Minor Problems Can't Stop Our Fun! A Sept 2013 Trip Report

RhysGwynt

Earning My Ears
Joined
Nov 28, 2011
Hello, and welcome to my September Trip!! This was a special trip in many ways, despite things trying to go wrong. But before we get going, let me introduce us to you.

Disney9-156_zps6c4b81e7.jpg

Myself- Tim, 27

I was the instigator and planner of this trip, as a long time fan of Theme parks, movies and travel in general, plus I love planning things. Having always been a Disney fan, this was one of those, “Hey, why not” trip ideas. I am also a Huge Star Wars fan, and you will see that as we go.

Disney9-13158_zps4f8bdb6f.jpg


My sister – Rachel, 25

My Sister, Rachel, is actually the main reason I planned this trip. She had just moved away to New York City, and we wanted to do something together. She is a HUGE Harry Potter fan and also loves Disney. Both of us also consider ourselves foodies, and love the restaurants at Disney.

Originally this was just going to be the two of us, as a Brother Sister trip. My parents were going to be celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary and do something else, but when they saw all my planning and fun, they decided to come as well, though on a slightly different schedule. Back to that in a minute, here are my parents.

Disney9-1171_zpsbd14f51d.jpg

My dad – Tim, 53

My dad is also a travel lover, and especially a train lover. He loves movies of all types and owns his own home theater, complete with popcorn machine. He has also always been, for as long as I can remember, a commando tourist in any trip we did. We mellowed him a bit, but it still got going some.

Disney9-9117_zpsc695834f.jpg

My Mom – Patty, 50

My mom turned 50 on this trip, which was another thing to celebrate. She also had to have foot surgery only a month before the trip, which of course limited he mobility. She could walk and stand a bit, but not as much as you need for a week at Disney, so we rented her and ECV for the whole stay, which worked out great.

My parents left on August 30 and went down to visit family in Florida before heading to Disney on September 5, leaving on the morning of the 14th. They were staying at Port Orleans Riverside in a Royal room.
My sister and I flew down on September 7 and left on the morning of the 17th. We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter. This trip report will be about my Sister and I, though obviously my parents joined us during the overlap.

We had all done a family trip to Disney in January of 2012, and had a blast, so I knew what to expect planning this trip, but there were still a few surprises in store. Come and join us for the fun!


Disney9-11131_zps949894ac.jpg
 
Arrival Day – September 8 (Sorry for the lack of Pics here, there will be more I promise)

On September 7, I took the train from Central PA up to New York where I met my sister. In an Early Morning flight (7:00 am) on Sunday the 8th, we flew down to Orlando. Now, we had done two previous trips to Disney, but my Dad does not like to fly, so we always drove (He took the Auto Train this time, so he got his train ride and had a car there.). Even though my sister and I have flown many times, this was my first time flying into Orlando and also our first time using Magical Express.

We arrived at 9:15, around 30 minutes early, and headed down to Magical Express. They definitely have that down to a science. Very efficient at getting you into the right line and double checking that you are going where you need to. Our bus was going to OKW, SSR and Port Orleans. French quarter was the Second Stop, so nice and quick.

When we checked in, we found that they had upgraded us to a Garden view, on the first floor of Building 5. It was a great location, very convenient to everything. After finding our room, we went and got our refillable mugs (We were on the free dining plan) and had lunch at the food court there.

These were the new RFID Refillable mugs. Which looked identical to the old ones from last year, but had a chip in them. We had no problems with these, though you did have to position the cup just right sometimes to get it to work.

We both decided on the make your own salads, which were very nice and refreshing. The dressing was not quite sufficient for the amount of lettuce however, but the toppings options were nice and the flavor was good.

Even with an early arrival, we didn't want to use a park day on our arrival day, so after lunch we took the boat to Downtown Disney.
Disney9-8119_zps45116251.jpg


The boat ride was a fantastic way to get to Downtown Disney, very calm and relaxing, not too much of a wait. Plus, you get some nice views of DD as you pull into the lagoon.

Disney9-8134_zps7783840a.jpg

Disney9-8136_zps4598e966.jpg


We shopped around for a few hours. I especially liked the Mickeys pantry store and picked up a few things there. I like to cook, and enjoyed some of the spices and sugars they had. And of course, who can go wrong with the World of Disney Store. We did buy shirts there for Halloween party later in the trip. After looking around for a few hours, we went back to our room for a nap.

After that we walked over to Riverside and met our parents, and then took the boat to DD again, this time for our dinner reservations at Portobello. Now I know this restaurant gets mixed reviews, but I like it. We ate there in 2012 and enjoyed it, and it was one of only to restaurants we did again.

My Dad and Sister had the steak, which would be an ongoing trend for the trip. I had the Mahi Mahi and my mom had the Pork Chop. They were all fntastic, but above all, the Polenta that came with the Mahi Mahi was delicious. It was creamy and had the wonderful flavor to complement the fish. For desert we all had selections of Gelato and Sorbet, which were very refreshing and a nice finish to a slightly heavy meal.
After just a bit more shopping we headed back to our rooms for the night, as we had an early morning the next day as we headed to Universal IOA for a day. (I did mention that my Sister is a huge HP fan)
 
Universal IOA Day

We woke up early and walked over to our parents room to drive to Universal. Rachel and I had done WWOHP last time we were down, but my parents had never been, and we were excited to show them.
We arrived about Twenty minutes before opening and got into line, we were ready to go and when they opened the gates we made a beline towards Harry Potter.
Disney9-98_zps042beb28.jpg

Disney9-915_zpsb630e981.jpg

I have some problems with the way that Universal does things, I feel their quality doesn't compare with Disney's, though it really isn't a fair fight. But that being said, The Harry Potter ride is one of the best I have ever ridden. We rode it twice (that early in the morning, there was no line yet, only 10 minutes for the second ride), and it still impresses. We then took some time to wander the shops and atmosphere of WWOHP.

Disney9-969_zpsd9d4ad7e.jpg

Disney9-971_zps218b603f.jpg

Disney9-967_zps03e9f24d.jpg


I will say, it is well done, but not for the crowds it gets. We were there in the morning of a monday during September, and you could barely move in the shops because they are so small.

After that we rode the Dueling Dragons, a decent coaster, though it no longer duels. We then headed into the rest of the park. Next up was
Disney9-982_zps002da028.jpg

This area is very well themed and, of course, the music is perfect. The ride is good, but not great. Once you have experienced Disney animatronics, the Dinosaurs here seem so simplistic. But the "tour" is nice and the drop fun. You really don't get very wet.
We then went on to Marvel. Those of you who know the map realize I skipped over a land. There isn't really much to do in Toon lagoon unless you want to get SOAKED, though a few of the shops are nice. Marvel is another nice land with two good rides and one huge disappointment. Spiderman was our first stop, and that is also a very well done ride. It was entertaining and at one point you really feel like you are falling a few hundred feet. Then we did the Hulk coaster. Again an excellent coaster, with a launch that really gets you going.
Then there is Dr Doom's Fearfall. That was a dissapointment last time, enough that we didn't even bother riding this time. On that last trip, my sister and I, who love drops and thrill rides, were very excited and after riding, it was "Is that it? why did we wait for this?".

Finally we went back up though Suess landing, which has excellent shops but no rides for adults really, and into Lost continent. Lost continent is a well themed very pretty area with almost nothing left in it. See the stunt show if you can though, it is fun.

We had lunch (yes, we did all of that before lunch) at the Three Broomsticks. This is good British food, and the fish and chips are almost as good as the Rose and Crown. I also recommend the Cornish Pasties, which my sister had on this trip.

After lunch we rerode some things, especially the HP ride, and then left at 2. That is one thing at IOA, both times we have been there we have left early, there just isn't that much to do.

When we got back, my Dad wasn't feeling great so he took a nap, and the other three of us went Mini-golfing. We did the Winter Summerland Summer Course (the Winter course was under refurbishment).
Disney9-9148_zps03cd3b58.jpg

Disney9-9141_zps9879d859.jpg



It was a fun course and a nice use of time, especially since we had vouchers to play for free. After that we went to DD for dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express. This was Fantastic food. I had the Grilled veggie Pizza, which had incredible flavor, my sister had the Meatloaf Sandwich, which was huge and very good.

We then turned in early, we had an early morning the next day for EMH at Epcot!!
 



GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top