Universal Studios - Islands of Adventure

Universal Studios - Islands of Adventure (Day 5)

This is our last day in Orlando and we are spending the day away from Disney World at Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure amusement park.  There are two Universal parks (technically three - one's a water park), but two with rides.  Islands of Adventure is home to five sub "islands" - Marvel Island, Toon Lagoon, Skull Island, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, The Lost Continent, and Seuss Landing.

Arrival

We took three Ubers to get all seven (7) of us there due to Covid protocols.  We got there at various times around 8:00 am and the number of people there was absolutely INSANE.  I don't think we got a picture of how many people were there, but the only thing I can equate it to was a major football game or concert letting out.  There were tens of thousands of people arriving.  

They were very efficient at moving people through the metal detectors and into the park area, where some people split off to one park and some to another.  But there were still gate barriers and some people could not get into the Islands of Adventure (our ticket allowed us in).

Spiderman was already at 150 minutes (at 8:00am!), so the kids rode on Dr. Doom while we went looking for Fast Passes (which were sold out).  My itinerary was already broken badly, so for the rest of the day we just had to monitor ride times and go where lines were 90 min or less.

Crammed into the "People Dryer"

We were able to next ride The Hulk - an awesome roller coaster and Shellie waited with our stuff.  After that, Spiderman was still over 150 min, so we headed to Toon Lagoon and went on the Bilge Rat barges.  This is a raft ride.  Unlike most raft rides that say "You may get wet", this one says "You will get wet."  Shellie and Kim bought ponchos for $12 each and the rest of us thought that was a waste of money.  One minute into the ride, we were all soaked, especially Brooke.  Luckily they had huge "People Dryers" for us.

After a quick, early lunch and shooting water at the people on the other water ride, we got in line for King Kong which is the only ride in Skull Island.  It was a really long, slow moving line, and finally after we rode it, honestly did not feel like it was worth the wait.  It was OK, but you ride in these big safari vehicles and watch some 3D action on either side which is hard if you are on the wrong side.

 

So then we headed to Jurassic Park to do the River ride, but the line was long, so we just continued on to the Harry Potter land after grabbing drinks and a snack.  This was what Brooke was waiting for the whole trip - get a wand and ride the Harry Potter rides.  There's a big roller coaster that looks like it is under construction, so we could not ride that or the Hogwart's Express (which goes between parks).  So that left, the main attraction, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure - which had a virtual queue (aka Lottery) to get on it.  We missed the first attempt, but this time got all of us on there.  After a delay when the ride broke down, we were able to get in line.  It broke down again, but after about and hour and a half we were able to ride it.  I think that was the family's favorite ride of the trip.  I won't give it away, other than it is a roller coaster, and it's better if you ride the motorcycle, not the side car.

Then we headed to Seuss Land.  We went there on the other Universal Park before our Disney Cruise when the kids were about three years old.  See the resemblance?

Caro-Seuss-el Kids in 2020

Caro-Seuss-el Kids in 2008

Bix in Seuss Land

Boys shooting baskets

Now we were back at the front of the park - so we tried to do Spiderman again - still over two hours to wait, so we continued around.   First we stopped at the midway games and played some games of skill:

Then we did the Jurassic Jungle cruise which was a pretty fun and unique water ride.

Finally it was 90 in for Spiderman so we bit the bullet and got in line.  Orin, Bix, Brooke, and I ditched the line to ride the nearby Dr. Doom with a 15 min wait and got back in line at Spiderman before anyone missed us.  Spiderman was really good, but not sure it would be 210 minutes wait time good, ever.

We rode the Hulk again, this time with Shellie, and after almost 12 hours in the park, we left, grabbed a quick dinner in the City Center, and Ubered back to the Hotel.  Kim and the boys had to leave for the airport at 3:30am; we got to leave at 8:30. 

We really enjoyed our five days in Orlando - hope you get to go soon!

DisneyWorld - Magic Kingdom

 DisneyWorld - Magic Kingdom (Day 4)

Really good map of the Magic Kingdom

Great one-day guide here

This is what a lot of people think when they think of Disney World.  Cinderella's Castle, character rides, and a whole lot of of kids under four.

This park opened at 9am, so we got there a little early and got right in - heading immediately for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.  (Why it is not Dwarves, I do not understand, and I did look it up).  Anyway, WE were dressed up in matching dwarf shirts, courtesy of Kim and Shellie.

This ride always has a ridiculously long wait time, for whatever reason, so following the great guide here, we got there first (and still had to wait over 40 minutes).   It is a fun ride, so do not skip it.  

We then went straight to Peter Pan, per the guide, and it was also a fun ride.  You ride in a moving cart, and I will not spoil it beyond saying that.

We moved around the back of the park to hit two of the three big "Mountain" rides - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (which I always like) and Splash Mountain (you don't get too wet, unlike the Bilge-Rat Barges at Universal).

With several big rides out of the way early, we took a break and watched the Country Bear Jamboree, one of Shellie's favorites.  It's a little corny, but I thin the kids liked it and we had time.  

The park was starting to get really crowded and Shellie and Kim did not want to wait in the 90 minute Pirates of the Caribbean ride (me either, I think it's kinda boring), so they went to the Hall of Presidents (even more boring) and we did Pirates.  

We met for lunch at Pecos Bill's which is pretty decent Tex Mex.  Then we headed to ride Space Mountain in Tomorrowland - across the park.  Then we did BuzzLightyear and headed back to the back of the park, stopping along the way at Cinderella's Castle for some photos.

We stood in a pretty long, but fast-moving line for the Haunted Mansion, which was not too scary, and then went to "it's a small world".  After doing Small World, we decided to try to find my hat I left on the Dwarf train, and after checking there and one nearby place where they turn stuff in, I went to City Hall at the front of the part, where they had my hat efficiently bagged and tagged.  So amazing I got it back. 

**Related/side note - the people at Disney really do go the extra mile for customer service - it was evident in several areas - once we left our backpack at the bus stop (seeing a pattern here?) and the driver went back to get it; Bix bought a light saber bulb too long for the plane and a totally different shop arranged shipping for us.  There were other examples and it really took our cares away.

We finished off with some awesome root beer floats and soft serve at Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies.  You should totally go there.

We headed back from the park way before closing, and I went to the pool with the boys.  I went to Disney Springs with Kim and Shellie to ship the light saber and we got back just in time to watch Texas destroy Colorado in the Alamobowl 55-23.  Hook'em.

Note: we did skip some rides during this visit - notably the Jungle Cruise which is pretty tame, the speedway, teacups, Winnie the Pooh, and some kiddier rides.

DisneyWorld - Epcot

DisneyWorld - Epcot (Day 3)

Epcot Map

Today we are headed to Epcot - home of the giant silver ball.  I have fond memories of Epcot as a kid - going to all of the Nations around the large central lake and experiencing the "world" for the first time.  This park opened pretty late, but learning from the previous days, we went a little early to hopefully get in early and it paid off.  

Some other ride

test drive shhhh. don't tell

We were in the doors at 9:30, which allowed us to get in a (relatively) short line for Test Drive - the Chevrolet sponsored roller coaster.  On this coaster, two people are in an individual "car" and you test drive it for traction and aerodynamics, eventually taking it on a high speed track.  It's a fun ride with long wait times, so getting this done first was a priority.

World Showcase

If you have not seen Epcot, there are  basically two sections - the World Showcase, which are replica "countries" around a big lake, with food and shopping representative of the countries.  And the "Front" section which has rides and Learning.

After Test Drive, we hauled a** to Norway to ride the frozen ride. Even getting there at 9:30 AM we still had to stand in a 40 minute line. This is one of the more popular rides at Epcot and it was pretty fun. After the ride we stopped to eat some breakfast in Norway - lefsa and troll horns. Then we went next door to Mexico. 

I remember Mexico from when I was 16 and the strange thing I remember was that the ride was inside of a restaurant, which I thought could not be true, but it was. Once we got inside of the Mexican pavilion, the line went through some shops and a restaurant before it started. The ride is a water ride and ours broke down right before we got to the end. We had to listen to the final song by the Panchitos for about 5 or 6 minutes for the ride got started again. After the ride Shellie and I sampled some tequila and margaritas at the CAVA inside the pavilion. After Mexico we headed to the other side of the world.

Tequila!

The right side of the world, started with Canada which only has one attraction, a 360 degree film about the provinces in Canada. The scenery was nice, but it was very boring (sorry Canada). After Canada we had a lunch time reserved at the Rose and Crown in England.  The nice people at Rose and Crown accommodated our request to increase our reservation by three people so Kim and her boys could eat with us.  Most of us had fish and chips which was a very generous portion and delicious. The waiter at rose and crown was also great.  After Canada, I was technically not drinking around the world, but I was able to get draft Boddingtons at Rose and Crown.

Moving around the world took us past the mostly useless International Gateway (alternative park entrance/exit) and then to France.  We were disappointed the Ratatouille ride was not yet open (2021), but we did find the bakery in the very back and the kids had ice cream at a shop.  Morocco was fun to look around and then we got to Japan.  

Brooke was in love with the store in Japan and wanted to buy it out.  She asked if we could come back at the end of the day to get a katana (Japanese sword) and we said yes, so we left the store empty-handed.

After Japan we got to the United States pavilion, where there was a stage show and we waited for the American Adventure show, where animatronic historical figures walk through our history.   Shellie though it would be more patriotic (music wise), but it was more like a history lesson with US achievements and struggles.

Then we hit Italy and Germany and I finally got a beer.  (I am SO looking forward to Oktoberfest in Germany in 2022).   Then we were back to China (shopping) and Norway and Mexico again.  

Front of the Park

Now it was time to hit the rides.  Kim had been to Epcot before and wanted to go to Soarin', but I had that last on our schedule, so we went to Mission: Space instead.  We were in line for this "motion ride" when I read that it could be very disturbing for people who get motion sickness (aka. me).  But, we found out that we could switch from the Orange to the Green line and go on a milder version.  The milder version was fun enough for me.  Both rides had barf bags in the ride - that should tell you something.  Bix said I would not have made it through the orange one, and Brooke was sick for half an hour.  Orin wanted to go again.

Then we went straight to Soarin' which was on the other side of the park.  It was a pretty long slow line, but we finally made it and we could tell why it was Kim's favorite ride, it was really fun.  You are in a hangglider (seated) and you soar over various places of the world.  Very fun.

We at dinner at the Coral Reef, which was OK, but a little expensive for the quality and selection.  Then Brooke and I ran to Japan, while the others went to Nemo and Soarin' again.  

We were to meet back at the big ball "Spaceship Earth" to do it before park close, but no one made it.  Brooke and I had to travel over two miles to get to Japan and back and the Soarin' line was still long.  

  

DisneyWorld - Animal Kingdom

 DisneyWorld - Animal Kingdom (Day 2)

The Animal Kingdom opened up the earliest of any of the parks - with a 7:00am entry time.  We ate granola bars in the hotel and hit the bus at 7am to get to the park at 7:15. Once we got to the park it was still not very crowded and we headed to the back of the park to ride Expedition Everest which is a rollercoaster.  This is one of the most fun rides at Disney World, and when we got there, the line was only 15 minutes.  After our first ride Shellie wanted to ride again so we did. 

Afterwards, we headed to Dinoland and the only ride open was the triceratops saucers which is the kid's ride but we rode it anyway.  The big attraction at Dinoland is the ride Dinosaur and it was not yet open when we got there (before 9am), so we left.  Flame tree barbeque was making barbecue for the day and smelled SO GOOD, but it wasn't open yet so we ate at the Creature Comforts coffee shop which is basically a Starbucks.

Next on our agenda was Kilimanjaro Safari in which you ride through an open air zoo to see various wildlife from around the world. Advice was to go early in the morning but it seems like there were still plenty of animals out around 9:30am.  After the safari we went on the gorilla walk and saw other animals.

Not a Longhorn, Just long horns

Meerkat Manor

Two-bodied zebra

   

At this point we were making pretty good progress so we decided to try the Pandora ride even though the line was pretty long (like over 90 minutes). I won't give away the ride but it is one of the best rides at Disney World.  I will tell you it is a motion ride.

After Pandora, we went on the Navi River ride, which was also about a 75 minute ride wait and I have to say it probably was not worth it. We went back to Dinoland and were able to get on the Dinosaur ride which was a good ride and by then it was time for our lunch at Yak and Yeti - pretty good mid grade Chinese and Asian.  Afterwards we only had the last River raft ride. Shellie did not want to get wet so Bix, Brooke, and I went on the Kali River raft and got medium wet. Luckily the sun was out a little bit and we were not freezing. At this point we had seen most of the park and only had the Maharajah jungle trek to go so we did that quickly and left the park by 4 PM.  In retrospect, I think we missed the Pagani forest walk, which was also on my spreadsheet itinerary.

Bix and I went to the pool (hot tub only) while the girls took a nap. When we got home we ordered pizza and watched football.

And then there was a knock at our door...

Shellie's sister Kim and two of her boys were there to join us for our last three days in Orlando.

DisneyWorld - Hollywood Studios

 Day One - DisneyWorld arrival and Hollywood studios

Overview: We spent 5 full days at the DisneyWorld Orlando resort and Universal studios in December 2020; COVID was in practice; took the whole family and met up with my sister-in-law and two of her kids.

Arrival

On the Magic Bus!

We took Spirit Airlines on a direct flight from Austin to Orlando, arriving around 6:30pm.  We took the Magical Express from the airport to the Coronado Springs hotel in the center of the park.  This was an efficient way to get there, since we did not want to rent a car.  It stopped at only three other places and we got to the hotel about 90 minutes after we landed.  Which may sound like a long time, but in Disney line-time it was not.

Coronado Springs resort

This hotel is considered a mid-tier hotel at Disney and it is spread out over a large area.  It was about a .5 mile walk from the lobby in the main tower to our room in Casita 5.  The good news was that there is a Disney Bus stop between Casitas 4 and 5 so it was very convenient.  The hotel has a large gift shop and a quick service restaurant as well as some sit-down table service options.  The "casitas" and other rooms are kid of like a motel - with doors to the outside, but they were warm and comfortable.  The property has many groups of these rooms all around a central lake with a restaurant in the middle.  It has a Huge heated pool with a slide and sand volleyball.  Also has a very large hot tub / spa.

Coronado Springs Hotel Lobby

Disney Springs

After checking in, we decided to brave the cold (40 degrees and windy) and go to Disney Springs which I think was formerly "Downtown Disney".  It's a large open air mall with restaurants, high end shops, and other stores around a lake.  It was very hard to get into a sit down restaurant, so we ate at a "quick service" sandwich shop.  "Quick service"" restaurants at Disney allow you to sit down and eat without having to make a reservation - you order at a counter (or online) and then you can sit there.

In front of the big tree

It was wicked cold, so we only looked around a little bit and then went back to the hotel.

HUGE Disney Store

We took the bus both ways between Disney Springs and the hotel.  One advantage was that when Disney Springs was "at capacity" they let buses in, but not cars.

Hollywood Studios

BEFORE YOU GO:  At this time, Star Wars ride Rise of the Resistance requires you to get a boarding pass for your party - you must use the My Disney Experience App and maybe also be lucky - you can try at 7am and again at 1pm

Here is a very thorough explanation of how to do this:  Ziggy

We were lucky enough to get number 38 for the day, which allowed us to ride well before noon. 

My consolidated tips:

1) Have multiple people in your party try - if one gets through it will shut the others out - no way to double dip

2) Use CELL not WIFI.  The Wifi can be very crowded and unreliable.  

3) Watch the time (we did a countdown on iphone) and start hammering on the JOIN button.  You will know when you get through and you can select everyone in your party.  Once you get through you have time to finish it out.  

Is it worth it?  Yes.  This is one of the best rides at Disney.  It is somewhat interactive and you actually will walk and ride on the ride.

Otherwise... more Hollywood studios.

We arrived at 9am which was the posted entrance time and people were already in the park, which was a little disconcerting.  What I heard was that because of COVID, they did not want large groups gathering in the plaza to get in, so they let people in a little early to keep things moving.  This does NOT mean that the rides are open yet, which we found out at Animal Kingdom.

In general I followed one-day itineraries by disneytouristblog.  We were able to ride everything every day, so I can vouch for these plans, even though we diverted a little.

In general, we went to eh back right of the park to Toon Town, did Slinky Dog Dash (roller coaster) first (which was fun), then Toy Story Mania - shooting from a moving car, and then spinning Alien saucers.  

Star Wars Land

Then we moved to Star Wars land.  Got something to drink and looked around a bit.  The Star Wars smugglers run line was already over an hour and our slot for Rise of the Resistance was coming up so we just waited for our boarding time to come up for RotR.  (see above about boarding groups)  Everyone enjoyed that ride and then we went back and did Smuggler's Run (motion ride).  While we were in line for Smuggler's Run, we ordered food from Docking Bay 7, so it would be ready when we got off the ride.  The timing was a bit tricky because you never know how many more "secret lines" there are beyond the one you are in, but we were OK.  The food was OK, probably good for park food, AND we got to sit down, AND it wasn't cold (still cold today).

After StarWars land, we went to the Star Warrs ride that was not in the Star Wars area - the original Star Tours, which is also a motion ride.  There are a lot of motion rides now - basically you sit and look at a screen and the seat or pod may move around (a little or a lot) but you don't actually go anywhere.  It gives you the sensation of flying, but I tend to get sick (like reading in the car) when the thing I'm watching and the G-force don't match well.

Three for Tower of Terror

Rockin' Roller Coaster

I wanted to go to MuppetVision3D next, but the family wasn't feeling it, so we held off - for now and headed toward the Tower of Terror.  I hate drop rides, which (spoiler) this is, so I waited in line for about an hour with the family and then as they went to the secret lines inside I got in the line for the Rockin' Roller Coaster.  After about 40 minutes, they finished and joined me in line just in time.  RRC is a dark roller coaster like Space Mountain and I loved it.

After that, Shellie got her popcorn (every day, maybe multiple times) and we got in line for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway - you should not miss this ride either - it's pretty fun and unique.

Bix and his Light Saber

We were done pretty early, but Bix wanted to get a custom light saber, so he and Brooke stayed in the park until their standby time came up and Shellie and I went home.  Kids found their way home, even though they had to wait a long time for the bus and we tried teh restaurant in the middle of the hotel lake.  The food was good, but it was Freezing (no inside seating).  We even got blankets.  On our way home we saw a family coming home from the pool - brrrrrr.

Chip?  or Dale?

Found a new beer I liked:  Schöfferhofer Grapefruit

Schöfferhofer Grapefruit

Large tree at Disney Springs

View from our hotel building