The Cast:
DH 45 - seriously allergic to theme park thrills, easy going all around good guy.
DD 11 middle of the road theme park thrill seeker, drama queen, stuffed animal lover, artsy & sensitive kind of girl.
DS 11 extreme thrill seeker, slightly mischievous, reason why Im on a first name basis with the principal, always has a hug for mom kind of boy.
Myself 40 all time extreme thrill seeker, roller coaster junkie, seeker of missing socks, practical joker, always messes up the punch-line kind of gal.
Sunday 6/6, depart Pittsburgh & land at MCO a little ahead of schedule at 2:00 pm. No problems getting our rental car & we find ourselves pulling up to the RPR by 3:00. Wow! Walking into the lobby of the resort I see what everyone meant by paradise! Instantly I feel relaxed & just know this will be a wonderful vacation. Only 2 people in front of me for check in at the regular line, but I wait at the Loews First line behind a few guests. Only took a few minutes to get to the front of the line. The desk clerk I got was efficient, but not overly friendly. She informs me that the hotel is booked for our stay & we wont be able to have our park view room as requested oh, well .not a biggie as I know well probably be closing the parks every night & wont miss anything anyway. Our room isnt ready yet, but she does punch holes in our room keys for us to use on our lanyards. Gives the kids sand buckets & shovels & just as were about done with check-in she asks me what Id like for my Loews First welcome gift. Yikes!
Id completely forgotten about that. Id known I may not be offered one because we had booked under the ENT rate & truthfully, it had really slipped to the back of my mind over the last few weeks. My mind racing, I tried to recall what I could choose from before she changed her mind & retracted her offer! Finally I blurted out that cookies & milk would be wonderful, thank you very much. 
We checked our luggage with the bell captain & practically skipped out of the lobby in search of the water taxi.
Of course there was no doubt where we were headed first ..Universal & The Mummy!
Just as we are loading my fanny pack into a locker, I notice a stream of people exiting the building
.Oh no, say it aint so! 
This cant be good. Sure enough, technical difficulties with the ride & my date with the Mummy will have to wait. My soul still intact, we decide to backtrack & do Twister next. Our FOTL gets us into the first showing as we walk up. Not a bad ride, inside the building we are in the very top row & I have a feeling I missed some effects. Back past the Mummy which still has not re-opened, we want to try Earthquake, but its closed temporarily also. We pass through the carnival game area telling the kids Later, well do games later. (How many of us parents have used that line!) and head on back to MIB. This was our first real glimpse of the beauty of FOTL. We walk on, past the people in the regular line & get straight to the top of the steps in the boarding area. Unbeknownst to my family, Id been studying the MIB tips I got online from Bevs (phamton) sons website. First ride, I scored somewhere in the 200,000 range & they all give me that What do you know that we dont know look. Well 230,000 wasnt anything to brag about, but their scores paled in comparison! We were hooked after one ride
..just couldnt get enough of MIB. 
Jumped back in line 2 more times, 0 wait time with FOTL & only managed to jump my score up to 320,000. Hmmm, Id have to hit those notes I brought later that night after everyone was asleep! FOTL was so great that my DH actually mentally picked someone out of the regular line to compare how far he had moved by the time we came back through the queue. We passed that guy on our second time through & he still wasnt anywhere near the platform! By the time we finished our 3rd ride, the heavens had opened up & it was raining cats & dogs. Of course our dollar store ponchos were back in the luggage! Leading the way & surprising my kids with my speed (not bad for a mom, my son commented!) we raced over to BTTF. We were the last out of the pre-ride room, so of course we got the back seat
..now I was worried! From comments Id read on the boards, I knew the back can get rough & DH has a problem with simulator rides anyway
hmmm, should I tell him? I decided that since he was already buckled in, playing stupid might be the route to take here! The ride was ok
I usually have no problem with simulators & motion sickness, but this one was the exception. It was a little rough & I felt a twinge of queasiness, but nothing bordering on someone grab me a bucket!! I dared to look over at DH halfway through the ride & knew even through the darkness that he was turning green! 
He was staring down & there was panic in his eyes. Asking him if he was alright, he just nodded once & continued his focus, just focus drill. Arghhh, I knew I should have put the kids next to him! We didnt say much when the ride was over, I think he couldnt have spoken for a while even if he wanted to. I knew that BTTF would be a one hit wonder for our family
..no do-overs there! Still raining steadily, so we walked over to ET. About a 5 minute wait in the pre-boarding area. I LOVED the forest. I would have been happy to walk through the forest & consider it the ride! Ride itself was ok, didnt pull on any heart strings even though I loved the movie, and we didnt hear our names at the end. By this time, it was about 6:00, still raining & we were anxious to see if our rooms were ready, so we started out of the park along with a lot of other people. Passed through the Cheesecake Factory on our way out & decided to buy a few sweets for the morning. Ordered a piece of cheesecake to go & slid down the line to pay for it. The kid working there looks at the Styrofoam container & asks What do you have tonight? I countered with Well, whats the cheapest thing on the menu?! He laughs & I came back with If you cant guess on the first try, its free right? Finally I tell him its cheesecake. He then asks What kind? Laughing, I of course say Well
.whats the cheapest kind?! By this time, the other employees standing there are smiling, I pay for the cheesecake & we head out. My kids asked me why I always have to talk to everyone? Hmm, this might be one of those teach thy children a valuable lifes lesson moment. 
So in my most motherly tone, I explain that it took very little effort on my part to make a few people smile & that good feelings are contagious & can change a persons whole day for the better. My darling son takes all this in .nods ok then says Oh, I thought you were just flirting with him like Dad says you do all the time!
My DH starts laughing so hard he almost choked on the Coke he was drinking at the time & I roll my eyes, but join in the laughter too. We ride the water taxi back to the RPR laughing & feeling good even with the rain & get our room assignment. Room 2332, (Tower 2, 3rd floor, we can see Universal Blvd from our window along with some trees & flowers.) Cant complain
.Ive had worse views. The standard room is large enough for the 4 of us. I liked the sink/makeup area outside the bathroom, the kids loved the butterfly shadow sconces
.they called it mood lighting! Our Loews first gift is waiting on the table
3 huge cookies & a pitcher of milk on ice. No dinner yet, but cant keep the kids & DH from hitting the milk & cookies. The cookies were delicious & there was a lot of milk to wash them down with. I join them by digging into my cheesecake
.yummy! I cant remember what flavor it was, but it was heaven. We freshen up & head out to find somewhere on I-Drive to go to dinner as its still raining & we dont want to walk through Citywalk. I remember a thread about I-Drive restaurants & we decide to go to Sweet Tomatoes since I know its supposed to be somewhere near the Sheraton Studio City where well be staying later in the week. We take a wrong turn coming out of the RP parking lot & end up taking the long way back to I-Drive (we discovered that on our way back!) Took us 20 minutes to get there as opposed to 5 to get back. Sweet Tomatoes was a reasonable meal, salad bar & homemade soups
a few side dishes like mac & cheese, pizza & a few pasta choices. It wasnt great, but we were hungry enough to fill our bellies & head back for some sleep. The cream of mushroom soup was surprisingly good & hit the spot as we were all damp again from the rain. 
The kids were disappointed that the pool at the RP was closed due to the weather when we got back (it had stopped raining by then) so we went back to the room, I unpacked while the kids watched some tv & we all hit the sack excited to start a full day at IOA in the morning.
Coming Soon - Day 2 6/7/04-"It Must Have Been the Mac & Cheese!"
DH 45 - seriously allergic to theme park thrills, easy going all around good guy.
DD 11 middle of the road theme park thrill seeker, drama queen, stuffed animal lover, artsy & sensitive kind of girl.
DS 11 extreme thrill seeker, slightly mischievous, reason why Im on a first name basis with the principal, always has a hug for mom kind of boy.
Myself 40 all time extreme thrill seeker, roller coaster junkie, seeker of missing socks, practical joker, always messes up the punch-line kind of gal.
Sunday 6/6, depart Pittsburgh & land at MCO a little ahead of schedule at 2:00 pm. No problems getting our rental car & we find ourselves pulling up to the RPR by 3:00. Wow! Walking into the lobby of the resort I see what everyone meant by paradise! Instantly I feel relaxed & just know this will be a wonderful vacation. Only 2 people in front of me for check in at the regular line, but I wait at the Loews First line behind a few guests. Only took a few minutes to get to the front of the line. The desk clerk I got was efficient, but not overly friendly. She informs me that the hotel is booked for our stay & we wont be able to have our park view room as requested oh, well .not a biggie as I know well probably be closing the parks every night & wont miss anything anyway. Our room isnt ready yet, but she does punch holes in our room keys for us to use on our lanyards. Gives the kids sand buckets & shovels & just as were about done with check-in she asks me what Id like for my Loews First welcome gift. Yikes!
Id completely forgotten about that. Id known I may not be offered one because we had booked under the ENT rate & truthfully, it had really slipped to the back of my mind over the last few weeks. My mind racing, I tried to recall what I could choose from before she changed her mind & retracted her offer! Finally I blurted out that cookies & milk would be wonderful, thank you very much. We checked our luggage with the bell captain & practically skipped out of the lobby in search of the water taxi.Of course there was no doubt where we were headed first ..Universal & The Mummy!
Just as we are loading my fanny pack into a locker, I notice a stream of people exiting the building
.Oh no, say it aint so! This cant be good. Sure enough, technical difficulties with the ride & my date with the Mummy will have to wait. My soul still intact, we decide to backtrack & do Twister next. Our FOTL gets us into the first showing as we walk up. Not a bad ride, inside the building we are in the very top row & I have a feeling I missed some effects. Back past the Mummy which still has not re-opened, we want to try Earthquake, but its closed temporarily also. We pass through the carnival game area telling the kids Later, well do games later. (How many of us parents have used that line!) and head on back to MIB. This was our first real glimpse of the beauty of FOTL. We walk on, past the people in the regular line & get straight to the top of the steps in the boarding area. Unbeknownst to my family, Id been studying the MIB tips I got online from Bevs (phamton) sons website. First ride, I scored somewhere in the 200,000 range & they all give me that What do you know that we dont know look. Well 230,000 wasnt anything to brag about, but their scores paled in comparison! We were hooked after one ride
..just couldnt get enough of MIB. Jumped back in line 2 more times, 0 wait time with FOTL & only managed to jump my score up to 320,000. Hmmm, Id have to hit those notes I brought later that night after everyone was asleep! FOTL was so great that my DH actually mentally picked someone out of the regular line to compare how far he had moved by the time we came back through the queue. We passed that guy on our second time through & he still wasnt anywhere near the platform! By the time we finished our 3rd ride, the heavens had opened up & it was raining cats & dogs. Of course our dollar store ponchos were back in the luggage! Leading the way & surprising my kids with my speed (not bad for a mom, my son commented!) we raced over to BTTF. We were the last out of the pre-ride room, so of course we got the back seat
..now I was worried! From comments Id read on the boards, I knew the back can get rough & DH has a problem with simulator rides anyway
hmmm, should I tell him? I decided that since he was already buckled in, playing stupid might be the route to take here! The ride was ok
I usually have no problem with simulators & motion sickness, but this one was the exception. It was a little rough & I felt a twinge of queasiness, but nothing bordering on someone grab me a bucket!! I dared to look over at DH halfway through the ride & knew even through the darkness that he was turning green! He was staring down & there was panic in his eyes. Asking him if he was alright, he just nodded once & continued his focus, just focus drill. Arghhh, I knew I should have put the kids next to him! We didnt say much when the ride was over, I think he couldnt have spoken for a while even if he wanted to. I knew that BTTF would be a one hit wonder for our family
..no do-overs there! Still raining steadily, so we walked over to ET. About a 5 minute wait in the pre-boarding area. I LOVED the forest. I would have been happy to walk through the forest & consider it the ride! Ride itself was ok, didnt pull on any heart strings even though I loved the movie, and we didnt hear our names at the end. By this time, it was about 6:00, still raining & we were anxious to see if our rooms were ready, so we started out of the park along with a lot of other people. Passed through the Cheesecake Factory on our way out & decided to buy a few sweets for the morning. Ordered a piece of cheesecake to go & slid down the line to pay for it. The kid working there looks at the Styrofoam container & asks What do you have tonight? I countered with Well, whats the cheapest thing on the menu?! He laughs & I came back with If you cant guess on the first try, its free right? Finally I tell him its cheesecake. He then asks What kind? Laughing, I of course say Well
.whats the cheapest kind?! By this time, the other employees standing there are smiling, I pay for the cheesecake & we head out. My kids asked me why I always have to talk to everyone? Hmm, this might be one of those teach thy children a valuable lifes lesson moment. So in my most motherly tone, I explain that it took very little effort on my part to make a few people smile & that good feelings are contagious & can change a persons whole day for the better. My darling son takes all this in .nods ok then says Oh, I thought you were just flirting with him like Dad says you do all the time!
My DH starts laughing so hard he almost choked on the Coke he was drinking at the time & I roll my eyes, but join in the laughter too. We ride the water taxi back to the RPR laughing & feeling good even with the rain & get our room assignment. Room 2332, (Tower 2, 3rd floor, we can see Universal Blvd from our window along with some trees & flowers.) Cant complain
.Ive had worse views. The standard room is large enough for the 4 of us. I liked the sink/makeup area outside the bathroom, the kids loved the butterfly shadow sconces
.they called it mood lighting! Our Loews first gift is waiting on the table
3 huge cookies & a pitcher of milk on ice. No dinner yet, but cant keep the kids & DH from hitting the milk & cookies. The cookies were delicious & there was a lot of milk to wash them down with. I join them by digging into my cheesecake
.yummy! I cant remember what flavor it was, but it was heaven. We freshen up & head out to find somewhere on I-Drive to go to dinner as its still raining & we dont want to walk through Citywalk. I remember a thread about I-Drive restaurants & we decide to go to Sweet Tomatoes since I know its supposed to be somewhere near the Sheraton Studio City where well be staying later in the week. We take a wrong turn coming out of the RP parking lot & end up taking the long way back to I-Drive (we discovered that on our way back!) Took us 20 minutes to get there as opposed to 5 to get back. Sweet Tomatoes was a reasonable meal, salad bar & homemade soups
a few side dishes like mac & cheese, pizza & a few pasta choices. It wasnt great, but we were hungry enough to fill our bellies & head back for some sleep. The cream of mushroom soup was surprisingly good & hit the spot as we were all damp again from the rain. The kids were disappointed that the pool at the RP was closed due to the weather when we got back (it had stopped raining by then) so we went back to the room, I unpacked while the kids watched some tv & we all hit the sack excited to start a full day at IOA in the morning.Coming Soon - Day 2 6/7/04-"It Must Have Been the Mac & Cheese!"
I love all your details and especially love your "lessons of life" to the kiddos. I do the same thing! Can't wait for the next installment.
