The 5 trips of My "Disney Free Year" - A Mermaid, A Buzz, A Boat and A Steak - 7/8

[wdwgirl03]

Yeah, the WWOHP line can be nutty. We were glad we went and got in line first thing in the morning because when we left the crowd you described was kind of like that. OK not quite that crazy but still bad.

Maybe I'm just a Disney snob but I didn't care for the Shrek movie either. But then again I don't really like Shrek period. I think I'm the only one on the face of this planet who doesn't. Everyone seems to love it.

 

[luckylady]

Just read all of the report. Nice room you had. As for WWoHP ya we went there in July stayed at Portafina Bay and was glad we did just for that reason. Long lines to get in.Crazy long. What a great time you had. Can't wait to read more.

 

[not_Joanna_eggs]

Yeah, the WWOHP line can be nutty. We were glad we went and got in line first thing in the morning because when we left the crowd you described was kind of like that. OK not quite that crazy but still bad.

Maybe I'm just a Disney snob but I didn't care for the Shrek movie either. But then again I don't really like Shrek period. I think I'm the only one on the face of this planet who doesn't. Everyone seems to love it.

Just wait until we actually go into WWOHP. Universal was the one place where we really felt the "Christmas Week" crowds. We probally should have gone first thing, but with when we arrived, I'm not sure it would have made a difference. It was a crowded day. When we left, there was a 90 wait for the sneeches ride - at like 8 pm.

I like Shrek - actually my family thinks I look like Princess Fiona - in ogre form. I know it sounds weird, but I totally see it - I used to have red hair too! It was kind of uncanny, well except the whole I don't have green skin or ears poking out of my forhead, but other than that I'm a dead ringer

Just read all of the report. Nice room you had. As for WWoHP ya we went there in July stayed at Portafina Bay and was glad we did just for that reason. Long lines to get in.Crazy long. What a great time you had. Can't wait to read more.

Welcome aboard! We liked our room it was a good size. A bit of a come-down from the Grand Villa at BLT we stayed in last January, but it was a good size for us.

We all commented about the lines at Universal. After the 10, nothing had less than a 30 minute wait. Everything just seemed crowded. We never experienced that feeling at Disney.

You won't have to wait long - next update is coming up shortly

 

[not_Joanna_eggs]

After the Mummy ride, we finally convinced Panic to re-open her eyes. What a trooper, even if she did only last 20 seconds into the ride.

Since Queenie and Grumpy did’t join us on the Mummy ride, we had pre arranged a meeting spot by this giant tree.

Queenie? Grumpy Where are you?

Meanwhile, Grumpy and Queenie were rocking out to the Blues Brothers

We’re waiting…

And waiting,…

Then the Blues Brothers’ concert ended…

and we met up with Queenie and Grumpy.

We decided it was time for lunch, so on a decision based solely on proximity, we had lunch at Finnegan’s.

I’m so hungry I could eat you!

Hmm… My Guinness looks funny…

It was a nice pub/bar atmosphere.

We ordered the Onion straws to start with

Grumpy got the scotch eggs.

Queenie and I split the Sheppard’s Pie

Queenie liked it, I didn’t so much – I should have ordered the Scotch Egg instead!

Greg got a Guinness stew.

Panic got some kind of sandwich? (my notes don't say what it is...maybe she remembers?)

DH got theCorned Beef and Cabbage

Food is good. Must eat now.

 

[not_Joanna_eggs]

After lunch we headed towards the MIB ride.

First we checked out the line for Jaws – 40 minutes and you get wet. No thanks!

At last MIB

Except there was a 120 minute wait. Not for us! Same with the Simpson’s ride though I think that might have been a 140. Since none of us are huge Simpson's fans, it was easy to cross that one off the list.

So we headed over to ET.

Freaky Flowers!

ET Phone Home?

This ride could use an update or 12.

After ET, there was a little holiday show that totally wigged me out. Why on earth would Scooby, Shaggy, The man in the Yellow Hat and Woody the ‘Pecker be dancing together?

Oh yeah, the man in the yellow hat was rapping

It was like a train wreck, we couldn’t stop looking

But I was excited to see Woody the Pecker – my childhood fave.

For those of you that didn't read my PTR, When I was little - like 2 or 3 - I used to love Woody the Woodpecker, but I would call him Woody the Pecker and when I would see him I'd get excited and run around in circles yelling Woody the Pecker Woody the Pecker

I can’t describe on how many levels this show was wrong.

Just WTH?

By this point it was after 3, so we started walking towards the exit to head back to IOA.

Along the way we ran into my favorite blue monster.

Along the way, they were recruiting people to go into the Horror Makeup show…. So we decided to check it out.

I don’t know, the over the top predictable comedy is just not my cup of tea.

After the Horror Make-up show, we decided to head back to IOA and hope the line for WWOHP was shorter.

 

[not_Joanna_eggs]

This time we made it past Jurassic Park – things were looking up!

Then we hit the wall of ropes and lines. We had no idea where we were supposed to go or what we were supposed to do. There was no signage, or staff people directing you where to go – just people telling you were in the wrong place.

So essentially what we had to do was get into a line in order to get a ticket. Once we got the ticket, we had to go into another line to get into HP world, so we could have the privilege of waiting in more lines. Ugh.

This Harry Potter fella better be worth it.

Oh toto, I don’t think we’re in Disney anymore.

After an hour or so of wandering around and finding the line we were supposed to be in, we finally caught a glimpse of the holy grail.

It was so blinding, we had to look in the other direction.

Finally, after about an hour, we got our tickets and got into the 2nd line. After about 90 minutes total we were walking into Harry Potter world….

Immediately we were struck by the detail and beauty of the world.

Almost instantly after we were struck by the detail we were smacked in the face by the immense wall of people.

It was just wall to wall people everywhere.

Nothing was marked, we had no idea where to go or what lines were for what or where things were or how to get anywhere. It was just sensory overload.

Queenie and I just melted down there were too many people so we broke from the group, found a bench and waited in the one line that we could discern.

Pumpkin juice!

DH, Panic, Greg and Grumpy braved the line for FJ. It was posted as 3 hrs.

They had a good view of Hogwarts

Just look at the people – seriously this is in the “line”

Hey there’s no people up here!

Meanwhile, Queenie and I camped out near the Owl Post.

 

[not_Joanna_eggs]

The others were still in line.

Maybe I stand corrected… this could be the most boring line ever.

Eventually Grumpy decided to come join us, the crazy line got to him. But Panic, Greg and DH soldiered on. I thought about joining them, I did. But every time I ventured out of our little spot I was just smacked with people. I just couldn’t handle it. So instead, we headed over to the Hogs Head and got a butter beer!

Meanwhile – they were still waiting.

Yep, still waiting.

It had been over an hour and they weren’t even in the castle yet.

The sign said 60 minutes – LIES! Since they had already been in the line for over an hour!

Their comment was that the lockers need to be marked better.

They all came back with notes on how to improve this process –it was just a hot mess.

Meanwhile, we had more Pumpkin juice!

They finally made it into Hogwarts.

Sorting hat!

and lots of people.

Apparently DH was really fascinated by the hat.

Luckily Panic had a stroke of genius and they hoppped into the single rider line - it cut their wait time in 1/2. And there wait time was close to 3 hrs - so just imagine.

Meanwhile….. I played solitare….

Finally, they rejoined is and we got some more butter beer. Panic learned a valuable lesson…. DO NOT STIR YOUR BUTTER BEER. Just don’t do it.

Eventually, we bid farewell to Harry Potter world and our 6 million new friends.

After fighting all those crowds we were just done, so we headed back to the car.

Our verdict. It was fun, but we’re probably okay for the next 10 years. The crowds were just outrageous they could have done a lot to help the situation, but as it was it was uncomfortable and not fun.

So we headed to Downtown Disney!

Specifically, Fultons. We didn’t have an ADR, but we were seated right away.

Panic, Greg and Grumpy split the seafood tower. Queenie, DH and I split crab claws, the mussles/clams and conch fritters. We were so hungry and tired we forgot pictures. Sorry!

It was quite good as always. Fultons ranks up there with Kona as a trusty standby that never disappoints. Mmmm.. I want some Fulton’s now.

After dinner we were all just spent so we headed back to the room to play some Epic Mickey and catch some zzzzzz.

 

[luckylady]

I agree they could have done a better job with lines etc.. Did you try the frozen butterbeer? IMHO it is better then the reg. one.Think i'ts going to be awhile before I agree togo there again. I didn't care for the two parks. Disney spoiled me.So what park did you hit next?

 

[portobello_rd]

Yay its so nice to see you have another trip report going! i live through your words, since i still have 250 days to wait till i go on my first visit in 25 years! haha.
so what did you think of the butterbeer? i hear you love it or hate it. and what the topping on it?
hope your keeping warm in the frigid weather we have going on!
play off packer game tomorrow, woot woot, we're going to totally fudge it somehow, but here's hoping!

 

[Caretames1]

WOW Way to crowded for me, I would have been so unhappy. I'm a "this is my dance space" kinda gal Good thing my kiddos aren't into HP. I think I need about 65 more trips to Disney before I go somewhere else.


!GO PACKERS!

 

[wdwgirl03]

While it was crowded when we went I don't think it was nearly as crowded as it was for you guys. But I do agree, they could have done a better job marking the lockers and even the single rider line. We had to ask how to get in the single rider line.

 

[not_Joanna_eggs]

I agree they could have done a better job with lines etc.. Did you try the frozen butterbeer? IMHO it is better then the reg. one.Think i'ts going to be awhile before I agree togo there again. I didn't care for the two parks. Disney spoiled me.So what park did you hit next?

Yes, we were waiting so long we tried a little of everything Personally, I liked the pumpkin juice the most, then the regular butter beer - the topping was my favorite part, but don't stir it! Then the frozen. Though my opinion might be skewed by the fact that it was 40 degrees and the frozen one was giving me brain freeze.

Yeah, I remember being much more impressed with Universal as a teenager. Probably because of the roller coasters, but now as an adult I have grown to appreciate the story and details of Disney rides, Universal just fell flat for me. The crowds didn't help at all I suppose.

Next up: Downtown Disney. We had talked about going to Epcot for dinner, but we just couldn't handle another park that day.

Yay its so nice to see you have another trip report going! i live through your words, since i still have 250 days to wait till i go on my first visit in 25 years! haha.
so what did you think of the butterbeer? i hear you love it or hate it. and what the topping on it?
hope your keeping warm in the frigid weather we have going on!
play off packer game tomorrow, woot woot, we're going to totally fudge it somehow, but here's hoping!

Ohh how exciting! Your trip is going to be so fun. It will be like your first trip all over again. I'm jealous!

I think I'm one of the rare people that liked it, but didn't love it. I preferred the Pumpkin juice. Queenie loved the butter beer and has called me twice now asking where she can get some In our group of 6 we were split 3 to 3 on butter beer vs. pumpkin juice as our favorite, and none of us hated either of them. The topping on the butter beer was my favorite. I think it's tapioca based, but whatever it is it explodes when you stir it

I hate the frigid cold of January. Give me snow any day. Hope you're staying warm too. Go Packers! If they can stop Michael Vick they have a chance - Go Clay Matthews!

WOW Way to crowded for me, I would have been so unhappy. I'm a "this is my dance space" kinda gal Good thing my kiddos aren't into HP. I think I need about 65 more trips to Disney before I go somewhere else.


!GO PACKERS!

Yeah, I kind of just shut down. My dad found a little alcove behind 3 broomsticks and Hogs Head that was off the main drag and no one knew about. Seriously it was us and 1 other family. It was the only thing that made it bearable, I too need me "dancing space" and people were just everywhere - it was uncomfortable. The good thing about Universal is you can pretty much do the 2 parks in one day, but that's kind of because the rides and everything just aren't good. We'll be sticking to Disney for a while too.

Fingers crossed for the game today! I have faith - this is A-Rog's year to finally win a play off game!

While it was crowded when we went I don't think it was nearly as crowded as it was for you guys. But I do agree, they could have done a better job marking the lockers and even the single rider line. We had to ask how to get in the single rider line.

Yeah, it was uncomfortable crowded for us. Friends of ours were down there in October, and said that the crowds were nothing like what we experienced. Apparently (and of course we didn't find this out until we got home) JK Rawling had been on Oprah the week before talking about WWOHP. So we we didn't stand a chance.

 

[not_Joanna_eggs]

Whoops. I thought I had pictures for the end of the day, but I think my camera died. To make it flow, I went back the the previous post and added a few sentences about the end of the day - Sorry!

 

[not_Joanna_eggs]

Our original plan for the day was to go to DHS for rope drop. But by 9:15 it was obvious that wasn’t going to happen, so we decided to just take it easy and go to AK instead.

So we took our time in the morning.

Some of us kept sleeping…

Jim Bob I think the twister is a comin’

That ain’t no twister

That’s a Disney Bus - silly!

What’s wrong with you people?

Is there Butter Beer at the AK?

Ugh – the Paparazzi followed us here!

Soon we were met with the giant AK tree.

Hello Beautful

There may be a lot of people, but after Harry Potter this felt like Montana-sized space.

It was about 11:30 at this point, so we decided to head to Flame Tree for lunch, since they were giving away 30% off coupons if you ate before 12.

Queenie and I were in charge of finding a table – I claim this table as ours!

I love the view from Flame tree!

Hey there buddy. No, you can’t have any of my ribs.

Mmmmm food!

By this time I think everyone was tired of me taking pictures - can you tell?

Who likes discounts? This guy!

 

[Princess_K]

I would love to see WWOHP, but I'm pretty sure nobody would go with me with those crowds! That's just awful. Was the butterbeer good?

 

[Panic Attack]

Alright, first off I'd like to clarify. I'm afraid of dead things and things that look like dead things. Ghosts, as long as they're not all decayed looking, are totally fine. Vampires, demons, werewolves, sucubii etc are also okay in my book. Skeletons, zombies, ghouls and mummies are NOT OKAY.

I've seen The Mummy movie (not sure if I've seen the sequels all the way through) and they treat the mummy-lore correctly in the movie... but somehow forgot about all that in the ride. The line is pretty cool. Lots of movie memorabilia, some fun games and things to freak out other people in the line, giant statues of anubis hanging from the ceiling... better than Sorin' at least ^_^'.

The ride concept, however, is incorrect. I was fine when it started and it was just the floating somewhat decaying mummy head of Imhotep talking - I knew to expect that - but what he was saying was dumb. He was all "I'm going to steal your souls!" so I, being a dork, start talking back and I'm like "That makes no sense! You probably want our internal organs, not our souls, duh! Mummies can't do anything with souls! Srsly!?" (if you can't tell, I'm way fun to take on a ride, just like how I corrected Dinosaur the first time we rode it too)

AND THEN, right after I was talking smack back at Imhotep, a whole bunch of super decayed and skeletal mummy things popped up out of the floor and I was terribly ashamed of how loudly I screamed. So yeah, I didn't see the rest of the ride but I kept yelling back at Imhotep whenever he claimed he was going to steal our souls.

Honestly Universal, if you can't do the research to make the ride accurate, at least watch the movie. What's scarier, claiming to steal someone's soul, or claiming to steal their eyeballs?

 

[Panic Attack]

Ugh – the Paparazzi followed us here!

This is actually a picture of me telling you how many Downtown Disney buses we saw before our 1 Animal Kingdom bus came.

Answer: 5

 

[luckylady]

Alright, first off I'd like to clarify. I'm afraid of dead things and things that look like dead things. Ghosts, as long as they're not all decayed looking, are totally fine. Vampires, demons, werewolves, sucubii etc are also okay in my book. Skeletons, zombies, ghouls and mummies are NOT OKAY.

I'm right there with you. Makes me happy now that I didn't go on that ride in July.

 

[Caretames1]

Skeletons, zombies, ghouls and mummies are NOT OKAY.

I agree, but for some reason I find I keep glancing at them Maybe to make sure I'm able to out run them.........

 

[not_Joanna_eggs]

I would love to see WWOHP, but I'm pretty sure nobody would go with me with those crowds! That's just awful. Was the butterbeer good?

Yeah, the crowds were awful, but I think they were a bit higher than normal. We all liked the butter beer - though we were split 50/50 on if we liked butter beer or pumpkin juice more

Alright, first off I'd like to clarify. I'm afraid of dead things and things that look like dead things. Ghosts, as long as they're not all decayed looking, are totally fine. Vampires, demons, werewolves, sucubii etc are also okay in my book. Skeletons, zombies, ghouls and mummies are NOT OKAY.

I've seen The Mummy movie (not sure if I've seen the sequels all the way through) and they treat the mummy-lore correctly in the movie... but somehow forgot about all that in the ride. The line is pretty cool. Lots of movie memorabilia, some fun games and things to freak out other people in the line, giant statues of anubis hanging from the ceiling... better than Sorin' at least ^_^'.

The ride concept, however, is incorrect. I was fine when it started and it was just the floating somewhat decaying mummy head of Imhotep talking - I knew to expect that - but what he was saying was dumb. He was all "I'm going to steal your souls!" so I, being a dork, start talking back and I'm like "That makes no sense! You probably want our internal organs, not our souls, duh! Mummies can't do anything with souls! Srsly!?" (if you can't tell, I'm way fun to take on a ride, just like how I corrected Dinosaur the first time we rode it too)

AND THEN, right after I was talking smack back at Imhotep, a whole bunch of super decayed and skeletal mummy things popped up out of the floor and I was terribly ashamed of how loudly I screamed. So yeah, I didn't see the rest of the ride but I kept yelling back at Imhotep whenever he claimed he was going to steal our souls.

Honestly Universal, if you can't do the research to make the ride accurate, at least watch the movie. What's scarier, claiming to steal someone's soul, or claiming to steal their eyeballs?

Thank you for the clarification. Could you also provide a review of the Harry Potter ride since I didn't go on it?

This is actually a picture of me telling you how many Downtown Disney buses we saw before our 1 Animal Kingdom bus came.

Answer: 5

You're right - I totally forgot about that - that was annoying, but it was one of the only times we had to wait long for a bus.

I'm right there with you. Makes me happy now that I didn't go on that ride in July.

Honestly, you didn't miss much. I was not a fan, poor story line, and the ride just wasn't that exciting.

I agree, but for some reason I find I keep glancing at them Maybe to make sure I'm able to out run them.........

Haha... I'm pretty sure you could take them - you know with their limbs being tied up and the wrappings and stuff