The "Why is this a TR?" TR - 3/15/15

[JustCor]

This is really just a quick, impromptu TR for my short trip to USF/IOA. It'll be short(ish).

Quick intro time, since I'm quite new to the site:

This is me:

My name is Corey, or Cor, either one. I'm 35 and rapidly approaching 36. As you can see by my fancy business attire, that's a work picture. This was a solo trip, so it's just that handsome fellow.

Today I went to Universal and Islands of Adventure. This is the report du jour.

 

[JustCor]

Planning

The secret to a good trip is in the planning. This trip's planning started at 7:30am this morning when I woke up and thought to myself "I just got an annual pass to Universal, I should probably use it."

And that's about the amount of planning that I put into this venture. I didn't say you needed a ton of planning.

 

[JustCor]

The Drive

After a quick shower and a gathering of the basics (wallet, annual pass, pen, notebook), it was time to hit the road. From where I live, Orlando is just about a 2 hour drive. That makes it far enough to be a "vacation" but close enough to be convenient. I did the quick stop at the gas station and fueled up the car and grabbed a quick bite to eat and a drink for the road.

On these trips, I like to grab something different and try stuff I haven't tried before, given that there's a selection that supports trying new things.

Today I was in luck:

Kombucha! I've never tried Kombucha before. I hear it's good for you and healthy-ish and blah blah blah. This one had a ton of floating seed like things in it. It checked off new, different, and strange. Mission success.

Unfortunately, as mentioned, I've never tried Kombucha before. I wish someone would have told me how completely awful it was before wasting my money on it. You know that smell that you sometimes catch a whiff of when something is rotting and maybe covered in vinegar and sick? That's how this tasted. And those seeds, I still don't know what to think. They felt like slimey little bubbles just sliding over the tongue. It was like carbonation, without carbonation, if that makes sense.

Never again. Bad start.

But, two hours is just two hours. I've got more than enough music to cover the trip there and back. Easy as pie.

 

[JustCor]

Park in the driveway, Drive on the parkway:

And it was an easy drive. Arriving at Universal is a bit strange. My only frame of comparison is to Disney World. I've been to Universal twice before, but never solo, and this is the first time I've actually been the driver. Since I had to pay attention this time instead of day dream while staring out of the window, I noticed things I hadn't noticed before. There's just a weird vibe that I got from driving in. This doesn't feel like a theme park. It feels like a weird condensed world. When finally getting the car parked in the parking garage and walking to the parks, the feeling began to crystalize: This is an airport that doesn't have planes. I'm walking through an airport terminal.

First things first though, can't lose my car:

I see ET is rocking a very Che Guevara look today. He must have left his beret with Elliot. I "misplaced" my car once before. That was an adventure I'd like to not take part in again. A quick picture tends to do the trick for me.

Let's go to the park!

 

[JustCor]

It's really just paper?

The next parts are sans pictures. I'm not sure if the visual element would add anything to this part. I ordered my annual pass online and had them shipped to my house. Reading the little packet that came with the ticket, I was under the impression that I would take this paper ticket to the ticket booth and end up turning it in to get something else, like a plastic card with an RFID chip in it and then do some biometrics stuff. Again, my only comparison comes from having a Disney Annual Pass, and that's pretty much how it works there. That was my expectation. Instead, the paper ticket is the pass. Is it weird that I'm let down by that? It seems so... antiquated. What if my wallet gets wet? How long are these pieces of paper supposed to last?

Whatever. It works. It's just odd.

On to the rides.

 

[JustCor]

Houston, we have a problem

First stop: Islands of Adventures. The Hulk is fun. I know this deep in my soul from the last visit, and fun it was. For a spring break weekend, the line was surprisingly short. Perhaps it's because it was not too long after the park opened, but I was able to hop on The Hulk twice and move through the line quickly. I could have sworn I snapped a picture or three of the rollercoaster, but my phone says otherwise. It may be lying.

After The Hulk, it's time for Doctor Doom's Fearfall. The first ride that I went on like this was many years ago at Six Flags Magic Mountain. I think it was called Freefall. They're ridiculously simple and fun drop rides. Again, the lines were manageable, so one more round seemed like it would be necessary. After the second drop though, there's a problem.

It's a potentially big problem.

My mouth starts tasting like rancid vinegar. It seems riding the Fearfall may have shaken the fermented mess in my stomach like a cocktail shaker. I didn't have the bottle to confirm my thoughts, but I wouldn't be surprised if the manual recommended against doing this. I needed a drink of something not fermented and I needed it quick. An icy bottle of water and a quick seat later, and things were starting to settle down in my stomach. The impending eruption had been avoided. Since I'm sitting, maybe it's time to write stuff down for this TR. Why not? Maybe concentrating on something that isn't the acidic mess in my stomach would be a good thing.

 

[JustCor]

Harry Potter: It's a Thing!

This next admission may be blasphemy: I don't care about Harry Potter. I've tried reading the books and watching the movies and they just do nothing for me. But here I am, walking through the Jurassic Park section and heading for Potterland, or whatever it's called. It's easily the busiest part of the park. All that wonderful emptiness in the Marvel section seems to be overcompensated for while heading into the Harry Potter parts. It's packed.

There are lines for butterbeer. There are lines to go on the rides. There are lines to go in the store. Everything is a line. I peek into the windows here and there and contemplated getting some frozen butterbeer (because everyone knows frozen is superior to all), but the brewery in my stomach says otherwise. Fair enough stomach, you win this round. People are just all over the place.

The one thing that, quite surprisingly, doesn't have a line is the train from IOA to USF. I've hit my fill of anything rollercoastery for the moment and wanted to see the Simpsons stuff, so lets hop on the train.

This is where my disinterest in the Harry Potter franchise has me at a loss. The train ride to Diagon Alley is very well done. I can tell that a lot of detail went into it. The people sitting next to me were incredibly impressed. I could also tell that there were a ton of small details that I just had no concept of that I know would impress a fan of the series. So, if you're a Harry Potter fan, I feel safe saying that you would love the details and small touches that go into what is a simple hop from one park to the other. It's just not my thing.

 

[JustCor]

Look, it's Surly!

After a pleasant little ride on the train (Hoggwarts Express?), I'm at Universal Studios. My stomach is still protesting anything that is rides or food, but I'm ok with that. I get a kick out of checking out the sites and people watching. And what do I spy out of my little eye? The Simpson's. Now we're creeping into my territory. Harry Potter may not do much for me, but Simpson's is right in my wheelhouse.

Perfect. Almost creepy, almost psychotic, but perfect. And coming out of the speakers I hear a familiar voice. It's Tress MacNeille. They've nailed the Simpson's stuff. This is what the Harry Potter stuff must be like to their fans. I get the subtle stuff here. I hear the familiar voices. I recognize the in-joke kind of stuff.

I have a friend who passed years ago who would have eaten this up to a level that goes beyond mine. This would be his mecca.

Where's my picture of Duff Man? Not cool, phone, not cool.

Can you tell that this part of the park might possibly be a favorite? I actually took pictures!

Hey stomach, how are you feeling about a Flaming Moe? No, no good? Not even on? Just one? Fine, be a baby.

Hey stomach, how about a delicious Krusty Burger? No? You really suck today. See if I feed you healthy Kombucha today.

 

[JustCor]

OUTATIME

At this point it was obvious that the stomach wasn't going to cooperate with the rest of the trip. It was busy battling the retched healthiness of Kombucha tea and was in danger of losing. After three hours of doing park stuff and not being able to put down much in terms of foods or fluids, I was losing the battle too. It was time to call it a day. Was it shorter than I would have hoped? Yes. Did I have a good time? Of course! Luckily, Universal isn't too bad of a haul, so I will definitely be back to tackle more of the rides and finally eat and drink in Springfield.

Until then, this concludes your broadcasting day. Told you it'd be short-ish.

 

[chs27]

That was AWESOME! Corey, you just joined DIS and churned this stuff out!

 

[JustCor]

That was AWESOME! Corey, you just joined DIS and churned this stuff out!

Thank you! Just trying to be half as good as all of the other people doing trip reports.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

A great report, Corey . Loved the pics, and your write-ups made me smile.

Sorry to hear that your tummy gave you trouble. Poor timing, for sure.

Super cool that you are only 2 hours away from the Orlando parks. We're 2.5 hours away.....by plane....and another 3 hours by car from the airport to home. I swear that if I lived as close as you do, I'd be there every weekend.

As for the Frozen Butterbeer.......I will have to respectfully disagree. The cold version is where its at . Of course, I might change my mind after trying the Butterbeer ice cream in May. A new favourite may be in store .

 

[tink1957]

I love your style...sorry you felt poorly but it sounds like you had fun in spite of it all.

When you go back you should try the pink donut sundae at Lard Lad's...it's awesome...but don't ride fearfall after

 

[mrsabbott]

I enjoyed your TR! How lucky you are to only live 2 hours away!! We have family who live right outside of Orlando who HAVE NEVER BEEN and actually HAVE NO DESIRE TO GO!! When we briefly thought we would be living so close, the first thing I did was to start pricing AP's!! LOL! Hope you post again the next time you go and next time I hope your stomach cooperates! Blech!

 

[macraven]

simpsons rule......!

 

[moremouse]

Love your style. Can't wait to see another report!