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Walt Disney World and Florida Trip Reports Trip Reports and Videos |
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20 Mar 22, 01:28 PM |
#1
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VIP Dibber
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Across the Universe - highs lows and future plans
Highs, lows and future plans
Index is here Overall we had a brilliant trip, it was so nice to be back. It all felt so familiar and so normal. Highs Sapphire falls - such a beautiful resort with an amazing atmosphere. Facilities were great. Rooms were spacious and gorgeous. Staff were friendly and helpful. It was big though and there were a few times we got a bit mixed up as to where we were going. I love it’s just across the street from Aventura which is another one of our favourites. Universal in general - we had a great experience with a mix of having express pass and not. Might have been a better idea to have planned the other way round but it meant we could totally relax during the sapphire but as we’d done everything. Loved the pace and the team members were great. All helped by the fact our annual passes had been frozen and reactivated. Mardi Gras - I love all the extra wee touches, riding in the parade was brilliant and they’ve really upped their game in terms of food offerings. Plus the Mardi Gras food cards were a great deal. Food, I wasn’t sure what to expect with the low carb diet but staff were so happy to suggest changes I could make easily. I think my food at Lombards, big fire and longhorns were my favourite. Plus I could have normalish type snacks from the supermarkets like tortilla chips and sweets. Velocicoaster - has to be the best coaster I’ve ever ridden. So smooth, brilliantly designed from start to finish, even the locker set up impressed me. Lows A wee one - Building work at Hard Rock, not a big impact but not nice to look at or have people wandering past your room on scaffolding. A huge one - The return home - these things happen but the lack of customer service and just being fobbed off by BA staff is what annoyed me the most. Still waiting for any kind of response. A couldn’t be helped one - The mummy refurb - we knew it was shut but still missed it! Future plans Summer -2022 So I’d booked 8 nights at Port Orleans with the dining credit offer on a bit of a whim really. I’d ideally wanted to fly out a few days before the Disney stay but when flights came out it was cheaper to have that as our arrival day. Along with the flights I booked 9 nights staying at cabana Bay in a family suite for a price cheaper than endless summer with BA and our last 5 nights at Portofino Bay, we weren’t that bothered which express pass hotel and Ds was really keen for Portofino so we went for that, hard rock was coming in the most expensive. Fast forward to this holiday and the fact it needed pretty much zero planning and was a fairly chilled pace got us tang about the Disney nights we’d booked. This combined with some of the reviews of mouse keeping, dining issues, the cost, genie + and Ds really wanting to try out more coasters, helped us come to the decision to shelve Disney for just now, although I’ve not cancelled it yet. I’ve booked 8 nights at dockside which will cut our costs significantly and we will just spend more time at Seaworld, Busch gardens and aquatica. We also have discovery cove. I’d like a Disney springs trip or an after hours event if one pops up. So 22 nights all at universal accommodation with universal annual passes and discovery cove ultimates. Really looking forward to it. Halloween 2022 I had booked our first hhn for last year which was then cancelled. Same day I checked the virgin Edinburgh route with a stay at the hard rock and it popped up with a decentish price but just for 6 nights. I only get a week in October. I’m beyond excited to try HHN. Express pass will be great as HHN will be the priority so we will just dip in and out the parks and Hard Rock location will be a blessing after those long nights So 6 nights with direct flights, I won’t be getting used to that luxury, at hard rock for hhn and general universal with maybe a boo bash or MNSSHP thrown in. Hoping for a frequent fear pass to cover HHN but not sure if we should get the express option or maybe do one night at an RIP tour, still debating this bit. Id be grateful for any thoughts or advice.
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Rescuers Reports Lots of food and trip reports Edited at 01:29 PM. |
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20 Mar 22, 07:27 PM |
#2
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Very Serious Dibber
Join Date: Mar 16
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As always I enjoyed reading all about your stay and your future plans. Thank you for sharing. You look amazing. I love the photo of you all above 😍.
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20 Mar 22, 07:40 PM |
#3
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Apprentice Imagineer
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Future plans sound great- I completely understand why you might skip Disney.
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20 Mar 22, 07:50 PM |
#4
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Imagineer
Join Date: Feb 12
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Loved reading along with your trip report. We were booked for 10 nights at Yacht Club in August for 10 nights, but cancelled it last week. After visiting at Christmas, we’ve decided we’re not bothered with Disney at the moment. Instead, we’re doing 7 nights at HRH (hoping the works are nearly finished). Would love to go in October.
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Got the Florida bug annual visits since 2012 |
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20 Mar 22, 07:59 PM |
#5
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Very Serious Dibber
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What a great trip you've had, reads like a perfect combination of thrill and chill and Sapphire Falls looks so beautiful and relaxing.
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20 Mar 22, 09:11 PM |
#6
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VIP Dibber
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Thanks for sharing your full trip report with us. I've loved reading it. Only a few little niggles and you're headed back twice again! No Disney at all. You're nearly into double digits on your countdown, it will fly by now I reckon.
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Abby New pre trip report - Summer 2024 Link to all my completed trip reports 2017: NYC and Orlando. Salzburg. Boston. 2018: Orlando. Berlin. 2019: DLP. Orlando. Washington DC. 2020: DLP. 2021: Jamaica. Rome. 2022: Orlando. 2023: Orlando. Niagara and Toronto. |
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20 Mar 22, 11:05 PM |
#7
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Imagineer
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A lovely trip as usual just a shame about BA really. So exciting to read about your new trips. 22 nights in the summer holidays is amazing I cannot wait to follow along, but I also get the shelving Disney part for now. I'm even more excited to see an October HHN trip too, I would absolutely love to do this but I have no chance for quite a few years yet cannot wait to follow along again x
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Kelly x
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21 Mar 22, 07:20 PM |
#8
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Thread Starter
VIP Dibber
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Thanks. Mardi Gras is a great time to visit universal and the crowd levels were pretty good at the start of our trip.
We are big fans of universal, the more time we spend there the more we love it! Thanks so much for the compliment. ❤️ A bit like us. I hope universal and HRH meet your expectations. You’d think they’d be nearly or actually done with the building work by August. It was lovely, thanks for reading. I think you summed it up nicely and Sapphire Falls was a lovely resort to end our trip with.
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Rescuers Reports Lots of food and trip reports |
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20 May 22, 10:52 PM |
#9
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Apprentice Imagineer
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Have just binge read your report and loved it. Thank you. We are going staying at Aventura for 14 nights in September with our 19 year old son. Won’t have express passes but hopefully a quieter time of year and being there 2 weeks we should easily do everything.
Also going to Seaworld and Busch, have bought the 3 day pass with free dining as only worked out £8 each extra per day compared to 14 day tickets, thanks to brilliant advice by M2K00. My son is desperate to do Busch for the rollercoasters, so depending on how much we enjoy it will decide if we go twice or not. Will get the free shuttle.
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Anne LBV Resort and Spa- 2009 Emerald Island Villa -2013 OKW -2014 YC -2015 Tenerife and cruise in Med 2016 Easter 2017. BCV 7 nights, 6 nights GFV. 3 Portofino Bay August 2017. YC 14 nights. 4 days Portofino Bay August 18 -5 nights NY, 11 nights PORFQ August 2019 10 nights AKL 6 nights Universal AUG 2020 CSR 15 nights? |
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21 May 22, 12:05 AM |
#10
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Thread Starter
VIP Dibber
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Thanks.
Aventura is a fab resort, it’s a great location and the food court is brilliant. Sounds like you got a great deal for the dining at Seaworld. My Ds is getting super excited by the big coasters at Seaworld and Busch. So far we’ve booked the shuttle for 2 days in July.
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Rescuers Reports Lots of food and trip reports |
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