The Pozey's Rock - Day 2 (Day 3 ADDED)

[pozey]

Day 9 (Day 2 at Universal) – The Hulk and the Slide….

I get to sleep in late today…..I wake up at 6:15 a.m.

Since we have decided that we would take Universal at a pretty slow pace, I let the rest of the gang sleep a little longer. I go down to the Club Lounge and have some breakfast then go back to the room and start getting the rest up. Slowly, but surely, everyone comes around.

The rest of the gang have donuts, bagels, cereal, fruit, and whatnot from the Club Lounge.

We make the decision we would go to Islands of Adventure today. Since today is Thursday, I figure that on Friday IOA would be busier than Universal.

I think that was a pretty good decision. It wasn't too crowded. We take the boat down to IOA.

Since we are novices when it comes to touring Universal Studios and IOA, we just decide to go in the park and turn left and go around that way. First up….The Hulk. DW is a coaster lover, so she wants to ride it with DS(9) first. DS(6) wants to buy a Hulk pin, so we find him a pretty cool one.

When DW and DS(9) come off they say how really cool the ride is. So now I get to ride it with DS(9). It is pretty cool. Just wish it was a little longer….

We skip Dr. Doom for now and head toward Spiderman….DW and both boys go. When they come off, they say they have to ride again…..they forgot to get 3D glasses …..Okay….so they go again…..

When they come off, I get to go…but DS(6) says once is enough for him….I really enjoyed the Spiderman ride. Very cool.

On to Toon Lagoon we go…

First up is Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge Barge’s. Again DW and the boys go first…. When they come off, both boys are pretty soaked, but DW is wet, but not soaked…

Now my turn…..I notice some people taking their socks and shoes off as we get on the ride….so I do the same…

I get wet, but just barely….Again, both boys get drenched……

Next up, Ripsaw Falls…..again…pretty cool ride. DW sits this one out.

On to Jurassic Park….

DW and DS(9) go first. DS(6), DD, and I look around in the shop. When they come off….I get to go…We sit in the front seat and we get pretty wet.

We were going to do the Pteranodon Flyers, but the line was long and they didn’t use Express Pass…..so we passed…

Next up…..Dueling Dragons…..

This time I get to go with DS(9) first….The Express Pass line for this ride was quite long. This was the first time we waited longer than 10 minutes. But it was worth it….We enjoyed this coaster. I think we rode Ice.

When we came off, I told DW to ride Fire so DS(9) could compare.

After they came off, we decided to head back to the Hard Rock for a swim and a nap before dinner. We had plans to go to the Hard Rock Café for dinner at 5:00 p.m.

So we walked around the rest of the park and took the boat back to the Hard Rock. The boys and I put on our bathing suits, while the girls decide to take a nap.

We go out to the pool and it isn’t crowded at all. So we decide to check out the slide….

What a really cool slide. There are very few people going down the slide, so we just go over and over about 10 times total…. I think the lifeguards at the top were tired of seeing the old man come up there and go down the slide….too bad….this old man’s having fun!

So, we swim a little more and then it’s time to go up and get the girls and go to dinner…

We decide to walk over to the Hard Rock Café, since it is just a short – and very nice – walk. We can see the clouds forming and know that the rain is coming… Just before we get there, it begins to sprinkle. We arrive at the Hard Rock Café just before the rain comes….

Now, prior to our trip, I made a priority seating arrangement on-line at hardrock.com. You can make a PS 30 days in advance. You also get priority privileges by showing your Hard Rock room key.

Anyway…it was about a 7 minute wait to be seated. I had the blackened chicken pasta, DW had fajitas, DS(9) had a cheeseburger, DS(6) had spaghetti, and DD had chicken strips. DW wanted me to order an appetizer, but the waiter ran off before I could tell him. Well, then we never saw him again until our meal was brought out…. Everything was good. Nothing outstanding, nothing bad. We had a Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae for dessert.

When we went to leave, it was pouring outside. And everyone was packed into the gift shop. We decided to shop around and wait out the rain. We found some shirts and a pin for DS(6). Finally the rain was stopping.

We decided to head back to the hotel to swim some more. We go back and everyone gets their suits on and we hit the pool. This time DS(6) gets brave enough to go down the slide…..He loves it!! Now, we can’t get him off the slide…

We swim and slide till everyone is wore out….

We go up to the room and we grab us some drinks and cookies from the Club Lounge. After a little snack, the kids get a bath and are ready for bed.

Another great day comes to an end…..

Tomorrow – Day 3 – Universal Studios and Nascar

 

[robvia]

Great report.

I wake up early no matter what. Must of drove you crazy waiting for everyone else. Split up on your next visit and set up meeting times.

 

[pozey]

Yes, I am an early riser no matter what as well....

I wake up at 5:00 a.m. normally, so why should vacation be any different?
That is why I like rooms with balconies....I can get ready and go sit on the balcony and just kick back for awhile. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I can at least read the newspaper or whatever..... I missed having a balony at the Hard Rock...

 

[silverangel879]

How early did you arrive to IoA? I'm working on my July Trip Schedule I see you could do a lot of things in one day....


Thx!

btw...great report waiting for the others....

 

[LupineLady]

We were there last week. Arrived at IOA from RPH right at 9:00 and walked in without a wait. I guess they had let everyone else in early,but the park wasn't crowded. Kids did Hulk twice in 10 minutes. By 9:30 there were a lot more people in that section of IOA, so we went to the section with Dueling Dragons, and it wasn't crowded yet.

 

[pozey]

How early did you arrive to IoA? I'm working on my July Trip Schedule I see you could do a lot of things in one day....


Thx!

btw...great report waiting for the others....

I think we arrived at IOA about 9:30 - 9:45.

This was our first time to IOA, so we had no idea of "how" to tour. So, what we did was start at Hulk and go around the park starting on the left side. We weren't in any hurry whatsoever, so we just took our time. The only time we waited longer than 5 - 10 minutes was for Dueling Dragons. And the wait in the Express Pass Line was maybe 15 - 20 minutes.

 

[silverangel879]

Thx! I think I'll try that time...

 

[kaceyisme]

I'm enjoying your report - waiting for Pt. 3!

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your report ~ Thanx for posting.

 

[Foladar]

Day 3 never show up?

 

[pozey]

Day 3 never show up?

Sorry, but since coming back from vacation, work has just been piling up.....

But I will try a pretty short and sweet wrap-up of days 3 and 4.

On Friday, June 17th, we went to Universal Studios. We had a nice time. We did most everything. Having the unlimited Front of the Line Pass helps immensely….

Some highlights of US – Shrek 4D, Revenge of the Mummy, Terminator. I also liked Men in Black, but wasn’t exactly sure what to shoot at. And I hate Back to the Future. That ride is just too rough.

After a swim and a nap (for the ladies), we went over and had dinner at Nascar Café. My DS(6) is such a race car nut, he just HAD to eat here. Not bad…..not great….

After dinner, we went back to the pool and they had a movie right there at the pool. That was cool. You could watch the movie from a beach chair or from in the pool.

Saturday, June 18th – this was our departure day. However, our flight was not scheduled to depart until 7:30 p.m. and Happy Limo wasn’t scheduled to pick us up until 5:00 p.m., so we basically had most of the day to do whatever we wanted.

So, we swam in the morning, then decided to go back to IOA and ride our favorites again. We rode Hulk, Spiderman, Shrek, and a few others. We decided to eat a late lunch/early dinner at Mythos. It was very good.

So, we go back over to the Hard Rock and wait for our Van from Happy Limo to show up to take us back to the airport. We decide to just hang out in the lobby for awhile. At about 4:50 p.m., I tell the gang that we should go out front and wait. So, we are sitting out front where the cars pull up to the hotel, when I see this big, black, H2 Hummer Limo pulling up the drive . I nudge her to take a look. DS(9) notices it and says something about maybe a Rock Star is coming to stay at the Hard Rock. But when it pulls up and stops I notice that the front license tag reads “Happy Limo”. I say to DW “that’s for us.” She says “no way.”

But then, the driver steps out and holds up a sign that reads “POSEY” She just about freaks. So, I wave to the driver and go over to meet him. He says “today is your lucky day. The van that was scheduled to pick you up broke down and I was the driver closest to you.” VERY COOL!! So, we get the luggage and load up. The driver had already started up a DVD movie of “The Incredibles”. The boys were already inside and were absolutely ecstatic. It was their first time in a Limo. And it was a 20 passenger H2 Hummer Limo to boot!

Well, this pretty much makes up for some of the “bad” things that happened on our trip. We get to go out IN STYLE.

Well, that’s pretty much my tale……10 days of happiness, with a couple of bumps along the way.

I have to add this in…….at a couple of times during the trip, DW said “This has been one of our worst vacations ever.” She probably said this out of frustration over the “suitcase issue.” But when we returned home and began planning next year’s vacation to Washington, D.C., she said “I don’t want to go to D.C. next year. I want to go back to Disney World.” She also said “I was wrong….this wasn’t a bad vacation. It was great. Just not perfect.” I said “Isn’t that what life is all about?”

So, here I am……..planning another trip to Disney and Universal Studios…….We enjoyed staying at the Hard Rock Hotel and probably will stay there again next year.

See Ya Real Soon!

 

[christophfam]

Pozey,

Thanks so much for your report. I've been looking through the trip reports trying to find someone with children close to the same ages as mine. I have a DS (9) and a DD (6) and we go to Disney at least once a year. This year I am thinking Universal, but I'm not sure if we're ready. I've read some posts that say wait, do Disney now while they are still young because they will want Universal soon enough when they are teens and then I've read other posts saying younger kids love it too.

This will be a short trip so we can't do both and we've done, done, done Disney, but always have a blast. My question to you is will a 9 and 6 year old enjoy Universal/ IOP as much as Disney? How did your kids rate it after just having been to Disney? We do plan on staying at RPR so the express thing sounds heavenly.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[pozey]

Pozey,

Thanks so much for your report. I've been looking through the trip reports trying to find someone with children close to the same ages as mine. I have a DS (9) and a DD (6) and we go to Disney at least once a year. This year I am thinking Universal, but I'm not sure if we're ready. I've read some posts that say wait, do Disney now while they are still young because they will want Universal soon enough when they are teens and then I've read other posts saying younger kids love it too.

This will be a short trip so we can't do both and we've done, done, done Disney, but always have a blast. My question to you is will a 9 and 6 year old enjoy Universal/ IOP as much as Disney? How did your kids rate it after just having been to Disney? We do plan on staying at RPR so the express thing sounds heavenly.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Christophfam,

Of course it would depend on your children, but my kids loved Universal. But then, they pretty much love everything.

It would also depend on the rides they like. My DS(9) will ride ANYTHING. He loved Hulk, Dueling Dragons, everything. He would have as much fun on Hulk as he would on Dumbo.

Now, my DS(6) is a different story. He's a little more of a ride weenie. He wasn't quite tall enough to ride Hulk or Dueling Dragons, but I don't think there is any way he would have gotten on either anyway. But he still had fun. He did ride things like Spiderman, and some of the other rides that weren't too wild. But he loved the water rides.

I asked them which parks they liked best. Interestingly, here were their replies: Number 1 was Disney MGM Studios followed by Islands of Adventure, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios, and Animal Kingdom.

And yes.....the Front of the Line Pass is WONDERFUL!!

I also have to mention that my 6 year old LOVES Myrtle Beach. And the reason?? Because the hotel we stayed in had a Lazy River.

Anyway.......I think your kids will love Universal. It is "different" than Disney in many ways.....but still lots of fun!

 

[christophfam]

Thanks, Pozey! Seeing Islands of Adventure second on your kids list has helped me decide to give it a go. Their ratings of the Disney parks is just how my kids would rate them.

 

[Eclpz314]

Pozey, it was fun to read about your H2 experience. We hired it last year and again this year (19 yr. DS' actually paid for most of it...even better!) Last year the driver met us at the airport and kept telling us the "limo bug" was waiting downstairs.....ds got so concerned, he had me sneak down the escalator to see what was there while waiting for luggage. WOW! couldn't see anything through the exit doors except black!!! lol, I figure it's the kids vacation too and if that's what they wanted to be part of it, so be it. Driver last year was much more attentive, driving down Int'l Dr. on way back to airport, slowing down so people could wave, etc. This year, by my request, they had a special sparkling cider chilling when we got in.....and I give the driver tons of credit (an a nice tip) for driving us back to the airport during one of the worst rainstorms I have ever witnessed! Your kids must've really been surprised since they didn't know you had reserved the H2!! Glad you had a good time.