Just Got Back Today! Trip Report with Pics

[KStarfish82]

Awesome trip report and pictures! We're from NY State also so your tips on Wal-Mart and the golden corral are great resources for us when we go in December / Jan. My kids are just going bananas over all the fun things you've done!

Any other great tips for us NY Staters would be awesome!

Thxs again for the great trip report & pics

Do you happen to drive or to fly?

 

[cheetara]

We will be driving from our home town below Syracuse, NY.

 

[KStarfish82]

We will be driving from our home town below Syracuse, NY.

Don't know if you have experience driving down that way, but here are a few pointers....

Get gas in Jersey and the Carolinas...definitely cheaper.

Do NOT stop at South of the Border...pretty to look at, but really creepy!

Keep an eye out for those 24 hour Denny's...always nice to know that you can stop for a snack.

Stop at the Florida welcome center for free OJ.


I have been doing this trip 2-3 times a year in the 24 years I have been on this planet. Still love every second!

 

[cheetara]

We've driven several times to the SC and know exactly what you mean by the South of the Border, verrrry creeepy place! LOL

any other good pointers for down by UO/IOA?

 

[robvia]

Great TR, and you were very smart to arrive WnW early each morning. By the afternoon, the lines for the slides are long.

I'm not sure why people don't post about it. Most talk about restaurants, or they stay onsite and visit the pool.

 

[KStarfish82]

We've driven several times to the SC and know exactly what you mean by the South of the Border, verrrry creeepy place! LOL

any other good pointers for down by UO/IOA?

Let's see......

Always get there at least a half an hour before the park opens. Sometimes those ticket booths for parking have a ridiculously long line.

Don't do the same routine everyday. Like when we went to IOA, we usually would head left and do Hulk, Spiderman, Doom, etc... If you have a chance, go the opposite way for a morning. You could do Suess Landing and Dueling Dragons a number of times with no wait.

Do the Meal Deal at least once....I promise you won't regret it!!!

Get your tickets BEFORE you go to the park.

Go on Shrek early when you go to US, that gets a looooong line.

Hope these tips help.

Now to finish this TR.

 

[KStarfish82]

Day 7.....The last day......

We had packed much of our stuff the previous night, so we only had a few things to put in the van. Boy were we packed! And we didn't even buy that much!

We head off to IOA and completed our last rides of Hulk, Spidey, and all the rest. Then we bid IOA a fond farewell.

Then off to US. We redeemed out Meal Tickets (had to go out with a bang!)

We rounded all of the rides again, enjoying a variety of meals as we went.


At about 7:30 my mother and sister went to go get us seats on the sidewalk at the parade while we grabbed some last meals.

We sat down at about 8 and waited patiently for the parade.

Then it started. I love the Mardi Gras parade, but it turned into pure chaos. It started off with everyone calm and grabbing the beads that came to THEM. But that was short lived.

We had a bunch of teenage girls and a family of foreigners (not being offensive, just telling an accurate story) running in front of us and grabbing them out of our hands. At one point, a huge girl jumped up practrically on top of me and came down right below my ankle. I got a chunk of skin taken off (at least 2 inches) and was bleeding. (I still have the scabs)

Well, I could have backed off at that point and been a good sport...but being a born New Yorker, that was not an option. So I had elbows out, not to hurt others, but to protect myself! At one point my brother had a necklace in his hands, and that same teenager tried to grab it away from him!! So being a gentlemen, instead of letting the girl take them, he broke them so no one would have them. I know it seems cruel, but this girl nearly broke my ankle!

So we must have had 50 necklaces among us, we left happy. We joined the crowds exiting the park and walking to their cars.

Into the van we go for the 20 hour ride home....a great vacation comes to an end, but one 4 months til August!

Mardi Gras Lady

Floats

More Floats

Tall women

Hope this one isn't too risque.....

 

[macraven]

you did the state of new york proud.


never let go of the beads...........


i would have done the same thing as your brother......

 

[cheetara]

you did the state of new york proud.


never let go of the beads...........


i would have done the same thing as your brother......

Absolutely! Us New Yorker have to fight back. . .
Honestly I would have the same exact thing

 

[Disney owl]

Great report & photos thanks

 

[jewell]

Great report! Thanks for posting! But I do have a question what is 'South of the Border'????

 

[cheetara]

Great report! Thanks for posting! But I do have a question what is 'South of the Border'????

South of the Border is Carnival "Mexican" town just over the border of South Carolina & North Carolina on I 95. Kinda weird place with oversize bldings and attractions. The kids get a kick out the place since it's so carnival like.

 

[jewell]

sorry double post!

 

[jewell]

oh okay, never heard of it before, but thankfully my kids are kind of young (12 10 and 8) so we definitely won't say anything about that place!!! Thanks for the heads up!

 

[MickeyPooh]

Oh no she didn't...see now I live in Dutchess cty. NY but I'm from Bklyn, and I'm sorry but the girll grabbing da beads would've grabbed a nice toss around too....better you than me, but sum people are just friggin' rude....I know it's just beads but who was she to be just grabbin things like she owned them..... Gurrl she lucky my fm wasn't the one she pushed and took beads away from cuz da bklyn ghetto would've come out ....lol.....don't get me wrong wouldnt had made a scene but she wouldn't have gotten away wit my beads....
On the other hand...Great report!!!! Nice pics Can't wait to go in August!

 

[Minniespal]

Great report ~ Thanx for posting.

 

[KStarfish82]

Totally forgot to post my brother on the Fear Factor Live show! He went about two hours before the show started, he had to be interviewed and everything!

** When you change into their attire, you actually have to remove your underoos They give you paper ones to wear!

Before the stunt...

Doing a brief interview...his exact words "I want to prove to my mom that I can do more than just eat (and he showed his Meal Deal bracelet!)"

Hanging forty feet in the air...

Posing with the host...

Explaining how is greasy hands let him down...

At least he didn't have to eat any bugs!

 

[bubba's mom]

WOW! How could you forget to tell us that?? What else did he do besides hang in the air?

 

[ATAfamily]

How fun!

I would LOVE to do Fear Factor, but I refuse to be seen in public (esp. on a LARGE screen) in spandex

 

[KStarfish82]

WOW! How could you forget to tell us that?? What else did he do besides hang in the air?

Well he got eliminated in the first round

He was supposed to hold onto a slanted grip forty feet above the ground. This started with 6 people and elminates the first 2 to drop. Well my bro was second.

Ironically, my brother is really strong and is in great shape, but his hands were greasy from all the food that he got from the Meal Deal!

If he had continued, he would have had to toss dead squid into targets.

If he had won that, he would have had to climb the "cityscape" set and then go into a car and i think turn it on.

It was cool, he would love to do it again!