The Joys of Traveling with Three Kids RPR Club Level 8 nights! 7/2018

Lovely pictures!!
Cute baby ducks:love:

Nice trip to Toronto! We live about 1 1/2 hours away and it's nice to have the big city so close! Been to many events at The Rogers Centre!

Family vacations can get tiring and frustrating at times for the littles! Been there when my boys were young! But even those days of meltdowns are fond memories now that they're grown!:)

Exactly. In theory we are 90 minutes out being in Buffalo but with traffic and border crossing it took close to 4 hours each way :crazy2:
 
Exactly. In theory we are 90 minutes out being in Buffalo but with traffic and border crossing it took close to 4 hours each way :crazy2:

Hey neighbor!! We are in the Buffalo area as well!! Lockport!! :)

Yep traffic can be horrible getting into the city! The 407 can help- little costly, though!!
 
Hey neighbor!! We are in the Buffalo area as well!! Lockport!! :)

Yep traffic can be horrible getting into the city! The 407 can help- little costly, though!!
I think I went on the 407. My navigation took me to an express toll road. It was so empty. The easiest part of the drive but at the end it’s like being dumped into a parking lot...I am scared to get the bill.
 


I think I went on the 407. My navigation took me to an express toll road. It was so empty. The easiest part of the drive but at the end it’s like being dumped into a parking lot...I am scared to get the bill.

The lack of traffic is nice. It’s been a while- I think we paid about $15. But the CDN exchange helps!
 
Day 2: Hitting the parks hard

We woke up very excited to get out into the parks for our first full day of vacation. We hit the club lounge for our quick breakfast and got out into hot Florida summer. It was super hot and really early so we knew it was going to be a day to stay hydrated. We took the boat over to the parks and were very excited to see these beautiful turtles in the water by the boat dock.
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We started with Universal Studios today. Our first stop was the Minion ride. This is a great ride. The Despicable Me movies are a family favorite and we just really enjoy going on this ride over and over...we will hit it once or twice a day during our days in the park.

After our adventure with the minions we decided to get a drink. My kids like the Coke Freestyle machines so we went into the Monsters Café to get a pop. I didn't want to buy the reusable cup because I didn't want to carry the cups all day. We only wanted a drink. Come to find out you can't get just a fountain cup to use at the Freestyle machine. You can only use the reusable cups there. So when the team member said I couldn't just order a small pop and fill it at the Freestyle machine I said nevermind. I was just going to buy us bottled waters. The woman was really pushy. She's like "your drinks will be so cheap...whatever you want" I explained that's not the point, the point is I'm not carrying cups around. So we went to the stand outside Monsters Café and bought a couple Powerades and a couple bottles of water. While taking a break with our drink I noticed on of those "free refill" stations and the lines you have to wait in to get your pop. No thanks!

My daughter decided she needed to take an extended break so we took a spot in the shade in front of RRR. DH and the boys went on Transformers and we joined up after the ride feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. Next we rode the Jimmy Fallon ride. I know on these boards it's not a popular opinion but boy did my family love this ride. The queue is air conditioned and you can walk around. That's a selling point for the kids. My kids also enjoyed the live entertainment in the line and of course #panda. The ride itself was cute. Yeah it was another simulator, but it was entertaining and funny. To me, I would have rode it a few times during the trip but my kids absolutely loved it and every day we went to Universal we rode Jimmy Fallon.
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After Jimmy Fallon we went on the Mummy. This time it was just DH, myself and DD. The boys decided to sit out this time. This is something I really love about Universal. The family can wait in line together (and with express pass it's a pretty quick line)...then whoever isn't riding can sit in a comfortable and safe room that show's cartoons and we can reunite after the ride. This trip we allowed my boys...usually just my oldest son to sit in child swap alone and we would all ride the ride. The team members didn't mind if an adult didn't stay behind and I felt comfortable leaving whoever was sitting out in the room. After the ride since DD was the only one to ride the coaster she got to try on the special head dress.
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After Mummy we gave Fast and Furious a try. DH actually really likes these movies so we were all excited to experience the attraction. This was pretty much a disappointment for everyone. I think this would have been better as a test track type attraction with smaller ride vehicles. We didn't care for the party bus...plus for as long as it took to get on the ride it felt so short! Just a disappointment all around.

Next we made our way over to MIB. My boys love this ride. It's ok...not my favorite but I don't have anything against it. So we threw my purse in a locker and rode this a couple times. By this point we were getting hungry so it was time for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. We love quick service in both Harry Potter areas. There is always a line but we don't mind waiting, it's a nice way to just chill and get ready to eat. I think the line was about 20 minutes long. Another good thing with a bit of a wait before ordering is that middle DS cannot order under pressure. He likes to reflect on what his wants to eat and drink. The fact that when you sit down at a restaurant and the waitress will take your drink order right away...he wants to physically look at his choices...he's can't think order under pressure...lol
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So after lunch we walked thru a few shops and rode Gringotts. I was very happy because oldest DS decided he was going to ride! We don't force our kids to ride anything. DS has always been nervous about rides and sometimes it takes him a bit to build up his courage. Today was the day and all five of us rode together. After the ride he stated it was ok, but it was one and done for him. Still too a little intense for him, but he said he was happy he tried it because he's read all the HP books and wanted to see Gringotts come to life...and he did...and it made me happy.

We decided it was a good time to go swimming. Even though it was hot we decided to walk back to the room...not sure why if I'm being honest but we did. We went into the lobby and got some fruit water on the way to our room. We relaxed in the room a bit. I'm thinking DH and I probably had a water or coffee in the club lounge then we went for a swim. After cooling down we went to the club lounge and had a light dinner. It was pasta night. I remember it being good.

After dinner we decided to go back into the parks. We went to IOA this time because I wanted to ride Kong and that's exactly what we did. This was an ok ride. The queue is pretty cool. It was a little dark for my boys and made them nervous. The ride vehicle is identical to Fast and Furious. Not my favorite type of ride vehicle...however, it made more sense for this ride. I liked this ride better. I'd rather see dinosaurs and bugs and kong as opposed to guns and highways. Plus the huge Kong head at the end of the ride it very cool.

After Kong we made our way over to Hogsmeade. We rode hippogriff once with the kids and then the kids rode themselves a second time. Then we rode FJ. I think only myself and the two younger kids rode today and DH hung out in the gift shop with older DS.

So after this ride we realized we overdid it again and had a tired DD (oops)...but we made our way back to the room and all was right with the world once everyone was showered and pj'd. We had our leftover pizza and got to bed because tomorrow was our much anticipated Legoland day...2F9F47AB-4CF6-4DB8-9E8E-93BB723855D2.jpeg
 
What a nice day! Love the pictures- You can see such pure joy in your kids' faces!! And your sleeping DD is just precious!!:)
 


Yes, I’m not interested in carrying around a mug all day to save a few bucks.......not nice she was pushy about it though.......don’t like that!

The pictures of your 3 kids is adorable, especially your daughter sticking her tongue out......lol......so cute! And I’m glad you like Jimmy Fallon......someone’s got to......:duck:

You had a lovely day again and I’m so glad you all enjoyed Gringotts......it is such a fun ride and your daughter sleeping is a beautiful picture...........

So enjoying reading about your trip!
 
Legoland!

It was our much anticipated Legoland day. I will say, I was hot and cold on the idea of going here, but middle DS has been begging to go so no reason why we couldn't give it a try. I will say that I read some Trip Advisor reviews and people either love it or hate it...after reading the reviews I really wanted to cancel, but I made a promise so we were going and I was going to try and keep an open mind.

There is a bit of planning that goes into getting to the park since it is about 45 minutes out of Orlando. I had debated renting a car or taking the shuttle...I had even debated staying a night at the Legoland hotel. In the end, when figuring the cost of parking and renting a car, it was about the same price as taking the taxi to I360 and catching the Shuttle. The Shuttle is $5 per person and leaves from the Orlando Eye about an hour before park opening and it leaves Legoland a half hour after park closing. It is a very comfortable bus and it plays Disney cartoons on the ride up. My kids really enjoyed the ride there and back. A couple tips for the shuttle. The pick up is right in front of the Orlando Eye. There is a bus shelter that fits about 8 people...it's very clearly lego themed. Other than this shelter you are in the sun unless you can find shade off the building...I thought that's important to mention since you are advised to get there 30 minutes early. Also, no clear signage as to bathrooms while you wait. We did find out there is a bathroom in the Walgreens that is in the complex that is open to the public.

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So on to the park. I will say this is a very pretty park. The landscaping is beautiful and as lego fans, we loved all the lego figures. I would look at this more as like a park with public art than a "theme" park. The rides aren't anything to write home about, they are slow loading...and if you go during rainy season, you won't be able to ride them at all. During our visit to Legoland, it rained for about 5 minutes, however the majority of the rides were closed THE ENTIRE DAY, due to inclement weather. I get that it's safety first...but it wasn't thundering or lightning. It was simply cloudy. The rides were closed so long that there were signs placed through out the park reminding us to stop at guest services for our free ticket to be used anytime during the rest of this year...so not really useful for the tourist who won't be back in a years time...
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When we got there the first thing we did was ride the coastersaurus which was a little kid wooden coaster. It was cute...like your normal amusement park kiddie ride that you'd have at home or the county fair. Then we did the Great Lego Race Virtual coaster. The wait said 40 minutes...we waited well north of an hour. Oldest DS does not like lines or coasters so he abandoned ship with DH at about 35 minutes in. They got a snack, rode the boat ride that was near the coaster and then went to an indoor play area. DS was able to get into a Mindstorms class where he got to build...he was a happy camper. While they did that, we melted in line...ride wasn't that great...the VR headsets did not add to the ride in my opinion...it was a let down.

So after that ride I took DS and DD for a funnel cake and water and we made our way to the indoor play area to meet DH. That is a really nice spot. It's cool and there is lots to do. We killed some time in there. By this point it started to sprinkle. We were trying to walk thru miniland to take pictures of all the displays but my boys are nervous being out in the rain (really, where did these kids come from), so it wasn't really enjoyable to stroll when all we kept hearing every second was..."the sky looks bad...we should take shelter" so we gave in and went to the area where you can build your own mini lander. This was a free activity where you build a min type figure that will go on display in the park later on this year.
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After that we made our way to the 4D Ninjago movie. This was fun. Lego cartoons are enjoyable and this cartoon was no different. I'm pretty sure that even though the show itself is only like 15-20 minutes they only show it 4 times a day...maybe 3...and there is a different cartoon at every showing. To me this is a missed opportunity. What would it cost to show the cartoons continuously? Especially when practically your whole park shuts down in cloudy weather. My DS would have enjoyed seeing all the cartoons, but with them playing 2 hours apart it was difficult to make sure we'd be back in the area of the theatre when they were showing the cartoons.

After the movie we did some shopping since all the stores were right there. The stores were nice and had a big selection...honestly, I preferred the shopping experience at Disney Springs. It's a better run store. We are Lego VIP members. I have never had my lego VIP card...the cashier at the Disney lego store would look it up by email...they have no way of doing that at LEGOLAND...are you kidding me? So we missed out on the points for our purchase...but whatever. I don't get how your systems are so antiquated in a lego themed park that you have no way of allowing your customers to use their loyalty programs...but I digress...wasn't going to get bent out of shape over a $10 coupon...just an annoyance.
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After shopping we saw they opened some of their rides...like just opened. Woohoo. Kids jumped in line for some type of safari ride...it loaded two more time and promptly closed. This would happen to us 2 more times. So my kids spent close to an hour waiting in line for things that ended up closing right before they were going to get on...

Next we found our way onto the Ninjago ride. This is a nicely themed area of the park. The ride itself is like a MIB type ride...no where near as cool..and you don't get any type of gun you have to use your hands to shoot fire balls. It was kind of lame...but it killed some time.

After this we made our way to the water park. By this point it was only open for another hour or so...even though the park itself was open for 2 more hours. I will say this is a nice little water park. There is the requisite splash pad that was nice. There were a few fun looking slides that we didn't get a chance to try. The wave pool was fun...and not overly big and intimidating and there was also a small lazy river we went around a few times. So it's a small area, but well done and fun. I wish we could have spent more time there.

After exiting the water park we saw, that with an hour to go, the rides at the park reopened. We passed flying school and rode that...it's a feet hanging mini coaster...it was surprisingly rough. Then we had some apple fries (very good). And made our way back to the bus.

So to sum up my thoughts on Legoland...this is a good locals park. The annual pass price is good and if you are in driving distance you can enjoy the rides in the "winter" season and go specifically with your young kids to play in the lego play areas. Or go to walk around the beautiful grounds. It would be nice to go for a couple hours a time and play in the water park..things like that. For that audience...a Florida family with young kids...boy this is a nice park for you. For a family visiting Orlando and only going one time. I don't feel it's worth it. Even with a buy one get a free kids ticket the trip to Lego Land was about $500 not including the legos we bought. I would have rather spent a little more and had a day in Discovery Cove. But I'm glad we went and now we know. Learn from my mistakes dear reader...skip Legoland...not worth it ;)
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So by the time we got back to ICON at 8:30 we were ready to go back to the hotel. We walked around the inside. My kids would have liked to go in the Sealife aquarium, but I was done spending money and they were happy to just look at the tanks that were in the public area. I saw the high swings in motion...they looked scary:197E04B6-51F1-4D1C-8C1F-0B545428B05B.jpeg
Getting an Uber to the hotel was a joke...luckily I thought to call the hotel and told them where we were standing and asked if they could get me a cab. They agreed...it was $15 inclusive of 20% tip and worth every cent.
 
That is a steep price for one day at Legoland. The lego figures are amazing!! I remember how long it took my boys to put together a small lego figure when they were young! They are true artists with the large ones they have there!:thumbsup2
 
Your daughter has an amazingly expressionful face,!!! Cute as a button!!

Sorry legoland wasn’t the day you thought........haven’t really seen many positive comments about it......

Yes the star flyers are terrifying!!! I’m dreading December as Kyle wants to go on them :scared1:
 
Lazy Pool Day...well not quite

Today was going to be our much anticipated cabana day. We had plans to meet up with some local friends who always make time in their schedules to hang out when we are in Orlando. Seeing them is always a highlight of our trip and we thought it would be a nice treat to hang by the pool in a cabana and have some dinner, drinks and swimming.

The day started out sunny and lovely. We slept in a bit because we had been pretty intense the last few days and didn't want to burn out. Anyway, check in for the cabana was 9am and myself and younger DS and DD checked in around 10 am at the pool hut. There seemed to be a bit of confusion...even though I provided my last name as we were taken to a cabana that we had not picked. Then she uncomfortable told me that they had us for a half day rental...not a full day. I asked her if maybe we got mixed up with someone else as I had booked a full day cabana through concierge and it was supposed to be for cabana 2 and that I could bring up the confirmation. Then she was like..."oh, ok....we have so many reservations to juggle...no worries, it's understandable. So we were taken to our cabana in a quiet area right next to the small round hot tub. It was a very nice spot. At this time I'm very happy we decided to splurge because the area is relaxing and comfortable and spacious.

The cabana itself has two nice loungers with extra padding as well as an l shaped couch inside. There is a fan and a fridge and a safe...as well as a large tv.
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Within a couple minutes of settling in a very nice waiter comes by to introduce himself and sees if we need anything. He kind of gives a "tour" of the cabana and shows us where the safe is (it's hidden pretty well). Then he opens our fridge and notices there are only 9 drinks and not 10...he realizes we are missing a ginger ale and says he will bring one right over.

At that point...after only being at the pool for about 20 minutes...the sky opens up. Not only do they clear the pool...they clear the deck. Oh well...can't control the weather and it was an especially rainy trip... even for July...at least I felt like it was.

Our family motto is "we don't cry we modify" We had planned to spend the morning by the pool and then take a few hours around noonish at the parks. Then we had plans to meet our friends back poolside at 4:30. When we got back to the room the kids decided they weren't feeling like venturing out in the rain just yet. They had a decent amount of Lego's from our outing yesterday and wanted to build.
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Eventually, the kids were ready to go. We went into the park and started off at the Shrek movie. Our family has always enjoyed this ride. I think it may have outlived it's life though. This time around the picture was horrible. The 3D effects weren't really there...it was just blurry. I'm not sure if it's because we were seated toward the front...but as soon as the movie started younger DS told me his glasses weren't working...so I gave him mine...they didn't make a difference. It was just bad picture quality all around.

Next we decided to split up. The boys wanted to ride Jimmy Fallon...Emma really wanted to go to the Hello Kitty store. I love the HK store. DH took the boys and DD and I went shopping with our favorite cartoon cat...hmm maybe that's not true..I do love Garfield...but I love HK merchandise :)

Anyway, we purchased a few souvenirs that we arranged to have shipped back to the room and decided we would have another spin on the Mummy. So fun doing rides with DD.

By this point we were getting hungry. We were going to ride The Simpsons and eat lunch in Springfield. However, parks were busy today and when we saw the huge line for the food court that extended into the muggy heat, we decided to skip the heat and the ride and find somewhere cool in City Walk.

We ended up at the Hard Rock. It was right outside the park. So a close walk..which at this point satisfied our requirements. Plus it was starting to rain again and we didn't want to get drenched before eating. The food was really good. I will admit though...our enjoyment wasn't optimal because the service was terribly slow. I enjoy taking it easy and relaxing. I don't want my food out in like 30 seconds...but this meal was over an hour and we didn't order appetizers. If it was DH and I it wouldn't matter. We enjoy sitting and being together...my kids were getting tired and bickering with each other....it was beyond loud in the restaurant so I'm sure they weren't affecting other diners...but I was very close to being that parent. Usually my kids are good. They weren't exactly being bad at the time...just incredibly annoying...to me. So food finally came out. We ate...DH took the kids outside and I soon followed once the bill was paid.

We were greeted after lunch with more rain...Yay! ;)

We went back to the room as our friends would soon be joining us. The pool area was still closed so DH went down to Jake's to meet our friends for a drink. I soon followed with the kids. We caught up for a little bit and then were going to call the pool a wash but it opened just as we were walking by it. Hooray! maybe we can salvage our pool day yet. At this point it was 5 pm so we still had plenty of cabana time left.

So we get back to our cabana and it looks like it's been thru something. Chair pads pulled off the loungers, no towels...just a mess. We figured if the pool just opened, it's understandable. I stopped by the pool hut to ask for some towels and chair covers and get to work putting my oasis back together. At this point a waiter comes up to me and asks if I'd like to order anything. I tell him no thank you, but probably in a bit once DH gets over.

After everything is set back up and DH comes back with our friends I notice there are no menus to be found. I had to run back to the room so I go up to a waiter (who I thought was the waiter that had asked if I needed anything) and asked if he could bring a menu to our cabana when had a chance as we didn't have one. This waiter was standing in front of the pool bar. He wasn't waiting on anyone or otherwise busy...but apparently I had committed some type of cardinal sin because he didn't say anything to me...he just walked over to an empty pool bar table and handed me the menu....ok....that's fine. I walk back across the pool deck and hand it to DH and go back to the room. As I'm heading toward the room, the original waiter who approached me when we first go to the cabana was like.."so, I thought you said you didn't need anything" like in an accusatory tone. It was very uncomfortable and I was taken aback. I told him I didn't when he asked, but I noticed that we didn't have a menu and we needed one if we were going to order anything.

At this point I'm feeling like the service from the evening shift is not going to be as stellar as the morning folks...but not gonna dwell on it. My kids wanted to go swimming so into the pool I went. While we were splashing around DH decided to order some drinks and dinner. It had been about 45 minutes and the waiter never did come back to us so he walked over to the pool bar himself to place his order. We were supposed to get a $50 food credit so he mentioned it a the time of the order and they said no problem. So the food was delivered by someone (who wasn't our waiter), and after 15 minutes the waiter comes to check how everything is. We inquired about the fruit platter and he says that's thru the pool hut...he doesn't know anything about it, says let us know if we need anything...ok...so we didn't need it right this second, i'd go to the pool hut later. Turns out I didn't have to because someone ended up bringing it shortly after. It was a very nice platter. Large. It had melons and grapes and berries...along with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and yogurt. We enjoyed it.

We were back in the pool with the kids. DH was sitting in the cabana. It was maybe 7:30pm at this point. The waiter comes back and wants to know if we are ready to settle the bill...now the cabana rental is until 11pm so I would think this is jumping the gun a little. DH says ok and his friend is like...I want pay for the food...you know how that goes with the back and forth. Anyway, DH gives both credit cards and asks if we can split. The waiter says no problem. So the check comes back and we see the bill was for over $200! We ordered one drink, a bucket of beer, and two plates of nachos...no way was that $100...especially with the $50 food credit. Now of course...shame on DH for not looking at the bill first but he'd assumed it was the food bill, since it was from the waiter and the waiter said earlier he wasn't involved with the cabana...just the food. It was a complete mess. What made it even more confusing was that I was told by concierge when I booked the cabana that it would be billed to the room...so...there's that.

By this time our friends were getting ready to go home. We tried to give them cash for their portion of the bill but they graciously declined. They had been in Buffalo a few weeks before and we took them to dinner and they said it was their turn to treat. Very nice of them...though after we got home I did send them a $100 gift card to Disney so that they could enjoy an evening of food and wine on us.

Now that it was getting dark we turned on the tv for the kids and opened the curtain on the cabana. Willy Wonka was on and the kids sat in the hottub and watched..with a few other kids that saw that there was a hot tub side movie going on...we didn't stay long though because I was not enjoying myself at this point and the kids were kind of ambivalent either way.

For those of you keeping track we spend $200 on the cabana for about 3 hours of use as well as a food bill of $95. That was the kicker as well. The food ended up being charged to the room. As we were getting ready to leave the waiter brought over the bill...without the $50 credit of course. At this point I was done. I was really disappointed in the service we received and I didn't wanna take it up with the pool bar...I was going to get changed and go down to concierge and see if they could help with my refund.

This was the only time at Universal that I have felt ripped off. Like I can understand that things are expensive. I'm happy to pay a mark up because we like theme park vacations and understand that they aren't a cheap way to travel. What I can't understand is bad service. I was never rude to my waiter. I politely asked for a menu and that seemed to rub him the wrong way and it made for a lousy evening. I'm not mean and I'm not demanding. All I wanted was the bare minimum of what I paid for and to not feel like I'm being chased off.

I did end up going to concierge to explain the situation with my credit. I was honest and said I didn't want to deal with the pool bar and is there anyway I can get a $50 credit on my room folio. Then I briefly explained my experience at the cabana and honestly said that I was unhappy with my service and for the first time felt genuinely taken advantage of. I explained I wasn't looking for anything and I understand they don't control the weather and it wasn't their fault I couldn't get full use of my cabana, but maybe the staff member that was helping me might need some training on guest interaction because the service I received...not the weather..is what made my experience un enjoyable enough that I cut my evening short.

Of course concierge was very apologetic. She asked me to stay in the lobby because she wanted to bring the manager of the pool area over to speak with me. They also gave our family of 5 a dinner at Islands Dining Room. Again...I wasn't looking for anything but to receive my credit and have my concerns documented because I would hate for another guest to have the same kind of service my family had...however, it was a nice gesture and I was appreciative..as a side note...the dinner ended up costing more than the cabana...so in a way it was like getting a refund...though when we have dinner we never each order an app, entrée, and dessert...but it was a very nice treat later in the trip.

I will end by saying, because of the service I received I can't personally recommend renting a cabana. IF you have a nice day and IF you have a friendly waiter it would be a great way to spend the day. However...at least according to my waiter the Pool Hut manages the Cabana's and the Bula Bar manages the food..they don't communicate well...and that makes for a confusing day with definite service hiccups.

Sorry for the negativity. I assure you the rest of the trip was smooth sailing but I needed to be honest. Thanks for reading. Back to our regularly scheduled fun and care free trip report with the next segment!
 
I love your attitude!!! I really do. We don't cry we modify is our kinda thoughts too......have to go with the flow at times...….

You certainly made the best of the day with the weather.

But, you were exceptionally patient with the mix ups and rude waiter. Never acceptable......as I was reading I was hoping you were going to say you spoke to someone to rectify it. I see you really weren't looking for anything.

Glad they gave you and the family the meal, but the cabana mix up was dreadful and shouldn't happen. I`m sorry it left a bad feeling with you though.....it shouldn't have happened.

I agree with you on Shrek......we thought it was awful to watch in May, and July wasn't any better and we were near the back both times we saw it. Time for the change there...….
 
I love your attitude!!! I really do. We don't cry we modify is our kinda thoughts too......have to go with the flow at times...….

You certainly made the best of the day with the weather.

But, you were exceptionally patient with the mix ups and rude waiter. Never acceptable......as I was reading I was hoping you were going to say you spoke to someone to rectify it. I see you really weren't looking for anything.

Glad they gave you and the family the meal, but the cabana mix up was dreadful and shouldn't happen. I`m sorry it left a bad feeling with you though.....it shouldn't have happened.

I agree with you on Shrek......we thought it was awful to watch in May, and July wasn't any better and we were near the back both times we saw it. Time for the change there...….

Honestly, I take insurance claims for a living. Second shift no less. I talk to people who have lost loved ones and suffered tremendous injuries. Sometimes they have lost their homes...really horrific stuff. Other times it’s just a minor matter. A small dent in a parking lot. My job is to be professional and courteous. Many times I’m being shouted at. Sometimes I’m holding back tears because I can’t imagine going thru what they have to bear. I am ALWAYS professional even though many times I’m nothing more than a verbal punching bag.

I have perspective. I’m not gonna get bent out of shape over an incorrect bill or rude service. At the same time if your job is to bring tourists drinks...not that hard to be friendly and courteous...that’s all.
 
Wow
That was not a good experience you had to go through with the cabana!

I figured they would credit you back on your account of that over charge

Turned out better for you with the complimentary dinner for your family

Glad you had a happy ending for the overcharge

Some will think twice before a cabana rental after reading your trip report or be aware to keep an eye on checking their bill when received

Thanks for sharing
 
Wow
That was not a good experience you had to go through with the cabana!

I figured they would credit you back on your account of that over charge

Turned out better for you with the complimentary dinner for your family

Glad you had a happy ending for the overcharge

Some will think twice before a cabana rental after reading your trip report or be aware to keep an eye on checking their bill when received

Thanks for sharing
I didn’t realize that I didn’t mention it in the report but they did credit the $50 back to my guest folio as well...though we paid that forward as the tip for our waiter at Islands. He was probably the best waiter on our trip!
 
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Double wow!

They really treated you fine

And I’m sure they wanted to make your vacation not something you regretted and have you be happy

Mummy Dust at its finest
 
Saturday!

We were now halfway thru our trip. It really was going by quick. Today we wanted to take advantage of Early Entry and made sure we got up early. We started our day with the lounge breakfast. This way by far my favorite part of Club Level. So convenient to grab items and get on with the day. I found it to be a very good value.

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Once we got into Universal Studios we wanted to hit the rides we haven't done yet on this trip....but first, we had to ride the Minions...it's right there...and so fun...can't skip it. After that we made our way to the Simpson's ride. I love the Simpsons. I can't believe the show is still on and still good. My husband has two single sisters. Long ago I had taken to calling them Thelma and Selma. Lucky they can take a joke. We had to send them this picture while we were waiting in line:
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After the Simpsons ride we watched the kids ride the saucer ride. Then we went back over to MIB and rode it twice. Still not my favorite...but kids love it.

We made our way over to Diagon Alley because the kids feel like butterbeer.
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Of course we make a detour to ride Gringotts first. I think this time we let older DS walk around Diagon Alley and meet us at a certain time at the bathrooms outside of Gringotts. He was really enjoying this newfound freedom.

This trip I did not manage to get my own glass of butterbeer. I really like butter beer but it was so hot that I was sticking to water..or lemonade. I decided when we stopped for our snack I was going to try something new and I got an ice cream code from the ice cream parlour. I picked a scoop of Earl Grey and I think salted caramel something...Ben and Jack both wanted frozen butter beer. I had not taken one bite of my ice cream when Ben informed me that he did not like the frozen butter beer. So, my ice cream enjoyment wasn't meant to be...because instead of telling him too bad...we traded. Of course he had been working on the butter beer while I ordered my ice cream..so what I was given was a slightly melted, not very appetizing looking frozen drink with the foam already consumed. I took a couple sips, tossed it...and figured...whatever...at least the kids are happy. While enjoying our snack (kind of) the puppet show was being performed. We watched it...it was cute.

We decided we should ride ET...it's a classic right? By now it was getting kind of hot and we were getting to the point where we were gonna need to take a rest or stop for lunch. But for now we were good with another ride. After ET the kids wanted to ride the woodpecker coaster. DH and I sat in the shade and they did that a couple times. By this point it was almost time for Animal Actors. My family loves this show. It's so cute. We got a bottle of water and headed over. We got a really good seat, right in the front above the seating area that is reserved for special needs.

Anyway, my daughter was picked as the first child volunteer. My oldest son was so jealous..lol. She went down to the stage and when she said she was from Buffalo, she had her own cheering section that wasn't us. We got a kick out of that. Always a hometown connection right? So she sat in the directors chair looking cute...got accused of eating a dog treat, and then got a kiss from a furry friend It was adorable:
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After the show we were going to leave the park for lunch but as we were walking out it started to rain. My boys...fearful that we will indeed melt, wanted to seek shelter. We were passing the Horror Make Up show and the next showing was only 10 minutes off. So, plans changed on the fly. We sat down and took in the show. This is an ok show. I think the actors are funny. I wish they'd show more special effects instead of being so heavy on movie clips. Still worth a watch once a trip.

Now it was finally time for lunch! We went to Toothsome! I didn't know if we were necessarily going to eat here...I knew I at least wanted to get some chocolate or a shake...but DH really wanted to try it. I'm so glad we did. This was one of the best meals of the trip. It's hard to find a restaurant that has a cool theme and good food. I remember at Disney we were so excited to eat a T Rex. Restaurant looked awesome...food and service were dreadful. So anyway, this place had it all. So many neat things to look at. A very friendly and knowledgable waitress. Service was efficient but not too fast.

This was one of the few meals I had a drink at. DH had picked some type of chocolate beer. I had a chocolate cranberry mule. Wow this was great...and strong without tasting strong. My daughter had chicken fingers and enjoyed them. Both boys had burgers and they had no complaints. DH had some type of monster blue plate burger that he really liked. I had a fried chicken BLT. We also had a couple appetizers. This was just a really nice experience. We would eat here again for sure.

Now that our bellies were full we were heading back to the room for an afternoon nap and some tea.

To be continued....
 
Your daughter, the star of the show.
So cute!!


Enjoying your report and have to say, your pictures are great!
 

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