Favorite thing all day was the lovely Jamie in the situation room at F&F, as we were leaving, saying “You guys are going to be so disappointed. Bye!” About fell over. Such humor is a thing of art.
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It was fun! Easy, which my son enjoyed (although he was annoyed at my 3rd hole in one by the end!).
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We may do it then, thank you! It looks great.
So I think we may have gone a bit too hard for my mom yesterday. We walked back from USF to CBBR, and I think that’s what did it. To make penance, we are taking it easy today. We slept to 9, which goes against every fiber of my being, and it was glorious. Time for breakfast, and more importantly, coffee.
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I forgot to update our Toothsome experience - I am not great with the Trip Reports apparently. If you want to eat here for sure make a reservation. By 6pm, there was a 2 hour wait. We had a 6pm reservation and they sat us right at 6 on the dot. We got there early but they told us that we would not be seated until 6, so we expected it. I had the key lime pie shake and my DD had the cookie one. Both were delicious and worth every penny ($15-$16 I think).
It’s basically a steampunk Cheesecake Factory with a huge menu and tons of options. Kids had the waffles and mini-burgers - which they enjoyed. Adults had the friend chicken BLT and the Chicken Waldorf Salad, which were good too. There wasn’t anything that really stood out other than the shakes, but it’s got a very unique atmosphere. The sides of the dining room are giant screens that show robots making the chocolate in the factory, and a “robot” walks around while you eat. Probably a one time experience but I am really glad we went!
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Yesterday we decided to hit up Hogsmeade. We were likely the only people who RDed Flight of the Hippogriff. We got to IOA around 7:30 and were through the taps around 7:55. If you want to RD Hagrids, I guess be prepared to run. It was like the Thunderdome. A grown man nearly knocked my DD7 over as he made a mad dash to Hagrids. People just ran in groups as soon as they got into the park, so be aware and watch yourself if maybe you are a bit slower like us. We did Hippogriff and then had my daughter measured and much to our surprise is officially 4 feet tall!! We got to ride FJ and it did not disappoint. We all loved it and I love that there are both screens and physical set pieces. We then did HE to DA, did MiB, hopped on HE again after exploring DA a bit, and came back to Hogsmeade.
We had a 11am at Mythos as well and it was the best meal we have had all trip. I had the swordfish and kids had the steak. Everything was lovely and our server was excellent.
I also had my very first evac at Poseidon! We got through the first room and then got escorted out the back. We did get one EP, which we used at Spider-Man.
Then we left bc it was the same temperature as hell. Oh! And I watched VC and I don’t know if I am brave enough. That ride is no joke. My one DD really wants to go, but I hate hate hate launches. Exhibit A, attached below, is me in March at RnRC. Have you ever seen knuckles that white?!
I may need liquid courage before I go, but then I may get sick. Such a conundrum.
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Also wanted to add CBBR has far exceeded every expectation. We have had daily housekeeping. And not the crappy housekeeping where they empty garbage, leave some towels, and that’s it. I mean, full-service, making the beds, vacuuming the carpet, real-deal-housekeeping. Right now the lobby has a Minion meet-and-greet, a guy playing an electric violin, and a guy doing balloon animals. All just to keep people entertained while they check-in. The grounds are clean and well-maintained, and the Bayliner Diner has some of the hardest working people I have ever seen at a resort. Every TM has been outstanding. I’m so impressed and just cannot recommend it enough.
And they put our little plushies on the bed, which is always a nice touch.
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That pic of you & DD is super cute - but I swear the Donnie Darko rabbit is behind you & it’s terrifying! 
We will leave this coming Friday (after work) from N Michigan & are driving straight thru. Between DH, DD15 (with her new permit) & I, we will rotate & make it work!
I cannot wait!
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Welp, can’t unsee that now! 
that is terrifying.
You are going to have such a great time! My advice is to go early, especially if you want to do Diagon Alley, and be sure to hydrate. We have had such a wonderful week. I’m booking another trip for sure.
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Yesterday we decided to tackle the front portion of USF. We started with Minions, which was a walk-on during EE. They also have Transformers open during EE, so we hit that again, then headed to Jimmy Fallon. Transformers is my one DDs favorite ride outside FJ, so she would ride that all day every day. Jimmy Fallon is not great. They named a ride Race Thru NY, but you only see about 30 seconds of NY. Then you go all over the place, even the moon? I think drugs were involved in the making of this ride. We then did what we do best and had churros and popcorn on a park bench!
We found the Tribute Store and spent way too much money on ET merch. There is a photo op on there as well with King Kong - as shown -
We met Optimus Prime (my fav) and the. walked to SpongeBob Storepants and met Patrick!
We had Mel’s Drive-in and then left.
We have determined our best pace is EE, early lunch, then bounce at noon or so.
We spent the rest of the day at the pool, which is honestly all my kids want to do. Normally I say no and we go back to the parks, but why? We have done about everything and it’s their vacation too. And I gotta say, I’m enjoying the slower pace. I don’t feel rushed to jam in a million things bc we had an entire week to do it all.
And stop at the Sweet Shop at USF! Delicious treats for pre-bed snacks - bc sugar before bed is what vacation is all about.
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Yesterday we were up and ready to go early to hit up USF! It was a gorgeous morning. Bus was waiting at CBBR (as always) and we got to USF around 7:45.
We had hit up Gringotts first, which we all agree is our favorite ride. Was a walk-on! Bc so many people go to Hagrids and VC, Diagon Alley is really quiet in the mornings.
And then at 8:30am we ate ice cream from Florean Fortescues, bc why the heck not?
We followed that with beef pasties, butterbeer, and the tongue tying lemon squash.
The girls then walked around and cast spells all morning. One DD fell rather hard on the ground while running to a spell location and this wonderful woman sent from heaven came over, gave us bandaids and antiseptic, and made sure she was fine. It was one of the nicest things and we thanked her for her care and thoughtfulness. After that we basically walked around, rode Simpsons (God bless the makers of Bonine) spent a ton of money at SpongeBob Storepants, ate churros (many many of them), are at Today Cafe, and left the parks.
A Minion was doing a meet and greet at CBBR, so of course we met him/her/it (?), and then we went to the dark side and ate at Old Key West at Olivia’s. I regret nothing.
It was a wonderful, relaxed, day.
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The last day of our stay at CBBR, we took it very easy. We spent the first half of the day at the pool, then headed to City Walk for dinner.
We tried Bubba Gump bc we are very sophisticated. It was exactly what you would expect. Good but not great.
We also tried VooDoo Donuts for the very first time and they did not disappoint. I do recommend using mobile order through the UOR app.
Super easy and our order was ready really fast, as opposed to the long and winding line in the store.
And honestly, that was our day. We packed up our stuff and we have been on the road ever since. Oh! And we got a flat tire, so I’m writing this from the BMW dealership. By the grace of God, it happened about five miles from my hometown dealership and I have run-flats. So, all will be well!
Thank you for following along!!
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Oh, no! The pictures didn’t upload! Can you try again?
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Can’t believe I’ve only just seen this thread on the 19th!!
Hope you’ve had a great trip.
Catching up now…
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Now I’m genuinely peeved that I didn’t see this until now.
On the 12th we left two lazy river rings and about ten bottles of water behind that I could’ve passed over to you from the Thunderbird building 
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I found there was a mix. Sometimes retro sometimes modern. It worked for me.
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What an amazing trip you’ve had!!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Sorry about the flat tyre. Hope it’s repaired easily and inexpensively.
I totally agree about Voodoo Mobile Ordering. It was super slick for us!
I’m so glad you loved CB. We just stayed there for the first time and WE. LOVED. IT!!! Cannot wait to stay there again one day.
Strangely, although USF had EE nearly every day we were there, we always hit IofA on our RD days. It really was a case of Hagrid/VC or bust for us. Glad you got Diagon Alley nice and quiet though.
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Indeed! It seems there is the dealership is a daedzone…. Will do so when on the road again, which is hopefully soon. I’m hungry….
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