The trip that may have changed things forever. Updated 10/30

[BroadwayHermione5]

Part 4 ...

After the crazy first day, we are so looking forward to Disney Springs. One of our favorite restaurants is City Works. If you haven't been, it's worth giving it a shot. Even if your not a beer drinker, the craft food is great. So we walk to the bus stop, 30 something minutes posted till the next bus so I order a Lyft. Less than 10 minutes and our ride shows up. We arrive at DS and head to Sephora so my wife can get her favorite makeup then we stop off at M&M store.
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Now, finally it's time to head to dinner. This is just what I needed!!
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Kung Pao Cauliflower is so good! Honestly, everything here is good!

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Especially dessert!
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After dinner, back to the resort for a good night sleep.

Good morning! Let's get ready for Topolino's!!! Remember? The manager made us a reservation!
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But we still had to pay lol. Either way, it was nice of him to get us a reservation at a booked restaurant. No complaints.

Now it's time to head to Hollywood Studios! Oh wait .... girls need to use the bathroom so a quick stop at the room. Finally we are off! Using the SkyLiner is so easy and way better than the busses. Park day was good. We got there around noon and no one wanted to wait for RnR or ToT so we headed to the left. First ride Star Tours. We all still love it and this one was one we never seen so that was good! Then we headed to RotR then SM. After we rode those my little one wanted Blue Milk. It was her first one ever. And no line at all for it.
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Next stop, Slinky Dog Dash! So we make our way over and the line was not that bad. MDX said 70, TP said 35. Actually took less than 30 min. So we get to the ride, CM ask how many, directs us to our row and there is a little boy no more than 5 or 6 screaming his head off because is father, stepdad, brother, whoever is trying to force him to stand up at the measuring bar. The CM told them they had to measure and the mom started screaming at the CM telling her they should have arm bands or a better program. The CM was scared. I could see it in her face when she told the guy that unless his child stood up to be measured, he could not ride. That's when the guy said something really bad to the CM and it was loud. He repeated it a few times and that's when I had enough. I turned around and firmly told him to shut up! I said I am not going to stand here and hear you say those words in front of my wife and kids. He said "I can respect that" and then said "But screw you too" in so many words. It was our turn to ride so we boarded. We all had a blast! I never let an idiot ruin our good time. So we get off the ride and a CM plus us to the said and apologizes and takes us to the LL line and tells the other CM we are riding again! Pixie Dust? Yes Please! So after our second ride, my wife sees the young CM that was being yelled at and thanks her for doing a great job. The CM looked shocked that someone would tell her that and you could tell it made her day.
Did I ever say how hot it was? Well, it was hot. The kids say "daddy? can we go back to the resort? it's already after 6:00 by this time so I was like Yes we can! I took a shower, we just relaxed in the room. It was very enjoyable.

Next day, Boo Bash Tonight!!! But for now, Let's head to the pool! We don't plan on being at MK till 3:00 for our Skipper Canteen reservation so pool it is! It's still pretty early and I haven't ate yet. The girls had cereal and pop tarts in the room. I tell them both that I am going to the pool bar and ask if they would like anything. They both say no so off I go. I had a good conversation with another guest that is a Disboard member. IIRC she said her name was Orlando Native on here. Anyway, I finish my beer, order another and take my sandwich (which was awesome) back to the pool. Well, my little monkeys get out and proceed to eat it lol. Well, I was able to eat half my sandwich but they took all my fries.
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Did I mention they had Root beer Gelato? OMG it was sooo good!!
I have so many pics but trying to stay under my limit. Just trust me, it was good lol.

So back to shower, get ready and off to the MK for lunch and Boo Bash! We didn't wait long for the bus and it was almost empty.
We arrive at the MK and it was sorta crowded but not really? We had lunch then rode JC, MCOA, BTMRR and CBJ before the event started.
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During the event we rode 7DMT, IASM, HM, SM, Buzz, TTAPM and got some candy. Did I mention that it was crowded? Actually more crowded that the day? I really feel they oversold this event. It was nothing like any after hour event we have done in the past and not worth the money. Midnight here already? Let's go! and I cannot believe that there is no one inline for our resort at the busses! I soon figured out we must have just missed it. But what I do not understand is a line built behind us, and once it did arrive it was enough to completely fill all seats and even some had to stand. During our wait as the line built up, 4 busses came for Caribbean beach and 3 left with less than 10 people on it and 5 busses came for whatever resort was to our left (couldn't see the sign) and no one in line 2 of the times the bus came for that resort. They really need to work on the bus schedule. What a day lol.

Up early the next day for our AK day and our Rainforest Cafe lunch at 11:30. I always get their Nachos. Everyone I know hates this place and for some strange reason, I love it!
Mmmmm nachos!
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We head over to Pandora for FOP and after the ride, The girls want to go back to the resort. This is not unusual as we do go to WDW a lot and sometimes they would rather hang by the pool or chill in the room and I am okay with that. We get back to the room and just chill out for a few hours. I get ready for my daddy's night out with a friend and the girls and wife get ready for dinner at Topolino's. I have a good friend that lives in Orlando and he's coming to pick me up for HHN at Universal. I am beyond excited!

We arrive at HHN around 6:15 and it is packed for a Wednesday night! But the crowds are very easy to navigate. We end up doing 9 of the 10 houses, drink a lot of good beer and eat some good food. We had Pizza at Louie's , a twisted tater at one booth and a candied pork belly on a stick. Sounds gross but was actually good! HHN was so freakin good I swear if I could get away for a few days I would drive back down to Orlando just for that! If you have never been, you have no idea what you are missing. The TM's are beyond polite and helpful and the scare actors are awesome! You can tell that they all love what they do! My favorite house was Icons. It was all different characters from a variety of scary movies. Another good house was Beetlejuice. Man it was fun! The level of the props is just mind blowing! Texas Chainsaw was not a good as I wanted it to be lol. I was expecting a little more.

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I have a ton of pics, I may do another thread in the UO section. It's just too much for this thread.
That's it for now! Check back as I plan on finishing this up before the weekend!!!

I just want to say thank you for standing up for your family and the CMs . It is insane how many of them are being treated horribly (TMs as well). Also now I want root beer gelato! And yes skyliner is so worth it!

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

last part finished. enjoy the read!

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

last part finished. enjoy the read!

Thank you for a really interesting report. I must admit that I did feel a little sad when reading your summary. We are returning in December for a much anticipated trip, which has been postponed so may times because of the travel restrictions. Your report was a gentle reminder to manage my expectations.

 

[shh]

thank you for taking the time to share- really enjoyed reading your report.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Thank you
great report.
Just want to add one more thing about Universal… if you are a Passholder they actually give you a ticket for the HHN . I know it is for limited specific nights to attend but still “ Complimentary” as in WOW !
Unfortunately I have never been brave enough to attend but love Universal for so many reasons. It shocks me everytime they say Yes when I ask if they offer a discount because I seem to always get No from Disney . Seriously a discount at Starbucks! Whythankyou.
And I recently stayed at Sapphire Falls … could not believe the excellent quick service stayed Open til 1 a.m. making fresh sandwiches for me!
My son ( in hospitality business ) says Yes Mom that is what happens when a Hotel Industry runs the resort versus a theme park company.
Anyway I also am totally taking over your trip report Sorry… but went to see the Monkees at the Hard Rock Universal Studios location.
I def hope you put this on your list of fun and special only at Universal ! Next time !

 

[GoofysNCCrew]

Part 5.
2 days left. Today is our Epcot day but after getting back at 3:00am from Halloween Horror Nights, I have to sleep in a little but the family has no problem with that. Finally up and on our way! A quick ride to Epcot and we head over to Figment, my 7yo's fav. After we ride, my wife and kids go up to the lounge while I go outside and try and secure a boarding group for Remy. We then head to Soarin' before lunch.

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Soarin" was walk on. Posted 20, walked straight on with no wait.

Now it's time! I have been waiting for this restaurant for what seems like forever! It was so awesome! The ride to space, the atmosphere or lack of lol. The food was good but not great? If that makes sense. Me and my 10yo had the burger. We all shared the deviled eggs which were really good. My kids shared a calamari and me and the wife shared the caulifower. My 7yo had space-ghetti but said it was horrible so we got Mac-n-cheese for her. My wife had the seared tuna and said it was really good. Like I said, the food was good. Will I spend $300 to go again? Doubtful. But I am glad I got to experience it.
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So, after lunch we headed to Test Track. My wife didn't want to ride so it was just me and the girls. I'm okay with that. After we rode it was time for Ratatouille! It was a cute ride, not mind blowing but the kids loved it. It is kinda short though. The detail in the ride is good. If they keep this as pay to ride on our next visit it will be a hard pass for me. But then again, my next park visit may be a year or more so we will see.
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Bt the time we got off of Remy it was almost 6:00 so we headed back to the resort. We had dinner later that night in the room and just relaxed.


The next morning, our last park day we head to the MK. I am totally shocked how busy Main Street is! I thought wow! Wait times are gonna suck today! But I was wrong. Walk on TTAPM, walk on Astro Orbiter, just had to wait for the elevator. 30 min for 7DMT, PP was 30ish, HM was maybe 15. We had a good time but left the parks around 3:30.


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Back to the room and showers for everyone. Had to get ready for our Steakhouse 71 reservation! I was really looking forward to this one!
We call for a Lyft and I opted for the Lux Black. After all, this was our last dinner at WDW so let's go in style! We arrive and after check in we are seated within 20 minutes or so. I have eaten at about every steak house on WDW property and have had great steaks at most. I will say for the money, you cannot beat Steakhouse 71. Me and my 10yo had the filet. My wife had the prime rib and it was shrimp and Mac-n-cheese for my 7yo.
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Both our filet's were very flavorful and tender. I have zero complaints about this restaurant. Also the 15 layer cake was good!

My steak was not as rare as I wanted but I did not send it back. It was that good.
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I was so full I had to get my cake to go. I ate it about an hour later then laid in the bed curled up but it was so worth it!
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It's always a sad day when a vacation comes to an end but in all honesty, we were all glad to be heading home. I stayed up late and did all my laundry while we watched TV. The next morning we packed up and headed out right at 11:00am. We talked about the trip and for the first time ever, my girls both said they couldn't wait to go back to Universal. I asked them about WDW and my 10 yo old said she wanted to go back when Tron opens and my 7yo said she wanted to go to Legoland lol. Go figure, she's 7! Anyway, me and my wife talked about it and she said let's take a year or more break from WDW. I said where should we go on vacation? I reminded her that we already have a Christmas trip booked and she said cancel it. She said we can go to Universal for the holidays and Hilton Head next summer (which we absolutely love) so I am okay with that. We talked about the good and the bad with this trip and it actually breaks my heart as I really love Disney. We had such an amazing time at Universal that it opened our eyes to all the problems at WDW. Now after going back and reading my own trip report, I can clearly see all the good times we had. There were plenty of them! But the things that stood out that were not so magical has really made us rethink WDW. There were more grumpy, snooty cast members this trip. There were more rude guest. The buss service is horrible, no shows, no parades and every thing was just more expensive. The Boo Bash was a total fail. HHN at UO was less money, 5 hours longer, had 10 haunted houses, food booths everywhere and not once did I run into anyone with a bad attitude. I know that WDW is bigger but they really need to get lessons from UO. Once we got home and settled in, I cancelled our trip this holiday season. We originally were going to Legoland from 12/30 -1/2 then 1/2 -1/8 at WDW. Now we go to Poly from 12/29-12/30 just because I had some points that would expire and my bank window has closed. Then after Legoland, I booked 6 days at UO. I love the WDW resorts and I have no problem staying a night or 2 when we come back to Orlando. I'm just gonna give the parks a break for a while. Besides Hilton Head, We will probably book a few weekend resort only trips at resorts we haven't stayed at. We need to do Boardwalk, Saratoga, Grand Floridian, BLT and WL. We have lots of points to burn next year so we will see what the family wants to do. I know my kids are happy at the pool where the stress is pretty much non existent.

Thanks for reading!

Appreciated so much reading your report. I was anxiously awaiting the final analysis. We just finished a 17 day WDW trip with multiple resorts (we are DVC as well). After our trip, we have rethought how future vacations might go. We experienced along the way lackluster and poor service with escalating prices. On the 50th anniversary (we attended) it was reflective to me that no Disney Executive spoke live to the guests in attendance. They chose to speak to a closed park media and special VIP guest audience only, I guess you don't risk being booed or jeered that way. All of this has prompted us to give Universal a try, so we have planned a New Year's weekend there. Your observations, our own experiences and other guest experiences sadden us as the Disney we knew ask us to pay more and expect a lot less.

 

[DeeBee3]

Sounds like a mixed bag, but the upgrade was sweet! I have heard so many stories like yours with rude guests. Fortunately, our trip mid-August was devoid of any of that!

I also realize it seems much more crowded since then.

We don't go nearly as often as you (from what it sounds like) so our last trip was more than 2 years since then - I think any place outside of our community would have been magical. We will see if our scheduled trip in April is less than magical. Crossing fingers we still go by then and it all works out nicely. Otherwise we would try to go once a year or every other.

Tell your 10 year old, this 39 year old would probably be too scared for HHN. No way, Jose.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

Sounds like a mixed bag, but the upgrade was sweet! I have heard so many stories like yours with rude guests. Fortunately, our trip mid-August was devoid of any of that!

I also realize it seems much more crowded since then.

We don't go nearly as often as you (from what it sounds like) so our last trip was more than 2 years since then - I think any place outside of our community would have been magical. We will see if our scheduled trip in April is less than magical. Crossing fingers we still go by then and it all works out nicely. Otherwise we would try to go once a year or every other.

Tell your 10 year old, this 39 year old would probably be too scared for HHN. No way, Jose.

We did enjoy the upgrade for sure! Also, since we have returned to Walt Normal World, we talked about how much we enjoy the resorts. We are planning a resort only trip. We decided we will have pool time, mini golf, maybe ride over to Fun Spot and ride the Orlando Eye etc. I have heard from many on here that resort only stays are awesome so we will find out soon! Also my daughter has told me every day that she regrets not staying at HHN and giving it a chance. I told her we can try again next year.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

We did enjoy the upgrade for sure! Also, since we have returned to Walt Normal World, we talked about how much we enjoy the resorts. We are planning a resort only trip. We decided we will have pool time, mini golf, maybe ride over to Fun Spot and ride the Orlando Eye etc. I have heard from many on here that resort only stays are awesome so we will find out soon! Also my daughter has told me every day that she regrets not staying at HHN and giving it a chance. I told her we can try again next year.

You guys would love Fantasia Gardens mini golf across from the swan and dolphin! Also my neighbors when their daughter was younger used to LOVE fishing at POR! Maybe even a day at Disney Springs doing splitsville and characters in flight!

 

[condorthb]

For us anyways ....
Part 1.
We just got back yesterday (Saturday) from a split stay between Universal Orlando Portofino Bay Resort (9/30 - 10/3) and our home resort, Disney's Riviera (10/3 - 10/9). So, departure day is here! We all get up, load the SUV and head out at 7:00am on our 7+ hour drive. At 2.5 hours we pull off to top off and grab some snacks at Buc-ee's just outside of Macon, GA. If you have never stopped there, you have no idea what you are missing! 175+ gas pumps, beef jerky bar, candied pecans and cashews made right before your eyes, Brisket and pulled pork being made fresh and oh my god is it good! plus coffee bar, fresh pastries, every kind of drink or snack you can imagine etc. etc. We were still in time for breakfast. Brisket Tacos? Yes Please!
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So we arrive at Portofino Bay around 3:00 and our room was ready. But not without a few problems. We had booked the Minion Family Suite and we had no idea they even offered one with bunk beds. The bunk bed area was so small! We stopped off at the front desk on our way to dinner to ask about the room and they said "No problem, we can move you .... tomorrow". I was like "crap" I hate moving lol. But I agreed so off we went.
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Plus our girls really just hated it! We waited on Bell services (Star Service) and took off to to City Walk for dinner at Toothsome. Awesome as always! Plus the girls just love it.

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Next morning we have Breakfast at the resort and it was good! So a quick stop off at the desk to let them know our bags were at the door for the move and we were headed to breakfast and bam! she hands me a voucher for breakfast! It was a Buffett but we opted for the made to order omelets and I also had biscuits and gravy and oatmeal. We all had full bellies so off we go to UO! The park was very manageable. Plus with Express Pass Unlimited, the whole vacation was a breeze!
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The crowds were really light and no, I didn't take my littlest one to Horror Nights lol. But my 10 year old begged so I bought us tickets, just me and her, and it didn't go well.

You caught Buc-ees at a good time. I live down the street and its never not packed.

 

[hhisc16]

last part finished. enjoy the read!

Agree with you that HHI is a relaxing vacation without the parks.
Enjoy your stay!

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

I just want to say thank you for standing up for your family and the CMs . It is insane how many of them are being treated horribly (TMs as well). Also now I want root beer gelato! And yes skyliner is so worth it!

I was just looking back on this thread and now I cannot get the Root beer Gelato out of my head!

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

It's been a few weeks now and we, (the whole family) has had plenty of time to reflect back on our trip. Having said that, I never make hasty decisions and try not to let my emotions make decisions. So as the title says, "The trip that may have changed things forever". Well, yes it just may have. We did have a trip booked for Jan 2nd through the 8th at WDW staying at Riviera after a 3 day trip at Legoland for our little one. We have cancelled that trip and booked the same dates at Universal Portofino Bay. And not to get too far off topic, I booked with my AMEX Platinum card and got back $350 for going through AMEX, free breakfast every morning, Free dinner one night, 12:00 check-in and 4:00 checkout. These perks really excite me lol. Now back to the topic. We, (me and my wife) have talked with our kids about the trip and we all agree the WDW part was not a good one. I even looked into selling our DVC but at this point I am not willing to take the loss as we have only owned for a little over a year. My 10 year old gave us the best idea. She suggested we do a resort only stay and explore other parts of WDW and other offerings in the Orlando area. So we booked a trip in March at Saratoga Springs to be close to Disney Springs and on the outskirts of WDW. We plan on going to the space center one day, Orlando fun spot or whatever its called on another and doing resort things like mini golf, bowling at Splitsville, catch a movie and hang at the pool. We even decided we will not renew our AP's in February and since there is no discount for renewal anymore it makes that decision a little easier. The decisions we have made both sadden and excite me. With all the money grabs, the shorter park hours, less offerings, no shows or meet and greets and just overall poor service, I feel that my hard earned money will be better spent outside of the parks. Like I said, I am not going to totally abandon WDW yet. I will continue to use our DVC for our room and once WDW is worth it for us again, we will visit the parks. Disney will always have a special place in my heart and I hope one day things get better.