Laughter, Tears & Screams- Two Aussies in WDW! New - 6/10 - The End!!

[lmillercrew]

Sorry to hear about your bird encounter! I don't fear birds, but I can appreciate your fear.
I think it's cool how your sister lives in Ireland. How often do you get to see her? She's so far away!!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Very cool photos from Seaworld. The Kraken looks like something I would like. I just can never tear myself away from Disney to go over there. One of these days I'll have to make the trip.

 

[coffeehousemom]

Julie I feel your pain over those nasty birds!!!! I hate anything with wings (unless they are fried or covered in BBQ). My bird phobia dates back to childhood incident involving ducks & geese. Yes birds do have teeth & wings hurt when they use them on your head.

At least Conan is nice about it my family holds cheetohs over my head to try to get the evil things closer.

Awesome pics & great update.

 

[AussieAngel]

Hey everybody!

One more day til the weekend!! It's been a busy week at school this week, and I can't wait for the weekend!! My class is hosting the whole school Friday assembly tomorrow - eeeeek! Only 2 more weeks to go until the holidays! (Can you tell I've been counting down!?)

BIRDS ARE EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!

Totally!!!!

this is the area i was talking about earlier, so you did get to see it! i just think it's so pretty and peaceful through here.

Ooh yeah, we saw it! We just didn't go on the boat to Magic Kingdom. We went everywhere else on the boat, just not Magic Kingdom!! Oh well, next time!

i dolphins! i fell in love with them at our first trip to sea world when i was 8 years old. and then that developed into a love for any sort of ocean mammals. they're just so amazing!

Dolphins just seem so clever. And happy! I'd like to be a dolphin. Hehee.

oh, i can totally relate about the birds!!!! WHAT A NIGHTMARE! i will make a mental note of this because i will be wearing a baseball hat that day. my fear of birds stems from when i was 9 and got attacked a blue jay and it actually scratched my head several times. so i think as long as i have a baseball hat or something on, it will help a little. i will still be freaking out though.

Ouch!! That nasty blue jay who scratched your head! Did you get him afterward? Hehee.
My fear stems from nothing! I've never had a bad experience with moths or birds - I've just always hated them! It's their wings and their flappiness mostly. And their unpredictability.

i don't know if you know this or not, but epcot offers a dolphin encounter and i think i'm gonna do this next trip! here's more info:

http://allears.net/btp/tours.htm#dol

Oh, I didn't know about that! Is it new? I've heard about the diving tour, but not the "Dolphins in Depth" tour. Wow! You get a photo with a dolphin and everything! Sounds great! Hmm... we'll meet you there to do the tour in Christmas 2010!!?!

i can't wait to ride this! it wasn't there the last time i went in '92.

Does Ray like roller coasters? If he does, he'd love Kraken!!! I just screamed the whole time, but Conan LOVED it!!

i would've been thinking the same thing! the thing i remember most about the penguin area from our last visit is that there was penguin poop EVERYWHERE!!!!! it was so gross.

Ewww, I don't remember seeing penguin poop! Yuck!

from the time i was 10 to about 16, this is what i wanted to do for a living - jump off the nose of a killer whale. seriously. how COOL is that job????

I know, it would be an awesome job. You and Shamu would need to have so much trust for each other. So much fun!

i love the seals too! it's so funny because usually there are a few who just sit there with their head tilted up in the air, mouths open, eyes closed and it's like they're thinking, "YOU MAY FEED ME NOW!"

Seals just seem like they would have a good sense of humour, I reckon! They seem clumsy too, like me!

i love sting rays! did you feed them? it's so cool. you just stick your hand on the bottom of the pool and they swim buy and SUCK it up like a vacuum cleaner!

We didn't feed the stingrays, no. I think you could buy food to feed them with, if you wanted to - but there was something about them I didn't like! Their pool was absolutely packed with stingrays - there must have been hundreds of them in there! They freaked me out a little bit actually. Heh.

i'm glad you asked the CM because i would have FLIPPED out if that happened to me! i wonder why they combine these. not everyone likes both dolphins AND birds!

I know!! I actually know of a few people with bird phobias - it seems like a strange thing to have in a show at Seaworld! It's Seaworld! Not Airworld!

i guess you can tell i'm really excited about going to sea world in......1 year, 8 months and 13 days!!!

Wow, your countdown is up and running!!
Have you considered doing the new Seaworld park, Discovery Cove? Apparently it's great and you get to have lots of 1-on-1 time with the dolphins in a more natural environment. We wanted to do it, but couldn't really fit it in. Plus, it might have been a bit cold!

SeaWorld looks awesome!! Maybe not the dolphins though! That sounds terrible.

Seaworld was fun! But no, not those birds! Nasty birds!

Great pics! I need to make plans to visit Seaworld on our next trip. I feel your pain about the birds, can't stand them swooping around me, I like to look at them & have bird feeders in my yard, but I don't want them anywhere near me. It probably stems from the parakeet my mom had when I was a kid, he was a mean little sucker.

Lots of people don't like birds! Hehee, a mean little sucker! Funny. Swooping birds are the worst!!

I wish I had time to fit in Seaworld this trip, looks like you had a great time! (minus the birds) I can't wait to see how your 2nd trip to Kennedy Space Center goes! Hopefully you will be able to see more and not sit around and wait all day for nothing!

Ooh nope! No more sitting around and waiting this time at Kennedy Space Center!! You could always do Seaworld next time!

Great pictures of Seaworld!! It sounds like it was a full day of activity! I don't know if I would've liked seeing all those birds just "waiting" around for "food". Who knows what they would've thought was food!!

Exactly! The birds looked like they were ready to pounce on anything! It was definitely a full day of activity at Seaworld!

Now we'll never know if Phelps' skin feels like a dolphin's!!!

Heheee! Not that I have felt Phelps' skin either...!!

I always feel a bit sorry for seals/walrusus/sea lions when they're on land because it just seems so hard for them to get around. But then they get in the water and I'm just jealous!

Seals make me giggle when they're trying to walk around. They're clumsy, like me! But yep, they're beautiful in the water. A bit like Phelps!!!

Glasses!

Did you not know I wore glasses!?

Or a bus that drips grease on your shirt!!!

Silly bus!! No buses this time, so it was all okay!!

Sorry to hear about your bird encounter! I don't fear birds, but I can appreciate your fear.
I think it's cool how your sister lives in Ireland. How often do you get to see her? She's so far away!!

I really only get to see my sister once a year or so when they come home to visit. I've been to Ireland twice to visit her too. It's sad they're so far away, but they love it over there, so I can't be sad for them, really. Plus, we speak on the phone every few days!

Very cool photos from Seaworld. The Kraken looks like something I would like. I just can never tear myself away from Disney to go over there. One of these days I'll have to make the trip.

You should visit Seaworld one day! It's a fun day. Different from Disney though. Kraken is terrifying!!

Julie I feel your pain over those nasty birds!!!! I hate anything with wings (unless they are fried or covered in BBQ). My bird phobia dates back to childhood incident involving ducks & geese. Yes birds do have teeth & wings hurt when they use them on your head.

At least Conan is nice about it my family holds cheetohs over my head to try to get the evil things closer.

Awesome pics & great update.

Ooh my goodness!! Cheetos on your head, that's so mean!! I would have a panic attack if someone did that to me. I totally agree about only liking wings that are fried or covered in bbq sauce!! Hehehee. Funny!

Thanks everybody, for all your nice comments and for reading along!!

 

[trixiequilts]

Heheee! Not that I have felt Phelps' skin...!!

Me either. But a girl can dream, right?

But yep, they're beautiful in the water. A bit like Phelps!!!

Did you not know I wore glasses!?

No! I figured you had x-ray vision AND perfect teeth!

 

[annabean]

awwww... sorry to hear about the aggressive birds. I don't have bird phobia, we have tons of pigeons here and they poop everywhere... yuck.. but the seagulls do scare me, they're huge! The birds at MK, I think near Peco Bills... they're scary too, their eyes freak me out... kinda red in color!

 

[MomofCKJ]

Love this installment! We are planning on a SeaWorld and Discovery Cove visit on our August trip so it was nice to see how your day went. I haven't been to SeaWorld in 12 years! We'll make sure to see the Believe show. Sorry the birds wigged you out. I have a friend who gets freaked out by birds too.

And you and your hubby are just the cutest couple!


Allyson

 

[AussieAngel]

Me either. But a girl can dream, right?
No! I figured you had x-ray vision AND perfect teeth!

Trixie! Of course I have x-ray vision and perfect teeth.
Actually, I left my glasses on my desk at work yesterday. Bugger!! I can see fine without them, I just have to squint when I'm driving and reading and watching tv and typing on the computer!!!

awwww... sorry to hear about the aggressive birds. I don't have bird phobia, we have tons of pigeons here and they poop everywhere... yuck.. but the seagulls do scare me, they're huge! The birds at MK, I think near Peco Bills... they're scary too, their eyes freak me out... kinda red in color!

Oooh, I didn't notice the aggressive birds in MK! Lucky!! But yes, seagulls have horrible red eyes. Just to match the rest of their evilness, probably!

Love this installment! We are planning on a SeaWorld and Discovery Cove visit on our August trip so it was nice to see how your day went. I haven't been to SeaWorld in 12 years! We'll make sure to see the Believe show. Sorry the birds wigged you out. I have a friend who gets freaked out by birds too.

And you and your hubby are just the cutest couple!

Allyson

Aw, thank you Allyson! You'll have a great time at Seaworld in August! Yay! Discovery Cove looks fantastic - we really wanted to go there too, but just didn't have time. You'll have to write a trip report all about it, for sure!

Okay, I'm writing the next chapter now! (Without my glasses, so excuse the spelling mistakes!)

 

[AussieAngel]

The next morning was another early one! Wah!! The alarm went off at 6.20am - were we on vacation or what!? We had a 7.30 breakfast ADR for Spoodles, and we planned to drive over to the Boardwalk Resort, but this was Disney Marathon morning! We'd asked at the WL concierge the night before, and the nice CM had said to allow up to 45 minutes to get to the Boardwalk, because of all the traffic diversions. So we did... and we ended up at the Boardwalk at 7am!! 30 minutes before our breakfast time!! It only took us 15 minutes to drive there!

We wandered around the resort for a while and admired the prettiness, and eventually checked into Spoodles for our breakfast. Yum!! This turned out to be one of our favourite breakfasts! I had a fantastic breakfast flatbread and Conan had an all-you-can-eat platter, whew! Here he is looking sleepy and enjoying his massive breakfast...

I'm a bit sad to hear Spoodles is being replaced! We really enjoy it there.

After that, we headed out to our car again, and hit the road! We were off to Kennedy Space Center!! Wahoooooooo!!!!

Actually, I wasn't really that excited about going. Conan LOVES all things space-related, so this was his thing. He was really excited! We'd been in 2006, and had a disasterous day. It was meant to be launch day for the Atlantis Space Shuttle, which meant that for security reasons, all the normal touristy things were blocked off to the public. The only thing to do was sit and wait for the shuttle to launch. So we sat and waited for about 4 hours, and then... the launch was cancelled!! Auuughhhh!! So we really got to see nothing that day. And I was grumpy and Conan was sad and it was all a big disaster. Afterwards, I felt so sad for him that his day at KSC was a flop. He'd always wanted to go there, and he was a bit heartbroken that he didn't see most things he wanted to.

So this time, I vowed to be a nice, supportive wife and look at everything Conan wanted to look at. So this was me this time - Even though secretly, I might have been feeling more like this -

But shhh, don't tell Conan!

So off we went! It only took a bit over an hour to drive to Cape Canaveral from Disney World, which was nice. I was just checking my hand-written notes about this day, and Conan had written them. Apparently, we arrived at 9.36am. Hehehee. So precise. See how he's just like Buzz Lightyear!?

We're heeeere!!!

The first thing Conan wanted to do was the Shuttle Launch Experience. It was a new attraction since 2006, and he'd heard lots about it. It was basically a simulation for take-off in a shuttle - a bit like Mission Space, but without the spinning.

I was a bit nervous about this - I hate Mission Space!! I hate the spinning, but I also hate the small space inside the teeny capsule. But Conan assured me that this Shuttle Launch Experience took place in a big simulator, a bit like Star Tours, and there was no spinning. So I decided to give it a go.

And it was fine!! I thought it was quite fun really. There was a bit of shaking and bumping, but nothing like Mission Space! Conan was a bit disappointed though - he wanted it to be more realistic! His notes gave it a 4 out of 10. Oh dear!

Next up, we had a wander around and visited an old Space Shuttle...

You could go inside to check it out a bit more closely, which Conan loved...

I really had no idea what I was looking at, but Conan was happy, so I was happy!! Supportive wife mode - on!

We couldn't get over how quiet KSC was. We felt like we were the only people walking around! Granted, it was a Sunday morning, but last time we came, there were thousands of people pushing and shoving their way through the crowds! Definitely best to come on a non-launch day!!

There are IMAX movies you can see at this area too, but we'd seen them both before, so we decided to move on. We headed over to the buses. Basically, there are buses that take you around to the different visitor areas of Kennedy Space Center, because it's all so spread out. You can stay at each section for as long as you like, and then just catch the next bus to another area. We never had to wait long for the next bus - probably about 10 minutes was our longest wait. Plus along the way, we saw lots of alligators!! You definitely don't want to go walking around this area!

So the bus took us first to the 'Observation Gantry' area. Hmm. Basically it was a big staircase that you could climb up for a good view of the Shuttle Launch pads. Except that there was nothing on the launch pads that day. Hehehee. Conan had a good time looking around though, and I had a good time eating some Mentos that I'd just bought.

Next up, we caught another bus to the Apollo / Saturn V area. This was actually pretty cool. It's where you can see the full old Saturn V rocket hanging from the ceiling, touch a moon rock, and see some movies about landing on the moon. This was the highlight of Conan's day, according to his notes!! I actually quite liked it too.

We also ate lunch here - some chicken strips and fries. Conan's notes about lunch crack me up - "They were okay. I expected worse."

Then it was off to the last stop on the tour - the International Space Station Center. It basically teaches you about life in the Space Station, and you can walk through old parts of the Space Station.

After that, we headed back to the main visitor's complex for another look around. We explored the old rockets, the astronaut memorial area, and sat in some old Apollo Capsules. This photo is not upside down - this is really how they sat. Augh!

Hmm, I realise I haven't been in any photos yet - here's one of me!

We played in the Gift Shop for a while, and bought a couple of little things like an astronaut fridge magnet! What a massive gift shop!

I've whizzed through our day a bit - by this time it was nearly 4 oclock and we were ready to head back to Disney. Conan had seen everything he wanted to see this time, and he'd had a great time! Phew! Most of it was actually pretty interesting. It definitely helps to have an interest in space exploration though! I didn't really know what I was looking at most of the time, but Conan loved teaching me all about it.

So back to Disney we went!! On the way back to WL, we decided to do a bit of resort exploring, since we still had our car. First we visited the Yacht Club again. We'd been there the night before for dinner, but now that it was daylight, we wanted to get some better photos for my sister, who's staying there in May. I'll post some of them here, for those of you who love the Yacht Club!!

I loved the pool!!

So pretty!!

Conan really loved the Yacht Club! Who knows, maybe next time?!

We also went to visit Port Orleans Riverside, since we were very close to staying there this trip! But oh-oh, for some reason I didn't take any photos. It's very pretty though! It seemed lovely and relaxing, but it really is very spread out!

Since we were so close, we decided we'd better head over to Port Orleans French Quarter too. It was getting dark by this stage, and the lights around the pool had just come on... so pretty!

It was nice to visit some other resorts - something we didn't really do much of in 2006. Afterwards, we headed back to the Wilderness Lodge for a rest before getting ready for our dinner at Boma later that night. The Golden Globes were on that night - I just love award shows! And Brad Pitt. Hehee. We watched some red carpet interviews, but alas, we had to leave for Boma before the awards started!

Boma was delicious though. We love it there! The food always seems so fresh with lots of great flavours. Yum! Afterwards, we hurried back to the WL to watch the end of the Golden Globes - just in time to see Brad Pitt lose. Boooooo!!

Anyway, it had been another fun, busy day!! We hit the sack straight after the Golden Globes finished, because tomorrow was to be another big day - we were off to Universal Studios!! (Don't worry, we go to another Disney park eventually!! )

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I didn't realize there was so much to do at KSC. I admit that DH keeps asking to go there and I keep forgetting about it. I have no interest, but I guess I should put on my good wife hat too and let him have his fun. Great pics!

 

[jackdis]

I love your glasses! I have been wanting rectangular frames like that, but I think my prescription is too strong. Even with compounded lenses, the lens would be too thick, I was told. And I'm mainly a contact lens wearer.

Do you know what designer/brand they are? I'd be interested in finding out. Thanks.

 

[Happy Elf]

KSC looks neat. I know DH would like to visit, I'm kinda like you. It would be ok, but not my favorite thing. I love the Yacht Club!! That's where we stayed on our Honeymoon. The pool was wonderful! I think I could have spent most of my vacation there!

 

[punkin413]

Conan had a good time looking around though, and I had a good time eating some Mentos that I'd just bought.

for some reason this just makes me life. you guys sound just like me and ray. he tolerates my disney obsession well so the least i can do is give him some kennedy space center, ya know?

actually i don't know that we'll ever go back, at least not for awhile. we went in 2007 and it was a huge disappointment for both of us. i think he just expected more. i was disappointed because we'd just spent 5 days in disney and i had grown accustomed to the disney customer service and the space center bus driver was really rude to me when i got up before him when he stopped the bus. i was in "disney mode" and when the bus stops, you get up and get your little behind off the bus quickly, right? well, not there. you're supposed to wait for the bus drive to get up and do something with the door. but i didn't know that. so when i got up to get off the bus, he stood up behind me and said in a very mean voice, "um....i need to get off before you if you plan on getting off this bus." i looked at ray and said, "this is so NOT disney world."

i'm disappointed about spoodles too. we've never eaten there and it's a restaurant i've wanted to try. but i am excited that cat cora is going to be heading up the new one (or involved in it somehow). she's awesome on the iron chef! i don't know if you guys get that show in australia but it's a great one!

 

[MaceysMom]

KSC seems really cool. It looks really big and like there is lots to do. The yacht club looks beautiful too!

 

[Tigger822]

I love your TR, I read your Last one too! I'm Glad that my husband has no intrest in the Space center. I'm definitely subscribing!
Lisa

 

[AussieAngel]

I didn't realize there was so much to do at KSC. I admit that DH keeps asking to go there and I keep forgetting about it. I have no interest, but I guess I should put on my good wife hat too and let him have his fun. Great pics!

Hehee. Keep "forgetting" about KSC if you can!! It's not terrible, but it's just not Disney World!!

I love your glasses! I have been wanting rectangular frames like that, but I think my prescription is too strong. Even with compounded lenses, the lens would be too thick, I was told. And I'm mainly a contact lens wearer.

Do you know what designer/brand they are? I'd be interested in finding out. Thanks.

Thanks! They're Ralph Lauren frames. They were kinda expensive, but I figured that if I had to have them, I wanted nice ones that I would actually wear!! My lenses aren't really that thick, so I'm no expert in that area, sorry!

KSC looks neat. I know DH would like to visit, I'm kinda like you. It would be ok, but not my favorite thing. I love the Yacht Club!! That's where we stayed on our Honeymoon. The pool was wonderful! I think I could have spent most of my vacation there!

I'd totally spend my whole vacation in the Yacht Club pool, if I was there! Lucky you!! It's so big and pretty! Did it have a sand bottom too?

for some reason this just makes me life. you guys sound just like me and ray. he tolerates my disney obsession well so the least i can do is give him some kennedy space center, ya know?

actually i don't know that we'll ever go back, at least not for awhile. we went in 2007 and it was a huge disappointment for both of us. i think he just expected more. i was disappointed because we'd just spent 5 days in disney and i had grown accustomed to the disney customer service and the space center bus driver was really rude to me when i got up before him when he stopped the bus. i was in "disney mode" and when the bus stops, you get up and get your little behind off the bus quickly, right? well, not there. you're supposed to wait for the bus drive to get up and do something with the door. but i didn't know that. so when i got up to get off the bus, he stood up behind me and said in a very mean voice, "um....i need to get off before you if you plan on getting off this bus." i looked at ray and said, "this is so NOT disney world."

i'm disappointed about spoodles too. we've never eaten there and it's a restaurant i've wanted to try. but i am excited that cat cora is going to be heading up the new one (or involved in it somehow). she's awesome on the iron chef! i don't know if you guys get that show in australia but it's a great one!

That's funny! I've often thought the same thing when reading your trip reports - than Conan and I are a lot like you and Ray!
We didn't encounter any mean KSC staff when we were there, but they definitely weren't as friendly as they are at Disney!
I've never seen the Iron Chef! I think we might get it on cable, but I've never watched it. Maybe I should watch now, just to see Cat Cora!
No baby news yet Dawn!?

KSC seems really cool. It looks really big and like there is lots to do. The yacht club looks beautiful too!

There is lots to do at KSC, but only if you're interested in it!! I think the Yacht Club looks great too. Very pretty!

I love your TR, I read your Last one too! I'm Glad that my husband has no intrest in the Space center. I'm definitely subscribing!
Lisa

Hey, welcome back!! Thanks for reading!

I was going to write the next chapter yesterday, but oh no, the boards were down!! That was a marathon upgrade, wasn't it!?!

 

[AussieAngel]

We jumped up bright and early the next morning again at 6.30am. Actually, there was no jumping. More like groaning and rolling out of bed. It was soooo early!! Who was the crazy fool who made our breakfast ADRs for such an early time!? Oh yeah. That was me.

Anyhoo, we got ready and headed off for our breakfast ADR at 'Ohana. We'd already been to dinner there, but we love 'Ohana and decided to go for breakfast as well! The food was quite good - nothing outstanding, but a nice breakfast nonetheless! Plus, we got to meet Mickey!!

And of course, Stitch!! (Who may have been attempting to choke Conan with a flower lei here, I'm not quite sure...)

Stitch was hilarious! I've never been a huge Stitch fan really - but this Stitch was awesome! He really did make us laugh. The highlight was watching him dance past our table - he stopped right in front of us and totally shook his bottom, doing a little rude shimmy dance! So cute! Here he is, just before his shimmy. Can't you just tell he's about to do something cheeky!?

We had a blast at 'Ohana, thanks to Stitch! A fun (and unexpected!) start to our day!

And woohoooo! Then it was off to Universal Studios!!

I was really excited about heading to Universal, and so was Conan. We went to Universal Studios in LA in 2006 and loved it, and Orlando Universal Studios was double the size!! So much more to see and do! We were heading to Universal Studios today, then Islands of Adventure (the other Universal park) the next day.

We'd bought our tickets online before we left, and decided to upgrade to Express tickets. Basically, this works like a Fastpass ticket for all the rides. You can bypass the regular line and go straight through the Express line. It cost $20 more, but we figured it would be worth it.

Anyway, it took us around 20 minutes to drive to Universal. We parked, and embarked on the long walk to the parks!! Whew, that's a long walk! You have to walk through CityWalk, the shopping and dining area of Universal, which takes a good 10 minutes. THEN we got to the parks!

We're here!!!

The big spinning ball... There were so many people waiting, poised with their cameras until they could see the whole "Universal" word!

So then we had to choose which park we were heading to that day. We'd already decided of course, and it seemed we'd made the right choice! 85% of the crowd seemed to be going to Islands of Adventure! Luckily, we were off to Universal Studios...

See how empty it was!?

It was just after 9am by this stage, and we felt like the only ones in the park! In fact, a lot of stores and food kiosks weren't open yet. It was a bit odd! It was okay though, because we knew where we wanted to go first... The Simpsons ride!!

Conan is obsessed with The Simpsons. Is there a boy around who isn't?! This is a moving simulator ride and it's the newest attraction at Universal. And!? It was AWESOME!! Everything from the queue to the end of the ride was a total blast. Best ride of the day, for sure!

After that, it was Men In Black time!

I have a not-so-secret love for silly action movies, so I was looking forward to this ride. It's pretty similar to Buzz Lightyear - you get a ray gun, and have to shoot as many aliens as you can. Except that as you board your little car, there's a voiceover that says, "Whatever you do, DO NOT press the blinking red light." Really!?

Remember how Conan beats me on every scoring game at Disney?! Well... times have changed!!! I totally won!! I beat him by about 70,000 points. Hehheheee. He was spewing and couldn't work out how I did it. I eventually told him that I had, indeed, pressed the red button at the end of the ride, and it gave me an extra 100,000 points!! Woohooooo!! So that's the trick to that ride, ladies!!

We kept wandering around the park and went for a bit of an explore, and still felt like we were the only ones there! It was bizarre! Everything was so quiet!

We were sad to discover the Jaws ride was being refurbished while we were there. Remember my love for big dumb action movies? Jaws is one of my favourites. Nevertheless, we still got to pose with him...

We stumbled upon the "Disaster!" show next. We really weren't quite sure what it was, but we popped in for a look anyway. It ended up being quite fun. We were all taken for a walk around different sets, and had to act as though we were extras in a movie being filmed. In the end, we got to watch the movie, and could spot ourselves screaming and flailing our arms around madly. Hehehee. Silly.

We kept walking, and found The Mummy ride. Eeek! It's a creepy roller-coaster based on the creepy movie. It was fun - I screamed and Conan laughed, as usual, but it's really, really short!! Then afterwards, I made a friend who wasn't so short. He was still creepy though.

Next it was time for another of my favourite silly action movie rides - Twister!! It wasn't really a ride though - more of an explanation of how they made the wind and the rain and other special effects for the movie, Twister. At the end, we got to stand in the middle of a Twister, which was pretty fun!! Heh!

Whew, it had been a big morning so far! We really didn't have to use our Express passes at all - there was no line to bypass!! Weird!

We backtracked and headed over to the Kidzone area next, to go on the E.T ride. Don't you just love E.T!? I do! This ride is really, really cute. To start with, you have to wait in a (non-existant) queue, and type in your name. We weren't really sure why, but whatever! We did as we were told. Then you head through and hop on a little flying bike and go on a journey with E.T, flying through the air to his home planet. So cute! It reminded me a bit of Peter Pan's Flight, but with bicycles.

Then comes the cutest part!! As you approach the end of the ride, an animatronic E.T was standing next to our bike, and he said, "Bye Johnny! Bye Mary!" (to the people in front of us, whose names I totally made up, can you tell?), then he came to our row, and said to Conan and I, "Bye Julie!"

....

....

....

Oh nooooo! E.T obviously wasn't programmed to pronounce tricky names like Conan!! So sad!! He just didn't say anything! Poor Conan!!

Hehee, he was okay really. I got the giggles about it for a while, but Conan didn't really mind. We totally confused E.T!

By this time, it was still only around 12 oclock. We'd done a lot!! So we decided to do The Simpsons ride again, then Men in Black again. Conan was desperate to beat me and press the red button himself this time - which of course, he did, and beat me! Boooooo!

We stopped for lunch after that, then headed over to watch Shrek 4D. We'd already seen this at Universal in LA, but we liked it, so off we went again! After that, we had a ride on "Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast", then wished we didn't. Ouch. It was another one of those really jerky, bumpy simulator rides! Stinkin' Jimmy Neutron!!

After the pain of the simulator ride, we decided to treat ourselves to some churros!! There's nothing a churro can't fix!!

We wandered around the park a bit more - it was starting to get a bit busier, but still nothing compared to Disney! We really didn't need our Express passes - but never mind! Live and learn! We did think though, that the park lacked a bit of the fun vibe of the LA Universal Studios. Maybe it was just because it was so quiet, but the atmosphere just didn't feel right! And there really isn't heaps to do there - by 2 oclock, we were done!! Wow!

We sat for a little while and contemplated what to do next. We could keep wandering around the park, but that would be a bit silly and pointless. So... no. We decided to hit the road back to Disney World!

A nice lady snapped this photo for us on the way out...

It had been a fun morning, but probably not quite as awesome as we'd hoped. Don't get me wrong - lots of the rides we did were great - there just weren't that many of them! And the park itself just lacked a certain something. I guess we were a bit underwhelmed by it all and hoped Islands of Adventure the next day would be a bit more lively!

So we headed back to Disney, and discussed our options of what to do for the afternoon. Here were our options...

1) Have an afternoon nap.
2) Go for a swim, although it was quite freezing that afternoon!
3) Hire a little raycer boat.
4) Play mini-golf.
5) Explore some more resorts.
6) Head to a Disney park.

So many options!! What to do, what to do!?!!!

Go oooooon, have a guess at what we did for the afternoon!! You know you want to!!

 

[punkin413]

And of course, Stitch!! (Who may have been attempting to choke Conan with a flower lei here, I'm not quite sure...)

You have to walk through CityWalk, the shopping and dining area of Universal, which takes a good 10 minutes. THEN we got to the parks!

because they want you to walk through all those stores and SPEND MONEY!

the last time i went to universal studios was 1992 when i was 15. it was okay. i've never been to IOA so i'm looking forward to that. ray and i love roller coasters so we may do that one day.

 

[ShannonMB]

This is such a great trip report! So much fun, AND so informative! I have never been to US, and even though some of the rides sound really neat, I know I'm not missing too much so far. Can't wait to read about IOA!

Wow, you were such a sport for KSC. I think that sounds like the most boring place ever, but then I'm not into space stuff. Luckily for me, I don't think DH knows there's anything to see there, and I'm certainly not going to tell him! You are very sweet, though, and a great wife to your Conan!

I'm going to guess that the next thing you guys do is a nap. That's what I would choose! Searayers? You mentioned it was cold. I can't wait to find out!

 

[AshClan]

I guess: NAP! With all those early breakfasts, that has to be what you chose!

We're still trying to have a trip to Orlando that's long enough so we can afford a couple of days to hit Universal. Some day....... My boys are HUGE Simpsons fans, so we may have to fit it in soon!