Becoming Universal AP Holders and our Carnival Dream September Trip Recap

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The park looked a little different from when we were here a week earlier do to many more Halloween Horror Nights related decor being added around the park. But that wasn't the only thing changing. The New Springfield area of the park was also still getting additions here and there. In the week we'd been on the cruise some Yellow lines were finally painted down Fast Food Blvd. There was also some stars painted on the ground as you entered the Krustyland section from both directions. But probably the most notible change was that Chief Wiggems Police car was missing. I knew it was fenced off before so I hoped it wasn't removed for good do to people climbing on it. It later returned a few weeks later with a paint job more accurate to how it is on the show though.






As we walked thru Springfield and past the new Kang and Kudos Twirl and Hurl Spinner ride we noticed that the ride was practically a walk on so we figured we would go on it again and see if Daniel would do better on rides this time around then he did a week prior.






With the very short wait we had for the ride this gave us once again a glance across the lagoon to the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley expansion. Although there were suttle changes all over the park and contsturction of the Harry Potter expansion was evident there really didn't seem to be too many changes to the facades in the time that we were away.







We finally boarded the ride (which was missing two of the ride vehicles) I decided to take Daniel with me this time and Kiera rode alone. The last time we had him on this and other spinner rides he was fine if we stayed down low but would start to freak out if we went high. Well today I was happy to see that he did much, much better then he did before. He actually even seemed to enjoy it a little with still a hint of fear.






After our little spin on the Twirl and Hurl we were done with Springfield and continued on towards Men in Black and Diagon Alley.



When we got to the Men in Black building we considered riding it but the wait seemed abnormally long at the time so we decided to just pass it by figuring that we would probably get back to it later. We then also passed by the Fear Factor Live theater which was closed as it was being prepped for Halloween Horror Nights.





That then brought us to the backside of the Wizarding World Diagon Alley expansion. From the backside of the expansion you get a small glimpse at the buildings that are actually a part of the Diagon Alley are behind the London Facades. You will also be able to see the huge show building that will house the Gringots Bank attraction. I imagine that this type of view
is only avalible during construction and it will be blocked somehow once the area opens.




After passing the last remaining building from the old Jaws and Amity days (a restroom) we were back on the waterfront. On the fence blocking guests from the construction there are a bunch of former and current attraction posters. These are for a an agumented reality app for smartphones that Universal created called Screen play. When you download the app and take photos with the pictures they supposedly come alive and make for neat images. However I was never able to get the app to work correctly.

 

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Continuing along the waterfront we took our time admiring the construction of the new expansion. When we passed thru a week earlier it was poring rain so we moved by quickly. I can't wait to see all of this done when we return this summer and experiance the expansion first hand.








Exiting the Wizarding World expansion we were once again in the Small San Fransisco section of the park. We didn't stop here though today as we just passed thru to get to New York. Right between where the New York section starts and the San Fransisco Area ends (where the Beetlejuice show is located) you can see the best view of the Hogwarts Express tracks overhead. And now that the attraction is actually testing you may see the train pass by every now and then.






New York is still one of the most well themed sections in the entire resort. Theres so much to see and so many details hidden in the amazing facades. Since our visit a week earlier many more Halloween Horror Nights props had been set up here as well including a tank and other army vehicles.








But that didn't matter to us since we wouldn't be in town when HHN would start. Right now we were heading to our next ride. Revenge of the Mummy. We entered the Single Riders line and with practically no wait Kiera and Daniel went to the Child Swap room while I boarded one of the vehicles. The ride was amazing as always and one that gets many rides on our visits to the park.







When we were done with the mummy we decided to try to find some water to cool us down on this warm day. We walked down Delancey Street and past Transformers to get to the Monsters Cafe which I figured was likely the closest location that we could get some free water from. The line was long though and it took like 15 minutes of waiting just to get a couple cups of water. I didn't take any photos but the themeing in the Monsters Cafe is great and i'm sure it would be a fun place to grab a bite to eat. It wasn't until after I got our cups of water that we noticed the small stand out on the corner of the cafe also offered free water cups.

 

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While deciding what to do next we started to walk back towards Transformers. We had about 40 minutes to kill until the parade would start and that was the main thing we wanted to see in the park today. Daniel always got pretty excited to see the large Optimus Prime outside the attraction. He thought seeing the giant robot was really cool. Dispite that though Daniel was getting tired and awnery real fast and really needed a nap.




Instead of riding Transformers Kiera took Daniel to see if she could get him to fall asleep. So I hoped in the Single Riders line figuring it would be a very quick ride seeing how the the main line had a short wait as well. The times outside were all wrong though as this was the longest wait in a single riders line that I had the entire trip.



Eventually though I loaded into a vehicle and another ride on this amazing attraction began. Everything was going great as usual until we were about 3/4th's of the way thru the ride when our vehicle stopped. and then evetually all the sound and video screens turned off. We waited and waited and waited some more. This turned out to be the longest I had ever been stuck on a ride as we would be stopped for nearly 30 minutes. The ride was really broken down.

As we were sitting waiting for the ride to start again on of the guests sitting next to me upon seeing an emergincy exit sign in front of us made the comment "well at least if we have to be evacuated it will be a short walk to the exit". I then mentioned to her that it would actually be a long walk because we were on the 2nd level of the ride. She couldn't believe me. She was like "no way. How did we get up here". I explained that one of the scenes was an elevator and they just never noticed. She still didn't believe me. Soon enough though some attendants came and checked some things out on each vehicle. The vehicles then turned and defaulted to there forward (or for the 2nd floor backwards) position and we started to move again back to the station. We went thru the rest of the ride with no audio or video and then eventually got to the 2nd elevator. When we started going down the lady then turned to me again saying "wow we really we're on a 2nd level. How did you know that? Do you work here or something". haha I told her no i'm just a big theme park fan that followed the construction of the ride since it broke ground in Hollywood. At the exit of the ride we were all presented a single use Express pass that we could use again later for Transformers when it was fixed or any other ride in the resort that accepted express.



Finally out of the Transformers building I called Kiera to find where she was as the parade would be starting within 5 minutes. She was just on the street in New York and Daniel fell asleep shortly after we split up.



But that wouldn't last long as once the parade started he was wide awake. The parade is still something pretty new that Universal Does. It is really cute and the floats are very detailed but since Universal doesn't have the IP's like Disney does the parade is pretty short in length.



The first part to come by is the Despicable Me portion. Many Minions will come by as well as Gru and the Girls and then followed up with Gru's foe Vector.







The 2nd segment is Spongebob and his friends. In addition to Spongebob you will also see Patrick and Squidward.





Next up is another Illumination film called Hop. This is an Easter movie but I'm sure Universal didn't have much choice but to throw it in as they didn't have many other options for kid movies or shows to put in the parade.

 

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The final portion of the parade is Dora the Explorer and her friends like Diego and Boots.





With all the floats out now on the big stretch of New York street they stop and do a show where the music changes and all the characters come off the floats and do a dance routene and mini show. Daniel really liked it and had a great time. We watched the Dora show stop and its kinda interesting that he seems to like Dora on tv now more since seeing the parade then he did before.




Daniel really didn't get to see much of the Despicable Me characters though so knowing the route of the parade and knowing it would turn and go down the Hollywood section we hurried over to Mels Diner to see if we could catch the Despicable Me float again when it show stopped on Hollywood Blvd. As we passed by the Transformers Meet and Greet again the 3rd character that we hadn't seen yet was out. The Villan Megatron. He was easily the biggest and most detailed out of all of the characters.




We got to Mel's right as the Despicable Me float was pulling up and stopping for the show again. Sure enough Daniel loved seeing all the characters again and enjoyed the show. We were really glad that we brought him over to see the Despicable Me stuff. Its funny how much he loved and enjoyed seeing the characters from a far. yet up close he wasn't so sure about them.









After the parade show stop was finished we then made our way towards the exit of Universal Studios so that we could hop over to Islands of Adventure. You wouldn't think we would come the resort and not get a butterbeer now would you. After the short walk thru Citywalk we entered the Islands of Adventure gate.











Before getting back to the Wizarding World though we would stop in Suess Landing. This obviously was Daniels favorite area of the park and when we saw such a short wait for Cat in the Hat we decided to ride it again to see if he would do any better this time around. And he did. He really enjoyed the ride this time instead of being scared by it.

 

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After the ride on Cat in the Hat we continued taking our time thru Suess Landing. We stopped and looked at the different shops and Daniel was really enjoy it all. Soon enough though we continued on thru the Lost Continant until we arrived at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.








For how much we love the Wizarding World you'd think we would have spent the rest of the night here. But in reality this was probably the shortest amount of time that we have ever spent inside the Wizarding World. We really just made a quick stop by the Three Broomsticks and grabbed a couple of Butterbeers. Then we were done in the Wizarding World and continued on with the park. We didn't even go to Hogwarts to ride the Forbidden Journey.








Jurassic Park was yet another area that we would just pass on thru today. Although when we got to the area where construction of the carnival games was taking place there was much more done now then there was a week earlier. All the buildings were now constructed that would house the games. When we got the T-Rex photo op Daniel was excited and quick to point out the Dinosaur. He really loves Dinosaurs.








Toon Lagoon would also be a quick walk thru today. I did stop and consider going on the Duddly Do Right Log Flume again. We even stopped to see how wet people were getting. I ultimatly decided against it though as not only would I be soaking wet. But we would still need to check into our hotel so I wouldn't be able to change quickly ether. So it was skipped.

 

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We finally arrived in Marvel Superhero Island which was the place we were heading to. We finished off our Butterbeers and then headed into the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman. It was so odd to find the line practically nonexistant. It was so short that even the Single Rider Line was closed. Seriously I don't think we even waited 5 minutes. We once again split to go to Child Swap and the ride was as amazing as always. I could have rode this for the rest of the evening but we still had other plans for tonight so after our rides we left.







We were gonna make our way to the park exit now but Kiera needed to use the restroom and change Daniel. So while she did that I went and hopped on the Incredible Hulk coaster as it too was practically a walk on. This was the first time I had rode it with the sun going down and it was alot of fun at this time of day.






After the Hulk we really were done and headed towards the parks exit. It was crazy for being a Saturday evening how few crowds there were in the park. We could have easily rode anything we wanted with little to no wait. But as I said we had other things to do still tonight. And so we left Islands of Adventure over 2 hours before it was scheduled to close tonight.




We made our way thru Citywalk towards the parking garage to leave the resort. Citywalk was a very lively place on Saturday Night as i'm sure many people were showing up now to get there clubbing on. They also had a band performing on the Citywalk stage as we walked past.




We left Universal Orlando for the day but we still had a whole night ahead of us to have fun. First though we would be heading to our Hotel which wouldn't be as close to Universal as our pre-cruise hotel was. For our post Cruise Hotel I once again booked it thru Hotwire.com. However this time I booked it in the Lake Buena Vista/Downtown Disney area. I wanted to try and get a feel of the different hotel areas around the theme parks and figured for the same cost as where we stayed before our cruise that I would give this location a chance as it seemed like a good midway point between Universal and Disney.

I once again used my method of comparing the listed aminities on Hotwire.com to betterbidding.com and before even booking the room I was positive that we would get the Clarion Lake Buena Vista. And sure enough we did. It took about 10 minutes to get here once we exited the parking garages at Universal Orlando. This is a 3 star property according to Hotwire and I paid only $42 a night here. Not bad considering that would even be over the weekend.




Pulling into the parking lot and Check in was interesting as they have a secruity booth that you have to go by where they check to make sure your a guest of the hotel. Kinda different but it made us feel safer. Check in was a breeze and we were soon on our way to our room to drop off our stuff.






Our room was located on the 4th floor and had a view of the freeway and pool area. We never actually got a chance to go down and enjoy the pool though. I wish we would have though as it did look pretty nice. They also had a little splash pad area for kids to play.




Unlocking the door to our room was a new experiance as they utilized RFID locks instead of your standard type. Instead of swipping our room key thru a reader we just tapped it to the lock to open the door. Inside the room was very nice and spacious. There were many closests and draws to store your stuff. The bathroom area was also nice and had a seperate Toilet and shower area from the vanity which also contained a Fridge and Microwave.

 

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We would be very satifisfied with this hotel. So much so that its a place that I'm hoping we can get again for our vacation this summer. The hotel was very nice and the beds were comfy. Plus the location was the perfect mid point between Universal and Disney. Time will tell if I can get it again.

After settling into our room and relaxing a bet by watching the Disney Parks promo channel and Daniel looked thru all the Disney brochers on the counter we decided to head back out of the night for a little bit of Disney Magic. We would be going to Downtown Disney tonight.



Although I was excited about going to Downtown Disney as its something we have done one each visit we've made to the Orlando area, I kinda wish I would have researched and planned a little better prior to the trip. It was earlier this morning when sitting aboard the Carnival Dream waiting to Debark that I remembered that the Magic Kingdom's "MIckey's Not so Scary Halloween Parties" started. Since we were well under budget after the Cruise I started to look up to see if I could get tickets to the Halloween Party so that we could go to the Magic Kingdom this night instead. Unfortunatly though the Halloween Party was sold our for the weekend so we would be stuck with our original plans. Not that those plans were bad but I wish I would have thought about going to the Halloween Party before the trip had started.

In not gonna lie. For how close our Hotel was to Downtown Disney, the traffic to actually get to it was pretty rediculous. Then add in the fact that the Downtown Disney remodel and rebranding to Disney Springs had started and part of this expansion is the addition of a Large parking structure. Because of this Parking is now even harder to find with a large portion of the lot closed for construction. We ended up finding a spot out past the Cirque De Solie show theater.

We finally entered Downtown Disney in the West Side area of the complex. The night was young and the area vibrant with activity. However we were starving by this point and the place we had in mind was on the complete opposite side of Downtown Disney in the marketplace area. So off we went passing everything else as we went.










The place we would be eating tonight would be Earl of Sandwich and it too has become a Must do thing for us whenever we are around one of there locations. There sandwiches are so good and for being on Disney property are still reasonably priced. The closest Earl of Sandwich that we have back home is in Las Vegas so Its pretty much only on vacation that we get to eat here. Its a place that I highly recommend though if you looking for a good and cheaper meal at Downtown Disney. Bare in mind though that it is very popular so the line can get very long. There also isn't much seating as we had to sit outside tonight. Good thing the weater was great.




After our amazing meal at Earl of Sandwich we could finally start checking out the many different shops at Downtown Disney. First up we would walk across the plaza and past the fountain to "Once upon a Toy". This is a large Toy store selling mostly Disney toys but they also have an assortment of Hasbro products as well. Its here where you will also have the chance to build a Lightsaber or Mr. Potato Head if you didn't inside the parks. We had a great experiance here with a Cast Member that was so nice to Daniel and gave him some stickers. It was also while we were here that I took notice to how many resort guests were still wearing there new "Magic Bands" outside of the parks.






Next up we would make our way to the Disney Christmas store. Its Christmas all year long at this store with many different holiday items. Anything and everything Disney Christmas can be found here. Its a store we always make sure we look at but as usual we didn't buy anything today. I never noticed before but right outside the shop is Winnie the Pooh photo op that Daniel just loved. They have a few different things like this thruout Downtown Disney so keep an eye out for them. Seeing Daniels response to them really showed us how real that Disney Magic is and made us wish we could have made it to a Disney Park on this trip even more.







We next went to the World of Disney store which if I recall correctly is the largest Disney store in the World. This store usually takes awhile to get thru as there is pretty much everything and anything you could possibly want from the parks in this store. We spent a lot of time looking around at everything and even got our traditional hat picture. But in the end other then a post card (to represent our trip last year) we didn't end up getting anything else here.

 

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After World of Disney we stopped by another must see store which is the Lego Store. Out front there are some amazing Lego Statues depecting scenes from Disney Movies. But inside there area also some great lego models as well that you should check out.










Across the Lagoon from the Lego Store is the Rain Forest Cafe. We ate at one of these in Vegas a few years back and weren't impressed with the sub par food at rediculous prices. However the Downtown Disney location has had some extensive work done on it to create an "Active" volcano. And for the first time tonight we saw that Volcano errupt which was pretty cool to watch. Honestly only having the Volcano at the Mirage in Las Vegas to compare to I'd say that the Rain Forest Cafe's is done even better. I loved the fire errupting out it but it was the simulated Lava flow that seemed the most convincing. It was a pretty cool thing that adds to the stuff you should see while at Downtown Disney.





We next made a stop at the T-Rex. This restaurant is also owned by the creaters of Rain Forest Cafe so I can't imagine the food being much better. In all our years coming to Downtown Disney though we had never looked inside the T-Rex before and didn't even realize that it had a gift shop. We stopped and looked around and Daniel was once again in heaven with how much he loves Dinosaurs. Many of the Dinosaurs inside are Animatronics so they will move and even roar. The environment of the restaurant seemed very cool but once again High prices means we likely will never eat here.





Right in the middle of the Downtown Disney area is the former Pleasure Island section where Disney use to have many different clubs and adult entertainment options. However a few years ago they shut them all down with plans to redevelop the area. With Disney Springs that is finally happening so many of the old buildings have finally been torn down and construction has started on the new area. However i'm not fully sure what is coming into this area or what it will be themed around.





We were now back in the West Side area. On the right is Festival of Flight. A Hot Air Ballon type ride that will take you high into the sky to view the surrounding area. Of course you have to buy tickets to do it though. We also made a stop into the candy shop here where we almost bought a Caramel Apple but then decided against it when we didn't want to wait in a long line. We also stopped by D-Street which is the place that has the best selection of Vinylmations if your into collecting them.







To our Left was the new Splitsville Luxury Lanes Bowling Alley. This location has gone thru many changes in our visits over the years as it use to be a Virgin Megastore, then it was a Princess Diana exhibit, then a location for Ridemakers, and finally it was repurposed into this upscale Bowling Alley. It looked nice from the outside but we never stopped in as we didn't feel like bowling and we were getting pretty tired as it was.



After passing Disney Quest and the Cirque De Solie theater we were back to where we stared and made our way out to our car. Our time at Downtown Disney was finished. We had a great time here tonight and it will always be a must do thing whenever we visit Orlando. Wether we go to any Disney Parks or not. Its a nice little side attraction that gives you a small dose of that Disney Magic. If your board with nothing to do one evening then check it out. Just remember that parking is pretty horrible right now.

 

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Before going back to the Hotel we made one more stop at a Food Lion grocery store just down the street from the hotel. We wanted to get a few snacks for breakfast the next couple mornings to help save from having to buy stuff in the parks. This was the first time i've been in a Food Lion and well it was pretty ghetto. The store was small and the prices were very expensive. I work for a Kroger owned store so I am pretty judgemental when it comes to other grocery stores. But this was was probably the worst i've ever been in. The produce and deli and bakery products didn't even look good. Needless to say other then some milk and cereal we really didn't get anything else. And even those were expensive.

Finally we were back at our hotel where we retired for the night. We once again made up a baracade for Daniel so that he wouldn't fall off the bed tonight. yet somehow he still managed to fall off it in the middle of the night. We went to bed quickly as we had one full day left of our vacation in orlando. And if you hadn't guessed yet we would once again be back at Universal Orlando. But we would be taking it easy tomorrow and take our time getting there.

 

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Day 12: Universal Orlando Resort

It was our last full day of vacation in Orlando. And after a busy cruise we figured we would try and take it a little easier today. We of course would get out to Universal Orlando again eventually but we used the day to actually sleep in and take our time getting ready before heading out for the day. And Daniel even slept in a little bit today as well. Outside the weather was warm and beautiful and across the interstate was our first destination. The Factory Outlets of Orlando.




Shortly after noon we finally finished getting ready and left our hotel for the day. The drive to outlets was short since they were right across the freeway. Just like the other outlets parking is kind of rediculous though so don't even bother trying to find parking in the flat lots. We went strait to the parking structure in the back of the Outlets and at about the 3rd and 4th level you can find plenty of spots to park.



In the past we have usually spent time walking around and checking out the different outlet stores. But today we only had one objective and that was to check out the Disney Character Warehouse. We quickly found a map and found the store to not be too far from our location. In fact it was located right next door to the food court. Which was good as we were starving having not ate anything yet. So before we went to the Character Warehouse we grabbed some lunch. I think we got some Chinese food.




After lunch we checked out the store which I still don't think has as good of a selection as the Character Warehouse located at the Outlets by Universal. For those not familiar with the Disney Character Warehouse this store is where Disney sends its outdated and discontinued theme park merchandise to sell discounted. We've found some good things here in the past so a lot of times its hit and miss. Still its a store we always check out on our trips. We didn't find anything for us on this trip but we did pick up a "My First Disney Trip" costume for Daniel's Duffy Teddy Bear that we wanted to get for him on our trip in 2012. After we checked out we went back to the car and made the drive back to Universal Orlando to spend the rest of the day.




We parked the car and made our way thru Citywalk just as we have many times before. Today though I took some pictures of Universal's Hollywood Drive-In Mini Golf Courses. There are actually two Mini Golf Courses. One that is horror themed and one that is sci-fi themed. The courses are pretty well themed and look a lot of fun. But we have never actually done them.





Today we would be heading over to Islands of Adventure first.




As we entered the park though it was kind of errey. We were shocked to see how incredibly empty the park felt. The Port of Entry is usually bustling with tons of people but it seemed like nobody was around. This must have been what it seemed like in the dark years of Universal before Harry Potter saved the resort. The super low crowds though made for one awesome day though.





Suess Landing echoed the lack of crowds that we saw in the Port of Entry. But we didn't stop and stay here. We took the shortcut thru the Zak bypass to continue on towards the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. There was nothing going on in the Lost Contenant ether.

 

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We finally approched the entry arch to the Wizarding World with construction walls to our right hiding the construction of the Hogwarts Express station. This area really looks sad now as well as it is now alley with Construction walls on each side as the old Lost Contenant carnival games have been torn down to make way for a larger Wizarding World Plaza. If you stand far enough back you can see the large Hogwarts express station in the distance behind the walls.




You will typically find the Wizarding World to be the most packed area of Islands of Adventure. And that was no different today. Well except for the fact that even the Wizarding World seemed empty and like it does when the park is closing. Once again these small crowds were so odd and even though we were visiting in the slow season, this just seemed so abnormally slow.





First and foremost we needed to quench our Butterbeer thirst so we headed to the Three Broomsticks which we found to have our favorite mixture of the frozen butterbeer. In the past we have never had any problems with bringing Daniels stroller into the Three Broomsticks or the Hogshead. But today there was a Team Member that was quick to tell us Strollers had to be parked outside. Something we thought odd as we've taken it inside many times on this very trip and the fact that the park was so abnormally empty. Still we listened and went inside, got our butterbeers, and then enjoyed them at a table in the Hogs Head. Daniel was really enjoying it today probably drinking more of it then Kiera did. He also got a laugh every time the Large Hog's Head would move and snort.







After we finished with our drinks I retrieved the stroller and then we continued thru Hogsmead and towards Hogwarts. As we passed the stage the Hogwarts Frog choir was performing to a small crowd. We continued past this though and parked the stroller in the stroller parking area for the Forbidden Journey. But instead of walking up to Hogwarts we instead turned into the que for the family coaster called Flight of the Hippogriff.








Believe it or not we have not rode the Flight of the Hippogriff since the first day of our very first visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This is a family roller coaster that kids 36 inches and taller can enjoy. It is also the only way that you can see Hagrids Hut in the Wizarding World. The ride is set up as basically Hagrid teaching you how to ride a hippogriff. There is even an Animatronic Buckbeak that will bow to you as you begin your flight. With how slow the park was the ride was practically a walk on. However since its an outdoor roller coaster Child Swap is done a little differently since there is no child swap room. I let Kiera ride first and Daniel and I were directed to walk thru the Roller coaster train and to wait outside the exit gate of the load platform. One thing about waiting here for a longer period of time is how obviously the Forbidden Journey show building pops out to you thru the trees.








After Kieras short ride it was then my turn where they then brought me back thru the exit gate to load into one of trains. After buckbeaks bow the coaster began its decent where you can get some great views up high of Hogsmead village and also Hogwarts Castle. Then the coaster begins its short journey. I forgot how fun this little coaster can be as it has a bit of a kick to it in the corners. It may not be a must do ride but its a fun little diversion if the line is short. This may be just a small kiddie coaster at the Universal Resort but had this track been built back home at our local Amusment park called Lagoon it would be billed as a major roller coaster.

 

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With our flights over we next moved on to one of our favorite rides. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. And this ride probably had the longest wait we saw all day long with a wait time of 15 Minutes. With a wait time like that its likely a continues walk thru the normal que with no stall at all in the Greenhouse. But we would once again utilize Single Riders which was a walk on.





After the Forbidden Journey we were done with the Wizarding World for now and would continue in to the rest of the park. But not without a family picture with Hogwarts. The pictured turned out decent but it could have been better as the castle isn't centered liked I hoped it would have been.





We next entered into Jurassic Park and continued thru the island until we got to the River Adventure where I once again debated going on it. The wait posted was only 5 minutes which ment it would probably be a walk on. And in all our visits to Universal Orlando I have never rode the River Adventure more then once each trip. This even with it being a version of my 3rd favoirte ride of all time (that being Jurassic Park: The Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood).






Kiera and Daniel went towards the Splash Down area to await my boat to come down as I entered the ride. Sure enough the ride was a walk on and I got right on to a boat. The whole walk thru the line I just hoped that I would be put in the back of the boat to lessen my chance of getting wet. And it worked out this time when I was placed in the back row. The ride was good and come the final drop I sure enough stayed dry after the splash down. After meeting back up with Kiera and Danny we continued on with our loop of Islands of Adventure.






The next Island we would be in would yet again be Toon Lagoon. Probably the Island and area of the entire resort that we spent the least amount of time in. Once again I debated if I should ride Duddly or Popeye especially after watching log after log come down the Duddly falls empty but I again decided that I didn't want to get soaking wet this early in the day.





Since Daniel really hadn't had a chance to get out of the stroller yet and really run around we decided to give him some time to play here. Over by the Popeye rapids ride there is a small kids play area on Popeyes boat called "Me ship the Olive Oil". I hear this playground use to be better then it is now but Daniel still enjoyed it. There multi levels with slides and interactive buttons to push and things to pull.







The ship also overlooks the Rapids ride and has some free water canons that you can spray at the people on the rapids ride as the drift past the ship. Its pretty fun as people don't expect it down below. You can also get some pretty good views of the other islands across the Lagoon from here.

 

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Daniel of course had so much fun playing. He was always so sad when it was time to leave and move on to something else.







After we were done at the Me Ship we continued on thru Toon Lagoon. We took it slower now then we did probably any other time of the trip as this would likely be our last visit to Toon Lagoon. Although theres not much here other then the soaking wet rides it does still have some of the best props and photo ops that you'll find in any of the islands. So have some fun with them.










Marvel Superhero Island is another place that is usually bustling with people and the 2 signature attractions here pull some of the longest waits in the park. Again it was so odd to see nobody there. Even more odd seeing Spiderman with a posted 5 minute wait. With the exception of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey no other ride in the park had its Single Rider line open as the waits were so rediculously low at everything in IOA today.






After our quick stop in the Comic book store that had full size models of some of the Avengers we went to ride my favorite ride of all time which is Spiderman. We walked right thru the line with no wait whatsoever where I boarded the ride vehicle and Kiera and Daniel went to the Child Swap room. I'd like to say this ride was good but about half way thru the ride it was having some minor issues as the sound and screen weren't sincing up. Obviously this was the worst ride I had on it this trip.



When I got back to the Child Swap Room I told Kiera of the problems and she told me to just go and ride it again and she would wait again. So off i went to ride again and was once again loaded into the same vehicle as the people I was with before. This time the ride worked perfectly and was a great ride. Kiera then took a turn on the ride now knowing it was working find again while I waited with Daniel. I don't recall correctly but I may have rode it a third time since the wait was nonexistant before we left it for the day.




Continuing thru the Island we next went to the Incredible Hulk coaster again. I rode it the day before but Kiera did not. She took Daniel up the exit ramp to head to the Child Swap area while I walked thru the line and directly on to a car with absolutly no wait whatsoever. Seriously I can not get over how enjoyable the parks were with it so uncrowded. Kiera then took her final ride on this beast as well and we finished up with Marvel Superhero Island.

 

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Now that we were back at the Port of Entry you'd think we would head over to the other Park. But we couldn't leave Islands of Adventure without some more Butterbeers. So yet again we made the trek to the back of the park, thru Suess Landing and Lost Contenant and into the Wizarding World. I once again grabbed the drinks from the Three Broomsticks as they just seemed to taist better from there. As I purchased the drinks Daniel and Kiera looked at all the different window fronts outside in the village. Daniel really enjoyed seeing them as they are all animated and do different magical things. So take the time and check them out. Especially if the rumor of interactive wands coming with Diagon Alley is true.










With Butterbeers in Hand we were now done with Islands of Adventure for the day. We would of course hop over to Universal Studios to finish out evening there but not without a stop in the Islands of Adventure Christmas shop to pick up an Ornament to represent the Universal portion of this vacation. Citywalk seemed to be just as dead as IOA was. We wondered if the Studios would be just as empty.





I'm not really sure why but instead of heading to the main entrance to the park we turned by Rockit and walked up by the Blue Man Group theater. We have always exited the park this way but we had never entered it from here. Frankly with how empty the resort felt I wasn't even sure if it would be open. Luckly for us though it still was so we were able to enter the park there right next to Despicable Me and the Studio tour. Look closely at the Trees next to the Despicable Me que and you'll find them to be Banana Trees with Banana's growing on them (there Minion's favorite food).







USF seemed to be a little more crowded although I can't say for sure as IOA has much wider walkways and more room to spread out. Wither it was busier or not though doesn't matter as the park was still very lite and practically everything was a walk on here as well.





Our first ride in the Studios would be the Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit coaster. This happened to be a ride that still had its Single Rider line open so we hopped in that. Kiera and Daniel then went to the Rider Swap room to await while I rode. Its now been so long that I don't recall who I listened to on the ride but it was another great one and I've lived to ride it again another day. Kiera also had a fun ride on the coaster.

 

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After our ride on the Rockit we started to walk towards the New York portion of the park. We would eventually make our way to what I now consider to be the 2nd best attraction in the Studios.








If you think i'm refering to the Mummy then your wrong. The Mummy is still my favorite ride in the Studios. My 2nd favorite though (for the moment) is Transformers. It too had the Single Riders line open so we hoped in to it and I practically walked on to the ride. Today the ride ran flawlessly and Kiera also took a spin on it after my ride. It is seriously such a good ride but still not as good as the Original Spiderman on the other side of Citywalk.



After Transformers we would head towards Hollywood and then towards Kidzone and Springfield. Many more Halloween Horror Nights props and signs had been set up as the event would be starting in only 4 days from now. It really made me sad that we were so close to the event again yet still so far. Besides we wouldn't do the event with a toddler in tow anyways. Unlike so many others. I also made another stop at the Delorean.








Steps away from the Delorean we once again entered Springfield USA. There was one noticible change though from when we were here the previous day. Chief Wiggum's Police car was missing. I feared for a moment that it would be gone for good since it had been fenced off earlier in the trip however it would return a few weeks later with a different paint job matching how it looks in the TV show.








There was one thing I wanted to do while in Springfield that I hadn't done yet earlier in the trip. I wanted to get a Flaming Moe. The new signature drink of Springfield and the Studios park in General. And it wouldn't feel right getting in any other place that wasn't Moe's Tavern.

 

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You've seen the pictures earlier in this trip but once again Moe's makes you feel like you've entered the cartoon world of the Simpson's more then any other building or attraction in this Mini-Land. Thats because everything about Moe's is built to scale and exactly as it should be in the show. In the corner is the Love Tester (that actually works for free). Theres the pool table in the middle and all sorts of different beers behind the bar. You can even find Barney in here. Really the only complaint I can give about Moe's is that it isn't as dark inside as its portrayed in the show.







The drink is served in a suviouneer cup that you get to keep. Thats because its the cup design that allows the drink to "smoke" as if its on fire. This effect is achived by dry ice. The cup is designed to have dry ice in a lower chamber that makes the drink bubble and smoke. I thought the drink taisted very good. It wasn't as good as Butterbeer but it beats out Universal Studios Hollywood's Transformers drink called Energon (which is actually kinda similar to a Flaming Moe) and diffenitly beats Disney's Red's Apple Freeze or Le Fou's Brew (name dependent on which coast your on). The drink is more of a carbonated beverage then a frozen slush like the others. I would compare it closely to Mtn Dew Livewire.





As I said the drink was very good but its unfortunatly not something I will likely be buying again. The taist would bring me back again. But not the price. This drink sells for about $8 even with the Annual Pass Discount. Which is alot of money for a drink (butterbeer sells for only about $4.50). Because of the nature of achiving the smoking effect you are required to get a new cup each time. And there are no discounted refills offered if you already have a cup. I wish they would change this as it is pretty good. Just not $8 good.






With the drink in hand we left Moe's and Springfield all together and made our way back around to the other side of the park. We once again walked thru the Diagon Alley construction and then passed thru the San Fransisco part of the Park. We continued on past the New York section as well and made our way back to to Transformers to begin our last run of rides for the day. Transformers was once again a walk on thru the Single Riders line where Kiera and I did Child Swap. The ride was great and perfect once again and this would be our final ride on it this trip.











After Transformers we walked just down the street to my favorite rides in the Studios Park which is Revenge of the Mummy. As with pretty much all the other attractions in the parks today (with the exception of Forbidden Journey, Transformers, and Rockit) the Single Rider Line was closed so we had to go thru the standby line. Which was fine as there was still pretty much no wait. Our final ride on the Mummy was another great one as well. Although the Que did scare Daniel a little.



Making our way towards the exit of the park we still had one more ride to do tonight. We would be ending the night with the first ride that started our vacation. Despicable Me. This would probably end up being our longest wait of the day as we waited about 15 minutes to ride it.




Inside the first Preshow Room we again lined up to just do the non moving seats since Daniel is still too small to ride the simulators. Right after getting in line here though Kiera told me that I could go ride one of the simulators if I wanted so I told the attendant that I wanted to switch and he put me in a row for the Simulator.

 

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After the 2nd preshow room we boarded the ride vehicles and the ride would soon begin. Although this is a very simple simulator feeling the movement to the screen made the ride significantly better then sitting in the stationary seating. I wish we had time to do the ride again so that Kiera could ride the simulator as well but I guess she will have to do that on our next trip. If possible do the actual ride and not the stationary seating. Stationary is great for little kids but thats about it.




I meet back up with Kiera in the post show dance floor area where once again another Minion was out dancing. And this was yet again another one that we had not seen yet. So we stopped to get a photo with him and by this point Daniel was finally warming up to the characters better.




The park was nearing closing time when we finished with Despicable Me so we walked in to the Studio Store to look around. This was when we planned to buy any last Universal Studios suvioneers so that we could pack them tonight in our Luggage. There was a shirt that I saw earlier in the trip that I really liked. But we couldn't find any of the other items that we were looking for in the Studios Store. We wanted to buy everything all together at once as there was a promotion going where if you spent $50 you would get a $10 gift card for free. We needed to buy everything at once to get over the $50.



We ended up not buying anything in the Studios store in the park as I figured that perhaps the Universal Store in Citywalk would have a larger selection. That was until we got to the Citywalk Store and I realized how much smaller it was then the Park store. Then of course I couldn't find that shirt that I wanted here. Although we did find a shirt for Daniel and everything else we wanted.





We again left this shop empty handed as we made our way back to the parking garage. We knew we would be back again tomorrow before our flight out and figured we would check the Islands of Adventure store to see if they had everything we wanted there so that we could take advantage of that promotion.





We had another great time in the parks today and especially loved the low crowds. We were able to do everything we wanted and did it at our own pace. It was great and I wish there could be more days like this. Back at the Hotel we got all of our bags packed up and ready to go since we would be going home tomorrow. It was bittersweet to think that our vacation would be over in less then 24 hours from the time we went to sleep.

 

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Day 13: Travel Home

After a rough night our final morning of vacation was upon us. I say rough night as Daniel woke up in the middle of the night having major night terrors. Just screaming and crying and there was nothing we could do to calm him down. Eventually though we did get him calmed down though and went back to sleep.

Once the morning came we took our time getting ready and eventually checking out of the hotel. Our flight would be leaving out of Tampa just as it was when we arrived. But we had a later flight so we would head over to Universal one last time before heading home. But first we grabbed some lunch thru the Chick-Fil-A drive thru.




At the Resort we parked and again made our way towards Universal Studios Florida. Today our goal was to try and find some more characters to get Daniel some photos with. At the gates of the studios though there was some additional themeing added to the arches for Halloween Horror Nights which would be starting in only 4 days.




Right inside the park we found many characters to be out and greeting right where you turn on to Rodeo Drive. By this point in the trip Daniel really was doing great with the Characters and was starting to love them. First we saw Curious George, Then Woody Woodpecker, and finally Bart Simpson. The Men in Black agents were also out. This was actually the first time i've seen the MIB agents before.








After stopping by Guest Services to get Daniel a "Happy Birthday" pin (yes Universal has them like Disney does) we continued towards the back of the park passing by Despicable Me, Transformers, Thru Central Park, and eventually in to Springfield.









We came to Springfield to look for Characters. We already got a photo with Bart but I hoped to find the rest of the family or perhaps even the newest Meet and Greet Characters Krusty the Clown and Sideshow Bob. We did find the whole family out meet and greeting but the line got cut off before we were able to get in it. Krusty and Sideshow Bob would be coming out about 15 minutes later but we didn't have time to wait since we were pressed with time.









Across the Lagoon we looked at the London Facades one last time before we will see them completed. Its crazy to think that as of this writting we will see them again in about a week and hopefully see the area soft opened in 2 weeks.

 

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After leaving Springfield we made our way toward the Studios exit the same way as we arrived. When we got back to the Hollywood area though the Dora the Explorer parade floats were out and the characters were out meeting so of course we had to stop so that Daniel could meet Dora, Boots, and Diego.







As we made our way down Hollywood Blvd towards the park exit we spent nearly and hour in the studios without doing any attractions. Well that was until we stopped in to the "Lucy: A Tribute" attraction. In all our years going to Universal we have never actually stopped in here before. Its a small exhibit and museum set up as a tribute to Lucielle Ball and here show I Love Lucy. Inside are many of the props and wardrobe worn during the shows production. Its a nice little diversion if you liked the show but honestly i'd rather see it turned in to a more encompassing exhibit like the one at the Hollywood Park.










We may have been done with the Studios park as we made our exit but we couldn't leave the resort without another Butterbeer. So across Citywalk we again made our way to Islands of Adventure.








Our First stop in the park though was at the main shop right in the Port of Entry. If you recall I found a shirt the night prior at the Universal Store in the studios and a shirt for Daniel at the Citywalk Store. Prior to buying these though we decided to wait until we could see if the Islands store sold both of them. Well unfortunatly for us though the Islands shop didn't sell ether of them. Being pinched for time Kiera took Daniel over to Suess Landing to take him on the Cat in the Hat ride while I ran back out to the CityWalk store to buy the shirts. I was able to find Daniels but they didn't carry my first choice. Still they had another I liked so I bought those and was able to score the $10 gift card as well for spending $50 to buy us our final Butterbeers.

 

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I reentered Islands of Adventure and made it to Suess Landing as Kiera and Daniel started ther 2nd ride which was the Caro-Suess-el. Basically a Dr. Suess themed Marry go Round. Unfortunatly Kiera and Daniel were pretty far on the inside so I couldn't get any good photos but Daniel really liked it. After they were done we quickly made our way thru the rest of Suess Landing and the Lost Contenant and in to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.













Before grabbing our Butterbeers though we made our way to Hogwarts Castle to take one final ride on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Although wait times were once again very short for practically everything we were still on a time crunch and so we again utilized the Single Rider Line which was practically a walk on. The rides were great and flawless yet again and it was sad to think that we just made our final ride of the trip.








Since this was our final visit to Universal on this trip we also took a last look around all of the Wizarding World shops to make sure there wasn't anything else that we wanted to buy. We checked out Felches Emporiam and then stopped by the Owl Post where Kiera ended up picking up some more postcards to get the Hogsmead Post Mark.