sturgeon13
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
- Messages
- 3
I'm 17 years old and went to Universal with my parents, my 14 year old sister, and ten year old brother.In case youre wondering, my name is John. It was my family's first trip to Universal since I was 8, so this was my first time to see Islands of Adventure and CityWalk. We stayed at the Royal Pacific Resort which my family liked very much. FOTL was just awesome and allowed us to do everything multiple times if we wanted to. I felt Citywalk was a great place as well with plenty of restaurants,clubs, and shops. I will break this report into three catagories, Universal Studios,IOA,Sea World and dining in Universal.
Universal Studios
Shrek 4D- This show was just great. I loved how the seats moved a lot and the storyline was pretty cool as well.
Jimmy Neutron- Not that great. Good for little kids.
Jaws- Still a great ride 9 years since I last saw it.
Earthquake- Long preshows but still a pretty decent ride.
T2-3D- When I saw this when I was 8 I absolutely loved it and was anticipating it so much for this trip. The show however is severely outdated and the live action is cheesy along with the crummy preshow. Update this please.
Men In Black- Excellent ride. Family rode at least 7 times. Way better than Buzz at Disney
Twister- I thought this attraction was great but probably wouldnt see it again because of the preshows. Great effects.
E.T. Adventure- Decent ride still but not great.
BTTF- Crappy ride. It's outdated. I loved the movies, but the ride is just horrible. I'm not a big simulator fan.
Animal Planet Live- Okay show. Not as great as Pets Ahoy at SeaWorld
Wild Wild Wild West Stunt Show- I liked this show a lot. Great stunts and action
Horror Makeup Show- Best show at Universal. Absolutely hillarious.
IOA
Spiderman- One of the best rides I've ever ridden. I rode this at least 8 times. maybe the best ride at Universal.
Hulk- Great coaster. I love the launch more than Rockin Rollercoaster at Disney because you're outside and can see where you're going. The beggining of this ride is just great.
Dr. Doom- Decent ride, but too short. This has got nothing on Tower of Terror
Mat Hofman Show- Great show. The performers pulled off some amazing tricks. I loved it.
Popeye- Best River Rapids ride ever. We rode this at least 5 times because it was so hot the whole trip.
Dudley's Ripsaw Falls- Great water ride that puts Splash Mountain to shame. Lots of drops and plenty of water. I can't decide which of Popeye and Dudley I like more.
Jurassic Park River Adventure- Sweet Ride. The T-Rex is so awesome looking as is the 85 ft. drop
Triceratops Discovery Trail- Whole family did not like this. What's the point?
Dueling Dragons-Great coasters. Fire is just so much better though. My sister, brother, and I rode it in the front once and there was nothing like it. The near misses are incredible.
Sindbad Show- Entertaining show. Not great but something else to do.
Poseidon's Fury- Not great but not a horrible waste of time. Could be a lot better though. Our guide was great which saved the show from being horrible. Walking through the cave with water was sweet though.
Cat in the Hat- Good kids ride
SeaWorld
Atlantis and Kraken- Two great rides. Kraken may be better than Hulk. Atlantis is still great fun.
Pets Ahoy- Wonderful Show. The act the pets put on at the end is worth the price of admission to Seaworld itself.
Shamu Show- Decent.
Dolphin Show- I love dolphins so i liked this show a lot.
Clyde and Seamore- Pretty bad overall. I love the walrus at the end though.
Manatee, Penguin, and Shark exhibits- Very cool if you want to see these Animals up close
Wild Arctic- Simulator- I don't like simulators.
Dining at Universal
Breakfast- We usually just ate the continental at the hotel or got some quick food at the parks. The hotel buffet was good the two times we had it.
Lunch- The Bula Bar at Royal Pacific had good food for lunch. I liked Mel's hot dogs and shakes at USF. Burger Digs was a good place at IOA for lunch. International Food and Film Festival was good and had plenty of choices.
Dinner
Emeril's Tchoup Chop- This was my birthday dinner on the 20th and it was exellent. We had some oysters and crunchy shrimp to start which were both excellent. I had the pork chop for dinne with bbq glaze and garlic mashed potatoes. It was the best pork chop I'd ever had in my life. The reason I got it was that our waiter said it was his favorite. My mom had the Ribeye and my siblings had the children's six ounce filet. They all enjoyed their steaks. My dad had Quail with stuffing which he liked a lot. For dessert my mom, dad, and I had Banana Creme pie which was exellent. Just the perfect taste. My siblings had chocolate covered strawberries which they liked a lot. Overall the service and the food were excellent. Eat here on your next trip.
NBA City- We just got some salads and wood fired pizzas here. The service was great. Our ceaser salads were excellent and the Sausage and Pepperoni pizzas were delicious. The NBA stuff was very cool as you could compare your hand size to pros and watch highlights of the best players of all time. The carrot cake was a wonderful dessert. Overall, this was a very good restaurant
Mythos- Awesome restaurant it feels like you're eating inside of a big rock. I had tortilla soup to start which was exellent. For dinner I had the salmon which was awesome as well, one of the best pieces of fish I have had in my life. My siblings had ravioli on the kids menu and both had tortilla soup as well. My mom had the salmon and my dad had balsamic chicken. They both liked their meals as well. My dad and mom shared shrimp cocktail and a Ceaser Salad to start, both of which they enjoyed. For dessert we shared two Chocolate banana Gooey cakes and a berry cake which were both good. Overall, This was an amazing restaurant.
The Palm Restaurant- We had calamari and clams casino for appetizer. Both tasted great. For dinner my mom and I got the filet, my dad got the New York Strip, my sister got Spaghetti and my brother had steak as well. All the steaks were excellent and prepared just the way you asked for them. My sister loved her spaghetti. For sides we had creamed spinach and baked potatoes which were good. The restaurant was nice inside as there were picture of celebrities all over the walls. For dessert we had chocolate pecan pie, and two cheesecakes. Both were great. The service here was off the charts. Another awesome restaurant.
Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville- Very nice restaurant that plays Buffet songs and has an exploding volcano in the middle. Service was bad here but the restaurant was very busy. We had crab dip with chips and peel and eat shrimp for appetizers. Both were very good. The shrimp had some awesome spices on them. My dad had the tilapia sandwich which he enjoyed. I had beef fajitas. They gave me plenty of meat and I really enjoyed them. My mom had the jerk chicken. She loves jerk flavor so she enjoyed it. My brother had grilled salmon and my sister had mahi-mahi which they both liked a lot. For dessert, my mom and I had chocolate banana bread pudding which was very tasty and my sister, bro, and dad had strawberry shortcake. Overall, a very fun dinner.
Last thoughts
My family really enjoyed our trip to Universal Orlando. We loved the parks, restaurants, Citywalk, and our hotel. Our hotel had a very nice pool and nice hot tubs. We had the 4 park flex pass and decided to not go to Wet n Wild because we didn't think it looked that great. Overall it was a very fun vacation and I can't wait to return.
Universal Studios
Shrek 4D- This show was just great. I loved how the seats moved a lot and the storyline was pretty cool as well.
Jimmy Neutron- Not that great. Good for little kids.
Jaws- Still a great ride 9 years since I last saw it.
Earthquake- Long preshows but still a pretty decent ride.
T2-3D- When I saw this when I was 8 I absolutely loved it and was anticipating it so much for this trip. The show however is severely outdated and the live action is cheesy along with the crummy preshow. Update this please.
Men In Black- Excellent ride. Family rode at least 7 times. Way better than Buzz at Disney
Twister- I thought this attraction was great but probably wouldnt see it again because of the preshows. Great effects.
E.T. Adventure- Decent ride still but not great.
BTTF- Crappy ride. It's outdated. I loved the movies, but the ride is just horrible. I'm not a big simulator fan.
Animal Planet Live- Okay show. Not as great as Pets Ahoy at SeaWorld
Wild Wild Wild West Stunt Show- I liked this show a lot. Great stunts and action
Horror Makeup Show- Best show at Universal. Absolutely hillarious.
IOA
Spiderman- One of the best rides I've ever ridden. I rode this at least 8 times. maybe the best ride at Universal.
Hulk- Great coaster. I love the launch more than Rockin Rollercoaster at Disney because you're outside and can see where you're going. The beggining of this ride is just great.
Dr. Doom- Decent ride, but too short. This has got nothing on Tower of Terror
Mat Hofman Show- Great show. The performers pulled off some amazing tricks. I loved it.
Popeye- Best River Rapids ride ever. We rode this at least 5 times because it was so hot the whole trip.
Dudley's Ripsaw Falls- Great water ride that puts Splash Mountain to shame. Lots of drops and plenty of water. I can't decide which of Popeye and Dudley I like more.
Jurassic Park River Adventure- Sweet Ride. The T-Rex is so awesome looking as is the 85 ft. drop
Triceratops Discovery Trail- Whole family did not like this. What's the point?
Dueling Dragons-Great coasters. Fire is just so much better though. My sister, brother, and I rode it in the front once and there was nothing like it. The near misses are incredible.
Sindbad Show- Entertaining show. Not great but something else to do.
Poseidon's Fury- Not great but not a horrible waste of time. Could be a lot better though. Our guide was great which saved the show from being horrible. Walking through the cave with water was sweet though.
Cat in the Hat- Good kids ride
SeaWorld
Atlantis and Kraken- Two great rides. Kraken may be better than Hulk. Atlantis is still great fun.
Pets Ahoy- Wonderful Show. The act the pets put on at the end is worth the price of admission to Seaworld itself.
Shamu Show- Decent.
Dolphin Show- I love dolphins so i liked this show a lot.
Clyde and Seamore- Pretty bad overall. I love the walrus at the end though.
Manatee, Penguin, and Shark exhibits- Very cool if you want to see these Animals up close
Wild Arctic- Simulator- I don't like simulators.
Dining at Universal
Breakfast- We usually just ate the continental at the hotel or got some quick food at the parks. The hotel buffet was good the two times we had it.
Lunch- The Bula Bar at Royal Pacific had good food for lunch. I liked Mel's hot dogs and shakes at USF. Burger Digs was a good place at IOA for lunch. International Food and Film Festival was good and had plenty of choices.
Dinner
Emeril's Tchoup Chop- This was my birthday dinner on the 20th and it was exellent. We had some oysters and crunchy shrimp to start which were both excellent. I had the pork chop for dinne with bbq glaze and garlic mashed potatoes. It was the best pork chop I'd ever had in my life. The reason I got it was that our waiter said it was his favorite. My mom had the Ribeye and my siblings had the children's six ounce filet. They all enjoyed their steaks. My dad had Quail with stuffing which he liked a lot. For dessert my mom, dad, and I had Banana Creme pie which was exellent. Just the perfect taste. My siblings had chocolate covered strawberries which they liked a lot. Overall the service and the food were excellent. Eat here on your next trip.
NBA City- We just got some salads and wood fired pizzas here. The service was great. Our ceaser salads were excellent and the Sausage and Pepperoni pizzas were delicious. The NBA stuff was very cool as you could compare your hand size to pros and watch highlights of the best players of all time. The carrot cake was a wonderful dessert. Overall, this was a very good restaurant
Mythos- Awesome restaurant it feels like you're eating inside of a big rock. I had tortilla soup to start which was exellent. For dinner I had the salmon which was awesome as well, one of the best pieces of fish I have had in my life. My siblings had ravioli on the kids menu and both had tortilla soup as well. My mom had the salmon and my dad had balsamic chicken. They both liked their meals as well. My dad and mom shared shrimp cocktail and a Ceaser Salad to start, both of which they enjoyed. For dessert we shared two Chocolate banana Gooey cakes and a berry cake which were both good. Overall, This was an amazing restaurant.
The Palm Restaurant- We had calamari and clams casino for appetizer. Both tasted great. For dinner my mom and I got the filet, my dad got the New York Strip, my sister got Spaghetti and my brother had steak as well. All the steaks were excellent and prepared just the way you asked for them. My sister loved her spaghetti. For sides we had creamed spinach and baked potatoes which were good. The restaurant was nice inside as there were picture of celebrities all over the walls. For dessert we had chocolate pecan pie, and two cheesecakes. Both were great. The service here was off the charts. Another awesome restaurant.
Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville- Very nice restaurant that plays Buffet songs and has an exploding volcano in the middle. Service was bad here but the restaurant was very busy. We had crab dip with chips and peel and eat shrimp for appetizers. Both were very good. The shrimp had some awesome spices on them. My dad had the tilapia sandwich which he enjoyed. I had beef fajitas. They gave me plenty of meat and I really enjoyed them. My mom had the jerk chicken. She loves jerk flavor so she enjoyed it. My brother had grilled salmon and my sister had mahi-mahi which they both liked a lot. For dessert, my mom and I had chocolate banana bread pudding which was very tasty and my sister, bro, and dad had strawberry shortcake. Overall, a very fun dinner.
Last thoughts
My family really enjoyed our trip to Universal Orlando. We loved the parks, restaurants, Citywalk, and our hotel. Our hotel had a very nice pool and nice hot tubs. We had the 4 park flex pass and decided to not go to Wet n Wild because we didn't think it looked that great. Overall it was a very fun vacation and I can't wait to return.
I'm not complaining about it, mind you. 
