So, after last weeks little burst of excitement we were looking at what else is happening when we are there and what else we can go and get into trouble with! (This only applies to Mr Oh. Obvs.) ….
First off is the Skyliner, we were amazed at the amount of the pylons that were being built when we were there in 2018, it seemed that they were popping up like weeds! Even cast members were saying they were impressed. And trust us that takes some doing. If you are lucky enough to be staying at a Skyliner resort you can literally fly to the parks! A fun to do is the “Skyliner crawl” – this involves getting on the Skyliner and stopping at each resort and having a drink and a snack, or maybe two?… go mad, its your holiday after all.. it starts at the Art of Animation and Pop Century Resort going onto the lovely Caribbean Beach Resort (whoever is staying there you are lucky, lucky people!) you can get to Hollywood Studios from here Caribbean Beach or carry on to the Riviera resort and onto Epcot. So there are plenty of things to eat and drink AND do while you are flitting about, so whether you wanna stop at Banana Cabana for a rum based cocktail or you are looking at a special meal at Topolino’s Terrace you will be bang on the money. Have fun you lucky folks!
After our last stay we re-fell in love with Disney Springs. This place will always hold a special place in our hearts as when we were there last we told the kids that we were getting married (while we were sat outside Raglan Road Irish pub!) that afternoon was magic. As was the whole holiday. This place has changed dramatically since we first went, it was known as Downtown Disney with the shopping section called the Market Pace. Over the years, they (Disney) have totally reimagined the whole ‘town’. It’s a fantastic place with something for everyone, from Dinosaur themed restaurant T-REX, to the high end steak house STK. There are coffee bars, ice cream parlours and shops galore. When we first went (many moons ago..) you could walk around it in an hour or so, but now you can spend several days there and still not see or do everything you want.
If its a rainy day in Orlando, and they do have them, Disney Springs has a cinema, a bowling alley and the VR suite called ‘The Void’, where you are either Wreck it Ralph smashing your way through the internet or as a Resistance fighter against the First Order. Either way it’s a brilliant way to spend a few hours. (Also if Mr Oh goes missing one afternoon Mrs Oh will know where to find him as the hotel Is VERY near to the Void)… the bowling alley is called Splitsville, its a very cool 1950’s looking style alley with a restaurant on site that does some cracking sundaes. As you are walking about you will notice the new food trucks that are parked up, they sell some mouth watering options, there is a Mac and Cheese truck, Tacos and Cookie dough and everything sweet. These delicious treats have to be eaten to be believed! And please don’t start us on the cart that sells different flavours of Churros…we’ll be here all day drooling.
The last bit about Disney Springs is the new NBA experience, this is on the site of the old Disney Quest. You can shoot hoops and try your luck against some of the biggest names in the NBA. It also helps that there are several new bars and restaurants adjacent to it… the brand new one is called City Works, Pour House. There are many, many beers and draught drinks available along with an extensive menu. So its safe to say we WILL be trying this place out..
We cannot write about the things we are looking forward to trying without mentioning Black Spire Outpost!! (Omg omg omg omg, Mr Oh) now fully opened this immersive experience is a step above anything that has been done by WDW in a long while. From Smugglers Run, to Rise of the Resistance – these rides are a game changer in the theme park world. A full size Millennium Falcon for photo ops and the blue and green milk for sale will be enough to melt any die hard Star Wars fan. There are several restaurants from the Ronto Roasters to Oga’s Cantina (and we booked Oga’s last week!). We are loving, while watching MANY hours of vlogs from different people, is the way the cast members interact with you. Depending on whether you are for the First Order or for the Resistance they will chat with you in different ways. Exciting eh!?
Gotta move on or we’ll be writing about STAR WARS all day!! (No bad thing says Mr Oh)…
So…still in Hollywood Studios we will be getting on the new ride the Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway which replaced the Great Movie Ride. Now we know this divides a lot of people but we do think that it really needed a ‘new’ attraction. (Mrs Oh! Is outraged by this but the way – she loved the The Great Movie Ride). It was ok…(in Mr Oh’s opinion, but as Mrs Oh is always pointing out what does he know!), but it was getting pretty tired. And after all WDW have to move with the times. We know there was a massive outcry when they closed this but onwards and upwards! The ride will be one of the first to be themed to Mickey and Minnie. You will be immersed in the ‘cartoon’ world of the famous mice via a train-like ride. From what we’ve seen it looks like its going to be using the same-ish layout of the The G.M.R. but all the scenes will be with Mickey and Minnie and friends. Not long until this opens so we’ll keep you informed as and when it does and we’ll pass on any links etc that may be useful to you all.
Over at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure its all go as well. Lots and lots of work happening everywhere. It seems like all of the parks have all of a sudden decided to say “right – get painting, building and make it sparkle!!” There is lots of stuff happening over at Islands of Adventure there is massive work happening at the rear of the Jurassic park section. The ‘Velocicoaster’ or ‘project 791’ as its known as locally, is a huge coaster that is the process of being built. It will cross the rear of the Discovery Centre and out into the lagoon. No word has yet been given on what type of ride this will be OR of the name. The “Velocicoaster” as its been nicknamed has rumoured to be a chase through the jungle, something akin to the feel of the last 2 films. We are so looking forward to this. In the past few Years Universal have seemed to go towards the 3D/ virtual reality coasters/rides. Don’t get us wrong, when you go on these they blow you away, but they cannot in our opinion beat the feel of a really coaster such as the Hulk or Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket. We could ride those two alone all the day long and still go home happy!! Fun little fact for you, we once went on the Hulk 5 times in a row. Yep, 5 times. No queue or messing. Right off and right back on again. After the 5th time Mr Oh! had to sit on the little wall outside with a bottle of water and wait till he went a normal shade again. Instead of green – like the Hulk! That being said it was a blooming fantastic way to spend 40 mins….
We love the meet and greets at all the parks, and Universal is up there with the best for interacting with fans. Mr Oh!bonce queued to see Spider-Man, it was him and about 30 kids. What we loved about Spidey is the way he was chatting with the children, he spoke Spanish, French, German, English and Italian. All the kids loved him!! He asked Mr Oh how he got his hair so spiked and how it stayed up in the heat in Florida! He said “do you use web shooters as well??” Brilliant. If you get chance check him out. The best encounter we had was with Captain America!! He rode in on his superhero trike and parked right by us. Mr Oh! at this point was as giddy as a fool..and when Cap turned round and shook his hand and said “how ya doing son, glad to see you today” he nearly fainted. (I didn’t wash my hand for 3 days after that – just kidding, Mrs Oh! Would not have allowed that!) The look on the kids faces when they walk up to the characters is what makes it all worthwhile. So a little tip for you, is when you are in the Superhero Island section and you hear a warning siren go off don’t be alarmed, the heroes are arriving! Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Storm and Jean Grey. You can also see the villains. Doctor Doom is always out and about along with the Green Goblin. Worth waiting around for. And if you ask one of the lovely cast members they will normally give you a heads up as to when they will be popping out.
Now, Mrs Oh! and I have an addiction to admit to. Shopping. We cannot help it… we love the outlet malls and all that they offer, we love a good bargain as much as the next person! Mrs Oh! has to be physically pulled out of the Forever 21 and Victoria’s Secret outlets!! And the same goes for Mr Oh! in the Under Armour shops. Happy days. The other malls we love are the Mall at Millennia (the proper posh one) and the Florida Mall. These both offer everything you could possibly need. And lots of stuff you don’t need but you’ll buy it anyway! Florida mall is the mall the locals go to for their shopping etc. It’s a large sprawling complex that is way above what we get in the UK. This is where Mrs Oh! ALWAYS goes for her mid holiday manicure and pedicure, with the prices being way cheaper than at home its a nice mid-break treat for sore feet after all the walking that’s been done and going to be done. And there is a Shake Shack there. OMG. After Ashley and Tiff took us there last time we are hooked!! One of the best burgers we’ve had in the USA in years. And the veggie burgers are an absolute delight. Mrs Oh! was over the moon within hers. And when we found out they were in London on our little trip a few months back we were in there like a shot!!
The Mall at Millennia is the newer one, just off the top of the I-4 not far from Universal, and its a higher end mall, with Gucci and Tag stores. They have a huge Macy’s at one end and a Bloomingdales at the other both great shops. Last visit Mrs Oh! got a a pair of Ralph Lauren shoes for an absolute steal. We still think they priced them wrong to this day! You can browse in Abercrombie and Fitch or J Crew, or wander in Victoria’s Secret. Make sure the Mrs is with you for the last one or you’ll get a few funny looks. We love the one particular restaurant here…the world famous Cheesecake Factory! Oh my days its a treat. Honestly. If you don’t go in there you’ve wasted the flight in our opinion. From huge sharing platters to a vast array of cheesecakes (Snickers cheesecake anyone????) you will not leave here hungry. And most likely you’ll be bringing a doggy bag home for breakfast. We do not judge anyone on this. (Cheeseburger spring rolls with coffee for breakfast?? We’ve all been there).
So, we’ll leave this little missive here. We can and will and do talk about this stuff all day. Any questions etc please don’t hesitate to ask and please feel free to share us on social media and tell all your friends! It helps us to help you. See you all soon!!
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