pepperandchips
[melinda]
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2014
Hello all and welcome! I am trying my hand at a trip report for a short trip we are taking this week to enjoy the long weekend (Martin Luther King Day, for my non-US friends). I started a trip report in the past for a Disney vacation but I got overwhelmed with the length of the trip and abandoned it. So this will be my first real trip report! Please feel free to say hello if you've stopped in to check out my progress.
I'll start with introductions - my name is Melinda, and I'm from the greater metro Atlanta area. I usually travel with a combination of my mom, sister, and live-in partner (I'll call him "R" or "Boo" here to protect his privacy). This time it's just me and the Boo.
My Orlando travel addiction started in 2013 when I caught a tv special about the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. I started planning a trip for the 2014 Epcot Food and Wine Festival and by the spring of 2014, I'd lost control. I've visited Disney 11 times between May 2014 and December 2015 for trips of varying lengths. (The curse of the AP!) Now we're on year 2 of Disney annual passes, and looking to add Universal Power Passes to our list of growing Orlando temptations.
I haven't been to Universal since around 1992 - I was a small child then and have little memory of anything other than E.T. and being upset I couldn't ride Back to the Future. R and his sister went to Universal in Summer 2014, and he loved it. Since then, R's seen all of the Harry Potter movies and is looking forward to experiencing the Wizarding World with some perspective from the films. I'm looking forward to just taking everything in as an adult. We got to chatting in the fall and decided MLK weekend would be a good time for us to visit Universal.
Thus far, the plans are a little more shadowy than I'm used to (coming from the universe of crazy Disney planning), but we're planning to leave around midnight or 1:00 AM on Thursday, January 14th. We'll drive through the night and check in at Portofino Bay early Thursday morning before hitting the parks.
My must-dos are Cowfish, visiting Teak, The Kitchen at Hard Rock, and butterbeer. I'd also like to check out Cabana Bay and maybe grab a meal at the Bayliner Diner. I'm trying to make an effort to go with the flow, soak up the atmosphere, and not run us both ragged. I am looking forward to Express Pass to help with that ambition.
Please say hello and feel free to give any advice you see fit!
Cheers!
Melinda
I'll start with introductions - my name is Melinda, and I'm from the greater metro Atlanta area. I usually travel with a combination of my mom, sister, and live-in partner (I'll call him "R" or "Boo" here to protect his privacy). This time it's just me and the Boo.
My Orlando travel addiction started in 2013 when I caught a tv special about the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. I started planning a trip for the 2014 Epcot Food and Wine Festival and by the spring of 2014, I'd lost control. I've visited Disney 11 times between May 2014 and December 2015 for trips of varying lengths. (The curse of the AP!) Now we're on year 2 of Disney annual passes, and looking to add Universal Power Passes to our list of growing Orlando temptations.
I haven't been to Universal since around 1992 - I was a small child then and have little memory of anything other than E.T. and being upset I couldn't ride Back to the Future. R and his sister went to Universal in Summer 2014, and he loved it. Since then, R's seen all of the Harry Potter movies and is looking forward to experiencing the Wizarding World with some perspective from the films. I'm looking forward to just taking everything in as an adult. We got to chatting in the fall and decided MLK weekend would be a good time for us to visit Universal.
Thus far, the plans are a little more shadowy than I'm used to (coming from the universe of crazy Disney planning), but we're planning to leave around midnight or 1:00 AM on Thursday, January 14th. We'll drive through the night and check in at Portofino Bay early Thursday morning before hitting the parks.
My must-dos are Cowfish, visiting Teak, The Kitchen at Hard Rock, and butterbeer. I'd also like to check out Cabana Bay and maybe grab a meal at the Bayliner Diner. I'm trying to make an effort to go with the flow, soak up the atmosphere, and not run us both ragged. I am looking forward to Express Pass to help with that ambition.
Please say hello and feel free to give any advice you see fit!
Cheers!
Melinda