Ioa -

[malcolm silcock]

Holiday from May 19th to June 2nd

Staying at Shadow Bay Apartments, Kissimmee.

Players –

Orion (Malcolm) – 40 year old, Story teller, Grump and Organiser (if things go wrong).

DW (Maria – Spanyardo) – 34 years old, Saver of holiday money, Proposer of holiday and Organiser (if things go OK).

DS (Ben) – 14 years old, six foot tall (going through the spot zone just now), very laid back (in love with ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ aren’t we all).

DD (Katie) – 12 years old, two foot tall, is going to be an actress or a barmaid, unable to talk so sings everything to you (and anyone else that will listen).

DS (Keiran) – 5 years old (Autistic) provider of the most fun and biggest problems.

DM (Elva) – 260 years old pixie, thrill freak and recipient of the largest food portions in USA.

DF (Roy) – 200 year old water park and water ride expert, talked a good talk about riding thrill rides but total score for the holiday – NIL.


Day 7 Thursday
Islands of Adventure

Don’t remember what time we got up but it wasn’t early. I’m looking forward to today’s pending activities – it’s my choice of park and IOA and it wasn’t open last year. According to all the material I’ve read it’s thrill ride city!!

Well, DF has put his order in for the breakfast venue – Ponderosa, cause it’s got ice-cream on the buffet, would you believe to – worse than the kids.

OK, after our usual visit to breakfast at Ponderosa for the eat all you want for $3.00 with the normal 300 options choice, we’ve back in the truck and heading for IOA.

Disabled parking facilities are great here and easy to follow (we took our ‘orange pass’ and showed it to the parking attendant while paying – no problems).

Into the Universal ‘City Walk’ – entrance area where all the clubs and shops, etc (same route as Universal Studios) are then walk to the left to IOA (rather than right to US). It was a little busy at the entrance but hey it only opened this year so we expected that. ‘Man’ it’s real hot already. I seem to remember we lost BS (Ben) here, just as we all went into the park, unfortunately he managed to find us fairly quickly before we could run away and really lose him – hay ho!

We went round the park ‘clock wise’ just because ‘The Incredible Hulk’ ride was one of my must do’s and it’s to the right as you enter. Me, DS and DD are up for it – the thrill ride pretender to the crown - DF didn’t go for it (again). Queue time was short and in next to no time you’re in the ‘Hulk’ car pointing up through a tunnel to the light ahead. First thing you know you’ve been fired up and out the tunnel like a cannon ball, God it’s a real fast take-off, then you’re up, down in, out, all over the place – great fun, really a must do for thrill riders of all ages. I lost a baseball cap on this ride, stupid or what, had it for years and ALWAYS’s take it off for these rides, must have been real excited and forgot. I think they fish about 300 hats out of each ride a day, you can get them sent on to your home if you go to the customer services point and fill-out a form, they’ll post it on to you. I never got round to doing this, to many things to do and see than to chase an old cap. Anyway the Hulk was great and I would have gone back for a second go but too much yet to see and do – onward, onward.

Next Dr Dooms ride – this time DM came with us which surprised me and also worried me as she only just got in on the height restriction and she would have been upset if she had been refused entry. This was a longer queue than the Hulk and although an amazing thrill (don’t eat before this one), it’s all over very quickly - basically you sit on a ride seat facing out from the tower and your catapulted up the tower.

Spiderman had a real big queue and we decided to give it a miss but pick it up on the way back – we didn’t as we ran out of time!

Subsequently we found ourselves in what seems like a rash of kiddie water rides (don’t be fooled by the kiddie appearance of these – their great fun for all ages). You get wet –real wet, you can’t avoid it. There’s ‘ Dudley Do-Rights Ripsaw Falls’ (my fav) and Popeye’s ride. Everyone went on these and DF went on them more than once (well he was proving to be the water ride king).

The park was very well laid out and the themes and scenery are fantastic – like being in a movie scene just great, Jurassic Park, and the Lost Continent, Poseidon’s underwater world, every themed area is very, very well put together. We tried to do it in one day and failed big time.

The sick Dino was a bit of a let-down, espesally as there was a long queue for it. But there’s a great ride into the world of Dino’s that ends in a great water fall drop – great fun.

Oh, the duelling dragons were great, a real long thrill ride, DD and me went on them, again no queues to speak of.

And there was a water ride between the Duelling Dragons and Seuss landing, but I missed it – next time!

By now we were starting to run out of time and we wanted to give DS (Keiran) some time at Seuss Landing. There was a fun run around play area here, which was great for him as he’d been sat in his buggy most of the day and needed to let some energy lose. There was also a fish ride that he liked and had a couple of goes at while the rest of us had a drink while watching him and DS in the fish.

I was starting to have a problem with a left leg at this time (an old injury received in a traffic accident many years ago that played up some times if I over did it on my pins. I have to really over do it in order for it to play up though), so I rested it up to reduce the swelling. I mention this not for the sympathy vote just that things happen later on that are connected.

I don’t remember eating anything in IOA and I suspect that if we did it would have been a quick snack, up to the normal standards and a little over priced as all the parks are compared to the rest of the local market.

The end of another park and we walk back to the truck tied and happy or in my case - hop away to the truck tied and happy.

IOA – I liked it, it’s got something for the young kids, middle kiddies and adult kids!

Back in Kissimmee and we chose ‘ Tony Aromas’ for the evening meal – it was great (a Ruby Tuesday’s type of place), ribs, chicken, steaks, an All-American family restaurant, it must have been good we went back another day.

Katie’s birthday’s tomorrow so DF and DM were dropped off at Wal-Mart to get the missing bits for her birthday in the morning. Got back to the apartment at about 11.30, wrapped the pressies and get to bed about midnight.

By now the leg from the knee down is swollen up to twice it’s normal size and is one massive red bruise. But with my weight off it and a nights sleep it should be good for the morning, cause it’s DD choice (her birthday) and we’ve off to ‘Animal Kingdom’ tomorrow.