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snogged*Disclaimer: I did not go to Sea World or Disney nor did I putt-putt golf. :P
Wednesday
My sister Mary drove my mom, dad, and I to the airport and all those airplane travel bits when fine. I had to go through one of those full body scanners though and that was fine...but it also...weird.
We arrived in Orlando about 2.5 hours later and were made to feel like rock stars. Mom and I had researched our options for transportation (since we didn't get a rental car) and found out the hotel we stayed at offered a shuttle service. The shuttle driver met us by the information desk holding up a sign with mom's name on it. We were also the only clan on the shuttle. After we checked in, we wandered down the street in search of dinner. We settled on Red Lobster because I've never been there. It was delicious. People are not kidding about the addictive qualities of Cheddar Bay Biscuits.
When we got back to the hotel, mom and I checked out the pool and I taught her some shallow water aerobics.
Thursday
We hopped on the 8 am shuttle from our hotel to Universal. Once we got through the turnstiles and navigated our way through City Walk, I started geeking out pretty significantly because today was "Wizarding World of Harry Potter Day." We walked to the back of the park and realized we had about an hour to spend before our breakfast reservation at the Three Broomsticks. The line for the Dragon Challenge roller coasters was ridiculously short (I walked right on the blue coaster after I navigated the mazes) so my parents chilled out on some benches while I did that. We wandered through the shops: Zonko's, Honeydukes, Dervish and Bange's, and Zilch's Emporium. I made some mental notes about what I was going to buy since I figured it was easier to wait until the end of the day to buy stuff. Then, we went to the Three Broomsticks and got breakfast. I ordered the pancake breakfast, which came with three pancakes, bacon, sausage links, and a buttered croissant. I also had pumpkin juice (<3). My mom had butterbeer, which I thought was good, but also felt that it was a tad sweet. After breakfast, we joined the line for "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey." The single rider line option allowed my parents and I to get through pretty fast (in fact, the single rider option often was a shorter route to get on the ride than the $25.00 Express Pases were.) I thought it was a cool ride, but I felt bad because it really aggravated my dad's stomach. He pretty much avoided any ride that moved after that.
In an effort to help my dad out, we headed off to the Lost Continent and checked out Poseidon's Fury (a special effects walking tour) and watched the show, The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad.
Then we went to the Jurassic Park section and mom and I hopped into the single rider line for the Jurassic Park River Adventure. We wound up in the same boat, which was nice, and were just a row apart.
After we grabbed lunch at Burger Digs, we walked into Toon Land and mom convinced me to ride the Blige Rat Barges. It was fun, but I definitely got soaking wet. After Toon Land, we wandered into Superhero Island and I got into the single rider line for the Incredible Hulk Coaster. Definitely my favorite coaster at the park. Then, mom and I went on the Amazing Adventures of Spider-man ride, which was quite fun, even if we had to wait in line for awhile.
From there, we ventured into Seuss's Landing and rode the Cat in the Hat ride and the Caro-Seuss-El. Then, we went back to the Harry Potter part and I rode the red dragon coaster on the Dragon Challenge since the line for that was again, super short.
After that, we did the wand show at Ollivander's (they only took 30 people at a time so there was a wait.) Then, I bought my souvenirs. I got a Gryffindor Quidditch shirt that was styled like a jersey and a Slytherin throw pillow. I do wish I had gotten a few other things, but there's always next time. After shopping, we went back to Seuss's Landing, ate some dinner, and we all rode the High In The Sky Trolly Train Ride. By the time we got back to the hotel, I was exhausted, but it was a really great day!
Friday
Friday was spent at Universal Studios. They had a new roller coaster there called the Hollywood Rip Ride Rock It. For someone who doesn't mind coasters, I admit I had some reservations on this one since the first incline is just about 90°. Dad convinced me to try it, but since mom and him don't ride the high-speed coasters, I found myself in the single rider line. The cool part about the ride was that you got to listen to a song of your choice and there was a part where the track took you through the window of a building. Then, we went to the "Twister: Ride It Out" attraction, which was the same as it was the last time I went to Universal (about a decade ago.) Mom and I rode the "Revenge of the Mummy" coaster and I got to sit in the front row. I definitely dug that coaster quite a bit. After the coaster, we went to the show, "Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue." I thought they put on a good show, but I think I was hoping for a little bit more horror parody instead of the normal songs.
After the show, we got in line for "Disaster: A Major Motion Picture Ride...Starring You!" They were requesting volunteers to shoot some scenes and I was one of three chosen to be an "evil villain." Honestly...what it really was they put us in lab coats and safety helmets and dropped some foam rocks on our heads while telling us to react big. Still...it was pretty cool to get picked as a volunteer.
Mom convinced us all to go see Fear Factor Live despite my protests. Not surprisingly, I loathed it. As soon as they brought out the Food challenge, I was dry heaving up a storm and my mother will attest that if looks could injure, she would not be doing so hot right now. To make up for it, mom waited with me for the Men in Black: Alien Attack Ride and the Simpsons Virtual Roller Coaster ride. Both of which were far superior to the heinous atrocity that is Fear Factor.
After that, we went on the E.T. Adventure, checked out the Animal Actors on Location show, saw a magic show, saw the Horror Make-Up Show. After that show, it was raining a little so we did the Terminator 2 in 3-D attraction. I found that to be kinda "blah." We wound up staying until the park closed and got to see the Universal Cinematic Spectacular, which celebrated 100 years of Universal.
Saturday
We went back to Universal Studios and did a few things we hadn't the day before. We did the Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem attraction as well as Shrek 4-D. Both were quite fun. After that, we watched the Blues Brothers perform and I joined a grapevine. I rode on the Mummy ride some more (three times, in fact.)
Mom and I did the Men In Black ride and the Simpsons again. I was pleased that my score in Alien Attack increased from 13 to 36 because I figured out that the ride was essentially teaching Laser Tag skills.
We saw the Animal Actors show again and I thought it was better the second time. There was a different host and some different animals so maybe that made all the difference.
We checked out the Curious George interactive play area. It was kinda like a mini-water park for kids and I ended up getting wetter than I planned to. After I dried off a bit, mom and I went on the Woody Woodpecker Nuthouse Coaster (i.e. the kid-friendly coaster). We rode the E.T. Adventure again since my dad likes it. I got to pose with the cast of the film, Paranorman (though I wish my dad had taken the pictures on my camera and not his.) We saw the Horror Make-Up Show again, walked through the Lucy-A Tribute exhibit, and watched the Character Parade. When that ended, we left Universal and "wasted away" at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, which is out on the City Walk. I had a Sweet Tea Rita and it was delicious! (It was a mix of tequila, Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, and Sweet Tea.) Then, we caught the airport shuttle and headed back to the hotel. I did a 30 minute walk down at the Fitness Center and mom and I spent some time in the swimming pool before heading back to the room to chill and relax.
Sunday
Our airport shuttle picked us up at 8 am so we got to the airport pretty early. I got myself some Starbucks (Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappe) and a bag of Cheeze-Its to snack on for the plane ride. Then, I immersed myself in my book and pretty much stayed that way until we got off the plane and my sister, Katie and her kids came and picked us up.
I admit that while it does feel pretty good to be home...I really don't want to go to work tomorrow.
Wednesday
My sister Mary drove my mom, dad, and I to the airport and all those airplane travel bits when fine. I had to go through one of those full body scanners though and that was fine...but it also...weird.
We arrived in Orlando about 2.5 hours later and were made to feel like rock stars. Mom and I had researched our options for transportation (since we didn't get a rental car) and found out the hotel we stayed at offered a shuttle service. The shuttle driver met us by the information desk holding up a sign with mom's name on it. We were also the only clan on the shuttle. After we checked in, we wandered down the street in search of dinner. We settled on Red Lobster because I've never been there. It was delicious. People are not kidding about the addictive qualities of Cheddar Bay Biscuits.
When we got back to the hotel, mom and I checked out the pool and I taught her some shallow water aerobics.
Thursday
We hopped on the 8 am shuttle from our hotel to Universal. Once we got through the turnstiles and navigated our way through City Walk, I started geeking out pretty significantly because today was "Wizarding World of Harry Potter Day." We walked to the back of the park and realized we had about an hour to spend before our breakfast reservation at the Three Broomsticks. The line for the Dragon Challenge roller coasters was ridiculously short (I walked right on the blue coaster after I navigated the mazes) so my parents chilled out on some benches while I did that. We wandered through the shops: Zonko's, Honeydukes, Dervish and Bange's, and Zilch's Emporium. I made some mental notes about what I was going to buy since I figured it was easier to wait until the end of the day to buy stuff. Then, we went to the Three Broomsticks and got breakfast. I ordered the pancake breakfast, which came with three pancakes, bacon, sausage links, and a buttered croissant. I also had pumpkin juice (<3). My mom had butterbeer, which I thought was good, but also felt that it was a tad sweet. After breakfast, we joined the line for "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey." The single rider line option allowed my parents and I to get through pretty fast (in fact, the single rider option often was a shorter route to get on the ride than the $25.00 Express Pases were.) I thought it was a cool ride, but I felt bad because it really aggravated my dad's stomach. He pretty much avoided any ride that moved after that.
In an effort to help my dad out, we headed off to the Lost Continent and checked out Poseidon's Fury (a special effects walking tour) and watched the show, The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad.
Then we went to the Jurassic Park section and mom and I hopped into the single rider line for the Jurassic Park River Adventure. We wound up in the same boat, which was nice, and were just a row apart.
After we grabbed lunch at Burger Digs, we walked into Toon Land and mom convinced me to ride the Blige Rat Barges. It was fun, but I definitely got soaking wet. After Toon Land, we wandered into Superhero Island and I got into the single rider line for the Incredible Hulk Coaster. Definitely my favorite coaster at the park. Then, mom and I went on the Amazing Adventures of Spider-man ride, which was quite fun, even if we had to wait in line for awhile.
From there, we ventured into Seuss's Landing and rode the Cat in the Hat ride and the Caro-Seuss-El. Then, we went back to the Harry Potter part and I rode the red dragon coaster on the Dragon Challenge since the line for that was again, super short.
After that, we did the wand show at Ollivander's (they only took 30 people at a time so there was a wait.) Then, I bought my souvenirs. I got a Gryffindor Quidditch shirt that was styled like a jersey and a Slytherin throw pillow. I do wish I had gotten a few other things, but there's always next time. After shopping, we went back to Seuss's Landing, ate some dinner, and we all rode the High In The Sky Trolly Train Ride. By the time we got back to the hotel, I was exhausted, but it was a really great day!
Friday
Friday was spent at Universal Studios. They had a new roller coaster there called the Hollywood Rip Ride Rock It. For someone who doesn't mind coasters, I admit I had some reservations on this one since the first incline is just about 90°. Dad convinced me to try it, but since mom and him don't ride the high-speed coasters, I found myself in the single rider line. The cool part about the ride was that you got to listen to a song of your choice and there was a part where the track took you through the window of a building. Then, we went to the "Twister: Ride It Out" attraction, which was the same as it was the last time I went to Universal (about a decade ago.) Mom and I rode the "Revenge of the Mummy" coaster and I got to sit in the front row. I definitely dug that coaster quite a bit. After the coaster, we went to the show, "Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue." I thought they put on a good show, but I think I was hoping for a little bit more horror parody instead of the normal songs.
After the show, we got in line for "Disaster: A Major Motion Picture Ride...Starring You!" They were requesting volunteers to shoot some scenes and I was one of three chosen to be an "evil villain." Honestly...what it really was they put us in lab coats and safety helmets and dropped some foam rocks on our heads while telling us to react big. Still...it was pretty cool to get picked as a volunteer.
Mom convinced us all to go see Fear Factor Live despite my protests. Not surprisingly, I loathed it. As soon as they brought out the Food challenge, I was dry heaving up a storm and my mother will attest that if looks could injure, she would not be doing so hot right now. To make up for it, mom waited with me for the Men in Black: Alien Attack Ride and the Simpsons Virtual Roller Coaster ride. Both of which were far superior to the heinous atrocity that is Fear Factor.
After that, we went on the E.T. Adventure, checked out the Animal Actors on Location show, saw a magic show, saw the Horror Make-Up Show. After that show, it was raining a little so we did the Terminator 2 in 3-D attraction. I found that to be kinda "blah." We wound up staying until the park closed and got to see the Universal Cinematic Spectacular, which celebrated 100 years of Universal.
Saturday
We went back to Universal Studios and did a few things we hadn't the day before. We did the Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem attraction as well as Shrek 4-D. Both were quite fun. After that, we watched the Blues Brothers perform and I joined a grapevine. I rode on the Mummy ride some more (three times, in fact.)
Mom and I did the Men In Black ride and the Simpsons again. I was pleased that my score in Alien Attack increased from 13 to 36 because I figured out that the ride was essentially teaching Laser Tag skills.
We saw the Animal Actors show again and I thought it was better the second time. There was a different host and some different animals so maybe that made all the difference.
We checked out the Curious George interactive play area. It was kinda like a mini-water park for kids and I ended up getting wetter than I planned to. After I dried off a bit, mom and I went on the Woody Woodpecker Nuthouse Coaster (i.e. the kid-friendly coaster). We rode the E.T. Adventure again since my dad likes it. I got to pose with the cast of the film, Paranorman (though I wish my dad had taken the pictures on my camera and not his.) We saw the Horror Make-Up Show again, walked through the Lucy-A Tribute exhibit, and watched the Character Parade. When that ended, we left Universal and "wasted away" at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, which is out on the City Walk. I had a Sweet Tea Rita and it was delicious! (It was a mix of tequila, Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, and Sweet Tea.) Then, we caught the airport shuttle and headed back to the hotel. I did a 30 minute walk down at the Fitness Center and mom and I spent some time in the swimming pool before heading back to the room to chill and relax.
Sunday
Our airport shuttle picked us up at 8 am so we got to the airport pretty early. I got myself some Starbucks (Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappe) and a bag of Cheeze-Its to snack on for the plane ride. Then, I immersed myself in my book and pretty much stayed that way until we got off the plane and my sister, Katie and her kids came and picked us up.
I admit that while it does feel pretty good to be home...I really don't want to go to work tomorrow.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2012-08-06 01:55 am (UTC)Gabrielle
no subject
on 2012-08-06 02:03 am (UTC)no subject
on 2012-08-06 06:51 am (UTC)no subject
on 2012-08-09 12:36 am (UTC)no subject
on 2012-08-09 12:49 am (UTC)no subject
on 2012-08-06 01:28 pm (UTC)Hope the first day back at work isn't too bad. :)
no subject
on 2012-08-09 12:50 am (UTC)no subject
on 2012-08-06 05:57 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2012-08-09 12:56 am (UTC)I can't seem to get my pictures to load into scrapbook though.
no subject
on 2012-08-06 09:29 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2012-08-09 12:56 am (UTC)no subject
on 2012-08-06 11:53 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2012-08-09 12:57 am (UTC)no subject
on 2012-08-07 01:21 am (UTC)no subject
on 2012-08-09 12:57 am (UTC)no subject
on 2012-08-07 05:04 pm (UTC)I can't believe you had never been to Red Lobster! It's amazing!
no subject
on 2012-08-09 12:57 am (UTC)