Have a great time!
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Obligatory terminal tram photo
Took Sunshine Flyer from airport. Most of the buses had train wraps and there were a couple of the employees dressed like conductor. Waited about 15 minutes to get on and the.n it was about 50 minutes before we got to the hotel (4th stop).
Kids were super hungry by that point so we dropped bags in the room and went to the All Star food court where they proclaimed the penne with marinara and meatball to be the best they’d ever had. DH went in another line to get some pot roast and my request, a salad with some protein. Turns out he’d misread the menu and gotten a salad with “plant-based tuna salad” on top…still not sure what it was but the texture was strangely not to far off. We then did some pin-trading, swam in the Fantasia pool and then back to the room to get ready for tomorrow. The weather so far surprised me because it was super pleasant and seems to lack the humidity that usually makes me question my decisions the moment I step out of MCO.
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So, I Disney-mathed the heck out of this trip. It started in July as an idea to take the kids on a short-trip to Universal for the first time once we finished The Sorcerer’s Stone. Booked HRH club level for two nights that happened to fall over my birthday (as I’d already scheduled that time off).
Not too long after, (amidst the Epic liner meet up excitement), I got the itch and started browse dedicated reservations. We hadn’t been to Disney since 5/2021 after which I let our APs expire. Found and booked a 5 night AKL Jambo savanna view studio that lined up after the HRH dates. Then noticed that Scott Bradlee’s PMJ was going to be the Eat to the Beat concert performer on Sunday 9/25 (…and a 6 day park hopper is only marginally more expensive than a 5 day…and flights were the same)…so added 2 nights at All-Star Movies on the front end. I love PMJ and have wanted the kids to see a show but not willing to pony-up real concert ticket money to make this happen…and yet the logic above makes total sense to me.
The line up:
Sat 9/24: afternoon flight after flurry of last minute packing. Stay at All-Star Movies
Sun 9/25: MK am and Epcot pm
Monday 9/26: Move to Universal. Stay at Portofino club level (an AP rate popped up 6 days prior to check in so I made the switch from HRH)
Tuesday 9/27: Breezy day at Universal and meeting age 45 with the brow furrows to prove it
Wednesday 9/28: possibly Universal morning if the forecast changes, otherwise a total washout with move to AKL Jambo
Thursday 9/29: Epcot am and hop
Friday 9/30: AK am and hop
Sat 10/1: HS am and hop
Sun 10/2: MK am (Bippity Boppity Boutique) and Epcot pm
Mon 10/3: TBD Epcot? Late evening flight out
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What a great line up!
Have fun at MK and Epcot today…
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Thanks for following along. I never sleep well the first few nights on vacation. Turns out to be a good time to buy Genie+ for the day at catch up on trip reports and revised NOAA forecasts.
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Too tired to sum up today right now. Suffice to say we had a ton of fun but did not tour efficiently. Pedometer ended over 30K and If someone had mapped out our movements at MK it would have looked like we were trying all the different ways to draw a 5 pointed star (3-1-4-2-5-3 btw)
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I’m still not asleep so figured I’d post a couple photo pass pics from today. Have not checked forecasts since this morning—I really just need to look at the NOAA website or hurricanes thread and get it over with. Anyway…
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That is hilarious!!
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Posting out of order to say that we are absolutely loving Portofino Bay so far. This place oozes relaxation. The beach pool is awesome and the slide is super fun. Also they allow inflatable pool toys and the sand is superfine/soft and therefore good for making sand castles unlike the coarser sand at Beach Club. Feet currently buried in sand
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Also they are playing JT at the pool😀
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…and now time for your TMI PSA (don’t say I didn’t warn you). So I have a couple skorts that are good for around town but which I thought might be potentially problematic in the parks. I’ve read plenty of trip reports featuring Body Glide but have never used it before. I ordered some last minute before the trip. So this morning, I put on a skort and applied some. It seemed, in anything, to be sticky/create even more friction, so I put on some more (and more). Then we ended up coming to the pool first to capitalize on good weather while we have it…and I get it now. Body Glide is sweat activated. I’m afraid I might dislocate a hip with the amount of slippage from the slime trail on my inner thighs
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Sunday 9/25:
Got to the ASMovies bus stop at 6:22 am for 7:30 early entry. Bus came at 6:25 and left at 6:35 with only one couple on board standing. Second in line at taps
…and so when taps opened right at 7, I of course forgot to book a lighting lane. Realized my bungle at 7:04 at fantasyland bridge rope (best position I’ve ever gotten).
JC, PP and meet Mickey and Minnie were all well past noon at that point, so booked Splash for an 8:50 return time as was planning to second rope this, knowing my kids would want to ride it twice.
Got to 7DMT line about 50 people back when the delayed opening for this ride was announced. Here I hesitated and didn’t immediately jump ship because this was best I’d ever done rope dropping this ride. However after a couple minutes wasted, we left the line and headed to PP (with every one else). Waited about 20 minutes for this and then walked straight into the stretching room at HM as Splash and BTMR were also down.
After HM went to JC for a less than 10 minute wait. Had the best skipper we’ve had in years, Skipper Miracle.
While waiting for JC at 8:20, my 8:50 Splash turned into a golden ticket. Most of the stuff I could use it on at that point had near immediate return times so instead I grabbed the Tiana princess meet for 9 am.
Next up, breakfast:
I so don’t understand why people wait in those ungodly food lines when mobile order is so fast and easy.
Then I left the kids in the hub to wave at golden statues so that I could run to The Emporium and pick them up new autograph books. Totally forgot theirs at home since it had been so long since they’d been able to use them.
Tiana was super engaging. I miss the photo pass photographers at the meets. Splash was now back up and so I booked a LL for this. When we got there, the standby line was all the way out of the queue and almost to the walkway and yet the time posted was 15 minute but I recognize a 60 minute splash wait when I see one—it felt good to breeze by it in the LL. Booked BTMR next and used immediately.
I was using BG1 and had pinned the Cinderella meet (which was at 2 pm by this point) and the Mickey and Minnie meet (which was no longer available). While in line for BTMR I kept refreshing and after a couple minutes, a M+M meet popped up for 10:30 so grabbed it and counted my lucky stars.
Mickey was very energetic and get jumping around doing ninja moves in response to DS’s shirt.
Had grabbed LL for Cinderella meet for an hour from that time, so next was coffee and Ice cream break and then wash off all that ice cream and cool down in Casey Jr water play area.
Then wrung out their clothes in bathroom sink and headed to meet Cindy
We were then on our way to Buzz (son’s choice) when we noticed the 7DMT line looked short, so we got in. Some how my Chapek line has been drawn at ILL—I just can’t. The standby said 60, lines predicted 45, we waited 40. We were doing great until we ended up just before the LL merge point at a complete standstill for 15 minutes. Next up:
WtP (LL)
Lunch at Cosmic Rays
Stinky cars (LL)
Little Mermaid (LL)
Barnstormer (LL)
…then back over to Splash to use up our anytime. Caught festival of Fantasy while walking to Splash. Then headed out of MK, stopping for some photo pass on the way
I think DH trying to eat bubbles here?
Monorailed to EPCOT and got there around 4:30ish. Kids wanted to do Remy scavenger hunt, so picked up at World Traveller and headed to Mexico. Got 5 pm TT LL at 4:47 drop (Frozen was down and so didn’t drop). After TT, resumed rat search counter clockwise around WS with goal to be at American Gardens Theater for the 6 pm eat to the beat concert.
Total fail as I did not double check the concert times and so when we arrived there about 6, PMJ was finishing up their set that started at 5:30 with their next set starting at 6:45. No worries as the kids were getting antsy with the 3 numbers we did watch (2 songs and one tap dance as percussion solo).
Finished up scavenger hunt. Was relieved when Remy did not drop at 6:47 drop. Rode Figment (LL) and then Soarin (B2, LL) and then headed out of park. This magic shot is just weird. What are we doing? Blowing confetti?
I positively love the lights on the giant meatball (my son sees everything in terms of food).
Got on a nearly empty Mears style bus back to ASMovies. Stopped by food court and then to bed
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Monday 9/26
Slept in (ie. We all woke before 8), brought some breakfast back to the room, packed up and headed to Universal. I liked ASMovies just fine. Have always preferred the bus queues at the values. Water pressure was not great but otherwise would stay here again.
Ubered over to Portofino Bay. Checked in at concierge check in with no line at 10:30 and room was ready. Got a tour of club level lounge and picked up some waters and Diet Coke and headed to room. The room is huge. View of “wedding pavilion”
Then headed to the pool as covered upthread. After pool, got ready for the parks and stopped at club lounge for afternoon snacks and some snacks for park bag. Took water taxi
Faux pas I know but I don’t own any Universal shirts.
Activated photo package upon entering USF around 2 pm and got the lanyard (thanks for reminding me about this @Shmebulock). Rode Minions. Kids loved. Remembered to put on sea bands afterward.
Rode Jimmy Fallon.
Son thought it was scary because of the shark.
Walked around Diagon Alley. It was very crowded but there weren’t lines for the interactive wand stuff. We borrowed cousins’ wands from their trip in 2014? and they still worked. Tried frozen and regular butterbeer. I prefer regular, DS likes frozen best, DD thinks both are yuck and DH doesn’t have a preference. Rode Escape from Gringot’s, about which, DS told me he didn’t like it because it was too scary, but would try it again when he was older. Took Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade. Rode Flight of the Hippogriff and then headed out walking counter clockwise around the IOA. Got to water taxi just as one was loading and it started to pour rain as soon as we were on board. Went straight to club lounge for dinner. I’m afraid this club level stuff has set a precedent for our future vacations—if it is like this everywhere, I’m sold. Well worth the extra 40$ per night over the equivalent non-club level room. Came back to room and then went back to club lounge an hour later for dessert. Then bed.
I feel like the pictures of Universal really do not do it justice for its level of theming. I’m super-impressed so far and DH seems to much prefer Universal over Disney but that is probably mostly just related to the hotel so far. Portofino is great, club level is great and the price for this compared to Disney is great. I may be a convert…but the kids aren’t on board yet. We’ll see how tomorrow goes.
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What a great couple of days.
You rocked G+ at MK.
Glad you’re enjoying CL and UOR.
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What a great day at MK and EP! I can’t believe there is 7.30 early entry at the end of Sept in the dark when in July it was 8.30!
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Regular butterbeer is my favourite. Portofino Bay is very pretty!
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Tuesday 9/27
Got to club lounge breakfast right before they opened at 7 am but took too much time there. Failed at rope dropping early entry at IOA at 8 am as we didn’t leave hotel until almost 7:30. Powerwalked and got in line at 7:42. Of course there were two lines and once the gates opened, ours did not move. Closer to the gates they split into several lines and I again chose the wrong one. Went to Hagrid with the crowds anyway knowing this would likely be our only chance to ride. End of the line was near the Mystic Fountain and we walked continually until just before you go inside.
Not sure exactly how long we were in line but when I retrieved my phone it was right about 9 and the lines app predicted wait time was 180 minutes. We all loved it!
Kids practiced with wands for a while then rode Flight of the Hippogriff again and then FJ. This was a one and done for both of us and made me immensely thankful for the magic that is sea bands. I know it has been debated on other threads that this is just placebo effect but, however they work, they worked for us. I have avoided Star Tours for years and got surprisingly even got little off balance from the HM stretching room the other day, DH also gets motion sick. I was worried about my ability to tolerate UO rides and brought meclizine (=Bonine=non-drowsy Dramamine) as well, but wanted to give the sea bands a try first. Haven’t needed the meclizine.
Went to Pteranadon flyers next
We then traded out sneakers for flip-flops because kids wanted to ride the round boat water ride next which I mistakenly thought was JP River Adventure. Oops…but at least the ride photo is hilarious and my daughter later claimed this to be one of her favorite rides
Then Ripsaw Falls
And then of course Bildge Rat Barges which really outshines any of the similar rides at other parks. After our first round of this, the kids wanted to ride again, there was no line and they let us stay on. I literally couldn’t have gotten any wetter at this point anyway. Stayed on for 3 consecutive rides and then of course they wanted this
And then we headed back to hotel for club snack/lunch and pool. I like all the little props for photos that Universal has everywhere.
Water taxi back to hotel, dry clothes and snack and then went to pool. Only played at pool for about 15 minutes as they were closing early at 2 pm for hurricane preparations. Headed back to IoA at 3 for Dr. Seuss land. Did rides there and play area and the took Hogwarts Express over to USF. Did Men in Black, then Simpsons Ride (the closest the Sea Bands came to failing me) and then K+K Hurl and Twirl. Walked into last Bourne Stuntactular showing just before the show was to start at 5:30 but DD was in a mood by that point so we bailed and went back to the hotel. Went straight to club lounge for dinner. Turns out she was in a mood because she really wanted to get me a birthday present. So after dinner I made up some excuse about how I needed to go to the room but Baba could take them to the gift shop to pick a souvenir for themselves. DD got me a sharks tooth necklace and DS got me a bottle opener magnet and I fawned over these thoughtful gifts as the situation demands but continually reminding them that the best gift of all was getting to spend the day with them.
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Aw, so sweet of your kids!
Sounds like a great day. Sorry your pool time was cut short, but seems like you made up for it with plenty other fun stuff!
Great photos 
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