They Don't Eat Hash Browns in Princessland - May 14 COMPLETE! 2/8 pg. 73

[IheartDDuck]

Looking forward to more of your dark side adventures. I'm looking forward to a few years down the road when my little one is big enough to go on most of their rides. Of course with their emphasis on rides vice magic bands, I'm secretly fearful she may never want to go back to the other wide.

Absolutely love your t-shirt. Were they just giving u. A hard time or do they really not like u to wear disney clothes at universal?

Looks like papadon is largely behaving himself this far. Does the dark side do some kind of strange personality reversal on him?

I'm looking forward to telling more dark side adventures from our November trip too!

We were talking about going in February, but I think a lot of the rides are still too intense for my nephews. I just wouldn't be able to justify the cost.

They were giving us a playful hard time. If you get a Universal team member that's into their job, they'll totally play along with you when you're wearing something from the other side.

He was behaving himself a little bit! He has his times when he does behave.

Great shirt!

Yummy breakfast!

Fun to see the Dark Side!

Thanks!

Oh wow, for 3 trips, those Uni AP's would be golden. They are quite the bargain really. I actually considered it myself.

Sadly (or not) the stepsisters will always be royalty to me.

I almost wonder now... does anyone NOT go to Wizarding World first? But how can you not?

I have to admit that, on occasion, I have given the wrong people number. That's because I could go all day with say, 6, and then on one ride, 1 opts out. And I automatically say 6. BUT, I correct myself almost instantly, so not quite the same thing, lol.

It is a terrific ride though, and I just bought my Uni ticket for September!!

Bahaha, so funny watching Green Goblin chasing Spiderman. Some superhero.

They take a picture on the Spiderman ride??? That is new.

Uh oh, me thinks someone didn't think Transformers was all that special...

If you can go even two times, they're worth the price. Plus, you get a discount on food too at every location, so it's handy.

I think everyone goes there first because you know if you don't, the line will just be even longer!

I've totally given people the wrong number too, but always corrected myself right after. For me, it's a frustration because I used to be that person at the ride placing you in the rows.

Have fun in September! I'm looking forward to November.

They don't take a picture on the Spiderman ride. They take a picture in line. It's totally weird.

It was a cool ride. But in the Universal vs. Disney argument that abounds online, they always use Transformers. I'm sorry, they just cloned an already existing attraction. That's how they got it up and running so fast.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Great shirt!

By the way, I think the express passes are only included if you stay at a deluxe universal hotel, so not like cabana bay, but I could be wrong.

Gotta love people that can't count and the blame others

Spider-Man is a darn cool ride

I absolutely love that shirt, it's one of my favorites.

We were definitely aware of the whole express passes not being given at Cabana Bay. Thankfully, that was never the one I wanted to stay at anyway. LOL. I'm aiming for the Royal Pacific, I'm just hoping that they release AP rates for me.

People's inability to count just irks me to no end. I just don't get it. Maybe because I'm an accountant......

HA I love that shirt!

I don't have Chick Fil A anywhere near me either which is a shame because I love those waffle fries.

LOL it's just owl poop on the castle.

I never tried the regular butterbeer but I loved the frozen one so much that I don't see myself having anything else. I def want to try the butterbeer ice cream they have now!

It is really nice that you can walk from one park to another. I loved being able to do that at Disneyland.

That shirt is a favorite. Definitely got tons of compliments.

Chick-fil-a is so good! I wish it was closer to me. I'm not in the mood to travel 30 minutes just for some fast food. LOL.

Yup! Owl poop theming.

I want to try to butterbeer ice cream too! So many things to try.

That is one of my favorite things about Disneyland too. It's just so easy! I love that about staying at the Boardwalk, it's just those other two dang parks you can't walk to!

Yup - that's it - blame it on the NEW math!!!!!!

I didn't get you started, did I????? g I hope not!

Now I know why BG does such a crappy job of queuing their lines. I always wondered why. Apparently they KNOW that people can't count so they just leave the seats empty.

Universal totally looks like a blast. Very cool that you are going to be staying on site in November for a night. I have always thought about doing that but I know that Denny would DIE if we were paying for two rooms at the same time (cash. points or otherwise).

I am dying to try Forbidden Journey because I have repeatedly heard how its the best ride EVER.

I do blame it on the new math! Hahahahaha. Basically because I don't understand why the way we used to do math was wrong. I mean, god forbid someone have to actually think.

Generally as a whole, when you see rides launch with empty rows, it's because the people running the ride are on a time constraint to get things loaded as fast as possible. At a coaster especially, if you don't launch a train in time, and the other trains are coming from behind, you will actually do what's called a "set up" and the ride will shut down, because the trains can't all be in the same area together. Yup. Theme park nerd and coaster dork alert. So, the empty rows are a result of the people in line being like "wha!?" when you ask them how many are in their group and then you try to send them to their row. Disaster I tell you!

I was the one that really wanted to stay on site, so I offered to pay for the night. It's a bit steep, but when you add in the two days of express passes and the convenience, I think it will be worth it.

It's an incredible attraction. You guys should definitely visit sometime. None of the Harry Potter stuff disappoints.

 

[IheartDDuck]

LOVE your shirt! That's too funny. I might have to get one!

Mmm Chick Fil A! It's the best! We have one literally 5 minutes down the road from my house, but the line is always wrapped around the building... still totally worth it though!

The pictures of your parents are too cute

Frozen Butterbeer looks delicious! That would definitely be the one I'd have to try.

I love Cakeworthy! Their stuff is so awesome. It's online only, but their stuff is pretty clever.

That would be a DISASTER if I had one right down the road from me!

Frozen butterbeer is totally yummy.

Love the Chick Fil A breakfast! We don't have one anywhere near us, so it's strictly a vacation food for us, too.

The Dark Side -- we've never been, but plan to go on our next trip. I love hearing all about it. Love your shirt, by the way!

It's vacation food for me, because I really shouldn't eat it regularly anywa.

Universal is definitely worth a visit. I view it as a completely different set of parks then Disney. They're not comparable to each other to me at all.

Great Update .. I didn't like the butterbeer at all!! I know I wouldn't like the frozen as I don't like frozen drinks , so I will stick with the pear cider which was delish!!! We were sitting on the spider amn ride when it broke down so never got to ride it the 2 times I was there . As my forst time it was closed . Going next year and that is on my to do list, along with Harry Potter ride , I loved that!!!

Regular butterbeer is so sweet! It's a little much. I'll have to give the pear cider a try, that sounds really yummy!

That stinks that you were stuck on spiderman! It's a really great ride.

I love Harry Potter! Such a great attraction.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Loved the shirt! I have a friend who goes by the nickname Queenbee and let me tell you when the song Royals came out it was just about the same time the "Bitstrips" app came out and boy did my friends have a field day with that!

Hahaha, I could totally imagine that there was a ton of fun to be had with the bitstrips!

That shirt just cracks me up, and every time I see the quote I just sing the song. It's so appropriate.

I am now a big fan of the dark side. After our spontaneous July trip, I am believer. Hogsmeade is great, but Diagon Alley to me was the best themed area in Orlando! I bet November will be the best time to visit! Cooler weather and less crowds.

I think that Harry Potter totally makes those parks though. For me, without them, they wouldn't really be much. I can't wait to see Diagon Alley though, because everything I've seen just looks incredible.

Catching up on your adventures after being pretty much away from my personal computer for 2 weeks.

Love that shirt! Perfect for a trip to the Dark side.

I have yet to be to universal since I was a kid of maybe 10ish. I keep trying to plan a surprise weekend trip for my DH since he is dying to go to Hogwarts. But life keeps getting in the way and another year has gone by. I will get there one of these days though.

No worries at all!

I thought the shirt was appropriate. Considering that pretty much everything else I had was straight up Disney, instead of funny Disney.

We went more this year mainly because we opted to buy the AP's. Without them, I'm sure we definitely would not have gone as much.

 

[IheartDDuck]

I NEVER had interest in the dark side UNTIL I watched and then read Harry Potter!!! Now I am going to have to visit one day (not in the near future I can't stand ridiculous wait times!) But seeing your pictures just make me excited to know one day I will be there!

We went to Universal very rarely, but once HP was introduced, it really is a whole reason to go to me.

I'm not sure what the wait times will be like in November. It's part of the reason that we want to stay on property for one night, because we get early admission into the park too, so the line won't be quite as crazy long.

When I lived at Disney for my two internships my apartment complex was right behind that Chic-Fil-A. And I hear you about not being able to go to VH often to eat at the nearest one. I tend to really only make it that way if I need to go to the good craft stores.

Yup, the VH one is just too far! And the next close one is in Racine, which is also way too far. Oh well. What can you do.

I adore that shirt! So funny! I need to get myself to Universal I see.

I love wearing shirts that make people laugh.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Danielle, I LOVE your shirt. That is absolutely priceless (love that the CM's gave you a little grief over it and that your mom was hiding her Mickey shirt ).

I have to admit I have no desire to head back to the "dark side." I've never seen or read Harry Potter (tried to once and just couldn't get into it) and the coasters at Universal are just too much for me. But I do enjoy seeing all of your pictures of the park.

The one of your mom and dad bowing down to the statute is hysterical. And I love your selfie. And I definitely think you would look great with that new hair color.

I love that the Universal Team Members were totally into it. That just makes it more fun I think.

Universal is certainly not for everyone. The parks are a little disjointed to me, but the stuff I like I really enjoy, so it's worth it every once in a while. This year, the AP's came in handy mainly because I knew I wanted to see Diagon Alley.

Mom and Dad are quite the characters. But you totally know that by now.

We absolutely love chick-fil-a, typically we go for lunch, love the lemonade there.

blaming it on that new math, I'm just hoping they don't start using that new math to build bridges or rides

Green Goblin was following Spiderman into the shop my kids would've been following them, lol
What is that Spiderman ride like, anything equivalent to a Disney ride? My kids don't do big rides, so Universal isn't on our list to try yet. But they do love super hero stuff.

Sounds like you had fun interactions with the staff there, I wouldn't expect anything less from your group

Ugh, new math. It's so stupid. I mean, really?

The Green Goblin / Spiderman thing was too funny. They were having a good ol' time.

Spiderman to me is like Dinosaur, but instead of there being animatronics in the ride, they use video and 3D.

We had fun for sure. I love people that like their jobs.

That shirt is awesome!

I try not to eat fast food, but Chick-fil-A is my exception. I swear there's crack in those sandwiches.

My personal favorites are the people who wait to count off their group when their time to board comes. One, two, three......

Haven't been to Universal in quite awhile and I think we need to work in a visit soon.

I try not to eat fast food either, except for on vacation. I have only minor exceptions, and that's rarely. But Chick-fil-a breakfast is definitely one of them. I agree, they totally must put crack in it.

That too! So annoying. Like, you still don't know how many people are in your group?

 

[IheartDDuck]

Just read through 20 pages to get caught up. You've certainly lightened my mood tonight. Thank you!

But it's bedtime, and now I'm hungry and I want a drink!

My friend and I have already decided that there will be lots of drinking after the PHM! I can't wait to meet up with you.

I'm glad that I could lighten the mood!

There will definitely be lots of drinking after the PHM, because there will certainly be no drinking prior for me.

I enjoyed reading about your trip to the dark side...we've never been in Orlando, but it looks like a lot of fun!!

It is a lot of fun. With the Harry Potter stuff, it's definitely worth the visit at some point.

I've only been to Island of adventures, pre Harry Potter. It was in 2000. I remember Spiderman being my fave.

I can't wait to see your pics of Universal.

Spiderman was always a favorite of ours too, when we went to Universal pre-Harry Potter.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Great shirt!

The Forbidden Journey really is an exceptional ride. How exciting you will be visiting Diagon Alley in November!

I love how easy it is to park hop at Universal!

Thanks!

It really is a great ride, so if that's any indicator and the things I've read, I'm certain that Gringotts will be awesome. I can't wait.

Chiming in with everyone else - LOVE the shirt!!! I kinda love the evil stepsisters, since they were infinitely better than the one I had for several years!

I haven't been to US/IOA in forever it seems, but we're planning to go check out Diagon Alley when it gets a bit slower (and cooler)... I feel like cooler weather will only add to the experience, if that makes any sense?

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your Dark Side visit!!

Thanks! The stepsisters are pretty awesome, I have to say. They're too much fun, and that shirt is a perfect tribute to them.

I'm hoping that it will be a bit slower in November. Doesn't need to be super slow, but manageable.

LOVE your shirt! Too cute.

Looks like a nice morning at Universal. I love the pictures of your parents, they are adorable!

I am with you on the Chick Fil A love. Our closest one is about 45 minutes away and so whenever I'm passing through that area, I have to stop. So GOOD.

It was a good morning. I love that we just take our time.

It is so good! I don't stop often, because it would be addicting. Once I'd start, there would be no stopping!

 

[IheartDDuck]

I need to shop at Cakeworthy apparently; your shirt cracked me up!

The frozen butter beer is sooo good, I haven't had the regular though.

Can't wait til the next post!

It's online only, but their stuff is pretty awesome.

I've now had both the frozen and the regular, and the frozen definitely wins for me. Much less sweet.

I love the whole Hogwarts area of Universal and I cannot wait until I can see Diagon Alley! Love the fact that you wore borderline Disney to the dark side. That hairstyle would look beautiful on you darling, so chic .Cant wait to hear about the rest of your day.

I can't wait either! I'm so excited to see it in November. Not too much longer!

 

[dekkerdisneydreamer]

Hi Danielle!

I've come over from KatMark's TR. I have caught up, and all I can say is wow. Your family is the coolest. I love that you have such a great relationship with your mom and pop. It's good stuff! I also haven't been to the "Ditch" before.....I know, shocking. We will definitely have to do that in March!

 

[teekathepony]

LOVE the shirt. So freaking cute.
I'm also afraid of the crowd level next month in the new Diagon Alley section. I don't care how long I have to wait though, I will do everything there if nothing else!
I wouldn't want the grouper job. I can just see how annoying that could get.
YAY Forbidden Journey! My favourite ride ever!
I really like the regular butterbeer. Johnny is a fan of the frozen.
I love Spiderman! Sounds like a really funny encounter over the t-shirts.

 

[amazingact21]

I can't remember if I commented on it or not, but I remember busting out laughing when I saw your shirt on facebook. I even showed my brother it, who was a Lorde fan, and he laughed.



It's hilarious how many people can't count on the spot. Or they are like my mother and have to give a description of her party members to the worker. "There's 3 of us. Myself, my daughter, and my son in law." I always shoot the employee an apologetic look. A lot of folks just don't get it.



Glad the frozen butterbeer was much better than the regular one. That's good information to know.

 

[Laura Bell]

Great trip report so far. You guys are a great family--such fun together.

If you stay at The Dark Side (a great idea) stay at the Royal Pacific. We really liked that place.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Hi Danielle!

I've come over from KatMark's TR. I have caught up, and all I can say is wow. Your family is the coolest. I love that you have such a great relationship with your mom and pop. It's good stuff! I also haven't been to the "Ditch" before.....I know, shocking. We will definitely have to do that in March!

I'm so glad that you decided to stop by!

You definitely have to make sure you stop at the Ditch on your next trip. It's a must do for me every time.

LOVE the shirt. So freaking cute.
I'm also afraid of the crowd level next month in the new Diagon Alley section. I don't care how long I have to wait though, I will do everything there if nothing else!
I wouldn't want the grouper job. I can just see how annoying that could get.
YAY Forbidden Journey! My favourite ride ever!
I really like the regular butterbeer. Johnny is a fan of the frozen.
I love Spiderman! Sounds like a really funny encounter over the t-shirts.

That shirt makes me laugh every time I see it.

The approach I'm taking to Diagon Alley is just to get it out of the way first thing in the morning. I know the line is going to be long, but I figure if we have to wait a while, it won't be as long as it could be later on.

Grouper is the worst theme park job ever. And all of us had to do it at some point. LOL.

I can't remember if I commented on it or not, but I remember busting out laughing when I saw your shirt on facebook. I even showed my brother it, who was a Lorde fan, and he laughed.



It's hilarious how many people can't count on the spot. Or they are like my mother and have to give a description of her party members to the worker. "There's 3 of us. Myself, my daughter, and my son in law." I always shoot the employee an apologetic look. A lot of folks just don't get it.



Glad the frozen butterbeer was much better than the regular one. That's good information to know.

I'm glad that you enjoy the shirt! It's a great conversation starter, because everyone always wants to know where I got it.

Hahaha, that is so funny about your Mom telling everyone exactly who's in the party! I would totally chuckle at that.

I liked it better mainly based on the sweetness level. The actual flavor of the regular butterbeer is better, but it's very sweet, so the frozen is a good way to temper that.

Great trip report so far. You guys are a great family--such fun together.

If you stay at The Dark Side (a great idea) stay at the Royal Pacific. We really liked that place.

Thanks! I'm so glad you're enjoying it.

I've seen the pictures of Royal Pacific, and that's where I want to stay! It looks so beautiful. Hopefully I can get a better AP rate.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Just a random post. Really don't want to start the next update covering two pages.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Day 5 - Monday May 19, 2014 continued:

So we had finished our morning at Islands of Adventure, and had headed over to the Universal side to head over to the one ride we had missed back in January that I really wanted to go on.

Universal Studios or Bust people!



Despicable Me Minion Mayhem is a really cute attraction, but the wait times are always super long. When we were there in January we had to wait 60 minutes. It wasn't on our list on this particular visit, but it's still a really cute facade.





Our destination was the Transformers ride. When we visited in January, the ride was closed the few times we passed by there to go on it. It was the only thing that I wanted to make sure we got on.



And guess what y'all!? You can meet Optimus Prime!



My nephew Joaquin would poop a brick if he saw that in the park. He is absolutely obsessed with Transformers. I'd imagine he'd react a bit like Ross.....



Score of all scores, the wait time for Transformers was only 15 minutes.



Meanwhile, as we were waiting in line.....



I asked the P's if they were scared.







We were waiting to board the attraction and a totally awesome Universal Team Member decided he would photobomb whatever picture I was trying to get.



All right, here is my verdict on the attraction and my minor rant on the Universal / Disney fight.

If you read other message boards, and even some here in the DIS, there is a huge argument about Universal being the Disney killer yada yada. Okay, so in my world, I view them as two different things. Disney is Disney and Universal is Universal. I choose not to compare them. A while back on another Disney board, there were tons of comments talking about what Universal has done that Disney has not. On this particular board, someone talked about how Transformers is an E-Ticket attraction.

Um.......no. It is not an E-Ticket. Solid D-Ticket to me. And, on top of that.

SPOILER ALERT.

All they did was clone Spiderman and change the movie. This is not an exaggeration. This attraction is exactly like Spiderman. Same set up, same ride vehicle, same track. Am I bashing the attraction? Not by any means. It's a good ride, we very much enjoyed it.

I feel that the online communities are full of people who like to expect the world of Disney, and then when they don't get it, suddenly they're full of anger and trying to tear them apart. Are they perfect? Not by a long shot. But no one is perfect. Plus, they're a business. They're in it to make money, as much as some may not want to admit that.

Maybe I live in a dream world. But I'll take my dream world view of Disney over the real world any day. This is the place that I can go to forget all of my worries. Everything that goes on in the outside world disappears and I'm left with magic. Are all of my trips perfect? No they are not. But are there always magical points during the trip that make me remember why I love Disney so much? Absolutely.

And now my rant is over.

SO, we did enjoy Transformers, even though we know that it's nothing groundbreaking. I am very much looking forward to the Gringotts ride in November, because from what I hear, that is very much ground breaking, and that's totally awesome.

After our ride, it was time for us to have some lunch and decide what our next moves would be. At that point, we had hit the planned attractions at the parks (pretty much the stuff we missed in January). We decided to stop at Richter's burgers.



It was a basic burger. Nothing exciting. I've lamented on this in the past, but Universal totally always loses on the food front to me. We should have gone to the Springfield section again for lunch, but we wanted to try something different. Oh well. Lesson learned.





Mom's really pathetic looking salad. I love how they pass of a $9 with iceberg lettuce. Really guys?



After our lunch was done, I wanted to get more facade pictures of the new Diagon Alley area. They had come so far since the last time we had been there.







Yup. Super excited!

Continued in next post:

 

[DVCWDWMEMBER]

you are right the food is not bad but nothing to brag about for sure. Transformers is a nice ride too. I am just a Disney lover over Universal I guess

 

[IheartDDuck]

Continued from previous post:

We finished wandering past the new Diagon Alley area and then headed into Springfield.





Duff beer for me, Duff beer for you, you have a Duff, I'll have one too!



While touring the Springfield area, I found the coolest hat ever. I have now deemed this my flip cup hat. I need to go and buy it!



It is extremely important to wear the dumbest hat possible while playing flip cup.

Pop was up to his usual antics. Sometimes it takes him a little while to get into it, but he'll get there eventually.



I had to remind him that he should be grateful that it's a fake donut, but that would be no bueno for his diabetes. Yes, we joke about his diabetes all of the time. I mean, the man can't eat sugar really, so we have to make light of it. This is his motto all of the time.



Moral of the story is? You wanna eat that cake, y'all better do the work to burn it off!

Speaking of working sugar off! Hahaha. Beautiful segue.

We decided to head out of the park at that point. We wanted to stop by Target on the way back to Disney because we needed a few things. I was on a hunt for some green shorts for my Disbounding outfit for the 24 hour party. I had green pants, but the temperature kept rising and rising. On the way out, we stumbled upon Cold Stone Creamery, and it was calling Mom's name, so we stopped.

I got chocolate cake batter with heath and graham cracker. Mom had coffee ice cream with chocolate chips.



We had a bit of a snafu at the valet. Mom gave the ticket for the car and showed the AP for the discount on the parking. Well, the Team Member accidentally charged the card for the full price instead of the $15 it should have been. He apologized to Mom and asked if it was okay that he just give her $15 in cash. Mom was totally okay with that. Then his lead comes out and says he couldn't do that. She said he had to credit the whole amount and then bill the correct amount.

I'm not kidding, this felt like it took an hour.

The two of them combined were slower than Slowpoke Rodriguez on a good day.



FINALLY, it was resolved and we were on our way. Whew. Took forever. I did not take any pictures of our excursion into Target, but we got so much glamorous stuff. For real.

I got green shorts. Woo hoo! And we got some thermacare hot patches for the old folks.

We made our way back to the resort after that to relax for a while. I took a relaxation dip in the japoolzi as per usual. Then, we got ready for our lovely dinner at Downtown Disney.



We parked on the West Side and headed in.



One of those awesome living statues was out. She was pretty cool.





I'm gonna tell you right now, if I had a job like that, and had to be outside in the blazing hot all of the time? Yeah...I'd be a hot sweaty mess.



The west side was fairly empty and we had some time to waste before our dinner reservation.



We went into the Fit2Run store. I love that store and location. Anything for running is right up my alley. However, I hate the fact that running gear is so expensive.

They had the 2014 marathon medals on display.





February of next year, I should be the proud owner of a Princess Half medal. Yay! So exciting! And yet so terrifying at the same time!

We also stopped at Curl to do some browsing. Pretty soon, it was time for our reservation.

Anyone want to harbor a guess where we would be eating tonight?

Up next: Extra Magic Hours!

 

[FloridaNative8]

I LOVE Fit2Run... and I agree on the prices of good running gear. I have to get new shoes VERY soon (I have WAY too many miles on the ones I'm training in right now), and I always go to Fit2Run, they always take their time in making sure I get the right shoe for my gait and comfort. I'm not looking forward to spending the money I need to, but it's absolutely worth it!

Hmmmm... is Raglan Road the dinner destination?!

 

[katt789]

Awesome updates!! I totally read the earlier ones but never commented, WHOOPS!

I am super excited for all the universal stuff in Sept!! Obviously the HP stuff the most, but considering I have seen NONE of the rest of it, I'm excited for some new adventures! And glad we planned 2 days there! Now I just have to figure out what I can ride! Bahahaha!

Yay for target adventures! And ice cream!!

And Imma guess you're doing Ragland rd for dinner?