First trip to IOA! Thanks for all your tips!

[CJK]

testing editing
I'm writing a 7 day report on the Disney trip report page, but I thought our 2 days in Universal should be posted here too. We had a great time (despite motion sickness as you will find out). Here's the 1st of 2 days. Thanks for the GREAT tips.

Islands of Adventure! Part 1

In an effort to get dh excited about "another trip to Florida", I decided a visit to Islands of Adventure was in order! Neither of us had ever been there before so I figured it was worth a shot. Afterall, what could go wrong, right? I'd soon eat those words.

Our day started off great. We went to our hotel's free continental breakfast. We were expecting watered down juice and stale donuts but were pleasantly surprised. They had cereal, bagels, toast, FRESH donuts and juice, coffee and tea. We sat with a couple from Brazil who were in America hoping to start a business. After an enjoyable breakfast, we made our way to IOA. I read that Universal often opens the parks early, so I wanted to make sure we took advantage of the extra few minutes. Afterall, we're both rollercoaster enthusiasts so I thought any extra time meant more turns on the Hulk!

At 8:45am, the park opened and we made a beeline towards the Hulk. I had done my research so I was sooo sure I knew what to expect. Rather quickly we discovered that reading about a ride and experiencing a ride are altogether different. What an INCREDIBLE take-off!! We were in the last row of the ride and it completely took my breath away. It was quite bumpy (perhaps due to us being in the last row?), but an amazing ride nonetheless. We were a little wobbly getting off, but we figured we'd head to the infamous spiderman next. Again - WOW! Now I know what people mean when they say it's indescribable! Dh is a HUGE spiderman fan and he was absolutely mesmerized! He thought the effects were second to none and the thrill factor was terrific. Our day was off to a wonderful start!

But then it happened. Just when I was beginning to feel proud of myself for rekindling dh's love of Florida and all the fun it has to offer........I look over at dh and he is looking positively green.....or is it purple? Oh wait, now he's just plain white. Yikes! This was not part of my plan! Next I asked what any other supportive wife would....."You're not going to be sick are you?" Ah no, dh's changing colour was just reflecting the Florida sun. Very quietly dh said that he'd like to go to the restroom for a moment. Thankfully there was one nearby so we ran, er, walked quickly, towards it.

I think I was still in denial. I figured he'd relieve himself and be back to his old self. When he came out of the restroom, he was still as pale as a ghost. Two thrill rides before 9am had really done him in. Not even dramamine could help him today. He said that he thought he could still walk around, but would need to cool it on the thrill rides for a while. He suggested we catch a show or two instead. It was now that I realized just how sick he was feeling. Then it dawned on me that we were in IOA - home of the thrill rides. The only two shows didn't begin for a few hours yet. Yikes! Don't panic. We need a plan.

After a brief discussion, dh suggested that I go on Dr. Doom since it was on our itinerary (you see, I'm a planning FREAK and had created an itinerary based on months of planning from the DIS - I'm starting therapy next week to combat my planning addiction) and he would lie down on a bench. What a wonderful man! Even though he was ready to lose his breakfast, not to mention our dinner from last night, yet he was worried about MY fun! Is it any wonder I married him! After a hug followed by a moan from dh (sorry hon, I won't hug you so hard next time ), I went on Dr. Doom. What a great view from up there! I looked down trying to find dh and I see him lying full length on one of the benches. I tried to get him to look up by yelling his name and flinging my hands, but no luck. I discover later, that even looking at the ride was making him woozy. Dh needed a break.

Thankfully our itinerary now read that we should switch direction and go the other way to Seuss Landing. Perfect I thought! It gives dh a little time to walk it off and enjoy the scenery. Dh really thought that he just needed a little time on solid ground and then he'd be as good as new. It was here that I made a crucial mistake. I saw the ride, "Cat in the Hat". I remembered reading something about it on the DIS, but I couldn't remember specifics. Hey, it looks similar to Snow White or Peter Pan. How rough could it be? I asked dh if he could handle that sort of ride and he said yes. Snow White is such a gentle ride right? How different could this one be? *gulp*

They should have a warning sign outside that ride saying, "if your husband is as sick as a dog and is trying to walk off his motion sickness, DO NOT ENTER, idiot". Is that too much to ask? *gasp* This ride whips you around in circles and seemed to never end. In fact, the Seuss characters were mocking us! They were laughing at us - even pointing fingers at us. I'm sure I saw a little one turn our car a few extra times too. It was rigged I tell you. Dh was hanging on for dear life and was glaring at me muttering, "it's just like Peter Pan.......right......see if I listen to YOU anymore". Just then, memories of the DIS board flooded my mind and I remembered quotes like "really whips you around" "spin" "makes you dizzy" and the like. How could I have forgotten???? I was consumed with guilt. Now I'd really done it. Will this be grounds for divorce? Will the rest of our day be salvageable? Stay tuned!

 

[CJK]

IOA - Part 2

By now, dh couldn't even walk anymore. I suggested we leave or ask someone where dh could go to lie down, but dh resisted. He just wanted to sit down for a little while and catch his breath. He made no mention of divorce, so I took that as a good sign. After a few minutes, he wanted to walk some more. He suggested I go on some rides while he sat down and waited for me. Who was I to argue? I told myself that as soon as the shows opened, we'd be sure to check those out. The next ride was the Dragon (Fire). What a detailed and long queue! I enjoyed the ride, but confess I was worried about dh. He has always struggled with motion sickness, but I have never seen him this affected by it. I wished there was something I could do for him. I decided to skip Dragon Ice for now in hopes of dh feeling better to join me on it later.

Our next stop was for the Flying Unicorn. As I got into the queue, dh went to look for a bench. The CM at the ride entrance stopped him and insisted that the ride isn't too strenuous! Dh was embarassed! The CM thought dh wasn't going on the ride due to fear! Well, at least he had some colour back on his face.....nevermind it had nothing to do with him feeling better, however! After the Unicorn, dh was starting to feel a bit better. The crowds were absolutely non-existent. We were walking on all rides. It was wonderful! Since we weren't staying onsite, I was worried about lines since we wouldn't have FOTL access. Again, my fear was unwarranted.

Dh decided to try the River Adventure in Jurassic Park. He was feeling a little nauseous, but nothing like he was an hour earlier. We really enjoyed this ride. The dinosaurs were so life-like. Since we had now entered the water portion of the park, dh thought that it may do him some good to get a little wet. He could have suggested we skydive or be shot out of a canon and I would have done it if he thought it would make him feel better. Next stop was Ricksaw falls. What a fun ride!! There's so much to look at that I'm sure we missed some of it. We both got pretty wet, but we were laughing so much we barely noticed. Dh was DEFINITELY feeling better now. Oh lucky day! We're back on track now. Return to original plan of rekindling dh's love of Florida.

I remember reading on the DIS that it's often a good idea to bring a change of clothes for this portion of IOA. But for some unknown ridiculous reason, I rejected this suggestion. Do I enjoy punishment I wonder now? Did I think it was fun walking around a park in wet clothing? Nothing could have prepared me for Popeye's Barge ride. First the good news.......the ride was terrific. It was fun, detailed, and much longer than its counterpart in Animal Kingdom. The people sharing our raft really added to the magic too. Well folks, I got wet. No, I got drenched. Actually - I got downright waterlogged, saturated from head to my tippy toe. I could have won big money had I thought to challeng anyone to find a dry patch on my body! As I squeaked my way off the ride, I heard a little giggle. The giggle turned into a chuckle which was quickly replaced by full-fledged laughter. Yes, dh was DEFINITELY feeling better.

Oh yes, he got wet too, but nothing and I mean nothing like me! Plus, he was smart and wore his bathingsuit which always dries quickly. He doesn't even read the DIS boards yet HE knew enough to wear his bathing suit. It must be a conspiracy. I needed to dry off in the sun for a while so what did we do next? That's right - to inside to the air conditioned Jurassic Park Fossil Centre. Good call. Dh was feeling pretty good now so he suggested we go back to Dragon and ride the Ice side. He thinks he was feeling better simply due to time and walking it off while I continue to argue it was my misfortune that seemed to do the trick for him! Happy I could help.

After riding ICE, dh said he enjoyed it but was done for thrill rides for the day. That was fine by me since we had basically hit them all in IOA! I couldn't believe how quickly we were going through the park. It was time for lunch so we grabbed a bite in the big circus tent in Seuss Landing. I managed to remember that you should definitely flash your AAA/CAA card for a discount. Good deal! If only I had remembered a change of clothes. I'm going to pay for this rubbing tonight. Ow!

By now, Poseidon's Fury had opened so we headed there. I needed some more indoor airconditioning to dry off, as you recall. What an impressive entrance! We enjoyed the show and its special effects but felt the actual show didn't do the grand building justice. Our last attraction we wanted to see was Sinbad and the first show of the day was next. We really enjoyed this one. We laughed and laughed. It was now 1:30pm and we had seen everything we wanted. We couldn't believe it. Had dh been up to it, we may have done Spiderman or the Hulk over again, but we certainly weren't going to chance it! We decided to walk over to Universal Studios.

On the way, I got my beloved dippin' dot ice cream. I just know that I'm their target audience because I like it for the "neat-o" factor. Dh always thinks I'm crazy, but hey, I'm on vacation! Upon entering US, we prepared to walk right past Shrek assuming the line would be horrendous. There was a 5 minute wait! We couldn't believe our luck today! The show was really wonderful. A note of warning for anyone else who suffers from motion sickness.......... beware of Shrek! We didn't realize the seats moved. Dh was again feeling queazy, but felt he was fine to continue. I swear, I'm going to interrogate each CM for every other ride/show we do on this trip!

We decided to do ET next. We have both been to Universal Studios before and felt it was just as we remembered 10yrs ago. Dh was very anxious to give Men In Black a shot so we headed there next. There was a line here, about 25minutes, so we decided to go into the singles line. We got ride on! A high five to the people who decided to have singles lines on rides. What a huge time saver! The ride was terrific! We didn't quite know how the ride worked, but we both managed to do pretty well. We both like Buzz Lightyear in the MK, but boy, MIB blew us away. Such fun!! We decided for a little Earthquake action next. No, get your mind out of the gutter people! We thought we had been on this one before and we were right. The special effects are pretty amazing though so we were glad we went back there.

I remember reading on the Universal DIS board that we really needed to check out the Ghostbusters show. I didn't know what the show was about, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. In a word - WOW!!!! It was absolutely wonderful!! I was grinning so much that my mouth hurt. Just when I thought it couldn't get better, it did. I won't give it away to those who haven't seen the show, but please, give it a try if you like music, dancing and comedy!Might I add that those young men aren't too bad to look at either! I made a mental note to make sure we see them again during the trip.

We wandered around the I Love Lucy Tribute building for a while before going to the Horror Make-Up Show. They had a video of the classic scene where Lucy crushing grapes for wine. I still giggle when i watch that scene! What a talent. The Horror Make-up Show was a wonderful surprise! It was very, very funny. My favourite line of one of the guys was, "This isn't Disneyworld so I don't have to be nice to you"! Very funny! By now, dh was starting to look a little pale again so we decided to head out of the park and get some dinner. I couldn't believe how much we managed to get done today anyway considering the illness factor! We grabbed a pizza and brought it back to our hotel. It was a very low-key ending to the day but boy, did it feel good to kick off our shoes (and wet clothes, ahem) and watch a little TV while munching on pizza. Heavenly! We needed to get rested up for tomorrow - a day of Disney parkhopping! Ahhh, vacation! Night everyone.

 

[gschmerl]

Great report. Thanks for sharing. Sorry hubby couldn't truly appreciate all the rides!!

 

[Motherfletcher]

Shame on you for torturing DH! I was about ready to hurl by Dr. Doom just reading it. No kidding, I am in the same boat and its no fun being sick. Ya'll should have gone to US first and eased into the thrills. Well at least you had fun watching him turn colors and doing the dots!

 

[AlexandNessa]

The first time we went on Spiderman, Mike was a little queasy too. I gave him a Bonine and told him, "Buck up, little soldier. You have till Dueling Dragons to walk it off!" So sympathetic, I know. Now he takes Bonine the night before or as soon as he gets up and we have no problems!

Thanks for sharing.

 

[highlander447]

Great report glad it all worked out

 

[phamton]

What a great trip report! Sounds like you had fun in spite of the motion sickness. Just a FYI if you go again: There some stationary seats at Shrek. I sit there not because of motion sickness but just because I hate getting tossed around. Also on Cat in the Hat, you can ask for them to set your car so it doesn't spin.

I see you didn't mention Back to the Future. That ride always makes me queasy.

 

[CJK]

Thanks everyone!! I'm having fun writing my report. We had another Universal Day on the trip and I'll be sure to post my report on this thread. You're absolutely right about Back to the Future. We both went on it more than 10yrs ago and had a really tough time with it! I went with my parents and my dad...well.....didn't quite make it to the restroom! We learned back then to stick with the BTTF movies and not the ride! Thanks phamton for your info re: some of the rides. We'll definitely keep that in mind for next time. Thanks for all your kind words!

 

[CJK]

Day Six – Universal Studios and California Grill

Here's a report from our 2nd day at Universal Studios. Full the full trip report, go here http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=680760

My original mission of rekindling dh’s love of Disney was on the back burner today. I had a new mission. My mission if I chose to accept it, was to keep dh healthy and happy all day long. I accepted the challenge. We had a continental breakfast in the motel lobby and headed to Universal Studios. As was suggested to us, we made a beeline to the Mummy as soon as the park opened. I know what you’re thinking. “What do you mean WE”??? I’m pleased to report that there was no need for me to use the rope. Dh wasn’t even considering the Mummy. I was relieved to see that there was no line inside. I got right on so dh didn’t have to wait long. What a fantastic ride! The special effects really are amazing. The ride was over too quickly. I couldn’t help but think that dh would really like it. I think I would suggest that dh ride. Before you have me committed, let me explain. In days gone by, dh has really loved roller coasters. He had heard about this particular ride and was really excited. We even rented the Mummy movies prior to our trip just so we’d have a better understanding of the storyline on the ride.
When I met up with dh, I told him about the Mummy and how thrilling it was, how real it felt and how there was so much to see. I could tell he wanted to ride. Very cautiously I said that I thought he could handle it. I told him about a couple “iffy” spots where I worried how he’d feel, but he still wanted to ride. We told each other that this was his only thrill ride of the day. With a gulp and deep breath, we went for it! We buckled in and we were off. I couldn’t look at him while on the ride. If he had been sick, I thought I would have found a way to get out of the ride and throw myself into the fire! So, I didn’t risk it! At the end of the ride, dh said “Cooooool”! The colour was still there so I knew that was a good sign. He did say he was a little shaky, but other than that, he was fine!! Heehaw!! Success! I just knew he’d be disappointed if he didn’t ride. As I promised him before, there would be no more thrill rides for him today! We were both satisfied.

The objective for today was to do the attractions at Universal that we missed a few days before and maybe redo a few favourites. Next stop was Twister. That one was very good. We stood beside a little boy who was very frightened and started crying. When the special effects finished, he looked at his dad and said he wanted to do it again! Aren’t kids precious! We walked by Shrek and were pleasantly surprised again to see no line. Our luck was continuing! Plus, we didn’t catch all of the preshow last time, so it was nice to hear it all today. We decided to do Terminator 2: 3D next. What an excellent job they did on that one! It was amazing to us how they combined real actors with the movie. Very well done! Dh is a real fan of the Terminator movies so this one got bonus points from him! Suddenly it dawned on me that I was achieving not one but TWO of my objectives for today! Dh was healthy, happy AND enjoying the magic of Florida! You couldn’t have knocked the smile off my face if you tried. Well, maybe if Elastigirl showed up to flirt with dh again my smile may have reduced to a grin!

The first Blues Brothers show of the day was next. The woman in the show was a phenomenal singer! We enjoyed the music and are glad we saw it, but didn’t think we’d see it again. Not our style of music I guess. Right around the corner we went back to the Ghostbusters show! Yes folks, we were addicted. The guys really put their all into their parts! I can’t recommend the show highly enough if you enjoy pop music and comedy. No one made lip-synching look so good!! We agreed that we’d try to catch their show one more time today before heading home. By now it was lunchtime so we grabbed a quick bite at Richters since I had read they have a good toppings bar. We got that CAA/AAA discount and dug in.

Our timing was perfect to go across the walkway to the Beetlejuice show right after lunch. We really enjoyed this one as well. Notice a trend here? Frankenstein’s wife was a phenomenal singer! Does anyone watch American Idol here? You know how Simon Cowell always criticizes contestants by saying they’d only be good enough to perform in amusement parks?? I would have loved him to hear this girl sing because she was spectacular! Plus, anytime Simon has to eat his words is just fine with me!!! As we made our way around the park, our next stop was Jaws. Our boat captain was out of this world! She really made the storyline come alive for us. She only looked about 16 too. Although, at my ripe age of 31, anyone under 25 looks 16 to me.

I knew that dh would want to ride MIB again. We didn’t realize last time, but I think you miss some kind of a preshow or info session by going through the singles line. Can someone confirm that? However, this time round, we got to see the TV in line, which explained more of the rules of the ride. We didn’t realize you were supposed to shoot the other car at one point. It made the ride that much better having more understanding of what we were supposed to do! We went on twice and both times, dh blew all the other people’s scores out of the water (as he loved to point out to me!)

We had a little time before the Animal Planet show; we decided to wander through the kid area and Woody Woodpecker. All the kids seemed to be having a wonderful time. We continued walking and ended up at the Curious George section. We thought that it was very well done. It was extremely hot today so the kids were taking advantage of the cool water! This would have been a great time to have your swimsuit. Just before we left, an unsuspecting man was standing in the “wet zone”. The bucket of water fell and absolutely drenched him from head to toe. Well, once again, I’m not proud to say I lost control! In fact, I was in hysterics. He wasn’t upset or anything; he was just caught by surprise. If by some fortunate coincidence that man is reading this report, please accept my sincere apologies. I owe you a beer.

After pulling myself together, we made our way to Animal Planet. It was a cute show. The monkey was adorable. I wanted to take him home with me. He could teach dh to keep the toilet seat down. Sorry honey. It was hard to believe we had now managed to see all we wanted in both Universal parks between today and last Tuesday. We could have risked it and gone back on some thrill rides at IOA, but we were having dinner at California Grill tonight and I was determined to have a dh who was actually hungry! We decided to watch the Horror Make-up show again (GREAT adlibbing) and then another Ghostbusters show (sigh – I will miss the cowboy!) and then we were on our way back to our motel. We really enjoyed Universal Studios on this trip. We have leftover days on our passes so we will definitely be back. I just hope we can find some solution to dh’s motion sickness before our next trip. In the meantime, I’m ready to try hypnosis! But for right now, it’s time to change for our magical evening at California Grill…..which didn’t turn out to be so magical afterall….

 

[gschmerl]

Bonine works very well for motion sickness and doesn't make you drowsy like Dramamine does. Have him try it at home first to see if it affects him.