We took the kids to WDW! - All done, Now Bonus features! Festival of Holidays 2/23

[franandaj]

So I promise this is the only “rapid fire” update that you will get from me on this TR. I was really excited to get this post up. You will see why when you get to the end of this update! Many of you will not be as excited about it as I am!


Day 2


3:38 AM


I know the time because our fancy new clock that we used for the first time on the Mississippi cruise was projecting it strongly on the wall. Here is a picture I took later in the day. When the room is dark, the projection is brighter.



What is with me and sleeping on vacation????

Do I get myself so worked up in the days before that once I get there I'm that wound up? I browsed the DIS for a bit, but I knew that the "Twilight Zone" was approaching. It's more annoying on the West Coast, I'm up at 1AM more often than I'm up at 4AM, but maybe not considering my last few trips!

I looked at FB. I tried to sleep, I wrote in my phone journal, I tried to sleep. Finally, I turned on World News Now which turned into America This Morning. I kept trying to sleep to no avail. At 6:25 the alarm that Fran had set went off.

We both got up and got dressed slowly. EMH was in US this morning which was perfect, this all fit into my plan. We went upstairs to the bar which they convert into a QS breakfast spot to see what they had. I wanted cereal and was hoping for something NOT loaded in sugar, corn flakes, Special K, even Honey Nut Cheerios are OK even if they are on the higher side of sweetness. The best I could do was Frosted Mini Wheats. I also grabbed a coffee.



Fran had a chocolate croissant.



We motored our way over to City Walk to make our way into US. I didn't take any pictures as we were on a mission.

They were actually letting people in before 8AM, but I guess the only thing that was open was Diagon Alley and it took a while to get back there. The areas we couldn't go to on the way were roped off to herd us in the direction they wanted. We entered and it was brilliantly done.



The Weazley Brothers shop….



I had wanted to use the big camera to take pictures in this area, but when the moment struck me I didn't want to take the time to get it out, so I just went with the point and shoot. By this point my tummy was feeling a little queasy.

I parked the scooter.



I decided not to finish my coffee.

We found the Gringott's ride and found out there is no option to go through the queue and then bail on the ride. It's also not scooter friendly (that's an understatement), so I said "so long" to Fran and got in line.





I was in line in the outside queue for less than 10 minutes before I got a very bad feeling in my stomach. I got out of line and ran straight for the first trash can I could find. One of the nice TMs was working at a cart next to the trash can and offered me the napkin dispenser that he had just restocked. He offered to get me medical attention, but I knew exactly what it was as I had suffered a similar problem a few weeks ago. It all comes down to sugar and caffeine don't go together when it comes to my stomach. I left the queue to find Fran and my bottle of water.


After a few minutes rest, I decided again to give it a shot. The wait time was still 30 minutes (which is where it was when I first got in line), by this point it was only 8:20, so we had plenty of time to do what we wanted still even after I rode the ride.















This was one of those portraits that was moving.



It was a neat ride, but it was really uncomfortable. They tried to push the bar down hard on my legs and it hurt while I was riding. The fact that most of the ride relied on projections on a video screen also took away from the Wow factor. I mean I’m sure it’s easier to produce than an actual animatronic dragon. There were a lot of stairs in the queue and I was exhausted by the end of the ride just from climbing up and down the steps. I never realized that there was a single rider line until I got to the loading process. I considered going back for a second ride, but the thought of it just wore me out.

After the ride, we went into the animal store.



Fran wanted me to take a picture of this kitty.







Then we checked out Knock turn alley.





I didn’t get any pictures actually insides Knockturn Alley as I didn’t get the big camera out. It was interesting. It was really dark. I’m sure that it was all indoors, but it had that “outdoor” feeling to it and was definitely a neat effect.

It was cool, but almost every place was selling the same souvenirs for the four different houses, and I'm getting so over "stuff". Fran bought a conductor style "Platform 9 3/4 hat", but that's it. I noticed that they have added some sort of game (in both lands) similar to the Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom game where you need wands to wave at the window displays to activate certain features.

Good job Universal! You found a way to sell every bleepin' kid a wand to wave around and annoy everyone in a 3 ft radius!

We took one last look up the street at Gringott’s.



And then we looked back to the exit of Diagon Alley and left.



Then we decided to take the Hogwarts Express. But first i had a visit with Stan and the Night Bus.





The train was interesting. We got to see the "wall" where you transform but scooters couldn't go that way, so I watched a few people go through and then we went through a regular door to the boarding area.







We were seated in a car with six other people. Again most everything happened on the video screen. It was fun.








[Continued in Next Post]

 

[franandaj]

[Continued from Previous Post]

Once we got to Hogsmeade we visited Honeydukes.

















We didn't buy anything. I wasn't going to ride Forbidden Journey after my last experience a few years ago. We didn't want to wait in line for Olivander's either. I did have to use the facilities and was glad I did, I had forgotten that @afwdwfan has reported from back in January that Moaning Myrtle was in there! We then took the train back over to the Studios. I would highly recommend taking it both ways if you're a fan. It was different on the two trips.

I had one more item on my list before I would be satisfied with my day. We headed over to the Simpsons land. I wasn’t going to ride this one either. It made me pretty sick way back when, 2008 I think.



I loved that they had done Springfield so well. I haven’t watched the Simpsons in years, but I did watch it when it first came out, and have seen an episode or two in the past few years, but I’m not an avid fan, so perhaps I don’t get the nuances.





Lard lad was my goal. When I was reading Andy’s TR from this Winter he had a contest asking where he had breakfast the day he went to US/IOA. That got me to look up what there was there at Universal. I guessed Lard Lad on the contest because it was funny. Then in the next round he asked what he had at the donut store. So that made me research the offerings. They had a giant pink donut! I showed it to Fran and we both decided that we had to have one. If I was offering a contest I would ask you to guess how many of the giant pink donuts we actually bought….





It was as big as my head!









However after three bites, I knew I better get some protein or I'd get sick again. We were going to wait until 11AM for Cletus' Chicken Shack, but there was a guy in front of the door who said they were doing a photo shoot and wouldn't open for another half an hour. We were ready to go back to the room, so Instead we got some Carne Asada tacos from the food truck across the street.







They were good and one taco for each of us totally hit the spot. And then we had a little dessert after our tacos.



After that we made our way to the exit, driving through several stores, but not tempted enough to actually purchase anything. I did see some cool Dr. Who shirts, and they even had my Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock T-shirt! Bonus points if you can name what that is from!


[Continued in Next Post]

 

[dhorner233]

It's that fun one that you don't get to eat real food for two days beforehand and get to drink a bunch of stuff you wouldn't ever consume on a regular basis. But if you don't do it right you get to do it all over again! I get to do it a couple weeks after she does! Yay! I love being over 50!

Been there, done that!

Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock is from the Big Bang Theory?

 

[franandaj]

[Continued from Previous Post]


Back in the room, Fran laid down for a nap. She asked me to get her computer out so she could get online which caused me to totally rearrange the suitcases and stuff in the room. Boy are these rooms tiny! I have been spoiled by DVC!

Then I went down to the pool. At first I couldn't find a lounger in the shade, and when I did it was in the sand, not on pavement. Not ideal, but I was going to go for it. I got in the water and it was definitely refreshing. I tried to stay in the shade, but kids splashing around made me decide to look elsewhere and that's when I spied the empty loungers in the shade poolside. So I swam to the other side of the pool to get my stuff and moved over to the new location. That's when I ordered myself a drink and kicked it for a while.



I thought about getting a second one, but when I saw that it was $15, I said "forget it!" Evidently your 1st drink comes with a "souvenir" glass, then every drink thereafter you get $5 off. Still a little more than I wanted to spend.

I went back to the room and decided to join Fran in a nap. I probably got a good two hours of sleep when I was awakened again with the lameness of band. I let Fran deal with it again and decided to start getting ready for dinner. The shower was so wonderful! I let the water run the whole time. No shivering while I'm lathering up my hair, the warm water just kept flowing!

Once I got dressed I walked around the resort a little bit and took some pictures with the big camera. It's not that exciting of place and this is our third time staying here, but I did my best.

Hallway to and from our room.





The entrance to the lobby of the hotel.



These Frog musicians greet you on your way into the hotel. A few years back, Fran took pictures of each one of them. I was OK with a token shot.





This stream runs through the front of the resort. It doesn’t look like its really “running” though.



Looking back to the interior of the hotel lobby.









In the mornings, they set up a QS Breakfast area here with Pastries, cereal, coffee and juices.





I could have had sushi for dinner if I wanted!



These cool lights hung over the stairway to downstairs where the Asian restaurant and Jake’s American Bar were located.



That bench down there is where we sat waiting to be called for our table.



Looking out at the pool. I sat under the umbrella on the far side of the pool, the one smack in the middle of the picture.




Here’s a view of the rock garden looking from the other side.



And the resort map, in case you’re curious. We stayed in 23, Tower 2 - Leeward



These photos were taken in the courtyard outside our window.







When I got back to the room I made Fran get up and out of bed as it was really time to get dressed! Once we were ready, we went to the valet, they hailed us a cab and we were on our way to dinner.


OK, what the heck! I will do a contest (yes, call me crazy). So here’s the gist for those of you not reading TRs with contests. Participation is optional, if you are just here for the pretty pictures, that’s fine. This will be a leisurely TR (of sorts). I have 47 days left until my next trip. Maybe I won’t finish it before that one, but I should have both of my other Trip Reports wrapped up by then so wrangling two of them after the cruise shouldn’t be an issue.


I won’t post rapid fire updates. I will try to give most folks who participate ample time to read and post. I will even try to give 24 hours notice before the next post goes up. You can submit your answers up until the time that the next post goes up. There could be bonus points, there are no flattery points. I will try to make the questions simple and straight forward with no nasty twists or double entendre.


So here goes!


1. In the last update I showed you one large donut and four small donuts. How many total Large donuts did we actually buy? (10 points)


2. What drink did I order in the last update? (10 points)


3. You should gather from the fact that the valets hailed us a cab, we are not eating on Universal property. I don’t remember if I spilled the beans on this one somewhere beforehand, but Veteran TR readers may have an advantage on this one. Where did we have dinner? Hint: It’s a chain restaurant. Fran told me to add that it’s not Chili’s. (10 points)


4. We almost always order the exact same things when dining at this establishment. What did we add to our repertoire this trip and plan to get it again as long as it on the menu? (25 points)


5. Did I sleep through the night? If not, what time did I awaken at night? Either way what time did I decide I was done sleeping? (5 points, 10-20 depending on your answer)


6. We went to Disney on this day. How long did we wait for our first bus to Epcot? (10 points)

 

[ACDSNY]

OK, I'll try answering #1 with one large pink donut. My brain can't handle thinking any further than that with all the meds I'm taking today.

 

[rndmr2]

Glad to see you started the new TR! the Loews Resort is pretty, the room looks nice, too, sorry it was a little small.

That Harry Potter areas of US looks so cool, I know almost nothing about HP but I would love to see it someday.

I'll be brave and be the first to answer the questions

1. In the last update I showed you one large donut and four small donuts. How many total Large donuts did we actually buy? (10 points)-------------2, one each


2. What drink did I order in the last update? (10 points)----------Mai Tai


3. You should gather from the fact that the valets hailed us a cab, we are not eating on Universal property. I don’t remember if I spilled the beans on this one somewhere beforehand, but Veteran TR readers may have an advantage on this one. Where did we have dinner? Hint: It’s a chain restaurant. Fran told me to add that it’s not Chili’s. (10 points)----Applebees


4. We almost always order the exact same things when dining at this establishment. What did we add to our repertoire this trip and plan to get it again as long as it on the menu? (25 points) ---------Won Ton Tacos (I picked them because they are yummy, LOL)


5. Did I sleep through the night? If not, what time did I awaken at night? Either way what time did I decide I was done sleeping? (5 points, 10-20 depending on your answer)-------------yes, 5am


6. We went to Disney on this day. How long did we wait for our first bus to Epcot? (10 points)------10 minutes

 

[Leshaface]

Where did you get that?!

I was in line in the outside queue for less than 10 minutes before I got a very bad feeling in my stomach. I got out of line and ran straight for the first trash can I could find. One of the nice TMs was working at a cart next to the trash can and offered me the napkin dispenser that he had just restocked. He offered to get me medical attention, but I knew exactly what it was as I had suffered a similar problem a few weeks ago. It all comes down to sugar and caffeine don't go together when it comes to my stomach. I left the queue to find Fran and my bottle of water.

Oh no! That really sucks but glad you started feeling better after.

Good job Universal! You found a way to sell every bleepin' kid a wand to wave around and annoy everyone in a 3 ft radius!

Really cool! Gah, one day i'll make it there.

Oh my gosh, I had seen this on another TR a long time ago, but forgot how massive they are!

Now does it actually taste as good as it looks??

What are the flavors on the right??

Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock T-shirt! Bonus points if you can name what that is from!

Sheldon, Big Bang Theory!

I was awakened again with the lameness of band.

Wow they just can't live without you!

there are no flattery points

Awww why not?!?

1. In the last update I showed you one large donut and four small donuts. How many total Large donuts did we actually buy? (10 points)

Two.

2. What drink did I order in the last update? (10 points)

Ooh that's tough. It kind of looks like a Tequila Sunrise, without the grenadine.

3. You should gather from the fact that the valets hailed us a cab, we are not eating on Universal property. I don’t remember if I spilled the beans on this one somewhere beforehand, but Veteran TR readers may have an advantage on this one. Where did we have dinner? Hint: It’s a chain restaurant. Fran told me to add that it’s not Chili’s. (10 points)

Ugh, I have to pass but I feel like I should know this!

4. We almost always order the exact same things when dining at this establishment. What did we add to our repertoire this trip and plan to get it again as long as it on the menu? (25 points)

5. Did I sleep through the night? If not, what time did I awaken at night? Either way what time did I decide I was done sleeping? (5 points, 10-20 depending on your answer)

No - you woke up at 3:30am. You were done at 6:00am.

6. We went to Disney on this day. How long did we wait for our first bus to Epcot? (10 points)

25 minutes.

 

[macraven]

i'm late but here now and reading!

your pictures are great!!!

 

[PrincessInOz]

I think this makes me last!

Catching up and I think I'm going to opt out of the quiz at this point.
My Dis schedule is such that I'm here so intermittently right now that I'll be behind from the get-go.

Great start!! Loving that mega HUGE pink donut. Mmmm. Do----nuts.

 

[pkondz]

Popping in just to say I'm here!
I'll be back later to catch up.

Behind in soooo many TRs right now...

 

[skier_pete]

I'm going to be a poop and not enter the contest - mostly because I don't know any of the answers! I do remember the story about Naked Jim. I just didn't know if it was the one incident that earned him the nickname, or if running around the house naked is just his thing.

The hotel looks nice - I guess kind of a theme similar to the Poly. I am not sure we will be staying on-site anytime soon. We were originally going to combine Universal and Disney in October, but since decided we'll take a separate Florida-centric trip in February and hit Universal for a few days, while the rest of the time maybe having some relax days or go to the beach if it is warm enough out.

I do think I would have to get a Pink donut, but maybe not the big one unless the family wanted to split it. I started watching the Simpsons Season 1 in college and at the height of the show I was a huge fan (seasons maybe 3-10) but by around season 15 or so I realize the show just wasn't really funny anymore. It's one of those shows that I just can't believe it's still on. It's like almost 30 years now.

I do want to check out Harry Potter and the Hogwarts Express, but I am a little annoyed that they make you buy a hopper to ride that ride. However, I think we are going to just buy a base season pass, and then we can use it on a Feb 2018 trip as well. The difference between a 3 day park-to-park and a season pass is like $25, so I figure even if we go for one day in 2018 we will get a bargain out of it.

 

[rentayenta]

Pop quizzes? My brain cannot digest anymore info.

Great update. I forgot your nails matched that enormous doughnut! It really is bigger than your head. Looks yummy!

Love the pool/drink pic.

 

[franandaj]

Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock is from the Big Bang Theory?

Recorded.

OK, I'll try answering #1 with one large pink donut. My brain can't handle thinking any further than that with all the meds I'm taking today.

Recorded.

Glad to see you started the new TR! the Loews Resort is pretty, the room looks nice, too, sorry it was a little small.

That Harry Potter areas of US looks so cool, I know almost nothing about HP but I would love to see it someday.

The room was probably fine for most people, we just are so used to the 1 bedroom DVC that we are spoiled rotten! After this trip, we are really spoiled!

We listened to all the books on CD before we saw the movies, so we're definitely fans. It's neat, they are just milking it for the cash cow it is! We bought all the stuff last time we went so didn't need anything new this trip.

I'll be brave and be the first to answer the questions

1. In the last update I showed you one large donut and four small donuts. How many total Large donuts did we actually buy? (10 points)-------------2, one each

2. What drink did I order in the last update? (10 points)----------Mai Tai


3. You should gather from the fact that the valets hailed us a cab, we are not eating on Universal property. I don’t remember if I spilled the beans on this one somewhere beforehand, but Veteran TR readers may have an advantage on this one. Where did we have dinner? Hint: It’s a chain restaurant. Fran told me to add that it’s not Chili’s. (10 points)----Applebees


4. We almost always order the exact same things when dining at this establishment. What did we add to our repertoire this trip and plan to get it again as long as it on the menu? (25 points) ---------Won Ton Tacos (I picked them because they are yummy, LOL)


5. Did I sleep through the night? If not, what time did I awaken at night? Either way what time did I decide I was done sleeping? (5 points, 10-20 depending on your answer)-------------yes, 5am


6. We went to Disney on this day. How long did we wait for our first bus to Epcot? (10 points)------10 minutes

Recorded.

Where did you get that?!

Fran ordered it online, but I found it here. http://www.walmart.com/ip/SoundSpa-...fault&beacon_version=1.0.1&findingMethod=p13n

The round thing on the top is the projector and you can angle it so that you can aim the projection wherever you want.

Oh no! That really sucks but glad you started feeling better after.

Yeah. I learned coffee + protein not sugar.

Well....everywhere you looked there were kids standing at the windows waving the wands wildly.

Really cool! Gah, one day i'll make it there.

It's worth a trip for sure, we just don't have enough that we would do there to make a full day out of it. The rides tend to make me queasy, and it doesn't lend itself to repeat visits for us. Once I done most of the stuff there isn't really a reason for me to do it again. Although I would ride Gringott's again and the train.

Oh my gosh, I had seen this on another TR a long time ago, but forgot how massive they are!

Now does it actually taste as good as it looks??

It was very good! It was also really really sweet.

What are the flavors on the right??

The top one was Oreo and the bottom one was Butterfinger. I really wanted to try the Butterfinger one, but it disappeared before I could have a piece.

Sheldon, Big Bang Theory!

Recorded.

Wow they just can't live without you!

Yeah, I was hoping that we were over that.

Awww why not?!?

Well, mostly I don't want to hear it!

Two.

Ooh that's tough. It kind of looks like a Tequila Sunrise, without the grenadine.

Ugh, I have to pass but I feel like I should know this!





No - you woke up at 3:30am. You were done at 6:00am.

25 minutes.

Recorded.

 

[dhorner233]

Might as well give the quiz a quick shot. What have I got to lose?

1. In the last update I showed you one large donut and four small donuts. How many total Large donuts did we actually buy? (10 points)

4?


2. What drink did I order in the last update? (10 points)

Hurricane?


3. You should gather from the fact that the valets hailed us a cab, we are not eating on Universal property. I don’t remember if I spilled the beans on this one somewhere beforehand, but Veteran TR readers may have an advantage on this one. Where did we have dinner? Hint: It’s a chain restaurant. Fran told me to add that it’s not Chili’s. (10 points)

Olive Garden?

4. We almost always order the exact same things when dining at this establishment. What did we add to our repertoire this trip and plan to get it again as long as it on the menu? (25 points)

Salmon?

5. Did I sleep through the night? If not, what time did I awaken at night? Either way what time did I decide I was done sleeping? (5 points, 10-20 depending on your answer)

1:30, 3:30, 5:30

6. We went to Disney on this day. How long did we wait for our first bus to Epcot? (10 points)

30 min.?

 

[dhorner233]

Opps looks like you posted while I was answering. Never mind.

I just watched the Simpson's ride on youtube. I am a long time fan of the Simpsons but that ride was so unnecessarily violent! Is it an indoor rollercoaster? Flight simulator like Star Tours? Like you mentioned about another ride, it's mostly on a video screen?

And, as much as I like the Simpsons, a giant Homer is just creepy. Not a all cute like a giant Mickey Mouse.

 

[franandaj]

i'm late but here now and reading!

your pictures are great!!!

Happy to have you here!

I think this makes me last!

Last!

Catching up and I think I'm going to opt out of the quiz at this point.
My Dis schedule is such that I'm here so intermittently right now that I'll be behind from the get-go.

But you made it in time for Round 1! You wouldn't be behind from the get-go!

Great start!! Loving that mega HUGE pink donut. Mmmm. Do----nuts.

It was one heck of a Doh-nut!

Popping in just to say I'm here!
I'll be back later to catch up.

Behind in soooo many TRs right now...

Come back soon!

I'm going to be a poop and not enter the contest - mostly because I don't know any of the answers!

Oh but that's the fun of it! The creative answers that folks come up with! There are bonus points for Creativity!

I do remember the story about Naked Jim. I just didn't know if it was the one incident that earned him the nickname, or if running around the house naked is just his thing.

No it was just the once. Whether or not it happens more than that once. I don't know.

The hotel looks nice - I guess kind of a theme similar to the Poly. I am not sure we will be staying on-site anytime soon. We were originally going to combine Universal and Disney in October, but since decided we'll take a separate Florida-centric trip in February and hit Universal for a few days, while the rest of the time maybe having some relax days or go to the beach if it is warm enough out.

Yeah, they are going for a Poly style theme, but the Poly is far superior.

I do think I would have to get a Pink donut, but maybe not the big one unless the family wanted to split it. I started watching the Simpsons Season 1 in college and at the height of the show I was a huge fan (seasons maybe 3-10) but by around season 15 or so I realize the show just wasn't really funny anymore. It's one of those shows that I just can't believe it's still on. It's like almost 30 years now.

I started watching when the series first aired as well. I don't remember when I stopped watching, but it was more out of lack of time than interest in the show. I just watched the Family Guy/Simpsons mash up, and was cracking up that Bart and Lisa never get any older!

I do want to check out Harry Potter and the Hogwarts Express, but I am a little annoyed that they make you buy a hopper to ride that ride. However, I think we are going to just buy a base season pass, and then we can use it on a Feb 2018 trip as well. The difference between a 3 day park-to-park and a season pass is like $25, so I figure even if we go for one day in 2018 we will get a bargain out of it.

Yeah, but they had to do it. Evidently sales of Park Hoppers plummeted in the two years after Hogsmeade opened. We only bought a single park ticket when we went last time, I think that was 2013. Smart to get a season pass and use it again before it expires.

 

[franandaj]

Pop quizzes? My brain cannot digest anymore info.

Great update. I forgot your nails matched that enormous doughnut! It really is bigger than your head. Looks yummy!

Love the pool/drink pic.

Well then just make something up! It's more fun that way! I'm hoping that they have those donuts at the US in Studio City! Its much closer, maybe that isn't a good thing! I was channeling you when I took the pool picture!

Might as well give the quiz a quick shot. What have I got to lose?

1. In the last update I showed you one large donut and four small donuts. How many total Large donuts did we actually buy? (10 points)

4?


2. What drink did I order in the last update? (10 points)

Hurricane?


3. You should gather from the fact that the valets hailed us a cab, we are not eating on Universal property. I don’t remember if I spilled the beans on this one somewhere beforehand, but Veteran TR readers may have an advantage on this one. Where did we have dinner? Hint: It’s a chain restaurant. Fran told me to add that it’s not Chili’s. (10 points)

Olive Garden?

4. We almost always order the exact same things when dining at this establishment. What did we add to our repertoire this trip and plan to get it again as long as it on the menu? (25 points)

Salmon?

5. Did I sleep through the night? If not, what time did I awaken at night? Either way what time did I decide I was done sleeping? (5 points, 10-20 depending on your answer)

1:30, 3:30, 5:30

6. We went to Disney on this day. How long did we wait for our first bus to Epcot? (10 points)

30 min.?

Recorded.

Opps looks like you posted while I was answering. Never mind.

I just watched the Simpson's ride on youtube. I am a long time fan of the Simpsons but that ride was so unnecessarily violent! Is it an indoor rollercoaster? Flight simulator like Star Tours? Like you mentioned about another ride, it's mostly on a video screen?

And, as much as I like the Simpsons, a giant Homer is just creepy. Not a all cute like a giant Mickey Mouse.

They call it a Robocoaster. All their ride technology is based on this type of "mechanical arm". Perhaps they put it on some type of a moving platform and it goes to various different video screens where the drama of the ride plays out. It swings you back and forth in conjunction with the storyline on the video screen. Then when that scene plays out, you move to the next "screen".

Imagine Soarin with fewer riders and the movement is on steroids. It can go backwards and forwards, lay you on your back, flip you forward. The Harry Potter Ride Forbidden Journey uses this technology with a four-rider vehicle. I nearly got sick when "riding brooms" through the forest and into the Womping Willow.

 

[sarahk0204]

I am only on page 1, but HOORAY for conquering the packing monster. So much less stressful for you both!

Off to read more

 

[franandaj]

I am only on page 1, but HOORAY for conquering the packing monster. So much less stressful for you both!

Off to read more

I'm glad that you made it over here! This is only one trip, I hope that we can keep the monster at bay in the future!

 

[sarahk0204]

I'll pass on the quiz, too. Not my thing, but that's my deal, not anyone else's.

Bummer that Gringott's was uncomfortable. That was the ride our whole family could ride together. I think we did it twice. DH could not make the 3 clicks on the Forbidden Journey test seat, and it made me a little nauseous, so the kids and I only did it once.

We did get sucked into the interactive wands, but only DS bought one. They had TM's at all of the spots to help, but getting the movement just right was really hard. He only did 1 or 2 before he lost interest.