The Final Countdown - 1 Day!

I have finally realized exactly what today means. In 11 short hours, the plane will be on the runway and headed to Orlando! This will be my final blog post for a couple of weeks but I'll try to get an update on here as soon as we return.

For now, I will cover the final full day of our trip. It's probably the busiest day of the whole trip considering Halloween Horror Night (HHN) doesn't end until 1am. We may try to sleep in a bit on this day to offset the long hours in the park but no definite plans yet.

Sunday September 25

• 8:00am - Universal Orlando opens

• 9:00am - Wake up!

• 10:00am - Leisure enjoyment of the park, rides with low wait times

• 12:00pm - Lunch at Leaky Cauldron, more rides

• 4:30pm - Line up for Halloween Horror Night

• 6:00pm - Halloween Horror Night begins (posted hours indicate 6:30pm but I've read in some articles that they will allow guests already in the park to visit a haunted house at 6:00pm)

Sorry for the short itinerary; I wish I could give more information but the first HHN hasn't been held yet and I want to wait until new articles have been posted before I nail down any plans. I am still unsure of our dinner options, as well, because I don't know exactly which establishments will be open and/or if full menus will be served. I love Universal and have visited many times but I am a total newbie to HHN and excited to experience something new! 

As mentioned, the final day of our trip is sure to be a long one and well worth the lack of sleep. I am hoping for a memorable finale to a wonderful vacation and will report back when it's all over!

The Final Countdown - 2 Days!

If yesterday was slow (and it actually didn't end as slow as it started) then today was the opposite! I've barely had a moment to breathe, much less think about the trip and now I'm staring at the image on this post and wondering how I got to day 2 on the countdown. 

This is going to be a tough trip day to review mostly because there aren't predetermined Fastpasses at Universal and also because we are going to try to cram as much into day nine as we can. But you are owed a summary and I'll do my best to put it all here! We will have the Express Pass on this day so we should not have a long wait for any specific ride (except maybe 15 minutes at Reign of Kong)

Saturday September 24

• 6:30am - Wake up! 

• 7:00am - Early opening at Universal Studios, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, take pictures if the park isn't too busy

• 8:00am - Official opening of Universal Studios, Men in Black Alien Attack, The Simpsons Ride, E.T. Adventure, Terminator 2: 3-D

• 10:00am - Universal Horror Make-Up Show, Shrek 4-D, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem (again), Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Transformers: The Ride - 3D, Revenge of the Mummy

• 11:15am - Hogwarts Express to Islands of Adventure

• 12:00pm - Lunch at Mythos, Poseidon's Fury, The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad, Dragon's Challenge, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (will have to wait in line for this), Jurassic Park River Adventure, Skull Island: Reign of Kong, Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Doctor Doom's Fearfall, The Incredible Hulk Coaster

• 7:00pm - Dinner at Cowfish (may be earlier if we take a break and decide to go back to the park afterward to finish rides), Dessert at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen

I know there are a lack of concise times here and I apologize; the Express Pass is going to make it difficult to know exactly when we'll be in each section of the park but I assure you we'll be enjoying whichever attraction comes next in line! 

I'm still not as excited as I feel I should be with only 2 days left in the countdown (1 1/2 days technically but who's counting?) I suspect that it will hit me tomorrow or maybe not until I see those beautiful palm trees in Orlando. In any case, I'll be back tomorrow with the final countdown/trip post so I'll see you then!

The Final Countdown - 3 Days!

Oh boy. I've hit the countdown wall. I know it's happening because I just woke up and I'm already writing this post. Cranky mood, be gone! I need to start feeling the Disney/Harry Potter magic already. There's no better way to banish a bad mood than to write about an upcoming vacation!

Day eight of the trip is officially our transition from Disney World to Universal Orlando. While I am sure I will be sad to leave Disney, I love Universal just as much and there is plenty to look forward to. Without further delay, let's take a look:

Friday September 23

• 9:00am - Wake Up! We're sleeping in to enjoy our last morning at Contemporary Resort

• 10:00am - Check out

• 10:30am - Disney Springs for Daily Poutine and souvenir shopping

• 12:00pm - Lunch at Blaze Pizza 

• 1:00pm - Head to Character Warehouse for discount souvenirs (8200 Vineland is the address)

• 4:00pm - Check in at Cabana Bay Beach Resort

• 4:30pm - Dinner at Hash House a Go Go

• 6:00pm - Pool time at Cabana Bay

We intend to make this day as relaxing as possible and hopefully head to bed early because the weekend at Universal is going to be CrAzY! You'll see what I mean when we get to those blog posts!

The Final Countdown - 4 Days!

I have survived the first day of my final week at work before vacation! Let me tell you, it was intense! All day I was jumping at the sound of my email notification because I was concerned that a last-minute catastrophe would happen. 

But the work day is over and here I am!

Four days left until vacation commences and that means I've got a post to write. Full speed ahead to day seven of the trip!

Thursday September 22

• 8:00am - Wake Up!

• 9:00am - Animal Kingdom opens

• 10:00am - Festival of the Lion King, Animal viewing, Tamu Tamu Refreshments for chocolate-covered espresso beans

• 11:45am - Flights of Wonder

• 12:30pm - Lunch at Yak and Yeti

• 1:45pm - Kali River Rapids Fastpass, Jungle Trek

• 2:25pm - Expedition Everest Fastpass

• 3:00pm - Finding Nemo The Musical, Dino Land, It's Tough to be a Bug!

• 5:00pm - Dinner at FlameTree BBQ, Discovery Island Trails, Dawa Bar for Watermelon Mimosa

• 7:30pm - Kilimanjaro Safari Fastpass

There are more evening activities we would like to see but Animal Kingdom seems to be the park with the most last-minute changes to its schedule so we are playing it by ear until we get there. I would love to ride Expedition Everest in the dark, as well as catch the Tree of Life Awakening and Discovery Island Carnivale. I know it's too much to hope for a soft opening of the Rivers of Light show but it would be cool to catch some Cast Members testing the floats for the show if possible. 

This day will be pretty relaxed for us because, well, Animal Kingdom is a super laid-back park. If Epcot wasn't already my favorite park then Animal Kingdom would probably claim that spot in my heart because it's beautiful and it houses one of my favorite rides - Dinosaur! Although <insert sad face here> Dinosaur will be closed for refurbishment on this trip.

Time just keeps winding down and I don't even know what to do with myself anymore! I made a nail appointment for Wednesday and I'm ticking off a few items on my final to-do list but it still feels surreal. Maybe day three will be different! Stay tuned :) 

The Final Countdown - 5 Days!

Five days. FIVE days. FIVE DAYS! It's nearly here! And look, another cute image to share from Walt Disney World's Facebook album!

A bit of news to share: we've decided to purchase the Express Pass for Universal Studios. This information doesn't directly correlate to the day we will be discussing in this post but it is exciting nonetheless. We made this decision because we will be at Universal Orlando for two days, one of which is a a short day due to Halloween Horror Nights party. We purchased the Express Pass for Saturday, September 24th to be used once per applicable attraction for both parks. Because Islands of Adventure is open 9am to 8pm that day and Universal Studios' hours are 8am to 5pm, we will begin our day at Universal Studios and visit as many attractions as possible before taking the Hogwarts Express to Islands of Adventure for our 12pm reservation at Mythos and all of the attractions we can handle until 8pm (including Reign of Kong!!) The total damage was about $140, including tax. I wouldn't normally splurge for this sort of thing but I think the recent Hulk coaster refurbishment and the opening of Reign of Kong warrant a little assistance. The ride wait times still appear to be 120 minutes or more for Reign of Kong and that's precious time that could be spent exploring.

Now, for day six of the trip!

Wednesday September 21

• 8:30am - Wake Up!

• 9:00am - Epcot opens, although we probably won't be in the park until 9:30am

• 10:00am - Mission Space Fastpass

• 10:35am - Living with the Land Fastpass

• 11:40am - Frozen Ever After Faspass

• 12:00pm - Lunch at Tokyo Dining

• 1:00pm - Food & Wine Festival Itinerary (see below)

• 5:00pm - Dinner at Tangierine Cafe

• 6:00pm - Food & Wine Festival Itinerary

Food & Wine Festival Itinerary:

Future World:

Chew Collective (B): Ricotta and Zucchini Ravioli

Chocolate Studio (B): Liquid Nitro Chocolate Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey Caramel

*Farm Fresh (B): Chicken and Dumplings, Mac and Cheese, and Pear Hard Cider

Starting at front of World Showcase, moving counter clockwise:

Hawaii (L): Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole® Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise

*Desserts and Champagne (L): Dom Perignon

Greece (B): Vegan Loaded Greek Nachos and Chicken Gyro

Canada (B): Cheddar Cheese Soup and Beef Filet Mignon

*Ireland (L): Frozen Chai Cocktail

*France (L): La Passion Martini Slush

*Morocco (B): Spicy Hummus Fries, Mimosa Royale, Chocolate Baklava

Brazil (B): Brazilian Cheese Bread

Japan (B): Spicy Sushi Roll, Spicy Edamame, Garlic Shrimp

Hops & Barley (B): Smoked Beef Brisket with Pimento Cheese and Carrot Cake

*Italy (B): Baked Ziti, Tuscan-Style Stew, and Frozen Margarita with Limoncello

*Poland (B): Kielbasa and Potato Pierogi and Frozen Szarlotka Apple Pie cocktail

*China (L): Bubble Tea

Mexico (P): Battered Shrimp Soft Taco

* is an alcoholic beverage stop

The focus of this day is mostly on the Food & Wine Festival so we may need to roll ourselves back to the hotel afterward! We have a few rides scheduled but we probably won't do anything without a Fastpass on this day (unless it's Soarin' with a low wait time because we LOVE Soarin'!) Also, we aren't planning to watch IllumiNations because that's part of our first Epcot day BUT if the Chase Visa Lounge isn't handing out wristbands on the first day then we may have to move that plan to this day. Personally, I'm hoping it's an early night for us because walking around World Showcase in the hot sun always seems to zap my energy.

There are a lot more offerings at Food & Wine Festival aside from those I've listed in this post; we had to narrow it down by what we a) really wanted and b) could handle. This is still a lot of food and drinks but I think we can spread it out from 11am to 9pm and make it work - plus we can always skip the lunch at Tokyo Dining or dinner at Tangierine Cafe if necessary.

I'm hoping to report back with lots of pictures of the festival because I know this is a huge interest for many people and I'm glad we are able to make it this year! Be sure to check back after the trip for updates!

The Final Countdown - 6 Days!

Countdowns are so much fun - especially if there are cute little images that corresponds with the day/week but sadly I don't have an image to share today because the picture from my previous post was taken from Walt Disney World's Facebook album for countdowns and they skip from one week (seven days) to five days. Day six is unloved.

But I'm here to show you that day six is not forgotten! This countdown day corresponds with day five of the trip, which will seem quite short compared to the previous posts. We are planning to spend this day at Hollywood Studios, which is currently undergoing construction for the Star Wars and Toy Story expansions. 

Tuesday September 20

• 8:30am - Wake Up! We don't need to be up too early on this day because our first Fastpass extends to the 10 o'clock hour

• 9:00am - Hollywood Studios Opens

• 10:15am - Rock n' Rollercoaster Fastpass

• 10:35am - Tower of Terror Fastpass, Muppet Vision 3D

• 11:50am - Star Tours Fastpass, Stop at Backlot Express for Afterburner drink

• 12:00pm - Indiana Jones show (if possible), Lunch at PizzeRizzo if it's open, Writer's Stop for Carrot Cake Cookie

• 2:00pm - Toy Story, Great Movie Ride, Walt Disney One Man's Dream

• 3:30pm - Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Star Wars Launch Bay

• 4:20pm - Dinner at Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge, Cupcake at Starring Rolls if open, Rock n' Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror again if wait times aren't too long

• 7:30pm - Check-in for Star Wars Dessert Party

• 8:15pm - Star Wars Galactic Spectacular

As you can see, this day is pretty short. We should be able to sleep in that morning and probably make it back to the room by about 10pm. We are huge Star Wars fans so we will definitely be coming back to this park when the Star Wars Land is completed!

And one last happy thought for the day: we are almost halfway through our day-by-day countdown/trip itinerary! Time has passed much quicker than I expected!

The Final Countdown - 7 Days!

One week. Seven days. I cannot contain my excitement! I started this day feeling slightly ill and had a moment of panic when I thought to myself "no, not before the trip!" But I've been throwing back 100+ ounces of water each day for the past week and I hope I can flush whatever bug might be trying to attack me. 

But enough of the sick talk - let's get down to business! *queue Mulan music*

Seven days left on the countdown, day four of the trip - 

Monday September 19

• 8am - Wake Up!

• 8:30am - take monorail to Epcot (with transfer)

• 9:00am - Epcot opens

• 9:10am - Mission Space Fastpass, Test Track

• 10:15am - Soarin' Fastpass

• 11:00am - Head to Chase Visa Lounge in World Showcase to ask for IllumiNations wristbands

• 11:20am - Journey into Imagination Fastpass (may skip if we don't have time for it)

• 11:30am - Lunch at Via Napoli, Italy

• 1:15pm - Voices of Liberty, American Adventure, Germany, China, Norway (snag Fastpass for Frozen Ever After, if available), Mexico

• 4:45pm - Dinner at Le Cellier, Canada, UK, France, Morocco

• 6:15pm - Matsuriza Drummers, Japan

• 9:00pm - IllumiNations

Most of the evening will be spent snagging Fastpasses where available and going on any rides with a low wait. I will also be spending time enjoying food and drinks around World Showcase! I'm especially excited for these items:

Welsh Dragon UK pavilion (Rose & Crown pub)

Moroccarita, which is vodka, lemon, lime juice and triple sec (Spice Road table bar - Morocco)

Schofferhofer Grapefruit beer Germany pavilion at Bier or Trinken cart

Canto Loopy China pavilion the Joy of Tea

School Bread (Norway)

Chocolate Covered Sea Salt Caramel (Germany)

Tiramisu (Italy)

Kaki-Gori (Japan)

Cronut (Refreshment Port)

While Food & Wine Festival will be happening on this date, we plan to utilize another full day at Epcot specifically for enjoying the events and food/drink items that it offers. 

One more sleep and then it'll be just SIX days away!