Bad Mothers' Handbook - Chapter 6 - The DIS Discussion Forums

wilma-bride · 11-25-2009, 03:42 PM

Chapter 6 - High Jinks and Poolside Drinks

For the first time since we’d arrived, I actually slept right through the night and didn’t wake up until 7. I still maintain that having a couple of drinks helps me sleep and I promised myself, there and then, that I would make the effort to drink more

Welcome to my world mate!

Today, we were off to Islands of Adventure and the early morning routine was much the same as yesterday. Set off at 8, arrive and park up by 8.30, then stop at Cinnabon in City Walk for sustenance. Nat was really looking forward to Islands of Adventure since she’d been such a rollercoaster-wuss on their last visit that she hadn’t done any of the major thrill rides. Ok! Rub it in why dont you

So, on entering the park just before 9, obviously, we headed straight for the Hulk. Rea and the younger ones went on Storm Force Accelatron, while we rode twice. The second time, we obviously had to pose for the camera.

Next, it was Dr Doom’s. Nat wasn’t sure if she was going to like this ride but I assured her there was nothing to worry about. The younger ones were tall enough for this but Ellie decided not to ride. And, unfortunately, when Daniel was measured it turned out he was just short of the minimum height – a fact that he was actually quite please about, it turned out. He came in with us anyway and we decided to do child swap. Gary, John and Matthew went on first while we waited with Daniel. Then me, Sian and Nat went on next. It was amazing as always; it’s such a rush when you shoot up into the air. Because of where the boys were stood waiting for us, they managed to get it on video and you can hear our screams drowning out everyone else. I was very apprehensive whilst waiting for this ride more than any of the others I braved. I think because I had wimped out of a very similar ride at Drayton Manor (Maelstrom). Still, I was determined to give it a try and was so glad I did!

Spiderman was next and we were all able to ride together, which made a nice change. There are so many of the rides at Universal and IOA that Rea won’t do, it’s always good when there is something she enjoys.

After Spidey, I explained to Nat that, at this point, we would usually double back and head to The Lost Continent, stopping only long enough to ride One Fish, Two Fish on the way. As she and John were essentially IOA amateurs, they were happy to go with the flow and leave Tour Guide Joh (as was my nickname from then on) to it. I knew she would come in useful!

Gary stuck with tradition at One Fish, Two Fish and refused to ride, claiming ‘it’s for kids’. But the rest of us all enjoyed the opportunity to get a bit wet since it was already very warm. Haha, I followed the instructions and stayed remarkably dry considering.

Due to the work going on in Lost Continent, the main route through was inaccessible and we actually had to detour through Jurassic Park. We got a great view of some of the building work for Harry Potter Land though – I’m not a fan myself but the girls said it was looking good. I am looking forward to seeing the finished result and and am very interested to see what they do with Duelling Dragons - I can see it being re-branded to fit in with the Harry Potter theme

Duelling Dragons hardly had any line and so we rode the Fire dragon first, at the back. Nat loved it, as did John, and she was particularly impressed that I was able to tell her when to look out for the dragons meeting (which happens at 3 points throughout the ride). Unfortunately, again because of the building work, we actually had to exit the line completely in order to re-ride but we managed to cut back in a little way down the track. There were still no lines and so we decided we would wait for the front of Ice. Since there are only four seats in each row, I opted to go in row 2 so we could all ride together. Typically, as we got to the front, the ride started experiencing technical difficulties. Again, we were playing the waiting game. Luckily, after 10 minutes, it started up again and Nat and John got to experience the front row on Duelling Dragons – in my opinion, one of the most exhilarating and thrilling experiences ever. I agree, awesome ride!

Since the lines had built up a little now due to the technical problems, we decided not to ride again as Rea was stuck with the kids. So, moving on, it was time for Jurassic Park River Adventure. I am not a massive fan of this ride – I don’t like the drop on it – and so I was secretly hoping that Daniel would decide he didn’t want to go on. No such luck! We couldn't resist the opportunity to get the kids to pose for a couple of pictures first though.

Some of us got rather wet on this ride and some stayed completely dry – I can never understand that. As it was almost lunchtime and it was such a lovely day, we had lunch at Thunder Falls Terrace. And very pleasant it was too. While we were finishing up, the kids discovered the splash zone for River Adventure – and, within seconds, they were all absolutely soaked. The video footage we have for this is just hilarious, all the kids were totally soaked and loved every minute

Since we planned to do the water rides (Dudley Do-Right’s and Bilge Rat Barges) next, this wasn’t a major problem anyway. The wait time for Dudley’s was an unbelievable 50 minutes so we didn’t bother but went on the barges and, it’s safe to say, none of us escaped a soaking this time.

It seemed like as good a time as any to get ice-cream and find a spot in the sun to sit and dry off. So we wandered around to Port of Entry and got soft-serve ice-creams from the booth there. Sian, who doesn’t like soft serve, went over to Circus McGurkas to get some Dippin’ Dots.

As we were sat in the sun, finishing our ice-creams, I heard one of the girls say ‘Hello’ to someone and looked up to see their cousin, Matt, and Uncle Steve stood in front of us.

We had a little chat and took some photos, then Steven and Matt went off to do some rides, having only just arrived in the park, while we contemplated what to do next. In the end, we decided that, as we’d achieved what we wanted, we would return to the resort for a swim. After a quick detour to get some sweets for the kids and treats for the adults, we headed back to the Mystery Machine and drove back to Kidani Village.

Since we had no real plans for the evening, we were able to spend a good couple of hours by the pool, which gave Nat and I the opportunity to sample the Maji Pool Bar offerings.

Poolside Lemonade for me and a Margarita for Nat. Obviously, since I had bought the first ones, we had to even things up and have another. This time I opted for the Orange Dream and Nat had the Pina Colava. Our good friend, Dee (yes, we were already on first-name terms with the bartender as well as being good friends) gave us a sample of the Pina Colava, made with strawberry puree too, which was lovely. While we were waiting for our drinks, Sian came up and asked if she could have one too. When I said no, she stamped her feet, prompting much laughter from me, Nat and the guy behind us at the bar. Kids, eh!! You would not catch me stamping my feet if I was denied alcohol lol

After an extremely pleasant couple of hours in the sun, we decided we really ought to go and get some dinner. We’d had some chat about where to go and settled on either Longhorn Steakhouse (as recommended by Tony and Theresa) or Logan’s Roadhouse. As Longhorn was a firm favourite of T&T’s, the decision was made to give it a try.

It’s safe to say we all thoroughly enjoyed this. The food was fantastic but, unfortunately, most of us were far too stuffed to have dessert. I did brave dessert but I ended up regretting that as I was left feeling very full up

After dinner, we headed down to Walmart to pick up a few bits and pieces. I thought Nat would absolutely love it as she's a massive Asda fan but she hated it (and, in fact, later in the trip when we popped to a different Walmart, she opted to stay in the car as she was too scared to come in

)

As we were all feeling rather tired tonight, we decided to head back and get an early night. Looks like somebody definitely needed it!

Coming soon: Chapter 7 - A Few of Our Favourite Things

Tammy Stringer · 11-25-2009, 04:23 PM

Lovely pictures again - love the one of you all soaked.

Cocktails at the pool bar look yummy.

Have to say again I can't believe how brave you are doing all those rides - much as I would love to go to Universal again one day I can't see myself ever riding half the rides - Spiderman is my limit!!!

Will there be a food review from your evening meal when you do your food report? I would love to know what you ate

Tam

wilma-bride · 11-25-2009, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tammy Stringer

Lovely pictures again - love the one of you all soaked.

Cocktails at the pool bar look yummy.

Have to say again I can't believe how brave you are doing all those rides - much as I would love to go to Universal again one day I can't see myself ever riding half the rides - Spiderman is my limit!!!

Will there be a food review from your evening meal when you do your food report? I would love to know what you ate

Tam

The food report is up and running Tam, over on the restaurants board (link in my signature). Haven't quite got as far with the food reviews but hoping to get more posted in the next couple of days

CustardTart · 11-25-2009, 04:32 PM

Sounds like a great day, BMs. It's really cool to read about Nat's experiences as a first time (and previously nervous) rider at IOA.

I am a MAJOR ride wuss (bad experience on Kraken) but would love to try the rides so maaaaybeee I'll man (woman?) up next time around...

Love the Pina Colavas BTW - my fave poolside drink...

runskyhy · 11-25-2009, 04:34 PM

Awesome! I love the pictures! (Uh, and the drinks! Ha!)

I can't wait until the cruise chapters!

I had to look up ASDA - I never heard of it and don't remember it from my trip to London (7 years ago!!)

What was up with Wal-mart? Was it the prices, the merchandise, or the people?

Chilly · 11-25-2009, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilma-bride

I love this photo for so many reasons.

jockey · 11-25-2009, 04:48 PM

Great day

natalielongstaff · 11-25-2009, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by runskyhy

I had to look up ASDA - I never heard of it and don't remember it from my trip to London (7 years ago!!)

What was up with Wal-mart? Was it the prices, the merchandise, or the people?

it was the sheer size of the place !! and the fact that you could buy car tyres in there

natalielongstaff · 11-25-2009, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chilly

I love this photo for so many reasons.

Do tell

Cleofish · 11-25-2009, 05:06 PM

Excellent - truly excellent!! Keep it up!

Muscateer · 11-26-2009, 12:58 AM

Another fab day for you all. Loved the photo of you all after the soaking.

Good you have got over your coaster fear Nat. My two favourites are Duelling Dragons and The Hulk. I am always so nervous in the moments leading up to them though.

Off to look at the Food Porn thread as food is one of my fav topics, even though I should be doing

Natasha&Matt · 11-26-2009, 03:37 AM

Sounds fab loving the trip report!

Jets fan · 11-26-2009, 04:30 AM

Brilliant report and great pics

Tina

Kell-Bell · 11-26-2009, 09:14 AM

Another great TR

I want more!!!!!!!!

mandymouse · 11-26-2009, 09:26 AM

Another fab day girlies, the cocktails sound delish

11-25-2009, 03:42 PM	#1
wilma-bride Would love a diet on Cadbury Flakes Admits she's strange when it comes to eggs Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Calne, Wiltshire Posts: 12,171	Bad Mothers' Handbook - Chapter 6 Chapter 6 - High Jinks and Poolside Drinks For the first time since we’d arrived, I actually slept right through the night and didn’t wake up until 7. I still maintain that having a couple of drinks helps me sleep and I promised myself, there and then, that I would make the effort to drink more Welcome to my world mate! Today, we were off to Islands of Adventure and the early morning routine was much the same as yesterday. Set off at 8, arrive and park up by 8.30, then stop at Cinnabon in City Walk for sustenance. Nat was really looking forward to Islands of Adventure since she’d been such a rollercoaster-wuss on their last visit that she hadn’t done any of the major thrill rides. Ok! Rub it in why dont you So, on entering the park just before 9, obviously, we headed straight for the Hulk. Rea and the younger ones went on Storm Force Accelatron, while we rode twice. The second time, we obviously had to pose for the camera. Next, it was Dr Doom’s. Nat wasn’t sure if she was going to like this ride but I assured her there was nothing to worry about. The younger ones were tall enough for this but Ellie decided not to ride. And, unfortunately, when Daniel was measured it turned out he was just short of the minimum height – a fact that he was actually quite please about, it turned out. He came in with us anyway and we decided to do child swap. Gary, John and Matthew went on first while we waited with Daniel. Then me, Sian and Nat went on next. It was amazing as always; it’s such a rush when you shoot up into the air. Because of where the boys were stood waiting for us, they managed to get it on video and you can hear our screams drowning out everyone else. I was very apprehensive whilst waiting for this ride more than any of the others I braved. I think because I had wimped out of a very similar ride at Drayton Manor (Maelstrom). Still, I was determined to give it a try and was so glad I did! Spiderman was next and we were all able to ride together, which made a nice change. There are so many of the rides at Universal and IOA that Rea won’t do, it’s always good when there is something she enjoys. After Spidey, I explained to Nat that, at this point, we would usually double back and head to The Lost Continent, stopping only long enough to ride One Fish, Two Fish on the way. As she and John were essentially IOA amateurs, they were happy to go with the flow and leave Tour Guide Joh (as was my nickname from then on) to it. I knew she would come in useful! Gary stuck with tradition at One Fish, Two Fish and refused to ride, claiming ‘it’s for kids’. But the rest of us all enjoyed the opportunity to get a bit wet since it was already very warm. Haha, I followed the instructions and stayed remarkably dry considering. Due to the work going on in Lost Continent, the main route through was inaccessible and we actually had to detour through Jurassic Park. We got a great view of some of the building work for Harry Potter Land though – I’m not a fan myself but the girls said it was looking good. I am looking forward to seeing the finished result and and am very interested to see what they do with Duelling Dragons - I can see it being re-branded to fit in with the Harry Potter theme Duelling Dragons hardly had any line and so we rode the Fire dragon first, at the back. Nat loved it, as did John, and she was particularly impressed that I was able to tell her when to look out for the dragons meeting (which happens at 3 points throughout the ride). Unfortunately, again because of the building work, we actually had to exit the line completely in order to re-ride but we managed to cut back in a little way down the track. There were still no lines and so we decided we would wait for the front of Ice. Since there are only four seats in each row, I opted to go in row 2 so we could all ride together. Typically, as we got to the front, the ride started experiencing technical difficulties. Again, we were playing the waiting game. Luckily, after 10 minutes, it started up again and Nat and John got to experience the front row on Duelling Dragons – in my opinion, one of the most exhilarating and thrilling experiences ever. I agree, awesome ride! Since the lines had built up a little now due to the technical problems, we decided not to ride again as Rea was stuck with the kids. So, moving on, it was time for Jurassic Park River Adventure. I am not a massive fan of this ride – I don’t like the drop on it – and so I was secretly hoping that Daniel would decide he didn’t want to go on. No such luck! We couldn't resist the opportunity to get the kids to pose for a couple of pictures first though. Some of us got rather wet on this ride and some stayed completely dry – I can never understand that. As it was almost lunchtime and it was such a lovely day, we had lunch at Thunder Falls Terrace. And very pleasant it was too. While we were finishing up, the kids discovered the splash zone for River Adventure – and, within seconds, they were all absolutely soaked. The video footage we have for this is just hilarious, all the kids were totally soaked and loved every minute Since we planned to do the water rides (Dudley Do-Right’s and Bilge Rat Barges) next, this wasn’t a major problem anyway. The wait time for Dudley’s was an unbelievable 50 minutes so we didn’t bother but went on the barges and, it’s safe to say, none of us escaped a soaking this time. It seemed like as good a time as any to get ice-cream and find a spot in the sun to sit and dry off. So we wandered around to Port of Entry and got soft-serve ice-creams from the booth there. Sian, who doesn’t like soft serve, went over to Circus McGurkas to get some Dippin’ Dots. As we were sat in the sun, finishing our ice-creams, I heard one of the girls say ‘Hello’ to someone and looked up to see their cousin, Matt, and Uncle Steve stood in front of us. We had a little chat and took some photos, then Steven and Matt went off to do some rides, having only just arrived in the park, while we contemplated what to do next. In the end, we decided that, as we’d achieved what we wanted, we would return to the resort for a swim. After a quick detour to get some sweets for the kids and treats for the adults, we headed back to the Mystery Machine and drove back to Kidani Village. Since we had no real plans for the evening, we were able to spend a good couple of hours by the pool, which gave Nat and I the opportunity to sample the Maji Pool Bar offerings. Poolside Lemonade for me and a Margarita for Nat. Obviously, since I had bought the first ones, we had to even things up and have another. This time I opted for the Orange Dream and Nat had the Pina Colava. Our good friend, Dee (yes, we were already on first-name terms with the bartender as well as being good friends) gave us a sample of the Pina Colava, made with strawberry puree too, which was lovely. While we were waiting for our drinks, Sian came up and asked if she could have one too. When I said no, she stamped her feet, prompting much laughter from me, Nat and the guy behind us at the bar. Kids, eh!! You would not catch me stamping my feet if I was denied alcohol lol After an extremely pleasant couple of hours in the sun, we decided we really ought to go and get some dinner. We’d had some chat about where to go and settled on either Longhorn Steakhouse (as recommended by Tony and Theresa) or Logan’s Roadhouse. As Longhorn was a firm favourite of T&T’s, the decision was made to give it a try. It’s safe to say we all thoroughly enjoyed this. The food was fantastic but, unfortunately, most of us were far too stuffed to have dessert. I did brave dessert but I ended up regretting that as I was left feeling very full up After dinner, we headed down to Walmart to pick up a few bits and pieces. I thought Nat would absolutely love it as she's a massive Asda fan but she hated it (and, in fact, later in the trip when we popped to a different Walmart, she opted to stay in the car as she was too scared to come in ) As we were all feeling rather tired tonight, we decided to head back and get an early night. Looks like somebody definitely needed it! Coming soon: Chapter 7 - A Few of Our Favourite Things __________________ Joh Fred and Wilma Go On Honeymoon Fred and Wilma Second Time Around Fred and Wilma and the Girls Came Too Fred, Wilma and Friends February Fun & Frolics Fred and Wilma do DVC, DCL & DDP - The Food Fred, Wilma and Family do Disney Bad Mothers Handbook - a work in progress Nat and Joh make a (food) Porno

11-25-2009, 04:32 PM	#4
CustardTart I am sooo proud, happy, relieved and impressed - it's a great day... Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: South East London... Posts: 14,117	Sounds like a great day, BMs. It's really cool to read about Nat's experiences as a first time (and previously nervous) rider at IOA. I am a MAJOR ride wuss (bad experience on Kraken) but would love to try the rides so maaaaybeee I'll man (woman?) up next time around... Love the Pina Colavas BTW - my fave poolside drink... __________________ Grand Floridian Resort & Spa - Christmas 1998 * Dolphin/Vero Beach - Easter 2000 * Polynesian - August 2001 * Grand Floridian Resort & Spa - August 2004 * Beach Club/DCL Wonder - May 2005 * Grand Californian Hotel - NYE 2005 * Polynesian - August 2006 * DCL Magic Western Caribbean - September 2007 * Yacht Club - October 2007 * Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa - December 2007 * Villas at Wilderness Lodge/DCL Wonder Double Dip - May 2008 * DCL Magic Mexican Riviera/Disneyland Hotel - August 2008 * Boardwalk Villas - October 2008 * Animal Kingdom Villas/Hard Rock Hotel Club - Easter 2009 * Bay Lake Tower/DCL Magic Eastern Caribbean & Tortola/Villas at Wilderness Lodge - September 2009 * Bay Lake Tower - June 2010 * DCL Magic Mediterranean Cruise - August 2010 * Old Key West - October 2010 * Villas at Wilderness Lodge/DCL Dream Inaugural/Maiden Cruise B2B - January 2011 * Villas at Grand Californian/DCL Wonder West Coast Repositioning Cruise - Easter 2011 * DCL Wonder Alaska Cruise - August 2011...

11-25-2009, 04:34 PM	#5
runskyhy I like food. Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 199	Awesome! I love the pictures! (Uh, and the drinks! Ha!) I can't wait until the cruise chapters! I had to look up ASDA - I never heard of it and don't remember it from my trip to London (7 years ago!!) What was up with Wal-mart? Was it the prices, the merchandise, or the people? __________________ Runskyhy Disney Wonder, Bahamas, 03/2006, 03/2009, 10/2009, 11/2010 UPCOMING Coral Princess , Inner Passage, 06/2010 UPCOMING Carnival Ecstasy, Key West & Cozumel, 03/1995

11-25-2009, 04:48 PM	#7
jockey Repeat after me....I LOVE CROC's, I LOVE CROC's, I LOVE CROC's!!!!!! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: N.Ireland Posts: 5,794	Great day __________________ ,

11-25-2009, 05:06 PM	#10
Cleofish Mouseketeer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: County Durham, UK Posts: 166	Excellent - truly excellent!! Keep it up! __________________ Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. Walt Disney Meet The Family: Me (25) DF (25) DBunny Simba (3) DDog Polly (2) Kirsten & Matt - Planning our DFTW August 2011

11-25-2009, 04:23 PM	#2
Tammy Stringer I love babies - all milky and baby powdery Do you knit, Barbara? Up for the marquee option Join Date: May 2002 Location: Gloucestershire, England Posts: 1,249	Lovely pictures again - love the one of you all soaked. Cocktails at the pool bar look yummy. Have to say again I can't believe how brave you are doing all those rides - much as I would love to go to Universal again one day I can't see myself ever riding half the rides - Spiderman is my limit!!! Will there be a food review from your evening meal when you do your food report? I would love to know what you ate Tam

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11-26-2009, 12:58 AM	#11
Muscateer DIS Veteran Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Muscat, Oman Posts: 2,101	Another fab day for you all. Loved the photo of you all after the soaking. Good you have got over your coaster fear Nat. My two favourites are Duelling Dragons and The Hulk. I am always so nervous in the moments leading up to them though. Off to look at the Food Porn thread as food is one of my fav topics, even though I should be doing __________________ Sadie

11-26-2009, 03:37 AM	#12
Natasha&Matt DIS Veteran Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: High Wycombe UK Posts: 2,603	Sounds fab loving the trip report! __________________ May 2005 All star Movies May 2008 Pop Century September 2009 Newport Bay Club Natasha&Matts Orlando Adventure Pre Trip

11-26-2009, 04:30 AM	#13
Jets fan DIS Veteran Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Berkshire, UK Posts: 1,007	Brilliant report and great pics Tina

11-26-2009, 09:14 AM	#14
Kell-Bell Mouseketeer Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Reading, Berkshire, England Posts: 201	Another great TR I want more!!!!!!!! __________________ April 2002 Santa Fe DLP November 2003 Royal Pacific & All Star Movies July 2004 Newport Bay DLP November 2005 Hard Rock & Port Orleans Riverside November 2006 Corondo Springs & Portofino Bay March 2008 Pop Century & Hard Rock January 2009 Caribbean Beach Resort January 2010 Port Orleans French Quarter & Hard Rock Hotel

11-26-2009, 09:26 AM	#15
mandymouse If It's Not A Bahama Mama Then I'm Not Interested Can I put my Christmas Tree up yet ? Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Nuneaton U.K. Posts: 57,821	Another fab day girlies, the cocktails sound delish __________________ Mandy xx Needs a new 2010 ticker, and wants one NOW !!!!!

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