Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

A muggle goes to Universal

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I’m all muggle when it comes to Harry Potter, but I sure was impressed with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in Orlando. I still don’t think I’ll read the books or watch the movies, but pass the butterbeer and bring on the Forbidden Journey ride.

We spent two days at Universal’s two parks in Orlando when we were staying at Disney World – and I’m so glad we did. If you’re thinking about going, I’d say the two-day, two-park ticket is the way to go. We did everything we wanted to do in those two days – well, except ride Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, but it wasn’t open part of the time and the line was really long when it was.

We prearranged private transportation from our Disney resort to Universal and that worked out well. It was easy to navigate when the driver dropped us off. Like at Disney, we took in snacks in my backpack with no problem.

Other than being impressed with the details of the wizarding world Universal has created, here’s what else I loved about Universal:

  • It wasn’t as crowded as Disney. Well, maybe Diagon Alley was, but it was still manageable and enjoyable. (It did rain for hours one of the days, and I could have done without that, but there are many indoor rides.)
  • The child swap is EXCELLENT. Rachel couldn’t ride some rides (although she could ride a lot!) so we used the child swap system: We all would wait in line and then Greg would sit out with Rachel in a family room near the exit of the ride. The themes of the rides were incorporated into these rooms. They’d watch the movie playing or have a snack from my backpack and then when I got off the ride, Greg and the rest of our entire party (two big kids, two grandmas) would ride while I sat with Rachel. They only had to wait a few minutes at the exit. Rachel felt part of (most) the experiences and most of our group to ride it twice after waiting once.
  • The food we ate was delicious. We ate breakfast and dinner at Disney because we’d already paid for the dining plan there, but we had two great lunches at Universal: Three Broomsticks at Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure was delicious Harry Potter-inspired food and atmosphere. Richter’s Burger was an earthquake-themed restaurant in Universal Studios that had excellent burgers and milkshakes. Universal knows how to do simulation rides! We rode most everything and each ride was so well done and on theme. There were fog, heat, and water effects when appropriate. Movie stories and characters were incorporated so well. (Of course, now I need to show my kids the movie “ET” so they’ll have more appreciation for that ride.)
  • The Dr. Seuss-themed area for little kids was so fun! I hung out here with Rachel while the rest of our group rode the Hulk roller coaster and I didn’t mind. (Plus, that’s where we got really large, fresh cotton candy.)
  • Rachel loves Poppy and Branch from Trolls, so seeing her star-struck when she got to meet them was sweet. We also met the Penguin of Madagascar, which was a nice surprise. I’m sure we could have met more characters, but the trolls were the only ones we sought out.

Here are some mom confessions for y’all: I truly was only incorporating Universal into our trip because of my eldest child’s love of Harry Potter. I didn’t expect to want to go back. But I totally do. When it comes to amusement in Orlando, what I really want to do next time is spend a couple of days at Universal and then board a Disney Cruise ship.

Have you been to Universal? What did you think?

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I shared an earlier post about the Disney portion of our trip, so be sure to check out that post if you haven’t already. If you’re thinking about going to Universal, my planner Jennifer Hart can help you with reservations there just like she can at Disney.

The good, bad & magic of Disney

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If you follow me anywhere online, you probably already know we went to Disney World and Universal last week. I have hundreds of pictures and as many sweet memories. Of course, there was some stress (hello, independent 4-year-old child, massive crowds, and THREE days that required ponchos), but the good greatly outweighed the bad.

I want to recap our trip with some popular questions we’ve gotten from friends both in our everyday life and online as I shared photo recaps each night of our trip. This was our second Disney trip as a family. So here it goes, and, of course, if you have other questions, y’all know I’m happy to share so ask away.

Did y’all fly?

Yes, and I would every time I go to Disney. The hospitality began when we checked our bags in Nashville and didn’t see or handle them again until they were in our resort rooms. Plus the Magical Express from the Orlando airport to the resort was fabulous and convenient. When returning home, we checked our bags with the airline representative at the resort and didn’t have to haul them around. We just picked them up at the baggage claim in Nashville.

Where did you stay?

We stayed in the Little Mermaid section of Art of Animation. I should probably tell you “we” is my family of five (kids are 12, almost 10, and newly 4), Greg’s mom, and my mom. I chose this resort because we thought we were going to have adjoining rooms. We didn’t, but Disney has top-notch customer service and made it up to us. They were going to move us to be in adjoining rooms, but I missed that message so we ended up with two extra fast passes at Magic Kingdom and an extra sit-down meal. Our rooms were just down the hall from each other and that worked out fine.

The resort was fine. The rooms were regular hotel rooms but decorated with Little Mermaid stuff (pictures on the wall, under-the-sea tile in the shower and curtains on the window). We were one of the farthest buildings from the main building with the restaurant, drink machine to refill our cups, arcade, gift shop, and front desk. Some nights the in-room internet worked well enough for Greg and I to stream a show on our Kindle and some nights I couldn’t post on Instagram.

We stayed there from Saturday to Saturday and all slept soundly each night.

What parks did you go to?

Here’s how our itinerary broke down after we arrived on Saturday.

  • Saturday – Disney Springs / Dinner at Old Key West Resort
  • Sunday – Animal Kingdom (And I’m pretty sure this is still our favorite!)
  • Monday – Magic Kingdom
  • Tuesday & Wednesday – Universal
  • Thursday – Breakfast at Ohana at the Polynesian Resort / Epcot
  • Friday – Hollywood Studios

No, Universal isn’t part of Walt Disney World. But it’s also in Orlando and home to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. As many of you know, my oldest is obsessed with Harry Potter and his wizard friends, so we wanted to incorporate this. Greg is also a Harry Potter fan and Ben is beginning to be. Going in, I was a little worried it was too much. But it all ended up being just right for us. (I’m going to do another post on Harry Potter and Universal, so stay tuned!)

My Disney planner helped coordinate transportation from our Disney resort to Universal and that worked out well. We just had to set up pick-up and drop-off times a day before and we were all set. The cost was less than we would have paid for the two Ubers we likely would have needed two days in a row to get there and back.

Truthfully, we rode way more rides at Universal, thanks to smaller crowds and the fabulous child swap system there.

Did you get the dining plan and where did you eat?

Yes, the dining plan is a huge part of why I go to Disney. I love the character meals and the fine dining opportunities.

  • Annie’s at Old Key West Resort – This wasn’t planned ahead of time, but it was available on short notice and we wanted to get out and explore a resort we’d never seen. It was a good choice.
  • Tucker House at Animal Kingdom – This is one of my favorite restaurants at Disney. I love the African atmosphere and food. Plus we got to meet safari Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy and enjoy lunch with our best friends. Our party of 12 sure did enjoy it!
  • Pizzafari at Animal Kingdom – This was a choice by the same best friends we were meeting up with again. When we got there, the hostess told us for the same quick-service credit we could use at the walk-up counter to order pizza, we could also get a family-style service of salad, fettuccine alfredo, baked ziti, and pizza. No question, family-service was a great deal with LOTS of delicious food.
  • Pecos Bill at Magic Kingdom – We were hungry for lunch and this was conveniently located. Of course, lots of people must have thought so because it was CROWDED. The food was fine.
  • Be Our Guest at Magic Kingdom – This was a DELICIOUS three-course meal that was worth every part of the two sit-down service credits. We got to meet the beast before dinner and then were seated in the West Wing, which has a ton of character, is more intimate, and includes storms that coordinate with the rose petals falling and the beast/prince portrait changing.
  • Boathouse at Disney Springs – This was a pick for the adults in the group. It was a long meal, but the food was delicious and we had a great seat under the porch that overlooked the lake. Plus we were in Florida and that meant I wanted a good seafood meal. I’m glad I got it. (This was also two sit-down meal credits, but it worked out because of the extra credits we got for our rooms not being attached.) This isn’t a Disney restaurant, but I do like how the independent restaurants at Disney Springs accept the dining plan.
  • Ohana at Polynesian Resort – Ben really wanted to meet Stitch, so I planned this breakfast so he could. Also, I couldn’t get a reservation for the dinner luau, but I still wanted to go there. We ended up meeting Stitch earlier in the week at Magic Kingdom, but this was still such a wonderful breakfast. The food is served to the table on family-style platters. There’s a delicious tropical juice. Rachel participated in a parade holding Lilo’s hand, plus we all got to meet Lilo, Stitch, and Mickey.
  • Biergarten at Epcot – We were hungry and could get in here, so this is where we ate an early dinner. It was great! There was a polka band, a delicious buffet, and an actual German waitress.
  • Hollywood & Vine at Hollywood Studios – We did this character breakfast for Rachel, but we all loved it because the buffet was massive and delicious. Plus Rachel got to meet Vampirina, Doc McStuffins, Fancy Nancy, and Roadster Goofy. Actually, I made my older two get in the picture with Goofy too.

Of course, we ate multiple meals at the quick-service dining room at Art of Animation too.

Should I get the Memory Maker?

Yes! I take pictures with my own camera, but I really love the ride photos, group photos in front of park landmarks, and the candid and posed photos with characters. The photos are incorporated into the app and it’s super easy to download and share them. It’s even a little cheaper if you purchase it before you go. (Learn more about the Memory Maker.)

How can you save money and still have a great vacation?

Disney prices reservations based on its crowd calendar in an attempt to control the crowds. So it’s cheaper if you go when it’s not as popular, which will be better for you in lots of other ways too. My biggest tip here though would be to work with a Disney planner, whose services are FREE to you, because a planner will know how to best take advantage of available deals. Even if you want to plan some of your vacation, a planner is a great support throughout the process. I’ve used Jennifer Hart with Wish Upon a Star for four vacations now, and I’d use her again. She books Disney trips and cruises, but she also books for lots of other destinations and companies. (Read more about why to use a Disney planner.)

Are you ready to go back?

No. I know, probably not what you were expecting me to say. I am ready to go on another Disney cruise, though. The shows, characters, and meals are my favorite parts of Disney’s incredible hospitality and I can get all of that plus excursions to fun places on a cruise with fewer crowds. Of course, we like rides, but that’s certainly just part of the experience. (Read more about previous trips, including cruises.)

What else do you want to know?

Cruising with M-I-C-K-E-Y

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Years ago Greg and I talked about going on a just-us trip between our 40th birthdays, which are about a year apart from each other. Well, that in-between time is now. (My 40th isn’t until May 2019, for the record!)

We were discussing this idea earlier this year and kept coming back to wanting to go on a cruise. Then we talked about another Disney Cruise after going for Thanksgiving 2016. But then we would want to bring the kids and my mother-in-law. We considered other options, but we kept coming back to cruising with the only mouse I’ve ever liked.

We spent the past week cruising the eastern Caribbean Sea on the Disney Fantasy. Happy (belated) 40th to Greg and happy (early) 40th to me. Oh, and happy Fall Break, kids.

I’d say on average, we fly once every few years, if that. The point: We don’t fly often. But we have flown four times in the past five months. Whoa! The adults and two big kids flew to Guatemala in June. We all flew to upstate New York in July. Greg and I flew to Washington, D.C. in September. (Our Washington, D.C. trip was a sweet surprise, like God knew we actually needed a just-us trip after we planned the family cruise at the beginning of the year!) Then we all boarded another plane to Orlando for this trip.

This is also the year our rewards credit card offered to reimburse the $85 for us to get TSA Pre-Check clearance. We did that between our June and July trips and it’s been worth every penny we didn’t actually pay. (But I’d venture to say if you fly more than we usually do, then it’s actually worth the pennies you pay!)

I don’t regret for one second flying all the times this year to all the places we got to go. I don’t regret bringing the kids on what started as an idea for an adult trip.

Yes, traveling with kids can be complicated and more stressful than the alternative. Yes, kids require stuff that takes up room in suitcases. Yes, bedtimes were pushed way back, dessert was consumed more than once a day, and I was constantly counting three heads (although it was mostly the youngest who kept me alert).

But I have a phone full of photographic memories and a heart full of family memories.

As I was eating peel-and-eat shrimp from Cabana’s buffet on the ship, I remembered sitting in a condo in Perdido Key, Florida, probably not much older than my oldest kid now, as my dad boiled shrimp for us to share.

I want my kids to remember seeing the British Virgin Islands in good spirits but still obviously recovering from a devastating hurricane 13 months earlier. I want my kids to remember the times they played on the beach together in Saint Thomas and again at Castaway Cay, picked which complementary Disney movie to watch next, and posing with beloved costumed characters. I want to remember how even with their age gap, all three kids were excited to meet costumed characters, play on the sand, and snuggle new stuffed animals.

I want us all to remember we are in this life
together and taking a break is refreshing.

{Tweet that.}

Now, back to “normal” life around here after two trips in three weeks with the toddler’s Fall Break thrown in the middle. Perhaps I’ll find the bottom of those laundry baskets.

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I took a bunch of pictures, which I’m sure surprises no one. I shared most of them on Facebook recently, so feel free to browse that album if you want to see more of our trip. This was our second Disney cruise, but you can read about our first one.

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Kristin Hill Taylor - Porch Stories
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