The Theme Parks, the Dining & Compeed..nailed it! (4/10) Life Update

[Princess Leia]

I have always wanted to see England and Scotland. I majored in Medieval History and Arthurian legends years ago. We are flying in to Glasgow and heading to Oban, Loch Fyne, Dunoon, Ayr and Edinburgh. I do know that we will see the railway from the Harry Potter train scenes. They have a lot of sightseeing planned for us and a day on our own in Edinburgh so I wil be researching what to see and do while there. Any suggestions?

I really am looking forward to the trip if I can survive my mother for 8 days. Seriously it should be a lot of fun.

The City of Edinburgh is fairly compact so you can combine a number of things in a day. Hannah and I really enjoyed our visit to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Hannah is very interested in history and it had a lot of history in relation to Mary Queen of Scots. The National Museum of Scotland is also worth a visit. The walk up Arthur's Seat gives some lovely views over the city.



Are you heading straight to Oban once you arrive in Glasgow?

I hope you and your Mum have a great trip.

 

[tazdev3225]

We drive up to Oban with a stop at the Drovers Inn and Kilchurn Castle. Then head to the hotel and have some time to explore Oban before we meet the group for dinner.

The sights that they have for us for the week are Dunstaffnage Castle, Fort William, Glenfinnan and Glencoe on Day 2.

Day 3 and 4 are at Loch Fyne where we are supposed to see the ancestral home of the Duke of Argylle and see a Gaol, the Vital Spark (which I will need to find out about). We head to Lochgoilhead, Kilfinan Church, the rest and be thankful pass, Strachur House Gardens and a tour of the Fyne Ale Brewery.

Day 5 we head to Dunoon and Ayr and I know there are some stops along the way just not sure where other than Largs.

Day 6 has us heading to Culzean Castle, the town of Paisley to see an Abbey and then we head to Edinburgh. We are on our own this night so I will be looking for some things to do and somewhere good to eat.

Day 7 we are supposed to see Arthur's seat and St. Giles Cathedral and then we are on our own again til we meet the group for dinner. I know my mom will want to do some shopping but I may go off on my own a bit as she hates when I take to many photos and since I may never have this opportunity again I will wear my camera out. It looks to be a fun trip and a lot to see.

 

[Princess Leia]

We drive up to Oban with a stop at the Drovers Inn and Kilchurn Castle. Then head to the hotel and have some time to explore Oban before we meet the group for dinner.

The sights that they have for us for the week are Dunstaffnage Castle, Fort William, Glenfinnan and Glencoe on Day 2.

Day 3 and 4 are at Loch Fyne where we are supposed to see the ancestral home of the Duke of Argylle and see a Gaol, the Vital Spark (which I will need to find out about). We head to Lochgoilhead, Kilfinan Church, the rest and be thankful pass, Strachur House Gardens and a tour of the Fyne Ale Brewery.

Day 5 we head to Dunoon and Ayr and I know there are some stops along the way just not sure where other than Largs.

Day 6 has us heading to Culzean Castle, the town of Paisley to see an Abbey and then we head to Edinburgh. We are on our own this night so I will be looking for some things to do and somewhere good to eat.

Day 7 we are supposed to see Arthur's seat and St. Giles Cathedral and then we are on our own again til we meet the group for dinner. I know my mom will want to do some shopping but I may go off on my own a bit as she hates when I take to many photos and since I may never have this opportunity again I will wear my camera out. It looks to be a fun trip and a lot to see.

Sounds like you are going to be busy. Day 3 and 4 will be Inverary Castle and Inverary Jail. I wouldn't get too excited about The Vital Spark. It is a boat (puffer). Neil Munro, a Scottish writer created stories about Para Handy (captain) of The Vital Spark. There have been a number of TV series over the years about Para Handy and the Vital Spark. As far as I can gather there were actually 2 boats that had been labelled The Vital Spark. The one in Inverary was actually previously called Eilean Eisdeal and then was re-registered as The Vital Spark. As far as I can gather it was the last working Clyde Puffer. I know that Inverary Maritime Museum, which consisted of 2 boats, has closed but I am not sure what happened to the Vital Spark. I'm sure you will be able to enlighten me.

Alan used to work in Argyll and Bute and spent lots of time driving around that area. He was always thankful to get through 'the Rest and be Thankful as it was often closed due to landslides and that would mean a long detour for him. One particularly wet day his car broke down on the Rest and Be Thankful when he was driving to Inverary. He was thankful when the rescue truck arrived. I think you will need a rest by the time you get to Edinburgh. I'm sure your trip will pass very quickly.

 

[tazdev3225]

Thanks for the information about the Vital Spark and the pass. I wasn't sure what they were. I am a fairly active person in that I like to get out and about exploring so I think I will hit Edinburgh running. I can rest on the plane on the way home. I think the trip will be exciting but take forever to get here and pass all too quickly. I have a trip to Disney in 6 weeks that I may do a TR on so maybe I'll throw the trip to Scotland on that one.

 

[Princess Leia]

Thanks for the information about the Vital Spark and the pass. I wasn't sure what they were. I am a fairly active person in that I like to get out and about exploring so I think I will hit Edinburgh running. I can rest on the plane on the way home. I think the trip will be exciting but take forever to get here and pass all too quickly. I have a trip to Disney in 6 weeks that I may do a TR on so maybe I'll throw the trip to Scotland on that one.

Happy to help. I totally get that you will want to use every moment you've got here. It's the same with going to Disney - you need a holiday to recover. Hopefully you will want to come back and explore some other parts in the future. Definitely report back in a TR so others can enjoy your photography.

 

[stephensmum]

Enjoying your trip report, including the Scottish interlude. It's lovely looking back to when you first went isn't it, we first went just after my sons 8th birthday & he's now 18. Your photos of the boys on the beach, made me reminisce of my dh & ds.

Looking forward to reading more, hope your feeling better & having less pressure at work.

 

[Princess Leia]

Enjoying your trip report, including the Scottish interlude. It's lovely looking back to when you first went isn't it, we first went just after my sons 8th birthday & he's now 18. Your photos of the boys on the beach, made me reminisce of my dh & ds.

Looking forward to reading more, hope your feeling better & having less pressure at work.

Glad you are enjoying reading along. You are right - it is great to look back at earlier trips. Peter was talking today about the fact that he wouldn't hear of going in a stroller on his first visit at 3. He now realises what a distance he covered. Holidays are always great for spending some fun time together whatever their age. Hoping to post the next update soon.

 

[Kiren]

Oh so beautiful! I love Scotland and want to go someday!

 

[Princess Leia]

Oh so beautiful! I love Scotland and want to go someday!

I see you are from Vancouver Island. Since we've been there that must mean you can come here.

 

[Princess Leia]

Day Three Part Two: Oh the Stories You’ll Hear

We met up with Alan and sat in an area under a fan. Hannah and Peter filled up their cups again. After a welcome drink Peter and I took the Forbidden Journey photo we had printed to the Photo Connect store at the Port of Entry. We wanted to save the photo from the fate of being crushed into a locker.



Next up was Seuss Landings. Alan and Peter went on The High in the Sky Trolley Train Ride. Alan loves this ride as it features the Sneetches. “Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches had bellies with stars. The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars.” Alan is particularly fond of Dr Seuss as he has fond memories of his Dad reading them to him as a boy. It is also the perfect level of ride for Alan! I went on the Cat in the Hat ride with Hannah. We enjoyed the ride and joined in with the story. I couldn’t help but mention that the perhaps the mother wasn’t the world’s best mother leaving them alone in the house for the day. But then I always think that when watching Peter Pan that Mr and Mrs Darling shouldn’t really go out for the night leaving their children in the charge of a dog.

Given our love for all things Seussical we had to see “Oh the stories you’ll hear”. It was good to see that they had added parasols since our last trip.

Are you here for the show? Coming right up !



The characters engaged in some high energy dancing. I can't even begin to imagine how hot they were!



Look Sam I Am is in the show!



They definitely are experienced in musical theatre.

Up next the story of The Lorax with its environmental message.








After the show the characters came out.












We enjoyed our time here. It was a relaxed experience with just a small group of people gathered.

 

[khertz]

We saw this storytime show going on last week but for some reason, didn't stop to watch. It looks pretty cute!

I always think the exact same thing about Peter Pan. lol Someone totally should have reported them for leaving those kids alone with a dog in charge!!

 

[Princess Leia]

We saw this storytime show going on last week but for some reason, didn't stop to watch. It looks pretty cute!

I always think the exact same thing about Peter Pan. lol Someone totally should have reported them for leaving those kids alone with a dog in charge!!

We really liked it! Alan much prefers shows to roller coasters.

Just after writing this I watched a good movie adaptation 'Peter and Wendy' where Mr Darling asks about the wisdom of leaving a dog in charge of the children.

 

[Princess Leia]

Day Three Part Three: The Circus, the Rest Rooms and Banshees

It was time for some lunch. We headed for Hogmeade. As we passed, the Mystic Fountain struck up a conversation with Alan. The fountain asked whether Alan came from the city we live near. They continued to exchange some good natured banter and a bit of a crowd gathered. Of course the inevitable “Do you want to take a picture?” was asked at which point the fountain squirted water overhead. All good fun!

We got in the queue for the Three Broomsticks and chose from the menu cards that we were handed. At this point Hannah then Peter declared they needed the toilet so we went to the Moaning Myrtle toilet nearby. When we came back the queue was so much longer and Alan suggested going elsewhere. What about Mythos just nearby? Alan felt there might be too long a wait. Eventually we ended up back at Seuss Landing and settled on Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-Pendous.





What do you mean you don't want anymore photos?



The theming was good at least!

Our order was quite simple: 2 Chicken sandwich platters for Alan and I, spaghetti and meatballs for Peter and a Chicken Caesar Salad for Hannah. Given it had a fairly limited menu this should have been quite straightforward. They served up the others but the spaghetti wasn’t ready. I paid for the items but the spaghetti wasn’t ready. The girl at the till shouted over “How long does it take to make some spaghetti?” I gave over the food for Alan and Hannah to get started on. Their system didn’t work as, unlike other quick service places, they did the paying after the food was served. This resulted in the food cooling down quickly. By the time Peter’s spaghetti was actually served my chicken sandwich was barely warm. I really like hot food so wasn’t too enamoured by this. In fact I took it back over to tell them what had happened. The server immediately binned it and asked for a fresh one. It still wasn’t that good but at least it was warm. All in all this cafe was certainly not stoo-pendous... the only thing that amazed me was how could it be so awful. This was definitely our worst meal over the 2 weeks. I think this place is best viewed from High in the Sky.





The long awaited spaghetti and meatballs!

Hannah was keen to have some time exploring Diagon Alley so we decided we would go back over to Universal. First, though, Peter wanted another ride on The Hulk and Accelatron. On the Hulk I tried to lift my arms in the air only to discover I was pinned down by the size of the upper arms of the man sitting next to me. You can see the pained expression in the photo.



We remembered to pick up the photo from the Photo Connect Store at the front of the park before walking to Universal.

We all went to ride ET. I am of the right era to have a great love for this extra-terrestrial. We were just waiting for photos after the ride when Hannah announced she needed the toilet. Alan went off with her to locate the nearest rest rooms.

Here are the ET photos.







We met back up with Hannah and Alan. We spotted Sideshow Bob and queued up to meet him. It turned out when we got to the front of the queue that there wasn’t a photographer with him. So we went back over to get my camera. Hannah was feeling really queasy by this stage and needed to find another rest room. Sideshow Bob was just about to leave but we persuaded him to stay for a couple of photos.

I went on Twirl and Hurl with Pete. This was a new ride for us. Peter really wanted to do some more rides. Hannah was feeling decidedly off colour. We made the decision that I would go with Pete as Alan isn’t that big a rollercoaster fan and Alan would stick with Hannah. We left the bags with them so we could avoid lockers. We went on the Mummy.



We also needed to fit in another ride on Rip Ride Rockit. Of course the metal detector went off again and I was pulled aside to be wanded. This time Peter was thrown about a bit more and got stuck in a few positions. We stopped to watch the video of the ride – you could see me clapping and singing along to Happy!



Alan and Hannah went to Diagon Alley. If you remember earlier in this trip report I promised that what Alan does, even when I’m not there, will get shared with the rest of the world! They stopped to watch Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees. According to Alan he was forced up on stage – he doesn’t look like he put up too much of a protest. Thanks to Carolyn for providing photographic evidence.







We met back up at 5pm. We stopped at Photo Connect to check that our photos were on and to get the couple of other free prints printed off. This took a bit longer than planned as she seemed to be adding on borders. Our Spider-man photos worked out well.

Wait a minute that’s not Pete’s sunglasses!





Thing 2 was also looking the wrong way. Where are his sunglasses?

We walked back to Hard Rock Hotel to get the car from the car park so we could head over to check in to Disney’s Old Key West Resort.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Your photos are making me want to hurry back to Universal! Circus Stoopendous is just plain...not. You have the right idea, the high in the sky trolley ride is the best way to experience it!

Maria

 

[ariane37]

We all went to ride ET. I am of the right era to have a great love for this extra-terrestrial

I love this ride, too. I'd remembered it from our 2000 trip and was so happy they hadn't gotten rid of it! My older DS has seen the movie but younger DS has no interest in watching it I don't care that the ride is on the simple side, I think it's a classic

We also needed to fit in another ride on Rip Ride Rockit

This was mine and older DS's favorite ride! Love it!!

All your pictures are great. I'm sorry Hannah wasn't feeling well, unfortunately I know how it is to be sick on vacation. Hope she felt better quick!

 

[tazdev3225]

Seeing all your photos makes me think I did Universal a huge disservice. I went with my husband a couple of years ago and we did both parks in one day. I would have spent more time if I could have met the Grinch. My son has loved him since he was a toddler.

 

[mindeola]

The Scotland Interlude- Be still my heart. I finally took a dream trip to Scotland in August of 2014 and I left my heart there. Now I just dream about when I can get back. I fell in love with Crail and just loved seeing your photos and remembering such wonderful times there Can't wait to hear about the Disney portion as well!

 

[Princess Leia]

Your photos are making me want to hurry back to Universal! Circus Stoopendous is just plain...not. You have the right idea, the high in the sky trolley ride is the best way to experience it!

Maria

That's what happens when too many people are involved in the decision and we end up making an uninformed decision. I actually didn't get round to riding it this trip -even though I really like it.

I'm sorry Hannah wasn't feeling well, unfortunately I know how it is to be sick on vacation. Hope she felt better quick!

I read that in your trip report - you were really unwell. It's such a shame when there is so much you plan to do. Hannah recovered from it - she declined doing a review of the restrooms.

I love this ride, too. I'd remembered it from our 2000 trip and was so happy they hadn't gotten rid of it! My older DS has seen the movie but younger DS has no interest in watching it I don't care that the ride is on the simple side, I think it's a classic

This was mine and older DS's favorite ride! Love it!!

All your pictures are great.

ET does make me feel nostalgic - I do hope he gets to stay. Peter has loved rollercoasters from a really young age. He was lucky that he was tall for his age and got to ride some of them early on.

Seeing all your photos makes me think I did Universal a huge disservice. I went with my husband a couple of years ago and we did both parks in one day. I would have spent more time if I could have met the Grinch. My son has loved him since he was a toddler.

Universal does have some good shows that are easy to miss. I was pleased with the number of the characters that stayed out after the show. We had to be quick to catch those we did. We didn't manage to get to Cat in the Hat.

The Scotland Interlude- Be still my heart. I finally took a dream trip to Scotland in August of 2014 and I left my heart there. Now I just dream about when I can get back. I fell in love with Crail and just loved seeing your photos and remembering such wonderful times there Can't wait to hear about the Disney portion as well!

I wasn't sure whether to include the Scottish interlude but I'm pleased I did. I am glad you enjoyed your stay in Scotland - you are welcome back anytime. I'm getting to Disney soon.

 

[Princess Leia]

Day Three Part Four: Old Key West – We need a rest!

A thunderstorm started as we headed over to WDW. The I4 had pretty much zero visibility.

It was a very rainy view of the Disney arch. We arrived at Old Key West Resort our home for the next 12 nights. We had to check in at the Hospitality House as we needed to pick up our magic bands. I had been unsure of what room requests to make. I had read so many different opinions. I was able to select 2 requests in the end I chose ‘Upper floor’ and ‘Fairways View'. We were in Building 35 on Old Turtle Point Road on the second floor. I had read a lot of positive comments about this area. I checked to see if the package of pins I had ordered had arrived but they didn’t have the package.

We’re back in Disney!






Like many families I had pondered the options to the conundrum of sleeping arrangements for older children. We had on previous trips managed in standard rooms with the children sharing a bed. We now needed separate sleeping areas. There was no guarantee of bunk bed standard room at Animal Kingdom or a day bed at Yacht Club. The one bedroom in Saratoga Springs had one sofa bed. The one bedroom at Old Key West had a sofa bed and a sleeper chair. I was aware going in that one of the main downsides of OKW was the lack of quick service dining. We were impressed by how spacious the apartment was.

The bedroom had a King size bed and an entrance to the bathroom.







The adjoining bathroom with spa bath and sink

There were 2 entrances to the shower room. The one from the hallway had a washer and dryer in it.

There is a lovely bright open plan living area.

We hadn’t booked an ADR for this evening as we wanted some flexibility over what time we arrived. Our plan was to go to Wolfgang Puck Express for something to eat. Our building was just opposite a bus stop. We decided to get a bus to Downtown Disney. We waited 15 minutes for a bus to arrive. It ended up being a fairly late meal, our till receipt had it as 9.35pm. We placed our orders and found a table beside the kitchen. We helped ourselves to drinks. Before long we moved table as we were getting really chilled by the air conditioning. Our orders were brought to our table.

Peter chose a Pepperoni Pomodora Pizza which he really enjoyed.



Alan was also keen to have a pizza and had the Barbecued Chicken Pizza.



Hannah selected Spaghetti Bolognaise. This was in a completely different league from the spaghetti earlier in the day. Parmesan is also offered by the servers.



I chose the Oven-roasted salmon with cauliflower puree, marinated tomatoes and broccolini. This proved to be a great choice.



For dessert Hannah and Peter opted for the frozen yoghurt. Alan chose the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake.



I had the Crème Brûlée with Berries. This was a really good Crème Brûlée with the perfect consistency with a lovely caramel flavour top.



Wolfgang Puck Express is a really good use of a Quick Service dining credit. The food is lovely and fresh with good service to your table.

We headed straight back to Old Key West after our meal. We were totally exhausted after two full days at Universal. Peter soon fell asleep on the bus and Hannah engaged in conversation with a sweet little boy who asked “Is your brother sleeping?” He regaled her with stories of Kali River Rapids, his visit to the water park the next day and how he liked basketball. We were quick to get to bed so we could be ready for an early start and continue our next chapter at Disney. It felt good to be back.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Love Wolfgang Puck! My favorite dish there is the mac and cheese. The OKW rooms are so big, really wonderful for a family to spread out!

Maria