Wednesday 7th April
Up at 6:00 am - yawn, groan! Breakfast at Shoney's - buffet OK - nothing special - food not very hot. Arrived at RPR just about 8:00 am. Parked up on the car park and went in. Very impressive frontage and lobby. Checked in at special Loews' First members priority desk (we had joined online) but room not ready - they had a conference on - but they gave us our key cards - our Express access for all rides - yippee! Were asked what we would like as our Loews member 'extra' and chose the 'nuts & red wine' option. Got the water taxi to Universal Studios. Headed straight for Return of the Mummy - which was being tested ahead of the official opening. Express was not available for this ride - but the queues were so small at that time that we were able to almost walk straight onto it. It was fantasic - unlike every other ride we had been on -a combination of all different things. but not all effects were actually working - and some effects were not timed exactly. DS & I rode it 5 times in a row! DH joined us after our first ride and did it 4 times! Went on Shrek 4D for the first time - I thought it was hilarious. Enjoyed MIB, T-2 etc - all as brilliant as we remembered them. Had sundaes for lunch in Schwab's Pharmacy - saw one little kid manage to tip a whole shake over himself, the floor and the poor guy at the table next to him!
Went back to the hotel and found our room. Very nice decor - 2 large beds - and the wine and nuts were waiting! Hotel is much larger than I had expected. Decided to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe. We have an All Access pass for Hard Rock - as there is one in Manchester which we go to. When we arrived we told the staff member at the door that we had our key cards (which give you priority for a table at all City Walk restaurants) and that we had an All Access card too. They told us the All Access card was higher priority for a table and then took us past a huuuuge queue straight to a table! By this time we were getting used to the special treatment! We also had been given a special $10 discount over the net as it had been my birthday - so the meal only came to $25! Excellent! Strolled along the footpath back to the hotel. Decided not to bother drinking the wine when we got back. Just put it in the case to take back to the condo with us.
Thursday 8th April
A lie-in today! Didnt get up till 7:00 am. DH suffering from a head cold. Breakfast in the Islands Dining Room at RPR. $16.50 for buffet breakfast. Quite good. Checked out of hotel leaving bags with porters. Left car on the hotel car park (paid $6 yesterday). Walked along the walkway to Islands of Adventure - our favouraite park!
Although it was not long after 9:00 am the park was already quite busy. We (DS & I) used our key cards for the Hulk (3 times in a row!), Dr Fearfall then both Fire & Ice on Duelling Dragons. DH joined us for rides on Spiderman (2), Acceleratron, Poseidon, Jurassic Park etc. There was a very heavy rainstorm mid-afternoon and everyone dashed to find shelter in the shops and cafes. We rushed into a shop near Spiderman and were all crushed up with hundreds of other people. A young boy (English) next to us was telling his mum in a not-very-quiet voice that he was desperate for the toilet. She asked him 'what number?' - 'number 2!' he replied sounding really really desperate! 'You'd better hold it in' she said. 'I can't' he said. DS was right next to him - and looked like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world at that moment! The kid's face was getting more and more red. We made a dash for the door - and got out quick!
When we had arrived at the park, we had made a PS for Mythos for dinner. As the weather was still a bit 'iffy', we decided to try turning up early. It wasn't a problem. Very nice food & surroundings, imaginative menu, very very nice desserts (I had the creme brulee). Air-conditioning a bit on the cool side. (I find that is the case a lot in Florida) Attentive waitress who asked if we were AA members - a strange question we thought at first! BUT it turns out that we were entitled to 10% discount as AA members. Nice of her to let us know that, wasn't it? The wet rides had been closed earlier due to the threat of lightning - so we went on them after dinner. Ripsaw Falls had massive queues (even Express) - so we only did that once. Did Popeye's Bilge Rat Barges twice. Called at Walgreen's on the way back to the condo to get some cream for DS's prickly heat rash. Showered, then bed. Decided to have a lie-in the next day.
Up at 6:00 am - yawn, groan! Breakfast at Shoney's - buffet OK - nothing special - food not very hot. Arrived at RPR just about 8:00 am. Parked up on the car park and went in. Very impressive frontage and lobby. Checked in at special Loews' First members priority desk (we had joined online) but room not ready - they had a conference on - but they gave us our key cards - our Express access for all rides - yippee! Were asked what we would like as our Loews member 'extra' and chose the 'nuts & red wine' option. Got the water taxi to Universal Studios. Headed straight for Return of the Mummy - which was being tested ahead of the official opening. Express was not available for this ride - but the queues were so small at that time that we were able to almost walk straight onto it. It was fantasic - unlike every other ride we had been on -a combination of all different things. but not all effects were actually working - and some effects were not timed exactly. DS & I rode it 5 times in a row! DH joined us after our first ride and did it 4 times! Went on Shrek 4D for the first time - I thought it was hilarious. Enjoyed MIB, T-2 etc - all as brilliant as we remembered them. Had sundaes for lunch in Schwab's Pharmacy - saw one little kid manage to tip a whole shake over himself, the floor and the poor guy at the table next to him!
Went back to the hotel and found our room. Very nice decor - 2 large beds - and the wine and nuts were waiting! Hotel is much larger than I had expected. Decided to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe. We have an All Access pass for Hard Rock - as there is one in Manchester which we go to. When we arrived we told the staff member at the door that we had our key cards (which give you priority for a table at all City Walk restaurants) and that we had an All Access card too. They told us the All Access card was higher priority for a table and then took us past a huuuuge queue straight to a table! By this time we were getting used to the special treatment! We also had been given a special $10 discount over the net as it had been my birthday - so the meal only came to $25! Excellent! Strolled along the footpath back to the hotel. Decided not to bother drinking the wine when we got back. Just put it in the case to take back to the condo with us.
Thursday 8th April
A lie-in today! Didnt get up till 7:00 am. DH suffering from a head cold. Breakfast in the Islands Dining Room at RPR. $16.50 for buffet breakfast. Quite good. Checked out of hotel leaving bags with porters. Left car on the hotel car park (paid $6 yesterday). Walked along the walkway to Islands of Adventure - our favouraite park!
Although it was not long after 9:00 am the park was already quite busy. We (DS & I) used our key cards for the Hulk (3 times in a row!), Dr Fearfall then both Fire & Ice on Duelling Dragons. DH joined us for rides on Spiderman (2), Acceleratron, Poseidon, Jurassic Park etc. There was a very heavy rainstorm mid-afternoon and everyone dashed to find shelter in the shops and cafes. We rushed into a shop near Spiderman and were all crushed up with hundreds of other people. A young boy (English) next to us was telling his mum in a not-very-quiet voice that he was desperate for the toilet. She asked him 'what number?' - 'number 2!' he replied sounding really really desperate! 'You'd better hold it in' she said. 'I can't' he said. DS was right next to him - and looked like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world at that moment! The kid's face was getting more and more red. We made a dash for the door - and got out quick!
When we had arrived at the park, we had made a PS for Mythos for dinner. As the weather was still a bit 'iffy', we decided to try turning up early. It wasn't a problem. Very nice food & surroundings, imaginative menu, very very nice desserts (I had the creme brulee). Air-conditioning a bit on the cool side. (I find that is the case a lot in Florida) Attentive waitress who asked if we were AA members - a strange question we thought at first! BUT it turns out that we were entitled to 10% discount as AA members. Nice of her to let us know that, wasn't it? The wet rides had been closed earlier due to the threat of lightning - so we went on them after dinner. Ripsaw Falls had massive queues (even Express) - so we only did that once. Did Popeye's Bilge Rat Barges twice. Called at Walgreen's on the way back to the condo to get some cream for DS's prickly heat rash. Showered, then bed. Decided to have a lie-in the next day.
