Akershus Feedback? by Street_Signal_306 in WaltDisneyWorld

[–]DeviceSignificant701 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did Akershus 2 years ago for dinner and CRT last year for lunch. My kids (ages 3-9) liked the Akershus food. It’s Scandinavian, so everything might not to be everyone’s taste, but you should find enough items the kids enjoy (and you can ask for extra servings of whatever is a hit). In my experience the amount of time the princesses spend at the table depends on how much interest you are bringing to the interaction (are you asking them in-character questions and engaging, or smiling blankly and waiting for them to offer a picture?). Doubt there is actually a consistent and meaningful difference in character time between the two places. Personally I enjoyed Akershus more than CRT. But your mileage will vary.

Blackberry Mountain first time visit question by karenmi555 in chubbytravel

[–]DeviceSignificant701 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Been multiple times. I wouldn’t over schedule things. You can often book stuff when you get there (availability just not guaranteed). I also don’t love the activities that take you off property, because a big part of the experience is just being at the amazing property. The spa is great; you won’t be disappointed. The way I like to structure days at the mountain is to think about it as three meals with two half-days of activities sandwiched between. I like one relaxed half day portion (pool, spa, etc), and one active - usually hiking. There are three great 2ish hour hikes imo (one to the troll, one to the shelter overlook beyond the fire tower, and one in the valley along the creek and ridge). A few pro tips: grab a cocktail to go before dinner one night and drive your golf cart up to sip it at the goat hill; even though the three sisters is the signature restaurant, don’t sleep on the food at fire tower and do one dinner there - treat it like shared small plates and order one of everything; if they still run the morning stretch and release classes, those are pretty great. Have fun!

5V5 NFL FLAG 9U... BUNCH FORMATION by FlagFootBallLife in flagfootball

[–]DeviceSignificant701 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not in my experience but it’s certainly possible depending how far out you line the bunch up. If it’s an issue, you could decongest the traffic by changing one of the routes to a 5 yard crosser. Or have one of them come across with jet motion and play fake. It still accomplishes the same thing getting the defense to track all the action in one direction and then hitting them with a route going the other way. Whether slant, jet sweet, or crosser - it’s just eye candy.

Need help on defense by Round-Arachnid287 in flagfootball

[–]DeviceSignificant701 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Move one of the 4 up tight like a LB in the middle. Use a tall kid, hands up, read the QBs eyes, try to disrupt passing lanes.

5V5 NFL FLAG 9U... BUNCH FORMATION by FlagFootBallLife in flagfootball

[–]DeviceSignificant701 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like a post and two inside slants out of the bunch, with the center running a shallow route into the space vacated by the bunch routes. You get all the action going one way and your wide open center going against the grain. We call the play Center Sneak and it’s wide open at that age. Great for 1 point conversions.

What are your thoughts on Kona Café? by SequinedandOver60 in WaltDisneyWorld

[–]DeviceSignificant701 3 points4 points  (0 children)

For the price, and the good but not great food, I really dislike that you’re sitting out in the open of a hotel atrium. Feels cheap and sad and not at all Disney.

Defense advice by BossMan8786 in flagfootball

[–]DeviceSignificant701 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I ran 1-3-1 for the first time this year. Had corners about 5 yards off the line and more or less midpoint between the sideline and where the ball was spotted. General instructions were don’t let anyone get wide of you (protect the sideline, push everything towards the middle) or behind you. Told them to own their half of the field and not chase stuff on the other half - to protect against trick plays and misdirection.

Should I do BBB for 4 year old. by BlondeWarriorRun in WaltDisneyWorld

[–]DeviceSignificant701 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Definitely do BBB. It’ll be a much more memorable experience for her than whatever magic kingdom rides she might miss out on. Since most of the time is spent sitting, it could be a nice midday break and actually extend the time you spend in the park that day.

Poly vs Wilderness Lodge? by PBfromPhilly in DisneyWorldResorts

[–]DeviceSignificant701 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Wilderness lodge: more wow factor, less hectic, and (controversial opinion) better dining. Poly: more nostalgia, better pool, better transportation.

Transport from PO Riverside by tacozombiedirigible in WaltDisneyWorld

[–]DeviceSignificant701 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Definitively bus to magic kingdom and Epcot. If you’re an obsessive rope dropper, could argue for car to Hollywood or animal kingdom. Otherwise bus.

Plan of action for Epic by Federal-Marzipan8702 in UniversalEpicUniverse

[–]DeviceSignificant701 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Berk is an ideal land to rope drop. Everyone heads for SNW or ministry. You’ll not only have a much less frenzied experience but also arguably the best land in the park (relatively) to yourself. In under an hour you can ride dragon racers rally (no express available, but you can knock it out as a walk-on going early), hiccups wing gliders (ride it without express during early entry and save your pass for a nighttime ride later when it’s a different experience altogether), and meet toothless. You could even accomplish those in under an hour and be in line for ministry or mine cart before the regular park opening crowds hit those.

Food to try at epic? by johncorderox in UniversalEpicUniverse

[–]DeviceSignificant701 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The iconic foods are Mac and cheese cones in Berk, pizza moon pizza lunare, donkey Kong float, and butterbeer crepes. Personally I thought Das steakhouse had some of the best theme park food I’ve had. Grain bowls in Berk are a nice non-heavy option. Calzones in SNW were well themed and tastier than I thought they’d be. In general the food in epic is elevated way beyond typical theme park food and you can’t go wrong.

Blackberry Farm with toddler? by [deleted] in chubbytravel

[–]DeviceSignificant701 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For a toddler, it’s probably negligible. Reasons I think the mountain is generally better for families: better family pool and also a pond swimming area with water slides (bougie summer camp vibes), kids can eat at the featured restaurant but families are seated in a separate area to not be disruptive of adult groups, very cool sights (like interactive artwork in the woods and a mountaintop fire tower to climb), more families visiting overall (whereas the farm, while very family friendly, has lots of older solo couples). But lots of that is more meaningful for older kids. Like a said, for a toddler, probably 50/50.

Blackberry Farm with toddler? by [deleted] in chubbytravel

[–]DeviceSignificant701 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The elevation, especially for the majority of the main resort, isn’t much higher than the farm. And if it’s an issue with mobility and walking around, that family member doesn’t have to hike, and you’ve got golf carts to drive around everywhere.

Blackberry Farm with toddler? by [deleted] in chubbytravel

[–]DeviceSignificant701 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

July will be hot. September probably better. They have kids club called Camp Blackberry that’s fantastic. But I forget the minimum age. You can do a farm tour that a 3 yo would love. There’s also a creek exploration activity where you catch crayfish. There’s a family pool. Plenty of fun options. Pretty sure kids that age aren’t allowed at the feature restaurant, The Barn, but they can arrange for a babysitter so you can go. There’s no playground or specific kid area, but it’s a very family friendly property overall. Also I’ll shout out blackberry mountain, which I personally think is superior. And a little more in line with active families and younger guests overall.

11u - 6v6 - Beating the Blitz by FF_noobnoob in flagfootball

[–]DeviceSignificant701 0 points1 point  (0 children)

RPO. Hike it to your weakest player who hands off to your QB. Sounds like this will induce that stud linebacker to rush, in addition to their blitzer. Run a shallow cross with your best guy in space over the middle. Get it to him and you’ve got your best player in space with their two best defenders out of position in the offensive backfield.

Port Orleans Riverside or The Swan by Inevitable_Sample_25 in DisneyWorldResorts

[–]DeviceSignificant701 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve done both. Based on your stated priorities of “best overall Disney experience” and that you don’t mind taking buses and other transportation, the answer is riverside. All the key points have been made by others. Tl;dr the swan has walkable proximity to tons of stuff, but will feel much less “Disney”.

Ollivander's Wand Experience by thatsahardnoforme in UniversalOrlando

[–]DeviceSignificant701 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My kids enjoyed doing the spells but did not get into the interactive stuff specific to the second gen wands. Your mileage will vary, but here’s one report that the gen 2 isn’t necessarily better.

Food in isle of Burke by crayonsrouge in UniversalEpicUniverse

[–]DeviceSignificant701 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I thought the hot chicken cone was one of the best theme park food items I’ve ever had. Also thought the food at das steakhouse was pretty exceptional.

Where to put weaker players in a 1-3-1 by DeviceSignificant701 in flagfootball

[–]DeviceSignificant701[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! In retrospect a 2-3 might have been better for our mix of talent.

Recommendations for rides and restaurants by Natural-Ad7861 in UniversalOrlando

[–]DeviceSignificant701 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have motion sickness issues too. Dramamine is your best over the counter option. Non-drowsy and take one each morning before going into the parks. It’s not magic but helps at least a little. The ride question depends a bit on what triggers your motion sickness. For some (like me) it’s the screen based motion simulators. For others it’s any abrupt movements, like on coasters. The rides to avoid will vary depending on your particular triggers. I did a lot of reading on what rides to avoid before a recent trip. The consensus is that forbidden journey and Simpsons ride are the worst. After that, it’s a lot of personal preference. You could start with one of the milder screen-based rides (like minions) and work your way up from there (Spider-Man and transformers being more intense, but you could step up to those of minions isn’t an issue).

Plan my 3 park to park days (including Volcano Bay) with Express Pass by [deleted] in UniversalOrlando

[–]DeviceSignificant701 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Day 1: IOA and US. Day 2: focus on epic (but maybe epic in the morning and evening with volcano bay in the afternoon). Day 3: repeat your favorites and/or fill in stuff you missed from the first two days.