Feeling Hot Hot Hot! The Rain Curse is Broken! Two Weeks of Fun in the Sun! COMPLETE

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Loving the pix !!It is making my trip there next year sooo much more real !!!

I really hope that you have a great time at Universal Rosie.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Great IOA updates. Ripsaw Falls does look fun though I don't know if I'd want to get THAT drenched.

The Jurassic Park area looks cool too.

 

[orangecats2]

What kind of ride is River Adventures? I don't know a lot about Universal. DH says he doesn't want to go there so I've not really researched it much.

 

[CandleontheWater]

Too bad that the JP ride was down, I thought it was a lot of fun!

I also really wanted to get on those flying things- the pterodactyl themed ones- but adults could only go with kids. I guess that is once instance where Everett would come in handy!

 

[Must C Mickey]

I LOVED the Three Men & a Baby/Little Lady movies and can't wait for the Bride movie!!!

 

[englishrose47]

I really hope that you have a great time at Universal Rosie.

I know I will !!It's never gonna replace Disney, but I do want to try some of the rides and the Restaurants look very good in Citywalk !! It's great when the food is being paid for !!!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Great IOA updates. Ripsaw Falls does look fun though I don't know if I'd want to get THAT drenched.

The Jurassic Park area looks cool too.

You could always wear a poncho.

What kind of ride is River Adventures? I don't know a lot about Universal. DH says he doesn't want to go there so I've not really researched it much.

River Adventure is a water ride . I don't know much about it but I do know there is a big drop at the end.

Too bad that the JP ride was down, I thought it was a lot of fun!

I also really wanted to get on those flying things- the pterodactyl themed ones- but adults could only go with kids. I guess that is once instance where Everett would come in handy!

I was so disappointed that it was closed. I knew ahead of time it was going to be down so it wasn't a surprise but still disappointing.

I LOVED the Three Men & a Baby/Little Lady movies and can't wait for the Bride movie!!!

Me too!

I know I will !!It's never gonna replace Disney, but I do want to try some of the rides and the Restaurants look very good in Citywalk !! It's great when the food is being paid for !!!

No, Universal is an entirely different experience than Disney. Each is excellent in its own way.

 

[PirateKate]

IOA looks really fun. I'm kind of surprised that Jurassic Park has a water ride. Wouldn't it be cool to ride in cars through the park, looking at all the dinosaurs, just like in the movie?

 

[SmallWorld71]

IOA looks really fun. I'm kind of surprised that Jurassic Park has a water ride. Wouldn't it be cool to ride in cars through the park, looking at all the dinosaurs, just like in the movie?

That is still sort of the idea only you are in a boat instead of a car. You go by different scenes with all the nice plant eating dinosaurs until things go horribly wrong and some big meat eater tries to get you before you go over the big hill. Somewhat similar to Splash Mountain only with bigger boats and a scarier story line.

Also, Universal seems to love to get people wet which makes the parks great to tour in warmer weather but I don't know how I'd feel about it all in January.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

IOA looks really fun. I'm kind of surprised that Jurassic Park has a water ride. Wouldn't it be cool to ride in cars through the park, looking at all the dinosaurs, just like in the movie?

IOA is so much fun! I can't wait to go back someday.

That is still sort of the idea only you are in a boat instead of a car. You go by different scenes with all the nice plant eating dinosaurs until things go horribly wrong and some big meat eater tries to get you before you go over the big hill. Somewhat similar to Splash Mountain only with bigger boats and a scarier story line.

Also, Universal seems to love to get people wet which makes the parks great to tour in warmer weather but I don't know how I'd feel about it all in January.

Yeah, I can't imagine walking around soaked in the winter! Brrr!

 

[kittylady1972]

The Jurrasic Park River Adventure was one of the rides we did manage to do back in June. I will say that everybody else in our party avoided it because after Bluto's Barges nobody wanted to get wet again. However my daughter really wanted to try it...so she and I got in line for it while the rest of our party did other stuff. I had been on it years ago and didn't really remember much...but the look on her face through it was really GREAT! I can say that the big drop at the end was the worst of it...and it was not that bad at all. I don't recall us getting very wet at ALL on it! Now of course others may vary and it may depend on the boat, but ours was full and we walked away not very wet at all. She loved it. I only wished the boys could have tried it too...as I think they would have enjoyed it.

I can tell you that when we first got into the line for this ride it showed a wait time of 50 minutes...and we BARELY waited 15 or 20 minutes for it!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

The Jurrasic Park River Adventure was one of the rides we did manage to do back in June. I will say that everybody else in our party avoided it because after Bluto's Barges nobody wanted to get wet again. However my daughter really wanted to try it...so she and I got in line for it while the rest of our party did other stuff. I had been on it years ago and didn't really remember much...but the look on her face through it was really GREAT! I can say that the big drop at the end was the worst of it...and it was not that bad at all. I don't recall us getting very wet at ALL on it! Now of course others may vary and it may depend on the boat, but ours was full and we walked away not very wet at all. She loved it. I only wished the boys could have tried it too...as I think they would have enjoyed it.

I can tell you that when we first got into the line for this ride it showed a wait time of 50 minutes...and we BARELY waited 15 or 20 minutes for it!

It seems like such a fun ride, I am so disappointed it was under refurb while we were there!

 

[Moira222]

May 16th continued

After exiting Big Thunder Mountain we were overwhelmed by the crowds. It seemed as though everybody was in the Magic Kingdom that day. Where could we go to kill some time and get away from the crowds? Tom Sawyer Island!......
We enjoyed our break on the island even though we did not get to enjoy a game of checkers in the fort like in 2007 as a breastfeeding mother was sitting at the checkers table. That was kinda annoying, not the fact that she was breastfeeding but the fact that she was occupying the checkers table when there were open benches all over the place. Why seat yourself at the game table and keep it from others when you are not going to use it? Perhaps she was oblivious to the fact that she was at a checkers table? Oh well..

none of your pictures are showing..

but I am reading along.I think I have caught bits & pieces of posts on my phone over the past month or so. Some updates were new to me, then I'd see a post that I'd read before

lady @ the checkerboard -- that as not very courteous for sure, unless there were no other seats when she got there? or maybe she started out playing checkers? oh well.

I stll haven't made it to Tom Sawyer island. one of these days we will get there!

May 16th continued

What did I spy in the Times Guide that caught my interest? The meet and greet with Tiana that just happened to be scheduled to take place right outside the Christmas Store! I convinced the rest of the family that I needed this picture as Tiana was a new character for us. They agreed without much convincing needed and we joined the line. Well, Mom, Alek and I joined the line. Erich decided to sit on the wall on the edge of the line.

I will have to come back to see these photos. This is another Disney Couple that we've not seen except in a parade.

The Crazy Stepmother Chronicles: August 2011

Day Nine: Banff National Park: Valley of the Ten Peaks Hike

After our little lunch break we turned right and made our way down the Eiffel Lake trail. The nice thing about this part of the hike is that it was pretty much flat, no strenuous climbing.

This trail offered great views of the Ten Peaks. The bad part of the trail is that one side of it was a steep slope and Marcus, still acting like a naughty dog, kept trying to go after any animal he smelt or saw and often that meant trying to yank whoever had the leash down the steep slope.

We had to break again because Maria had to make an emergency trip into the woods.


seems to me you'd have to walk awfully far to find a tree big enough for me to hide behind. I hope Maria had a smaller butt!



Eiffel Lake!

these photos are just gorgeous..

Once Dad and Maria got back from their exploring we started to make our way back.

Along the way we saw TONS of marmots, they were all over the rocky part of the trail and they were really loud chattering to each other. I didn't get any pictures but Dad did.

This is a crazy mushroom we found on the side of the trail, doesn't it look like a snake?

Yes! Very cool mushroom!

Your photos from the birthday/anniversary trip to Ohio are amazing! Fall was in full bloom there for sure!

I'm reading on but missing photos. hmm is anyone else?

---
Ok I skipped ahead just a little & saw .... pictures! wierd! superheroes at Universal were ... well.... a little lumpy and rather less than professional.... am I spoiled by Disney casting & costuming? yeah, guess I am. I thought that Rogue looked rather overly padded unless it was a cold day, and I thought that Wolverine looked a little too Pooh sized for the role. Spidey, however, was err...ummm .... well packaged

Universal & the super hero park does look like a park that DH would really enjoy (though really they need to work on the costuming a little)!

 

[Moira222]

May 17th continued

Onwards to Toon Lagoon! The first thing we saw after leaving Super Hero Island was this pair of characters. I have no idea who they are but Mom seemed excited to see them. I am sure that Mom told me at the time but I have forgotten.

.......

Our next ride! Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges. I had heard lots about this ride and everything I had heard indicated that this was a water raft ride not to be missed. Unlike Kali Rapids where you can easily escape the ride with only a few drops of water gracing your clothing, this ride has you leaving completely drenched.

Well I am SO glad that I"m not the only one who recognized Beatle Bailey.

I have to say that I have been rather passive on the whole Universal idea till I saw the toons part of it....now THAT is my kind of park fun. The water rides look like a lot of fun, I was laughing just seeing the photos. and LMAO that you got caught video taping on the ride. Bet your brothers teased you just a little on that one

the Jurassic park area looks cool too....I can see that a weekend trip may be in our future. anybody want to fund it????

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

:
these photos are just gorgeous..

Glad you liked the Banff photos!

Your photos from the birthday/anniversary trip to Ohio are amazing! Fall was in full bloom there for sure!

We were lucky and were there at just the right time for the leaves.

I'm reading on but missing photos. hmm is anyone else?

Yeah, I have three different photobucket accounts that I use. I try and spread my pictures evenly between the three to avoid this problem but my estimation of bandwidth was a bit off for that one account. The pictures should be back up on the 19th. Sorry!

Ok I skipped ahead just a little & saw .... pictures! wierd! superheroes at Universal were ... well.... a little lumpy and rather less than professional.... am I spoiled by Disney casting & costuming? yeah, guess I am. I thought that Rogue looked rather overly padded unless it was a cold day, and I thought that Wolverine looked a little too Pooh sized for the role. Spidey, however, was err...ummm .... well packaged

Universal & the super hero park does look like a park that DH would really enjoy (though really they need to work on the costuming a little)!

I agree!

Well I am SO glad that I"m not the only one who recognized Beatle Bailey.

I have to say that I have been rather passive on the whole Universal idea till I saw the toons part of it....now THAT is my kind of park fun. The water rides look like a lot of fun, I was laughing just seeing the photos. and LMAO that you got caught video taping on the ride. Bet your brothers teased you just a little on that one

the Jurassic park area looks cool too....I can see that a weekend trip may be in our future. anybody want to fund it????

Actually, they didn't tease much at all about the camera.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Here is a video that Alek and Erich took in the Jurassic Park Visitor Centre. It a show where a baby dinosaur is "born".


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_2y-Y8OoyY

 

[englishrose47]

Here is a video that Alek and Erich took in the Jurassic Park Visitor Centre. It a show where a baby dinosaur is "born".


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_2y-Y8OoyY

That is sooo neat!!!!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

That is sooo neat!!!!

Yep, very similar to the movie.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

May 17th continued

After explored the whole park it was now time to return to the Wizarding World. There were still a few things that we wanted to do their before leaving the park.

The crowds had really died down since the morning. Forbidden Journey and Flight of the Hippogriff both had 20 minute waits posted. Hogsmeade was not nearly as crowded, you no longer felt as though you were going to be crushed by the crowds.

The first thing that we wanted to do was ride Dragon Challenge. We arranged to meet Mom and Erich and The Hog's Head in a few minutes.

Dueling Dragons only had a 5 minute wait posted, that 5 minutes was spent walking through the extremely long queue. The queue and ride and themed after the first challenge in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire".

There were signs up all through the queue to represent the four Triwizard Champions.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

View of Hogwarts from the queue.

The Weasley's Ford Anglia

Hagrid's Hut

You then enter the Champions' tent which houses the Goblet of Fire and Triwizard cup.

The egg clues for the second challenge

Dragon Challenge is a duel "racing" coaster, each coaster is named after one of the dragons from the challenge in the book/movie. You can ride the red Hungarian Horntail or the blue Chinese Fireball. I'm pretty sure that we choose the Hungarian Horntail.

Both coasters take off at the same time and "race", there are several points during the ride where it looks like they are going to crash.

I have heard that they have changed this now and they no longer take off at the same time.

It was a fun ride but The Hulk is definitely the more thrilling coaster of the two/three.

The exit takes you behind Flourish and Blott's.

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