Well here we go again...
Pre-trip?
I don't know...
Pre-trip?
I don't know...
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Trip Report englanddg's Getting a bit Enthusiastic Escapade...
- Thread starter englanddg
- Start date
The wait was nonexistent. However, the queue was different...I think, as I noted earlier, it is because we always used the express queue. There are actually some neat scenes to see!
Like, the elevator (that the kid pronounced “fake”)...heh, well, I like the walls!
And the break room!
Or the Oxygen Free Zone!
Or the...whatever this room is...
MIB was fun. She beat me. She also caused the other team to spin three times. Not bad!
I like the free shoot concept better than Space Ranger Spin (well, the version at WDW).
What next?
Simpsons!
The ride was fun, but the film is really starting to show its age. Modern projection is so much sharper. I wonder if they will do any updates on the next refurb? It could use it.
As we exited, I was thankful the kiddo is no longer in the phase where the carnival games fascinate her. These are part of the little “upcharge” things all over Uni that I dislike (like the pay a dollar to squirt people on Rip Saw...).
Disney has them at Dino Land USA as well...I just find them tacky. But, at least with the Krusty theme they “fit”.
We wandered into Springfield.
And I strongly debated...one of these. But, restrained myself.
We popped into Moes to check out the food court, but nothing really appealed to the kid. The Chicken shack was closed. Surprise!
And, on the way out I spotted the taco truck. Mmmm...tacos.
But, the kid knew where she wanted to eat. So we kept on.
As we entered Central Park, it was already done up for the Horror Nights. They actually had one Weds night, but we skipped it.
I bet those pumpkins look really cool lit up though!
We kept along. I like this part of the Park because it is so quiet.
But, we ran straight into the Parade!
And, on the way out I spotted the taco truck. Mmmm...tacos.
But, the kid knew where she wanted to eat. So we kept on.
As we entered Central Park, it was already done up for the Horror Nights. They actually had one Weds night, but we skipped it.
I bet those pumpkins look really cool lit up though!
We kept along. I like this part of the Park because it is so quiet.
But, we ran straight into the Parade!
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krause
Well-Known Member
Loving the detail in your trip report so far!! We are big Universal (especially Harry Potter
️) fans too so I’m loving this bit. How do you make the other car spin in MIB?? All I know is the “press the red button!” trick, and that’s my only real hope at coming close to winning
Last time I was there I sat in the Carnival area while my family rode (I think I was pregnant... although that didn’t keep me from going on the Gringotts ride
) - and I thoroughly enjoyed watching people blow their money on the games there.
She was enjoying the Parade, and we happened to be at the place she wanted to eat (the 50's Diner).
So, we went inside and found a spot to watch the parade from.
She went over to the refill station and got her soda (Soda #3 of the day, 2 more to go and it paid for itself!...which, I'll spare you the update, it did...) And, I picked up our food.
She clucked.
And I got the burger, but upgraded to Onion Rings (extra $2).
The onion rings were quite good. The burger was...merely ok. In fact, it reminded me of...the dinner I had the previous night at Epcot. Though...there was a nice char taste on the burger.
She has such fond memories of this (and other) places because the first two trips to Uni I ended up getting the Dining Plan (force of habit from Disney, I suppose)...only to be disappointed both times. The first year it was extremely limited. Basically you could eat at this place, Seuss Landing, the Comic Strip place and...there was one other, the Chicken place over near New York, I think. The next year they expanded the offerings, and it was a bit of a better deal, but she liked these venues so much we ended up here pretty much every trip at least once (or more than once).
After finishing our meal, she noticed this across the street.
What is that?
I...don't know. Lets go!
It's a show. A pretty funny, really interesting (for the trivia) show...about horror makeup. She...adored it.
After the show we continued down the street. Terminator is closed...permanently shuttered, I think...so there really isn't much else to do on this part of the park outside of shop and get snacks.
She did, however...see this.
"Dad, why does he look like what Chuckie would look like if he was a real boy?"
Of course, she's referring to Chuckie from Child's Play, which she has never seen (that I am aware of). And, she's right. He does.
I thought about how inconvenient whatever this new franchise choice is for Universal, and then it smacked me in the face.
It's Halloween Horror Nights. It IS Chuckie! This is the line of toys he was from.
DOH!
Anyway, it appears they have a little stage here where they do some sort of puppet show. That, could be pretty interesting to watch. But, we are not doing a Horror Night. At least not this trip!
So, we went inside and found a spot to watch the parade from.
She went over to the refill station and got her soda (Soda #3 of the day, 2 more to go and it paid for itself!...which, I'll spare you the update, it did...) And, I picked up our food.
She clucked.
And I got the burger, but upgraded to Onion Rings (extra $2).
The onion rings were quite good. The burger was...merely ok. In fact, it reminded me of...the dinner I had the previous night at Epcot. Though...there was a nice char taste on the burger.
She has such fond memories of this (and other) places because the first two trips to Uni I ended up getting the Dining Plan (force of habit from Disney, I suppose)...only to be disappointed both times. The first year it was extremely limited. Basically you could eat at this place, Seuss Landing, the Comic Strip place and...there was one other, the Chicken place over near New York, I think. The next year they expanded the offerings, and it was a bit of a better deal, but she liked these venues so much we ended up here pretty much every trip at least once (or more than once).
After finishing our meal, she noticed this across the street.
What is that?
I...don't know. Lets go!
It's a show. A pretty funny, really interesting (for the trivia) show...about horror makeup. She...adored it.
After the show we continued down the street. Terminator is closed...permanently shuttered, I think...so there really isn't much else to do on this part of the park outside of shop and get snacks.
She did, however...see this.
"Dad, why does he look like what Chuckie would look like if he was a real boy?"
Of course, she's referring to Chuckie from Child's Play, which she has never seen (that I am aware of). And, she's right. He does.
I thought about how inconvenient whatever this new franchise choice is for Universal, and then it smacked me in the face.
It's Halloween Horror Nights. It IS Chuckie! This is the line of toys he was from.
DOH!
Anyway, it appears they have a little stage here where they do some sort of puppet show. That, could be pretty interesting to watch. But, we are not doing a Horror Night. At least not this trip!
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After the section where you see the other team facing you, and they "turn into aliens", if you look at the top of their ride vehicle there is a flashing red target.Loving the detail in your trip report so far!! We are big Universal (especially Harry Potter
How do you make the other car spin in MIB?? All I know is the “press the red button!” trick, and that’s my only real hope at coming close to winning
Last time I was there I sat in the Carnival area while my family rode (I think I was pregnant... although that didn’t keep me from going on the Gringotts ride
If you hit that target you get a ton of points, and the other team's car spins. After it stops spinning, there is a "reset cycle" of a few seconds before you can hit the target again...but, you can do it multiple times to the other team before the cars are too far out of sync and you can't hit the target anymore.
Alas, as I noted, Terminator is closed. The signage is gone, so I'm fairly sure this attraction is going to find new life as something else.
This doesn't bother me, really. I never liked Terminator very much. But, it does leave this side of the park with very little to do.
Of course, Universal has their own "Brown Derby". Not nearly as posh as the one at Hollywood Studios...but, cuter in it's own way. Funny story, I suppose. I came to MGM and Universal the years they opened, and for the longest time never understood why the Disney Brown Derby wasn't a hat...like the one at Universal. I always assumed it was some landmark from Hollywood, but I thought the Universal depiction was the correct one, not MGM.
I had that backwards.
And, I was dreading this place. But, I found out my kid actually...really doesn't like Hello Kitty (this is a change, she used to love him...yes, him...Hello Kitty is actually a little boy in a cat costume).
So, we headed around the corner and onto Shrek!
I enjoy Shrek a lot, even though it replaced one of my favorite attractions at Universal, which was the Alfred Hitchcock experience. They had unreleased 3D footage of the birds that showed here, and it was really...really...shocking (as I recall it). Imagine if the Birds had actually been 3D. Insane.
You too can get your Duloc Express Pass!
This is another attraction, though, that is showing its age. The 3D isn't all that impressive anymore, and the theater itself seemed to be in rather poor repair when it came to the 4D "effects".
We exited and I asked the kid if she wanted to do Rip Rocket. The answer was...
No.
Emphatic...No.
Amusing because just the day before she was complaining about how she wanted "more thrill rides" when we were at Magic Kingdom, and she was excited because Universal has "the best coasters"....
Well, maybe one day. But, the kid did spot something and...well, I mentioned how she flips between "teen" and "child" sometimes. This was one of those moments.
She had to get her face painted. She even mumbled to herself that "I don't care if it makes me look like a little kid, I wanna do it!"
I don't know where she got the impression from that it makes her "look like a little kid"...nothing I said. But, I know what she means. She used to live and breathe facepainting on previous trips.
Freshly painted, we headed to the next attraction, and ran into Optimus Prime on the way!
I love these characters. I didn't figure out the whole stilts thing, and how simple the costumes really are, the first time I saw them. They are really well done.
I'm not a fan of the Bay style Transformers, but that doesn't stop me from appreciating these guys. Just...impressive.
And, around the corner, we were at our destination...to help the Autobots save the Earth!
This doesn't bother me, really. I never liked Terminator very much. But, it does leave this side of the park with very little to do.
Of course, Universal has their own "Brown Derby". Not nearly as posh as the one at Hollywood Studios...but, cuter in it's own way. Funny story, I suppose. I came to MGM and Universal the years they opened, and for the longest time never understood why the Disney Brown Derby wasn't a hat...like the one at Universal. I always assumed it was some landmark from Hollywood, but I thought the Universal depiction was the correct one, not MGM.
I had that backwards.
And, I was dreading this place. But, I found out my kid actually...really doesn't like Hello Kitty (this is a change, she used to love him...yes, him...Hello Kitty is actually a little boy in a cat costume).
So, we headed around the corner and onto Shrek!
I enjoy Shrek a lot, even though it replaced one of my favorite attractions at Universal, which was the Alfred Hitchcock experience. They had unreleased 3D footage of the birds that showed here, and it was really...really...shocking (as I recall it). Imagine if the Birds had actually been 3D. Insane.
You too can get your Duloc Express Pass!
This is another attraction, though, that is showing its age. The 3D isn't all that impressive anymore, and the theater itself seemed to be in rather poor repair when it came to the 4D "effects".
We exited and I asked the kid if she wanted to do Rip Rocket. The answer was...
No.
Emphatic...No.
Amusing because just the day before she was complaining about how she wanted "more thrill rides" when we were at Magic Kingdom, and she was excited because Universal has "the best coasters"....
Well, maybe one day. But, the kid did spot something and...well, I mentioned how she flips between "teen" and "child" sometimes. This was one of those moments.
She had to get her face painted. She even mumbled to herself that "I don't care if it makes me look like a little kid, I wanna do it!"
I don't know where she got the impression from that it makes her "look like a little kid"...nothing I said. But, I know what she means. She used to live and breathe facepainting on previous trips.
Freshly painted, we headed to the next attraction, and ran into Optimus Prime on the way!
I love these characters. I didn't figure out the whole stilts thing, and how simple the costumes really are, the first time I saw them. They are really well done.
I'm not a fan of the Bay style Transformers, but that doesn't stop me from appreciating these guys. Just...impressive.
And, around the corner, we were at our destination...to help the Autobots save the Earth!
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Swissmiss
Premium Member
Your comments about your daughter flip flopping between young adult has been interesting to me. Mine just turned 13 last week and I've noticed this as well - one minute we're having a surprisingly mature conversation, the next she's cuddling up to me with the stuffed tiger she's had since she was born.
And again, the queue was empty!
We noticed several things in the queue we hadn't seen before that actually set the story up for the ride. Without these experiences in the queue, the ride itself makes a bit less sense.
That said, the ride is basically a knock off of Spiderman, and I don't really enjoy it as much as Spidey.
In the gift shop I noticed these...classic style things. When I get home, I'm going to see if I can find them on Amazon. Very cool. They would look neat on my "memorabilia" shelf in my office.
And the kiddo noticed these. No...no we are not buying jewelry. For the life of me I can't figure out why that charm bracelet is $460! Is it made of All Spark Unobtainium or something?
We wandered into New York and I found a place I had forgotten about, but really want to try. The Irish Pub. See, they have Scotch Eggs.
I love Scotch Eggs.
But, no time tonight, so we skipped by it. Maybe tomorrow...
We have a date with a Mummy.
So, we hopped over to drop our stuff off at the lockers. These lockers are an older style (though still different than the ones that were here when we were here last...they weren't in this building the last time, I don't think?)...
But, being this older style, they didn't use your fingerprint to mark your locker. Rather, they used your park ticket.
We...don't have park tickets. Well, we do, but they are on my phone. I tried scanning it in, but it didn't work.
Seems this happens a lot though, because when I asked the locker attendant (something Universal does do well is keep the locker area staffed if you have issues), and he immediately produced one of these.
Neat!
We noticed several things in the queue we hadn't seen before that actually set the story up for the ride. Without these experiences in the queue, the ride itself makes a bit less sense.
That said, the ride is basically a knock off of Spiderman, and I don't really enjoy it as much as Spidey.
In the gift shop I noticed these...classic style things. When I get home, I'm going to see if I can find them on Amazon. Very cool. They would look neat on my "memorabilia" shelf in my office.
And the kiddo noticed these. No...no we are not buying jewelry.
For the life of me I can't figure out why that charm bracelet is $460! Is it made of All Spark Unobtainium or something?We wandered into New York and I found a place I had forgotten about, but really want to try. The Irish Pub. See, they have Scotch Eggs.
I love Scotch Eggs.
But, no time tonight, so we skipped by it. Maybe tomorrow...
We have a date with a Mummy.
So, we hopped over to drop our stuff off at the lockers. These lockers are an older style (though still different than the ones that were here when we were here last...they weren't in this building the last time, I don't think?)...
But, being this older style, they didn't use your fingerprint to mark your locker. Rather, they used your park ticket.
We...don't have park tickets. Well, we do, but they are on my phone. I tried scanning it in, but it didn't work.
Seems this happens a lot though, because when I asked the locker attendant (something Universal does do well is keep the locker area staffed if you have issues), and he immediately produced one of these.
Neat!
The Mummy is an interesting ride for us. The first trip the Kiddo couldn’t make it past the queue. The second, I was able to get her on, but she didn’t like it at all.
This trip she was enthusiastic to ride it...but, again...hated it.
I tried to explain, think of it like Rockin Roller Coaster which she loves, but more in the dark, and a bit scary.
“That is the whole point, Dad!"
As if it should have been obvious...
We exited as Dusk rolled in. A very pretty evening.
I love all the parks at night, Disney and Universal. The lights really bring them alive and give the familiar facades a new life.
We paused for a moment to handle some personal business, and I noted that from this area you can see the Hogwart's Express steam past in the distance. Had I been prepared for this, I would have gotten a better picture, but it's really neat to see. All I managed to snag was the final train car (you can barely see it next to the tree on the left). But, what I hadn't realized is that the locomotive actually continues to steam as it passes through this part of the ride, or at least I swore I saw it do that. I had always assumed that steam effect was just in the stations.
Appears not to be the case!
One ride left on this side of the park, and it's a newer one. Fast and the Furious, which replaced the Earthquake ride.
I played the heck out of the video game back in the 2000s, but I've never seen the movies...any of them. As a result, it was all rather lost on me. But, I do like Dwayne Johnson and Luda.
Again, no wait.
And then the two pre-queue shows. These were...ok.
And they released us to the final stage of the queue. No...wait...
And, that's why some of my queue pictures are so blurry. I'm literally taking them walking along at full "queue speed" trying to keep up with a very excited kiddo who can't believe our luck!
Soon our Party Bus arrived!
The kiddo wanted to know why there were "electric wires" from "Kong" on our bus. "That must be one heck of a party if they need electric fences to keep people in!"
Indeed.
This trip she was enthusiastic to ride it...but, again...hated it.
I tried to explain, think of it like Rockin Roller Coaster which she loves, but more in the dark, and a bit scary.
“That is the whole point, Dad!"
As if it should have been obvious...
We exited as Dusk rolled in. A very pretty evening.
I love all the parks at night, Disney and Universal. The lights really bring them alive and give the familiar facades a new life.
We paused for a moment to handle some personal business, and I noted that from this area you can see the Hogwart's Express steam past in the distance. Had I been prepared for this, I would have gotten a better picture, but it's really neat to see. All I managed to snag was the final train car (you can barely see it next to the tree on the left). But, what I hadn't realized is that the locomotive actually continues to steam as it passes through this part of the ride, or at least I swore I saw it do that. I had always assumed that steam effect was just in the stations.
Appears not to be the case!
One ride left on this side of the park, and it's a newer one. Fast and the Furious, which replaced the Earthquake ride.
I played the heck out of the video game back in the 2000s, but I've never seen the movies...any of them. As a result, it was all rather lost on me. But, I do like Dwayne Johnson and Luda.
Again, no wait.
And then the two pre-queue shows. These were...ok.
And they released us to the final stage of the queue. No...wait...
And, that's why some of my queue pictures are so blurry. I'm literally taking them walking along at full "queue speed" trying to keep up with a very excited kiddo who can't believe our luck!
Soon our Party Bus arrived!
The kiddo wanted to know why there were "electric wires" from "Kong" on our bus. "That must be one heck of a party if they need electric fences to keep people in!"
Indeed.
The ride was...ok. Same ride system as Kong.
The kiddo, however, is appearantly a massive fan of the films, and adored it!
Closing time was approaching. I asked the kid if she wanted to see the fireworks, but she declined. So, we wandered back to Kings Cross, to make our way over to IoA to pick up our bags we had shipped to the front of the Park earlier.
On the way the kid spotted a book store.
“I wanna go! Please be open! I haven’t seen any book stores here!”
She...loves books. But, alas, this book store isn’t real...much to her disappointment (and the pleasure of my wallet!)
Quick walk. So much different than the last time we were here. In fact, with the sparser crowds, the muggle theme really stood out. It does feel, in many ways, like it could be an active train station.
She jetted past Platform 9 3/4!!
We said hi to Hedwig...
And soon we were boarding!
The kiddo was quite relaxed on the trip back.
The kiddo, however, is appearantly a massive fan of the films, and adored it!
Closing time was approaching. I asked the kid if she wanted to see the fireworks, but she declined. So, we wandered back to Kings Cross, to make our way over to IoA to pick up our bags we had shipped to the front of the Park earlier.
On the way the kid spotted a book store.
“I wanna go! Please be open! I haven’t seen any book stores here!”
She...loves books. But, alas, this book store isn’t real...much to her disappointment (and the pleasure of my wallet!)
Quick walk. So much different than the last time we were here. In fact, with the sparser crowds, the muggle theme really stood out. It does feel, in many ways, like it could be an active train station.
She jetted past Platform 9 3/4!!
We said hi to Hedwig...
And soon we were boarding!
The kiddo was quite relaxed on the trip back.
Safely in Hogsmeade, thanks to Harry and crew, we wandered into the night.
Hogsmeade is really gorgeous at night, but we didn't walk it. We were both pretty tuckered, and decided to head out instead.
This little Arabian area looks so much better at night. During the day, it just looks...a bit cheap.
But, we headed into the kiddo's old favorite haunt. Seuss Landing!
We spied the Moose Juice and Goose Juice, and debated if we remembered which we decided was better. I thought the Goose Juice was better, but she liked the Moose Juice.
Asking the important questions in life, we are.
I really like this area. They included all of the major, popular characters, but also included some of the short story ones as well. Gertrude McFuzz was always one of my favorites.
And, of course, the Sneeches!
But, there was one group of characters that live here that we had to go say hello to. A personal favorite of the Kiddo's and mine.
So we wandered around Sneech Beach until we found them. Somewhere back on the Prarie of Prax...
This was the favorite story of my kiddo when she was little. I'd read it to her with funny voices, that I actually copied from the door knockers from the movie Labrynth.
We listened to the recording play, and the kiddo said "I like your voices better...they shouldn't sound like children, but grumpy old men!"
I think she's right.
We stopped to get the kiddo a bag of chips for the ride home...but, these turkey legs looked enticing. If I didn't know how juicy they can be, or had a been a bit hungrier, I might have indulged! Can't come to Orlando and NOT have a Turkey Leg!
Hogsmeade is really gorgeous at night, but we didn't walk it. We were both pretty tuckered, and decided to head out instead.
This little Arabian area looks so much better at night. During the day, it just looks...a bit cheap.
But, we headed into the kiddo's old favorite haunt. Seuss Landing!
We spied the Moose Juice and Goose Juice, and debated if we remembered which we decided was better. I thought the Goose Juice was better, but she liked the Moose Juice.
Asking the important questions in life, we are.
I really like this area. They included all of the major, popular characters, but also included some of the short story ones as well. Gertrude McFuzz was always one of my favorites.
And, of course, the Sneeches!
But, there was one group of characters that live here that we had to go say hello to. A personal favorite of the Kiddo's and mine.
So we wandered around Sneech Beach until we found them. Somewhere back on the Prarie of Prax...
This was the favorite story of my kiddo when she was little. I'd read it to her with funny voices, that I actually copied from the door knockers from the movie Labrynth.
We listened to the recording play, and the kiddo said "I like your voices better...they shouldn't sound like children, but grumpy old men!"
I think she's right.
We stopped to get the kiddo a bag of chips for the ride home...but, these turkey legs looked enticing. If I didn't know how juicy they can be, or had a been a bit hungrier, I might have indulged! Can't come to Orlando and NOT have a Turkey Leg!
So, we had been told the pickup spot was off to the left of the ticket gates, near the lighthouse.
Ok...
There’s the lighthouse.
Keep going left, keep going...keep going even more and, there we go!
Now, something that we were told was that the IoA pickup is completely within the park, but Universal’s pickup had a window outside the park as well.
So, if you send stuff to the front of IoA, you need to leave from IoA. A bit inconvenient, but, less inconvenient than having to cart that stuff around all day!
We exited the park and started the hike over to Universal.
And, indeed, we were able to easily pick up our packages from there as well.
We started to head towards the bridge, but the kiddo noticed the entrance to the walking path to Hard Rock Hotel and Portifino off to the side.
So, I thought, why not?
We saw a familiar sight as well. A Rickshaw!
And, we took it!
When we've stayed here the kid loves riding on these. Though, the prices have increased! They used to be "tip only", and I would go on a rate of $5 per person (so, $10) in the past. Now a sign is displayed that says "$10 or $20 per person".
Um, ok. So, I tipped $20.
Still was fun though.
We ended up at Hard Rock Hotel, and decided to give it a walk. Getting through the pool security gate was pretty easy, because even though it looked like it was supposed to lock up and only be accessible with a room key, it was wide open.
Fortuitous!
Ok...
There’s the lighthouse.
Keep going left, keep going...keep going even more and, there we go!
Now, something that we were told was that the IoA pickup is completely within the park, but Universal’s pickup had a window outside the park as well.
So, if you send stuff to the front of IoA, you need to leave from IoA. A bit inconvenient, but, less inconvenient than having to cart that stuff around all day!
We exited the park and started the hike over to Universal.
And, indeed, we were able to easily pick up our packages from there as well.
We started to head towards the bridge, but the kiddo noticed the entrance to the walking path to Hard Rock Hotel and Portifino off to the side.
So, I thought, why not?
We saw a familiar sight as well. A Rickshaw!
And, we took it!
When we've stayed here the kid loves riding on these. Though, the prices have increased! They used to be "tip only", and I would go on a rate of $5 per person (so, $10) in the past. Now a sign is displayed that says "$10 or $20 per person".
Um, ok. So, I tipped $20.
Still was fun though.
We ended up at Hard Rock Hotel, and decided to give it a walk. Getting through the pool security gate was pretty easy, because even though it looked like it was supposed to lock up and only be accessible with a room key, it was wide open.
Fortuitous!
We walked around the hotel, and like every hotel at Universal, I got lost...pretty easily.
They design these things like mazes!
But, eventually we found the lobby (which isn’t marked as such in the elevator as a Lobby floor, rather, the Lobby is on floor 3).
Outside was a Ferrari that caught my kid’s attention.
And they have a very unique fountain!
Our Lyft showed up and we were soon on our way back to Pop!
Once here, the kiddo took a quick shower and then started playing on her computer. I decided to do laundry, after realizing that I had no more clean clothes!
Whilst doing laundry, I had some more specialty drinks to help pass the time!
The Poolside Long Island was strong, and a bit sour.
The Banana Cabana was really tasty! I would certainly get this one again!
And lastly I got the frozen strawberry margarita. This I also liked, but not as much as the Pina CoLava!
The kid texted me that she would like some pizza. What? No chicken!?
So, I obliged. I tossed in a brownie as well, and got myself some chicken Parmesan.
I won’t be getting the chicken Parm again. It just wasn’t satisfying at all.
After this we crashed and dreamt Muggle dreams.
Next up, Universal 2, Splashy Boogaloo
They design these things like mazes!
But, eventually we found the lobby (which isn’t marked as such in the elevator as a Lobby floor, rather, the Lobby is on floor 3).
Outside was a Ferrari that caught my kid’s attention.
And they have a very unique fountain!
Our Lyft showed up and we were soon on our way back to Pop!
Once here, the kiddo took a quick shower and then started playing on her computer. I decided to do laundry, after realizing that I had no more clean clothes!
Whilst doing laundry, I had some more specialty drinks to help pass the time!
The Poolside Long Island was strong, and a bit sour.
The Banana Cabana was really tasty! I would certainly get this one again!
And lastly I got the frozen strawberry margarita. This I also liked, but not as much as the Pina CoLava!
The kid texted me that she would like some pizza. What? No chicken!?
So, I obliged. I tossed in a brownie as well, and got myself some chicken Parmesan.
I won’t be getting the chicken Parm again. It just wasn’t satisfying at all.
After this we crashed and dreamt Muggle dreams.
Next up, Universal 2, Splashy Boogaloo
MinnieM123
Premium Member
That's actually a very good thing. Glad to hear that your bank is watching for "activity" outside your normal spending patterns.
Enjoying the Universal photos and comments a lot. Your DD's face painting was very pretty--that CM did a nice job.
The "guitar" fountain at one of the Universal hotels was so much fun!!
I never complain when my bank does this. I carry a spare card for situations, and I would much rather they protect my funds proactively than have to deal with a fraud claim!That's actually a very good thing. Glad to hear that your bank is watching for "activity" outside your normal spending patterns.
Enjoying the Universal photos and comments a lot. Your DD's face painting was very pretty--that CM did a nice job.
The "guitar" fountain at one of the Universal hotels was so much fun!!
Hard Rock is expensive, but gorgeous. I explained to her I would rather spend less money on the hotel and more on experiences and souvaniers...but, that said, Universal “deluxe” resorts come with $200 per day (for our group of 2) in value with the Express pass, which you can factor in.
We might do two nights there sometime though, maybe a quick weekend trip to do Horror Nights, which the kid is now very interested in.
I am going to wait a year before that, though. I have read reviews that say it can get a bit age inappropriate, so I think 14 nearly 15 (yeesh, feels strange saying that...she is growing up too fast) is better.
Rista1313
Well-Known Member
One warning, they are not easy to put together, but they are easy to break and ruin while your putting them together. My husband love metal earth, and I've seen him ruin so many!In the gift shop I noticed these...classic style things. When I get home, I'm going to see if I can find them on Amazon. Very cool. They would look neat on my "memorabilia" shelf in my office.
Day 7 - The Drenchnormous Splashtastic Soaktacular Tour
Lap around Hourglass...
They were sticking at the food court. So, if you are ever curious what the fries and chicken strips at Pop are...here you go!
I decided to get the Chicken Fried Chicken again. And of course some grapes and bacon!
It wasn’t nearly as good this time. They put too little gravy on it, so I asked for a bit more and another CM took over for the one helping me (who I think was in training) and drenched the plate in a sea of the stuff.
A bit...too much. Thank you though...
The day looks very nice! Weather had called for thudershowers, but to be fair, it said that yesterday too...and we didn’t get a drop.
I really like this computer. Takes me back to the heady days of Windows 95, Netscape Navigator and AoL! Back when the world trembled at the sound of my modem!
I came back and the kid was still playing!
Hurry up!
So, I am gonna take a moment here to mention something I purchased for this trip, that I adore.
The Norelco OneBlade.
It does everything from shave to trim my beard, all fairly well! It isn’t as close as a full on shave, but perfectly presentable for park grooming. It will get smooth if you follow the directions, shave against the grain with dry skin. And, I don’t have to pack multiple
Razors, cream, trimmer/clippers, etc!
For $30, I love this thing, and have a new travel buddy for future trips!
Several guys in my family will be getting these for Christmas!
So, the kid was nearly ready, and looking the part!
And, today, traffic was bad. Seems there was a pretty rough accident. I hope no one was hurt seriously.
We were here for the bus collision a few years ago, and actually drove by the site a few minutes after it happened. That was difficult to explain to the kiddo...
When we got there, I wanted a water.
No water!
Lap around Hourglass...
They were sticking at the food court. So, if you are ever curious what the fries and chicken strips at Pop are...here you go!
I decided to get the Chicken Fried Chicken again. And of course some grapes and bacon!
It wasn’t nearly as good this time. They put too little gravy on it, so I asked for a bit more and another CM took over for the one helping me (who I think was in training) and drenched the plate in a sea of the stuff.
A bit...too much. Thank you though...
The day looks very nice! Weather had called for thudershowers, but to be fair, it said that yesterday too...and we didn’t get a drop.
I really like this computer. Takes me back to the heady days of Windows 95, Netscape Navigator and AoL! Back when the world trembled at the sound of my modem!
I came back and the kid was still playing!
Hurry up!
So, I am gonna take a moment here to mention something I purchased for this trip, that I adore.
The Norelco OneBlade.
It does everything from shave to trim my beard, all fairly well! It isn’t as close as a full on shave, but perfectly presentable for park grooming. It will get smooth if you follow the directions, shave against the grain with dry skin. And, I don’t have to pack multiple
Razors, cream, trimmer/clippers, etc!
For $30, I love this thing, and have a new travel buddy for future trips!
Several guys in my family will be getting these for Christmas!
So, the kid was nearly ready, and looking the part!
And, today, traffic was bad. Seems there was a pretty rough accident. I hope no one was hurt seriously.
We were here for the bus collision a few years ago, and actually drove by the site a few minutes after it happened. That was difficult to explain to the kiddo...
When we got there, I wanted a water.
No water!
To explain that last picture, it is amusing because it would authorize my card, then I would select one. Empty.
So I would authorize again. Select the next one.
Empty.
I went through the whole machine like that.
All empty!
As we passed, I realized they have a rather neat looking mini golf here!
But we were on a mission! So, the kiddo waved me on!
A mission that must not be deviated from.
Unless...you see Dippin Dots!
Then the deviation is acceptable!
The front gates weren’t much better today. Paper printed sheets seem to be continuous issues. But, the pdf on my phone, again worked perfectly.
And we were off to the first stop. Popeyes!
The kid had planned that we would spend our morning doing every ride that “gets you soaked”. So, that means, Popeye, Rip Saw, and just when you thought you were dry, Jurassic!
We started with Popeye, and in keeping with this week, it was a walk on. Literally.
On the way out, she noted something odd...
Guess they were new shorts?
“Dad, you should tell her!”
No...no thanks!
Then it was off to Ripsaw, with a 10 minute wait. Insane.
She was happy to see the heads “survived”.
So I would authorize again. Select the next one.
Empty.
I went through the whole machine like that.
All empty!
As we passed, I realized they have a rather neat looking mini golf here!
But we were on a mission! So, the kiddo waved me on!
A mission that must not be deviated from.
Unless...you see Dippin Dots!
Then the deviation is acceptable!
The front gates weren’t much better today. Paper printed sheets seem to be continuous issues. But, the pdf on my phone, again worked perfectly.
And we were off to the first stop. Popeyes!
The kid had planned that we would spend our morning doing every ride that “gets you soaked”. So, that means, Popeye, Rip Saw, and just when you thought you were dry, Jurassic!
We started with Popeye, and in keeping with this week, it was a walk on. Literally.
On the way out, she noted something odd...
Guess they were new shorts?
“Dad, you should tell her!”
No...no thanks!
Then it was off to Ripsaw, with a 10 minute wait. Insane.
She was happy to see the heads “survived”.
Shoes sloshing, pants stuck to our legs, the kiddo was having a blast! Her plans were working out perfectly!
Me...I wasn't so sure about all this.
As we crossed over the Ripsaw bridge, I remembered why the guns rarely fire here.
See, at Popeyes, the water guns are free. You will get squirted, without fail, by excited and clever children who find you compelling targets, and will wave at you after soaking you thoroughly.
But at Riosaw, the guns cost...money.
Uni should just revamp them, imho. That guest soak interaction is part of the fun!
But, we had a TRex to meet!
Yes, we got assigned the front row, and we took the brunt of it as a result.
Well and truly soaked...I asked if we could wander around the playground for a bit to dry off.
But, this playground doesn’t seem to attract her nearly as much as it used to.
Plus, she wasn’t done with me yet!
Back to Popeyes!
Me...I wasn't so sure about all this.
As we crossed over the Ripsaw bridge, I remembered why the guns rarely fire here.
See, at Popeyes, the water guns are free. You will get squirted, without fail, by excited and clever children who find you compelling targets, and will wave at you after soaking you thoroughly.
But at Riosaw, the guns cost...money.
Uni should just revamp them, imho. That guest soak interaction is part of the fun!
But, we had a TRex to meet!
Yes, we got assigned the front row, and we took the brunt of it as a result.
Well and truly soaked...I asked if we could wander around the playground for a bit to dry off.
But, this playground doesn’t seem to attract her nearly as much as it used to.
Plus, she wasn’t done with me yet!
Back to Popeyes!
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Thoroughly soaked, every inch completely wet, she decided it was time for food.
And, she wanted to eat at the Comic Strip Cafe.
This is another place she remembers from our previous trips.
She had a good time wandering around the place reading all the comics on the walls.
It wasn’t crowded at all, so this was pretty easy to do!
We shared the fish and chips, and her obligatory chicken strips.
The fish strips were...really good, actually.
Nice cuts of fish, and the tempura better was excellent. I think this is the first meal that wasn’t chicken or steak, for the kiddo, and I pointed that out.
“Hey, I cant help it if Universal has the best fish!”
Um...sure.
Next up was Spiderman. We were basically checking things off at this point. We got so much done yesterday, there wasn’t much pressure to hurry at all.
Spidey was...a walk on.
I like this ride better than Transformers, even though they are nearly identical. I can’t really put a finger on why, though.
Amusingly, the kiddo and I were actually glad to be back out in the heat, though, as we were still damp and that AC in Spidey, which
we would normally beg for, was freezing cold!
Dr Doom and Green Goblin were out.
And, I asked the kiddo, last chance to do Dooms Freefall?
No. Emphatic...no!
And, she wanted to eat at the Comic Strip Cafe.
This is another place she remembers from our previous trips.
She had a good time wandering around the place reading all the comics on the walls.
It wasn’t crowded at all, so this was pretty easy to do!
We shared the fish and chips, and her obligatory chicken strips.
The fish strips were...really good, actually.
Nice cuts of fish, and the tempura better was excellent. I think this is the first meal that wasn’t chicken or steak, for the kiddo, and I pointed that out.
“Hey, I cant help it if Universal has the best fish!”
Um...sure.
Next up was Spiderman. We were basically checking things off at this point. We got so much done yesterday, there wasn’t much pressure to hurry at all.
Spidey was...a walk on.
I like this ride better than Transformers, even though they are nearly identical. I can’t really put a finger on why, though.
Amusingly, the kiddo and I were actually glad to be back out in the heat, though, as we were still damp and that AC in Spidey, which
we would normally beg for, was freezing cold!
Dr Doom and Green Goblin were out.
And, I asked the kiddo, last chance to do Dooms Freefall?
No. Emphatic...no!
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