hughesfamilyadventures
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2025
- Messages
- 38
Oversleeping, Lost Grandparents & G-Force Regret
We overslept. No alarms. No backup alarms. Just the consequences of last night’s chaos meant we forgot to set the alarm. So after a later start than planned, we made our way to CityWalk at 9am via the water.
First stop was Cinnabon, where Chris ordered the sausage and egg sandwich. Thomas tried a bite and immediately decided it wasn’t for him, so I whisked the kids off to Starbucks in Islands of Adventure for damage control.
Once the kids were fed and watered, we headed to The Hulk, where Chris had already ridden with Paul. Catherine, Val, Stephen, and the girls headed off to Seuss Landing, while the kids and I joined Chris and Paul for a second go.
During this ride, Chris experienced a brief vision blackout. A quick Google later reassured us that this is apparently common on high G-force rides.
At 10:30am, we finally managed to ride VelociCoaster — a long awaited win. Chris has officially declared it his favourite ride!
We met the rest of the family in Hogsmeade and boarded the Hogwarts Express, heading off to London King’s Cross (Florida edition).
First stop was the Knight Bus, where we enjoyed an… interesting conversation with the shrunken head. Always a highlight.
We then entered Diagon Alley, where we spent a lot of time — largely because Mia is a huge Harry Potter fan. I'm so grateful to Catherine for capturing this photo with Noah - especially as he thinks he's too old for holding my hand/cuddles (unless they're on his terms)
Val and Stephen sensibly headed to The Leaky Cauldron for shade and a sit down, while the rest of us explored.
At Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, we picked up puking pastilles which Thomas and I almost broke our teeth trying to eat! Mia also bought some potions — not for drinking, just for displaying in her room.
Mia had been searching everywhere for a Marauder’s Map, and we finally found a huge one in Diagon Alley. At $50, it wasn’t cheap, but it made her day.
We split up briefly to ride Escape from Gringotts, which everyone enjoyed, then regrouped for lunch at The Leaky Cauldron. Catherine’s family joined a couple of parties behind us.
We couldn’t see Val and Stephen inside, so Chris rang them — they were outside, sitting on a bench enjoying the sun. We agreed to meet them when we finished eating.
Food eaten, we emerged… to find Val, but no Stephen.
Val had set off to find us and, in the process, lost Stephen. She said she’d go back for him.
Ten minutes passed.
Then fifteen.
Chris and Thomas went off to locate them, and after a kerfuffle and some cross words exchanged between the parents-in-law over whose fault it was, we collectively decided that the heat was making everyone grumpy and it was time to move on.
We headed to Men in Black, which Val, Stephen, and our family all rode and enjoyed.
Next up was The Simpsons Ride. I decided to try it for the first time ever — a bold choice for someone prone to motion sickness. Val and Stephen joined us
Stephen was tannoy-announced several times for holding the front of the ride vehicle instead of the safety bar. I can confirm that neither Stephen nor I will be riding this again.
We met Catherine’s family again and wandered over to ET. On the way, we lost Val AGAIN.
Chris backtracked to Simpsons. No Val.
Eventually, he found her coming out of the restrooms.
At this point, I’m convinced we need to attach a bungee cord to Val for future trips.
Everyone reunited, we rode ET, which the older family members really enjoyed. Sadly, the name system glitched and ET didn’t say goodbye to us — Universal, please fix this. It’s emotional.
Chris was determined to show everyone The Bourne Stuntacular, so we headed that way, stopping first at the Annual Pass store, where Noah got a swim shirt and Chris picked up an EPIC Universe hoodie.
Catherine, Paul, and the girls met Bart and Lisa, and Chris had to join in, obviously.
The Bourne show was a hit with the whole family. Afterwards, we browsed the Wicked store, which I absolutely loved as a Wicked superfan.
Our final ride of the day was Rip Ride Rockit — and Noah’s first time, which was a big win. Chris found it a bit too jerky this time – you can tell he’s getting old.
We left the park, collected the cars, and headed to the Premium Outlets for some much-needed retail therapy. We’d forgotten just how massive they are, so we spent just over an hour there.
Stephen, Val, Thomas, and Noah were dropped at the food court with drinks, while the rest of us shopped. I, naturally, stocked up at Bath & Body Works.
We reconvened in the food court, where Chris and I shared pizza slices (Meat Primo and Chicken, Bacon & Ranch) plus a breadstick — all excellent choices. A quick look in the Character Warehouse followed, but nothing jumped out.
Back to the cars, then back to the villa — dropping off Stephen, Val, Thomas, and Noah — before heading to Walmart.
And wow.
It was rammed.
Chris asked an employee if it’s always that busy at 9pm, and the answer was a casual yes. We’ve officially decided that Target is our future — calmer, brighter, and far less likely to cause emotional damage.
We didn’t get back to the villa until after 10:45pm, completely exhausted, slightly delirious, and ready for bed.
Another day survived. No grandparents permanently lost. This time.
Video version:
We overslept. No alarms. No backup alarms. Just the consequences of last night’s chaos meant we forgot to set the alarm. So after a later start than planned, we made our way to CityWalk at 9am via the water.
First stop was Cinnabon, where Chris ordered the sausage and egg sandwich. Thomas tried a bite and immediately decided it wasn’t for him, so I whisked the kids off to Starbucks in Islands of Adventure for damage control.
Once the kids were fed and watered, we headed to The Hulk, where Chris had already ridden with Paul. Catherine, Val, Stephen, and the girls headed off to Seuss Landing, while the kids and I joined Chris and Paul for a second go.
During this ride, Chris experienced a brief vision blackout. A quick Google later reassured us that this is apparently common on high G-force rides.
At 10:30am, we finally managed to ride VelociCoaster — a long awaited win. Chris has officially declared it his favourite ride!
We met the rest of the family in Hogsmeade and boarded the Hogwarts Express, heading off to London King’s Cross (Florida edition).
First stop was the Knight Bus, where we enjoyed an… interesting conversation with the shrunken head. Always a highlight.
We then entered Diagon Alley, where we spent a lot of time — largely because Mia is a huge Harry Potter fan. I'm so grateful to Catherine for capturing this photo with Noah - especially as he thinks he's too old for holding my hand/cuddles (unless they're on his terms)
Val and Stephen sensibly headed to The Leaky Cauldron for shade and a sit down, while the rest of us explored.
At Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, we picked up puking pastilles which Thomas and I almost broke our teeth trying to eat! Mia also bought some potions — not for drinking, just for displaying in her room.
Mia had been searching everywhere for a Marauder’s Map, and we finally found a huge one in Diagon Alley. At $50, it wasn’t cheap, but it made her day.
We split up briefly to ride Escape from Gringotts, which everyone enjoyed, then regrouped for lunch at The Leaky Cauldron. Catherine’s family joined a couple of parties behind us.
We couldn’t see Val and Stephen inside, so Chris rang them — they were outside, sitting on a bench enjoying the sun. We agreed to meet them when we finished eating.
Food eaten, we emerged… to find Val, but no Stephen.
Val had set off to find us and, in the process, lost Stephen. She said she’d go back for him.
Ten minutes passed.
Then fifteen.
Chris and Thomas went off to locate them, and after a kerfuffle and some cross words exchanged between the parents-in-law over whose fault it was, we collectively decided that the heat was making everyone grumpy and it was time to move on.
We headed to Men in Black, which Val, Stephen, and our family all rode and enjoyed.
Next up was The Simpsons Ride. I decided to try it for the first time ever — a bold choice for someone prone to motion sickness. Val and Stephen joined us
Stephen was tannoy-announced several times for holding the front of the ride vehicle instead of the safety bar. I can confirm that neither Stephen nor I will be riding this again.
We met Catherine’s family again and wandered over to ET. On the way, we lost Val AGAIN.
Chris backtracked to Simpsons. No Val.
Eventually, he found her coming out of the restrooms.
At this point, I’m convinced we need to attach a bungee cord to Val for future trips.
Everyone reunited, we rode ET, which the older family members really enjoyed. Sadly, the name system glitched and ET didn’t say goodbye to us — Universal, please fix this. It’s emotional.
Chris was determined to show everyone The Bourne Stuntacular, so we headed that way, stopping first at the Annual Pass store, where Noah got a swim shirt and Chris picked up an EPIC Universe hoodie.
Catherine, Paul, and the girls met Bart and Lisa, and Chris had to join in, obviously.
The Bourne show was a hit with the whole family. Afterwards, we browsed the Wicked store, which I absolutely loved as a Wicked superfan.
Our final ride of the day was Rip Ride Rockit — and Noah’s first time, which was a big win. Chris found it a bit too jerky this time – you can tell he’s getting old.
We left the park, collected the cars, and headed to the Premium Outlets for some much-needed retail therapy. We’d forgotten just how massive they are, so we spent just over an hour there.
Stephen, Val, Thomas, and Noah were dropped at the food court with drinks, while the rest of us shopped. I, naturally, stocked up at Bath & Body Works.
We reconvened in the food court, where Chris and I shared pizza slices (Meat Primo and Chicken, Bacon & Ranch) plus a breadstick — all excellent choices. A quick look in the Character Warehouse followed, but nothing jumped out.
Back to the cars, then back to the villa — dropping off Stephen, Val, Thomas, and Noah — before heading to Walmart.
And wow.
It was rammed.
Chris asked an employee if it’s always that busy at 9pm, and the answer was a casual yes. We’ve officially decided that Target is our future — calmer, brighter, and far less likely to cause emotional damage.
We didn’t get back to the villa until after 10:45pm, completely exhausted, slightly delirious, and ready for bed.
Another day survived. No grandparents permanently lost. This time.
Video version:
