"If I Was Any Better, I'd Be Twins!" - A Diabolical, Divalicious September '24 Solo Trip *UPDATE 02/01*

[Newsies]

Wow, your photo in front of the Safari truck with your arms by your side REALLY shows how much weight you have lost!! Great pic!
Enjoying your trip report and looking forward to hearing more!

I thought the same thing. Great work!

You guys are so sweet! I just hit my 40 lbs down mark this week. Really determined to get to 50 lbs down by the end of the year but to do that, it will take a lot of work on my part given the rate I've been losing. I've been making improvements to my diet lately with better planning, but being active has been a struggle for me because it's colder and darker for longer. Thank you guys for the shot of confidence, I really needed to hear this!

 

[Newsies]

Dinosaurs Say Good Buy​

After KRR, I wanted to see what Mickey and Minnie were up to at the Adventurer’s Outpost. When I peeked into the line, there was only one family waiting to meet them, so the timing this morning was perfect for a little chat with my favorite mice!

As I waited to meet the mice, I got to speak to another Kaitlyn! She was their Character Attendant. I asked her a question about Dug and Russell and we started talking about the different characters and eventually my own experience as a Character Attendant on my second program.

When it was my turn to say hi to Mickey and Minnie, Kaitlyn introduced me to the mice, saying, “Mickey, this is Kaitlyn – she used to be a Character Attendant just like (other attendant in the room) and I!”

Mickey and Minnie, of course, started clapping and pointing to where the name tag would have gone above my heart. That, of course, got me a little teary-eyed.

“It’s true! I used to be just like our good friend Kaitlyn here!” I pointed back at Kaitlyn. Then I pointed to my heart. “I’m not an Attendant anymore, but guess what, Mickey? All of the memories we made together? I keep them right here in a special place where I can’t lose them.”

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From then on in, it was no more tears/all fun and games. We talked about the different animals we’ve seen on the safari, and Minnie tried to rally everyone to go on a safari of our own, but we reminded her that she still had friends to meet and that we could go on a safari later.

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After we snapped some pics, I said “thank you” to everyone in the room and went on with my day.

My next stop was actually right across the street, where a food stand serving a certain famous mac-and-cheese bowl was just opening up for the day.

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I’ve heard a lot of good things about this Pulled Pork BBQ Macaroni and Cheese at Eight Spoon Cafe, with a base of their signature mac, topped with pulled pork, BBQ sauce, and pickles. This was really good! This is one of those dishes where everything works better together as a group of flavors versus as individual pieces. Like, the pulled pork was fine, the macaroni was fine, and the BBQ sauce was fine. When you put it all together, it becomes great. Kinda like that moment in Ratatouille where he eats the strawberry and the cheese together and sees all the different colors. And I really liked it because it was a small-ish portion, so if you’re looking for something to keep you going after a long morning with a few hours to go before an ADR, this is a good choice.

And guess who I ran into while I was cleaning up and getting ready to go to my next stop?

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I facetimed Dad so he could say hi to Kevin, too!

Then it was time to finally face the music. The early 2000’s playlist of Dinoland USA, that is, as I prepared to say goodbye to a beloved piece of this Park. We started with the hardest goodbye of all: my last trans-dimensional joy-ride. With another LLMP for Dinosaur, I waited almost no time at all.

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Gooooooooodbye there, Dr. Seeker. And Godspeed to you and your iguanadon. Thank you for all of the memories! I salute your service, sir.

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Then I decided to meet a few friends in their Dino-bash costumes for the last time. I know the Dino-bash stuff was a late addition to Dinoland (potentially the last ever permanent “update” to the land?), but since 2018, I’ve absolutely adored the meets in this area, they’ve added so much vibrance and life to the area. One of my favorite memories from our 2018 Thanksgiving trip was meeting the Munks in their dino costumes, then in 2020 I had the privilege of meeting Donald and Daisy together on Valentine’s Day and that was just as fun. We’ve had so much fun with our friends in this area and I’ll miss these fun costumes and photo ops so much!

I met Daisy first since the Munks were just leaving for a quick break. This was the week after NYFW, so I asked Daisy if she had been invited to NYFW and she shook her head no.

“That’s okay, Anna Wintour is just scared of how brilliant you are.” I assured her.

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Then I moved over to meeting the Chipmunks. Well, actually… if you’ve ever met them here before, you know that they’re actually two VERY scary dinosaurs!

“Okay, question for you boys.” I said. “I heard that Chip and Dale were around… but all I see are two scary dinos. Where are Chip and Dale?”

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We spent a moment searching for the chipmunks.

“Wait a minute!” The Character Attendant said after a moment. Then she walked up to Dale and pointed to his nose. “I recognize that nose! That’s Dale!”

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We just had so much fun together and then I gave my Dino-munks two big hugs goodbye for the last time.

With no more attractions I wanted to do in Dinoland and no desire to play the games one last time, I just walked around and took some pictures of everything. I walked around the store, but it is a huge miss on Disney’s part that they haven’t been selling any “The End is Near!” “Extinction” merchandise because I would have 100% purchased them. But no. They had nothing to purchase, so I took nothing but pictures and drank in my final moments at Dinoland.

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When I was done, I walked out of Dinoland USA for the very last time to the tune of “All Star” by Smash Mouth.

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[HappyGal]

You’re right about missing a merchandising opportunity, an Extinction line would do so well!

 

[Newsies]

You’re right about missing a merchandising opportunity, an Extinction line would do so well!

Yes!!! As long as there was enough to go around and I didn't have to see sold out $25.99 pins being sold for $500+ on Ebay when I got home

 

[Newsies]

A 10/10 Day at DAK​

The last “big thing” I wanted to do at Animal Kingdom today was visit Rafiki’s Planet Watch, which is another part of this Park I quite literally haven’t been to since 2014. I walked back to Africa and over to the Wildlife Express Train Station. We waited a few minutes for a train, then the small crowd of us waiting for the Wildlife Express boarded the slow-moving train en route to Rafiki.

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The ride to Rafiki’s Planet Watch was actually kinda cool. It runs backstage so you can see glimpses of different facilities that the animals receive care at. There weren’t any animals or CMs around during this time of day, but we could see where they’d maybe receive a check-up or medical care.

We arrived at Rafiki’s Planet Watch and at first, it was a little confusing where we were supposed to go, but soon enough, I made my way to the area where the building and the petting zoo were. After washing my hands thoroughly, I went into the petting zoo to see if I could maybe pet some goats or sheep or maybe a donkey.

There were SO many friends in this little “playground!”

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This sweetheart walked right up to me.

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SO sweet. So cute. So ready for pets!!!

Then there was this guy taking a nap.

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There were also some donkeys who didn’t want to be bothered. They walked over to me at one point, but only because that’s where a water bowl was. Then they took a drink of their water and flipped the rest of the bowl clear over. Not sure what the problem was but I did film a video of the encounter and texted it to my family to show them how closely the donkeys behavior resembled our dog Roxie.

I also saw a caretaker here who I know I’ve seen in different videos for Disney before! I recognized her immediately but I can’t tell you where she’s from. She’s definitely done some of those official “Disney Planning” videos they stopped releasing in 2016, but I just can’t put my finger on which one. We talked to each other for a few minutes, she’s really cool.

I went inside but honestly, there was not a lot to do. I walked right into the middle of a presentation from one of the caretakers, so I missed the context there and didn’t stop to see what was going on. There were some veterinarians in the lab, but they were doing lab work without animals and not presenting anything to guests.

I saw a Character Attendant, which meant there was a character, which meant I wanted to say hi to someone. It was Timon!

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Timon was FLIRTIIIIING. Holding my hand, giving me kisses, there was some “I love YOU more” ‘no I love YOU more!!” action happening… keep an eye out for our Save the Date cards.

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When I was finished meeting Timon, I decided that was enough of Rafiki’s Planet Watch. I went back to the Rafiki station and got back on the Wildlife Express.

As we headed back to Africa, I realized I was pretty hungry and ready for a good lunch. There was a 20 minute wait for Nomad Lounge on the app, so I put myself on the waitlist for some small plates. I made a quick pit stop at Creature Comforts for an iced water… it was hot as always at DAK!

After waiting only a few minutes outside of Nomad Lounge, I was brought to my table. I sat outside on that little porch area today, at a small table with a comfy chair.

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I normally don’t order alcohol at DAK, but the Lamu Libation piqued my interest and I’m glad I ordered it.

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This was sooooo good! Much better than the drink I had with my family a few years ago during our first trip pre-Covid. This drink is made with Starr African Rum, Cruzan Banana Rum, and Guava Purée with Orange, Lime, and Pineapple Juices topped with Gosling's 151 Rum. As you can imagine, it tasted like POG juice with alcohol. It was sooooo luscious. I really loved it.

Then I got two small plates, the Pineapple-glazed Pork Belly and the Churros.

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Both excellent. I would describe the Pineapple-glazed Pork Belly the same way Simba might: slimy, yet satisfying. I know that’s not the most appealing description in the world, but the Pork Belly was really tender and soft and I wrote in my notes that the chili sauce tasted “like Christmas.” It was very good but very hard to describe!

If you’ve ever been to Nomad, you’ve probably had these churros, which are often hailed as the best in Walt DIsney World. They are really, really good – fresh fried in the kitchen and served with two sauces, including a DIABOLICAL vanilla sauce. The whole plate was just diabolical… so good.

So Nomad Lounge was a 10/10. Very good service, very good food, very good ambiance. Just a great place to get away from the craziness of the Park for a few hours and have some good food, including some plant-based options that looked interesting. Don’t skip the churros.

I paid the bill and decided to wrap up my day at DAK. The last thing on the agenda was to stop by Discovery Trading Company to see if they had the tie-dye Mickey shirt I had been looking for in my size, but no dice. After I didn't find what I was looking for, I headed back to the bus stop.

It was a very, very good day at this Park! My experiences are Animal Kingdom are always a mixed bag -- I find that you can either have a really good day or a really bad day here. When the weather is hot and the crowds are high, it can be a really frustrating place to be. It was definitely toasty at DAK today, but crowds were really mild. I found some good value in LLMP on this day, but I suspect it was because I was all by myself and easily able to bang out the attractions I wanted to do.

Short update today to keep my dinner at Boma / Nighttime Safari experience in a separate update, but I'll give a life update / update on future trips below, too!

Click here to continue


*** Life update below this line! ***​

Short update today gives me the perfect opportunity to talk about a few things with you all! Hope you're all doing well. Been all good on my end, I know I haven't had any life updates so far in the two months I've had this TR. We're almost at the end, too -- just two more days left of my trip to report out on! But not a whole lot has happened in the past two months. Been crazy at work and now-end of December is our craziest time of year. Even though that means I'm in a tailspin when I'm on the clock, it also means I'm spending some more time at home now and maybe more opportunities to sneak in writing some updates.

It hasn't all been work lately! Last month I went into the city to do a paint-and-sip for my friend's birthday, and I'm all in on Wicked (Part 1) right now. I was on pins and needles waiting for this movie to come out and I finally got to see it with mom and Grace on Thursday night... so epic. So emotional. Ariana and Cynthia did fabulous. I was supposed to see Zayn in concert last month, but given the death of his former bandmate Liam (so heavy on my heart), he pushed it out to January. I have a lot to look forward to next year! Zayn concert, Jonas Brothers 20th anniversary tour, and of course... a few trips!

I know I've posted about the Cruise already, and we're so excited! Recap: we'll be on the Disney Magic next August visiting the Bahamas and both of Disney's private islands. We just can't wait for this one. I started a PTR for this trip but I've been pretty rotten about it. Actually, haven't posted since I booked our staterooms back in March. #Oops. But we finally made an appointment to apply for our Passports during the first week of December and we're scouring Etsy for the perfect Fish Extenders and stateroom door magnets! Still to do:

• Book hotel in Port Canaveral for the night before the ship
• Research Embarkation/Debarkation day a little more to understand just what to prepare for
• Research how to do the Online Check-In process. So stressed by this one!
• Research a few "excursions" at Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay. I think we're honestly probably going to stay onboard at the Bahamas so that we can enjoy the ship, but we definitely want to snorkel and enjoy Disney's private islands!

So that's our plan for August 2025, which some of you guys kind of already knew about. What you guys don't know about yet is that we're heading back to Walt Disney World in March! I actually booked this as a bounceback offer while I was at the Parks in September, so we're going to talk about the fun party-line/three-way call between myself, my parents, and the Disney booking agent in a few updates. Not that it's supposed to be a big "reveal"/secret moment, I just haven't gotten around to talking about it here on the DIS yet.

Quick and dirty: We'll be at Caribbean Beach Resort at the beginning of March (don't have the dates up in front of me but we'll surely come back to this later), we requested the Aruba section again and we're back on the Disney Dining Plan. Not a whole lot of planning has gone into this one. We want to go to the Cake Bake Shop, Narcoosee's, Crystal Palace, and Garden Grill. We're going to take advantage of the free Water Park ticket that'll come with our package but TBD which waterpark we'll go to (will we even have a choice? I can't even remember if both are ever open at the same time anymore... lol). While we're there, we'll probably book another Bounceback Offer. Mom wants to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge for a night or two when we come back from the cruise, so we can book that while we're here unless a similar discount opens up for August in the coming months.

So that's that. We're all set for March and August 2025! That's all I had to update you guys with. How are you all doing?

 

[HappyGal]

Since you’re staying at CBR you should add Sebastian’s to your dinner plans, so good! Me? Heading to Disney next week, super-excited to have the Roses of Gold Afternoon Tea at the Cake Bake Shop! I’ll let you know how it goes.

 

[Newsies]

Since you’re staying at CBR you should add Sebastian’s to your dinner plans, so good!

Oooh, is it really good? I was just talking to my family about how I never hear any love for this place online! I vaguely remember us not going here when we stayed at CBR because the menu didn't stand out to us... I'm going to have to look again!

Heading to Disney next week, super-excited to have Afternoon Tea at the Cake Bake Shop! I’ll let you know how it goes.

I hope you have the absolute best time!! We're trying to decide between Afternoon Tea or dinner here, so I can't wait to hear about your tea time!

 

[Woth2982]

The last “big thing” I wanted to do at Animal Kingdom today was visit Rafiki’s Planet Watch

We just did this for the first time. My son LOVES animals so he was in heaven! He loved brushing the goats.

Then there was this guy taking a nap.

This was my favorite guy there! I want a pet pig so badly! My husband wont let me get a dog, so my odds on getting a pig are super slim, but I still want one lol

I saw a Character Attendant, which meant there was a character, which meant I wanted to say hi to someone. It was Timon!

We got in line for Timon, but he needed a grub break and then Rafikki came out. He is my sons FAVORITE disney character so he was soooooo excited to see him! It was very sweet.

 

[Daphne0890]

I really love reading your TR. Love the picture with Timon.

 

[xrosario]

This TR is so fun! Down to the pink font I'm going to AKL for the first time in January and your notes are making me so excited!

 

[Newsies]

We just did this for the first time. My son LOVES animals so he was in heaven! He loved brushing the goats.

The goats and the sheep were so sweet, I'm so happy you all had a good time!!

This was my favorite guy there! I want a pet pig so badly! My husband wont let me get a dog, so my odds on getting a pig are super slim, but I still want one lol

YES! He was so funny! I know your pain all too well... we have a dog, but I really want fluffy chickens and it's a hard "no" from dad

We got in line for Timon, but he needed a grub break and then Rafikki came out. He is my sons FAVORITE disney character so he was soooooo excited to see him! It was very sweet.

Awww, what a precious memory!!! Love that Rafiki is your son's favorite, that's so specific and fun!

I really love reading your TR. Love the picture with Timon.

Thank you so very, very much! Appreciate you joining in!

This TR is so fun! Down to the pink font I'm going to AKL for the first time in January and your notes are making me so excited!

Thank you for the comments and for following along! You are going to absolutely LOVE AKL, it quickly became a favorite of mine! Definitely don't forget to check out the flamingo pond by the pool, they are my favorite... they're so funny! And I'm sure you already know this, but if you're doing any table service dining on your trip, you just can't skip Boma. It's so good! In the next update I'll talk about my dinner there!

 

[Newsies]

The Annual "I Am the Neighborhood Gary" Announcement​

I got on a bus back to DAKL and once again appreciated the fact that I was only 3 minutes away from my resort. I stopped at Zawadi Marketplace on my way inside to see if they had that shirt I was looking for, which they did (it was the orange tie-dye Halloween one that was like, Mickey as a vampire on the front/back), so I purchased that, then I went back up to my room and took a NAP. Probably the fattest nap I’ve EVER TAKEN at Walt Disney World. I was out for 2-3 hours to rest up for dinner at Boma + my Starlight Safari reservation.

Then it was time for the typical shower-and-get-ready-for-dinner rigamaroll. I got down to Boma pretty close to my reservation time at 6:30 (bless how close my room was to the restaurant) and was brought to my table pretty immediately thereafter.

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I had been to Boma once before back in May with the family after everyone had hyped it up as the best buffet on property. I loved our breakfast, some of the other members of the family were undecided. Either way, I knew I’d have to be back for dinner while I was staying at the Lodge.

This was my first time eating at a buffet as a solo diner, which was the experience I was most nervous about. Even when I’m with my friends and family, I have anxiety around eating in public, so I was a bit worried about piling a plate of food and walking from the buffet line back to my table by myself. It’s a very silly thing to worry about. Nobody is paying attention to what’s happening at the other tables, except for me when a chef came out to bring a plate of cookies out to a child at the table next to me and delighted the entire table.

I had a really friendly waitress. One of the things I love most about Boma is that the Cast Members LOVE Boma! She asked if it was my first time at Boma, I said that I loved breakfast but it was my first time for dinner. She got so excited for me, reminded me that this is constantly rated the best buffet at Walt Disney World, ran down the menu and told me what was the most popular and what her personal favorites were. She also had to break the sad news to me that today’s stew was a lamb curry. I told her I was hoping for oxtail stew and she was like “I know, that’s my favorite too! That was last night!” – it’s just always fun to have a waiter or waitress who’s passionate about the restaurant, especially if you’re a new patron!

To drink, I had a DIABOLICAL Chocolate Martini. It had all of the favorites in here. It had Vanilla stoli. It had Frangelico. It also had something called Bols White Creme de Cacao. But above all, it had MOZART! I love a chocolate liquor moment, truly the most diabolical shot in the world. Mozart is good and I also love Godiva, which you can find in the Spiked Cold Brew Caf at Kat Saka’s Kettle at DHS – my favorite drink in the parks right now!

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The Chocolate Martini at Boma was truly diabolical. Super chocolatey and rich but not so sweet it made me sick. I was able to finish this drink, which I normally can’t because I get so sick so quickly when I drink. Great choice for lightweights like me.

Anyway, once I put in my drink order I got up to grab my first plate and a bowl of stew from the buffet line:

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From the top and going clockwise:
Mealie Bread or Possibly Cornbread – I can’t remember if it was mealie bread or cornbread, looks like normal cornbread but in any case it tastes exactly as it looks, like it was pulled out of a plastic container picked up at Costco. Just adequate.
Durban Chicken – Good quality meat, prefer crispier skin, spices were good and not too adventurous.
Macaroni and Cheese – One thing about me, no matter how adventurous the buffet line is, I’m going to get a scoop of the kids mac and cheese… oops. Just soupy, cheesy comfort.
Green Beans – Very good, nicely flavored, featured raisins! I had never had green beans with raisins before but I enjoyed them. Even re-writing this TR I’m wondering if there’s a recipe for these online that I can make this week.
Sirloin with Boma Mustard – Second favorite thing on the plate! Incredible sirloin quality and the Boma Mustard is maybe my all time favorite condiment, it blows my mind every time I have it on sirloin or ham.
Peanut Rice – MY FAVORITE THING ON THE PLATE! Oh, this was sooooo good friends. Now, I know that this is a very polarizing dish for many. You are going to either love or hate this rice because it really does smell just like a big old glob of peanut butter. I just thought it was SO creamy and sweet and salty, I wish I had gotten more of it! Literally delicious.
Tamarind BBQ Rib – Meh. Rib meat was not great and sauce was just okay.

On the side is a bowl of that lamb curry. I really wish the oxtail stew was out instead! I took a spoonful of this and it just wasn’t for me. I don’t really love curry so no surprises here.

Then I went back up for a dessert plate:

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Again starting clockwise:
Zebra Domes – Zebra Domes. What can I say about Zebra Domes that haven’t already been said? Just soft and pillowy and a rich dynamic of different textures and flavors. Very good.
Cranberry/Orange Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce – Not bad but not my favorite bread pudding on earth. I think this batch might have just been cooked a little too long, it was a bit dry and more like a true “bread” than a “bread pudding.”
Some type of coffee tart? – I forget what this was and how it tasted, I might not have actually tried this.
Chocolate chip cookie – Sometimes I just like a plain chocolate chip cookie. I had a bite to satiate my inner cookie monster and forgot about it.
POG Tart – THIS! DIVA! This purple, mickey-head topped tart was not just diabolical. She was an entire DIVA. She started acting divaliciously when she refused to get on the plate, it was just impossible to pick her up with the tongs without messing up her perfect mousse topping. Actually it was quite embarrassing trying to get her onto the plate. But once we dug into her… Omg, best dessert at the buffet. She was a POG MOUSSE. Have you ever had a POG MOUSSE before? So tart and refreshing and sat on top of a perfect, flaky shortbread cookie that had the consistency of pie crust. Nothing but love for this gorgeous diva.

I left Boma stuffed, and my waitress was super nice and fixed me a coffee cup to go so that I could stay awake through my Starlight Safari.

Jiko was the easiest solo ADR in the world for me because the cooking place was bar seating and I had great company, but Boma was pretty easy, too. I do agree with the assessment that it’s the best dinner buffet on property, but I’m also not a fan of Disney’s lunch/dinner buffets. I actually thought it was just as good as the 1900 Park Fare dinner buffet we had back in May, just more adventurous and unique dishes to choose from. I give Boma like an 8/10. I think I liked Jiko better but I thought Boma was definitely a way better value and the peanut rice was just awesome.

So then it was time for me to make my way to Kidani Village for Starlight Safari, an enchanted extra I had booked at midnight on my 60 day mark. I ended up just grabbing the Springs bus, as it’s the only bus that stops at Jambo House before it stops at Kidani Village, but there’s also a shuttle that runs between Kidani and Jambo house you can take.

Starlight Safari is a backstage tour at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge that takes you through the savannah with a pair of caretakers on an open-sided safari vehicle. It is very popular, and there are only about 24 seats per night (about 12 people per safari and 2 safaris an evening), so if you’re interested, you will want to be awake at midnight on your 60-day window. Even a manager at Kidani Village who asked me about my day was surprised that I was able to book it.

I got to Kidani village and the first thing I did was go inside to buy a bottle of water and a poncho from the small store that Kidani has in the lobby.

When I went back outside, the check-in process for our 8:30 safari was starting and a few people had already checked in. The two caretakers for our expedition were standing around, waiting to check in the next patron and reviewing the different safari guests on their list.

“Ooh, this safari has TWO ‘Gary’s. That’s fun.” I could hear one of them, Ashley, say as she read the list. Ashley would be our driver for the evening and Haley would be our guide.

I approached them to check in and fill out some paperwork, and they were so friendly. They asked if I was excited and I said yes and talked about how much I was loving Animal Kingdom Lodge and all about the exciting day I had at Animal Kingdom.

“I heard the lions roar on the safari today! They were going back and forth with each other, I had never heard them roar like that before.” I explained.

“They do that sometimes!” Ashley explained. “They do that as like, the annual “I am the lion in this savannah” announcement. It would be like… if your name was Gary and some other guy named Gary moved into your neighborhood. And you opened your front door and stood on your porch and shouted ‘ATTENTION! I AM THE NEIGHBORHOOD GARY. TO ALL OTHER 'GARY'S OUT THERE, KNOW THAT I AM THE NEIGHBORHOOD GARY.’”

If your name is Gary, you’ll have to let me know how the annual “I Am the Neighborhood Gary” announcement goes for you this year.

Okay so moving on, we were brought onto the safari vehicle and everyone was given these nightvision binoculars and told we could take pictures through them. My iPhone is not exactly the best picture-taker in the world anymore, but I took a few throughout the safari!

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I don’t know what exactly I was expecting for this safari, but it was a lot of fun. We were out on the Savannahs for about an hour (maybe longer?) and it was just such a fun evening getting so close to the animals and talking to Haley. She was very conversational and loved answering our questions. I think I figured the experience would be more like Kilimanjaro Safaris where you have a guide that’s basically reading a script and giving you fun facts about the different species, but this was much different. As we approached every animal, Haley would tell us their name and talk about their personality, the different quirks they had, and how they were cared for.

For example – this is Luna, their trickster giraffes who loves to walk up to Safari vehicles. They had to change the way they fed giraffes on the savannah because of her. They used to clip their leafy greens to the trees with carabiners, but Luna figured out how to open the carabiners and the food would fall to the floor, so they had to figure out a way to tie their food to the tree without the use of carabiners. What a prankster!

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We saw a few different animals. Lots of giraffes, lots of different deer-like creatures including some antelopes who were named after the Peanuts gang (Linus, Charlie Brown, and Snoopy). But the highlight of the safari for me was getting to see Penne and Rigatoni, the two Zebra foals on the Savannah.

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They are the cutest ever. They are so adorable and apparently, they spend all of their time together! I’m so obsessed with them.

We also got to hold a cement-filled Ostrich egg shell which was really cool. It gave me the perfect opportunity to ask about the Ostrich eggs on Kilimanjaro Safari. IYKYK – those eggs haven’t hatched in a hot minute!

Haley explained that the fake eggs on the safari are there for good reason! They give the Ostriches an idea of where to lay real eggs. So if you’re ever on Kilimanjaro Safaris and you see one or two eggs sitting a few feet away from the pile of fake eggs, you’ll know that those are real!

Anyway, it was a very cool safari. If you’re staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, you will absolutely LOVE this experience because you’ll get to “meet” all of the different animals who live on the savannahs outside of your room! I am really, really glad I did it. 10/10, highly recommend. And Haley and Ashley were so cool! Haley offered to take my photo in front of the safari vehicle with the ostrich egg which was really sweet of her.

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Once I got out of the Safari, I took the shuttle back to Jambo House which was a fun experience in and of itself, it was me and one other couple and the driver was a Gen Z DIVA who was playing What Dreams Are Made Of on the radio and I was like “Omg TASTE” and she was like “Oh, okay, I see we have cultured people on this bus!” and started playing Bop to the Top, which we all sang along to as we drove to Jambo. Sooooo good.

I got back to the room probably closer to 10 and fell asleep. It was a really good day for me. I went to bed with a new perspective & love for the animals of Disney’s savannahs. I love to find new “quirks” when I visit the Parks, and this time, it was learning more about Disney’s conservation efforts and how they take care of their animals. I’ve even been watching Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom on Disney+! Disney does some really cool things and the love they have for their residents on the savannah is really inspiring.

Coming up next… my most ANTICIPATED day of the trip! DUN DUN DUN…

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[Newsies]

On Your Mark, Get Set... Wait?
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Get ready for a YAPPER UPDATE! This is going to be a pretty text heavy one, I want to get a really small timeframe out of the day as quickly as possible.

I don’t think I’ve EVER been so excited to write about a day in my life as I have been to write about my day at Universal Studios on this trip! Not that it was my best day ever, or even a truly remarkable day – but because it was just so different than what I’m used to on my normal Disney adventures! Let’s go!

I woke up so early, maybe 6 o’clock? And I took a shower and got ready for the day. My plan was to leave the hotel no later than 7 originally so I could be there for park opening at 8, but I didn’t end up ordering a Lyft until 7:20.

Here I am, ready for my first ever solo day at Universal Studios!

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The one thing I was most nervous about was getting to and from Universal Studios by myself. I’m no stranger to Lyfting/Ubering by myself, but I am a stranger to navigating Orlando and navigating Universal Studios! My Lyft driver got me to Universal Studios by a little after 8. I don’t think he dropped me off at the correct spot. He dropped me off at like, the very top floor of a parking garage and I took the elevator down three or four levels and ended up right in front of the moving walkway to security? I have NEVER ever gotten to the walkway that quickly and was prepared from my research to do a bit of walking this morning just to get from the drop-off spot to security, so I think he may have dropped me off where he wasn’t supposed to. Oops.

But anyway, the scariest part of the day was over very quickly. I was so excited to be there! I got through security without issue and the first thing I can really remember about this day was that I smiled so big as I approached this sign:

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My first stop of the day was VooDoo Doughnut!

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This was yet another new experience I was really, really excited for. There’s just so much to look at inside and I had heard so many great things about their doughnuts! I got the Voodoo Guy.

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Typical yeast-based donut with raspberry filling and topped with the cute little pretzel stake and all the fun icing details.

This guy was truly DIABOLICAL. Definitely met my expectations, and I got to enjoy him while I drank in a sight I missed very much:

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Finally… FINALLY… it was time for me to enjoy Universal Studios Florida for the first time since 2016!

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I tapped into the park with my phone, excited for the day ahead of me! I always get so excited when I'm in a new park or even when I'm in a park I haven't visited in a long time, I just feel like I'm buzzing as I make my first few steps into the park. And Studios was totally empty, I even overheard TMs scoffing to each other about how the park attendance was lower than what Universal had been anticipating for the day. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was as I made my way down Minions Land!

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Soon enough, I walked up to one of those boards that tells you what the wait times look like, and… that’s kind of where my excitement stopped for a minute.

The plan for the morning was to do Rip Ride Rockit, Mummy, Jimmy Fallon first. All three were still closed at 8:30, park opened 30 minutes ago. I said to myself, “okay, no worries. Dreamworks Land is the newest attraction, it opened literally weeks ago, let’s go and see if any characters are out and the Trollercoaster is running!”

No dice. Dreamworks Land and Springfield both roped off, not opening until 9.

So half an hour into the Park opening, the only things that were open were Gringotts, Minion Villains Blast, and potentially the other Despicable Me ride. Even Transformers down, which really threw me for a loop. Definitely not what I was expecting from Universal.

I picked my Universal day, intentionally, because it fell on a Halloween Horror Nights day. It’s like going to Magic Kingdom on a MNSSHP day – you’ll have less time in the park, but usually, it’s less crowded. What I didn’t anticipate was that so many things would be closed when the park opened!

Dreamworks Land and Springfield USA I can kind of understand because there’s not a whole lot to do over there. But it still doesn’t make sense to me that RRR and Mummy weren’t open at 8 AM. It's almost like this: imagine if MK opened at 8 in the morning and Space Mountain and BTMRR were both closed. In fact, imagine if MK opened at 8 in the morning – let alone on the day of a MNSSHP – and Storybook Circus, Liberty Square, and Adventureland were all roped off, with major attractions closed in Tomorrowland and Frontierland. It just felt like a very bizarre way to run the park. Not that I’m complaining, especially with the lack of real research I did into Universal park ops and touring plans, it just wasn’t what I was expecting for my first hour of the day.

Moving on! Since we had ~20 minutes until Dreamworks Land was supposed to open, I just decided to stay in the area and interact with some of the entertainment in the area.

I walked down Hollywood and the first friend I saw was Marilyn Monroe! She stopped me, actually, after seeing my face glitter.

“Oh, so many diamonds on your face!” She gushed. “I hope you didn’t buy them all yourself!”

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Love that diva.

I saw Shaggy and Scooby, too, so I stopped to say hi to them. Shaggy was such a chiller. He was like, “Oh, it looks like you’re gonna see Poppy today, be sure to tell her we said hi!”

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Then I walked around the stores for a little while. This was fun to see:

Never thought I would ever see a Hello Kitty x Chucky collab! I asked a TM about it and he just said, “Oh, Hello Kitty just likes to do Halloween stuff every year!” … rock on, Hello Kitty.

9 o’clock rolled around and the ropes came down so that we could go to Dreamworks Land!

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So the other guests and I who were waiting to go to Dreamworks Land made our way inside and everything was still closed. Every merch stand and food cart was still doing opening checklists. Playground was still being cleaned. Trollercoaster was still doing morning safety ops. No entertainment/characters. No … anything.

There's absolutely no problem at all with Cast Members doing opening operations in front of guests early in the morning-- you're on your way to Haunted Mansion, you see the popcorn carts still being cleaned for the day and the outpost getting stocked, it's just not a problem. But it's a very uncomfortable experience to be ceremoniously welcomed into an entire land where nothing is open and nobody is ready for guests. I felt slightly embarrassed, like I was intruding on the Team.

In general, being at Universal Studios for “rope drop” on this day felt like being at a store, like, 4 minutes after the doors open. Like you’re allowed to be there, but you kind of feel like a weirdo for being the only person in the store alongside these employees who are still getting their bearings for the day after unlocking the door. Have you ever felt that way? Like you know you shouldn’t feel that way because you’re not breaking any rules, but something just feels awkward? That's really the only way I can describe it. I'm going to have to do a lot more research into Universal Studios before I rope drop again. Sad day for the girlies like me who have the most amount of energy in the morning.


I, and several other families, pretty quickly pivoted out of Dreamworks Land and decided to do E.T. This was my first time on E.T., I thought it was just okay. It was a bit tight around my legs as well. I did tell them my name was “Diva," so E.T. was like “Thank you, DIVA” at the end of the ride and that was a lot of fun.

So that's really the only negative thing I had to say about Universal. Thankfully, the rest of the day picked up pretty quickly once the clock struck 9!

Click here to continue​

 

[xrosario]

That IS a little awkward! But thanks for sharing this part and I look forward to hearing more about your Universal day! I also love the sparkles lol!

 

[piglet1979]

Book hotel in Port Canaveral for the night before the ship

When we went on our cruise in 2018 we stayed at La Quinta Inn Cocoa Beach-Port Canaveral. It was a very last minute booking and decision to go a day early. It is a bit further down the beach from the cruise terminal but it might have taken us 15 minute to get there. The hotel itself is just a normal hotel, but it is the hotel that the original astronauts stayed at when they were doing launches. Later a few of them bought the hotel and have since sold it. They have a lot of astronaut memorabilia their. It was just really cool. When we went it was shortly after watching the Astronaut Wife's Club, so I was very interested in it but have always in space stuff too.

How are you all doing?

We have been crazy here. DH grandmother fell and fractured her L1 vertebrae and has a pulmonary embolism. She is now in rehab. We also found out the DD has low antibodies and will start antibody replacement therapy once insurance approves it. Thankfully I am done shopping for Christmas.

In much better news, I went to my first Jazzercise class the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I loved it. The plan (before DH grandmothers fall) was to go every Tuesday and Saturday. These are days I know I have a car (we only have 2 cars and the kids need to get to school and work so they tend to have the cars most of the time). Since the fall, we will be going to visit his grandmother on Tuesday's and I will just be doing Jazzercise for now on Saturday. Schedules change in January so I hoping to get another day in and then maybe February get a third day in. I really want to start losing this weight.

 

[Newsies]

That IS a little awkward! But thanks for sharing this part and I look forward to hearing more about your Universal day! I also love the sparkles lol!

You are so welcome! The good, the bad, the awkward -- I'm here to share it all

Thank you so much for the compliments on the sparkles! These are temporary tattoos from Fazit, which I bought on Amazon (I can link here). I have to admit that they raised the prices a lot this fall after Taylor Swift wore them to a football game, but I got a lot of compliments on them this week and I'd love to find an occasion to wear them again on a future Disney trip. The only thing I'll warm you about is that they're very hard to get off! You really have to scrub. I ended up on my flight home with some glitter sparkles.

Hope you're having a wonderful holiday season!

When we went on our cruise in 2018 we stayed at La Quinta Inn Cocoa Beach-Port Canaveral. It was a very last minute booking and decision to go a day early. It is a bit further down the beach from the cruise terminal but it might have taken us 15 minute to get there. The hotel itself is just a normal hotel, but it is the hotel that the original astronauts stayed at when they were doing launches. Later a few of them bought the hotel and have since sold it. They have a lot of astronaut memorabilia their. It was just really cool. When we went it was shortly after watching the Astronaut Wife's Club, so I was very interested in it but have always in space stuff too.

THANK YOU so much Stephanie! I just looked it up and it looks great. Really appreciate this suggestion, going to bring this up to the family as we plan the logistics of this trip.

We have been crazy here. DH grandmother fell and fractured her L1 vertebrae and has a pulmonary embolism. She is now in rehab. We also found out the DD has low antibodies and will start antibody replacement therapy once insurance approves it. Thankfully I am done shopping for Christmas.

Oh my heart just fell into my stomach. I am so sorry to hear this! Sending prayers and healing energy to DH Grandmother and DD! Haven't been on the DIS in a few weeks but I can see this was earlier in the month, I hope DHG is healing up well and DD is responding to treatment!

In much better news, I went to my first Jazzercise class the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I loved it. The plan (before DH grandmothers fall) was to go every Tuesday and Saturday. These are days I know I have a car (we only have 2 cars and the kids need to get to school and work so they tend to have the cars most of the time). Since the fall, we will be going to visit his grandmother on Tuesday's and I will just be doing Jazzercise for now on Saturday. Schedules change in January so I hoping to get another day in and then maybe February get a third day in. I really want to start losing this weight.

This is so terrific to hear! I'm so happy you found a way to get active that you love -- that is the most important part!!! I need to find a way to stay active indoors/at home in the winter months, Nov and Dec came and went without any types of walks outside, even just to the center of town like I usually do when I'm working in the office. It's always harder to exercise around the holidays, and it can even seem overwhelming to start in January sometimes, but I know that once your grandmother is feeling better and things cool down, you're going to get into a great rhythm with jazzercise and that will set up a chain reaction of other habits. You've totally got this! I hope you're having a wonderful holiday season!

 

[Newsies]

Shake a Tailfeather
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As I made my way back to Hollywood, the Bluesmobile was rolling out for their first show of the day.

The Blues Brothers show was one of the things I actually really wanted to see on this day, so I followed the Bluesmobile to the New York area to catch the first show. Once they parked, a few people started taking pictures with Jake. A really sweet mother asked if I could take some photos with her and her sons, and then she kindly repaid the favor by taking a photo for me as well.

“Hi Jake!” I smiled at him. He replied with a broody nod.

“On a mission from God?” I asked. He pursed his lips and replied with another nod.

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I walked over to the area where the show was going to be and the sweetest, most fun TM was there. She was one of the entertainment TMs that monitor the Blues Brothers’ show, so she was just kind of standing around and got really excited when she saw my glitter and my Poppy shirt! It was a lot of fun talking to her before the show started.

She asked me how my day was and I explained that I was having a lot of fun, but I was surprised at how many things were closed/wouldn’t open until later in the day. She explained to me that during Halloween Horror Nights, everything kind of gets changed around a little bit to accommodate all of the operational needs that HHN events require. Helpful to know for anyone planning on visiting Uni during the fall!

The show started and I was at the front of a very small crowd that had gathered to watch them. It was a lot of fun clapping along to them and they gave me a lot of love during “Sweet Home Chicago.” Elwood pointed to me and was like, “Come on, Poppy, don’t you make me late!” and then Jake came down the stairs and danced with me and I took a bow in front of everyone.

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It was actually one of my favorite memories from the entire trip! Blues Brothers is one of my favorite comfort movies and I’m a huge SNL fan so it was fun to interact with Jake & Elwood.

After that, I went to Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. I was really surprised to see that I fit in both the regular and modified seats for this ride, I’ve heard mixed things about it!

The locker situation at Universal drives me nuts. Just absolute chaos trying to find one of the open “free” lockers and they’re so small I had to take out almost everything in my bag to get everything to fit. I also used my phone as my ticket today and didn’t really have pockets in my shorts to keep the paper ticket they give you to re-open your locker, so I had to hold on to it pretty tightly on the ride.

On a positive note, the single rider queue was great! I was actually the only person in the queue for the entire time I was waiting, which is crazy because we were stalled for almost 10 minutes as they added another coaster to the track. But then I got sat once the coaster started moving. We had a few choices for songs and I chose “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” by Shania Twain, which was 10/10. The MOST divalicious rollercoaster on earth.

So that ended and I went to Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, and you guys… I geeked. out.

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This is EXACTLY what the hallowed halls of 30 Rock look like.

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These are real cue cards written by Wally!

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Even this chandelier-esque fixture on the ceiling was a pretty good replica of what’s on the ceiling in the Peacock Lounge.

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Ride itself was very cute but @ExpeditionEmily was right on the money when she talked about how ridiculous the wait time was, specifically as you’re waiting to go into the loading room. Enjoyed it very much, but would never wait more than 20 minutes for it.

When that was done, I wanted to see if there were any other characters out and about. The Minions were meeting people at the Illumination M&G area, and even though their line was closed, their Character Attendant at the end of the line gave me a great tip – there was another Minion meeting guests inside the gift shop at the exit of the Despicable Me ride!

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I was hungry at this point, and Minion Cafe was ~15 minutes away from opening for the day. First, I went to the popcorn stand in front of the Cafe for some banana-flavored popcorn! The TM was so sweet, she was so energetic and friendly and complimented my face glitter!

This was pretty good! It was nice and hot, like fresh kettlecorn, and the crunchy yellow coating tasted just like banana-flavored candy. Pretty good!

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When Minion Cafe opened for the day, I went inside, sat down, and mobile ordered a little snack. Mobile order was the only way to order at the Cafe, at least when I visited, and everything came out hot and fresh, delivered right to your table. Today I got the Minion Tots and the Antidote!

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Minion Tots: Self-explanatory AND the thing I was most looking forward to trying here! They’re supposed to be “tater tots,” but if you’ve ever had the McCain Mashed Potato Smiles (my all-time fav junk food), this is essentially what they were. Fresh, hot, sprinkled with a bit of black pepper and some crunchy sea salt. These were GREAT! The outer shell was so hot and crunchy and not too oily and the inside was so fluffy and flavorful. Just a great snack.

The Antidote: This is a banana soda with yellow frosting and graham cracker crumbles on top. This was good, as you can imagine it was really sweet but the banana soda was good and had a different banana taste than the popcorn – more like a banana cream pudding or filling.

It was a great pick-me-up to fuel me towards my next stop!

I hope you're all having an absolutely wonderful holiday season with your loved ones!

Click here to continue​

 

[Newsies]

Trolls & Wizards​

Now that it was past 11, I wanted to check in with DreamWorks Land to see if Poppy & Branch were going to be meeting soon. I walked away the way back to the fountain/Trollercoaster area and I decided to ask some TMs if they thought the trolls would be meeting guests today. They said yes, they usually meet around 11:30 so they’d be meeting guests by the fountain soon. Trollercoaster had a 5 minute wait so I went on that in the meantime.

As I got off the Trollercoaster, I ended up getting to the fountain as Poppy and Branch were just heading over to meet some guests.

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Poppy and I were so excited to see each other! #BestFriends. I love this first photo below because you can see the TM physically pointing to my backpack and being like "Poppy! Look at her backpack!" She loved my bag and my face sparkles and we took lots of great photos together.

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I had so much fun meeting Poppy and Branch! I got some great photos out of it.

From there, I walked through Springfield, but nothing really compelled me to stop there. At this point, I figured it was probably time for me to head to Diagon Alley! I was so excited to head back to WWOHP. Diagon Alley was my favorite part of touring the Universal back in 2016. Going in, I was excited to be back, but I felt like I was prepared for the crowds. Today, especially, it was empty everywhere else in the park so I felt confident going into Diagon Alley.

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I headed straight back to Gringotts and went to the locker room. CHAOS. Pure chaos. 100% the most crowded building in Orlando on this day. After a few minutes of searching, I found an empty locker, so I put everything in it and headed to the Single Rider Queue.

I can’t remember how long the posted wait time for Gringotts was on this day, but I want to say it was 80-90 minutes. The Single Rider Queue wasn’t moving. They kept spieling that Gringotts was experiencing delays and that they were sorry for the inconvenience. We started approaching 40 minutes into the queue and I still hadn’t even made it to the staircase at the end of that first hallway, and I decided to bail. I swam upstream out of the queue and braved the locker room one more time to grab my bag, then I skedaddled out of Gringotts.

I wanted to do a little bit of shopping (okay, a LOT of shopping) while I was in Diagon Alley, and I decided to head to Madame Malkin’s first. I was just going to see if I could find a fun WWHOP t-shirt, but on the wall behind the registers, they had the jumpers that Molly Weasley knits the boys for Christmas and all bets were off. I’m kicking myself that I didn’t get a photo, but they’re the ones with the initials on them – I bought Ron’s. If you google “Ron Weasley Christmas Jumper” you’ll see what I’m talking about. They also had Harry’s, obviously, and I want to say they had a few other initials? Maybe F and G for Fred and George.

Once I checked out with my new jumper, I ducked into Ollivander’s for another souvenir I really wanted. Total chaos in there. Absolute insanity. But I had my heart set on Cedric Diggory’s wand, so I grabbed it and got in an insane, snake-like queue to check out. The line moved quickly once I was in it, but you definitely had to do a considerable amount of ducking and readjusting yourself as people tried to grab wands from the walls behind you.

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I bought Cedric’s wand and walked around Diagon Alley for a little while just kind of flicking it around at the interactive wand spots and seeing what kind of magic it would make. It was a lot of fun, but I mostly just wanted it because I love Cedric.

My next stop was for a frozen Butterbeer!

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It was good! I would say it was as good as I remember. We can even call it diabolical, with all of the right caramel and vanilla notes in there. But I’m kicking myself a little bit that I didn’t get the pumpkin juice again this trip, I remember that being my absolute favorite back in the day!

I enjoyed my frozen Butterbeer while watching the Tales of Beedle the Bard show, which was really fun. Maybe not something I’d make a “must-do” if I was at Universal, but certainly enjoyable to watch while I was in the area.

You guys know I love stationery and pens, so I was all-in on the Scribbulus shop.

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I walked away with a Hufflepuff journal, some Hogwarts-branded parchment scrolls, and a Slytherin wax & seal set. And you’re probably wondering, “why a Hufflepuff journal but a Slytherin wax & seal set?” Well for starters, they didn’t have a Hufflepuff wax & seal set. And also, I’m somehow both a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin. I’ve taken the Pottermore test soooo many times in my life and I’ve only ever gotten Slytherin or Hufflepuff depending on the season. And that makes sense for me, I guess. But if anyone asks, I usually just tell them I’m a Hufflepuff… feels more like my true house.

With arms full of treasures from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I decided that I was ready to depart the Diagon Alley crowds and move on to the final leg of my day at Universal Studios.

Click here to continue​

 

[piglet1979]

Oh my heart just fell into my stomach. I am so sorry to hear this! Sending prayers and healing energy to DH Grandmother and DD! Haven't been on the DIS in a few weeks but I can see this was earlier in the month, I hope DHG is healing up well and DD is responding to treatment!

Thank you. We are settling with DH's grandmother. We moved her into an assisted living place for now but her memory is really starting to go and quickly so we will see how long she will be here.

For DD we are still waiting for the insurance to approve the antibody replacement therapy. They are putting in an appeal as well as doing a peer to peer review this week. We are hoping that we have an approval by the end of the week. Thankfully we made through the holiday's without being sick. Now we are trying to make it through the viruses that are going around right now. Norovirus and both A and B flu.

This is so terrific to hear! I'm so happy you found a way to get active that you love -- that is the most important part!!! I need to find a way to stay active indoors/at home in the winter months, Nov and Dec came and went without any types of walks outside, even just to the center of town like I usually do when I'm working in the office. It's always harder to exercise around the holidays, and it can even seem overwhelming to start in January sometimes, but I know that once your grandmother is feeling better and things cool down, you're going to get into a great rhythm with jazzercise and that will set up a chain reaction of other habits. You've totally got this! I hope you're having a wonderful holiday season!

I had to put a hold on this for a few weeks. My last class aggravated my bursitis in my hip nd I need a shot of cortisone. I was barely able to walk over the holidays and was in a lot of pain. The doctor sidelined me for 10 days so I have week before I can get back to it. Then I have to slowly ease back in. So I need to do the low impact which will be fine to do. It is still movement but I am itching to get back.

I hope you had a great holiday season!!!

 

[Newsies]

Thank you. We are settling with DH's grandmother. We moved her into an assisted living place for now but her memory is really starting to go and quickly so we will see how long she will be here.

For DD we are still waiting for the insurance to approve the antibody replacement therapy. They are putting in an appeal as well as doing a peer to peer review this week. We are hoping that we have an approval by the end of the week. Thankfully we made through the holiday's without being sick. Now we are trying to make it through the viruses that are going around right now. Norovirus and both A and B flu.

s all around!!! Sending good vibes for everybody -- DH grandmother, DD's replacement therapy, and all of you to continue staying healthy. Norovirus is insane in NJ right now... I know so many coworkers who got it over New Years.

I had to put a hold on this for a few weeks. My last class aggravated my bursitis in my hip nd I need a shot of cortisone. I was barely able to walk over the holidays and was in a lot of pain. The doctor sidelined me for 10 days so I have week before I can get back to it. Then I have to slowly ease back in. So I need to do the low impact which will be fine to do. It is still movement but I am itching to get back.

Nooo not cortisone! My cousin just had to get a shot in her foot and couldn't walk for days, I know it's a toughie. Hopefully you'll be feeling back to your usual self soon! I needed to figure out something to do at home and ended up buying a cheap rebounder from Amazon, which is getting delivered today. I'm so excited for it! I loved my trampoline when I was young, so I'm excited to have a low-impact and FUN form of exercise at home that I can sneak a couple of minutes in when I'm WFH. I'll let you know how I like it!