Nemo's 3/20 - 3/24 DLR & USH Trip Report

[NemoRocks78]

Welcome to Nemo's 3/20-3/24

-and-

Trip Report

Presented By

Opening at Universal Studios Florida in May 2005

Sunday, March 20th
Got to the airport at 7:15am, checked in, and went to the gate. At 8:30am we (that would be my parents, brother, two sisters, and myself) boarded the plane and took off for Atlanta. Once there we grabbed lunch at Krystal and boarded the plane to Orange County. Arrived at John Wayne Airport at 1:30pm, picked up our luggage and took a taxi to the Best Western Anaheim Inn. The hotel was very nice for the price we got it for and I would definitely stay there again. We checked in, dropped off our luggage in the rooms, and went next door to Denny's for a bite to eat since everyone was hungry.

After eating we went to Guest Services and picked up our 3-day park hoppers. It was 4:30 by the time we got them and we then headed into Disneyland. I really wanted to try out the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters but we decided to hit the Indiana Jones Adventure first. Waited 40 minutes before riding, and I must say that I've forgotten how amazing the ride is (hadn't been on it since '02 since it was down for refurbishment during my visit last year). After the ride we picked up 6 FPs good at 10:30pm and then went over to the Matterhorn and waited 35 minutes to ride. We then went over to the Autopia and stood in line for a good 20 minutes before getting into a car. We got off the ride, left DL, and went to DCA. Soarin' Over California had a 45 minute wait so we decided to ride it (wound up waiting only 30 minutes). When we exited my parents and my sisters wanted to go back to the hotel so my brother and I stayed back.

We first went over to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. However, it had a 90 minute wait and we were not going to wait that long, so we went and saw Muppet*Vision 3D instead. After the show we went back to Disneyland and got in line for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Waited 20 minutes and it was definitely worth the wait. The ride is incredible....MUCH better than BLSRS at the Magic Kingdom. I picked up a score of 68,600. :lol: We exited the ride and then went to Splash Mountain since we had an hour until our FPs for IJA were good to use. Splash had an hour wait but we got in line anyways. By the time we got off it was time to ride IJA so we went back to Adventureland. We had six FPs, which meant we could ride three times. We only rode twice though. After the ride we were tired so we went back to the hotel for the night.

RANDOM PHOTOS FROM THE DAY:

Day 2 at USH will be up tomorrow.

 

[ROTM]

Can't Wait !
You always have the best trip reports !

 

[Figment1986]

nice randoms... nice Tr so far.. nice day....

 

[stranger]

Seems like you had an awsome first day. Looking forward to the second installment. :wave:

 

[NemoRocks78]

Monday, March 21st

Woke up at 7, got dressed, went to McDonald's for a quick breakfast, and then walked over to the Best Western Park Place Inn, which is where the bus taking us to the CoachUSA Anaheim Tour Center would pick us up. There were about 40-50 other people there as well. The bus came by at 8:40 and we were at the Tour Center five minutes later. From there we had to board another bus which would take us to Universal Studios Hollywood.

Our driver was a very funny man from Cape Town, South Africa, who told us some hilarious facts about USH and Knott's Berry Farm and his visits to the parks. It was also his 50th birthday that day so everyone sang 'Happy Birthday.' :lol: He also was a fast driver so we got to the park in less than 45 minutes. On the drive up we passed famous sights such as the Hollywood sign and Staples Center.

The bus pulled up to the gate (gotta love bus parking) at 9:40 and we finally arrived at USH. We first had to visit Group Sales to pick up our tickets. Took 5 minutes to get them and we were finally on our way in. The first stop of the day was at Van Helsing: Fortress Dracula, which had a 15 minute wait. It was a pretty detailed walk-through with a couple cheap scares. It's nothing like a house from Halloween Horror Nights but it was fun to walk through. We then went to Shrek 4-D and waited to get into the next show. Seen it many times at USF so it was nothing new. Our next attraction of the day was the reason why any Universal Studios theme park exists....the Studio Tour. Always a great ride and I was glad to see the sets for War of the Worlds (we didn't pass by the clocktower from BTTF though ). After the 45 minute tour we grabbed some lunch at Louie's Pizza & Pasta and then waited 10 minutes to ride Back to the Future The Ride. Once we got off of the ride we went down the series of escalators to the Lower Lot. Our first ride down there was Revenge of the Mummy which had a 40 minute wait. I've been on the one at USF 50 times since opening so I was excited to try out USH's version. I must say that it was a fun ride, however it was nowhere near as good as it is at USF.

We then went over to a ride that IOA has but is better here --- Jurassic Park: The Ride. The whole look and feel of the ride at USH is much better than it is at IOA. After riding we went over to Backdraft and waited to get into the next show (about 10 minutes). USF has an attraction called Twister... Ride It Out, which is basically the same thing as Backdraft (without the fire theme of course). It was ok.

By that time it was 3pm and the next WaterWorld show began at 4:10. The Special Effects Stages show runs every 15 minutes, so we got in line and tried to make the 3pm show. However, they stopped everyone from entering after the show was full and said we had to see the 3:15 show. It's a 30 minute show all together (you go through three "stages" and each show is 10 minutes long) which means we wouldn't get out until 3:45 and try to get over to WaterWorld by 4:10. We decided to just skip the Special Effects Stages and just get to WaterWorld early. However, I couldn't leave the Lower Lot without going on RotM a few more times, so my brother and I rode twice using the single riders line while the rest of the family rode Jurassic Park: The Ride again. We then left the Lower Lot, went up the series of escalators back to the Upper Lot, and walked to WaterWorld (which was at the front of the park). By the time we got there, we were glad we decided to come early since there was already a big crowd waiting to get in. After seeing the great show we went to the 5pm showing of Terminator 2: 3D. It's the same show at USF, except here the theater is smaller and Shaq is wearing a Lakers jersey in the pre-show (at USF he's wearing an Orlando Magic one). :lol:

It was 5:30 by the time we got out of the show. We had to be at the bus by 6:15 and we really couldn't go and do any attractions again, so we just went through Van Helsing: Fortress Dracula again (no wait) and then went to the Universal Studios Store and bought some things. 6:00 came by so we went back to the bus, boarded, and waited 10 minutes for everyone else to get on. We left at 6:15 and had a quiet 45 minute drive back to Anaheim. When we got back to the hotel we dropped off the things we bought and went to a restaurant by the Fairfield Inn called Mimi's Cafe for dinner. They had some really good food and we wound up eating there two more times during the trip. After dinner everyone was tired and went back to the hotel while I went to Downtown Disney. I checked out some stores, bought a few things, and went to the ESPN Zone and played some games. I then went back to the hotel at 11pm for the night.

RANDOM PHOTOS FROM THE DAY:

Day 3 at DCA and DL will be up tomorrow.

 

[Figment1986]

Nice photos. USH sounds like fun....

 

[stranger]

It's been years since I've been to USH. The only thing I remember is the WaterWorld show and one of the actors pouring buckets of water on guests. Do they still do that?

 

[disnyfan89]

Nemo there is a Mimi's cafe next to mall at mellinia in orlando if your family ever wants to go again

 

[NemoRocks78]

Nemo there is a Mimi's cafe next to mall at mellinia in orlando if your family ever wants to go again

I know there is....we'll probably check it out this weekend.

Tuesday, March 22nd

Woke up at 6am because it was an Early Entry Day for Disneyland. However, I was still tired so I said I'd go back to sleep for 15 more minutes. When I woke up, it was 7:00. :lol: I rushed to get out of the room (rest of the family would join me later) and was at the entrance gate by 7:25. I first went into Tomorrowland and went on Astro Blasters three times without waiting. After e-mailing the pictures to myself (you can e-mail your on-ride photo to yourself at the exit) I picked up an FP good at 9:40 and then went into Fantasyland, hoping to do the dark rides without a wait. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Peter Pan's Flight had full queues, so I rode Snow White's Scary Adventures and Pinocchio's Daring Journey which were both walk-ons. I then walked over to New Orleans Square and walked right on to Pirates of the Caribbean. After the ride I went back to Tomorrowland and checked out Innoventions for a few minutes while I waited to use my BLAB FP. 9:40 finally rolled around so I rode BLAB again and then picked up a mufifn at the Blue Ribbon Bakery for breakfast. I then exited the park and met the family outside of the gates into DCA.

Our first ride of the day was Tower of Terror, which advertised a 40 minute wait (which came out to be only 15). My brother, two sisters and I rode while the parents went and picked up FPs for Soarin' which were good to use at 12:45pm. I must say that I was very disappointed with the ride and that the one at WDSF is MUCH better. After the ride we saw It's Tough to be a Bug! before heading to Paradise Pier. California Screamin' had a 70 minute wait which no one wanted to wait in so we decided to have lunch at Taste Pilot's Grill. We then went to Soarin' Over California and rode with our 12:45 FPs. After Soarin' we went over to Grizzly River Run but skipped it because of a 90 minute wait. It was then off to Muppet*Vision 3D before catching the 2:30 showing of Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular (great show as always ).

When we got out of the show it started to rain so we stood under the entrance into Disney Animation for a while before running over to Rizzo's Pawn Shop and buying some ponchos. We threw them on and then picked up some ice cream at Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream before leaving the park and going into Disneyland. While walking past City Hall a lady stopped us and gave us 4 FPs to Splash Mountain were good to use in 10 minutes. We thanked her and then boarded the train to NOS. Once there we rode the Haunted Mansion (about a 15 minute wait) before going to Splash Mountain. The FPs turned a 120 minute stand-by wait into a 10 minute wait in the FP line. When we got off of the ride it was pouring so we threw our ponchos back on and then walked on to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (DO NOT ride that ride while it's raining.... :lol: ). After the ride we decided to just leave the park for the rest of the day so we boarded a train to Main Street USA and then exited the park. We then went to Mimi's Cafe again for dinner before returning to the hotel for the night.

RANDOM PHOTOS FROM THE DAY:

^ Kirsten....what do you think of that Aladdin?

Day 4 at DL and DCA will up tomorrow.

 

[Figment1986]

Nice TR.. (again at DCA.. wow... i might sopend some time there..)

nice random photos like usual...

 

[NemoRocks78]

Wednesday, March 23rd

Woke up at 7, got dressed, and headed out of the room. Walked down to McDonald's to grab a quick breakfast and then went to the DL gates. They finally let us in at 8am and I immeadiately made my way into Tomorrowland to ride Astro Blasters. It wasn't open though, so I went and saw Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. I then left Tomorrowland went to Frontierland where I walked right on to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. After riding I decided to check out the lines at the FL dark rides. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was thankfully a walk-on so I rode and then went to the Mickey's Toontown train station to catch a train to the front of the park. They weren't opened though so I had to walk. Once there I exited the park and got in line to get into DCA, which would open at 10 (it was 9:30 at the time). They started letting guests in a few minutes later, and by 9:45 and I was at the entrance to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. It was roped off and I was standing behind a family who were right behind the ropes. A couple bellhops from Tower came out a few minutes later and invited all guests from the state of Nevada to come to the front of the line. They then announced that these families would be walking the ropes to Tower (which is where everyone was headed). 10am finally rolled around and everyone walked behind the ropes to Tower. The CMs finally pulled the ropes away and everyone rushed into the queue for the ride. I ran right in and was one of the first to enter the pre-show room for the day. After riding Tower I headed to the back of the park to experience the Paradise Pier rides.

First ride of the day was California Screamin'. It had a 50 minute stand-by wait but thankfully it is one of the few rides at the DLR to have a single riders line. I rode and then went over to the Maliboomer, my favorite ride in DCA ( :lol: ), and rode using the single riders line. After three rides I went to Mulholland Madness and waited 15 minutes to ride in its single riders line. I then recieved a call from the family (who had just entered the park) and told them to meet me in front of the Orange Stinger. Once they arrived my brother, sister, and I waited about 10 minutes to ride the Orange Stinger and we then decided to leave DCA. We entered DL and went straight to the Enchanted Tiki Room and saw the newly-refurbished show. We then went to IJA and picked up FPs which were good to use at 5:30 before waiting 15 minutes to ride Pirates of the Caribbean. After the ride we were all hungry so we went and had lunch at the Hungry Bear Restaurant in Critter Country. It was starting to get very cloudy at that time and I was hoping it would not rain and spoil our last day at the parks.

We then went to the New Orleans Square train station and boarded a train to Fantasyland. We waited about 10 minutes to ride "it's a small world" and then caught the 3pm showing of Snow White: An Enchanting Musical (which is pretty bad, IMO). After the show we went into Mickey's Toontown, only to find Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin closed. The CM outside of the attraction was saying they'd be down for an hour or two but I looked through the door and saw cars cycling through (which meant that they could be opening at any time) so we decided to wait at the front of the line until they re-opened. A manager (I believe her name was Cindy) then came out and told us it would only be a few minutes. She stuck around and we had a nice conversation with her. About 10 minutes later she opened the doors and walked us through the queue before leaving. We rode and then left Mickey's Toontown.

Our first ride in Fantasyland was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, which we waited 20 minutes to go on. After riding my parents and sisters went on the Carrousel while I went into the Mad Hatter and bought the new golden mouse ears. Once they got off we all went to Pinocchio's Daring Journey and waited 10 minutes to ride. We then went to Tomorrowland picked up FPs for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (good to use at 10:15pm) before using our 5:30 FPs for IJA. We rode and then left the park and went to Naples in Downtown Disney for dinner. I had the margherita pizza and it was fantastic. After eating we went into the World of Disney store and made some purchases before returning to the park. Once inside we immeadiately made our way to New Orleans Square for Fantasmic! All of the good spots were taken but we found a nice place to watch near the Haunted Mansion. After viewing the show we went to the Emporium on Main Street and bought a few more things. Everyone (except for me of course :lol: ) was tired and decided to leave the park so I stayed behind. This was great news for me since it meant I now held 6 FPs for Astro Blasters.

I first went to Fantasyland and checked out the queue line for Peter Pan's Flight. Still had a long queue line so I went and rode "it's a small world" instead. After IASW I went into Tomorrowland and made my way towards Astro Blasters. Once at the entrance to the FP line I overheard a mother with two small children ask a CM if there was any FPs left for the day (which there wasn't). After seeing them leave I felt bad so I went up to the mother and handed her three of my six FPs. She thanked me and I then went and rode twice before going on Star Tours (walked right on). When I got off of Star Tours I went back to BLAB to use my last FP....but I couldn't find it. At the time it was 11:40 and the park closed at 12 so I needed to decide what I wanted my final ride to be. Well, it wound up being my final ride from my last visit a year ago --- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I rode once and then ran back in line to get on the last train of the night.

After my final rides I went to the hub and sat on a bench while waiting for everyone to leave so I could get a perfect shot of the castle. I gave my girlfriend a call (3am her time :lookaroun :lol: ) and talked to her for about a 1/2 hour while just sitting there and "taking it all in." I got some pretty good photos and then went to the Emporium and picked up a few more things before leaving the park at 1am and going back to the hotel for the night.

RANDOM PHOTOS FROM THE DAY:

Day 5, otherwise known as "The Journey Home," will be up tomorrow.

 

[imagineer boy]

They really need to do something about those animals in the Snow White show! The rest of the show is good, but those gosh darn animal costumes are so stupid and rediculouse looking! They were better off using puppets.

 

[NemoRocks78]

Thursday, March 24th

We all got up at 7:30 and went to Mimi's Cafe for breakfast. After eating we called up a cab which picked us up at 9:30. No problems on the freeway and we were at John Wayne Airport by 10am. Our flight left at 11:45, so we had some time to kill. Boarding time finally came and we got on the plane which took off right on time. Got into Atlanta at around 6:30 or so and grabbed dinner at Chick-Fil-A before boarding our flight home at 7:30. We got into Palm Beach International Airport at 8:45, picked up our luggage, and drove home. Another fantastic trip to the Disneyland Resort had come to a close.

I hope you all enjoyed the trip report. The weather was nice (except for the rain) and we all had a great time. Hopefully I'll be writing another one of these trip reports in December.