My DD and I made it back to our happy place on August 5th for a little trip before she heads off to college. We were down from New York at the end of June for a larger family trip but this time it was just the two of us. It was AWESOME!!
We flew out of Islip on Southwest and it was bumpy. I mean really bumpy. I am not a good flier and was pretty panicked the whole time. I hate to be like that but even a small bottle of wine that I consumed at 5am in the car on the way to the airport (our flight was 7am) didn't calm me down. I have found that my flight anxiety is only getting worse and I really don't know what to do about it. The panic is real.
Anyway, we did land uneventfully, grabbed our luggage and were picked up by the one and only Tony Hinds!! He is a gem if ever there was one. He dropped us at the Publix where we got a case of water and headed off to the Loews Portofino for our 5 night stay. DD and I were literally squealing when we entered the lobby. So excited!! We checked in, room wasn't ready but we had our keys in hand, left luggage with the valet and went for lunch.
The first stop of our trip was lunch at Toothsome. We had a 1200pm reservation. We ordered the avocado toast appetizer and then a salad each. Both very good. We ordered the oreo cookie milkshake to share, which was also really good. Our server told us she was brand new and we were her first customers she served on her own. We wished her good luck and of course tipped well. We kept marveling at how happy we were to be together in our favorite place. After a leisurely lunch, our plan was to meander around Studios for a bit until our room was ready.
We took a quick right once we entered and ended up at the Animal Show. So cute. We rode the Woody Woodpecker coaster, ET (which we think is totally underrated), stopped to watch a dance show in front of the Monster Make up Show, rode MIB and got a text that our room was ready. Before walking out, we went into the Jurassic Park tribute store - which was super cool - and debated about buying the Mr. DNA socks we saw and when we went back a few days later, the store was permanently closed. Bummer. Anyway, we headed back via the boat to the Portofino.
We had paid for a 2 queen bay view and were pretty disappointed with our 5th floor Villa room with the quarter-sized windows (for aesthetic purposes) and the weird go through for the bathroom. It was like a dungeon in there. Oh well, can't have everything.
We cleaned up and left for the boat to make our 7pm reservation at Antojitos. We ordered the tableside guac and I had a mango margarita with a tajim rim - so good - but the tableside guac killed us and neither of us could eat or finish the entrees. Those damn chips. Just can't stop eating them even though we know we should stop. Because we both felt so stuffed we headed back to walk off all those chips at Studios and ended up getting the latest AP pin. I don't remember what we rode or what we bought but I had written down that we came back at 930p or so because we were planning an early day for Friday.
On Friday we were up at 620am in order to be on the 7am boat. We were able to ride Hagrid twice but did not make it onto Velocicoaster. I think it was down or the line was really long so we skipped. It was sunny and gorgeous every day we were there but the temperatures were pretty high so we were trying to stay out of the direct sun as much as possible. We ended up sharing a burger at Burger Digs and I don't remember what else we rode, but headed back to our room during the heat of the day for a siesta. We came back out for a 5pm dinner at NBC Grill - one of our favorite places to go - we shared calamari and I had the grilled salmon and DD had the mac/cheese. Both really good. We went back to Studios and rode Despicable Me, Shrek, and Mummy. And then it really poured - which thinned the crowds a lot. We found a bench under an awning near Richters and waited it out while people watching. We saw one fella smoking and he threw his cigarette on the ground. DD and I simultaneously shook our heads and he saw us and picked it up and threw it out instead - we both gave him a thumbs up and all 3 of us were laughing. One kid around 9 years old passed by us completely drenched yelling "I'm not showering later" and we cracked up. We sat for almost an hour, maybe more, and talked and laughed a lot. Once it died down, we went to Diagon Alley, rode Gringotts and got some soft serve Butterbeer ice cream. OMG delish. Just don't ask for any toppings as they are disallowed by order of the Ministry of Magic. We closed the park and walked back to the Portofino.
On Saturday, we had reservations for breakfast at the Trattoria. We did the buffet - it was excellent as always. After breakfast we went for our massages at the Mandara Spa, which were very relaxing. Last month when we were there and I had hurt my back I went for two massages and was clearly in a lot of pain - I saw the glint of recognition from a few of the folks there but they didn't say anything and neither did I, since this time I was clearly walking upright. LOL. Since we were in pool sort of attire we ended up going to IoA to ride the water rides. We did Popeye's twice and got drenched and then did the River Adventure, with a very funny group of people who were debating whether "slightly drenched" could even be a thing. They got drenched. LOL Dudley was delayed. We grabbed some Butterbeer and then headed back to go into the pool at the Portofino. It poured so we waited it out, and then were able to score two loungers in the shade. We ordered chicken tenders and two drinks from Splendido's. Very good. I went into the pool for a bit and we relaxed. We left to get ready for our 6p dinner reservation at The Kitchen. I had the salmon and DD had pork belly mac and cheese. I had a glass of wine. It was good. I don't know that we would go back there, but I'm glad we tried it. There is something about the Hard Rock that just doesn't appeal to me. I don't know what it is. We did meet a little boy with his brand new puppy - oh my gosh - adorable!!
After dinner we walked over to IofA and rode Hulk twice, once in row 8 and once in row 2. Row 8 definitely smoother, although DD thinks Hulk just scrambles her brain. It was nearly time for the park to close so we headed over to ride Velocicoaster and waited probably more than an hour. We talked with a very lovely woman who was riding solo - it was her first time in the park - but we lost her at the lockers so we don't know if she enjoyed it or not. Riding Velocicoaster at night is a definite must do. I personally think the ride is very rough but my girl thinks it is very smooth. I told her I don't know why they even give you a seat since you're hardly in it the whole ride. Thankfully though I was able to walk when we got off. LOL Again we closed the park and walked back to the hotel after shopping a little.
On Sunday we skipped breakfast and got to park early to wait on line for park to open. Walked/ran to Hagrids to find out it was not operating, so we went on Forbidden Journey and then were able to score a virtual line time for Hagrids. Favorite ride ever. We rode Velocicoaster again and then shopped a little and went to Cowfish for our noon reservation. We rode other rides too over the course of these past days I just can't remember what order so I'm definitely leaving things out. Cowfish was great. Had a very nice server - ordered the ruby panther drink which is my favorite drink at any restaurant on City Walk. We shared the sesame chicken app and shared a cheeseburger. Both delish. After lunch we went back to the room because it was ridiculously hot.
We rested a bit and the skies opened. We were on a FaceTime call with DH during the rain and were showing him our dungeon-like window when we noticed that the rain was pooling and running down the wall onto the carpet. We sprung a big leak. I took video of it and sent it to the text to the hotel. They responded immediately with an "oh no - can we send an engineer or do you want to move" We said move us please. We packed up in like 5 minutes and they came with our new keys to bring us to a garden view 2 queen room (it was actually overlooking the pool). The room was nice and clean and they adjusted the rate for us. Overall, very pleased with how it was handled. We had a 645pm reservation at BigFire and we were now running late. The text feature agent said he was calling the restaurant to ask them to hold it for us. It was still raining so we donned our ponchos for the first time and basically ran/speedwalked all the way there to find out that they were not told we were running late and our table was gone. I texted back to the Portofino and they called and within a few minutes we had a very nice table upstairs. This was the best meal of the trip I thought. Again we had a brand new server who was very sweet and she thanked us for our patience - which we were fine to do because the atmosphere is so nice and we were in no rush - and of course tipped very well. We ordered the filet mignon and a cheeseburger and I had a cocktail - I don't remember which one and DD had a chocolate milk. We ordered the tableside s'mores for dessert. Overall we were there for quite awhile, it was a lovely meal, but the parks had closed by the time we finished. We ended up shopping a bit at Toothsome - some of their candy is delicious - and then went back to the hotel to unpack our things in our new room.
On Monday our plan was to get up again at 620am to make the 7am boat and get to IofA early to ride Hagrids before the virtual line opened. The boats were not running due to a power issue so we started to walk and then of course the boats came up again so we jumped on one at the Hard Rock. We get all the way to Hagrids and it was down too because of the power outage. We decided to stay put anyway because they had no idea when it would be up and running and no line was being started. We debated whether we should give up but hung around as did hundreds of others. It was still before 9am and we were thinking of going to see if we could get on Velocicoaster and started to walk back. On the way we stopped in the restrooms near Sinbad? and when we came out we saw a team member holding the Line Starts Here sign (behind her back) so we figured maybe it would start soon. As were were standing there they got word that they would soon start running the ride and they were instructed to have folks start lining up. So we jumped in line behind 3 people and started walking. There was a group of probably 5 or 6 that were milling around and sitting on the other side and the team member told them to leave the front of the line where there were because they had cut so now there were only the three people ahead of us. We continued to walk and they were literally putting up the silver barriers as we were walking to the ride. At the lockers, the 3 people in front of us left to put stow their belongings and now DD and I were the FIRST PEOPLE in line! We couldn't believe it. We could hear the motorcycles running and we walked all the way inside and were the very first riders of the day. We purchased the ride photo to commemorate the experience. LOL So fun!!! We ended up riding Hagrids 2 more times that day. The ride attendant recognized us on our 2nd trip through. Everyone we encountered was super friendly.
We left the park for our 1215p reservation at Margaritaville. We ordered the nachos app and caribbean honey chicken to share. I also ordered a margarita - which was really strong and I was a little loopy after. LOL Both apps were really tasty. We went back to IofA and we rode Hagrids for the 3rd time that day. We took the train over to Studios and split up so that DD could try the Simpsons ride (I cannot and will not ride that one) and I ended up riding Gringotts 3x in a row using Single Rider - I was the only one on line every time. We then rode MIB and Mummy. We walked back and followed some folks into the Hard Rock because I wasn't feeling the greatest. DD got me a water and we sat for a few minutes so that I could catch my breath - it was unbelievably hot - and I felt my heart racing. There was another young lady in the lobby laying down and she did not seem well at all. Once I collected myself I went over to her and ask if she needed help and she really just cried and said no, but I found a security officer to see if they could check on her and he said he would. I hoped she was feeling better. We walked back to the Portofino and showered and napped for a bit. We were full from lunch so we cancelled our Vivo dinner reservation and instead went to Studios and rode Mummy twice and MIB. We tried Gringotts but there was a delay. We were hungry but couldn't find anywhere that didn't have a long wait so we ended up not eating again - except for the chocolate covered swedish fish we picked up at Toothsome. OMG so good.
On Tuesday it was time to go home. We had a 615p flight and I requested and paid for a 3pm checkout. We got up at 620am and walked over to IofA. We rode Hagrid and then waited for Hulk to open where we were among the first 5 on the ride. After Hulk we went over to the Croissant Moon Bakery and I got a Chocolate Croissant and DD got a french toast muffin and we shared some fruit. It was good. Since Velocicoaster was not running, we took the train over to Studios and rode ET a few times and Gringotts. We went to Krusty Burger and shared a cheeseburger that was delicious and I talked to a team member there named Steven who was very sweet and told me he just lost his beloved dog. Sweet guy. We had looked everywhere for pillows that my two sons had asked us to find for them on our trip. We asked and looked everywhere and were told that they had sold out - it was the pink donut pillow and the duff beer pillow. Well after having lunch at Krusty Burger we saw both as prizes in those carnival games. I walked over and asked the attendant how much if we just wanted to buy them and so we scored both for ~$30. After previously telling the boys that they were gone, they were happily surprised to get them last night.
Once we saw that the Jurassic Park Tribute Store was indeed closed we ended up leaving to go to Toothsome to buy some more candy to bring home.
We walked back to the hotel, showered and got ready to be picked up for our flight. At the airport we ate some pizza and waited for our flight which was delayed about 45 minutes. I took 2 sleeping pills but they didn't really work and by the end of the flight I was panicking because of some turbulence and wondering why in the hell was I on this damn plane. LOL I can laugh now but while I am panicking I cannot think of one single thing to calm myself down. And my panicky thoughts start way before the actual flying date - it's on my mind the entire trip - the thought of being on the plane, etc. They need to bring back liquor on the planes. I used to drink vodka on the plane and that helped a bit, but now it is a federal offense to drink on the plane - so I am left to grapple with whether I should unbuckle and start screaming up and down the aisle. I felt bad that my DD had to soothe my panic. I really need to get a hold of this before it goes any further. Anyone have any thoughts?
Overall, it truly was a magical trip. My DD is such a wonderful, lovely young lady. She is so much fun to be with - so easy going - so considerate - just a pure joy. It's a trip we will always remember and she is bringing our Hagrids photo with her to college (among others) so that we'll always remember how being first in line was such a treat.
My DH loved his OUTTATIME license plate and DS15 and DS14 loved their pillows and the candy from Toothsome.
We were both so grateful to be able to travel and have fun and we thanked the team members we met for making that happen.
I should mention that all week we wore our lanyards and bought gift cards at the hotel to use to shop and pay for dinners, etc., so that we were not carrying cash. It worked out great and saved us from having loose change to have to put in lockers in order to ride the crazier rides. One peeve though, I worked a bit while I was there and when asked about our trip said oh, we're at Universal, I got replies of "have fun in Disney". I mean, WTH. LOL Whatever, leave the really fun stuff to the Universal lovers.
We are hoping to be back to our happy place next August.
Thanks for reading!!
We flew out of Islip on Southwest and it was bumpy. I mean really bumpy. I am not a good flier and was pretty panicked the whole time. I hate to be like that but even a small bottle of wine that I consumed at 5am in the car on the way to the airport (our flight was 7am) didn't calm me down. I have found that my flight anxiety is only getting worse and I really don't know what to do about it. The panic is real.
Anyway, we did land uneventfully, grabbed our luggage and were picked up by the one and only Tony Hinds!! He is a gem if ever there was one. He dropped us at the Publix where we got a case of water and headed off to the Loews Portofino for our 5 night stay. DD and I were literally squealing when we entered the lobby. So excited!! We checked in, room wasn't ready but we had our keys in hand, left luggage with the valet and went for lunch.
The first stop of our trip was lunch at Toothsome. We had a 1200pm reservation. We ordered the avocado toast appetizer and then a salad each. Both very good. We ordered the oreo cookie milkshake to share, which was also really good. Our server told us she was brand new and we were her first customers she served on her own. We wished her good luck and of course tipped well. We kept marveling at how happy we were to be together in our favorite place. After a leisurely lunch, our plan was to meander around Studios for a bit until our room was ready.
We took a quick right once we entered and ended up at the Animal Show. So cute. We rode the Woody Woodpecker coaster, ET (which we think is totally underrated), stopped to watch a dance show in front of the Monster Make up Show, rode MIB and got a text that our room was ready. Before walking out, we went into the Jurassic Park tribute store - which was super cool - and debated about buying the Mr. DNA socks we saw and when we went back a few days later, the store was permanently closed. Bummer. Anyway, we headed back via the boat to the Portofino.
We had paid for a 2 queen bay view and were pretty disappointed with our 5th floor Villa room with the quarter-sized windows (for aesthetic purposes) and the weird go through for the bathroom. It was like a dungeon in there. Oh well, can't have everything.
We cleaned up and left for the boat to make our 7pm reservation at Antojitos. We ordered the tableside guac and I had a mango margarita with a tajim rim - so good - but the tableside guac killed us and neither of us could eat or finish the entrees. Those damn chips. Just can't stop eating them even though we know we should stop. Because we both felt so stuffed we headed back to walk off all those chips at Studios and ended up getting the latest AP pin. I don't remember what we rode or what we bought but I had written down that we came back at 930p or so because we were planning an early day for Friday.
On Friday we were up at 620am in order to be on the 7am boat. We were able to ride Hagrid twice but did not make it onto Velocicoaster. I think it was down or the line was really long so we skipped. It was sunny and gorgeous every day we were there but the temperatures were pretty high so we were trying to stay out of the direct sun as much as possible. We ended up sharing a burger at Burger Digs and I don't remember what else we rode, but headed back to our room during the heat of the day for a siesta. We came back out for a 5pm dinner at NBC Grill - one of our favorite places to go - we shared calamari and I had the grilled salmon and DD had the mac/cheese. Both really good. We went back to Studios and rode Despicable Me, Shrek, and Mummy. And then it really poured - which thinned the crowds a lot. We found a bench under an awning near Richters and waited it out while people watching. We saw one fella smoking and he threw his cigarette on the ground. DD and I simultaneously shook our heads and he saw us and picked it up and threw it out instead - we both gave him a thumbs up and all 3 of us were laughing. One kid around 9 years old passed by us completely drenched yelling "I'm not showering later" and we cracked up. We sat for almost an hour, maybe more, and talked and laughed a lot. Once it died down, we went to Diagon Alley, rode Gringotts and got some soft serve Butterbeer ice cream. OMG delish. Just don't ask for any toppings as they are disallowed by order of the Ministry of Magic. We closed the park and walked back to the Portofino.
On Saturday, we had reservations for breakfast at the Trattoria. We did the buffet - it was excellent as always. After breakfast we went for our massages at the Mandara Spa, which were very relaxing. Last month when we were there and I had hurt my back I went for two massages and was clearly in a lot of pain - I saw the glint of recognition from a few of the folks there but they didn't say anything and neither did I, since this time I was clearly walking upright. LOL. Since we were in pool sort of attire we ended up going to IoA to ride the water rides. We did Popeye's twice and got drenched and then did the River Adventure, with a very funny group of people who were debating whether "slightly drenched" could even be a thing. They got drenched. LOL Dudley was delayed. We grabbed some Butterbeer and then headed back to go into the pool at the Portofino. It poured so we waited it out, and then were able to score two loungers in the shade. We ordered chicken tenders and two drinks from Splendido's. Very good. I went into the pool for a bit and we relaxed. We left to get ready for our 6p dinner reservation at The Kitchen. I had the salmon and DD had pork belly mac and cheese. I had a glass of wine. It was good. I don't know that we would go back there, but I'm glad we tried it. There is something about the Hard Rock that just doesn't appeal to me. I don't know what it is. We did meet a little boy with his brand new puppy - oh my gosh - adorable!!
After dinner we walked over to IofA and rode Hulk twice, once in row 8 and once in row 2. Row 8 definitely smoother, although DD thinks Hulk just scrambles her brain. It was nearly time for the park to close so we headed over to ride Velocicoaster and waited probably more than an hour. We talked with a very lovely woman who was riding solo - it was her first time in the park - but we lost her at the lockers so we don't know if she enjoyed it or not. Riding Velocicoaster at night is a definite must do. I personally think the ride is very rough but my girl thinks it is very smooth. I told her I don't know why they even give you a seat since you're hardly in it the whole ride. Thankfully though I was able to walk when we got off. LOL Again we closed the park and walked back to the hotel after shopping a little.
On Sunday we skipped breakfast and got to park early to wait on line for park to open. Walked/ran to Hagrids to find out it was not operating, so we went on Forbidden Journey and then were able to score a virtual line time for Hagrids. Favorite ride ever. We rode Velocicoaster again and then shopped a little and went to Cowfish for our noon reservation. We rode other rides too over the course of these past days I just can't remember what order so I'm definitely leaving things out. Cowfish was great. Had a very nice server - ordered the ruby panther drink which is my favorite drink at any restaurant on City Walk. We shared the sesame chicken app and shared a cheeseburger. Both delish. After lunch we went back to the room because it was ridiculously hot.
We rested a bit and the skies opened. We were on a FaceTime call with DH during the rain and were showing him our dungeon-like window when we noticed that the rain was pooling and running down the wall onto the carpet. We sprung a big leak. I took video of it and sent it to the text to the hotel. They responded immediately with an "oh no - can we send an engineer or do you want to move" We said move us please. We packed up in like 5 minutes and they came with our new keys to bring us to a garden view 2 queen room (it was actually overlooking the pool). The room was nice and clean and they adjusted the rate for us. Overall, very pleased with how it was handled. We had a 645pm reservation at BigFire and we were now running late. The text feature agent said he was calling the restaurant to ask them to hold it for us. It was still raining so we donned our ponchos for the first time and basically ran/speedwalked all the way there to find out that they were not told we were running late and our table was gone. I texted back to the Portofino and they called and within a few minutes we had a very nice table upstairs. This was the best meal of the trip I thought. Again we had a brand new server who was very sweet and she thanked us for our patience - which we were fine to do because the atmosphere is so nice and we were in no rush - and of course tipped very well. We ordered the filet mignon and a cheeseburger and I had a cocktail - I don't remember which one and DD had a chocolate milk. We ordered the tableside s'mores for dessert. Overall we were there for quite awhile, it was a lovely meal, but the parks had closed by the time we finished. We ended up shopping a bit at Toothsome - some of their candy is delicious - and then went back to the hotel to unpack our things in our new room.
On Monday our plan was to get up again at 620am to make the 7am boat and get to IofA early to ride Hagrids before the virtual line opened. The boats were not running due to a power issue so we started to walk and then of course the boats came up again so we jumped on one at the Hard Rock. We get all the way to Hagrids and it was down too because of the power outage. We decided to stay put anyway because they had no idea when it would be up and running and no line was being started. We debated whether we should give up but hung around as did hundreds of others. It was still before 9am and we were thinking of going to see if we could get on Velocicoaster and started to walk back. On the way we stopped in the restrooms near Sinbad? and when we came out we saw a team member holding the Line Starts Here sign (behind her back) so we figured maybe it would start soon. As were were standing there they got word that they would soon start running the ride and they were instructed to have folks start lining up. So we jumped in line behind 3 people and started walking. There was a group of probably 5 or 6 that were milling around and sitting on the other side and the team member told them to leave the front of the line where there were because they had cut so now there were only the three people ahead of us. We continued to walk and they were literally putting up the silver barriers as we were walking to the ride. At the lockers, the 3 people in front of us left to put stow their belongings and now DD and I were the FIRST PEOPLE in line! We couldn't believe it. We could hear the motorcycles running and we walked all the way inside and were the very first riders of the day. We purchased the ride photo to commemorate the experience. LOL So fun!!! We ended up riding Hagrids 2 more times that day. The ride attendant recognized us on our 2nd trip through. Everyone we encountered was super friendly.
We left the park for our 1215p reservation at Margaritaville. We ordered the nachos app and caribbean honey chicken to share. I also ordered a margarita - which was really strong and I was a little loopy after. LOL Both apps were really tasty. We went back to IofA and we rode Hagrids for the 3rd time that day. We took the train over to Studios and split up so that DD could try the Simpsons ride (I cannot and will not ride that one) and I ended up riding Gringotts 3x in a row using Single Rider - I was the only one on line every time. We then rode MIB and Mummy. We walked back and followed some folks into the Hard Rock because I wasn't feeling the greatest. DD got me a water and we sat for a few minutes so that I could catch my breath - it was unbelievably hot - and I felt my heart racing. There was another young lady in the lobby laying down and she did not seem well at all. Once I collected myself I went over to her and ask if she needed help and she really just cried and said no, but I found a security officer to see if they could check on her and he said he would. I hoped she was feeling better. We walked back to the Portofino and showered and napped for a bit. We were full from lunch so we cancelled our Vivo dinner reservation and instead went to Studios and rode Mummy twice and MIB. We tried Gringotts but there was a delay. We were hungry but couldn't find anywhere that didn't have a long wait so we ended up not eating again - except for the chocolate covered swedish fish we picked up at Toothsome. OMG so good.
On Tuesday it was time to go home. We had a 615p flight and I requested and paid for a 3pm checkout. We got up at 620am and walked over to IofA. We rode Hagrid and then waited for Hulk to open where we were among the first 5 on the ride. After Hulk we went over to the Croissant Moon Bakery and I got a Chocolate Croissant and DD got a french toast muffin and we shared some fruit. It was good. Since Velocicoaster was not running, we took the train over to Studios and rode ET a few times and Gringotts. We went to Krusty Burger and shared a cheeseburger that was delicious and I talked to a team member there named Steven who was very sweet and told me he just lost his beloved dog. Sweet guy. We had looked everywhere for pillows that my two sons had asked us to find for them on our trip. We asked and looked everywhere and were told that they had sold out - it was the pink donut pillow and the duff beer pillow. Well after having lunch at Krusty Burger we saw both as prizes in those carnival games. I walked over and asked the attendant how much if we just wanted to buy them and so we scored both for ~$30. After previously telling the boys that they were gone, they were happily surprised to get them last night.
Once we saw that the Jurassic Park Tribute Store was indeed closed we ended up leaving to go to Toothsome to buy some more candy to bring home.
We walked back to the hotel, showered and got ready to be picked up for our flight. At the airport we ate some pizza and waited for our flight which was delayed about 45 minutes. I took 2 sleeping pills but they didn't really work and by the end of the flight I was panicking because of some turbulence and wondering why in the hell was I on this damn plane. LOL I can laugh now but while I am panicking I cannot think of one single thing to calm myself down. And my panicky thoughts start way before the actual flying date - it's on my mind the entire trip - the thought of being on the plane, etc. They need to bring back liquor on the planes. I used to drink vodka on the plane and that helped a bit, but now it is a federal offense to drink on the plane - so I am left to grapple with whether I should unbuckle and start screaming up and down the aisle. I felt bad that my DD had to soothe my panic. I really need to get a hold of this before it goes any further. Anyone have any thoughts?
Overall, it truly was a magical trip. My DD is such a wonderful, lovely young lady. She is so much fun to be with - so easy going - so considerate - just a pure joy. It's a trip we will always remember and she is bringing our Hagrids photo with her to college (among others) so that we'll always remember how being first in line was such a treat.
My DH loved his OUTTATIME license plate and DS15 and DS14 loved their pillows and the candy from Toothsome.
We were both so grateful to be able to travel and have fun and we thanked the team members we met for making that happen.
I should mention that all week we wore our lanyards and bought gift cards at the hotel to use to shop and pay for dinners, etc., so that we were not carrying cash. It worked out great and saved us from having loose change to have to put in lockers in order to ride the crazier rides. One peeve though, I worked a bit while I was there and when asked about our trip said oh, we're at Universal, I got replies of "have fun in Disney". I mean, WTH. LOL Whatever, leave the really fun stuff to the Universal lovers.
We are hoping to be back to our happy place next August.
Thanks for reading!!
! Sounds like you two had a fabulous time - thanks for sharing 
!
