5 years since our last hurrah pre-trip report

[jagafen]

Hey guys! Long time no see!

Back in our Disney Days (2008-2012, roughly), I posted much more regularly than I have since then. Figured I'd re-introduce myself and my family, and kill the last 30 minutes or so that I have at work by doing a little pre-trip report. Bear with me, it's been a while.

About the family: I'm an OT-mid 40s, DH is a teacher-late 40s (I like 'em a bit older ), and DS is 14. The hubs and I have been together for 21 years (crikeys!), married for almost 12 years. Our son will be a high school freshman next year. DH also coaches HS sports for 6 1/2 months out of the school year, so some days, I barely get to see him. Part of what makes his crazy schedule tolerable is the fact that we get to go to FL (or another tropical destination) for our bi-annual BIG FAMILY VACATION!! (read that in a deep booming voice). I am an UBER vacation planner, and love diving into all the details, working and re-working plans, and putting the perfecting extra special touches on our vacations. DH LOVES that I'm so into planning the vacations, but let's be honest, it just helps pass the time when he can't be around as much due to his schedule.As he puts it, he likes to go and do as he's told, without having to put too much thought into it. Everyone gets a little of what they want. It works well for us. I do involve him in the planning, especially when I need to bounce an idea or two off someone, but I limit the thousands of details that go into one of MY "perfectly planned" vacations to those things I really want his input on. Ya follow?

As far as our vacation dynamics...I'm the bigger Disney fan in the family. I've loved our vacations to see the mouse, and they have resulted in some fantastic memories. Things have happened on trips that have brought me to tears more than once. I'm sentimental like that. Universal has never made me cry. DH prefers the Disney dining options over Universal's, but Universal Parks over Disney (in general). DS is a teen now, who currently thinks he's "too old" for Disney. I should also mention that we're a short family. Petite little folk who spend most of our days on our tippy toes trying to reach things that are out of our reach. Which is why we're going back to Universal this time...DS, at 5" tall, is tall enough for the big coasters. He's technically been tall enough since August of 2015, but 2016s vacation was already planned before we realized he was big enough. He wasn't tall enough the last time we were here in 2012, and was a bit upset at 9 that he couldn't ride the big coasters, but we promised him we'd bring him back when he was tall enough. He was always sensitive about his height growing up, so we had a family rule that "we don't ride until we can all ride". This summer, we're all riding! I sincerely hope with all that is in my heart, that he's scared enough to drop an "adult word" on one of the coasters...to honor the family traditions of old. As a young teen, I dropped the F bomb in front of my father for the first time on a roller coaster. THOSE are the kinds of memories you don't forget

DUH-forgot all the trip details!!

Staying at the Hard Rock Hotel-Club Level for a week. We had booked RPR, but decided that the Hard Rock was more our vibe this trip. We're a 70s to current hard rock loving family. The louder, the better as far as I'm concerned. We're celebrating Father's Day this trip...Daddy is going to be treated like a king for all of his hard work supporting our family. Dinner on Father's Day is at the Palm, and as a special surprise, I've booked the semi-private 2 park VIP tour for his Father's Day gift. We're not the Kardashians (we're much smarter), but I sell stuff on Ebay for "mommy's mad money". Usually it just goes into savings, because I'm mostly responsible like that. I decided to really splurge this time and do something we've never done before (and more than likely, will not repeat again!). We also like to rent a cabana and spend one day just lounging by the pool, so we'll be doing that again. When I called to book the cabana at the Hard Rock, we got our pick. After listening to what we wanted, Dante hooked us up with Cabana #10, which if my research proves accurate, is one of the two themed cabanas on their property. I think it's the Aquarium themed one....Stevie Wonder? We'll see

So, for the next 3 months or so, I'll be twiddling my thumbs, trying to come up with things to do, and plan, to keep me busy. I've done our tip envelopes, and I'm starting to squirrel away cash for tips....it's less painful to put it away bit by bit!!

I've also roughed out some "touring plans" just to keep my busy. I know they're really not necessary, especially with the Express passes, but it's part of the planning process for me. Heaven forbid, if there's a mad run on UO during our week there, I'll have a plan! Most of our dining venues are selected, some are booked with reservations as well. Now, if they would just release some actual information about Volcano Bay, I'd be set!!

 

[chs27]

Yay! I love that you're coming back, now that your young one can ride! I'm in

 

[jagafen]

Figured I'd rough out our dining plans for you all to critique....

Sunday-The Palm: Celebrating Father's Day. DH and I met working in an Outback Steakhouse (sometimes, work relationships DO work out!), and over the years, worked our way up to fine dining steakhouses. We both dropped back into college, and worked for the Sullivan's Steakhouse chain (if you're familiar). Waiting tables is hard work, but the $$ can be good. The downside to all of that was that we were poor, atypical college students (I was 24 when I went back, he was 28), trying to support ourselves while bettering our lives, long term. Basically, we were being exposed to Champagne luxury while living on a soda pop budget. All our hard work has paid off, because now, finally, we can enjoy a few of the finer things in life every once in a while without feeling guilty about it! So, when it comes to celebratory dinners, we like red meat, and we like a good bottle of wine. We've eaten high off the hog at Sullivan's, Del Frisco's, and Morton's. Morton's so far is our top choice. We're excited to try out another high end steak place to see how they measure up to the others.

As an aside, we celebrated our 20th anniversary in Napa, CA last summer, and that experience ruined me for life. If you ever get the chance to go, do it. And, we came back with an amazingly stocked wine rack!

Monday/Tuesday: Going to Cowfish one night, Toothsome the other. Monday is the day of our semi-private VIP tour (both parks), which ends at 6p, so I'm hoping to avoid a crazy wait. We'll probably scope out both sites, and then decide which to put our names in at. Out of all the new restaurants that have appeared since our last visit 5 years ago, these sound the most tempting, and consistently get the best word of mouth from the boardies. I just have to convince my chocolate hating DS (I know, right?) that I'm not secretly trying to kill him. The fact that he can get a waffle for dinner will make him happy, unless he decides that he just can't deal with 'breakfast for dinner.' He's never had breakfast for dinner, and in general, may not know that it is a legit thing. He'll probably think I"m trying to trick him. Maybe I should throw in a few Belgium waffle dinners before our trip to ease him into the idea. He's a "set in my ways" kinda kid, even at 14. Tuesday, we'll go to whatever park DS decides he wants to start in. We're playing the actual touring plan a little more loosey goosey than is possible at that other place!

Wed: This is our waterpark day. In general, we are not open to close park people. I figure we'll spend a little over half a day here. We're supposed to get early entry to the park (if what I've read is accurate). Things are still up in the air if our tickets include the "universal unlimited express passes" or not. We have the 3 park explorer tickets, staying at the HR, so I thought we were good to go. I called Universal CS to double check, since info is so hard to find. What did I find out? Yes, EPs will be available. Yes, you can purchase them. EPs are not automatically included for the waterpark unless you have a bundle with the 3 park, park to park, with unlimited Universal Express Passes. According to "her" the 3 park explorer ticket is not the ticket that includes the "universal unlimited express passes" and our EPs inclusions for staying onsite are only good for US and IOA. "She" said we'd need to upgrade our ticket package through our travel agent. When I called said travel agent (who rocks!! Taylor Strickland, through Orlando Informer, who along with Touring Plans are the resources I've relied upon for planning and updating my knowledge base) Anyway, Taylor said that there's no "upgradable" ticket package that's showing up for us...if they would just release a bit of info about Volcano Bay regarding who gets what with what ticket option, what the meal/food options are going to be, I could actually plan this day a little better. Anyway, my backup plan, depending upon what time we get there, is to either eat at the waterpark, or have dinner at The Kitchen in our hotel. I have a hard time dealing with the lack of information that is available though. The park is supposed to open in 2 months!!

**Edited to add that since I wrote this, Universal has released the super duper ticket package "she" referenced..3 park, park to park, with the unlimited Universal EPs.

Thursday: This is our "off day" cabana rental day. Depending upon what happens with the Waterpark happenings on Wed, we'll either have dinner at The Kitchen (if we're in the waterpark for dinner the day before), or considering the Hard Rock Cafe. I know it's touristy, but we've never had a bad meal at a Hard Rock. I need a filler dinner for this day, and we've already tried Mythos and Finnegan's. I'd like to try some different places since it's been so long since our last trip. I think The Hard Rock is the only restaurant we'll be repeating. To complicate matters, my sweet, sweet child o' mine is the world's pickiest eater, and I've indulged him. So, configuring meals around his limited palate is a bit of a challenge at times. But, it's also vacation, so if he wants a plate of french fries and a soft pretzel for dinner, so be it. I'm not going to bust his stones about getting in his 3 squares.

Friday: Not sure what park we'll be in today, again, leaving it up to the man-child to decide. I figure we've planned this trip so that he can ride the big coasters, and hopefully get his pants scared off him (not really, but sort of, really we are) We're planning on the NBC Sports Grill. Again, based upon word of mouth, the food is reported to be pretty good here. The menu is quite varied, and I'm sure everyone will be able to find something that'll make their tummies happy here.

Saturday: Emeril's. This was one we crossed off our list last time. I can't remember why we decided to cancel the reservation (maybe it was because of Tchop chop), but I figured we'd give ol' Emeril one last shot at our vacation $$s. On our last trip, we stayed at RPR, and had dinner at Tchop chop. Happy hour was really good, but we weren't overly impressed by dinner. Part of our issue was that our dinners came to the table lukewarm, at best. I'm not super picky when it comes to dining out, but I like my steaks MR, and my food hot. And knowing exactly where service fell apart just left a bad taste in our mouths. (We were watching our food sit in the window) We don't mind paying $25+ for an entree, but if you're going to charge that kind of money, you need to be able to deliver a solid meal. We're also not the complaining type (call it PTSD from our time on the other side of the table), but we aren't looking for anything to be comped, and complaining about food temps is just not something that should be an issue when you're at a "nicer" establishment.

Sunday: I totally have no clue what we're doing here. Maybe we'll just grab a few QS meals at the parks and call it done. It's our last day, and we have a late flight out of MCO, so that we'll be able to pack our bags and stash them at the hotel and spend most of the day at the parks. Maybe I'll leave this one reservation free, unless someone comes up with a brilliant solution.

 

[Raeven]

Yay another Universal trip ptr! Following along!

As far as our vacation dynamics...I'm the bigger Disney fan in the family. I've loved our vacations to see the mouse, and they have resulted in some fantastic memories. Things have happened on trips that have brought me to tears more than once. I'm sentimental like that. Universal has never made me cry. DH prefers the Disney dining options over Universal's, but Universal Parks over Disney (in general).

Same here! I'm a bigger Disney fan (though I wouldn't want to go on a trip without going to both Disney and Universal since I love both) my boyfriend loves the food there but he likes Universal more.

Dinner on Father's Day is at the Palm, and as a special surprise, I've booked the semi-private 2 park VIP tour for his Father's Day gift.

Aw that sounds so nice! I'm sure he'll love it.

Out of all the new restaurants that have appeared since our last visit 5 years ago, these sound the most tempting, and consistently get the best word of mouth from the boardies. I just have to convince my chocolate hating DS (I know, right?) that I'm not secretly trying to kill him. The fact that he can get a waffle for dinner will make him happy, unless he decides that he just can't deal with 'breakfast for dinner.' He's never had breakfast for dinner, and in general, may not know that it is a legit thing. He'll probably think I"m trying to trick him. Maybe I should throw in a few Belgium waffle dinners before our trip to ease him into the idea. He's a "set in my ways" kinda kid, even at 14.

I liked Toothsome better than Cowfish but both are good! Chocolate hating? Hopefully he enjoys breakfast for dinner!

I have a hard time dealing with the lack of information that is available though. The park is supposed to open in 2 months!!

Same here! It won't be open till we go in Sep (we'll miss the opening when we go in May). But I'd love to know something about food and tickets. I thought they were doing a virtual queue type system though so there would be no need for EP? Not sure about that it's just what I thought.

I need a filler dinner for this day, and we've already tried Mythos and Finnegan's.

I'd pick Mythos! But that's our favorite. I'm a picky eater and I think their burger and fries are good.

 

[schumigirl]

You have some lovely plans there!

We adore The Palm......had some gorgeous meals, including last year.......

Offsite we have had amazing steaks at Ocean Prime, Flemings Ruth's Chris and Eddie V's on Sand Lake Road, Oceannaire at Pointe Orlando......all were lovely especially Ocean Prime.........we love a good steak and good wine too......don't care about the cost, as long as it's good.....

I feel your pain with Tchoup Chop......we had so many disappointments there over the years with poorly seasoned food and not eating at all.......long story.....lol..... it we gave it another try last year and loved it. We did have sushi though........

Love Cowfish........oh, I hate chocolate too.........And we enjoyed NBC a lot.....only went for lunch last year, but planning on an evening there this year in place of Margaritaville that we just don't rate highly any more.......

And definitely Mythos.........

Loving your plans!

 

[jagafen]

Yay another Universal trip ptr! Following along!

Same here! It won't be open till we go in Sep (we'll miss the opening when we go in May). But I'd love to know something about food and tickets. I thought they were doing a virtual queue type system though so there would be no need for EP? Not sure about that it's just what I thought.

Based on my conversation with the Customer service rep, and what I've seen online, there will be an option to buy Express passes (if I understood her correctly) for Volcano Bay. Although, in checking UO's website, I don't see that option yet. Maybe they're holding back on offering it just for the waterpark to boost the super expensive "every ticket you could need" option below. Scroll down to the bottom of this link, and it'll tell you what will be included:

https://ww2.universalorlando.com/we...es/index.html#participating-rides-attractions

I really, really hope they aren't calling "Tapu Tapu" the Volcano Bay Express Pass...that's just going to confuse everyone. I don't think they are...I think they're two separate things. But that's just my own brain working.

I know Universal's site was down/wonky yesterday. Apparently, they were doing updates. The extra special ticket (3 park, park to park, with unlimited EP) is now listed as a ticket option. That wasn't there earlier. Bummer, it's $150 more than our 3 park explorer ticket.

https://ww2.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/tickets-packages/express-passes/index.html

 

[Raeven]

Based on my conversation with the Customer service rep, and what I've seen online, there will be an option to buy Express passes (if I understood her correctly) for Volcano Bay. Although, in checking UO's website, I don't see that option yet. Maybe they're holding back on offering it just for the waterpark to boost the super expensive "every ticket you could need" option below. Scroll down to the bottom of this link, and it'll tell you what will be included:

https://ww2.universalorlando.com/we...es/index.html#participating-rides-attractions

I really, really hope they aren't calling "Tapu Tapu" the Volcano Bay Express Pass...that's just going to confuse everyone. I don't think they are...I think they're two separate things. But that's just my own brain working.

I know Universal's site was down/wonky yesterday. Apparently, they were doing updates. The extra special ticket (3 park, park to park, with unlimited EP) is now listed as a ticket option. That wasn't there earlier. Bummer, it's $150 more than our 3 park explorer ticket.

https://ww2.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/tickets-packages/express-passes/index.html

I don't think tapu tapu is EP. I just assumed with that they wouldn't need to offer EP but it looks like they still are. We have APs so we're still waiting to see if Volcano Bay is included in the one we have or not.

 

[HBGdancermom]

Can't wait to follow along! Heading to Universal and HRH with my 2 teenage sons in August for the first time.

 

[jagafen]

OK. So I had this whole post cleverly typed out, and then the interwebs got mad at me and I lost it. So, I'll try and re-post it:

Ok. So someone may have started pre-pre-pre packing already. What that means is that I have piles of stuff, organized in special places, so that they're all together and will eventually make it into a suitcase. I have the bulk disposable ponchos in my closet. There is a pile of Tshirts (courtesy of DS) on my dresser. And on my desk, which is my sacred space, is my master list of things I need to buy, or remember to find and bring with us for the trip. The Y chromosomes know to not touch anything on my desk without my knowledge. It's "my space", and I like it the way I like it.

One of the thins I miss most about Disney prepping vs. Universal prepping is the hunt for the perfect, subtlely themed outfit. My first post had pictures from Shutterfly, but I don't think the interwebs likes those, so I'll just tell you about them. When Alex was younger (read: before he developed an opinion, and would wear anything I told him was "cool") I liked to "theme" dress him for each park, but not just in a bunch of fab five gear because we were at Disney. I'm not a "customs" mom, but probably after I hunted down the perfect outfit, it would have probably saved me a buck to two! In Epcot, he always wore an Italian or Irish themed shirt (our nationalities). Hollywood Studios was good for Cars, Star Wars, and a very sweet Disney sketch T of one of the 101 Dalmatians. Animal Kingdom was trickier. I think I fell back on "fab five" here, because at some point, animals were not cool, but dinosaurs were still ok. Anyway, my kiddo was dressed to the nines (comfortable, playable nines), and I loved the thrill of coming up with different "themes" and then putting together the perfect outfit.

Not-so-much-like-that-anymore. Now, he has an opinion. Most of that opinion is that if it's my opinion, my opinion automatically sucks because it's not his opinion, even if it would have been his opinion, just the fact that I said it before he thought of it makes it even suckier. Loving those teen years so far! So, I've had to get a little more clever, and learn to keep my mouth shut. After all, I've raised him, and like it or not, he's mostly wired like I am. So, I told him to go through his things, and "figure out how many shirts he has that he wants to wear, and let me know if we need to go shopping". Moms of younger boys, this is where you need to pay attention. Most (not all, but a large number) of teen boys HATE TO GO SHOPPING WITH THEIR MOTHERS. I knew that I'd already populated his wardrobe with a good start, and if I just manipulated him (I mean, phrased the question in the right way) he'd manage to find THOSE shirts to avoid the embarrassment of being seen with me SHOPPING!! BINGO!! Pile of Ts in hand....and what he doesn't have in HP stuff, he more than makes up for it in the Superhero realm, so we're covered. We've all been sorted into our respective houses, so we will be bringing the obligatory HP shirts, but this one is a favorite, and I didn't even buy it. Alex has always been a "bad guy" backer, ever since he was a little boy. He never wanted to be the hero, he wanted to be the guy trying to beat the hero. Darth Vader, The Joker, you get my drift. So, of course, early on, he loved Slytherin characters. Then lo and behold, guess who is a little Slytherin himself? This shirt actually came in his HP themed January Loot Crate:

And, once I learned the story a bit better through the movies, Snape has secretly been my favorite character too. So when he got this in the crate, it was perfect. The bad guy for Alex, and the perfect tortured soul character that I"m drawn too (I love me a little bit of psychological damage/conflict in characters. Makes them more interesting.)

And, of course, he has at least 2 slytherin Ts in the pile too....

DH is a longtime Marvel fan, so he has superhero Ts (mostly Avengers) out the wazoo. By default, being his father's son, so does DS. So dressing them isn't so much about the hunt for the perfect shirt, but a meander to the dresser to pull out a bunch of stuff they're already wearing. I did pick this up for DH for his birthday though.

My hubs is a movie geek, but I like them a bit on the geeky side, so it works out. But he's ONE OF THOSE that has seen every movie, and knows everything about anything to do with his favorite genres...SW included. He likes the HP verse, but he's not as much of a HP geek as he is a Marvel geek, or SW geek. He also has an obligatory Gryffindor shirt, but I'm not sure if it will actually get worn in the parks. I'm not the kind of wife that packs his stuff for him. I'm too busy teaching our man-child how to pack, and packing myself, and making endless piles of things that are not.to.be.touched around the house. And also, if he forgets anything, it's his fault, and that's what cash and CCs are for, right?

And momma? I've managed to acquire a few things too. This is my favorite, but it's in Navy, since I'm a Ravenclaw. Big Journey fan. I'm their demographic.

And because I didn't want to advertise to the entire world that I really, really, really like to have a glass or two of wine, I went with my second vice, also in Blue, to represent, even if I'm not representing:

And because, quite honestly, this is the most perfect T shirt I could ever own, again, in you guessed it....blue:

 

[Raeven]

So someone may have started pre-pre-pre packing already. What that means is that I have piles of stuff, organized in special places, so that they're all together and will eventually make it into a suitcase.

I do that too.

Moms of younger boys, this is where you need to pay attention. Most (not all, but a large number) of teen boys HATE TO GO SHOPPING WITH THEIR MOTHERS

And sisters! My brother threw a tantrum when I took him to the mall once when he was 16.

He never wanted to be the hero, he wanted to be the guy trying to beat the hero. Darth Vader, The Joker, you get my drift. So, of course, early on, he loved Slytherin characters. Then lo and behold, guess who is a little Slytherin himself?

Love it! Sometimes I enjoy movies where the bad guys win. I'm also a Slytherin!

And, once I learned the story a bit better through the movies, Snape has secretly been my favorite character too. So when he got this in the crate, it was perfect.

Snape is one of my favorite characters as well. That quote always gets me a little choked up.

 

[nouvellefleur]

Ok. So someone may have started pre-pre-pre packing already.

I love it! I wish I could get away with some pre-pre-pre packing myself (also going in June! on a girls trip), but I live in a small apartment with a roommate and I'm way too embarrassed to get caught packing two months in advance. So I'm contenting myself with an absurdly detailed packing list in my google docs then surreptitiously trying on outfits and revising the packing list ad infinitum. I'm currently debating the degree of folly in wearing a sundress to the parks. Dresses are my go-to summer staple; I literally don't own a pair of shorts outside of sleepwear. But man, the idea of flashing everyone on the rollercoasters is terrifying.

 

[jagafen]

Dresses are my go-to summer staple; I literally don't own a pair of shorts outside of sleepwear. But man, the idea of flashing everyone on the rollercoasters is terrifying.

LOL. You never know...DH and I are together because he bent over in front of me to get a bottle of ketchup off a low shelf (we were servers together).

Sharing more shopping goodies!! I just got this shirt, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It's going to be my "First day in the parks" shirt, which will be our semi-private VIP tour, so I should look blingtastic, and deserving of my VIP status (that I paid for), right? The store is HarvestApparel on Etsy. Hope the plug is ok. I'm not Kelly Anne, afterall, right? I probably paid too much for it, but it was about the cost of a T in the parks, so, one less souvie to buy!!

And, I'm a lipbalmaholic. I MUST have it with me at all times. There are 2 in my desk at work, 3 on my desk at home, 2 in mu purse, 1 in my car at all times, 1 in DH's car, and a stash of backups in my bedroom. I order this stuff (Avon's moisture therapy lip balm) once a year and get like $50 worth. It's crazy. When DS was a baby, he didn't like anything with a flavor or scent (even plain chapstick). I found this, and now it's all he'll use. I am so ruining him for his future wife. Sorry who ever you are.

So, I got these in the mail this week too:

for Alex

and, for me, with hints of Ravenclaw blue...I didn't get anything more "fun" like the minions because I'll probably steal Alex's after the trip anyway. They don't come with the balm, but that's ok because we HAVE to get the Avon stuff. I didn't get one from DH, because he just asks me for mine, knowing that I have one on me at all times.

 

[ChipDale]

Wow, your plans look wonderful! Toothsome is on our list of new places to try too. Glad to see that I'm not the only who likes "pre-packing" Can't wait to see how your plans work out!

 

[macraven]

you should market that coffee shirt....

it is one of my daily food items ...

 

[jagafen]

Guess who paid off their trip over the weekend??!!!

 

[jagafen]

So, this time in June, I will be MIA. Today is going to be our waterpark day. In celebration, I booked our premium seating at Volcano Bay. The price was reasonablish ($70 for 2 padded loungers, locker, umbrella, and shared attendant). Given that it's opening season, I'll gladly pay for a piece of the park for a day.

Once we hit T minus 60, I have to REALLY resist the urge to start packing. I can feel it starting already. The other day, I thought about "pre-packing" in my travel cubes. Would it save time? As I was putting away my laundry yesterday, I found myself counting how many pairs of shorts I had (same # as last year, by the way), and mentally doing the math to figure out how many I could "live with" between now and then. My piles aren't growing in #, but they are in size...I'm going to have to deal with them before too much longer. I'm overflowing with piles...fall stuff that needs to be put away (but I don't want to do it until it's all been washed so I only have to pull out the darn bins once). It will be another week before that happens. Maybe once I get the cold weather stuff dealt with, I can seriously think about the beginning stages of packing for vacation. I also need to help the man child pack...meaning I'll be supervising him as he packs his own bags. I'm raising someone's future husband afterall, and I do not pack for my hubs...I expect him to be able to do it for himself as well.

So, what do you all do to pass the time until it's time for your trip. Everything is basically planned at this point. What the heck am I going to do for the next 60 or so days???

 

[jagafen]

I might have done a little shopping this week:

hot pink tank, with "jade" colored glitter transfer

turquoise tank, with hot pink glitter transfer.

Again, I need to stay away from Etsy (JSMDesignz). I think this gives me 6 tanks to wear for this trip...plus I have 2 other Ts that I'll be taking as backup. I may also be placing an order from Hot Topic for these..depends upon if I remember to use my coupon before it expires (tonight maybe??)

If I get these as well, that's 8 tanks, and 2 Ts, plus whatever else I bring for our planned 5 days in the parks...that'll cover my 2 outfit rule that I feel I need to follow when vacationing in the summer.

 

[kelly0726]

Hey, funny I see your post here! Not sure if you remember but I am around the corner from you and we met through Gymbofriends years ago. Anyway, we are going to Disney/Universal in May and looking for info. We have never been to Universal with the kids, so I was looking for ideas when I came across this. My boys are younger than your ds but will be checking out the restaurants you mentioned!

 

[jagafen]

Hey, funny I see your post here! Not sure if you remember but I am around the corner from you and we met through Gymbofriends years ago. Anyway, we are going to Disney/Universal in May and looking for info. We have never been to Universal with the kids, so I was looking for ideas when I came across this. My boys are younger than your ds but will be checking out the restaurants you mentioned!

LOL. Long time no talk!! We're still in the same area. AngieTN from GF is here too. Make sure you check out the Universal thread on GF as well.

And, for those who are following along, I did buy those 2 tanks from Hot Topic that I posted above...along with snitch bobby pins that I couldn't resist, mostly because I had to hit a minimum $$ to use my discount code!

 

[macraven]

Do you get all your clothes and other things in one suitcase?