Garth and Louise's Graduation Celebration June 2017 - Day 9 - Volcano Bay and Magic Kingdom

[LostPrincess]

Welcome to my trip report! The index is here, and day 8 is here.

Wednesday 21st June – Day 9

We had a lovely lie in until 7.30 today. Quite a difference to the past few days We slept until the alarm went off but as soon as we were awake we could hear crying children outside. That’s when you know you’re in Disney World! We chilled in bed for a bit and I checked my emails… I had a reply from my tutor… he said my calculations were correct and they would most likely round up and I had a first class degree! Hurrahhhh! It was like a weight had been lifted. I know a 2:1 would have been great too but being so close would have been torture so I was so pleased. Feeling very happy we got up, threw on some clothes and made sure we were covered in suncream. We were heading back to universal property today to spend the day at Volcano Bay. Although we’d just spent a week on International Drive we had crammed in Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, Universal and Islands of Adventure so we had a couple of days during our Disney stay where we planned to go back to Universal to mop up things we missed. Volcano Bay was one of those things so that was the plan! We left the room just before ten past 8. It felt like a much more leisurely morning today as VB didn’t open until 10. I loved the new view for my morning pictures.

I had expected breakfast to be packed this morning as we were a bit later but it wasn’t too bad after all. We both ordered French toast with sausage and got an orange juice each. It would have cost $16.58 (minus the OJ, can’t find a price for that but I’d guess they would have been a couple of dollars each?) but we used 2 QS credits.

I thought this was much nicer than the French toast I’d had at Denny’s last week. It wasn’t greasy at all it was just crunchy and delicious. Garth pretty much ate all of his but I left a whole piece of toast and a sausage and a half. I don’t know how some people manage to eat a TS meal every day at Disney when I get stuffed on half a QS! I think we saved our orange juices and filled up our mugs with coffee. As we had plenty of time we went to sit outside for a bit.

It was lovely sat in our resort watching the world go by! When we were ready to go we washed our mugs out and popped them in a paper bag to take with us for when we got back later. We used the loos in the lobby (they were very nice) and then went outside to order our uber. Luis was with us just before 9am. He was a very quiet driver and his music was really loud but the journey went quick and we arrived at the universal taxi drop off at 9.33am. The journey cost us $16.65. It was really busy at the taxi drop off this time of day and we got to the bus for VB just in time. As we got on the bus the driver said “good morning Gryffindor!” referring to Garth’s lanyard. Officially Garth’s not even Gryffindor, he’s Hufflepuff, but he feels loyalty to Gryffindor I’ve noted that the bus doors attacked me. I think when they opened inwards I was in the wrong place and I got caught between a pole and the door I made it out the bus alive though and we were soon going through the scanners. It started going off when our bag went through and they asked if we had anything glass with us. Not thinking we just said no and they looked through the bag and pulled out Garth’s glass deodorant bottle, we didn’t even consider it! They let us keep it but said to be really careful because if it broke it would be a nightmare with all the bare feet around. We were queuing to enter by quarter to ten.

As usual we picked the slowest queue! Ahead of us there were an English family and the staff member told the kids to check with their parents before spending any money on the tapu band. The little boy turned to his sister and said “we’re going to buy so much ice cream” That’s kids goals! As soon as we were in we headed towards sunbeds that we had scouted out the other day but we saw some in the shade in the corner as we were walking round the park so we stopped there.

We took all our valuables out of our bags and nipped off to get a locker. It cost $15 for the day. With our locker sorted we topped up on suncream and then headed to Krakatau. It was showing as “ride now” which was great, we thought we'd have to scan in and come back later. Turns out we had to wait an hour anyway The queue was really out in the open and it could have done with some shade. I hate queuing at water parks, everyone just standing around half naked really unsettles me After an hour we were discreetly weighed by standing on a big square and then we were sent into a boat just the two of us. They put Garth in the front but the safety video playing in the queue said the heaviest should go at the back. How rude! I may not be model material but I definitely think (know) I’m lighter than someone who’s half a foot taller than me! The ride was fun though, it was a lot like Crush and Gusher at Typhoon Lagoon. I got a lot of water in my face which I hate and it could have done with more twists and turns as it was quite samey. Next we went to a two-person tube slide, sorry I didn’t note the names of everything very well! My phone and camera were in the locker so my notes aren’t as good for the waterpark days. It was showing ride now and we didn’t wait long and my notes say “super fun”. I love tube slides where we can go down together. Next we scanned in to Honu Ika Moana (I remember the Moana one!). We went for the one with the longest wait so we’d have time to have lunch before returning, and it looked a bit gentler! We went on the crazy lazy river next for a bit. It wasn’t too crazy but it was good and fast! And we got to go through the volcano which was cool. We were hungry by this point so it was time for food. We opened the locker using the tapu which was quite clever. We got the camera and our money and went to the restaurant nearest to the sunbeds. We were hoping to get a flatbread after seeing them online in part of Volcano Bay's promotion. They looked really good online but but we must have come to the wrong restaurant for that so we got a reka burger with fries and a pineapple cake to share.

It came to $17.56 which we thought was quite expensive seeing as if we’d had a meal each it would have been double that! It was all delicious though. The burger was better than yesterday’s and it was really juicy. The cake was filled with coconut which was really nice too. We walked back to the sunbeds and relaxed for a bit. The time on our tapu for the Moana slide was dropping so we popped all our stuff back in the locker and topped up on suncream. By the time we were done our tapus were buzzing and we were ready to ride. As we joined the queue we realised we had gone for the wrong slide- we wanted the gentler one but we soon found out we were waiting for the more intense one! It was a good ride though, my notes say “cool ride super crazy and scary but fun”! We needed time to calm down afterwards though so we went on the lazy river. We went under the volcano again but this time the ceiling was all sparkly it was lovely! When we came out the sun was so bright it was quite a shock We went back on the double tube slide after which had been our favourite slide and then topped up on suncream. We hadn’t been in the wave pool yet so we got in just as the drums started playing. I’m not a wave fan really. I hate getting water in my face so I sat at the top with the gentle waves while Garth went deeper. He loves playing in the waves it’s like having a child! It’s fun to watch though. After the waves we decided we were done here so we started drying off. We emptied the locker and got dressed by the sunbeds. I put my beloved magic band back on!

It felt like we hadn’t done much of Volcano Bay but there were waits for everything and the rides weren’t really our kind of slides. It was good to relax a bit though. I’m not sure I’d bother with this waterpark again, I definitely prefer the Disney waterparks. We used the loos on the way out of the park and then we were done in Volcano Bay.

We were waiting for the bus at 2.55. It was really hot and my shoulders were really warm to touch and peeling. I can never escape the dreaded peeling! We wanted to head to Walmart on the way home anyway so I made a note to get some exfoliating gloves. When we got to citywalk we booked an uber but it cancelled on us so we got another one and we were finally on the road by 3.20 with James. No notes about James so I guess he was quiet! We got to Walmart for 3.35 and it cost $7.19. This was our 2nd attempt at a Walmart trip… last time we both felt worse for wear! We had a bit of a list but we got very distracted. 2 pies for $1 mmm.

We did stick to the list though! I was after some hair straighteners and there was plenty of choice. I got some Revlon ones for $18. We also picked up some suncream, some scalp spray to stop my parting burning, some chocolate bits and my exfoliating gloves. We also got some cute keyrings- I got Donald and Garth got a Steamboat Willie one. It came to $55.12 all together. I took this pic when we got back home.

We were done by 4 and Garth ordered the uber this time. I have no note of our driver’s name but he was with us really quickly. He was chatty and was telling us about the nightlife at citywalk. He said Disney were trying to ban gambling in the area and he was saying how the company have so much power in Florida compared to California. He didn’t seem too impressed with it! He was quite young and his music was loud and it kept saying the same line over and over “you don’t wanna f*** with me”. It was quite intimidating being in his car to be honest By the time we got to FQ we were ready to get out! We were home by half past. We filled up our mugs on the way past. I got vanilla root beer and Garth got a coffee. We opened some of our sweet treats when we got in mmmm.

White chocolate Reese's! They were an impulse buy but they were worth it. We had showers and Garth ironed my clothes for tonight and tomorrow. He’s so much better at ironing than I am! We realised we were sooo burned. I used my straighteners and they were kind of naff which was annoying because there was so much choice in the shop. They seemed to make my hair more frizzy We were ready to go and spend an evening in Magic Kingdom by 5.40. There were late magic hours tonight so we were excited for some late night magic. It was a lovely temperature outside! We were attempting to go into the parks without a bag tonight so we didn’t have to go through bag check or lug anything around with us. Watch this space to see how it worked out We checked at concierge for our gift card but it hadn’t arrived yet. When we got to the bus stop we saw there was a bus on the way.

We were arriving in MK just past 6! We strolled past bag check and entered the park as the move it shake it parade was going to Main Street USA.

We didn’t really hang around as it was so busy so we went into the shops to avoid the crowds a bit. The parade soon passed and we went back into the street.

Busy busy! We had a fastpass booked for Buzz Lightyear so we went towards Tomorrowland. We nipped into the loos and they were dirty and horrible Garth took these pictures of me from afar, I must been waiting for him and couldn’t see him

I saw him eventually! Is this the purple wall? It looked kind of purple But I can't imagine people stand right outside the loos to take their nice instagram pics? Anyway, we had time before our fastpass so we jumped on the people mover.

One of the best places to chill in WDW am I right? Our Buzz fastpass was active now so we scanned in. It was hot outside so we were glad to get into the aircon. We waited around 10 minutes. I wooped Garth’s butt!

We went on the Carousel of Progress next. I enjoy this a lot but during the show someone stood up to leave. It put the whole thing out of schedule. Because they had opened a door the show kind of stopped and then they had to play it all over again from the beginning. We’d heard the song a few times before we got out! Still a classic though. As we left they were playing We’re All in this Together in Tomorrowland, tune! I didn’t even have the Disney channel as a child but I was still very much part of the High School Musical generation. I learnt the dance moves and everything We went into the laugh floor next. We nickname this MILF, slightly unfortunate connotations but it has such a long name!

The details in the waiting area are so funny. I find the show hilarious- probably because I’ve never been picked One of the monsters picked a Spanish lady who didn’t seem to speak English so it was a bit awkward and I did feel sorry for her. It was a really funny show, despite the fact I was constantly on edge that I was going to be picked on! Our fastpass for Space Mountain was active now and we walked over. It was starting to rain a bit.

I don’t think we waited long. It was a brilliant ride and there were lots of “woohoo”s from Garth. He makes the funniest rollercoaster noises

As we left it was absolutely tipping it down with rain, and we’d left the ponchos at home because we’d wanted to go bagless! Typical. We begrudgingly spent $20.01 on ponchos (we charged it to the room) but at least we were dry! It was just past 8 so we wanted to go get a good spot for Happily Ever After at 9. We got to the hub at quarter past.

The time went quickly and soon enough it was dark.

Aaaand then it begun. No photos of this! My number one pet hate is people holding their cameras in the air stopping my view of fireworks and projections, I’m only 5’3 and there are shorter kids about so give us all a chance! I loved Happily Ever After. They seemed to borrow a lot from Disney Dreams from DLP so it didn’t quite have the “wow” factor. Even some of the songs matched the projections in exactly the same way. But I love the Happily Ever After song, it’s definitely on our wedding playlist. We really love the slow version of Love is an Open Door in this and we’ve tried finding it everywhere for our first dance but it looks like it hasn’t been released as a song on its own It works so well in the show! I loved the Moana part as well it just filled me with happiness and tears It's definitely as good as Wishes in my opinion! When the show finished we used the loos and then headed to our fastpass for 7DMT. The queue was only 10 minutes anyway! We scanned in at 21.35 and then we could book another fastpass so we booked It’s a Small World for later.

We were pulled forward as a party of two so we were in and out really quickly. Too quickly! But still good fun.

We were starving by now so we went back towards Main Street for a Casey’s hot dog. We gave the sword in the stone a go on the way past.

No luck! It was just before 10 when we got to Casey’s. We saw some of Once Upon a Time on the way past but we were saving that for another day. Garth ordered 2 chilli dogs and 2 cokes while I nabbed us a table. It would have cost $29.96 but we used 2 QS credits.

Sorry a bit blurry! I nabbed us a table and Garth bought the food before long.

We were expecting the same kind of thing we got from Casey’s in DLP, but these were nowhere near as good as their French cousins! They were yummy but the DLP ones are just meatier and better. Garth put jalapeños on his and then ate a load on their own from the toppings bar… before downing his drink and finishing most of mine He didn’t think that one through! It was a much needed yummy dinner.

We were ready for our Small World fast pass now so we headed over.

Love the castle at night. Small World was a walk on with our fastpass.

The Jungle room is my favourite! I love this ride although I can't listen to the song on the Disney parks music CD. It's ok when on the ride but off the ride it's not so tolerable! Afterwards we walked onto the teacups. Garth is such a good spinner.

We walked onto the Barnstormer next. A short but fun ride! It was 11.15pm now and Dumbos was showing 15 so we waited for that. We were on in 10. Staying late was a great chance to tick off the little rides like this! The Little Mermaid was also a walk on so we went on.

Part of that world! It had stopped raining now so we'd put our ponchos in a carrier bag. After Ariel we used Gaston’s loos. I saw a mouse scurry by as I was waiting for Garth but I wasn’t quick enough with the camera! We went to get a drink from the tavern but it was shut So we just got some pics.

Garth fancied Haunted Mansion next. It was ten to 12 and the queue was posted as 10 minutes. We were on in 5. I was getting quite tired by this point! I stayed awake though and we walked round to Pirates next. It was a walk on. This ride is a tradition in my family. When we went to DLP for Christmas in 2014 we literally went on Pirates every day! The photograph took us by surprise even though we’d read about it...

It really tickled us! You can tell I was tired I wasn’t grumpy though I swear! Even though it looks like I’m having the worst time in the world! Mum said when we showed her that it looked like we'd fallen out I was just absolutely zonked so we decided to call it a day We had some final photopass pics and left the park at 12.40.

Aw. We'd also got some Tangled pics with the lantern on our way out but my hair was all in a frizz so we decided we'd come back later in the holiday to get nicer ones. I kind of fell asleep standing up on the bus home Next time I will ensure I have the energy to stay as late as possible to get an empty Main Street pic! It was still quite busy on Main Street when we left. We were back at the resort at 1.04am. We had two voicemails on the room phone. One said that we could get coffee and pastries from 5am tomorrow (in 4 hours time… I don’t think we’ll be after any thank you!) and the other said our gift card had arrived wooooo. We brushed our teeth and crashed straight away after an amazing day that we had really pushed to last as long as possible!

Tomorrow we go to Animal Kingdom and Garth has the best burger in the whole world.

Steps today: 15767 (not including waterpark steps)

[stonemad]

Congratulations on your results! I am loving reading your trip report 🖒🖒🖒

[MrsSilverStar]

Well done on your first! That's amazing. Really enjoying your report. You do look over it on POTC sounds like it was a great day.

[pinktraceb]

Congratulations on your results :-)

It looked like the straighteners worked fine as your hair looks lovely

[stupet11]

Great report - getting me excited for this summers Disney trip.

Liked hearing about the Rosen too - on the list for our next non-Disney trip - sounds like some of our favorite restaurants in walking distance.

Well done on the results.

[Goldia]

Hurrah! You beat me I only got a 2.1! The Reece's white chocolate version does look yummy, I've not tried it before. You lasted well today, water park and shopping followed by MK until late. I'm not surprised you practically fell asleep standing up on the bus you must have been dead on your feet. Good news that the gift card turned up. I was worrying that it was going to be a negative outcome on that front.

[DJRINGLE]

Your reports are awesome.
Thanks for taking the time and effort to do them have enjoyed them all :-)

[yellowrose78]

Great news that you got the grade you wanted, well done! What a fab day, no wonder you were shattered by the end of the day you done so much

[LostPrincess]

Originally Posted by stonemad

Congratulations on your results! I am loving reading your trip report 🖒🖒🖒

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Thank you so much! I'm loving writing it! Thank your for taking tiem time to comment

Originally Posted by MrsSilverStar

Well done on your first! That's amazing. Really enjoying your report. You do look over it on POTC sounds like it was a great day.

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Thank you! It did make us laugh to refresh the photopass on MDE to see that thanks for reading and commenting

Originally Posted by pinktraceb

Congratulations on your results :-)

It looked like the straighteners worked fine as your hair looks lovely

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Aww that's really kind of you thank you! I'd had a hair treatment done before which made it a lot more manageable but sometimes the humidity did get a bit much. Thank you for taking the time to comment

Originally Posted by stupet11

Great report - getting me excited for this summers Disney trip.

Liked hearing about the Rosen too - on the list for our next non-Disney trip - sounds like some of our favorite restaurants in walking distance.

Well done on the results.

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Oooh it'll fly round, you must be so excited! The Rosen Inn at Pointe is in an ideal place for food I really recommend it. Thank you, and thank you for reading!

Originally Posted by Goldia

Hurrah! You beat me I only got a 2.1! The Reece's white chocolate version does look yummy, I've not tried it before. You lasted well today, water park and shopping followed by MK until late. I'm not surprised you practically fell asleep standing up on the bus you must have been dead on your feet. Good news that the gift card turned up. I was worrying that it was going to be a negative outcome on that front.

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Hahaha I only just scraped the first though! A 2:1 is still so much to be proud of anyway, university isn't easy! I was so lucky they rounded it up for me. I was cream crackered but Garth always seems so full of energy it's hard to keep up We were relieved when the gift card showed up too, it was a worry!

Thanks for reading and commenting

Originally Posted by DJRINGLE

Your reports are awesome.
Thanks for taking the time and effort to do them have enjoyed them all :-)

See more...

Thank you so much, and thanks for reading and commenting! It makes writing them so much fun when I see people are enjoying them as much as I am enjoying writing them

Originally Posted by yellowrose78

Great news that you got the grade you wanted, well done! What a fab day, no wonder you were shattered by the end of the day you done so much

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Thank you! I know, we had crammed it all in a bit! It was worth it for all the fun though. Thank you for reading

[AhoyShipmates]

I’m loving your report- a perfect balance of detail, emotion and commentary. Well done on your 1st; I was getting quite anxious as you waited to hear back from your tutor. I’m looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip.