December 2024 – Mkingdon's Blog

The Ump Me, Do You Need A Wee Tour 2024 – Day Eight Tuesday 22nd October

29/12/2024 by mkingdon, posted in The Ump Me, Do You Need A Wee Tour 2024

It’s rare to report on a first these days when it comes to a Florida trip but here we are. The plan hath not decreed it so but with the earlier changes due to the weather, more flexibility was required today and we moved our Volcano Bay day to today. For Louise and I, one of those rare firsts.

I didn’t get up until 8.45 am, which was right around the time we probably should have been parking up at Universal but I’d been up in the night and had not slept well so it was as unavoidable as it was undesirable.

This resulted in a very poor 10am departure and once again our journey was blighted with traffic that was less than ideal. It was bad enough that the drive took 45 minutes, but what added insult to that injury was as we pulled up to the toll booths where you pay for your parking for Volcano Bay, I don’t know why, but there was a huge queue that was just not moving at all.

My frustration and anger (mostly at myself for the late start) started to build and the 30-minute wait just to pay for parking was not improving our start to the day.

Once parked up, we had to board a bus to the water park itself. This was relatively painless, but my mood had darkened sufficiently to see this as a problem too.

Once off the bus, there was a sizeable walk to get somewhere close to any water. At this point I was wondering if Volcano Bay actually existed or if it did, I suspected it was located in one of the Carolinas.

I had to go to guest services to sort our tickets and then we were given a Tapu thing and finally, we were in. It was midday.

You can imagine that the availability of sunbeds and shade was not abundant at this time so there was a long, hot, frustrating trek around the park trying to source some. It was made so much easier with us having a stroller, which of course always work well on sand.

I spotted a set of beds large enough to accommodate us all and we made camp. It felt like very hard work indeed to just get into the park. The day was to get better but the herding cattle approach to getting folks into the park was not something I liked. Compare it to Typhoon Lagoon where you park about six feet from the entrance and stroll in and I would say it could be simpler.

Suncream was applied….

then everyone apart from Louise was off into the water, thankful to now be able to have some fun.

Being in unfamiliar surroundings, I felt unsettled, which probably should be added to my “reasons I need therapy” list and says a lot more about me than I would probably like it to. There’s a reason we keep returning to Florida. After a dip in the main pool, I returned to Louise as everyone else went off to do some slides.

I rested a bit until everyone returned around 1.30. We mobile ordered lunch and then went off to eat it.

Me and Rebecca – Turkey Wrap

Louise – Pulled Pork Sandwich

Tom, Freddie and Dougie – Pizza

Picking up the food was fine but I had a falling out with the drinks machine and had to go back and get another cup as the fanfangled machine just spat syrup all over the first one and me.

Some escaped Lays were appreciated by the wildlife.

Now fed, Louise and I returned to our encampment. Tom, Rebecca and Freddie went off for more rides and I walked Dougie around in his stroller until he fell asleep. That was a good way for me to get a good tour of the park anyway.

With him napping, I went for a couple of loops around the lazy river, finding a very comfortable position on a double-ring thing, which I believe is also the name of a film. I was dangerously close to falling asleep on a few occasions, but the tactically placed ice-cold drips and sprays kept me alert at the appropriate times.

I wandered back to the beds to find everyone had returned and Freddie was keen for me to go on the Crazy (not Lazy) River now so off we went. The fact that you have to wear a life vest to go on this may suggest how fast this thing goes, but it was really good fun.

We did four laps in total before being thrown out as the park was closing.

My view on Volcano Bay improved throughout the day and to be honest I am not worth listening to when it comes to any sort of review on a water park. I don’t do the slides (more issues for my imaginary therapist to unpick) due to some bad experiences on dodgy water parks in the Med in my younger days, so I couldn’t tell you if the slides here are better or worse than anywhere else. For me, as somewhere to just rest and relax it’s simply easier to get to and into Typhoon Lagoon so I would probably stick with that in future, although the Crazy River was excellent. I would say that our long drawn-out entry experience this morning was very likely largely down to our own very late start and the weird 30-minute wait to pay for parking, which oddly cleared as soon as we were through.

We got dried and dressed and made our way out. Getting out and back to the car was a good deal easier than the earlier shenanigans.

However, the traffic was not, and it took over an hour to get home. I guess it was rush hour, with nobody rushing anywhere on the I4, of course.

Dinner tonight would be just Louise and I as Rebecca wanted to give the boys an early night and get packed for our Universal stay tomorrow. So after showers, we set off. Having not planned for this turn of events, we just set off down the 192 looking for inspiration and, driven by growing hunger, opted for the next thing we saw which was…

It was not busy at all.

We started with some kind of fried pickle type thing (my notes are poor and seem to get poorer from here on, as at this stage, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t bother writing this trip up, but here we are.)

I reached for the camera well into our eating of it.

Our entrees were a dipping beef sandwich thing….

with Louise opting for her “go to” cheesy pasta thing

The food was tasty and the service fine, but this was not a life-changing dining experience and we probably would not return. With it being a slow weekday the atmosphere was probably not at its best either with just a few tables occupied. It’s odd how that can make such a difference to a dining experience. The place being so busy you can’t get a table or decent service is of course no good, but when a place is as empty as this was, it gives the whole experience a bit of weird “vibe” and I’m sure we can all agree that I am far too old to be using words like vibe.

We drove home, did some packing for Universal, which was no doubt a lot easier than Rebecca’s and went to bed.

Till the next time……

The Ump Me, Do You Need A Wee Tour 2024 – Day Seven Monday 21st October

22/12/2024 by mkingdon, posted in The Ump Me, Do You Need A Wee Tour 2024

As shining examples of how to get stuff done early in the parks we are not that psycho blonde woman with four kids who keeps infecting my Instagram feed with her 4am wake ups and Stepford vibes. If you know, you know.

Today was probably the exact opposite of that but we were tired to it was a much later start. I had booked Multipass and stacked our LLs for the afternoon so we took our time and benefitted from the extra cash outlay, but not as much as Disney would.

It was 10.30 when we left the house. Less than half an hour later we parked in Mickey 312 and we trammed in.

I can’t say for certain that Dougie didn’t sleep in that hat.

We had a Fantasmic Dinner Package booked for this evening which involved lunch at the Sci-Fi Diner so we had no ride plans before that. We had a stroll of the shops and just took things in.

We checked in at the restaurant at 12.20 and were seated within 5 minutes.

We all ordered a milkshake which would count as dessert on our FDP thing, which was fine by us. And they were fine.

We paid extra(!) for an appetiser of Fried Pickles and then….

Me – Chicken Salad

Louise – A blurry chicken sandwich

Everyone else had burgers, which proved impossible to photograph as we were all sat in a car.

It was another pricey affair, as expected, but it did give us a “Fastpass” for Fantasmic later.

Our first ride of the day was Mickey’s Runaway Railway and everyone except Louise endured the 30 minute standby wait for that.

It’ll never be the Great Movie Ride, but it’s clever, and I suspect it takes a lot fewer CMs to run it than the previous ride here.

Next, it was time for our LL for Rise of the Resistance. As often seems to be the case, as we arrived the ride had just come back up which meant that even the LL queue was bedlam. The standby was at 3 hours, and that would rise to 4 as we queued. Tom stayed out with Dougie and it took the rest of us 45 minutes to ride.

I suppose this ride’s impressiveness and complexity lead to it going down a lot.

It truly is an incredible spectacle and feat of Imagineering but its instability means that idiots like us who paid to ride it get upset at still having to spend an hour doing so.

Tom and Freddie then rode much more quickly as the initial surge after re-opening had calmed down.

The rest of us walked to Tower of Terror for our next LL, and we knew at this point that Tom and Freddie would be late for our slot on that ride. I went to one of the Guest Services blue umbrellas and explained the Rise-induced delay to our plans and they kindly made our LL for Tower of Terror open-ended for any time today.

We took a seat and had a drink whilst we waited for the Rise riders to return.

With Dougie napping, Rebecca, Tom and Freddie rose TOT, then with Dougie awake again, Tom took Freddie on Rock n Rollercoaster whilst the rest of us took Dougie to see Beauty and The Beast.

Keeping Dougie entertained whilst we waited in the scandalous and persistent absence of Four For A Dollar, involved him having a go on the camera.

Once the show started, I took over on camera.

With that show enjoyed Louise and I took our turn to ride TOT. Everyone else headed back to Galaxy’s Edge where we were to meet them for our Smuggler’s Run LL. We were half an hour beyond our time slot, which stressed me out no end, but as we beeped our bands Mickey turned green and we were in after more very persistent measuring of Dougie, which he once again passed.

Dougie, much like myself had no clue what was going on, but enjoyed it nevertheless.

We wandered Galaxy’s Edge for a bit, catching a bit of a live show involving Kylo Ren.

Rebecca and Tom did a great job of resisting Freddie’s persistent urging to buy some form of very expensive plastic tat and then we set off for Toy Story Land and our Mania LL. This time I rode with Louise. Different competitor, same result. A bruising defeat for Louise.

We completed our rides for the day with the Holy Grail of LLs, Slinky Dog, and as a bonus, it was just going dark which makes most rides better in my opinion.

Dougie loved it. A great coaster, perfect in its intensity so that everyone can ride and enjoy it.

As we now made our way towards Fantasmic, the boys were bought the inevitable light-up toys and as we entered the stadium we stopped for snacks of drinks and popcorn before taking our seats.

This show continues to be one of the best experiences on WDW property. That finale gets me every time. It’s amazing what music can do to you. Rebecca was in tears and I wasn’t far off. Do not miss this show.

It was an easy exit and we made our way back to the car.

Having given Disney far too much of our money on food and LLs recently we headed off-site to eat at the cheap and cheerful Olive Garden. We arrived at 9.20 and were seated within about 15 minutes.

You know what we had to start….

I had the Tour of Italy, as usual.

Freddie had meatballs and spaghetti.

Both Tom and Rebecca had Lasagne

Louise, Five Cheese Ziti

Dougie had Pizza

With wines, iced coffees, sodas and tip, it was a wallet-soothing $160. It was all pretty good, although my entree could have been warmer. We do find this place to be quite hit and miss in recent years, but overall it’s decent quality food for a good price when your bank balance needs a break from WDW prices.

We were home by 11.15, with a great day in the bag, despite the late start.

Till the next time…..

The Ump Me, Do You Need A Wee Tour 2024 – Day Six Sunday 20th October

15/12/2024 by mkingdon, posted in The Ump Me, Do You Need A Wee Tour 2024

Rest days are the habitual practice of seasoned travellers to WDW who love to recharge their batteries….

Parklife!

But once that’s done and the rides start calling again all you can do is make your return to hustle and bustle of …

Parklife!

So with a 6.55am alarm waking me so that I could book us all a virtual queue for Guardians, the day began. My notes remind that I felt rough this morning with a headache and nausea. It was either last night’s cold spud or I was pregnant.

Despite the 7am alarm, we were not out of the house until 9am and it took about 25 minutes to drive to Epcot’s gate. Another $30 exchanged hands and we parked in Rocket 602.

The tram took us in, (since when were they red?) and coffee and donuts were served from Joffries for those who didn’t feel like vomiting.

I stood strong today and refused to book the Multipass, so the day started with a 20-minute queue for Spaceship Earth.

I had the genuine pleasure of riding with Dougie, who despite several very annoying stops for several minutes was incredibly well behaved.

Next, we restroomed.

With our virtual queue time approaching it made sense to head in that direction and ride Mission Space. I declined the chance to ride as I needed no further encouragement to be making pavement pizzas so Louise and I sat out with Dougie and had a drink.

Once everyone was back from space we had been summoned to Guardians. After setting up rider swap, Me, Louise, Rebecca and Freddie rode.

This is THE best ride on property and I will not be entering into any debate on the subject.

It had been raining a little all morning and as Tom an Freddie rode Guardians it really came down. We needed to get to a restroom and by the time we did it felt like we had been swimming.

While waiting for Tom and Freddie to return we stood under the canopy outside Connections and Club Cool.

Dougie had been kept out of it with his pram hood and a poncho.

With no sign of the boys and our ADR at Space 220 imminent, we messaged them to say meet us there and set off to get a little bit wetter. I explained to the check-in host that we were waiting for two who were riding, and it was fine when we eventually got everyone there and checked in at 1:30 for our 1.10 ADR. As soon as we did that, the rain stopped.

We entered the lift ensuring the boys could get up to the rail to see the “lift” take us up to space. It was quite full so I could see bugger all standing against the back wall.

I dangled the camera from my outstretched arm and got….

Once we arrived in space as you would imagine, the theming was just excellent.

There were novelty fizzy drinks with glowing things and popping space rock….

Even though Dougie wasn’t having that particular special drink off the menu our server was smart enough to make sure his apple juice also glowed.

and those rocks really popped….

Food wise we had

Me and Tom – Shrimp Tacos and the burger

Louise – Cauliflower starter and the burger

Rebecca – Caesar salad and burger

Boys – Nuggets and a dome pudding.

Some adult desserts were had too….

Louise had some wines and most of us finished with a coffee.

Many of you will know that this isn’t a cheap experience, and there’s nothing to be gained by saying how much this meal was, so I won’t. The experience was very good, the food was better than expected and the boys really enjoyed the theming. It was chilly, but that was because we arrived drenched in cold water. I also got a better view in the lift on the way back to earth.

Dougie was in desperate need of a nap so I volunteered to walk him round until he caught one. I ended up doing a full loop of World Showcase and met up with everyone over at Journey Into Imagination.

Louise and I stayed out with Dougie.

Due to our evening plans, we had about 30 minutes left now to ride something before we had to go and Freddie chose Mission Space and insisted I rode too.

I survived with my expensive lunch intact.

The weather had perked up too.

What I’m doing here, I have no clue.

Something tells me a younger camera operator was holding the camera….

It was time to leave now so we made our way to the exit. Dougie was back from his nap.

But only just….

That’s better.

We trammed to the car…

and I captured evidence of someone’s battle with the overhead speaker….

Sometimes being bald can be a blessing.

We were heading for City Walk, as tonight Tom and Rebecca were going to Halloween Horror Nights whilst we took the boys for some tea and then home to bed.

The traffic was of course horrific all the way up the I4 but the cherry on top was the 35-minute wait on the off-ramp to get to Universal parking. This, we soon found out was caused by a combo of Horror Nights traffic plus a Chase Atlantic gig at The Hard Rock. After parking the car security was also carnage but we made it in around 6.15 and Rebecca and Tom went off to be horrified, mainly by the prices and wait times.

The fringe-filled emo-fest that was the queue for the gig at the Hard Rock was a flashback to the teenage years of the girls.

Louise and I sat with the boys on those big steps for a bit, people-watching until it was time to head to Toothsome for our reservation. No, we were not hungry at all.

We were seated immediately and started to ponder what someone who isn’t hungry at all orders.

Louise went for French Onion Soup.

I went sweet with a Banana Fosters Waffle, you know, because I was full.

The boys, who were hungry, went for burgers.

We had a few minutes of interaction at our table with the two characters.

Then the boys shared the S’Mores, barely making a dent in them and I was in no position to help.

We wandered City Walk, and after looking for all kinds of plastic tat to get for the boys, Dougie showed no interest in anything and Freddie ended up getting two airbrush tattoos. It was bedtime, for Louise and me, so the boys had to come home too. We had walked all the way back to the car when Freddie announced he needed a wee, so I had to walk him all the way back to security to the closest restroom.

Despite having the sat nav on I managed to take a few wrong turns on the way home and one of them saw us divert through some sort of military base entrance. Bizarre.

We were home for 11 and got the boys in bed. I waited up downstairs just in case Dougie woke up and then fell into bed as soon as Rebecca and Tom got home around 1am, I think.

Till the next time……

The Ump Me, Do You Need A Wee Tour 2024 – Day Five Saturday 19th October

08/12/2024 by mkingdon, posted in The Ump Me, Do You Need A Wee Tour 2024

Fair warning, we’ve hit a rest day. It was incredibly welcome, don’t get me wrong. We had broken the cardinal rule of ensuring day two was a rest day due to the cooler weather so now after the long travel day and three consecutive park days we were ready, but content-wise, well if it were possible to be poorer, it will be.

We stayed in bed until 8am which was a bit of a breakthrough time zone wise and we took our time getting ready, leaving the house around 9.30. One real benefit of a rest day is the opportunity to go and eat a life-threatening amount of food for breakfast so we did that.

I can’t remember where I saw it but I had noted in my plan that we should try a new place called @TheDiner. It is in Lake Buena Vista not far from Crossroads and due to yet more bobbins traffic it took over half an hour to get there and there was a point, when stationary on the 192 that I considered just pulling into a Perkins or Dennys there to avoid my growing frustration with the length of time it was taking to get anywhere.

We stuck it out and upon arrival we were quoted a 20-minute wait. We waited outside whilst looking over the menu.

We ordered –

Louise and Me – Eggs Benedict

Freddie – Grilled Cheese

Rebecca – House Special Cinnamon Toast with Egg and Sausage

Tom – Bagel and Boston Cream Pie Pancakes

Dougie – Fruit Cup

I am only slightly ashamed to admit that Louise and I ordered one of those Boston Cream Pie Pancakes to share after finishing our Eggs Benedicts and it was very much the right thing to do.

With juices and coffees, it was $185 including tip.

We drove back to the Solaro resort (where we were staying), through the entrance on the other side of the road to our villa, and around to the pool and clubhouse.

We found some beds and upon trying to locate the towels the lifeguard told me that they do not supply them, so that had me driving back to the villa to go and get some!

We were settled in by the splash pool and the boys played in that for a long while.

A waitress approached after some time and took a drinks order. We left the tab open but she never darkened our door/beds again so lost out on any tip we could have given her. I guess she was busier around the main pool.

Rebecca, Tom and Freddie went over to the main pool for a while and I went for a walk around the local estate to get Dougie to sleep. It was quite the safari with lizards, rabbits and snakes all making an appearance.

Freddie was keen to try the Flow Rider thing, so that’s what happened next. He has more bravery than I ever did at six years old.

After a few minutes of lying down and then kneeling up, he was on his feet….

On his next few tries he went back to lying down for the fun of it and the chap helping him here was really good with him.

As his session came to an end he hadn’t had any form of wipe out which would result in him shooting up over the top, so he intentionally fell off and did just that. He absolutely loved the whole experience.

We left the pool around 5.30 and went back home to get ready for dinner (tea).

The plan said the Cheesecake Factory but we were pretty sure the wait would be unbearable. I had tried to book, but that seems impossible from the UK and I had forgotten to ring up to do so since arriving in the US.

We got there at 8.15 and of course at that time on a Saturday, the wait time was quoted at two hours. You would think as that is pretty standard why they don’t build another location in the area.

With that being clearly a non-starter we set off in search of an alternative. We thought of Bahama Breeze and headed in that direction but again the traffic to get there was queuing from the Premium Outlets right the way down to the junction where BB is, so instead we bailed at the Longhorns we were sat in traffic outside of.

Even there we were given a 30-minute expected wait. After every minute of that, we were seated after waiting outside.

There was a bread service and we started with two appetisers to share. Spinach Artichoke Dip and a kind of Bloonim’ Onion thing.

Both were very good.

It was steaks all round, which were delicious. My loaded spud was a little cold and dry but overall a tasty meal.

You can see I was a little late to the photos….

With a couple of wines and an unusual two beers for me, and Freddie finishing up with an ice cream, it was a slightly surprising $280 including tip. With me out of my mind on two beers, Tom drove us home and we managed a landmark bedtime of 11pm.

Till the next time…..

The Ump Me, Do You Need A Wee Tour 2024 – Day Four Friday 18th October

01/12/2024 by mkingdon, posted in The Ump Me, Do You Need A Wee Tour 2024

With a bedtime of 9.30 last night, a rise of 6am was not too surprising. I was also awake.

Louise slept on, so sadly I took the chance to reply to a couple of work things on the phone before going downstairs at 7am to make myself some cereal and toast. It’s always fun trying to find something to watch on American TV for those few minutes whilst eating breakfast. I’m never sure which new channel isn’t crammed with right-wing propaganda and if you can avoid an advert it’s either very large men talking about a style of football I do not understand or a rerun of some very old sitcom. I was yearning for the Applicances Direct ad to be honest.

Louise wasn’t up until after 8 a.m., so it was a later start after everyone had showered and readied. I wasn’t too stressed, as I had already squandered yet more dollars on multipass for today. It does feel like the standard park experience is broken for the most part. I know everyone has different views and experiences here, but it feels like now you have to pay extra to get what was standard a few years ago.

We left the house at 8.30 and parked up at 8.45am. We trammed in from Dinosaur 225 only for Rebecca to go for an entry denying wee.

Does anyone else have an uncontrollable and undeniable reflex to smile at all dogs?

Once we were in, It’s Tough To Be A Bug was the obvious first choice due to our LLs not starting until 12, (the offsite scum cruse strikes again) its proximity and lack of wait time.

Freddie couldn’t be-leaf this was a person and not a tree. He just didn’t twig. I had to root out my camera and capture the moment as I’m a bit of a sap. Enough!

Freddie was not the most impressed he would be all holiday with this attraction. There was no fear or aversion to the creatures “leaving!” the theatre. It just didn’t go very fast and/or upside down.

At this point, coffee was desirable, so we headed over to Starbucks, and Rebecca and I went in to gather essentials for everyone. Even though I ordered I gave Rebecca’s name to avoid a Cregg moment.

We sat on a wall whilst everyone destroyed the various types of coffee and cake.

Wees were had before we headed all the way over to the rapids. If we were to get wet, it would be early to give the sun time to work its magic.

We didn’t fare too badly wetness-wise on the way around, but then got soaked by the squirting elephants at the end of the ride whilst we waited to disembark.

Freddie and Tom rode again as the standby said 25 minutes but it turned out to be closer to 45. The rest of us sat watching the monkeys for that amount of time.

We’d missed a Lion King show I had my eye on due to the longer ride time, so instead we ate. Yak & Yeti was closest so that was an easy choice.

Once again the camera fell into younger hands.

Our next LL was due for the safari which, yes, you spotted it, was all the way back across the park. We had an excellent driver/guide and saw lots of interesting stuff.

After locating the stroller among the plethora of others in the parking lot, we walked across to Pandora. We had a 2.30 LL for Flights of Passage. We set up a rider swap so that Freddie could ride twice. Louise and I sat out with a napping Dougie and face-timed Emily back home for a bit whilst the others rode.

Louise and I then rode again with Freddie. His excitement to do so was not dampened by just having ridden it.

He once again needed a wee but thankfully the wait was short and he managed to wait until we could rush him to the restroom upon our exit.

We met everyone else and were greeted with a drink.

The LLs were coming thick and fast now, with Everest the next. Yep, that was at the other side of the park again.

With a rider swap set up, Louise, Freddie, Rebecca, and I rode first, with Tom and Freddie going second.

Having taken this same picture every year since this ride opened, here is this year’s version.

and this one

We strolled to Dinoland whilst Tom and Freddie rode, with Rebecca taking Dougie for a spin. I can’t spell Triceratops.

Once everyone was back together we went to Dinosaur. We just about made it within our LL slot giving us the pleasure of walking past that queue.

We had set up the customary rider swap but Freddie was not keen enough on the experience to want to do it a second time.

Louise and I opted to sit down and have a drink whilst everyone else went off to the rapids again which had a short standby. Whilst we waited for them I wandered off to the shop to pick up something Dougie had expressed a lot of interest in (as much as a 2-year-old can), but he loves a hat and had been shouting “Duck” every time he saw Donald so….

Of course, you can’t get one child something without the other…..

We were heading out now…

So here’s an example of the added expense of Multipass affecting our decisions. Almost without exception over the years a day at DAK meant an ADR for Yak and Yeti. It is one of our favourites and a lovely way to wrap up the day at this park. With all the extra dollars going on getting on rides, today we were headed off-site for what would be a considerably cheaper meal. We were headed for Applebees and I had chosen the one at Celebration and the hat was never coming off.