Solo & Unleashed, A Disney & Universal Photo report

[jenseib]

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!

[TBpony414]

Love some of the pictures in this section. The globe which looks like it's hanging from a ceiling, the photo after "and more fireworks" which has multicolored lights with streamers. I also really like the sideways photo of the dragon when it first blew fire and the photo of the dragon right before the 2nd flame went off looks like something from a professional Universal brochure!

 

Unrelated - How big is your farm and approximately how many cows do you have? Do you have other livestock too like horses, goats, chickens? I've always wondered about that lol. Among many other animals I have a horse (she's just a pet) and my only experience with cows has been watching The Incredible Dr. Pol on National Geographic Wild, which may or may not portray an accurate depiction of dairy farms.

[jenseib]

Love some of the pictures in this section. The globe which looks like it's hanging from a ceiling, the photo after "and more fireworks" which has multicolored lights with streamers. I also really like the sideways photo of the dragon when it first blew fire and the photo of the dragon right before the 2nd flame went off looks like something from a professional Universal brochure!

 

Unrelated - How big is your farm and approximately how many cows do you have? Do you have other livestock too like horses, goats, chickens? I've always wondered about that lol. Among many other animals I have a horse (she's just a pet) and my only experience with cows has been watching The Incredible Dr. Pol on National Geographic Wild, which may or may not portray an accurate depiction of dairy farms.

 

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.

[jenseib]

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.

[TBpony414]

Another fun TR over But you still have a ways to go on your other one so that will keep me busy with reading material!

 

That's a lot of cows! It's great you are able to give them good care and great quality of life in the fields, etc. I hate thinking of animals cooped up in scary, overcrowded barns their whole lives but it is a fact of how farm animals are used these days, unfortunately. I'm not really a cat person either and they multiply like rabbits! Speaking of which - I have had house rabbits for 15 years and a great forum I belong to and highly recommend is called Binky Bunny. My sn is the same over there as it is here so if you're interested in ideas to keep your escape wabbit safe and contained during the nasty Ohio winter maybe hop on over there They're fantastic pets but require an enormous amount of work plus they're devilishly smart and love to find trouble!

[jenseib]

Another fun TR over But you still have a ways to go on your other one so that will keep me busy with reading material!

 

That's a lot of cows! It's great you are able to give them good care and great quality of life in the fields, etc. I hate thinking of animals cooped up in scary, overcrowded barns their whole lives but it is a fact of how farm animals are used these days, unfortunately. I'm not really a cat person either and they multiply like rabbits! Speaking of which - I have had house rabbits for 15 years and a great forum I belong to and highly recommend is called Binky Bunny. My sn is the same over there as it is here so if you're interested in ideas to keep your escape wabbit safe and contained during the nasty Ohio winter maybe hop on over there They're fantastic pets but require an enormous amount of work plus they're devilishly smart and love to find trouble!

 

 

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.

[TBpony414]

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.

 

Bad bunny! Too bad I'm not closer, I'd come over and get him for you. Most rabbits seem to do well with a metal puppy playpen which you can buy at any petstore. My current bunny is tiny and has 2 pinched discs (I actually built him a wheelchair so he can balance and hop around normally bc he only has use of one hind leg) so I don't worry about escaping and only have a 24" high playpen he sleeps in. I can easily unhook the latch to open it up for easy cleaning or just step over it. The majority of bunny owners get 36" high playpens which if you have a jumper may be what you need. Some of them have built-in doors which is super handy. Alternatively, you could clip a bedsheet over the top of the 24" one like a roof using chip clips and then just unclip it every day when you go in to feed and clean up the area. I bet if you used a potato peeler to slice carrots or cut up tiny pieces of bananas you could lure him to you or into the garage

[jenseib]

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.