2016 - a year of "no trips" TR - DL/USO/WDW/DCL - USO with kids

[woodynjessiesmomma]

Hi! I'm Mandy. I've been lurking around the Dis for a while now and sometimes I join in. TR are one of my favorite thing to read no matter where the destination is, so I decided to start my own PTR and hopefully turn it into a TR.


I'm 34, healthcare professional, mom of 3, and fan of travel.
DH is 30, stay at home dad, tolerator of travel, and car fanatic. He had never traveled much before me and didn't realize how much I loved it.


ODS is 7 and loves school and is enthusiastic about my trips and dream trips. He is a huge part of us going to USO as he loves super heroes, HP, Simpsons, Minions, Jurassic World/Park, in addition to Disney (but he is outgrowing the magic some).





DD is 4 and starts preK this fall. Her nickname is Stinkerbell as she can be so sweet, but also so contrary. She loves princesses, but also HP and Minions. I think she'll have a great time at USO.



YDS is almost 2 and just loves being with everyone, dogs, balls, and bananas (so ODS and DD claim he's a minion. His first trip was to DL in utero and last year went to Hawaii and WDW.



My BFF of nearly 20y is in the back with DD in the first picture. This was our first trip together to WDW in September 2015, but she grew up going every summer and did the college program. She isn't going to USO with us but she does love travel and someday I might be able to take her to the darkside.



So after Hawaii in March 2015 (kinda spur of the moment because of my aunt) and WDW in September, DH had travel more and farther in one year than ever before.




Then I had a last minute opportunity to go to Orlando for a work conference in October so of course I jumped at the chance. DH went too and we did F&WF for the first time. The kids stayed at home due to ODS having school and DH enjoyed Disney much more without kids. He did request no trips in 2016 though since he had been so good with 3 trips that year.



Well... then came the announcement of DL ending the Aladdin show. In 2013, I had tried to see the show 3 times but it never worked out. Our last night I bawled when we missed it because I mixed up the times. The sweet CM gave us a FP to Radiator Springs Racers instead at ODS's preference and I said I'd catch the show next "time". So my BFF and another great friend of ours decided we needed a girls trip to see Aladdin in January 2016 right before the end. Sadly my BFF was in a bad MVA and counldnt make the trip, but she is doing better now. My other great friend and I had a wonderful 3 days at DLR.



Our next trip came to be because of an Amazon deal while Christmas shopping. I had never seen Harry Potter or read the books as I was busy with school and such when it was all new. The 8 pack of movies was on a great sale and I knew many of our friends love it so bought it thinking we might use it for a gift. Everyone we knew would like it already had the movies so it sat in the closet all season. In January we decided to keep it and started watching it. We binged the whole series in two weeks, which was pretty quick with going to work and kids bedtimes. We had just finished the 3rd movie when we heard Alan Rickman had died (RIP, but I will always think of him first from Dogma as the voice of God). Anyway we all loved it and decided we had to see the Wizarding World in person and DH agreed to USO over fall break.


While I fully expect to love USO, I couldn't help but feel like we were missing out being so close to WDW and not going. Plus DD loves princesses and Fiona is just not enough. So with a little persuasion DH agreed to 3 days at WDW.


Finally BFF has recovered and we realized we've been friends for 20y this fall. So of course we celebrate with a Disney cruise! Then I wanted to stay onsite the night before, then she wanted some park time, then we agreed to try the Christmas party since we'll be there in December, then we decided to stay one night after the cruise to see AK (hopefully after dark). So, yes we are addicts.


Anyway that is how no trips has turned into 3 trips (8 parks, 5 hotels, 1 ship, too many airplanes, and some buses).


I'll be back with more Universal specifics later. Thanks for reading!

 

[schumigirl]

Hi Mandy, what a fabulous trip you have organised!!!

It has certainly grown in detail..........I'm sure you'll adore all Potter areas........kids and adults alike will love it.

I'm looking forward to reading all about your trip it sounds like a lot of fun.

 

[angryduck71]

Yay! I must warn you: my son is pretty much done with Disney. Especially now that he's hooked on Universal. We ARE going to do one day and do the Ultimate Thrills VIP tour at Disney for one day next trip, but really, he would just rather be at Universal. It's a young boy's dream with Harry Potter and superheroes and rollercoasters!

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

Hi Mandy, what a fabulous trip you have organised!!!

It has certainly grown in detail..........I'm sure you'll adore all Potter areas........kids and adults alike will love it.

I'm looking forward to reading all about your trip it sounds like a lot of fun.

Thank you! I'm trying to edit the title to indicate this is currently a PTR, but I can't find a way to edit that. The Universal board has been so helpful and I've enjoyed reading all the TRs here. Our Universal trip is planned for October and we are all so excited.

Yay! I must warn you: my son is pretty much done with Disney. Especially now that he's hooked on Universal. We ARE going to do one day and do the Ultimate Thrills VIP tour at Disney for one day next trip, but really, he would just rather be at Universal. It's a young boy's dream with Harry Potter and superheroes and rollercoasters!

I can see this happening to us. DH is already over Disney and ODS definitely prefers the thrill rides. DD loves so many of the themes Universal has as well, to day she was doing her "Shrek dance", but she gets scared easy at things like HM and PoC, but loves all the rollercoasters she has been on and tea cup style rides.

 

[schumigirl]

At the top of your trip report, to the far right of your title just now, there is a "thread tools"option to click on......

If you click on that there is an option to "edit title" you can change it to whatever you want from there

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

Universal focused plans
So after deciding to go to Universal, I started asking questions on the main board here and overwhelming DH with all the options. We agreed on HRH. I think RPR is gorgeous, but since DH agreed to the trip I gave him the hotel he wanted. We will rent a van to help ease getting between destinations and again DH prefers driving to Disney parks rather than the bus system there. Our flight doesn't get in until 5pm Saturday, October 15th, so hopefully the travels are smooth and we get in on time. The plus is that it's direct flight.

I haven't completely decided on which park first. The boys and I are morning people and could make use of early admission, but DH and DD can sleep in no matter what time they go to bed. I guess that's a big advantage of Universal is that we can decide once we get there!

We plan to spend a lot of time in the HP area and I plan to make use of early mornings. We want to try all the kinds of butterbeer and we want an interactive wand. I got some HP robes on Amazon that were $20, but I think they will be too hot in Orlando. After watching all the movies twice, we started reading the books and currently we are nearly done with #5. That has become our bedtime routine for ODS, DD, and I. DH listens sometimes too. ODS loves to read, but only makes it a page or so with these books before needing a break so then I take over. We plan to finish all the books before we go. I can't wait to see it all in person.

Simpsons, Jurassic Park, and Minions are our next priorities. DH is bummed that Back to the Future ride is gone, but we'll look at the memorabilia anyway. As you may have noted in the pictures we dressed for Back to the Future at MNSSHP last year on almost future day 10/20/15). We aren't big fans of water rides, but otherwise we want to check it all out.

I want eat at Margaritaville (#1 priority), Mythos, Cowfish, and the HP places. Maybe try something from Simpsons Fast Food area. Definitely get a pink donut. I've read mixed info on the character breakfasts and I think there might be one on our last day at HRH, but we'll see how it goes.

The biggest factor left to finalize is if my mom is going with us. She is so fun to travel with and great help with the kids. DH even agrees she should come. We are just waiting to hear about her work schedule. Hopefully we find out soon.

Hopefully we love it and upgrade our tickets to season passes! There is a small chance I'll be back in Orlando in March for another conference... always planning another trip

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

Yesterday was a big planning day. I woke up to an alert from Touring Plans that our desired Akershus breakfast was available so I got that booked real quick. We'll try Garden Grill another time. This will allow DD to have her princess meal and mommy to have F&WF for lunch/dinner . Then on the way home from work my mom texted that she finally got her arrangements made with my dad and her job so she can go with us!!! This is great as my mom is the most helpful, relaxed person I know. DH is excited too as we might even get a date night now. Plus one adult per kid is always better.
After work this morning I need to get my mom's tickets and call to change up the Universal hotel now so we can be legal and add her to WDW. A little more work but I'm not complaining!
Funny side note, I asked my mom what color magic band and of course she said let the kids decide. Then I asked her about characters since the Disney luggage tags would have different characters depending on the colors and she laughed and said she doesn't like the characters, just being with us. And that she really enjoyed the experience when we went in 2012... She never complains so I know she'll have a good time. She is probably more excited about the Simpsons at Universal than anything else.

 

[schumigirl]

You're right.......it is a huge advantage of Universal of not having to plan.......we wake up in the morning and decide what we'll do that day.......usually.

Fabulous news you have your mother with you! That'll be so nice for all of you.......you do have some nice plans for your trip, nice eating places in there, love Margaritaville and Cowfish.......fantastic choices.......you'll have so much fun on this trip!

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

60 days until our trip!!!
We are very excited. So far we've read the first 6 books in the Harry Potter series and just started Deathly Hallows. I think we are on track to finish even the play before we go. I read out loud to the kids and DH at bedtime and I admit the last two chapter of Half Blood Prince had me choked up quite a bit. Watching the movies after reading the books makes the movies seem like Cliff notes. My mom has finally watched the first movie and we just have to find time to watch the rest together or she will try to read the books.
Beyond HP and the Wizarding World, we are excited to see the rest of the parks but plan to mostly wander. ODS and DH are going to see Blue Man Group our first park night. USF has HHN that night so mom and I will take the littles back to the hotel and just rest. Since we mostly want to take advantage of lower crowds in the mornings I don't mind early evenings. ODS loves mini golf so we might try to squeeze that in as well. That's about it for USO planning. I've got the apps on my phone and we are just anxiously awaiting the experience. I'm hoping to love it and upgrade our tickets to APs, then at least ODS and I can go back for HP weekend

As for the Disney part, my FP morning is Friday. DD is a huge Frozen fan but doesn't know the boat ride exists yet. I hope to get a FP for it, but if not we'll see how it goes, we will not wait in line >30 minutes so we haven't told DD about in case we have to skip it. It's so odd, hyperplanning for Disney while barely planning for USO... I'm trying to find a middle ground to ease my compulsive need to plan but also enjoy the freedoms USO offers.

December update... Cruise is paid off and I can't wait to experience that too . My friend I will be traveling with had to have an unplanned surgery last month and her budget has been cut back quite a bit, plus the limited Disney discounts, so we changed from Poly to CBR. It was find a cheaper room or go fewer days. This will be her only Disney trip this year and she is more of a Disney fan than I am so I think this will be a good plan. Then we just have to go back another time to try the Poly

 

[schumigirl]

Sounds like you have an excellent plan for your Universal time.........as in, not much planning at all.......perfect!

I think the books are better than the movies too.......

The mini golf at Citywalk is so much fun.......especially at night when it's all lit up.......prefer the haunted side, but both are good

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

It's almost time!!!
What is the best way to add pictures? I've done photobucket before but that is clunky and I need to remember to shrink my pictures. Is there a better way? (thinking ahead to TR time)
We finished all the main HP books including Cursed Child and have started on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Paper chain is made and ODS is enjoying it shrinking so quickly. Trying to decide on the Universal photo package today...

Universal
We are all packed. Anxiously awaiting to drive to my mom's on Friday and then we fly to MCO on Saturday and check in to HRH!!!
Rough plans are USF early 10/16 to see the Wizarding world then whatever else we want to do. DH and ODS are doing Blue Man that night so mom and I will take the littles to Cowfish for dinner.?. We'll decide that night if we want to do USF early again 10/17 or opening at IoA once we see how the first day goes. Hoping for Margaritaville that night for dinner. 10/18 we'll probably get a later start since we will check out before going to the parks. Will HRH hold our luggage while we are at the parks after check out? Can we leave the rental van at the hotel while we go to the parks? These are things I've probably read at some point but didn't write it down and as we get closer I'm wondering about these things. I guess we'll find out soon enough
Disney
We did switch to the Swan with Disney once my mom committed to going. Everything for Disney is planned like mad, but I hope it all works out because we've aren't the best at staying with a strict plan.

DCL/Girls trip
My friend and I are all set up for our December trip. FPs reserved and all for WDW pre and post cruise. Funny thing we were talking about trips and I guess she went to Universal in 2002 and didn't love it and does not want to try it again. She is a self admitted Disney snob though. I'm still very excited about our Universal adventure and I kinda hope to love it as much or more than Disney as the less planning is really appealing right now.

2017
I've been nominated by DH's extended family to plan a massive family vacation to Orlando including USO/WDW/ and maybe Legoland November 2017. We're talking 12-20 people I'm excited and scared to plan for that many, most of whom I don't know very well as we live all across the country. Fortunately it seems that the main 12 all agree on budget and time at WDW and USO so hopefully it will go well. DH is actually excited about this trip so I have to jump on the opportunity since he is so supportive. He loves the trips once we are there but he usually fusses about the thought of spending money on Orlando again...

 

[pcstang]

To answer your questions about HRH checkout...yes and yes. As long as your out of the lot by 11:59 pm that night you won't be charged for another night of parking.

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

Trip Report! USO 10/15

We had a wonderful time! The HRH spoiled us so much and we are planning to go back for Spring Break/work conference March 2017 and I can't wait. On to the report...

We picked ODS up from school and drove 4 hours to my parents' house. The drive was uneventful and it was great to see my dad before flying out the next day since we would be missing his birthday. We had one bag packed just for their house so we left the van packed otherwise. The next day my dad drove the rest of us to the airport and things went smoothly. We love Southwest, but this was the first trip where I was sweating getting seats together. I checked us in right at 24 hours but we were still mid Bs. Thank goodness for family boarding and they even let my mom board with us, but this was Fall Break and a one way to Orlando so we were one of probably 10 families boarding. We were in the back half of the plane but that was fine and we sat boys in one row and girls in the next row. That was the loudest flight I have ever been on, it wasn't bad and I have young kids so I'm not complaining, but it was definitely full of children.

YDS loved watching all the action at the airport. At 2 years old he loves all forms of trasportation.








This flight was also transporting a veteran to their final resting place and they made a special announcement about this. Once we landed all the ground crew were waiting with hats off in respect and waited at the side, those escorting the casket were allowed off the flight while everyone else remained seated. We could see the hearse off to the side as well. It was something I've never been around on a plane before. Likely because of all of this baggage and gate checked items were very slow to be unloaded. DH stayed and waited for the stroller and mom and I took the kids on to baggage claim before we realized about the delay, the kids just needed to move.



Once we finally got our bags and all we went to Alamo for the rental van and that was the only company with a full line and of course something wasn't right with the automated kiosk so we had to wait in the line. Finally we were on our way to the van, but then they were all out of the stylish minivan we had reserved so we were redirected to a larger 8 passenger minivan, we started loading and realized one seat was broken and that wouldn't work for us as we needed to get the littles in and out of the back seat. So we had to switch to a different van. Finally 2 hours after landing we were on our way to Universal. It was much later than I had hoped. I prefer to travel early but DH likes later, I prefer to use Disney transportation or I would have done one way transfers with Universal, but DH prefers the flexibility of our own vehicle but then I'm the driver... He and I need to talk about this





All checked in and time for Express Passes!


From here on out things went much more smoothly. We went straight to Hard Rock and got our connecting rooms (574/576) and and a pleasant view of a courtyard, nothing fancy there but it was nice. It was after 8:30pm by the time we were settled in our rooms. Mom and YDS rested and waited for the pack n play to be delivered. DH, the big kids and I headed out for food. The quick service was closed for remodeling or something so we ended up at the Kitchen. It was great and our server was very nice. DH got the empanadas and I got quesadillas off the appetizer menu. ODS got PB&J and DD got mac & cheese. I also tried a drink "What's the Dill" with gin, pickle juice and cucumber, it was quite refreshing.


(You can also see that we devoured the cornbread and pretzel sticks they brought out)








I enjoyed the cute little touches around the hotel:


Our rooms were the basic 2 queen rooms but we had plenty of space got so spoiled here (making a tough transition to Disney later).




Coffee Bar? a small mini fridge was in the cabinet below.




The other part of the closet had robes, hairdryer, and an iron.


The separated bathroom area worked really well for us.






This mirror was a hit! (ODS was not so fond of the "blood mirror" between the beds.


Our rooms didn't stay clean long. We got settled in for the night and then crashed because I wanted us up and at USF for 7am early entry. I was not popular at this point...

 

[schumigirl]

Love the start of your report!

Your pictures are so nice, looks like a happy bunch! Will look out for more updates.........

 

[bnan]

The HRH looks cool, great start to your report!

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

USO 10/16

We actually did pretty well getting up early. I was up by 6am almost everyday this trip, guess I was excited to make all my plans happen.

We left our rooms about 6:45 and set off along the dark path toward USF.


We got into the parks with no problems (I was nervous using UT tickets). Then we got out Photo Connect card and a picture in the dark.



From here we followed the masses toward Diagon Alley. It was still a little hard to see much of the park as we walked, partially because of the limited light. My mom and DH commented on how discrete the entrance to DA was. We entered through the brick wall and were blown away.



We found the stroller parking and headed straight to Escape from Gringotts.


DD was tall enough for this ride and I thought she would be excited since she loves Harry Potter and Draco "Mouseboy". She liked the main bank floor but everything after that was dark and scary to her. We were doing Child Swap doe YDS anyway so she sat off and apparently fussed about how scary it was the whole time. DH, ODS, and I rode first, then I stayed off with the littles and mom rode with DH and ODS.



In the Child Swap room... YDS loved watching through the bars and kept asking to ride the train. DD hated it and kept asking to leave. The movie was playing the intense part in Gringotts and with the dragon.




After Gringotts, we went to Olivanders. There wasn't much wait and we gathered inside until they took the next group into the show room. There were several kids in our group and I had talked to ODS that he might or might not have a chance to chose a wand and that it would be a neat show either way. He was still hopeful and when the wand maker entered he looked over the crowd and chose ODS! I was so happy for my boy but you could tell the other kids were disappointed. (Then I started recording so many of the pictures aren't the best taken from video mode).








I had imagined that ODS would want a character wand, but he was in love with the wand that had chosen him.


A nice Team Member asked DD a few questions and helped her select a good wand, maybe they heard her asking to do the thing her brother had just done or maybe they were just being helpful. Either way it worked and DD was so happy to have her own special wand and wanted the one they had picked rather than a character wand. She shop was small and crowded but I still had fun looking around.






At this point it was nearing 9am and our group was hungry. We went to The Leaky Cauldron for breakfast. Mom got the Egg Leek Pastry, DH and I shared the Traditional Breakfast. ODS got the oatmeal yogurt breakfast and DD and YDS shared a pancake breakfast. Mom got coffee and we got one cold Butterbeer and one hot Butterbeer to share and I'm sure the kids got juice.








Not a fan of the black pudding


From here we peeked in a few shops, but it was starting to get crowded.






The kids tried a few spells.






We had just read The Wizard and the Hopping Pot on the drive to my parents' before the trip.


I think ODS asked the goblin how old he was and he responded "old enough"


We continued exploring the area for a little longer, but I could have spent all day here.






After looking down Knockturn Alley and scaring DD we headed out of DA and saw the conductor of the Knight Bus and a small bit of London.




I didn't get to try it but DH and ODS said it was hard to hear the MoM.

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

10/16 continued

I had planned to ride HE to Hogsmeade about 9am but we were passed that time, I went to Kings Cross anyway but then DH started complaining about leaving when we hadn't ridden anything yet. I told him I was happy to do whatever they wanted but I was just following my mental map. A small spat back and forth about what we should do and we ended up riding the train. It really wasn't that big of a deal since it was later than I had hoped... Anyway, DH had forgotten the train was a ride sort of and was happy in the end.









YDS was in love with the train (almost as in love as he is with himself in selfie mode), please pardon my scary/intense faces from time to time.





We enjoyed the train ride, but later DD said the Dementors were scary and she never wanted to ride the train again...

On the path to Hogsmeade I tried to convince ODS he was petting a Thestral, but I don't think he bought it.










We made our way to my now favorite castle and found the stroller parking, then got in line for Forbidden Journey. The wait was already posted at 45 minutes but it wasn't bad. It is strange how we were in the green house area for so long then felt like we were running through the castle. What we could see of the details inside were amazing.











DH sat out with DD and YDS, and then decided not to ride at all after we rode as he does not like drops. Mom and I felt pretty dizzy from the motion, but I don't remember drops. ODS was pretty freaked out by all the effects.






From here we went to Flight of the Hippogriff and DD found her favorite ride. She rode it 5 times in a row here and became completely spoiled by Express Pass.




ODS and I rode Dragon Challenge and waited for front row on the Chinese Fireball. It has lots of twists and maybe it was because I rode it just after FJ or because it is more intense, but I was ready for a break after this one (and I normally love roller coasters).


Hogsmeade was quite crowded so we took the back bridge into Jurassic Park.











We took an AC break in Discovery Cove for a while and the kids watched a raptor hatch.




Mom, ODS, DD, and I got in line for Jurassic River Adventure. DH stayed off with the baby because he doesn't do drops, especially ones he can see. It started off nice and the kids liked it alright until we turned into the building and the dinosaurs were loose. I think the building was worse than the drop for them. We were in the front row and got soaked... On the way out DD stopped to tell anyone that would listen that the ride was scary and that she didn't like it.






It was raining as we left the gift shop so we walked to DH at the front of the ride. We waited a bit for the rain to let up then headed toward Camp Jurassic. Somehow I didn't realize how Pteranodon Flyers worked and missed the whole return time kiosk in my research. The kids played a little while I got return tickets, but our choices were 1 hour later or 3 hours later. I picked 3 hours thinking we would eat and make our way back later. From here we walked towards Kong but no one wanted to ride except me so we decided to head on out. We walked through toon town and enjoyed the comic book details.





Our group was hungry again so we decided to head to City Walk for food. On the way out I showed ODS the safety net to catch us iff we fall off the Hulk roller coaster... We never rode that one either...




But we did ride Spiderman. Mom and I decided we are not big fans of motion simulator rides, ODS loved it, and DD again told everyone how scary it was and how she did not like it. DH wouldn't ride it due to the 400ft simulated fall, but I think he would be fine.





One the way out we stopped for some Photo Connect pictures and DD loved posing.









We decided we would probably eat and go back to the room since we had already put in 7+ hours at the parks, between that, our late arrival night, and DH and ODS having Blue Man that night, we were ready for a break. DH went to pick up Blue Man tickets while the rest of us headed to Cowfish. Mom was having problems with her foot (plantar fasciitis we think) and didn't want to come back out to City Walk later. It was around 2pm and we were seated right away. Mom and I both got the Firecracker Bento box (I got mine without the spice on the outside to be safe as I'm not a spicy fan) and DH got a burger.





DD's mac and cheese bento box




Mom and I loved the sushi here and it was our favorite place at Universal. DH preferred the Kitchen at HRH.





We walked back to HRH after discussing the boats, but the walk wasn't bad.





Mom and I took the kids to the pool while DH took a nap. ODS rode the slide about 20 times.




(We found this donut at a local Target months ago and thought it would be perfect for Universal, glad we got it there for $5 as it was sold in the Quick-E-Mart for $27.99)






DH and ODS went to Blue Man and later ate at City Walk, Burger King I think. Mom watched the littles and I ran to Target to stock up on water, granola bars, yogurt, and such. On the way back I picked up Wendy's for us. We had a quiet night in the room. And we all agreed to sleep in for the 9am opening of IoA the next day. I had planned to ride FJ at park opening but since we had already ridden that the plans were kinda open.


Random HRH pics

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

Love the start of your report!

Your pictures are so nice, looks like a happy bunch! Will look out for more updates.........

Thanks for following along! We had a great time.
I'm disappointed with a lot of my pictures. I got an iPhone 7plus for the better camera, hoping I wouldn't need to carry a camera in addition to phone and kids stuff. Pictures look fine of the phone but show up blurry or focused weird that I can only see when I have it on the computer Anyway, I apologize for the bad ones. Next time I am taking my regular camera.

The HRH looks cool, great start to your report!

Thanks!! We loved HRH. We briefly considered trying one of the other hotels for March, but I think we are set on HRH for now

 

[macraven]

I'm still reading along and enjoying it all

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

10/17

I woke up early but everyone else slept until 8ish. We got ready and ate breakfast in the room, then headed off to IoA for the 9am opening. ODS was insistent that we do Despicable Me first and since we had already done FJ and no one wanted to ride it today, we changed our plans as we approached the USF gate. It's so nice to have the flexibility to change plans on a whim!

We met Woody the Woodpecker as we entered and then Lucy. Off to the side DD spotted Hello Kitty and ODS saw Scooby and Shaggy. It was character overload for a minute. Of course, the kids didn't know Woody or Lucy but the adults thought it was fun to see some classics.






DD ran toward Hello Kitty, but then ran back at the last moment so ODS got the hug.


ODS enjoys the new Scooby Doo show on Netflix so he was pretty happy for this one.


We finally made it to the line for Despicable Me and it was maybe a 10 minute wait with EP. YDS and I did the stationary seating and even with that I watched it without the 3D glasses. It was cute, but apparently DD was scared again... Later she said the fart gun was scary which is strange because she and her brother play with one at home all the time.

After the ride we met a Minion. ODS was disappointed the Minions don't sign (if I had read that, I had forgotten)


Neither DD or ODS wanted to ride Shrek and the M&G wasn't starting for a while so we headed on and the Transformers started making a lot of noise as we passed so ODS and I jumped in line to meet Optimus Prime.


We continued on towards Fievel's Playground and made a quick stop to see Sponge Bob. DD was too scared to meet him but he did pretend to steal the stroller and run off with her and YDS.




We watched American Tail on the way to my parents' and then watched Fievel Goes West on the Drive home. The kids loved all the play areas. My mom joked that we don't need to do big trips, just visit playgrounds and that has a smidge of truth to it, but I love these trips! They explored this playground for a while.








DD had needed a bathroom break so my mom took her and they ran into Curious George and Woody and DD finally took a picture without fussing. She did much better with characters for the rest of the trip after this.


ODS rode the water slide here many times and YDS didn't want to leave. DH took DD on the Woody Rollercoaster and she loved it. Eventually we all took turns riding it and watching YDS.




We rode ET, but DD refused because it was dark. At least we were already planning to Child Swap these rides... ODS got to ride twice. Mom and I decided this was more our speed for rides


Then we had fun in the photo area afterwards.




We also did the Curious George play area, but mostly played in the circus tent and no one wanted to get wet. It is a very cute area though.






After a nice rest for the adults and playtime for the kids we headed on to Springfield and passed the Back to the Future train and Car. DH and I both love these movies.
Here we are with our Jules and Vern




And into Springfield. My family watched this terrible show weekly as a family and I played saxophone in school band partially inspired by Lisa. While I don't watch it regularly anymore I still have lots of fond memories. DH and ODS like to watch it as DH used to watch it in secret with his dad because his mom hated the show.

My mom giving Millhouse some attention.








I met some of the Simpson family while DH and the big kids rode Twirl and Hurl.




ODS and DH rode the Simpson's ride with maybe a 20 minute wait. Mom and I watched the littles and they had snacks.


After the ride ODS finally got his donut and we got some nachos to share from the food truck. We ate down by the water and had a nice view around the park.