Jeremy and I awoke on our third day in Florida nursing sugar withdrawal symptoms. Six half-eaten cakes lay in wait in the fridge, calling out as we left for Islands of Adventure! We will be back, little ones, don't you worry.
I had done much research on the benefits of my Universal Annual Pass. I proudly flashed my AP at the parking fee attendant, and was waived through. The joys of free parking! Once again, we found ourselves approaching the parks, passing through CityWalk. We had a little pit stop this time, at Visitor Services. Jeremy had agreed to rent a wheelchair today.
Poor darling. He had gone through so much as a child: multiple surgeries, years of physical therapies, long absences from school. I understood that walking for him was a big deal. But even I, a professional fast walker from NY, garnered blisters and bruising after a long day in the parks. How much more for him and his poor blistered hands and feet? We bargained on the 30 minute drive to the Universal. It was only the beginning of our trip, shouldn't be we aim for survival?
AP holders get an additional 20% for the wheelchair rental. Further fuel for my argument. Milk that AP for all its worth!
Now ensconced in a wheelchair, Jeremy's new job was to carry my stuff. Be my table. I had bought the refillable mug the day before, and that added to my baggage of wallet, various recording devices, extra batteries, tapes, and cell phone. There were benefits to the chair for me too.
I was most excited to see the holiday decorations I had read about at Suess Landing. On a regular day, Seuss Landing is mind blowing: colorful, swirling, imaginative beyond compare. There were enormous Christmas balls, tinsel, befitting any Suess fan.
Our first ride of the day was If I Ran the Zoo, something we weren't planning on riding, but the gentleman at the entrance was so enthusiastic and welcoming that we decided to give it a try.
The Big Jerk.
I had asked upon entering if the ride was wheelchair accessible, but what I should have asked was if it were wheelchair friendly. I forgot how dizzying and creative Dr. Seuss was, and Universal had remained true to his theme. The spiraling ascent to the second floor was dizzying and narrow. I took out a garbage bin on my way up. The ramp was a bit steep and there were times that I seriously questioned the safety of my passenger. We finally made it to the top where we were directed to the last car of the train. Jeremy had to transfer, which we had expected, but he had to swing his legs into the seat which was rather tricky. But he did it! And the train took off.
The ride is by far not a challenging thrill ride, but it took an elevated tour or Seuss Landing and it was so much fun! The views were spectacular and the weather was perfect to enjoy it.
Getting out of the ride was much easier, but going DOWN a ramp is much more scary. As the wheelchair, Jeremy, and I flew into the gift shop, we were met by candy. Tons of candy of every sweet sticky imaginable form, run quick! Too much temptation. Exiting the shop, we ran into some strange characters: (I'm the one NOT fuzzy)
Leaving Suess Landing, we entered The Lost Continent.
I was quite excited about this area of the park for two reasons: food and fate. Sounds scary, huh? Not really...the restaurant, Mythos, had gotten fantastic reviews on the Dis, and had been rated top theme park restaurant 5 years in a row! I had read about making ressies early, so we stopped in to make one. Instead, we were asked how many in our party, we could be seated right away.
The atmosphere of Mythos was calming and quiet, a great respite from the chaos of the park. The menu was divine, with great prices! (And 20% off from my AP!). We decided to make a meal of three appetizers: pizza, stuffed mushrooms, and sushi. The waiter assured me that there would be enough food for a meal. We wanted to save some room for a rumoured delightfully rich chocolate cake.
When our food came (quickly, I might add), there was more than enough food! And the quality was excellent. I am so glad to have listened to my fellow Disers. This meal would tide us over for a long time. Here's a view of Mythos from the outside:
Isn't it amazing? The windows face across the lagoon with a view of Marvel Super Hero Island.
We didn't make it to dessert, but promised ourselves to try to return later for it. Instead, we waddled over to Poseiden's Fury, an adventure attraction.
Inside was cool and dark, lovely ambience for someone NOT trying to maneuver a wheelchair. Luckily, I carry a booklight in my bag, and attached it around my neck, so I didn't have too many crashes. The attraction requires you to pass through different rooms as you follow the storyline of awakening Poseiden and his enemy and their battle for supremacy. There's crazy lasers, water jets, and fiery explosions.
Exiting Poseiden, we went through the market, looking for Star Souls. I wanted to get a psychic reading done. On the Dis, several people had claimed to have an eerily accurate readings done. I thought it would be a neat thing to do. Brutally non-superstitious, Jeremy claimed that a psychic would just be a waste of money. Money that could be spent on say...ice cream?
Jeremy is a wise wise man with a sweet tooth to match. Ice cream it is!
!!
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. This is a great trippie!! 
Oh gosh, I hate to both disappoint the little guy AND face the fact that I was scared to go on. 
My BF has a son that needs a wheelchair. I feel for all handicapped people every time we go to the mall. So hard to move around.
We were up there for a few days-- so we finally got to see some snow this year!!
At least they were nice and efficient.
