Sorry kids! We're going to the DARK SIDE!

[mrsabbott]

Those comic strip bubble photo ops are so cute! Are there some that are cute for moms with kids?

Thanks for keeping the story going!

They had a ton of different ones and each bubble had a different saying on each side.. I can't remember them all, but there was one that said, "I need a vacation from my vacation" or something like that! The sun was right behind it though and we couldn't get a good pic. Several were things like "Thinking of you" or "Wish you were here". Punky was under one that said "Betty Boop, eat your heart out!"

Heluvsme, they have those giant "family dryers" but I wasn't about to pay for those! Honestly, it was pretty warm but we dried off quickly in the sun. Just DON'T wear jean shorts! LOL! Punky and I had on jean shorts and they seemed to take forever to get dry! That said, I did put a pair of flip flops in my camelback and put those on for the water rides!

Hamilla, you guys are going to have SUCH a great time!! I'm envious that you will get to experience Diagon Alley! Take lots of pics!!

 

[jsh1975]

What is the big deal about the dark side? I am worried my kids won't want to leave to go over to DW. They will probably want to ride spiderman 100 times and all the other movie rides as well. I am just thankful Daigon Alley won't be open and they are too small for the other HP rode or I know we would never leave.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

What is the big deal about the dark side? I am worried my kids won't want to leave to go over to DW. They will probably want to ride spiderman 100 times and all the other movie rides as well. I am just thankful Daigon Alley won't be open and they are too small for the other HP rode or I know we would never leave.

Being a Disney-specific board, I think you get a strangely skewed negative opinion here about the Universal and SeaWorld parks that is not as prevalent elsewhere. There are many posters on the Dis that have such an emotional attachment to Disney that any competitor is seen as evil and inferior, even if they've never personally given them a try.

Disney has some great parks. Universal has great parks. SeaWorld has great parks. Orlando, as a whole, is one incredible place to take your family....there really is a park for every interest, every age, and every stage. I am betting your kiddos will love Universal as much as you think they will .

mrsabott....great updates . I am still lovin' your report!

 

[mrsabbott]

What is the big deal about the dark side? I am worried my kids won't want to leave to go over to DW. They will probably want to ride spiderman 100 times and all the other movie rides as well. I am just thankful Daigon Alley won't be open and they are too small for the other HP rode or I know we would never leave.

I will be honest with you, with the exception of he Harry Potter areas, I previously had no desire to go to Universal. I was dreaming of Disney and that was it. I thought Disney was the best place for families and I still LOVE Disney! But my expectations were a little low for Universal. I expected it to be inferior somehow and, had we not been gifted tickets, we wouldn't have gone. I was blown away by the Universal parks! The whole family was, even Buds! Tons for the entire family to do! It is a different vibe then the Disney parks.. But just as detailed and magical. We can't wait to go back again! But, I am still dreaming of Disney..

 

[kokas]

Nice pics, Mrsabott!

 

[mrsabbott]

And so, we made our way back to WWofHP and when we passed by the Posieden's Fury area, Pod and Punky went on and on about how awesome it was and how I just needed to see it! There was a wait until the next showing, so I said we would come back in a few.

I'm trying to remember the order of events here... going by my pics, I think we went to the Owlery first.

Remember about what I said earlier? About the idea of sitting at my leisure and filling out postcards to send via owl post? Yeah, that didn't happen. This time, there were plenty of places to sit down, but we had so much we wanted to do one last time before the park closed.. I did purchase a few HP postcards and managed to send off a few via owl post.. but the majority of them were still in the camelback and didn't get filled out or mailed until later that week when we were back at the resort. My suggestion? Purchase postcards in advance (or on your first day) and address them at your hotel/resort one evening before going back. Especially if you have several friends and family who you are wanting to send mail to.

we all rode Hippogriff again. I tried getting some pics of the ride, but had no luck! Such a great little coaster, but I think maybe I love it so much because we could all ride it together and none of us got sick or scared on it! Well, that and I just LOVE Hagrid's hut!! Regardless, this was a family favorite!

After that, we noticed the Beauxbaton's were out! It was the first show that I actually got to see! Well, I got to see part of it. Hubs was in some sort of a hurry, I think. I can't remember why though..

At this point, we split up. Pod and Punky were adamant that I just HAD to see Posiedon's Fury and we simply HAD to go! And so we did. My honest opinion? The cast member who lead the skit was amazing! Very funny, very animated! Was all about getting the people involved in the show! He even pointed out Pod's twinkle toe shoes during one spot and the other staff made sure we had good spots up front for each of the rooms. Also, I can see where the girls loved it! It was a grand adventure that piqued their imaginations. But all in all? It was just okay. I enjoyed the girls' excitement but don't have a desire to see it again.

While we were doing that, Hubs took Buds and Boo to Olivanders. There was, apparently, no wait to get it. He said it was awesome. I am jealous and am determined not to miss it the next time.

We met back up and it was getting dark. Pod and Punky wanted to do Forbidden Journey one last time but Boo didn't, so it was decided that we would ride Hippogriff one last time.

Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me on along with both Boo and Buds because they both needed to ride with an adult. Boo was really sad and started crying. Pretty sure the staff person felt about () this big.. but rules are rules.

So, I told her we would go to Honeydukes and I would buy her some cotton candy (aka Candy Floss.. which is such an odd name as it makes me think of dental floss.. but whatever). So, off we went..

Honeydukes was practically empty! I took the opportunity to take my time really soaking up the atmosphere!

I got Boo her cotton candy and then got another chocolate frog! I also took a look at their bakery section and they informed me that rock cakes were buy one get one free! So, I got a couple of those, a cauldron cake, and some chocolate skeletons for the other of the kids!

We left there and went to get a Butterbeer but were told it was closed.

At this point, it was time to leave as the parks were closing. We were really sad to leave, especially knowing that we wouldn't be coming back for a long, long time. We were totally blown away by the parks! My nervousness about there not being enough for the whole family to do was unfounded as there were several things that even Buds could enjoy!! Hubs was completely won over and was talking about going back before we'd even made our way out of the park!!

The Abbott family give both parks an enthusiastic 12 thumbs up!!

Hubs and I both agree that, to really get to see and do everything, you need a good 4 days.. 2 in each park! You can hit the highlights in 2 if the lines are short.. I have to say, the 2nd day we were there, we didn't feel like we were missing out by not having an express pass! I do think that time of year as well as day of the week you go makes a big difference! Once Diagon Alley settles down, I would recommend going on the off season and going on a Tuesday for sure! Much more relaxing atmosphere without the crowds and several rides were either walk on or a very short wait!

While my Universal/Sea World part of my trip is over.. I will continue on with the rest of our experiences just in case someone might be considering on of these outings on their trip! We went to Downtown Disney/T-rex, Medieval Times, Wet n' Wild, and LEGOLAND..

 

[Heluvsme]

I can't wait to go!! We are 27 days out and I have loved reading your report!!

Thanks for taking us along!!!

 

[mrsabbott]

After 3 long, adventurous park days, we decided to sleep in on Monday! What that really meant was that I woke up at about 8am before everyone else did. I decided to do what I'd been longing to do for quite some time.. have coffee outside on the little patio! Up until then, I'd been drinking coffee while running around, trying to get myself and the kiddos ready for the day's adventures.. Today was going to be far more low key!

I was especially excited about my morning coffee and breakfast that morning!

A little side story here.. back when Hubs wasn't doing so well, he lost his temper and threw my most favorite coffee mug and broke it. He felt bad about it, even going so far as trying to find one on ebay. It was an old Winnie The Pooh mug that I'd had for several years. Anyhoo, I was determined to get a new favorite mug while we were on vacation. I figured I would "know" when I saw it, but my initial thought was to get a Marauder's Map mug where the footprints appear when hot liquid is inside. However, it just didn't feel right to me. I also saw a super cute Hedwig owl mug (and I do love owls!!) but it also didn't feel quite right!

Nope.. this Marauder's Map mug felt perfect! On the back it says, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good!" I am almost certain that my coffee tastes better in this mug then the others! And having a rock cake to go along with it.. DIVINE!

Anyhoo, the plan for the day was to have lunch at T-Rex and then browse Downtown Disney for a little bit. We had some Disney gift cards we had gotten for Christmas to spend. I know that the girls were anxious to do the Build a Dinosaur thing at T-Rex. Punky had been talking about it for months!

There was free parking at Downtown Disney! We were also able to park very close. Crowds seemed very low, especially for lunch time! I didn't have reservations and was hoping that the wait wouldn't be too long!

It wasn't a long wait. They said it would be 30 minutes, but it was only 15 minutes max. We were seated in the underwater sea area.. right next to the tank that had bust a few weeks before. Anyone remember that? They didn't have the tank repaired yet, just had some sort of false fish tank wrap thingy around it.

I've got to say, the theming was pretty cool! The kids were awed by it all, especially when everything started moving! I didn't get great pics, but this will give you an idea:

It wasn't super crowded, but it wasn't empty either. No one thought a thing about us getting up and walking around to check it all out. Our server was a pretty sweet lady! They gave the kids little hats and coloring books to keep them occupied. They also had a play area where they could "dig" up dinosaur bones! I thought that was a nice idea!

I ordered a pasta dish and Hubs got some sort of chicken dish. The kids got pizza and mac n' cheese. I want to say there were some broccoli sides ordered as well. Now, I will have to say that we might have gotten spoiled by eating lunch at Mythos twice. One could even say that we might have gotten a little snobby about our food that week. The food was just.. meh. Not awful, but not great. But, you are paying for the ambience, not the food. Theming was awesome! Yes, it was a little loud, but it was very cool as well! The food was average.

Now, we had just finished eating when Buds needed his pull up changed. I swear, he is never going to potty train. He is going to go to high school in pull ups, I just know it. Anyhoo, I normally have a pull up and some wipes in my purse, but once we got to the bathroom I realized that I had left them in the camelback, back at the hotel. I figured he would be okay for a few minutes sans pull up, so we went back to the table and Hubs said he would run out to the car and get the spare that I kept in there.

I took the kids to the gift shop area so the girls could get their build a dinosaurs and that was when it all hit the fan. Standing there in the middle of the gift shop, Buds peed his pants and threw a huge fit! Right before Hubs got back with the spare pull up. It was serious chaos!

Long story short, it took forever, but I got Buds and his mess cleaned up and the kids got their dinosaurs and we got out of there before we could cause any more damage. Later, when we were back at the resort, I realized that my gift card that I had saved and saved swagbucks for had been forgotten! Of course! Maybe we will use it for Rainforest the next time..

So, we walked around Downtown Disney for a little bit!

There were a ton of neat photo ops all around!

We went into the world's largest Disney Store! It was pretty amazing in there! The girls had used their gift cards to buy their dinosaurs (they were able to be used at T-rex!) but I still had one. I bought the kids books for their pressed penny collections and a Mike Wazowski thing to put on Bessie's antenna! She'd done so well on our vacation that she deserved a souvenir too!

We went over to Ghiradhelli, but ended up not getting anything. They did give us a free sample of chocolate, which was yummy! But I was still full from lunch. I'm kind of regretting not getting an ice cream now.

There was a huge Lego store which was pretty neat. They had a thing where you could build your own Lego Droid that Hubs thought was cool. I'm surprised he didn't buy one. He was like a kid in there!

We didn't get to stay long because we had plans to meet up with family back at the resort. We were going to have dinner and swim that evening. I ended up not getting a single pic of that visit either.

We put the kids in bed after they left and then Hubs and I rented a movie and ordered room service. They offer free movie rentals at a Redbox kind of thing there. Kind of a cool feature! Also, you could order delivery from the restaurant that was on property. I think it was called Tradewinds. Hubs didn't care for the lasagna we had and so he ordered some chicken tacos. I got the parmesan fries appetizer to munch on. Also got us a couple of key lime pies. Food was good. I fell asleep during the movie though.. I was still pretty exhausted!

The next day, the plan was to go to Wet n' Wild and Medieval Times!

 

[chs27]

Great update, Mrs. Abbott. Nothing fazed you. I would be a nervous wreck dealing with the pull up meltdown. You just go to the chocolate store. One child was a lot for me. You're my hero.

 

[plannermom]

Thanks for the great update! I felt the same way about Poseidon, one and done. Strangely that Suess ride in the sky (what is it called?), I would definitely do over. I love your coffee mug and rock cake breakfast! That is my favorite time of every day.

 

[mrsabbott]

Great update, Mrs. Abbott. Nothing fazed you. I would be a nervous wreck dealing with the pull up meltdown. You just go to the chocolate store. One child was a lot for me. You're my hero.

LOL! Thanks! I work with children (not my own) on a daily basis and I laughingly call our house "the Madhouse" because there is always some kind of craziness going on around here! I'm used to dealing with one crisis or another!

 

[mrsabbott]

We got to sleep in a little bit on Thursday morning since Wet n' Wild didn't open until 10am. We had to stop at my beloved Super Target and pick up some more sunscreen since we were out. A thing of sunscreen doesn't last very long with 6 of us! If we lived in Florida, we would probably have to buy it by the case full! The kids and I are pretty fair skinned!

I was finally going out in public in a bathing suit! I haven't done that in too many years to count! The kids were super excited about the waterpark! I don't know that they have ever been to one before..

We got there with a few minutes to spare and we were able to get a shaded table right in front, near the wave pool.

Our initial plan was to grab a shaded spot by the splash park area, but it was closed! Still, we had a good, easy to find spot as our home base. I will be honest, I was nervous about us splitting up and one of the kids getting lost or something! At first, I was dead set on us staying together, but that wasn't quite feasible. Still, the girls did good with sticking together and/or coming to check in often with us and telling us where they would be.

It also occurred to me after we arrived that I didn't bring towels. Hubs went and paid an arm and a leg for a thin, generic beach towel that said "Florida" on it. We all sunscreened up real good before checking out the waterpark!

Anyhoo, we hit the wave pool area first. I liked that they had life jackets readily available for the younger kids! I didn't have any floaties or anything for Buds! Mom of the year, remember?

Buds did great with sticking with us at all times. No running off for him, thank goodness! He loved the pool when there were no waves, but when the waves started he'd say, "Don't want it!" and we would have to leave! Eventually, he got to where he would be in the very shallow end and let the waves hit it legs, but that was it. The girls absolutely adored the wave pool! We had to beg them to get out to try some water slides!

There was one area that had slides that Buds could ride on. He went on one and was very stoic about it. We tried one other and it was the same thing.. he didn't cry, but didn't want to go on it again. The girls really enjoyed them though, especially when they realized they could ride without us!

Hubs and I switched off with Buds a few times and I took Boo on one of the larger waterslides, which she thought was super fun! Lines had picked up around noon, so the wait was longer. There was a great view up top of Cabana Bay, which I think looks so cool!

Around 1pm, they opened up the splash park and we headed over there. Buds didn't like it when water fell on your head or splashed in your face (which is so odd because he pours water over his head in the bathtub all the time.. go figure.) but he liked the wading area. Boo liked the splash park though.

Pod had found a friend and they rode a few slides together (I chatted with the girl's mom.. they were vacationing from PA!) while Hubs took Punky over to try one of the BIG slides!

This is so funny! If you go up a set of stairs it branches off to a couple of different slide options. There was one that shot straight down, which Punky said she wanted to do. You get into some container thingy and cross your legs and arms and they just pull a lever and you drop. Hubs kept saying, "We can go back, you don't have to do this one.." but she was determined! She went first and, not wanting to be shown up by his 9 year old daughter, Hubs did it too! Punky LOVED it but Hubs HATED it!! LOL! He said he closed his eyes and tensed up but Punky said she had her eyes opened and thought it was awesome!

We brought snacks with us and didn't buy anything there other then the towel. At 2pm, we headed back home because we wanted to shower before dinner.

(Pod's face cracks me up.. I have no idea what she was doing in this picture!)

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Great waterpark write-up!

We've done Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon and Aquatica, but have yet to visit Wet & Wild. Its on our to-do list for a future trip . My guys are ride junkies but I'd be spending my day lounging in that wave pool.

Looks like you had perfectly sunny waterpark weather on the day of your visit!