Some random thoughts, lessons learned, and other comments we thought might be helpful to share:
- The annual passes saved us a TON on parking, food, and souvenir purchases, and we loved the flexibility of being able to come and go as many times as we liked, and from park to park with no restrictions. On parking alone we saved a whopping $100 on just this first trip (4 x $25....we had to pay the $17 regular fee for our first visit, as our passes were not yet activated when we arrived). We saved more than $100 on food, and 20% off on all merchandise bought in the parks (probably another $50-ish). We also redeemed 6 of our free bottles of water (would have been $2.75 each to buy) and our free Halloween Horror Night tickets looks like it will be another $90 savings or so (at least $45 each) for October. The free after 4 pm express was a nice perk, but not really needed this trip as crowds were so low. I am guessing that will be a much more noticeable benefit in October.
- Getting to the parks early is well worth the effort of rousing yourself from your comfy bed when the rooster crows. Those first few hours were absolutely golden. And early entry, if you have the opportunity to take advantage of that perk, is seriously the cat’s meow....especially where the Wizarding World attractions are concerned.
- We loved, loved, LOVED early May! The weather was incredible and the crowds were so manageable. It was marvellous to have no hurricane/snowstorm/weather woes with which to contend for our journey there and back from the North, too.
- The drive to and from our offsite resort was exceptionally quick and easy. The I4 was quick and efficient, both directions, on every trip. Certainly the time of year had something to do with that, but considering we worried a bit about that commute, we were pleasantly surprised. The Vistana is really in a perfect location, especially if you are splitting a trip between any combination of the Disney, Universal and SeaWorld parks.
- We loved the Photoconnect Star Card. Some truly great photos, and especially for a couples trip, it was nice to have so many opportunities to both be in pictures together. Our $49.95 presale price from last October was a STEAL. The current price of $149.95 makes me cringe, but I guess if you could get in at least 3 trips for that cost, it really would still be worth it.
- The table service restaurants were much better than we expected. We can’t wait to return to Finnegan’s and Confisco’s in October. The service, food, and prices were all excellent.
- We had the opportunity for WAY more character meets than we had anticipated. Over the course of our week, we got photos with 34 different characters as follows:
· Bumblebee, Megatron, Optimus Prime
· Thing 1, Thing 2, Cat in the Hat, Sam I Am, The Grinch
· Betty Boop, Marilyn Monroe, Popeye
· Doc from Back to the Future
· Shrek, Donkey
· Scooby, Shaggy
· Spongebob Squarepants
· Minions (two different ones)
· Homer Simpson, Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Marge Simpson
· Krusty the Clown, Sideshow Bob
· Spiderman, Captain America, Cyclops, Wolverine, Green Goblin, Storm, Rogue
· Hogwarts Express Conductor, Knight Bus Conductor
We also saw the Hop characters and the Dora the Explorer characters out for meet and greets at various times, but took a pass on those.
Characters that we are determined to seek out on our next vacation: the dog from Men in Black, and the balance of the Despicable Me characters (Gru, Edith, Agnes, Margo and Vector).
- We crossed a ton of our must-try snacks and drinks off the list including:
o The Big Pink Donut, the Brain Freezin’ D’oh!-nut Sundae, Flaming Moe and Clogger Burger in Springfield
o Butterbeer ice cream, Otters Fizzy Orange Juice, Toad in the Hole, and cauldron cake from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (and dining at both Three Broomsticks and Leaky Cauldron)
o A brookie
o Cheesecake and a Napoleon bar from the bakery
Still left on the must-try list for October is: Fishy Green Ale and Hot Butterbeer (the only form of Butterbeer that we haven’t yet tried). A character meal is a maybe....we are still weighing the value of that (the potential to meeting Gru is rather appealing) versus the cost.
- We were glad we tried all sorts of new things/places this trip, even if a couple of them were a bust (ahem! The Knife and Red Robin, I’m talkin’ to you!
). Even if something didn’t live up to our pre-trip expectations, it was rarely ever all bad....and it was nice to broaden our horizons (even if it was something we won’t do again). We had way more “winners” than “losers” when it came to new experiences.
- We were blown away with the quality of Universal’s rides, attractions and theming, and the friendliness of the TM’s. Even as someone who doesn’t like thrill rides, there was so much for me to enjoy at the Universal parks. Cleanliness was top-notch, customer service was superior, and we felt valued and appreciated by everyone from the retail store clerks to the attendants at the front gates.
The adventure begins again in 124 days. 
Thanks to all for reading along!
. They weren't on our plane home (which was the only non-stop flight of the day), so I'm guessing maybe they returned the day before. I sure wish my high school graduating class had planned a trip to Orlando in celebration of our achievements!! Lucky kids indeed
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Steve must have been on a sugar high from that Lush dessert!! I'm truly enjoying reading your trip report, you have a great writing style!
We are not DTD fans either and have no desire to go there until I saw the amphicars 
. You'll have to schedule that in for your September vacation and give us all the juicy details in your next TR.....I can live vicariously through your and your DH, and it will almost feel like I was there! 
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If that $20 Groupon existed for one of my visits we'd be eating there daily.
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We forgot about it last yr. We know how you both felt, my husband could not get on Forbidden Journey. ( His shoulders were too wide as well)
