Monkee

Bit of a long shot but is anyone interested in 2 tickets to see Sam Fender in Finsbury Park on Friday (15 July)? Face value £55 each.

Bought as a birthday present for my nephew who’s apparently “double booked” himself and now I’m stuck with them.

33 minutes ago, Egg Shen said:

I had no idea about the Ten Club thing, should have guessed though, all big shows have those VIP areas these days, well worth the extra money. We were pretty rammed in we were stood originally and could see people just wandering about in the Ten Club area with loads of space, i was very envious.

It was about £60 to upgrade from a standard GA ticket. After being close to the front for Stereophonics (and being at London Film & Comic Con earlier in the day) I was knackered when Pearl Jam came on but I was able to sit up against the rear barriers and watch the screen. I still had a pretty good view of the stage where I was sitting too.

It was such a great atmosphere though. So many random chats with people. I was on my own (unforeseen circumstances) and I loved it. One guy gave me his free Amex water bottle, I gave a woman some plasters as her shoes were rubbing her, and I ended up dancing with a hilarious drunk guy.

15 minutes ago, Arch Stanton said:

Fantastic photos! I was there yesterday too, what a glorious day for it. First time for me seeing Pearl Jam and they absolutely lived up to expectation. I hope I get another chance to see them. 

@Egg Shen Didn't notice any issues with the sound where we were, but then we were fairly close to a speaker tower.

First time seeing Pearl Jam for me too. I was mostly there for Stereophonics but absolutely loved Pearl Jam and Johnny Marr too. I only bought the ticket just over a week ago as I was keeping an eye on the weather.

@Egg Shen I had a GA ticket but when I went to look at merch I saw the upgrades booth. I wanted a Ten Club ticket originally but they’d sold out online so I didn’t mind paying the extra. It was definitely worth it.

I also had no issue with sound. The Rolling Stones a couple of weeks ago sounded amazing and I’ve been to a few Hyde Park gigs over the years without issue. Although, having said that, I’ve been lucky with weather every time I’ve been so I’ve no idea what it’d be like with some wind thrown in.

Saw Johnny Marr, Stereophonics and Pearl Jam at Hyde Park earlier and absolutely bloody loved it all. What a fantastic day.

Really pleased with my photos too. Wish I’d taken my proper camera when I saw the Rolling Stones a couple of weeks ago. These were taken with a little digital camera with a brilliant zoom.

7 hours ago, HarmonicGenerator said:

I did not choose a lanyard so it’s a mere £4.50 delivery for me. I clicked past all those optional things for fear the tickets would disappear - got on at about 17.15 so think I was just in time for the 4days. 

I think with 2023 being the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi, Ewok delivery is a given.

I got onto the site at 6.25pm and the Jedi and 4-day tickets were sold out. By the time I messaged my friend to tell her the pricing for Saturday tickets then went back to the website it said they’d sold out. I refreshed a couple of times hoping a few would be re-released and I was lucky.

I didn’t dare mess around with the extras though in case I lost the tickets. I wasn’t really bothered about the lanyards/pins, etc. though so if didn’t matter.

You and @johnnyboymust be rolling in it to get 4 x single tickets though! I was gritting my teeth at just the Saturday.

Just now, johnnyboy said:

Yay!  I imagine we'll be there all day everyday with me in my official role as cosplay accessory lugger.

I need to upgrade my cosplay from the last SWC in London. At least I have until April to get it done.

Just now, johnnyboy said:

Celebration tickets purchased.  Now to stock up on greeny brown body paint for my Jabba cosplay.

Literally just posted in the other thread. Got 2 tickets for Saturday.

Just got 2 Saturday tickets for Star Wars Celebration next year. Anyone else going?

On 6/2/2022 at 12:10 PM, Accident Prone said:

Off to Slam Dunk tomorrow…

I’m going too but mainly for Alexisonfire. My mate got free tickets and I’m only 20 mins away so we’re heading up later this afternoon.

On 5/5/2022 at 7:37 PM, PunkStep said:

How long have the queues been for some of the big rides, eg Velocicoaster?

We got to Islands of Adventure around 10-ish and it was about 45mins for the Velocicoaster so it really wasn’t too bad. We got a Special Assistance Pass though as my friend can’t stand in line for long periods of time so it’s like a virtual queue. Hagrid’s was quite long (maybe 60-90mins) and Gringott’s was a bit shorter (about 60 mins) from what we can remember.

Rise of the Resistance was longer (maybe 90-120mins) and Smuggler’s Run was a bit shorter but then we were at Hollywood Studios on May the 4th and it was busy.

The Lighting Lanes and paid-for LLs have been really useful though and, once we got the hang of it, really easy to use too. We managed to stack a few throughout the day. The trick is to get the one you want as early in the day as possible because once you’ve done it then you can book another. You can stack two at the same time too in some cases depending on the times you want.

Today we did Epcot and got Test Track for 11.30am (booked at 7am, went back to sleep) and then at 11am we could book another one so we got Mission: Space for 12pm which meant that we came off one and went straight on the next. Staying on-site has definitely helped get LLs for the most popular rides but no idea what’s left at 9am if you’re off-site.

6 hours ago, johnnyboy said:

Coming round the corner and seeing the Falcon for the first time is a feeling I never want to forget.  She's definitely got it where it counts.

I actually got choked up on RotR and felt a bit overwhelmed. Can’t remember how to do spoiler tags but it’s where it opens out into the massive hangar.

Also, I’ve taken so many photos it’s unreal, especially yesterday. My nephew’s a huge Star Wars fan and follows me on Instagram (@engyles) so I wanted to show him everything.

We went to Hollywood Studios today for May the 4th. It wasn’t as busy as I thought it would be - busy but not shoulder to shoulder. Galaxy’s Edge was incredible. I think I just looked mad the entire time with a permanent face of wonder. It’s insanely hot today though and not many places to shade (only complaint) but we had a great time. Got LLs for both Smuggler’s Run and Rise of the Resistance, the latter being my favourite of the two. We tried the blue milk and green milk too, I preferred the blue and could’ve drunk a gallon of the stuff today.

As it’s so hot we left the park at 5pm to get back to the pool. We’ve got another day at HS booked for next week so we’ll do the rest of the park then. Absolutely loved today though, I felt like a kid in awe of it all 😁

I forgot to mention we got a free upgrade at Cabana Bay to a junior suite (just because I asked) and it’s a really nice room. Has a small living area with mini kitchen. Not that we’ve used any of it as we’ve been out at the parks the whole time.

We’ve done Universal Studios, Volcano Bay and Islands of Adventure. IoA yesterday meant riding the Velocicoaster for the first time and it was amazing! It’s probably the fastest coaster I’ve ever been on and it was just brilliant - I loved it! The queue was a lot shorter than expected too.

We also did Hagrid’s motorbike ride (my friend’s favourite of the day) and that was great too. Didn’t expect some of the bits that happened (won’t give it away) and really loved the theming.

We’re having a day off today as we’re absolutely knackered - not used to so much excitement and walking after 2 years doing not much at all! So it’s a pool day and then we move to Pop Century tomorrow so we have to pack up tonight.

Apart from the convenience of being so close to the parks, I’m not sure I’d stay here again if I’m honest. It’s a lovely hotel but I don’t think there are any stand-out extras that make it worth the money. I’m glad we tried it out though, definitely something you have to do at least once.

Arrived at Cabana Bay yesterday and I’m very impressed so far. The theming is fantastic - I love the 1950s vibe everywhere. The diner is great but it appears to serve the same thing every day so we won’t be eating there regularly. We love the refillable cups though and a bargain at $18 did our whole stay. Definitely worth it!

We’ve spent today at the pool to acclimatise and we’re off to Universal Studios tomorrow. We’ve never had breakfast in a park - always had breakfast before driving but as we’re so close we thought we’d change it up - and have decided on the TODAY Cafe as the menu looks really good.

Aural Pleasure

@johnnyboyThose shoes are amazing! Wish I’d seen those before ordering these yesterday:

I couldn’t decide between the 3 so I ordered them all to see which ones I like before sending two pairs back. I need some theme park shoes for Florida. Only thing is, the bottom two are canvas so won’t be good in the rain so I might end up sending them back if I’m not in love with them right away.

Bands like The Damned (already mentioned), X-Ray Spex, Television, Siouxie and The Banshees, New York Dolls, Bad Religion and Black Flag are classic punk bands. You can’t go wrong with those and you’ll probably find at least one track from them featured on punk compilation albums.

Bit more modern ones - and my favourites - are Rancid, The Vandals and (perhaps a bit more ska than punk) The Living End. Modern punk can sometimes be a bit over-produced in comparison to 70s/80s punk and be more punk-rock/punk-ska but can be a good introduction to the genre.

1 hour ago, johnnyboy said:

Eating your dinner in the castle surrounded by princesses is fantastic fun.  Big fan of dessert parties too as you get a good spot saved while you're eating enough chocolate puddings to put an entire village into a diabetic coma.

I did the Star Wars Dessert Party at Hollywood Studios the last time we were there and that was fantastic. I’m looking forward to the MK version.

We’re also going to Hollywood Studios on May 4th so I’m hoping that turns out to be a good choice at Galaxy’s Edge. If not, we have another day pencilled in just in case.

Thanks @Hannibal Scorch, CRT is something my mate really wants to do but it sounds like a good experience. We’ve never really done any proper dining at any of the parks before, just grabbed a burger or something as we go along. I’m just really looking forward to exploring more of the Disney resort that we’ve not done before. I want to go to the Boardwalk and that sort of thing. Disney Springs has also massively expanded and we didn’t get to explore it properly the last time we were there.

We’re now <60 days out and have “booked” everything we wanted to including park reservations and dining - got lunch at Cinderella’s Castle, lunch at Yak & Yeti in Animal Kingdom, dinner at Space 220 and a dessert party for the Magic Kingdom fireworks.

I’m leaving all the Genie+ and the Lightning Lanes stuff to my mate as I just don’t understand it all. I get a mental block every time she tries to explain it to me and I’m pretty sure it’s not that complicated.

Am I right in thinking that if you want to get a Lightning Lane it has to be done on the day at they open at 7am (on-site guests)?

1 hour ago, johnnyboy said:

Snap!  Disney spreadsheets are the best spreadsheets.  Early doors I'll even colour code attractions based on preferences before slotting them into my master plan.

 

I like your style! I can’t get down to that level yet until we know what reservation thingies (new FastPasses) on Genie+ we can get.

Realised posting the draft above that we’d missed Kennedy Space Centre so we might pop that into Sat 7th.

Bit disappointed with ‘extra curricular’ stuff going on outside of theme parks this time. We’ve done various sports games, concerts and swimming with manatees before but there’s bugger all on this time. Elton John and The Who are playing but my mate’s not arsed. And we looked at getting tickets for the Miami GP (Sunday only) but they’re only doing full weekend tickets and the prices are extortionate.

21 hours ago, PunkStep said:

Lego Land looks fucking shite in fairness. Looks like a fraction of the park we have over here at Windsor. 

Will give the Universal water park a miss, seeing as we can (and will) go to Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach as part of our passes, even if the Universal one looks better. Was initially going to pick Seaworld over Busch Gardens, but starting to reconsider that. Kennedy Space Centre possibly if we have time. 

@Monkeewhat do you use to play your itinerary? Is there an app you like to use, or are you just going old school and using some sort of diary?

Blizzard Beach is closed for refurbishment at the moment so you might need to keep an eye on when it’s reopening.

I love a spreadsheet so I usually do it in Excel. Make it look like a calendar and have a list of what you want to do. Start plonking them in and you can see if you’re overdoing it or have space to squeeze in another park. We tend to try and do park > pool/water park > park > shopping/sightseeing > park > pool/wp, etc. 

Some years we’ve been there we wanted to so much we ended up doing 2 parks a day (hopper) or parks back-to-back and we were knackered.

When we’ve finalised the itinerary I usually print a couple off in A5 size and then we stick one to the mirror in the hotel room. That way we know what we’re doing and, if something comes up like the weather’s shit, we know we can do a quick re-jig.

Forgot I had this on my phone. Here’s the current draft. We can’t make dinner reservations yet so they’re on standby.

Raven’s right. At the moment (including water parks) you have 3 Universal parks, 6 Disney, 2 SeaWorld (excluding Discovery Cove), Busch Gardens, Lego Land and of course Kennedy Space Centre if you want to go out that far.

If you did all of those that’s 14 days non-stop and the cost of a kidney, third mortgage and the soul of your first born child.

You have to plan ahead if you don’t want to be completely overwhelmed when you get there. We finished our itinerary last night and have now got all the park reservations done. We can’t do any dining reservations for another 3 weeks yet and we have to work out what rides we want to book on Genie/Genie+ as well.

I think I’d be a wreck just turning up and not having a clue about everything there is to do and see.

47 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

@Monkeei absolutely loved Cabana Bay.  Just loved the goofy vibe. Apparently has a lazy river but I wasn’t there for long enough to find out. It’s a good mirror to Pop Century in terms of theming as well.

We’ve wanted to stay at Cabana Bay since it opens as the theming just looks so cool. And we were originally booked into Art of Animation but it was full or something so we were moved to Pop Century. We’ve never done on-site hotels before either (except DLP), always stayed in Kissimmee, but we’ve gone all out on this. It replaces a 3-week West Coast road trip we were meant to do in 2020. 

All being good, I’m heading to Florida in 9 weeks (69 days but not counting the seconds or anything). We’re doing 6 nights at Cabana Bay and 11 nights at Pop Century.

We’re just in the process of looking at Genie and Genie+ now as I think we need to book/reserve soon. I used to get confused with FastPasses so I’m leaving all of that to my mate to sort out. The whole park reservation thing is a ball ache too. You have to book which park you want to do on what day and, if you want to park hop, you can’t do it until after 2pm.

All of these hidden extras are very annoying - it makes it difficult to plan, it’s more expensive and spontaneity is impossible - remember the days of being able to just swap out a park for tomorrow if it’s raining today?

I’m really looking forward to going though. My trip to New Orleans in Dec put my travel anxieties at ease because it was all actually very straightforward. The VeriFLY app made it simple and the worst thing was having to wear a mask the entire flight but then I slept for most of the way (crap film choices) so it didn’t really matter.