School is Out! Time to Vacation: a June 2017 PTR/TR

KC1028

Earning My Ears
Joined
Dec 30, 2016
**I've been trying to add some photos from Flickr for the past 30 minutes! If someone can let me know a better way, I'd surely add some to make this report more interesting!**

I somehow stumbled upon these boards over winter break and spent my whole week reading trip reports for Universal. Gina’s reports in particular made me feel like this had to be our vacation this year. So, after a lot of extra side jobs and not spending too much frivolous money, I was so excited to make this a reality.

Here’s our party:

Me. I’m Kellie. 27. 5th grade teacher (a job I absolutely love!). I last was at Universal in 2006 and it is my favorite vacation that my family went on. We also did SeaWorld and Wet n Wild which was really fun and memorable. I also love to read, walk, go to Dave and Busters, watch funny tv shows, plan out new things for my classroom, and I do a lot of babysitting still.

Then there’s Rachel. 15. She loves watching tv, being with her friends, working with the special education inclusion program at her school, singing, and swimming. Probably the funniest and kindest person I know. Despite our age difference she is truly the person I get along best with in her family. We think alike and are very good at pranking her family. We are always laughing and really enjoy spending time together.

Rebecca is the youngest. 13. Loves theater, dance, show choir, and Harry Potter. I love Rebecca because she is always happy and helpful. She is very talented and we spend many days every year going to all her performances. She's always so busy I hardly get to spend time with her so I'm looking forward to that this trip.

I've known Rachel and Rebecca since they were 3 and 1 and have always been very close with their family. For the past three years our road trip :drive: travels followed their oldest sister who is an actress and performs at all sorts of theaters. Last year we went to Kansas City (the three of us drove separately from the rest of the family and spent three fun days in St. Louis too). This year though, we wanted to go somewhere that felt like more of a true vacation.

Our trip dates are June 20th through the 27th. We arrive early on the 20th and leave late on the 27th. Originally, I wanted to do the trip as soon as school got out which would have been this week (June 11th-16th), but Rebecca has a dance camp (I thought it was the week after). In the end, it worked out because now we have 8 days instead of the original 6 I planned.

We are flying out of O’Hare and have Tony Hinds scheduled to pick us up thanks to all the recommendations for him on this board. It was nice to not have to worry about figuring that out.

We are staying at Cabana Bay for a few reasons. One is that it was the most affordable, but aside from that, we are lazy river lovers. The thought of having a lazy river at our hotel was too good to pass up. We also love smores! Additionally, one of the pulls of Universal this year was Volcano Bay, so the separate entrance is definitely a plus.

I purchased us the 3-Park Seasonal Pass after finding out the blackout dates changed. At first, we just weren’t going to go to the parks on our arrival or departure days and get the five day pass, but the small cost to upgrade seems to be worth it. We should be at our hotel by noon on the 20th and don’t have to leave for the airport until 5:30 on the 27th. Hopefully those extra hours in the park will allow us to do everything before we leave.

We don’t have express pass, but we also don’t mind waiting in lines. We have Six Flags season passes and wait in 2 hour lines for mediocre rides that we’ve done a million times, so waiting a while for good rides doesn’t seem like it will be a major down point for us. We also are good at doing park open to park close and eating one main meal a day. While I’m not sure we will do this everyday at Universal, it is an option that we are fine with.

We have scheduled one day at SeaWorld as well. I really wanted to do Discovery Cove, but the cost and the realization that we wouldn’t be able to fully use the 14 day SeaWorld/Aquatica passes, made me ditch that plan. We are, however, doing the Up Close Dolphin Tour at SeaWorld, and have the tickets that came with the Eat All Day meal plan. Still working on transportation for this day. Thinking we will do the first shuttle over in the morning, but then either take a public bus or Uber back at night.

This was probably not the most exciting first post, but I hope to be back later with some daily park plans and our thoughts on food! Thanks to everyone on these boards for making this trip so easy to plan and figure out! :thanks:
 
Last edited:
I think it's an excellent first post!

Sounds like a fabulous trip and sounds like you've done your homework on CBay and Universal.......you're prepared for long waits which is something we don't read very often on here........EE may be a big help to you, and yes the lazy river does get positive reviews........

Looking forward to reading more about your upcoming trip.......it's just around the corner too.......:thumbsup2
 


Hi:) sounds great! We are gong to Cabana Bay our second time later in July we love it there. The lazy river is the best and one of the reasons I enjoy this hotel. Looking forward to your report on VB and staying at Cabana bay!
 
Sounds like you have a great trip planned! We'll be there at the same time you guys are (18-25th), staying at the HRH! Reading everyone's trip reports is helping me to get through these last few days at work!
 
I'm in for the read!

Don't forget us here
Keep us posted of your thoughts before you leave


Gurnee six flag is fun!
S
 


I think it's an excellent first post!

Sounds like a fabulous trip and sounds like you've done your homework on CBay and Universal.......you're prepared for long waits which is something we don't read very often on here........EE may be a big help to you, and yes the lazy river does get positive reviews........

Looking forward to reading more about your upcoming trip.......it's just around the corner too.......:thumbsup2

Thanks for the kind words shumigirl! I have loved reading your trip reports as well! They have been very helpful and fun to read.

Can't wait to read more!!

Thanks!

Welcome! Can't wait to read more.

Thank you!

Hi:) sounds great! We are gong to Cabana Bay our second time later in July we love it there. The lazy river is the best and one of the reasons I enjoy this hotel. Looking forward to your report on VB and staying at Cabana bay!

Glad to hear more good things about Cabana Bay! Thanks for joining in :)

Sounds like you have a great trip planned! We'll be there at the same time you guys are (18-25th), staying at the HRH! Reading everyone's trip reports is helping me to get through these last few days at work!

Have a wonderful trip jagafen! Just two more days and the work week is over!

I'm in for the read!

Don't forget us here
Keep us posted of your thoughts before you leave


Gurnee six flag is fun!
S

Thanks macraven! We really enjoy Gurnee Six Flags, which is why I know Universal is going to be an amazing trip. Thanks for all your work here on the boards!!
 
I figured pictures out - yay! Here we are last year on vacation:
StLouis-2 by KConklin1028, on Flickr

Pre-Trip Plans

I was very excited when I read on these boards that Universal does not require a lot of planning. That said, we do have some ideas of how our week will go, but have no problems adjusting plans!

Tuesday (20th): Our flight is at 7 which means we'll be leaving nice and early for the airport. Fortunately, it's less than 20 minutes from where we live. We arrive at MCO around 11. We'll find Tony and our luggage and make a quick store stop for some waters and breakfast snacks before making it to Cabana Bay. I think we will use the rest of the day to figure out the bus system from CB, get our passes, and head to one park to do a few things (maybe the Horror Make Up Show?). Probably eat at some point (maybe just eat at Bayliner Diner to save time) and head back to our hotel once our room is ready, hang out in the lazy river, and go to bed at a reasonable hour.

Wednesday: Not sure if we'll do Studios or IoA, but we will definitely be there for early entry. I think Rebecca will be so excited that we will need to spend as much time as needed in the Wizarding World lands. They both want to get wands, and we'll probably just spend a lot of time exploring and enjoying the rides and shows. Since we'll be in HP land, our meal might be at the 3 Broomsticks. Like I said, we are generally park open to close people, but I guess we'll see how the day goes!

Thursday: We will do early entry again at whichever park we didn't do Wednesday. No real plans, we will just do whatever strikes us that day.

Friday: Volcano Bay!! We are water park lovers and cannot wait to go to Volcano Bay. Even though they are still working out some kinks, we are planning to have a fantastic time. We will be there for early entry and I did reserve premium seating. Our plan is to be there for the whole day. I'm bringing a carry-on with beach towels so we don't need to rent any, and everyone has bought new swim suits for the trip. I'm sure we will eat in Volcano Bay, but I'm not sure where yet.

Saturday and Sunday: These days will depend on how the first four days go. We might spend the days in the parks, use one as a resort day and check out City Walk, or go back to Volcano Bay. I think there's a good chance that one day we will go back to Volcano Bay in the morning for early entry until lunchtime. The flexibility to make decisions that day is nice!


Monday: SeaWorld day. After reading all of Gina's reports and having my own fond memories of SeaWorld, plus having the extra days in Orlando, I decided to do one full day here. We purchased the eat-all-day tickets which were only $20 more so food will be covered for today. We have the Dolphin Up Close tour at 2:15 and pre-purchased three trays of food for each of us to use at the feeding stations. Like I said previously, I'm thinking we will take the shuttle from the hotel to SeaWorld and use a different means of transportation to get back to CB later at night.

Tuesday: Departure day. :worried: Our flight isn't until 8 tonight, so we still have a large chunk of the day to enjoy. I've been thinking about doing the Hard Rock Hotel character breakfast, but haven't made any concrete plans for it. I guess it will depend on if we don't feel it's necessary to do early entry again and if our things are packed and ready for check out. We will leave our luggage with the hotel and spend the rest of the day at the parks. Tony is scheduled to pick us up at 5:30 and I'm sure we'll be sad as we make our way back to Chicago.

Food
**Rachel and I are very picky eaters. I usually eat a plain cheeseburger and french fries at most restaurants. We said we would try to branch out a little on this trip, but honestly I don't know if that will happen.**

Restaurants we are thinking about: Cowfish, 3 Broomsticks, Bob Marley - A Tribute to Freedom, Margaritaville, Confisco, Bubba Gump, and pizza from a hotel (I think it's Portofino that has a really good pizza?).

We will also enjoy lots of butterbeer, ice cream, Starbucks, and popcorn.

5 days until we leave!
giphy.gif
 
Sounds like a lot of fun! Cowfish, Margaritaville, NBC, and Hard Rock Cafe are my favorite places for burgers! (I have one kid who lives on cheeseburgers, so we know where to go :) )
 
You have a great daily plan set up


I have been to all the places you listed but cowfish

Not interested for it but do read what homies say about the place
 
Nice plans!

Yes Sal's at Portofino has amazing pizza.......also Jake's at RPR is a close second......

Cowfish is excellent for burgers........Margaritaville should be ok for burgers, we think it's seriously gone downhill over the years for food from what it used to be, so much so we won't go back now, but burgers still seem to be decent.

Hope you enjoy Volcano Bay too.......my niece and her family are home after 3 weeks there and loved VB! After reading doom and gloom reviews I was happy to read her accounts of it......
 
Op ..... Tuesday will soon be here

The last few days before you fly out are the longest!

I am sending you Mummy Dust that this will be the best vacation ever for you and family

Do post anytime while you are there if you have questions

The first forum does get questions from those on vacation needed some advice or help
 
Sounds like a lot of fun! Cowfish, Margaritaville, NBC, and Hard Rock Cafe are my favorite places for burgers! (I have one kid who lives on cheeseburgers, so we know where to go :) )

Thanks Kivara! Your kid definitely sounds like our crew and I appreciate your input!

Nice plans!

Yes Sal's at Portofino has amazing pizza.......also Jake's at RPR is a close second......

Cowfish is excellent for burgers........Margaritaville should be ok for burgers, we think it's seriously gone downhill over the years for food from what it used to be, so much so we won't go back now, but burgers still seem to be decent.

Hope you enjoy Volcano Bay too.......my niece and her family are home after 3 weeks there and loved VB! After reading doom and gloom reviews I was happy to read her accounts of it......

Thanks so much for your input shumigirl! I appreciate the information you shared. I might move Margaritaville to the bottom of our list. I think the atmosphere is fun (I was at one in Key West years ago), but I don't want to spend our meal of the day eating subpar food. I'll let you know what happens!

Glad to hear your niece and her family enjoyed Vocano Bay! We are definitely excited about it and I know we will have a positive and enoyable time even if everything isn't perfect.
:PinkbouncOMG we are flying to Universal on the same day and are staying at CB too :Pinkbounc This will be our first trip to Universal.

YAY! This is the girls first trip too and we cannot wait. Hope you have a fantastic time woodchuck!

Op ..... Tuesday will soon be here

The last few days before you fly out are the longest!

I am sending you Mummy Dust that this will be the best vacation ever for you and family

Do post anytime while you are there if you have questions

The first forum does get questions from those on vacation needed some advice or help

Thanks macraven for your wisdom, support, and encouragement! The past few days have been very busy...it almost didn't feel as if we were leaving tomorrow.

We leave today! I have to be up in 3 hours for the airport, but it has taken me forever to pack (I'm a terrible over-packer!). Looking forward to enjoying our week there and then reliving it as I share our trip report.

My biggest concern right now is motion sickness on the rides. For some reason this year, many rides that I used to be able to ride have given me terrible dizziness and nausea, even when taking Dramamine or Bonine. I have a natural otc patch that I am going to dry with the Bonine and hope for the best. I will ride everything, just hoping I don't spend my days feeling awful.

Hope everyone enjoys their week!
 
***I apologize for how long it has taken me to begin this trip report. These boards made it so easy to plan our vacation and I can’t thank the people who post here regularly enough.***

Wow! What a wonderful experience we had and have already made plans to return next year. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love so much, but this trip was as close to perfect for us as you can get.

36859949612_df0df7c3a8_n.jpg
61499_062517_000185389[/url] by KConklin1028, on Flickr[/IMG]

Tuesday, June 20th:

We left for O’hare around 5 am, bursting with excitement and energy. After a painless check in and flight, we arrived in Orlando around 10 am. From the recommendations on the board, we scheduled Tony Hinds to pick us up. Our driver was Willie and he was in contact as soon as our flight landed, helped collect our checked luggage, and was parked in such a convenient spot. After this trip, I can see why Tony’s service is so highly recommended! We stopped at Publix on the way to pick up some breakfast foods (and later wished we had been smart enough to pick up some late night snacks as well!).

Check in was a breeze and room 6337 was ready for us (this was right around noon). We also picked up our seasonal passes in the lobby, which was again, incredibly fast and easy. We experienced our first seemingly never ending walk to our room in the Americana building. Those hallway corridors make it seem like you are walking forever! Even though we had to walk quite a bit, we loved where our room was in proximity to the lazy river, bus stop, and Volcano Bay!
20170620_171202 by KConklin1028, on Flickr
We unpacked quickly, changed, and ventured out for our first bus ride to City Walk. Again, the bus ride was so easy and quick that we never felt like we wanted to try the water taxi from Sapphire Bay or the walking path. In our entire week, we never waited over 5 minutes for a bus either way.

We wanted to hit the parks right away, but decided to save all the Harry Potter stuff for tomorrow morning. We chose to go on the water rides at IoA and then head back to the hotel to swim in the pool. We purchased lanyards for Becca and myself as well as the refillable popcorn bucket. Popcorn is one of our favorite snacks and we got so much use out of this. Our first ride was Jurassic Park, which ended up being one of our favorite and most ridden rides. We rode it six times over the course of our vacation! I honestly don’t know why we love it so much, but it’s now a special ride for us.

Then we headed to Rip Saw Falls and Bilge Rat Barge. They are not kidding when they say you will be drenched, however both rides were so much fun! Afterwards we saw the Dippin Dots stand and had to purchase some. We were blown away by the price! We are used to paying $8 for a kiddie size here at Six Flags, and were able to get a large size for $5 at Universal! This was just the cherry on top of an already wonderful day.

Sopping wet, we headed back to the hotel where we had plans to eat a quick dinner and hit the pool! I think this was the only meal of the entire trip that no one was crazy about. We ate at Bayliner Diner simply for the convenience, but I wish we had just eaten at City Walk. Rae and I both got pizzas, which we thought were edible but far from being delicious. Becca got chicken tenders which she enjoyed and said were fine.

After eating, we purchased floats and explored the one pool and lazy river. I was exhausted from our early and busy day, so I ended up resting on the loungers for most of the time we were out there, but the girls had a blast in the water.
20170620_194239 by KConklin1028, on Flickr
20170620_201927 by KConklin1028, on Flickr
While I had hoped to go to bed early, all of our clothes and shoes were still soaking wet from the water rides, so while the girls showered I spent some time in the laundry room (a nice asset to the hotel) getting our belongings clean and dry. I don’t even remember showering or going to bed - I was so tired! Fortunately, we were all asleep before 11 and dreaming of our adventures ahead.

Coming up: Day 2 in which we discover our favorite restaurant, ride, and snack!
 
Last edited:
Following along! What a lovely happy report!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!











Top