Third Time's The Charm At The DISNEY COLLEGE PROGRAM Fall '19! (COMPLETE - 8/14)

[missjackiemcg]

I also found out in that time that our dear friend, Zach, would be on the opening team. We love the DIS fam opening up all these new Disney attractions.

I remember thinking how awesome it was that two of the DIS friends I've made got to be on opening teams! So awesome

I really loved the Skyliner when we finally got to use it in December! SUCH a time saver, like way more than I even though possible. Staying at Pop, it was the only way we used to get to DHS and Epcot. LOVE it!

 

[RoseBen009]

I Don't Care I'm Claiming Tiana
9/24/19: Skyliner Preview

In the midst of HHN, opening SWGE, etc., they had announced opening for the Skyliner and subsequently cast previews. I also found out in that time that our dear friend, Zach, would be on the opening team. We love the DIS fam opening up all these new Disney attractions.

Well, today was my cast preview and I had mentioned it to my friend, Dina, who had neglected to reserve her own cast preview so she would end up joining me today as my guest too! Yay!

I got to Studios a bit early so I wouldn't be late and to chill in the park beforehand. Dina wasn't as prompt so I spent most of my time in the park on my own, which was fine by me.



Upon entering the park, I saw that Jack Diamond was having a little magic show right next to Hollywood & Vine with Evie Starlight as his assistant. How could I pass up watching a bit of that?

Click to watch!


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I freakin love the Citizens of Hollywood. They are so much fun.

After I watched their little show through, I decided to go head on over to Batuu. On planet, I ran into JT, one of my co-workers, as well as my leader, Mack. Otherwise, I kinda did my own thing and didn't really bother my fellow Batuuans on this day.

Instead, I got myself some blue milk.



Again, I prefer green milk but either or for me. They are delish.

After that, I got a text from Dina saying she had arrived. It was just about time for our preview so I headed out to the front to catch her. She was right next to the Skyliner so we went over to check-in then enjoy a quiet little preview aboard the newest in Disney transportation services.





We decided to gamble on our gondola this time so we got put in the Lilo & Stitch gondola on our journey to the switch-off point where you could either go to Riviera/Epcot or Pop Century. We were so insanely excited about it.

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When we got off at the next station, they had a whole photo op set up that we just couldn't pass up. There also was a sweet group waiting behind us who offered to take our photos too so not only did we get individuals, but a group shot too. We took their photos too. Love that cast member mentality.







After we were satisfied with our photos, we decided to take a ride all the way to Epcot. We had enough time and we were loving the skyliner so far so why not?

This time, we were in a Wreck-It Ralph gondola I believe.

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Obviously, we couldn't get off at Riviera since it wasn't open yet. We did however get to chatting with some nice Skyliner CMs who still had to man that station and then we were off to Epcot. On the way to Epcot, I had Dina take a photo of moi looking all cute in the gondola.



Don't ask why I just took out my umbrella. I'm pretty positive I had my bag with me but my umbrella was out? I don't know. I love that photo though.

Eventually, we arrived at Epcot. At Epcot, we did find out that we were allowed to go into Epcot then back onto the gondola but we elected to just get back on so we had to loop around and get back on. It was here where I believe we ended up with a Star Wars gondola, which Dina and I were just dying over. We can't escape it, can we?



On the way back, Dina got a few more pics of me just enjoying the view.





For the record, I was pointing at the Epcot ball which we could see most of our journey back to Studios. We also found out when we got to the Riviera stop from a CM that the highest point on the entire Skyliner system was above Caribbean Beach and you could see all four parks from there. We tried to be eagle-eyed and catch everything, but I think we only saw Studios, Epcot and maybe DAK. We weren't sure. It was difficult, especially with the design on the outside. We said we'd have to go back and ride on the non-design gondolas to get the proper view.

We eventually got back to the last stop before getting back to Studios. We went back on over to that station and before we loaded on, I saw the Princess and the Frog gondola and I had to claim it. There were people behind us but I totally held up because I HAD to ride in that one. The CMs all thought it was so funny but the people behind us weren't too happy I took the gondola with the best Disney movie imprinted on it. Sorry fam, it's mine.





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Of course, I got it on the shortest of the rides, but I'm glad I did. And when I got off, guess who was there? ZACH!! Yup, he just happened to be training when I got off so I said hi. He was training obviously so we couldn't chat. I had to go to work too so it was bad timing but it was cool seeing him.

My overall thoughts on the Skyliner? I really loved it. I'm lowkey obsessed with it. It really brought me back to the days when riding a Disney bus and hearing that spiel was so infinitely magical for me. It was so nostalgic and so much fun. It really is quite exhilarating being kinda air born. I will say I never really got full use of them since I didn't end up riding them all that much since I don't really enjoy transportation and prefer walking to places. I still always considered it. Today's adventure on them was very fun for me and put me in a really good mood.

I said goodbye to Dina since she wasn't working today I don't believe and I headed to work. I didn't write anything about my shift, which I'm sure means it was fairly decent. I'm sure I was quite tired. Skyliner flying plus building scrap metal is no easy feat in one day. Made for a pretty positive experience on this day and I'm always grateful for that.

Continue Here​

I cannot wait to try the Skyliner! Looks like an amazing way to travel

 

[cindianne320]

I loved staying at POP and getting to use the Skyliner. I can't wait to be back in October!

My favorite Stranger Things merchandise is my MN Science Museum hoodie- I bought it when I brought my students there on a field trip. Your Dustin hat is awesome as well!

Sorry those girls were being rude at HHN- glad you met up with another friend!

 

[Tink2Day]

All I can think of when I see your pictures is how terrified you were of haunted houses way back, also how you were frightened of roller coasters....LOL

Umm the makeup was very glam for HHN, maybe something to build on for Runway? Still cute.

Oh my how nostalgic the Skyliners the originals were a bit scary for a small child though. I remember the Skyways in Disneyland and riding them in '56 and I think '57, then going back and riding them when they moved them for the Matterhorn, then when they were one way gondolas. I remembered thinking in 58 that I missed them then we rode the chairlifts at Banff and oh my THAT was scary. Many years of skiing riding chairlifts and the longest aerial tram in the Americas, well nothing seemed scary any longer.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

I finally just got all caught up ... thought I quoted a bunch of things ... and it seems like this is the only quote which saved...

Yay! Glad you managed to catch up.

So! Totally agree with you on this (and love that salmon from Sunshine Seasons)!

Anyway - love all the updates and will hopefully do a better job of quoting next time!

Hahah, I love that that's the only one survived. That salmon is FAB. Looking forward to more golden quotes haha

Well this is great! I was just hitting "new posts" and found this sitting at the top of my list. Definitely coming back to read Timmy! Your stories are the best stories.

Omg hello!! Glad you found this one! Hope you are doing well in this quarantine madness!

That show looks AMAZING!

IT IS! I hope they bring it back for HHN30.

I remember thinking how awesome it was that two of the DIS friends I've made got to be on opening teams! So awesome

The coolest friends ever. Not to brag. *brushes off shoulder* hehe

I really loved the Skyliner when we finally got to use it in December! SUCH a time saver, like way more than I even though possible. Staying at Pop, it was the only way we used to get to DHS and Epcot. LOVE it!

So glad to hear that! Again I never really used it to get from point A to B, but just to have fun on it so I don't know if it actually worked in terms of speed, but I'm glad to hear it worked well as a fast way to get to the parks.

I cannot wait to try the Skyliner! Looks like an amazing way to travel

It is. It's really cute and fun.

I loved staying at POP and getting to use the Skyliner. I can't wait to be back in October!

It's such a fun way to get around. We love.

My favorite Stranger Things merchandise is my MN Science Museum hoodie- I bought it when I brought my students there on a field trip. Your Dustin hat is awesome as well!

I love that. The Dustin hat would complement that well. Thank you!

Sorry those girls were being rude at HHN- glad you met up with another friend!

Yeah, it's whatevs. Reminds me how I find much better friends in programs since 2016.

All I can think of when I see your pictures is how terrified you were of haunted houses way back, also how you were frightened of roller coasters....LOL

Omg, I think about that so often when I'm trying to get people to go on certain rides and how I managed to get certain friends into houses. I'm always so gung-ho since I feel that "if I can do it, so can you."

Umm the makeup was very glam for HHN, maybe something to build on for Runway? Still cute.

Maybe... I'm always looking for ways to improve. Most of my make-up looks really aren't complete or I have to work with what I have so there is always room for improvement. But thank you for the compliment on it!

Oh my how nostalgic the Skyliners the originals were a bit scary for a small child though. I remember the Skyways in Disneyland and riding them in '56 and I think '57, then going back and riding them when they moved them for the Matterhorn, then when they were one way gondolas. I remembered thinking in 58 that I missed them then we rode the chairlifts at Banff and oh my THAT was scary. Many years of skiing riding chairlifts and the longest aerial tram in the Americas, well nothing seemed scary any longer.

I can imagine. I actually fell off a chairlift since I struggled to get off when I was younger and still learning to snowboard. Not a fun time. Also, at my home park, they had a little skyway of sorts, which was definitely more chair lift than gondola since your feet hung out and I remember that always making me anxious. Wish I was around for when Disneyland and MK had them, would've loved to have gone through the Matterhorn *sigh*

 

[PlutosRHM55]

I Just Cry A Lot (In Walt Disney Presents)
9/25 – 9/26/19: PAY DAY & After

September 25th, 2019

Today was pay day so before work I decided to go into the park to get some snackage.

Click to watch!


Obviously, there was only one place I would get food on this day...



...and if you guessed I was headed to Ronto Roasters, that's exactly where I was going. A Ronto Wrap and Sour Sarlacc were calling my name!



So so good. My poor totchos just came in second at this point, it was true.

I wandered around Batuu while I ate and even ran into my friend Morgan. I'm not sure which Morgan, since there were two I talked with fairly regularly on Batuu. I'm gonna assume it was the one who worked with me in Savi's since I probably didn't go into Droid. Always love talking to my fellow Batuuans before work.

After I finished, I still had time before work so I decided to go stop in Walt Disney Presents and be sad about the fact I'm not in Disneyland because that is just my life at this point.



After sitting in there for a bit, I finally went to work and based on my notes, it was not a good today. It definitely might've been a turning point. I'm not gonna go into crazy detail for discretion's sake, but the reason I do talk about this is to show as wonderful it is to work in a Disney park, it can still be like any other work place. My job was never easy but I loved it despite that and sometimes you do have to speak up for yourself in certain situations, which is definitely what I did today. It definitely eventually worked in my favor, but yeah it seemed we hit a breaking point based on notes today.

September 26th, 2019

In the aftermath of the day prior, I didn't visit the park beforehand so our day truly starts with me going to work. As far as I know, today was a better day. I think getting out what I got out helped me and you know, feeling like you can have a voice and are listened to is just the medicine you need. It went well, it came and went, but the most important thing was I was off the next day! And I had A LOT of plans for that day. Stay tuned!!

Continue Here​

 

[missjackiemcg]

I hadn't really thought about that, but you're totally right. Working at Disney is still work, so I guess it can't always feel pixie dusted and full of magic! Glad you spoke up for yourself in whatever situation happened, and sounds like it was for the best in the long run!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

A Ride On Sirius Black's Motorbike? Don't Mind If I Do
9/27/19: First Solo Universal Day, HHN Night #5 & More

Today began as normally as a day does. My work shoes that I had been using day in day out since I was working on Sunset, had finally seen better days. By better days I mean, days where there wasn't holes in the shoes. So I needed to get some new ones and I believe I was also on the lookout for some hair dye today too. Also, slightly worried about my shopaholic tendencies, but anyways, TO WALMART!

And what was this hidden in the Halloween favorites section?

Click to watch!


Yeah, weird. Also, I will not take any Into The Woods slander on this here TR. It is Stephen Sondheim's magnum opus and a masterpiece. Be as mad as you want about how dark the film version is but I IMPLORE you to watch the filmed live on Broadway version with Bernadette Peters and Joanna Gleason. Then you'll understand why I defend it (warning: It's a 3 hour long musical.)

I also did find myself in the Halloween section where... I had fun...

Click to watch!


After all that, I did end up finding a new pair of shoes to replace my old ones and everything I needed so I bounced rather quickly. Unfortunately, the ride home was rough with a bus driver who had quite the heavy foot. Luckily I have a strong stomach but gosh it was uncomfortable.

When I got home, I got myself packed up for the day, including taking my Hermione wand with me as I headed out to catch an uber over to...



Universal? This early in the day? Long before Horror Nights? What is this?

Well... it this!



I did it! Finally! After saying I would since my first program began, I finally became a Universal Annual Passholder. I got the two parks preferred pass so I didn't get any blockout dates and could go to either park whenever I wanted! It also meant I could stay-and-scream now, which I always wanted to do!

I also was lucky enough to get the resident discount. They always give it to CPs, which makes sense, and with how much the whole thing costs as a whole I was happy to have that crutch. I went with flex pay so I'm technically still paying for it even today, but $18 a month really was not too too bad, even though I definitely looked towards when I could pay it all off.

For now, I had waited in the line, signed off on everything, paid my down payment and I was good to go. After spending quite a bit of time at the other park, albeit at night during HHN, I was ready to say hello to Islands of Adventure! Let's go!



Obviously, I was bound for one attraction and one attraction only. That was Hagrid's clearly!

I had had a bunch of friends who waited in that insane wait on opening day as well as many who had been on it since including my dear friend Olivia who I saw about a month ago. Everyone said amazing things so I had to ride. It did result in me braving quite a long wait and struggling without a water bottle on hand, but it was worth it. I knew it would be.



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And after finally riding this attraction, what did I think?

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WOW.

That is the best way to describe it. Hagrid's was... WOW. I totally expected some less than stellar version of Slinky Dog Dash but oh my gosh, this was better than Slinky. Worth the wait Slinky and more. The details of the queue and the fun little pre-show along with that cool load area with the motorbikes riding along overhead. It was so cool, the anticipation leading up to the ride. Then the ride itself... Incredible. It went so much faster than expected and being on the actual bike side added a whole new level of thrill and exhilaration. Not to mention, all the cool animatronic and effects including that awesome drop track. Granted the thing that got me the most was the complete vertical track that you go up then reverse back down before heading into a backwards launch into the Forbidden Forest. It was so cool. As someone who was disappointed by Gringotts post-Forbidden Journey, this definitely lived up if not exceeded Forbidden Journey. It's just so much fun and surprisingly does a good job bringing you into that Wizarding World in a whole new way. I do miss Dueling Dragons (or Dragon Challenge as it was called when I rode it), but Hagrid's is a more than worthy replacement. 10/10 would recommend.

After Hagrid's, I decided to pull my wand out and have a little fun wandering through Hogsmeade.





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I did eventually stop by Ollivanders where I saw a very minimal wait.



Last time I was here, the line looked forever long and I was not down for that, but now it seemed either way, why not? I had heard more good things about the experience than I did before so I had to check it out.

For the record, I was not chosen, probably because I was clearly by myself and I'm quite the timid creature on my own. I did however take some videos because who knows if whenever I got chosen a) someone was there to film me or b) if that ever actually happens.

Click to watch!


Click to watch!


I really enjoyed this show. It's very short, very dark and pretty personal to the one person you are watching, but it's fun. Especially if the audience is into it or at least the chosen person. I could definitely see how this experience set a nice outline for what we have at Savi's (funnily enough, some of our equity performers also double over here as wandkeepers).

Speaking of equity performers, after I left Ollivanders, minding my own business, suddenly I was stopped in the middle of Hogsmeade by a familiar voice saying, "Excuse me, sir. I believe you're on the wrong planet." I looked up and it was Adam, one of the equity performers I work with in Savi's!

Actually, it was the conductor for the Hogwarts Express. I just know Adam's a good friend, if you catch my drift. He was obviously headed to the train and had two young wizard boys following him so he couldn't chat but that was a funny interaction.

At this point, the heat was starting to get to me so I decided to stop by the Butterbeer cart for my favorite Universal treat.



Always have to get that Frozen Butterbeer. ALWAYS.

I continued on through Islands while sipping on that Butterbeer. I eventually ended up at Toon Lagoon where I decided to stop inside of the Comic Book Cafe. I hadn't had anything to eat yet so I thought this was the best place. I'd never eaten here and it just happened to be right there when my stomach started growling so there we go!

I neglected to take a picture of this email but it was just a basic chicken fingers with fries meal. EXCEPT I got to use my discount on it so that was exciting. Made those chicken fingers extra delicious and I gotta say, as much as chicken fingers are pretty standard around Universal, they are pretty good. And yes, I have had sub-par chicken fingies before.

After that, I started to feel in the mood to try something new. Toon Lagoon wasn't exactly the ideal location to try out attractions one had never really done before. I'd already done Popeye's (never again, unless I was planning for a day at Volcano Bay) so I thought why not do Dudley Do-Right's.

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It had little wait, it was a hot day and it wouldn't get me that wet so I put all my things in a locker and got in line.

Boy was I wrong about one major thing with this ride.

I came off Dudley's pretty drenched. I thought the ride was cute and colorful, probably the first time since first ever riding Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom that I was pretty impressed by a log flume attraction (I hadn't done the Jurassic River Adventure yet). But gosh, it does really do everything to get you wet and it's hard to dodge things with the weird lap bar system they have, which made it kinda uncomfortable. It definitely falls into the same category as Popeye's as it is a well-themed fun ride, but I'd only do it if I was heading to Volcano Bay or something after or had a way to dry off. I did have a bit of time before HHN so hopefully I would no longer be wet by then. I also did take some time in the bathroom next to Dudleys to try and squeeze out the water from my shirt as well as use paper towels to dry it off. It did more than I expected, but I was still kinda wet. Oh well.

My hair was also wet which was a more serious problem since that meant the gel would start to come out, but luckily the air dries hair quicker than clothes.

To help dry myself off better, I kinda wandered avoiding attractions until I knew I wouldn't be leaving an imprint of water on the seat. Finally, I decided I would end my time in IoA here and would take the train over to Diagon Alley and Studios. Do some stuff over there before stay-and-scream began.

Click to BOOMERANG!


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The Hogwarts Express is not my favorite mode of transportation, which is weird since it gets you to Hogwarts and Diagon Alley (which in a canon sense is incorrect, but so is having two Ollivanders, one of which is in Hogsmeade... but we're not gonna go too deep into that). Still, it has just an obnoxiously long queue, a long loading process and the cabins are pretty tight. Also, that "Hermione." I mean, it's a cool experience, but I much preferred walking between the parks then using the train. Better to consistently know how long it would take you to get to the other park.

Once I had taken my full trip, having my AP scanned, waiting in the queue, the train ride and then exiting out into Universal, it was now actually nearing time for stay-and-scream. I had read up on how the whole thing worked throughout the day so I knew I just had to be in the park when it closed to hit up a stay-and-scream location. Springfield seemed like the best one of the two/three. It also was near the attraction I wanted to go on most.

So where did I end up in Universal Studios right before stay-and-scream?



Click to watch!


I couldn't go to Universal and not do E.T. at this point. It always makes me sad knowing they have to close it off during HHN. I know it definitely couldn't work logistically since it is essentially the exit queue for Graveyard Games AND Universal Monsters, but UGH it's such a good dark ride! Unpopular opinion, but I prefer it to its Disney counterpart, Peter Pan's Flight. Cooler queue, cooler ride system, less standing in the heat and also E.T. SAYS YOUR NAME! You can't beat that.

Once I got off, the park was already closed so I headed on over to the holding area for Springfield stay-and-scream! More on that later.

Continue Here​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

I hadn't really thought about that, but you're totally right. Working at Disney is still work, so I guess it can't always feel pixie dusted and full of magic! Glad you spoke up for yourself in whatever situation happened, and sounds like it was for the best in the long run!

It's a sad reality, but working for Disney is not for the faint of heart so it gets to you and I feel like that's so important to know before doing a DCP or becoming a cast member. And yes, my decision to speak up really did better me and that whole situation in the long run. It really does one good to show agency for one's self.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Your update seriously could not have come at a better time!! We just decided to book a surprise trip to Universal for Jimmy's birthday in July, and my husband and I were literally discussing both water rides and Hagrid's this morning!!

Our previous USO experience was a quick 2 day stay in 2018 where we were total newbies and didn't get to experience everything, but put a good dent in both parks; and our one day in December before the cruise.

We are excited to go back when we will actually have enough time to take everything in, and try out the water rides without having to walk around soaking wet the rest of the day! Getting wet and then heading back to the hotel for a pool break sounds like a way better plan.

I did it! Finally! After saying I would since my first program began, I finally became a Universal Annual Passholder. I got the two parks preferred pass so I didn't get any blockout dates and could go to either park whenever I wanted! It also meant I could stay-and-scream now, which I always wanted to do!

That is SO exciting!! So, APs still have to purchase HHN passes separately? Or did you get a discount for buying both? (I hope!) Nice that you got a resident discount either way.

Hagrid's is a more than worthy replacement. 10/10 would recommend.

I literally CANNOT wait to experience this!!!! Rob has back problems and Jimmy doesn't do rollercoasters (yet!) so I get the feeling I'll be on my own for this, but I still am SO looking forward to it!

I'd already done Popeye's (never again, unless I was planning for a day at Volcano Bay) so I thought why not do Dudley Do-Right's.

We've never done either, but did get a total soaking on Jurassic Park River Adventure on our first USO day ever....it was our first attraction. Rookie mistake. I'm looking forward to Popeye's and Dudley Do-Right's when it's actually part of the plan to be soaked!

My favorite

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Your update seriously could not have come at a better time!! We just decided to book a surprise trip to Universal for Jimmy's birthday in July, and my husband and I were literally discussing both water rides and Hagrid's this morning!!

Our previous USO experience was a quick 2 day stay in 2018 where we were total newbies and didn't get to experience everything, but put a good dent in both parks; and our one day in December before the cruise.

We are excited to go back when we will actually have enough time to take everything in, and try out the water rides without having to walk around soaking wet the rest of the day! Getting wet and then heading back to the hotel for a pool break sounds like a way better plan.

Oh wow, that is good time and that's so exciting! That'll be a lot of fun. Maybe I'll be back down there, who knows? (No I'm not alluding to anything, it's just with everything reopening I'm keeping my options open. I look forward to hearing about your first time really doing everything. There is so much to do at these parks and I find them way less draining than Disney, at least the Florida parks.

That is SO exciting!! So, APs still have to purchase HHN passes separately? Or did you get a discount for buying both? (I hope!) Nice that you got a resident discount either way.

Yes, HHN passes do have to be bought separately. If you have the Premiere pass, you do get one night for free of your choosing. I got my Frequent Fear and upgraded prior to getting my AP so if there was a discount I never got it nor back when I went in 2016 since I got my ticket for HHN at Publix. I believe there is a discount, but I can't say I used it personally lol

I literally CANNOT wait to experience this!!!! Rob has back problems and Jimmy doesn't do rollercoasters (yet!) so I get the feeling I'll be on my own for this, but I still am SO looking forward to it!

Oh, you are going to LOOOVVEEE it. It might possibly be the most fun ride at both parks. Make sure you fight for the bike side. I've only ever done the bike side even though I wanted to try the sidecar just to see the difference, but everyone I know says the bike side is way way better. The positioning definitely makes it feel more thrilling I'm sure.

We've never done either, but did get a total soaking on Jurassic Park River Adventure on our first USO day ever....it was our first attraction. Rookie mistake. I'm looking forward to Popeye's and Dudley Do-Right's when it's actually part of the plan to be soaked!

I did River Adventure last of the three big water rides (haven't done One Fish Two Fish yet) and I got to say it was the one that got me the least soaked of the three (and I'm sure there were seats on that where you really can avoid getting wet). The drop on River Adventure though... WOW. Popeye is definitely the worst of the bunch since the bottom floods. I HIGHLY recommend flip flops for that one.

My favorite

Cutest ride out there. Acid trip ending and all.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

One-On-One Time With The Classic Monsters Is All I'll Ever Need
9/27/19: First Solo Universal Day, HHN Night #5 & More

We have now arrived at essentially the beginning of my evening at HHN at stay-and-scream. Since this is the Disney side of the boards, I assume most aren't familiar with HHN or how certain things in Universal work and stay-and-scream is both new and pretty niche so I thought I'd explain.

Stay-and-scream is something offered to those who have access to the parks before HHN begins, but also have a valid HHN ticket, such as me after this day. The way it works is a little bit before the parks close to day guests, they set up these holding areas. I believe there are three in total. The two I know of are the one in New York that's near Finnegan's Pub (usually known as the Finnegan's stay-and-scream area) and the one in Springfield, which is where I went. I believe the third is at the TODAY Show Cafe but I can't confirm. The only person I know who used that was TimTracker. At these areas, they set up little ticket areas where they can scan your HHN ticket so you can get into the gated off area they have set up. Usually after getting through those, they have a few TMs handing out park maps as well as someone giving out the drink wristbands directly after which show to the security that walks around the park during the event that you are of age to drink (there is a lot of underaged drinking at the event, lemme tell ya). I get one since I tend to look on the younger side, granted my height makes up for more baby-faced features. After that, you just wait.





Note the Dustin hat made an appearance. Thought it fit well with my shirt and let my hair reconfigure itself after the wind on Hagrid's and the drenching on Dudley Do-Right's.

Now, the waiting isn't bad since usually the waiting areas have good food and drink options. Finnegan's has Finnegan's obviously as well as a little stand nearby. I can't remember if Louie's is also open or not, maybe someone who's an HHN vet that's done stay-and-scream can confirm or deny that. Springfield however has the entirety of Moe's open as well as Duff Beer (the outdoor bar) and The Bumblebee Taco Truck. Duff Beer is probably the coolest spot since not only do they sell their usual but they also sell all the drink offerings the event has. I didn't discover this until later but it is the only spot where you can try all four specialty drinks. I do know that most don't like them since majority of the HHN vets are big beer drinkers (of which I am not and if you want to say "I just haven't tried the right beer", I had a beer at Festival of the Arts called something like "#GlitterSparkleRainbow" and I still didn't care for it, that aftertaste is just not for me). ANYWAYS, the specialty drinks are right up my alley as I've mentioned before. I will agree they are pretty watered down, but frankly if they did up that alcohol content, I'd be tipsy/drunk every night at HHN no sweat.

For the record, I didn't go to Duff or into Moe's on this evening. I had eaten earlier and got a water bottle while I was there so I was sipping on that. It was mostly just waiting for me and I had gotten out after park close so I believe I only had 30 minutes until they let us free.

To fully explain the perks of stay-and-scream, essentially they let you enjoy a select group of houses prior to the event being opened. Each stay-and-scream area pertains to a certain house or houses, usually near that holding area. Springfield, where I was, allowed you to go to three: Depths of Fear, House of 1000 Corpses and Universal Monsters. Finnegan's allowed you to go to two, either Stranger Things or Ghostbusters. Then, I believe if that third one did exist at The TODAY Cafe it went into Killer Klowns. Again, I never stayed-and-screamed there so I can't speak from experience. Essentially, they choose a few every year, usually it consists of the headlining IPs and maybe an original or two. People also discuss which of the main two (Finnegan's and Springfield) people like more and I definitely like Springfield more. They have more options for food, which is generally what I did prior to the night starting and usually filled up on water since I was usually in the parks before prior (Alcohol never seemed like the move and for awhile I only thought they served beer which is NEVER the move for me as I explained before).
Also, I'd knock out my favorite house (Universal Monsters) early in the evening and would never have to wait long then be able to run over and do Depths too with little wait. Really wish they could've put Graveyard Games in the line-up so it could've been knocked out early in the night but alas, win some lose some.

I didn't realize at my first stay-and-scream that Universal Monsters was opened since where they drop the gates is by the restrooms and in the direction where they scan people in, but I soon found out later on. On this night, I went to Depths first, which I was perfectly ok with since I really loved that house too.

Click to watch!




I was the second "party" to go into the house for the evening. I was still at the point of being a bit too nervous to go first, but they beat me out of the gate. It was fine, I still got to kick off my evening at a great house. Also, my favorite ops person that gave out high fives the first night I did this house was there so I was hype for that. I wish I could remember his name. It's definitely in my notes somewhere on another night, but he was awesome.

It wasn't the greatest run-through I've had since a lot of the actors were still getting to their spots and I believe this was the beginning of the "Mouthbrooder Extinction" where we lost a lot of the fish boys in the house so it might've slowed the load of scareactors into the house. I don't know, I still love it and my baby fish head still came at me with fantastic timing per usual.

When I got out, I knew I didn't want to do House of 1000 Corpses, but nobody was going anywhere in the opposite direction yet ops was not barricading it or anything so I just walked on through a rather empty Springfield.

Click to watch!


Lo-and-behold when I got to the other side, I checked to see if Monsters was open and IT WAS! Sorry spoiled that earlier, but I was so pumped it was opened during stay-and-scream, I went right into that line. As far as I know, there was nobody behind me or in front. Some were waiting near Graveyard Games for when that opened but Monsters was dead nobody it continued all the way up to the house itself!

In short, I WAS GETTING A SOLO RUN OF MY FAVORITE HOUSE!

I was so excited, but also nervous. I'd never in my life done a haunted house all on my own and that's almost considered kind of an extreme type of haunt so this took a lot of courage, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Click to watch!


For those who didn't read the video, or were just confused by the choppiness, it was a pretty neat run but like with Depths of Fear, there were scare actors missing or getting put into place. I don't believe there was a Wolfman on the bungee cord and there might've been only one Mummy in that room. I can't remember exactly. I do vividly remember the gargoyle being put into their boohole as I walked in with ops sneaking in behind them. Then, when I went into the Frankenstein lab, the Monster was talking with an Ops person. Literally, they all forgot people might be coming through, it was pretty hilarious. As I said, Phantom got me the best on this run. He got real close and followed me through the whole room. Not to mention, it being so light out before going into the house made it difficult to see, especially in the Hunchback and Phantom room since there were so many mirrors, I struggled to find my way out. Best time with Phantom this night though.

When I got out of Monsters and back into Kidz Zone, I realized that they had just let everyone in so there was a mad dash to both houses. I decided to not stick around since they still hadn't opened Graveyard Games and there was quite the line forming so I decided to head over to see how Killer Klowns was looking.

If you've been keeping up with the basic outline of HHN, this could only mean one thing...

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Ok well, TWO things.

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I got to say a quick hello to my beloved Haus of Vanity. I didn't stay long and just walked through to get to Klowns which I managed to do before the event officially started for the evening, so it still held a short wait.

I don't have any snap vids so I'll just say the house was fun as ever and I managed to hit every single one of the buttons in that house. I hadn't been able to before since I always forgot one room, but this time I hit all six. YIPEE!

Three houses down OFFICIALLY before the event actually started. A true HHN queen.

After Killer Klowns, I ended up hanging out in Vanity Ball since there really wasn't anyone. It was still light out so I kinda just paced the area until I was stopped by one of the scare actors who had told me I was pretty on a previous night. He judged me tonight for not wearing any make-up like I usually do, but I really needed the break as did my skin lol We got to talking and brought up Disney since he actually had auditioned for character performer recently. Eventually, another scare actor came up to us, probably in hopes of scaring me while I was distracted but instead dropped her knife on my foot. Don't worry, they are fake so it elicited no harm whatsoever.

After that, we got a few selfies together with the brain he would carry around.





Once we got those, the girl who carried around the head and was in the devil-inspired costume, kinda the unofficial icon of the zone if you think about the promotional material and fan art, came by. We talked with her and she introduced me to her head whose name was Lucy. The head had no skin to which both of them directed me to where her face was at the surgery stage behind me (yes, they are technically stages since they are performances when they do surgery lol). Eventually, I decided to leave and headed on over to where the houses at the front were. I thought of maybe doing Ghostbusters but the wait was already at a high so I decided against that. I wasn't staying long tonight for two reasons so instead I decided to try out the specialty drinks for the first time.

Yes, I'm saying first time. It actually wasn't on the prior nights that I had them. I only had the ciders. I thought I did, but I'm dumb so this was actually the first time I was trying the specialty drinks. Sorry for the confusion.

I went to the bar in the Starcourt Mall area where they had the Saturn specialty drink. There wasn't anybody there so I got to walk right up and order. The bartender was really sweet and after I said I didn't want the special cup they had (I believe they had only released Ghostbusters and the HHN one at this point), tried to convince me to get it. They looked pretty cool, but I was short on money after the long day I had and I needed more for my plans later. My plans later did involve being a little less sober hence why I was "splurging" for The Saturn. Nonetheless, I was still pretty happy.

Click to watch!


I then went into Vanity Ball one last time to finish my drink since I know they would probably not let me leave the park with a cup of alcohol in my hand. I really enjoyed The Saturn for my first drink. It ended up probably being the better one of the four. It was definitely the one I went back to the most once I had tasted all four.

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I basically went in for a second then back out since I chugged it quick. I took a quick bathroom break and then headed on back to the still opened Islands of Adventure.

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If you know anything about this time of year at IoA, you know they had just recently introduced the Dark Arts castle show that had been a hit over at Universal Hollywood's Wizarding World. The star of that show were the drones that were used. Here, they couldn't use drones and instead introduced a pre-show where the Death Eaters wreaked havoc all around Hogsmeade. I had seen some quick videos of it and it looked so cool! Kinda like the Harry Potter scare zone people had hoped for when Diagon Alley opened. It was getting close to the presumed time when that happened so I headed back to IoA to see this.

I did have a bit of time before the Death Eaters were supposed to come out and the wait for Forbidden Journey was down since everyone was scoping out a spot for the projection show so I did that.

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Gosh, that ride is so fun! Doing it after Hagrid's... I might prefer Hagrid's now. I haven't been on it in a hot minute so it's hard to compare, but I know I came off a little shocked that it didn't hit as hard as it once did and I knew exactly why.

After my little flight on the enchanted benches with Harry and friends, I went back to by The Three Broomsticks to wait out the Death Eaters. A crowd had clearly already formed so I just stood amongst them fiddling with my wand that I had taken out again.

It was a long long wait for them. They didn't have an exact time from what I read as it was so new and I didn't grab a park map so it was just waiting in hopes they would come out sometime soon.

Eventually, they arrived by way of apparating.

Click to watch!


Click to watch!


Gosh, they were cool. As you can tell, it was quite a thick crowd and they slunk in and out of it well. Not to mention, the lightning, music and effects as the sun fully set, the atmosphere was fantastic. It really was the Harry Potter scare zone we all dreamed of. If this ever existed as an official part of Horror Nights, it would definitely win some awards.

I mean, this interaction alone...

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I did feel weird filming someone else's kid but this was too too funny. It went on for long after I stopped filming, but gosh it was great and I saw them doing similar things with other people along with many great photos. My favorite were the people who had actual Dark Mark tattoos. Just... WOW, the Potterhead was jumping out.

Click to watch!






I hung out for quite a bit but eventually decided it was time to start to head out. My third plan for the evening was one of my coordinators from SWGE, Erin, was having her 21st birthday party tonight! I originally planned to go to HHN with someone else and we'd uber together over but it was just me so I was going on my lonesome. However, before I went to catch that Uber, I realized that I hadn't done Spider-Man today so I decided to go over and do that before I left.

It also had a very short line so... why not?

Click to watch!


Gosh, that ride gets better and better. I'm way more of a Marvel fan now than the last time I rode it back in 2016 so I just lived for it all. The Stan Lee cameos in particular got me. Ugh, I just love Spidey and Marvel so much.

After that, it was out of IoA and goodbye to Universal and Horror Nights!

Click to watch!


I went to that hidden bathroom in CityWalk to use the facilities but also to change into my new outfit for the evening cus it was far from over. Unfortunately, my luck had run out and in trying to hail an uber, I ended up calling three scam ubers. It was awful. I don't know why it was happening since I never had the issue before but with uber, the transaction goes in quick so I was out of money. I had to do some emergency transfers since I both needed an uber to the party and back to housing. It would be nice to just have one night where I wasn't having a financial scare at HHN, the real ones are enough.

Eventually, I got one and the driver was really friendly so that made up for it. I had a weird conversation since he asked immediately what hotel I was going to to which I explained to him I was a local. We ended up talking a bit about the DCP and such, but his English wasn't great so it gave me moments to tune out for a bit since I was a little tired. All-in-all, he was good company and got me to Erin's apartment so I appreciated that.

I'm not gonna go into too much detail on the party since 21st is enough info. It was really fun. My co-workers Amy and Amalia were there and I got along really well with a lot of Erin's friends. It was a good time. It was Mamma Mia themed so everyone was dressed up to meet the theme myself included. I definitely had the least "put together" outfit since everyone was going to Southern Nights after, which is a drag bar in Orlando. I couldn't stay for that since I had an early opening shift the next day, but I still turned it out wearing my Mamma Mia tee from when I helped choreograph a production.

I can show you some cute photos from the night to prove it. Erin set up a nice little photo op so her, Amy, Amalia and I all went in on a SWGE photoshoot.







We also had this hilarious moment where we realized I couldn't properly blow confetti for a boomerang.

Take One.

Click to BOOMERANG!


Take Two.

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Obviously I'm not making a career of blowing confetti, but it was better enough to be postable.

Eventually, it was time to leave. Everyone else at the party split off to go to Southern Nights whereas I had to call my own Uber back to Vista Way. *sigh* Thus ending my night. I got home rather late which meant I only got a few hours of sleep before my shift early in the morning. Fingers crossed for how that went (No, I did not call out).

Continue Here​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

We Truly Do Go On
9/28/19: My Final Viewing Of IllumiNations

After getting home quite late and having to wake up mega early to open up my home planet of Batuu, I was back at it again today. Officially.

Based on my notes, surprisingly, despite the odds being NOT in my favor, I had a good shift today. I don't remember how that was or why. I was just in a good mood and so was the planet. Also, I think my adrenaline was still kicked in after the crazy eventful (in a good way) day before. Not to much, this was the day we had a popcorn machine backstage and I cannot complain about that. From what I remember, I was sneaking boxes of it between our CDS area to the break room and then when I clocked out. It's the little things, really.

After I got off, got changed, I was off to Epcot. As you can guess from the subtitle of this chapter, today was gonna be my last chance to see IllumiNations before it was gone for good. It wasn't however the last day, but I was working evenings the rest of the work week so tonight was to be it. Courtney was also seeing it for the last time tonight so we had plans to meet up. I got off well in advanced of this so I decided to just hang in the park a bit before then.

First, I did stop in Studios quickly to grab a Strawberry Acai to get me through the evening.



I walked all the way from Studios, SARL in hand, to Epcot and went through the International Gateway where I saw this casual moment happening.

Click to watch!


I live for those moments, even when they aren't happening to me.

From there, I headed over to Sunshine Seasons. While on my way over, I discovered that I was in for it that evening with the crowds.

Click to watch!


At Sunshine Seasons, I decided to just relax for a bit. I had been basically go-go-go since the day before so I needed a quick rest. While I rested, I ended up having to do some adult things like calling my bank and the state house (don't ask, real life stuff isn't fun) so I got those squared away with. Then, I wrote in my TR journal, catching up on everything since I was behind again.

After that, Dina messaged me since she saw I was in the parks and asked if we wanted to meet up at Magic Kingdom. I said sure since I had time before IllumiNations so I left from Epcot for Magic Kingdom.

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Click to watch!


I wandered around Magic Kingdom a bit since Dina still hadn't arrived yet. I guess I ended up in Fantasyland at some point.

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Ugh, I really do miss Castle Couture. Please put Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique back where she bibbidi bobbidi came from. Thank you.

Eventually, I met up with Dina after I took another break at the train station and realized how truly exhausted I was. Like borderline passing out in that dang train station. The adrenaline had worn off. As a result, we didn't do much at first. I was more and more not about these crowds because I was so exhausted. All the lines in MK were super long. Eventually, I agreed to wait in the mildly long wait for the PeopleMover.



Once I got off that, I said we should probably head on over to Epcot. Dina's friend was planning on staying in MK so we split off from him then monorailed over to Epcot.

Before that, I had to get a photo of the new Tomorrowland entrance. It really did look like an unfinished ring lol



Anyways, back to Epcot!



At Epcot, I was texting Courtney who said she was there but getting food so Dina and I went to get food too. At first, I wasn't but then I was hit with the scent of the Canada booth so I ended up getting the Canadian Bacon and Cheese Soup. Again, this was a very disappointing meal for me. So much so I didn't even bother to get a photo of it. Dina, I believe got the Filet Mignon which is always a golden choice. She really enjoyed that.

I can't remember what was the reason but Dina and I did split off while I went to go find Courtney. Dina did meet up with us but she had to go grab a drink or something. I managed to get Courtney over to my favorite spot to watch IllumiNations which was always Germany. I couldn't watch it anywhere else to be honest.

I then had a time getting Dina over to us, but she found us. After that, we all chilled. I believe I somehow ended up with whatever food or drink Dina had. Yeah, this night had terrible notes and everything is blurry. I believe it might've been Kakigori, I can't remember. I also feel like I had some left overs in my lunch box from work so I was digging into that too. Again, I was tired and poor note-taking here.

Soon enough, it was time to officially say farewell to IllumiNations

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I definitely got way more emotional over seeing this for the last time than I thought. Courtney did too. Dina definitely didn't have the attachment either of us had to it.

Personally, this show was the only fireworks show I ever saw with my family. Back in our first trip in 2010, we left MK before Wishes and Studios didn't have fireworks so Epcot was the first time we managed to actually see a Disney fireworks show. I loved it for many years. On my second trip, I even got a special viewing of it with my high school chorus and band, where we had a buffet and got to watch it from the Italy promenade. It wasn't until my first program that I started to notice its age. The message still rang true, but something about it felt dated so it wasn't always a must-do for me, although it still held a special place in my heart. It became more special when my family came to visit in 2016 and on our last night, we watched it in the spot I would end up always watching it (Germany) and my family got to see it along with the holiday tag. They have not seen any other Disney fireworks since we haven't been back to Studios since 2010 and I've not been able to get them to stay long enough for the MK fireworks (they missed Holiday Wishes in 2016 too). Also, as of July 2019, I have seen all the special endings that IllumiNations has had so yeah pretty special show. I'd miss her. However, I am excited for HarmoniUS and I'm one of the few who actually enjoyed Epcot Forever.

In line with the mood of this update, I would miss IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. RIP my love.



Before Dina, Courtney and I all headed out, we decided to hang in World Showcase by Courtney's suggestion. She said it's always so cool just to walk through with nobody else there and enjoy the IllumiNations post-show music. It ended up being a great choice. We didn't wait too too long since I was pretty exhausted as were both of them. Courtney had been just as go-go-go as I had been, but gosh that music with nobody else in World Showcase. It hit differently and I needed that. After a quick loop around, Courtney went off towards the front while Dina and I caught a bus back to housing.

Back when I got to Vista, I actually got home in time for schedule drop and after many weeks of only one day off, I finally got a true two days off.



I also had to play with another filter in celebration.



Sorry, I just really love that photo.

I did eventually pass out. I was very tired. Needless to say, I slept well this evening. With that, goodnight and goodbye IllumiNations.

Continue Here​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Vi Moradi Stan Club Chapter
9/29 – 10/1/19: Star Wars Appreciative Work

September 29th, 2019

Today was another day back at work, but it was obviously a bit later in the day. I was so tired though that I decided not to get changed for work at home so I could lay down a bit longer. I ended up showing up to cast services in this get up.



Again, don't worry I wore my proper costume. If I didn't, probably wouldn't have kept my job for an entire program.

As far as I know, today was a fairly good day at work. I'm guessing that because I didn't write it was a bad one so things were really looking up at this point. Not to mention, I finally was getting the rest I needed.

September 30th, 2019

Today, I was feeling pretty chipper again so I decided that it would be a good day to go into the parks before I went into work.



I first decided to stop by the newly reopened Mickey's of Hollywood to see what that looked like.

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Like most, I'm not a fan of the fact they are making these Disney stores more retail focused than the theming. The interior is still beautiful and it makes it easier to shop, but I missed the warmth of the old design. It was just cozier.

After that stop, I went down to Sunset Boulevard.



And got myself an ice cream sandwich.



The Hollywood Scoops ice cream sandwich is so freakin good! I cannot even begin with it. Even just looking at it, I want another. Those homemade cookies with some nice ice cream just never fails to hit the spot. Definitely a treat I'd get for myself again and again.

After that, I continued further into Studios and stopped per usual inside Walt Disney Presents...





They had the Maleficent: Mistress of Evil preview playing at this time. I decided to skip out on it to go say a quick hello to my beloved Batuu as a traveler before I returned as a villager.

I ended up catching the little show with Kylo Ren and Lieutenant Agnon that happens at the Tie Echelon.

Click to watch!


Click to watch!


I also loved how daring Vi was during all of this. She is honestly such a queen (not to mention a former gatherer so us Savi's cast do stan).

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After that, I headed back on over to costuming to get ready for work. Also, the stormtroopers and Kylo followed me out.

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This was once again I'm guessing a fairly good shift. No concrete details on what happened but that is my assumption since I didn't note anything otherwise.

October 1st, 2019

We have now entered Halloween month! The official Halloween month and you could feel it in the air. My mood definitely could've been boosting itself up for this point.

I once again decided to go into the park again. I don't have many notes nor do I remember much of what specifically I did or if I was with anyone or anything, but I did ride Star Tours at one point.

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And I also got this slushy I believe from somewhere in Sunset Ranch. So refreshing.



After that, I went to work. Another day at the office. Not much more I can say there. However, the next day was my day off! Those can never not be exciting.

Continue Here​

 

[missjackiemcg]

Oh wow, that is good time and that's so exciting! That'll be a lot of fun. Maybe I'll be back down there, who knows? (No I'm not alluding to anything, it's just with everything reopening I'm keeping my options open.

Here's hoping!!! When it gets closer to actual travel dates, we'll see where you happen to be and hopefully be able to say HI in person!

Oh, you are going to LOOOVVEEE it. It might possibly be the most fun ride at both parks. Make sure you fight for the bike side. I've only ever done the bike side even though I wanted to try the sidecar just to see the difference, but everyone I know says the bike side is way way better. The positioning definitely makes it feel more thrilling I'm sure.

I'm really hoping I get to ride the bike (who knows if single rider will even be an option at that point....I hear they may be running virtual queues this summer, but really all rumor until Universal says something first.) I'll just be so happy to experience it at all, but if I can pick, I definitely want to ride Hagrid's bike first!

I did River Adventure last of the three big water rides (haven't done One Fish Two Fish yet) and I got to say it was the one that got me the least soaked of the three (and I'm sure there were seats on that where you really can avoid getting wet). The drop on River Adventure though... WOW. Popeye is definitely the worst of the bunch since the bottom floods. I HIGHLY recommend flip flops for that one.

Good to know about Popeye!! I actually wrote the flip flop tip in my travel notes because I loathe walking around in wet gym shoes!!! Our River Adventure soaking came as a result of being seated front and center, LOL. I think if we do go on that again, we'll ask for somewhere further back!!

In short, I WAS GETTING A SOLO RUN OF MY FAVORITE HOUSE!

Oh, my gosh, you must have been SO excited!!!!

Then, when I went into the Frankenstein lab, the Monster was talking with an Ops person. Literally, they all forgot people might be coming through, it was pretty hilarious.

That made me laugh, but at the same time, I always love finding out little behind the scenes tidbits about Disney, so I imagine for you, it was pretty awesome to see something like that in a house you already loved so much!

Eventually, they arrived by way of apparating.

First, I had not even heard this was a thing!!!!! Second, how awesome. I watched your video clip like four times because I couldn't get enough of watching them pop up like that. So cool.

Unfortunately, my luck had run out and in trying to hail an uber, I ended up calling three scam ubers. It was awful. I don't know why it was happening since I never had the issue before but with uber, the transaction goes in quick so I was out of money.

NO! How does that even happen!?!? Did you get your money back from Uber somehow or???

 

[RoseBen009]

I need to visit Universal Studios and Wizarding World someday! Looking forward to more posts!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

In Which I Don't Ruin My Horror Nights Look In The Daytime
10/2/19: HHN Night #6

As I mentioned previously, today was my day off and I think we know what that means? Another Horror Nights night!

After my quick break from a made up look, I came back and decided today would be perfect for a Slytherin and Klowns inspired look.



Click to BOOMERANG!


Honestly, one of if not my favorite lewk that I did the entire event. It just came out so nice and a dark green also compliments my eye color so yes she was serving today.

I was planning on meeting up with Emily and Becky today. Both were going. Adam also said he was gonna be going but later. I wanted to do stay-and-scream again as well as do it at the Finnegan's holding area so maybe we all could do Ghostbusters out the gate.

I ended up getting to the park well before either of them because I also had other plans.

I have to take a moment to note that in my Uber over, the driver was playing some mad bops.

Click to watch!


Eventually that had to come to an end once I finally arrived at Universal.

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First, I had a date with the Voodoo man!



I had heard so many good things about Voodoo Donut. I also heard that they had some cool HHN inspired goodies from TimTracker's vlogs so I really wanted to get on that.

But what to get?

Click to BOOMERANG!


I ended up choosing the Christmas Lights one that say RUN like in the first Stranger Things. Iconic imagery.



It was so so good. It was hard to eat since it started to melt quickly in the Florida heat, not to mention they are thick and filled with filling so it was an effort not to be too messy with it. I did my best balancing act at that little sitting area by Fat Tuesdays. Once I finished, I decided then to head on over to Islands of Adventure.



I was bound for Toon Lagoon for a quick pitstop. I really wanted the HHN AP magnet and Toon Extra, the gift shop in Toon Lagoon, was one of the few places where you could get it so I headed over there. The store when I got there was OF COURSE empty, which made this awkward, but I did manage to find a TM available and she got me the magnet as well as the button of the month, which ended up becoming a thing I really enjoyed collecting too. When I could that is.



I really didn't have anything else I wanted to do in IoA and I was cutting it close for stay-and-scream so I went on over to Studios. Not before passing through what is probably my favorite Island in IoA.

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And yes, totally judging the weird old school Marvel character costumes. Yup, I have been spoiled by Disneyland. Truly.

As I walked over to Studios by way of the Hard Rock Cafe, I caught another bop just casually playing.

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I just really love ABBA. Granted, who doesn't? Those who hate happiness, that's who.

Anyways, I eventually was inside Universal Studios.

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I wandered a bit before Emily arrived. We still had a bit of time before the event began so we both decided to do one quick ride on Mummy. You can never go wrong with doing that and especially with the waits down during a HHN night in the daytime, it was perfect. Eventually, we found out Becky was in the park but had headed to the Finnegan's stay-and-scream so we followed suit.

Now, I have to note for everyone that Finnegan's might possibly be the most annoying stay-and-scream location. It encompasses a great portion of New York, not just Finnegan's. They block it off from The Mummy area since then they would get hordes coming from that direction if they didn't. So you have to go all the way around to that little alleyway near Transformers along the lagoon. It's so annoying, even more annoying when you have a maze to navigate to get to where the lines are for the stay-and-scream houses.

Along the way however, some of the Zombieland scare zone was opened to us so I decided to get some photos with the photo op they had set up because why not?







That is another thing, all the way by where Mummy is they have two lines set up. This might've been exclusive to HHN29, but they had one side where you could line up for Stranger Things and the other side where you could line up for Ghostbusters. We obviously set up shop in Ghostbusters, but there was such a marked difference in both. The Stranger Things line was over double the length of Ghostbusters. It made it quite clear how insanely popular that property really was.

While we waited there, Becky ended up getting a drink while Emily and I managed to catch one of the wristband people so we could have those on. We didn't wait too too long, but it felt awhile since they had to be so careful how they let us loose because GOSH when they let you loose to go to the houses, it's just madness. It is so much more populated over in this stay-and-scream than Springfield. Springfield was relatively quiet or more spread out, but this was just a mass of people. We quickly lost our place in line when we were let loose that we still had a mild wait for Ghostbusters. Still less than it would be at event start, but a wait and it definitely meant we couldn't do a double house run before the event soft started. I could only imagine how crazy that line was for Stranger Things on this night.

While we waited, I noticed that all three of us just so happened to all be wearing converse on this night so I had to get this photo before we went into Ghostbusters.



We had a fairly nice run through Ghostbusters. It still remained one of the trickiest houses in terms of getting scares, but gosh it's a cool house. It's also really fun. I still enjoy Klowns more, but you can't deny how fun it must be to walk through the Ghostbusters films.

After Ghostbusters, we immediately decided to get out of that area and head on over to the back of the park to go do our faves!

Click to watch!


Click to watch!


I believe we waited over in Kidz Zone for Adam to catch up with us. During that time, we decided to go grab some drinks. Twilight Gateway was the specialty drink over here so I got that along with my first souvenir cup.

Click to BOOMERANG!


Obviously my first had to be for my monsters right next door. The Twilight Gateway however wasn't all that great. It was pretty watered down and just didn't have much flavor. I don't remember who had it with me but they also agreed it wasn't all that great. I still drank it up quick as we hopped in line for Monsters.

Click to watch!


I can't remember if we did Monsters then immediately jumped on over to Graveyard Games. All I know is by the time we were done with that little corner of the park, it was dark out and the night had officially begun!

Continue Here​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Here's hoping!!! When it gets closer to actual travel dates, we'll see where you happen to be and hopefully be able to say HI in person!

Fingers crossed!

I'm really hoping I get to ride the bike (who knows if single rider will even be an option at that point....I hear they may be running virtual queues this summer, but really all rumor until Universal says something first.) I'll just be so happy to experience it at all, but if I can pick, I definitely want to ride Hagrid's bike first!

They have kind of a set up for how you get the bike. You have to climb through the side car to get to it so you have to be on the right side of whoever your ride partner will be. You can also talk to whoever will be your ride partner to make sure of that. Sometimes it's just a matter of luck, but I've been on the bike every single time so you just have to ask.

Good to know about Popeye!! I actually wrote the flip flop tip in my travel notes because I loathe walking around in wet gym shoes!!! Our River Adventure soaking came as a result of being seated front and center, LOL. I think if we do go on that again, we'll ask for somewhere further back!!

Yeah, I was like middle but on the side which resulted me getting more soaked than my roommate. We still got decently wet but nothing bad. Nothing like Popeye's or Dudley's.

Oh, my gosh, you must have been SO excited!!!!

All of Ops thought I was insane but they found it so funny. Truly an experience I won't ever forget lol

That made me laugh, but at the same time, I always love finding out little behind the scenes tidbits about Disney, so I imagine for you, it was pretty awesome to see something like that in a house you already loved so much!

It was funny to me too. Added to it all for me. I'll definitely have more behind-the-scenes tidbits about HHN coming soon so stay tuned for that.

First, I had not even heard this was a thing!!!!! Second, how awesome. I watched your video clip like four times because I couldn't get enough of watching them pop up like that. So cool.

Yeah, it was never officially announced. They only ever announced the new castle show but this came as a surprise of sorts and OMG it BLEW UP. I really hope they bring it back every year. I know the performers involved love it just as much as the guests so it would be a no-brainer.

NO! How does that even happen!?!? Did you get your money back from Uber somehow or???

I think it happened to me one more time since. After that, I just realized I had to be careful with my phone's connection that was all. I did get my money back after sending a bunch of emails and reports to Uber. They refunded me fully, thank goodness.

I need to visit Universal Studios and Wizarding World someday! Looking forward to more posts!

You should! It really is so incredible! Hope you enjoy the latest updates!

 

[missjackiemcg]

I just really love ABBA. Granted, who doesn't? Those who hate happiness, that's who.

LOVE me some ABBA!! I walked out of church at my wedding to "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do." And "Fernando" is another fav. I had a student a few years ago by that name, and I used to sing it to him all the time

 

[PlutosRHM55]

LOVE me some ABBA!! I walked out of church at my wedding to "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do." And "Fernando" is another fav. I had a student a few years ago by that name, and I used to sing it to him all the time

Omg I love that! My favorite is Under Attack since it is the one song from the original Mamma Mia Broadway musical that never made it into either of the films and it SLAPS. But any ABBA song, if it comes on, I'm either singing or dancing along. You can't not.