GaDawgFan.....Kelly

I'm in crazy late but in! How beautiful! I really want to do a trip out West. So glad your damage wasn't more serious!

Does anyone know how big the original resort was? Grumpy- I wouldn't care except for the parking issue and loosing the Settlement.

In! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Our room was very close to the spa, and I kept being tempted by seeing it and these signs. I’d heard that there was a groupon for it. Since tomorrow was going to be a pool day, I decided to check. There was a Groupon and availability. #winning After our rest, we headed back to IOA for dinner and more rides. This is the view of our resort from the water. We had to play around in a gift shop. We had reservations at Mythos, which bills itself as the best restaurant inside a theme park. I was interested in that claim since I believe Tiffins is by far the best. The inside and outside of the restaurant are really cool. You’re eating in a made cave. Prices here are pretty reasonable, especially if you’re comparing to Disney table service. After our huge lunch, I wasn’t that hungry, so I went with the gnocchi. At $13.99 it’s about the price of Disney QS. It was decent, not outstanding. I know it’s not fair to compare to Tiffins, a signature restaurant, but I’m not sure why they’re #1. Haley got fish tacos again. Jason got a salad. The food was pretty good but wasn’t anything stellar. We all agreed we’d eat there again for the ambiance and reasonable prices though. After dinner it was time to head to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We wanted to see the night show on Hogwarts. Once I saw the insane crowd I knew I had to have a drink. For some reason though, I didn’t take a picture of the crown. Imagine the Magic Kingdom when the fireworks are about to start, only the area is much smaller. One thing they do well though is make the area one way. The show isn’t super long and runs someone continuously. As people exit they can’t turn around. They force them to leave through the Jurassic Park area. We had heard to stay back a bit, and that was a good choice. We all enjoyed the show. We took the long way out and snapped some pics on the way. The park was pretty much cleared out. We rode Spider-Man which is a good simulator ride. Then took the boat back to the hotel. We spent some time enjoying the view. Do you see Rip it Rockit in the left corner? After some wine, it was time for bed. This trip is winding down as I’m almost out of pictures. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So strange. I wonder what the deal is with that. It did seem like the hall went forever! I think these were $12. But they were huge and had whole desserts attached. I think they were worth it. We also got to keep the cup. It was a ton of food! I want to hear what you think of Kong. The technology is cool. Ha ha! I could totally see doing that! I feel that way about a ride at our local fair. It’s slower and seems to last forever too. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice job on last to board, and as always, great trip report! I love the Chip n Dale pic! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

After leaving the Harry Potter area, we headed to the Jurassic Park area. Our first stop was the Pteranodon Flyers. This ride is an interesting concept because there’s both a minimum and maximum height requirement. You can’t ride unless someone in the party is between those. You basically soar around the land. It’s a decent ride. There’s also a playground around there. We headed over to Jurassic Park the ride. It’s kind of like dinosaur and splash mountain put together. I wasn’t really prepared for how wet I got. The funny thing is that Haley wasn’t wet at all. I guess it depends on how you splash down. We enjoyed the ride a lot though. Next up was Kong. It’s a combo ride vehicle and virtual reality. I’ve never ridden anything quite like it. It was really well done. The only issue was that our wait was terrible, even with Express Pass. I think we waited over 30 minutes. Maybe something broke down for a bit? Great ride though. By this time, it was lunch. We really wanted to try both Harry Potter restaurants, so we decided to backtrack and see if there was a long wait for Three Broomsticks. There was a small line outside, but it was moving, so we decided to give it a go. They have a family feast you can order, so we decided to do that. It sounded great and YOLO. Here’s what $59 gets you. That’s a salad, a whole chicken, ribs, corn, veggies, and potatoes. It was all really good. Honestly, we probably could have saved money by ordering separate, smaller meals, but we put a good hurting on it, so I was ok with the price. Cute kid Three broomsticks After lunch, we did Poseidon’s Fury, which is a walk through special effects show. It had some interesting effects. I wouldn’t do it every trip, but it wasn’t a waste of time. Z really liked it. We headed to the Suess area next. I love the theming there. Since Jason could ride the trolley, we did. My very poor attempt at a family selfie At this point, we were really hot, so we decided to go back to the hotel for a little nap. On our way we stopped at the Toothsome Chocolate Factory to REALLY cool off. Check out these milkshakes! Sundae I highly recommend satisfying your sweet tooth at that restaurant. It has a steam punk atmosphere which is also pretty cool. Ok we’re going to take a nap and then head back to Islands of Adventure. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That might be cool in some areas.... You're bad! Welcome back! I can't wait to hear more about your trip. The coasters we rode were very smooth. I was impressed with that.

Or maybe you'll care less?

There's a new menu.... maybe it will be better? https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/05/a-rootin-tootin-new-menu-at-the-diamond-horseshoe/

For some of the rides, you can’t have bags or anything in your pockets. The lockers are free for a period of time. It’s just a bit inconvenient. Like Keith mentioned, the train really moves, but the stuff you see in the window is a screen, and then there is frosted glass with more effects on the other side. It’s very well done! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You know what is hard? Writing a trip report during the busiest time of year year! Sorry this is taking so long, but here we go again. Today we are heading to Islands of Adventure. We had early entry to both parks all week, so that means an early start to the day, of course. Boat was waiting for us though! I think it’s really only a 5 minute ride. Once again, people lined up at the traditional turnstiles on either side, and leave the middle open even though there are kiosks there. The priority this morning was Forbidden Journey.... just like everyone else. These UO people don’t have the TSMM or 7DMT experience though, so it’s pretty easy in comparison. Just like the other side, this area is completely immersive. You almost believe there is snow, even though it’s already hot. We have arrived! I hate the lockers.... there has to be a better way. Once again the queue was very much part of the attraction. Forbidden Journey is an awesome ride. It’s a bit on the scary side, and Z was a little worried knowing that, but we’d also talked about closing his eyes if needed. Spoiler alert.... he rode it more than once, so obviously he liked it. Cute kids! We rode the little coaster, and then it was time for more wand tricks. This is probably good time to mention that trying to convince your nine-year-old not to wear a robe when it’s super hot outside is kind of difficult. Notice how empty this area is. Early entry rocks. Since our previous attempt to ride the Hogwarts express had been thwarted, we decided to go ahead and ride it both ways in the morning to knock it out. It’s a different experience each way, so real fans should definitely do both. Proof you’re still a kid at 22.... so fun! The train is really cool. It blends a real ride with technology. Here are what the cars look like inside. After our round trip, we headed out to the Jurassic Park area... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is it possible to actually be left at Castaway? I’m thinking no because they know who gets off the ship. I might be willing to try.... ha ha ha Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Booooo Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh wow. I bet we’ll never see it in action again. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk