Dec 2020 Universal Disney Megatrip!

[Lilias]

Hi, everyone! This is my first trip report You all have such witty titles, but I'm the kind of person that'll take 30 minutes deciding on a character's name for video games, so I kept it simple

This trip was just me and my husband! We're 30-something Dinks (dual income no kids ) desperate to get out of the house. We had a beach trip cancelled earlier in the summer due to Covid, so I took the week that we would've done that and decided to go to Disney. We hadn't been to Disney since 2012, aside from random MVMCP and MNSSHPs during Universal trips. I mostly wanted to do everything Galaxy's Edge, because I am a HUUUUGE Star Wars nerd. Huge. The prequels are awesome. Fight me.

ANYWAY, back in April, it really felt like there was no way Covid would still be around come December. So, I figured we would be okay going to Disney right after the Orlando Informer Meetup, which I already had tickets for (I purchased tickets for instantly after having an amazing time December 2019). BOY WAS I WRONG, ha. I had already paid for our Animal Kingdom Lodge stay using rented DVC points, so cancelling wasn't really an option, though. The Meetup was also not really refundable. The safety measures for both parks seemed good, so we went for it. Spoiler alert: we had a great time, so I'm glad we didn't cancel


Also, my husband never smiles. He is grumpy metal guy. I am sparkly fairy princess.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

12/9 Introduction/ Day One at Citywalk with Toothsome dinner (You are here!)
12/10: Another Citywalk Day, Cowfish for dinner
12/11: Orlando Informer Meetup Day One
12/12: Orlando Informer Meetup Day Two
12/13: Hotel/Pool Day
12/14: Hollywood Studios!
12/15: Check in to Animal Kindgom Lodge/ Epcot / dinner at San Angel Inn
12/16: Animal Kindgom! / Disney Springs / Morimoto Asia
12/17: Magic Kingdom with Be Our Guest dinner
12/18: Hollywood Studios a second time!
12/19: Checkout day and back home~

We left home in Missouri on 12/8 to drive to my friend's home in Atlanta! We stopped over there for a night, then drove the rest of the way to Orlando on 12/9 and arrived at Portofino Bay right at checkin time We exclusively stay at Portofino when doing Universal. This is our third time, and any time I say I want to try Hard Rock or the other one (man I'm blanking on the name HARD and don't feel like Googling it), husband whines about how Portofino is perfect. We actually almost didn't get to stay at Portofino, but they reopened on December 1! Yay! Ghost town hotel, right? WRONG. Portofino was so full of people, the line for the water taxi was always ridiculous. Sigh.


Pikachu enjoying the giant king bed at Portofino

After chilling in the hotel for a bit (which would become a theme of the whole trip, actually), we decided to hit up Citywalk for our Toothsome reservation. I also wanted some of the Universal Harry Potter masks.

IT WAS VERY COLD. I had been watching the forecast obsessively for weeks, so the cold didn't really surprise me, but my husband had left my coat in the car and we didn't feel like going back for it so I just had a hoodie. MSITAKE. MISTAAAAAAAAKE. I think it got close to 40 that night (12/9) and we didn't realize that the reservation was more like a top of the waiting list kind of thing and that hiding out from the cold in stores wouldn't be an option because there were people EVERYWHERE. Just, so many people. This was the most people I had seen packed together since March and I was very anxious. It was a bad first experience of the trip. The mask compliance was also VERY BAD. I saw noses and chins constantly. Husband was stressed out. I was stressed out myself and then extra stressed out cuz he was stressed out. We were also hungry. We braved the Universal store just to get our masks and get out, and then found out later that they have little kiosks set up all around Citywalk that we could have purchased from instead. BAH! BAAH!!

After that debacle, we decided to get some Voodoo donuts to be our breakfast for the rest of the week, and mobile order was weird. We sat for like...20-30 minutes before we decided to just talk to the dude at the kiosk about where the heck our donuts were. They were there, waiting for us For who knows how long. The app never mentioned it, but was quick to send me a receipt after we actually picked up the donuts. Ah, well.

Donuts acquired, we finally decided to just check in early for our Toothsome reservation. Toothsome was a madhouse. And they were running behind, so we had to wait for close to an hour out in the cold for it, I think. We just sat outside Toothsome as cold, hungry, cranky balls of rage and waited. Husband had to go inside for the bathroom at some point, and said nobody was paying attention to the signage for the bathroom line (people not paying attention to things would be another theme of the trip...) and he said he had to finally start yelling at people to get in the back of the line and stop cutting in front of him. Ope.

Once inside Toothsome, I didn't like how close the tables were, and had we not been seated in one of the gigantic U-shaped booths for like 8 people, I probably would've left. We actually got really lucky with all of our inside dining seating the entire trip somehow, so that was nice.

BUT NOW, FRIENDS, the crankiness is over. For we were warm, seated, and had tasty food on the way. We got the chocolate bread to start (of course), and I ordered the chicken cordon bleu sandwich. Husband got the Pub it Up burger.


Chicken Cordon Bleu deliciousness

My meal was delightful, though the spinach seemed like kindof a weird choice. I love spinach, but it was kinda weird here. I think I pulled most of it off.

Husband didn't care for his burger. I mentioned that I was pretty sure he got it last year and didn't like it then, either, and he had an epiphany (my memory is much better than his, ha). I was right, of course Oh, well. It wasn't terrible, he just wished he had gotten my sandwich instead.

After boxing up our leftovers, we waited in line for the water taxi back to Portofino for probably 20 minutes, and then we were back in our hotel!!

Next up: Citywalk day twwwoooooo

 

[Lilias]

DAY TWO / Citywalk Again and Cowfish

So, when planning this trip, I left us a lot of Citywalk/hotel days and I ended up cutting one of them last minute. I kinda wish I had cut another. Citywalk is just so stressful right now, and two days is enough. We ended up with three. I think we would have had a much better time doing Universal Parks during the days, but I figured we'd be able to get everything done at the Meetup like we did last year. This is kindof spoiling the post after this, but that didn't end up being the case. Oh well, you live and learn!

We hit up the Universal store at Portofino (it was empty! ) and it was nice to be able to actually leisurely look at stuff and not worry about people constantly being up in my business. We took advantage of the free wand with a purchase of $195, and I picked out Leta Lestrange's wand because it's beautiful. I still haven't watched Crimes of Grindelwald :x I also grabbed the Ravenclaw sweater that I'd been pining for since last year (10/10 recommend) and some ornaments and stuff. We bought three chocolate frogs (one for us, two for friends), and I tried to pick ones not right next to each other and we ALL got the same card. Boo! Also grabbed some Fizzing Whizbees because they're tasty and fun!


Representing best house

We probably spent a good hour or more in the store, and then hit up the Gelateria afterward. We took our gelatos and ate at one of the cute tables outside. There was nobody around, because everyone was at the Parks, and it was really nice. It perked me up a little, as I had been depressed since the night before about making the wrong decision about keeping the trip. Husband seemed to be feeling better, too.

After that, since it was too cold to swim, we (you guessed it) hung out at the hotel again. We were able to hook up our roku, so we caught up on The Mandalorian. The bed was extremely comfortable, and I think husband took a nap, haha.

For dinner, we had a reservation at Cowfish. We learned from our mistake the previous night and arrived at Citywalk like 30 minutes before our reservation (instead of hours before...), checked in, and waited. The checkin process for Cowfish was bizarre. You had to go INSIDE, up to the second floor, to sign in. Of course, there were people everywhere again, but the tables seemed spaced a little better here. So after the confusion of checking in (the staff seemed really stressed out), we went back outside to wait for a text that our table is ready. Once you receive that, you check in with the person OUTSIDE and then you're directed inside and seated. The whole thing seemed really backwards to me.

ANYWAY, our service here was really good. They gave us a bag for our masks, which was nice. The server suggested we get an appetizer because the kitchen was behind, so we grabbed the crab rangoon dip. For entrees, I ordered the burgooshi, because it's amazing (I remove some parts of it because I'm picky). Husband ordered the Jalapeno Popper Show Stopper burger, which he had TWICE last year because it's that good.

I've had the crab rangoon dip here three times, and only once was it bad. The first time and this time was amazing. I don't know what was up with it last year, but last year it was so fishy that nobody at my table would touch it. It was gross. I'm glad that seemed to be a fluke


Burgooshi is FANCY

After our super good meal, our moods were perked up even more! We headed back to the hotel, played some games on the Switch, and went to bed.,

Next up: ORLANDO INFORMER MEETUP YAAAAAY (or is it????)

 

[Lilias]

ORLANDO INFORMER MEETUP TIME

The day had finally arrived for the Orlando Informer Meetup! I've been a member of the OI Facebook group for years (I think I joined in 2016 or 17?) and attended my first meetup last year with a group of friends. Last year was perfect. We had time to do EVERYTHING. We loved it. The crowds were so low, which is perfect for us cranky childless millennials. The food was easy to get and plentiful. The only really long wait time was for Hagrid's. Husband said we would only do Universal via the Meetup from now on. I agreed!

This year, though...not so much. Granted, we only went for the Meetup, which is technically a weekend, and I had seen over and over again to NOT do Universal on weekends right now. But, Meetup is supposed to be super low crowds, so it doesn't matter that it's a weekend, right? WRONG.

Anyway, I had read in the OI FB group that you could get in as soon as you picked up your credentials despite the stated open time of 3 PM, so we got in line sometime around 12:30, I think. The line started not where it did last year (or where the email told you to go), but I had read about that in the OI FB Group, too, so I wasn't surprised. People not in the FB group probably had no idea about any of these things, so I imagine they probably weren't happy customers. The line took a bit, but it was a nice day and the line was spaced out, so all good.

The OI staff made sure we understood how the food cards worked, which is good, because they were complicated because of Covid. Even so, there was still some key information that we didn't know about, which I'll get to later.

I had been tracking the ride wait times on the app, and it looked like the Universal Studios side was much less crowded, so why I decided for us to enter Islands of Adventure instead is way beyond me, haha. I really wanted to ride the Hogwarts Express, and we had Express Passes, so I think in my brain I was like "if it's bad, we'll just hop on the train and switch!"

IT WAS SUPER HOT AND THERE WAS LIKE A MILLION PEOPLE



The crowds were pretty much the same as the day crowds for the Saturday meetup day last year, which made me very concerned for the next day. Last year we just waited an hour and a half for Hagrid's in order to avoid the day crowds. This day, we hit Hogsmeade, saw the giant sea of people, and just turned the heck around. The Hogwarts Express wait was like 90 minutes, and there wasn't an Express Pass time posted, so we just kept walking the way we came in the hopes that we could use the OI entrance we had used before to switch parks (nope!). I was also getting stupid dehydrated and overheated in my Ravenclaw sweater (it was supposed to cool down that evening, but man it was super hot at 1:45 in the afternoon), so we stopped by a booth in Seuss Landing to get some waterbottles with our dining cards and then sat in an empty area to recalibrate for the rest of the day.

I am a hyper planner and boy had I miscalculated! Things weren't looking so good.

My phone alarm that I had set for Hagrid's went off while we were sitting in the shade and hydrating, and we snagged two return times for Hagrid's. That felt like a win, so our moods increased. Our return times were for 4:00 and 5:00 (one on each of our phones). It was 2:00ish then, so we had some time to kill. We hit up the shops in the Lost Continent area, which was super fun. That area isn't as crowded as Hogsmeade or Seuss Landing, so I was able to chill out for a little and get some pretty jewelry. The christmas tree in Poseidon's Treasures was super pretty! I am a huge fan of all things Mermaid and Ocean, so this was my kinda tree, lol.


SEAHORSE TOPPER

I heard something behind me while looking in the outside pearl case, and there was FRIGGIN MERMAID. ON STILTS. Just hanging out. My jaw like hit the floor, lol. I told her she was beautiful and she told me that my hair was mermazing, so that pretty much made my entire day right there!!


MERMAZING

After stowing my purchases in my fanny pack, we decided to hit up Jurassic Park to check out the Velocicoaster construction and get some food. I don't really have any pictures between now and the Meetup simply because there was just no time or room for pictures. There was just so many people. SO many noses and chins, too. We didn't feel safe. I felt like I had to constantly scan everyone in the crowd and distance myself accordingly from all the noses and people just walking and eating. It was nuts. I couldn't stop and take a picture, just had to keep moving to the next destination. We ended up at Burger Digs, because I wanted to check out the DIscovery Center. The Discovery Center was closed (( I haven't been able to go in there since 2018, since it's usually closed during Meetups. Bah.

Food was weird with the dining cards. You can't mobile order with the dining cards, so you have to stand in line. You then get brought to a table, where you wait, and then a staff member grabs one person to order your table's food. I ordered the BBQ burger, but subbed chicken for the burger. My husband just got a salad because we were still feeling meh. We also got brookies, which were sad and cold, so we only nibbled on em. The food was aight. It was good for being free with our Meetup tickets, but I'd have been a little annoyed if I had paid $18 for that sandwich.

After lunch/dinner, we booked it to Hogsmeade to make it for our Hagrid's virtual queue return time. We waited an hour and a half, so obviously we didn't get to ride twice. We were stuck behind a masks-optional family, and then one of the older kids in that family rode the ride without her mask on. They were able to look at their photos afterwards (where she was clearly unmasked) and weren't reprimanded even in the slightest. This really soured our moods. I enjoyed the ride, but my husband didn't because he was cranky about the masks-optional family and having to ride behind the maskless girl. She didn't remove her mask until after she was seated and stuff, or we would have left the vehicle behind them empty. We should have, anyway. That's my suggestion to you, dear reader! If they're being bad in line, just assume they're going to be bad on the ride as well and leave the vehicle between you empty.

As it was now basically Meetup time, we headed for the Hogwarts Express to get in line to switch parks for the Meetup. Hogsmeade was still nuts, so we just wanted out of that whole park.


Representin our Houses

The wait for the Express was liiiike 35 minutes? It was longer than it normally is for the Meetup, but much better than during the day! And having our own cabin was awesome The Universal Studios side of things was much better than Islands of Adventure, but still more crowded than the Meetup last year. I think that, because Orlando Informer wasn't using lightup wristbands this year, a bunch of non-Meetup people snuck in. OI has denied this, as I'm not the first person who has mentioned this possibility, but NOBODY asked to see our wristbands on Friday. Nobody. Last year, we were constantly asked to show our wristbands all night both nights.

After we rode The Mummy, which is normally one of my favorite rides but it made me anxious this time for some reason, we headed in to Diagon Alley. The crowds weren't terrible, but markedly more than last year's Meetup. Since food lines had just started, we decided to ride Gringotts. This was a walkon, as usual for the Meetup It was great, and I noticed things I hadn't noticed before. I feel like each seat is a little different for this ride!

The line for butterbeer was long. Like, 30 minutes long. Everyone was spaced appropriately, so that was nice. We grabbed two butterbeers and two Otter's Fizzy Oranges, which are superior. I also grabbed some butterbeer ice cream from a cart, but it was not very good. I was shocked that there was no line to grab it, but I know why now. It's just meh. Not even kindof as good as the real thing, which would've been another long line. Sigh.


Otter's Fizzy Orange is Best Drink

After that, the crowds in Diagon Alley were too much for the husband (the Hagrid's experience earlier plus big crowds pretty much ruined the entire night for him) and we left to check out the food in Simpson's. We couldn't figure out where to queue for the real food, so we just grabbed some hotdogs from a cart. After that, we decided to head back to Hogsmeade so we could ride Forbidden Journey and maybe try Hagrid's again.

The Hogwarts Express took a little longer this time (probably like 45 minutes?), but I love it so much that I don't mind that much, haha. Hogsmeade was still nuts at like 10 PM, Hagrid's line looked about what it was earlier (so 90 minutes). We rode Forbidden Journey (walk on) and shopped around Hogsmeade for a bit.


We really need to get it together, Ravenclaws. We've been losing for 10 years now.


I haven't reaally experienced this ride queue since 2010. I need to just sit and listen to all the dialogue again.

We grabbed some more butterbeers from a cart (no line this time!) and I grabbed a gillywater for tomorrow. I wish I had grabbed more of these, as we definitely didn't get our food money's worth and had to buy premium hotel/Disney waterbottles later in teh week. Ah, well. Next time!

We were beyond exhausted at this point, so we called it a night. It doesn't seem like we did much, but we walked all over the place. I think we park hopped a third time that night, but took the walkway instead of the Hogwarts Express?? My husband collapsed in the room, lol. We also were hungry, so ate some donuts and leftovers in the room.


No, really! I told him not to wear those boots!

If any of you are in the OI FB group, then you probably saw this picture. I think it got like 800 likes, bahaha.

NEXT TIME: A better Meetup experience? Yes! And I promise we were much less cranky at Disney, thanks for plugging along lol

 

[butterscotchcollins]

This trip was just me and my husband! We're 30-something Dinks (dual income no kids ) desperate to get out of the house.

I have never heard this term before but I am stealing it My husband and I are also Dinks.

Following along! I did an Orlando Informer meet-up in 2017 and LOOOOOOVED it, so hoping that's been good for you guys last month as well (I guess we'll see!)

 

[Lilias]

I have never heard this term before but I am stealing it My husband and I are also Dinks.

Following along! I did an Orlando Informer meet-up in 2017 and LOOOOOOVED it, so hoping that's been good for you guys last month as well (I guess we'll see!)

We LOVED IT SO MUCH in 2019! And kinda hated it last month I just don't think the Meetups work very well with Covid protocols.

 

[Lilias]

MEETUP PART TWO

So, after how day one went, we decided not to go to Universal until the Meetup started. We picked up our credentials sometime around 3:00, there wasn't a line this time. The parks had hit capacity earlier in the day, so our decision to abstain was a good one. We used our meal cards at Citywalk at Breadbox right away, and it was very good! I got the ham and cheese, and didn't care for the peach jam that comes with it. It was weird. I don't remember what husband got, and we grabbed a nutella shake for our snack. Tasty tasty. I am bad and took no more food pictures for the rest of the trip, so I'm sorry if you love food pictures!! I love them, and promised I would take them, and then I forgot!!

We went back in the room to chill until 8:00. I caught up on some Animal Crossing, and watched Home Alone on Freeform for like the millionth time, but I liked it We thought about swimming, but we checked the pool out a few times and it looked kinda crowded.

At the Meetup, we started in Universal Studios side. Which was actually a MISTAKE this time. We should have started at Islands to queue for Hagrid first thing. Crap!! So we hopped on the Hogwarts Express to get to Hogsmeade ASAP. We should have walked. Oops.


But I wanted to ride the train again :x

Hogsmeade was a madhouse (shocker), and the Hagrid's line looked to be about an hour. While I weighed the pros and cons of just getting in line, DROVES of people with the same idea piled in the line, taking what looked like a 50-ish minute line to a 90-minute one just right in front of my eyes. It was crazy. We talked to the TM working the line, and he said the sweet spot to get in line would be about 10:00, and warned that they would probably close the ride even earlier than usual tonight, so to not be in line any later than 10:30. Extremely helpful. He could have just told me the wait time and sent me on my way, but he wanted me to have a good time.

Not wanting to waste time on the Express again (though I wouldn't have minded ), we took the shortcut BACK to Studios side to get some food.

This time we had a plan!! Once food started, husband got in line for drinks at the Hopping Pot while I waited in line at Florean Fortescue's for ice cream. I missed having him in line with me, though, because he's Scary and people give us more space, lol. This kid was all up in my business. Just ALL UP IN MY BUSINESS. Which meant I had to get up in the person in front of me's business so the kid or his parent would take the hint that I wanted them away from me. NOPEEE. Ah, well. They were at least rule-abiding while up in my business. The ice cream was worth it. I had read in the fb group that they brought trays of ice cream out for people in line, but that didn't happen while I was in line. Hot butterbeers were offered at the Hopping Pot line, though, but I can't drink those. They taste like liquid cake and make me feel sick

There was nowhere for us to go with our haul, though. The place was packed. Our usual nook by the Celestina Warbeck stage was taken. Everything was taken. We left Diagon Alley and found that the fountain was clear, so we ate there. The Knight Bus Driver was around, and was quite jealous of our ice cream and drink haul, ha! We just got Otters Fizzies this time instead of Butterbeers, because they're better. SO MUCH BETTER. I think we ended up having four of those EACH this night.


Husband's phone takes real good pictures

The nice solitude of the fountain area and the drinks and ice cream felt really good. That moment stands out to me now as being just really nice. After that, we had some real dinner at Louie's, and it seemed way more efficient than the day before. We sat down, ordered food, received it within 5 minutes. We had real food this time, lol!! I think we had pasta, salad, and pizza. We didn't think to order drinks cuz they weren't listed on the menu and our server person didn't ask. Oh well. The food hit the spot. We were ready to go BACK to Islands (luckily Husband had proper footwear this time) to get in line for Hagrid's, 90 minutes or no. It's our favorite ride, and I didn't like that Husband couldn't enjoy it yesterday. IT WOULD BE GLORIOUS.

I'm also gonna take a moment to give a shoutout to my compression socks and gel inserts. You guys did some good work this day. We took the park-to-park shortcut like 4 times this night and I think I am only alive and still have legs and knees thanks to you guys. I salute you.

ANYWHO, we went straight to Hagrid's and I think the line was more like an hour-hour-and-15 this time. We were YET AGAIN stuck by some rules-optional people, but they were behind us this time. Husband asked me if we were cursed or something, and I told him that perhaps we were. The ride was great and all was well, and they DID indeed close the ride early just like the TM said. I think we got in line right around 10:15 and it closed shortly after that. I can't imagine many people were thrilled about that, since the parks were open until like 1:30 AM.

After the ride, we hung around in Hogsmeade and shopped around, and Honeydukes had like...3 things. Chocolate frogs, Fizzing Whizbees, and Every Flavour Beans. I wanted to try the exploding bon bons and a bunch of other stuff, but I guess they're having supply issues or something?? Kindof a letdown. And it figures that the year I'm going to finally get Ravenclaw's Diadem that they're backordered and sold out everywhere. SIIIGHH.


Gingyyyy! I was sad that Puss in Boots wasn't there :<

We took the walkway to Universal Studios AGAIN (thank you again, inserts and compression socks) so I could check out the Tribute Store and the Holiday Experience. They both were was so cute! I'm sad that I didn't go while the snacks were open, as I'd heard that you could actually use your snack and drink credits in there! But it was so hot during the day, it just didn't sound good at the time. Boo. We bought some more ornaments and decided to head to Diagon Alley to say goodbye and do some more shopping. I usually get all weepy and sad when leaving Diagon Alley on our last day, but I was fine leaving it behind this time.

Which brings me to my final notes about Universal: We won't go back until Covid is over. The sheer amount of constant vigilance (Moody would have been proud of me) to just keep yourself safe was insane. At any given moment, there was at least one person not wearing a mask properly. And I know I willingly went to a theme park during a Pandemic, but that was because I thought there would be rules. It might have just been the days I went, but staff DID NOT CARE. There were people walking around with signs reminding you to wear face coverings, and that was the extent of enforcing mask compliance. They looked dead inside and definitely weren't scanning the crowd like they were probably supposed to. It left a really bad taste in my mouth and, had our Disney trip been refundable, we would have canceled it and gone home.

As for the Meetup, our experience was much worse than last year. I don't know if day people snuck in due to the wrist band change, or if it was just because of Covid protocols, but our next Meetup will probably not be for a while. The crowds did seem less, for sure, but not as much as last year. Even US wasn't empty like last year.

BUT, it's a good thing we didn't cancel, because Disney was a MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH better experience and the CMs there enforce the rules properly. In our entire week at Disney, I think I saw three noses. I lost count of the ones I saw at Universal in just one day.

So this will be a much happier report going forward, especially because we start things out in Hollywood Studios, where I built a lightsaber and cried lolol

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Big yikes, I’m so sorry you guys had that experience but looking forward to hearing about the better time you had at Disney!

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

Can you explain the park-to-park shortcut? I never realized this existed and hate waiting for the train.

 

[Lilias]

Can you explain the park-to-park shortcut? I never realized this existed and hate waiting for the train.

It was for the Meetup only! It's a backstage shortcut.

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

It was for the Meetup only! It's a backstage shortcut.

So now i am curious. Is it a long walk? I am assuming its shorter than walking all the way out of one park via the main entrance and into the other, or why would anyone use it.

One of the reasons i think the line for the Train is always so long is because people who may not be interested in riding the train, or those that have already done so several times and don't mind skipping it, find themselves in the back of the park but wanting to get to the other park. I think many people would skip the Train if there was an option to walk to the other park and save themselves standing in the train line. It would also serve to greatly shorten the train line for those that actually want to ride it. A covered moving walkway between parks would be even better, but i fear that is asking to much so i'd just like to see a walkway opened to the public all the time.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

One of the reasons i think the line for the Train is always so long is because people who may not be interested in riding the train, or those that have already done so several times and don't mind skipping it, find themselves in the back of the park but wanting to get to the other park. I think many people would skip the Train if there was an option to walk to the other park and save themselves standing in the train line. It would also serve to greatly shorten the train line for those that actually want to ride it. A covered moving walkway between parks would be even better, but i fear that is asking to much so i'd just like to see a walkway opened to the public all the time.

I think there's definitely a need for more ways between parks but technically you can already exit out the front of UO/IOA and walk into the other park - it's about 10-15 minutes to do this the long way but in many cases that's a lot faster than waiting in line for the HE, you don't have to take the train.

 

[Lilias]

The backstage shortcut probably saved us only like 5 minutes? It saved a little more time at Islands because it was right around Seuss Landing/Lost Continent. The US side it was by the Jimmy Fallon ride (I think?) which is already kindof at the front of the park, anyway.

I don't think we went to the Marvel section even once, haha. Which is a shame, because I love Marvel stuff, but we just went and did it all last year, anyway.

 

[Lilias]

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS!

I'm not documenting our hotel day the day previous, because all we did was swim finally and Husband did some homework (which is why we planned on doing nothing this day really).

I was stressing out HARD about the logistics of this day for months, because we were still staying in Portofino Bay at Universal because the Meetup rate was crazy cheap (It was like $200/night). But Disney changed the process for getting Rise of the Resistance boarding groups, which essentially fixed my entire problem. I could now get the boarding group right from my room!! I had an alarm set for 6:55 AM for the 7 AM drop, got both of our phones out, and waited with my finger hovering over the "join" button on the main page until I saw it hit 7:00. My husband's phone is newer, so I got in with his first and got boarding group 6. I was SO EXCITED. But, since I got essentially one of the first boarding groups, that meant we needed to book it over to Hollywood Studios to make it in time!! AGH! Husband is NOT an early riser, but he knew how desperately I wanted to ride this ride and he actually woke up and got ready on time! Yeeee

I was doing my part to represent my favorite character, Padme Amidala, with a Queen Amidala T-shirt and face mask. Husband wore a Mandalorian shirt but a Slytherin mask, and he got crap for it AAALL DAAY, haha. I was happy with how many cast members actually recognized Amidala's symbol on my face mask, which makes me think one of the requirements for working at Galaxy's Edge is to be a crazy Star Wars nerd



We got to Hollywood Studios likee 45 minutes before official open, so 15 minutes after the technical open of an hour prior. Had I not been following these forums like crazy, I would not have known this and missed out on a LOT. Checking in was a breeze, and, what would you know, EVERYONE WAS FOLLOWING THE RULES. No noses in sight. I could actually relax and enjoy my vacation???? Crazy I also really liked the new scanners that meant I could just walk on through without taking off my backpack!

We decided to get in line for Slinky Dog while we waited for our BG to be called, since we hadn't been on it before. Toy Story land is real cute, but man is it tiny!! It gets really crowded in the afternoons, because the queues for the rides take up valuable room in the walkway.

We were on and off in 30 minutes. I was disappointed that they were seating every row, but it's an outdoor coaster and people were actually following the rules, so I didn't let it bother me. Husband liked the coaster more than me, I think I was expecting more because it's hyped so much by everyone? Still a fun ride though, don't think I'd ever wait more than 30ish minutes for it again, though.

While in line, our boarding group got called (It got called about 20 minutes before official Park opening), and it was time to go to Galaxy's Edge.

Guys.

I'm a huge Harry Potter AND Star Wars nerd, and I gotta say that I might like Galaxy's Edge more than Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. It feels so REAL. I was blown away. It really feels like you're on another planet. I know people complain that Disney should have made a more familiar planet like Tatooine or something, but I think the fact that it's a new planet is what made me fall in love with it so much. I discovered something cool and new every time we came. Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade are about connecting to my childhood nostalgia, but Galaxy's Edge is about discovering something new and exciting. I FRIGGIN LOVE IT.

But it's also too small. Expand plz.kthx.

We headed right for Rise and walked on to that, and the experience is great. I won't spoil it for people, because I was spoiled and I think it made the experience less magical for me. Husband again enjoyed the experience more than I did because he had zero idea of what to expect. Meanwhile, I'd watched like every YouTube video on it, read the spoiler thread here, etc. DO NOT RECOMMEND. I still liked the ride enough to do it twice (we had another HS day planned this trip), especially because Husband raved about a certain part THAT I HADN'T EVEN NOTICED. We got stuck in the back row behind plexiglass, so I think that might be how I missed it. I'm a short person, lol.

After that, we hopped in line for Millennium Falcon, and that took like 40 minutes? I wanted to do the mobile game attached to it, but the line moved too fast for me to really get it done properly. It's fun, though, if you're stuck in line for 50 minutes or more


ugh so cool

Now this was a GREAT time, and no amount of spoilers made me enjoy this any less. Also, being a pilot is hard, lol. I'm glad we got to enjoy this before they added plexiglass. The space is much too small to share with others, and I really liked it just being me and the Husband on a mission together. We're big Gamers, so this was cool on many levels


I didn't realize you could get your picture taken in here, whoops

The park had been blissfully empty most of the day, but after getting off this ride (I think it was close to 11), the crowds were noticeably bigger. We mobile ordered some Ronto Roasters cuz we were hungry. Husband loved his Ronto Wrap, but I'm not a sausage person, so I grabbed the Oats thing. I discovered quickly that Disney is a fan of "popping pearls" and I AM HERE FOR IT. If something had the pearls, I ordered it. I loved them. I didn't care for my oats, but ate all the fruit and pearls and let husband have the rest, haha. Mobile Order worked flawlessly. Much better than Universal.

After that, I wanted to go to Dok Ondar's, but there was a huge line. Galaxy's Edge in general was too crowded now, so we left to get in line for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. They added plexiglass to it recently, so the line was only like 45-50 minutes. It randomly started sprinkling, so I put on my poncho just in case. I was wearing a white shirt and had fresh hair dye, so I was taking NO CHANCES on rain, lol. And, less than a minute after I put my poncho on, DOWNPOUR. Just buckets of rain. There was no rain in the forecast until later in the day, but I packed ponchos just in case because of so many recommendations on this forum. Yep. Do it.

Mickey and Minnie's is a real cute ride, and I enjoyed myself I'd ride it again if the line was 45 or less.

After this it was past noon, super hot, and just seas of humanity everywhere. We decided to go back to the hotel for a break. This is something I recommend, but I'm not sure how much sense it makes now that Park Hopping is back. Our parks method was to get to a park in the hour before opening, do the big hitters, get food, and then go back to the hotel around lunch. We'd then go back to the park in the evening after crowds abated. Now that Park hopping is a thing, I'm not sure how much sense this method makes anymore. It worked for us, though. I also mobile ordered dinner at Docking Bay 7 set right for closing time during this period I recommend pre-ordering meals this way to get the best time slots.

Later that evening, we came back to Galaxy's Edge BECAUSE I HAD AN APPOINTMENT AT SAVI'S. This is another experience that spoilers can't ruin for you, because it's so special while you're there. Checking in was a bit of a cluster, and I wasted money on the display stand. If I had known it displays the HILT ONLY, I wouldn't have bought it. I like to keep my blade on my saber.

Also, I had a moment in line where I got really emotional because I noticed that all the other people building sabers were women. The Star Wars fandom hasn't been good to women, and I've spent most of my life as a Star Wars nerd feeling like an outsider because of it. But here we were, women making lightsabers together. One group was a couple that were both building together. I cried a little. It was beautiful.

ANYWAY, Savi's is worth every bit of the $200 it costs. Not only do you get a high quality lightsaber (the hilt parts are metal)--you get to build it yourself, and the experience is amazing. I cried again. It felt truly magical. My husband took a bunch of pictures, so I'll dump em below



My lightsaber is purple, obviously I was told that Purple is a mixture of light and dark, and it was cool that the dude talked to everyone individually. He was another person that knew his Star Wars, of course, so he appreciated my Padme stuff, I think



Batuu is SO COOL AT NIGHT TOO!!!! Aaaahhh!! I fell in love with the place even more. After taking some pictures in front of the Falcon with my saber (as one does, lol), we got our Docking Bay 7. I got the kids sized Tip Yip and Mac, Husband got the beef pot roast thing. We also got the dessert, which was so pretty that I remembered to take a picture! The food was REALLY good. It hit the spot after a long day, and it was probably my favorite meal of the trip for some reason. Fried chicken and mac and cheese and broccoli just hits the SPOT. Husband liked his too. Disney's food is just way better than Universal's. Just, no contest.


this was really tasty, but we didn't eat the weird moss-lookin stuff lol

After that, we wandered around Batuu at night for a little bit, and then headed back to the hotel and packed things up We both couldn't get over how much of a good time we had, and Husband said that he had more fun this day than the entirety of our Universal stay. I agreed.


Tomorrow we'll be checking into Animal Kindgom Lodge for the rest of our Disney trip, and heading to Epcot!

 

[ZumaTree]

After taking some pictures in front of the Falcon with my saber (as one does, lol), we got our Docking Bay 7. I got the kids sized Tip Yip and Mac, Husband got the beef pot roast thing. We also got the dessert, which was so pretty that I remembered to take a picture! The food was REALLY good. It hit the spot after a long day, and it was probably my favorite meal of the trip for some reason. Fried chicken and mac and cheese and broccoli just hits the SPOT.

My husband and I love DB7. I just think the food is fabulous, better than a lot of TS restaurants. I'm always confused why folks don't hype it more!

ANYWAY, Savi's is worth every bit of the $200 it costs. Not only do you get a high quality lightsaber (the hilt parts are metal)--you get to build it yourself, and the experience is amazing. I cried again. It felt truly magical.

We're planning to visit in February and I think I'm finally getting my saber, too! Did the experience seem impacted by COVID at all? (I accompanied my husband getting his last March right before the shut down, and I can't wait for my magical moment.)

 

[Lilias]

Nope! I don't think the protocols affected anything other than having a mask on in my photos

 

[FoodieFriend]

I totally agree with you about Savi's @Lilias it was an amazing experience & everyone should do it! Thank you for the comparisons between Universal & Disney as we'll be visiting both in March. The DIS team did say that Universal can get crazy crowded on the weekends, so we're going on weekdays & hoping it will be comfortable. We decided not to ride Hagrid's in 2019 thinking that by 2021 it would be lower crowds OR part of EP, but nope, so oh well. we'll stand in line this time. Universal park hours are so short on weekdays though, it's really depressing. I hope that changes soon. Can't wait to here more about your Disney trip. GE is amazing & I'm glad you enjoyed it.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

My husband and I love DB7. I just think the food is fabulous, better than a lot of TS restaurants. I'm always confused why folks don't hype it more!

Shhhh don't tell people then it will be overrun >.> But in all seriousness it's surprising to me how much better the newer establishments are - the food is fresher and has better flavor, DB7 in terms of just the quality is way better than most of what you can get on Disney property. I wish they were all up to this standard, I'd be a lot less salty about spending the outrageous prices for QS quality.

 

[Lilias]

Shhhh don't tell people then it will be overrun >.> But in all seriousness it's surprising to me how much better the newer establishments are - the food is fresher and has better flavor, DB7 in terms of just the quality is way better than most of what you can get on Disney property. I wish they were all up to this standard, I'd be a lot less salty about spending the outrageous prices for QS quality.

I haven't been on these boards in like two weeks (oops), and I come back like "when did we talk about Dragon Ball Z???"

Docking Bay 7. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~

I'll update this again next week, promise

 

[butterscotchcollins]

I haven't been on these boards in like two weeks (oops), and I come back like "when did we talk about Dragon Ball Z???"

Docking Bay 7. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~

I'll update this again next week, promise

VEGETA AGREES WITH ME THO

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.

I went to the OI the week before. It was my first one so I don’t have anything to compare it to . I agree with you about less mask compliance and bigger crowds at Universal. I ended up leaving a day early - the crowds and feeling uncomfortable- wasn’t worth it to stay . I did the opposite WDW first then Uni . While WDW wasn’t perfect , I felt much safer there.