2025 Universal and Disney Trip (and FOOD) Report

[mariaCD]

Day 1: Arrival at Royal Pacific and USF

Fuel to launch a 9 day trip!

Shake Shack’s Red Eye Shake (Coffee Frozen Custard with Toffee Pieces)

We arrived at Royal Pacific following an early morning flight. After picking up our Express Passes at the Front desk and dropping off our bags at Bell Services, we walked over to USF within ~10 minutes. First stop: Lunch at Illumination’s Minion Cafe

he Antidote (“Oodles of banana flavor with Minion-colored topping and graham cracker crumbles! Tastes like a banana cream pie!”)

Freedonia Festival of Mac & Cheese (pasta shells tossed in white cheddar cheese sauce topped with crispy pork belly, chopped parsley, and shaved parmesan cheese with Minion tots) and

Steak & “Cheese Ray” Sandwich (French onion dipped roast beef, caramelized onions, secret sauce, cheesy blast pimento cheese on a cheddar & onion roll)

El Macho’s Salsa y Salsa Ropa Vieja (braised beef with tomato cucumber salad, cilantro rice, salsa roja and El Macho tostones)

Agnes’ Honeymoon Soup (green tomato soup, crispy pork belly, tomato gummy bear (sadly melted in the hot soup), and basil oil served with a pimento cheddar grilled cheese sandwich)

Otto’s Pet Rock (peanut butter mousse, strawberry jelly, crushed peanuts, banana cake dipped in a chocolate shell)

Illumination’s Minion Cafe had a pretty solid and varied menu. There were also tons of funny details and theming to explore in the multiple rooms. I highly recommend this spot.

After lunch, we all blasted our way through Villain-Con’s Minion Blast. DD16 and DH then proceeded to ride Rip Ride Rock It for their first (and last) time as it was closing in a few days. While they rocked out, DS13 and I enjoyed some Freeze Ray Pops.

I had Banana (but of course). Not pictured is Strawberry (hurriedly inhaled by DS13 in the heat).

We then proceeded to leisurely walk around USF in a counter-clock wise fashion. I especially loved exploring the exhibits in the Wicked Experience.

We also watched the Bourne Stuntacular and greatly enjoyed both the integration of live stunts with the screens/sets and the seated AC break.

Lagoon Lemonade (Old Forester Bourbon, Hiram Walker Peach Brandy, Simple Syrup, and Lemon Juice)

We next rode the E.T. Adventure Ride (also a first for all of us) before a snack break in DreamWorks Land.

Poppy-licious Pink (Pink Lemonade soft serve with flower sprinkles) from Troll Treats

Shrekzel from Swamp Snacks. The bright green cheese sauce it came with didn’t add much flavor. The Shrekzel itself was also myeh.

After a beer stop at Duff Brewery for DH, the kids and I rode and proceeded to get motion sickness from the Simpsons Ride. I’m getting old. I had to keep my eyes closed for half the ride to keep from getting motion sick but that defeated the purpose of riding it. That was unfortunate as I actually think the ride is funny and enjoyed it the previous 2 times I had experienced it. This was also the only ride where Express Pass did not save us any time as compared to standby. We entered the Express Pass queue when the Standby wait was 35 minutes but we wound up waiting basically that amount, mostly in the heat. The long hot wait plus the motion sickness it caused my son resulted in us cooling our heels on a bench for a bit. After his nausea subsided, we resumed our trek around USF. We bypassed MIB as we didn’t want to chance the spinning at the end of the ride. Onward to my favorite part of USF: Diagon Alley!

In between exploring the HP shops, Knockturn Alley, and riding Escape from Gringotts, we had some beverages to cool off and then dinner at the Leaky Cauldron.

We shared our first Frozen Butterbeer of the trip at the Fountain of Fair Fortune (no or minimal waits everytime we go!). DH also had the Wizard’s Brew.

Hunter’s Chicken (Bacon wrapped chicken breast with BBQ gravy, Monterey & Cheddar cheese blend, English minted peas, pea tendrils and chips)

Beef, Lamb & Guinness Stew

A Kid’s Meal of a Mini Cottage Pie (Beef and chunky vegetables in a potato crust).

We also had the always solid Fish and Chips (not pictured).

For dessert, I tried the Sticky Toffee Pudding. I was a bit disappointed with this as it tasted like a muffin to me. No matter, Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour to the rescue!

Strawberry Peanut Butter: Delicious and unique!

We then walked through San Francisco and New York before DD16 and I tried Revenge of the Mummy for the first time. I would describe it as 2 themed Mummy rooms before reverting to Space Mountain-esque careening in the dark. It’s a one and done for my headache-sensitive head.

I would’ve liked to stay and watch the nighttime CineSational show on the water but we were just too tired after the early morning flight. So we walked back to Royal Pacific. We were hoping to fit in some pool time but threat of late day lightning squashed those plans. We still got to watch a beautiful sunset though as we explored the grounds.

[DeepInTheHeartofTexas]

what a great first day!!

[mariaCD]

Day 2: IoA and transfer to Stella Nova

A Cookies and Cream Tuk Tart from Tuk Tuk Market (counter service at Royal Pacific) to start our IoA day

After waiting in a long line again to drop off our luggage at Bell Services, we headed out a bit before 9am. I wasn’t as distraught about missing Early Entry at 8am though because Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motor Bike Adventure was now included in Express Pass. Overall, the crowds and waits at USF and IoA weren’t bad. Via the Express Pass queue, we walked all the way to the final room of Hagrid’s before having to stop and wait. After giving our regards to Fluffy, we had some refreshments at the Hog’s Head:

Frozen Butterbeer #2

DH tried the Hog’s Head Ale this time and enjoyed it more than the Wizard’s Brew (which he deemed too sweet). After Hagrid’s, DH and DD16 rode the Velocicoaster while DS13 and I cooled off in the Hog’s Head with our butterbeer. When they returned, the kids and I chose to walk through the regular queue of Forbidden Journey to experience all of Hogwarts since the standby wait wasn’t bad at that point (only 10 minutes). However, only DD16 rode Forbidden Journey because she has a stomach and head of steel.

After we exited Hogwarts, it was getting pretty crowded in Hogsmeade so we decided to leave and return later in the day. We backtracked through Seuss Landing for more tasty treats.

Green Eggs & Ham Tots (Green eggs, diced ham, white cheese sauce over tater tots) from where else but the Green Eggs & Ham Cafe

DH and DD16 then proceeded to ride the Hulk coaster for the first time (lots of firsts this trip!) while DS13 and I cooled off in Cafe 4. BTW, let me just say that I LOVE the ease of getting free, cold, and filtered water in the Universal parks. Freestyle Coke Machines were plentiful throughout the parks and we preferred the water dispensed from them as opposed to the often lukewarm and myeh tasting unfiltered water from the fountains. I wish Disney had something similar in their parks.

We continued to walk clockwise and skipped out on the water rides in Toon Lagoon because none of us relished walking around in drenched clothing despite the heat. And will someone explain to me if there ever was a comic called “Poop Deck Pappy”??? I recognized most of the comic references in Toon Lagoon but never heard of this. Not sure I want any food from a place with the word, “poop”, in it either.

We shared a Strawberry and Lemon Slush from a more appetizing kiosk.

We then tried out a new spot for lunch: Thunder Falls Terrace. Although we had enjoyed the Three Broomsticks food on previous trips, it has pretty similar food to the Leaky Cauldron and I like trying new stuff.

Pomegranate Swirl (Pomegranate Dole Whip, vanilla shake, topped with pomegranate seeds)

Roasted Pork & Cheese Nachos (Crisp corn tortilla chips, roasted pulled pork, black bean tomato and corn salsa, poblano white cheddar cheese sauce, house-made guacamole) and Rotisserie Chicken Salad with a citrus vinaigrette. We also added some watermelon and a vanilla shake.

Chargrilled Ribs Platter with Mango BBQ sauce and Roasted Pernil Platter (slow roasted pork served with onion mojo, black beans, sofrito rice, and sweet plantains)

Lastly, we had a Banana Smash (Banana ICEE^®, vanilla shake, topped with a plantain chip). And when I say “lastly”, I meant it as it took forever. I was finished with my entree and it still hadn’t been delivered. I had to speak to a server several times before I finally received it. Thankfully, it was delicious and worth the wait.

Following the fortifying lunch, we backtracked a bit to ride Reign of Kong. Following some shaking by gigantic creatures, we browsed the Jurassic Park shops a bit before DD16 and DH rode Velocicoaster a second time. We also explored a bit of the Jurassic Park Discovery Center.

My kid as a dinosaur.

Following Jurassic Park, we continued clockwise to wind up at Hogsmeade again. The kids rode Hagrid’s a second time while DH and I rested in the Hog’s Head (also again). I needed a quick power nap at this point. DH enjoyed the Toffee Brown Ale this time around. After the kids returned, we shopped and explored Hogsmeade a bit before returning to Royal Pacific.

We collected our luggage and took a quick 15 minute Lyft over to Stella Nova. After settling in a bit into our room, we had dinner at the super convenient and tasty Cosmos Cafe. Universal really stepped up their food game at this hotel. It had much better food than what was offered at the counter service at Royal Pacific. I’m guessing that they have more limited options at the latter as they assume people will either eat at the (pricier) sit down restaurants in Royal Pacific or walk over to the nearby Citywalk. Regardless, I was super happy with the food I had the three times we ate at Cosmos Cafe. For this first night at Stella Nova, we had:

STELLA BURGER (Grilled beef patty, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, cosmic sauce, brioche bun) and MEXICAN STREET CORN (roasted corn, aioli, chili, cilantro, lime)

HOT HONEY CHICKEN PIZZA (Chicken, grilled corn, caramelized onions, hot honey drizzle, garlic cream)

CLASSIC TURKEY BLT (Multigrain bread, roasted turkey, applewood smoked bacon, tomato, avocado, dijonnaise)

Following this delicious dinner, we rested a bit before finally getting some pool time. We also caught a spectacular sunset to cap off our second day.

[darkmite2]

I miss UOR so much!!! You’ve had an almost ideal day (except Simpsons!)

How was the Lagoon Lemonade? I don’t drink often. I do drink on vacation though. I like it sweet & strong.

[mariaCD]

Hi! I will always remember you for the awesome advice you gave me years ago about doing the HP photos at Shutterbutton’s.

I found the Lagoon Lemonade tasty and refreshing but my husband thought it was too sweet. I could taste the alcohol in it but it wasn’t very strong, as is usually the case with theme park counter service drinks. I usually find the drinks at the sit down restaurants much stronger.

[mariaCD]

Day 3: Epic Universe!!!

Today was the day I was most nervous about due to the high wait times and unpredictability of technical delays for both HP Battle at the Ministry and Mine Cart Madness. I had made the difficult decision to purchase the pricey Express Passes for EU even though they did not (at the time) include either of the above 2 rides. I figured that XP would still help make our 1 day at EU easier. I don’t foresee us returning to UOR anytime in the near future so I wanted to make this 1 day at EU as jam-packed but also comfortable as possible.

As I’m writing this trip report, Universal just announced that both HPBatM and MCM are now included in XP. Cue the shrieking that would make Dark Universe proud.

For a 10am official opening (with 9am early entry), I hustled my family out the Stella Nova doors at 8:15am. We walked to EU and arrived around 8:30am. The mass of humanity waiting at the gates was let in around 8:45-8:50am. Once in Celestial Park, I still hesitated which way to go despite all my planning. Neither HPBatM nor MCM were officially open for early entry. But based on my dogged stalking of wait times the past few weeks, HPBatM appeared “likely” to open for early entry while MCM much less so. However, both attractions still had random late openings due to technical issues and I was terrified to “waste” our early entry hour.

Given how DD16 is all about coasters, I made a last minute decision to split up our party. I sent her (and DH, her coaster buddy) to Stardust Racers while DS13 and I rolled the dice with MCM. In the end, DD16 and DH were able to fit in Stardust Racers twice and some light exploration of the Ministry of Magic while waiting for DS13 and me to return from our foray into Donkey Kong Country.

While DD16 and DH went to Stardust Racers, DS13 and I speed walked into Nintendo World and past a huge group rope dropping Mario Kart. We entered Donkey Kong Country towards the front of the pack before being held at the entrance of MCM. We wound up standing across from the Bubbly Barrel. Team members at MCM announced that they were still testing and that official opening time remained at 10am. #GROAN As we stood in the heat, I was sorely tempted to dash over to the Bubbly Barrel to get the viral DK Crush Float to help pass the time waiting. But knowing my luck, I figured that the line would start moving as soon as I left it.

Team members eventually started letting people into the queue a bit after 9:30am but we didn’t board our mine cart till around 10am. So a wait of about an hour. It’s a cute ride but we enjoyed Hiccup’s Wing Gliders much more later that day.

After MCM, we treated ourselves to some much deserved refreshments:

DK Crush Float (banana cream soft serve, chocolate toffee pieces, and caramel popcorn in a waffle bowl on top of a Fanta pineapple soda) from the Bubbly Barrel. This was AWESOME.

Yoshi’s Mango Smoothie from Yoshi’s Snack Stand

Both my kids loved this drink.

We regrouped and proceeded to the Isle of Berk together around 10:30am. We then took our time leisurely walking around Berk to ogle the detailed theming. We spent a lot of time (and money!) in the Berk stores and How to Treat Your Dragon sweets shop.

White Chocolate Marshmallow

Brown Salted Caramel Egg

After about an hour of soaking up the Berk atmosphere and having a great time on Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, we went into Mead Hall for a seated AC break.

• Hooligan’s Sausage Links (Smoked sausage links, herb garlic potatoes, roasted carrots, Cipollini onions, wild berry bbq sauce)
• New Holland Brewing Co.® Dragon’s Milk (stout with a roast malt character that’s sweetened with vanilla and countered by bourbon and oak)
• Berserker’s Meatballs (Swedish meatballs, onion gravy, lingonberry jam, smashed root vegetables)
• Stormfly’s Catch of the Day (Cereal crumble, chocolate mousse fish)

DD16 was very interested in trying to do a barrel roll on Dragon Racer’s Rally. But considering XP didn’t work on that attraction and waits were pushing an hour, we decided to move onto the Wizarding World of HP and return to Berk later.

Berk and the Ministry of Magic tied for my favorite lands at EU. I loved exploring all the shops in MoM and there was always something to admire in the streets, whether it be the advertising flyers on the walls or shop windows. At K. Rammelle, we tried the Lemon Sherbert macaron:

We then went to see Fantastic Beasts at Le Cirque Arcanus. After more shop exploration, we had a late lunch at Café L’air De La Sirène.

Bièraubeurre™ Glacée #3 and Dirigible Plum Juice (“a sweet and tangy beverage with flavours resembling apple and tropical fruit, garnished with a dried apricot”)

• Steak Haché au Poivre (seasoned chopped beef au poivre style served with pommes frites and a house greens salad)
• Soupe et Salade Maison (French onion soup topped with gruyère cheese, served with baguette croutons and a house greens salad)
• Boeuf Bourguignon (braised beef slow-cooked in a Burgundy wine, with mushrooms, pearl onions, roasted carrots, and bacon lardons served with pommes purée)

Bieraubeurre™ Crêpe (shortbread cookie butter Bavarian cream, Bieraubeurre™ cream, strawberries, Bieraubeurre™ drizzle, and a shortbread cookie garnish)

Crème Brûlée

After lunch, we proceeded to explore the rest of the area. I wanted to try Bar Moonshine but there was a very long line and we didn’t feel like waiting. So onward to Dark Universe we went. By this time it was around 3pm and we still had half the park to see!!!

In Dark Universe, we again admired all the details and shops. While DD16 rode Curse of the Werewolf, the rest of us rested in the Burning Blade Tavern with this lovely beauty:

Souvenir Monocane Mocktail (Pineapple syrup, blue raspberry syrup, passion fruit syrup, emerald prism powder, Sprite^® served in a souvenir beaker). Sadly, I was way too full to try any of the food. We walked some more and wound up at Das Stakehaus. I was still full but couldn’t pass up trying more unique items so I chose this looker:

Labotocotta (Greek yogurt vanilla panna cotta brain with raspberry sauce)

It was about 4:30pm by the time we finished the above. I was pretty happy that we had hit most of the outdoor rides before the usual afternoon thunderstorms shut down those rides. However, I noticed that dark clouds were starting to roll in. Therefore, I hurried my family over to the Helios lobby. We had just found seats when the first lightning hit and the downpour started. It was a nice way to wait out the storm as there is a huge window looking out over EU.

The rain finally stopped after about an hour and the outdoor rides slowly started reopening. It was about 6pm by this time and I made the executive decision to enter the queue for HPBatM then. I knew that wait times usually steadily decrease as the day progresses but sometimes they closed the queue early. I didn’t want to chance waiting too long so off we went. We waited about a total of 70 minutes but it wasn’t bad as most of it was indoors in the AC and there was usually a ton of interesting things to look at.

HPBatM was a great ride and thankfully did not make either DS13 or me feel horrible. I think it was the upper limit of what I could handle and DS13 had a slight headache/nausea which went away pretty quickly. We were hungry for some real food by then so we went to Meteor Astropub.

• Chicken and Waffle (Crispy buttermilk chicken thigh, whiskey bacon jam, spiced maple syrup, liège waffle) but minus the syrup and bacon jam at DS13’s request
• Fish and Chips (Gochujang beer-battered filet of cod, kimchee remoulade sauce, wasabi fries)
• Astro Pub Burger (Black Angus beef, American cheese, cherry pepper aioli, garlic pickles, potato roll)

Astronomer’s Shortcake Skillet (strawberry ice cream, warm biscuit, strawberry & cream crumbs). I had had high hopes for this dessert but the biscuits were sadly very heavy.

By the time we finished dinner, we had a little under 2 hours left before park close. At 8pm, Celestial Park was gorgeous.

I had intentionally waited to do most of Nintendo World at night as I thought it would be especially cool lit up at night. We quickly put our XP to good use to knock out both Mario Kart and Yoshi’s Adventure. With an hour left to go, DD16 and I hurried back to Dark Universe to ride Monsters Unchained. We had purposely waited to do Monsters Unchained (as well as HPBatM) towards the end of the day, just in case either ride made me/DS13 sick. We didn’t want either/both rides to ruin the whole day. Even though DS13 didn’t feel too bad after HP, he didn’t want to chance Monsters tipping him over into full misery (a la Simpsons) so he skipped it. I loved Monsters Unchained! The animatronics on that attraction were amazing and miracle of all miracles, I wasn’t nauseous/headachy at all.

After Monsters Unchained, we met back up with the rest of the family and swapped members. DD16 went with DH to use their XP to ride Stardust Racers at night (third Stardust Racers ride of the day!). With only 15 minutes left to go, DD16 and I then hurried back to Berk to ride Dragon Racer’s Rally. We were the last group to launch. Sadly, she didn’t figure out how to barrel roll in time (I had heard that it’s pretty tricky and requires practice) but it was still a fun (albeit short) ride.

What a jam packed day! This was also the first time we did park opening till park close as a family. Epic Universe really gives Disney a run for its money. The theming in all the lands is incredible and the food is top notch.

[Jeff_AZ]

What a fun day at Epic! Thanks for sharing!

[motherofdaughtersthree]

So cute!

Wow!! This sky!!

Gosh! Another beautiful sunset!!

@mariaCD

As I’m writing this trip report, Universal just announced that both HPBatM and MCM are now included in XP. Cue the shrieking that would make Dark Universe proud.

Oh gosh, I’m sure. I was so surprised to see the change!!

Adorable!

@mariaCD

We then went to see Fantastic Beasts at Le Cirque Arcanus.

How was this?

@mariaCD

@mariaCD

We waited about a total of 70 minutes but it wasn’t bad as most of it was indoors in the AC and there was usually a ton of interesting things to look at.

Good call to wait!

[motherofdaughtersthree]

@mariaCD

The theming in all the lands is incredible and the food is top notch.

I am so happy to read this. What a fantastic trip so far!

[mariaCD]

Le Cirque Arcanus was a good show. Beautiful puppets and a relaxing seated AC break. The only con is the pre-show when they pack everyone in close together while standing. That’s not so magical.

[mariaCD]

Day 4: Volcano Bay

After a glorious but extremely tiring EU day, we planned for some R&R at VB. There was no way we were making it to early entry at 8am but I was pleasantly surprised when my family was up and ready to catch a bus to VB by 9am. After activating our photo package and obtaining a locker at our favorite spot near the Dancing Dragons Boat Bar and Waturi Beach, DH and I were ready to be sloths in the wave pool by 10am while our kids lived their best water life.

Poke Poke Bowl (raw ahi tuna, pineapple salsa, soy honey vinaigrette, with tortilla chips) from the Feasting Frog

Wai-Waitermelon (vodka, watermelon syrup, fresh raspberries, and watermelon) from the Dancing Dragons Boat Bar

By 1pm, my kids were finally hungry so I sent off a Mobile Order while we waited in a nicely shaded and quiet spot at Kohola Reef Restaurant & Social Club. And we kept waiting. And waiting. Unlike most of the Mobile Order spots at Universal, the counter service food at VB needed to be picked up (similar to how it is at Disney) when the order was ready. But that was the problem- the app never progressed to “Order is Ready”. I first chalked up the long wait to it being a busy lunch time and orders being backed up. But we waited a full HOUR and still nothing. Busy or not, over an hour wait for food seemed excessive.

I joined the line for Mobile Pick Up and asked the gentleman in front of me how long he waited until his food was ready. He said about 15 minutes. When I told him that I had been waiting more than an hour, he pointed out a nearby Team Member I could speak to. When I explained my situation to the Team Member, she told me that I should’ve gotten an alert that VB Mobile Orders work differently than in other parts of UOR. Mobile Orders in VB NEVER get to the “Order is Ready” screen and you just have to go to the Mobile Order Pick Up area and show them your receipt to obtain your food.

SIGH

The Team Member was very polite and even apologized (although it was obviously not her fault) that I never received that alert. I thanked her and returned to the Mobile Order Pick Up queue. The gentleman I had been speaking to saw me and let me go in front of him. His kindness definitely helped me feel better about the whole situation.

Island Bacon Cheeseburger, Hawaiian Ribs Platter, and Coconut Crusted Fried Chicken

And no, consternation does not make food taste better.

The long wait for food unfortunately killed everyone’s momentum. The kids and I tried to hype ourselves back up and headed to TeAwa Fearless River. As a non-swimmer, the fast current in that attraction freaks me out but I did like it the one time I tried it in 2019. So I decided to again put my trust in the required lifejacket (and strong lifeguard presence) and headed over with my kids. After the long hot trek to the opposite side of the park, we arrived to an eerily quiet TeAwa. At first, I thought, “Oh, the current doesn’t look so bad.” Then realization hit. No current at all. No people either.

CLOSED.

Double SIGH

My kids decided to pivot to one last water ride while I decided to resume the hunt for my elusive white whale. Years ago, I read about this amazing sounding ice cream treat called the Waturi Fusion. It’s a swirl of banana, blue raspberry, orange, and strawberry soft serve. But it wasn’t available in 2019 due to “tech issues”. When I checked earlier this morning, I was again told that “IT had been called to fix it”. What kind of ice cream treat requires tech support? I kind of expected the same response when I returned to Koka Poroka Ice Cream Kona but lo and behold, it was available!

It’s so pretty that it merits 2 pictures! And yes, it was as delicious as it sounded. WIN!

My kids opted for plain vanilla ice cream and a blue raspberry piragua (shaved ice) instead. Fools. The Waturi Fusion reigned supreme.

Now that my life goal was complete, we returned back to Stella Nova to eat another tasty dinner at Cosmos Cafe.

BIONDI PIZZA (Ricotta cheese, roasted onions, mushrooms, garlic cream) and CHICKEN TENDERS (the ultimate comfort food)

CREAMY TOMATO SOUP + WHOLE GRILLED CHEESE

None of it was earth-shattering but it was all yummy.

After resting a bit, the kids and I tried to fit in a bit more sunset pool time while DH enjoyed a drink at the lobby bar. Fair warning: it’s not a good sign for your wallet when the bartenders are excited when you order something that doesn’t have a listed price. Especially when the bartending staff switch out and the next bartender exclaims, “Oh! You’re the one who ordered the Real Minero Pechuga Mezcal!”. At least DH really enjoyed it. He said it was the best mezcal he’s ever had.

Unfortunately, the kids and I only got to enjoy the pool for a few minutes before the dreaded Orlando summer lightning storm rolled in. At least we had the other night.

Next up: transition to Disney!

[motherofdaughtersthree]

@mariaCD

a swirl of banana, blue raspberry, orange, and strawberry soft serve

This might be a reason to go to VB. That looks divine!

@mariaCD

Next up: transition to Disney!

Fun!

[Sophia818]

@mariaCD

What kind of ice cream treat requires tech support?

You answered your question. A super spectacular one.

[mariaCD]

Day 5: Transition to Disney and Magic Kingdom + Epcot

As we finalized our packing, I grabbed breakfast from Cosmos Cafe. I was disappointed that one of their signature breakfast items that launched with Stella Nova’s opening in January had already been discontinued (a Stuffed Croissant filled with mixed berries and sweet cream cheese, finished with a cornflake crust). However, they still offered their other signature breakfast item:

MONKEY BREAD (Chocolate, cinnamon, walnuts, sweet glaze). This was a decent monkey bread but not that unusual. I would’ve liked to try the stuffed croissant as I love cream textures mixed with crunch.

From what I’ve read over the years about new Disney/Universal restaurants, the restaurants often swing for the fences when they first open with a large and innovative menu. However, as time passes, the menu gets pared down and dumbed down in flavor. I’m incredibly thankful that I got to experience EU’s opening day menus. Hopefully, they all survive as I really do think the wide variety of foods at EU is a huge plus. I missed a few snacks (PB&J Mac n Cheese Cone in Berk, Burning Cheddar Bites in Dark Universe, Tteokbokki Skewer and Pizza Lunara in Celestial Park, and the Lobe Blaster in HP, to name a few ), due to inadequate stomach space. I hope to try the rest of these treats when I hopefully return to UOR in a few years.

We were packed and ready to transition to Disney by 9am (so proud!)

The Lyft to the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista took less than a half hour and our room was ready when we arrived. We unpacked a little (as we were likely coming back late that night as tired zombies) before walking over to Town Center in DS. We decided to splurge for a Minnie Van from DS to save commute time and arrived in MK around 11am. We were meeting up with some friends for a VIP tour at 1pm and I wanted to fit in as much snacking as possible as this was our family’s only day in MK. Rapid fire treats!

Cheeseburger Spring Rolls from the cart at the entrance to Adventureland

LeFou’s Brew (Frozen Apple Juice with a hint of Toasted Marshmallow and topped with All-Natural Passion Fruit-Mango Foam) from Gaston’s Tavern

Crème Brûlée Croissant filled with Vanilla Bean Custard and Ham and Gruyère Sandwich, also from Gaston’s Tavern

Aurora Cone (DOLE Whip® Strawberry and Blue Soft-serve topped with White Chocolate Crisp Pearls in a Sugar Cone) from Storybook Treats

Tropical Serenade (Passion-Orange-Guava Juice, Coconut Soft-serve, and an Upside-down Pineapple Cake Pop)

After the snack marathon, we browsed the Emporium before meeting up with our friends and the VIP Tour guide. Since it was on and off raining with resulting closures of the outdoor rides, we started off with Space Mountain and Tron before proceeding to Peter Pan’s Flight and Pirates. HM had been down a lot that day but thankfully came up just in time. After HM, we had a snack break while waiting for 7DMT and TBA to reopen.

Cheddar, Bacon, and Ranch Tots Drizzled with Ranch Dressing and topped with Green Onions from the Friar’s Nook

Strawberry Lemonade Slush from the Friar’s Nook

Just after we polished off our snacks, the outdoor rides reopened and we rode 7DMT and TBA before transporting to Epcot. A few of us knocked out GotG while others rode the Seas with Nemo. We also rode Soarin’ and FEA while we waited for TT to come back online. It was everybody’s first time on the new TT. I liked it a lot as I love edu-tainment.

After TT, we had a quick dinner at Connections Eatery.

• Cheese Pizza
• General Tso Chicken Salad (Petite Kale Blend, Romaine, Broccoli Slaw, Red Bell Pepper, Mandarin Oranges, Edamame, Crispy Wontons, Warm Fried Chicken, General Tso’s Dressing)
• French Bistro Burger (Gourmet Beef Blend, Caramelized Onions, Bacon, Brie, Mushrooms, Dijon Mayonnaise, Toasted Brioche Bun) with Black Garlic, Truffle, and Parmesan Fries

• Mango-Coconut Milk Shake (Topped with Pomegranate-Molasses Drizzle)
• Madagascar Vanilla Shake
• Liege Waffle with just strawberries, as per DS13’s request

Chocolate Baumkuchen

This was my second try with Baumkuchen. Last fall, I had the matcha version during Food & Wine Festival and didn’t like it as I had gone in with the wrong expectations. I weirdly expected a crispy texture and was disappointed by the softness. This time, I went in looking forward to a moist and creamy chocolate cake. But the cake was incredibly dry. As in pieces fell off when I pressed my fork into the cake. I finished my brain cake from a few days ago but not this.

That’s it. No more baumkuchen EVER for me.

We then walked quickly over to France for the last part of the tour to try to squeeze in Remy. Unfortunately it was down. The Tour Guide was very nice and arranged an Anytime LL for us all to ride Remy if it came back that day. However, everybody was beat and decided to leave Epcot at that point instead of waiting around. I would’ve liked to see the fireworks but it was still an hour away and my family was understandably exhausted. As a testament to how tired they were, they turned down my offer to buy pastries from the nearby Les Halles to save for breakfast the following day.

As a consolation treat on our way out, I had a swirl of the Orange (Grand Marnier, Rum, Grey Goose Orange and Orange Juice) and Citron Slush (Grey Goose Citron, Vodka and Lemonade) from Les Vins des Chefs de France. Always delicious! But having to chug it before exiting International Gateway took away some of the luxuriation. It’s much more fun to savor while meandering around World Showcase.

We walked over to Beach Club to call a Lyft to return to our hotel. Our hotel provided a free shuttle but there was no way our tired feet would be able to walk us back to the front of Epcot and wait around for the hourly shuttle.

On the way to the Beach Club lobby, I stopped by Hurricane Hanna’s (the pool bar at Beach Club) to get this highly anticipated snack:

Loaded Crab Fries with Crab Meat, Cheese Curds, Bacon Pieces, and Crab Bisque

This was sadly just average. The fries weren’t crispy to begin with and there wasn’t much crab meat. Most of the white pieces you see were cheese curds. The bisque also wasn’t very flavorful.

I also stopped by the Beach Club market but sadly, they no longer carry their signature Oreo Bon Bons. It had still been a good day though, packed with a ton of rides and good snacks with friends.

[motherofdaughtersthree]

@mariaCD

baumkuchen

It’s so cute! I hate that it’s not great.

Gorgeous!

[mariaCD]

Day 6: Typhoon Lagoon and Disney Springs

Another day intended for recovery. Since the Disney water parks don’t open till 10am, my family was able to sleep in a bit. Especially as our hotel was so close to TL. We arrived at the water park 15 minutes before opening. We grabbed a locker before joining the rope drop crowd. At opening, we headed towards Crush and Gusher, both to let the kids hit this thrill ride before lines built up and to secure some seats in this relatively quiet area for our family and friends who were joining us later. Even better, the pool that Crush and Gusher dumped out into was relatively calm and shallow, which allowed DH and I to intermittently sit in the water to relax/cool off.

Today was the day of snack, pool, repeat.

Pork Elote Nachos (Roasted Pork over Nacho Chips with Elote Cheese Sauce, Guacamole, Sour Cream, Roasted Corn, Jalapeños, and Pico de Gallo) from Leaning Palms

Frozen Lemonade with Sweet Tea and Vodka from Let’s Go Slurpin’

This was the best alcoholic drink of the whole trip! So refreshing with a slight alcoholic kick. The orange slice also soaked up the drink nicely for a great finish.

It’s not a Disney trip without a Mickey pretzel. So much tastier than the Shrekzel.

Dippin’ Dots. Yet another water park staple.

We basically just snacked all day to save room for a big dinner in DS.

Pineapple Upside-down Cone (DOLE Whip® Pineapple and Vanilla Soft-serve, Caramel Sauce, Vanilla Cake, Caramelized Pineapple, and a Cherry served under a White Chocolate-dipped Cone) from Happy Landings.

This was one of the best desserts of the whole trip. It was just right, not too sweet or heavy. And the crunchy cone at the top and the cake at the bottom gave it an interesting variety of textures. 10/10 in my book.

We left TL around 3pm, the usual time that the attractions closed due to threat of nearby lightning. Unfortunately, most people left at that time, too, so it took a while for us to get a Lyft back to the hotel. After showering and feeling more refreshed, we headed into DS and made a beeline for Polite Pig, one of our favorite DS restaurants.

Butcher Board for 2, which included Pork Shoulder, Smoked Chicken, Brisket and BBQ Cheddar Sausage with Slaw, House Pickles, two Cornbreads and a choice of two Market Sides (we chose Crispy Brussel Sprouts with Whiskey-Caramel and BBQ Waffle Fries with Polite Rub). We also added Ribs.

A non-alcoholic Pina Colada

Hop Salt Pretzel with Beer Cheese Fondue and IPA Mustard

Chicken Fried Smoked Pork Belly on black beans, corn, okra, and jalapeno sausage ragout with arugula and shaved radish

After this hearty meal, DH and my kids shopped in Town Center while I went to Gideon’s Bakehouse to score the following:

Orange Mocha Nitro Cold Brew

Cookies and Cream Cake

After meeting up with my family in Town Center again, DH and DS13 returned to the hotel to await the upcoming Amazon delivery of water while DD16 and I stayed in DS to browse/snack some more. We found our way to the West Side and decided to share some ice cream from Salt & Straw. We tried a spoonful of one of the more unique flavors of the month, Melon and Prosciutto. Nope, not for us. I’m fairly open to trying new stuff but salty meaty ice cream was past my limit. We shared a scoop of Strawberry Coconut Water Sherbert instead.

We window shopped some more before coming across Jaleo. My family had enjoyed eating there on previous trips. DD16 had especially enjoyed the Iberian ham. When we came across the menu board for the associated counter service, Pepe, I half joked if she wanted the Iberian ham sandwich. She said yes so second dinner, here we come.

Iberian Ham and Manchego Cheese sandwich with grated tomato

After second dinner, we browsed the M&M store briefly before heading back to the hotel as we needed enough sleep to rope drop Early Entry the following morning.

[SirGreggLadyV]

@mariaCD

Melon and Prosciutto. Nope, not for us.

[darkmite2]

WOW!

Thank you soooo much for all the incredible details and photos - without any spoilers!!

This is such a great TR!!!

[mariaCD]

Day 7: Hollywood Studios and Epcot

I nudged my family a bit that morning to make it to Early Entry at HS. We NEEDED to be towards the front of the pack for Early Entry as I did not have amazing pre-selected LLs due to our not being a Disney Resort guest. We arrived with a 9:25am ST (the throw away LL to unlock higher tier LLs), 10:10am MMRR, and 5:20pm TSMM. I also had a RotR LL for mid-afternoon. Ideally, I wanted to be done with HS by late afternoon so that we could hop over to Epcot. Therefore, my ride plan for the day involved rope dropping Toy Story Land and lots of LL refreshing game with helpful LL drop info from this awesome forum.

We arrived at HS at 7:53AM for an 8:30am Early Entry. We headed straight for SDD and boarded Slinky after ~20min. We then hurried to TSMM for me to yet again achieve Beaver status. We had a bit of time before our ST LL unlocked so we grabbed some icy refreshment from the Pixar Plaza.

Pineapple Coconut Slushy from the Market

I was actually a little disappointed with this slushy this time around. In previous years, the fruit flavors were more prominent.

I took a quick solo photo with Frozone (my kids ran away as they’re over Character Meet and Greets) before we all strolled over to ST. As soon as I tapped into ST, I quickly grabbed an 11:45am MFSR. After exiting ST, we enjoyed browsing the adjoining store. We even discovered a disturbingly accurate plush of the wampa with a detachable arm and bloody stump. Didn’t see a plush of a Tauntaun stuffed with Luke though!

We then walked over to MMRR to take some family shots in front of the Chinese Theatre and to enjoy another icy treat before that LL unlocked.

After tapping into MMRR, I obtained an 1:10pm ASS. While “fiddle-faddling” as Molly from Mammoth Club would say, I changed my TSMM to 3:25pm. Yes, we had already ridden TSMM but a second ride on it is always welcome. Plus, it becomes an addictive game to see what LLs I can obtain. I also wanted to squeeze the most value out of our LL purchase.

As we made our way through Galaxy’s Edge to eat an early lunch, we came across the BDX droids.

When we had waited in line for SDD, I had selected 11am/11:15am Mobile Orders from Docking Bay 7 and Ronto Roasters. We walked into Docking Bay 7 right at opening and for once, easily found an indoor seat. We played with the Photo Pass Lenses while we waited for our food to be ready.

• Smoked Kaadu Pork Ribs (Pork Ribs brushed with Tangy BBQ Sauce and served with Blueberry Corn Muffin and Red Cabbage Slaw)
• Batuuan Beef and Crispy Topato (Smoky Beef braised in Tamarind Sauce served with Harvest Vegetables)
• Black Spire Mousse (White Chocolate Jogan Fruit Mousse atop a Brownie Brittle served with Blue Milk Sauce, Pineapple Cream, and Hibiscus Sponge topped with a Chocolate Black Spire Coin)

Ronto Wrap (Roasted Pork, Grilled Pork Sausage, Peppercorn Sauce, and Tangy Slaw wrapped in Pita Bread)

Kyryll Pork Rinds (Pork Rinds seasoned in a Savory Blend of Ancho Chile, Cheddar, Smoke, and Cinnamon)

We also shared a Tatooine Sunset (Gold Peak® Unsweetened Tea and Minute Maid® Premium Lemonade with Melon and Blueberry) and a Moof Juice (Simply® Fruit Punch, Simply® Orange with Pineapple, Chipotle-Pineapple). Both of these drinks were just ok. I remember liking the former a lot more during my last trips but it tasted watered down this time around.

As we ate our lunch, I modified our RotR LL to earlier so that we could knock out MFSR and RotR right after each other. There was a bit of a back up on MFSR so we wound up waiting about 30min even with LL. But we played a Star Wars themed Hedbanz game on the phone to pass the time in a fun way.

We were sorted to be the gunners and engineers but we didn’t mind as we’ve been lucky enough to have ridden MFSR on previous trips as pilots. The girl and her father who were sorted as the pilots indicated that it was their first time on MFSR so I’m glad they got to experience it as pilots. Unfortunately, the girl appeared scared and did not touch her controls at all. The dad wound up having to man both sets of controls. I didn’t mind the resulting bumpy ride and had fun anyway. To the point that DD16 had to remind me to man my own engineer controls as I was too busy just laughing.

We joined the Resistance right after making the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs but unfortunately, we had to be evacuated off RotR shortly after the stormtrooper room due to a technical issue. We were scanned for a recovery LL to use later in the day for whenever RotR came back up.

At this point, we headed to the market area to browse and snack some more. And I was also fortunate during the 1:17pm drop to snag a 2:10pm SDD and modify my TSMM to even earlier at 1:40pm. Thank you, Liners!

Cold Brew Black Caf from Kat Saka’s Kettle

Joffrey’s Coffee™ Cold Brew topped with Sweet Cream Cheese and Chocolate Puffs

Outpost Popcorn Mix, also from Kat Saka’s Kettle

a colorful blend of Sweet and Spicy flavors

Space Sprite

After browsing through the rest of the shops in Galaxy’s Edge and a quick Magic Shot by the exit to Toy Story Land, we tackled all 3 rides there with a LL stack. I think this was the first year ever that we were able to ride SDD twice. More often than not, our LL for SDD wasn’t usable due to lightning closing the ride and us tapping out of the park before it came back.

After achieving Beaver status yet again on TSMM, the kids and I made our way back to Galaxy’s Edge to ride RotR while DH opted to rest in BaseLine Tap House instead as his feet hurt.
It wound up being a very timely decision as the kids and I joined him there just as the skies opened up and it POURED. It became packed in BaseLine but I was grateful that DH already had a seat due to his poor feet. He always enjoys the beers there, too. The kids split this delicious beauty:

Barrilitos™ Strawberry Hibiscus Soda on Tap

Sadly, this soda no longer came with unlimited refills. I have to admit that I was surprised it ever provided such freebies in the first place.

California Sunset

Absolut Vodka, Southern Comfort, Orange Juice, Sweet-and-Sour with a float of Pomegranate Juice
and

Bavarian Pretzel

with Beer-Cheese Fondue and Spicy Mustard

Avenue Chips

House-made Salt and Vinegar Kettle Chips served with Beer-Cheese Fondue
DH swore by these chips. We bought 2 of them.

When the rain lightened up, DD16 and I joined our friends to tackle Sunset Blvd for rides/snacks while DS13 and DH rested a bit more in BaseLine. DD16 joined our friends on ToT and RnRC while I gobbled the following from Hollywood Scoops:

Maleficent Cone

Butter Pecan Ice Cream topped with Red Sugar and Chocolate Horns served in a Lavender Waffle Cone dipped in Green Sugar

DH and DS13 eventually joined us on Sunset Blvd and we browsed all the shops there and on Hollywood Blvd as we slowly made our way to the exit. We rode the Skyliner to Epcot and arrived shortly after 6pm. This was later than I had hoped but we made the most of the 3 hours we had left before Epcot closed.

Vanilla Ice Cream Crêpe from Crêpes À Emporter by La Crêperie de Paris

We didn’t get to browse through most of the pavilions like we normally like to do but we spent a decent chunk of time at my kids’ favorite stop, the Mitsukoshi Dept Store in Japan. So many cute (and random!) items!

Pepperoni Pizza from Pizza al Taglio

We finally got to try the pizza from the Pizza Window in Italy. Myeh. Definitely nothing special. I wish we had had time to try the much lauded thin crust pizza at its sit-down counterpart.

Honey Hibiscus Iced Tea

(Lightly Sweetened) Organic Tea and Blueberry Boba from Joy of Tea

Lychee Bubble Tea (also from Joy of Tea)

(Iced and Sweetened) Oolong Tea, Lychee Syrup, with Tapioca Boba
Both of these drinks were light and refreshing. Perfect for walking around World Showcase with.

While the kids and DH shopped for a troll in Norway for a family member, I walked ahead to Mexico as I was craving a tostada from Choza de Margarita.

Tostada de Pollo

Crispy Corn Tortillas with Black Beans and Chipotle Chicken. Garnished with Crema Mexicana, Shredded Lettuce and Queso Cotija

We headed into FutureWorld (I’m never going to use their new names) with LLs for both TT and SE but my family elected to only use the latter. What can I say, they were TIRED. I’m glad we got to see SE one more time before the refurbishment because who knows if Disney will actually change the theming during the refurb.

I speed walked over to the cart near the Seas but unfortunately, they had already closed for the day so no Kakamora Delight (coconut pineapple sorbet, candied pineapples, coconut flakes) for me. I was also sad that everyone was too tired to see Moana: Journey of Water. I’ve been lucky enough to have experienced it last year but my family hadn’t yet. But I completely understood that everyone was exhausted. I was also really happy to see their response to the newly renovated FutureWorld area at night, especially the lit up SE.

We didn’t get to do as much in Epcot as I had hoped but there’s never enough time to do everything at Disney. That’s one of the things I love about Disney- there’s always something to see/do. I’m perfectly happy to just walk around, soaking up the details. And eating a snack, of course.

[mariaCD]

Thank you! I love writing detailed TRs with photos as it’s like being on vacation again.