Escaping Snowy New England for Freezing Florida Feb 2015 Final Hours 11/17 p. 23

[JanetMom]

Great updates.

I've always felt a bit meh about Universal. I love the theming and service at Disney and we aren't that big into thrill rides so I've always been happy giving Universal a miss. That said, Diagon Alley looks amazing and the food at the Leaky Cauldron looks good too! I'm starting to be tempted.

 

[natebenma]

Do you look to see if a draft was saved of the post you were writing? The new software saves drafts of your post after a certain amount of time, and you can access the drafts by clicking on the icon that looks like the save icon, the icon located between the camera and the back button. Just go down to the bottom of this thread and click on the icon to see if a draft is there.

Thanks for that tip!!! I have noticed the draft feature and my bacon has been saved a couple of times when I wrote something and got out of it before posting.

 

[natebenma]

Great updates.

I've always felt a bit meh about Universal. I love the theming and service at Disney and we aren't that big into thrill rides so I've always been happy giving Universal a miss. That said, Diagon Alley looks amazing and the food at the Leaky Cauldron looks good too! I'm starting to be tempted.

You got a Ninja post in there!!!

I was never interested in US until the Harry Potter stuff came along. The theming is just so spot on to the books and movies, and as a big fan of the series, I love it. A lot of the rides are definitely more intense than anything Disney has and I have found that "medium-thrill" rides are lacking. You have intense, a couple of moderate, and then the kiddie rides.

Nate is now a coaster junkie and Ben is on the cusp, so US works for us.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Do you look to see if a draft was saved of the post you were writing? The new software saves drafts of your post after a certain amount of time, and you can access the drafts by clicking on the icon that looks like the save icon, the icon located between the camera and the back button. Just go down to the bottom of this thread and click on the icon to see if a draft is there.

Thanks for the tip. I'd never noticed the button before you pointed it out. Nothing in there now but maybe that's because I posted again after I lost the initial draft? I will remember for future reference though

 

[tarak]

The difference between the efficiency of the ticket kiosk and the entry into the park is mindblowing!

I just love Mummy! Ben was not too thrilled with it in 2011 (He was 10). It was one and done on that trip. But since then, he is an eager rider.

Yes, some of those creepy mummies are like the walkers. I think I have told you the sad reality that The Walking Dead is the only TV show all four of us watch together as a family.

I knew there was a reason we got along. Walking Dead is one of the few shows my husband and I watch together. Watching zombie movies/shows is the closest thing we get to date night.

I wish Disney would make it easier to get an annual pass or renew one. Any trip through the guest relations line takes forever due to the complexity of their tickets and now fastpass options.

For our next trip, I need to upgrade five-day passes we bought ages ago. Part of me wants to just buy new passes than worry about having to upgrade anything at GS (especially since it seems to be luck-of-the-draw finding a CM who knows you can price bridge). But then I still have five-day passes that haven't been used. And it's just dumb to spend money I don't need to spend.

You got a Ninja post in there!!!

I was never interested in US until the Harry Potter stuff came along. The theming is just so spot on to the books and movies, and as a big fan of the series, I love it. A lot of the rides are definitely more intense than anything Disney has and I have found that "medium-thrill" rides are lacking. You have intense, a couple of moderate, and then the kiddie rides.

Nate is now a coaster junkie and Ben is on the cusp, so US works for us.

Your pictures have totally tempted me into going to US, whether I have coaster junkies or not. Honestly, you had me at scotch eggs and the CL mimosas. My mom is a huge HP fan and so is my son. We were looking at the new legoland hotel photos. Maybe I could do a short trip - one day at legoland and a few days at US.

And to vent briefly about the new Dis - I subbed to this and didn't even know there were pages added. Silly new Dis...

 

[natebenma]

I knew there was a reason we got along. Walking Dead is one of the few shows my husband and I watch together. Watching zombie movies/shows is the closest thing we get to date night.

For our next trip, I need to upgrade five-day passes we bought ages ago. Part of me wants to just buy new passes than worry about having to upgrade anything at GS (especially since it seems to be luck-of-the-draw finding a CM who knows you can price bridge). But then I still have five-day passes that haven't been used. And it's just dumb to spend money I don't need to spend.

Your pictures have totally tempted me into going to US, whether I have coaster junkies or not. Honestly, you had me at scotch eggs and the CL mimosas. My mom is a huge HP fan and so is my son. We were looking at the new legoland hotel photos. Maybe I could do a short trip - one day at legoland and a few days at US.

And to vent briefly about the new Dis - I subbed to this and didn't even know there were pages added. Silly new Dis...

We just caught up Friday night. The boys watch it on Sunday when it airs and then we all watch it sometime the next weekend.

I have heard mixed reviews about the Guest Services at the International Gateway. It doesn't tend to be very crowded but there can be just one person in front of you in line and it may still take an hour or so to get your business done.

The Harry Potter stuff is a must-do for fans!!! We are all into Harry Potter and the first time we saw the Wizarding World it was literally breathtaking. I think you can find Scotch eggs a few places at Disney (Rose and Crown, Raglan Road), but no mimosas in the BC or YC lounges.

I had major headaches last night trying to update links on my Disneyland/Hawaii report. I can get chapters posted, but whenever I try to change/edit something (like try to edit font) I end up getting a lot of garbage instead.

 

[sharona]

You updated Hawaii report? I am not getting alerts for that one. Off I go...

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Dinner at The Leaky Cauldron! That sounds like a wonderful Plan B!

I am SO EXCITED to eat here - I'm glad you have a glowing endorsement! We'll probably get the fish and chips and the bangers and mash, but that Ploughman's Dinner looks pretty tasty, too!

I seriously considered calling my TR "If I never shoot another #$%@ alien again, I'm good!"

So, not a fan of Men in Black?

 

[saintstickets]

The total for the meal, after applying a 10% AAA discount, was $60.34. I thought this was totally reasonable for a delicious and filling meal. We shared everything and it was all great. My favorites were the Scotch egg and the bangers and mash. The hot butterbeer was a BIG hit with Nate and me, but Mark and Ben still prefer the frozen.

The meal looks fantastic! I absolutely LOVE butterbeer!! So much so that we've made it here at home! I really want to make it back to Universal to see the new HP additions.

I read an interesting article the other day that said that before J K Rowling agreed with Universal to let them build WWoHP, she was in discussions with Disney. Disney would not relinquish final say-so about everything so she went to Universal. I bet they regret that now! After the movie Avatar, Disney wanted to build an attraction but James Cameron wanted more creative control over the final outcome. Cameron already had a relationship with Universal on Terminator but Disney learned their lesson with J K Rowling and gave in to Cameron. Too bad they didn't learn the lesson sooner with J K Rowling. Can you imagine Harry Potter at Hollywood Studios?!?!?

 

[natebenma]

You updated Hawaii report? I am not getting alerts for that one. Off I go...

Thanks for checking that out!

Dinner at The Leaky Cauldron! That sounds like a wonderful Plan B!

I am SO EXCITED to eat here - I'm glad you have a glowing endorsement! We'll probably get the fish and chips and the bangers and mash, but that Ploughman's Dinner looks pretty tasty, too!



So, not a fan of Men in Black?

Leaky Cauldron was excellent! You can't go wrong with any of those meals. I also read about someone who had the sausage sandwich and that sounds great too. I was so glad Ben agreed to share the Ploughman's with me because I really wanted to try it.

OK, here's the thing. I like Men in Black. I really do. But we did it A LOT!!! And almost every time we did it we went twice in a row. That's a lot of target practice!

The meal looks fantastic! I absolutely LOVE butterbeer!! So much so that we've made it here at home! I really want to make it back to Universal to see the new HP additions.

I read an interesting article the other day that said that before J K Rowling agreed with Universal to let them build WWoHP, she was in discussions with Disney. Disney would not relinquish final say-so about everything so she went to Universal. I bet they regret that now! After the movie Avatar, Disney wanted to build an attraction but James Cameron wanted more creative control over the final outcome. Cameron already had a relationship with Universal on Terminator but Disney learned their lesson with J K Rowling and gave in to Cameron. Too bad they didn't learn the lesson sooner with J K Rowling. Can you imagine Harry Potter at Hollywood Studios?!?!?

Which butterbeers have you tried- frozen and regular? You have to try the hot if you haven't. YUMMMMMM!!!! We have made it at home a couple of times.

I had heard that J K talked to Disney first. She really did have some specific demands - no "named characters" in the parks, no soft drinks in the Wizarding World (although alcohol is ok)

Also a brilliant move to have Harry Potter sections in both Universal and IoA and themed transportation between the parks. It really entices people to go to both parks and makes it easy (but expensive) to do so!

Wow, I am trying to picture Potter at Disneyworld. Universal is really drawing crowds because of the Harry Potter areas. I can only imagine the attendance that would be added to the already busy Disney parks.

 

[EasternShoreGal]

I realized in my introductory post, I didn’t really give any actual introductions or any details about our trip

Thank you for this! I have been following for a while and thanks for all you do for the YBCV thread but nice to know details.

My two sons are Nate (16) and Ben

Now I get your handle.

Before going up to the room to dump off our bags, we needed to get our Express Passes. As guests of a Universal Deluxe Resort, we get Front of the Line Passes that are valid for most of the rides at the parks (Certain Harry Potter attractions may not apply). You go to a kiosk in the lobby, insert your room key and have your picture taken, and then you get another card that gets scanned in the Express line. You also get early entry, an hour before offsite guests, when

Used to just need to show your room key. Wondered how they were doing it now.


Subbing in

 

[afwdwfan]

Miraculously, my family agreed with my suggestion!


I love it when a plan comes together!!!

And I love a good A-Team quote!

But really, I'm glad you made the best of the situation and had a good fall back plan. I'm sorry the original plan didn't quite work out though.

The hot butterbeer was a BIG hit with Nate and me, but Mark and Ben still prefer the frozen.

Hot butterbeer? Like coffee temperature or something?

I knew they had frozen and not frozen, but when we tried it the non frozen was still chilled. I definitely preferred the frozen though.

But first, let’s do a very quick tour of the newest land at Universal Studios.


“Diagon-al” Alley (get it???)

It is a very interesting area. I know little to nothing about Harry Potter, but I'd love to get there and check it out sometime, just because I know how impressed I was when I saw WWoHP... and like I said, I know nothing about that franchise and was still blown away.

 

[tarak]

Butterbear is butterscotch flavored, right? Can't decide whether I'd like it or not.

The only time I had to get tickets from GS was at the MK and it took forever, even though there were maybe two people in line in front of us. I need to pick up a TIW card, too, which you can only get at GS. So I should just suck it up and do everything at once and save some money. Thing #1 can earn her keep and entertain Thing #4, right?

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Tarak I've my fingers crossed for you that GS sort you out swiftly and yup thing 1 can definitely earn her keep entertaining thing 4

 

[natebenma]

Thank you for this! I have been following for a while and thanks for all you do for the YBCV thread but nice to know details.


Now I get your handle.

Used to just need to show your room key. Wondered how they were doing it now.

Subbing in

Thank you for joining in on this report and for your kind words about the FAQ thread. We really have a fantastic, friendly, fun group of people who post over there. :

Yes, my screen name. I regret that choice, mainly because it is not catchy or clever and people think I am a "dude". I picked it long before I knew I was going to be so active on these boards and meanwhile, 12,000 posts later, I don't feel I can change my identity. I did grab the screen name "Beach Club Dee" which is far more appropriate, but when I post under that name I can't change/edit any of the work I have already done easily, so natebenma I stay.

I think during my first trip (2011) it was just the room key. Now you need your park entrance ticket, room key if you are doing early entry and express passes for everyone.

No wonder everyone needs to use a locker!

And I love a good A-Team quote!

But really, I'm glad you made the best of the situation and had a good fall back plan. I'm sorry the original plan didn't quite work out though.


Hot butterbeer? Like coffee temperature or something?

I knew they had frozen and not frozen, but when we tried it the non frozen was still chilled. I definitely preferred the frozen though.


It is a very interesting area. I know little to nothing about Harry Potter, but I'd love to get there and check it out sometime, just because I know how impressed I was when I saw WWoHP... and like I said, I know nothing about that franchise and was still blown away.

We aim to please!!!

Plan B worked out beautifully, and before you start feeling too sorry for the boys, they do get their way later in the week.

Yes, hot butterbeer! Like coffee, or more like hot chocolate. Sooooooo good! My family has tried both the regular and frozen and we all prefer the frozen, too.

Definitely impressive. Like you said, great to see even if you are not immersed in all things Potter, but if you are (and I am), it is simply amazing! If your kids get into Harry Potter when they are older, you should read the books and watch the movies along with them. The world that JK Rowling created is mesmerizing and my jaw literally dropped reading the final book when I realized how everything fit together. Small details in the very first book became major plot devices in later books. She really did some magical planning to tie the story together so beautifully.

Butterbear is butterscotch flavored, right? Can't decide whether I'd like it or not.

The only time I had to get tickets from GS was at the MK and it took forever, even though there were maybe two people in line in front of us. I need to pick up a TIW card, too, which you can only get at GS. So I should just suck it up and do everything at once and save some money. Thing #1 can earn her keep and entertain Thing #4, right?

Yes, most like butterscotch. It is really sweet. We usually share a couple between the 4 of us.

Hope you can get it all to work out at GS. Saving $$$ is a good thing!

 

[natebenma]

Universal at Dusk and Dark


We walked over to Men In Black and found that the ride was closed. The Team Members at the entrance told us exactly when the ride would be back up but then they flashed us with some sort of pen-light thingy. I think.








We glanced back towards London/Diagon Alley which looked gorgeous in the setting sun.






First stop was The Simpsons ride- Swoop, soar and smash your way through in this Adventure starring the world’s favorite animated family.

This is a great simulator ride, in one of those vehicles you sometimes see at shopping malls or Jordan’s Furniture Store. There are some neat 4-D effects. This one can induce motion-sickness. On our first visit to US we rode it twice in the same afternoon. I was the only one in the family who took Bonine that day and I was the only one who didn’t feel queasy after our second time.

Lockers are not necessary because you can put your personal items on the floor next to the ride vehicle. No single rider line on this attraction.











Here are a couple of pictures from the carnival-themed preshow to the preshow room







Continued

 

[natebenma]

Continued from Previous Post

After exiting the line, we walked through the rest of Springfield to see what was new in the ‘hood since our last visit.














This is Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl.








"Foolish humans!" Aliens Kang and Kodos from The Simpsons' take you into orbit on an all-new ride designed to make your head spin, your stomach tumble and your Glorb blow out. Say hello to many of your favorite Springfield citizens as you try to fry them with lasers. It’s good ol’ family fun!


We took the warning on this ride seriously and never opted to take an Intergalactic Spin


We walked by Mel's Diner. We have been advised that walking by is more advisable than actually stopping for food (although, Rob, did you have an ok meal here?)




We decided to try Transformers next. We visited a couple of months after the ride opened and we found that it went down a lot. I think Ben and Mark had only been on this once during our last trip. Nate and I rode twice then.




Transformers: The Ride-3D

Fight alongside Optimus Prime and the Autobots in an epic, 3-D battle against Megatron and the Decepticons.

This is another simulator-type ride and if you have been on Spiderman at Islands of Adventure, you have been on the same ride, but better. The queue for Transformers is loud, repetitive and boring. Blah, Blah, Blah “All Spark”, Blah, Blah, Blah. The ride is well done, but well, Transformers don’t do it for me. Maybe if I watched the movies.

Continued

 

[natebenma]

Continued

Next up was something on our wish list. On our last visit in 2013, Nate, Mark and I tried Rip Ride Rockit for the first time. Ben did not ride, but this year he was ready. Nate and I had the opportunity to ride again after dark and it was fantastic seeing the parks and City Walk all lit up while whipping along the tracks (listening to “Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the Frog)*. Since Mark didn’t join us on that ride, he really wanted to experience RRR at night.









Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit- Get ready to take your music for a ride on this outdoor roller coaster.


On this attraction, each rider gets to choose the music they will listen to during the ride. There is a menu of music genres, with a number of choices in each category.



However, there is also a way to listen to some hidden tracks…

Once the ride is underway, you press down on the ride logo (HRRR) for 10 seconds and a keypad will come up. Then you can program in a 3 digit code for the following songs:




Although I have tried to do this every time I ride, I have only successfully executed this move once- the aforementioned Rainbow Connection (#902) at night. If you fail to punch in the code in time, you end up with the default, so my normal soundtrack for this ride has been Gimme All Your Lovin’ by ZZ Top.


Ben loved his first ride on RRR:





When were done, although we were near the exit of US, we decided to go back and check on Men In Black, which is pretty much at the very back of the park.

We walked through Springfield and arrived at the attraction, which was fortunately open.



Men in Black Alien Attack- Test your alien-zapping skills in this amazing ride through MIB agent training. It’s never the same ride twice!

This ride requires that you store your loose articles in a locker (WHY???) and it does have Single Rider Line.

The Express Line (almost) always takes you to the vehicles on the left track.

This is a lot like Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin at Magic Kingdom. Of course with 3 guys in the family there is always a fierce competition to score the most points. At the end of the ride Will Smith (I mean agent J) tells you to "Push the red button" The person who does this gets an extra bonus, 100,000 I think.

Who won this round?

Who cares?!?

Continued in Next Post

 

[sharona]

Totally agree with you on Transformers. Not only did it give me a headache the 2 times I've tried it, it was also kind of incomprehensible to me. I guess the whole All Spark thing must make sense if you've seen the movies which I tried but couldn't get through (and I am a secret sci-fi nerd).

We ate at Mel's on our last trip. Just burgers and I think Boo had her usual chicken fingers. It was not great but it was not awful. I liked the burger there better than the one I had had on a previous visit from Krusty Burger which we all thought was gross. Different strokes I guess...

Awesome ride photo from RRR - you have serious nerve. I am a total big drop scaredy cat. I can handle the coasters where you sort of shoot out of the gate but anything with a long-slow-agonizing-apprehension filled-nerve racking climb is out for me - and thankfully for DD as well so far. If that ever changes, I'll have to grin and bear it. It's one of the unwritten rules of being a single parent of an only child. You must ride scary amusement park rides and not show fear so they will not be forever scarred. Last trip she wanted to try the Dragon coaster and I went on with her. She didn't love it, phew!

 

[natebenma]

Continued

We headed back to Diagon Alley on our way out.





The line time for Escape from Gringott's said 30 minutes so that seemed pretty reasonable. I think it was actually 45 minutes for us to get through the line and ride, but it was good that we did because this ride is notorious for going down, as we experienced.

Escape from Gringott’s- Enter Gringotts™ bank and find yourself at the center of the action in this breathtaking new ride. Enjoy a multidimensional adventure alongside Harry and his friends.

Steel rollercoaster and motion-based dark ride with 3D-projections.

Here’s how the (shortened) version of the line queue goes:

We thankfully did not have to walk through the room with all of the line corrals (this time). That area adds about 40 minutes to the wait.

The line started for us right before you enter the amazing bank lobby where goblins are hard at work tallying up gold.



When you get through the lobby, you then go by some open vaults, then you walk by the office doors of some of the goblins.



At some point you get your family’s photo taken for a security badge.




Then you spend the next 10 minutes or so with giant white spots in your vision from the flash. Seriously!

I think the elevator is next that takes you below the bank. Then you go into a preshow room to get some instruction from Bill Weasley.




But you are not through waiting in line yet. There are stairs in the cavern that lead you up to where you get into your mine cart. Now, I’m not sure why we “descended’ so far in the elevator but then had to walk up the stairs to get to the ride level, but, oh well.



The ride was pretty awesome! I had been prepared for disappointment because a lot of the reviews I have read had people expecting more. I think the innovation of Forbidden Journey really raised the expectations for this ride.

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