alabamabluezebra
USO Fanatic
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2003
- Messages
- 44
I'm sorry for the long delay between reports. Here we go...
RPR and USF Day 2 (12/31)
Our Cast
Me DH (41), DW(40), DD(15), DD(7), DD(5), DMIL(61) and DFIL(63).
We woke up around 9:00 am well rested and ready for a full day. Since it was NYE and the parks closed at 1:00am, we decided to spend the morning at the pool. The pool was not crowded and the little DDs and I headed for the water. Whenever we vacation in Orlando, we always meet some really interesting people in the jacuzzi. We usually talk about sports, vacationing, and our home states. I met a nice father and son from Georgia and an older sports nut from Boston. We solved the world's problems in a 20 minute session at the jacuzzi. Around noon, the resort provided arts and crafts for the children around the pool. I took this time to head up to the room to prepare for a long eventful day at US. The DDs and DMIL head back to the room around 1:00 to get dressed. We headed for US and rode Jimmy Neutron and Shrek shortly after entering the park. The posted wait time was 75 and 90 minutes for the two rides. It took us 20 minutes to ride both. We snacked at the Gramercy Park vendors and headed to Earthquake and Jaws. Both of these rides were a little dated and our Jaws guide was pretty lame. After San Francisco, we headed back to the Macy facade to watch the Macy's parade. This was the reserved AP parade viewing area but it lacked a diligent US employee to control the area. My DFIL, 15 year old DD and I went to Twister right before the parade. I enjoyed Twister but it's not something I would do more than once a trip. The Macy's parade was fine but I really expected more from Universal. Much like the females who rave about Ghostbusters, I enjoyed the Santa dancers and the candy cane girls! After the parade, we attempted to find a place to eat dinner in US and Citywalk. We ended up getting a quick bite at Green Eggs and Ham. The food was quick and fattening (the DDs loved it). We headed back to US to ride BTTF, ET, MIB, et al before the fireworks. We decided to find a good viewing place around 10:00 PM for the fireworks show. We found a low masonry wall along the lower sidewalk which runs along the lagoon near the Animal Planet show. The whole gang was tired and the two hour wait gave everyone a chance to rest and enjoy a quick power nap. I met a nice family from NC that attempted to visit Magic Kingdom earlier in the day. They said that MK would not accept guests after 10:30 AM. I can only imagine the crowds there. The fireworks show was well worth the wait. It was spectacular to say the least! We worked our way out of the park and headed back to the RPR for a great night and morning of sleep.
RPR and USF Day 2 (12/31)
Our Cast
Me DH (41), DW(40), DD(15), DD(7), DD(5), DMIL(61) and DFIL(63).
We woke up around 9:00 am well rested and ready for a full day. Since it was NYE and the parks closed at 1:00am, we decided to spend the morning at the pool. The pool was not crowded and the little DDs and I headed for the water. Whenever we vacation in Orlando, we always meet some really interesting people in the jacuzzi. We usually talk about sports, vacationing, and our home states. I met a nice father and son from Georgia and an older sports nut from Boston. We solved the world's problems in a 20 minute session at the jacuzzi. Around noon, the resort provided arts and crafts for the children around the pool. I took this time to head up to the room to prepare for a long eventful day at US. The DDs and DMIL head back to the room around 1:00 to get dressed. We headed for US and rode Jimmy Neutron and Shrek shortly after entering the park. The posted wait time was 75 and 90 minutes for the two rides. It took us 20 minutes to ride both. We snacked at the Gramercy Park vendors and headed to Earthquake and Jaws. Both of these rides were a little dated and our Jaws guide was pretty lame. After San Francisco, we headed back to the Macy facade to watch the Macy's parade. This was the reserved AP parade viewing area but it lacked a diligent US employee to control the area. My DFIL, 15 year old DD and I went to Twister right before the parade. I enjoyed Twister but it's not something I would do more than once a trip. The Macy's parade was fine but I really expected more from Universal. Much like the females who rave about Ghostbusters, I enjoyed the Santa dancers and the candy cane girls! After the parade, we attempted to find a place to eat dinner in US and Citywalk. We ended up getting a quick bite at Green Eggs and Ham. The food was quick and fattening (the DDs loved it). We headed back to US to ride BTTF, ET, MIB, et al before the fireworks. We decided to find a good viewing place around 10:00 PM for the fireworks show. We found a low masonry wall along the lower sidewalk which runs along the lagoon near the Animal Planet show. The whole gang was tired and the two hour wait gave everyone a chance to rest and enjoy a quick power nap. I met a nice family from NC that attempted to visit Magic Kingdom earlier in the day. They said that MK would not accept guests after 10:30 AM. I can only imagine the crowds there. The fireworks show was well worth the wait. It was spectacular to say the least! We worked our way out of the park and headed back to the RPR for a great night and morning of sleep.
