I can’t believe this day has finally arrived but it’s the day we fly home. It felt the right time though and was ready to get back to some normality and not the daily sun cream routine!
So we wanted a lie in before check out but we were rudely interrupted by the room next door arguing incredibly loud. The only downside of the hotel is the super thin walls. However after resting, we finished our packing just in time for check out time at 11. It was very simple and we stored our luggage with no issues.
We didn’t want anything huge for breakfast so just went to Voodoo Donuts as was a place I wanted to try. Ok this custard filled strawberry one was huge…
We popped back in to Islands for a few hours to get some last minute rides in. We no longer had our express passes though but still had our assistance.
For a Saturday it wasn’t as busy as I thought it would be. As we didn’t get to ride Velocicoaster last night for the weather, I asked for a new time but as we didn’t get to ride I was only timed out 10 minutes. Another great ride on this and after riding over 100 coasters across multiple countries it may be my new number one. It’s the perfect intensity and easily re-rideable.
Hagrids was too huge of a queue and we wouldn’t make our transfer so had one last go on Forbidden Journey. We rode all of the Seuss rides on the way out as they were walk ons. How is the last ride of our holiday the carousel?!
Phil wanted another shake from Toothsome so we shared the red velvet one. My confetti shake was definitely better.
After a quick freshen up and change of clothes at the hotel, it was time to leave. We left at the right time because as soon as we got in the car, in true Floridian style, a thunderstorm arrived.
Check in and security was a breeze with no queue and we had a look around the shops. There were some merch in the Disney shop that I hadn’t seen in the parks.
Trying to get into the Upper Class Delta lounge was a struggle because lightning had shut the airport so they were at capacity. However, it shortly opened and we were allowed in. Our flight was slightly delayed by 30 mins due to the storm but we were text with the details earlier on. After some nibbles, drinks and a nice relax it was time to board.
I would never have dreamed that we could fly upper class so it was all surreal for me and I feel so lucky we won our bid at the price is was (£495 pp). The suite was stunning and I loved the leg room.
Service was a bit slow because I heard them say they were three crew down so they’d had people in different cabins than normal. The food was incredibly good and the spacious room and set up to eat was unheard of on a plane. I had tomato and mozzarella for starter, bbq chicken breast for main and a cheesecake for dessert.
They were asking if we wanted to be woken up for breakfast but I didn’t want to as wanted to maximise the sleep. After eating, I utilised the bed and managed about three hours sleep. I was going to try get some more but they were serving breakfast so I thought why not. I opted for pancakes.
Our flight time was just over 7.5 hours so even though we were delayed, we arrived earlier than planned at around 08:15. There was no queue at the gates but it was around an hour for our luggage to arrive 😩. We were fortunate that ours came out first though.
We boarded the very busy bus back to Purple Parking and set off home. What a struggle that was! I can’t believe after over 3 years this was now the end of the holiday.
Final thoughts
The Universal hotel was considerably cheaper and I would definitely stay again. As a couple it was simple but I’d probably opt for the suite if a family. It was nice for housekeeping every day (looking at you, Disney) and everything was perfect. The only downside is the super thin walls so not great for light sleepers.
The location makes up for it as it’s within walking distance of Walgreens and restaurants we wanted to visit (IHOP, Denny’s, Applebee’s). The shuttles to Universal are so frequent and quick it makes a difference.
We didn’t opt for the resort mug as thought they were expensive. However, we just used our Disney ones and got free water from the machines instead.
I used to love Universal but felt a little disappointed with some attractions. I guess my tastes have changed but definitely preferred our Disney portion. The only plus side is that it needed much less planning and free to do things at your own time.
Overall, our three week split stay was the perfect time to do everything and can take things a little easier so it’s not so intense. The disability provisions were great at Disney and really helped me. Not so much as the other parks as you have to physically walk to the attraction to get a time. Even with express passes at Universal, some queues were not so quick and I felt some merge points were too soon.
I had planned £2,500 as a budget per person for spending but we actually spent so much less. The Disney offer helped though. Total cost per person were:
£500 worth of dollars, which was just over $600.
£450 per person on Halifax Clarity for food/Ubers/drinks
$234 provided as part of the the Disney dining credits offer
$100 provided as part of the Disney gift card offer
£495 per person for upper upgrade on return
Total spends each was just under £1,500 but would have been much less without the upgrade cost. The Disney offer went a long way for us too.
After a long 14 hour sleep I think the jet lag is definitely going to be helped. Hopefully back to a routine now. We worked it out that we walked well over 300k steps (around 140 miles) which is insane. Although we probably consumed a million calories, I actually lost 1lb in weight 😱. I had to look at the scales multiple times to see that. First time ever going on holiday and losing weight 😂.
Now it’s time to sort through all the photos and download from the Disney app. Thank you Orlando for the best holiday and was definitely worth the three year wait! See you in a few more years when Epic Universe opens…
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29 Aug 22, 04:03 PM
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