"We Have To Go Back!" May 2021 Universal/WDW TR Completed 7/21

[CatNipRules]

Flower & Garden Festival

This morning we sadly had to say goodbye to our rental car. We wouldn't really need it at Disney and Universal, but it had been nice to have. We had to bring it back to the Car Care Center where we'd never been before (we used to do our on property rentals at the Dolphin and their car rental desk hasn't re-opened yet). The Car Care Center is near Magic Kingdom, but due to road construction while we were there, there was a detour...and we were running very low on gas when we went to drop the car off.

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Annnd we missed the turn the first time around, but managed to make it to the Car Care Center with 2 miles left in our tank.

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At the Car Care Center they took us in a shuttle to Epcot.

Since it was Flower & Garden most of our day was spent sampling different foods which you can read about in my DTR:

Flower & Garden Festival

& if you watch my vlog you can see what I thought of the famous Froot Loops Shake.

We were also reunited with the delicious Violet Lemonade.

Although at the time we went, you couldn't walk around with food and drinks and couldn't take your mask off unless you were seated so we had to drink them quickly.

There was a moment when Josh went to get some more food, and I was standing at a little table, looking out at the water and I just felt so happy that we were there. There were so many time in the last year and half (esp when Disney was closed or when we couldn't travel there) that I missed the parks so much. And it felt so magical to be there in Epcot.

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Here's some random pictures I took as we walked around the World Showcase:

I also did find macaron ears in the France pavilion, but didn't buy them. (I think there's a clip in the vlog).

We did some shopping, and in Japan I bought my brother a small Godzilla tapestry similar to one we bought on a previous trip.

Not in any order but here's some of the topiaries we came across:

(This one is my favorite!)

Rabbit's eyes kind of freak me out

Still very excited for the Guardians coaster!

After we ate our way around the World Showcase, we would've done Future World, but it looked like it was about to storm and Josh was starting to feel a little headache-y so we decided we'd come back later and headed to the buses. Josh took a nap for awhile, but when he woke up he didn't really feel well enough to go back into the parks and it was getting late anyway so we decided to just go to dinner. I was a little disappointed we missed out on rides, but the food was my main plan for Epcot; and I knew we'd be back for Food & Wine in Sep so I'd ride anything I missed then.

We ate at Three Bridges in our hotel, and the sunset was gorgeous on the walk there.

You can read about our dinner in my DTR too:

Three Bridges Bar & Grill

Gran Destino at night:

We walked back through the main building so we could look around the store a little.

I love this Loungefly (mostly because of Todd), but Josh reminded me that I have 3 other Loungeflys that I never use. This is why I hate to buy them especially because they can be pricey. (I'm not really a backpack carrier, I prefer crossbody bags). But they're so cute!

Can you spot Tower of Terror from our window?

Next Up

We have a very full day!
We spent time in Disney Springs, toured some resorts, and had a great night in Magic Kingdom!

​

I love that backpack, but I agree. They are soooo tiny. I can barely get anything useful in them.It drives me crazy how expensive they are for the size they are....

 

[Raeven]

I love that backpack, but I agree. They are soooo tiny. I can barely get anything useful in them.It drives me crazy how expensive they are for the size they are....

Yes! I also hate having to take it off, unzip, and search around every time I need something. Especially with my phone if I don't have pockets I'm always taking it in and out of my bag. I also hate putting anything valuable in the pockets because in DCA I had a little kid behind me start unzipping my pockets ​

 

[Raeven]

Disney Springs/Magic Kingdom

Today we checked out of Gran Destino and started our day in Disney Springs. I hadn't been finding much shopping-wise this trip, but I did buy some shirts at American Thread.

Josh finally got to wash his hands and buy his charcoal soap in Basin again. And I took pictures of this hedgehog soap



We also had lunch and some snacks:

The Daily Poutine/Polite Pig/Vivoli Il Gelato Review

It started raining and we hopped on a bus to the Riveria because I really wanted to explore the resort. We walked around a little bit, but I mostly wanted to see these mosaics:



I love seeing Tangled represented because I feel like it doesn't get very much love in the parks.

The Peter Pan murals were also gorgeous too:




We walked over to Caribbean Beach next. On the way we saw tons of bees in the sandy beachy part of Riveria which was terrifying.

The Skyliner and the scenery as a whole looked gorgeous from every angle though. But no, still haven't ridden the Skyliner.



In my dining reviews you can also hear the story of the bread pudding at the Banana Cabana pool bar, which was delicious.

Banana Cabana/Cosmic Ray's Review

We ate that while a storm rolled in.
And we stayed put until it stopped.

It was around 5/6 pm now so we hopped on a bus to Magic Kingdom. It might sound like a waste of a day to wait to go there, but we just prefer going to the parks at night. We went during the day the first two times because I felt like that'd be the best way to get the things I wanted to done, and the hours have been shorter lately. But I was actually so glad we went at night, and this was the park we definitely had the most fun at. The fact that it isn't as hot at night also helps.

The waits weren't bad at all, this night. We started on Pirates of the Caribbean.
Finally got reunited with my favorite ride:



I thought this made for a fun photo op in Memento Mori.



We also rode Little Mermaid somewhere in here. Before heading to Tomorrowland:


(I got that retro Tomorrowland MB last year before our trip that never happened so I had to wear it now).


The Peoplemover had opened maybe like a week before we went and I was so happy!

Took a spin on Buzz.

Where my gun worked for once!



We doubled back down Main Street to shop a little while waiting for our order from Cosmic Ray's.





I think this is only the second time we've been able to walk through the castle and see the mosaics:



It was getting close to closing time so I made the decision to hop in line for 7 Dwarves Mine Train even though the wait was like 40 mins. I do think we got through the line a little faster than that, but it was close. And I was glad we got to ride it.

I thought maybe the crowds would be smaller for the buses since we left after the park closed, but our resorts line was the absolute longest of any of them. We got on like the 4th or 5th bus to come to the stop though. I will say I did like the Covid procedure of not having people stand on the buses since I've never personally liked to stand, and I've always thought it was a little hazardous the way they pack people in. But this was definitely the downside to that.

When we went to pick up our luggage, there was a moment of panic. The guy at the luggage area looked scared and was like "there's no luggage stored in here". And it was a little scary to me, because this guy looked like he was actually panicking and after checking the storage room said it again to someone else in a very panicked way. But they did find our luggage!

Then we took a Lyft over to Royal Pacific where we were checking in for the last few days of our trip!
Next Up
We start our time at Universal!​

 

[KathyM2]

Josh finally got to wash his hands and buy his charcoal soap in Basin again. And I took pictures of this hedgehog soap

Basin is my fave store at DS so I don't blame him!! I love their solid shampoos and conditioners. Can't wait to stock up again. Of course had I known I would not be back for so long I definitely would have stocked up more in March 2020 before the shut down!!

The Peoplemover had opened maybe like a week before we went and I was so happy!

So happy you got to ride this. I would be very sad if I was there and could not ride the PM.

 

[Tracy161]

I will never understand the amount of M&M merchandise in this store. It's interesting to see, but who loves M&M's that much?

I've always wondered the same! I mean, I like M&Ms as much as the next guy, but do I need to do an M&M haul?! Nope

I love seeing Tangled represented because I feel like it doesn't get very much love in the parks.

What, you mean having a set of bathrooms devoted to Tangled isn't adequate?

Love, love, LOVE this shot with your MB with Space Mountain in the background. You have the perfect angle too

Where my gun worked for once!

What's your secret? I'm not sure mine ever has

 

[Raeven]

Basin is my fave store at DS so I don't blame him!! I love their solid shampoos and conditioners. Can't wait to stock up again. Of course had I known I would not be back for so long I definitely would have stocked up more in March 2020 before the shut down!!

Yes he loves the soap! I know they have an online store, but it’s just not the same as shopping there in person.

I've always wondered the same! I mean, I like M&Ms as much as the next guy, but do I need to do an M&M haul?! Nope

Ok now I kind of wonder if anyone’s done an M&M store haul & what they did with all the stuff afterwards. Yeah I’ve never been like I love this candy so much I need it on my clothes! Lol

What, you mean having a set of bathrooms devoted to Tangled isn't adequate?

Love, love, LOVE this shot with your MB with Space Mountain in the background. You have the perfect angle too

Thank you! I tried to line it up.

What's your secret? I'm not sure mine ever has

I get on it & hope it works This might be the first time it has.
​

 

[Raeven]

I’ll be back on here this weekend with a post.​

 

[cocofifi]

I have really enjoyed your entertaining trip report and all your well done vlogs. Already looking forward to your HHN content. It is so good to see others enjoying the parks again - helps to fill the void until I can get back myself. Thanks for posting.

 

[schumigirl]

Who’s the Men In Black Alien Attack Champion? *Last Day at Universal Orlando*

The vlogs got finished a little faster than the trip posts, but I’ll be back on here this weekend with a post about​

Awww....loved the last vlog!

Well done on the win for MiB.....was there ever any doubt you`d win......lol.....

Thank you again for doing all of the vlogs and posts, loved reading along and watching them....especially seeing RP.......but, all of it was so much fun to read and as always your pictures are wonderful, and look forward to the next one.......

 

[Tracy161]

Ok now I kind of wonder if anyone’s done an M&M store haul & what they did with all the stuff afterwards. Yeah I’ve never been like I love this candy so much I need it on my clothes! Lol

Yes! I love candy, but it's not part of my everyday look, that's for sure

I get on it & hope it works This might be the first time it has.

Good strategy

 

[Raeven]

I have really enjoyed your entertaining trip report and all your well done vlogs. Already looking forward to your HHN content. It is so good to see others enjoying the parks again - helps to fill the void until I can get back myself. Thanks for posting.

Thank you that means a lot! I'm sooo excited for HHN, I hope you can get back soon!

Awww....loved the last vlog!

Thank you!

Well done on the win for MiB.....was there ever any doubt you`d win......lol.....

Lol I got a little nervous for a minute, but nope.

Thank you again for doing all of the vlogs and posts, loved reading along and watching them....especially seeing RP.......but, all of it was so much fun to read and as always your pictures are wonderful, and look forward to the next one.......

& thank you again! I've got a few more posts at Universal coming that I haven't had time to type up yet so there's still some more pictures coming! (And then I really have to update my PTR because I have a lot of updates for that too).

Yes! I love candy, but it's not part of my everyday look, that's for sure

​

 

[Raeven]

We're Universal Passholders! (Again )

The start of our day looked a little rainy so we decided to rest a little and watch some trash TV until the weather cleared up.

Since we were waiting for the weather to improve we decided to stay at the resort for lunch and go to Jake's.

Jake's American Bar Review

Finally we headed to the parks!

The first thing we had to do was pick up our new annual passes!



We'd been passholders at Universal since 2016 I think. It's always been worth it to us because in the past we've gone to Universal 1-3 times a year for a couple days each time. However in 2020 when everything re-opened, but we still couldn't go due to quarantine restrictions I ended up deciding to cancel our passes since it was possible we wouldn't be going for about another year (and we already hadn't been in the previous year). So when I planned this trip I decided to purchase new AP's for us. I think Universal annual passes are a really good price, and I like that they have a monthly payment option. We only have the 2 park pass, and the blackout dates didn't really matter to us because it's not during the time of year we go so we decided to go with the Power Pass this time.



My first stop at Universal is usually Men In Black, but when we got there it was down.



So we went to ride Escape from Gringotts!



A little trip to Knockturn Alley:



Then back to Men In Black.



We walked on Men In Black three times. We each won once, and there was a round where neither of our guns was really working.


(I, of course, only have a picture of the round I won ).

The parks were closing early that day. (It looked like maybe it was for an event). So we headed back to the hotel.



This was the sweatshirt I bought:



I kept seeing it in all the stores, and I wanted it ever since the night we went to Antojito's, but I kept talking myself out of buying it But then I didn't really find anything at Disney, so I decided I had to get it.

We watched the Bourne movies while getting ready for dinnner at Shula's.



Shula's Steakhouse Review

Next Up
We watch the Bourne Stuntacular for the first time & head over to Islands of Adventure!

​

 

[Raeven]

Bourne Stuntactular & Islands of Adventure

We headed back into Universal Studios first today because we were eating lunch at The Today Show Cafe, and I'd wanted to see the Bourne Stuntacular since it's a new (to us) attraction.

Today Show Cafe/Voodoo Doughnut Review



I was apparently way too excited


(There are some pictures that got deleted but in them I'm smiling like this is the most exciting thing ever). Now I do like the Bourne movies and I had been re-watching some of them the night before, but I don't think I was that excited .



I've also never seen the newest movie (I know it's not really "new" anymore). So some of the story is new to me. But I did read a Wikipedia summary of the movie the night before to see what happened.

I will say the pre-show for this ride kind of annoyed me story-wise. The pre-show is Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles character), saying that she faked her own death, and has now taken over the role of trying to bring Bourne in. (Which is extremely out of character for her in my opinion since Bourne helped her escape and she became a hacker/activist afterwards).





That aside the show was pretty entertaining, and the ending where he hang glided away was kind of unintentionally hilarious. I will say I do think the Terminator 2: 3D show was better, but I will still see this show occasionally and I do like both properties. I do want to re-watch all the movies (except the Jeremy Renner one which doesn't count) and watch the new one.

Next we went over to Islands of Adventure, and rode the High In the Sky Trolley Ride. And determined Honk Honkers is still there.



Then we went over by Mythos to get some pictures of the view.
Velocicoaster:







We actually never got to eat at Mythos this trip. I had a reservation too, but we ended up changing our plans.

On the way to Hogsmeade we saw this octopus lady...





I decided this would be the trip where I finally rode Forbidden Journey.

Also apparently they let you take small bags on now, because they let me on with my crossbody purse.

It was actually worse than I thought, and I probably wouldn't ride it again. The minute the motion and the screen started, I started to feel a little nauseous. So I had to close my eyes, and I didn't know when we went from screen to not so I basically kept my eyes closed the whole time. (The motion alone wasn't great and is non-stop). I didn't feel sick for a lasting amount of time afterwards so technically I could do it again, but having to close my eyes the whole time means I probably wouldn't. Josh thinks it's pretty tame, but he doesn't get motion sick so he never really knows what to say when I ask him about a ride (unless it's really bad).

The line for Velocicoaster was only at 40 minutes (and it hadn't opened yet at the time) so I told Josh he should get in line, and I went to Skull Island. Well I tried to...


After waiting in a basically non-moving line for 40 minutes, I ended up leaving the queue with a bunch of other people and just sitting nearby until Josh came back. I think the ride went down shortly after because I saw everyone exit the queue later on. Josh loved Velocicoaster, and said it was the best roller coaster he'd ever ridden. He likes really thrilling rides so he can be hard to impress, but this impressed him. He also said I'd hate it, which I already knew.

Rode Spiderman:



And headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

We were going to Bice!



We ended up taking a water taxi partway, and walking the other half, but we actually made it there early. And on the way back we had really good luck, and ended up catching two water taxis in a row.

Bice Review

Next Up
It's our last day at Universal...

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[schumigirl]

Never tire of the views from the room!

Sorry you didn`t like FJ. It`s not for everyone for sure, but now you know. But Octopus lady is an odd one?

I`m always interested to hear views on Bourne as we haven`t seen it yet, I`m not really a fan of the movies, but the last one was dire!

Pictures are once again lovely, love the shirts and your dress for Bice looks stunning on you Raeven.....and praise indeed from Josh with the Velocicoaster, glad he loved it......

 

[Raeven]

Never tire of the views from the room!

Nope!

Sorry you didn`t like FJ. It`s not for everyone for sure, but now you know. But Octopus lady is an odd one?

It's okay, I had a feeling I wouldn't like it too much which is why I waited so long to ride, but I always wondered if it wasn't that bad and I'd actually like it. I have my answer now. I don't get Octopus lady at all!

I`m always interested to hear views on Bourne as we haven`t seen it yet, I`m not really a fan of the movies, but the last one was dire!

Oh no, I'd heard the newest movie wasn't that great, and I think that's part of why I put off watching it.

Pictures are once again lovely, love the shirts and your dress for Bice looks stunning on you Raeven.....and praise indeed from Josh with the Velocicoaster, glad he loved it.....

Thank you! I'm glad he got to go on it but I was surprised at how much he liked it. (He doesn't think most rides are intense enough ). Velocicoaster really deserves the praise though from what I've heard from people who like coasters. ​

 

[Tracy161]

Universal annual passes are a really good price, and I like that they have a monthly payment option.

I wish Disney did this! (the good price and the monthly payment option )

(I, of course, only have a picture of the round I won ).

Obviously!

the ending where he hang glided away was kind of unintentionally hilarious.

OMG I love things that are unintentionally hilarious. They always give me the church giggles.

The view from your room was absolutely incredible!!!

 

[KathyM2]

I'm sorry you didn't like Forbidden Journey but I can totally see how that would make one prone to motion sickness feel gross!! I am somewhat and am a real ride wimp. I had to close my eyes for a lot of this ride too but since for me it's one of the more "adventurous" things that I go on...I'd probably do it again lol. I actually found the Simpsons ride to be more nausea inducing lol..I find it so weird that rides affect people so differently!! Glad Josh liked Velicicoaster...I definitely won't be riding that!

 

[Raeven]

I wish Disney did this! (the good price and the monthly payment option )

Same!

OMG I love things that are unintentionally hilarious. They always give me the church giggles.

Me too

The view from your room was absolutely incredible!!!

I loved it!

I'm sorry you didn't like Forbidden Journey but I can totally see how that would make one prone to motion sickness feel gross!! I am somewhat and am a real ride wimp. I had to close my eyes for a lot of this ride too but since for me it's one of the more "adventurous" things that I go on...I'd probably do it again lol. I actually found the Simpsons ride to be more nausea inducing lol..I find it so weird that rides affect people so differently!! Glad Josh liked Velicicoaster...I definitely won't be riding that!

I think it'd definitely be fun if I saw most of it lol I would never ride The Simpsons one because even Josh said it was bad and he doesn't get sick on anything. I wish some of these rides weren't so nausea inducing for me. It is weird! I definiely won't ride that one either ​

 

[Raeven]

The Last Day

It was the last day of our trip.


We had a very delicious and filling breakfast over at Islands.

Islands Dining Room Review

While my stomach settled we took some pictures and rode ET.



(This was so long ago I almost forgot, but this was also the first day Universal announced people didn't have to wear masks outside so it was nice to finally be a little less hot, but I also got a little sunburn on my nose ).

Then it was back to Men In Black to see who won...



Can you guess who...

It was me



And I finally remembered to bring my lanyard...on the last day.

Since it was the last day and we were riding my favorite rides, we went over to Diagon Alley next to ride Escape From Gringotts.





While we were in Starbucks I noticed it looked like they were doing testing for the night show. Unless they usually do this little water show during the day? (I saw them do it again later this day, but I've never seen that before.)



Josh rode Rip Ride Rockit while I sat on a bench, and when he was done I realized if we moved quickly we could catch The Horror Makeup Show!

Beetlejuice opened the show today which I don't think I've seen before. I also felt like they'd updated or added some new jokes since the last time I saw the show in 2019, and we enjoyed it like always.




So excited for HHN this year! (Although I'd be more excited if multi night tickets went on sale...)





Because of covid restrictions we couldn't get near some of the cases because people were sitting in the waiting area in front of them. Luckily, this throne was free.







We also stopped in the UOAP lounge at some point before we left. It was nice to relax in there, but it wasn't very big and was getting a little crowded.

We wandered around Citywalk a little and relaxed by the water. We still had some time to kill, and I wanted to soak in all the Universal-ness we could.



Finally we walked back to Royal Pacific.




And Josh sat on his favorite bench:



And that's the last picture I have from the trip.

We spent some time in the lobby charging our phones and stuff, and I grabbed some macarons at Tuk Tuk Market for my dad's girlfriend. We Ubered to the airport, and got through the baggage claim quicker than we ever had before. Then I waited in the longest line of the trip at a Jersey Mike's in the airport.



It was seriously about a 40 minute line!

We boarded on time, and I watched Promising Young Woman on the flight...until we hit some turbulence that briefly cut the wifi off, and then it wouldn't load again (I rented the rest at home).

I did also have a lady near me who literally grabbed the seats in front of her and screamed every time we hit the turbulence. (Which was more alarming than the turbulence).


Apparently when we got home I also witnessed a lady diving into the baggage carousel to get her luggage. I'm not sure I actually remember that, but it's in the notes so it must have happened . After that we picked up my car from my dad's, and headed back home to unpack.

And with that vacation was over! But this TR isn't yet....

We still have a wrap up post coming! ​

 

[Raeven]

Wrap Up

I'm wrapping this up now because we're about 7 weeks away from our HHN trip! (You can follow along on my PTR: HHN 30 & More).

The last year and a half has been pretty crazy, and I don't think it went anything like anyone expected. I know things started reopening awhile ago, but our state still had many restrictions until recently. In the last year and a half we had to cancel more than one trip, and I missed going to the parks a lot. We actually weren't planning on doing a May trip this year, but with the restrictions lifting I knew we had to take a little trip (which of course ended up morphing into a full 9 days ). We love going in May and mostly had good crowd levels and good weather (aside from that one torrential downpour). It was great being back in both Disney and Universal again.

We also did some cool things outside of the parks like baby goat yoga which was one of my favorite things we did this trip.



We visited Tampa for the first time, and ate delicious food.

We finally got on Runaway Railroad.

I reunited with my favorite poutine.

And we became annual passholders at Universal again!


Other things I loved: Flower & Garden festival and that Froot Loops shake actually being good, the night we had at Magic Kingdom where it felt like we didn't have to wait in line for anything, riding Men In Black over and over, getting to stay at 4 amazing hotels (we loved all 4!), & all the shopping trips I dragged Josh on.

On the food front I we got to visit some of our favorite restaurants again, but also tried some new restaurants. (All of which can be found in my DTR).

And with that my TR is over, but I'll see ya real soon!

​