Getting thrown up on on FJ and a few other trip details! :)

[lornak]

Hi!

We just returned from our very first trip to Universal. Many thanks to the folk on the boards who helped answer questions for me! We spent 3 days at the parks. Friday, Oct 22 at IOA, Saturday, Oct 23 at Universal and Sunday, Oct 24 back at IOA. As die hard Disney fans we weren't sure what to expect...but we had a great time!!! Here's a mini trip report in case it helps anyone else!!

On Friday we arrived at IOA at 8:00 AM. We waited in what seemed like a small line while tons of onsite people walked into the park. They let us through the gates at 8:45 and we had to walk the long way around to FJ. When we got to Mavel they were holding up the line and said no one could move on to HP until 9:00. But they were encouraging people to go on Spiderman. So we went in there and literally walked onto the ride with no wait. It was really incredible! We loved it!!

We walked out of Spiderman at about 8:55 and they had let everyone go on to HP. We were worried that we would be behind a big crowd. When we got to HP there was already a long line for Olivanders. But FJ was posted at 25 minutes. We walked straight to the greenhouse where the line stopped. But it moved very quickly and overall I think we did wait about 25 minutes. I thought FJ was AWESOME but I couldn't believe how scary I thought it was. I don't feel like I read a lot about that prior to our trip. But I was really scared the first time through!! My 12 year old daughter screamed for the entire spider and dementor section!! I had to close my eyes a few times!! We got off and recovered---and then we all decided we wanted to do it again later in the day. We were shocked at the lines for butterbeer (never less than 40 people per line that we saw) and the stores. All of them had quite long lines...we decided to come back in the evening and hope things were a little quieter. We did ride Flight of the Hippogrif and we waited longer for that than FJ!! We laughed about it later as we wouldn't ride it again. But glad we tried it. We wanted to ride DD but it was temporarily closed.

We then changed into different clothes and rode Jurrasic Park, Dudley Doright and Popeye. We did all three rides in under and hour---and we were soaked! But we just changed back into our other set of clothes and kept going. We rode Spiderman again twice, went back to DD and then did everything in Suess Landing. We worked in the Posiden show (longest wait of the day at just under and hour) and the Sinbad show. We had supper and then headed back to FJ. The lines for butterbeer and the shops were much shorter so we did those. We waited 20 minutes for butterbeer and about 5 minutes to get into Zonkos. We then did FJ again through the single rider line. We waited less than 10 minutes to do this. It was now about 7:30 and we went back to the resort....

On Saturday we arrived at Universal around 8:15. We were let through the gates by 8:45. We then rode Mummy, Simpsons and Men in black before 9:30!! We did everything in the park except Disaster by 1:00 PM. I couldn't believe it! We decided to ride MIB a few more times through the single rider line. Then we left the park and had dinner at Hard Rock at 4:00! We had a great day and couldn't believe how much we got done!!!

Sunday---back to IOA. We basically just wanted to do FJ again. This time they let us through the gate at 8:40 and we were allowed to go through Suess Landing and right to FJ. There was no wait at all--we literally walked right onto FJ. We actually let a few people pass us so we could take a few more pictures. We wanted to do it again so we went through the single rider line immediately after we got off. The standby line was a little longer but I bet it wasn't more than 25 minutes or so. After FJ we did DD, Hulk, JP and Spiderman 3 times. We came back to HP and had lunch in 3 broomsticks. Then back to FJ in the single rider line again. The posted wait time was now 45 minutes but we waited about 5 minutes in single rider. Got off and kids wanted to go again. That was it for this mom so I sent my two girls off to the single rider line. They were off about 15 minutes later but my 11 year old looked at me and said "they guy next to me threw up on me". And sure enough--her legs were covered. Thankfully she is not my over-reacter!! We went immediately to the bathroom and cleaned her up!! Nothing had gotten on her clothing (thank goodness) so soap, water and a lot of hand sanitizer did the trick for her!! She then told me that didn't want that to be her last memory of FJ---so she and her sister rode it for the 5th time that day!! No puke this time and they loved it! It was now 2:00 PM and we happily strode out of the park!!

Overall we were really impressed--especially with FJ. Disney sure has their work cut out for them if they want to compete in terms of technology!! We were a little tired of simulators--especially after US---but again overall we had a great time and were so glad we ventured out of Disney!

I really didn't mean for this to be so long! I hope it helps someone else as we were so helped by the threads here!! I'm happy to answer any questions if anyone has any!!

 

[damo]

I think the ride gets shuts down quite a bit due to the pukers. Glad that your daughter took it all in stride and that you all had such a good time!

 

[Planogirl]

Eeeewwww. That would have probably set me off too. I'm glad that she handled it so well.

 

[gschmerl]

Eeeeeew! Your daughter handled that a lot better than I would have!

 

[mom2aandj]

oh yuck about the throw up, but if I hadn't been on a double dose of Dramamine, I honestly fear I might have been throwing up on FJ too!!!!

We were at UoA that same Friday and Sunday you were, and Universal that Saturday!

 

[Metallicat]

My DH came thisclose to throwing up on FJ. he was as green as the Grinch when we got off and said he wouldn't ride again. EVER. but we went back the next day and he rode it again and loved it.

 

[ducky_love]

Oh gross!! I always have this fear riding Mission Space.. now I will be thinking of this in FJ. Ewwwwww...

 

[minniejack]

Oh your poor little girl....gross....

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

I would have cried.

They need to add a tip onto the map. Butterbeer only after FJ, not before.

 

[jessrose18]

Thanks for the report...interesting on the different times they let you in the park, will definately be in line early (we are staying at disney not universal). If you are in the single rider line have you ever gotton to ride next to the person in your party????

 

[mdb78]

Great report! Glad you all had a marvelous time!

 

[mesaboy2]

I would have cried.

They need to add a tip onto the map. Butterbeer only after FJ, not before.

And Pumpkin Juice.

 

[mesaboy2]

Thanks for the report...interesting on the different times they let you in the park, will definately be in line early (we are staying at disney not universal). If you are in the single rider line have you ever gotton to ride next to the person in your party????

It hardly matters, since you can't see them--except for maybe an arm and legs--while on the ride....

 

[lornak]

Thanks for the report...interesting on the different times they let you in the park, will definately be in line early (we are staying at disney not universal). If you are in the single rider line have you ever gotton to ride next to the person in your party????

Actually, twice two of us were seated together in the single rider line. The other times we were separated. It is true that it doesn't really matter---you can't see the person next to you. We thought the single rider line on FJ was a great way to ride multiple times!!

 

[Hogwarts_Is_Real]

I'm glad your daughter was so calm about the guy throwing on her! I would have probably thrown up on top of the stranger's throw up...haha.

Would you suggest we bring extra clothes if we want to ride the Jurassic Park and the other water coasters you mentioned? I didn't think about that. We're trying to carry as little as possible to avoid locker lines...

 

[lornak]

I'm glad your daughter was so calm about the guy throwing on her! I would have probably thrown up on top of the stranger's throw up...haha.

Would you suggest we bring extra clothes if we want to ride the Jurassic Park and the other water coasters you mentioned? I didn't think about that. We're trying to carry as little as possible to avoid locker lines...

I ordered the book that was recommended on this board--Universal Orlando. It was that book that suggested we bring a change of clothes. We were SO GLAD we had them. We were truly soaked to the bone after the three water rides. JP wasn't bad and we rode that another day when we didn't have a change of clothes. That was more of a flume with a "misting" of water. On DD we got really wet but on Popeye's we were literally dripping wet, soaked to the bone.

It was a pain to have the bag and have to use lockers all day. But in the end TOTALLY worth it to us. It would have been very miserable to have been that wet all day. And, we didn't want to skip the water rides---so this worked well for us!!

 

[Lucky4me]

Great report!
Only thing I'm concerned about now is motion sickness on FJ.
If it's like Mission Space, I'm in trouble. That one had me spinning for hours.
I love Spiderman, haven't been on Simpsons yet. Love Star Tours, TOT, Soarin and RnRC.
I have no idea what FJ will do to me. With all these reports, it sounds like it may be rough.
I hope the ginger supplements help! I wish there was another med I could take that won't make me wired or wiped out.

 

[Jennasis]

When we rode FJ 3 weeks ago I was VERY VERY close to being the one who puked on my neighbor (thankfully it was DH on one side and DM on the other). I was so sick at the end of the ride that I nearly collapsed at the exit, next to a lady yacking in a garbage can. Then the fam dragged me on Dragon Challenge and that did me in. had to sit on a bench, white as a sheet, sweating bullets and shaking like a leaf for a good 1/2 hour.

 

[Planogirl]

There is just one area that bothers me on FJ. It's in the castle and you kind of swoop up and down. I hang on and close my eyes and it passes.

If you think it might get to you, I suggest no food before hand and take Dramamine or whatever you take for motion sickness. You just never know.

 

[aubriee]

If you are in the single rider line have you ever gotton to ride next to the person in your party????

When we were there last month my husband and I went through the single rider line three times, then when we got to the top aksed for the modified seating. All three times we were in the same bench, but sitting on opposite ends in the modified end seats.

There is just one area that bothers me on FJ. It's in the castle and you kind of swoop up and down. I hang on and close my eyes and it passes.

I think I know the area you are talking about: right after you see Hagrid, then immediately after you see the dragon for the first time, where you sort of go up then drop down? I don't get sick at all, but do sort of lose my stomach (just an uncomfortable feeling). My husband who has never gotten sick on a ride says the very first part where you go through the chimneys using the floo network got him every time.