Living In Jamerica - The B/L Years Day 11- Universal Studios

[JoJo88]

“Living in Jamerica” – The Bud Light Years – October 2011

Pre-Trippy Part 1
Pre-Trippy Part 2
Day 0 - Twilight Check In
Day 1 - Travel Day
Day 2 - Magic Kingdom
Day 3 - Animal Kingdom
Day 4 - Hollywood Studios
Day 5 - Typhoon Lagoon
Day 6 - Epcot
Day 7 - Magic Kingdom Take 2
Day 8 - Shopping
Day 9 - Blizzard Beach
Day 10 - Islands of Adventure/Hard Rock Hotel

Day 11 – Universal Studios

Tuesday 18th October 2011

Another early start for us this morning, we had early access and we were not afraid to use it The alarm woke us at around 7am, harsh! But bleary-eyed we chucked on some clothes, gave the old toothy pegs a quick once over and tapped lightly on Grandma’s door. We’d hatched a loose plan with her the night before that she would stay with Daniel while Simon & I took Adam back to WWOHP. Daniel was stirring, as was Grandma so leaving the door between the rooms open, off we went.

As expected, no boats were in the dock so we took an early morning walk along the pathway to the parks. There was a threat of rain for later today but it was really nice first thing, fresh but warm. We were at the Universal globe by 7.25, how keen were we?! Adam took a photo of us in front of the globe but let’s just say the quick turn around in the room this morning hadn’t left either of us looking our best so that particular picture is for private consumption only

The gates to Islands of Adventure were not yet open when we got there, but there were a few other people milling about, as keen as we were. While we waited at the turnstiles the CMs checked that we all had the necessary requirements – valid tickets? Check. Room Key Cards? Check. We were eventually let in at around 7.50 and headed straight to our destination.

There was not a muggle in sight!

We went straight to Forbidden Journey, just as fantastic as it was yesterday, and no flip flop concerns this time, I had them secured properly so I could concentrate on the ride 100% I hadn’t brought any travel sickness pills with me but am happy to report that no ill effects were suffered

Afterwards we had another look around the gift shop, then Simon took Adam out so I could make some purchases. To be honest, even though there was a lot of merchandise I did struggle with what to get. I can’t go into detail here as Adam might possibly read it (Hi Adam ! ) but I got him a couple of bits and pieces for his birthday and also bought him & Daniel a tshirt each.

I went outside and headed to Dragon Challenge but spotted Adam & Simon in the queue for Ollivander’s Wand Shop. There were a few people in front of them and a fair line behind. I said I would wait for them to come out as I felt uncomfortable joining them in the queue but he said the family behind had done the same thing and so I asked if they minded which of course they didn’t, and I crossed the barrier. A couple of minutes later we were shown inside the tiny little shop, and took our places over to the far side. Adam didn’t get picked to have a wand ‘choose him’, that honour went to a younger boy near the middle of the shop standing at the front.

I won’t go into a lot of detail here as I don’t want to spoil it but it was a pretty cool show and I’m glad I went in.

I will say though that if you do go in, be prepared to buy a wand because I would imagine it’s very hard to say no to any child who has been chosen. The boy with the wand was taken through to the shop by Ollivander’s helper, along with his parents and their credit card

Once outside the boys went on Dragon Challenge while I had a wander around. Adam noticed that yesterday on the ride, the Dragons were running at the same time even though there was a slight delay between the two. Today they were running one at a time. I’ve since read that there have been a few incidents of people being injured by falling debris so I assume this is why.

I decided to try the infamous Butter Beer while I waited, opting for the regular rather than frozen version. I ‘think’ I liked it, but I certainly couldn’t drink a whole cup full. The drink itself was pretty sweet & sickly and reminded me of cream soda, that’s if you manage to get through the thick froth on top which was even more sweet & sickly! I wanted Adam to try it before I threw it away but couldn’t resist sipping it while I was waiting, still unsure if I was enjoying it or not!

Eventually Adam & Simon emerged from the ride, and Adam is definitely in the ‘like it’ camp for Butter Beer

It was still before 9 at this point and after a quick look in some of the shops we decided to head back to the Hard Rock to meet the others and go for breakfast. This worked perfectly for me as I can’t really ‘do’ breakfast first thing, so having been up and out for almost two hours I was hungry, and determined to make the most of the breakfast buffet in Hard Rock’s “Kitchen”.

We decided to catch a boat back, and crossing the bridge from IoA back over to City Walk it was noticeable how busy that particular bridge was with people heading to that park compared to the bridge near Universal Studios which was practically empty. Since coming home and hearing the news of Jaws closing, possibly to make way for more Harry Potter World, I can understand why they would want to spread it over the two parks…..

On board the boat, and being the only passengers, Simon got chatting to the Captain who was originally from the Dominican Republic but had moved to Brooklyn and then onwards to Florida for work. He had a fantastic accent, a real combination, a bit like Simon’s ‘Tarn it Dooorn’ accent from earlier in the holiday Simon always seizes the chance to chat with the locals but knowing that his time is limited the questions can be pretty relentless! Honestly, it’s like a quick fire round in a quiz show once he gets going, but I find it really interesting hearing what the locals have to say.

Once back at the hotel we gathered everyone up and made our way downstairs to The Kitchen. We were shown to our seats which were like bar stools seated around a huge steel table, very cool From where I was sat I could see the buffet and have to admit to being a little disappointed with the choices. That is until I turned around and realised we were right in the middle of it all, and there was loads more on offer behind us! Between us all we made light work of all that was on offer, from the usual hot choices to fruit, cereal, pastries, pancakes, waffles, muffins, breads, bagels, croissants etc. Everything you could imagine to be honest although I did notice they didn’t have salmon like they do at The Islands restaurant at Royal Pacific. Not that it matters to me, I don’t like salmon anyway! The boys excused themselves and went to sit in the little kid’s area where cartoons were being shown and there were a few toys to keep them occupied. A nice touch and meant we didn’t feel any pressure to rush. The boys are good when we are out for meals but I’m always aware that they can’t be expected to sit there and relax in the same way that us grown ups like to do, taking our time over things, especially when there are parks to be visited and rides to be ridden We were constantly brought top ups of coffee & fruit juice, and when it was time to leave we were all brought coffee to go. The breakfast was pricey but everything was of a very high standard and beautifully presented, and a million miles away from Golden Corral or Ponderosa so I guess you really do get what you pay for. I don’t have my receipt, but the website says it’s $19.50 for an adult, $10 for kids under 12, (plus tips & tax) so a bit cheaper than a Disney breakfast.

From there we went back up to the rooms to pack and freshen up. It’s a great hotel, we really didn’t make the most of it and I would love to come back again and stay for longer. However with the FOTL passes, it’s probably better to have two separate stays of 1 night rather than one stay of 2 nights if you catch my drift.

Mum & I checked out while the men took the bags back to the car and we waited for them by the guitar fountains, grabbing a few pictures when they returned

The clouds were looking pretty ominous but it was still warm and so we carried on with our plans. We headed to the boat dock, happy to sit and wait this time, being so full up from breakfast!

There we all are, look, reminiscing happily about our recent card games and looking forward to more in the coming evenings

We got to City Walk, Lou & Andy all present and correct

And made our way through the US arch and into the park. For some reason I took very few photos today, and my notes are pretty limited too but I will do my best to try and piece together what we did and when! I’m pretty sure the first place we headed was the Curious George Water Park, somewhere that the kids desperately wanted to revisit. However, it had just started to spit with rain, and even though it doesn’t seem logical now, I didn’t really want them running around getting wet in the rain. Yeah I know, double dutch isn’t it?! First they had a play in Fievel’s Playland, having great fun on the little water slide there. I loved how there was a camera at the top so we could see when they were boarding and then cheer as they came down. They would have stayed on there all day if we’d let them but there was so much more to see and with the rain starting, we thought it best to make a move.

A quick go on Woody Woodpecker’s Coaster

and then into the water park they went, first getting changed into their swim shorts & tops. As it wasn’t a very nice day there weren’t a lot of people around so not much action to be had. On our last visit we had dubbed one guy ‘keen Dad’ as he too stripped off to his swimming trunks (and I mean trunks, not shorts!) to join in with his kids. Now that’s effort! There was a group of 3 late teen/early 20s girls wandering around and playing in the area and Simon managed to trick one of them into standing right in the line of fire so that she got a drenching. Oh how she laughed!

The rest of us sat undercover, sheltering from the rain that was getting a little heavier by now

After about half an hour we managed to drag the boys away and headed over to nearby ET where we all went on. I really like this ride but it means absolutely nothing to the kids. We could just about make our names out at the end, but it’s not the most convincing of gimmicks! I wonder if a remodel of this ride could have the bikes turned into broomsticks?

Continued in next post...

[JoJo88]

Continued from above...

Next up was the Simpsons. Dad sat this one out, enjoying a burst of sunshine while the rest of us went in. We all enjoy this but I will admit that if the ride was any longer I’d be very likely coming out a nice shade of green…..

Men In Black next. I hadn’t been on it before so wasn’t sure what to expect other than it’s a shoot ‘em up ride. Simon decided to sit this one out having taken Adam on it last time and declaring it rubbish! My Dad joined us but I think he regretted it once we got going, it certainly spins you about a bit, similar to the way Cat in the Hat does in my opinion. I quite enjoyed it, but as with the Simpsons, any more spinning and I’d be firing at the creatures with my own special kind of ammo

It was around 1.30 by now and we were all feeling pretty tired. However, with it being our only day planned for US, we had to make the most of it. There was opportunity for us to come back as our tickets were valid for 14 days, but without the front of line passes, we knew it wouldn’t have the same appeal.

We crossed over the bridge and just when we thought it was safe to go back in the water, we found ourselves being attacked by a giant shark. Jaws is such a kitsch little ride, good fun (depending on the CM you get – ours was particularly enthusiastic!) and it will be a shame when it closes with it being such a classic. Like E.T. this ride meant absolutely nothing to our boys, and although they enjoyed it, they couldn’t understand why a shark would be such a threat because you could simply keep away from the sea! It’s a fair point well made, and following on from that conversation, Simon & I went on to talk about how it would be a shame if they ever closed Jaws as it really is one of the first rides you think of when you think of Universal Studios. Fast forward a couple of months later and of course we find out that it is indeed closing down We didn’t even stop for a photo with the shark, taking for granted that it will always be there…….

Next up was Disaster, not something I had done before. We had a little wait before our show, and then were ushered inside. Knowing that it was an audience participation experience I made sure I mingled in with everyone else and made myself look as small and uninteresting as possible Thankfully it worked this time, unlike at Epcot on our last holiday when we stopped at the UK Pavillion to watch the World Showcase Players. They were looking for a witch and so sat there on the curb I grabbed my boys closer to me in a ‘I can’t possibly leave them here’ kind of way and watched while some poor unsuspecting person got selected. Imagine my delight then when I was tapped on the shoulder, handed a shawl and told I would be perfect for the role! Relying on my boys to save me from the embarrassment ‘no Mum, don’t leave us here’, I was horrified when they literally pushed me forward, words of encouragement echoing in my ears ‘Ha! Ha!’ ! Suffice to say I did not enjoy the experience one little bit, the spotlight is certainly not for me, but I was presented with a badge for my efforts, a special badge that grants me immunity from ever having to participate again. I sleep with that badge………

So anyway, back to Disaster. Volunteers were selected, some more willingly than others, and I will say that this pre-show bit was probably the most entertaining, the host was very funny. However, I would imagine it’s the same script each time so I would probably skip this attraction in future. It was interesting to see the cast film all the different elements of the final show, but the actual bit on the subway didn’t seem to work properly and it all flashed up a bit too quickly. One little girl had fallen asleep on her father’s lap while they were doing the filming and therefore they weren’t allowed to take her on the subway as she had to be sat on her own seat. I hope the rest of their party told them they hadn’t missed much! I do apologise for any fans of this ride, but it just didn’t do it for me I’m afraid.

We wandered a bit further down the road, stopping to watch the Blues Brothers for a couple of minutes, but I was keen to get even further down the road to one of my favourite rides here, Revenge of the Mummy! Simon & I took Adam on while Daniel stayed with Mum & Dad, feeding the birds and watching the world go by

Using the express pass lane we literally walked straight onto the ride. Through the queuing area past the CM who asked us how many riders, directed us to our seats and we were off, no stopping! I suffered a neck injury on here last time, after riding it twice in a row. It left me in a lot of agony and I ended up, a couple of days later taking myself off to Centra Care to see a doctor. He gave me a bucketload of painkillers and anti-inflammatories and eventually it improved but it did put me off doing any other big rides for the rest of the holiday.

However, it didn’t put me off riding it twice this time round so back on we went, disappointed that we had to wait about 10 minutes this time as there were a few people in front of us Plus the CMs seemed to be favouring those without express passes and so quite a few cars went off without us. Eventually we were on and thankfully my neck held out this time.

It was around 2.30 by now and we had all had enough really. I don’t know what it was about Universal today but it seemed to lack character and atmosphere. I didn’t feel that way about Islands of Adventure yesterday, so it’s not the Disney thing but there really was something missing at US, it seems really tired (or perhaps it’s just that we all were tired?!)

However, there was one more ride to go, so bypassing Twister we headed towards Rip Ride Rockit. Adam had been umming & ahhing about going on this all day but decided right at the last minute that he would go for it. I didn’t, knowing how unreliable it can be at times, so Simon & Adam went on alone. See how happy I was to send the two of them off to their possible doom! I asked a CM if there was an express line at RRR knowing that there hadn’t been when it first opened, and she told me there was. So, pitching up on the grassy area near the stage we waited. And we waited. And we waited some more. The standby line had said 20 minutes so we reasoned that perhaps they had gone straight on and then whipped round for another go. So we waited some more. We could see the exit to the ride, and could see clearly the cars making the vertical climb so we knew we couldn’t miss them, but we just couldn’t work out where they were. My Dad went to have a look around nearby but couldn’t see them, and so we waited some more. The phones would have been handy at this point! Eventually, after about half an hour we spotted them making their ascent, thank goodness for that! And a minute later they emerged, a big thumbs up from both of them

There was no express line – I knew that! Check out the woman next to them in the picture, do you think she was planning a run, then a swim?! And the guy a little further back – how big is he?!

The waiting around had been too much for Daniel

And from there, at around 3.30pm we headed back to the Hard Rock and into the car.

I really do enjoy having a little mini break at Universal, it gives the holiday a different flavour for a couple of days, and the FOTL passes you get by staying in the hotel are too good an offer to miss, so hopefully it’s something we will do every time we go. I don’t know why Universal didn’t hit the spot today, was it the iffy weather, or just park fatigue? It was still okay but was just a series of rides rather than an experience. I hope that makes sense?

We’d decided earlier that we would stop for dinner on the way home, and after the slight disappointment of last week, we headed to Bahama Breeze at LBV, with the promise of the elusive chicken kabobs (why do they even call them kabobs? What’s up with kebabs?! )

We arrived to a rather empty Bahama Breeze and were seated inside very quickly. A quick scan of the menu and utter relief to find that our wish would be fulfilled today So, here’s what we had:

4 x Chicken Kabobs @ $15.39 each
1 x Kid’s Mini Burgers @ $5.39
1 x Kid’s Chicken Fingers (blush) @ $4.99
4 x Soft Drinks @ $2.59 each
1 x Sparkling Water @ $2.89
2 x Aruba Red Beers @ $4.39 each
1 x Cuba Bread to share @ $5.99
Total Bill $106.77 (incl. tax but not tip)

Thankfully we were not disappointed, the kabobs/kebabs lived up to expectations and were definitely worth the wait I may have taken some of mine home, squirrel style in my cheeks as it was just too good to leave behind. I’d made the fatal mistake of saving the best bit (the chicken) till last, rendering myself too stuffed to finish it!

We rolled back to the car and made our way to Publix to stock up. Bagels, honey buns, fruit, cream cheese & beers were today’s essentials, totalling $43.39. Back to the villa for about 7pm, plenty of time for a game of cards. Adam decided he wanted to join in with the cards tonight so he sat with Simon, advising him on the best course of action. Turns out Simon had his best game ever, narrowly missing out on an all out victory! I guess Adam gets his card skills from his Mother

Coming soon…….. What’s this? A REST day!

Musical Interlude

[Juliemack]

Fab day I think US needs an event for it to feel like there's any atmosphere, not sure what it is maybe it's a bit too spread out, totally agree on your opinion of butterbeer too... I couldn't make my mind up if I liked it or not either

[Bobsledwheels]

Another great day - we found the same thing with universal when we went a few years ago, it just seems to be lacking something. Maybe the new ride at the jaws location will give it the oomph it needs! x

[Milner]

Another fantastic day.

[JoJo88]

Originally Posted by Juliemack

Fab day I think US needs an event for it to feel like there's any atmosphere, not sure what it is maybe it's a bit too spread out, totally agree on your opinion of butterbeer too... I couldn't make my mind up if I liked it or not either

See more...

I'll need to try butter beer again next time, just to be sure

Originally Posted by Bobsledwheels

Another great day - we found the same thing with universal when we went a few years ago, it just seems to be lacking something. Maybe the new ride at the jaws location will give it the oomph it needs! x

See more...

Glad it's not just me! You might be right about Jaws but it will be a shame to see it go

Originally Posted by Milner

Another fantastic day.

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Thank you Carole x

[DisneyRoobs]

Woo! I was so excited to see your Universal day added when I climbed into bed with the iPad last night! I'm struggling with jet-lag big time this trip (I think it's because I don't have to go to work *gasp*!) so was up reading until 3am last night.. have MADE myself get up this morning in the hope that I can get over it!

I love your photos, the one of the four of you by the fountain is gorgeous and the one of Daniel feeding the birds made my heart pang - how cute?! But I really loved the 'candid' one of you on the bench, really captured the moment!

Well as I'm up I may as well crack on with mine to give me something to do..! Great work hun!

[DisneyRoobs]

OH! I also meant to write that after a couple of 'not so positive' experiences with US we were in 2 minds about going at all on this last trip. We hadn't seen WWOHP at IOA though so decided to give it 'one last go' and actually had the best experiences we've ever had. So I think sometimes it just goes like that.. unfortunately this means that we've already been hooked in for next time now!

[Guest]

Great day Jo and fab pics, Know what you mean about ET it really is dated now and difficult to hear the names read out. Awe poor Simon his best game yet but still could'nt win bless him Looking forward to more

[Lindaelaine]

No pics of grandma today , tut tut , love the one of Daniel asleep in the pushchair , i could have climbed in there myself some days , how good he was though waiting for you all to go on the rides , he sat there good as gold feeding the birds , in fact he had more patience than me