50 is the new 10 - A birthday celebration at Universal
- Thread starter Charade67
- Start date
Charade67
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2016
Thanks Macraven. Most of the pictures were taken with my Canon Power Shot.
It’s a nice little camera with a great zoom lens. Some of my pictures were taken with an iPhone.
Charade67
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2016
Wednesday, December 20 - At this point we decided we weren’t going to attempt early entry again. We had express passes, so we didn’t feel the need to get up early. I don’t even remember when we got up today, but we made our way over to City Walk for a nutritious breakfast at Cinnabon. After breakfast we decided to go back to IOA.
We were passing throught the Dr. Seuss area so C decided that we needed to ride the train. We had never done this before, so why not. I think B thought we were a little strange. It was a cute little ride certainly worth riding at least once.
By now B was eager to get back over to HP. She had bought an interactive wand the night before and was anxious to use it. I was a little concerned about how silly she would look doing the wand stuff with all the little kids. (Remember, she’s 17.) I quickly learned that I had nothing to worry about. I saw kids, teens, adults (without children), and even some senior citizens with interactive wands. She did all of the wand stations and then decided she wanted to ride Forbidden Journey again.
After FJ we left the HP area and headed back into the rest of the park. C wanted to ride Kong. There was a wait time of 130 minutes. Thank goodness for express passes. EP also meant that we could avoid the scare actors. I do not like being scared, and really hate having people jump out at me.
Kong was okay, and I’m glad we rode it, but I would never stand in line for 130 minutes for it.
Next up was Spiderman. We had a bit of a wait this time. There was some sort of technical issue with the ride that kept us waiting for about a half hour. I can’t believe I didn’t get any pictures of this ride.
After Spidey, B really wanted to ride the Hulk again. It seems like only yesterday she wouldn’t get near a roller coaster. C was not feeling up to riding it again, so we told her that if she wanted to ride she had to go by herself. A couple of years ago she wouldn’t have done it, but today she was happy to go without anyone.
At this point C and i were both feeling our age and decided we waned to go back to the hotel and rest a bit. First though, we wanted to do some shopping. I bought a Ravenclaw hoodie for myself, and C got more pins. I also picked up some HP Christmas ornaments. When B was born I started a tradition of buying 2 identical ornaments. One would go on our tree, and the other would be placed in a box for B. When she moves out on her own I will give her the box, and she will have a nice starter set for her first Christmas tree. I try to get an ornament that matches something that was significant to her that year. She has Elmo, Disney princesses, a panda, a clarinet, and others that I can’t think of right now. This years ornaments are Hogwarts house banners. I didn’t take a picture, but found this online.
Since B and I are both Ravenclaw it worked out perfectly. I purchased two - one for the tree and one for her box. I also bought a Slytherin one for C.
While we were shopping I found this display which I thought was amusing.
We went back to the hotel for some rest. B and I napped while C went to visit the hot tub.
Tonight we had dinner reservations at the Hard Rock Cafe. B fell in love with HRC when we went to one in Washington DC when we were there for a Girl Scout event. I’m not sure what happened tonight, but the food took forever. I think our order must have gotten misplaced somewhere in the kitchen. Our server was extremely apologetic and the manager comped a dessert becasue of our wait time. Thankfully the food was good and we had no place else we needed to be that night.
After more pin shopping ( I lost count on how many he bought.) we headed back over to Universal to see HP at night. I tried to get some picture of the dragon, but it was just to dark. I really needed a tripod if I wanted to get a good picture. We wandered around until closing time and then went back to our hotel. Tomorrow would be our last day.
We were passing throught the Dr. Seuss area so C decided that we needed to ride the train. We had never done this before, so why not. I think B thought we were a little strange. It was a cute little ride certainly worth riding at least once.
By now B was eager to get back over to HP. She had bought an interactive wand the night before and was anxious to use it. I was a little concerned about how silly she would look doing the wand stuff with all the little kids. (Remember, she’s 17.) I quickly learned that I had nothing to worry about. I saw kids, teens, adults (without children), and even some senior citizens with interactive wands. She did all of the wand stations and then decided she wanted to ride Forbidden Journey again.
After FJ we left the HP area and headed back into the rest of the park. C wanted to ride Kong. There was a wait time of 130 minutes. Thank goodness for express passes. EP also meant that we could avoid the scare actors. I do not like being scared, and really hate having people jump out at me.
Kong was okay, and I’m glad we rode it, but I would never stand in line for 130 minutes for it.
Next up was Spiderman. We had a bit of a wait this time. There was some sort of technical issue with the ride that kept us waiting for about a half hour. I can’t believe I didn’t get any pictures of this ride.
After Spidey, B really wanted to ride the Hulk again. It seems like only yesterday she wouldn’t get near a roller coaster. C was not feeling up to riding it again, so we told her that if she wanted to ride she had to go by herself. A couple of years ago she wouldn’t have done it, but today she was happy to go without anyone.
At this point C and i were both feeling our age and decided we waned to go back to the hotel and rest a bit. First though, we wanted to do some shopping. I bought a Ravenclaw hoodie for myself, and C got more pins. I also picked up some HP Christmas ornaments. When B was born I started a tradition of buying 2 identical ornaments. One would go on our tree, and the other would be placed in a box for B. When she moves out on her own I will give her the box, and she will have a nice starter set for her first Christmas tree. I try to get an ornament that matches something that was significant to her that year. She has Elmo, Disney princesses, a panda, a clarinet, and others that I can’t think of right now. This years ornaments are Hogwarts house banners. I didn’t take a picture, but found this online.
Since B and I are both Ravenclaw it worked out perfectly. I purchased two - one for the tree and one for her box. I also bought a Slytherin one for C.
While we were shopping I found this display which I thought was amusing.
We went back to the hotel for some rest. B and I napped while C went to visit the hot tub.
Tonight we had dinner reservations at the Hard Rock Cafe. B fell in love with HRC when we went to one in Washington DC when we were there for a Girl Scout event. I’m not sure what happened tonight, but the food took forever. I think our order must have gotten misplaced somewhere in the kitchen. Our server was extremely apologetic and the manager comped a dessert becasue of our wait time. Thankfully the food was good and we had no place else we needed to be that night.
After more pin shopping ( I lost count on how many he bought.) we headed back over to Universal to see HP at night. I tried to get some picture of the dragon, but it was just to dark. I really needed a tripod if I wanted to get a good picture. We wandered around until closing time and then went back to our hotel. Tomorrow would be our last day.
kabbie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2005
I started collecting Hallmark ornaments at the After Christmas sales too...very addicting...meanwhile, almost 20 years and countless boxes later, I think I have enough for five trees.
keishashadow
Proud Redhead...yes, I have some bananas!
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2004
Not sure how i missed this lol. Great pics and how nice to get balloons for your BD @ RPH.
Didn’t have a chance to see the tree in the hotel lobby, so glad you posted it.
Didn’t have a chance to see the tree in the hotel lobby, so glad you posted it.
Share this page
-
Two Guest-Favorite Guided Tours Return to the Disneyland Resort
-
Need Help Planning the Itinerary for Your Walt Disney World Vacation?
-
How Many Days Do I Need to Enjoy Walt Disney World?
-
Save Big On Select 2025 National Geographic Expeditions Private Jet Departures
-
'Smellephants On Parade' Installation Begins in Storybook Circus at Magic Kingdom
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!
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!
