The DarkSide's not so Dark after all....

Another great installment! We leave tomorrow...will have to try to make Early Entry one of the days we are there!
 
Love it!! Hubs is also a huge Blues Brothers fan and is looking forward to seeing the show! :) I'm a huge Lucille Ball fan and am looking forward to that. We are also a big fan if Dr. Seuss and I know it will be a blast for the kids!

Can't wait to read more!

Lucy was around a lot when we were walking - with with a full entourage, btw - should be a great chance to get a photo!

Have your hubby check out the Blues Mobile, if he gets a chance. It's very cool (I know, it's a guy thing.... :) )
 
Really enjoying your TR! I'm also a fan of the back row on Mummy, gotta love that airtime!
 

I thought the singer was amazing too...how she isn't making records in Hollywood I'll never know.
 
I thought the singer was amazing too...how she isn't making records in Hollywood I'll never know.

Yep.........we've often said she is almost too good for that gig.........much as though we love the Blues Brothers :thumbsup2
 
Sorry for the delay- it's been tougher to get started on finishing the last day than I thought. I've been kinda enjoying re-living this, I guess...



Day Three's for Favorites, Shows and more Mummy Dust! Continued

After watching the Blues Brothers, (between them and BMG, I think the family- or, at least DW and the boys - danced more on this trip than I've ever seen), we headed off to "The Universal Horror Make-up Show&". This was the show all of us wanted to see the most. Both boys are really "how does that work" kids and love 'Mythbusters' and 'Design Squad' as their faves (they get that gene from me- their rhythm, most definitely, from DW). So, this was right up their alley. We enter the theatre and end up in the front row, far right (we're one of those families that follows directions and goes to the end of the row, like good Park-goers!). Well, the first thing DS10 says: "is that a pile of arms and legs"..... followed by DS8's "that's so cool....!" Well, that pretty much sums the two of them up, right there.....

The show is excellent! We all highly recommend it! It's hilarious, and I won't throw in any spoilers, promise. But, they picked this poor unsuspecting lady from Panama who didn't speak a lick of English as their audience participant. When they started doing their "thing" with her as the stand-in, I thought the group she was with were either going to die of shock and horror, or laughter, or all of them at the same time. She was a great sport and was in tears of laughter before it was all over!

The MC's are both excellent, - incredibly funny and informative at the same time. You really get a chance to see how so many great effects are created. It's a very professionally done show. There were a couple of surprises that might scare a few little ones, but they're very short lived and are followed up quickly with a lot of humor, woven around in-depth explanations of how the effect is created. We just wish we hadn't saved it for the last day so we could have seen it again on the trip.

Off for a few more favorite rides like:



The Minion Breakout Room seems to be a really big hit for all of the kids exiting the ride. It looked like a 12 and Under Rave in there - with Minions, their handlers and kids dancing everywhere. It's a neat thing to have before the requisite Ride Gift Shop that now seems mandatory for all Theme Park rides in all Theme Parks. And, if that sounds a bit cynical:

I am not Immune to it!



Yes, this Minion Espresso Cup is my one souvenir from the trip (well, besides the PBH and HRH Pool adult beverage re-fillables ;) ). I think it's actually a little kids mug. But for me, it's a Very Manly Espresso Cup!


There was one special thing that DS10 really wanted to do -- get a Caricature Portrait done of him and his brother. He's a very artistic kid - quite talented and another gene he didn't get from me. He loves the whole process and really bonds with any artist he's around. We had noticed one just outside of Springfield the day before, so we headed over there before hitting the Simpsons and MiB for a few more times. We try to do something like this each trip- last year was Main Street Silhouette time since it's a family tradition. Mom still has the one up on the wall of my sister and I from one of many early-mid seventies MK trips.








This really is a great deal: $19.99 for a charcoal, $41.99 for full color. As you can see, the artist is very talented and he was really great with the boys. Money well spent IMHO, and it only took about 25 minutes, or so. That's not too expensive, or too long of a time for a great keepsake. It's just past the DeLorean and right before Springfield USA.

Another great aspect of PhotoConnect........ the green screen photo ops in the Parks:





This one was a lot of fun! The kids really enjoyed posing and the guys running the booth were really into it. We would have loved for DS8 to take off his Gryffindor ski cap, but there was no way that was happening anytime before bed or dinner....

All is included in your PhotoConnect Package, btw. It's easy to miss this place and we had to ask a TM where it was. Very glad I saw similar pictures posted on other Trip Reports or we wouldn't have even known to look for it. It's right across from the big Krusty The Clown head. I think Krusty's the only "clown" that doesn't give me the creeps- my clown fear, and all. It must be because Krusty's still got style in that jaded, burned out, addict kind of way.....:smokin:

We hit MiB a couple of more times. The kids and DW are starting to get pretty good at it. They increased their scores over the stay from the low twenties into the 160k to 220k range. Still a long, long, long way to go to reach Dad, though :thumbsup2. And no, I didn't cheat by reading the cheater forums that are out there -those are just not my gig, yet.

Besides, I also take shooting aliens very seriously....



DW was going to absolutely disown me if I didn't post this one after posting hers earlier. Fair's fair, and I enjoy sleeping in my own bed. ::yes::


Well, it's getting late by this time. So it's time to head back. DS10 wants to hit Rip Rocket, as he calls it, one more time before we leave, while DW and DS10 wanted to hit one of the shops near the entrance and also, hit the PhotoConnect Shop to make sure all of our photos are there and get the prints done that come with the package.




Here's another benefit of ExpressPass during a light crowd time: seems like Everybody wants to ride this coaster before they leave for the day. Even with EP, it took us 30 minutes to ride. Worth every minute, btw, since this one is a blast at night! The vertical climb through the lighted cylinders is way cool...! :thumbsup2

However, we did have an "interesting" experience this time, and it left me very impressed with the TM's running the ride. We were about 10 people from getting on- right before you get to the level load section. There were 5 very nice young adult women in front of us. DS8 was chatting them up pretty good with how much fun he had this trip and they were getting a real kick out of him. Well, this young Brit male jumps the line between us and their party from the SB line (looks like it was taking over an hour for SB to get to this point). Well, me being me..., I asked him if he was with these very nice young ladies and he of course said "No, but I'm not staying in that line any longer!"

Okay then.... In a very nice way, I explained the difference between the 2 lines (with DS8 there, I wasn't going to come close to being confrontational) and said "I'm sure the TM's will sort it all out when we get up top." 2 of the young women mouthed thank you, while the one up top whispered to the TM when she got close enough to him at the load point. The TM's quickly proceeded to pull him out of the line and had him stand on the podium off to the side. He was still there when we had finished riding, now with a manager-type, arms crossed, talking to him. Two big thumbs up for them handling this in the correct way and not just blowing off the situation!

A beautiful night, but time to go.....



Well, the boys had both been So, so good on this trip - with not one melt down, and only very minor brother-baiting episodes. As a reward, we decided to let them pick whatever restaurant they wanted for dinner. They're great kids, but also normal kids. So, you tend to expect at least one incident per vacation, right? We think it must be a reflection on how smoothly the trip went and how relaxing it was. They'd been really interested in several restaurants at CityWalk and we couldn't wait to see what they picked (and really were hoping it wasn't Bice or Emerils, since BMG got that budget the night before).

I sure you see where this is going- don't you? And I bet you are wondering how we didn't see it coming, too....::yes::

Well, they both took about .05 seconds to scream: "The Kitchen....!!!" DW and I immediately looked at each other and I could see the "Uh-Oh, we forgot to add the besides where we've already been...". You see, we have an Unofficial Family Rule when on vacation, learned from experience: When You Have a Really Great Meal at a Place, Do Not Return Again on the Same Trip --- It Tends to Not Live Up to the First Time. But, we'd made a deal with the kids- and you can't go back on a deal- it's bad form.

We made a reservation on OpenTable for 7:45pm and wandered around CityWalk for awhile.



When we get off the boat- HRH is flat out Rockin!!! Remember, it's been cold to chilly all day (well Fla. cold to chilly, anyway...) so it seems everyone is hanging at the Resort- and The Kitchen. They are unprepared for this, it seems.

We do get a booth right away, however, which is a good thing. We order apps and drinks: Calamari and the Spinach Artichoke Dip (both 3 ½ stars). The bread comes, the apps then come- still no drinks after 30 minutes of waiting. I can see the Bar and can see the continual line-up of wait staff not getting drinks. Seems they only had one bartender that evening. I must say, the one thing I've never seen a lack of at any Hard Rock Property is enough bartenders, to say the least...::yes:: Our waiter was really nice and apologetic, and obviously fed up with the situation. So, I whisper "Why don't you let me talk to the Manager...." She says thanks and grabs him right away. Great Guy, who immediately gets behind the bar to help the poor guy out (of course, you'd hope he'd recognized that himself....). He comp's our drinks ( glass of wine for DW and Cucumber Ginger Gimlet for me, which I highly recommend) and our desserts. So, a good rescue of the situation on his part.

Unfortunately, the chefs were slammed, as well. Since my fish had been so good the night before, I ordered the Salmon this time. Since DW's Tuna had been perfect last time, she re-ordered it. The boys had the Kitchen Burger (shocking, I know). Theirs was as good, and our sides were as good. Unfortunately, my Salmon was overcooked while her Tuna was undercooked. It was our last night and the boys' "restaurant picking night"(and they were having a great time!), so we didn't send it back like we would have otherwise. Dessert was the Oreo Cheesecake which is shaped like an actual Oreo Cookie. It may be the absolute richest thing I've ever tasted. The rest of the family, however, was in heaven and I think the boys could have floated the whole walk back to PBH.

I'm not going to grade The Kitchen too hard here, since we didn't give them the opportunity to correct DW's and my entrees. The Manager was very proactive in making things right and continually checked back with us. So, big points there. But, you see the dilemma: one excellent meal and one not so much- mainly caused by a serious lack of staff planning. Hence, our Family Rule, which we broke. I'm sure we'll give it another chance, at some point. But, with so many great options plus so many new options being built at CityWalk, not on the next trip.

We take the walk back to PBH for our last night after another great day........

In the next post, I'll summarize our thoughts and observations on the Parks, The Hotels, TM's, PhotoConnect, ExpressPass, Transportation, and a few other things.....

On Deck: Sleeping in, Breakfast at RPH, and Closing Thoughts on Our Trip........!!!
 
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Good stuff. :thumbsup2

I'm gonna give your TR credit for me seriously considering a return to UO this Labor Day weekend. In fact it's probably a done deal.
 
What a GREAT TR! :) I am a lover of all things Disney and trying to keep an open mind about MB's and FP+. However 1.3 billion on technology that seems to have lots of glitches!! Well, you guessed it, for the first time ever, we are headed to the dark side!:lmao: We will spend one day at Islands of Adventure (I really want 2 days to see Universal, but can't get the family to agree). Your tp makes me so excited about our choice. I am so looking forward to Universal and our Portofino Bay stay!
 
Good stuff. :thumbsup2

I'm gonna give your TR credit for me seriously considering a return to UO this Labor Day weekend. In fact it's probably a done deal.

If you do, you have to promise two things:

  • Your usual, objective insight- but on the HE: that thing intrigues the heck out of me- it's either a groundbeaker everybody tries to copy, or another way to get between Parks
  • You have to get a Manly Minion Espresso Cup- I can't be the only one sporting one :thumbsup2
 
What a GREAT TR! :) I am a lover of all things Disney and trying to keep an open mind about MB's and FP+. However 1.3 billion on technology that seems to have lots of glitches!! Well, you guessed it, for the first time ever, we are headed to the dark side!:lmao: We will spend one day at Islands of Adventure (I really want 2 days to see Universal, but can't get the family to agree). Your tp makes me so excited about our choice. I am so looking forward to Universal and our Portofino Bay stay!

You'll love PBH! And spend some good time on these boards. There're great posters here with a lot of knowledge. Since you only have a limited amount of time, ask a lot of questions and get a feel for what's the best way for your family to take in all that's important to them.

They helped me, no doubt.....
 
I am really, really enjoying this trip report! You have a lovely family and your report has made me so excited for our upcoming trip! My son is nine and obsessed with Harry Potter. We didn't think we would be able to make a trip to WWoHP EVER, but due to some financial gains (not of my doing!:lmao:) we will be able to make it after all. I am so excited, and your trip report has made me even more so. Thank you so much for posting (and thank you to you and your wife for being such great parents! The world needs more families like your's!)
 
Great pics again...........love the concentration on most men's faces on MIB :rolleyes1

Glad the queue jumper was dealt with on RRR.........we find the TM's do a great job with that, we had Brazilians the previous July causing or trying to cause mayhem in the queue for The Hulk........they claimed not to understand but they got the message whether they wanted to or not.

Those artists are really good aren't they!! We get a caricature every year and they are fun. Also had them done by a guy at RPR........his are amazing too.

Glad you enjoyed the horror make up show.........it's so much fun :thumbsup2
 
Now you know, don't break your twice-in-one-trip restaurant rule! That's too bad but at least the kids had fun.

We didn't get Photoconnect...will have to check that out next time. You got so many great pictures from it.

Another great update...looking forward to the finale! :)
 
I am really, really enjoying this trip report! You have a lovely family and your report has made me so excited for our upcoming trip! My son is nine and obsessed with Harry Potter. We didn't think we would be able to make a trip to WWoHP EVER, but due to some financial gains (not of my doing!:lmao:) we will be able to make it after all. I am so excited, and your trip report has made me even more so. Thank you so much for posting (and thank you to you and your wife for being such great parents! The world needs more families like your's!)

Such nice thoughts- thanks so very much! Your son is going to have a blast! He's never going to forget entering the gates to WWoHP, or his first time entering that Castle - mine sure haven't....

And don't forget to report back-we would all love to hear your thoughts after the trip!
 















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