3..2..1 Time to go back Sept/Oct trip Final Thoughts

[conan617]

Cast of Characters
Me - Big Daddy - that's the name on my magic band
DS - Turning 14 while in FL
DD - Turning 11 in Jan but celebrating in WDW

Final thoughts -
Flights home were uneventful. I liked that security let the kids keep their shoes on and we were herded into a special line where we didn't have to take laptops and liquids out of our carry-ons.

Universal Studios
Resort
I loved Loews Royal Pacific resort. The theme was gorgeous! The closeness to Citywalk and the parks was a wonderful bonus and the water taxis gave us a quick, relaxing ride home after a long day walking in the parks.

Restaurants - our TS restaurants were Hard Rock Cafe and Cafe LaBamba. Hard Rock Cafe food was good, standard Hard Rock fare. Cafe LaBamba was a character breakfast with Gru, the minions, Spongebob etc. The food was OK but we were there for the character interaction. The Three Broomsticks was tasty.

-The Express Pass Unlimited was awesome, but probably not necessary during the time frame of our trip. The longest lines were in Diagon Alley and Express Pass currently doesn't help.
-Blueman Group is a wonderful show and can be enjoyed by all ages.
-CMs were friendly and really got into character. We talked with a witch in Honeydukes for about a half hour. She tested us on our knowledge of the Wizarding world. At the Terminator show a CM "scanned" us to be sure we were humans .
-I've been to US on each of the last 3 trips. I think US is really stepping up their game and I hope that gets the attention of the decision makers at Disney. A little competition is usually good for the consumer.
-Maybe US could add an attraction or two to be available during the early entrance.

Legoland
I think we had an off day and don't feel it fair to give Legoland a bad grade. I have family members that loved Legoland and have plans to return. My family is content to check this off the been there list. The Icecream parlor was good on a hot day. The other restaurant was standard CS and edible (I appologize, but I don't have the name in my notes). If there is one piece of advice I would give the powers that be at Legoland it would be to look into the crowd management aspect of the park. It was a Saturday when we went but it was also September. I wouldn't want to be near that place during a busy time. Traffic flow in and out of the parking lot and park entrance were pretty disorganized. I had prepaid for parking and pre-purchased our park tickets and there seemed to be no benefit to having done so as far as getting in was concerned.

Discovery Cove
I am a huge fan of Discovery Cove and will go back for my 3rd time in a few years. The sticker shock is high for some people, but if you factor in the all inclusiveness and a ticket to another gate - it seems fairly priced to me. The experience of the dolphin swim is magical and the park is beautiful. The food was good and you get to select from 5 or 6 cafeteria type entrees. A nice reggae/steel drum band plays in the seating area while you eat. Picture packages are not included in the price (you do get one free picture as soon as you check in) and you probably will want pictures so include that in your planning.

WDW
Resort
The theme of CSR was beautiful! I loved my daily stroll to El Centro. Maybe the resort could have a mug filling station at a few locations but that is more of a nice to have rather than a need. The Dig Site pool was great and we loved the slide.
I loved the resort, but I won't stay at CSR while my kids are still young. There were some conventions happening while we were staying and it was difficult on more than one occasion to walk the kids past drinking, smoking, and swearing conventioneers. Don't get me wrong. I travel on business and I like to have a good time when I'm not working. I will not begrudge these hard working people a chance to unwind, but it just seemed to break up the magic when I was taking the kids past the convention area. Maybe I'm trying to be too overprotective but that was the vibe I got so I'll wait to go back for a few years and try some other resorts too.

Restaurants -
Cape May was fantastic - our server was great and the food was terrific. We are going back next trip.
1900 Park Fare - food was good. The character interaction was really fun. The stepsisters were a hoot.
Be Our Guest - The restaurant is beautiful. The food was good and our server was great. It was a really nice surprise to get signed birthday cards for the kids.
Boma - My favorite place to eat. You must use caution or else, if you are like me, you will eat your weight in zebra domes.
O'hana - I liked the food, but the kids thought it was just OK. We had the little mix up with getting our table after we checked in, but it wasn't really a big deal. We may have rushed a litte as we were trying to get to MNSSHP but the birthday luau was fun and the shrimp skewers were delicious.
Raglan Road - this was the surprise hit of the trip. The dancing and music was so much fun. The food was good and the Dunbrody Kiss dessert is still being talked about by DS.
Cinderella's Royal Table - Eating in the castle - . The princesses really made my DD feel special on her birthday. DS was included too and had a great time. We got loads of pictures and left with wands, wishing stars and swords. Food was OK, but really what you are paying for is the experience.

Dining Plan - this was the first time we tried the dining plan. It got to be cumbersome leaving a park to travel to a resort or other location for an ADR. As much as I tried to plan keeping ADRs to the park we will be in or at least close, scheduling 6 months out is tough to do. It was fun going to all the different restaurants though.

The magic bands are super! I didn’t need to carry a wallet or room key all week. I would recommend WDW alter the angle of the reader though. It was awkward trying to open the door and even get into the park. Just a 45 degree bend on those things and that all goes away.

FP+ - My plan for FP+ was to use them up by early afternoon so I could book additional ones. By afternoon the kiosk for adding additional FP had longer lines than the rides. Maybe in the near future we can get fastpasses to schedule additional FPs . My next trip plan for FPs will be to get up early, and hit a park, go back to the room and relax or swim and have the FPs booked where I’m going to be in the late afternoon or evening. I think everyone has an opinion on what works best for them, but at the time of year we were there it made more sense to me to schedule the FPs for after lunch or evening time. If you used your FP in the morning, the line for FP was longer than standby so it was a waste.

MDE didn’t update wait times at all during the week (except MNSSHP and it didn’t matter then) and I asked other guests and they had the same issues. That kinda needs to get fixed in my opinion. MDE was pretty good at switching FPs on the fly to later in the day once I figured out the system though.

DisneyQuest - We loved spending time in DQ. The waterparks and more option was well worth it for us as we spent lots of time in DQ and also had a blast at TL.

Memory Maker - this investment made sense to me. It was really fun to look at all the ride pictures when we got home. We had about 300 pictures when all was said and done and I actually got to be in some this time too.

A big thank you to Terrisue and Magical Journeys. Thanks for all your help and for putting up with all my questions.

That does it for 2014. I know it took me a long time to write my report but think of it this way. I'm only about 3 months from writing my pretrip report for 2015.
Thanks for reading!

[faline]

I've greatly enjoyed your reports. Thanks so much for bringing us along on your vacation and I hope you include us again on your next trip!!!!!!

[MizMissy]

I really enjoyed reading your reports. It sounds like you had a wonderful time at WDW and Universal with your kids!

Thank you for taking the time to give the detailed reports. We made a trip to SeaWorld when the kids were young and I wasn't necessarily anxious to go again, but after reading your reports, we may just have to try a day at Discovery Cove on our next trip to Universal (hopefully Fall 2015).

I hope your next trip is just as wonderful! We liked Royal Pacific, but my kids loved Hard Rock Hotel. If you return again, I would suggest you try out Hard Rock (the walk to US is shorter).

[Tri Minnie]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your reports and appreciated how your love for your children came out as you recounted your trip. You really made the most of every day. Thanks for sharing.

[KylesMom]

I have been savoring your reports a little at a time, trying to make them last. I am sad that they are finished!

What a marvelous, wondrous, fabulous trip you had with your two children. I not only enjoyed hearing about your magical Disney time, but your side trips as well. I especially enjoyed your description of Discovery Cove.

Thanks for taking the time to post all of the details - I know it is time consuming but it sure was an enjoyable trip for us here. Can't wait for the next one!

[awaggett]

Really enjoyed your trip reports, thanks for sharing!

[dtootsie42]

Thanks so very much for sharing! I have truly enjoyed reading your report

[conan617]

I hope your next trip is just as wonderful! We liked Royal Pacific, but my kids loved Hard Rock Hotel. If you return again, I would suggest you try out Hard Rock (the walk to US is shorter).

HRH made the short list this past year, but we decided on Loews this time and figured we would stay at HRH next. I can't remember the driving factor as to what drove us to Lowes - maybe is was price - but we are certainly glad we stayed at Loews. We did visit the HR Cafe and DS said he most definitely wants to stay at HRH next time. He's a guitar player and loved the memorabilia all around.

[conan617]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your reports and appreciated how your love for your children came out as you recounted your trip. You really made the most of every day. Thanks for sharing.

What a wonderful thing to say! Thank you so much!

[conan617]

Thanks for taking the time to post all of the details - I know it is time consuming but it sure was an enjoyable trip for us here. Can't wait for the next one!

Writing up the trip reports was very therapeutic. I was able to relive the wonderful vacation we had and share with our experiences with everyone.

I'm about 3 months from writing 2015's pretrip report and plans are coming together nicely for this upcoming September.

[Disney4us2]

Thanks for sharing your trip. 1900 Park Fare is one of our favorites. My DD. (15) loves the step sisters.

[Paiges]

Thanks for sharing! Loved reading your reports!