Our APs are about to EXPIRE! Oh, no. Let's GO!

[RVGal]

Have you ever noticed that the two most common "prizes" are... a beaver and a um... kitty?

I always have to laugh, because Will and I have never won anything else, and we always laugh over who got which.

I think my first time I won a bird. I've only ever had the cat once. I'm usually dividing my time between shooting for myself and trying to help whichever kid is next to me. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

i thought the same thing re the die-hard fans we saw, dressed ala their heros @ star wars weekends; until i remembered myself donning a minnie mouse costume for MNSSHP one year

Yeah, but MNSSHP is in October when the temps are more tolerable. This was June and some people were in full Darth Vader costumes. I can't imagine wearing head to toe black vinyl in Orlando in June.

Okay...if THIS picture doesn't define Joshua as "cool" I don't know how else he's gonna pull it off!

I think the Stormtroopers up on the roof are great! Who'da thought?

Maybe the key to doing DHS is going when Star Wars weekend is going on? I mean, you practically walked on everything. Whatever was going on, worked well for you.

Sounds like it was a great day. Not a lot of line waiting and a nice relaxing day.

I think we got lucky with the rides. We rode Star Tours, which had a 60-90 min wait most of the time we were there, when the SWW parade was going on. Most of the people interested in riding ST were watching the parade. We waited in line for GMR, but only in that last room... the one where they show film clips on the big screen. I honestly don't know why there was no line for TSM. Maybe it was a parade time? Or some special show time? The wait was back up to 60 mins when we exited the ride, and at 90 mins when we passed it again later. I don't know what magic window of time we hit, but I'm not complaining!

The pics with the kids are all GREAT but this one is very special with all 3 of you together! You're gonna look back on these photos and smile every time!!

I really didn't want to be in the pic. I was hot and sweaty. My hair was doing a weird curly/wavy thing. Not the most flattering shot ever. Oh, well. At least Daniel got his moment with Princess Leia Minnie.

we just missed SWW! buy like a Weekend! I am no way a SW fan but I wanted to see minnie and friends dressed up in SW!

I enjoy the SW movies and my boys have seen the original trilogy, so they were thrilled. They have a LOT of characters wandering around, which is unusual. Most of the time, you only see the characters at designated "meet" photo op locations. We were attacked by Sand People, which was great. It happened so fast that I didn't get pictures. There were Jawas and Stormtroopers just strolling around. There were also some of the characters from the new animated Clone Wars movie/tv series. It was quite an experience!

 

[RVGal]

Day 3 - Saturday, June 6, 2009

Since we went to bed early the night before, we were up a little earlier than normal. I decided that would make this the perfect day to do Universal. We quickly dressed and headed to the parking lot.

We got in my van and discovered an odd smell. A very unpleasant odd smell. Both boys were doing big dramatic "Phew! That STINKS! Yuck!" type displays, complete with nose holding and hand gestures. A quick search of the car turned up a half eaten banana under Daniel's seat.

Once the rotten fruit was dealt with, we drove (with the windows down) to McDonalds. I forgot to dig out my camera for the breakfast stop. I think it is mostly because I miss the old Happy Meal building. Now that they've changed the architecture to match the new McCafe' thing that they are pushing, it just isn't the same. I mean, the food is the same. It's McDonalds. The food never changes. But trying to make Mickey D's into a trendy coffee house? That I don't get. On the inside they now have these giant posters of people rock climbing and skiing and other athletic things. Yeah, because the average health nut/outdoor type is generally what you find at McDonalds.

Anyway, once we had a quick bite to eat, we made the short drive to Universal.

We were among the first arrivals. The only thing I didn't like about arriving early is that they were loading the parking decks from the top down. Our reward for being there at opening time was to get stuck on the top deck (the only uncovered and not air conditioned deck) at the farthest end away from the moving sidewalks. What is up with that? Why punish the early arrivals? Is it that much harder to load from the bottom up? Sigh.

We worked our way down the escalators and through the walkways until we made it to City Walk.

I decided to start our group out at Universal Studios first, then head to Islands of Adventure later in the day.

I tried to get a shot of the boys where you could see the whole word "Universal", but they ran out of patience before it spun that far around.

We had purchased our tickets in advance, so we headed through the entrance to one of the e-ticket kiosks.

Once our tickets printed, I had the boys stand up in front of the "what can you ride" measuring stick.

I love that they have that out front, so you can prepare yourself and the kids for what they can and can't do.

The crowds were light, so we stopped off at Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast.

The boys love that one. I think it is among Joshua's favorite rides.

The wait times were still low, so we went across the street to see Shrek 4-D.

We had a great TM doing the pre-show and he threatened to flog us regularly. I love that movie.

As we left the theater, Shrek and Donkey were in their usual photo op location and Joshua wanted to meet them.

Donkey was hysterical. I don't know how they found someone who could do the voice and attitude just like Eddie Murphy had in the movie, but they did.

Daniel spotted a Dippin Dots stand and so we stopped to let them have a mid morning ice cream snack. What are vacations for, right? While we were sitting on a bench, the Mystery Machine passed by.

And then we saw these guys from the Mummy.

After the snack, we decided to ride E.T. and headed that way.

There was no line at all, so our wait was maybe 5 mins at the most. We saw the pre-show, got our "boarding pass" cards, and were on our bicycles and flying in no time.

When we exited E.T., Joshua spotted Woody and Winnie Woodpecker.

The crowds were starting to build and, even though we barely scratched the surface at the Sudios, we decided to hop over to IOA. On our way out, we saw the Simpsons.

Here is a tip. If you rent a stroller at either USO or IOA and then hop to the other park, you don't have to turn the stroller in. You can keep it and turn the stroller in to either park. It doesn't have to be the one you rented it from.

We thought about stopping somewhere on City Walk for lunch, especially with all the wonderful smells hitting us as we walked by, but we decided to wait until we were in IOA.

 

[bubba's mom]

Woohoo! Joshua is tall enough to ride it all!!! And, Daniel can ride Simpson's and MIB...guessing you didn't ride those tho.

Either way....sounds like a good morning (except for the banana part ).... Looking forward to IOA report.

 

[PrincessAlways]

Hey there! Joining in for your TR. Don't you love those trips before the APs run out!!! Your boys are adorable! Love those SWW pics of the characters.

 

[romymichelle21]

Whoa! Universal Studios!

I've only ever been to Six Flags and Knott's Berry Farm, but when I was younger. I barely remember either one. Since then, only Disney!

I'd step into a non-Disney park and be like, "Wth? This is so weird! Where are the princesses and stuff??"

(Although I dorkingly admit I want to check out the new HP park-inside-a-park they're building right now).

Very cute pics!

 

[RVGal]

Woohoo! Joshua is tall enough to ride it all!!! And, Daniel can ride Simpson's and MIB...guessing you didn't ride those tho.

Either way....sounds like a good morning (except for the banana part ).... Looking forward to IOA report.

I wanted to take them on MIB, but Mom wasn't interested and talked them out of it. Whenever our next trip is, as long as I have my husband instead of my mom, I plan to spend more days at Universal so the boys can get more out of it. They didn't even get time on the playgrounds, which is a real shame because they have such great ones there.

Hey there! Joining in for your TR. Don't you love those trips before the APs run out!!! Your boys are adorable! Love those SWW pics of the characters.

Thanks for joining in! This is my first time having an AP, so this was my first experience with the before-they-expire motivated trip. It was fun!

Whoa! Universal Studios!

I've only ever been to Six Flags and Knott's Berry Farm, but when I was younger. I barely remember either one. Since then, only Disney!

I'd step into a non-Disney park and be like, "Wth? This is so weird! Where are the princesses and stuff??"

(Although I dorkingly admit I want to check out the new HP park-inside-a-park they're building right now).

Very cute pics!

A lot of people make the mistake of going to Universal with their "Disney-vision" glasses on. It isn't Disney. And if you go expecting the pixie dust/fairy magic/nostalgic childhood memory inducing stuff you get at Disney, you will be disappointed. Universal provides plenty of fantasy and adventure if you immerse yourself in the experience. It is different and I'm okay with that.

Of course, I've heard that the Universal Studios in California is not as impressive as the parks in Orlando... but the studio tour in California is much more impressive than the one in Orlando. I've only been to Florida, so I can't compare.

If you do opt to make the journey someday to see the new Harry Potter section, all I can say is to go with an open mind. You might be surprised at how well done the Universal Orlando parks are.

 

[RVGal]

We made the walk from USO to IOA.

It was only a few minutes until we were at the lighthouse at the entrance to Islands of Adventure.

We headed straight for Seuss Landing.

First up was the Caro-seuss-el. I love all the Dr Seuss characters on it and I didn't get a good shot of it. Oh, well. There is always next time.

Next we took a spin on One Fish Two Fish.

Joshua took great delight in aiming us for the water squirts. I was on the outside, so guess who got sprayed.

It was well past lunchtime and we were all hungry, so we took a break at Circus McGurkus to eat.

Full and happy, we headed for Cat in the Hat.

As we were leaving Cat in the Hat, the storm cloud that had been circling all day finally cut loose. We dashed into the line for the High in the Sky Trolley.

Yeah, we got a little wet making a run for it, but that's okay. I love the story of the Star Bellied Sneetches, but I can never get a good shot of them on the Trolley. I gave up and took mostly pics of the nice view.

Joshua really wanted to ride Spiderman again (he and I rode it on our last trip to IOA), so I asked Mom if she wanted to ride or wait it out. She decided to go with us. The line was about 30 mins, so not bad considering. Daniel was a little scared in some spots, but he laughed and clapped too. I asked Mom how she liked it when we got off. She said she didn't know much about what happened because she closed her eyes most of the time.

We were wet and tired, so we called it a day. There was a lot we missed, but we did the stuff that was most important to the boys.

We got back to the hotel, changed into dry clothes, and had dinner at the food court. After that, I let the boys play in the arcade for awhile. They won about 100 tickets, so I took them to the counter to pick a prize out. There was one guy in front of me with his little boy. I'd guess the boy was around 4. They had over 2000 tickets. The guy let the little boy pick whatever he wanted. Does the boy pick one of the big nice prizes that 2000 tickets will get you? Nooooo. He chooses the cheap crap. We had to wait while he spent his tickets. It went something like this:

"You have 2137 tickets."
"I want... ummmm... ummmm... ummmm... a green army man."
"You have 2136 tickets."
"I want... ummmm... ummmm... ummmm... a yo-yo."
"You have 2121 tickets."
"I want... ummmm... ummmm... ummmm... a punch ball."
"You have 2106 tickets."

It took over 20 minutes for the little fella to make all his selections.

After that, we were ready for bed.

 

[bubba's mom]

I will admit...I love Suess Landing. Cat in the Hat and the Trolley are my faves there. And...we even did 1 Fish 2 Fish this year....and DIDN'T get wet! We actually followed the song and managed to escape the spit (as we call it)...but, it was drizzling, so that made us a little wet. Did you notice that Cat in the Hat could use some rehab? Paint looks a little drab to me....especially the Hat outside. The Florida sun has really faded it! Then again, with HP being built, I can see where their efforts/priorities lie.

Why did Mom close her eyes on Spidey? It's one of the best rides EVER!! Tell her she needs to go on again...without closing her eyes! (even if she just takes her 3D glasses off ) If Daniel can ride it with his eyes open...so can she!

As for the dude back at the foodcourt with the tickets....you are way more patient than we are. We woulda left and returned another time. You could tell the kid was young if he wasn't going for a "2000" ticket prize.

Despite the soggy, looks like a good day. After all....it's just a little rain, right?

 

[mtblujeans]

What great pics!!! And your curly hair looks beautiful in each one!

Seeing all these pictures, I am getting so excited to go back there this fall! You've got pics of characters we've never seen at USO and I forgot about the new Harry Potter opening!

I love the mummy men on stilts! Those guys can really move on those things and they can catch up to you in about 2 or 3 steps!!

The best thing about MIB is that the boys will never outgrow that ride! They will enjoy it every time you take them back...no matter how big they get!

I'm excited to see/hear the rest of your TR!! Thanks for sharing!

 

[romymichelle21]

I would definitely like to go someday, it would just be interesting to see a non-Disney park!

Seuss Landing looks AWESOME. I love Seuss-style architecture! (Seriously, if I could get someone to build me a house like that, I'd totally do it).

I second the comment about your hair... it seems to take the humidity well Mine would have to be in a bun the whole time.

 

[luckylady]

Wow it looks like so far in both parrks you ran into little crowdes. TSM with no lines!!! That was lucky. Can't wait for more.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

The Anakin dude just had me cracking up. I can only IMAGINE what the poor CM playing Amadala was thinking.

He told anyone that would listen for the rest of the day that, "Daniel gots a armadillo. Mommy gots a beaver." That was a little awkward sometimes.

This caused me to snort involuntarily!

Universal looked like an awesome place. Glad you were able to get so many things done that day!

I hear you on the prize counter nightmare. I've been stuck like a few time with the girls.

Can't wait to hear what happens next!

 

[babynurse1]

I'm late to the party, but I'm here. Great start!

 

[RVGal]

Wow it looks like so far in both parrks you ran into little crowdes. TSM with no lines!!! That was lucky. Can't wait for more.

We were lucky on those days. I have never seen TSM with no line. I honestly have NO idea how that happened!

The Anakin dude just had me cracking up. I can only IMAGINE what the poor CM playing Amadala was thinking.

I am sure that CM has many stories to tell. I bet ones with avid fan followings like that get those slightly odd interactions often. She handled it really well. She let him have his moment and then sent him on his way, very politely but firmly.

I'm late to the party, but I'm here. Great start!

Welcome! I'm trying to get the next day started. Pictures are uploaded, I just have to work on the text.

 

[RVGal]

Day 4 - Sunday, June 7, 2009

We were up at our usual time and grabbed a quick bite at the food court. We grabbed a bus to MK. I tried to get a picture of a bus with all the "celebrate" balloons on it, but I didn't do a very good job.

We missed the opening celebration at the train station, but we did see the performers on Main St.

We didn't stop to watch, but headed straight to Fantasyland. I grabbed FPs for Pooh and then herded us to Dumbo.

Next we did Peter Pan.

Then Snow White and Mickey's Philharmagic. It was FP time, so we rode Pooh.

Before leaving Fantasyland, sigh, we rode it's a small world.

Daniel in particular loves this ride. Joshua likes it too. Daniel was sitting beside me and kept shouting, "Take a picture Mommy! Over there! Take a picture!" Yes, let's make sure we preserve this memory forever. Goodness knows, I can't get the song out of my head. Might as well have the pictures to go with it.

We congratulated ourselves on finishing Fantasyland by 12:30pm and headed for Liberty Square.

 

[bubba's mom]

Been over 25 yrs since I've been on IASW... Wow.... AND, I can STILL hear that freakin' song....

 

[macraven]

last year a jam up with the boats on that ride.

i sat for 25 minutes on that boat listening to the song....

 

[bubba's mom]

last year a jam up with the boats on that ride.

i sat for 25 minutes on that boat listening to the song....

 

[RVGal]

I haven't forgotten about my report. This is back to school week here, so I have been doing all the prep for that. First day of school is tomorrow and things should settle down after that. I have the pics uploaded to finish out the day at MK, so I'll try to get to that soon.

 

[macraven]

no problem.
i'll be here when you post again...