City, Sand, and Savanna - Link to new trip report

[nodnol]

Yeah... although I do have ALL my notes and receipts (i before e, except...) I'm sure it'd come back--- I never got to the "Pink Puke" Chapter.

I would love to reda about "pink puke".... and hello, Liesa!

 

[Steppesister]

I would love to reda about "pink puke".... and hello, Liesa!

Hi Katharina!! See you sister's TR for a more lengthy howdy-do.

It was one of the more ummm.... out-of-control moments we had. After Hoop-de-Doo and wellllll.... let's just say we laughed. A lot. Until I got a gag thing goin'. Nuff said.

 

[Poolrat]

Hey I finish my TR's !!!




She is a good one to say "call me Rosie " both her and Marv have ongoing epics from years ago!!!

Oh Rosie - I think Glen has it right below somewhere.

But you DO know.....

I don't remember where you left off. I think I remember you eating in New Orleans Square at DL, and your aunt? recalling the good 'ol days running around the park as a young girl, and frequent bio-breaks.

That about what I remember the last chapter being....

You're not calling her "old" are you???

Nope not in the least. Let me just say I was there and maybe had notes and pictures to guide me but it is the little elements that you just have to go back in the moment to relive and sadly they fade away fast.

No, she wasn't talking about finishing TRs...she was referring to the position of her post.

Ummmm..... It snows in the Sahara and Johnny Depp is ugly...?

Ah Rosie is famous for "stealing" ( or begging and borrowing ) the top of the page post from Glen since he likes to use that one for his updates. Thus forcing ( a strong word I know) to go another 14 posts to the next page. THAT is why this TR has gone this long... Rosie keeps taking that top post and well now I have done it.

Yeah... although I do have ALL my notes and receipts (i before e, except...) I'm sure it'd come back--- I never got to the "Pink Puke" Chapter.

While some little details may fade I am sure the PINK PUKE chapter ( under P no doubt) is fresh. After a bit of revealing, I can see how that will happen and if i ever get to Hoopdedoo I will stick to beer.

Nawwww.... she's WAY too polite for that.

Thank You

 

[englishrose47]

Yes



Didn't she give us some camel dung as a gift? You'd think I'd remember that better.

Yes she did and tried to tell us it was a Blankenstan snack !!!As I recall someone did taste it
I am getting SLOW I should have known my reign as Queen of stealing Post #1 is infamous !!!

 

[Steppesister]

That about what I remember the last chapter being....

I actually went back and looked it up.... and you're right. Furthermore... well... it's just very hard for me to be here and not be writing. :sigh: I took a look at my TRs- both of them- and actually went so far as asking Mari to open them... we'll see what transpires.

Rosie is famous for "stealing" ( or begging and borrowing ) the top of the page post from Glen since he likes to use that one for his updates. Thus forcing ( a strong word I know) to go another 14 posts to the next page. THAT is why this TR has gone this long... Rosie keeps taking that top post and well now I have done it.

Ahhhhh, now it all makes sense. I used to aim for that too. Makes it all nice and tidy for sure.

While some little details may fade I am sure the PINK PUKE chapter ( under P no doubt) is fresh. After a bit of revealing, I can see how that will happen and if i ever get to Hoopdedoo I will stick to beer.

I can neither confirm nor deny that sangria was involved.

Yes she did and tried to tell us it was a Blankenstan snack !!!As I recall someone did taste it
I am getting SLOW I should have known my reign as Queen of stealing Post #1 is infamous !!!

I think someone actually DID try it... Rob, if I remember correctly. I am friends with him on FB and can tell you all that he and Jamie are married and doing very well!!

 

[glennbo123]

We left Wizarding World and headed back into the Lost Continent area, since we'd passed a ride there on the way in that looked promising. As we got there, the girls decided that they wanted to go back to the Emporium, the gift shop at the Forbidden Journey ride, to get a Harry Potter-themed souvenir. Okay, I guess it makes sense -- we won't be back here, so you'd better get it now. In the meantime, Judy, James and I milled around in a little gift shop in the Lost Continent. How small was it? It was so small, (stop me if you've heard this one) that I had to go outside to change my mind. No seriously, it only had some t-shirts and some houseplants -- hardy specimens that I'm sure we could still easily kill. After a half-hour or so we were about to pull our hair out from boredom. We had walked that store from end-to-end several times and could've easily updated their inventory records, we knew everything they had in-stock.

"Oh my gosh, what could be taking those girls so long?" Then, after nearly 40 minutes, they finally returned. And what did they buy?

A postcard.

Neither of them could decide on anything, so Marlene bought a postcard to send to a friend.

(I looked high and low for a Herbert Lom gif (he's the actor who played Clouseau's boss in the "Pink Panther" movies), with his eye twitching, after Clouseau drove him crazy, but I couldn't find one. Please, some computer-savvy person out there, this is an unmet need on the internets that needs to be filled. Anyway, it would be perfect for how I felt at that moment, but you'll just have to imagine me standing there, after a 40-minute wait, with my eye twitching.)

Then we went to get in line for this ride that we'd seen, Poseidon's Fury. I took a couple of pictures as we walked over.

Again, pretty cool theming.

Here's Marlenes postcard .

My review of the ride...unless the wait-time is short, I'd skip it. First, it seemed like they must've blown their queue-theming budget on the façade outside. Once inside, it was just kind of cave-like. Then we got to feel like the second-class citizens that we were, by being passed by park guests with Express-Passes. I know, I know, it was my choice and I had elected not to spend the extra money on Express-Passes, so I knew the deal going in. Anyway, it took us about 40 minutes to get into the show, which would be pretty good if this were the Forbidden Journey queue, but it wasn't. Once we got into the show, the notes I wrote down were "cold and loud". And it was all standing. We'd start in one room and a tour guide would take us through the story. Then we'd move to another room, and we'd all shuffle along, trying to stay together. At the finale, I expected it to be a lot bigger and more dramatic than it turned out to be. Although it was pretty cool to walk through a tunnel of water but it too, was very loud. I thought that kids who didnt like dark rides would hate this one.

When we left Poseidons Temper Tantrum®, it was going on 1 o'clock and we decided that the only other rides we really wanted to do were Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk, so it made sense to head counter-clockwise through the rest of the park. That route would take us to those rides and through some areas that we hadn't seen on the way in. But first we went past Wizarding World again and I stopped on a bridge to take another picture of Hogwarts.

That'd make a nice postcard picture, wouldn't it?

Looking the other direction from the bridge, I could see sections of the park that we hadn't been to yet, and one of our intended destinations, the Hulk ride on the left side of the picture.

We pressed onward and got to see the Jurassic Park car, so we had that going for us.

You might remember its mirror from the movie...

...A scene that I want to believe was inspired by a Far Side cartoon:

I'm pretty sure that the cartoon came first, but I could be wrong.

We flew past Ripsaw Falls.

Yep, that was Ripsaw Falls all right.

I took a few "crowd" pictures for you, while we walked.

No stopping for us, Spiderman is our destination.

We got to Spiderman and it was just going to be the kids and I going on -- Judy was done with thrill rides for the day. One ride on the Forbidden Journey and she was at her quota, so she found a place to hang out and wait while we rode. We decided to go single rider, and went to the single rider line and we were the only ones there. The cast member said that it was closed, but expected it to open again in 10 minutes so we waited. Fortunately, he was right and the time estimate was right on.

Soon, we had our 3D specs and our spider-senses, well they were a-tingling.

Somehow we lucked out and all four of us got to ride in the same car even though we had come through the single rider line. You can't beat that, even with an Express-Pass! This ride was really good, a big step up from Poseidon's Fury. In this one, you're in a car (your whole group, maybe 8 people?) in New York City and you end up running into Spiderman and a bunch of villains. (Imagine that!) Of course it's in 3D (as you know from the previous pictures), but the best part is that all of the explosions and other things you experience are timed so that your car reacts. For example, Spiderman might appear to jump on the hood of your car and the whole thing dips under his weight. And naturally, because it's Spiderman, you end up getting web-slung amongst some skyscrapers. We enjoyed it!

We came out from the ride and found Judy where she was waiting and she said that she'd made a mistake with the spot she'd picked. It was near a speaker, and speaking of speakers, she was getting blasted, acoustically-speaking. She thought about moving but didn't want us to have trouble finding her. I guess that's the point when we decided that we were officially "old". This area of the park reminded us of shopping at some of the clothing stores for the younger crowd -- where the music's blasting and it's just dark and loud and chaotic. Only those stores smell like perfume, and this place had more, well, amusement park smells. You probably know them.

Anyway, one more ride, and we'd hit the road. Onward to the Hulk!

It only took us about 25 minutes to get through the line and board the Hulk ride, but it seemed like a lot longer because it was so hot. They have some fans throughout the queue, and it's undercover, but it was still brutal. The ride however, was awesome! A great coaster, and we loved it! Give me loops and corkscrews and I'm happy! And just to prove it, here's a redneck ride photo where I'm grinning and risking catching bugs in my teeth.

Oh, and did you know that you can get a free 5x7 with a Ride DVD purchase? I didn't either, good thing I took that photo.

As we left, I took a picture of the Hulk coaster going into the tunnel.

And some more theming/crowd-shots at the area toward the front of the park.

On the way out, (on the opposite side of the sign that says "The Adventure Begins") the sign reads "The Adventure Lives On". Nice touch Universal. Yes, it does.

So, what did we think about Islands of Adventure? Well, we were glad to have experienced the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which was definitely what we came to see, but overall we feel more at home at Disney. The crowds probably weren't really any worse than at Disney, but somehow, maybe with the higher decibel-levels of the music, the whole place just seemed more chaotic. The rollercoasters are probably better at Universal, I'll give 'em that, but I think (my opinion) that Disney hits its stride by entertaining not just thrilling. Know what I mean? I'm sure that our kids wouldn't mind going back someday, but Judy, who can't handle being tossed around on a rollercoaster anymore, is happy to just say "been there, done that".

At any rate, by quarter after 2, we all were wiped-out, ready to go rest-up a little before our last "hurrah".


Up next: Lead-up to the Luau
Link to next chapter

 

[glennbo123]

Yeah... although I do have ALL my notes and receipts

Hey, was that receipts comment aimed at me?!

Oh yeah.... the infamous salted, dried, milk kurd. That was so funny!

Oh yeah, that's what it was. We guessed it was dung though.

Why do visions of Dick Van Dyck come to mind??

LSD flashbacks is my guess.

Quite possibly the funniest Disney bit of all time. Yeah, I confess, I can be rather immature.

Say it ain't so!

Bourne, Jason Boure... that should be my next screen name!

Then you could say Jason Bourne killed All7OfUs and it would just sound like any scene from the movies.

..... than pretty much anywhere.

Still cold just about everywhere!

Why thank you for reminding that I managed to be successful at dumping not one, but two, TRs.

Oops.

It was a hand-picked, special gift for you! I'm sure Judy fondly remembers it.

She probably does!

I would love to reda about "pink puke".

That's a no-brainer!

It was one of the more ummm.... out-of-control moments we had. After Hoop-de-Doo and wellllll.... let's just say we laughed. A lot. Until I got a gag thing goin'. Nuff said.

Sayonara sangria.

Nope not in the least. Let me just say I was there and maybe had notes and pictures to guide me but it is the little elements that you just have to go back in the moment to relive and sadly they fade away fast.

Yep, I've found that even some of the stories I thought I could never possibly forget (The Stupid Locker Lady, for one) have vaporized.

Ah Rosie is famous for "stealing" ( or begging and borrowing ) the top of the page post from Glen since he likes to use that one for his updates. Thus forcing ( a strong word I know) to go another 14 posts to the next page. THAT is why this TR has gone this long... Rosie keeps taking that top post and well now I have done it.

Page 200 here was in jeopardy for a couple of days before I could get this chapter posted! Thanks for holding off...I'm sure it was tempting!

While some little details may fade I am sure the PINK PUKE chapter ( under P no doubt) is fresh. After a bit of revealing, I can see how that will happen and if i ever get to Hoopdedoo I will stick to beer.

Yes, I have a feeling she can recall that one. I wonder if she also checked out the cowboy picture in the men's room?

Yes she did and tried to tell us it was a Blankenstan snack !!!As I recall someone did taste it
I am getting SLOW I should have known my reign as Queen of stealing Post #1 is infamous !!!

You're so good at it, you do it without even trying.

I actually went back and looked it up.... and you're right. Furthermore... well... it's just very hard for me to be here and not be writing. :sigh: I took a look at my TRs- both of them- and actually went so far as asking Mari to open them... we'll see what transpires.

Ahhhhh, now it all makes sense.

Well as much as it can anyhow.

I can neither confirm nor deny that sangria was involved.

I think someone actually DID try it... Rob, if I remember correctly. I am friends with him on FB and can tell you all that he and Jamie are married and doing very well!!

Yay!!! She's not "Just" Jamie anymore!

 

[scottny]

We skipped Poseidon and kind of glad we did now.
Love Spiderman. Great ride.
Brave man doing Hulk.
Sorry you didn’t like it. We like it and do US and IOA every 2 or 3 trips now.
Great updates and pics.

 

[nodnol]

7 Judys. We're still playing the game, aren't we? Do I have to write in which pictures I spotted her? I don't remember...

We skipped Poseidon, my "tour guide" obviously did her research! And she also convinced me to do Hulk. Great rollercoaster!

And I am old, too. The music was much too loud to feel comfortable in this area. I remember that this was one of the strongest impressions I had...

 

[MEK]

I thought for sure you had given up on your TR, but I should have known you were up to something when you visited Mark's TR yesterday.

Posiedon's adventure is a bit of a dud, made worse that you go in there with such anticipation that is going to be great. Oh well.

Love the Hulk. I think that was Nick's first major coaster and when I look back on the picture he doesn't even look big enough to be there.

You are absolutely right - Disney has the market on entertaining. Universal has some great thrill rides but its just not the same.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Thanks for the rundown on WWHP and IOA in general. I am looking forward to checking out the other side of Orlando this summer.

Our firewall blocks most photo sites so I can only get text. (Which means I experienced four Judy's.)

I'll check out the photos soon as I'm on a bit of an IOA photo kick of late. I just have to find a night where I can actually sit down for 30 minutes. I think I have one free in mid April.

 

[hucifer]

After a half-hour or so we were about to pull our hair out from boredom. We had walked that store from end-to-end several times and could've easily updated their inventory records, we knew everything they had in-stock.

Did they still have that Jurassic Park "Bite Me" T-shirt with matching throw pillow (UPC #80000723886)? How many were left? That's my favorite!

Anyway, it would be perfect for how I felt at that moment, but you'll just have to imagine me standing there, after a 40-minute wait, with my eye twitching.

Fun fact: Parkinson's Disease also causes uncontrollable twitching.

I'm pretty sure that the cartoon came first, but I could be wrong.

Doesn't everyone borrow from Gary Larson?

For example, Spiderman might appear to jump on the hood of your car and the whole thing dips under his weight. And naturally, because it's Spiderman, you end up getting web-slung amongst some skyscrapers. We enjoyed it!

Spiderman is one of the best attractions I've ever been on. It really is an engineering wonder.

So, what did we think about Islands of Adventure? Well, we were glad to have experienced the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which was definitely what we came to see, but overall we feel more at home at Disney.

I know exactly how you feel. Fun place, but doesn't feel like "home."

Six Judy's? (One of the photos didn't show)

 

[eandesmom]

(I looked high and low for a Herbert Lom gif (he's the actor who played Clouseau's boss in the "Pink Panther" movies), with his eye twitching, after Clouseau drove him crazy, but I couldn’t find one. Please, some computer-savvy person out there, this is an unmet need on the internets that needs to be filled. Anyway, it would be perfect for how I felt at that moment, but you'll just have to imagine me standing there, after a 40-minute wait, with my eye twitching.)

That would be very handy!

Then we went to get in line for this ride that we'd seen, Poseidon's Fury. I took a couple of pictures as we walked over.

Oh no, you didn't.

I am sorry.

It has SUCH promise from the outside and is so horrible inside (other than the tunnel of water, which is cool) that UGH.

We came out from the ride and found Judy where she was waiting and she said that she'd made a mistake with the spot she'd picked. It was near a speaker, and speaking of speakers, she was getting blasted, acoustically-speaking. She thought about moving but didn't want us to have trouble finding her. I guess that's the point when we decided that we were officially "old". This area of the park reminded us of shopping at some of the clothing stores for the younger crowd -- where the music's blasting and it's just dark and loud and chaotic. Only those stores smell like perfume, and this place had more, well, amusement park smells. You probably know them.

It is most definitely a different vibe over there, and at Universal in general, both parks.

So, what did we think about Islands of Adventure? Well, we were glad to have experienced the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which was definitely what we came to see, but overall we feel more at home at Disney. The crowds probably weren't really any worse than at Disney, but somehow, maybe with the higher decibel-levels of the music, the whole place just seemed more chaotic. The rollercoasters are probably better at Universal, I'll give 'em that, but I think (my opinion) that Disney hits its stride by entertaining not just thrilling. Know what I mean? I'm sure that our kids wouldn't mind going back someday, but Judy, who can't handle being tossed around on a rollercoaster anymore, is happy to just say "been there, done that".

I think each has their place and we enjoy different things about each. They are tough parks if you don't want thrill rides though, my pregnant sister struggled a bit and basically bailed after a half day.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

A postcard... Well, at least they bought something... I guess.

Oh yeah Poseiden's Fury. You are so right, beautiful on the outside, horrible on the inside. Just an awful queue. The only saving grace for me is that water tunnel which admittedly, is really really neat... when it's working.
Ha, I do like the name change though...Poseidon's Temper Tantrum. Or perhaps Poseidon's Hissy Fit.

It really amazes me that Spiderman opened in 1999 and I think it's still pretty darn impressive all these years later. Great ride for sure.

Funny that I used to love the Hulk and now it bores me other than the launch. I do love that launch.

I think you summed my feelings as well Glenn. Universal (and in this case Islands) really does do some great theming (particularly Potter), but it's more focused on the ride aspect. Disney has more "feels".

 

[glennbo123]

We skipped Poseidon and kind of glad we did now.

Good call! You weren't taken-in by the attractive facade. Judging by the couple of comments people have posted so far, it sounds like I'm not the only one who wasn't real impressed by it.

Love Spiderman. Great ride.

They did that one right!

Brave man doing Hulk.

Like just about any coaster, the worst part is when you're all strapped-in and about to take off. You're thinking, "what have I gotten myself into?" "Having my feet firmly planted on the ground is a good thing, why am I messing with it?" Then while underway, it's just great. Pure adrenaline rush.

Sorry you didn’t like it. We like it and do US and IOA every 2 or 3 trips now.

I know it's a good fit for the right type of person, and it would've been better if Judy could've gone on more rides. But we're glad we saw it...and now we've seen it.

Great updates and pics.

Thanks Scott.

7 Judys. We're still playing the game, aren't we? Do I have to write in which pictures I spotted her? I don't remember...

Are we still playing? But of course! Nah, I won't make you write which ones, there weren't any reflections or slivers of a pantleg or anything tricky this time around.

...And your number is correct! Congratulations! You win all the points this round!

Updated Scores:

Marvin - 20 Judy-sighting wins, 9 Eagle Eye points
Pat - 8 Judy-sighting wins, 3 Eagle Eye points
Mark - 6 Judy-sighting wins, 2 Eagle Eye points
Dan - 5 Judy-sighting wins, 4 Eagle Eye points
Dee - 4 Judy-sighting wins, 1 Eagle Eye point
Rosie - 4 Judy-sighting wins, 4 Eagle Eye points
Katharina - 4 Judy-sighting wins
Magdalene - 3 Judy-sighting wins, 1 Eagle Eye point
Kelly - 3 Judy-sighting wins
Mary Ellen - 2 Judy-sighting wins
Jenn (elphie101) - 1 Judy-sighting win, First Subscriber Honors!
Tanya - 1 Judy-sighting win
Molly - 1 Judy-sighting win
Kathy - 1 Judy-sighting win
MissLiz - 1 Judy-sighting win
Andy - 1 Judy-sighting win
Hucifer - 1 Judy-sighting win
sesame_123 - 1 Eagle Eye point

 

[glennbo123]

We skipped Poseidon, my "tour guide" obviously did her research! And she also convinced me to do Hulk. Great rollercoaster!

She obviously did her research better than I did, but knowing her I'm not surprised! My plan was: Harry Potter, then....whatever. Not always the best approach.

And I am old, too. The music was much too loud to feel comfortable in this area. I remember that this was one of the strongest impressions I had...

Thanks Katharina. It helps to know that I'm in good company.

I thought for sure you had given up on your TR, but I should have known you were up to something when you visited Mark's TR yesterday.

No, I haven't abandoned it, just neglected it woefully. It's hard to find the time to write! And read -- I know I'm a few chapters behind on yours. I did see that you posted some Longwood Christmas photos and I was going to reply that went also, but only took a few pictures, not nearly as many as you did!

Posiedon's adventure is a bit of a dud, made worse that you go in there with such anticipation that is going to be great. Oh well.

I think also, because we were being passed by people with these Express Passes, that I figured this is an in-demand ride, it must be great!

Love the Hulk. I think that was Nick's first major coaster and when I look back on the picture he doesn't even look big enough to be there.

Awesome, I bet he was psyched!

You are absolutely right - Disney has the market on entertaining. Universal has some great thrill rides but its just not the same.

For as much time as I mulled it over, you'd have thought I'd have written more! But it took a while to reach the conclusion and boil it down succinctly.

Thanks for the rundown on WWHP and IOA in general. I am looking forward to checking out the other side of Orlando this summer.

I can't wait to read about it GB!

Our firewall blocks most photo sites so I can only get text. (Which means I experienced four Judy's.)

Sounds like "Multiplicity".

I'll check out the photos soon as I'm on a bit of an IOA photo kick of late. I just have to find a night where I can actually sit down for 30 minutes. I think I have one free in mid April.

Well, put it on the calendar or it'll get booked up!

Did they still have that Jurassic Park "Bite Me" T-shirt with matching throw pillow (UPC #80000723886)? How many were left? That's my favorite!

No, they didn't have that one. Ticked me off.

Fun fact: Parkinson's Disease also causes uncontrollable twitching.

You are a ray of sunshine.

Doesn't everyone borrow from Gary Larson?

Why yes.

Dang, that's small. If you can't read it, it says "If we pull this off, we'll eat like kings".

Spiderman is one of the best attractions I've ever been on. It really is an engineering wonder.

I know exactly how you feel. Fun place, but doesn't feel like "home."

So corny, but is exactly it.

Six Judy's? (One of the photos didn't show)

Oooo, that must've been a critical photo. There were 7.

 

[Steppesister]

Hey, was that receipts comment aimed at me?!

I just call 'em like I see 'em.

Oh yeah, that's what it was. We guessed it was dung though.

I believe you accused my poor little snacks of being petrified.

LSD flashbacks is my guess.

Yeah, that's it. Only the good stuff for me.

Then you could say Jason Bourne killed All7OfUs and it would just sound like any scene from the movies.

You're spot on.

She probably does!

You should ask her, and let me know what she says! (Hi, Judy!!)

Sayonara sangria.

I wish I had that puking smilie to insert here. Dang! Who was that that kept posting that?? Tim? Hmm...

Yes, I have a feeling she can recall that one. I wonder if she also checked out the cowboy picture in the men's room? g:

Don't you remember?! I had the male CM go in the mensroom and TAKE A PICTURE FOR ME!! I didn't need to go in! (Of course, that was because I already had prior experience in ummm... taking a side trip in there for research purposes only, mind you.)

 

[englishrose47]

Actually it should be 8 as in the pix after Spider man well actually 2nd pix , there is clearly a shadow of Judy !!! So in true Marv tradition I ask the Rules Committee for n Eagle eye point at least !!!

 

[nodnol]

...And your number is correct! Congratulations! You win all the points this round!

 

[natebenma]

Well, seems like you weren't particularly WoW'ed by the rest of Islands of Adventure.

We have managed to skip both Poseidon's Fury and Sinbad's Journey on our two stays at Universal/IoA. We haven't heard much about these two attractions, but what I have heard doesn't compel me to check them out. Boo on Universal to fake you out with incredible theming and a crappy experience!

Spiderman is supremely cool. Great job utilizing the Single Rider Line!!!

My teen and husband LOVE Hulk! I have only been twice, because I usually hang back with Ben, who hasn't braved it yet.