front of the park. just tell the TM when you are rung up at the register. you will be able to pick up the merchandise/candy at the front store when you are ready to leave the park for the day. it's a free service for all park guests.

I had no idea!! Good to know! Thank you! We are going back on Tuesday, so we may take advantage of that.

Traffic nearly did my husband in yesterday. It took us an hour to go a mile and a half. I'm not exaggerating! Looking for a back way to our hotel so that we can bypass the night time construction!

I'm up early. Having a cup of coffee and wishing I had another Rock Cake!

We are visiting Sea World today. Last time we went, it was a very relaxed and laid back kind of day. The crowds were minimal. I am hoping that today will be the same. I will be honest, as awesome as Universal is, I am worn out! I think it was because we were trying to get everything done in the time we have! I was serious when I said I wished we had two weeks straight to take it all in!

 

[Heluvsme]

Sea World Day!!! I would so much rather be at Sea World today than here in Kentucky!! Have a great time!!!

Did you stay up until closing yesterday?

I'm always up early on vacation too, even when I want to sleep in, I rarely can. I do like my time alone though, even if it's just for a half hour in the morning.

Hope the weather's good!!

 

[mrsabbott]

Sea World was great! Perfect weather here!we did stay til closing yesterday and to almost closing today! Tomorrow is another Universal day.. We are going to visit Studios for a bit and then switch over to IofA see the rest of it and revisit a few more places. Wednesday will be more relaxed. We will need a break after these long days but the kids have been troopers!

p.s. I have taken over 400 pictures so far!

 

[plannermom]

So glad to hear it is going well! Just one more day of early rising and going for it. Be sure to make the coffee strong tomorrow and let the kids get all sugared up on butterbeer!

 

[mrsabbott]

I am the early bird this morning. Coffee is going. It is nice and quiet. I am just so happy to be here! I have to say though, my old body is a little stiff! We have done a lot of walking and very little sitting. Probably a good thing because I have thrown my diet out the window for this vacation!

I am looking forward to returning to Universal today. We will do our owl post today. Kids are looking forward to Minion Mayhem. I want to check out the I Love Lucy tribute and Hubs doesn't want to miss the Blues Brothers. He may catch a roller coaster or two if the wait isn't too awful. Still, I of A has become our favorite. I might feel differently when Diagonal Alley opens though. Way impressed with Universal... Hope to come back in a couple of years.

Ok, so I've "planned" our day. We will get there early and head over to Despicable Me first thing. Only, it appears that Buds can't ride it. after that, Hubs will go do his roller coaster while the kids and I visit the kid sized area for a few. Hubs can take Pod and Punky on the Mummy coaster. Boo will be to scared. She, Buds, and I will head to the Lucy tribute and we will all meet to take in either the 11a or 12n Blues Brothers show. After that, back to I of A!

 

[mrsabbott]

Well, slight change in plans. After showering, I went to wake the kids and they are so sound asleep... I don't care if we don't get there early today. We know what we want to see and do, so we will just wing it. I'm going to let them sleep in a little.

 

[Lynne G]

Such a good DM. I let my kids sleep in at least one day of our vacation. Time to recharge and not be up and about. I am usually up way before my kids. I just can't get off the early routine I have, whether on vacation or not.

Have a great time at Universal!

 

[RaisingTwoOnlies]

Well, slight change in plans. After showering, I went to wake the kids and they are so sound asleep... I don't care if we don't get there early today. We know what we want to see and do, so we will just wing it. I'm going to let them sleep in a little.

Your day will most likely be much more enjoyable by doing this! Enjoy your day!!

 

[mrsabbott]

What a great day! We got to the parks about 9:30am. Let me say that Tuesday is THE day to go! We enjoyed today way more then Sunday! I will also say that we enjoyed Universal Studios more then expected! Two very different atmospheres but both enjoyable!

Long story short, we had an awesome time and want to go back ASAP!!

I've taken over 700 pictures! I'm glad we are having a quiet day tomorrow. I'm not setting my alarm, I am just going to wake up when I wake up!

Downtown Disney and T-Rex Cafe tomorrow and then dinner and swimming at the resort in the evening. I can't believe our vacation is half over!

 

[mrsabbott]

Woke up at 7:15am, which is sleeping in for me. I am sitting outside on out little screened in patio having coffee and enjoying the peace and quiet! I am already planning our next vacation to Universal in my mind! Because of the generosity of so many, we have gotten to eat out and do more then we normally would have. I will admit that a vacation filled with good food is more enjoyable then one filled with PB&J, I will gladly eat simply the next time just to get an opportunity to return.

I really wish I could upload pics and start my TR while it is bouncing around in my head, but I think it will be nice to go back and relive the memories once we get back home!

Some thoughts.. I like having all the room that our resort/apartment offers. The fridge is nice but overall we haven't used the kitchen much. However, the washer and dryer has been invaluable! It's nice to throw a load in before we leave and switch it out when we get home. Much like I do at home when I work. I doubt we will afford to stay at a place like this again..

Also, there is this drive to squeeze as much fun as we can in.. Next trip I would love to take longer or maybe do less. Hubs and I both agree that we need more time to explore the parks.. Perhaps we should focus on just one fun thing instead of multiple. Not to say that we aren't super excited about Legoland and Wet & Wild.. But we are pretty exhausted! My body was so sore when I got back last night! I'm just too old for non stop fun!

 

[Heluvsme]

Don't ya love those few minutes before everyone else wakes up?

I hear ya on either making it longer, or doing less. When my kiddos were younger, we squeezed in everything we could because we didn't know when we'd get back. Now that they're older (and WE are older) we have boiled down our vacations to a decent mixture of relaxing and going.

I can't wait to hear about T-Rex. We do Rainforest a lot, but have never done T-Rex. I always thought the loudness of the dinosaurs would get on my nerves, but I'd love to try it sometime!

Legoland sounds like so much fun!! We are originally from California, and many of our friends have gone there recently (because of the movie there have been a lot of promotional tickets, etc), and apparently at their resort, the elevators are AWESOME!! You should You Tube them sometime, they're very cool to see. My son, who has a You Tube channel dedicated to elevators and escalators rolleyes would absolutely LOVE seeing them. I don't know if Florida's LEgoland has them or not.

Have a great rest of your trip!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Sea World was great! Perfect weather here!we did stay til closing yesterday and to almost closing today! Tomorrow is another Universal day.. We are going to visit Studios for a bit and then switch over to IofA see the rest of it and revisit a few more places. Wednesday will be more relaxed. We will need a break after these long days but the kids have been troopers!

p.s. I have taken over 400 pictures so far!

We love SeaWorld too!!! Its one of our favourite parks in Orlando . Glad you had a great time there.

Some thoughts.. I like having all the room that our resort/apartment offers. The fridge is nice but overall we haven't used the kitchen much. However, the washer and dryer has been invaluable! It's nice to throw a load in before we leave and switch it out when we get home. Much like I do at home when I work. I doubt we will afford to stay at a place like this again.

You could always look into renting a timeshare, or a community like Windsor Hills (a townhouse rental with your own private splash pool, as well as a community pool with a waterslide). Both options can be way less than you would expect (and have laundry facilities....they are a must in our vacation accomodations as well!!! )

Next trip I would love to take longer or maybe do less. Hubs and I both agree that we need more time to explore the parks.

That's what we find works best for us. Less is more. While each of our initial trips were go, go, go, we have (finally!) found our happy balance between commando-style and relaxation (and taht balance is different for everyone). You'll find your "balance" changes as your kiddos get older as well.

 

[plannermom]

I hope today's pace let you slow down a little, maybe even enjoy a pool, put your feet up? It is hard to do so much in so short a time. My entire lower body aches after a couple of days in the parks, but on the other hand, I sleep so well at night! My feeling is always that I can sleep later, and I just keep adding caffeine as needed.

I can't wait to see your pics and hear your thoughts on Universal when you get home. Keep having fun!

 

[mrsabbott]

Yesterday was far more relaxed! Slept late. Had coffee on the porch. T-Rex Cafe was okay.. Kids adored it! Some family came over and we got to swim for a bit. I fell asleep watching a movie.

Today, we are going to the water park and then to Medieval Times! Kids still don't know we are going there! Can't wait to surprise them!

Our vacation is almost over.. It has been an awesome week so far!

 

[wendy3]

Best. Report. Ever. Just found you today, so now I am all caught up. Let me add my "thank you" to your DH and entire family for your sacrifices for our country. You just sound so nice. I'm thrilled that you have the opportunity to take this trip. Now that I've subbed, I can continue to follow your adventures!

 

[mrsabbott]

Best. Report. Ever. Just found you today, so now I am all caught up. Let me add my "thank you" to your DH and entire family for your sacrifices for our country. You just sound so nice. I'm thrilled that you have the opportunity to take this trip. Now that I've subbed, I can continue to follow your adventures!

Thank you!

Water park was fun, although I have discovered that applying 50 SPF sunscreen 3 times in a 4 hour period is not enough to keep this Momma from getting a nasty sunburn!

Medieval Times was enjoyable and everyone loved it except the birthday girl who thought that the fighting was too scary. Wasn't Disneyfied enough for her.

Today is our last day of vacation! We are going to Legoland today.

 

[Heluvsme]

Aw I'm sorry about the sunburn, today's sun and heat might really hurt.

Enjoy Legoland, can't wait to hear about it!