First trip ever to USO/IOA

[sammy66]

Hi, everyone, I'm new here but I want to say Thank you again. Without these boards we never would have gone to Universal.

Me the MOM 34
DD #1 15
DD#2 14
DS #1 7

Yup, just me and the kids, DH couldn't get time off of work ( the liar, he's self employed Anyway, I was so nervous about USO being like Six flags that I chickened out last year and we all went to Disney instead. All I can say is we wasted a perfectly good vacation standing in lines in the hot sun and spending tons of money when we should have been at USO.

4-15, arrived at RP at about 10:30am. Our room was ready but we left our luggage in the car and headed straight to the parks. My daughters hit the Hulk right away (roller coaster junkies) On and off in under 15 minutes even though the wait was 60 minutes. Gotta love FOTL. They said it was better than rockNrollercoaster. Me and my son went on the mutant spinning ride, can't really remember the name. Anyway, we all soon realized that we could relax and not worry about getting on rides so we took it nice and slow. Went on a few rides, went back to the hotel. No parking anywhere Some nice woman told me about the other parking lot and of course I found the lot but lost my way back to the lobby I had a nice half hour of roaming around. Finally got to the room, kind of small for us but not a problem because we had the best view of the Hulk.

The rest of the week was awesome, we went on almost everything and saw all the shows. Now I must say, I'm the adult so I love the Disney shows but I couldn't get my kids to see them for anything. But ghostbusters, beetlejuice, and Mat Hoffman, My kids were running to see these! We all loved MIB, DD#1 and DS loved Jimmy neutron, I mean really, a fifteen year old and a seven year old liking the same ride! A mom's dream come true!

Oh, I almost forgot, DD's went on the mummy and both loved it. Let me tell you, these two chickies are hard to please when it comes to thrill rides. They are both in search of the extreme roller coaster and have been on everything from the old wooden ones at Canobie lake to Superman. When they say the Hulk and the mummy are the best, believe me, they must be good!

All in all, The best vacation ever, hopefully we can all go back this summer


Bye for now, Rachel

 

[MrsMud]

Thanks for the trip report. Glad you all had a great time. My hubby and I are going to USO next week for our first trip, can't wait. How was the weather?
Oh, and what (or who) is Matt Hoffman? I haven't heard that before.

 

[AlexandNessa]

So when are you going back?

 

[Ripsaw]

Thanks for the Report. Glad you all had a great time.

 

[highlander447]

Great report and sounds like a great trip

 

[Slacking]

Originally posted by MrsMud
Thanks for the trip report. Glad you all had a great time. My hubby and I are going to USO next week for our first trip, can't wait. How was the weather?
Oh, and what (or who) is Matt Hoffman? I haven't heard that before.

Matt Hoffman is a famous Bicyclist. The Tony Hawk of Bicycling. His anme is attached to a stunt show at IOA, but this show is only performed at peak times throughout the show, so the show is currently not being performed.

 

[SpideyHulk24]

Great report. Glad your kids enjoyed the Mummy. I for one cannot wait to ride it!

 

[GeminiMom]

So happy to hear you & your kids had a wonderful vacation. Enjoyed your report......can't wait to ride the Mummy either!

 

[Flyfly_Eclipse]

How did you like the shows?

 

[sammy66]

Hi everyone! Sorry, I didn't know there were any replies I should get an e-mail letting me know, but I suspect they have been going to my spam folder .

To answer, the Weather was perfect, not too hot, and not too cool, except for the last day, it was brutally hot. My daughter actually got sun poison. I tried to get an earlier flight but I couldn't get to the airport fast enough for check in.
Parents, please be careful if your teens are on acne medication. I thought her stopping the medication a few days before we left was good enough, but her DR. said she actually should have been off of it for a minimum of a week. Sun poison looks and feels like second degree burns, and it spreads fast. Luckily, it went away without any treatment.

Mat Hoffman is a stunt bike rider, I don't think he was there and the show was short but my son loved it.

When are we going back? I'm not sure, we have a family trip tentatively planned for this summer to RV to Virginia/Washington. Sort of an educational trip and Busch gardens, but I think we may try to go back to Universal instead. The thing about Virginia, is we also have a wedding to go to and my husband and I really want the kids to see the history so it's a tough call to make. If we don't go this year, we are definitely going back next year .

The shows, We all loved them. Ghostbuster, (I know, you love them ) was so funny, I really liked the way you didn't have to wait in a long line either. We just sat down towards the front right side in the shade.

Beetle Juice was good too. We had great seats, right up front, but my son was a little afraid so I brought him up top. Tough little kid, but he hates fire and loud noises. I guess that's a good thing .

The thing that amazed me about the shows, was that my kids couldn't wait to see them. At Disney, I have to beg and plead, and they still say no. I think the shows at US are really more appealing to all ages.

I almost forgot, they weren't doing slime time live, but they did do a nick show where they picked kids and parents to play games. When my son figured this out, he wanted to go again so he could get picked, and they picked my daughter.


Now, the million dollar question? What is the best, cheapest
on-site hotel for a family of five? I think the RP room was small but I want to stay club level so bad. We toured the Hard Rock but I didn't think to ask if I could see a room, and I think the Portofino might be too expensive. Oh well, more of a reason for me to visit this site.

Bye for now, Rachel

 

[Minniespal]

Great report ~ Thanx for sharing.