jenseib

I hear that from so many people.

More great info....and yes he is a jumper. Claire and I were in the garage one day and we saw him hopping aroung and then all of a sudden he leaped in the air for a tree branch. It was the funniest thing ever. He is a digger too. He original cage was made of wood and up on legs. He kept eating the wood and I told Skip it was falling about and sure enough he ate it till the bottom fell out. Skip found an old cage we had from years ago with my older 2 had a rabbit. Well the bottom was not completly covered with cage wire, but Skip put lots of straw in there for him. He would keep digging till her found the area that was dirt and dig out pretty much every other day. I even put a board under it and he seemed to figure out how to get it to move. We have also tried an open pen and he got out of that....though no signs of digging so he must've hopped over that one.

When you check in, you are given a section to report to to get your wetsuit. I believe there are 3 stations to do that and then you will also get a locker in that area. Be sure to remember your section as we had an older couple come up and ask which section they were in as they couldn’t find their locker anymore and it appears that they can’t scan your card to find that info out. I was also told they have wet suits for all sizes of people, so not to worry about that either. Snacks! I believe these people were getting ready for a dolphin swim. Showers to rinse off with. Beach strollers provided as well. Snorkeling. I believe here you could watch sharks through the glass. On the other side they had something like snuba going on, but I think they have their own name for it. This is also an extra add on for an additional cost. We were constantly on the move and I just kept snapping pictures when I could. I think this was inside one of the cabanas. A dolphin swim going on. A walk through the gift shop. They take pictures of the dolphin swim and the Sea Venture as well (that is what they call the snuba thing I believe).

OMG she rode it and liked it? The good news for you is that next time she even slightly hesitates at riding Big Thunder Mountain you can tell her to hush up because she rode Manta. Ha! Really enjoying pics of Discovery Cove. I don't think I've ever actually seen inside of it except in brochures. Did I read it right that the DC passes are good to use at SW for 14 days? I don't quite understand that. Who visits FL for 2 weeks? I've heard of 1 extra day at a sister park but not 2 weeks. Am I confused again? Since you're a travel agent extraordinaire, can you explain the appeal of renting a cabana? They seem to be all over these days but I never see them being rented except for celebs or very large groups of people. If you're at a place like DC, wouldn't you want to focus your time on the experiences there and not lounging around in some secluded wicker furniture tent waiting for someone to bring you a drink? Enlighten me, please! LOL. She did and more than once! Yes with a Discovery Cove ticket you get access to the other 2 parks for that long. I would stay for 2 weeks but not going to Sea World and Aquatica that whole time. I could easily do it at WDW though. I am not all about the cabana hype either. I know for cruise line private islands, especially Disney, they sell out all the time. I can't see it selling out like that at DC...but I guess some people like that area to have all their stuff. But since everything is included I too don't get the hype.

I arrived and went in and the 2 people I had been corresponding with met right up with me. I was confused at first because the guy had told me that he had a meeting that day and wouldn’t be able to join us. I am not sure they want their names used, so I will call them Lucy and Sam. Sam said he was on his way out but wanted to say hi to me. Lucy was going to be taking me around. They were both super nice and Sam left right away then and we got down to business. Lucy told me that the entrance is made to have a resort feel to it and it definitely looked like a hotel lobby. She showed me where you check in and that everyone gets a lanyard to wear for the day. Everyone is also give a plastic card map and she gave me one as well…which I guess I didn’t scan as I don’t see it in my pictures. There are a couple of packages you can get, but even with the base all food and drinks, including alcohol are included. You can eat and drink as much as you want. With the base package you get to use most of the facilities and it looks wonderful. You can upgrade to a dolphin swim package as well (with an age limit…..I am thinking it was starting at either 6 or 8 without going to look at my notes). There were also a few other add ons that you could do. The prices vary by time of the year and how busy it is. I think she said the price to come on this particular week was something like 300-400 or more per person. I just remember it being extremely high. It does however include 14 days of Sea World and Aquatica as well, but only one day at DC. We then headed outside. This place is beautiful and I did not do justice with my pictures as I was shooting and walking and talking all at the same time. DC had many little lagoons with swimming and snorkeling and some beach areas as well. They also provide wheel chairs if needed. The paths were so lush with plant life. Lucy asked where I was from and I told her Ohio. I told her that I went to Sea World Ohio many times when it was there and was sad it had closed. What a small world. She worked at Sea World Ohio for many years and she also went to college in Bowling Green, which is 30 minutes from my home….and home to the National Tractor pulls. (I know that doesn’t sound exciting to you, but my husband tractor pulled for years and this was always the big event of the year). I can’t remember what these buildings were, but I think it was something like a guest service area. I had asked what this land had been in the past and she told me just wooded land. Sea World owned it already for years and years and just built on it when they were ready. Evidently Sea World still owns quite a bit of undeveloped land in the area. This area was new (there were several newer areas here) and I think it was called marsupial Island. You can kind of see the critters in the trees there. I might have gotten a better picture later on. We never stopped for long as we had a lot of ground to cover. Here is one of the food and beverage areas. I am sure you have noticed everyone has on a wet suit. DC provides them for every guest. You cannot bring your own in. You have to wear their’s if you are in the water. If helps them keep track and watch each person in the water for safety measures. They also provide life jackets for those that need them. And yes, they have wild life here and there. And they have the coolest Aviary. You can go in and feed the birds and they come right to you. I thought this was funny….looks like a headless peacock. Yep! That bird is on her head. There’s his head! For an additional cost they do have cabanas. And we passed by the restaurant. This lady was very friendly and eager to tell me about the food they had….which looked pretty darn good. I think they should’ve had me taste some of it. LOL. And they had a gift shop. If I am remembering right, you could add a CC to your account and use your lanyard ID card to charge things since it was basically a cashless place.

Thanks. Yes I have a long ways to go on the other one and will start working on my Princess cruise one too soon. Thanks for the forum. I may pop over there and take a look and see what to do. I said something to Skip about luring him over to a barn at least and he said he would scare the cows. My MIL next door has an old storage garage on the side of her house that faces my house and I know he goes in there...I have seen the hole he dug under the door and actually seen him dive in there. The thing is, if we get a lot of snow, I can't really get to it very well to be sure he has food, and water will freeze up. WE have kept in a cage in our garage over the past couple of winters and he did fine. But once he got that taste of freedom he decided he no longer needs a cage. Maybe he will think differently when the snow falls. I just don't want to chase him and then if I am lucky to now catch him....get all scratched up. That is what he was doing to me this summer and then the next day he would find a way out.

I ran into these guys and they just were so funny looking so I had to stop and take some pictures. And a walk by the crazy Manta. Oh there are the flamingoes again! Oh…this is Sea World’s 50th Anniversary as well. I found out later there was an app you could download and do sort of a treasure hunt for a prize. I never told this to Claire as I didn’t want to spend the day looking for things. LOL. I did however look for a 50th anniversary magnet and there wasn’t any. I walked along the side and found the shuttle stop and picked up the phone and told the person who answered that I wanted to go to Discovery Cove. They asked how many and I told them 1 and they said a shuttle was on the way. As I waited I saw a little bus arrive and unload a lady in a wheel chair. She was with her husband and they asked if this is where they catch the shuttle to DC. I told them yes and that I had called but they did ask how many would be going, so perhaps they should call too. So they did. Soon the shuttle arrived and the driver was super nice, but she was working her tail off. She got the lady loaded and we all said DC and then she looked at the couple’s info. They were older and not from the US. And very confused. They did not have DC included in their package. The driver told them they could go to Aquatica or Sea World but not DC. They decided on Aquatica, but they asked a ton of questions. They were nice, but I was now watching my time tick and I didn’t want to be late….good thing I had left a little early. Finally we were on our way, but wouldn’t you know, we had to drop them off first and then me. I ended up arriving to DC right on time without a minute to spare…but at least I made it!

I'll give you a spoiler....Manta did NOT scare the pants off of her....much to my surprise! I will have to ride it some day. But I don't even like the little bit you get wet on Splash! Sea World does have a lot of stuff to do and we still haven't covered it all yet.

August 25, 2014, Monday Sadly I had to head home today. I had already added an extra day to the trip from my original plans, but I still wished I could’ve stayed longer. I got up early once again as I had to be on the road to the airport fairly early. I had thought about walking around and taking pictures, but that went out the window. I was tired and it was hot and I needed to get packed. I did go outside for a little bit and basically took a quick look around the area where my window looked out. I thought I took pictures, but I have none, so I guess I didn’t. This is the only one I took with my phone. I did talk to a few people who were out there early too. One guy had just arrived yesterday and was just loving the Express pass and staying onsite and the other guy had been there a few days and had only about a 10 minute wait for Gringotts since he went at early entry and walked directly back there and they planned to do it again today. We all talked about how well themed the Harry Potter areas were and just how much we all enjoyed Universal. Sadly it was time to go for me and I did my final packing and rearranging of my bags and took them out to the car. I needed to get some breakfast and some gas so I asked Siri to direct me. She got me to a gas station with no problems. I filled the car up and I had to laugh when it took less than $6. It was a small car, but it got excellent gas mileage. I programmed it to find me fast food and it took me to one but there was construction on the road and I couldn’t get in. I ended up kind of going the wrong way for a bit and she kept yelling at me, but I couldn’t go the way she wanted me to because of construction. I did find a McDonald’s eventually and got some breakfast to go and then headed back to the airport. I dropped off the car and took in my bags and got my boarding pass. The lines for security here were just awful. I got in line and waited and waited and waited. I got to talking to the people around me. One couple had just gotten off a cruise (not Disney) and were telling me about it. Very nice cruise, but the entertainment wasn’t very good. But for the cost of it they didn’t even care. LOL. Finally they opened another scanner and the line started moving faster. Of course when I got up there, I totally forgot to take my laptop out of the backpack and got pulled aside to get it out and run it through again. I guess with the precheck I had on the way down I never even thought about it again for the way back. (wish I had precheck for the way back). It was time to get on the monorail then. I decided I wanted to get a drink before going to my gate and got in line with every other person who likes Starbucks. I don’t drink coffee but I do like their strawberry Frappuccino and I had a $5 gift card to use. I think I also got some sort of sweet snack as well. I found my gate then and waited to board. I think everything was on time and the flight was fairly uneventful. When I landed I texted my sister Amanda who was picking me up on her lunch hour. I grabbed my bags and we headed off towards my car. We did stop at Panera to get some lunch and then she dropped me off at my Aunts house to get my car. We said our good byes and then I headed towards home. I popped in the book on CD again and listened to that to pass the time. I am sure I made a few potty stops along the way. When I got closer to home Skip called and asked when I would be rolling in. I told him I was very close, but was going to stop at the grocery store to get milk and order a pizza because there was no way I was coming home to cook that night. I did that and made it home at a decent hour. Of course I came home to a house that was not clean and dishes piled in the sink. I guess I can’t gripe too much, as I did get to get away and if that is the cost of getting to do things like this, then I just will accept it. Claire was happy to have me home and I went back to the real world once again with work. But I knew in just 1 months’ time I would be flying to Florida again for another trip and that kept a smile on my face! Thanks for reading along and reliving my quick little weekend trip with me.

Thanks! We only have cows, though we have a pet rabbit who is an escape artist and after getting tired of trying to catch him every other day this summer we have let him run wild. I just put food in his bowl and he comes to eat. I have no clue what we'll do with him in the winter now. We also have a heard of barn cats. I am not a cat fan at all. We have way too many...like 80 cats around the place and most are not friendly what so ever. And they are lazy and only a few actually hunt for mice. I think currently they milk 80-90 cows. They had about 150 earlier this summer, but it was becoming too much work for them and one of their guys quit as he was moving away. We are not the big factory type dairy farm. We treat our cows well and they have a pasture to go out in to. A lot of those big dairies keep the cows in the barn 24/7. We also have several cows in different stages of life before they can be milked..from calves to heifers.

Day 5, March 25, 2014, Tuesday Today we were not going to Disney! I know, it’s a complete shock! But I had free tickets to Sea World burning a hole in my pocket. This was also the day I arranged to have a tour of Discovery Cove. My parents were going to go to Sea World as well. I got up early as always and I am sure I walked the grounds a bit, but this is the only picture I have to show for it. We all got ready and headed off to Sea World, which was basically just around the corner. It’s very close to the Marriott Grand Vista. We drove separately because my parents like to leave early. Claire and I had to get in line to redeem my vouchers. When we got the tickets, I asked how to get the shuttle to Discovery Cove and she told me where to go and it sounded easy enough. Tickets in hand, we were ready to enter. Manta went over our head. Manta is a coaster that tilts you to your tummy so it appears you are flying under the track…..I wondered what idiot would even think about riding that. Well…. Claire asked to ride it and I told her there is no way she would like that. She was just beginning to like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and this was a big step up. We moved on and found the flamingos……and those that have read reports by me before know that I have an obsession with flamingos and tend to take a lot of pictures of them. We already had to make a potty break…God forbid we actually walk in more than 10 steps. LOL. We found some rays swimming around. We made our way to the back of the park. Not our kind of ride (or at least mine as I hate getting wet), but fun to watch. I wanted to see penguins. We got in line for the penguin empire ride. It was something like an hour long wait. I was messaging my friend Brook and she told me it was nice, but not worth that long of a wait. I worried too as time would run out and I had to leave by a certain time to go to Discovery Cove. We ended up getting out and trying to find out if we could just see the penguins without going on the ride. Every TM I asked told me no. That is kind of a bummer. They told me we could skip the ride and go directly in to see the penguins, but we still had to wait in that line. We just decided we would check back later. We found the Sea Lions and watched them for a little bit. And we were already hungry and I didn’t want to be starving while touring Discovery Cove, so we went in search of lunch. The selection in there really wasn’t all that great, but we decided to share chicken. It looked like some decent portions. Well it wasn’t. It was mostly crust with very little meat in there at all. Claire is a mash potato junky so I basically only got a taste of that as well. We also got the refillable mug for the day. Actually I found they had a better deal for one nearer the front. This one had discounted refills but the other one had better discounts at other spots in the park. As we sat there I did get to see a penguin…..just not the kind I thought I would. While we sat there I called Mom and Dad and they met up with us. They were going to take Claire now. We still had a little bit of time, so we headed into a small aquarium. Fish were swimming below our feet. And above our heads. That’s my dad’s hand photobombing the picture. It wasn’t a very big aquarium, but it still had some neat things to see. And then I was off to the front to catch the shuttle.

Yep...and I know better, but you would think in March they would still have plenty of the 2014 jackets left....and they did in the parks...it was DTD that was sold out and at that point I didn't have a park ticket left. I was so mad at myself, but figured I would just order one online. Luckily when I went in Aug I found it the first night at CBR and bought it then and there!

LOL! I had not noticed that....it's kind of funny!

We had to take a picture of Skittish Skip. And we posted it to facebook too. Well there were no worries….Claire loved it this time around. She loved it so much that she wanted to ride it again. Yay!!!! This time the line was a little longer, probably about 20 minutes now. Fireworks were going off now, which I think is one of the reasons why the line was not too bad. It also had started to sprinkle, but we were fine with that. We got loaded and this time in the front car. We laughed the whole time as we got bulleted with some rain. Sprinkles feel like pellets as you whiz around the mountain. There was also a spot that had a drip and wouldn’t you know I got a nice big drip right on my head. Claire loved that part. That was a lot of fun, but the rain, though light, was steady and we decided to make our way towards the front. As we got to the front I saw a photopass photographer and decided to ask him to take our picture, but I wanted the backside to get our jackets. This guy just didn’t get it. I kept saying I want the Disneyland logo to show and he gave us a deer in the headlights look. This is what we ended up with. I had to crop it down to get closer to show the backs of our jackets. He probably thought we were strange wearing Disneyland jackets at Disney World…..but that was the whole point. LOL. We started to move on and the castle show started so we stopped to watch a bit. I tried not to get in others way, but others weren’t so polite and we had to move several times as it seemed like we attracted the umbrella people and they would stop to watch directly in front of us. Of course they had some Frozen added in and Claire loved it. Did I mention how much I dislike umbrellas? I know they are allowed, but seriously, if you are stopping for a show, you should really put them down so others can see too. With that we went up front to our locker. And out to the monorail. And back to the Grand Floridian to get our car. The rain had pretty much stopped now and Claire said her feet hurt and asked if she could take off her shoes. We walked back to the car and set Siri to get us back to the Marriott. Once we got on the main road it was now becoming easier to get to the Marriott and I could find my own way. I believe Claire fell asleep in the car as we drove and then we both went right to bed when we got to the room. Of course I had turned on the TV to catch up on the missing Malaysia plane. One thing I don’t think I mentioned today. Skip would be flying down Thursday to meet up with us. He and Claire were to be sailing on birth certificates, but I told him his was so old and raggedy that he should get a new one. I had pestered him about this for a few weeks before the trip. Well… today he decided to go and do it. He also planned to buy some new pants as he thinks I am shrinking all of his clothes……it’s not me making them shrink! LOL. So he called to tell me I told him the wrong address but they gave him the correct one to go to. OK, good! Then he later calls to tell me that the truck is broke down and he has to call a tow truck and he is not going to be getting a new birth certificate. UGH! I just knew he was going to blame this on me somehow. But he did say “remember that thing the truck did to you last year” Yes I did…and he blamed me back then for doing something wrong, even though I had not touched anything. “Well that’s the problem…and we have been having it for a year and we just never got it fixed and now it went totally out”. So it never was my fault…. I knew it!!!!! So it looked like Skip was going to have to take his chances with the old worn birth certificate.

thanks. yes, every so often she will actually do a real smile! A bath bomb is like a perfumed fizzing thing to put in your bath water. Usually they also moisturize...and turn the water the color they are...which is the highlight for Claire.

I sat down for a bit. I may have been texting or calling home. I don’t remember now, but then some lights in the area went out and some fireworks would randomly go off for the show. And colored water spouted here and there. And more fireworks. The show did nothing to impress me as it had scenes from different movies on the screens in the water. I decided to head up front and look in the shops. Despicable Me was the only major ride I didn’t get to today that I had wanted to go on. Time just ran out, but I did get on it this past Spring, so I wasn’t too disappointed. I browsed the shops and picked up a magnet and something else, but then it got super crowded and the line was insane so I put them back and headed out. I was tired and hot and thirsty and just was done for the day. I found another small shop at the exit and went in and got Claire a t-shirt and a few other small things and a diet coke and then headed out. I decided to walk back…mainly because I wasn’t 100% sure where the water taxi was and though I had a good idea I figured the line would be long and I was fine walking. I found the path back to Royal Pacific and I was passed by so many people. It was still incredibly hot and my feet hurt and I was walking pretty much like a zombie at this point. I came to a fork in the path and I knew if I went straight it would take me back to the pool to get back in, but there was a sign that said that the pool closed earlier and to take the other path around to the front. Everyone else went towards the pool though. I went on the other path. I am betting I could’ve made it in the other way but I didn’t want to take the chance of having to come back. Well this path went up hill and was pitch black! It was actually kind of scary. I wish I had taken the other path. This brought me to the front of the resort. I went into the gift shop there and be warned…it has next to nothing in there. I just walked around the lobby a bit and took a few pictures. One odd thing is I don’t believe they have any quick service type places in this hotel….at least for breakfast. I was told by others that if you want that, you have to walk to City Walk to get anything. This water fountain is in a courtyard type thing outside. I then headed back to my room and as I approached my door I noticed the hallway had wet carpet. It was squishy. I went in my room and it was dry and honestly I should’ve reported it, but was so dang tired and hot and my room was fine…so I just let it go. I basically stripped at the door….closed of course. I jumped in the shower and got ready for bed. I think I was laying down by 9:30 or 10. I am such a wild thing. I had thought about going back to City Walk or exploring the resort, but I was just too tired and the AC felt so good. I think I just checked emails and watched TV and went to sleep…..and yes their mattresses were nice too!

We must’ve hit up the Rapunzel area next. We had left our sweatshirts in the car which was parked at the GF, so we decided we would go back and get them as it was starting to get chilly out. I had thought about buying new ones, but I decided we would wait till the end of the trip to get them so I didn’t have extra bulk in my suitcase for the cruise…..and then I could never find the one I wanted….of course. The waterless moat. We had thought about getting a light up hat for Claire, but in all honesty she would only wear it 5 minutes so we passed on that. I am always trying for a balloon shot. We stopped off at the locker to pick up some things to take back to the car and jumped on the monorail back to the GF. We got our jackets and dropped off our junk and headed back towards the park. There was some sort of emergency going on, but I no longer remember what it was. We decided to go into Basin to look for some bath bombs. I had been promising to get Claire some and this seemed like a good time. We each picked out 3 big ones and paid for our purchases. Claire said she would only use them for special times. She still has 1 of her 3 left. I have asked a few times if she is ready to use it and she tells me she isn’t wasting it on whatever occasion it is I want her to bath. LOL. We hopped back onto the monorail and back to MK. We stopped back at the locker to drop off our new purchases there to make my bag less heavy. We walked by Aloha Isle and there wasn’t too long of a line so we got a Dole Whip Float to share. Claire was complaining that we hadn’t been on the Jungle Cruise yet so we hopped in line. It was at least a 30 minute wait, probably longer, but everything had long lines so if we wanted to ride anything we had to suck it up. And of course we have to hit my favorite ride. You can never have too many pirate pictures…..but I did try to get different angels this time. This is always a family favorite. Skip’s brother used to be a big drinker of rum (he no longer drinks) and he loves cats. We often call this pirate Dave because he is drinking his rum and saying “here kitty kitty kitty” and I swear he says it in the same tone that Dave would. After that, Claire and I sat down for a bit. It was still so busy and we were so tired. We discussed calling it a day and heading back to the Marriott. We decided that is what we would do. But then we got to talking about Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Claire asked if she liked it and I told her she has in the past, but sometimes she acts like it is too fast for her. We decided we would walk by and check out the wait before heading out. SCORE! It was only a 10 minute wait. People were now starting to clear out of the park. YAY! I played the “where are we” game and posted pictures to facebook and no one could get it figured out.

Next is Marvel Super Hero Island. And I was on a mission here too. Spiderman is such a fun ride! It just amazes me how they do these kind of rides. After the ride I needed to make some decisions. The parks were closing at 8:30 and it was now getting closer and closer to that time. I decided I wanted to head back to the Studios and look through Diagon Alley just a little more before the park closed. I made the circle back towards Hogsmeade…taking pictures along the way. And back to Hogsmeade where I would catch the train back. And headed straight to the train station. You must have a park hopping ticket to ride the train and they scan you for the next park before you can even enter further into the station. Once again I just was missing a train as it was getting ready to pull out as I arrived. But I would make it on the next one for sure. Here she comes. This time I decided not to take pictures and just enjoy the ride back. When we got in our compartment I was in there with a lady and another couple. This time I got a window seat….Yay! The lady asked if it would be OK if she took a picture…there were signs that said no flash pictures. I told her I didn’t mind. We hadn’t moved yet and our door had not even been shut yet. The other couple told her no because no flash photography was allowed. I think my jaw dropped. Really? At this point, who cares? We were not going to miss anything because of a flash. We were still loading. And the lady took her picture anyways. LOL! The ride back was a little different but some scenes were similar. You do need to go both ways to see it all. In the hallway you could see shadows once again and her Ron, Harry and Hermione talking…..except it was clearly not Hermione’s voice. We all laughed because it didn’t sound anything like her. Back to London. I quickly made my way back into Diagon Alley. I checked out the Gringotts ride, but they had closed the line for the night. Universal is not like Disney where you can get in line up till closing. They will shut the line off when they think it’s going to run into closing time. They had several people standing by waiting to see if they could be let in if the line moved faster than expected and I did see a few get let in. I basically just walked around and took pictures. I then heard the roar of the crowds around and looked back and got a glimpse of the dragon breathing fire. They now have new interactive wands (which I believe cost around $50) that work in both parks. I have heard there is a lot more interactive areas in Diagon Alley because they built those in right along with everything else and Hogsmeade is still working on adding more areas. It was amazing to see how many kids and adults had the wands and were going around and making things move and light up. I think Claire would enjoy one too. You can see kids waving a wand in the next picture. I am not sure why, but they had Gregoravitch’s wand shop here…..and those who have read the book know that only Olivander’s is in Diagon Alley…but of course they have a Olivander’s in Hogsmeade too…and there really isn’t one there either in the books. This is a bad picture, but they are the monster books that Hagrid had his class use. I had thought about getting some icecream as I have heard it is really good, but the line was still super long…..going out the door and down one of the alleys and a TM was monitoring the door and only letting more in when the line moved a bit inside. Absolutely no clue why I took this next picture….I guess I liked this light. I think one of the wands was doing something in this window which is why I took the picture. It was getting close to closing time so I decided to head out. It was still super hot out as well. As I went to leave I saw several people holding cameras up to take a picture of the dragon breathing fire. I asked when it would happen and I think they told me it was every 15 minutes so I stood and waited too. You can see the flame light up before he blows. And he doesn’t blow for long so I only got one shot. And he was then done. I browsed the shops looking for something for Claire, but it really seems harder and harder to buy for her now. I headed out of Diagon Alley then. They were getting ready for the night show, but I kept walking across the bridge, taking a few shots here and there. The Simpson’s from across the lake. I don’t think I mentioned it, but I did ride that ride as well earlier. I think before Men in Black and before I headed over to Hogsmeade. That was the only time that the Express pass seemed slower than the regular line. They only had one are open for the EP people and one guy was basically running everything there and he was really running ragged and many cars were not full because he just couldn’t do it all. It also sprinkled a bit while I was in line, but I was under cover. It had gotten really windy and it felt so good, but didn’t last long. Men in Black sure looks pretty all lit up.

After taking our ride Under the Sea, we moved on. We still had a little time before our dinner ADR, so we decided to just check out the area. We ran into these clowns right by the Storybook Circus area. I have never heard about them and I don’t know if they are there all the time or just during busy seasons. I have not read of anyone else encountering them since I have been back either. There is a good chance we went in there to look around. And I guess we watched the train go by. Soon it was time to head back toward Be Our Guest for the 2nd ADR of the trip. We found a photopass photographer and had a few pictures taken. We made it over and checked in and my parents were waiting for us as well. While we waited I tried for that perfect castle shot I am always trying to get. We did have to wait a little bit, but soon we were called in and today we were seated in the ballroom. Our server was much more friendly today and she told us to look on the ceiling and see if we could find the hidden Mickey and the hidden Minnie. I looked directly up and asked of that was it and she looked at me in awe and asked if I had known where it was. I told her no, but I just looked up and he stood out. LOL. She said that was the fastest anyone has ever found it before. Can you see it? I kept looking for Minnie, but was have troubles finding her. The server told us where to look and Mom and Claire could find her, but I just couldn’t see it. We looked over our menus and decided what to have tonight. And we dug into the rolls. Claire went with steak….again. But she loves steak so as long as she is happy and filling her belly, that’s all good with me. Mom and dad decided to share tonight. They had actually gone to Sci Fi for lunch earlier today. They were able to get a walk up reservation and were seated within minutes. I was shocked. They were still somewhat full so they decided to just share the Chicken Breast Provencal - pan-seared and simmered in a rustic blend of heirloom tomatoes, olives, white wine and fresh herbs with seasonal vegetables and roasted fingerling potatoes…which they substituted for mash potatoes. I got the steak tonight as well and I think I substituted the pommes frites for mash potatoes as well. Our dinner was very good once again. For dessert, Claire ordered the Triple Chocolate Cupcake - chocolate sponge cake, chocolate mousse filling, and chocolate ganache. She wanted the strawberry one again, but I told her she had to have something different and we could share. I went with the Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake - - vanilla sponge cake, strawberry mousse filling, and cream cheese icing this time. Both were fabulous and I could go to BOG just for dessert alone! While we were eating Claire could see the portrait in the west wing and she could see it change to the beast every so often. She would tell me and I would look and it was always back to the Prince before I got a glance. I think it became a game for her and she thought it was so funny that I could never catch it in beast form. After we ate we went in the west wing and I tried to wait for the portrait to change….but of course it never did while I was watching. The hidden Minnie is in here. I can’t see her right now. I know that part of her head has the bow. I never saw it at the restaurant and it was only after being home that I saw it in someone elses picture. I think she might be upside down in this picture and I will have to stare at it a bit to see it again. Maybe this way shows it better??? Claire did not want to get her picture with Beast again tonight but I made her do it anyways. She grumbled a bit, but I told her too bad. My parents left and Claire and I got in line. Doesn’t she look thrilled. There…now we got a smile out of her. And once again we headed out the “wrong” way and went to the bathrooms….and no one said a word to us. And you just have to get a picture of the pantless Prince.

Thanks so much. I can tell she will be taking up some of my free time as she is just so darn cute!

You can’t really tell in this picture, but Harry, Ron and Hermione are in the balcony there. I came to a spot where the line then divides. They make you stop and let you go one way if you have a family switch pass or another way for single riders and then the main line. When I told them I had just 1, they sent me over to the single rider queue. At this point that was fine because I had gone through all the main areas already. Now had I done just the single rider line from the start, I would have whizzed on all the way through, but miss a lot of the queue. I was immediately taken on and had a fabulous ride. I swear this time the dementors looked a little different than the last time I was here, but I could just be remembering wrong. I went to go get my bag out of the locker and of course it wouldn’t read my finger print. I wondered if I put the wrong number in so I tried again and it still wouldn’t work. The girl behind me was getting impatient and said I needed to go find someone. I tried a 3rd time and still it wouldn’t work. The girl asked me if I knew my locker number and I said I thought I did but it didn’t work, and she told me a TM was around helping people. Ok…so I go and grab the guy and of course smart-aleck behind me couldn’t get her locker to open either. So she quickly tells the guy…..but he is helping me first. I must say he was pretty thorough as he asked what was inside and then asked to see my drivers license once I pulled the bag out. The whole set of lockers for that section was having issues and no one could open their lockers….but I took off and didn’t wait around to see what others did. After I got off I walked around a bit and tried to decide if I wanted to tackle the dueling dragons this time or not. I have yet to ride them. I decided that first I needed to eat something so I headed towards the Three Broomsticks. There was next to no one in there. I got a combo of ribs and chicken. The food was good, but it was just warm. It would’ve been better if it was a bit hotter. The corn wasn’t too good though. I have yet to have corn somewhere other than at home and freshly cooked that is worth eating. I also had another regular butter beer…and this time I did remember to use my AAA discount for my meal. After my meal I strolled back outside. I watch the girls perform a bit from afar and then headed on. I decided that with a full stomach I wasn’t going to ride the dueling dragons. And of course on the bridge to Jurassic Park I had to get a picture of Hogwarts. On to Jurassic Park. Since time was limited, I just walked through the area. And that was my quick walk through Jurassic Park. I next entered Toon Lagoon. Somewhere between these 2 areas the new King area is going to be made. I am pretty excited to see what they do with this. I believe as you exit Jurassic Park area it will be to the right and back a little bit. Toon Lagoon doesn’t have much in the way of rides and what they do have gets you VERY wet. There are quite a few shops and things that are visually fun in this area too.

We were told which compartment to go to and headed in. It’s really a neat little compartment and they shut the door to each one after we are all inside. We have a window, which is really a video screen. We only see a brick wall at first as we are still in the station. I did not get a window seat, but was in the 2nd spot next to it. 3 guys got on before me and they were all near the window and they kept talking and moving towards the middle which blocked my view at times. I think they got the picture a few times when I would move right into their huddle to get my pictures. LOL. The ride is such a cool experience and it feels like you are really traveling a long distance. In the hallway you can see shadows and hear students talking. The scenery changes constantly as you go along. And then we arrived at Hogsmeade and we were let out of our compartments to the exit. I had wondered if they would still keep this stationary Hogwarts Express since they now had a real moving one….and yes they did. I had a mission….I wanted to ride the Forbidden Journey. I had heard since the new part opened that this ride was now experiencing longer waits too because more people were coming for the whole Harry Potter experience. Well the line was only posted at about 20 minutes so I got right in line for it. I debated at doing the single rider line, but since it was only 20 minutes I skipped it so I could see more of the queue area. Once you get inside they direct you to the lockers and then you get back in line. This is where you would get in the single rider line as well if you chose that option. The greenhouse area was empty….that is a GOOD sign. I think typically the wait is about 20 minutes from this room, so if you are walking right through there, you have less than that to wait. Red shirt guy there is in a lot of my pictures.

LOL. I guess that is just the business talk in me and sometimes I refer to things how I would talking business. You look through that screen they have placed there and it just make people disappear as they walk in....I am not sure what the technology is for it but it is so neat.

After that ride I grabbed my bag and left my phone inside to keep charging. I made my way towards Transformers. This is fairly new. When we were here in the spring the ride was down when we checked on it and we had to leave when it finally was up and running, so this was going to be my first time on it. This was another great ride! It is very similar to the Spiderman ride over at IoA. It uses a lot of simulator type stuff with screens, but you are also moving. Honestly I have no clue how they do these as the movement of the car, which is on a track I believe, and the screens playing out in front of you are just perfectly in sync. It’s really amazing. Now if you are prone to motion sickness, this can get to you too. I could feel it and was so happy I had taken bonine in the morning before I left the hotel. I came out to find a different street party going on. I just took a couple of pictures from a far and most didn’t come out too well. And my car on display for all to see! I worked my way towards Men in Black and I saw this sign which cracked me up. Potty area for dogs! I rode Men in Black and it was fun like always. But when it came time to push the red button, me and the other 2 in the car all pushed it and none of us got the credit. Bummer. We all wondered what happened…and I think I pretty much lost anyways. Oh and I used the Express pass again for both Transformers and MIB and I just can’t say enough good things about it. It really makes me realize how much better it is to stay onsite. After I retrieved my bag from the locker here I headed back to London….time to catch a train! I had heard the weekend before that the wait for the train was 90 minutes to 2 hours. Today seemed to be a less busy day so I was hoping it wasn’t nearly that long. I just kept walking through all the queues but I can imagine this would be a long line if all of them were filled. Evidently people in London haven’t heard about rolling suitcases. LOL! And now we need to find Platform 9 & 3 Quarters. There’s 9 and 10! And a picture is just so hard to describe and show how cool this, so I suggest you look it up on youtube…but here we can see people disappearing into the wall to reach the Platform. Once I rounded the corner this is what I see looking back. And this is actually what we go through to get to the platform. A train pulled in….backing in. I didn’t make it on the train though I was close. The train pulled out and they started to fill up the queues again. I wondered how long it would take for the next train and if they had 2 running or not. I did find out from my friend later that they do have 2 and somewhere along the track they have a loop to bypass each other. They always go forward to Hogsmeade and backwards to Kings Cross. It was only around 5 minutes I believe and the next train came backing in.

This was a holding room and one of the Goblins talked to us and Bill Weasley also made an appearance. More blurry pictures. We then enter into a big elevator. I am not sure if we actually go down, but they make it feel like you do and it is kind of bumpy at times. It really was neat. Supposedly you are going miles down to the vaults. Then we exit the elevator and move on. There are then 2 sets of stairs that wind up. It was really neat. I think one set was for another elevator and then one set for ours if I remember right. I thought it was kind of funny that we just traveled “miles” down into the earth only to get out and have to go up some stairs. About halfway up the stairs there was an announcement that the ride was broke down. UGH! Everyone moaned. We were so close! But within 2 minutes it was running again. This ride is still new and breaks down ALL the time from what I have heard. For all I know, the ride might have broken down several times while I was in line and maybe the announcement is just made in that general loading area. It wasn’t long and I finally reached the top of the stairs. And our car came. As you can see, it’s really dark in there and nearly impossible to get a picture. Once again I will share one of Universals Press Release photos as it shows the area much better. And then we were off. I don’t have any pictures from the actual ride, but I do have 2 more I can post from the press release for Universal. This one is from the first area you go into I believe and it was really neat as you are sitting there the back of the cart is tilting up and then a gate opens and down you go…not too far like a big rollercoaster, but it was a lot of fun. And this one is later in the ride. This ride was so great. I think it’s about a 5 minute ride or so and so much theming and you move all around…the cart technology is just amazing. I think I like this ride better than the Forbidden Journey over at Islands of Adventure. I can’t wait to come back and ride it again so I can take in more of the details. The ride was totally worth the wait. Oh, and you are probably wondering how long I did end up waiting. Well like I said, I got in the line at 1:50. I was back at my locker to get my bag at 3:05. So I would say my wait time was probably just over an hour give or take. Not bad at all! I exited to the ride and went to the locker and retrieved my bag. I then went and took a look around Diagon Alley. There are so many neat window displays here. Sirius Black’s motorcycle. There are so many great details here. This is the bathroom…and not quite as cool as the one at IoA with moaning Myrtle. I believe I next went down the Knockturn alley, which is where the dark magic stores are in the book series. It was very dark in that alley. Back out in Diagon Alley I took a picture of the entrance….see how it looks like the bricks separated and moved to let you enter. I decided I needed a drink and when in a Wizarding World you should have a Wizarding drink…and for me that is Butterbeer. I went into the Leaky Cauldron to see if they had some. There was no line what so ever, but when I had arrived earlier the line was in a winding queue out the door. I am guessing that was the late lunch crowd then. They will direct you to which register to go to. Once again I forgot about using the AAA card. UGH! I chose the regular Butterbeer as I like it better than the frozen, though most people like the frozen version better. I also noticed the frozen version is about $1 more. I don’t think it was like that when we were here in 2012, but I just might not have paid attention then either. I found a spot to sit and sip my butter beer. After that I headed out…I wanted to do a few things in the Studios before I caught a train to Hogsmeade. I found my phone was dying again so I tried to charge it with both of my mobile charges and neither would work. I came to the conclusion that my cord was going bad. It would work every so often and then stop. Usually if I was moving the phone around. My next stop was the Mummy, so I put the phone on the charger and in my bag which went in a locker and then headed to the ride. I had the express pass since I was staying on property. I LOVE express pass. The lines are pretty much nonexistent! It was a fun ride. It’s a little wild, so if you aren’t a coaster fan at all this one might get to you. My parents went on it a few years back not know what it was and they about had a heart attack…especially my Dad who rides NOTHING that makes his tummy tickle. I laughed so hard when they explained it.