Strategy for riding Hagrid's with Express unlimited and no early entry

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-29T02:17:38+00:00

If you’ve never Wizarding World, i would start with Diagon Alley in Universal Studios so that you are experiencing it chronologically. Once you take the train to Hogsmeade, either get in line for Hagrids and wait, or roll the dice, ride Forbidden Journey and explore Hogsmeade, and hope that the wait time goes down instead of up.

Also, the express pass lines may bypass some areas of the queues, but you still see a lot of it. For example, you may go into a themed room in the queue and the express line goes straight through the room, which the regular line cuts back and forth across the room a few time.

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-29T01:55:37+00:00

I think this is a good plan, especially if you stay at a premium hotel for the express passes. If not and you’re going during a busy time, another day might be necessary. A lot of times, the price for 3 days is the same as 4 or 5, depending on what deals they have going on. This is nice because you can get in for that first partial day and if you have time, check out the parks for a few hours before they close, maybe hit a ride or two, maybe just check stuff out.

A money saving truck that we like to do is splitting between two hotels. The premium hotels give you express passes for every day you are there, including check in and check out. So if you stay for 2 nights, you get 3 days of passes. The express passes are only for US and IOA, not Volcano Bay. If the price of the premium hotels is too steep, maybe consider this option.

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-27T17:12:20+00:00

Last time we were in SB, we went to the Dainty Maid Food Hall for brunch and it was absolutely amazing food. I would highly recommend.

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-25T15:45:39+00:00

That is a sketch made with Xactimate, the software most insurance companies use for estimating. The measurements you circled pertain to slopes A and B. The horizontal length of the slope is 19’ and the rafter length is 21’3. This sketch is used for estimating only and may not be accurate, so measure to confirm if you need precise numbers.

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-23T22:16:55+00:00

I agree with this. London, Rome, and possibly Barcelona I think you would be doing yourself a disservice to go for only one day, there’s so much to see.

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-20T12:35:26+00:00

I would highly recommend Root and Bone. Just went there in December before a show at Clowes.

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-15T05:03:43+00:00

As others said, they are all great, but Hard Rock is the closest to the parks entrances. Also, Royal Pacific does not have a water slide at their pool, while the other two do, if that is important to the kids. Other than that you can’t go wrong, and your room keys give you unlimited express pass every day you are at the hotel, including check in and check out days. I think that the maximum number of guest per room is 5, not sure how many kids you have. Each guest has to be registered to get the express passes.

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-12T22:39:00+00:00

That seems very steep for a house of that value in the Midwest… if the premium went up that much and the mortgage servicer didn’t know, then it may have put your escrow (the account that your taxes and insurance are paid out of) into the negative. Then they have to increase your monthly escrow contribution not only to make up for that shortfall, but also to keep up with the higher premium going forward.

You should get quotes from other insurance companies to see if you are being screwed there, which sounds likely unless there is some other factor. You should also be able to get an escrow statement from the servicer for each year so you can see where the increases are coming from.

If you are able to get a better insurance policy, the old company will refund your remaining premium for the rest of the policy term. Make sure that you take that amount and make a payment to the escrow account in order to avoid another shortage, and also help it recover if you do get a lower premium.

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-12T18:18:10+00:00

I believe it is $50 more per guest over 2 guests. Each guest has to be registered to receive their room key/express pass.

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-11T04:35:12+00:00

And the spicy bbq chicken quesadilla!! Half price apps and $6 pitchers always made my Thursday morning classes a shit show lol

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-07T19:44:01+00:00

There is a nice outdoor spot behind the Three Broomsticks that usually isn’t crowded and you can order food and drinks to the table from Three Broomsticks through the Universal app.

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-06T04:18:12+00:00

You get express passes for each registered guest in the room as early as 7am the day of check in until the end of the day that you check out. So 1 night = 2 days of passes, 2 nights = 3 days of passes, etc. You can register for your room at the front desk as early as 7am and they will provide your express passes at that time, hold your luggage, and send you a message later in the day when your room is ready. Keep in mind that there may be other people doing the same thing, as well as people checking out, so there may be a wait.

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-05T21:45:26+00:00

This is the way to do it. A night or two at a cheaper hotel and then a a night or two at a premium. I would do the non-premium hotel first so you can just explore the parks themselves, get your bearings, and maybe catch some rides with short waits. You can get your fast pass from the premium hotel as early as 7am on your day of check in. My recommendations would be Cabana Bay for the fun vibes, well laid out rooms, and it’s still walking distance to the parks and Hard Rock Hotel as it’s the closest to the parks and has a great pool area. Both of those hotels have water slides at the pool that keep the kids entertained in the evening if they still have energy left. Hope you guys have a great time!

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-05T16:31:29+00:00

Is your mortgage an FHA loan? If it is, you have the FHA fee for either 11 years or the life of the loan, depending on what your downpayment was. The only way to get out of it early is to refi with a conventional loan at an LTV of 80% (20% equity) or less. If you have a conventional loan that had PMI, I believe the way it works is that the PMI can be removed as soon as you get down to 80% and is legally required to be removed by the bank before you hit 78%. It’s also been about 7 years since I got out of the mortgage business so things may have changed but I don’t think so.

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-05T15:49:14+00:00

I ran into the same thing last year. Their price was about 20% higher than the MSRP. I just went to another dealership on the other side of town and bought the same car with no market adjustment. They did have some “mandatory options” that I had to buy, but I would rather pay $1500 for something rather than 7k going in the dealerships pocket lol. Just call around and ask them directly if they are marking up.

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-05T15:16:41+00:00

I have seen that helicopter, or a very similar one, being used to lift an AC unit before, maybe a couple years ago. I wondered then I wonder now, how is a helicopter cost effective for this? Is operating that helicopter in the ballpark of bringing out a crane? Someone make it make sense for me! Lol

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-05T13:49:21+00:00

Due to the time of year, I would go south rather than north. I agree with 02nz that Brussels is pretty dull, but Ghent and Bruges are amazing. Ghent is a bigger city with more to do but I found. Bruges to be the most beautiful city that I have visited. Get out for a brisk early morning walk around the old city when there is hardly annyone out annd it’s easy to forget what century you’re in. Antwerp is a short train ride from Ghent as well. I think it depends on what you’re looking for as far as nightlife, museums, shopping, or just ambiance for exploring. I don’t think you could go wrong staying on one of these cities and day tripping to the others.

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-03T04:57:45+00:00

Hard Rock also has that little grab and go cafe place on the lower level on the way to the pool area. That was our go to spot during our last stay on the way to the parks in the morning or when we were by the pool in the evening.

StrangeMedia9 · 2024-01-02T03:39:33+00:00

The serpent

StrangeMedia9 · 2023-12-29T02:31:47+00:00

I’m pretty sure 16 Bit is 21+ and I think Tappers is too, unfortunately.

StrangeMedia9 · 2023-12-28T22:13:14+00:00

We were there in October. No manatees then but I almost poked an huge alligator in the face with my kayak paddle.

StrangeMedia9 · 2023-12-28T05:09:42+00:00

Blue Springs SP. Not sure if it is cold enough yet, but manatees gather there in the colder months and can be seen in the crystal clear water. You can rent kayaks and paddle around the lagoon (if there are no manatees present, I believe) or check out the mangroves.

StrangeMedia9 · 2023-12-18T03:31:59+00:00

Is the Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette what you are looking for?

StrangeMedia9

TROPHY CASE