DrewAlmighty's Escape Reality Universal Orlando Report (PICS)

[DrewAlmighty]

Hey guys, this is a trip report I did last year over at IOACentral. It's very detailed, features tons of pics, ride reviews, the works. I did it in a day by day format, and I will do the same here, seperating it by replies. Thank you, and enjoy.

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Ladies and Gentlemen, Children of all ages, I, DrewAlmighty, am proud to bring to you, the <b>Escape Reality Universal Orlando Trip Report</b>. So sit back, relax, and enjoy. This one's for you guys... I am vowing to bring you one of the best TR's you ever read, and as much as the 275+ pictures taken on the trip.

Being from Brooklyn, NY... I am not able to visit the parks as often as many of you are, so when that oppurtunity comes, I cherish it. I prepare for months... but this trip was a suprise, as I had found out with only about 2 weeks to go until the trip. Kind of a shocker.

The reason of this trip was the overall mood of my house. On January 6th, 2005, we lost a cherished family member, my grandfather, Charles, who was more of a father to me then a grandfather. My mother felt that I haven't been the same since, and that we both needed a vacation, and what better place then somewhere where there are no restrictions, no problems, a place to <b>Escape Reality</b>, then Universal?

So, on Thursday, March 10th, I rushed home from school, packed my bags, and played NBA Street V3 to pass the time, so I could finally get out of the cold here, and into the warm Orlando weather. We left the House at 6pm, for a 9pm flight at JFK airport.

The ride is usually packed with traffic, but to our delight, absolutley no traffic, and a smooth ride to the airport. We got out, checked our bags, went through security (which takes forever, especially in NY) and went to get dinner at a Sports Bar and Grill. Had a enjoyable dinner, while this psycho lady next to us didn't seem to like it as much. (I hate people who complain during vacations, especially over the stupidest little things, lighten up)

We reached our gate at about 8, and I rocked out to my iPod for a while. I just wanted to get in the air. So, we eventually began boarding at about 8:30, and took off on time. Had a rough flight, just seemed so long, and the jetBlue DirecTV helps ease the tension a bit. I watched South Park, and 4 episodes of the Fresh Prince.

We landed in Orlando at about 12:00 am. At this point, I had been awake since 6am, and was dead tired. We went to our luggage claim, and got a Mears shuttle.

Now, I'm not the biggest fan of Mears. For one, they can take forever, but it wasn't the case tonight. Because it was so late, we got our own Shuttle, and we were off. We arrived to Hard Rock Hotel at about 1:30. I was greeted to one of my all-time favorite songs, Wonderwall by Oasis, in the beautiful Hard Rock Hotel Lobby, but at this point, I was too tired to check all the detail, sorry guys. We checked in, and we were staying on the 3rd Floor... (lobby) which was kind of strange. We are used to staying on the 6th floor.

We got in the room, and raided the Mini-Bar because we were Hungry and extremely thirsty. We checked out the TV for a while, and headed off to bed.




Now, the format for the TR will more than likely be one day per post. Now, this day had no rides or anything, but trust me, the rest of the TR will be jam packed.

Day 2 will feature a trip to Universal Studios Florida, NBA City, and a Movie at Universal Cineplex.

Thanks for reading,

~Drew

 

[DrewAlmighty]

Welcome Back to the 2nd Installment of the Escape Reality trip report! I strongly appreciate comments left, No matter what your motive is... []

Friday, March 11th, 2005

After a long night, I woke up at around 10:30am. We didn't look out at our view last night, so I decided to give a look. Boy, I had the best view ever. With the National Dance Association Championships going on at Hard Rock Live, there were about 30 Cheerleaders on the lawn at HRH, in Skimpy shorts and tanktops, doing aerobics right in front of me.

Ah, What a sight. I wish I took a pic of this...

Anyway, we showered, dressed, and headed to the Conceirge to process our Park tickets. This was done in a matter of seconds, and we were off to Universal Studios.

I was treated to a very unwelcomed suprise. My favorite path to USF, the exit by the Beach Club, was now closed off. I now have to walk all the way around the pool, and through this long walk to the parks, the scenic route. Me No Happy.

We stopped by a Photo Op area by the water, with a pretty good shot of the USF Gates:

As we continued along the path, we finally made it up close to the Gates and the Globe, what a beautiful sight.

Under the gates we went, and made our way through the turnstiles, and had to decide what ride to do first. I personally wanted to ride either MIB or Mummy first, but Shrek was right there... we then decided Shrek would be a good ride to set the tone, and begin our Escape of Reality...

Shrek 4-D

As we headed towards the entrance, a old man in one of those hillarious employee outfits directed us towards the back of the queue, towards the Pre-Show room. We waited about 5 minutes, and were let in. Now, I don't really nitpick at alot of things, but I must admit, Universal is very misleading with the preshow of this attraction. They make it seem like we are going to be chained up to a wall or something, and beat to death with a stick. I don't see how riding in a onion with Shrek is torture...

The preshow gets a few laughs out of me, as always, and the "Flogger" was pretty funny as usual. We then headed into the main chamber.


The show/video overall is excellent. Done so well, the 3-D, the visuals, the comedy, everything is spectacular. The seats on the other hand, are a whole different story. At times, the sounds the seats make when it moves, can at times be louder then the movie itself. This was very aggrivating.

Overall, Shrek was great, except for the level of noise coming from those seats, but those alone can not bring down the greatness achieved by the film makers.

Rating: 9/10


After Shrek, we made our way Past Stage 54, home of the old movie cars. I feel they should still be there, much more interesting then an empty lot.

We headed towards E.T., only to find out it was down for seasonal matienance, and would open Sunday.

We were going to ride Back to the Future, but decided against it, and headed towards MIB: Alien Attack.

Men In Black - Alien Attack


We flashed our good ol' Universal Express Hotel Keycards, and were welcomed to absolutley no line. We didn't even have to go through the elevator segment, which was a relief, as it's cool the first time, but can get quite annoying.

We made our way through the Single Riders hall, and broke into the main MIB office/Control Center

The next room we entered was the MIB Weapon Room...

Some pretty impressive stuff in there.

As we made our way into the Training Center, we were sent to the Outside(Left Track). This, In my opinion, is the easier side of the two. We were checked, and we were off..

As we entered training, I was remembering how exactly I got 999,999 a few times on my previous trips. I figured I would have some rust on my first run, but boy was I wrong. I found my self doing great, came out of the Training Area with about 55,000.

The Crash Site can be pretty easy on the Outside track. If you aim for the alien in the baby carriage, and then for the windows, you rack up a ton of points. When we hit the Spinning from the Gunslinger alien, I was at about 215,000.

The next part is the easiest part of the ride In my opinion. I shoot for the big alien, who's eye is in the window, and go for his 2 large guns. They are worth a good amount of points, and then switch my attention to the 3D alien in the window by the Ambush scene.

The Ambush used to be a hassle for me, but I now know how to do good in it. The Key is to shoot for the guns held by those little guys, and hope for the best. I was on fire, leaving that part with about 575,000 if I remember correctly.

Before the scanner, comes the eyes in the trees. I just focus on one pair, and just keep racking up the points from that. At times, I'll switch if someone else is shooting at them.

The Scanner gives you a chance to rest your finger, and then you have to be alert as soon as you come back on. The drop down bugs are there waiting for you. Most people dont see them, but they sure as hell see you, and if you dont get them, they will cause you to spin. After the drop downs, have fun aiming for the Fusion Exhaust Port on the other car. After about 4 or 5 shots on the Exhaust, I usually have 999,999.

On this trip, I only had 1 ride where I didn't max out. I'm becoming like Bev []

At the big bug, my opinion is to forget the bonus, and go for all the sensors on the bad boy. There are a ton, ranging from under his eyes, to under him in general. You then Spin and the ride is over.

I am thinking of making my own MIB Guide, like others have done. Give me some feedback if you think I should.

Rating: 10/10


We exited MIB, and headed towards Amity/San Fransisco. On the way, I noticed the Fear Factor Live! Construction... not much going on, but figured I'd take a picture anyway..

As we were continuing towards Amity, I noticed the Rocket Ship/NASA Back to the Future photo op. Had to check it out...

After taking the pic.. We headed towards that big bad Shark, Jaws..

JAWS

We headed towards what looked to be a quiet, scenic cruise around the Island of Amity, which it appeared to be...

As we entered the queue, we are greeted to the classic, yet odd Jaws preshow video. We were boarded very quickly, into Row 7.

Our Skipper was pretty good. It was a female, can't remember her name. She was very good with the script, and with her audience. She wasn't the best on timing though. Her greenade launcher shots seemed to be off, but she did her best to cover up, and I give her credit for that.

It's amazing how many little kids are freaked out, but rightfully so, what's amazing is the parents who bring these little children on a ride they know will be frightning. But anyway...

The heat from those gas tanks is INTENSE. It must feel good on a cold night on the waters of Amity. The end is pretty good, although it can be seen coming, and to some seen as a "whack" ending, I always love seeing that shark that is supposed to be "fried" jump for the skipper one last time.

Jaws is one of the original rides, a classic, and deserves much more recognition. It has become one of my favorite rides at Universal.

Rating: 9/10




This part will be continued...

Part 2 of Day 2: Rockin' at the Graveyard, a visit to an Irish Pub, and Unwrapping the mystery of the Mummy

Coming Soon,

Thanks for reading,

~Drew

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

Good--can't wait to read it. I will be going with my 13 year old son in a few weeks, and it will be nice to have a males teens perspective on things. Thanks.

 

[DrewAlmighty]

<b>Day 2: Friday, March 11th, 2005... Part 2</b>


After a great ride on Jaws, we were making our way towards the New York section of the park. On the way, we noticed people being let into the Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue arena. We decided we should check it out...

<b>Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue</b>


This would be the first time ever seeing this show in the many visits to Universal. I'm not big on shows, because I don't like to base a schedule around viewing shows. I'm more of a hit it when your there type of guy.

So, Since the show was starting in 15minutes, we decided to go into the arena. The Set seemed pretty impressive...

The preshow music consisted of Micheal Jackson's "Thriller". We enjoyed a nice breeze in the last row of the arena, as well as a great view. At about 1:00pm, the show began.

It started off with a very interesting opening segment, of a Mummy leading the crowd in the beat of the Queen hit, "We Will Rock You"

After that, the Coffin door shut, and moments later, pyros are set off the top, and Beetlejuice then exits the coffin. The actor did such a great job portraying Beetlejuice. I felt like I was watching the actual movie. He would crack some jokes, and Interacted with the crowd so incredibly well.....

Moments later, he introduced the stars of our show, Dracula, Wolfman, Frankenstein, and the Bride of Frankenstein.

They were all then pushed into this area next to the Mummy's coffin, and with a blast, were transformed into Rock N' Roll Monsters. They then proceeded to Rock out.

They then each got their solo performances, and Beetlejuice introduced Hip & Hop, his 2 I guess, Assistants. Frankenstein made a very cool entrance during his solo, and began rocking out on his guitar..

The funniest part of the show had to be the YMCA performed by Beetlejuice, and his 2... umm Friends?

That's all that I really remember about the show, but we did enjoy it. At the end, they played ad's for Mardi Gras tomorrow night, featuring a performance by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

<b>Rating: 8/10</b>

After the Graveyard Revue, we were getting very hungry. We decided to check out Finnegans Bar & Grill, as it was another place we had never been to before. It was an extremely nice place. We had a view of ROTM from our table. We got some of those Chicken Stingers... but sheesh, they have to give you more than 4, lol... They go very fast...

For lunch I had Fish & Chips, which was very good. We had great service, and enjoyed our stop at Finnegans.

As we were leaving, the Blues Brothers were starting. Instead of heading right to ROTM, we decided to let our lunches digest first, and watched some of the show.

I am not going to rate Blues Brothers, because I only saw a little bit of the show. From what I saw, it seemed decent.

So, we made our way down Delancey street, to check out Mardi Gras set up. Then we headed toward the Mack Daddy of USF. That's right folks, were traveling 3000 years back in time. We are about to unveil the mystery of the Mummy.

<b>Revenge of the Mummy - The Ride</b>

As we approached the building, I couldn't help but get goose bumps. This has to be one of the most amazing rides on earth. There appeared to be a big traffic jam up front, but it's some of the guests who have no idea where they are going. We showed one of the "Production Assistants" our hotel room keys, and we made our way through the outside portion of the Queue.

We then entered the old housing of Kong, and showed our Keys to yet another Production Assistant, who scans them in a machine on the wall. As he finished that, it was our turn to Unwrap the mystery of the Mummy.

The queue is so amazing. Universal Creative did such a great job with it. It feels like you are in Egypt, not Orlando, Florida. The lights keep dimming, which makes you think one of Imhotep's Minions can be around any corner, waiting to scare the living day lights out of you.

As we kept approaching the station stairs, the momentum keeps building. Your heart begins racing. You realize this is what your here for. We then made our way up the stairs, and into the station. We were given Row 4.

As soon as the gates opened, the Momentum was uncontrollable. I was literally bugging out. We pulled down our lap bars, and with a check from those Friendly Minions, we were off.

After leaving to a thumbs-down, we begin our journey, and enter the dark tomb of Imhotep. As we look forward to see a flight of stairs, we see a shadow going up them.

As we turn the corner, we see Brendon Frasier's Assistant, Reggie, wrapped up, warning us to get out of here..

"Are you insane? Get outta here? the Curse... it's real!"

As he continues on, he tells us the Med-Jai is our only hope. All the sudden, the tomb wall opens up to find a angry Imhotep, who takes Reggie's soul.

"With your souls I shall rule for all eternity..."

As we turn, we hear the echos of "ETERNITY" and are guided into the next room by illuminations on the wall.


We then enter a room, where Imhoteps face forms on the far wall, bringing us a message..

"Join me, and savor riches beyond measure"

The room then lights up to reveal tons of golden statues... as well as the old Golden Kong...

After, he brings us another message, saying something to the effect of..

"Or, refuse and suffer your utter Doom"

Now, I don't know exactly what he says, because those Popup Mummies are so loud due to the air that launches them upwards. What kills me is just watching them stand there motionless. But, I have no real complaints.

Fire then shoots from behind the warrior Mummies, and we then dip under a falling wall, which is a very cool effect.

We speed up a little, and hit a dead end with a hole in the wall. After a few creaky noises, Scarab beetles begin pouring out of the wall, as well as Skeletons on the side of the wall. Then Bam, we are shot backwards into a dip.

Once we are level again, we come to a complete stop, only to find Imhoteps face forming once again. This is the turntable section of the ride. Imhotep then tells us "Not even the Med-Jai can save you now. There is no escape. Your end shall be my beginning. Behold your fate."

We then proceed upwards, and see his face at the end of a tunnel. We begin gaining speed, and then he says "Your souls are mine!" and we are launched right through Imhoteps mouth, filled with fog.

Now we enter the main coaster section, after the launch, we head straight down, which gives GREAT airtime. The rest of the section is pretty much a blur, you cant tell where your going, and all that happens is Light up Mummies are all over the place. Sorry...

Then we reach the unload, greeted by a female attendant behind the glass. "We hope you enjoyed your ride. Please remain seated, while keeping your arms and legs in your.." then Lightning strikes the operators controls, turning the attendant into none other then Imhotep himself!

"Prepare to forfeit your souls!"

He then ignites the roof on fire, and it becomes an oven in there.

"Death is only the beginning!"

And we are then launched into another coaster section, this one much shorter then the other. This section is basically a big S-Turn, but still very cool none the less. We end with a turn past Imhoteps mouth, and The Med-Jai lights up, fighting off Imhotep.

On the brakes, we see a video of Brendan Frasier welcoming us back, along with Reggie getting a little even for the mistreatment Mr. Frasier had given him. As we pull into the station, a production assistant tells us "That's a wrap!" and tells us to exit to our left and have a great day here at Universal Studios.

<b>Rating: 10/10</b>


After the Mummy, we headed towards the front of the park. We headed towards Nickelodeon Studios.

Now, when I was little, I always said how much I wanted to go to Nick Studios, and I never went on any of my trips, so I decided we should check it out. We went to that show inside.

<b>Nick Live!</b>

Now, I'm sure this is much more fun for the little kids, but it's still enjoyable for me. It was cool being in the building we all of my old favorite TV Shows originated from. This is mostly just a show where the kids compete in games, but the last one was pretty funny.

The kids had to pass these adults these huge rubber balls. The adults had to hold onto all of them, any way they could. It's hillarious to see the adults struggling with holding on to them. The winner had balls under his shirt, between his legs (Hey Now!), under his arms, and in his hands.

It was still pretty good, and got a kick out of me.

<b>Rating: 6/10</b>

We then made our way into Hollywood, and went on Terminator 2: 3D

<b>Terminator 2: 3D</b>

At this point, our camera's batteries died. Sorry for no pic here guys.

We flashed our express cards, and were welcomed right into the preshow room. That Kimberley Duncan lady gets on my nerves now. It was funny at first, but now she's just plain annoying. I always get a good laugh in that preshow when Shaq makes a free throw.

John and Sarah Connor then interrupt the Cyberdyne Presentation, and warn us that they are planning to take over the world with Skynet. We have 5 minutes to get out of the building.

Kimberly comes back pretending everything is going smoothly, and we are brought into the main Auditorium.

This show is nothing but amazing. The way that they collaborate the film with live acting is just genius. The transition is so smooth and well done. Universal has a classic attraction on their hands with this one.

The smoke at the end is a bit much, well fog, it swallows up the whole theater. Can feel pretty good in the front row though.

I would like to give an extremely detailed reveiw, but I don't remember it all to the exact, I mean it is 20minutes long. I don't want to ruin it either.

<b>Rating: 9/10</b>

At this point, it was 5pm, and the park closed at 7. We decided to head back to the hotel and rest up for a while, before we headed to dinner and a movie.

We took the boat back, and I got some pretty nice pics...

We then got off the boat, and headed towards the hotel...

We went into the store at the Hotel, picked up a few drinks, and I noticed the awesome chandelier on top of the Hard Rock Store...

We then headed to our room, and I watched a episode of King of Queens and then one of the Simpsons, we got a sheet from the conceirge of Movie times, and we decided to see The Pacifer at 9:35.

Now, when I first saw the preview for the movie, I thought it looked bad. But over time, and grew on me, and reminded me of Kindergarten Cop.

We decided to try Hard Rock Cafe for dinner...

We got there only to find a huge Line, and a Huge wait, and we had an hour and a half before the movie started, and we already had the tickets. We then tried the next resteraunt, NBA City..

There was a 10 minute wait which wasn't bad. I went into the store in the mean time, and got a Carmelo Anthony T-Shirt, Lebron James T-Shirt, and Denver Nuggets hat.

We were seated, and had a great view of the 2 big sceen TV's. I switched from watching The Magic/T-Wolves game and the highlights. We had a great dinner and made it over to Universal CinePlex in perfect time for the movie.

I enjoyed the movie, and it was funny to see Vin Diesel in a role like this. Even though some parts were typical disney corniness, it was still enjoyable. I give it a 4/5

We hopped on the boat back, and went to sleep to prepare for the next day of our journey

Day 3: Islands of Adventure, Mardi Gras, and More.

Thanks for reading,

~Drew

 

[DrewAlmighty]

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Saturday, March 12th, 2005



I woke up at around 8:45, and left for USF by myself. At this time, I would take advantage of MIB being completely empty.

Many times I would go on and the car opposite mine would not be running, so I would have no fusion exhaust to aim for. I was still managing to max out to my suprise. Not really much happened at this point, I met with my mother outside the Gates at about 11:30am.

By the gates, we had a marvelous view of IOA..

We headed towards Islands of Adventure, and passed Hard Rock Live, which was holding a National Dance Competition. A whole bunch of displays were set up outside for Redken and other beauty products. Oh boy, the excitement was unbearable.

We made our way towards IOA, and I took probably one of my favorite pictures of the whole trip of the beautiful Lighthouse..

As we made our way in the park, you get a whole body feeling of just amazement. The park is so well done.. Port of Entry is just absolutley beautiful..

As we made our way through Port of Entry, we made a left after the final bridge over POE. This lead us into the elaboratley themed Marvel Super Hero Island.

All you see are a big, green steel monster sticking out in the skyline. Considered by many as one of the best steel coasters on earth, the Incredible Hulk, in my opinion atleast, is not as good as everyone cracks it up to be. But, I go on it atleast once a trip.

The Incredible Hulk Coaster

After crossing the bridge into Marvel Island, we make a left towards the Hulk. We flashed our Hotel Keycards to the assistants outfront, dressed in "Gamma Radiation" gear, and make our way into the main queue of the Hulk. Instead, we go under the brakes, and up into the back of the station. We were boarded in no time. Harnesses down and checked, we headed up into the Gamma Tube.

"I think, this time it's going to work..."

"Warning..Warning..Warning"

"Oh no! Oh no!!!"

Bam, into the Zero-G roll we go, right over the water over Marvel Island. It's an amazing feeling right after that launch.

We then hit a curved drop right by the lagoon, and splash down thanks to geyser effects...

After the "splashdown" we head into the gigantic cobra roll, also over the water..

That cobra roll is pretty intense. We then head right over the water once again, into a huge vertical loop...

After the loop, we head straight under the bridge that crosses into Marvel, which is awesome when on the ride..

We then make a Huge turn around the Gamma Tube (Launch Tube)...

After the huge turn around, we head straight into a corkscrew inversion..

*NOTE* The rest of the ride is really unable to be photographed

We hit a Vertical loop right after, and then do a few curved turns into a Midcourse brake run. After, we finish the ride with 2 corkscrews and an on-ride photo.

Is Hulk growing on me? A little. I enjoyed it more this time, but still no where near the hype I had originally given it.

Rating: 7/10


After Hulk, we made our way straight down Marvel, and were hungry, and decided to grab a bite to eat at Cafe' 4.

After eating, and taking in the sights of Marvel, we headed towards those 2 towers sticking above the IOA skyline.

 

[DrewAlmighty]

Doctor Dooms Fear Fall


Not the tallest S&S Tower in the world, but one of the coolest. There was absolutley no express line, and we walked right on. Getting into the themed seats, I looked straight up to admire the height of the towers...

We entered the seats, and got the old safety warnings from our friend, Doctor Doom. With a little push, we are ROCKETED up the tower, all the way to the top...

Such great airtime on this ride. You lift off your seats so high. It still shocks me each time. We then just proceed to go up and down a few more times before the ride comes to a stop...

On the way out, I noticed this piece of theming.. I mean, I know its to add to the ride and everything, but IMO, its just a waste of money..

Rating: 8/10

We made our way back onto the main strip of Marvel, and headed towards the Mack daddy of Islands of Adventure. The most technologically advanced thrill ride in the world. Voted the best Theme Park Attraction in the world..

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man

Everything the title suggests is exactly what it is. Amazing. We enter the Daily Bugle building, and see a large portrait of Jonah Jameson in the room. The express side goes through the left door, while the regular line proceeds to the right. We pass through Peter Parkers office, the Dark room, and through a Filing room, where the filing cabinets feature the names of many well-known Marvel Characters. Pretty good Idea.

We then make our way into the Loading Zone. The 3 Rows are broken into 3 "Zones". Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn. We are chosen for Brooklyn. Coincidence, No?

We put on our Nightvision goggles, and we head into the Streets of New York.

JJJ: Hello? This is Jonah Jameson. Roger! Over! Is this thing on? Listen SCOOP, crime reports are comin' in from all over the city and I'm starting to get worried. (Spidey signal activates) Did you see that? The spider signal! With SpiderMan near by, trouble can't be far away. And you know what trouble means: Headlines, national coverage! So don't screw this up! I mean uhh...Good luck.

Scene 1

Spider-Man: Oh Man, you shouldn't be out here. With Doc Ock on the loose this could be the most dangerous night of my life, and yours. Be careful. Nice shades!

J.J.J.: Was that Spiderman?! That no good red leotard-wearing....." (gets cut off)

Scene 2

Hob Goblin: Doctor Octopus, everything is going as planned.

Doc Ock: Excellent! And with my anti-gravity cannon, even Spiderman wont be able to stop me!

Hob Goblin: You mean stop us!

Doc Ock: Yes, of course.

J.J.J.: Hey! What's going on?

Electro: What was that?!

Scene 3

Electro: Intruders! If you think you're getting out of here, you're in for a shock! Yah! (Shocks car)

Scene 4

Doc Ock: Out of the way they're mine. (points gun at you)

Scene 5

Spider-Man: So much for being careful. Just get back to the Bugle and... Uh oh! (Hydroman appears)

Hydroman: Ha Ha! (reaches over you as Spiderman punches him. He then knocks over a pipe)

Spider-Man: Incoming!

Scene 6

Doc Ock: (makes a fireball) Don't leave now, things are just starting to heat up! (he falls over) Wa! Ah!

Scene 7

Hob Goblin: Trick or treat, smell my feet, time to blow you off the street! Ha Ha Ha!(throws bomb)

Spider-Man: Look out!(pulls bomb away from you)

Hob Goblin: Spiderman! (gets ready to throw another bomb at you)

Spider-Man: (jumps on glider) Oh no you don't! (goblin throws bomb which hits a support)

Scene 8

J.J.J.: SCOOP! My beautiful Car!

Spider-Man: That was close. (Doc Oc nearly hits spider-man with gun) Whoa! Doc your aim is worse than your haircut.

Doc Ock: (pushes Spiderman away) Well, it's good enough for your sitting duck friends (blasts you with cannon)

Scene 9

SCOOP rises....

Doc Ock: Have a nice trip!!

Spider-Man: Hey wait for me! You're not insured for this!

Scene 10

Spider-Man: Hang on I'm webbing you down from here! (goblin grabs Spiderman, car flies)

Scene 11

Electro: You punks have short circuited our plan long enough!

Hydroman: You're taking a dive! (reaches towards you as Spider-man jumps out of a window)

Spider-Man: Guess again, Super Goons.(Electro shocks Hydroman)

Scene 12

Doc Ock: Happy landing! (Spider-man jumps him and the car falls)

Spider-Man: (as car falls to ground) No!

Scene 13

(Webbing stops you above a manhole cover that says something like "Not An Exit")

Spider-Man: Well I guess that wraps things up. Hey you did alright. (shoots web at Doc Ock) But don't give up your day job. Say cheese. See ya later!

Unload

JJJ: Congratulations. You're heroes. I knew it all the time!

Rating: 10/10



At this Point, my Camera's batteries died, so I couldn't take any pics until we reached Lost Continent.

I will continue the rest later, or tomorrow...

Part 2 of Day 3: Going down Ol' Ripsaw Falls, A Pre-Historic River Adventure, and Mardi Gras..

Thanks for Reading,

~Drew

 

[DrewAlmighty]

Day 3, Part 2

Sorry for the delay guys. Been kinda preoccupied.

(This Section wont be as good as the other, seeing as how it misses some pics of Toon Lagoon and JP)
Continued....

As I said, my batteries died after I hit Spider-Man... So, with that said, after Spidey, we made our way into my favorite Island, Toon Lagoon.

We made our way through the amazingly detailed Island, taking in the beautiful fountains, including Hagar The Horrible's Ship leaking water onto the Toon Lagoon streets.

I convinced my mom onto a ride of Dudley Do-Right...

Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls

My favorite ride in IOA. The mountain itself looks incredible. So colorful, so detailed....

We made our way to the Entrance, flashed Express, and made our way into the queue. We walked right into the Mountain, and down those switchbacks, with the talking Animatronics on the wall.. (You know, those ones that tell terrible jokes). They can be quite entertaining. We then made our way to the log... Not wanting to get soaked, I hoped for anything but the front...

Operator: How Many?

Drew: 2..

Operator: Row 1 & 2

Drew: Oh, Great.

My mom didn't want to get wet at all, so I dare ride the 1st Row. I moved up as close as I could to the front, hoping not to get too wet.

We made our way out of the station, into the black & white room showing a Dudley Cartoon, and Snidley Whiplash taking away Dudley's Chick (Can't remember her name).

We then make our way Up, as an Animatronic of Dudley on his Horse is shown going uphill as well.

We make a little plop, and travel through a tunnel to find Dudley..

"Horse, I can BEARly See You"

A bear pops up behind our knucklehead hero...

We then turn into another tunnel...

"I say, your going the wrong way!"

Then my favorite part of the ride...

"I've lost my Train of thought!"

We hear the sound of an engine of a train, and a large light flashes our eyes, and we head into a great unexpected drop, causing some wetness.

We make another turn into another great drop, and turn to read signs of Warnings, including a great "Double-Crossing" sign.

Up we go, getting wet from an overhead waterfall, and gunfire of Dudley and Snidely over our heads. We turn into the main drop... the biggie...

Drop is INCREDIBLE. So intense, and that camelhump on the bottom is great! I always love the headchopper effect given by the shed.

Rating: 10/10

After this, we figured, We're wet, we should hit Jurassic Park while we are at it.

Jurassic Park River Adventure

We Flashed our Express, and made our way into the JP queue. I always enjoy watching that video in the Station, saying "You will get wet on this ride!" and shows that guy getting soaked. I was thinking to myself... "Wet... Jurassic Park? Ha!"

We are boarded to Row 1.. A First for me...

We make our way up the first hill, and are greeted to signs making it seem as if we are truely in Jurassic Park... Amazing touch here Universal Creative...

We turn, unfortunatley to find the gates open. We look to the left, only to find the Ultrasaur (I think) broken. We continue on, and it seems some of the dinosaurs aren't working as fluently as they have... gettin up there in age I suppose...

After passing a few more Dinosaurs, we are knocked off course, into the JP Animal Containment Area. We are treated to Compies ripping a shirt of a JP Employee.

As we head towards the building, I am treated to something I've never experienced, nor heard about...

The box before the building was shaking... making noises...

Me, being the curious one I am, "Hey Ma, Look, the bottom is moving.."

It drops... Me: "Holy *Deleted*"

That gave me a huge Scare!

We made our way up the huge lift, treated to raptors on the sides, and that one thing that always gets a little jump out of me, when the T-Rex rips away part of the Wall...

We turn to find the Monster, Watching us come closer and closer. It's the T-Rex!

We make our way closer... almost in TRex food range, and we plunge on a near vertical Incline, into the water below, and for once... I got soaked! I couldn't believe it! I was freaking out as spectators watching the drop laughed at me.

Rating: 9/10

*Note* I'm sorry for the reviews not being as descriptive and in depth as they usually are... I'm tired, and don't have the pics for Jurassic Park or Toon Lagoon...

We stopped for a quick drink at the Watering Hole, and took in the theming of JP, and listened to the beautiful theme.

We decided that we would go back to the hotel and rest a while, so we are well rested for Mardi Gras, seeing as how we will be standing for a while, and I have a foot condition... (Flat Foot, kills me after walking for a while).

On our way out, I noticed the photo op spot, where you get some great pics of Marvel Island in Lost Continent...

A Pretty cool pic of Poseidons Fury...

We then made our way across the bridge into Seuss Landing...

We just took a quick stroll through, All of our fun here would be tomorrow, a shot of the other entrance...

Saw a pretty good shot of JP, so I took it...

I for one, Never have seen McBean over Seuss Landing, go around, even with the "Display" Car, and thought it was a rare occurance, so I took some pics...

We made our way through Port of Entry, and went into the huge souvineer(sp?) shop... and I noticed the large air balloon uptop, which I never really saw before...

We made our way through the turnstiles, and towards the boat... got a great shot of Hard Rock Hotel on the way...

Got on the boat... and headed back to the room, only to find it not attended to yet, so we went to the pool, I put on the iPod, and we took in the sun...

Part 3 of Day 3: More Mardi, More Party is Coming Soon....

~Drew

 

[DrewAlmighty]

Day 3, Part 3

After kicking back at the pool, listening to the iPod, we headed up to the room and changed for the night to be had, it was time to Party at Mardi.

We left the hotel at around 4:45, hopped on the boat (we got lazy due to that long walk), and decided the smartest thing to do would be to eat dinner before we entered the park. We headed to the Hard Rock Cafe.

We took in some of the memorabilia.

After we ate, we headed into the park for an evening of Mardi Gras. Going into the park, I knew I wanted to take the Oh-So Cool ride of Jaws at night, as it is raved by many as the coolest ride ever at night. It wasn't dark yet, so we walked through the French Quarter...'

I'm guessing the King & Queen of Mardi Gras..

My new friend. I took an interesting pic with him, but, for the sake of the children, I won't post it. []

The Stage Lynyrd Skynyrd will be taking later in the evening.

With time to kill, we headed over to Men In Black..

Took a spin on MIB, there was actually a line! for the first time on the trip, I had to wait more then 10 minutes for a ride. As always, 999,999... [8D]

By the time I got out, it was really dark, and it was time.

I was finally going to ride Jaws at night, and boy was everyone right....

At times, you can't even see him. The lighthouse made it awesome, you can only see him when the light turns to him, but it made for an awesome effect.

The boathouse was the same, but the explosion on the gas dock was amazing. It lit up the sky, and was incredibly hot (well duh Drew, it's fire!) but still, you get the point. The rest of the ride is the same, but it's amazing, I suggest you get on it at night.

At this point, the parade started in about 30 minutes, so we were going to get a spot by Lombard's Landing.. but we had time left, so we decided to hit up Mummy, and catch the parade in the NY Area...

The line was about 25minutes with Express. Awesome, as always, no technical problems, which didn't happen at all during the trip...

At this point, it was parade time.

*NOTE* the pics are dark, I did not take these. My mother did while I was fighting for beads, and I don't remember the order, so I'm just going to post them at Random.

The "King" of Mardi Gras (I'm guessing)

Very cool float.

Universal Globe on a float, very cool

IOA Portion of the float, also cool..

Popeye and Olive Oyl waving to guests.

Huge Gator. The hand with the Green & White wristbands is mine. []

I made away with a few pairs of beads, some dude who was about 6'4 was in front of me grabbing everything, then I moved and got a few pairs. I wasn't paying attention and one doinked off my head.

As soon as the parade ended, Skynyrd began. We stayed for about 10 minutes, but the Crowd just made it so not fun. You literally could not walk around ANYWHERE. We followed some lady in a motorized scooter on the way out, and we listened to Skynyrd outside the park, taking in the view of CityWalk.

We ended up going to the Hotel after they finished playing, and went to sleep for tomorrow.

Enjoy,

~Drew

 

[DrewAlmighty]

Well, after that installment I was swamped with all kinds of things, and actually delayed it GREATLY. I no joke, finished last month. The last installment isn't as great as everything else because my I don't remember it clear enough, but this is what I did:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a semi-uncool move, I've decided instead of finishing this completely, I'm going to give you a tiny recap of what happened. Yep, I still remember those days from more than a year ago. I really didn't have pics to go with these additions, so here it goes.

That sunday afternoon, I basically took it easy and visited the studios. Rode MIB a few more times, as I am seemingly addicted to it. Afterwards, met my mother for lunch at the Nascar Cafe' and sat outside on the balcony, which had some great views. We headed to the hotel to hang for a while by the pool, and headed to the Islands that night.

We got some rides in on Spider-Man, Hulk, and the Cat in the Hat, and closed the night out by getting some candy in Seuss Landing. It was amazing, hah.

That night we just took it easy, got some dinner at NBA City and relaxed, knowing tomorrow we leave back for NYC.

So, Monday morning comes, and I was up at out early to get some last rides on MIB, Mummy, Spiderman, Jaws, etc. Downpour started at one point, shortening the rides, and we headed back to the Hard Rock to wait for our Taxi. It's really sad when you know your trip is really over, and that's the feeling when I got when no more rides were in view from the Taxi.

All in All, it was an amazing trip. I'm going back in August, and I'm going to out do this trip report. I'm sorry I couldn't finish it properly, but I didn't want to leave it undone. I leave you with a video containing pictures from the trip, many of which are in this TR, some that aren't.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=u9nH3YjR3lU

and as always,

Once again, thank you for reading, and thank you for the wonderful comments. You made me appreciate the time and work I put in.

~Drew

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I felt that I needed to finish it, even if it wasn't the greatest finish. I return to Universal August 18th-24th, and plan to do a trip report even better then this one. I feel I've matured over the past year and can do a much better job.

I hope you guys enjoyed, and comments are always appreciated.

~Drew

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Great report! Love the pics. Thanks for sharing it with us on the DIS.

 

[tpayne]

Great report..Outstanding photos! I'm going in October..I'm soooo excited!

 

[LauraAnn630]

Loved the trip report and pics!

 

[DrewAlmighty]

Thanks alot everyone, there will be another one next month!

 

[Shell0616]

This is a fantasic trip report. It is everything a review should be. Thank you so much. We are only spending 1 (maybe 2) days at Universal but your report made me so excited about them!

Thank you!!!

 

[PotNoodle]

Drew!!! Reading all of that was absolutely excellent - Thank you!!!

My wife now is in two minds about going on 'The Mummy' ride.

Bloody hell! It's still five weeks away till we set off for Florida. Just can't wait to get ourselves out there to the States.

 

[Hollywoodhaha]

amazing!!!

The Mummy was sooo scary!