The $1200 Challenge... The Trip Report!

[poeticdiabetic]

So now I'm writing the trip report!

For those who doesn't know, we're going on a 5-day Universal Studios vacation for $1200. We're staying off-site, and we've gotten some good deals. (If you do not know about our deals, read the thread in the Universal Studios section.)

Anyhoo, the cast of players are as follows:

Mwa- the husband and father- 38.
My DW- 40 (even though she still looks like a teenager to me)
My eldest DS- 10 going on 35.
And my youngest DS- 9 (who thinks he's a genius!)

Well after much toil, our car rental happened today. We paid $185.51 for the rental. It was on some buy 3 days get 2 free deal at Enterprise. And we got the compact. REALLY compact! A Chevy Aveo. Wow. Pinch me, because I am dreaming.

But, it was at a good price.

Oh, and EVERYBODY'S going to Florida today! I mean, 75 South was jammed right outside of Atlanta. Everyone that was renting cars were headed to Florida. My next-door neighbor was waving goodbye to me as I pulled up! It's a good thing that I like driving at night!

So, I'm off! I gotta help clean and pack. And I need to get some rest for the long drive tonight! Oh, and we're leaving around midnight, right after our Walmart run at 11PM.

Oh, and I'm bringing my laptop, even though my wife hates it! Along with my Zune. And my cellphone.

 

[NashvilleTrio]

Hope you had a safe drive down. Looking forward to reading more of your TR.

 

[Darcy03231]

Hope everything is going well for you. Looks like you picked one of the busiest weeks of the year! Looking forward to hearing about it when you get back.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

Well... I'm back!

The wifey held her own personal Tea Party Revolution when I wanted to open up my laptop on this vacation, so I couldn't give you the play-by-play. (And even she suffered mild withdrawals due to the fact that she was disconnected to her scrapbooking buddies, tools, and coupons.)

So... did we really go down there on $1200 and had fun? YES!

OK, here's Day 1:

We got the car (see fiasco above) and headed down to Florida at around 11:30PM. I drove all night, which gives me a lot of time to think and ponder. That was great- even though I was kinda sleepy. But I can drive long distances at night as long as I'm listening to music and eating sunflower seeds (The trick is that sunflower seeds is more than something to eat. It is actually something to do. And having something to do keeps me awake.)

OK, got to the parks around 7:50AM and people were there already... getting out and getting in line! We walked passed CityWalk (Which is cool. It's like a big party atmosphere that has this vibe like you're in the coolest party of your lifetime. It's full of cool people from all over the world. But the only problem is that outside of your immediate family, you know no one else.)

So... we decided to go to Universal Studios first. OK, first up, they let people in around 8:30AM. And they let us roam around freely 5 minutes before the actual time of 9AM. Every day. Both parks.

Now, the big tip is to get there at rope drop. And to ride the rides you want to by 11AM. Therefore, when the herds of people come, you've done the most popular rides already.

SO, at rope drop, we walked really fast to the Simpsons ride. The reason why I pointed that out is because I had the most fun during that walk. I saw this, had-to-be 50+ year-old Asian lady- in full sprint; racing to the Simpsons ride. Meanwhile her grandson was trying to take it easy and walk like mature people And she wasn't the only one. There were many grown people running to rides.

Anyway, we got there fast and had a great deal of fun. The Simpsons Ride is one of the best rides in any park. The comedy is great! And the queue is funny, too! I'm not going to ruin it for those who haven't ridden it before, but this ride is a "MUST RIDE"!

As a matter of fact, all of the rides (except Twister, IMHO) were really fun rides. We didn't do any kiddie rides, but the rest were great!

We rode on the first day basically everything at Universal Studios. There weren't really long lines then (last Sunday.) We didn't wait over 40 minutes for anything. We rode Revenge of the Mummy (My personal favorite) and The Simpsons twice that first day. But we didn't see any shows that first day.

Now our strategy was to stay at Universal Studios all day and exhaust it. And we did. We did leave to go to CityWalk to eat, though. Which brings me to the surprise of the day:

The Whopper Bar!

All I can say about the Whopper Bar is this: It was one of the best burgers I've ever had, period. To this day, I'm trying to think of a place where I had a better burger. And I personally do not eat at Burger King. Back home, I don't like them. I have this thing about people needing gloves while fixing burgers, and the Burger Kings down here have employees that doesn't use gloves.

But this Whopper Bar is a great concept: You can create your own whopper. There's a bunch of condiments that you can choose from that are free, and a bunch that are 50 cents each. (Cheese, of course, is $0.50.) But, for instance, I created a Whopper that had lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, Onion Rings, jalapenos, and Angry Sauce. The next time I have lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, onion rings, jalapenos, and A1 Steak Sauce. It came with a medium fry and drink. And it was $6.19 for the meal.

And for dinner that first night, we ate at Panda Express, also on CityWalk. Our total bill there was about $30. And my kids didn't eat all of the food, because they were still full off the Whoppers.

So here's what I would like to see: I would like for Burger King to retire the brand: Burger King. They should replace those establishments with Whopper Bars all over this country. And make is policy to wear gloves like they do at CityWalk.

But the first day was great! We stayed there, riding rides, taking pictures (even helping my wife avoid the advances of Donkey, )

When we did leave, we were pleasantly surprised with the Comfort Inn that we stayed at. The motor inn was right on Universal Blvd.- right up the street from US/IOA. The room had a safe, refrigerator, and microwave. And it was clean. And for $29 a night off Hotwire, we knew it was a steal! The only complaint was that it was kinda old and that it seemed like folks were out partying late outside our window. But for $137 for 4 nights total, I didn't complain.

Oh, and please, somebody tell those folks at Westgate to stop bothering me. I mean, I can see those guys in my sleep, trying to sell me a timeshare. They were all over the parks. Plus, they were in the restaurants. And they were even in the lobby of the Comfort Inn. They got me shook! I'm looking under my bed for those guys trying to get my information and $5 so I would go to their high-pressure 90-minute sales horror-fest!

But overall, it was great! I will tell you more later.

 

[t-and-a]

I'm glad to hear that you had a great trip and stayed within your budget! Thanks for the reviews on the Whopper Bar too; that sounded good and inexpensive too. Was Panda Express good?

I'd love to see some pictures!!! Would you care to post a few for us?

 

[poeticdiabetic]

I'm glad to hear that you had a great trip and stayed within your budget! Thanks for the reviews on the Whopper Bar too; that sounded good and inexpensive too. Was Panda Express good?

I'd love to see some pictures!!! Would you care to post a few for us?

Panda Express was Panda Express. It's the same all across the country. So it was pretty good.

As far as pictures, my wifey needs to set it up because she's the photographer of the house.

 

[Darcy03231]

With the crowd reports of this week I was concerned about you and your family. Glad you made it there ok and had a good time. Looking forward to more of your trip report! We'll have to make sure we hit the Burger King Bar when we're there the end of the month.

 

[bluedolph1n]

I am also glad to hear you had a great time, and about the Whopper Bar review. I´m looking forward to the rest of your report, since we are going in a few weeks time.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

Day 2

This day belonged to Islands of Adventure. Plus, we decided to eat off-site. So, here goes.

We started off early, and we had the free breakfast at the Comfort Inn. It was basically some breads, cereal, waffles-that-you-make-with-a-waffle iron, juices and milk. Empty calories, but good.

So needless to say, we were full walking into the park. We came early. For those Disney people out there, Islands of Adventure felt like a mix between Animal Kingdom and EPCOT's Global Community. Well, it felt that way to me. There's certainly this international vibe going on when you first walk in.

Well, the first thing we did was walk quickly through the beginning and made that left towards the Incredible Hulk. Which brings me to my next tip: Fanny Packs!

OK, fanny packs, to me, are not sexy. It is something that I would not be caught dead walking around in. But fanny packs can be a godsend at the Universal Studios parks. Why? Because many of the park rides: Hulk, ROTM, MIB, etc. would not allow you to ride with ANY bag... not your purse, backpack, or any bag at all. Except a fanny pack. Everything else would need to be stored in a locker that they provide to you for free. But if you want to ride with your wallet, camera, or, er...other items- you will need to put on that fanny pack.

So, since we are too cool for the fanny pack, we stored our stuff in lockers and rode with the wind. And rode the Hulk.

OK... the Hulk is my eldest favorite ride in the parks. It is merely this massive roller-coaster, with twists, turns, falls, and other stuff. What makes it different are the amounts of twists, turns, twirls, and others. The Hulk has no chill parts- it's all bigand bulking. And it's long... much longer than the average roller coaster. If you like roller coasters, this one is worth the price by itself.

Next, we rode Spiderman. Great ride. And we got on in 15 minutes, because we were there at rope drop. SO remember, get there by rope drop.

We also rode the Jurassic Park ride. That was fun and more scary than Dinosaur at AK. And since we were wet, we rode Bluto's Barge, after we took pictures with Popeye and Olive Oil. OK listen, you will get wet on this ride. Let me take that back- you will get drenched on this ride. You can't escape it. There's no way not to. They make sure that you can't. As a matter of fact, you might as well go and throw yourself bodily over the side of the raft. You can't get more wet than this ride.

Oh, and after that, we rode Ripsaw Falls. Just think Splash Mountain on steroids. It's much more entertaining, and you get wet. Naw, drenched.

We rode the other rides, and played in the other sides of the parks. We loved the Suess Landing. It's like some nice dreamworld that I had as a child (I love Dr. Suess.)

So anyway, we decided to leave at around 6PM, after spending all of that time riding rides, taking pictures, and having a great time at IOA. We went to the hotel, got changed (we were STILL wet from earlier) and headed to Golden Corral. I like Golden Corral. But this Golden Corral had crabcakes. And coconut shrimp. And BBQ Shrimp. Good food. And it costed around $38.

So after a big, hearty meal, we went back to the hotel and watched 'Baby Mama' on TV. Then after about 15 minutes in, 'Baby Mama' was watching us. We were so tired that we just fell asleep.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

Day 3

Now this is where the entire trip gets kinda weird.

First of all, we wake up to temperatures of around 49 degrees in Florida. And it stayed cool... somewhere around 53 degrees or so. Also, the parks were PACKED! We came a little after 9AM to US and the lines were long. We went to the Simpson ride around 5 minutes after rope drop and it was about a 20 minute wait. And we did see grown people running to the rides, which was a lot of fun.

We went to both US and IOA, but the parks were packed. US was more packed than usual, but you could still get on ROTM with about a 30 minute wait. Plus, the guys at Universal were good at moving the lines along.

So we changed our game plan. We decided to ride what we wanted to ride, period. We waited in line and talked to the good people waiting with us. And we met some cool people. Plus, my eldest met the most beautiful girl he has ever met while on the ROTM ride. And he didn't know how to act, so he had to calm himself down a bit. Plus, she thought he was extremely brave, so he had a great day that day.

OK, we went to Moe's for lunch. Our boys had the kid's burrito meal- complete with drinks and cookie. Wifey and I had the totally tricked out nachos and added the drink. Total bill was around $24.

We went back to IOA and took pictures with Wolverine, Spiderman, Cyclops, Storm, and others in the Marvel section. We also did something that I can't believe we did: In the cold weather, we had delusions that we could actually ride Jurassic Park, but not get too wet. Wifey told us that we were crazy, but we decided that going on that ride was the best course of action.

So my sons and I decided to go on the ride. Oh, and goodie... we were situated on the front row. And we rode the ride. And got SOAKED! And it was freezing!

Needless to say, at around 5:30PM- our day at the parks abruptly ended. We went to the hotel, got changed, and went to dinner. We went to Ponderosa. Cheap, but good. And, for about $33 including tip (with coupons, etc.) we stayed on budget. Oh, but we drink water. And more water. The only thing that I will say, though, is stay away from the beef products. It comes with Montezuma's revenge.

Oh, and International Drive was PACKED! It just looked like it was packed everywhere. We went back to the hotel and fell asleep watching cable again.

 

[NashvilleTrio]

Awesome TR. I've enjoyed reading it.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

Day 4

Well, today we woke up to temps in the 40s, but it will eventually get up to the mid 60s. We ate our breakfast at the Comfort Inn and head to the parks. We start out at US but we also headed to IOA after lunch. The parks were once again pretty packed after 11AM, so we did our trips to the Simpsons ride and MIB immediately. Plus, we did ET which was good, even though I didn't hear our names at the end. Once again, all of the rides (except Twister, IMO) was very good.

OK, let me explain my grievance with Twister. You walk into the queue and it looks like a big, giant tornado just tore that place to pieces. And it looks kinda scary. Then, you watch the video where Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt looking all shook up, talking about how scary and wild it was to even make the movie. And how they were so afraid and that they are going to allow us to feel what they felt and see what they've seen.

And then they rush us into the theatre with this siren blasting. They're yelling at you to get out of the house! You're thinking "Man, this is going to be so cool!" And they hustle you in.

Once you're in, you're into this scene that looks like some small town from the 50s. And then you feel the rain and see the little twister on the stage. And it turns a couple things over. It even raises up this pathetic fake cow. Yes, you will laugh at the cheesiness. Then you get a little wet, the floor is lowered a little bit and they tell you to leave. And you're outside.


So for lunch, we went back to the Whopper Bar. And we were not disappointed again. I will tell you: That Whopper Bar is good!

After lunch, we did the shows: Sinbad (Good show, sat on the wet side), Dr. Suess' "Oh, the Stories" (OK show, but the Cat in the Hat, Thing1 and 2, and Sam I am stays so you can take pictures with them), and we did Poseidon (That show was AWESOME! One of the biggest surprises of the vacation!) Oh, and we did the Fear Factor Live show! (great show!)

After that, we rode some rides until about 7PM. After that, we went back to Ponderosa. (We avoided the ground beef products, though.) After that, we went to some shops on International Drive and went right to sleep when we came back to the hotel.

 

[Amber74]

Thanks so much for writing this TR. Those 3 Citywalk fastfood restaurants are exactly what I was wanting to know about. We are a family of 7 spending 3 days in the parks after going to Disney. When just Dh and I went last year our food (and drink) bill was outragous. I have been trying to come up with a plan after paying nothing for food at Disneyworld to make if affordable and to know what to bring. Anyways, write on I'm enjoying!

 

[poeticdiabetic]

Day 5

This was the last day, so we had to make it count. OK, for the past few days there, we were spending less than $60 a day for 2 adults and 2 kids. Plus, our plan for that day is to ride whatever ride we wanted to before we leave. And we wanted to close the parks down because once we leave, we're hitting the road back home. So here's what we did:

We packed our car with our gear, ate the continental breakfast, and checked out of the Comfort Inn. We decided that we are not going off-site for anything; and since we saved so much money on food, we decided to eat on the meal deal at Universal. AND, since we had one child that was 10 and another 9, we decided to get adult meals for everyone!

So the first place we went to was IOA. And we spent about 45 minutes in line for the Hulk.

Quick tip for riding the HULK: Sit straight up in your seat- as straight as possible. Then, firmly keep your head up against the back. And try to stay perfectly still. That way, you won't get dizzy and your head won't hurt.

OK, after that, we spent almost an hour waiting to get on the Pteranodon Flyers ride. It's very short, but it feels the most like flying. It was very satisfying.

And then, something cool happened: We were picked to participate in some survey for a new TV program. We had to watch this program and answer a slew of questions. It took about an hour and a half or so. But we were paid $30 each. That means that we had an extra $60. I've never been in a theme park and MADE money!

So anyhow, we went back to US and ate at Mel's Drive Inn. Good burgers (not as good as the Whopper Bar, though.) But their fries are wonderful. And we brought our own drinks.

So we rode The Simpsons, MIB, and other rides. I was the most disappointed, though, that the ROTM kept breaking down. I tried that first time that day to ride that ride and the lights came on and eventually they said that it was down. But, they gave me and my eldest son who was with me a fastpass to whatever ride we wanted to ride. I gave mine to my youngest son.

And we ate about 4 times that day on the plan. SOme food was pretty good. Some wasn't. But we were full.

A funny thing happened, though. When it was time to go, we were ready to go. I mean- we were ready to go back home!

 

[poeticdiabetic]

I just wanted to summarize our experience on this trip and compare it to the other trips that I was on. I am a true Disney fan, but this trip was a welcomed change-of-pace.

First of all, when we go to Disney, we enter into the Disney WORLD... meaning that we leave the real world and enter into a fantasy world. That world is very child-like and is cute and fun. And we love that feeling and miss it.

When I enter into US/IOA, you also enter into this fantasy world. But this fantasy world in more nuanced. First, you step into the world's largest music video. You are glamorous. You are fabulous. You have water and music and shopping and restaurants. You have the huge screen with some singer-celebrity singing their heart out. And the shops all have this vibe that you are in the place that will make you seem cool.

I mean think about it: They made getting a Whopper a cosmopolitan experience.

And then you enter into US. You actually enter into the movies and have those experiences. You battle Jaws. You help ET. You battle bug-aliens. You have a day out with the Simpsons.

And the same is with IOA on some rides, like entering into Jurassic Park is pretty great. (Funny thing about this ride: I remembered telling myself when I first saw the movie how incredibly stupid that anyone would want to enter into Jurassic Park. And there I was... spent money, waiting in line and everything JUST to enter Jurassic Park)

But then there this other element of fantasy there: There's this adventure vibe there. You enter into this castle and ride a dragon named either fire of ice. You go through what could be NASA training with that Hulk ride. You try to figure out how wet you can actually get without swimming in your clothes on Bluto's Barge. And you watch gods battle on Poseidon's Fury (This is a MUST SEE!!!!)

But then you take a few steps and enter into the mind of Dr. Suess. Suess Landing is like making a playground of the mind of Dr. Suess himself. It's fantastic!

So, here's the question that many will ask:

Which one do you like better: Disney of Universal? Answer- yes. In other words, I like them both because you cannot compare the two. But there are differences:

For instance, the rides at US/IOA are better and more intense. But I like the Disney experience more. The meal deal at US/IOA is a better deal, but I like Disney's CS restaurants better. I also like Disney's Fastpass program better. And I like the EMHs at Disney. But I was actually tired and ready to go at around 7PM at US/IOA every night. And I like the characters at US/IOA better.

So I like them both.


And that's my trip report. Any questions?

 

[Lucky'sMom]

Great report, thank you so much!

Does the Whopper Bar serve anything besides burgers, like salads or chicken sandwiches or nuggets? My DD's won't eat burgers. Thanks! (It sounds very affordable).

 

[akayek31]

I have a 2007 Chevy Aveo and we are driving. It is Myself, My daughter who is 12, and my son who is 16. I have been worried that the car will not fit our luggage and souvenirs. Did your family have any problems with room for everything? I can't wait to try the whopper bar now

 

[poeticdiabetic]

Great report, thank you so much!

Does the Whopper Bar serve anything besides burgers, like salads or chicken sandwiches or nuggets? My DD's won't eat burgers. Thanks! (It sounds very affordable).

Yes, they serve other things besides burgers. But the burger is the big thing there.

Oh, and the Whopper Bar, Panda Express, and Moes all use the same tables, and is accessible to each other. In other words, if one member of your family wants a burrito from Moes, another wants some Orange Chicken from Panda Express, while you want to build a Whopper- you can all just split up, order your food, and meet up at the same table... food court style!

 

[poeticdiabetic]

I have a 2007 Chevy Aveo and we are driving. It is Myself, My daughter who is 12, and my son who is 16. I have been worried that the car will not fit our luggage and souvenirs. Did your family have any problems with room for everything? I can't wait to try the whopper bar now

It depends on your luggage and how you pack. The Aveo that we drove had plenty of space for us, but we pack using big duffel bags and other bags. Therefore, we could use every amount of space. And we had enough for everybody.

But if you have those bulky roller bags, or if your luggage is of the bulky kind; you might have issues. You can always practice by taking you luggage and try to put them all in your trunk beforehand.

Oh, and the Chevy Aveo is a Chevy. The one thing about American cars is that they are designed with Americans in mind, so you will be surprised by the storage space in the trunk.

 

[tlinus]

Great report and I love your synopsis!!!!