Returned from SeaWorld to the hotel around 3:30pm. The thunderstorms have passed (for now). DS decides he wants to go back to IOA to ride the Hulk.
I actually look forward to riding it this time. As we wait for the water taxi, we begin to see some lightening in the distance. We are then informed that the water taxis do not run when there is lightening. Now what?
DS wants to use the walkway. He is undeterred by the ominous black clouds which are now approaching. We buy some ponchos at the gift shop and head out. The sky is getting very very black as we approach CityWalk. All of the foot traffic is passing us in the opposite direction as people are scurrying back to RPH. The skys open up just as we reach CityWalk. When they say severe thunderstorms in Florida they are not kidding. We get rain in NJ, but I have never seen a downpour like this. The wind is whipping like crazy and the buckets of rain are blowing sideways. Off in the distance I see a dry spot underneath an awning as me and DS make a mad dash for dry ground. It's my lucky day..as we have ended up underneath the Jimmy Buffet Margarita's to go. Not wanting the bartender to think we are just taking up space I order my usual cuervo gold margarita with a Grand Marnier topper. DS gets stuck with soda. Very refreshing drink. We spend the next 20 minutes watching thousands of people scurrying to exit the park. It is amazing how differently people react to rain. The stream of people leaving was never ending and it gives you a good idea of how many people can actually cram into the park.
There were people sandwiched under anyplace that had dry ground.
The rain finally decreased to a drizzle, DS and I decided we would put up the hood on the ponchos and hit IOA. The park would have to be deserted after the mass exodus we just witnessed...Off to the Hulk. Just my luck..no lines.. We get to ride 3X in a row. I am now an official Hulk convert. I know that because when I see my picture after the ride my eyes are wide open and I am not screaming anymore. DS is very proud. He now announces that it is time to do Dueling Dragons. OOPs forgot about that one. The theming in the Lost Continent is amazing and with all of the torches lit in this weather make it kinda spooky. I do not like the looks of these coasters, but i figured if could do Hulk, how bad could this be?
Using FOTL you walk up the exit ramp directly to the loading area. We actually didn't need FOTL, because the rain has pretty much emptied the park. We ride ice first. We start to climb and the coaster starts to click and moves very slowly up the incline. I thought at first the ride was broken, but then we saw the fire coaster slowly creeping up beside us. Then we are off.
Ice has alot of corkscrews, which I am not crazy about. I found ice a bit jarring. Came off and we loaded right on to fire. IMO a much smoother ride, with a second killer drop halfway through. We decide to ride fire a second time. DS wants to do three times, but am now realizing that the second margarita might not have been a good idea ( forgot to mention i had another Margarita) so I talk him into getting some dinner as it is approaching 7pm. I happen to glance over and notice Mythos restaurant. I knew from the boards that this restaurant was worth a try. Had no ressies, but decided to stop in and check being that the weather was so bad. 30 minute wait. We go across to do Posiedon's Fury. The ruins that you enter have to be seen to be believed. The outside defintely is on par with Disney's attention to detail. I stared in awe for about five minutes before entering. The attraction itself was not the greatest. There is a big water/fire finale, but overall this was not one of our favorites. After exiting, we are right on time for dinner. I have devoted a large section of my dining reviews to describe what a great experience we had at Mythos. Go to this restaurant if you can. You will not be dissapointed.
After dinner we take our first walk through Seussland which is deserted. It gave us a chance to notice the great detail. I think because IOA tends to be compact and crowded, you really do miss some of the attention to detail. We left Seussland to ride the Hulk one more time. Water taxis were running again, but there was a bit of a wait as all of the other brave souls out were all staying on-site. Another benefit of staying on-site is being able to exit and leave the park whenever you want. Back to the room around 10:30pm. We are both dead tired and make a pact that tomorrow is sleep in late. That is good because tomorrow is the day I have been waiting for..tour the rest of Unviersal and dinner at Tchoup choup.
I actually look forward to riding it this time. As we wait for the water taxi, we begin to see some lightening in the distance. We are then informed that the water taxis do not run when there is lightening. Now what?
DS wants to use the walkway. He is undeterred by the ominous black clouds which are now approaching. We buy some ponchos at the gift shop and head out. The sky is getting very very black as we approach CityWalk. All of the foot traffic is passing us in the opposite direction as people are scurrying back to RPH. The skys open up just as we reach CityWalk. When they say severe thunderstorms in Florida they are not kidding. We get rain in NJ, but I have never seen a downpour like this. The wind is whipping like crazy and the buckets of rain are blowing sideways. Off in the distance I see a dry spot underneath an awning as me and DS make a mad dash for dry ground. It's my lucky day..as we have ended up underneath the Jimmy Buffet Margarita's to go. Not wanting the bartender to think we are just taking up space I order my usual cuervo gold margarita with a Grand Marnier topper. DS gets stuck with soda. Very refreshing drink. We spend the next 20 minutes watching thousands of people scurrying to exit the park. It is amazing how differently people react to rain. The stream of people leaving was never ending and it gives you a good idea of how many people can actually cram into the park.
There were people sandwiched under anyplace that had dry ground.
The rain finally decreased to a drizzle, DS and I decided we would put up the hood on the ponchos and hit IOA. The park would have to be deserted after the mass exodus we just witnessed...Off to the Hulk. Just my luck..no lines.. We get to ride 3X in a row. I am now an official Hulk convert. I know that because when I see my picture after the ride my eyes are wide open and I am not screaming anymore. DS is very proud. He now announces that it is time to do Dueling Dragons. OOPs forgot about that one. The theming in the Lost Continent is amazing and with all of the torches lit in this weather make it kinda spooky. I do not like the looks of these coasters, but i figured if could do Hulk, how bad could this be?
Using FOTL you walk up the exit ramp directly to the loading area. We actually didn't need FOTL, because the rain has pretty much emptied the park. We ride ice first. We start to climb and the coaster starts to click and moves very slowly up the incline. I thought at first the ride was broken, but then we saw the fire coaster slowly creeping up beside us. Then we are off.
Ice has alot of corkscrews, which I am not crazy about. I found ice a bit jarring. Came off and we loaded right on to fire. IMO a much smoother ride, with a second killer drop halfway through. We decide to ride fire a second time. DS wants to do three times, but am now realizing that the second margarita might not have been a good idea ( forgot to mention i had another Margarita) so I talk him into getting some dinner as it is approaching 7pm. I happen to glance over and notice Mythos restaurant. I knew from the boards that this restaurant was worth a try. Had no ressies, but decided to stop in and check being that the weather was so bad. 30 minute wait. We go across to do Posiedon's Fury. The ruins that you enter have to be seen to be believed. The outside defintely is on par with Disney's attention to detail. I stared in awe for about five minutes before entering. The attraction itself was not the greatest. There is a big water/fire finale, but overall this was not one of our favorites. After exiting, we are right on time for dinner. I have devoted a large section of my dining reviews to describe what a great experience we had at Mythos. Go to this restaurant if you can. You will not be dissapointed.
After dinner we take our first walk through Seussland which is deserted. It gave us a chance to notice the great detail. I think because IOA tends to be compact and crowded, you really do miss some of the attention to detail. We left Seussland to ride the Hulk one more time. Water taxis were running again, but there was a bit of a wait as all of the other brave souls out were all staying on-site. Another benefit of staying on-site is being able to exit and leave the park whenever you want. Back to the room around 10:30pm. We are both dead tired and make a pact that tomorrow is sleep in late. That is good because tomorrow is the day I have been waiting for..tour the rest of Unviersal and dinner at Tchoup choup.
...on to day 4 and the dining review...
