Libby's 2009 Trip - Day 9

[Dimplenose]

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8

Libby’s 2009 Trip

Day 9 – Tuesday 4th August

I’m really sorry, but for some reason we didn’t take a lot of photos today so the ones I have included are a bit random.

I didn’t sleep at all well – maybe because I was in a different bed. Although I was a bit tired, I wasn’t at all achy this morning so the mattress at RPR must have suited me better than at ASMu.

Our check out details had already been posted under our door. The only additional item on it was the parking fee.

We finished our packing before going down to the lounge for breakfast. There was a nice choice of pastries but I wish I’d realised that there were free refills of coffee before I bought a large one.

After breakfast we loaded up the car and then headed off to find the water taxi (I’m determined to have a boat ride.) We joined a very short queue but as soon as the boat appeared the queue miraculously quadrupled in size. I don’t know where everyone came from.

We ended up getting the second boat which wasn’t too bad as they were running very frequently that early in the morning. This time we had a bag check before we got onto the boat.

Once we’re at City Walk we head for Universal Studios. Stepping off the boat is like walking into an oven. We take some photos and then enter the park.



The first thing we do is find the Back to the Future props and take some photos before going directly to Men in Black.



We put our belongings in a locker and are very lucky to be allocated a locker right next to the control screen. I’m worried that the locker won’t be big enough but it goes back a long way and all of our things fit in easily.

We enjoy the ride and after looking at our ride photo we spend some time in the gift shop before retrieving our belongings from the locker.



Next we go to the Simpsons ride. DS was devastated when he found that the Back to the Future ride had gone but we did enjoy the new ride even if we found the queuing area a bit confusing. The ride was very funny but very jerky and I’m feeling really unwell by the time we get off.

We walk around for a while until I feel OK and then ride Jaws. This is a classic and for me what Universal Studios is all about (now that King Kong is no more.) Again I love having the front of line access.



After this we go to Disaster. DD really didn’t like Earthquake last time we were here so asks if she can go and get a snack while we ride. So 3 of us join the express queue, which didn’t seem very express – we must have just missed an entry. I wasn’t really keen on seeing a messed about with attraction, but how wrong I was. I absolutely loved the new style – the human/film interaction was very well done. The train ride was just the same but overall a very good attraction.

Having rejoined DD we head off to the Horror Make-Up Show. I avoided this show on our first two trips as I don’t like horror movies. Last time we saw it and laughed so much that tears were streaming down our faces.

Again we had quite a long wait but once inside we get seats near the front. This performance had a sign language interpreter. I was a little worried I might find her a little distracting (I can’t take my eyes off the signers on the news channel when they are on!) but she sat in front of the stage with her clients just in front of her and I wasn’t drawn to staring at her at all.

Just before the show started the people behind me pointed out that I had dropped my room key on the floor but when I picked it up it wasn’t mine. The owner was probably having kittens as the key had charging privileges. I held on to it until after the show when I could hand it in to an employee.

The show didn’t disappoint me. My family thought they used the same stooge as before – this lady was Hispanic the previous one African American – but she was so good and so gullible that I’m still not sure if she was a plant or not.



After the show we try to buy ice cream. It’s nearly 1pm and the ice cream shop is closed as is a nearby drinks cart. The nearest counter service restaurant has a queue out of the door – certainly not worth joining just to get a drink.

About a quarter of an hour later the ice cream shop reopens, but they’ve not set up properly so now we have a wait inside the shop. I’m really cross at US at the lack of snack kiosks – well the kiosks and carts are there – just not open!

The last attraction we want to see is Terminator. We’ve never done this before and it didn’t really live up to expectations. I think Cinemagique at Disneyland Paris was a much cleverer use of real life into film. I also hadn’t realised that the seats move and was resting my arms on the arm rest when a violent jolt bruised my elbows.

One of the screens from last night’s show.

We had done all we wanted by 3pm (a slight drawback of the front of line pass is that we got through all the attractions that we wanted to very quickly.)

We walk back to the hotel (use their facilities) and then get into the car. Our room key allows us to exit the car park and we head off following the Satnav.

There are a few shops at this end of Orlando that we want to visit and DH has programmed their addresses into the satnav. Unbeknownst to me he has also fiddled with the preferences – and thus begins our journey into hell.
I don’t like driving off Disney property. I can feel my anxiety levels rise the minute we leave the purple signs behind. Probably irrational, but very real to me. I can just about tolerate the journey to and from the airport but even though I’m only a passenger I cannot relax.

We have a very hard time finding the shops we want. We think some may have gone out of business, others are in parades that are parallel with the road and the satnav gets mega confused.

We eventually find a Barnes and Nobel but can’t find the book DS is after. So next we head off to find a Joanns craft shop. Again there is no sign of it. We do spot a Borders so we stop there.

DS does manage to get his book, but I’m disappointed to find that all the craft magazines they have are UK ones (ironically I usually buy US ones from the Borders at home!) We ask the shop assistant how to get to Joanns and he tells us that it has closed. He gives us directions to a Michaels instead.

We found this very easily but I thought it was very like Hobbycraft and didn’t actually carry much Disney scrapbooking stuff. We’re not far from the Florida Mall but the satnav decides to take us home by a very different route from last time.

Somehow DH has set the satnav to avoid both motorways and toll roads. It’s only when I see that our estimated journey is nearly an hour that I ask him to pull in where he can so we can check the journey details. He resets it and we go on our way.

After what seems a very, very long time. Lots and lots of toll booths and an exit we want to use but can’t because it doesn’t take cash we end up on Disney property.

As we pass under the Disney sign I can feel all 4 of us relax. I hated that journey!!!

As we enter ASMu DS says “Home again!” He admits that he didn’t really like being at US and he was uncomfortable at the hotel – this was probably because we were only there for one night and didn’t really settle in. He did like the front of line access and the TV. I liked the look of the pool at RPR but we didn’t get a chance to swim because of the storm.

Now that we were safely home we ate at the food court and had a quiet evening at the hotel.

[Cyrano]

We loved the Heavenly bed at Hard Rock Hotel.

Like yourself it was a strange journey heading back

[jen_uk]

When we were at IOA this year I was really annoyed as well at the lack of places open to buy drinks, it was a boiling hot morning and I was dying for a drink but couldn't get one for love nor money! Every place was closed and the snack carts weren't open, we were told by staff that we couldn't get a drink till 11am, considering we had been there since 9am in the August heat I thought this was terrible.

[jockey]

Great report

[tony64]

Hi Libby
Did you get to go to Mouse Memories on the 192? That's the craft store for all things Disney.

[tinks_1989]

you hurt your arm on terminator i really hurt my arm on back to the future i was in so much pain i cant even watch the film with the thought of pain i encountered

[mandymouse]

Originally Posted by Cyrano

We loved the Heavenly bed at Hard Rock Hotel.

We love the FOTL perk too

[Ware Bears]

A great report. From reading your and others reports I think we will book a night's stay at one of the onsite hotels to get FOTL next time we go to Universal. As we're not big coaster riders we managed to do all we wanted to by getting there early but it would have been nice to have repeated some of the attractions.

[jamjar84]

I've also noticed the lack of snack carts available in US/IOA and as those parks seem more 'open' to the elements you really do need a drink. The drink station over just before jaws is always mobbed, as it's been such a long time since people saw the last one!

Sorry to hear about the stressful journey, it sure is scary driving abroad, last time we were there we drove to Busch Gardens, DH took a wrong turn and we ended up in trailer park territory where it looked too scary to stop, it was such a huge de-tour that we were nearly running out of petrol, but we kept driving because we were too scared to stop, took us 2 and a half hours to get back to Orlando!

Sounds like you got some good perks with FOL though.

[jamjar84]

I've also noticed the lack of snack carts available in US/IOA and as those parks seem more 'open' to the elements you really do need a drink. The drink station over just before jaws is always mobbed, as it's been such a long time since people saw the last one!

Sorry to hear about the stressful journey, it sure is scary driving abroad, last time we were there we drove to Busch Gardens, DH took a wrong turn and we ended up in trailer park territory where it looked too scary to stop, it was such a huge de-tour that we were nearly running out of petrol, but we kept driving because we were too scared to stop, took us 2 and a half hours to get back to Orlando!

Sounds like you got some good perks with FOL though.

[mark&sue]

nice to get back "home" to Disney



susan

[irongirlof12]

I know what you me about driving outside disney area. I feel a bit anxious when out in the real usa rather than the 'helpful if anything goes wrong' disney area.