Tiny Bubble? I'm Here, Big Bubble - A July 2025 TR

[amazingact21]

Hi all! Welcome to my latest trip report. I’ve been around the boards for what feels like forever, and while I haven’t been as active the past few years, I wanted to change that pattern and recap my most recent trip to the parks. After all, it’s not often you get to visit a brand new theme park!


Let me set the scene in this update.



The Characters:

Me:


Alicia, writer of trip reports, chauffeur to offspring, washer of military uniforms, and countless other roles.



Him:


Alex, married to yours truly for over 14 years, closer to being finished with the Air Force than his brain can compute, and unwittingly the planner of vacations now.



This fellow:


Landon, a middle schooler in every regard. Attitude, independence, intelligence, he’s a far cry from the little 9 month old I brought to Walt Disney World for his first trip. Which, while shocking, also provided a new tour style that this mom can get behind. Hearing your kid make actual, legitimately funny jokes is a new level of parenting I’ve been excited to unlock.



This gal:

Evie, a daughter who always has luck on her side, loves anything scary and dark. Firmly in the camp of unearthing all the real lore of Norse mythology. (Did you know Loki was actually tied up with his kids’ intestines? Because I do now. Gah.) Also the sweetest human being alive and lives a life of service to others.


Special Guests: My brother and sister-in law came along with us for the first half of the trip.




The Stories:

This trip covers a lot of places. We spent 2 full days at Epic Universe. Meaning, this report is going to talk a lot about the portals, the food, and attractions, and everything in between. If you’re trying to avoid spoilers, the beginning and end of my report would best be skipped.

We also spent several days at Universal Orlando.

Four days at Walt Disney World.

And a day at Typhoon Lagoon!





The Settings:

We were fortunate enough to stay at Universal’s Stella Luna twice:




As well as 4 nights at:


All Star Music in a family suite.

Both categories were new to us, and I’m looking forward to discussing the rooms.



While my family did a lot of our old favorites this trip, we also crammed more new experiences in than I thought possible. It was our first time at a water park, first time at many restaurants, both at Universal and WDW, and it was our first chance to see the Starlight Parade during soft opening. We also were able to squeeze in the new song lyrics added to It’s a Small World. And, of course, again…Epic!


I am so excited to start diving into our trip and reliving the moments, and I’d love it if you come along for the journey!



Up Next: Ice, Ice, Hazel

 

[alohamom]

Can't wait to hear/read alllll about it!

 

[princesserin1350]

Excited for your report! We're staying in an All Star Music family suite in January so interested in hearing about your experience.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

I'm here!!! Can't wait to hear all about your trip. And I can't believe how much the kids have grown up! Oh my goodness.

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

Oooh! So excited to read all about your trip! I love your TRs and writing style

We went to Epic on the last preview day before opening- can’t wait to hear all about your experiences!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Here and raring to go! Unfortunately, just like Old Mother Hunbard’s, my cupboard is bare, so gotta go grocery shopping first . Excited to read all about your adventures

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Goodness me Landon and Evie have gotten so grown up! You and Alex haven’t changed a bit and look as young as ever
Great intro. Evie looks fabulous in her costume.
Looking forward to hearing all.

 

[amazingact21]

Can't wait to hear/read alllll about it!

Thanks for hopping over to this report! So glad you're here!

Excited for your report! We're staying in an All Star Music family suite in January so interested in hearing about your experience.

I loved having the perks of a family suite on this trip. While it's a still a value in regards to quality and theming, having that space was amazing. You'll get an entire master bedroom and second bathroom closed off with a door, and a full fridge and freezer and microwave. Those perks alone made life so much easier on vacation. I would not hesitate to stay there again.

 

[amazingact21]

I'm here!!! Can't wait to hear all about your trip. And I can't believe how much the kids have grown up! Oh my goodness.

Thanks for joining along!
I sometimes forget how much older the kids are getting. Alex and I have been talking a lot about where we hope to move to next, and we realized we had to take into consideration Landon will be learning how to drive soon.

Oooh! So excited to read all about your trip! I love your TRs and writing style

We went to Epic on the last preview day before opening- can’t wait to hear all about your experiences!

Thank you, and thanks for following along on this newest report!
Did you enjoy your preview day experience? Were they still using the virtual queue for Ministry at that point?

Goodness me Landon and Evie have gotten so grown up! You and Alex haven’t changed a bit and look as young as ever
Great intro. Evie looks fabulous in her costume.
Looking forward to hearing all.

It's good to hear from you, M! And happy belated birthday!!! I hope you had a wonderful day and enjoyed delicious cake.
The kids are so grown up now, it's wild. I probably have similar reactions when I see you share photos of your grands. I'm pretty sure your granddaughter is older than your grandson was when I first started seeing your shared pics. When you shared L's cupcake day, I had to do a double take, because he looked more like a tween than a kid now!
(I can't remember if you use names or not so that's why I went safe and skipped them.)

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

And happy belated birthday!!! I hope you had a wonderful day and enjoyed delicious cake.

Thank you so much. Lots of cake was consumed along with tophats and cocktail sausages and all my favourite party nibbles

I probably have similar reactions when I see you share photos of your grands.

Isn’t it crazy how fast they grow!

When you shared L's cupcake day, I had to do a double take, because he looked more like a tween than a kid now!

He’s tall like his dad. Aged 7 now and definitely taking after the Danish side of the family. Us Irish folk are more leprechaun sized by comparison

(I can't remember if you use names or not so that's why I went safe and skipped them.)

I use their names on my fb but I only share with people I trust on there. Tend not to name them in public forums ( though I feel this one is fairly safe and probably have here) but thank you for caring. My boys on the other hand will never be seen or talked about