Universal (June 21)
After waking up at the Cabana Bay, our first stop was Diagon Alley inside Universal Studios. The design was incredibly realistic. First, we rode the Escape from Gringott's. We went to Weasleys' Wizards Wheezes, Borgin and Burkes, and got wands at Ollivanders. Shelby and I tried both frozen and cold Butterbeer. We had lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. After discovering everything Diagon Alley had to offer, we took the Hogwarts Express to Islands of Adventure. There, we explored Hogsmeade. The best parts of Hogsmeade were exploring the Hogwarts castle, walking through the Three Broomsticks, and marveling at the selection at Honeydukes. On the way out, we rode Jurassic Park River Adventure. We rode the Hogwarts Express back to Diagon Alley, ate some ice cream at Florean Fortescue's, and walked through more of Universal Studios on the way out.
After our journey to Orlando and a full day at Universal on little sleep, we were completely exhausted. The heat drained the life out of us, so we took Monday off. We booked an extra day at Disney's All-Star Movies Resort and slept in. After getting plenty of rest and visiting Downtown Disney, we were ready to conquer Walt Disney World. It was my first time, and Shelby hadn't been in over 10 years.
Disney's Animal Kingdom (June 23)
Our first stop in the amazing Animal Kingdom was Africa. Since we used our FastPasses on afternoon activities in Hollywood Studios, we had to wait in the lines in Animal Kingdom. Kilimanjaro Safaris was our first adventure, and it was really neat. After the safari, we grabbed some fresh fruit and shopped a little. We went to see Festival of the Lion King, which was the best show we saw in our entire stay at Disney. Shelby and I walked through the rest of the Animal Kingdom on our way out. Asia and Africa were both so expertly designed, but the best part of Animal Kingdom was the Tree of Life. It was magnificent.
Disney's Hollywood Studios (June 23)
Upon arrival, Shelby and I needed lunch. We went to Rosie's on Sunset Boulevard. The afternoon was hot, and we were becoming more nervous about the Tower of Terror, so we went to see Beauty & the Beast live. The performance was great. Our FastPass for the Tower of Terror was around 4:00, so we headed that way. Even though we cut through the line, we still had to wait. The anxiety was real. We were assured by several people in line that we would survive, but I wasn't totally convinced. Once we were actually on the ride, I knew that it may be the end of me. On the initial drop, I let out a scream that I didn't know I was capable of. When it was over, Shelby's gripped hands had to be surgically removed from my arm. We survived it. Did I mention that we're not ride people? It was a rite of passage.
Next, we headed to the Animation Courtyard for something more tame. We visited the Magic of Disney Animation, which was very corny. We also saw Mickey and Baymax there, so it worked out. We saw the Voyage of the Little Mermaid next. Ursula is a queen. It was raining as we left the theatre, so we walked from awning to awning for a while. I was lightly drinking, so things are a little out of order from here. I know we saw Muppet*Vision 3D. It was fine. My dream of 20 years came true when we ate at Pizza Planet for dinner. Next, we used a FastPass at Star Tours, which Shelby wasn't entirely enthused about. We both really enjoyed it, though. Even though we had to wait in a 90 minute line, we did Toy Story Midway Mania! It was as awesome as we expected. We then shopped around for a while. Our final FastPass was Fantasmic!, but it was canceled due to the thunderstorm, so we left without seeing what was supposed to be a great show.
Disney's Magic Kingdom (June 24)
Our day at the Magic Kingdom was kind of a whirlwind, but I'll attempt to recall it in order. We first visited Fantasyland. Enchanted Tales with Belle was a neat show/walkthrough experience. We went to Under the Sea, a ride through the story of the Little Mermaid. We used an extra FastPass on Peter Pan's Flight, because the line was long. It was one of our favorite rides. We also escaped the heat by going to Mickey's Philharmagic. On our way through Liberty Square, we stopped at the iconic Haunted Mansion. Our longest wait of the week was at the Jungle Cruise in Adventureland. The line didn't seem so long when we got in it, but it lasted forever. The cruise was fine, but it wasn't worth waiting over an hour.
The park got busy quickly, so we ate lunch at Pinocchio Village Haus, which had plenty of seating and virtually no lines. We also had a Dole Whip from Aloha Isle at some point. We also had a Citrus Swirl from Sunshine Tree Terrace. I guess now's as good a place as any to mention that this day was incredibly hot, and I was feeling the worst I'd felt all week. I was stopping every five minutes to blow my nose. It was bad news. Despite the heat and illness, we went on.
When we arrived in Tomorrowland, Space Mountain was closed. Because we had a FastPass, they said we could use it anytime after it reopened. In the meantime, we went to the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, which was a good time. When we were finished, Space Mountain was open. I was also anxious for this ride, but I knew I had to do it. The ride was set up for single riders, and I have no idea how tall people regularly ride it. I was also holding a huge backpack, so it was pretty uncomfortable. On top of that, this ride that people have been talking about my entire life did not live up to the hype. It was really rough and twisty. I'm not sure why people like that, but I'm still glad we did it. Our FastPass for Space Ranger Spin was ready after we left Space Mountain. It wasn't as good as Midway Mania!, but it was still cool. We left before our FastPass for Splash Mountain, because we were exhausted, and another storm was approaching. (We went back for the nighttime shows the next night.)
Disney's Epcot (June 25)
We got to Epcot around the time the World Showcase opened. We grabbed a cronut and walked through Canada. We shopped around in the UK and headed for France. In France, we got a snack and a cocktail. Then, we walked through fascinating Morocco. The next country was my favorite of them all: Japan. Shelby and I shopped through the various rooms, ate sushi, and drank some cocktails. After visiting the American Adventure, we explored Italy and Germany. In China, we watched part of a performance to cool down. We walked through Norway and got margaritas in Mexico to end the World Showcase. I easily could have spent a day just in this half of Epcot. It was really neat.
Feeling pretty good, we went to Future World. We had a few FastPasses, and we didn't want to miss anything. By the time we got back up to the huge golf ball, the worst storm of the week was heading in. We used our FastPass for Spaceship Earth, which was much more enjoyable than we expected. Next, we were scheduled to visit The Seas with Nemo & Friends. The aquariums and general air conditioning were really nice. We did Turtle Talk with Crush, which was fun. The rain felt great, but it meant that Test Track was closed for the day. Instead, we used our FastPass for Soarin'. This was definitely one of the best attractions in all of Disney. Shelby was pretty nervous, but she enjoyed it. On our way out, we rode the Mission: SPACE simulation (mild version, obviously). It was cool.
We took the Monorail and a ferry to Magic Kingdom that evening. We were just in time to get a great spot at the Main Street Electrical Parade. We then walked to the castle to wait for Wishes. Celebrate the Magic was a really cool experience. I didn't know that projecting onto the castle was a thing, but the show was terrific. The fireworks were also cool. We ate at Casey's Corner and shopped a little more before leaving Disney.
Overall, it was a great trip. For our first solo vacation, Shelby and I did well navigating and planning. I'm excited to go back later in life to get a new magical experience.
states: 08/50
Bryce :)
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