MKFan-PR
Certified MK Freak! Work is what I do for Vacation
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2002
- Messages
- 495
THE CAST:
MKFan-PR: Me, 34. Disney nut since my parents took me when I was 5. This is my 10th trip overall, number 6 with my DW and number 2 with my DD.
Carmen: DW, 38. Her 7th trip (6 with me). Knows a little English but enjoys Disney a lot.
Larissa: DD, 3.5. This is actually her 2nd trip, but this is the first that she will actually have memories of. Has been excited about the trip ever since she saw the vacation video.
We live in Puerto Rico, so a trip to Disney involves quite some planning and investment; it is very difficult to go more than once a year. With Larissa starting school this will be the first time that our family will NOT be going off-season, and who knows when we'll be able to return, so this trip is extra-special for my DW and me.
8/6: Day 6-Venturing outside to IOA
We wake up at about 8:30AM, get dressed, I get breakfast again with Larissa, we eat it in the room, and by 11:00 we're in the car, on the road and heading to IOA. So much for early starts. At least we're leaving earlier! We are looking forward to visiting IOA, since the last time we were here, in '99, when Larissa was 9 mo, our visit had to be cut short after a torrential rain that lasted for about 2 hours. Larissa had a small cold then so we decided to cut the visit short. This time we should be able to stay all day, plus we knew that at least we'd have some sun, since the sun was nuclear hot when we left CBR.
We follow the road and the signs and then... yikes! A long line to pay parking! I'm missing the Disney buses already! I have two options, regular ($8) or preferred ($11) parking. For just $3, preferred parking (supposedly closer) is worth a shot, so I pay and we go up the ramps, all the way to the 3rd floor (where the walkway to CityWalk is). We park in Jaws, still fairly close to the walkway. For us at least, preferred was worth it!
We start walking towards IOA. Now I will make the first of a few comparisons I'll make between the Universal parks and Disney it's impossible not to compare!): The multi-level parking and walkway to the parks in Univ. is great! It's very comfortable! Of course, doing this on any of the existing Disney parks would be extremely difficult, plus it would probably ruin the scenery.
We arrive at the ticket window, to buy a pass for Larissa. We bought 2 2-day passes through the Internet last year for a trip that had to be conceled, so Carmen and I are covered. But Larissa is now 3 and she now needs a ticket, so I have to get her one.
After getting her pass, we enter and we immedialtely enjoy the scenery. The 'Port of Entry' (or whatever it's called) is very well themed and really sets up the park well. Larissa immediately wants some 'SpiderMan juice' (Watermelon juice drink in a SpiderMan squeeze bottle), and since we wanted a fruit and juice break, we comply. We sit in the plaza in front of the lake to enjoy the refreshments, then I get a map and we lay out our plan of attack: we'd start to our right through Seuss' Landing and make our way around the park. We figured we wouldn't need the whole day to do the park since may of the rides either have height restrictions (we want to ride together as much as we can) or are 'inversion' roller coasters (which Carmen and I don't like much to ride).
We start with the Cat in the Hat, which is quite nice. This ride had height restrictions when we came in '99, and thankfully it was removed. It is a bit turbulent though (for some kids), but Larissa loved it. We do the 'Caro-Seuss-el' and 'One Fish-Two Fish' (I hope I'm getting those names right! I don't want to offend any IOA fans!). Then stroll into The Lost Continent. We skip Poseidon's Fury, since we wanted to do things we didn't do the previous time first. We saw the Mythos restaurant (where we had a nice lunch through the downpour on our last visit) and decide we'd eat there if we were close when we got hungry. We browse dome shops and then go into the Sinbad stunt show. The show had just started, so we had to watch it from the top while standing (except Larissa, who had a comfy seat in Daddy's arms
). Great show! The special effects, the stunts and the production were very good!
We kept moving, skipped Dueling Dragons, then we found the Unicorn, a small roller coaster. I rode it with Larissa, while Carmen sat. I said earlier she didn't like inversion coasters; she's actually uncomfortable on any coaster. I've been able to convince her to ride SM and BTMRR in the MK, but with Larissa she now has the perfect excuse to not ride! What she'll do when Larissa grows up and can ride is beyond me... but I guess we'll find out. Anyway, the ride was a thumbs up for our DD.
We entered Jurassinc Park, and decided to have lunch there: chicken strips and a surprisingly tasty chicken sandwich. While eating I observed something else about IOA: The park layout. MK and AK have Disney's famed 'hub' or 'wheel design: a central area (the Castle in MK, the Tree in AK) and pathways leading out from there to the different areas, with the areas interconnected in the outside, forming more or less a 'wheel'. FW in Epcot is done the same way, with the Fountain Plaza being the center. MGM-ST has more of a 'tree' design (which is a variation of the 'wheel') with the different areas 'branching out' from roughly the TGMR area. IOA has a design like that of the whole Epcot park: a 'lakeside' or 'hollow' design. Here the different areas surround a lake or central area, with no way of criss-crossing (although Epcot does have the Friendships). You have to walk all the way around to see everything. To me, IMHO, this design is very pretty, but it tires you a lot. If you missed something or want to go directly to a specific place, you have to go all the way around. Excuse me if the previous paragraph was a bit long, but I work in design and theme park design is a passion to me!
After eating, we go downstairs to explore the dinosaur exhibits and play around creating our personal dinosaur (where you can choose what type of dinosaur and more or less put your face on it.
We kept going, and I got my first Universal Express (UE) of the day for the Jurassic Park ride. It's quite simple, but I think Disney's FP does it a little better: FP displays the return time in boards, while in UE you have to reach the machine to actually see the return time, so you can't decide without getting in line. Plus the FP machines get your ticket then print you the FP. In UE you have to scan it manually through a mag-stripe reader or Bar Code Scanner, and sometimes it doesn't work. But the truth is the convenience that both give you is unmeasurable!
While we wait for the UE time to arrive, We change Larissa to her bathing suit, so she can play all she wants in the fountains near the bridge to Toon Lagoon. She had a ball! She loves water and she was in heaven! I went to a nearby cart to get a lemon smoothie, which we all shared while Larissa jumped around in the water. Time flew, and while Carmen stayed with Larissa, I went into the Jurassic Park ride. Fantastic Ride!
We more or less dried Larissa off, but she kept her bathing suit, as we entered Toon Lagoon. Another thing about IOA: this is a park for teenagers and young adults. It's a definite can't miss for that age group. They will find that IOA has some of the best rides for them! But for us, it has little balance. Small kids have very few options. Case in point: in Toon Lagoon, which emphasizes kids, and event though has a lot of 'interactive' stuff and fountains and such, the two rides (Popeye's & Dudley's) have height restrictions! Anyway, it just gives us one more reason to come back when Larissa is older
)
We went to the Olive (Popeye's ship), and enjoyed squirting the people in passing by in the Popeye ride below (we were about 6 or 7 people doing this, and when we got a boat by surprise and they screamed, and guy squirting with us said: 'It's a water ride! What did you expect?!' LOL!).
We continued to Super Hero Island, where we saw the Super hero show. Larissa didn't want to get in line for pictures; she preferred getting pictures with the SpiderMan car. I thought briefly about getting a UE for the SpiderMan ride, but the crowds and the heat had us exhausted, and we thought about heading back (it was now about 5:30 PM, although the ark closed at 10:00). We went into the Storm Accelatron (cool ride! we though it was an imitation of the Mad Tea Party, but it's actually a lot faster.), then headed for the exit and the car. Larissa fell asleep in the stroller along the way, and we felt like WE needed a stroller. It was a very nice day in a different environment.
We got to the hotel, where we changed Larissa (who was still sound asleep) into actual clothes. What to do now? Dinner at the Marketplace! When we got there it was about 7 and I knew Rainforest and Planet Hollywood would be hard to get a table, so we decided to go to one we had seen before but never tried (and one that many people overlook!): Cap'n Jack's Restaurant. It had a 25 min. wait, which was just fine, and it had a more relaxed atmosphere, which is just what we were looking for. The nice lady at the podium complimented me on my 'I am never growing up' WDW T-shirt: 'that's why I work here, honey!', she said.
We strolled around the shops nearby (Larissa still sound asleep), enjoying the quiet time to ourselves while the time for our table came. We finally were seated, in a perfect location: beside the window, overlooking the lagoon and PI! We had a nice, relaxed seafood dinner. Larissa woke up and shared some of our food. We then had a nice little walk up to the Fulton Carb House steamboat, when we went back to CBR, changed into our bathing suit for a late dip in the Main pool. We've never tried this before, and although the pool was a bit crowded, it wasn't too bad and it was very nice and refreshing! At about 11:00, we refilled our mugs, then headed back to our room for a shower and to bed.
We got a lot done today!
Next - AK!
Stay tuned!
MKFan-PR: Me, 34. Disney nut since my parents took me when I was 5. This is my 10th trip overall, number 6 with my DW and number 2 with my DD.
Carmen: DW, 38. Her 7th trip (6 with me). Knows a little English but enjoys Disney a lot.
Larissa: DD, 3.5. This is actually her 2nd trip, but this is the first that she will actually have memories of. Has been excited about the trip ever since she saw the vacation video.
We live in Puerto Rico, so a trip to Disney involves quite some planning and investment; it is very difficult to go more than once a year. With Larissa starting school this will be the first time that our family will NOT be going off-season, and who knows when we'll be able to return, so this trip is extra-special for my DW and me.
8/6: Day 6-Venturing outside to IOA
We wake up at about 8:30AM, get dressed, I get breakfast again with Larissa, we eat it in the room, and by 11:00 we're in the car, on the road and heading to IOA. So much for early starts. At least we're leaving earlier! We are looking forward to visiting IOA, since the last time we were here, in '99, when Larissa was 9 mo, our visit had to be cut short after a torrential rain that lasted for about 2 hours. Larissa had a small cold then so we decided to cut the visit short. This time we should be able to stay all day, plus we knew that at least we'd have some sun, since the sun was nuclear hot when we left CBR.
We follow the road and the signs and then... yikes! A long line to pay parking! I'm missing the Disney buses already! I have two options, regular ($8) or preferred ($11) parking. For just $3, preferred parking (supposedly closer) is worth a shot, so I pay and we go up the ramps, all the way to the 3rd floor (where the walkway to CityWalk is). We park in Jaws, still fairly close to the walkway. For us at least, preferred was worth it!
We start walking towards IOA. Now I will make the first of a few comparisons I'll make between the Universal parks and Disney it's impossible not to compare!): The multi-level parking and walkway to the parks in Univ. is great! It's very comfortable! Of course, doing this on any of the existing Disney parks would be extremely difficult, plus it would probably ruin the scenery.
We arrive at the ticket window, to buy a pass for Larissa. We bought 2 2-day passes through the Internet last year for a trip that had to be conceled, so Carmen and I are covered. But Larissa is now 3 and she now needs a ticket, so I have to get her one.
After getting her pass, we enter and we immedialtely enjoy the scenery. The 'Port of Entry' (or whatever it's called) is very well themed and really sets up the park well. Larissa immediately wants some 'SpiderMan juice' (Watermelon juice drink in a SpiderMan squeeze bottle), and since we wanted a fruit and juice break, we comply. We sit in the plaza in front of the lake to enjoy the refreshments, then I get a map and we lay out our plan of attack: we'd start to our right through Seuss' Landing and make our way around the park. We figured we wouldn't need the whole day to do the park since may of the rides either have height restrictions (we want to ride together as much as we can) or are 'inversion' roller coasters (which Carmen and I don't like much to ride).
We start with the Cat in the Hat, which is quite nice. This ride had height restrictions when we came in '99, and thankfully it was removed. It is a bit turbulent though (for some kids), but Larissa loved it. We do the 'Caro-Seuss-el' and 'One Fish-Two Fish' (I hope I'm getting those names right! I don't want to offend any IOA fans!). Then stroll into The Lost Continent. We skip Poseidon's Fury, since we wanted to do things we didn't do the previous time first. We saw the Mythos restaurant (where we had a nice lunch through the downpour on our last visit) and decide we'd eat there if we were close when we got hungry. We browse dome shops and then go into the Sinbad stunt show. The show had just started, so we had to watch it from the top while standing (except Larissa, who had a comfy seat in Daddy's arms
). Great show! The special effects, the stunts and the production were very good!We kept moving, skipped Dueling Dragons, then we found the Unicorn, a small roller coaster. I rode it with Larissa, while Carmen sat. I said earlier she didn't like inversion coasters; she's actually uncomfortable on any coaster. I've been able to convince her to ride SM and BTMRR in the MK, but with Larissa she now has the perfect excuse to not ride! What she'll do when Larissa grows up and can ride is beyond me... but I guess we'll find out. Anyway, the ride was a thumbs up for our DD.
We entered Jurassinc Park, and decided to have lunch there: chicken strips and a surprisingly tasty chicken sandwich. While eating I observed something else about IOA: The park layout. MK and AK have Disney's famed 'hub' or 'wheel design: a central area (the Castle in MK, the Tree in AK) and pathways leading out from there to the different areas, with the areas interconnected in the outside, forming more or less a 'wheel'. FW in Epcot is done the same way, with the Fountain Plaza being the center. MGM-ST has more of a 'tree' design (which is a variation of the 'wheel') with the different areas 'branching out' from roughly the TGMR area. IOA has a design like that of the whole Epcot park: a 'lakeside' or 'hollow' design. Here the different areas surround a lake or central area, with no way of criss-crossing (although Epcot does have the Friendships). You have to walk all the way around to see everything. To me, IMHO, this design is very pretty, but it tires you a lot. If you missed something or want to go directly to a specific place, you have to go all the way around. Excuse me if the previous paragraph was a bit long, but I work in design and theme park design is a passion to me!
After eating, we go downstairs to explore the dinosaur exhibits and play around creating our personal dinosaur (where you can choose what type of dinosaur and more or less put your face on it.
We kept going, and I got my first Universal Express (UE) of the day for the Jurassic Park ride. It's quite simple, but I think Disney's FP does it a little better: FP displays the return time in boards, while in UE you have to reach the machine to actually see the return time, so you can't decide without getting in line. Plus the FP machines get your ticket then print you the FP. In UE you have to scan it manually through a mag-stripe reader or Bar Code Scanner, and sometimes it doesn't work. But the truth is the convenience that both give you is unmeasurable!
While we wait for the UE time to arrive, We change Larissa to her bathing suit, so she can play all she wants in the fountains near the bridge to Toon Lagoon. She had a ball! She loves water and she was in heaven! I went to a nearby cart to get a lemon smoothie, which we all shared while Larissa jumped around in the water. Time flew, and while Carmen stayed with Larissa, I went into the Jurassic Park ride. Fantastic Ride!
We more or less dried Larissa off, but she kept her bathing suit, as we entered Toon Lagoon. Another thing about IOA: this is a park for teenagers and young adults. It's a definite can't miss for that age group. They will find that IOA has some of the best rides for them! But for us, it has little balance. Small kids have very few options. Case in point: in Toon Lagoon, which emphasizes kids, and event though has a lot of 'interactive' stuff and fountains and such, the two rides (Popeye's & Dudley's) have height restrictions! Anyway, it just gives us one more reason to come back when Larissa is older
)We went to the Olive (Popeye's ship), and enjoyed squirting the people in passing by in the Popeye ride below (we were about 6 or 7 people doing this, and when we got a boat by surprise and they screamed, and guy squirting with us said: 'It's a water ride! What did you expect?!' LOL!).
We continued to Super Hero Island, where we saw the Super hero show. Larissa didn't want to get in line for pictures; she preferred getting pictures with the SpiderMan car. I thought briefly about getting a UE for the SpiderMan ride, but the crowds and the heat had us exhausted, and we thought about heading back (it was now about 5:30 PM, although the ark closed at 10:00). We went into the Storm Accelatron (cool ride! we though it was an imitation of the Mad Tea Party, but it's actually a lot faster.), then headed for the exit and the car. Larissa fell asleep in the stroller along the way, and we felt like WE needed a stroller. It was a very nice day in a different environment.
We got to the hotel, where we changed Larissa (who was still sound asleep) into actual clothes. What to do now? Dinner at the Marketplace! When we got there it was about 7 and I knew Rainforest and Planet Hollywood would be hard to get a table, so we decided to go to one we had seen before but never tried (and one that many people overlook!): Cap'n Jack's Restaurant. It had a 25 min. wait, which was just fine, and it had a more relaxed atmosphere, which is just what we were looking for. The nice lady at the podium complimented me on my 'I am never growing up' WDW T-shirt: 'that's why I work here, honey!', she said.
We strolled around the shops nearby (Larissa still sound asleep), enjoying the quiet time to ourselves while the time for our table came. We finally were seated, in a perfect location: beside the window, overlooking the lagoon and PI! We had a nice, relaxed seafood dinner. Larissa woke up and shared some of our food. We then had a nice little walk up to the Fulton Carb House steamboat, when we went back to CBR, changed into our bathing suit for a late dip in the Main pool. We've never tried this before, and although the pool was a bit crowded, it wasn't too bad and it was very nice and refreshing! At about 11:00, we refilled our mugs, then headed back to our room for a shower and to bed.
We got a lot done today!
Next - AK!
Stay tuned!
