Disney Is in our DNA About This Page:

[lsugirlinutah]

I am just now catching up. We are planning our first trip to Universal in a couple of weeks, and your TR has me very apprehensive!! I do not want to run the salesman gauntlet, and that will make DH very angry and grumpy. I think we will stay only at IOA...is there a gauntlet there as well? Getting a little nervous!

[lauriep]

I'm glad IOA was a bit better, especially FJ. SO irritating that, on top of all the rigamarole to key in the info for the lockers again and again, you have to keep an eye on the time like it's a parking meter! I love the photo of Isaiah and his dad on EE. You must be nearing another trip-- the updates are coming along faster!

[Cheriemek]

I loved the idea of you and your nephews going to Sonic in your pajamas!

[shnewell]

Seeing your pictures inside Hogwarts made me more excited to see it in person on our trip! How lucky to have virtually no wait time!

I have to admit, though, that I'm relieved to have you back in the Disney bubble -- it just seems so much more relaxing. And that sleeping piggy thingy is cute!

[coffeechef]

Great update and i have to say I love the photo


I am guessing that Isaiah saw the Lizard that is shown in the next photo.
love the Flame tree BBQ . Its a favorite CS. SOunds like Kali RR is a good place to rinse off soda... and you don'thave to do a locker dance there either

[Cam22]

Amazing what you all got done in such a short time at IoA! Great start to AK though like you I would be just fine without Florida's over-sized bugs. Love that EE tickles Isaiah's tummy! So cute!

[chezp]

It's interesting to hear from someone who hasn't read the books about they liked the Harry Potter area at Universal, as we're in that boat. I'm interested in seeing it and doing the ride, but have wondered if much would be lost on me - it doesn't sound like it would.

Glad you're back at the magic now!

[DrDolphin]

WOW>.... you were one busy crew! Just caught up (sorry - life getting in the way of Passporter is just SO ANNOYING). Your day at US makes me NEVER want to go there... between the salesmen and the locker dance... IOA is on the to do list, since I want to do WWOHP - but that is the only reason.

Your morning at AK sounded great. We had the "wannas" with Kevin and Jolene at first - but when they had "their money" (an envelope of money from mom, grandma and me) - all of a sudden, it went away and they got MUCH more selective about what toys they wanted to buy....

[dsteiny23]

I can't believe how much you guys got done at IOA so quickly that you were in AK by 11:00ish. Wow! I would LOVE to see WWOHP, but I showed Craig the locker dancers and he's not interested in that at all!
Yeah...big bugs...not a fan. We had a spider in the bathroom the other night, Craig wasn't home yet so I made the 6 year old kill it.

[lindawdw]

Hi Sharon - I just caught up with your last 4 or 5 updates and I have to say I can really identify with the way you were feeling about Universal Studios/IOA!!! My daughter and I went there in August as she is a huge Harry Potter fan. I felt motion sickness from the very first ride that we went on which was the old dueling dragons ride. We then went on the Forbidden Journeys ride after waiting about 75 minutes in the hot sun and the longest que ever!!! That ride made me extremely sick (I kept thinking the whole time -just don't throw up)! The special effects really were outstanding on that ride especially waiting on line inside the castle. I was disappointed overall with the Park itself though. The cast members can't compare to Disney and the salespeople are very annoying. When we left the park I told my DD that was without a doubt the last time I was going to the Universal Parks. I couldn't wait to get back on Disney property! Your nephews are just so adorable and I really love how they enjoy being with their Aunt Sharon so much.

[cubfancolleen]

KRR sounds like the perfect thing for washing Sprite off your lap!
And you need to read Harry Potter! I read all 7 this summer (and saw all 8 movies once I finished the books). They are so great! Even if you think, as I did, that it really isn't your genre. And then you'd know who was in those pictures!!

[ilovedisney247]

Haven't seen Star Wars, haven't read Harry Potter . . . Sharon what on earth have you been doing with your free time. Next thing you'll tell me is that you've never listened to a Rolling Stones album. While I love Star Wars, I'm not going to push the issue on that one, but you really should read the Harry Potter books--really! (Although I could probably make you a list of books written for kids or teens that I love that would take anyone 5 years to get through.)

[PrincessSharon]

Originally Posted by lexiemom

Wow you got a lot done that morning! I am a Harry Potter fan (you should read the books now that you have been to WWoHP ), so your photos made me geek out a bit.

I was thinking it would've been even better if I knew what I was looking at!

Originally Posted by DisneyDana

OMG tell me about it! I mean how many shows do we need about Cupcakes and cake decorating? FOR REAL? One of each is great, but can you imagine going to some producer to pitch a new show...."Okay, this is great...I'm thinking a fat guy that drives the boat, and his scrawny sidekick is his first mate take a tour group on a FOUR hour tour, and they get shipwrecked on a deserted island off the coast of....wait for it....Florida! It's called Finnigans Island!" SOLD!
Seriously...wasn't there a time when producers would say, "Um...yeah, that's already been done." ???

These days, it seems like they don't want original ideas. Everything is a sequel or a remake or a copy of something else.

Originally Posted by lsugirlinutah

I am just now catching up. We are planning our first trip to Universal in a couple of weeks, and your TR has me very apprehensive!! I do not want to run the salesman gauntlet, and that will make DH very angry and grumpy. I think we will stay only at IOA...is there a gauntlet there as well? Getting a little nervous!

I didn't see the pushy salespeople at IOA, but to be fair, we were out of there before 10:00, so maybe they get there later in the day.

Originally Posted by lauriep

I'm glad IOA was a bit better, especially FJ. SO irritating that, on top of all the rigamarole to key in the info for the lockers again and again, you have to keep an eye on the time like it's a parking meter! I love the photo of Isaiah and his dad on EE. You must be nearing another trip-- the updates are coming along faster!

The updates will be fast and furious! I packed my suitcase yesterday!

Originally Posted by Cheriemek

I loved the idea of you and your nephews going to Sonic in your pajamas!

That was one of my favorite memories of the trip.

Originally Posted by shnewell

Seeing your pictures inside Hogwarts made me more excited to see it in person on our trip! How lucky to have virtually no wait time!

I have to admit, though, that I'm relieved to have you back in the Disney bubble -- it just seems so much more relaxing. And that sleeping piggy thingy is cute!

Getting there early was definitely a good strategy.

Originally Posted by coffeechef

Great update and i have to say I love the photo


I am guessing that Isaiah saw the Lizard that is shown in the next photo.
love the Flame tree BBQ . Its a favorite CS. SOunds like Kali RR is a good place to rinse off soda... and you don'thave to do a locker dance there either

You're probably right about Isaiah. He loves all kinds of animals.

Originally Posted by chezp

It's interesting to hear from someone who hasn't read the books about they liked the Harry Potter area at Universal, as we're in that boat. I'm interested in seeing it and doing the ride, but have wondered if much would be lost on me - it doesn't sound like it would.

Glad you're back at the magic now!

Some of it was lost on me, but the attention to detail is definitely worth it! I didn't know what I was looking at, but I knew it looked cool!

Originally Posted by DrDolphin

WOW>.... you were one busy crew! Just caught up (sorry - life getting in the way of Passporter is just SO ANNOYING). Your day at US makes me NEVER want to go there... between the salesmen and the locker dance... IOA is on the to do list, since I want to do WWOHP - but that is the only reason.

Your morning at AK sounded great. We had the "wannas" with Kevin and Jolene at first - but when they had "their money" (an envelope of money from mom, grandma and me) - all of a sudden, it went away and they got MUCH more selective about what toys they wanted to buy....

We tried, but I think Isaiah is a little too young for the concept of money. Also, when he asks for something when he's with me, I ask him if he has any money. He says, "You do!"

Originally Posted by dsteiny23

I can't believe how much you guys got done at IOA so quickly that you were in AK by 11:00ish. Wow! I would LOVE to see WWOHP, but I showed Craig the locker dancers and he's not interested in that at all!
Yeah...big bugs...not a fan. We had a spider in the bathroom the other night, Craig wasn't home yet so I made the 6 year old kill it.

The best way to do IOA is without bags. If you can stuff everything in your pockets, you can avoid the locker dance. That would change your experience significantly. Spiders are the worst! Luckily, I don't see too many in Florida. A giant spider would freak me right out!

Originally Posted by lindawdw

Hi Sharon - I just caught up with your last 4 or 5 updates and I have to say I can really identify with the way you were feeling about Universal Studios/IOA!!! My daughter and I went there in August as she is a huge Harry Potter fan. I felt motion sickness from the very first ride that we went on which was the old dueling dragons ride. We then went on the Forbidden Journeys ride after waiting about 75 minutes in the hot sun and the longest que ever!!! That ride made me extremely sick (I kept thinking the whole time -just don't throw up)! The special effects really were outstanding on that ride especially waiting on line inside the castle. I was disappointed overall with the Park itself though. The cast members can't compare to Disney and the salespeople are very annoying. When we left the park I told my DD that was without a doubt the last time I was going to the Universal Parks. I couldn't wait to get back on Disney property! Your nephews are just so adorable and I really love how they enjoy being with their Aunt Sharon so much.

I don't know if I would've loved FJ after a 75 minute wait. Actually, I know I wouldn't have loved it, because I wouldn't have waited! The parks are defintely not Disney (neither are the team members). I knew that, so that wasn't one of the things that bugged me. But there were plenty of other issues!

Originally Posted by cubfancolleen

KRR sounds like the perfect thing for washing Sprite off your lap!
And you need to read Harry Potter! I read all 7 this summer (and saw all 8 movies once I finished the books). They are so great! Even if you think, as I did, that it really isn't your genre. And then you'd know who was in those pictures!!

I will eventually read HP - at least the first one.

Originally Posted by ilovedisney247

Haven't seen Star Wars, haven't read Harry Potter . . . Sharon what on earth have you been doing with your free time. Next thing you'll tell me is that you've never listened to a Rolling Stones album. While I love Star Wars, I'm not going to push the issue on that one, but you really should read the Harry Potter books--really! (Although I could probably make you a list of books written for kids or teens that I love that would take anyone 5 years to get through.)

So I'm not a total disappointment. I have listened to the Rolling Stones before! And I will eventually read at least the first HP book!

[PrincessSharon]

Day Seven, Part Two
Who gets soaked?

So, on Kali River Rapids, you know there are always two people who end up getting drenched, right? This time, that was Isaiah. Oh yeah, and me! I was literally dripping wet. I had on flip flops and I’d put them up, so they were almost completely dry, but the rest of me was soaked! The family wanted to go again, but I was wet enough, so I sent them off without me. I ended up stepping out of my shoes because the dripping water was making them wet!

Standing on the bridge, I tried to dry off my sunglasses, but then I realized I didn’t have a single dry spot of clothing! I did get a couple of shots of the group on their second ride through!







Noah and Daniel ended up with the big soaking that time! I really wanted to see the tigers (and so did Daniel – they’re his favorite), so we headed that way next.













Most of the animals were hiding, so we didn’t spot too much.

Then, the Yeti ride again. And again. And again! Noah wanted to ride Dinosaur again, so we did that again. And this time, Daniel picked out a t-shirt and DB got it for him. We wanted to try to make it to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, but by this time, it was getting pretty late.

But we couldn’t manage to pass EE without one more ride for Isaiah. By this point, the older two had had enough, so they tried to talk him out of it! I agreed to go, just Isaiah and me, but then the older two joined us after all.

We got a bunch of Photopass pics in front of Everest.


DB “getting in the picture”









We walked over to Africa and ended up deciding to do the safari again because it was almost time for the park to close. I’ve been on late afternoon safaris and find the animals very active at this time. I told this to DSIL, and she was excited. I was happy that the animals didn’t make a liar out of me. Lots of animals, very active, some quite close to us! Check out our pics.





























































We had a really fun driver this time, too. At the end, while we were waiting to pull up to the dock or whatever, he asked some trivia questions. Someone was able to answer every one of his questions except one – what his name was, and he’d told us as we started! So it should come as no surprise to you now that I don’t remember his name (even though he did mention it – twice! ).

Before we left, we took a trip through the gift shop. I spotted this really cute set of Duffy ears. Isaiah tried them on for me.



The boys had been teasing their mom about how they got to try Sonic and she didn’t and it was so good. I told DSIL I’d take a ride over there if she wanted to, and she decided she did, so we left the park (it was closed by this time, so no more spins on the Yeti ride for Isi).

We just missed the parking lot tram, so we had to wait for the next one. DB thought it would be quicker to walk, but we were a bit far away and everyone was pretty tired. Another tram arrived within a couple minutes anyway.

This time at Sonic, I got a cranberry limeade. I’m not sure why I’d never tried this particular drink before, because I love cranberry juice. Anyway, it is now my new favorite! Yuuuu-um! The boys ended up getting the exact same thing they’d had the day before. I think Sonic runs will be a more common occurrence in the future for them.

Back at the timeshare, Ed took the boys swimming while everyone else packed up. I started to pack up a little, but then I realized that I needed to go see what the boys were doing.











I didn’t stay out there for too long, because the mosquitoes were feasting on me! I went back to my room and finished up the packing.

Up Next: A familiar face on DME

[DawnK]

I know what you mean about Universal. When we went in August, my DH wasn't allowed to ride FJ which just made our first day just horrible. I had my eyes closed on the ride and will never do it again. The next day we went to the other park, did all the rides and were done by 1:00pm. The best part of Universal for us was going to Bubba Gump's for lunch and then heading over to WDW. Never again!!!

I love your pictures with the kids...they are so full of life....and they are so damn cute!!!! You have a great family!!!! I just love reading your trip reports...I don't know how many times I have gone back to reread some of the them.