Feb 9th 05
The kids woke at 05:30 but were brilliant. Instead of coming downstairs and turning the TV on which may have woken us up (the master bedroom was downstairs), they stayed in their rooms and played with their toys/gameboys. We had breakfast at 06:30 and I left the villa at 07:30 to drive back to the villa rental offices. The problem was that according to the paperwork with the keys, we had to leave a security deposit by 11am the following day or wed be in breach of our agreement. Not wanting this to happen and to be able to make the most of the day I wanted to sort this out ASAP.
I got to the offices for 8am and waited. And waited. And waited. Then others turned up who were in the same predicament, i.e picked up their keys from the lock box the previous day and had to sort out the deposit. It got to 9:30am and still no sign of the offices opening. One of the other people waiting, a nice guy from Hastings named Chris, managed to get in touch with someone from the company who informed him that the offices might be open between 11am 2pm and wed have to come back then. They did explain the offices were closed to illness ah well, these things happen! I went back to the villa after picking up some chicken from Publix for lunch and found my family about to hit the pool might as well make the most of a bad situation!
We had an early lunch (well, we were all hungry after being up so early!) and left the villa at 11:40 to try and sort out the deposit. Again. Thank goodness someone was there this time and the guy was so apologetic and nice. I think hed been thrown in at the deep end and I felt sorry for him. At least the deposit was sorted out quickly and we decided to shoot into Orlando for the rest of the day but what to do? Wed already bought 14 day / 4 park flex tickets for the Universal parks and decided to try Islands of Adventure.
Couldnt believe they were charging $9 to park what a money spinner that must be! As we didnt get into the park until 1pm and it shuts at 6, time was short. Id read the must-do ride was Spider-Man so we headed there first. To get there we had to walk under Hulk and what a sight that is. No time to queue and ride though, as I wanted the family to stay & ride together and no one else wanted to / could go on a big coaster.
The queue (or line as the locals put it!) for Spider-Man was quite short, only 10 mins to get on. What a ride! Its absolutely awesome, the 3D effects, the movement, the feeling of heat and total emersion into the world of Peter Parkers alter-ego is superb. From the moment the ride starts and Spidey jumps onto the front of your vehicle you know youre in for a treat. We all enjoyed the experience although Howard, my youngest, found it a bit scary and didnt ride it again on a subsequent trip we made use of the child-swap system so we could still enjoy the ride.
After Spider-Man I had a look at Dr Dooms fearfall but decided against riding. I love Tower of Terror but thats in an enclosed space dont fancy the idea of being shot up in the open air! By this time the afternoon was really hot so we made our way into Toon Lagoon and what better way to cool down than to ride on Popey & Blutos Bilge rat Barges? We got absolutely, totally and insanely soaked. Shoes, clothes everything.
Tip: As soon as you get on the barge ignore the staff, whip off your shoes and socks and stow them in the middle section. Youll be happy that you did this ride gets you way wetter than the Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom!
As soon as wed ridden the barges, Danny and I decided we might as well stay wet and went for a ride on Dudley Do Rights Rip Saw Falls. Now although we didnt have to queue for a long time, the actual queuing system was massive! It went under the falls, through a building, past film shows and into the world of Dudley. It was well done but I wouldnt fancy having to queue through the whole thing on a busy day!. When we got into the ride, we were placed at the back of the boat. I put Danny in front and I squeezed (literally) into the very back. Now I know Im a :cough: big chap :cough: but this was a very tight fit, so much so that I couldnt move! It was a good flume though and the ending, when you come out into the open for the huge drop is thrilling we got wet all over again Dan was visibly shaken after the ride and I just managed to extricate myself from the back of the boat.
We needed to dry off a bit and took a slow walk around to Jurassic Park. The gates are pretty imposing and I got goose bumps in anticipation of riding River Adventure as I love the series of books & films. Ruth, Danny and Emily decided it wasnt for them so Howard and I took the plunge (no pun intended) in taking the adventure. We entered the boat and began the ride. Now this is supposed to be Jurassic Park isnt it? Arent there are supposed to be dinosaurs here? The boat goes to the left, through some big JP gates and the commentary says something about passing some of the biggest dinosaurs that ever walked but there is nothing there, except the end of a tail if you look back over your left shoulder. Then we move into another section where you pass between two saurs before being knocked off course by a hadrosaur head whose mechanics can be clearly seen. Hmm.
This is the start of the action as your boat enters the JP building under what is supposed to be a trapped raptor. None to convincing as the box makes noises but doesnt move. We then travel up a long incline and a couple of raptors jump out but its so obvious that theyre coming as you see them from a long way off. Then you round a corner and head towards a very impressive T-Rex roaring at you. Now this is more like it. Rex is very convincing from the roar, the motion and his aggressive behaviour! Just as you get to grips with his teeth, the rides plummets down the slope and into a huge spray of water ride over.
Now, if it hadnt of been for the T-rex at the end, I would have been extremely disappointed with this ride, especially if Id had to queue for a long time. There should have been more dinosaurs at the start, the boat trip shouldve been longer. Maybe Im being picky but compared to the work thats goes into these rides, the JPRA seems to have been short-changed.
Ruth & the kids wanted to ride the Pteranodon Flyers in Camp Jurassic but it was a 45 minute wait so we gave that a miss. We moved into The Lost Continent where Ruth and the kids rode the Flying Unicorn, a mini-coaster for kids that they all enjoyed. For the same reasons as Hulk, I skipped Dueling Dragons, besides, we wanted to sit down for an ice-cream and boy, what a treat they were. Huge cones/tubs with lashings of toppings delicious! Unfortunately, we missed the last Eigth Voyage of Sinbad show (we did get it on a subsequent visit and its not to be missed superb show!) so we moved onto Poseidons Fury. 15 minute wait for this attraction but once inside its hugely atmospheric. The acting is cheesy but so what? Its fun and it works! The effects are good and I was mightily impressed by the water tunnel Ill say no more on this subject but if youre in IOA its something you have to experience to believe.
Carrying on our abbreviated tour of the islands brought us to Seuss-Landing. Neither Ruth or I were ever fans of the Dr Suess books or drawings. To be honest the constant rhyming was pain to read. Consequently, our kids dont know anything about this weird world. Saying this, they did enjoy riding the Caro-Seusel and Red Fish Blue Fish. It was getting very late now and the crowds had begun to thin down and the rumbles in our tummies was growing! We left the park, picking up a lovely photo of the kids wed had taken on the way in) and did a bit of Universal shopping.
City Walk had started to come to life, the lights were on and the party atmosphere was growing but when youve got kids, youre used to not being bothered by this stuff! We left the car park and drove to International Drive and, as has become custom with us, our first Orlando restaurant was a Ponderosa. I love these places, the value is great and the food is superb. If you have picky kids (as our boys are), Ponderosa is the perfect place to eat. The buffet they lay on is fantastic: pastas, meats, sauces, vegetables (yes, even them!) soups you name it, they have it. So even if your kids dont want anything off the regular menu, there is always something on the buffet that theyll eat!. Whilst the surroundings could be better and more comfortable (restaurants like Sizzler feel more up market), the food and value of Ponderosa is very hard to beat. All 5 of us ate well for under $45 and then went next door to the Bargain World shop to buy a note book for me to record these inane ramblings!
We were back at the villa by 20:30 and the kids went to sleep almost straight away. Still, after being up since 5:30am and doing a rush tour of a theme park, its not surprising they were whacked! After theyd fallen asleep I phoned this boards very own Florida based moderator Vernon as I had some valuable contraband (OK, holiday brochures!) to deliver to him. We decided to meet in Animal Kingdom the following day to make the exchange. At the time he mentioned eating in the Rain Forest Café(?!). Id never even heard of this place but what an experience that turned out to be.
But more of that in the next chapter
The kids woke at 05:30 but were brilliant. Instead of coming downstairs and turning the TV on which may have woken us up (the master bedroom was downstairs), they stayed in their rooms and played with their toys/gameboys. We had breakfast at 06:30 and I left the villa at 07:30 to drive back to the villa rental offices. The problem was that according to the paperwork with the keys, we had to leave a security deposit by 11am the following day or wed be in breach of our agreement. Not wanting this to happen and to be able to make the most of the day I wanted to sort this out ASAP.
I got to the offices for 8am and waited. And waited. And waited. Then others turned up who were in the same predicament, i.e picked up their keys from the lock box the previous day and had to sort out the deposit. It got to 9:30am and still no sign of the offices opening. One of the other people waiting, a nice guy from Hastings named Chris, managed to get in touch with someone from the company who informed him that the offices might be open between 11am 2pm and wed have to come back then. They did explain the offices were closed to illness ah well, these things happen! I went back to the villa after picking up some chicken from Publix for lunch and found my family about to hit the pool might as well make the most of a bad situation!
We had an early lunch (well, we were all hungry after being up so early!) and left the villa at 11:40 to try and sort out the deposit. Again. Thank goodness someone was there this time and the guy was so apologetic and nice. I think hed been thrown in at the deep end and I felt sorry for him. At least the deposit was sorted out quickly and we decided to shoot into Orlando for the rest of the day but what to do? Wed already bought 14 day / 4 park flex tickets for the Universal parks and decided to try Islands of Adventure.
Couldnt believe they were charging $9 to park what a money spinner that must be! As we didnt get into the park until 1pm and it shuts at 6, time was short. Id read the must-do ride was Spider-Man so we headed there first. To get there we had to walk under Hulk and what a sight that is. No time to queue and ride though, as I wanted the family to stay & ride together and no one else wanted to / could go on a big coaster.
The queue (or line as the locals put it!) for Spider-Man was quite short, only 10 mins to get on. What a ride! Its absolutely awesome, the 3D effects, the movement, the feeling of heat and total emersion into the world of Peter Parkers alter-ego is superb. From the moment the ride starts and Spidey jumps onto the front of your vehicle you know youre in for a treat. We all enjoyed the experience although Howard, my youngest, found it a bit scary and didnt ride it again on a subsequent trip we made use of the child-swap system so we could still enjoy the ride.
After Spider-Man I had a look at Dr Dooms fearfall but decided against riding. I love Tower of Terror but thats in an enclosed space dont fancy the idea of being shot up in the open air! By this time the afternoon was really hot so we made our way into Toon Lagoon and what better way to cool down than to ride on Popey & Blutos Bilge rat Barges? We got absolutely, totally and insanely soaked. Shoes, clothes everything.
Tip: As soon as you get on the barge ignore the staff, whip off your shoes and socks and stow them in the middle section. Youll be happy that you did this ride gets you way wetter than the Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom!
As soon as wed ridden the barges, Danny and I decided we might as well stay wet and went for a ride on Dudley Do Rights Rip Saw Falls. Now although we didnt have to queue for a long time, the actual queuing system was massive! It went under the falls, through a building, past film shows and into the world of Dudley. It was well done but I wouldnt fancy having to queue through the whole thing on a busy day!. When we got into the ride, we were placed at the back of the boat. I put Danny in front and I squeezed (literally) into the very back. Now I know Im a :cough: big chap :cough: but this was a very tight fit, so much so that I couldnt move! It was a good flume though and the ending, when you come out into the open for the huge drop is thrilling we got wet all over again Dan was visibly shaken after the ride and I just managed to extricate myself from the back of the boat.
We needed to dry off a bit and took a slow walk around to Jurassic Park. The gates are pretty imposing and I got goose bumps in anticipation of riding River Adventure as I love the series of books & films. Ruth, Danny and Emily decided it wasnt for them so Howard and I took the plunge (no pun intended) in taking the adventure. We entered the boat and began the ride. Now this is supposed to be Jurassic Park isnt it? Arent there are supposed to be dinosaurs here? The boat goes to the left, through some big JP gates and the commentary says something about passing some of the biggest dinosaurs that ever walked but there is nothing there, except the end of a tail if you look back over your left shoulder. Then we move into another section where you pass between two saurs before being knocked off course by a hadrosaur head whose mechanics can be clearly seen. Hmm.
This is the start of the action as your boat enters the JP building under what is supposed to be a trapped raptor. None to convincing as the box makes noises but doesnt move. We then travel up a long incline and a couple of raptors jump out but its so obvious that theyre coming as you see them from a long way off. Then you round a corner and head towards a very impressive T-Rex roaring at you. Now this is more like it. Rex is very convincing from the roar, the motion and his aggressive behaviour! Just as you get to grips with his teeth, the rides plummets down the slope and into a huge spray of water ride over.
Now, if it hadnt of been for the T-rex at the end, I would have been extremely disappointed with this ride, especially if Id had to queue for a long time. There should have been more dinosaurs at the start, the boat trip shouldve been longer. Maybe Im being picky but compared to the work thats goes into these rides, the JPRA seems to have been short-changed.
Ruth & the kids wanted to ride the Pteranodon Flyers in Camp Jurassic but it was a 45 minute wait so we gave that a miss. We moved into The Lost Continent where Ruth and the kids rode the Flying Unicorn, a mini-coaster for kids that they all enjoyed. For the same reasons as Hulk, I skipped Dueling Dragons, besides, we wanted to sit down for an ice-cream and boy, what a treat they were. Huge cones/tubs with lashings of toppings delicious! Unfortunately, we missed the last Eigth Voyage of Sinbad show (we did get it on a subsequent visit and its not to be missed superb show!) so we moved onto Poseidons Fury. 15 minute wait for this attraction but once inside its hugely atmospheric. The acting is cheesy but so what? Its fun and it works! The effects are good and I was mightily impressed by the water tunnel Ill say no more on this subject but if youre in IOA its something you have to experience to believe.
Carrying on our abbreviated tour of the islands brought us to Seuss-Landing. Neither Ruth or I were ever fans of the Dr Suess books or drawings. To be honest the constant rhyming was pain to read. Consequently, our kids dont know anything about this weird world. Saying this, they did enjoy riding the Caro-Seusel and Red Fish Blue Fish. It was getting very late now and the crowds had begun to thin down and the rumbles in our tummies was growing! We left the park, picking up a lovely photo of the kids wed had taken on the way in) and did a bit of Universal shopping.
City Walk had started to come to life, the lights were on and the party atmosphere was growing but when youve got kids, youre used to not being bothered by this stuff! We left the car park and drove to International Drive and, as has become custom with us, our first Orlando restaurant was a Ponderosa. I love these places, the value is great and the food is superb. If you have picky kids (as our boys are), Ponderosa is the perfect place to eat. The buffet they lay on is fantastic: pastas, meats, sauces, vegetables (yes, even them!) soups you name it, they have it. So even if your kids dont want anything off the regular menu, there is always something on the buffet that theyll eat!. Whilst the surroundings could be better and more comfortable (restaurants like Sizzler feel more up market), the food and value of Ponderosa is very hard to beat. All 5 of us ate well for under $45 and then went next door to the Bargain World shop to buy a note book for me to record these inane ramblings!
We were back at the villa by 20:30 and the kids went to sleep almost straight away. Still, after being up since 5:30am and doing a rush tour of a theme park, its not surprising they were whacked! After theyd fallen asleep I phoned this boards very own Florida based moderator Vernon as I had some valuable contraband (OK, holiday brochures!) to deliver to him. We decided to meet in Animal Kingdom the following day to make the exchange. At the time he mentioned eating in the Rain Forest Café(?!). Id never even heard of this place but what an experience that turned out to be.
But more of that in the next chapter
I quite like IOA but only coz my favourite ride is there - Popeye & Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges 
I like dinner at the Ponderosa too, their steaks and buffet food are yummy. Off to read more.
