Thou Shalt Not Cram May 2019 Day 13 Universal and Homeward Bound

[bootsie]

The end is nigh

Any plans to get up early and take advantage of early entry on our last day were quickly forgotten and instead we made the most of the BEST bed ever having an extra long lie in. Typing this now I think what idiots as if you chose sleep over the parks. Maybe it was lazy or wasteful of our last day but at the time I know we were absolutely shattered. We didn't get up until 10am opps! We quickly got ready and packed (read: threw everything in a suitcase knowing full well we would regret it later) We were out the door in 30 mins and felt incredibly sad to check out. We left our bags with luggage services and went for our favourit walk one last time I even made a video of it!

The room!

Jono took this photo and I really like it!

Might be boring for some but I took lots of photos of the lovely flowers on the walk to Universal, I just love how lush and green it is. Also they have a butterfly garden with wildflowers which are great for the environment.

We decided to come in with the sole aim of riding Gringotts, we had plenty of time and it was the only ride on the hit list that we hadn't done yet. Normally I am the kind of person who stresses about getting to the airport in plenty of time staying at Portofino meant we could enjoy a morning at the park on our last day as we could still use the Express Pass today as well. Gringotts was only a 35 min wait and today the locker area was very well organised with a clearly defined queue. With Express we got on really quickly, it was so much fun we forgot how good this ride is!

We walked back towards the gate but still had 45 mins before we officially had to leave so we decided to ride The Mummy one last time. It was only showing a 25min wait so we jumped on. Even if it is showing its age a bit we love this ride. I was SO glad that we made time to go back into the park even just for these couple of rides. I would have loved to ride Spiderman one last time too but we didn't have time.

Now it was time to say goodbye we walked back to the hotel and retrieved our suitcases. We changed into travel clothes (first time I wore my gym clothes all holiday opps!) and called an uber. We were at the airport at 2.10pm plenty of time but not too early. Bag drop and security were pretty quick and painless. We were hungry now and I was a bit worried about food options for me. Luckily we found a taco place that did a mushroom burrito it was so good and not too expensive as well! It doesn't look very appetizing in this photo but I promise it was and we highly recommend.

We also got drinks and coffee. We really had spent every last cent and had to use credit card. We didn't have too long to wait before we boarded. The flight back was ok, it was quieter. I slept a tiny bit and also watched films, Jono didn't sleep at all I don't think. The vegan options for food were absolutely rubbish. Tea was stuffed aubergine which you couldn't even cut and orange segments in a tub. The vegan breakfast option was 2 cereal bars and more orange segments. I was really hungry when we got off and we went straight to Cafe Nero in arrivals.

We actually had a really busy weekend ahead of us - the day we landed was the day of my auntys wedding! So we drove straight from Manchester to Bakewell where my family already had a room in the hotel so we could get a little bit of kip. Jono went for a run because he is mental, me and my sister went for hair/make up (I was so tired my eyes actually hurt!). We had a great time at the wedding but by 8PM we were both shattered and had to disappear. We slept a solid 12 hours. On the Sunday I was going to London to see two shows with my friend. Jono went home on Sunday to see the dog who was unimpressed by our absence. I finally got back in my own bed about midnight on the Sunday. Luckily I had the Monday off (starting a new job on the Tuesday) to sleep, get washing done etc! It was very hectic but been so busy helped keep the post holiday blues away for a bit. Heres a photo of us pulling a silly face at the wedding to finish

And that's a wrap! We had such a brilliant time, we definitely enjoyed focusing more on our favourite bits (rather than just doing everything!) and spending more time soaking up the atmosphere. I would probably do things a bit differently at Universal/IOA if we went again. I'm pleased to report that I didn't starve as a vegan (quite the opposite haha). No plans to return at the minute but I'm sure that will change! Real highlights were Portofino, Volcano Bay and Pandora, they were all incredible.

Thank you for reading and for all the lovely comments it is much appreciated! TTFN!

[RachelE]

Thank you, I have really enjoyed reading your trip report - thanks for taking the time to post it.

[Jules32]

great trip report thanks for taking the time to write it

[collybird]

I can't believe how much you had going on on your return, it probably really helped with the jetlag.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

[Merligan]

Thanks for doing the report, I have loads of notes of the vegan options to share with DD.

I am so looking forward to going to whole foods, it looks amazing 😁

[flo-tinka]

Thanks for the report
Portofino looks great as does Volcano Bay
What a busy schedule to return to

[MrsEgg]

Loved reading along with your trip report - I'm not sure if I could have managed a wedding on the day of our return, troopers!

[Em4owen]

I loved your trippie and I've gained loads of knowledge about vegan food and options ready for our trip.

[OB1LukeLucas]

Enjoyed reading along with your trip. I’m impressed you arrived home and went straight to a wedding!

[MickeyMoose]

Great read