5 pleasant surprises on our US/IOA trip

[Hug the Mouse]

We visited US/IOA on Nov 4/5th and had a fantastic time. My DW and I visited 3 years ago without the kids, and had to share these parks with them this time DD 10, DS 7, DS 5. Of course we looked forward to all the favourites like MIB, Spiderman, ET, Shrek etc. but we really discovered many other gems through our kids.

1. Jurassic play area...what a great play area with caverns to explore, rope nets to climb, water cannons to spray, slides to well...slide. We easily spent 60-90 minutes there and had to drag the kids out. A nice, shady break from the bustle of the park mid-day.

2. Blondies sandwich shop in Toon Lagoon...what a nice break from some of the routine fast food at other parks, at a reasonable price.

3. Curious George Ball Factory...discovered this purely by accident as I looked for DS in the water play area (lots of fun in itself). Infectious fun as I found myself helping the kids gather balls to send up to the ball drop. Another unexpected gem that we had to drag the kids out of after close to an hour of playtime.

4. One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish...Noticed this colourful ride when visiting with just DW 2years ago, didn't notice the water aspect of it. What a great little ride with the song that plays while the water sprays (had to get a rhyme in ) rode this several times with DS5.

5. Single rider line on the MUMMY...waited with DD for 25 minutes until she decided she was too scared to ride. Had to escort her out to DW, then was able to get on through the single rider after only 6 or 7 minutes.

We had a fabulous time. I'll write more about our experiences in the coming days.

Hug the Grinch...er..Mouse

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Curious George play area is great for kids and is a favourite with many families.

 

[yaytezIOA]

Glad to see someone finally doing what many people have said to do, EXPLORE! Did you get to the Discovery Center in JP...one of my favorite places to play games, mess with dinos and watch babies hatch. If you're lucky you may even get to see a baby trike and pet it. I think that a lot of folks, especially disney folk, try to rush through these two parks and miss so much. Disney folk feel guilty for leaving the mouse behind, and rush through it, most so they can complain how they left the mouse behind....but glad to see someone finally stopped and explored.

 

[macraven]

about your #4 on your list of red fish, blue fish......


i am a LOT older than your kids, and i love that ride !!

sometimes i am about the only adult on it.


i'm so good at that ride, i don't get wet on it anymore....