Day THREE, TUESDAY, or the day when everyone was in a bad mood for one reason or another.....
Looking back on this day, I feel like it's pretty obvious where we went wrong and where we could have done better. It mostly breaks down to hunger and over tiredness not just for the kids but for the adults as well. But for many reasons, Tuesday had the ups and downs. It wasn't all bad but it definitely wasn't all roses either.
Tuesday the kids woke up early, like 6:30am. DS had a stuffed up nose, which is not unusual for him because he does suffer from seasonal allergies. He used to snore like a freight train but we had his tonsils and adenoids removed and the snoring disappeared. This morning though, DS decided since he was up, we should all join him so up we got. We had already determined if we were to ever make it on Gringott's it was going to need to be first thing in the morning. So we decided to eat a quick bite a Starbucks and then get over to Universal before the parks opened at 8. We got to Starbucks and nothing appealed to me, so I decided to forgo breakfast. This probably wasn't a great move but I'm not a coffee person and I don't like the food at Starbucks in general. We managed to make it to the entrance about twenty minutes before 8 and got in the park and the line for Gringotts easily. Once again, DD didn't want to ride. She was concerned it would be dark, fast and scary and it kind of is all three of those so we just did the child swap again. Ominously, I felt a little motion sick not on the ride but on the elevator leading down to the ride. That didn't seem like a great sign to me. My ears didn't feel right from the airplane even on Tuesday so that may have contributed to it. However, I was ok on the ride. I just can't help wishing it was actual coaster more like the Mummy though. I just don't love the screens and 3-D glasses, even though I do like the ride (and especially the queue). After DH rode, we headed out to the Hogwart's Express and Islands of Adventure again. I'm not sure why we kept heading to Universal only to go to Islands forty-five minutes later but I can say if you want to get on the Hogwart's Express with no wait at all that's the time to do it. We're the only family who gets to a park and decides to switch immediately, I suppose.
Once we got to Hogsmeade I was hungry so we sent DH and DS off to ride Kong while DD and I stayed and got watermelon and water from one of the Hogsmeade kiosks. It was exactly what I needed, refreshing and sweet but not a muffin or a piece of cake like Starbucks would have been. DD and I rode the Hippogriff a few times in a row, with DD determining it probably is faster than Woody but that it is much more fun because it's longer. We decided to ride the Pteranodon Flyers after this and texted DH and DS, who were riding the River Adventure yet again. It's pretty fortunate that the River Adventure always is an Express walk-on for us, at least to this point. DS loves it and tries to chat up anyone in our row. DD and I got in line for the Flyers and it was 45 long minutes, like it usually is, but the weather was so nice it really wasn't bad. Or it shouldn't have been. Midway through our wait, DH texted us that the Express line for Kong alone is 50 minutes so he and DS are going to just ride the River Adventure again. And again. At this point, DD is starting to act up in line. She kept sticking her hands in her eyes, nose, mouth, just to irritate me because I had been asking her NOT to do this, as it makes getting sick far more likely. She was getting obnoxious enough about it that I threatened to pull her from the line, but I think she could tell I couldn't possibly be serious. Even as I was saying it, I knew I wouldn't follow through. Until she did it again flagrantly and I yanked her from the line. We were about 10 people from riding as well, but I knew I needed to make a stand. So as she's hollering "Noooooooooo!" I pull us from the line and sit fuming waiting for DH and DS.
Things were going downhill fast so we decided to eat a super early lunch and try to get in at Toothsome. It was exactly 11am when we got there and we were seated immediately. DD at this point was in full whine mode.....she liked nothing on the menu (she hadn't seen the dessert menu yet), it was too hot (it wasn't), where was our food (we hadn't even ordered yet), etc. etc. Everyone is in a bad mood at this point, especially me. I guess watermelon just doesn't cut it as a filling breakfast? Maybe because I wasn't sleeping well? Who knows. Anyway, Toothsome was empty except for us and a few other tables. So I could not for the life of me understand why it was taking them so long with our order. Our waitress was attentive and we put in our order in a timely way, but it just took so long to actually get the food. I knew from reading these boards that the waits could be extreme here and I guess I can completely vouch for this fact. What I can't figure out is why. I ordered the fried zucchini as an appetizer and a flatbread. It was ok, not bad, but nothing memorable either. DH had a pork entree that was super spicy, DS ordered a burger and DD had the chicken fingers, which she actually enjoyed a great deal, despite her insistence that chicken tenders are generally terrible. She also is the world's only kid who hates french fries. So you can see why restaurant ordering with her can be a giant pain.
It was then that I noticed the Penelope and Jacques characters going table to table and here I have to really hand it to these actors. Because even though I am sure we were all just sitting there waiting for our desserts quietly, somehow Penelope sensed not to linger at our table. She was awesome at sensing the bad vibes. She lingered at a table before us for ten solid minutes, while I sat and wondered what on earth we would say to her and sorely wishing she would bypass us because we were so not in the mood. But somehow she knew. She breezed by and remarked that the kids' wands were oversized chopsticks and that was it. It was exactly the right note to strike with us because we must have looked like a very sour bunch at that point. The desserts were taking as long as the food. When they arrived though, they were really good. I mean, really good. The waitress told us they were huge to warn us and we told her we knew we wouldn't finish them but it was ok. But even that warning didn't truly convey how enormous the sundaes were. One of them could have fed a family of four. The kids ordered one each. I ordered the brownie milkshake and I thought it was great (DH shared everyone's desserts). However after the fifth or sixth drink I suddenly realized how incredibly sweet it was and just couldn't eat another bite. DS was so impressed by his sundae and his general meal though, he told us he wanted to compliment the chef, which was really cute. He went down to the seating hostess and paid his compliments, and I could tell from her face (and the face of the waitress standing next to her) that it made their day. So the 10 year old gave it two thumbs up. I think the desserts are amazing and should probably be tried at least once, but the food is just OK. It isn't bad by any means, but there is no way lunch should have taken the hour and twenty minutes it did at 11am in a mostly deserted restaurant.
After lunch we made the tactical error of the day.....we returned to Islands of Adventure. I don't know why, I guess we figured everyone was cranky from not being well-fed? And that a giant meal of immense sugar would do the trick? Not sure what I was thinking. It was the hottest part of the day and even though it wasn't too hot, it just feels different in a sea of people when you are exposed fully to the sun. So we decided to ride Popeye, another ride DD refused last year but decided to try this year. She didn't want to get wet (Which is weird considering how she loves the pool) so we bought her a poncho. I'd like to say she had a great time, but she didn't like it. She was tense about hills the whole ride, and I couldn't remember if there was a big dip or not in the ride. Plus when that water hits you, it's pretty forceful.We all got absolutely soaked and she was mostly dry in her poncho. After Popeye, DH and DD decided to go back to the Hippogriff again and DS and I went on River Adventure again because why not. You're already absolutely soaked, how much worse can it get. We got an unpleasant surprise in that the Express line was snaking out of the entrance. This has never happened to us before in the history of going to these parks. I was so confused by it I asked the attendant if he was sure it was the Express line even I know darn well where the Express line is. It was about a 15 minute wait, which is maybe the longest I've waited for this ride in 15 years.
Then DS and I went to the Hippogriff to ride with DH and DD and DS said he felt sick on the ride. He was grumbly about riding the Hippogriff anyway so I wasn't sure if he was being surly or not but I have to say the immense crowds of Hogsmeade were starting to get to all of us. The final straw for me was the enormous line to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. So we decided to get out of Islands.....and go to Universal. Tactical error number two. I don't know why we did this instead of just leaving and coming back later. After a very grumbly ride on the Hogwart's Express, I took DS to get some water and find a bathroom while DH and DD went to ride Woody Woodpecker and Men in Black. DS just wanted to shop in Weasley Wizard Wheezes and in the sweet shop, which was fine, but considering the lunch we had, there was no way I was going to let him get anything. Then he wandered around doing spells, but even those got old once he saw the enormous lines. Incidentally, the one in Knockturn Alley where you have to make the rat climb the little chimney is one that almost never has a line. I don't think most people see it's there.
I asked DS if he wanted to ride anything, but he nixed the Mummy and Rip Ride Rockit because he just didn't feel great. At this point, I said let's just return to the room. DS made some noise about wanting to watch TV which I was really annoyed about as we obviously don't go on vacation to sit in a room and watch TV. So he huffed all the way back to Portofino and sat sulking in the room until he suddenly announced he felt just fine and wanted to go back to the parks. At this point, DH and DD were on their way back, I was in a late afternoon coma and there was absolutely no way I was going back to the parks. We needed to decompress and maybe make a plan for a quiet dinner. I had hopes to eat somewhere in Portofino or maybe CityWalk. However, DS and DD announced they wanted room service again. DH and I didn't want to do this because you're at Universal and while room service is nice to do once, you don't make it a nightly event. Then DD decided she wanted to go to the pool AGAIN and this is where I drew the line. I knew if we went to the pool, it would be poolside service or room service and I wanted to go to dinner and not do those things again. But only DH was on my side and eventually, I just gave in to the pool because I was at about zero in terms of patience. At this point, the sugar high from Toothsome was long gone, I was hungry (we were all hungry, I think), everyone was angry at each other and DS was loudly complaining that he didn't even want to go to the pool, and why couldn't he just watch TV. It was a low point, for sure.
At the pool, only DD played while everyone else sulked and I think I fell asleep at one point, which was welcome. DS read a book. DH dozed off. When I woke up we decided to go to the Trattoria del Porto, which you don't need to be dressed up for and was about a 50 foot walk from the pool. We brought down clothes to change DD, and ate a nice, not spectacular, but very solid meal that was sorely needed. Everyone's mood improved drastically once we got some food. Even though Toothsome was an enormous meal, it had been hours and hours ago and everyone really needed to eat. At this point it's around 8:00pm and I make a remark to DS, who is now in a happy mood, that the parks are open till 10 and if he's up for say, the Hulk, I am too. He jumped at the chance. Everyone decided to head back to the parks at night, which was the smartest decision we made all day.
Back at the parks, DS and I rode the Hulk which was an incredible ride at night. The evening really energized everybody....the parks were emptying out, there was no more sun.....amazing what a difference that makes. DS wanted to ride the River Adventure again and so we did. DD and DH rode the Hippogriff (anyone surprised?) and the Pteranodon Flyers successfully, which must have been super cool at night. DS and I made it back to the room well before DH and DD did. I was feeling very pleased about salvaging the day, and already making a plan for the next day that included park time at night and NOT in the afternoon. I realize this concept has already occurred to just about everyone else that goes to Disney or Universal who reads these boards, but to this point we just haven't done it. This is the vacation where I finally realized it's beyond silly not to, it's not worth trying to force fun in the parks, especially when you are packed in like sardines. Yay for revelations!
The last park day coming next.....