WDW 2014 Report, detailed, pictures

[MinnieMallons]

Day 12 - Island of Adventure

We headed straight for Harry Potter world as I'd heard about long lines for the 'Forbidden Journey' and it was the only ride which you cannot use the Express Pass on. The wait time was already 45mins when we got there so we looked around Hogsmead, rode the Dragon coasters and Hippogriff before joining the now slightly shorter line at Hogwarts Castle. The only criticism of Universal would be that you cannot take bags onto all rides so have to use lockers, which are very poorly organised and people end up pushing and shoving in frustration trying to get to them.

The que for 'Forbidden Journey' was a ride in itself, allowing you to walk though the corridors of Hogwarts. The technology involved in the actual ride was the best I experienced the entire trip. The combination of physical movement, on screen footage and physical animatronics really shows the future of immersive rides. We loved it so much that we immediately went down the single rider line. We ended up back on the ride together within 5 minutes. During our entire stay this and Soarin were the only rides we went on twice.

Next up was Jurassic Park. I have loved Dinosaurs since childhood and was ten years old when Jurassic Park was released and I fell in love with it. Walking through the famous park gates and seeing the replica main building made me feel so excited and like a child again. The rides in this part of the Park are great and it will likely get a new lease of life with the release of the new movie this year.

We skipped the ripsaw falls, not wanting to get soaked, but then made the mistake of going on the Bilge-rat barges, which we mistakenly thought was more tame. Take not, everyone on this ride gets soaked to the bone.

We went on the Marvel coasters (Hulk is a must do) and we then went on Poseidon's Fury, which despite the actor involved trying his utmost, felt very dated and was quite boring. We finished on a high note with another visit to Hogsmead and then riding the fun rides of Seuss Landing.

We left the park around 18:00 and headed for Hard Rock Cafe.

 

[MinnieMallons]

Day 12- Hard Rock Cafe

A visit to the Hard Rock is worth it to see the interior covered in memorabilia. Apparently there is a room dedicated to the Beatles but this was closed for a private event when we were there. The food was good but nothing special. I'd maybe recommend it for a drink and look around and then head back to Epcot or another Disney park for an evening meal if you can.

 

[MinnieMallons]

Day 13 - Animal Kingdom and Boma

We had left our final day free from plans to see where we might want to go back and see again. After our amazing first day in Animal Kingdom we made our way back for some more fun.

We had a relaxing day strolling round the park, which we now knew quite well. We ate a late breakfast from the Kusafiri Coffee Shop as we had plenty of snack credits left. We took the safari and jungle treks again and ended up being mesmerised by the male lowland gorillas for over half an hour. We took refuge from a short period of rain in the Dawa Bar and enjoyed two or three coctails

Rather than return to the hotel, we had brought a bag with a change of clothes and toiletries which we left in a locker at the entrance and then got freshened up and changed before we left the park and headed for Boma.

We really enjoyed the evening buffet and had chance to try the Zebra Domes!

 

[MinnieMallons]

Day 14 - Kona and Magic Kingdom

Our Magic Express ride to the airport was scheduled for 15:00 giving us a last precious morning to head back for a last walk around the Magic Kingdom.

We began the day by visiting the Polynesian, as I was determined to try the Tonga Toast at Kona.

One of my wife's favourite characters from recent Disney movies is Lilo. She was disappointed as she had hoped to see her at Typhoon Lagoon or one of the parks on our trip. When we arrived at the Polynesian the character breakfast was underway in Ohana and there was Lilo. We asked a cast member if it was possible to meet her as we'd not seen her before and it was our final day. But without a booking, the answer was no and we were told to wait in the area at the front of Ohana.

The manner in which the cast member had abruptly told us this was unusual and deep down I knew that it was not the end of the story. Shortly after, the same cast member came over and told us our table was ready and to follow her (we didn't have a table). We were led into Ohana for a photograph with Lilo. I was so overwhelmed that the cast member had done this for us (against the rules), how happy my wife looked and that we were having our last few hours in Disney World.

We then went to Kona and enjoyed the huge block of Tonga Toast! It did not disappoint!!

From there we made our way back to Magic Kingdom for a wonder around the park, a fairy dusting for my wife at bibbidi bobbidi boutique and to use up our remaining snack credits at the Main Street Bakery.

We said our goodbyes and made our way back to the hotel and our journey home.