fizz13
<font color=33cc99>Dreams about being stuck on Spa
- Joined
- May 6, 2004
- Messages
- 5,791
January 6
Hooray hooray for IOA! A fairly relaxed start to the day as we were starting to run on overload. The plan was to just go when ready this morning, so we left about 9:30, after a relaxed breakfast in the apartment. I knew we wouldn't be doing everything today as our kids were just to young to get much out of this park, but I had been waiting a long time to try the rides here so I didn't want to miss out altogether.
I can't remember exactly where we parked but I know it involved about 4 moving walkways so by the time you get through Citywalk as well you're about ready for a rest. I know, very lazy. We made our way to Port of Entry and saw the all day express passes for sale. This seemed like a good idea as we didn't want the kids to have to wait around all day without many rewards for them. These secured, we picked up a stroller and we were on our way, avoiding the park photographer. Really, I have better things to do. Hulk was first stop, with no wait time really, but we used the express line anyway. We nearly got lost using this path as there are other routes through the line you could use and honestly it looked like we were heading out the back door but we made it. Ok, I have mixed feelings about this ride as its a bit of a headbanger
. It has the starting rush like RnR and then cruises through its loops etc. But I have to concentrate so hard on not getting bashed about that I just can't enjoy it. (I feel the same way about Space Mountain at DLP). I think I would do it again but not over and over. While we did babyswap, I took Cara and Dean on Storm Force which is teacups with strobe effects. They loved it, I can pass.
Making our way round and on to Spiderman. i had heard descriptions of this ride but none of them do it justice as to how much you are going to be wowed by the effects in here. A moving ride in a simulator style car with a wrap round 3-D movie, through the city. The kids were terrified, I was terrified (even of Spidey) and Doc Oc got way too close. Beautifully done though, with a feeling of freefall thrown in. I know I was scared, but TRY IT ! Dr Doom didn't look that impressive close up so decided to skip this one. Pretzels, hot dogs and cokes later, we were ready to go on. We passed a theatre on the left that was filming Fear factor that day and while passing, a car came whizzing down the street with the X-Men in it. Now ladies, I don't know about you, but you think of Wolverine and you see Hugh jackman. This guy IN NO WAY came close. If you are going to be wearing skin-tight lycra, then please think about toning up. This is not a dig at larger people in the slightest and Lyndsay shared my view at a healthy size 22, so watch out. This guy may shatter your dreams in an instant.
What next? Oh yeah, we saw Popeye, Olive and Woody Woodpecker who Lyndsay had to have pictures with. Its funny, I don't think of character meetings when I think of Universal, but they were here in abundance and without the great lines you encounter at Disney. Such a nice change. Time for a soaking me thinks...Popeye's Bilge rat Barges. I had high hopes for this ride as I know it is Ms Penny Lane's favourite ride (hi Anz!) and I knew there was a fair chance we were gonna get soaked....let me tell you this ride is like going for a swim
The water came right up over Cara's legs several times up to her middle, plus the overhead water in to the mix. Thinking about it, i should have just brought my cossie. Poor Cara 
!! She was so uncomfortable that we all split up to try and find dry clothes for her. T-shirts no problem, but shorts are impossible to find for a 5 year old girl. We settled for Spongebob trackie bottoms and a Dora the Explorer T-shirt (which is her favourite) and she felt better. In between the riding etc. Dean had been playing on Me Ship, The Olive. Well, here comes a mixup. James thought Dean had come with me to the toilets and I though he was with james. 
Hence, frantic shouting and running back and forth. Alex says, I bet i know where to look, and sure enough, there he was, firing water cannons and happy as Larry (whoever that is!)
Panic attack over and children all dry and accounted for, we head over the bridge. The waterfall ride looked like so mcuh fun but as i had just got dry it seemed pointless to get wet agin, so we pressed on to Jurassic Park. Another toilet break was needed and at this point I started to lose it. Why do we need another break when we have been in Toon lagoon for 45 minutes hunting clothes and being in bathrooms? James won't make a decision but doesn't want to be organised by me, Dean's fed up because he's too small to ride and I just want to go home... Aaaahh! Ok, lets ride the River Adventure. james decides to opt out and look after our boys, which i think is him taking a sulky stand against my sulk so the rest of us go on. Eer,..not very good is it? Its ok, but I wasn't terrified, its a bit short and the dinos just aren't that real. I should have stayed with the boys maybe... anyway food time. I think we all split burgers and pizzas now, and I had a nosey in the Discovery Centre of about 2 minutes, because if it doesn't involve a ride, no one else is interested. I lose!
And on to the next land. Who feels rushed here? ME. The kids spotted Flying Unicorn so me and Lyndsay went on with Cara and Dean. Quite zippy isn't it? Good fun though and just right for them. On to bigger fish (ok dragons) and time for the Duellinmg Dragons. I was really looking forward to this one. We let James and Alex go first and we started to wait..and wait... and wait....and wait.. do you see where this is going? We couldn't understand it. Had they stumbled into the regular line instead of Express? Had it broken down? What is going on?! An hour and 15 mins later, the boys reappear. They hadn't realised it had been that long and it was a great ride. Woohoo for you boys
Lyndsay didn't want to do it at all at this point if the wait was that long in Express but I was not going to walk away from this ride. I told the others to go on ahead and I would meet them in Suess Landing. I went round to express entrance and it did not seem a big deal until I went right inside. A sea of people met me and express just seemed to join in. Anyone could push their way through and it was so slow to load, with just one coaster on each track. I was fairly near the front so I just thought i'd be polite and wait it out. Big mistake. At this point, I could see single seats being left and here I was all alone. i shouted for the attendant and she just said sorry, she had to load in exact order.. The people in front of me decided she had no clue what she was doing and ordered me to the front of our row as the next rider was also single so we should pair up together. Thankyou to people with common sense that day, and Universal, consider a singles line for the future, ok. Total wait time was 25 minutes, which is better than the boys but still a little crazy to my mind.
I caught up with the others just inside the entrance to Suess landing. That was fast, said the boys, Yes it was, I replied smugly. We caught most of the Grinch show which was their Xmas offering. What alot of makeup that must take but a great show, just like the movie. We then worked our way around the rides, getting wet agin on Red fish, blue fish, the carrousel. and Cat in the Hat, which Charlie couldn't ride because he didn't have shoes on. Once I'd ridden it, I could see how it might be too much for a very little one, but frustrating because I'd thought we'd be able to ride this one together. After this, we were exhausted and ready for home. Time was 2:30 which was pretty good although we had missed a lot of detail but I had got a feel for the park and done what I wanted to do so generally happy.
back to the apartment and time to snooze. we had booked a babysitter with Kids Nite Out so they arrived at 7:30 and the grownups had their turn to play. Disneyquest was first on our list, which me and james had to pay extra for but was included on Alex and Lyndsay's tickets. pricey I thought. i think we covered the major attractions and we got an attack of the giggles on the river raft ride when I got wet unexpectedly. On to PI. I had heard about the Adventurer's Club so we piled in. The others didn't get it at first, because they didn't know about the show. When I explained they relaxed with their drinks (the first of many cocktails) while we waited. The show was hysterical and I now understand the fuss.I would go back in an instant and it makes a nice contrast to the rest of PI. We tried the Beach Club and had a few games of pool while also drooling over the long haired guitar player from the band. Looked in the other clubs, but they seemed over crowded and noisy. maybe I'm getting too old for this... Watched the fireworks with another cocktail in hand and then decided to stagger to the taxi rank. A really fun night and feeling a little woozy to say the least.
Oh my gosh, I have to be up early tomorrow for a date with a castle, OH OH!
Hooray hooray for IOA! A fairly relaxed start to the day as we were starting to run on overload. The plan was to just go when ready this morning, so we left about 9:30, after a relaxed breakfast in the apartment. I knew we wouldn't be doing everything today as our kids were just to young to get much out of this park, but I had been waiting a long time to try the rides here so I didn't want to miss out altogether.
I can't remember exactly where we parked but I know it involved about 4 moving walkways so by the time you get through Citywalk as well you're about ready for a rest. I know, very lazy. We made our way to Port of Entry and saw the all day express passes for sale. This seemed like a good idea as we didn't want the kids to have to wait around all day without many rewards for them. These secured, we picked up a stroller and we were on our way, avoiding the park photographer. Really, I have better things to do. Hulk was first stop, with no wait time really, but we used the express line anyway. We nearly got lost using this path as there are other routes through the line you could use and honestly it looked like we were heading out the back door but we made it. Ok, I have mixed feelings about this ride as its a bit of a headbanger
. It has the starting rush like RnR and then cruises through its loops etc. But I have to concentrate so hard on not getting bashed about that I just can't enjoy it. (I feel the same way about Space Mountain at DLP). I think I would do it again but not over and over. While we did babyswap, I took Cara and Dean on Storm Force which is teacups with strobe effects. They loved it, I can pass.Making our way round and on to Spiderman. i had heard descriptions of this ride but none of them do it justice as to how much you are going to be wowed by the effects in here. A moving ride in a simulator style car with a wrap round 3-D movie, through the city. The kids were terrified, I was terrified (even of Spidey) and Doc Oc got way too close. Beautifully done though, with a feeling of freefall thrown in. I know I was scared, but TRY IT ! Dr Doom didn't look that impressive close up so decided to skip this one. Pretzels, hot dogs and cokes later, we were ready to go on. We passed a theatre on the left that was filming Fear factor that day and while passing, a car came whizzing down the street with the X-Men in it. Now ladies, I don't know about you, but you think of Wolverine and you see Hugh jackman. This guy IN NO WAY came close. If you are going to be wearing skin-tight lycra, then please think about toning up. This is not a dig at larger people in the slightest and Lyndsay shared my view at a healthy size 22, so watch out. This guy may shatter your dreams in an instant.
What next? Oh yeah, we saw Popeye, Olive and Woody Woodpecker who Lyndsay had to have pictures with. Its funny, I don't think of character meetings when I think of Universal, but they were here in abundance and without the great lines you encounter at Disney. Such a nice change. Time for a soaking me thinks...Popeye's Bilge rat Barges. I had high hopes for this ride as I know it is Ms Penny Lane's favourite ride (hi Anz!) and I knew there was a fair chance we were gonna get soaked....let me tell you this ride is like going for a swim
The water came right up over Cara's legs several times up to her middle, plus the overhead water in to the mix. Thinking about it, i should have just brought my cossie. Poor Cara !! She was so uncomfortable that we all split up to try and find dry clothes for her. T-shirts no problem, but shorts are impossible to find for a 5 year old girl. We settled for Spongebob trackie bottoms and a Dora the Explorer T-shirt (which is her favourite) and she felt better. In between the riding etc. Dean had been playing on Me Ship, The Olive. Well, here comes a mixup. James thought Dean had come with me to the toilets and I though he was with james. Hence, frantic shouting and running back and forth. Alex says, I bet i know where to look, and sure enough, there he was, firing water cannons and happy as Larry (whoever that is!)Panic attack over and children all dry and accounted for, we head over the bridge. The waterfall ride looked like so mcuh fun but as i had just got dry it seemed pointless to get wet agin, so we pressed on to Jurassic Park. Another toilet break was needed and at this point I started to lose it. Why do we need another break when we have been in Toon lagoon for 45 minutes hunting clothes and being in bathrooms? James won't make a decision but doesn't want to be organised by me, Dean's fed up because he's too small to ride and I just want to go home... Aaaahh! Ok, lets ride the River Adventure. james decides to opt out and look after our boys, which i think is him taking a sulky stand against my sulk so the rest of us go on. Eer,..not very good is it? Its ok, but I wasn't terrified, its a bit short and the dinos just aren't that real. I should have stayed with the boys maybe... anyway food time. I think we all split burgers and pizzas now, and I had a nosey in the Discovery Centre of about 2 minutes, because if it doesn't involve a ride, no one else is interested. I lose!
And on to the next land. Who feels rushed here? ME. The kids spotted Flying Unicorn so me and Lyndsay went on with Cara and Dean. Quite zippy isn't it? Good fun though and just right for them. On to bigger fish (ok dragons) and time for the Duellinmg Dragons. I was really looking forward to this one. We let James and Alex go first and we started to wait..and wait... and wait....and wait.. do you see where this is going? We couldn't understand it. Had they stumbled into the regular line instead of Express? Had it broken down? What is going on?! An hour and 15 mins later, the boys reappear. They hadn't realised it had been that long and it was a great ride. Woohoo for you boys
Lyndsay didn't want to do it at all at this point if the wait was that long in Express but I was not going to walk away from this ride. I told the others to go on ahead and I would meet them in Suess Landing. I went round to express entrance and it did not seem a big deal until I went right inside. A sea of people met me and express just seemed to join in. Anyone could push their way through and it was so slow to load, with just one coaster on each track. I was fairly near the front so I just thought i'd be polite and wait it out. Big mistake. At this point, I could see single seats being left and here I was all alone. i shouted for the attendant and she just said sorry, she had to load in exact order.. The people in front of me decided she had no clue what she was doing and ordered me to the front of our row as the next rider was also single so we should pair up together. Thankyou to people with common sense that day, and Universal, consider a singles line for the future, ok. Total wait time was 25 minutes, which is better than the boys but still a little crazy to my mind.I caught up with the others just inside the entrance to Suess landing. That was fast, said the boys, Yes it was, I replied smugly. We caught most of the Grinch show which was their Xmas offering. What alot of makeup that must take but a great show, just like the movie. We then worked our way around the rides, getting wet agin on Red fish, blue fish, the carrousel. and Cat in the Hat, which Charlie couldn't ride because he didn't have shoes on. Once I'd ridden it, I could see how it might be too much for a very little one, but frustrating because I'd thought we'd be able to ride this one together. After this, we were exhausted and ready for home. Time was 2:30 which was pretty good although we had missed a lot of detail but I had got a feel for the park and done what I wanted to do so generally happy.
back to the apartment and time to snooze. we had booked a babysitter with Kids Nite Out so they arrived at 7:30 and the grownups had their turn to play. Disneyquest was first on our list, which me and james had to pay extra for but was included on Alex and Lyndsay's tickets. pricey I thought. i think we covered the major attractions and we got an attack of the giggles on the river raft ride when I got wet unexpectedly. On to PI. I had heard about the Adventurer's Club so we piled in. The others didn't get it at first, because they didn't know about the show. When I explained they relaxed with their drinks (the first of many cocktails) while we waited. The show was hysterical and I now understand the fuss.I would go back in an instant and it makes a nice contrast to the rest of PI. We tried the Beach Club and had a few games of pool while also drooling over the long haired guitar player from the band. Looked in the other clubs, but they seemed over crowded and noisy. maybe I'm getting too old for this... Watched the fireworks with another cocktail in hand and then decided to stagger to the taxi rank. A really fun night and feeling a little woozy to say the least.
Oh my gosh, I have to be up early tomorrow for a date with a castle, OH OH!
hope you enjoyed the ride, sorry Cara got so soaked though, it can be so uncomfortable to be that wet! Thanks for sharing 
) so its nice to imagine being there reading other people's trippies
Yes, I loved the ride Anz and so did Cara, its just the drying off after that's the problem.
