"I don't have to be nice to you, this isn't Disney World" report-Mythos 7/9

[Hedy]

Hi, I'm Heather, AKA Hedy. I'm a 24 year old vacation freak who likes her solo trips.


I'm a Disney girl to the core. I carried my plastic Mickey Mouse everywhere when I was 3. I pooh-poohed the kids in third grade who said they saw Woody Woodpecker at Disney World. I was dragged kicking and screaming to Universal when I was 12, I was not impressed. My highlight was the raft ride at Fivel's playground. But in the past few years I've heard great things about IOA, and I realize that I thought it stunk when I was 12 is not really a review, so my curiosity has been peaked. But I couldn't bear to have it cut into my WDW time.

Anyway, it's been in my long weekend to-do for a while. For a number of complex reasons, I was looking to go away Fourth of July weekend. But airfare and hotels were costly.

Then today's Ding! arrived! I got a great rate from Manchester, NH to Orlando, then also booked MCO-MHT.

I figured timewise my best bet would be to stay onsite at for FOTL one night. I priced it, RPR was booked, but HRH had a :faint: rate that was ok. I turned to my trusted Mousesavers.com. AAA discount...wait? All Access discounts? I belong to the All Access club! I called:
"Hi, my name is Hedy and I was looking at booking for July 4 at HRH. I have an AAA card and an All Access card. Are there any discounts available?"
No AAA discounts but the nice lady had an All Access Club discount. Yay!

I'm too young to rent a car without paying out the fees, so I think I'm taking the Mears shuttle to-from the airport. I only want to stay at Universal for 2 days 1 night, so I decided to spend Saturday night at an airport hotel. Being of the cheap sort, I checked out Hotwire, and bidding for travel. The eternally useful DIS told me what to look for to get the Hyatt. I figured any 4 star airport hotel couldn't be bad. I clicked...it matched the criteria, I clicked-w00t! Airport hyatt for $84! I am good!

I also have my pass-I got the $79 deal.

So we have:

Friday: Flying into MCO from MHT
Mears (?) to HRH.
Check in

Saturday:
Check out
Mears to airport

Sunday:

Fly home.

I must confess that I am a Hedy who is very, very out of her element. I don't do Southwest, I don't speak Universal, I nearly peed myself when I learned you don't need to make wicked early reservations for dining-I still may try to make a reservation for Mythos. At present I'm claiming I'm CSing the rest of the trip to save money, but we shall see.

I ordered an Universal book off of Amazon, and am reading Universal threads on the boards. Expect many frenzied posts from me in the next month.

[RAPstar]

What's the All Access Club?

[macraven]

that andy is thru hrc





you can also do priceline for the on site hotels.

there is a blurb on one other board on how to help secure it.

i have only known 2 people that have stayed on site that way.



for me, too much info.
i just use the AAA for the room discounts.


hope you enjoy your trip to the darkside.

[Hedy]

What's the All Access Club?
It's kind of HRC's version of the RFC's safari club. For $25, I got a $20 credit at HRC, a string back pack, 2 pins, a wrist band and a bonus HRC t-shirt. I also get priority seating (great when we were going there after the circus and were 2 hours later than we thought. I really only joined b/c we were going there twice, and my nephews love it, but it's paid for its self.
that andy is thru hrc





you can also do priceline for the on site hotels.

there is a blurb on one other board on how to help secure it.

i have only known 2 people that have stayed on site that way.



for me, too much info.
i just use the AAA for the room discounts.


hope you enjoy your trip to the darkside.
Thanks! The All Access Club seemed easiest, but I am happy about the Hyatt for Saturday night.

[phamton]

We are all here to help you. Feel free to ask any questions. The 4th of July will be busy but it will be busy at WDW also. The regular fireworks show has been cancelled because of fire hazard with the Harry Potter atrractions being built but they may be doing the 360 cinesphere show. Stay tuned for more information on this.

[alexb0923]

Good job Heather. Have fun.

[Hedy]

Somehow, a one month dance does not have the same effect when I've only been waiting three days for it. :cool1: :cool1:
However:
1. My Universal guidebook was shipped from Amazon today.
2. I think I'm going with Mears to/from the airport. I figure we used them on our first three WDW trips, so they should be good.
3. I'm defiantely eating at Mythos. I'm toying with also eating at the Kitchen or Margaritaville. My DSIL recommended Tcoup Tchoup, but it's a little out of my price range, plus I'm not an Emeril fan.
4. I ordered another suncreen fitness shirt from Land's End.
5. Speaking of sunscreen, I'm thinking I may try to do carry-on only for time restraint reasons, but I need to find a way to get as much sunscreen as possible in a 3-1-1 bag (I am pale as all get out).
5. Previously mentioned DSIL's recommendations for rides consisted of "Mummy and Spiderman"-I'm looking firward to both.
5. I'm still not sure what I'm doing about getting to the Manchester airport-Park, sleep and fly places all seem to have bad reviews or be pricey (like, more than Logan pricey), so I may just do onsite parking. I may see if I can find anything cheaper, though.

[LeslieR]

What is a sun screen fitness shirt?

[Hedy]

What is a sun screen fitness shirt?

It's a shirt sold by Lands End that has a) a UHF (like SPF) of 35, and dries quickly (I was on Splash Moutains with the cannons on and dry by Liberty square-they're around $20).

[Hedy]

I booked a park, sleep fly in Manchester. Much easier than getting up veeeeeeerrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyy eaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrly to drive to Manchester. However, as my mother pointed out, I'll probably be on the first shuttle to the airport in the morning. :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

Additionally, my Universal guidebook came today, and I'm looking forward to reading it.

[Nicole786]

I can't believe you're going to universal, awesome!! You are going to have an awesome time especially at the HRH!!! If you can, take a break mid-day and check out the pool, the slide is awesome and so is hearing music under the water!

[Hedy]

Learned a lot from the guidebook. I booked my Mears shuttle to/from the airport last night. I'm sure Universal has some great reason why they don't have a hotel shuttle, but it still irks me I have to pay for Mears when I'm paying 2x for HRH what I've paid for a WDW room and gotten DME. :rolleyes1

[phamton]

I'm sure Universal has some great reason why they don't have a hotel shuttle, but it still irks me I have to pay for Mears when I'm paying 2x for HRH what I've paid for a WDW room and gotten DME. :rolleyes1

I'm an old timer I guess because I remember paying for Mears to get to WDW before they had Magical Express. We had already moved here before Magical express started. Every trip we had to pay to get to WDW and Universal.

And when we went to Disneyland in California we had to pay to get to Anaheim. And pay again to get to Universal Hollywood and Knotts Berry Farm.

[macraven]

if you book the universal package on line, you can add shuttle service for $12 for mco to universal. can't use the name of the company here as it might be ***** out.


guide books have errors. don't believe everything you read in them.
use people on the boards that have actually currently been there and done that.......

phamton, you are not old. that ME program started up a couple or so years ago.(maybe close to 4 years now) when mears did the charge from mco to wdw, there was a charge per person. it was too much for me with the time frame they used, i went with car service and got a better deal for the 4 of us.

I used the ME service one time and never again.
why would i use them to have to wait one hour for the bus to leave mco after i have my luggage. another waste of time when the mears bus had to make 2 hotel stops before mine...........can you say bye bye, close to 2.5 hours of down time before i hit my resort.......

depending on when you are going to orlando and the resorts, determines the hotel price. disney does not give out that many discounts for rooms.
you have the ap and the aaa rates.
universal has more discounts and deeper. i get 35% discount off my room at universal with the AAA. i get 10% discount at disney.

why pay $120 + for a value room at disney at certain times of the year when you can get a better room with amenities of fotl at loews for not much more using a discount?

you could always just stay at disney and be a day guest at universal.
use the mears and pay the $14 rt shuttle cost.
that way you might be more pleased.
if you are paying 2x the amount for the loews hotel, you would be saving lots of money then by shuttling back and forth.

[Hedy]

if you book the universal package on line, you can add shuttle service for $12 for mco to universal. can't use the name of the company here as it might be ***** out.


guide books have errors. don't believe everything you read in them.
use people on the boards that have actually currently been there and done that.......

phamton, you are not old. that ME program started up a couple or so years ago.(maybe close to 4 years now) when mears did the charge from mco to wdw, there was a charge per person. it was too much for me with the time frame they used, i went with car service and got a better deal for the 4 of us.

I used the ME service one time and never again.
why would i use them to have to wait one hour for the bus to leave mco after i have my luggage. another waste of time when the mears bus had to make 2 hotel stops before mine...........can you say bye bye, close to 2.5 hours of down time before i hit my resort.......

depending on when you are going to orlando and the resorts, determines the hotel price. disney does not give out that many discounts for rooms.
you have the ap and the aaa rates.
universal has more discounts and deeper. i get 35% discount off my room at universal with the AAA. i get 10% discount at disney.

why pay $120 + for a value room at disney at certain times of the year when you can get a better room with amenities of fotl at loews for not much more using a discount?

you could always just stay at disney and be a day guest at universal.
use the mears and pay the $14 rt shuttle cost.
that way you might be more pleased.
if you are paying 2x the amount for the loews hotel, you would be saving lots of money then by shuttling back and forth.

I'm an old timer I guess because I remember paying for Mears to get to WDW before they had Magical Express. We had already moved here before Magical express started. Every trip we had to pay to get to WDW and Universal.

And when we went to Disneyland in California we had to pay to get to Anaheim. And pay again to get to Universal Hollywood and Knotts Berry Farm.


I think it's force of habit-akin to the people who are used to FOTL and miss it at WDW-I'm used to getting DME for free, so I'm a little flustered by paying for it. But I, too, took Mears in the pre-DME days, and lived. :) I'll live, and I'll deal, it just kind of momentarily bugged me.

In more germaine info, I just switched my flights from Manchester to Providence. So I'll now Hotwire a hotel at MCO, and cancel my Sleep Inn Reservation.

[macraven]

the magical express bus transportation from mco to disney resorts only started in may 2005.

i copied this from the disney site.
when four of us went, that $80 for transportation costs was more than private car for us round trip.
i tried the ME in 2006 to see if it was to my advantage to use it.
it wasn't my thing so i went back to car service.

i looked at your siggie and see you must have been paying for the service prior to 2005 when you went.

if you like the ME service, then by all means continue with it.
some people love it and use it all the time.
while it is now free, families save money then.
if you are not in a rush to get to your resort, free sounds pretty good then for some families.


28 December 2004: Announcement

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Dec. 28, 2004) -- Walt Disney World announced an innovative new service today called "Disney's Magical Express" which offers complimentary airport shuttle, luggage delivery and airline check in for Disney hotel guests.

Beginning May 5, 2005, guests of Disney hotels* using Disney's Magical Express service can check their bags at their hometown airport, bypass baggage claim at Orlando International Airport (OIA) and board state-of-the-art motor coaches to the Walt Disney World Resort -- as their bags "magically" appear in their room upon check in. The round-trip service, which is available and complimentary during Disney's Happiest Celebration on Earth event (which also begins May 5, 2005), is designed to give Disney hotel guests the stress-free vacation they want.

With Disney's Magical Express service, a family of four can save more than $80 (based on round trip shuttle or taxi transportation, plus tip, for two adults and two children).

"We are extremely excited to add Disney's Magical Express to the extensive list of ways we make Disney guests' vacations easier and more enjoyable," said Al Weiss, president of Walt Disney World Resort. "In essence, this benefit provides a hassle-free experience for our guests from the airport to our hotel room door and back again."

"Disney's Magical Express service will set new standards for convenience, value and comfort for guests traveling between the airport and Walt Disney World Resort," Weiss added. "Orlando International Airport is one of the premiere airports in the world. We believe Disney's Magical Express will not only transform the airport experience for Disney hotel guests, but will further enhance the world-class status of OIA and drive additional visitation to Central Florida."

* Disney's Magical Express service will not be available to guests of the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels, the Shades of Green and the seven hotels near Hotel Plaza Boulevard.

[RVGal]

Sounds like you've got a good plan going. Fourth of July weekend, you'll be thankful for the FOTL I'm sure. Holidays are always crowded, no matter where you go. Universal will be no exception.

My biggest piece of advice, as one Disney lover to another, is do NOT go expecting Universal to be just like Disney. Or a Disney wannabe. Or a Disney knockoff. Just flush Disney out of your head before you get there.

As a regular poster on this board, I can't tell you the number of times I've seen a Disney lover miss out on all that Universal has to offer because they spend their whole time at Universal comparing it to Disney. Or who spend their whole time at Universal finding reasons not to go back because they would rather be at Disney. They make one "see I'm not missing anything" trip to Universal so they can say they went, spend the whole time finding reasons to put it down, then report back that they had a miserable time and won't ever go back.

So, go with an open mind and you should have a good time. I'm not saying that you would be one of those people I just described, so don't take it that way. I'm just tossing that out there since I've seen it happen over and over.

The Spiderman ride is a definite. Do not miss that ride. If you enjoy overall theming, just walking around Seuss Landing is fun. It's like stepping into the pages of a Dr Seuss book. I like the Cat in the Hat ride and the High in the Sky Trolley ride is short, but the Sneeches was one of my favorite stories so I love that one too. I think Shrek 4-D is good and I enjoy watching Donkey at the photo op outside the exit/store. He is so dead-on in character and funny, I've lost track of time just watching him interact with people.

The characters at Universal can appear at any time, not just at scheduled meet & greets. I think that is great. Also, remember that some of the characters, like the superheroes, can talk. Took me by surprise when I actually held a conversation with Spiderman. My son still talks about meeting Spiderman. "He knows my name now and everything!"

My goodness I've rambled, haven't I? I'll shut up now before I feel like a thread hijacker, which wasn't my intent. I'm just a stream of consciousness poster. I'll go back to my corner and wait for them to feed me again. ;)

[Hedy]

Sounds like you've got a good plan going. Fourth of July weekend, you'll be thankful for the FOTL I'm sure. Holidays are always crowded, no matter where you go. Universal will be no exception.

My biggest piece of advice, as one Disney lover to another, is do NOT go expecting Universal to be just like Disney. Or a Disney wannabe. Or a Disney knockoff. Just flush Disney out of your head before you get there.



So, go with an open mind and you should have a good time. I'm not saying that you would be one of those people I just described, so don't take it that As a regular poster on this board, I can't tell you the number of times I've seen a Disney lover miss out on all that Universal has to offer because they spend their whole time at Universal comparing it to Disney. Or who spend their whole time at Universal finding reasons not to go back because they would rather be at Disney. They make one "see I'm not missing anything" trip to Universal so they can say they went, spend the whole time finding reasons to put it down, then report back that they had a miserable time and won't ever go back.way. I'm just tossing that out there since I've seen it happen over and over.

The Spiderman ride is a definite. Do not miss that ride. If you enjoy overall theming, just walking around Seuss Landing is fun. It's like stepping into the pages of a Dr Seuss book. I like the Cat in the Hat ride and the High in the Sky Trolley ride is short, but the Sneeches was one of my favorite stories so I love that one too. I think Shrek 4-D is good and I enjoy watching Donkey at the photo op outside the exit/store. He is so dead-on in character and funny, I've lost track of time just watching him interact with people.

The characters at Universal can appear at any time, not just at scheduled meet & greets. I think that is great. Also, remember that some of the characters, like the superheroes, can talk. Took me by surprise when I actually held a conversation with Spiderman. My son still talks about meeting Spiderman. "He knows my name now and everything!"

My goodness I've rambled, haven't I? I'll shut up now before I feel like a thread hijacker, which wasn't my intent. I'm just a stream of consciousness poster. I'll go back to my corner and wait for them to feed me again. ;)


Thanks! I'm *hoping* my separate trips will help me avoid that, but I appreciate your advice.

[bubba's mom]

-I'm used to getting DME for free, so I'm a little flustered by paying for it. But I, too, took Mears in the pre-DME days, and lived. :) I'll live, and I'll deal, it just kind of momentarily bugged me.




You either pay to GET TO Universal, or you are paying to PARK your car at the hotel.... We all wish Universal would operate something like ME, but they are not as enormous as Disney can't do it...besides, the parks are independent of the hotels ;)


My biggest piece of advice, as one Disney lover to another, is do NOT go expecting Universal to be just like Disney. Or a Disney wannabe. Or a Disney knockoff. Just flush Disney out of your head before you get there.

As a regular poster on this board, I can't tell you the number of times I've seen a Disney lover miss out on all that Universal has to offer because they spend their whole time at Universal comparing it to Disney. Or who spend their whole time at Universal finding reasons not to go back because they would rather be at Disney. They make one "see I'm not missing anything" trip to Universal so they can say they went, spend the whole time finding reasons to put it down, then report back that they had a miserable time and won't ever go back.

So, go with an open mind and you should have a good time. I'm not saying that you would be one of those people I just described, so don't take it that way. I'm just tossing that out there since I've seen it happen over and over.

I'll go back to my corner and wait for them to feed me again. ;)


Here: :mickeybar dinnertime :teeth:

I just wanted to let you know, that you did a great job explainin' all that to Hedy.... Also as a regular poster (well, not recently because I'm getting ready for vacation myself :banana: ) everything RVGal said is correct. Ya tire of reading it, so we try to warn peeps....consider yourself warned. ;)

With that said....have yourself a great time and be sure to let us know how it went! :thumbsup2

[donaldduck352]

Keep US posted:thumbsup2

[Assisi]

Learned a lot from the guidebook. I booked my Mears shuttle to/from the airport last night. I'm sure Universal has some great reason why they don't have a hotel shuttle, but it still irks me I have to pay for Mears when I'm paying 2x for HRH what I've paid for a WDW room and gotten DME. :rolleyes1

Probably because Universal doesn't care if you want to go off property. Disney offers ME so you don't rent a car and venture off property to go to *gasp* Universal. I look at it more like with ME, Disney has a found a way to hide that they are holding you hostage.

[Hedy]

So I got the Sheraton at MCo on Priceline for 35...so two weeks from today I'll be off to work, then driving to Providence, then off to MCO. :cool1: :cool1:

[donaldduck352]

Probably because Universal doesn't care if you want to go off property. Disney offers ME so you don't rent a car and venture off property to go to *gasp* Universal. I look at it more like with ME, Disney has a found a way to hide that they are holding you hostage.


Never thought of it like that.Clever:rolleyes1

[AmandaSparks730]

First: Hoo-ray for Universal!

Second: Hey, you're leaving from PVD! Awesome! I live literally 5 minutes away from it, off Post Road :D :D Can't beat that! (Although we in Warwick are mad that people refer to it as "Providence" airport when it is, in fact, in WARWICK)

Third: Yes, go with a Disney-free mind! Like, don't think "In DISNEY they would do that" or "In DISNEY they wouldn't have something like THAT". Just go and have fun!

Fourth: Not to be missed attractions and shows...

IoA: Spiderman!!
Incredible Hulk...if you can handle Rock n Roller, you should be okay with this
Popeye and Bluto's is a must do in the heat
Ditto Jurassic Park River Adventure
Lost Continent has AMAZING theming, so take awhile to walk around here
Ditto Suess Landing

USO:
Revenge of the Mummy!! Absoultely amazing :D :D :D
Horror Make-Up Show...this is actually pretty cool, and funny.
Shrek 4D is okay, but don't sit too close to the screen! It ruins the effects :(
Men In Black is like...Buzz Lightyear on steroids. So do it!

And that's basically it :)

Oh, and finally...

Have fun!

[Hedy]

First: Hoo-ray for Universal!

Second: Hey, you're leaving from PVD! Awesome! I live literally 5 minutes away from it, off Post Road :D :D Can't beat that! (Although we in Warwick are mad that people refer to it as "Providence" airport when it is, in fact, in WARWICK)

Third: Yes, go with a Disney-free mind! Like, don't think "In DISNEY they would do that" or "In DISNEY they wouldn't have something like THAT". Just go and have fun!

Fourth: Not to be missed attractions and shows...

IoA: Spiderman!!
Incredible Hulk...if you can handle Rock n Roller, you should be okay with this
Popeye and Bluto's is a must do in the heat
Ditto Jurassic Park River Adventure
Lost Continent has AMAZING theming, so take awhile to walk around here
Ditto Suess Landing

USO:
Revenge of the Mummy!! Absoultely amazing :D :D :D
Horror Make-Up Show...this is actually pretty cool, and funny.
Shrek 4D is okay, but don't sit too close to the screen! It ruins the effects :(
Men In Black is like...Buzz Lightyear on steroids. So do it!

And that's basically it :)

Oh, and finally...

Have fun!

::yes:: Thanks!
Well, guys, I have to say I'm getting very excited. Almost there!

[Hedy]

Yipes-I leave tomorrow night! I'm almost all packed...panicing about what I might forget. I called Sheraton and told them I'd be in late-they had my reservation (incidentally, they're offering a special rate of $109 tomorrow night, Priceline got it for me at $35). I also added my Lowes First number to my HRH reservation, I know it won;t get me anything as I have a third party reservation, but it can't hurt.

[Hedy]

I checked in on my SWA flight-A19!

[Nicole786]

You are going to have a BLAST!!!!

[macraven]

bye hedley..........you're on your way.........

[Hedy]

bye hedley..........you're on your way.........

You are going to have a BLAST!!!!

Thanks guys! I've been climbing the walls at work all day. I had to do a sudden run home at lunch time-I forgot to pack my Emergency-C (I know, I know, but it can't hurt). Bagalinni was not at home, it'll probably come on Monday. Sigh.

[Hedy]

There are many, many excuses for this trip, but I’m just going to go with two: a)my mother was in Scotland, and kept telling me I should go away for the fourth of July, too. B)I had to use a vacation day for foot surgery in April. Anyway, I got out of work, went to my car, turned on Dory the GPS, and switched out from work shoes to my croc Mary Janes (plus socks, to avoid the yucky airport floor). I made good time getting to Pre-Flight parking lot. It was easy to find, and right across from TF Green. I took the shuttle to the airport. Security was easy-I told the TSA agent I had my contact solution in a separate bag, she knew it was legal. I grabbed a bite at TGI Friday’s and waited for my gate.

Now, I was somewhat nervous about boarding, as I haven’t flown on Southwest in six years. But it was easy as pie-I lined up, got on, picked out an aisle seat, and sat down. This was easily the oddest flight to MCO I’ve ever taken-almost everyone was an adult, except a couple of toddlers. I landed in Orlando, called for the shuttle to my hotel (Sheraton Suites for $35 on Priceline). I checked in and went to my room. It was the nicest $35 room I’ve ever had-there was a living room area with a couch and chair, plus a little fridge and coffee maker. I had a nice king bed, with a bathroom area. I went to bed, but first readied my park bag-I was getting up early in the morning to get the shuttle to HRH.

[tlinus]

popcorn:: popcorn::

waiting

:goodvibes

[Hedy]

Photos will be coming later!

I had missed the first shuttle, so I waited for the second. There was a mother and two kids waiting with me-when the shuttle came and we got on, I called my mother. Her travelling companion was having a cellphone issue. I was able to solve the issue over the phone (if you flick the lock switch, the phone unlocks, shockingly), I'm certain the people in the shuttle thought I was screwy. I got out, and started looking for the Mears counter. I couldn't find it, so I stupidly asked a person waiting near the Mears sign at ground transportation. He informed me Mears didn't go to HRH, so I should take his cab. I called Mears, found their desk (closed, and the electronic kiosk was broken). They sent a shuttle, I waited for one person, they never showed up but there was someone else going to Lake Buena Vista, and we were off! The ride to HRH was easy enough, I liked it when we were driving up and saw Wet and Wild, and then when you can see the Hulk and Dr. Doom's Fear Fall from the road.

I got out, and entered HRH. Wow, it's a pretty hotel-I felt a little self-concious in my moisture-wicking t-shirt and running skirt. I checked in, they found my reservation, and gave me my room key. The person checking me in verified that my Lowes Forst gift was red wine and nuts, in retrospect I wish I'd asked for milk and cookies, as I was too busy to drink my wine. I stored my bags, and I was off. It was around 7:50 am, and the pool (which you walk through to get to the parks) was closed, so I headed into Emack and Bolio's for a quick snack. I grabbed a Sprite (FYI for you bottled soda fans-bottles are $3 at HRH, but $2.75 in the machines at the park). I planned to pop some emergen-C in the Sprite, and drink it while I waited. I took a chug top compensate for the fizz of emergen-c, put it and, and kablooey! My Sprite was channeling Mount Vesuvious. I cleaned up what I could with napkins, alerted the TM at the register, and headed out to the pool. It really was a nice pool, with a great slide. I wandered around a bit, and headed to the gate with the "to the parks" sign. There was a nice family waiting for the gate to open, and a lady who wanted to get in, but it wasn't working (it was about 8:10, and the pool opened at 8:00). A TM came along and let us out. It was an easy walk to Universal Studios. I got my ticket from the machine easy as pie, then I got in line. In line, I learned that Brazillian tour groups go to US/IOA as well as WDW (and they were cheering).

The doors opened, I got in. First stop was a restroom in New York. I stuffed my Tinkerball fastpass holder down my shirt, as everything else was going in a locker. I got my locker, and got in queue for the Mummy. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to use the Express Pass queue,as there was no wait. As I got on, I realized my fastpass pouch had dropped off my lanyard, but it was safely tucked away. I was on the Mummy with maybe 3 other people in the whole car. I liked the Mummy, but my migraines were acting up and it threw my for a loop. I got off, and, realizing I needed a case for my Express Pass, I bought a Universal one-good thing I could charge it to my room, as everything else was in my locker. I then headed over to the Simpson ride, I was really impressed with the queue. If you're not an Express Pass person, start your day at Simpsons, at 9:20 the wait was around 45 minutes. The Simpsons was great-the snark involved in Krustyland was hysterical. I headed over to MIB, and the lockers. I put my bag in (does anyone else find it amusing that Men in Black have no fingerprints, given the lockers). I did not horribly on my first ride, but I forgot to press the red button. I walked over to Jaws...my first ride I'd been on before. Having been on Martha's Vineyard the week before my trip, I was impressed with the theming in Amity. Jaws was good-I was sitting right where the shark comes up, which is a little startling. It was kind of sad though-the thing to let us off the boat wasn't working, so we were stuck on the boat for about five minutes-there were some younger kids who were freaking out-I think they might have thought it was part of the ride. :( I went over to the horror make up show-brilliant-is the Fred Flinstone head a hidden something or other (as they used to have the Hanna Barbera ride)? It was hysterical, at the point where the host blames the kid for the alarm, the expert turned to the kid and said "I'm watching you, this isn't Disney World, I don't need to be nice to you." :rotfl: I grabbed some fries at Mel's. I headed over to Disaster, but it looked like too long until the show, so I decided to walk around until the Beetle Juice review. I stopped in the Kids Zone and rode ET-that's kind of an odd ride. I headed over to the Beetle Juice review, which was hysterical. I stopped in Shrek on my way out-I really liked it, but I thought it was a little scary for wee ones-the little girl next to me left the auditorium in tears.

[DisMomAmy]

Hi Hedy! Great start! Can't wait for the pictures... :rolleyes1

[Hedy]

Hi Hedy! Great start! Can't wait for the pictures... :rolleyes1

Photobucket was being a poop last night.

[DisMomAmy]

Photobucket was being a poop last night.

Don't you hate when that happens! :mad:

[MrsSparrow..]

Hi! Nice trippie :)

I know what you mean about Brazillian Tourists, whooping and cheering everywhere :)

[Nicole786]

EEE! Welcome back!! I can't wait in 24 days I will be at HRH :) Can you believe i have never seen any of the US shows?? I will make it a point this trip to stop and check them out!!

[macraven]

EEE! Welcome back!! I can't wait in 24 days I will be at HRH :) Can you believe i have never seen any of the US shows?? I will make it a point this trip to stop and check them out!!

:eek:



where were your priorities...........???

[Hedy]

I called HRH, and my room was ready (thanks, DISers, for letting me know I shouldn't wait for the hotel to call me. I went back, checked in, got two new room keys (if Universal/Lowes is so into being green, shouldn't they stop giving one person 3 room keys?). They said they'd send the luggage to my room, which they did. I stopped by the concierge to book a seating at Mythos (which, incidentally, is pronounced Mee-thos, not Myth-os). It was a really nice room-it had two queen beds, a tv, a nice bathroom. It had an ajoining room, which surprised me as I was a solo-the door was closed, but I still would think they'd save it for a family. My luggage arrived, I unpacked (or rather, spread all my junk on the other bed). There was a knock at the door-it was my wine and nuts, as well as a note.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/htf130/universal020.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/htf130/universal021.jpg
I headed off to IOA. I walked through Citywalk as I headed to IOA. They aren't kidding when they call it a big HRC.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/htf130/universal038.jpg

There's something exciting about entering a theme park you've never been in before. I really liked the Port of Entry. I decided to go counter-clockwise and start with Marvel Island. I got in the queue for Spiderman-I liked how even the Express Pass queue was themed. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/htf130/universal028.jpgI wasn't quite sure what to expect, but wow-that was amazing, it was like an exciting dark ride meets 3-D meets simuator. Due to my migraines, I decided Hulk and Dr. Doom would be a bad idea, so I headed off to Toon Lagoon. First, I got a refillable mug at Fruit. I loved the idea of the refillable mug ($.69 coke after paying $7-sounds good to me) but the cup didn't fit in the pocket of my touring bag so it was kind of a pain-I didn't bother with it on Sunday. I really wanted to go on Dudley Do Right (my favorite ride at another amusement park in Orlando is their flume), but my migraines did not like even getting in or out the test seat, so I decided to nix it. ;(. I headed over to Popeye. On the way, I passed a number of sopping wet people-hint-IOA day is a bad day for your entire family to wear matching outfits involving white pants. I got on Popeye. I loved it! I was the best raft ride I've been on. I got out, decided not to chance things with Jurassic Park, so I chamois'd myself dry, and knew that my quick drying skirt and shirt would do their thing. I walked around Jurrassic park, and decided to grab a snack at Thunder Falls of corn, rice, key lime cheesecake and a coke (refill). I really just wanted the Key Lime Cheesecake, but figured I should have some nutrition as well (I usually have good eating habits, I swear). I love key lime...you could try to sell me Key Lime arsenic. I stopped to grab a spoon and knocked over my coke. :mad: I wiped it up, ate what wasn't ruined, and headed off to the Lost Continent.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/htf130/universal027.jpg

I wanted to ride the Flying Unicorn, purely because it was closing. It was actually pretty cute. I dont like standing attractions, so I skipped Posedon, and my migraines did not want to try DD. I wanted to see the test seat to at least see if I fit, but some little kid was sitting in it and not moving. I headed onto Seuss Landing. I started with the trolley ride (great view). I then moved onto the Cat in the Hat...what a cool ride-it's a dark ride for the new millenium. I rode the Carosuessel, which was fun except for the kid and his father who were horsing around next to me. Why people do that in a theme park I'll never know
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/htf130/universal030.jpg

Up next...Mythos..

[t-and-a]

Great TR! I'm glad you got some pics up now. Can't wait for more!

[RAPstar]

Great TR. Getting me excited for my trip!

[Nicole786]

Awesome first day!! What did you think of all the theming?? Im curious as youve never been there before (PS: Is there such a thing as a proud darkish blonde-head?? I love the redhead tags guys, awesome! lol)

[macraven]

nicole, half of us redheads are blondes :rolleyes1



hedly, did you notice that seuss land is true to form?
there is not one straight line in that section.

even the trees are not straight.

[DisMomAmy]

Great update! I especially like the pics because I've never been there before. The room looks great too!

[Hedy]

It was about 7:15 now, and decided to head toward Mythos. I was really looking forward to eating at Mythos. I got there, and there was a wait. I informed the hostess I was alone. I waited. And waited. I knew I was the last seating, but I wasn't sweating it. The family next to me, however, was flipping that they had to wait, and they had a priority seating. They were seated. I was seated around 7:45. Now, I know that I was the last seating of the day, it was the Fourth of July, and I was a solo. However, I felt the service was really poor. I sat for a while, and my waitress came over and asked "Can I get you anything?" Good evening and a happy Fourth to you, too. I asked for a potion of the gods. She carded me. She broght it to me. "What do you want?" "What are your specials?" "We have a beef tip risotto, and a pulled pork flatbread." Maybe I'm becoming a crotchety old woman, but I would think a server should offer up the specials without prodding. I ordered the tomato flatbread. The waitress brought my bread-it and my drink were good. Complaining family was next to me, and getting as bad service as I was. She brought my flatbread. Now I love mozzarella and tomato, but the cheese was low quality, and the basil was scarce. Meh. She disappeared for a while. When she returned, she asked "Anything else?" Once again, the pattern of me almost needing to interpret continued. "I'd like the gooey banana cake, please." It came. It looked pretty (I was so not into this meal at this point I wasn't doing food porn pics). The cake was part warm, part cold. The peanut butter ice cream was full of ice crystals. Yuck. I was too tired to dispute my bill, so I paid (I did really like getting a discount with my AAA card at so many places). Then the final moment happened-I was entitled to a glass because of my drink. "Do i just take this glass?" "Oh, no, I'll get you a boxed one..." The service was poor, more inadequate than bad. But between that and the food, I don't think I'll return to Mythos, and I'm kind of scratching my head as to its reputation.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/htf130/universal031.jpg
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I strolled around IoA-it's a beautiful park. Strolling through Jurassic Park at night was cool with the growling. I gazed at Dudley Do right again, decided not to chance it. I did ride Spiderman again. I'd thought about heading over to Universal for Universal 360, but was not in a crowd mood. So I headed back to the hotel. Citywalk was packed, the NBA place was doing something with the basket outside. As I walked along, I found they were playing the 360 music and we could see part of the fireworks by the Universal globe. I headed back to my hotel. I passed the rickshaws, but didn't have tip money. I found the walk back to HRH in the dark not too well marked, in the future I'd take a rickshaw or water taxi.

[Hedy]

nicole, half of us redheads are blondes :rolleyes1



hedly, did you notice that seuss land is true to form?
there is not one straight line in that section.

even the trees are not straight.
I did indeed, Mac. I was amazed.
Awesome first day!! What did you think of all the theming?? Im curious as youve never been there before (PS: Is there such a thing as a proud darkish blonde-head?? I love the redhead tags guys, awesome! lol)
I was surprised how each Island was so self contained, it really kept with the theming.
Great TR! I'm glad you got some pics up now. Can't wait for more!

Blame Photobucket.

[Hedy]

The next morning I got up, packed/organized things into check out mode (I opted not to bring my wine with me-pity, would have been nice at the Hyatt that night). I checked out, stored my bags, and headed to IoA. I rode Spiderman (I was in the front rather than the back-I, personally, like the front better) and Popeye. I was on Popeye with a nice British family, and one point the mom ducked under her tween to keep dry-LOL. It was around 9:45, and I had to check in for my flight at 10:10, so I strolled over to Cinnabon and had a snack while waiting for check in time. I checked in on my phone (A54 :( ) and decided I was good with IoA, so I crossed over to Universal. I really like how easy it is to park hop there. I headed straight for the Animal show. When the animals come out at the beginning, the woman behind me exclaimed "Oh my god, how do you train a cat!" Having two cats, I lolled. The show was cool, but I don't like birds, and there were too many flying close to me. I then decided to head to Disaster. We got in, and there was a huge family next to me who wanted to get in the show. Kiddo was cast as screaming kid. Mom went with. They then proceeded to scream and jump for every flipping role. Grandpa got cast in the closed shoes role. The thing with Christopher Walken and the TM was cool. We did the rest of the pre-show and headed onto our subway car. I think it was the exact same Earthquake ride, it was fun, though. I headed over to Twister-it was a nice attraction, but given all the tornadoes in the news these days, it seemed like kind of a messed up attraction/thrill. I went to ride the Mummy, but I couldn't get the dang lockers to work, so I gave up. I grabbed a funnel cake in Amity, and headed over to MIB. I finally got a locker to work, but when it opened, it was full of HRH toiletries-no bag, just toiletries. Who does that? I went to MIB. I remembered to hit the red button this time. My score was around 100,000. I had thought I might head over to the Mummy, but that walk sans sunglasses was not going to happen. I could not get my locker open-I think the sweat+sunscreen was too much. A great TM helped me. He checked a photo id in my wallet to ensure I was me-so if you think you might have that problem, don't put your license on your lanyard. I actually e-mailed Universal about my experience and got an e-mail from them thanking me for letting them know.

I took a break and had a frozen Coke by the Simpsons. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/htf130/universal043.jpgI headed down to Hollywood and saw Terminator-it was really cool, but I kept on lifting off my glasses to see what was real. I saw Shrek again. I stopped at the sounviner store and got myself a Fiona pen on my way out. I browsed in the citywalk shops. I had been thinking I'd grab dinner at Citywalk, but after experiencing a lot of boredom while looking at the menu, I decided to try the Kitchen. I stood in line for the watertaxi. We arrived, and I headed over to the kitchen. Menu looked good-they were advertising a character meal, but they weren't crowded. My waiter, Anthony, was exceptional. I had a great pasta primavera, electric lemonade, and a key lime tart. I also met Bart Simpson, who kissed my hand. I told him he was acting gentlemanly. I spent sometime looking at the pool and checking out the arcade (didn't seem as big as I've seen other Orlando arcades be). On my way to the lobby, I passed a couple-the guy yelled out "I just got married!" I thought it was cute.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/htf130/universal004.jpg
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[RAPstar]

Great TR, Hedy!! I love the pics of the HRH. Gives me even more reason to saty there (One day!!!).

[clint999]

Good job Heather. Have fun.

[GinaBean]

I have a couple of questions, as I have never been to UO/IOA:

What is odd about the ET ride? Are you actually sitting on bikes & do they go up in the air?

What was scary about the Shrek ride?

If you don't want to give out spoilers, you could PM me.

Thanks :)

[Hedy]

I have a couple of questions, as I have never been to UO/IOA:

What is odd about the ET ride? Are you actually sitting on bikes & do they go up in the air?

What was scary about the Shrek ride?

If you don't want to give out spoilers, you could PM me.

Thanks :)

You know at WDW, you're on those "flying" things? On ET you're on a long, flat one of those, sitting on a "bike"-not comfortable. You also see ET's friends having a...festival? They're kind of funny looking.

Shrek's preshow is kind of dark (Farquad is beck from the dead and torturing the storybook characters). There's a big scene with spiders (3-D, plus they puff in air) in a creepy forrest. If you're taking kids, I'd preview it on Youtube.

[Hedy]

I got my stuff, and waited for Mears. The shuttle pulled up...I was the only one in it. I asked if the driver could take me to Terminal B, even though my fake flight was in terminal A. He could. I think Mears has a bad rep-I was very pleased with both transfers I had. I enjoyed the ride to MCO-good grief, Orlando has a lot of hotels. We passed some amusing billboards-there was one for Cracker Barrel that said "Fresh greens. Coming up daily." Um, ok. There was also a huge one for vasectomies-I thought it was funny it was going towards MCO. I got dropped off, but I had a mission at the Earport before I checked into the Hyatt. I got my nephews each an autograph book. I headed off to the Hyatt. I had a king room, they advised I leave at least 90 minutes between my check out and my flight in the morning. I had one of those rooms with the balcony overlooking the terminal. I liked the Hyatt.

Next morning, I checked out, went to check my baggage on SWA, and headed home.

Final thoughts:
I'm glad I took this trip, both for the personal reasons and because I had fun. I had been slightly worried I wouldn't have fun, or get hurt, but I had a great time. I'd also been worried that not having a car would be a problem, but it wasn't; however, I think next trip I'll rent a car so I can do Citywalk my last night and stay offsite rather than the airport.

In short, if you're a Disney person who wants to try the darkside, do it.

[karatepamy]

True, Universal doesn't have a shuttle to and from the airport, but there is a free shuttle and free water taxi from the hotel to the parks.

[karatepamy]

did you know that some of the trees in seuss landing are from miami? when hurricane andrew blew through miami, it caused the trees to become disformed. universal orlando was lucky enough to get some of those trees for the theming of this particular island. did you also know that dr. seuss' widow has to approve everything that is placed in seuss landing?

[LITTLEKID58]

:flower3: