I exceeded the available space so here is the rest of the report
We were trying to make it to Tomorrowland for a FPP for Buzz that we picked up earlier in the day. A CM advised us to go through the hub (a huge mistake due to the crowd for the fireworks). We made it as far as being directly in front of the castle and had to give up. We waited about 15 minutes for the show to start. This was our first time seeing the new fireworks show. We really enjoyed it. We also had never seen Tinkerbellâs flight so that was fun. After the show was over we had very little time to spare to get to our FPP for Buzz. It was a struggle to make it through the sea of humanity, strollers, scooters and wheelchairs but we eventually did. I think we used 8 minutes of our FPP grace period for Buzz. I have decided that I cannot aim straight after two lapu lapus so my score was terrible.
Fireworks pictures (not the best quality) https://imgur.com/a/Zl9qcCY
On our way out of the park we realized that we had forgotten to buy a present. We made one last purchase in the Emporium and headed out of the park. The original plan was to get an Uber from the Contemporary. I decided to try a bus (I have not taken a bus at WDW since 1982). We walked over to the bus area for YC and a bus was just loading. There were only about 20 people on the bus so everyone got a seat and we were back at the hotel (first stop) in under 10 minutes.
Day 9 (3/24/19) - Departure Day and Typhoon Lagoon
Weather - mostly sunny with a forecast high near 80. It was close to 70 when we arrived at the park.
We checked out of YC. We found a gas station by the Boardwalk to refill the rental car. We made it to Typhoon Lagoon by 10:02 am. It was not crowded at all and we parked in the first row after the handicapped spots. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there is no charge for towels if you are staying onsite. I ordered the wrong size locker (standard does not fit a backpack) but was quickly able to upsize to a bigger locker. We changed, found chairs with shade (there are hardly any umbrellas but lots of palm trees), applied sunscreen and were ready to go. The girls and I rode Humunga Kowabunga. Both DD12 and I found that the end of the ride hurt our backsides.
After that we rode the Bay Slides and we all enjoyed these. There was no wait at all for Miss Adventure Falls. The water was freezing!!! I felt really bad for the CMs who have to stand in thigh-high water for that ride. I mentioned the water temp to a CM and he said his toes were completely frozen. I hope they rotate positions frequently. After that we went over to Crush ânâ Gusher. Only the middle slide permitted single riders (it was just me with the DDs at this point). We like this but it is much tamer than the Aqua Coaster at Volcano Bay. We were happy to learn that the water in Crush ânâ Gusher was warm.
The water in the pool near the Crush 'nâ Gusher was really warm. We thought the water in the lazy river would be warm but it was not. So back to the Crush 'nâ Gusher pool we went. After warming up we spent a lot of time in the large wave pool. We absolutely love the large waves. When the large waves took a break at 12:30 pm we decided it was time for lunch. They seemed to be training large numbers of college program kids to take and to prepare orders. It took forever to place the orders and to get our food. DD15 really disliked her vegetarian bowl. She only ate half so she got a pretzel. After lunch we spent more time riding the Crush 'nâ Gusher slides and spending time in that warm pool. We rode the three âFallsâ sides and I found a way to twist my thumb while exiting one of the tubes.
DD12 spent more time in the wave pool. All too soon it was time to hit the showers and get ready to go. Unlike Volcano Bay the shower facilities here are huge. We have decided that since visiting Volcano Bay at Universal Typhoon Lagoon has really slipped in our opinion since Volcano Bay was so much more fun and the food was vastly superior.
Travelling Home
We packed up and drove to the airport. We have TSA Precheck so we made it through security with less than a five minute wait. Unlike past years when we have nearly missed our flights we actually had time to buy dinner and have a leisurely walk to the gate. Our plane landed early at JFK but they were not ready for us so we basically made it to the gate on time. There was some traffic getting home but we were home before 9:30 pm.
We really loved our vacation. Normally I prefer Universal to Disney but I think the cool and cloudy weather put Universal at a disadvantage for this trip. I also think the new rides at Disney helped. The club level fast passes were a huge benefit for the Disney part of our trip. Without them I would have greatly preferred Universal.
Step Count (In case you were wonderingâŚ)
Day
1 (Travel and Volcano bay) 7,087 (3.2 miles)
2 (Universal) 20,793 (8.9 miles)
3 (Universal) 18,880 (7.6 miles)
4 (Universal) 19,974 (8.8 miles)
5 (rest day) 5,318 (2.2 miles)
6 (AK) 20,181 (8.3 miles)
7 (HS) 18,625 (7.6 miles)
8 (MK) 23,045 (9.6 miles)
9 (TL and travel home) 6,069 (2.7 miles)