Star Wars Weekends, 24 Hour Party and Shenanigans UPDATE10/16 Star Wars Sci Fi bfast

[pigletgirl]

Nice start! How cool that you could see Wishes from the plane. The Epcot ball was a beauty as well!

And I will play along as well:
Favorite Park: EPCOT with MK being a very close second
Favorite Characters to Meet: The Fab 5!
Favorite Movie: Beauty and the Beast
Favorite Nighttime Show: Illuminations
Favorite Counter Service/Snack: CS: Sunshine Seasons; Jalapeno cheese pretzel
Favorite Disney transportation: The boats!
Favorite Disney horse: Phillipe
Favorite Hotel: (value): Pop (mod): POFQ (deluxe): Polynesian (Guess, I have a "P" theme going on, eh?!)

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

@Ohio State Buckeyes
We stayed at Royal Pacific in March. Loved the hotel, loved the room, loved the view, loved the pool, loved the proximity to the parks, hated the hallway carpet

The Austin airport rarely gets very crowded or backed up. We usually try to get there at least 1.5 hours before, maybe 2 if we are being paranoid. If you are coming from up north, then traffic, especially on the toll road shouldn't be bad. Sometimes, we can hit bad traffic on Friday afternoons/evenings coming from southwest. There are a lot of decent, and actually good, places to eat in the Austin airport. What's cool, is that many of the places in the airport are not really chains, or they are chains that started in Austin. We like Thundercloud, Salt Lick, Hill's, Schlotzky's, Amy's, and Hoover's. There's a new place on the American Airlines end (to the right and all the way down when you enter after security) that looks good, but we haven't tried it. They look like a bakery/sandwichy/healthy/salady type place.

EDIT: I always bring ear plugs in my purse, everywhere, so I always have them while traveling. We once stayed across from the Duomo in Florence. It was really noisy, due to the church bells and the people's voices echoing off the hard surfaces in the square all night. We didn't have any ear plugs then. I would have given anything for some, but that's not an easy thing to come by in Europe. Plus, I sometimes snore, so DH wears them

I kind of liked the carpet haha.

Geez, I should have talked to you about the airport! We came from cedar park, so yes, the north.

I think we ended up with sandwiches from schlotzkys. No picture since I try not to embarrass Brian with food pics until we're at disney. Next time we'll try some of your places!

Brian did eventually buy earplugs from the hotel gift shop. We were very unprepared the first night. We've stayed with them before and never experienced anything like this.

Normal snoring is ok. This... Was unholy.

Nice start! Did they let you bring all that stuff on board? They are so strict nowadays.

I love the Royal Pacific Resort! We stayed a couple of years ago. I even had an impromptu Dis Meet there...someone tapped me and said..."are you Chunkymonkey?" and any normal person might thing that's weird but I was overjoyed to meet a fellow Dis-er!

It looks like the changed the rooms a bit...looks a lot prettier and matches the rest of the resort...I do miss all the free stuff they kept passing you at the pools...ice pop ma'am? yes please!

Hope you had a great time at Universal! Can't wait to hear more!

Yep, they let us aboard! I kind of hid the camera bag under my backpack and carried the wrapped kite in the hope they wouldn't turn away a bday gift. Good old southwest. It was ok anyway, we didn't take up more than our allotment of space. The gift went on top of our carry ons in the bin and the camera bag fit with my backpack under the seat. My backpack may have just been full of stuffed animals (that I call sophisticated companions). I like to have mascots for the trip and I find bringing them makes me less likely to buy more. I have a problem.

Lol I kind of hope other people overheard the other DISer call you chunky monkey. They'd be like... That's not right hahah.



I heard that they did update the rooms lately.

I'm glad the Austin airport ended up being easy to manage. No excuse not to make a lot more trips! Laughing at your 20 million drink coupons. I have many as well (after giving many away to friends). I keep forgetting to bring them with me...although I don't often drink and not sure I would want to on an airplane. I try my best to avoid needing a potty break. I need to remember them and either use them or offer them to parents traveling with young children.

And how neat to see Wishes from the sky!

I think we all have those days were we look back on our pictures and are like, What was I thinking? Add in that you had a strong drink on a travel day and it is perfectly acceptable. Although I have to admit I don't really have a clue as to what this resort looks like.

Sorry about the snoring. Traveling with others (even others you love to death) can be tough.

I like your idea about handing out the drink coupons! We always thought we'd hand some out if we made friends with people who sat next to us... But nope, no new friends.

Oh yes, the airport is easy even if the parking is a bit pricier than Columbus, we always parked in that $4 lot. So many more trips!

Nice start! How cool that you could see Wishes from the plane. The Epcot ball was a beauty as well!

And I will play along as well:
Favorite Park: EPCOT with MK being a very close second
Favorite Characters to Meet: The Fab 5!
Favorite Movie: Beauty and the Beast
Favorite Nighttime Show: Illuminations
Favorite Counter Service/Snack: CS: Sunshine Seasons; Jalapeno cheese pretzel
Favorite Disney transportation: The boats!
Favorite Disney horse: Phillipe
Favorite Hotel: (value): Pop (mod): POFQ (deluxe): Polynesian (Guess, I have a "P" theme going on, eh?!)

You know, I've heard people wax poetic about that pretzel but I've never tried it. It shall have to go onto my list.

You do have a P theme but I like it!! All good resorts.

Seriously, there is nothing better than arriving on vacation and have wishes going off to welcome you!!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

first, to your question in response to my "favorites" - I haven't seen the Symphony of the Stars yet (we haven't gone during SWW yet) but I have heard very good things about it and have watched some of it on youtube and hope to see it in person some time in my life

Glad the travel was fairly painless ... well, especially for you after having the cup of vodka on the plane, I would think everything was pretty painless

those drinks had the barest splash of coke and tomato juice...I could barely drink mine but I put my vacation face on and chugged it.

... love the concept of a "vacation face" - I'll have to keep that in mind and use it to justify "one more drink"

How cool that you got to see Wishes from the plane! Now that is a good official start to vacation (generally my feeling is that for a Disney trip it is when you spot your first palm tree that vacation officially starts)

Bummer about the lack of sleep and that it continued as the theme for the trip ... ah, plenty of time to sleep after vacation is over!

 

[jandlinz]

Those are some amazing pictures of the plane. It's really special you got to see the fireworks from the plane. Sorry to hear about your lack of sleep. Can't wait to read about your adventures.
-Lindsey

 

[kastoney]

Your in flight photos are great. Can't believe you got to capture some of the fireworks from the sky. And you did it tipsy ; ) Impressive.

Looking forward to hearing about your universal time. I know next to nothing about it

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

first, to your question in response to my "favorites" - I haven't seen the Symphony of the Stars yet (we haven't gone during SWW yet) but I have heard very good things about it and have watched some of it on youtube and hope to see it in person some time in my life

Glad the travel was fairly painless ... well, especially for you after having the cup of vodka on the plane, I would think everything was pretty painless

... love the concept of a "vacation face" - I'll have to keep that in mind and use it to justify "one more drink"

How cool that you got to see Wishes from the plane! Now that is a good official start to vacation (generally my feeling is that for a Disney trip it is when you spot your first palm tree that vacation officially starts)

Bummer about the lack of sleep and that it continued as the theme for the trip ... ah, plenty of time to sleep after vacation is over!

You haaaave to go during SWW. Even if your not a huge Star Wars fans, the fireworks are so beautiful. Can't beat John Williams' soundtrack.

I would have agreed that the first palm is the first sign of vacation...but having Wishes welcome you just bumps it up a notch.

Those are some amazing pictures of the plane. It's really special you got to see the fireworks from the plane. Sorry to hear about your lack of sleep. Can't wait to read about your adventures.
-Lindsey

Thanks! My video wasn't really the greatest, but I think I started filming right at the end so I didn't get a lot of fireworks.

Your in flight photos are great. Can't believe you got to capture some of the fireworks from the sky. And you did it tipsy ; ) Impressive.

Looking forward to hearing about your universal time. I know next to nothing about it

Everything I do tipsy is impressive. Actually, that is a great lie. One of my fondest drunk memories is going up to a random table of women at a bar and sitting with them and singing 'we're the three best friends that anyone could have' from The Hangover. Except I'm pretty sure there were 5 of us. But I think they had a good time.

Anyway...Universal is coming!!


Sorry this report has stalled, my parents came to visit from Pennsylvania for a long weekend so I was busy with that. FYI the Alamo sucks and is kind of a travesty, if anyone wasn't aware or had dreams of visiting someday. Tonight I've worked really hard to finish my Photopass pictures and if all goes well there should be a Universal update tomorrow!

 

[soniam]

Sorry this report has stalled, my parents came to visit from Pennsylvania for a long weekend so I was busy with that. FYI the Alamo sucks and is kind of a travesty, if anyone wasn't aware or had dreams of visiting someday.

You must have missed the basement

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

You must have missed the basement

That completely went over my head explanation for the slow people? Hah

 

[LizardQueen8]

That completely went over my head explanation for the slow people? Hah

See "Pee Wee's Big Adventure"

 

[jandlinz]

I forgot to add. O-H...

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

See "Pee Wee's Big Adventure"

Oh gosh how could I forget!!! I need to go rewatch that immediately.

My favorite part is when peewee jumps off the train because the hobo starts talking to him.

I forgot to add. O-H...

I-O!!! How firm thy friendship... I miss living 5 minutes from campus

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

Day 1: Universal Part 1

No sleep, no suntan lotion, no problem!

Our alarms went off way earlier than we wanted them too. But it was our only Universal day! So we were up and ready and packed quickly. Everyone else took the bags to the car while I went to buy some suntan lotion (so maybe that part was sort of a problem). Our spray bottle had been confiscated at the airport the day before, even though we were able to take some through on a previous trip. I figured it'd be no big deal to buy a new bottle, the old one had been under half full anyway. Turns out, Disney doesn't really up charge their suntan lotion but Universal hotels do!! I was soon on my way to meet the others with my new $18 sun tan lotion bottle. Sun tan lotion is a necessity for redheads/vampires, so unfortunately I couldn't wait to buy it later.

Once I was all protected from the nasty, killer sun we headed to early opening at IOA. We managed to get there only 5 minutes after it opened and we quickly headed to Hogsmeade.

I cannot overstate my love for the Harry Potter parts of Universal. I am a huge HP fan, and lately at work I've been listening to the audio books, so I'm right back in the thick of fandom. My favorite book is Prisoner of Azkaban, my favorite movie is Half Blood Prince, my favorite characters are Fred and George but mostly Fred. If any HP fans want to post their own favorites please do!!

We headed straight for the Forbidden Journey.



Ah, I love that castle.

Sheldon's Helpful Hint (based off Big Bang Theory): if you can avoid it, do not bring bags to Universal. Most rides do not have a place for bags and you will have to get a locker. Most of the lockers are free for a certain period of time, but it is still super annoying and the lockers are usually always crowded at the HP rides. Since it is impossible for Brian's mom and sister to not have their purses, we always had to stop and wait.

The line at Forbidden Journey always confuse me. It seems like you always get stopped in the greenhouses and have to wait and there isn't a lot of stuff to look at. Except Brian says the carnivorous plants are now fake, whereas they used to be real. He is really into plants. So I assume he knows. Anyway, once you get past the greenhouse the line seems to speed up and I really would rather wait inside to look around and listen to Dumbledore and the portraits and the trio. As weird as it sounds, one of my favorite parts is when you first enter and see the door marked 'Potions'. It is at that point that I get super excited and think to myself 'I'm really inside Hogwarts!'. I wish Universal would make a Hogwarts experience and you could stay in your house's dorm and take a class or 2 and eat in the great hall.

Anyway, after about a 10 minute wait we were off!!

This ride is my favorite ride ever. I just love how there are so many different elements. There are screens and then there are real scenes and there is water and fog and so much movement with the special robotic ride arm. I think my favorite part might be with the whomping willow. There is so much movement and the tree is just massive. My second favorite part is when the dragon is trying to break into the castle to get you.

Unfortunately our year long Universal photopass (I forget exactly what their program is called) had just run out a day or 2 before our trip so we didn't get any ride photos. Stephanie and I are still confused as to how our yearlong photo thing ran out before the APs, but whatever. If anyone is planning more than one trip to Universal, the photo program is really good. Its not expensive at all, and there are some very good ride photos opportunities.

Since I love Forbidden Journey so much I wanted to go again. Unfortunately, it makes Brian and his mom sick, so Stephanie and I ran around to go again while the other two looked at shops. We went into the single rider line and literally walked right onto the ride.

After our second go round we met up with the others. Brian had a frozen butterbeer waiting for me!!



Yep, today I was sporting my Gryffindor tie and my 'I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good' lanyard. Weasley represent!



It was almost 9 and we wanted to head over to Gringotts before the line got real long so we headed to the Hogwarts Express.



We had about a 10 minute wait before we got to board. I love this ride so much. I even love that the train cars look almost a bit ratty, just like they would in real life. We got to ride with people who had never ridden before, so it was great to see their reactions once we started moving and they could see out the window. I charged Brian with getting a picture of Fred and George and this is what happened:



Whatever, they are quick on their brooms so I guess a good picture is not easy.

We were soon pulling into King's Cross Station and we made a beeline for Gringott's. It was our first day of vacation, so we thought it was a good idea to visit the bank and get some gold out for the rest of the trip. Since the park had been open for about 15 minutes the line was already somewhat long, so we just ducked into the single rider line. The only bad thing about the single rider line is that we miss a lot of the pre-show (which I've only seen twice). But we do get to go by the main lobby.






These goblins are just amazing. Nobody beats Universal's HP queues (sorry Disney, you know I love you). With the single rider line we only had about a 5 minute wait. We were all put on different carts but that was ok.

I enjoy this ride, but its no Forbidden Journey. I do love the way it starts with the drop and I love the way the carts can move.

We ended up having to wait around in the gift shop 10 minutes for Brian. The ride went down for a few minutes and he was stuck right before the unloading station.

We looked around in a few of the shops and stopped at the Magical Menagerie to look for Brian's dragon. He likes the Gringott's albino dragon a lot, but for some weird reason the stores don't really care a lot of merchandise with the dragon. The Menagerie said they might be getting him in the future, and commented that everyone always asks after that dragon. Gee Universal, maybe you should get some merchandise with that dragon then.

We were all pretty hungry at this point and we figured we might try getting some breakfast at Springfield. On the way out, we saw Stan Shunpike so decided to say hello.



Stan asked if I was a Weasley (I get that a lot at Universal). I told him no but that someday I'd like to be *hint hint wink wink* Fred and George hahahaha. Yep, I am a bit odd.



Stephanie was rocking a pretty sweet hat, as you can see.

After that I believe we took the long way around the water to Springfield, only to arrive and figure out that they don't serve breakfast. Ugh, why can't I know everything about Universal like I do about Disney? After that hunger daze set it and we wandered in search of food but found a sponge instead!





Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?! Anyone? I'll give you a hint, he is porous and yellow. On a side note, I saw his new movie and actually really enjoyed it.

Next we decided that we were being idiots about food and should just head back to Diagon Alley, where we should have just eaten in the first place.

First we walked by some cars on display from the new Fast and Furious.



Then we were headed back to use the secret entrance into Diagon Alley.





It was very crowded, lots of wizards and witches doing their shopping this day.



It was that magical time of the morning when you could get either breakfast or lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. Most of us went with lunch. I took some bad pictures of the tavern:





I think this restaurant is nice because you take your candle with your order number to your table and then a wizard brings your food to you. While we were waiting we got to chat with a nice wizard who was changing out the breakfast condiments to lunch condiments on the table.



Here is a picture of our refreshing waters:



This trip we decided to branch out a bit from butterbeer (gasp, the horror!) and we found a new drink that we love! I think it is that fizzy orange drink and its soooooooooo tasty.

I got the seafood and meet pies:



the meat pie was excellent, but I didn't much care for the seafood pie.

Brian got the stew bread bowl which I was super jealous of:



I believe Stephanie got the toad in a hole which she enjoyed:



and their mom got the same thing as me, so I'll forgo showing the picture:

While I enjoyed half my meal here, I think I like the Three Broomsticks over in Hogsmeade better. I do really appreciate the food choices in general in the HP lands though, I feel like they are much healthier and tastier choices than anywhere else. I also really love all the different drink choices. I'm glad they don't just have pop and that they branched out.

After we were all through eating, our gold was burning a hole in our pockets so we decided to go shopping. First stop, Weasley Wizard Wheezes!



Well hello Umbridge:





Always remember to look up in HP stores.

I really appreciated the Fillibuster's wet start fireworks on the ceiling:



I picked out a couple things I wanted to get my sister for her birthday, but I wanted to come back at the end of the day to purchase them. Stephanie, though not a big HP fan, fell in love with a Pygmy Puff and picked a pink puffball. She got up to the register and was stumped at the naming ceremony, so I suggested Pommy.



So Pommy the Pink Pygmy Puff was adopted.



I wanted to go into the goblin moneylender's because I'd heard that he will interact with you.







Doesn't really look like he enjoys jokes, does he? Pretty staunch looking fellow if you ask me.

At this shop you can exchange your muggle money for wizard money. I decided I had to have the special display case that involves a knut a sickle and a galleon. I'm going to do an end of the day souvenir picture later, so you'll have to wait with bated breath to see what those look like later.

Everyone, I have to warn you, this trip report is about to take a turn into darkness. So if your not feeling up to it, I suggest you turn back now.



But really, I'm so pleased that the designers decided to include Knockturn Alley (or nocturnally, for those of you muggles unfamiliar with HP).

After all, you can't have the light without the dark.

Speaking of dark, doesn't get much darker than this:



Booo Bellatrix. When you have a dog named Sirius, you can't really have a lot of good things to say about Bellatrix. We decided to peruse the dark artifacts inside Burgin and Borkes.



The vanishing cabinet, you can even hear the bird inside if you listen closely.

The necklace that almost killed poor Katie Bell:



I just really can't gush enough over the HP shops. They are all so amazingly themed and have such unique merchandise. My favorite has to be Weasley's Wizard Wheezes though. Especially since Universal takes it even a step further and usually assigns all the redheaded employees to that shop. Talk about attention to detail. I kind of want to apply to Universal because I'm pretty sure I'd get assigned to the Wizard Wheezes shop.

Well, I think that is about enough for one update. Next up, our Express Passes are begging to be used so we head out of Diagon Alley and explore the rest of the parks on our whirlwind one day only tour!

I'll end this segment like the DIS Universal podcast and say: Harry Potter is truly Universal.

 

[soniam]

We thought the HP stuff at Universal was very excellent as well. I could just spend all day looking around Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. DH and I enjoy the movies but have not read the books. DS has read all of the books and is a fairly big fan. He is also of Gryffindor. He looked at all of the wands at Ollivanders in March. Out of all of them, he chose Ron Weasley. I am not exactly sure who my favorite character is. I want to buy an interactive wand next trip, so I need to figure what/whose I want. I also want to get a Fawkes. DS got a Hedwig and a pygmy puff. I can't remember what he named his pygmy puff though. The stuffed chocolate frogs are really cool too. We spent way too much money at Honeydukes. I still haven't tapped into my jar of lemon drops yet. The cornish pies at Three Broomsticks are really good.

 

[stacy~**]

Universal updates fascinate me! I wish I could like HP, I really do. So let me ask, I've read the first book (and barely made it through) and got about 100 pages into book 2 and then just couldn't read it anymore. Is this normal? Would things dramatically get better if I somehow persevered through? or because at this point I am not feeling it I never will? I truly appreciate that Universal has done an amazing job with HP but I just think it will be lost on me.

 

[yulilin3]

Universal updates fascinate me! I wish I could like HP, I really do. So let me ask, I've read the first book (and barely made it through) and got about 100 pages into book 2 and then just couldn't read it anymore. Is this normal? Would things dramatically get better if I somehow persevered through? or because at this point I am not feeling it I never will? I truly appreciate that Universal has done an amazing job with HP but I just think it will be lost on me.

yes, keep reading. Book two (as well as the movie) are one of those "you have to get thru it but it's important to the story" sort of things.
I agree with @OhioStateBuckeye the third book is the best (not the movie) Maybe watch the second movie and then read the third book.
@OhioStateBuckeye loving the report, I also love HP and have read the books multiple times. My house is Ravenclaw, favorite book is Prisoner of Azkaban, favorite movie...can't decide but not 2 and favorite character is Neville
@soniam the interactive wand is a fun thing to do. My son bought one thinking he could wear it with his costume while on stage but he was told that the stage hands that assist Tales of Beddle the Bard were, in fact, muggles, he was dissapointed.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

We thought the HP stuff at Universal was very excellent as well. I could just spend all day looking around Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. DH and I enjoy the movies but have not read the books. DS has read all of the books and is a fairly big fan. He is also of Gryffindor. He looked at all of the wands at Ollivanders in March. Out of all of them, he chose Ron Weasley. I am not exactly sure who my favorite character is. I want to buy an interactive wand next trip, so I need to figure what/whose I want. I also want to get a Fawkes. DS got a Hedwig and a pygmy puff. I can't remember what he named his pygmy puff though. The stuffed chocolate frogs are really cool too. We spent way too much money at Honeydukes. I still haven't tapped into my jar of lemon drops yet. The cornish pies at Three Broomsticks are really good.

I want an interactive wand too!! I have Sirius Black's wand right now, Brian got his birth wand that was the skull head. Brian has a Hedwig, did your son get the one that is a puppet? Yeah the chocolate frog stuffed animal did look real cool. I just have way too many sophisticated companions (hahaha) so I have to try to hold myself back. I kind of want to get a Crookshanks because the cat in my avatar is a spitting image of Crookshanks. We had to put our Toulouse down a few months ago. I had planned on getting a stuffed Crookshanks but I just couldn't do it Maybe next time. Did you get the U-No-Poo?? I love those and the bottle is a riot.

Universal updates fascinate me! I wish I could like HP, I really do. So let me ask, I've read the first book (and barely made it through) and got about 100 pages into book 2 and then just couldn't read it anymore. Is this normal? Would things dramatically get better if I somehow persevered through? or because at this point I am not feeling it I never will? I truly appreciate that Universal has done an amazing job with HP but I just think it will be lost on me.

I agree with @yulilin3 and her views on the book. Brian also dropped out during the second book. I liked the second, but that may be because I read it when I was younger. The story really does take off in the third book and it gets much darker and more complex as the kids get older.

You know, I've heard people gush over all the Harry Potter stuff who have never read the books or seen a movie. It is just a really immersive area. I wouldn't want to force you to read the books but I can get pushy with things I love so I think you should try to force yourself through the second, or at least watch the movie, then see if the third book picks up for you You need to know the greatness of Harry Potter!!! (dobby voice).

yes, keep reading. Book two (as well as the movie) are one of those "you have to get thru it but it's important to the story" sort of things.
I agree with @OhioStateBuckeye the third book is the best (not the movie) Maybe watch the second movie and then read the third book.
@OhioStateBuckeye loving the report, I also love HP and have read the books multiple times. My house is Ravenclaw, favorite book is Prisoner of Azkaban, favorite movie...can't decide but not 2 and favorite character is Neville
@soniam the interactive wand is a fun thing to do. My son bought one thinking he could wear it with his costume while on stage but he was told that the stage hands that assist Tales of Beddle the Bard were, in fact, muggles, he was dissapointed.

Yulilin! Yay! I agree with everything you said about HP. Both of my sisters are Ravenclaw, and I think I'd fit in there, but as the Sorting Hat admits, he does take what you want into consideration

Neville!! Neville is such a great character. Every time he gets his 10 points at the end of the first book for standing up to his friends I get a little teary. You know, I've been listening to the audio books at work lately and I've been thinking about Neville. It's mentioned a lot that he has such a horrible memory. I was wondering if that had anything to do with his parents. Do you think maybe he was there and his grandmother gave him a memory charm to get over seeing something that traumatic or something? I just have been finding it so odd that his memory is just so notably horrible and that Rowling brings it up all the time. That Beedle the Bard puppet show is sooooo amazing. I remember reading about it and I'm thinking the Punch and Judy type puppets and I was literally blown away when I saw the show. That art of the puppets is something else.

 

[soniam]

I want an interactive wand too!! I have Sirius Black's wand right now, Brian got his birth wand that was the skull head. Brian has a Hedwig, did your son get the one that is a puppet? Yeah the chocolate frog stuffed animal did look real cool. I just have way too many sophisticated companions (hahaha) so I have to try to hold myself back. I kind of want to get a Crookshanks because the cat in my avatar is a spitting image of Crookshanks. We had to put our Toulouse down a few months ago. I had planned on getting a stuffed Crookshanks but I just couldn't do it Maybe next time. Did you get the U-No-Poo?? I love those and the bottle is a riot.

Yah, he's got the puppet Hedwig. It's fun to play with. I love that you call your stuffed animals sophisticated companions We have all of the Star Wars Itty Bitties from Hallmark now. I am thinking of taking them to SWW next year to hold up when we get a pic with the character or actor. DS also has a stuffed Chopper that we might bring.

I can understand about the kitty. We had to put down my cow kitty, Owsley, right before DS9 was born, right before Xmas. He looked like a Jersey cow. It's definitely hard, but over time, it gets easier to remember the good times without getting teary.

We didn't get any U-No-Poo. I wanted to, but no one else wanted any. Plus, we had spent a ton of money the previous day at Honeydukes. We did get the Fizzing Whizbees though.

know, I've heard people gush over all the Harry Potter stuff who have never read the books or seen a movie. It is just a really immersive area. I wouldn't want to force you to read the books but I can get pushy with things I love so I think you should try to force yourself through the second, or at least watch the movie, then see if the third book picks up for you You need to know the greatness of Harry Potter!!! (dobby voice).

I agree. I think anyone can appreciate it without having ever seen the movies or read the books. I think at least seeing the movies helps though.

Beedle the Bard puppet show is sooooo amazing. I remember reading about it and I'm thinking the Punch and Judy type puppets and I was literally blown away when I saw the show. That art of the puppets is something else.

The Beedle the Bard show is really cool. The puppets were so beautiful. I don't know if @yulilin3 DS was helping the day we saw it, but we did enjoy it.

 

[cinder-ellah]

I'm late, but joining in ........

Favorite Park : MK /
HS during SWW.
Favorite Characters to Meet :
Mickey, Tinker Bell, Captn Hook, Chewbacca.
Favorite Movie: Alice, Peter Pan, Pirates of the Caribbean.
Favorite Nighttime Show : Wishes & Main Street Electrical Parade,
SWW Symphony in the Stars (WOWWEEEEEE !)
Favorite Counter Service/Snack : Frozen Banana dipped in Chocolate, Churro's, Dole Whip (now I'm hungry for those treats).
Favorite Disney transportation : Monorail to MK & to Epcot
Favorite Disney horse: Bullseye
Favorite Hotel: Caribbean Beach Resort (Dreaming of staying at AKL, GF).

 

[cinder-ellah]

I love your HP trip report. I feel like I'm touring with you.
Yummmmm Butterbeer.....

 

[gjaninek]

Favorite Park : Epcot
Favorite Characters to Meet : Mary Poppins
Favorite Movie: Cinderella (animated)
Favorite Nighttime Show : Wishes
Favorite Counter Service/Snack : Ice Cream Sundae
Favorite Disney transportation : Ferry Boat
Favorite Disney horse: Mary's Carrousel Horse
Favorite Hotel: POR