The Wizarding World and Muggle Worlds collide.....Trip report

[DisneyWalle]

This is my first trip report that I have ever written; hopefully, someone will find it useful.

My family's first trip to US and IOA. August 30th - September 4th
Who went:
1) Muggle 1: Hubby (40)
2) Potter Fanatic: Me (39)
3) Muggle 2: Son (15)

My hubby suffers from extra motion sickness and dizziness. We knew that he would have to be medicated to enjoy any rides in US and IOA. Last year, even though he wore a Scopolamine patch, he got sick on Aerosmith's Rock n' Roll Coaster and was done with the rides. So this year, I researched motion sickness medications and home remedies, in hopes, I would find something that would enable him to ride and enjoy the trip. I was successful!

Below is a list of the products he used and when:
August 30th - The day before any parks
1) Anivert (Walmart sells this under the name, Motion Sickness Medication, for $3)
2) Scopolamine Patch (Sold by prescription, we paid $35 for 4 patches)

September 1st - First day at US
1) Ginger gum, ginger chews, ginger hard candies, and crystallized ginger (he carried a variety of these products in his pockets each day. Before getting on any ride he either chewed the gum or sucked on a chew/candy. These products help ease nausea. Fair warning: some of them have a SPICY strong taste)

September 2nd - First day in IOA
1) Scopolamine Patch (Removed the original and put on a new patch)
2) Ginger gum, ginger chews, ginger hard candies, and crystallized ginger

September 3rd - Park hopped between both US and IOA
1) Ginger gum, ginger chews, ginger hard candies, and crystallized ginger

September 4th - No parks -- returning home
1) Removed the Scopolamine patch

The result of all the above: no issues with dizziness, motion sickness or nausea. The only two rides we did not ride were The Simpsons and Minions. He felt great and wanted to ride them - we just ran out of time. However, my son and I, who did not take any medication as we have never had motion issues, did have some motion sickness and nausea on several rides. I will mark those later in the trip report. So he and I also used the ginger products and I can testify that they help.

With that out of the way, let me get started.
Day One: Sunday, August 30th --- Travel Day
6am - We left out of Dothan, Alabama. In fact, they picked me up from work after my shift ended. Since I was exhausted, I slept during the 5 hour car trip. Unfortunately, I had depended on them to pack the car and of course, they forgot my eye mask, blanket, and pillow. So my nap wasn't very restful even though they assured me I slept and snored. After several stops for bathroom breaks and to fill up the car, we arrived at our hotel.
1pm - We tried to check into our hotel - the Downtown Disney Hilton at Lake Buena Vista. This is probably our 10th stay at this hotel. We enjoy staying here as it is always a clean, comfortable hotel and located right across the street from DTD. We had booked the Disney Quest package with DTD view for fireworks viewing. This package was a GREAT deal, it included 3 Disney Quest tickets and DTD view for a final total of $171. (Our son LOVES Disney Quest and since it will be closing at the end of the year, he wanted to go) Our room was not ready yet, but they gave us our tickets, we parked the car in the hotel parking area, and headed to DTD. Our first stop - The Earl of Sandwich, a family favorite and apparently a family favorite of many. However, the staff do an excellent job of moving customers through the line at a decent pace. We ordered 2 originals, 1 club, 1 cup of broccoli cheese soup, and 3 fountain drinks. Total wait time from entering to food in hand.... 17 minutes. Food was hot and filling. I was still tired and decided to head back to the hotel and let the guys go enjoy Disney Quest. Unfortunately, the room was still not ready and I had to wait in the lobby til 3pm. Once I did receive the room keys, I carried the luggage to the room, which was located on the 10th floor. We were given an absolute goregous view of DTD. The clouds started to roll in and since the room was sooooo comfortable and quiet, I curled up for a nap. At around 5pm, I woke up and checked my phone -- no messages, obviously the guys were having fun. Momma time does not come around often and not wanting to waste it, I decided to go shopping and enjoy some Ghiradelli ice cream (may I recommend butter pecan with caramel sauce....YUM). I purchased a cute Mickey shirt from TrenD and a few bath salts (forgot the name of that store), listened to a very talented saxophone jazz musician, and around 7pm, the guys called to say they were hungry. So we again, met back up at the Earl.....grabbed a few sandwiches and went back to the room. We watched fireworks from our room window and called it a night.

 

[Dee2013]

Can't wait to read the rest!

 

[DisneyWalle]

Day Two: Monday, August 31st -- Seaworld
7am - Our day got started. After urging everyone to get up and get ready for the day, we managed to pack up and check out by 8:15am. We did stop by the hotel's marketplace and picked up a few muffins for the ride over to Seaworld. The ride from DTD to Seaworld is less than 10 minutes, so we were sitting in line by 8:40 am. Since we are passholders, we opted to pay the $5 for preferred parking which is so nice---as we parked right in front of the main entrance.

9am - We walked into the park and headed straight to guest services. We had already registered to attend the 9:30 am "Behind the Scenes Tour." The tour is a 75 minute walking tour centered around Seaworld's rescue efforts and goes behind the scenes. The tour gives each participant the opportunity to touch a shark and penguin. The cost was only $29 per person. Prior to this tour, my husband and I had participated in the Wild Artic tour -- which was worth every penny ($59 per person), we both would gladly do this one again. But I stray, back to the Behind the Scenes tour. The tour was good, the guide was very knowledgeable and passionate but it was not our favorite. I will say I did enjoy getting to visit with the penguins. Next time, we are going to try the Sea Lion Tour.

11:00am - We wondered over to the new Sea Lion show, which was wonderful. Loved it! After the show, we rode the Penguin ride, watched the penguins (which you can only handle for so long, as its COLD in there), and then headed over to Atlantis (family favorite). Since there were no crowds, we rode it roughly 7 times.

2pm - At about this time, we were done --- having seen and done everything we wanted too. We left and continued onto the NEW part of our vacation.

Portofino Bay Resort ---- here we come!
---This place is beautiful. As we pulled onto the property, all three of us were immediately excited at what we saw. A picturesque bay with anchored boats, lush foliage, and a hotel that looked like it was from Italy. Gorgeous! As we pulled up, staff immediately came out to assist us and answer questions. My husband opted to valet park (which I must admit was a splurge, but well worth it and we will do it again without hesitation). I will admit I dislike Loews' policy of having hotel guests pay for parking; but if you have to pay anyway, might as well valet park. The cost of 4 days of valet parking with tax $117 - again for us, this was a nice perk and well worth the money. As my husband and bell service unloaded the car, I went inside - with fingers and toes crossed - to inquire if our room was ready. To my delight, it was ready and we were given room 2240 in the villa wing. Absolutely wonderfully located near the stairs, lobby and boat dock. I had the room keys in my hand before they were done unloading the car. We handed over the keys to valet services and bell service walked us to the room. My word! The room is very nice and large. We had 2 queen beds, a patio with table and chairs overlooking the bocce ball court, and an incredibly large bathroom (separate tub and shower and double sink). The beds are extremely comfortable. The room is very quiet, as the air conditioner makes NO noise. If you sleep with noise, such as a fan, I suggest you bring one with you as you might have problems sleeping in absolute quiet. (Our noise machine broke and we had to get creative, as we sleep with fans for noise back home.)

!!!!Warning to families with small children: Loews stocks your room refrigerator. Everything is on a sensor, if you pick up anything for more than 15 or 30 seconds (I forgot which) you are charged for that item and they are EXPENSIVE. There is also a $7 bottle of water that sits on a sensor on top of the dresser. Lets just say, it wasn't a new bottle, as the cap was dusty.

----After unpacking and settling in, we decided to walk around the hotel. First stop, the ticket counter. I must say Universal kills trees by the thousands. When that gentleman was done printing 6 breakfast vouchers, 3 city walk passes, the shutterbutton ticket and 3 park tickets my hand was full and I still hadn't gotten my express passes yet. We walked across the hallway to the express pass machines - inserted our room keys, took our pictures, and the machine spit out our passes. All set with our tickets, we set out to explore the hotel. Our first discovery Sal's was closed. BOO! We were so excited to try the pizzas from here, as people had raved about them. Oh well, something to look forward to next time. My son spotted the Gelateria and we headed in for some gelato. This was a very nice treat and we chose to sit outside while we ate. We were very relaxed and having started our vacation dinner off correctly, dessert first, we located the walking path to Citywalk and off we went. The walking path is very nice. Its a flat paved walking path beautifully landscaped and follows the waterway all the way to Citywalk. I believe it took us roughly 10 or 15 minutes, not long at all, in fact we beat the boat.

----On our last vacation to Orlando, we dined at Antojitos and LOVED it. So of course, that's where we went for dinner. We chose the guacamole bowl (made table side and delicious), son chose the Budin con Mole Blanco (he ate every bit of it - he did share a bite - another home run), husband and I chose to share the El Burrito Revoluncionario (again good), and finally the cheese flan (this is Heaven on a plate.....the angels sing when this is delivered to the table). Total for a delicious meal and stuffed bellys $80, including tip. Stuffed and happy, we boarded the resort boat and enjoyed the 5 minute ride back to the hotel. The hotel lit up at night, with the lights shimmering on the water, music softly playing......just amazing. Relaxation at its best!

9:45pm -- Time for bed

 

[DisneyWalle]

Day Three - Tuesday, September 1st -- Universal Studios

7am - Another early morning but surprisingly everyone woke up easy and in a good mood. We managed to be ready and outside by 8:15am. Since we enjoyed the walking path the night before (and knowing we were going to be little piggies this trip) we decided to walk. As we reached the US gates, I realized they were already allowing guests into the park and it was only 8:30 or 8:40 am. Excited? Absolutely!

8:40-8:45am - We were strolling down the streets of Universal and it was EMPTY. Let me say that again.....EMPTY. I was taking pictures like crazy. My husband exaggerates with the best --- but he believes I was stopping every 3 feet taking a new picture. I don't believe I was that bad but I do have a ton of pictures to sort through. As this was our first time in the park, we didn't know where to go and just naturally began following a pathway to the right. Apparently everyone else had gone to the left towards Minions. The pathway began to widened and immediately I saw Springfield. Can I say my husband and I were 12 again. It looked so much like the cartoon, I expected to see Bart come skateboarding by at any moment. Of course, our son had no clue what Springfield was or who the Simpsons were, so we decided to keep walking and come back to this section later in the day -- when hubby and I could enjoy a Duff beer.

9:00ish am - Men in Black was open. Because the guys love Buzz Lightyear in Magic Kingdom, I knew this was a must do and a chance to see how the medication was going to work for my husband. Immediately walked on, loaded and started shooting. This ride is incredibly fun. Be prepared it does involve spinning -- but none of us had issues on this ride -- including the end where it spins quickly. All three of us are competitive, so we rode this 3 times back to back -- ending in a tie, we decided to press on.

GEEK MOMENT ALERT! As you walk over the bridge, you immediately see Grimmauld Place. EEK! Harry Potter!!!!! After snapping a TON of pictures and waiting for Kreacher to appear, my son says "Look, mom, the Knight Bus." EEK! Nobody is around --- its all mine. As I talked to the driver and head (loved that they were in character) my husband took pictures. By this time, people started to appear and I was ready to enter my favorite storyworld. But I couldn't find how to cross over. Seeing Kings Crossing I walked over to one of the train attendants and asked "Where is Diagon Alley?" Train Attendant, "What is this Diagon Alley that you speak of?" Oh crap! I'm in the muggle world. Racking my brain, trying to come up with how to ask this question, husband says, "Hunny, people are disappearing behind the wall. What's over there? Maybe that's it." I look up at the attendant who gives me a smile and off I go.
Suddenly, I'm not 39 anymore, I'm 11. I'm so giddy its crazy! And again, the place is almost empty. Here is where my husband was probably correct about me stopping every 3 feet for a picture. It was amazing! I do believe I took a picture of every sign, wall, store front, ride, statue, dragon (of course) and even the ground. This was hard work which naturally makes you thristy. So what do you do......you order a butterbeer. I stopped at the Hopping Pot and ordered one butterbeer for us to share. Since the reviews for butterbeer were all over the place (some like regular and some prefer frozen...sorry it was to hot outside to try the hot version), I decided we would try them both and chose to start with the regular. Of course, I got a picture of everyone trying their first sip of butterbeer. The consenus: its good. Well hydrated, it was time to visit Gringotts.
But what good is it to visit the bank with no wizarding world money? So we made a stop at the Money Exchange....exchanged our muggle money for $10 of wizarding world money (husband couldn't believe I did this, but I assured him it was a good souvenir), I interacted with the goblin and out the door we went. I stuffed the money into my back pocket and we were ready to visit Gringotts. *****We opted to not use a bag on this trip, so prior to the trip I purchased a Flipbelt for $29. It held my phone, wallet, and a few other items. Since I wore it under my shirt and everything remained secure, I never had to use a locker which made things so easy and no time was ever wasted on the vacation fooling with lockers.******
Back to Gringotts, this place looks just like the movie. I was in heaven. Step, picture, step, picture, step, picture --- EEK --- so exciting. As you head down into the bank, you encounter a worker - who directs you to a photographer (this is your ride photo), you can skip this part if you wish. I don't want to give everything away so I will stop there but I will say the ride is a blast. In fact, it was my favorite. I think by the end of our 3 park days, we rode it over 15 times. No one was bothered by motion sickness issues on this ride.
By now we were snacky, so we walked over to Florean Fortescue's for some ice cream. Son chose a bowl with two scoops -- 1 of sticky toffee pudding and 1 of apple crumble. Hubby and I again opted to share --- a bowl of butterbeer ice cream. Sticky toffee pudding and butterbeer both are delectable and have a butterscotchy taste in my opinion. Apple Crumble is apple pie in ice cream form.
By now it was 10:00am and time for our Leaky Cauldron breakfast reservations. I loved the restaurant --- step, picture, step, picture, step, picture ----EEK! Now, what did I think of the food, you ask. All three of us chose the same -- American Breakfast. This consisted of bacon, sausage, croissant, and eggs. Ummm, it was ok. I wouldn't pay to eat breakfast there again. However, I have been told the lunch and dinner menus are quite tasty, we will try those next time. As we exited the restaurant, the crowds had found Diagon Alley. So we decided to explore the rest of Universal Studios.

Next stop, the Disaster Show. Using our express pass, we walked right into the "holding room" and waited probably 10 minutes for the show to start. This attraction is guest interactive and probably really good when the guests are excited to participate. It was interesting but we wouldn't do it again.

Next up, the Revenge of the Mummy. Again using our express pass, we walked right onto this ride. Loved it -- even though its a little jarring and rough. I would suggest if you have back or neck issues to skip this ride. This was our son's favorite ride. In total we rode this ride over 20 times. Though my husband only rode it 5 times, it had nothing to do with motion sickness and everything to do with how rough and jerky the ride was.

Onward to Twister. Ok this was our least favorite attraction between the two parks. I can definitely understand why Universal is replacing it. What to say about it....hmmm. Its a quick show with some wind and water droplets.

Next...Shrek 4D. This is a cute 4-D movie and the characters are located just outside. The line wasn't very long and guests were able to interact with Donkey and Shrek.

Ok....next was Transformers. This is a motion simulator ride attraction in 3D/4D. Husband LOVED it! I think he would have lived on this ride, unfortunately, it made both me and my son sick. This is when my son and I first start using the ginger products. When I got off this ride, I had to sit down and drink some water. After about 15 minutes, I was decently recovered and hubby really wanted to ride again. So he gave me a ginger chew, son ginger gum and we got back on the ride. This time my son had no issues. I also had no issues but I did have to close my eyes through half of it (from the vortex to Bumblebee catching us). But good thing, no nausea this time.

From here we headed to Terminator 2: 3D. I liked this show but the guys did not. I thought that it was really interesting that it was part live action.. part 3D movie. It was nice to sit in the air conditioning after Transformers. After the show, I was feeling completely normal again and we headed back to Springfield.

The Simpsons......I can't express how good of a job Universal did here. It really looks as if the cartoon came to life or perhaps we entered it. I told the boys that I had read about something called the Big Pink and we had to try it. So they went and grabbed a seat at the Duff bar and I got in line at Lard Lad's Donuts. This donut is huge... in fact, don't think donut, think cake size. At a price of $4.99 without tax...you have a snack that easily feeds 3 people. Husband ordered us two duff beers and son ordered a flaming moe...I think that total was around $17...not bad. The flaming moe comes in a sourvenir cup. The beers were good, the flaming moe was interesting (orangy flavored) but the big surprise was the Big Pink. We all thought it was a gimmick and wouldn't big good....oh how wrong we were. This thing is delicious. We were sooooo bad over the 3 park days, we ate a total of 5.....yes I said 5 big pinks. These things are now a vacation staple. (We did purchase one for the trip home....and I can tell you that they aren't as good the next day. In fact, we will only buy them, in the future, if we can eat them that day.)

From here we bounced between Men In Black, Diagon Alley, and Revenge of the Mummy. By this time, it was almost 6pm....we ran back through Springfield for a Big Pink for the hotel room. As we were walking towards the front of the park, we noticed the Horror Make-up Show was about to begin. So we ducked inside and were almost immediately seated. Again this is a guest participation show and it definitely helps to have interesting people. We loved it! This is now a family favorite. We were laughing from the beginning to the end.

Since we were tired, we rode the boat back to the hotel. No sooner had I removed my shoes, did my son say he was hungry. Great.....I squeeze my now swollen feet back into my tennis shoes (good things these shoes are comfortable) and look at my husband - expecting him to put his shoes on. But he gives me this pathetic look and says he isn't hungry and wants to stay. Fine. So out we go again back to Citywalk.....son isn't too big on pasta (we are staying in "Italy"). We ride the boat again. Upon arriving, he decided to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe. Oh ok.....not momma's pick but I'm a good sport. So we walk over to the bigger than life restaurant and walk in. Now, I'm not that old but everyone in here either has multiple piercings in their face with cartoon colored hair or ZZ Top....yep I feel OLD and uncool. However, everyone is very nice and attentive. We are immediately escorted up stairs by a young hostess with no less than 10 facial piercings and blue hair. Up on the second level, they ask if you would like to have your photo taken, why not. They hand my son a guitar and we pose for our picture. From here, they seat us near the bar and we watch the pink cadillac rotate on the floor below us. Son and I both chose to order the same thing....Pulled Pork Sandwich with fries. He is loving the music and in fact, he is singing (who is this child? my son doesn't sing!) Food arrives and its alot.....sandwich is overflowing with huge chunks of pork, hot fries, a citrus slaw, and baked beans. Too my surprise, it was good. So much food, we couldn't eat it all and decided to take it back to the room. At about this time, a different person stopped by the table with the picture. It was a great picture of my son and I so I sucked it up and paid the $20. The total for our dinner including the picture and tip....$65. Before leaving the Hard Rock, my son wanted to stop by the gift shop. He found a really nice shirt for $21.99 so after paying for it, we went back to the hotel by boat. By this time, hubby was hungry so he finished off the leftovers and agreed the Hard Rock was a good choice. After showers, we all shared the Big Pink and settled in for the night.

 

[pcstang]

Great start on your TR. Small world, we live in Dothan also.

 

[DisneyWalle]

Day Four - Wednesday, September 2nd -- Islands of Adventure

6:30 am - Ewww....the phone is ringing....It's Optimus Prime and he wants us up. This is a vacation, right? Have we slept any? Ok, ok....I go about waking everyone and encourage us all to move quickly. We are tired this morning and choose to ride the boat to Citywalk instead of walk.

8:00 am - IOA gates are open for on-site guests...so in we go. We again go right...this time through Suess land. I take a few pictures and continue around the park headed for Hogsmeade. You can see the castle as you make the turn near the Mystic Fountain and once again, my geek meter peaks. Immediately, we head for the train and take a few pictures. We don't hog this area, as many guests are also taking pictures. Once again, I take pictures of the store fronts, signs, train, carts, and ground.
Our first stop.....butterbeer...today it will be frozen. Again I take everyone's picture while they take their first sip of frozen butterbeer. OH MY! This is the best! Frozen Butterbeer is the WINNER!
I walked into the bathroom, of course, to hear Moaning Mrytle. Took pictures of the goodies in Honeydukes, however, I was very disappointed they didn't have any Treacle Fudge or Hagrid's Rock Cakes, as I was looking forward to trying both. Oh well! They did have a cauldron cake -- after making my purchase we walked out of Honeydukes and around the corner. We each sampled the cake. Verdict: Too much chocolate for us. The cake was definitely fresh but not for us.
At this point, crowds were developing and we agreed it was time to ride some rides. I will admit this area of the Wizarding World feels crowded even with small groups of people. First stop...the Forbidden Journey. By this time, it was 8:40ish and the ride already had a 20 minute wait. In we went. Step, picture, step, picture, step, picture, EEK! So exciting! (I would hate to see this ride when its busy....the que line is enormous.) The wait was a true estimate but with so much to see --- it didn't feel long. We load onto the ride. OH MY WORD! I want to throw up! Get me off! The ride is interesting, its well done, its amazing but I can't do it. I managed to keep my eyes open cause I wanted to see it all but now I feel yucky. The ride unloads into a gift shop, I completely bypassed the gift shop....I needed air.
Once outside I began to feel better. We looked over and noticed the Flight of the Hippogriff had no line. I was feeling decent and recovering quickly (maybe I can ride Forbidden Journey again). ****Please note: neither my husband or son felt sick at all however, both were now sucking on ginger candies before ANY ride.***** We loaded onto the Flight of the Hippogriff almost immediately. Took some good pictures of the Hogwarts Castle and before I knew it the ride was over. Ok....definitely a kid's roller coaster.

9:15ish --- We had reservations at the Three Broomsticks at 10am for breakfast but the guys were already hungry. So I asked if we could eat early....absolutely. This time everyone chooses something different: son chose the pancake breakfast with water, husband chose the american breakfast with butterbeer, and I chose the traditional english breakfast with pumpkin juice. I will speak to mine only since there was nothing special about their breakfast choices. The english breakfast is huge. It includes ham, bacon, eggs, beans, tomato, mushrooms, croissant, and a black sausage. This breakfast is actually good, I particularly enjoyed the vegetables, beans, and eggs. The sausage was unique. I did try it but was just a little too odd for me. I also had my first and only glass of pumpkin juice. Pumpkin juice has a very acidic and strange aftertaste...not for me...I will stick to frozen butterbeer. After finishing our breakfast, we entered the streets of Hogsmeade once again and I made the worst mistake of the entire trip.

10:00am - Lets ride Forbidden Journey again, I feel better and I recovered so quickly before...so maybe I won't have a problem. I think the 10 minute wait time was what prompted me to ride again. I mean how often do the rides basically have no lines. So into the que line we go. Hubby hands me a ginger chew and ginger candy. So I suck on these while I ride. By the quidditch game, I'm in a full blown prayer and eyes screwed down tight. When it ends, I'm pale, sweating, and so sick....that's it - no more Forbidden Journey for me. This ride was worse than Transformers. I made it to the bench just outside the gift shop and waited for my husband to bring back a water. Ahhh! He bought a Gilly Water....got to take a picture. So with shaky hands I take my picture (husband is fussing, "I bought that for you to drink not take a picture of it!"), open the cap and sip. It took me 20 minutes to feel normal. Definitely done with this ride! Husband and son had no issues with motion sickness on Forbidden Journey.

By this time, the rest of the park is open and we cross the bridge into Jurassic World. We walk over to River Adventure, use our express pass and immediately board the ride boat. Umm! This is a good ride but surprisingly none of us cared to ride it more than twice.

As we walked away from River Adventure, we noticed something called Raptor Encounter. There was barely 10 people in line so we decided to check it out. Its funny! Don't won't to spoil any surprises...but even though I watched group after group and knew what was coming.....I still screamed. The guys thought that was funny. Ha Ha momma screamed....so funny. They talked about it all day. Better still the team members took a video on my phone....so its been watched over and over...its even been sent out to family. Glad I provide comic relief to my little world. With not much else over here, we walked over to Toon Lagoon.

Toon Lagoon has the best water rides. My family and I loved them. Our favorite....Ripsaw Falls. Tip: wear something that dries quickly....no jeans. Most water rides claim you get soaked and yes, you do typically get wet on every water ride. Ripsaw Falls means SOAKED! When you exit this ride, if anything is relatively dry on your body, it might be your back simply because it was pressed against the seat. We rode this ride the most out of all the rides. We even decided it was worth admission to IOA just for this ride. Now don't get me wrong, the theming isn't great but the ride is good.
While still in Toon Lagoon, we ran over to Bluto's Barge and used the express pass to bypass the lines. We rode this once but it was fun and again gets you wet. Everyone was wet! With squishy tennis shoes, we decided it was time to try and dry out. We were all getting hungry and we wanted to eat in Mythos but definitely not soaking wet. So off we went to the Marvel area.

We walked slowly enjoying the sun into Marvel and immediately saw Wolverine. Momma had to have her picture taken with him. Still really wet, we decided to get a coke and sit in the sun. My son also chose a churro....his favorite vacation snack. We watched Captain America interact with the kids, which was so cute. After about 30 minutes, we were relatively dry and again using express passes walked straight onto Spiderman. Spiderman is another ride similar to Transformers. Now with everyone sucking on ginger candy, we loaded into our "car", put on the 3D glasses, and were immersed into a comic book. I still had to close my eyes for parts of this ride.....mostly anything that involved swinging or falling; so I missed a lot but I didn't get sick. And again neither my husband or son had any issues. Go figure.....I guess I have gotten old. Ugh!

By this time, we were hungry. So we rushed over to Mythos, the hostess had us seated at a table within 10 minutes of putting our name on the list. We chose the Spanakopita for an appetizer (delicious), son chose the cranberry and blue cheese encrusted pork loin (he loved it), and hubby and I shared the brown butter gnocchi (again another delicious dish). The waitress was very attentive and service was exceptional. Total with tip $65 and worth every penny.

My son loves Greek mythology so we decided to check out the Poseidon's Fury. This was a waste of time, especially for us short people. They crowd so many people into the first two rooms that I would have required a ladder to see anything. By the time, we reached the last room, which is where the real show takes place....we were all ready to leave and just didn't care.
From there we decided to chance, the Sinbad show. This one was good. It's a live action stunt show with comedy. We will definitely visit this show again on future visits. The show lasts approximately 20-25 minutes and we felt worth the time. Its shaded and you can sit for this show.

At this point, we were pretty much done with IOA and all agreed to go back to the hotel until dinner.

7:00pm - I love reading traveler reviews and I use them to make choices for our vacations. I was excited for us to try Emeril's at Citywalk, as the reviews put it at almost a 5 star restaurant. After a break at the hotel, we felt relaxed and hungry. There was no wait at Emeril's and we were promptly seated. This would be our worst dining experience of the entire trip and the most expensive. We were placed at a table with a new waiter who was being trained....not a problem. The guys ordered lemonades and I stuck with water. We also placed an order for Boudin Balls. As we reviewed the menu, they brought out a bread basket. The bread was good. After about 10 minutes, the waiter returned to take our order. Son chose the Braised Beef Short Ribs, husband chose the Sweet Barbeque Roasted Salmon, and I chose the Grilled Double Pork Chop. The glasses are so small here that the waiters couldn't keep the glasses filled and we sat a good portion of the time with empty glasses. 30 minutes into our dining experience, the appetizer of Boudin Balls came out. These were delicious. Being hungry the 3 little balls were gone within a few minutes. An hour into our dining experience, our entrees came out. Husband said his was good but nothing exciting. Son stated he was basically eating his Nene's pot roast on mashed potatoes....not what I'm expecting for $34. Now to mine, the pork chop was extremely thick and coated with a sauce. It was not easy to cut and I'm pretty sure wasn't cooked all the way through but since the restaurant has such dim lightening I couldn't tell. The sweet potatoes were the only tasty thing on my plate. I ate roughly half of the pork chop before I just quit. Still hungry and wanting to try the raved about Banana Creme Pie, we sat for an additional 20 minutes. Again another major let down. The dessert had no flavor, it was huge but relatively tasteless. By this time, we were just ready to leave. I received the bill......$147.23 (without tip) --- most expensive meal and the worst. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant.

By this time, it was close to 9:30pm and all tired. So back to the hotel and into the fluffy comfortable beds for the night.

 

[DisneyWalle]

Day Five - Thursday, September 3rd -- Riding the Express

7:45am - We slept in some this morning. On this day, we were going to enjoy our favorites between the two parks. Even though we weren't in a hurry, we still made it to the front gates of US by 8:30am.

8:40am - The gates were open and in we went. Our first stop....Men in Black. By this time, it was definitely a competition to see who could get the highest score. We rode it so many times in a row, the attendants told us to quit going outside and re-entering the que line and instead, go through child swap. This saved so much time but to be respectful, we only did this when there were no lines. I really have no idea how many times we rode this.

From there we traveled back to Diagon Alley. Upon entering, we immediately got in line at the Hopping Pot and ordered one frozen butterbeer and one tongue tying lemon squash. We grabbed a spot in front of the stage, as I wanted to watch "The Tales of Beedle the Bard: the Three Brothers" The lemon squash is basically a SOUR lemonade, its eye twitching sour.
The show was amazing. Universal has a talented staff of actors. The puppets were so unique and a wonderful asset to Diagon Alley. If you haven't seen the show, definitely take the time to watch it. It only lasts maybe 15 minutes total.
After the show, it was time for Gringotts. We rode it about 3 or 4 times before the wait times reached 30 minutes and I decided I was done.
Snacky, we grabbed ice cream from Florean Fortescues again. Son picked sticky toffee pudding and apple crumble in a waffle cone, husband chose butterbeer, and I picked sticky toffee and earl grey and lavender. The earl grey and lavender ice cream is very unique -- glad I tried it probably wouldn't get it again. It has a perfumy taste. As we ate our ice cream, we walked around Knockturn Alley. The crowds were finally getting dense and we decided to let our son pick where to go next.

Big surprise --- Revenge of the mummy. For some reason, there was never a line here. We used the express pass line but it wasn't needed. We walked on every time....most of the time, we sat in the front row of seats. Hubby was a good sport and rode it another 5 times before calling it quits. Our son didn't want to ride it without him so onto something else.

To be fair to daddy, my son and I agreed to ride Transformers since this was hubby's favorite ride. I think I put ginger gum, ginger chew, and ginger candy in my mouth all at one time....there was no talking. Still closed my eyes but knew exactly where this time. Happy to say I didn't get sick at all....but I still didn't watch more than the first few minutes of it.

As we exited the Transformers, we heard music and followed the sound to the Blues Brothers. This was another great little interactive show. To my son's embarrassment, I was dancing in the street with the Blues Brothers and about 15 other brave souls. Oh well... it was fun.

It was getting warm and we were ready for water. So we walked to Kings Crossing and boarded the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade. The train station is magnificent. It was another step, picture, step, picture, step, picture ---EEK! moment, especially when I saw the billboard, the trolley, and the 9 3/4 sign. We all three enjoyed the show....hard to explain...and I don't want to spoil it for another fan. Just know...the train ride is a must!

As we departed the train, the crowds in Hogsmeade were unreal (and if that wasn't considered busy, I don't want to see busy). As we were squeezing through headed to Toon Lagoon, I caught the sound of music. EEK! Its the frog choir! Oh we have to stop and listen. As I walked towards the stage (the guys hung back around the magic neep), I started snapping pictures again. Loved it! Again Universal has a talented staff! I highly recommend watching the Frog Choir, it only lasts for maybe 15-20 minutes but its very entertaining. After having a family picture taken with the choir, it was time to move on.

Onward to Toon Lagoon and straight to Ripsaw Falls. We rode this well over 7 times in a row. Clothes were so wet that water just fell off because the clothes couldn't hold anymore water. Soaked and a little chilly, we opted to try the people dryers. Inserted $5 and jumped inside. The heat lamps and fans circulate warm/hot air and it did help... we no longer had puddles of water surrounding our feet but it by no means....dried us. Once again with squishy shoes, we walked slowly through Toon Lagoon, Marvel, Seuss Land, and back to the doors of Mythos. (Our son enjoyed Mythos so much, he requested to go back)

By the time, we reached their door I was the only one dry. If you have ever eaten in Mythos, you know it can get cold in there. The guys, even though they were still wet, were hungry and ready to eat. Again the staff had us seated within 20 minutes of putting our names down. I tried to get the Spanakopita again, but they wanted to try something different. So on this day, we chose the Mediterranean Meatballs for an appetizer (they were good but not as good as the Spanakopita), my son chose the Pressed Porchetta Panini (he liked this), and hubby and I shared the Pad Thai (oh dear! this was so good, I wanted to lick the plate). Total with tip $60 and again worth every penny.

Back in the sun, oh it felt so good, we were ready to shoot more aliens. Choo! Choo! Hogwarts Express here we come. The show is different when headed to London, so make sure to ride both ways.

Once in US, we immediately went back to Men In Black and played several more times; before deciding we were done for the day. Ran over to Springfield for another Big Pink and a second one for the room, I told hubby I wanted to go back over to IOA to get something out of Honeydukes. They both decided to ride the train with me again. I ran into Honeydukes and got a jar of lemon sherbets. From here we left out of the IOA entrance, into Citywalk and over to the boats. As the boat pulled to the hotel's dock, the opera singers were on the hotel balcony serenading the guests. So pretty and such a nice touch!

When we reached the room and unloaded our packages, our son immediately got comfortable and settled in for the night. I also got comfortable believing, we were done and not going anywhere else for the night. Within 20 minutes of getting into the room, my husband stated he was hungry and everyone needed to get ready for dinner. What?! Are you kidding? My feet which had remained wet all day were just beginning to feel better, the bed was comfortable, and my son and I were enjoying a marathon of Seinfeld. Nope, he wasn't joking and he was ready to go. Our son just flat out said he wasn't leaving. So we left him in the room, traveled back to Citywalk and right into Antojitos, where we were seated promptly. We ordered Empanadas Tres Marias as an appetizer (yummy, especially the mushroom one). Hubby ordered the El Burrito Revoluncionario again and I decided to order the Chimichanga del Norte (it was HUGE...delicious and HUGE). Neither one of us could finish our dinner. Total for dinner with tip $60. Happy and full we went back to the hotel. Where we found our teenage son already asleep.

Following his lead we also turned in for the night.

 

[DisneyWalle]

Day Six - Friday, September 4th -- Time to Leave

8:00am - On this day, all of us woke up at the same time. In no big hurry, we took our time getting ready and I started packing up.

9:15am - By this time, everyone was dressed and everything packed. We walked down to the hotel's Starbucks --- grabbed a couple of waters, one coffee, 2 blueberry yogurt muffins and one croissant --- sat out by the water, ate and fed the little birds.

10:00am - We returned to the room and I called over to Star Services, explained we were ready to check-out and we had valet parked. The nice lady informed me bell services was on their way and our car would be out front in 15 minutes. Nice! After I hung up with her, the phone immediately rang. I answered and it was bell services providing me with the name of the bell boy who was on his way to help us. Within 7 minutes, he arrived at our door -- greeted me by name and loaded the trolley. I stopped by the front desk to make sure everything was in order, it was and out we went. Our car was ready, bell services loaded it, and we were ready to drive away. The service was exceptional.

 

[DisneyWalle]

A tip or two I forgot to mention:

1) If you stay on-site, any of your park purchases including ride photos-- can be delivered to your hotel room. Items are picked up nightly from the parks and delivered to the hotel room sometime after 9:00 am on the following day. If you will be checking out, prior to 9 am on the following day, contact Star Services at your Loews hotel.

2) You can also choose to have your park purchases delivered to the front of the park. Just be sure to ask, what time your purchases will be delivered (it prints on your receipt, but make sure to ask prior to completing the purchase. So you can be sure you remain in the park at least til that time)
+++ We used both package delivery options, our preferred method was hotel delivery. It was extremely easy and convenient.+++

3) The label on the glass candy jars in Honeydukes are not stickers (which is what it kinda looks like in the pictures)...therefore, these jars make wonderful reusable souvenirs.

4) If the line at Lard Lad's is long, go over to the Kwik-E-Mart, to purchase a Big Pink.

5) During slow times of the year, the Gringotts dragon does not breathe fire often or follow a schedule (we asked). It will growl prior to erupting so if you hear it, get ready. Even though we lived in this area for hours over 3 days, we only saw it once and heard it twice.

6) Even though its not on the breakfast menu, you can request butterbeer at both the Leaky Cauldron and Three Broomsticks.

7) Staff members will gladly take family pictures for you. Be courteous and simply ask. Don't expect it but be pleasantly surprised when they do almost each and every time.

8) Spend time in the New York section of US. It looks and feels immersive.

What was our finally thoughts about US and IOA?
My husband and I love it. Our new favorite parks....we are currently looking to buy annual passes. We love the relaxed feel of Universal vacations, such a refreshing feeling since Disney has become over-scheduled, work and really undesirable to us.

What is our impression of the Loews on-site hotels?
Love them. We have now stayed in both the Cabana Bay and Portofino. Son wants to stay at the Hard Rock next time. Staff are courteous and attentive. Hotels are clean, conveniently located to Citywalk and parks, comfortable, and reasonably priced especially when compared to Disney hotels. In our opinion, you receive more for your money at the Loews Universal hotels. One of the largest perks to staying on-site deluxe.....Universal unlimited express pass and boat transportation. All Loews on-site hotels have clean, safe, well-lit, beautifully landscaped walking paths.

 

[mrsabbott]

I enjoyed reading about your trip! Our family also loved Mythos and, yes, I also wanted to lick the bowl when I ordered the Pad Thai!! LOL! I also get nauseous (discovered this on Forbidden Journey the last time and ended up not riding a lot of rides because of it). I am going to try the pill and the ginger chews/drops the next time we go! I have a Honeydukes jar that I purchased filled with Sherbert Lemons. I actually found some "Muggle Lemon Drops" that are a generic store brand that are almost identical to the Magical ones.. So, I refill my jar often!

 

[Dee2013]

Loved reading your TR!

 

[tlinus]

Excellent trip report!

 

[Kivara]

Excellent trip report (you write wonderfully well!) Somehow we missed the big pink donut on our trip, but I will definitely get one next time.
I got a Honeydukes lemon sherbet jar on our first trip to Honeydukes, but my kids loved using it so much, that this jar's rim cracked and broke after a month. (I think the seal was just a bit too strong.)
We tried Mythos once, and didn't have the best time of it, so we haven't gone back. Though I will say, your report has me thinking we might have to give it another go.
Glad you enjoyed your trip! (I too turn into an excitable 11 year old in the Potter-universe )

 

[jzswank]

Thanks for your detailed trip report. We are going in November and I appreciate your comments.

 

[disappearingme]

Great report - thank you!

 

[DisneyWalle]

Word of caution......I brought home another souvenir from orlando.....the flu. It's going around, so be extra vigilant. Neither my husband or son caught it just lucky old me.

Very glad yall enjoyed the report.

 

[BrotherBear]

Great Trip Report! I too suffer from motion sickness when riding the rides. I really appreciate your into where you described the medications/ginger candies that you used.

 

[traveljunkie]

Thank you for your trip report! Sorry about your flu--that went through our house last month. No fun!! We leave in two weeks for our first IOA/US after Harry Potter additions. So excited! I appreciate your detailed motion sickness remedies--I have been reading all about people's different remedies. Regular and the 'less drowsy' Dramamine make me sluggish. Haven't had too much problem before but the last year just in general I seem more susceptible to dizziness & upset stomach (blame everything on menopause...). I am going to be armed just in case. Just found the ginger gum--pricier than I figured it would be $14.00 for 24piece pack. It's too late for us to get a prescription for the patch. I also have the Dramamine natural non drowsy which is basically ginger! One question for you--you used the flipbelt -- I'm assuming you didn't ride any of the rides that require going through the metal detectors? I won't be riding those rides but hubby & daughter will. Looks like a great option to going bagless.

 

[labordefam3]

Great trip report!!

 

[DisneyWalle]

Thank you for your trip report! Sorry about your flu--that went through our house last month. No fun!! We leave in two weeks for our first IOA/US after Harry Potter additions. So excited! I appreciate your detailed motion sickness remedies--I have been reading all about people's different remedies. Regular and the 'less drowsy' Dramamine make me sluggish. Haven't had too much problem before but the last year just in general I seem more susceptible to dizziness & upset stomach (blame everything on menopause...). I am going to be armed just in case. Just found the ginger gum--pricier than I figured it would be $14.00 for 24piece pack. It's too late for us to get a prescription for the patch. I also have the Dramamine natural non drowsy which is basically ginger! One question for you--you used the flipbelt -- I'm assuming you didn't ride any of the rides that require going through the metal detectors? I won't be riding those rides but hubby & daughter will. Looks like a great option to going bagless.

Yes, you are correct....I did not ride any of the big roller coasters....so no metal detectors. I will say the flipbelt worked for carrying the essentials and I wasn't required to do bag checks or use the lockers which for me made the day much more enjoyable. The less stuff you have to carry around all day is a good thing.