May the Force Be With Us: A Family Trip Report Summer 2021

I would not have her do the Barges. Way more wet than JP or Ripsaw. The others may splash water back into your face - similar to Splash. But Barges can be a drenching where buckets of water are just dumped on you. We got wet on JP and Ripsaw, but were drenched to the bone on Bilge Rat Barge.

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Ripsaw will get you drenched as well, but you will come off the Barges as if you went swimming in your clothes. There is no avoiding it.

JP, however, barely gets you wet.

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We did not get drenched on Ripsaw, but we also weren’t in the front. I think the people in the front got pretty wet.

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I was in the back. I was drenched. :slight_smile:

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Those raptors look awesome. I’m not big on roller coasters (anything more than SM and I have issues), but I’d love to be able to see that at some point.

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The wet rides today messed up my live blogging groove! With wet pockets I have had to keep my phone in my sling bag (which I love by the way) to keep it dry.

Anyway, after JP we reported for our VQ at Hagrid’s and had an AMAZING ride. It’s probably my new favorite ride outside Disney. I’ll have to think about if it beats everything in Disney. Close.

DS9 chickened out so he didn’t ride. I think it was the right call and completely his choice.

We then rode Flight of the Hippogriff 3 times in a row! DD4 is our surprise thrill seeker! She loved it and wasn’t scared at all. I think when she’s tall enough she will ride anything. She’s barely 40 inches so we’ll see what she can do at Disney (most things based on height alone, just a matter of how she feels about it).

We then rode Forbidden Journey after waiting in the 20-minute standby queue to see the castle. DS9 loved it and rode a second time using my rider swap pass with DW. I sat out both times with DDs.

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Yikes…what did Ravenclaw do?

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The important thing is you are having the best time with that adorable family of yours! I love the constant smiles.

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I am part of Hufflepuff. We never get any love. Lol.

I see you found some eggs in the queue…did you locate a special egg that was part of the tri-wizard tournament?

I know it may be blasphemy, but Hagrid’s is definately one of my favourites of all time. Very immersive…it has the Dusney touch and is a smooth and thrilling ride. I love all the Easter eggs in the queue.

Glad you had a great day. Next time you will know to go on Blutos in your bathing suit and switch out of it after the ride! Lol

Flight of the hipppgrifth is definately a surprise hit with kids of all ages. I think we rode it 3 times in a row as well.

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Fellow Hufflepuff here! :raising_hand_woman:t4:

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We ended our visit to the parks today with the Hogwarts Express from IoA to King’s Cross. We then walked around USF looking for quick service that was still open. The only thing we found was Mel’s Diner, which I had read bad reviews for, but we were hungry and there was no wait so we went for it. The food was predictable (I’ve eaten at an actual Mel’s before and this wasn’t as good, but it was as good as I expected). The kids loved the frosty-style shakes and even ate some fries and onion rings (this is called a success with my kids :joy:).

Now headed back to the hotel for maybe a dip in the pool if it’s still open when we get there.

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Seriously in shock that my kids are still smiling after this long, hot day full of waiting! :joy: They complained plenty but they are troopers.

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This was my frustration when we visited UOR. We were so used to touring WDW with later hours and lots of dining options at all times, and the UOR dining shut down right as we started looking for dinner.

If we return to UOR, I would definitely make reservations so we will be forced to stop touring earlier and actually eat! :slight_smile:

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Glad you enjoyed Hagrids! How about that scenery going through the queue? Stunning. And a good view of Hogwarts too if I remember. Were you prepared for the drop?

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I agree with the food comments. Nothing spectacular or available in the parks and usually not open when you need it.

We typically plan one meal a day in city walk. That usually makes up for the lack of something good in the parks. Our favorites are cowfish, toothsome, and VIVO Italian.

I best strategy so far has been an in room breakfast or pickup from the takeout in the basement of HRH, some snaks around the parks throughout the day…like the Lardo donut at Moes…, and then an evening meal at city walk.

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Enjoy the pool at HRH. When we were there last, they were showing the jurrasic park movie at the side of the pool. You could watch and swim at the same time.

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Yikes. Way to traumatize the young kids! :t_rex:

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Yes I had read about the ride and even watched a POV when it first opened. (Haven’t done that for RotR yet!) But it was even better than I imagined.

Better than Jaws!

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We’re back at the hotel now. Rooms are spacious but not nearly as sprawling as our 2BR villa at Jambo, of course!

I’m exhausted! Volcano Bay is up tomorrow!

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