Astrid
<font color=9933CC>Shoot for the moon. Even if you
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- Aug 19, 2000
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MINUTES OF ASTRID'S WDW MEETING (7)
Held Between Monday 11th and Wednesday 27th March 2002
Location: All Star Music, Walt Disney World
Chairmans Report: Island of Adventures
1. Present: Astrid - Chairman and Treasurer
Bryn (9) - Junior Partner
Carys (6) - Trainee (but learning fast!)
2. Pre-Meeting Notes
The Committee had visited IOA last year and had loved it we were surprised that we found so much that we could all enjoy taking into account Caryss height (ie. Being too small for a lot of things!) and Bryns fear of anything remotely wild!!
This year however Chairperson was determined to try some of the bigger rides that IOA had to offer so had coerced the Robinsons to join us on the same day so that I could enjoy such rides as the Hulk and Spiderman with braver souls than my two, whilst Valerie very kindly (once again!) kept an eye on them.
The Hulk was top of my list to try, as Id loved Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster so much this Chairperson was determined to see how brave she could be and was well and truly psyched up for this ride even though it was very big, very upside down and looked very scary!!
2. The Rides
So, we arrived, after tackling the most irritating and time consuming entry to a car park that I know (a tip try and get in the left hand lanes when queuing theyre quicker!), and then encountering the most jobs worth car park attendant in the world He pointed at my car and gestured for me to turn left, when I was following the Robinsons who had turned right, so, I wound down my window and said, Id like to follow my friends who have gone up there, oh no no no, you go left, because Ive done my quota of going right for this five minutes, I tried to argue, he tried to argue back etc etc., and in the end I just wound up my window, swerved past him and went up the right ramp, believing by this time I would have lost the Robinsons forever in the dark and dingy multi-storey car park (please Mr IOA/US put better lighting in for our next visit!).
Phew, big sigh of relief, there they were all were and we made our way to the park. Valerie took the younger elements of the group with her on an anticlockwise route to take in Seuss Landing first. Whilst Dave & I, Gary declining the delights of Hulk for the moment, went to get an Express Pass for this big, green monstrosity. Hence ensued another argument with another member of staff oh I wasnt standing any nonsense today!! We queued along with loads of others for our passes, got to the front with much confusion to discover the member of staff was just putting an out of order sign on the machine. Stress levels growing I caught her attention and shouted Oi, you
and think she swiftly gathered I was in no mood to be told to join the other (extremely long!) queue, so gave us our passes there and then dont mess with this Chairperson today lady, shes on a Hulk mission!!
Express Passes to Spiderman were achieved a lot more easily and Dave pointed out that there was a single rider line for this and so thats where we headed, he assured me it was mostly simulation so, if in the unlikely event we were in separate cars, there was nothing to be nervous of!! That unlikely event happened!! The cast member obviously had a severe numerical problem and after the number 4 got horribly confused, consequently, I was in a car on my own!! Fingers crossed I wouldnt have a panic attack!
Wow!! What a great ride, so clever impossible to describe to do it full justice so Ill just say try it for yourself, you wont be disappointed!! Im not sure that Bryn and Carys would enjoy it as there are some parts which are a bit scary but Im sure a lot of kids would love it too.
There was still a while to go till our Hulk pass so we walked up towards Jurassic Park, via Dudley Do Rights, but this had a very long queue so we opted to try this ride later. In case youre wondering, the idea of trying Dr Dooms didnt even enter into my equation, how anyone would be foolish enough to be shot up at vast speed to 200ft and then dropped back down again is beyond me!!
There was hardly a queue at Jurassic Park River Adventure which we decided to go on next even though Dave did baulk at the idea of riding in the same boat as the Newcastle supporter who was just ahead of us (but luckily this didnt happen!). I had no idea what this ride entailed and was quite enjoying the scenery and the various dinosaurs how relaxing was this .. er, hold on, what are those big gates? What the heck is happening Dave?!! You didnt tell me there was a flipping big drop here aarrgghhh!!! I said something extremely unladylike, which I shall leave to your imagination
, when we reached the bottom and I was hit by a tidal wave of water. Cheers Dave mate for letting me know about that little surprise at the end!!
It was getting pretty hot now (good news for my soaked body!) and the park was filling up so it was back around to Marvel Super-Hero Island now as it was our Express Pass time. We passed Valerie and the others on the way and they said theyd wait for us and the kids could go on the X-Men ride.
Up past all the queues to The Hulk, heck Im a brave sort, I can do this ride, no problems, Ive done Rock n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror, I can do this, I really can, Ill just close my eyes and whoosh itll be over in a moment (can you sense a touch of panic creeping in here!). Dave walked at an annoyingly rapid pace to the ride whilst I scuttled behind nervously trying to get him to slow down, to no effect, suddenly there we were and the coaster drew to a halt for us to get on. OK deep breaths now Astrid, you are a hero Chairperson and this is a doddle, you get on first Pet Dave says (cheers again mate!), so over I walk and sit down, hmm, ok, comfy seat, ok so far, I watch Dave and the others around pull their shoulder bars down and suddenly realise I actually have lost the ability to breath and am just about to have a full blown panic attack, I leap off the seat at 90mph and escape to the other side, just having time to wave bye to Dave as he shoots off into the fearful unknown!!
What a complete and utter wuss!!
I just lost it completely and utterly and collapsed into a sobbing heap at my patheticness (is that a word?!). I couldnt move a muscle and stayed in the babyswap area till Dave and all those other fearless people immerged once again (including laughing kids a quarter of my age!!). Dave was very kind and told me not to be so daft, at least Id tried (sort of) and I decided to stay there for a while to calm down whilst he tried to go on again, using the express passes that they hadnt actually taken from us. He came back a short while later and I was composed once more and we went back to join the others. Bryn was most disappointed that Id let him down in my ability to do the ride but seemed slightly impressed that I had at least tried the seat out!!
I was able to redeem myself by going on Spiderman again using our passes and felt in control of my life once again. Dave and I walked up to Toon Lagoon again and met up with Valerie who told us that Gary, Julie & Carys were on Popeye and Blutos Bilge Rat Barges, Bryn had declined and was happily spraying all raft occupants with water from Me Ship, The Olive. Dave & I decided to give the Barges a go too and after a not too long queue I had the pleasure of this ride for the first time. Oh my goodness, is it possible to get any wetter thank heavens it was a hot day!! It was hysterical and I loved every minute!! We got off and met up with the other 3 soaked ones and we all decided to go on once more. Carys absolutely loved this ride (though Im still not convinced she was actually tall enough to go on it!) and voted it her favourite Bryn you dont know what youre missing!!
We squelched our way back to Valerie and I thought Id best buy a t-shirt for Carys as she was resembling a drowned rat but unfortunately Id been daft enough to wear denim shorts that day that were soaked and I was most uncomfortable, because I was too mean to buy myself some more Dave came to my rescue and I ended up spending the rest of the day in his swimming shorts and what a fashion icon I looked!! Thanks for the loan!!
When I returned from buying Caryss t-shirt I realised I should have actually bought something for Bryn too because the 4 younger elements of our group had discovered the fountains and were having the time of their lives getting completely soaked in there too. Dave managed to capture on video a priceless moment when Bryn (at this stage still dry) walked over to the fountains and looked down to see where the holes were only to get a face full of water, he was so stunned he couldnt move for a few seconds and just stood there in his own personal shower!!
It was lovely to sit down here for a while and just relax in the lovely weather whilst the kids had fun. But, cant rest for long and it was soon on to Jurassic Park again (the queue at Ripshaw Falls was still too long which was a shame), and spent some time in the cool of the Discovery Center before all going on The Flying Unicorn at The Lost Continent.
It was very hot and very busy by now and we decided to call it a day with a final whiz around Cat in the Hat at Seuss Landing.
3. Park Analysis
I really enjoy Island of Adventures and prefer it to Universal Studios and even though the kids dont manage to go on that many rides Carys because she is too small and Bryn because hes too nervous its definitely a Park that will be on my list next time I visit Orlando, and a huge thank you once again to Dave & Valerie for letting us join in with them for the day and so letting me try some rides for the first time.
Astrid x
Held Between Monday 11th and Wednesday 27th March 2002
Location: All Star Music, Walt Disney World
Chairmans Report: Island of Adventures
1. Present: Astrid - Chairman and Treasurer
Bryn (9) - Junior Partner
Carys (6) - Trainee (but learning fast!)
2. Pre-Meeting Notes
The Committee had visited IOA last year and had loved it we were surprised that we found so much that we could all enjoy taking into account Caryss height (ie. Being too small for a lot of things!) and Bryns fear of anything remotely wild!!
This year however Chairperson was determined to try some of the bigger rides that IOA had to offer so had coerced the Robinsons to join us on the same day so that I could enjoy such rides as the Hulk and Spiderman with braver souls than my two, whilst Valerie very kindly (once again!) kept an eye on them.
The Hulk was top of my list to try, as Id loved Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster so much this Chairperson was determined to see how brave she could be and was well and truly psyched up for this ride even though it was very big, very upside down and looked very scary!!
2. The Rides
So, we arrived, after tackling the most irritating and time consuming entry to a car park that I know (a tip try and get in the left hand lanes when queuing theyre quicker!), and then encountering the most jobs worth car park attendant in the world He pointed at my car and gestured for me to turn left, when I was following the Robinsons who had turned right, so, I wound down my window and said, Id like to follow my friends who have gone up there, oh no no no, you go left, because Ive done my quota of going right for this five minutes, I tried to argue, he tried to argue back etc etc., and in the end I just wound up my window, swerved past him and went up the right ramp, believing by this time I would have lost the Robinsons forever in the dark and dingy multi-storey car park (please Mr IOA/US put better lighting in for our next visit!).
Phew, big sigh of relief, there they were all were and we made our way to the park. Valerie took the younger elements of the group with her on an anticlockwise route to take in Seuss Landing first. Whilst Dave & I, Gary declining the delights of Hulk for the moment, went to get an Express Pass for this big, green monstrosity. Hence ensued another argument with another member of staff oh I wasnt standing any nonsense today!! We queued along with loads of others for our passes, got to the front with much confusion to discover the member of staff was just putting an out of order sign on the machine. Stress levels growing I caught her attention and shouted Oi, you
and think she swiftly gathered I was in no mood to be told to join the other (extremely long!) queue, so gave us our passes there and then dont mess with this Chairperson today lady, shes on a Hulk mission!! Express Passes to Spiderman were achieved a lot more easily and Dave pointed out that there was a single rider line for this and so thats where we headed, he assured me it was mostly simulation so, if in the unlikely event we were in separate cars, there was nothing to be nervous of!! That unlikely event happened!! The cast member obviously had a severe numerical problem and after the number 4 got horribly confused, consequently, I was in a car on my own!! Fingers crossed I wouldnt have a panic attack!
Wow!! What a great ride, so clever impossible to describe to do it full justice so Ill just say try it for yourself, you wont be disappointed!! Im not sure that Bryn and Carys would enjoy it as there are some parts which are a bit scary but Im sure a lot of kids would love it too.
There was still a while to go till our Hulk pass so we walked up towards Jurassic Park, via Dudley Do Rights, but this had a very long queue so we opted to try this ride later. In case youre wondering, the idea of trying Dr Dooms didnt even enter into my equation, how anyone would be foolish enough to be shot up at vast speed to 200ft and then dropped back down again is beyond me!!
There was hardly a queue at Jurassic Park River Adventure which we decided to go on next even though Dave did baulk at the idea of riding in the same boat as the Newcastle supporter who was just ahead of us (but luckily this didnt happen!). I had no idea what this ride entailed and was quite enjoying the scenery and the various dinosaurs how relaxing was this .. er, hold on, what are those big gates? What the heck is happening Dave?!! You didnt tell me there was a flipping big drop here aarrgghhh!!! I said something extremely unladylike, which I shall leave to your imagination
, when we reached the bottom and I was hit by a tidal wave of water. Cheers Dave mate for letting me know about that little surprise at the end!! It was getting pretty hot now (good news for my soaked body!) and the park was filling up so it was back around to Marvel Super-Hero Island now as it was our Express Pass time. We passed Valerie and the others on the way and they said theyd wait for us and the kids could go on the X-Men ride.
Up past all the queues to The Hulk, heck Im a brave sort, I can do this ride, no problems, Ive done Rock n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror, I can do this, I really can, Ill just close my eyes and whoosh itll be over in a moment (can you sense a touch of panic creeping in here!). Dave walked at an annoyingly rapid pace to the ride whilst I scuttled behind nervously trying to get him to slow down, to no effect, suddenly there we were and the coaster drew to a halt for us to get on. OK deep breaths now Astrid, you are a hero Chairperson and this is a doddle, you get on first Pet Dave says (cheers again mate!), so over I walk and sit down, hmm, ok, comfy seat, ok so far, I watch Dave and the others around pull their shoulder bars down and suddenly realise I actually have lost the ability to breath and am just about to have a full blown panic attack, I leap off the seat at 90mph and escape to the other side, just having time to wave bye to Dave as he shoots off into the fearful unknown!!
What a complete and utter wuss!!
I just lost it completely and utterly and collapsed into a sobbing heap at my patheticness (is that a word?!). I couldnt move a muscle and stayed in the babyswap area till Dave and all those other fearless people immerged once again (including laughing kids a quarter of my age!!). Dave was very kind and told me not to be so daft, at least Id tried (sort of) and I decided to stay there for a while to calm down whilst he tried to go on again, using the express passes that they hadnt actually taken from us. He came back a short while later and I was composed once more and we went back to join the others. Bryn was most disappointed that Id let him down in my ability to do the ride but seemed slightly impressed that I had at least tried the seat out!!I was able to redeem myself by going on Spiderman again using our passes and felt in control of my life once again. Dave and I walked up to Toon Lagoon again and met up with Valerie who told us that Gary, Julie & Carys were on Popeye and Blutos Bilge Rat Barges, Bryn had declined and was happily spraying all raft occupants with water from Me Ship, The Olive. Dave & I decided to give the Barges a go too and after a not too long queue I had the pleasure of this ride for the first time. Oh my goodness, is it possible to get any wetter thank heavens it was a hot day!! It was hysterical and I loved every minute!! We got off and met up with the other 3 soaked ones and we all decided to go on once more. Carys absolutely loved this ride (though Im still not convinced she was actually tall enough to go on it!) and voted it her favourite Bryn you dont know what youre missing!!
We squelched our way back to Valerie and I thought Id best buy a t-shirt for Carys as she was resembling a drowned rat but unfortunately Id been daft enough to wear denim shorts that day that were soaked and I was most uncomfortable, because I was too mean to buy myself some more Dave came to my rescue and I ended up spending the rest of the day in his swimming shorts and what a fashion icon I looked!! Thanks for the loan!!
When I returned from buying Caryss t-shirt I realised I should have actually bought something for Bryn too because the 4 younger elements of our group had discovered the fountains and were having the time of their lives getting completely soaked in there too. Dave managed to capture on video a priceless moment when Bryn (at this stage still dry) walked over to the fountains and looked down to see where the holes were only to get a face full of water, he was so stunned he couldnt move for a few seconds and just stood there in his own personal shower!!
It was lovely to sit down here for a while and just relax in the lovely weather whilst the kids had fun. But, cant rest for long and it was soon on to Jurassic Park again (the queue at Ripshaw Falls was still too long which was a shame), and spent some time in the cool of the Discovery Center before all going on The Flying Unicorn at The Lost Continent.
It was very hot and very busy by now and we decided to call it a day with a final whiz around Cat in the Hat at Seuss Landing.
3. Park Analysis
I really enjoy Island of Adventures and prefer it to Universal Studios and even though the kids dont manage to go on that many rides Carys because she is too small and Bryn because hes too nervous its definitely a Park that will be on my list next time I visit Orlando, and a huge thank you once again to Dave & Valerie for letting us join in with them for the day and so letting me try some rides for the first time.
Astrid x
Don't make us wait so long for the next installment.
