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The Busy Wet One

Sep 23, 2012
3,277
3,139
UK
Well I am back home in the UK after a fun, hectic, busy and wet, often very wet, trip to the fun state.

I met so many people and hit up all of the parks having a blast along the way, thought I would share some of my videos, pictures and memories of this past trip. If I did meet you along the way please chip in with any photos or memories of your own would love to hear from you guys. This trip report will be quite candid and contain mainly snaps and video taken on my S5. I will eventually get round to posting my trip photos in the photography threads.

So lets get down to it...

My Name is Mark I am 40 and I love the parks and HHN.

I have been to Florida many times but this was my second solo trip to Orlando. I had 2 weeks, which is a short trip for me, I usually do 3 and have done 4 weeks in the past. I really like the freedom of travelling solo and I have made many friends in Orlando doing it. Orlando really is like a home from home these days.


I flew into Sanford airport from East Midlands Airport aboard the shiny, new 787 Dreamliner


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I had waited a long time to get on this plane, it has had it's troubles, the wait was worth it. The 787 was modern, smooth and very sleek, the entertainment system was loaded with all kinds of media to entertain you and the spaciousness was very welcome, without doubt the best flight I have had over the Atlantic. All the nice new tech doesn't help in the kitchen department though, the food still sucked!

Although the flight was long (9 hours) I landed fresh and eager to go, I stormed through customs and baggage was a breeze. I was, at last, stood outside in the warm Florida sunshine.

I was meeting Mike (Hockeyman) at my first port of call, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, I needed wheels. I had pre booked via Dollar and had Dollar Express so I was out front with my car within 20 mins.


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Roof down, music up and I was on the road and soon hitting the I4 into Orlando............
 
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Cont.....

The ride down was pretty uneventful the I4 was pretty steady apart from the usual crawl through the Downtown section. I did pass through a storm and get a little wet but I drove right on through it with a smile on my face, I was on vacation and heading to AKL :ears: . little did I know but that was not going to be the last I would see of the rain this trip.

An hour later I arrived at my destination, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge.....


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Just as I pulled up Mike was heading right past me, perfect timing seeing as we hadn't arranged a time or meeting place yet and this, like the rain, wouldn't be the last time it would happened.

I have met Mike on previous trips and we instantly hit up a friendship through our hobbies, photography and the parks. Because of this friendship we decided before hand to meet up and stay at AKL, I was staying for 6 nights and Mike and his girls for 3.


we managed to bag a Savannah upgrade. :thumbs:.

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After a long travelling day that first night was a quiet one, catching up over a fews drinks and an early night.

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No Idea why it rotates some of my pics?
 
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So we woke real early on that first morning, 5 am early. I was still on UK time and Mike and his family were checking into CBBR for that night so were going to make use of early entry at Diagon. Seeing them get 3 kids and themselves ready at stupid o'clock was something else :wave:. I was to meet up with them later for HHN opening night. I had a bit of a headache, must have drank more than I remembered :cheers:

Other than HHN later that night I had no real plans and I liked that. Having done the parks many times before being able to do them at leisure allows me to enjoy them so much more, instead of needed to ride for Everest for the umtemph time I am just as happy walking around admiring the details.

A lazy morning was had at a wet AKL.....


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...... before I decided to head out to AK.

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]I like this park for it tropical feel and Africa is a nice area with the new Lion Ling area really adding to it. But this park really shows it's beauty at night the whole ambience changes the lighting really adds to this too and riding Kali River Rapids at 11 at night is something I will never forget.

I was amazed by the amount of construction walls around the place, so much so I renamed the park Construction Wall Kingdom for the duration of my trip. Walls were literally everywhere, around the tree of life, in Africa, By Everest around the lagoon and more, even before you mention Avatar.

I mustn't complain to much though as the changes being made will bring those night time hours back to the park. I do believe the walls around the tree life are now down. Other than the walls my trip around the park pretty relaxed, checked on The Lion King show, made use of a walk single rider for Everest, rode Kilimanjaro and Dinosaur. Looking forward to seeing AK in the next few years.

The weather was still wet so decided to head back to he Hotel,

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If I was getting wet on the outside it only made sense to get wet on the inside too.

I hung out at the Uzima Springs Pool Bar

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Pic from disney Food Blog
Thats my seat on the left :smiley:

I like it here as two of my friends work here, Laura and Kym. Two great Disney cast members who I have known for years, we have hung out around the parks but we usually catch up with me sat at the bar. If your passing by tell them Mark from the UK said Hi and that Kym needs to send him a Viber message.

After a beer and a chat I was in the mood for a another but I had to make tracks, I needed to be over at CBBR to meet Mike so we would be in the park in time HHN AP event followed by the OU meet.]This was to be my second year attending HHN having been the previous year I knew what to expect this year and was eager for it to start.

In no time at all I was showered, changed and heading up the I4 for HHN but first I had to find Mike at CBBR. I pulled up onto the driveway of CBBR just as Mike came strolling out of the hotel lobby waving at me, how the hell had he done that, again! But anyway I had found him and all was good. This was my first look at CBBR and I was impressed, the pool areas, the rooms and lobby area were all amazing and for a budget hotel too! I had 5 nights booked here for the second part of my trip and was looking forward to exploring more.

Mike's wife was staying back at the hotel with the 3 girls whilst we went out to play, I should add that Steve, Mike's brother was also with us (sorry didn't mention you earlier buddy :wave:)
So with the girls all sorted we were heading for the coach to take us to the parks for HHN and the OU meet..............
 
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I loved the CBBR bus, so much easier than Disney's (which I stopped using years ago).

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image from allaroundorlando

I was really impressed with how far the theming from the hotel had followed onboard. The Decor, the trim, posters and music were all on point, I hadn't seen much of CBBR or it's facilities at this point but I was already very impressed.

I hadn't been in Orlando for 24 hours yet, yet here I was about to step into the thick of it. Off the bus, up the stairs, past security (no bag line) and heading down .... "the moving walkway exit is approaching please watch our step......" towards city walk.

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..........the smells, sights and sounds are all very familiar yet still I find them so evoking & stimulating. I like the hustle and bustle of the people chatting excitedly about the day ahead, it adds to excitement and intrigue as you walk down towards the parks. Not only was I pumped for HHN but I couldn't wait to pass through the brick wall into Diagon Alley. The last time I had seen Diagon I was 700 ft above it! remember these?


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So as you can well imagine I was more than looking forward to seeing the finished result.

Wade through the mass of bubbles being blown by the kiosk girl, avoid the guy with the ball on a string, "mmmmmmmmm" as the aromas of Starbucks and Cinnabons hit your nostrils, take a sharp right, wave goodbye to Nascar, round past the globe, under he giant golden gate, up to the entrance, hand the guy your ticket, scan your finger, through the turnstiles and your in. Phew.

It felt great to be back in the studios park but we only had an hour, maybe less before we needed to be in line for the AP event, so we made a beeline for DA.

This was it, after watching it grow online and photographing it from above last year I was finally to step inside London and Diagon Alley. Walking through London was amazing, the themeing and attention to detail second to none the facades and window displays all looked so authentic. Then it was through the brickwall into Diagon. what a breathtaking sight they really went to town on this and the pictures do nothing for it. The dragon, it is HUGE and beautifully crafted and the theming, beautiful theming is all around you. We walked round and I tried to take it all in yet I felt surprisingly underwhelmed when I left. This would later change as that first visit was very much a whirlwind tour not giving me time to look and explore in order to really appreciate what Comcast had given us.

We did catch some of the Celestina show though,

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Gotta love these girls, great voices, full of energy and really HOT too!

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Unfortunately the Banshee's were left behind, but don't worry guys, they will feature again later in the trip :thumbs:.

We had no time to hang around as the clock was ticking toward HHNs we headed over to get in line for the AP event, I had done this last year so I knew the drill this time round. We had scanned our passes and event ticket and finally got our wristbands and were in line. Thats when it started raining, fairly light at first and everyone was in good spirits waiting patiently to be let in. The fog was turned on and the rain got much heavier but when the line started moving everyone cheered and no one cared about the rain. Yet!

The annual pass event is a real hit it allows you to hit the 2 tent houses and the parade building early so you can get through these houses with little to no wait and thats exactly what we did.

:wave:HHN PICTURES & SPOILERS AHEAD PLEASE SCROLL THROUGH TO THE NEXT POST IF YOU DONT WANT TO SEE:wave:






Roanoke was first up, the lack of any themeing or actors outside of the building was a little disappointing, I remembered a Walking dead scene being played out here last year. A lot of trees and wood used to create the sets and the fire effects within were effective, Some areas were too dark to be able to take in all of the details but the look and the atmosphere of the house was good. The scare actors were all in place wearing some fantastic costumes and make up. and the finale with the giant Wendigos was fun. Mike really enjoyed this house and over all I did too yet I couldn't help but want more from the next houses.

The Dolls House

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I wanted more, I got more, in abundance! This house is amazing. On paper this house had the least appeal to me how wrong I could be, the moment you enter this house you see the level of detail the guys have gone to, dolls arms, legs and heads plastered into the wall was plain creepy, the huge foam head doll and who could forget this guy.......

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Screened grabbed from you tube

...the crazy doll faced woman who was "making baby pretty", was both genius and bizarre, giant doll heads, ballerinas, masks, dolls heads,dolls arms, dolls legs, dolls, dolls and more dolls, dolls are everywhere. Put this all together with the jarring sound effects, elaborate sets and the downright weirdness of it all and you have a very strong house. I came out giggling like a schoolgirl having had a blast, I had loved the house from start to finish. On heading up the wet gravel path back into the park I couldn't help wonder, what kind of a warped mind came up with such crazed ideas and where on earth did they source all of those dolls!

The rain was still pouring but we were making good progress and I was in the mood for the next house, could it live it up to the crazy sensory overload of the dolls house???

Halloween We had a slight wait here giving us time to enjoy the facade.......

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....but we were soon inside and the attention to detail was again evident here. The sets were simply done yet true to what they were representing, you are taken inside the movie. Sets take you through every room/scene in the house and outside too. The car scene in the garage and and the girl on the sofa (the cute one) were fantastic. The Michael myers scares are used well throughout the house, that iconic sound and simple use of him drawing his knife was classic, put it together with the strobe effects and he could be in your face before you knew it, brilliant stuff. The room full of Michaels had my eyes darting everywhere trying to preempt where the real Michael Myers would come from.

Would the real Michael Myers please stand up please stand up :whoo::whoo::whoo:.

From the moment you walk in to the moment you walk out, and beyond, you are fully immersed and drawn into it I loved it and this was easily my favourite house so far and one I wanted to visit again.

We were not only well and truly in the spirit of HHN we were doing great for time too, 3 houses down in about 30 mins wasn't bad. The OU meet was over an hour away and we were well over due a drink, we grabbed beers whilst deciding where to head next..........

 
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Love the trip report so far. Cant wait to see some of the pics from the rest of your trip that we missed :thumbs: Ive got some photos of you I can post later today also :lol:
 
Thanks Guys, I haven't done one of these before but I had such a good time this last trip that I thought it would be fun to relive it. If people enjoy it then that is great too and only encourages me to carry on :smiley:.

I am looking forward to seeing what you add too the topic Mike :thumbs:and I would encourage others to also add to the the topic if you have anything to share. I know I met a lot of people so there must be a few pics nestled in your mobiles some where :wave:.

Anyway on with the show....
 
..... or not in this case,

I cannot remember if we did AVP or not :shrug:, Infact I can't remember what we did between having a double rum and coke and being sat at Duffs drinking beer waiting for the OU meet. Bloody good booze in the states :lol:

I remember it was raining, heavy, again and I remember not being able to use the touch screen as it was so wet, hence no photos or twitter posts to jog my memory. Im just gonna have wing it whilst it was raining.

So there we were sat at Duffs waiting for the OU meet to kick off, we were there quite early (so maybe we didn't do AVP after all) but soon a few familiar faces began to appear Felipe, who showed me around my first HHN last year and Andy who I met a few times before soon turned up and it was great to catch up with you guys, before long we had an official OU Duff takeover, I mean the place was swarming with people. Everyone was friendly and it was nice to meet so many of you, some from these very boards and some from beyond. People were wearing HHN Ts Others doned ponchos Mike, he wore his Miami Dolphins Jersey GO DOLPHINS.....

The beers were flowing, people were chatting and the air was filled was excitement, and rain. We spent a good while hanging out at Duff's but it was time for our first house of the night, AVP, I think LOL. We left on mass following the OU tour guides flag, which in this case was the famous HTF point :wave:. our march soon came to a halt as we bunched up as the group started filing into the AVP entrance. It must have taken a good few minutes for us all to filter inside, once through we all snaked around the rope lines we kept passing our group as we went up and down, high fiving as we past. We must have filled 3 of those lines.

Thats about when the fun ended, for me any way. The OU Konga line was only a fraction of the actual line and that line seemed to be at a standstill and didn't move for what seemed an age. The rain which was already heavy got heavier and people were leaving the line on mass, some heading for the gates. We stuck it out a little longer but before long I was ready to call it a day, I had been out in the rain long enough, I was hungry, wet, tired and to top it off I was cold, yes cold in Florida. I felt bad for Mike as he only had one more night to enjoy HHN but both he and Steve agreed it was time to call it a night. The HHN opening night rain curse had taken us, we bid our farewells, hopped over the ropes and headed fore the gates ourselves.
 
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Let me just start off by saying how much fun we had that weekend and how grateful we were for Mark letting us crash with him. For those who haven't had the chance to meet Mark in person he is one of the coolest down to earth person you will ever meet and always a blast hanging out with in the parks. :thumbs: Now with that being said, this is what happens when you let him loose in a Disney hotel room.

[video=youtube_share;v2UYHLsKHII]http://youtu.be/v2UYHLsKHII[/video]



I always had a knack for running into Mark as soon as he pulled up the hotel. Call it magic, a gift or what you will . . . :lol:







Allow me to refresh your memory on that rain filled open night :lol:





I believe our house count on open night was only 3. We started at Roanoke then I think we went right to Halloween right after. Then I know we did AVP the first night. Before being washed out to sea. And no worries abut having to leave early, I went up with the expectations of only making it one night anyways so im glad that one night was the monsoon night :lol: Plus had we not left we wouldn't have experienced the awesomeness that is Antojitos :happy:

I have a lot more photos but will wait till you get to those days and then interject them
 
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Nice work Mike and thanks for your kind words.

I remember jumping on the bed like it was only yesterday, little one wouldn't have anything to do with me at first but by day 2she was regularly beatin up on me LOL. You have a lovely family and the patients of a saint my friend :lol:

Thanks for sharing those shots Mike, well apart from the last one. Will be cool seeing different slants on the same time, I like the idea of a communal trip report :thumbs:

Sounds like I was way off on my memories of the houses on that first night, I'm putting it down to Jet Lag. I was sure we did dolls, and AVP was always niggling away at the back of my mind.

Oh and by the way, shhhhh
Plus had we not left we wouldn't have experienced the awesomeness that is Antojitos
I didn't tell em that part yet.
 
Yeah it took a while for my tikes to warm up to you but once they did they gave you a run for your money :lol: And thank you, it takes a lot of patience, as you have seen first hand :rofl:

Ive got some more to post of you from HHN night 2 as well as some from AK on that Sunday.

I was trying to remember what we did opening night and was tough to remember for some reason but think that was all we did. I remember we did Dolls the second day cause I got photos of that façade while we were in line and it was dry :lol:


Antojitos :-X
 
So as you can see from the Photo Mike posted we were soaked to the skin and that was quite early on. Also from Mikes post we can deduce that my recollection of which houses we did on that first night was terrible. Turns out we did do AVP but we didn't do the dolls house :shrug:, well what ever day we did do Dolls it was a great house so my account albeit premature still stands. For the record AVP is also a great house but I will post my thoughts on that later on in this topsy turvy report.

So we were heading out of the Studios and we were eager for something to eat, With so many options, a lot of them new, it was a tough choice but in the end we plumped for (Have you guesses yet? :rofl:) Antojitos.

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We opted for out door seating as we all know that AC + WET = A not very pleasant dining experience. I had a coffee to warm me up whilst we browsed the menus. They had a good choice and I could have chosen a few things from the menu but in the I ordered the Quesadillas Caseras with Skirt Steak.

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Our server did a fantastic job and he kept us topped up with Salsa, Dips and Coke whilst we waited for our mains to arrive. I couldn't Understand why people would pay $13.99 for Guac and Chips

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When they give you Salsa & Chips free anyway,for me Salsa is the better option too the salsa we had was really fresh, perfectly seasoned and you could taste every ingredient:doggie: which tantalized the taste buds enough to get you excited for the main course.

Our food soon arrived and all three plates looked both appetizing and plentiful, I remember reading some early reviews about this place having small portions but not on that night. We were all impressed with our choices and all 3 dishes did taste as good as they looked. As mentioned the portions were a good size, we had s good all round experience the food here is of good quality and the price was fair, even after leaving a decent tip. We all struggled with full bellies and we all agreed Antojitos is one to visit again.

After Antojitos we decided to call it a night` we headed out of CW to catch the bus back to CBBR. The bus had a 25mins wait so we decided to play chicken run and walk back to the hotel. We probably made it back in about the same time as waiting for the bus.

We were all glad to get back and I had originally planned crash at CBBR with Mike, I was wet through and had no dry shoes for the next day so I decided to head back to AKL, We bid our goodnights and had steady drive back to Disney with the heaters on. I was glad to get back I was tired and it was nice to get dry cloths on. HHN hadnt really got to plan but hey we would be ck tomorrow, early thoughts were that the houses we did were good but the care zones were lacking. I soon fell asleep having had a wet but fun opening night.
 
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That video was too precious. Mark it's hilarious how many people I know that match the description Mike gave you and that's a very good thing. Hopefully I can meet you both next year
 
A few quick tidbits to add

Fortunate for me I remained relatively dry opening night since I brought an umbrella but didn't escape the monsoon totally. The opposite could be said for Mark and my brother who were wet and miserable

Antojitos was outstanding. Ordered a burrito and was so big I could hardly breath after eating it :lol:

Not a fan of Guacamole either and was perfectly happy with the chips and salsa they brought us.

The walk from the parks to Cabana sucked, We took a few short cuts, walked in streets full of cars and buses. Might have helped if we took the path by Margaritaville to begin with instead of walking to the hub of Citywalk and started there.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is awesome. Walking into the lobby for the first time was incredible to see and then the smells coming from Boma and Jiko were out of this world and made you want to stop and eat.

Don't bring inflatable beach balls with you to AKL, especially if you have toddlers with you and a savanna view :thumbs:
 
Awesome trip report, Mark! :thumbs: Looking forward to reading the rest! :cheers:

I agree that I've never left Antojitos without a full stomach, and also it has some of the strongest drinks in the entire resort!
 
Awesome trip report, Mark! :thumbs: Looking forward to reading the rest! :cheers:

I agree that I've never left Antojitos without a full stomach, and also it has some of the strongest drinks in the entire resort!

Thanks Felipe.

My next trip to Antojitos I will go for indoor seating as the place seemed to have a lively buzz, something you miss a little sat out on the patio.
 
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