We slept in until about 9am. Decided to do some of the shows at Universal as weather forecast was calling for 85 degrees again. It is also Easter, so we are unsure what to expect crowd wise. Actually turned into one of the least crowded days of our vacation. I'm assuming that was because most FL. residents were home with their families.
We arrived at Universal around 10am. First stop STARBUCKS! Finally found it. Too hot for coffee, but enjoyed a venti iced vanilla latte. We were determined to hit all of the show type attractions. Being in AC was also sounding good. We started off at Jimmy Neutron. I had no idea what to expect from this attraction. As it turns out it was kinda like a movie and a ride all in one. I thought it was fun, plus I am a closet RugRats fan. We were seated in the back and it was fun to watch how the seats move around. The special effects were neat also. I imagine that smaller children would love this. DS thought it was OK.
We headed next to Terminator. That show ROCKS!!! WOW!! I was totally blown away by the combination of live action and 3-D technology. At one point in the show you are surrounded on 3 sides by a 3-D landscape. I don't know how they do it, but I was mesmerized. I wasn't even paying attention to the story line because I got lost looking around at all of the animation. The pre-show was entertaining in a tongue and cheek kind of way. I didn't think that I would enjoy the "shows" at Universal, but I was impressed by this one. DS was equally impressed and asked if we could see it again later.
Next we headed over to the Horror Make-up Show. Another unique and outstanding show. I grew up watching the old Universal horror movies. It was awesome to see them again. The show basically shows some of the secrets of horror effects. Hint: Wait in the FOTL section for this show. When they open the doors it feeds right into the front row! Sweet! I knew when I saw the original Linda Blair exorcist head on the stage that we would be in for a treat. Hint: Do not bring small children. There is a big sign warning that the presentation was intense and might not be appropriate for small children. It even goes so far as to label the show PG-13. You would not believe the number of children that were around 5 or 6. What is wrong with these people?You walk in and there is a bucket of blood onstage. Hello this is not Disney folks!!
The show is fast paced and very interesting. It was cool to see how they do the effects. One of my best pictures from vacation is of a volunteer from the audience with a knife that looks like it is sawing into her flesh while blood is dripping everywhere. We laughed thru the whole show. It is very clever and the two actors were awesome. At one point one of the actors accuses a boy in the audience of disturbing something on stage. The other actor gives the funniest line of the vacation, "listen kid ...I don't have to be nice to you..this ain't Disney." Priceless. Give this show a look. I originally was going to skip it, but it turned out to be one of the most interesting things I saw the whole trip.
Hunger began to set in so we hit Richter Burger Company. Fast food, but not too bad. While we were in the area we decided to ride Back to the Future. Big mistake. It is a motion simulator that is based on the Delorean of BTTF fame. My son and I were seated in the back. The ride is ROUGH!! I'm suprised they haven't been sued. There were cries of OUCH from everyone on the ride. Especially me as my head was literally smashing against the back wall on a number of occasions. I don't understand how this attraction continues to run. We felt like we had been tumbled in a large washing machine. After the smoothness of the other rides BTTF was a big disappointment..and it hurt!
Off to Shrek 4-D. Not a big Shrek fan, but this show is also great. The pre-show is delightfully tacky. You do have to appreciate Shrek humor. Lots of special 3-D effects and sensory stimulation. Enjoyable, but not as much as Terminator. I'm sure it would be great for kids though. We weren't sure if we would make it back to Universal so we rode the Mummy 3X in a row. Damn that ride is awesome! We did some souveneir shopping (they will deliver the packages to the hotel if you are onsite) so we didn't have to drag bags around.
We wandered over to IOA for one more trip. Time for Hulk X2. Back to Jurassic park X2, Ripsaw X2. At which point my son discovers the water cannons that you can use to spray unsuspecting people who think they are done getting wet. We must have dropped $10. It only costs a quarter a blast. I would watch the log coming around the corner and give my son the thumbs up or down sign and he would spray our chosen target. Best quarters I ever spent,,we couldn't stop laughing. I love being childish. Did Popeye one more time. Dueling Dragons fire 2X. By now my energy was starting to wane so we wandered theu Seussland one more time. Convinced my son to ride Cat in the Hat. Not a thrill ride, but well put together..and for someone raised on Dr. Seuss, very nostalgic. Worth a trip.
We wandered around Citywalk for the last time. Stopped at Hard Rock Cafe for dinner (also not to be missed..see my dining review.) 9pm we head back to the hotel as the Mears shuttle is due at 7:30 the next morning. It is hard to believe that it is all coming to an end ( I can feel the depression as I type these last sentences) DS asked if there was anyway we could stay another day. (I was tempted) but all good things must come to an end. Overall one of the funnest, relaxing and unique vacations I have ever taken. The time spent alone with my son is something I will cherish forever and I know when he gets older he will always remember our father son adventure. Thanks for reading about my trip and may your Universal vacation be as awesome as ours!!!
We arrived at Universal around 10am. First stop STARBUCKS! Finally found it. Too hot for coffee, but enjoyed a venti iced vanilla latte. We were determined to hit all of the show type attractions. Being in AC was also sounding good. We started off at Jimmy Neutron. I had no idea what to expect from this attraction. As it turns out it was kinda like a movie and a ride all in one. I thought it was fun, plus I am a closet RugRats fan. We were seated in the back and it was fun to watch how the seats move around. The special effects were neat also. I imagine that smaller children would love this. DS thought it was OK.
We headed next to Terminator. That show ROCKS!!! WOW!! I was totally blown away by the combination of live action and 3-D technology. At one point in the show you are surrounded on 3 sides by a 3-D landscape. I don't know how they do it, but I was mesmerized. I wasn't even paying attention to the story line because I got lost looking around at all of the animation. The pre-show was entertaining in a tongue and cheek kind of way. I didn't think that I would enjoy the "shows" at Universal, but I was impressed by this one. DS was equally impressed and asked if we could see it again later.
Next we headed over to the Horror Make-up Show. Another unique and outstanding show. I grew up watching the old Universal horror movies. It was awesome to see them again. The show basically shows some of the secrets of horror effects. Hint: Wait in the FOTL section for this show. When they open the doors it feeds right into the front row! Sweet! I knew when I saw the original Linda Blair exorcist head on the stage that we would be in for a treat. Hint: Do not bring small children. There is a big sign warning that the presentation was intense and might not be appropriate for small children. It even goes so far as to label the show PG-13. You would not believe the number of children that were around 5 or 6. What is wrong with these people?You walk in and there is a bucket of blood onstage. Hello this is not Disney folks!!
The show is fast paced and very interesting. It was cool to see how they do the effects. One of my best pictures from vacation is of a volunteer from the audience with a knife that looks like it is sawing into her flesh while blood is dripping everywhere. We laughed thru the whole show. It is very clever and the two actors were awesome. At one point one of the actors accuses a boy in the audience of disturbing something on stage. The other actor gives the funniest line of the vacation, "listen kid ...I don't have to be nice to you..this ain't Disney." Priceless. Give this show a look. I originally was going to skip it, but it turned out to be one of the most interesting things I saw the whole trip.
Hunger began to set in so we hit Richter Burger Company. Fast food, but not too bad. While we were in the area we decided to ride Back to the Future. Big mistake. It is a motion simulator that is based on the Delorean of BTTF fame. My son and I were seated in the back. The ride is ROUGH!! I'm suprised they haven't been sued. There were cries of OUCH from everyone on the ride. Especially me as my head was literally smashing against the back wall on a number of occasions. I don't understand how this attraction continues to run. We felt like we had been tumbled in a large washing machine. After the smoothness of the other rides BTTF was a big disappointment..and it hurt!
Off to Shrek 4-D. Not a big Shrek fan, but this show is also great. The pre-show is delightfully tacky. You do have to appreciate Shrek humor. Lots of special 3-D effects and sensory stimulation. Enjoyable, but not as much as Terminator. I'm sure it would be great for kids though. We weren't sure if we would make it back to Universal so we rode the Mummy 3X in a row. Damn that ride is awesome! We did some souveneir shopping (they will deliver the packages to the hotel if you are onsite) so we didn't have to drag bags around.
We wandered over to IOA for one more trip. Time for Hulk X2. Back to Jurassic park X2, Ripsaw X2. At which point my son discovers the water cannons that you can use to spray unsuspecting people who think they are done getting wet. We must have dropped $10. It only costs a quarter a blast. I would watch the log coming around the corner and give my son the thumbs up or down sign and he would spray our chosen target. Best quarters I ever spent,,we couldn't stop laughing. I love being childish. Did Popeye one more time. Dueling Dragons fire 2X. By now my energy was starting to wane so we wandered theu Seussland one more time. Convinced my son to ride Cat in the Hat. Not a thrill ride, but well put together..and for someone raised on Dr. Seuss, very nostalgic. Worth a trip.
We wandered around Citywalk for the last time. Stopped at Hard Rock Cafe for dinner (also not to be missed..see my dining review.) 9pm we head back to the hotel as the Mears shuttle is due at 7:30 the next morning. It is hard to believe that it is all coming to an end ( I can feel the depression as I type these last sentences) DS asked if there was anyway we could stay another day. (I was tempted) but all good things must come to an end. Overall one of the funnest, relaxing and unique vacations I have ever taken. The time spent alone with my son is something I will cherish forever and I know when he gets older he will always remember our father son adventure. Thanks for reading about my trip and may your Universal vacation be as awesome as ours!!!
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