UD11/4 TR WDW/NYC/TX'11 fort worth and the long trip home

[Melbourne5]

we also didn't realise that there was a cafe in fao schwartz. rats. we would have loved to have done that.

now i really, really want to return to nyc on our next trip. oh well. maybe i can convince the team to return there for our 2013 trip

can't wait to hear about your universal section of the trip... we loved wwohp and universal. we are also thinking of going back there on our 2013 trip, but are also considering delaying until they have completed the expansion of wwohp.

Well I hope you do and take some pictures of the new ice cream parlor for me to drool over with the kids

Universal is next cab off the rank. A few days away .

 

[Melbourne5]

Oct 4 - breakfast with a wizard, rides galore and a belated 5th birthday at the biggest hard rock cafe in the world!

One of the downsides to staying in new york for an extra 6 hours was our midnight checkin at the hard rock hotel. Even worse was that I had arranged on our very first morning to have breakfast at the three broomsticks restaurant in the Wizarding world of Harry potter at universals islands of adventure.*

I don't think the kids were too happy when I dragged them out of bed at around 730am ! And beware DW who was not amused. A shower does good things though and soon enough we made the 10m walk through the lush gardens of the hotel, through universal walk and to the front gates of islands of adventure. It was going to be a sunny day but the two Things i noticed was the lack of crowds and humidity!*

I had converted our vouchers for tickets at the hotel when we checked in and saved a bit of time doing this. As we had booked through universal vacations we simply scanned our voucher and out popped all the tickets ( which were from of line passes ) and tickets to our breakfast.*

We walked through IOA and it was pretty deserted until we got to the wizarding world of Harry potter. Lots of people but as we soon discovered very light by normal comparisons.

I made a slip up with the breakfast by thinking it was a character one. Sadly this wasn't the case and despite the surroundings being of the highest quality the food was so-so and I wouldn't rush back.

None the less it still put us in the area by 930 for some of the busiest rides in the park . We Covered the 3 big rides in around an hour. By the time we left it was an hour wait just for the hp forbidden journey ride! So it was definitely worth the early rise. *The rides were great. The standout was Harry potters forbidden journey . Wow the staging, seating, props and video effects were cutting edge. A highlight for all ( except ds3 who was too little). *Rating 5/5

Flight of the hippograf was a junior coaster and enjoyed by all ( especially ds3). The ride is like others around but the effects and props make it all. Acting 4.5/5 (5/5 by ds3)

The dragon challenge was a dual coaster and a lot smoother than what I imagined. The 2 coasters were synchronized which made it a little hair raising . Plenty of loops and your feet dangle so keep shoes tied up . Rating 4/5.

We did take the time to look around all the shops and a show that was happening we soon departed for our next ride - Jurassic park adventure.

A quick churro along the way for a sugar fix ( no shortage of churros at universal unlike WDW !!) and we had arrived. Whilst we did have express pass as an extra for being an onsite guest ( at the hard rock ) there was a 5m wait. A lot of fun and wet. The ride is a little different from the Californian version but you still follow the same path and very soggy outcome! Rating 4/5

Kids then enjoyed pteranodon flyers a sort of coaster in the air . It was very very high up. They loved it. I was a tad too big for this ride. Rating 4/5

We then found a way before lunch to multi task. We washed and clothes and had a tonne of fun. We firstly rode ripsaw falls. I wasn't expecting splash mountain but the theming wasn't bad and the drop was top notch. ( even in front of splash). We were soaked , and too make matters worse people watching could push buttons and squirt all the poor sods in the ride cabins. *Rating 4/5

To ensure all our clothes were given a thorough wash we then rode bilge rat barge ( think Kali river rapids) but 2 or 3 times longer and 10 times wetter. I have ridden a lot of these type of rides and I can vouch for this one being the wettest one of all!! Rating 4/5

We then donated $5 to universal to use one of *their stupid human dryers. Think human size hand dryers where you stand inside. Trust me the only drying that happens is all those $5 notes going into the machine. Fortunately we weren't far away from lunch , at the comic strip cafe, and it was a starting to become a very hot dry day. So we grabbed lunch and sat in the sunshine and dried out. *The area we were in had all these great shops and buildings with all the comics from our childhood like blonde, bc, crock, Betty boop. This was completely lost on the kids who had no idea what we were referring too!

Sufficiently spun dry and toasted we continued on our way over to marvel super hero island for some serious rides. We tackled the biggie first, the incredible hulk roller coaster.
Its a roller coaster that launches ( think California screamin ) except its way way bigger, longer and scarier. It's mostly over water which adds to the fun and one mighty adrenalin rush. Both ds2&3 didn't ride ( one too small and the other a little too concerned ). However we loved it. With an express pass we had no more than a 10 m wait. We rode 3 times. We looked as green as mr hulk when we finished. Rating 5/5

Ds2&3 killed time while we rode on a ride opposite called storm force acceleration ( think tea cup and saucers on over drive) they liked it. 3.5/5

We took a stroll back via dr dooms fear fall ride ( very very steep drop ride). A good ride similar to DCA mail boomer . Rating 3/5

Then off to a surprisingly good motion 3d ride- spiderman. Had a good mix of motion ( cabins that move) and video/ animatronics. It was quite a fun ride for all of us and indoors as well to beat the heat. I read it's just been upgraded and reopened so it's 4d now I think. Rating 3.5/5

Our final stop for the day was the dr Seuss kids area. This place is visually up there with the best of any of the parks I have been to. There are so many references to the books and characters you lose count . For our kids, who all grew up with the books, it was a treasure trove. The rides too were fun and a relaxing way to finish off our day. *This is the one area of the park built for the under 7's in mind. Surprisingly our older kids didn't mind a bit.

There was the carousel Seuss style with every character imaginable. Rating 3.5/5. A good ride( think dumbo ride) was 1 fish,2 fish ,red fish,blue fish. Self controlled ride and a twist with water being spat out by the fish along the way . ( these universal folk sure like to make sure you are wet) rating 4/5.
We then moved indoors for the cat in the hat ride. ( think pooh bear ride). Tells the story, lots of great action, video, fun. All of us enjoyed . Rating 4/5

Final ride for the day was the high in the sky Seuss trolley train ride. This was a fun ride that snakes around the Seuss area of the park but has some great elevated views of the park ,and great for pics and videos. Rating 4/5.

Having completed our IOA bucket list it was just a touch after 400pm. So early start , express path tickets and light crowds had us in / out in a day without feeling rushed. It was a great park to visit. Not to big, not boring, plenty for all but skewed at 10yrs+*

We took the lazy option back via the boat transfer which took 5 m but was relaxing. Got back to hard rock and hit the pool about 5 m later for a dip. They have a great water slide ( our kids said better, faster and longer than grand Floridian one) and the music plays underwater too. This is good or bad depending on the music. It was hear I learnt I was an old person because I took exception to all the doff doff music ( which my kids thought was great). Sanity was restored when some fleet wood Mac, stones and Adele came on.... The only pool issue I had was that it was almost the same ( adult) waist height which made the water warm. I like my pool water cold, not freezing, but refreshing. This wasn't . I guess you can't have it all !*

Sufficiently relaxed it was time to ready for tonight's US birthday for ds3 who had turned 5. We were off to the hard rock cafe. It's the biggest in the world and looked like it both inside and out. A massive Elvis collection, 2 pink cadillacs inside and out and 2 floors of restaraunt seating. The service was great, food good ( the starter platters are great for a family not 2 as it suggests) and music pumping. ( didn't have the interactive voting system though to choose the next song like the las Vegas one though ).

We had made a reservation online before we left , which I changed with no problem, and saved us a 30 m wait. The HR cafe is in universal city walk not the hotel for those who haven't been.

The best part of the night was when ds3 got to stand out near the bar area in the birthday zone and have a great birthday greeting made by the staff. They did a fantastic job singing/ yelling ( not the usual happy birthday) and he got a birthday sundae ( believe it or not big enough for all 5 of us to have for dessert ) plus a small gift at the shop. It's well worth asking if you go and adds to the birthday fun.

We literally rolled back to the HRH for a big sleep!

Next up: lights camera action, land shark lager and a cheeseburger in paradise!

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Another wonderful update.

My family did the Popeeye Bilge ride, I was very wise and watched from the bridge and I could not believe how wet they got. Amazing.

And yes, we too donated $5 to Universal for the dryer hahaha.

Your description of Hard Rock Cafe makes me want to go to that one now. Sounds awesome.

 

[alicia1506]

we did bilge rat barges 3 times in a row with our front of the line passes -- got off, went out through the line and then promptly skipped to the front of the line again and got right on in front of all those poor people waiting in the regular line...

it was great, and we loved getting so wet. now that's a water ride

we also donated $5 to universal for the use of their human dryers. only trina and i used them and we found it dried our hair, like a poorly powered hair dryer, and our hands/feet, like an oversized bathroom hand dryer, but that was it... our clothes and the rest of us were still dripping many hours later, so we just went back to the hotel for a swim... we figured if we couldn't get dry, we'd just stay wet

those human dryers are hilarious to watch though... after we'd donated our $5 we sat and watched as more and more people went up and tried to get dry & failed abysmally... lol. we can be mean sometimes

 

[Melbourne5]

Another wonderful update.

My family did the Popeeye Bilge ride, I was very wise and watched from the bridge and I could not believe how wet they got. Amazing.

And yes, we too donated $5 to Universal for the dryer hahaha.

Your description of Hard Rock Cafe makes me want to go to that one now. Sounds awesome.

Thank you. I have had a lot of fun putting this tr together

I wonder how much profit universal makes on each $5 donated !!!!

We really had to think twice about not going to HRC in NYC.....remember you can book for free online if you wish . Saved us at least 20-30 m waiting.

 

[Melbourne5]

we did bilge rat barges 3 times in a row with our front of the line passes -- got off, went out through the line and then promptly skipped to the front of the line again and got right on in front of all those poor people waiting in the regular line...

it was great, and we loved getting so wet. now that's a water ride

we also donated $5 to universal for the use of their human dryers. only trina and i used them and we found it dried our hair, like a poorly powered hair dryer, and our hands/feet, like an oversized bathroom hand dryer, but that was it... our clothes and the rest of us were still dripping many hours later, so we just went back to the hotel for a swim... we figured if we couldn't get dry, we'd just stay wet

those human dryers are hilarious to watch though... after we'd donated our $5 we sat and watched as more and more people went up and tried to get dry & failed abysmally... lol. we can be mean sometimes

That's dedication !

That's a good strategy about staying wet.

I think people watching in the US is a big draw card for me , not just all the people like me getting $5 lighter using those crazy dryers

 

[Toy Story]

Thanks for posting the update and the extra details of the rides.
Did you use a locker while you went on the rides? I am torn between not taking a camera to the park or using a locker.

 

[Melbourne5]

Thanks for posting the update and the extra details of the rides.
Did you use a locker while you went on the rides? I am torn between not taking a camera to the park or using a locker.

Two things to mention. Most times where we couldn't ride together we had parent swap so could hang onto our gear. I think there was only one ride ( men in black - and I have no idea why) where we used the free lockers as we all rode together.

Rides like harry potter, hulk & rip rocket roller coaster have free lockers at the ride area itself so don't be too concerned.

 

[Toy Story]

Two things to mention. Most times where we couldn't ride together we had parent swap so could hang onto our gear. I think there was only one ride ( men in black - and I have no idea why) where we used the free lockers as we all rode together.

Rides like harry potter, hulk & rip rocket roller coaster have free lockers at the ride area itself so don't be too concerned.

Thanks, I thought the lockers may have been in a more central area - I like to have my camera not to far away.

 

[Melbourne5]

Oct 5* a big sleep in this morning. I think all that walking and traveling had caught up with us. So around 9 am ( that is usually 2-3 hrs later than normal ) we wandered downstairs to Emack and bolios cafe in the hard rock hotel. This is a quick service cafe . There were plenty of fresh bagels , juice, milk and starbucks brand coffee . A few seats to sit and fortunately for us a table for 5. All fired up we walked up the 10m or so to the entry to Universal studios. This was to be our last theme park day of this trip so we were keen to make it a special one. The entry has the moving world globe and makes for some fun pictures. We were there right around opening time and again the crowds were low, which was good news for us.

We scanned our tickets in one last time ( sniff sniff) and made a quick left to tackle the big one for the day, the rip ride rocket roller coaster. Only 12 months or so old this is one of the world newest breed of coasters. Seating was like a big bucket seat and you walk on / off kind with a huge lap bar keeping you in. You get to choose your own music by selecting from your touchpad on your lap bar ( well one of about 40 songs). I choose a very manly Gloria gaynor song 'i will survive' from Priscilla . Each coaster had two carriages with about 20 people each and there were about 3 going the whole time. The big thing about this ride is that once on board you head at 90 deg straight up and then released. It's unnerving and a tonne of fun . The ride is then a series of loops and hi speed turns and twists. We had to domtwomruns on a parent swap arrangement ( I was keen to go again) as ds3 was too small. I think this was one of the best of the trip and in a sign of the times , you get to buy a video *dvd of your own ride, not just the photo these days. It's quite good and shows you and most of the 3 people around you , which worked well for us! And is set to the music you choose and a combo of you being filmed and some animation. Beware you will come out $40 lighter but with some great footage.
rating 5/5.

We then moved to the shrek 4d movie which was a lot of fun in a dark and very cool theatre . Lots of bumps, splashes and a fun story as well. Watch out for donkey snot. It's a good one for all the family . Rating 3.5/5

Next up , after a well deserved churro break, was twister. This is a studio set action show where you get to witness special effects at play on a sound stage and is modeled on the twister movie *( these seemed really old movies which reoccurred through the day...the place seemed a little old.) *there a few scary bits towards the end ( watch ut for the flying cow!!) .rating 2.5/5

We then took in most of an outdoor show set in Chicago by the blues brothers. The music was live and surprisingly good. The actors were all in costume and included the stolen cop car with the loudspeaker ( if you a fan of the movie). We didn't know what to expect at this one but glad we did it. There are no seats for this as you basically stand on the road and look into a stage with buildings as a back drop sombre prepared to stand for a while.

From there and moving in a clockwise direction around the park we arrived at the ' mummy ride' from the movie franchise. It's an indoor roller coaster and goes forwards/ backwards and even has some fire too. I really enjoyed the one at US california. This one is slightly different again but very good as its indoors, mostly in the dark and a spooky/ scary theme. Rating 4/5. Again we got two rides as ds3 was too small. He was starting to get a little unhappy about all these grown up rides.

We then made the mistake of waiting forever, even with express pass, for the 'disaster - a major motion picture starring you' which was a mix of audience participation , making movie scenes and bringing it all together by sitting in a carriage and being part of some earthquake type scenes. *A big thumbs down from all ( even DS 3 who went on this as his first attraction for the day) rating 1/5.

Feeling somewhat flat from the disaster that was disaster the ride we headed to the quite seaside hamlet of amity the home of jaws. *Now jaws is my all time favorite movie and I got dragged along to see it in 1976 as a 6 yr old to see it. In one of those weird , hand odd things down to your kids, my 3 DS 's have all watched it and like it to ( much to their proud dads pleasure). The ride and theming area is quite big ( by comparison it's only part of a much much bigger studio backlot tour in California ). There are shops and the boat ride itself. *The ride is very corny but I gotta say I *just loved it. The key is to have a good boat captain ( think jungle cruise at WDW/DL ) who helps steer you through all the mayhem and carnage the big great white can do. I took a heap of video and even though the kids knew what would happen the bit where the shark comes right up to the boat is classic when you see there scared little eyes ( and then laughter). We were really lucky as about a month or 2 later it closed after being there for 20 yrs ( approx). It's rumored this is where the expanded wizarding world of Harry potter will join in from IOA. Rating 5/5. Oh and I got a genuine jaws movie poster tshirt which I love and where around a bit. You wouldn't believe the odd looks I get sometimes.

Lunch was a forgettable fry up of chicken ,fish and chips from a quick serve and before long we had made it halfway around *by arriving at the men in black. *This one is a grown up version of buzz light year astro blasters and you get seriously strapped in and spun around quite a bit. It was passable but spun a bit too much for me. Kids thought it was good. Rating 3/5

We then moved *a short distance to the Simpsons ride. A simulator ride based on the Simpsons trip to a mega theme park ( it has a dig ,like most Simpsons stuff, at just about every theme park around. The pre ride is sensationally colorful and the ride lots of fun. Homer really leads the show and is his normal bumbling self. The kids really enjoyed this and unloaded the last remnants of their spending money at the near by Kwik e mart shop on tshirts ( yes I got a 'body by duff 'T-shirt too). Rating 4.5/5

I guess this is where universal finishes more like a whimper than a bang. We really ran out of big name attractions. There were a few shows going which we weren't interested in so we headed to the kids are of this park called woody woodpecker kid zone. Some ok rides including a kiddie coaster ( DS 3 rated 5/5) , the ET ride - very old and showed it with its theming and setup but strangely compelling for us oldies ( the kids had no idea what this was). One of the best sites of the day was a bunch of very old visitors from a south American country all with a souvenir bag with an ET doll poking out. Very cute!

There was a bit of a maze and small water slide ride as well which the kids rode a few times.

After that it was time to head out and we had done the park by 3pm! I guess it was a relaxing theme park day but not what we had expected. I'm sure if we had of done some of the shows we would have been there longer but it wasnt our scene.

A redeeming factor on the walk out was we hit the afternoon character meet n greet along the Hollywood section and got some fabulous shots ( we waited no more than a minute or two for these) with the Simpson family, curious George and the weird guy in yellow , scooby doo and shaggy, shrek, woody woodpecker *and sponge bob square pants. The kids were in heaven and even better they have pictures to look back on too!

We took the boat back to the HRH and had some longer than expected pool time. All 3 dk's made maximum use of the cool waterslide *and enjoyed the afternoon. *It also gave us time to do lots of laundry . Both the GF &'HRH had great facilities to use and we made plenty of use of them.*

All freshened up we headed for the last time to Universal city walk and made it just in time for our booking at jimmy buffets margaritaville. This place looked great from the outside with a huge float plane as its outside bar and in side plenty of sharks, dolphins and palm trees. Also a big volcano that erupts every 30m or so. There is live music and videos and the place had a good feel to it. The food was good and had a seafood and burger theme. Service was good and attentive. We had a few platters which had wings,skins,spring rolls and *were gobbled up quickly. Cheeseburgers all around which was the house specialty.

About every 30m the margaritaville song is played on the big screens and all the servers get involved in audience participation including a server on long stilts using giant salt shakers ( you have to know the song and be a fan to appreciate this bit). In her spare time she got to make animal balloons! On the one hand it seemed a little cult like to old jimmy. On the other hand it was just good clean fun for all. We stuck to the good fun theory!I got to have a few land shark lagers which is close to being my favorite beer and the kids had some huge sundaes to finish off the night. The place had such a good vibe to it I really didn't want to go but the kids had other ideas. We left via the shop where I got a tshirt for remembering what a good night we had.

We strolled back via the NASCAR cafe to pick up an authentic team shirt for my BIL who is car mad and really wanted one. Job done it was back to the HRH for some rest before starting the long trip home.

Next up ...rawhide in fort worth and a buffalo butt beer.

 

[Melbourne5]

Thanks, I thought the lockers may have been in a more central area - I like to have my camera not to far away.

And they are free! ( movie world GC take note re:superman ride)

 

[Melbourne5]

Oct 6*

Up early for a 7.30am pickup. We had packed the night before and the bags were starting to strain a little. The kids slept well and the room was massive compared to our room at the GF. All done we headed to checkout and await our transfer. Our driver was waiting and for something different we got a minivan this time for the 20m drive to the airport.

We pulled up at the American terminal and waited about 5 m to checkin for our flight to Dallas at 1015. Upstairs and a quick look around for some souvenirs at the Disney and universal shops ( I did think at the time you have to be kidding. What didn't we buy?) . With some small items purchased we hopped through security with the very friendly TSA and we were airside.*

Airside doesn't offer much but it was going to be home to our breakfast this morning. Burger king all around and for about $4 we all got a hot ham/egg/cheese bagel , hash brown and coffee or juice. *When I went to the end of the counter I couldn't believe my eyes when the server had two trays ready. One for the bagels and drinks. the other for the hash browns. Each of us got a bag of small hash browns . I reckon they were 300-400gms each. I couldn't believe the portion sizes but I did give myself an uppercut and remember which country I was in. The kids did a terrific job to Hoover them all up but struggled about 1/3 of the way through. What a waste. I am not a tiddler myself but I can understand why there are some really big people in the US.

The AA flight was on time and started boarding . We had an uneventful flight of around 2.5 hours with some views of the gulf of Mexico before heading inland and too Dallas. We pulled in right on time and exited via terminal a. Wow what a dump compared to the luxurious ( well at least for an American airport terminal) terminal d. Fortunately our driver was there and with all our luggage we hopped in our big black Chevy suburban for the 40m trip to fort worth and the Hyatt place stockyards hotel , our home for the night.

When I researched where to stay in Dallas I looked a little outside the square and choose not to stay in downtown Dallas as for the life of me I couldn't work out how we could find much to do. So what caught my attention was Fort worth and a small section of the city that is a living breathing western themed area complete with real long horns ( cows) .

So the fort worth historic district it was. We arrived around lunch time. I must say it felt a bit out in the middle of nowhere but once we arrived we checked into the Hyatt place which had a nice big room and was western themed. It was a quiet area and surrounded by a few streets of historic cowboy/ cow themed shops and restaurants. We took a little while to check out the shops which ranged from cheap souvenirs through to authentic cowboy boots costing hundreds of dollars. It's also the home of one of Dallas biggest indoor rodeo arenas *( it was on the night we left worse luck) and a giant beer hall called billy bobs.

We had lunch at a BBQ place called risckys which was delicious. Corn dogs and pulled pork sandwiches washed down with bottomless cokes ( I had a bud). Afterwards we watched the twice daily cattle run where about 20 long horn cows were walked down the main historic street by cowboy/ girls in authentic garb. This attracted a few hundred people to watch and they quickly left once the parade was over. And to be honest that was it. There wasn't much more to fort worth historic district.*

I do though have one funny story. We went past one shop selling authentic cowboy clothes and there was aguy all dressed up like a cowboy. He opened the door for us as we went in and again when we walked out. As we walked out he followed us and started asking the kids if they wanted a picture with him. My mind must have been elsewhere as before I knew it they were all in picture posing mode holding this guys hand guns too. I nearly died on the spot. The kids asked him were they real to which he replied ....yes but only one and the safety's on. Pictures taken in record time and $5 handed over for the pleasure the kids were very very proud of there encounter and pic with wild bill or whatever the hell he was. To this day I have no idea if he was for real or not about the guns....

We dined at the H3 steak restaurant for dinner , had one of the best meals of our trip. Lots of ribs, chicken, steak and tacos. Washed down with the house brew called buffalo butt lager. The kids had a great time watching all the food being prepared in the open BBQ area and the service was good.*

Oct 7/8/9

Breakfast was included at the Hyatt and was served in a club room set up in the main foyer area. I thought it was excellent value for money. We paid $140 aud for the night , including bfast, and we could check out at 12 noon.

They had a reasonable pool which we swam in during the morning ( it was about 35oC by 9am). Average size, non resort style but deep and cool. We then checked out , had our luggage stored and caught a cab up to the fort worth main CBD ( about 10m drive).*
Fort worth was very pretty, well laid out but lacked people and shops of any type of description. It was really amazing. A few speciality shops ( the Texas rangers baseball and cowboys football shop for example) but not a shopping centre in sight. There was a free shuttle/ trolley bus that took you around the CBd and somehow we managed to pass some time but I felt that I really got this one day wrong out of our whole trip. It was really disappointing to finish up with a mediocre day but I guess after a full on two and a half weeks already we probably needed an easy day.*

I just expected more and I got a tip that whilst the Dallas CBd isn't much better that the grapevine area ( north of the DFW airport) is much much better. Any views out there on this?

Anyhow we got back to the historic district with an hour to spare before pickup and went for a walk around some of the shops and got a few snacks for the kids. We stumbled across some people taking photos of one of the authentic cowboys with a trophy. Didnt think much of it until one of the locals mentioned later that they were filming a promo video of the area and that the trophy was none other than the NBA cup that had been recently won *by the Dallas mavericks nba basketball team . The real deal. Anyhow I am glad I took a photo of the kids with it as they appreciated it more once they found out what it was.

At 6pm our driver showed up for our last ride of our long US trip of 2011. Took around an hour and we arrived at DFW airport for our 1030pm Qantas flight home. Checkin was a breeze. Took 5 m and was told though that the flight was full. My excitement level was raised at this tidbit of news and I wondered if the upgrade gods would smile on us. Well something good had to happen to balance up our ordinary day in fort worth and the checkin person told us we had indeed been upgraded to premium economy for our ride home to Australia.

We hit the Qantas club, ate, drank, stored some snacks in the carryon's for the Ds's for the long long 16 hr flight to Brisbane( bless Oreos / frito lays & *, double bless coconut m&m's, triple bless Reese's peanut butter cups) as we noticed snacks were a bit light on on the trip over.

With a bit under 30m to board we went for one last walk around the shops to drain out the coins ( I do feel sorry paying for a Texas fridge magnet with $4 of small coin change ) , some perfume at the duty free ( which I found ultra competitive to Macy's and any Aussie duty free) and with that we boarded for 16hrs in a flying tin can.

We got lots of sleep but still had awake time of over 8 hrs so the Inseat tv/video got a flogging. A few laps around the 747 too and finally at just before 6am local time we touched down in Brisbane. A bit of a haul to get from the international to domestic terminal ( not the best system) but didn't take long before we were checked in for our domestic flight back to melbourne !*

We had enough time for a visit to the Qantas club and the best thing beside real coffee and vegemite toast was the ability to use the shower facilities and we all got to change and freshen up for the last few hours. *

We arrived back in Melbourne around 11.20 and home at our place at 1pm.

We then thought we would crash but a constant stream of friends and neighbors popped by so we made it through till just after dinner and then..............silence and sleep and dreams of a lifetime full of memories of our 2011 us adventure.

Thanks for reading!!

 

[periwinkle20]

Great trip report! I really enjoyed it - thank you for all of your entertaining and detailed posts. Will be visiting the Europa Cafe for sure

So are you already planning your next trip?

 

[chrisbris]

Melbourne5 what a fantastic trip report!

Thanks for taking the time and effort to write it and put it up here for us all to enjoy!

We are heading to the states on very similar dates as your's this year and cant wait.

 

[Melbourne5]

Great trip report! I really enjoyed it - thank you for all of your entertaining and detailed posts. Will be visiting the Europa Cafe for sure

So are you already planning your next trip?

Thank you. I hope you enjoy europa. I don't know whether I enjoyed the people watching or bagels more

Planning started the day we flew home. You can always dream. They are free! No firm timing yet and my other thread re WDW v DLR will help keep me focused .

 

[Melbourne5]

Melbourne5 what a fantastic trip report!

Thanks for taking the time and effort to write it and put it up here for us all to enjoy!

We are heading to the states on very similar dates as your's this year and cant wait.

Thank you for reading

I hope you have been able to pick up a few tips for your upcoming trip

 

[becpee]

Another loved reading about your trip

Thanks for your effort, I love living vicariously through other travellers

 

[battymum]

Awesome trip report, so nice to read anothers perspective of pretty much the same trip.

So jealous of the upgrades - how lucky to have your family of five fly return PE to Orlando for $6000!!!! (guestimate - went back to your first post to find prices!)

 

[Melbourne5]

Another loved reading about your trip

Thanks for your effort, I love living vicariously through other travellers

Thanks becpee. I am glad you enjoyed. I really had a lot of fun recalling the trip in this TR and looking back fondly on what is to date our biggest family adventure.

I have been a passive observer for about a year or so on disbaords. I should have joined sooner! It's even got me thinking about a retro tr look at our 09 &. 10 trips.

 

[Melbourne5]

Awesome trip report, so nice to read anothers perspective of pretty much the same trip.

So jealous of the upgrades - how lucky to have your family of five fly return PE to Orlando for $6000!!!! (guestimate - went back to your first post to find prices!)

Thanks . I enjoyed putting it together.

Just to rub it in it was $5500. Less the $1200 the big Q gave us for the lost bags it came to $4300. I imagine a never to be repeated special....