Me (age 37)
DH (age 45)
DS (age 11)
DS (age 9)
DS (age 6)
Day 3 - Monday 8/26
Woke early one more time, ate free breakfast at Holiday Inn Family Suites (HIFS), on the road by 8:30 towards Universal Studios. DH starting to understand there are reasons for the "plan" and going along a little better. (ME: "Let's go to the big line attractions first, we can always come back and shop LATER.")
First up Men In Black (aka "Hurl-o-rama"). Stowed our stuff in the free temporary lockers. No line whatsoever until the last 10 feet of the loading area. Another stunningly long queue area. Coached the video-freaks (I mean my sons and DH) on DIS-recommended scoring strategies. DS-6 and I sat in the back for the freaks to have MAXIMUM target access. Hee hee, fun-fun-fun until whammo - the ride vehicle spins a full 1-1/2 circles at warp speed. DS-6 and I are NO LONGER HAVING FUN. He's screaming bloody murder and I'm trying to hold onto breakfast. Since I read somewhere that the vehicle spins if the opposing vehicle hits it, I spent my ammo (and the spare gun's ammo) shooting at the other vehicle so they wouldn't be able to get us EVER AGAIN (although they apparently got a random lucky shot or two because we spun several more times). Poor people, due to my maternal instincts to protect my caterwauling son, they spent the entire MIB ride in a blur. Will Smith gave us a "C" while they got an "F" (WILL: "Only because I can't give you a "G" or an "H.") (SAVING GRACE: DS-6 was so upset, they gave us a front of the line pass to any other ride.) After that DH and I agreed the boys should take turns crying on the rides, they did not comply.
Next, Jaws. (DS-6, DS-9: "NO WAY!" DS-11: "I volunteer not to go if they're too scared.") Posted wait 30 minutes, actual wait about 45 minutes, mostly because they kept pausing the line to pull out additional boats. Fun ride. DS-11 had this terrified look on his face the whole time, but when it was over said, "Yeah! That rocked!"
Passed by Earthquake (DS-6, DS-9: "NO WAY!" DS-11: "I volunteer not to go if they're too scared." DH: "I can't believe we paid all this money and they won't even go on anything. How much did all this cost us?")
Went on the Nickelodeon tour. Loved it. Didn't get picked for games or slimed. (HINT: Sit in the front row and do the pee-pee dance to get picked.)
Used our front of the line pass on Hanna Barbera. Cute kids' ride right? DS-6 sobbed, I looked at the floor of the violently bucking ride vehicle to curtail my motion sickness.
Next, Mel's Drive In. Seemed more cheap than authentic to me. Food uninspiring.
Split up. DH, DS-11, DS-9 to Back to the Future (30 minute wait) and Terminator (walk-on). DS-6 and I to Curious George waterpark. Excellent diversion (LESSON: Bring a swimsuit or change of clothes). Then the ball factory. The kids were like little human Rokenboks. Very fun.
Ordered icees and rendezvoused at the stroller return. I bought 4 large pieces of fudge, having earned them. Left the park about 2:30.
Couldn't swim at the hotel because of a "sanitation accident," so we just hung out at the bar and let the boys spend their money in the arcade. (There's one end of the bar from which you can see everyone coming and going from the arcade. That was "MY" spot.)
7PM PS at Whispering Canyon. Requested Cowboy Rob (CR). He's everything they say and better. I had coached my sons that this place would be fun. So when CR asked my sons' names, DS-9 says, "Punk." CR: "What?" DS-9: "Punk." CR: "Mom, what is his name?" ME: "Chris." CR: "Your parents give you a respectable name like Chris and you want to be called FUNK?" Well that stuck for the night, the week, and so on. Funny how people pick up their nicknames, huh?
DS-6: "[Tears] I'm not doing that stupid race, I thought they were REAL horses."
Highlight for DH: beef, pork, sausage, BBQ. Highlight for me: Cowboy Rob. (Tried to find "dates" for my sons, describing their most engaging feature thus: "They have all their teeth!") Highlight for DS-6: the Lincoln logs table at the check-in desk. Highlight for DS-9, DS-11: finding out where the water went after it left the geyser (down to the pool).
Menfolk to the arcade while I did laundry and packed up our stuff.
DH (age 45)
DS (age 11)
DS (age 9)
DS (age 6)
Day 3 - Monday 8/26
Woke early one more time, ate free breakfast at Holiday Inn Family Suites (HIFS), on the road by 8:30 towards Universal Studios. DH starting to understand there are reasons for the "plan" and going along a little better. (ME: "Let's go to the big line attractions first, we can always come back and shop LATER.")
First up Men In Black (aka "Hurl-o-rama"). Stowed our stuff in the free temporary lockers. No line whatsoever until the last 10 feet of the loading area. Another stunningly long queue area. Coached the video-freaks (I mean my sons and DH) on DIS-recommended scoring strategies. DS-6 and I sat in the back for the freaks to have MAXIMUM target access. Hee hee, fun-fun-fun until whammo - the ride vehicle spins a full 1-1/2 circles at warp speed. DS-6 and I are NO LONGER HAVING FUN. He's screaming bloody murder and I'm trying to hold onto breakfast. Since I read somewhere that the vehicle spins if the opposing vehicle hits it, I spent my ammo (and the spare gun's ammo) shooting at the other vehicle so they wouldn't be able to get us EVER AGAIN (although they apparently got a random lucky shot or two because we spun several more times). Poor people, due to my maternal instincts to protect my caterwauling son, they spent the entire MIB ride in a blur. Will Smith gave us a "C" while they got an "F" (WILL: "Only because I can't give you a "G" or an "H.") (SAVING GRACE: DS-6 was so upset, they gave us a front of the line pass to any other ride.) After that DH and I agreed the boys should take turns crying on the rides, they did not comply.
Next, Jaws. (DS-6, DS-9: "NO WAY!" DS-11: "I volunteer not to go if they're too scared.") Posted wait 30 minutes, actual wait about 45 minutes, mostly because they kept pausing the line to pull out additional boats. Fun ride. DS-11 had this terrified look on his face the whole time, but when it was over said, "Yeah! That rocked!"
Passed by Earthquake (DS-6, DS-9: "NO WAY!" DS-11: "I volunteer not to go if they're too scared." DH: "I can't believe we paid all this money and they won't even go on anything. How much did all this cost us?")
Went on the Nickelodeon tour. Loved it. Didn't get picked for games or slimed. (HINT: Sit in the front row and do the pee-pee dance to get picked.)
Used our front of the line pass on Hanna Barbera. Cute kids' ride right? DS-6 sobbed, I looked at the floor of the violently bucking ride vehicle to curtail my motion sickness.
Next, Mel's Drive In. Seemed more cheap than authentic to me. Food uninspiring.
Split up. DH, DS-11, DS-9 to Back to the Future (30 minute wait) and Terminator (walk-on). DS-6 and I to Curious George waterpark. Excellent diversion (LESSON: Bring a swimsuit or change of clothes). Then the ball factory. The kids were like little human Rokenboks. Very fun.
Ordered icees and rendezvoused at the stroller return. I bought 4 large pieces of fudge, having earned them. Left the park about 2:30.
Couldn't swim at the hotel because of a "sanitation accident," so we just hung out at the bar and let the boys spend their money in the arcade. (There's one end of the bar from which you can see everyone coming and going from the arcade. That was "MY" spot.)
7PM PS at Whispering Canyon. Requested Cowboy Rob (CR). He's everything they say and better. I had coached my sons that this place would be fun. So when CR asked my sons' names, DS-9 says, "Punk." CR: "What?" DS-9: "Punk." CR: "Mom, what is his name?" ME: "Chris." CR: "Your parents give you a respectable name like Chris and you want to be called FUNK?" Well that stuck for the night, the week, and so on. Funny how people pick up their nicknames, huh?
DS-6: "[Tears] I'm not doing that stupid race, I thought they were REAL horses."
Highlight for DH: beef, pork, sausage, BBQ. Highlight for me: Cowboy Rob. (Tried to find "dates" for my sons, describing their most engaging feature thus: "They have all their teeth!") Highlight for DS-6: the Lincoln logs table at the check-in desk. Highlight for DS-9, DS-11: finding out where the water went after it left the geyser (down to the pool).
Menfolk to the arcade while I did laundry and packed up our stuff.
